The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

October 1, 2000

The Hockey News October 1, 2000

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011915/8267234-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="322" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>1. Peter Forsberg</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021506/8267227-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="313" height="421"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>2. Mike Modano</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03979/8267220-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="322" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>3. Eric Lindros</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04582/8267213-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="322" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>4. Steve Yzerman</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05417/8267206-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="316" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>5. Mats Sundin</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Forsberg still top middleman</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06339/8267199-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="1792" height="955"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

FEATURES

TOP 20 NHL CENTERS

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he NHL schedule listed here includes official NHL game numbers and local starting times and national TV listings for ABC, ESPN, espn2 in the U.S., and CBC and CTVSN in Canada.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-01103/8270068-1-eng-US/f0066-012.jpg" title="f0066-01" width="573" height="3295"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-0265/8270061-1-eng-US/f0066-022.jpg" title="f0066-02" width="556" height="3559"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-0327/8270054-1-eng-US/f0066-032.jpg" title="f0066-03" width="569" height="3551"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-0417/8270047-1-eng-US/f0066-042.jpg" title="f0066-04" width="564" height="3555"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-059/8270040-1-eng-US/f0066-052.jpg" title="f0066-05" width="569" height="3563"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0176/8270033-1-eng-US/f0067-012.jpg" title="f0067-01" width="609" height="3547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0237/8270026-1-eng-US/f0067-022.jpg" title="f0067-02" width="612" height="3563"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0325/8270019-1-eng-US/f0067-032.jpg" title="f0067-03" width="597" height="3559"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0419/8270012-1-eng-US/f0067-042.jpg" title="f0067-04" width="596" height="3543"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0513/8270005-1-eng-US/f0067-052.jpg" title="f0067-05" width="605" height="3559"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0066-01

STATISTICS

2000-01 NHL SCHEDULE

<div class="byline">By Bucky Gleason</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03563/8267989-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="878" height="1552"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Maxim Afinogenov&rsquo;s speed and style draw comparisons to Pavel Bure.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JOHN GIAMUNDO/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011036/8267996-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="180" height="185"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he comparisons started almost the minute he stepped on the ice to start training camp last season for the Buffalo Sabres. People took one look at Maxim Afinogenov and immediately starting thinking about Pavel Bure.</p><p>It was inevitable.</p><p>Afinogenov is blessed with nearly the same speed as Bure, his countryman and fellow right winger. They play similar styles, with their pretty moves through the zone, their dances around around defenseman, then-quick shots. Stand them side by side and they could pass for brothers.</p><p>Of course, there is one undeniable difference: Bure has 325 goals in his nine-year career. He had consecutive 60-goal seasons. Afinogenov has 16 goals to show for his rookie season last year.</p><p>The speed is there. The shot is there. The Sabres will find out whether the production follows.</p><p>&ldquo;Time will tell,&rdquo; said Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff. &ldquo;He definitely has the talent. It Res in the hands of his desire. If he&rsquo;s playing well and creating a lot, his ice time will go way up from last year. The rest of it is in his hands. If the puck keeps going in the net, you can&rsquo;t help but play him more.&rdquo;</p><p>Afinogenov began his emergence early last season after spending his first 15 games with Rochester of the American League. He has six goals and 18 points while improving his defensive game. He scored in his first two games after being called up to the Sabres and appeared to be a rising star.</p><p>One problem he had was producing on the road the same electrifying moves he showed at home. Of his 16 goals and 34 points in 65 games, Afinogenov had just six goals and eight points in 31 games away from HSBC Arena.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see,&rdquo; Afinogenov said. &ldquo;When the season starts, everybody will see what&rsquo;s going to happen. I&rsquo;m one year older. It&rsquo;s better for me that I have one year of experience. It should help me. Maybe it will be tougher, I don&rsquo;t know. We&rsquo;ll see.&rdquo;</p><p>The toughest part for Afinogenov might be getting through those second-year blues. Teams starting leaning toward his side in the second half of the season and defensemen stopped falling for every quick fake around the faceoff circles. They also learned to wait for his big shot and get themselves into the shooting lanes.</p><p>&ldquo;Guys are going to catch onto him,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; winger Rob Ray. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to respect his speed. When he starts twirling around in the comers, he&rsquo;s not going to get away with it. These guys are going to tie him up and knock him around.&rdquo;</p><p>Early in training camp, Afinogenov was showing a major improvement in getting the puck off his stick and to the net. He also appeared faster, if that&rsquo;s possible, and more under control than he was a year ago.</p><p>He was skating with Dave Andreychuk, making his second stint in Buffalo, and center Chris Gratton, acquired just before the trade deadline last season, in the first few days of camp. Afinogenov played mostly with Stu Barnes last season but was moved around often.</p><p>Andreychuk and Gratton are both 6-foot-4 and weigh more than 220 pounds. They should draw enough attention to themselves to open the ice for their speedy linemate. Afinogenov must use the extra room and quickly get the puck to the net.</p><p>&ldquo;Guys knows him in the league,&rdquo; Andreychuk said. &ldquo;He surprised a lot of people last year but now they&rsquo;re going to be aware of him&hellip; He&rsquo;s not going to beat guys 1-on-1 like he did last year because they&rsquo;re going to be aware of him. I&rsquo;ve already told him that he has the green fight. He can go any time he wants. I&rsquo;ll be back trying to chase him.&rdquo;</p><p>Buffalo could have a superstar on their hands if Afinogenov continues to progress. The Sabres are hoping he can score 25 or more goals this season and keep improving every year.</p><p>Afinogenov turned 21 Sept. 4. The Sabres haven&rsquo;t had a young player this gifted since Alexander Mogilny in the early 1990s. His performance should have a big say in where the Sabres finish.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a rookie anymore,&rdquo; said defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. &ldquo;He can&rsquo;t use that excuse. He&rsquo;s still a young guy, but everybody knows he has some experience. There are going to be a lot of expectations and more pressure on him. He&rsquo;s a forward. He&rsquo;s gotta score goals.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Dominik Hasek</p><p>2. Martin Biron*</p><p>3. MikaNoronen</p><p>4. Ghyslain Rousseau</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Alexei Zhitnik</p><p>2. Jay McKee</p><p>3. Richard Smehlik</p><p>4. Rhett Warrener</p><p>5. Jason Woolley</p><p>6. James Patrick</p><p>7. Dmitri Kalinin</p><p>8. Brian Campbell</p><p>9. Jason Holland</p><p>10. Mike Hurlbut</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Doug Gilmour</p><p>2. Dave Andreychuk</p><p>3. Vladimir Tsyplakov</p><p>4. Erik Rasmussen</p><p>5. Denis Hamel</p><p>6. Darren Van Oene</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Curtis Brown</p><p>2. Michael Peca*</p><p>3. Chris Gratton</p><p>4. Stu Barnes</p><p>5. Chris Taylor</p><p>6. Francois Methot</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Miroslav Satan</p><p>2. Maxim Afinogenov</p><p>3. Vaclav Varada</p><p>4. Rob Ray</p><p>5. J.P. Dumont</p><p>6. Jeremy Adduono</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02695/8267982-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="325" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Alexei Zhitnik</b></figcaption></div><p>Buffalo&rsquo;s supposed No. 1 defenseman had a brutal 1999-2000 (two goals, 13 points) and is on a one-year contract.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04449/8267975-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="559" height="316"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Buffalo&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05357/8267968-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="561" height="827"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06305/8267961-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="558" height="126"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07274/8267954-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="561" height="389"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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NHL TEAMS

Slick moves of Maxim

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03487/8268062-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Robyn Regehr, center, wants to take a larger role on the Flames&rsquo; blueline.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01971/8268069-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="172" height="169"></div><p>At age 20, entering his second NHL season, Calgary Flames&rsquo; defenseman Robyn Regehr has come to know and accept a difficult truth.</p><p>No matter how long he plays hockey professionally, Regehr will never ever be quite the same physically as he was before the July, 1999, automobile crash that left him with two fractured legs, injuries which were briefly thought to be career-threatening.</p><p>&ldquo;There are just things with fractures and going through something like that, you&rsquo;re never going to be 100 per cent again,&rdquo; conceded Regehr, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;m going to try to get as close to 100 per cent as I can. I am close, but some things are just not going to heal and you can&rsquo;t work on them and those things are out of your control. But I&rsquo;m happy with the way I worked throughout the summer and the way I feel right now.&rdquo;</p><p>Regehr made an astonishing recovery from the high-speed collision that claimed the lives of two young men, thanks to a grueling rehabilitation process. By last September, he was already on skates, making languid circles around the Saddledome ice. In mid-October, he was assigned to Saint John (American League) for a short conditioning stint. A fortnight later, only 116 days after the crash, the teenage defenseman made his NHL debut in a game against the Ottawa Senators.</p><p>In all, Regehr played 57 games for Calgary as a rookie, averaging a solid 18 minutes and 24 seconds on a team that saw its defense corps ravaged by injuries. His accomplishments earned him the nod as the Flames&rsquo; Masterton Trophy candidate-awarded for perseverance, dedication and sports&mdash;manship&mdash;the first teenager ever so honored.</p><p>Unquestionably, Regehr came a long way in a short time last season, but that was then. Now, in his second training camp, the competition on the blueline remains intense. Even though Bob Dollas and Darryl Shannon aren&rsquo;t back; even though Steve Smith&rsquo;s availability is uncertain; and even though Derek Morris is unsigned, the Flames are deep in defensemen. Regehr is a lock to make the team, but he wants to do more than just play, he wants to upgrade his role.</p><p>So, he spent 10 days in Kelowna, B.C., at a skating camp to work on his stride. He also travelled to Colorado Springs to work with Charles Poliquin, the trainer credited with helping Gary Roberts get his career back after an injury-induced one-year retirement.</p><p>&ldquo;A goal of mine is just to become better in all aspects of the game,&rdquo; Regehr said. &ldquo;Last year, I really focussed on the defensive part of the game, which was really stressed to us as players by the coaching staff. This year, I&rsquo;d also like to develop into a more well-rounded defenseman.&rdquo;</p><p>That would suit Don Hay just fine, but the new Flames&rsquo; coach is already pretty impressed.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m like everyone else,&rdquo; Hay said. &ldquo;What Robyn went through last summer and the commitment he made to get back on the ice and to play at this level was unbelievable. We&rsquo;re just looking for him to keep improving.&rdquo;</p><p>Hay was asked, could Regehr conceivably evolve into a Richard Matvichuk-type player?</p><p>&ldquo;You gotta remember, he&rsquo;s 20 years old,&rdquo; Hay said. &ldquo;It takes a while to learn the defensive game at this level. Having (assistant coach) Brad McCrimmon here is really going to help. You have to be patient with a young defenseman because he&rsquo;s going to make mistakes and you&rsquo;re going to have to live with them.&rdquo;</p><p>Considering his inexperience, Regehr made it look easy at times last season.</p><p>&ldquo;It never gets easy,&rdquo; he protested. &ldquo;You have to be at your best every night because the players are so good. There&rsquo;s always somebody-younger guys or older guys-trying to take your spot or your ice time. It makes for healthy competition.&rdquo;</p><p>While Regehr has played but one NHL season, his involvement in the Save-the-Flames campaign last spring put him in touch with many Calgary fans, most of whom wanted to know when the team&rsquo;s streak of four consecutive seasons out of the playoffs would come to an end.</p><p>&ldquo;Making the playoffs, that&rsquo;s the goal for everyone-for every player and every coach,&rdquo; Regehr said. &ldquo;The fans, I talked to quite a few of them last summer, that&rsquo;s what they want, too. Once you get into the playoffs, as you know, anything can happen. That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re looking at and striving to achieve.&rdquo;</p><p>But can it be done?</p><p>&ldquo;Oh, I think so,&rdquo; Regehr immediately replied. &ldquo;Oh, yes.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Mike Vernon</p><p>2. Fred Brathwaite</p><p>3. Martin Brochu</p><p>4. Levente Szuper</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Derek Morris*</p><p>2. Phil Housley</p><p>3. Robyn Regehr</p><p>4. Tommy Albelin</p><p>5. Denis Gauthier</p><p>6. Brad Werenka</p><p>7. Wade Belak</p><p>8. Toni Lydman</p><p>9. Steve Smith</p><p>10. Darrel Scoville</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Jason Wiemer</p><p>2. Marc Bureau</p><p>3. Andrei Nazarov</p><p>4. Dave Lowry</p><p>5. Miika Elomo</p><p>6. Oleg Saprykin</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Marc Savard*</p><p>2. Cory Stillman</p><p>3. Jeff Shantz</p><p>4. Clarke Wilm</p><p>5. Daniel Tkaczuk</p><p>6. Marty Murray</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Valeri Bure</p><p>2. Jarome Iginla</p><p>3. Bill Lindsay</p><p>4. Rico Fata</p><p>5. Niklas Andersson</p><p>6. Chris Clark</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02631/8268055-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="310" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Cory Stillman</b></figcaption></div><p>Hampered by injuries last year after a pair of 27-goal seasons, Stillman is penciled in as the team&rsquo;s No. 1 center.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04401/8268048-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="565" height="316"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Calgary&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05338/8268041-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="571" height="816"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06287/8268034-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="550" height="136"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07261/8268027-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="565" height="370"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0039-03

The Comeback Kid

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div><p>Another season, another directive about cracking down on obstruction.</p><p>The NHL has assembled a seven-point checklist of changes to how games will be officiated this season. The league says referees will be stricter on calling slashing, high-sticking, checking from behind, obstruction, hits to the head and goalie interference. They&rsquo;ll also be less tolerant of abuse of officials.</p><p>League officials are visiting every team during the pre-season to outline the checklist and captains of each team are required to sign a statement acknowledging they heard the brief.</p><p>The NHL also informed coaches and GMs the welcome mat is being removed from in front of the officials&rsquo; room between periods.</p><p>&ldquo;These aren&rsquo;t rule changes,&rdquo; said referee Kevin Maguire. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re areas of focus for officials that are intended to make the game better.&rdquo;</p><p>The league has tried several crackdowns on obstruction in previous seasons. Inevitably, the crackdowns fade out and old habits return.</p><p>&ldquo;Sometimes the desired effect wanes away,&rdquo; said Toronto coach-GM Pat Quinn. &ldquo;Hopefully it will work. There are certain things in the game that have been allowed to creep in there that nobody wants.&rdquo;</p><p>Maguire says a stronger emphasis will be placed on calling obstruction fouls in the neutral zone and referees will be more vigilant about calling hits to the head by elbows, sticks and shoulders.</p><p>&ldquo;It has become acceptable to hit a guy in the head where in the past, because of the nature of the game, it was taken care of within the game,&rdquo; Maguire said. &ldquo;Players seem to have lost a great amount of respect for each other. Anybody who intentionally targets someone&rsquo;s head will get a penalty this year.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Officials aim to crack down

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN</div><p>One practice into his new stint with the Washington Capitals, <b>Stephane Richer</b> up and quit.</p><p>The enigmatic 34-year-old right winger abruptly retired from hockey Sept. 10, just 16 days after signing a one-year free agent contract.</p><p>The two-time 50-goal scorer, who won the Stanley Cup as a rookie with Montreal in 1985-86 and another with New Jersey in 1994-95, surprised his new team by quitting after one practice. The team issued a one-sentence statement saying Richer quit. He was unavailable for comment.</p><p>GM George McPhee said, &ldquo;His agent told me Stephane had lost his passion to play and was retiring.&rdquo;</p><p>Richer, reputed to be in excellent physical condition, made $2 million last season with Tampa Bay and St. Louis, then signed with Washington Aug. 25 for $825,000 not including bonuses. In 56 games with the Lightning and Blues last season, he scored 15 goals and 37 points.</p><p>Richer scored 50 goals in 1987-88 and 51 in &rsquo;89-90. He retired with 407 and ranks among the top 55 all-time. He also had 791 points in 986 games.</p><p><b>TRIO IN HALL Neal Broten, Larry Pleau</b> and <b>Doug Palazzari</b> will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Nov. 1 at St. Paul, Minn.</p><p>Broten played on teams that captured an NCAA championship, an Olympic gold medal and a Stanley Cup. He also won the Hobey Baker Award as top U.S. collegiate player.</p><p>Pleau, who is GM of the St. Louis Blues, played three years in the NHL with Montreal and has coached and managed in Hartford and with the New York Rangers.</p><p>Palazzari is the USA Hockey executive director.</p><h2><b>PUCK BRIEFS</b></h2><p><b>HEARING DELAY</b> The firing of arbitrator <b>Lawrence Holden</b> could mean a delay in the hearing of defenseman <b>Uwe Krupp&rsquo;s</b> case against the Detroit Red Wings.</p><p>Krupp and the Wings were set to meet Sept. 25 in Detroit with additional sessions Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 15-16, if necessary. At issue is whether the team is obligated to pay Krupp the remaining $12.3 million of the four-year, $16-million contract Krupp signed in 1998.</p><p>The Red Wings contest they acted properly when they suspended him after he competed in two sled dog races while claiming he couldn&rsquo;t play hockey because of back problems.</p><p><b>HALL GOES ONLINE</b> The days of fraudulent vendors peddling unauthentic hockey memorabilia may be coming to an end.</p><p>Through Legends Line e-store, launched by the Hockey Hall of Fame, fans will be able to purchase items actually signed by some of the game&rsquo;s greatest players.</p><p>The Internet service provides players with a method to sell authentic merchandise online in a protected manner. The HHOF has started by signing up honored members, including <b>Johnny Bower, Mike Bossy</b> and <b>Bobby Hull,</b> but is offering the service to anyone who has played pro hockey.</p><p><b>NEW BOSS Ron Robison</b> is a newcomer to the Western League, but not to hockey circles.</p><p>The former Canadian Hockey Association executive was introduced as WHL commissioner Sept. 13. He replaces <b>Dev Dley</b>, who was fired in June after four-and-a-half years as the major junior league&rsquo;s chief executive.</p><p>Robison spent the previous three years as president of his own sports marketing firm. Prior to that, he worked with the governing body of amateur hockey in Canada for 12 years. He is a former senior vicepresident of the Canadian Hockey Association and a past president of Hockey Canada. His hiring was unanimously approved by the WHL&rsquo;s board of governors.</p><p><b>MARIO <a href="http://dot.com">DOT.COM</a></b> Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; owner and Hockey Hall of Famer <b>Mario Lemieux</b> is getting involved with a sports-related software business.</p><p>SportsLink Corp, develops software that enables pro sports teams to post statistics, photos and schedules online. It intends to make it available to amateur sports organizations so youths can see their statistics and schedules online.</p><p>Lemieux&rsquo;s role in the project will be to promote the company to other markets and offer guidance on what pro associations would like to see from the firm.</p><p><b>LICENSEE DIES John Martin,</b> president and publisher of Worldsport Property Inc., died after a lengthy illness Sept. 9. Martin was an NHL licensee in charge of some league publications. He was 62.</p><p><b>CORRECTION</b> A photograph in THN&rsquo;s major junior preview (pg. S4, Sept. 22) intending to be Kootenay goalie <b>Dan Blackburn</b> was actually backup goalie <b>B.J. Boxma</b></p><h2><b>Schedule change</b></h2><p>The NHL has two changes to its schedule. Game No. 34, Florida at New Jersey (originally scheduled for Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.) was switched to Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Game No. 41, Toronto at St. Louis (scheduled for Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.) was switched to Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

IN THIS ISSUE

Must’ve been hard workout; Richer retires after practice

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012105/8267106-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Art Foxall/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s a charbroiled, 12-ounce beef patty, topped with bacon and smothered with cheese and grilled onions.</p><p>At $6.95, the Tkachuk Burger doesn&rsquo;t come cheap. In that regard, the signature sandwich at Stanley&rsquo;s Grill is a lot like the hockey player that bears its name.</p><p>&ldquo;Looks pretty good, though,&rdquo; Keith Tkachuk said as the food arrived at the new restaurant, which is named after hockey&rsquo;s Holy Grail and is located inside the Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; state-of-the-art training center in Scottsdale, Ariz. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to have to order that one of these days.&rdquo;</p><p>If he wanted to, Tkachuk could order 1,195,000 of them this season and give the folks at McDonald&rsquo;s a good run for their money. This is the year he makes the big dough-$8.3 million, to be precise.</p><p>Tkachuk passes on the burger this time. On this day, the Coyotes&rsquo; power forward settles for a small salad with a few pieces of diced, grilled chicken and please, hold the bell peppers.</p><p>&ldquo;I always try to watch what I eat, especially now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is a pretty big year for me.&rdquo;</p><p>You just said a mouthful, pal.</p><p>The 2000-01 season is pretty dam big for the entire Coyotes&rsquo; organization. A new ownership group, headlined by hockey&rsquo;s greatest name, Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, is coming in. Cliff Fletcher, the well-respected, longtime NHL executive, also is coming on board. And with them, the hope is that a new, winning attitude-one that can finally transport this franchise into the NHL&rsquo;s elite-will arrive as well.</p><p>Nobody on the ice may be as important in making that happen as Tkachuk, who is entering his ninth NHL season.</p><p>If Phoenix is to truly shed its reputation for falling apart in the playoffs, where it hasn&rsquo;t won a series in 13 long and painful years, many observers expect it will greatly depend on No. 7, who is healthy, wealthy and rarin&rsquo; to go.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s time,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care about anything else. It&rsquo;s just time we do it.&rdquo;</p><p>Saddle up boys and follow the captain&rsquo;s charge. But hang on tight, because it&rsquo;s going to be a bumpy ride.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to play the way I played before,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-2, 225-pound left winger. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to play gritty and be as nasty as I can. That&rsquo;s when I play my best and a lot of people don&rsquo;t like that. But I don&rsquo;t really care. I&rsquo;m not going to put myself in front of the team, but I&rsquo;m going to play as nasty as I can in front of the net.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s my thing. That&rsquo;s where I get my goals. Slash that leg and I&rsquo;m going to start lashing out and I&rsquo;ll tell ya right now, with the lumber I carry&hellip;&rdquo;</p><p>Tkachuk didn&rsquo;t finish the sentence. He didn&rsquo;t have to. You get the idea.</p><p>Entering the final year of his contract,.he&rsquo;s on the verge of parting company with the owner (Richard Burke) he disdains and, quite possibly, the GM (Bobby Smith) he doesn&rsquo;t respect. Both tried not once, but twice, to trade him. And he&rsquo;s determined to erase the memories of another disappointing season, fraught with injuries, distractions and career-low numbers-22 goals and 43 points in 50 games.</p><p>Keith Tkachuk is ready to erupt like a Bobby Knight tirade on a near-sighted referee.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t doubt it at all,&rdquo; said Shane Doan, who likely will be Tkachuk&rsquo;s right winger on Phoenix&rsquo;s No. 1 line after posting career-highs in goals (26) and points (51). &ldquo;I expect him to have a huge year.&rdquo;</p><p>Coach Bobby Francis doesn&rsquo;t have any doubts. He said he could tell from Tkachuk&rsquo;s decision to immediately undergo surgery after last season to remove scar tissue and floating bone-chips in his left knee and right ankle. Tkachuk tried to play through the pain, but wound up missing 32 games.</p><p>&ldquo;Right after the surgeries, he started his rehab and a training program that he never experienced before,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;And he was religious with it. He was conscious of knocking his weight down and building his muscle up and it showed in his test scores and in his movement early in camp.</p><h2><b>Tkachuk: Trade talk &lsquo;ruined me&rsquo; in 1999-2000</b></h2><p>&ldquo;He looks great. It starts with your head. Keith is determined. He&rsquo;s focused. I don&rsquo;t think there are any distractions as far as he&rsquo;s concerned. I expect and I know Keith expects to have a tremendous year.&rdquo;</p><p>If he&rsquo;s as nasty as he wants to be, 50 goals and 90-plus points won&rsquo;t be out of the question. Neither will 250 penalty minutes. In 1996-97, his second straight 50-goal year, Tkachuk spent the most minutes in the box (228) of any player to have won a goal-scoring title (52).</p><p>To rekindle that fire, Tkachuk has to be smoking in front of the net.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no secret where Keith gets his candy,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s right in the slot area. He&rsquo;s very difficult to box out because he&rsquo;s so strong below the waist and he&rsquo;s so intense. He has the eye of the tiger when it comes to scoring goals there.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the perfect example of what you call a power forward. When he wants to get to the net, no one&rsquo;s going to stop him. When he wants to get the puck behind the defenseman, they&rsquo;re pretty petrified going back for it. His game is old school in that regard. It&rsquo;s north and south, not east and west.&rdquo;</p><p>Dealing with the Western Conference&rsquo;s bruising blueliners such as Chris Pronger of the St. Louis Blues, Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars and Rob Blake of the Los Angeles Kings, Tkachuk took his fair share of beatings last year while trying to hold his position on two gimpy legs. He&rsquo;s ready for Round II.</p><p>&ldquo;I came back earlier than ever this summer so I could be ready and get out of the gate with a bang,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;I did a lot of running and biking and I think I&rsquo;ve added a lot more muscle.&rdquo;</p><p>And thicker skin, too. Burke and Smith tried desperately to move their best player a year ago, something that still gnaws at Tkachuk&rsquo;s insides.</p><p>They thought they had a deal struck with Carolina for center Keith Primeau, prospect Jeff Heerema and defenseman Dave Karpa, but Hurricanes&rsquo; owner Peter Karmanos nixed it. Likewise, he axed a three-way deal that would have sent Tkachuk to the Rangers and brought Primeau, winger Radek Dvorak and a draft pick to Phoenix.</p><p>&ldquo;People get traded and hockey&rsquo;s a business,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;I just think the way they went about it&hellip;it wasn&rsquo;t business. It was personal. There were a lot of things involved, stuff I don&rsquo;t even want to talk about anymore.</p><p>&ldquo;It was tough last year. It was on my mind all the time. It was ruining me. It really was. Thank God for my wife and my kids, or else I would have been in trouble. I&rsquo;m still hearing things, that Richard Burke might try and trade me, but you know what, that shouldn&rsquo;t bother him anymore. It&rsquo;s not going to be his team anymore.&rdquo;</p><p>No. It will be developer Steve Ellman&rsquo;s and Gretzky&rsquo;s team. And Tkachuk can&rsquo;t wait for the transition.</p><p>&ldquo;I want to be part of an organization known for winning, not for accepting losing in the first round every year,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to start a winning tradition here and I know when Gretzky takes over, that&rsquo;s going to happen. It might not happen overnight, but it&rsquo;s going to happen. There could easily be a dynasty here.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking forward to a fresh start with new people and doing the best I possibly can. I&rsquo;ve already heard some great compliments from Wayne and that makes me feel wanted and work harder. I&rsquo;m hungry this year. I really am.&rdquo;</p><p>Maybe not hungry enough to give the tempting Tkachuk Burger a try, but hungry enough, perhaps, to take a bite out of the rest of the NHL and feast on a little &ldquo;I-told-yotf-so.&rdquo; And hungry enough to charge at the Cup.a<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

Coyotes’ captain determined to be meaner and tougher than ever

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><p>One year ago, Patrik Elias was back home in the Czech Republic instead of on the ice with the New Jersey Devils.</p><p>An unsigned restricted free agent, he felt unappreciated and wondered if his entire 19992000 campaign would be ruined as agent Rich Winter and GM Lou Lamoriello were still negotiating a month into the season.</p><p>Elias ended the stalemate himself by agreeing to a three-year, $2.375-million deal in late October. That&rsquo;s far less than he&rsquo;s worth, but it put him back on the ice for what proved to be a breakthrough season.</p><p>Despite missing all of training camp and the first nine games of the season, the fourth-year left winger led the Devils with 35 goals and 72 points. Like a true young star, Elias has increased his offensive output every season; he had 50 points in 1998-99 after 37 as a rookie. And he shared the team&rsquo;s playoff scoring lead-he had 20 points, including seven goals, in 23 games-with linemate Jason Arnott as the Devils won the Stanley Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;It was definitely a breakthrough in a lot of people&rsquo;s minds and it opened a lot of eyes because he wasn&rsquo;t as well-known,&rdquo; said center Bobby Holik. &ldquo;But to me, it was the type of year he can have year after year. I don&rsquo;t want to put pressure on him, but he has the talent.</p><p>&ldquo;Of course it will be hard. The better you get, the more people expect. He needs to be as much of an asset to the team as he was last year. He&rsquo;s a lot smarter than he was. Now he has to keep in (good) physical condition. He&rsquo;s getting smarter and he can use his skills more.&rdquo;</p><p>One of the NHL&rsquo;s fastest-rising stars, Elias, 24, debuts on The Hockey News&rsquo; Top 50 list at No. 32. Among left wingers, only Paul Kariya (No. 3), John LeClair (No. 8) and Keith Tkachuk (No. 18) are rated ahead of Elias.</p><p>&ldquo;I hope that was a breakthrough year,&rdquo; said Elias, the Devils&rsquo; second choice (51st overall) in the 1994 draft.</p><p>&ldquo;I know what I&rsquo;m capable of&hellip;I know how important I am for this team. I have high expectations of myself: To be the best player on this team and one of the best in the league.&rdquo;</p><p>Those goals are attainable, but there is little doubt the 6-foot-l, 200-pounder will suffer if free agent center Arnott does not soon agree on a new contract. Arnott, Elias and right winger Petr Sykora comprise the Devils&rsquo; top line and one of the most dynamic units in the game.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see (what happens),&rdquo; Elias said. &ldquo;We have a lot of guys I can play with. Obviously, me, (Sykora) and Arnott played great together. But if he&rsquo;s not here, I&rsquo;m ready to play with anyone and do my best.&rdquo;</p><p>Coach Larry Robinson said the sky is the limit for Elias.</p><p>&ldquo;How good can he be? I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;He came in late last year and still scored 30 goals. A lot depends on how healthy he stays. I expect him to have a great year. Going through the situations he did in the playoffs, it&rsquo;s sometimes a turning point for a player. He has always been a good player, but that can be a breakthrough for him.</p><p>&ldquo;It would be wrong for me to say that Patrik will carry the team. I think he&rsquo;s capable. I think he proved that last year. I don&rsquo;t want to ask him to do that. I think it&rsquo;s unfair to ask one player to carry a team.&rdquo;</p><p>Elias, who took the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Trebic during the summer, said shooting more often and a visualizing technique in which he&rsquo;s almost hypnotized by massage therapist Juergen Merz has helped raise his game.</p><p>&ldquo;I was happy with last season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just have to keep it going. I have to use my experience from last season and the playoffs to my advantage. If I would think that at 24 I&rsquo;ve reached my potential, that would be bad. I know I can get better. I can&rsquo;t say when I&rsquo;ll be at my best, but I&rsquo;m not there yet.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011993/8267137-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="937" height="1788"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Patrik Elias debuts on THN&lsquo;s Top 50 list at No. 32.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Lisa Meyer/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>TOP 50</b></h2><p>Here are the top 50 players in the NHL, as ranked in THN&rsquo;s 2000-01 Yearbook</p><p><b>1. Jaromir Jagr,</b> Pittsburgh, RW</p><p><b>2. Peter Forsberg,</b> Colorado, C</p><p><b>3. Paul Kariya,</b> Anaheim, LW</p><p><b>4. Chris Pronger,</b> St. Louis, D</p><p><b>5. Mike Modano,</b> Dallas, C</p><p><b>6. Nicklas Udstrom,</b> Detroit, D</p><p><b>7. Pavel Bure,</b> Florida, RW</p><p><b>8. John LeClair,</b> Philadelphia, LW</p><p><b>9. Ed Betfour,</b> Dallas, G</p><p><b>10. Eric Lindros,</b> Philadelphia, C</p><p><b>11. Dominik Hasek,</b> Buffalo, G</p><p><b>12. Rob Blake,</b> Los Angeles, D</p><p><b>13. Steve Yzerman,</b> Detroit, C</p><p><b>14. Teemu Selanne,</b> Anaheim. RW</p><p><b>15. Mats Sundin,</b> Toronto, C</p><p><b>16. Joe Sakic,</b> Colorado C</p><p><b>17. Martin Brodeur,</b> New Jersey, G</p><p><b>18. Keith Tkachuk,</b> Phoenix, LW</p><p><b>19. Owen Nolan,</b> San Jose, RW</p><p><b>20. Sergei Fedorov,</b> Detroit C</p><p><b>21. Alexei Yashin,</b> Ottawa, C</p><p><b>22. Curtis Joseph,</b> Toronto, G</p><p><b>23. Tony Amonte,</b> Chicago, RW</p><p><b>24. Ray Bourque,</b> Colorado, D</p><p><b>25. Scott Niedermayer,</b> New Jersey, D</p><p><b>26. Sergei Zubov,</b> Dallas, D</p><p><b>27. Brian Leetch,</b> NY Rangers, D</p><p><b>28. Al Maclnnis,</b> St. Louis, D</p><p><b>29. Derian Hatcher,</b> Dallas, D</p><p><b>30. Mark Recchi,</b> Philadelphia, RW</p><p><b>31. Milan Hejduk,</b> Colorado, RW</p><p><b>32. Patrik Elias,</b> New Jersey, RW</p><p><b>33. Brett Hull,</b> Dallas, RW</p><p><b>34. Pierre Turgeon,</b> St Louis, C</p><p><b>35. Bobby Hollk,</b> New Jersey. C</p><p><b>36. Doug Weight,</b> Edmonton, C</p><p><b>37. Jason Allison,</b> Boston, C</p><p><b>38. Brendan Shanahan,</b> Detroit, LW</p><p><b>39. Scott Stevens,</b> New Jersey, D</p><p><b>40. Jere Lehtinen,</b> Dallas, LW</p><p><b>41. Eric Desjardins,</b> Philadelphia, D</p><p><b>42. Keith Primeau,</b> Philadelphia, C</p><p><b>43. Adam Foote,</b> Colorado, D</p><p><b>44. Pavol Demitra,</b> St. Louis, RW</p><p><b>45. Ziggy Palffy,</b> Los Angeles, RW</p><p><b>46. Peter Bondra,</b> Washington, RW</p><p><b>47. Daniel Alfredsson,</b> Ottawa, RW</p><p><b>48. Vincent Lecavalier,</b> Tampa Bay, C</p><p><b>49. Valeri Bure,</b> Calgaiy, RW</p><p><b>50. Theoren Fleury,</b> NY Rangers, C<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

Elias’ best yet to come

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy Senior Writer</div><p>When a veteran NHL star such as Adam Oates hands out free advice, it pays to listen. At least it did for Chris Simon.</p><p>The 6-foot-4, 235-pound left winger, who brawled his way into the NHL, became one of the league&rsquo;s best portside snipers last year. Simon fired a career-high 29 goals; that&rsquo;s 10 more than his total in the previous three injury-plagued seasons. It helped him go from being an afterthought among impact left wingers a year ago to No. 10 on The Hockey News&rsquo; rankings entering 2000-01.</p><p>&ldquo;Adam came to me last year and told me to quit fighting so much,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old Wawa, Ont., native, who was still unsigned through mid-September. &ldquo;He told me scoring goals was a lot more fun than fighting. Besides, I could make a lot more money by scoring goals.&rdquo;</p><p>Simon, who made $1.35 million last year and is seeking $2.5 million, has been offered $1.5 million. His bargaining chip is the fact he established himself as one of the NHL&rsquo;s most lethal combinations of goals and muscle last season.</p><p>Of his 29 goals in 1998-99, 26 were scored in the 54 games he played on a line with Oates. &ldquo;I went from playing five to six minutes a game to taking a regular shift with one of the best passers in the history of the game,&rdquo; Simon said. &ldquo;He has confidence in my hands and my ability to get free.&rdquo;</p><p>Starting on pg. 12, we have ranked the top 20 players at each position. The rankings reflect our projection for their performance this season, not how they did last year. Here is a position-by-position synopsis of our choices for the top 20:</p><p><b>GOALIE</b> At No. 1, Ed Belfour gets the acknowledgement he has long desired. He had the third-lowest goals-against average (2.10) and best save percentage (.919). At No. 2 with a bullet is Dominik Hasek. He missed most of last year, but his SP was just fractions behind Belfour&rsquo;s. Boston&rsquo;s Byron Dafoe was ranked No. 6 a year ago, but didn&rsquo;t finish in the top 35 in either GAA or SP, so he&rsquo;s out.</p><p><b>DEFENSE</b> St. Louis&rsquo; Chris Pronger assumes the No. 1 position, taking over from Detroit&rsquo;s Nicklas Lidstrom, who drops to No. 2. Four Europeans-Sergei Gonchar (No. 14), Oleg Tverdovsky (No. 15), Robert Svehla (No. 18) and Roman Hamrlik (No. 19)&mdash;replace Alexei Zhitnik, Boris Mironov, Chris Chelios and Kenny Jonsson.</p><p><b>LEFT WING</b> There&rsquo;s no change at the top among the game&rsquo;s best left wingers. Anaheim&rsquo;s Paul Kariya had a position-best 1.16 points per game and retained his No. 1 standing. Philadelphia&rsquo;s John LeClair remains No. 2 and Keith Tkachuk of the Coyotes is third. But below the Big Three, there was plenty of upheaval as eight new faces round out the top 20.</p><p><b>CENTER</b> Injuries limited Peter Forsberg to just 49 games last year, but he is still the best two-way player in the game. Mike Modano is close behind and also plays dynamite hockey at both ends. Eric Lindros of the Flyers likely won&rsquo;t play in the first half this season because of lingering concussion effects, but when he&rsquo;s healthy, he is, at the very least, the third-best center in the league. Buffalo&rsquo;s Curtis Brown didn&rsquo;t make the top 20, but with escalating point totals of 24, 47 and 51 the past three years, he&rsquo;s headed in the right direction.</p><p><b>RIGHT WING</b> Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Jaromir Jagr remains at the head of the class, while Florida&rsquo;s Pavel Bure and Anaheim&rsquo;s Teemu Selanne slide in at Nos. 2 and 3. Owen Nolan rediscovered his scoring touch to land at No. 4 after not being ranked at all the previous year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011964/8267168-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="925" height="1536"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Chris Simon&rsquo;s ice time and goal total soared last year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(John Giamundo/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-01

Scoring simple for Simon

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011892/8267300-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="319" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>1. Paul Kariya</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021438/8267293-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="316" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>2. John LeClair</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03999/8267286-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="322" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>3. Keith Tkachuk</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04693/8267279-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="316" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>4. Patrik Elias</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05470/8267272-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="319" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>5. B. Shanahan</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Kariya mighty good on left wing</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06370/8267265-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="1780" height="970"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-01

TOP 20 NHL LEFT WINGERS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011689/8267373-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jaromir Jagr is gunning for his fifth scoring title in seven years.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021319/8267366-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="328" height="415"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>2. Pavel Bure</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03997/8267359-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="322" height="415"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>3. Teemu Selanne</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04755/8267352-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="325" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>4. Owen Nolan</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05550/8267345-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="334" height="415"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>5. TonyAmonte</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06453/8267338-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="325" height="421"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>6. Mark Recchi</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Jagr still has the right stuff</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07396/8267331-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="1789" height="958"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Brian Winkler/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

TOP 20 RIGHT WINGERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011438/8267439-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="325" height="421"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>1. Ed Belfour</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021089/8267432-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="322" height="412"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>2. Dominik Hasek</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03755/8267425-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="325" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>3. Martin Brodeur</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04580/8267418-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="322" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>4. Curtis Joseph</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05427/8267411-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="322" height="412"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>5. OlafKolzig</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Belfour climbs to top of heap</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06317/8267404-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="1792" height="943"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0019-01

TOP 20 NHL GOALTENDERS

<div class="byline">By Tom Wheatley</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011335/8267470-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Communication is one of the bugs in the two-referee system,</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Dale MacMillan/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Last season, Doug MacLean&rsquo;s press box seat gave him as unbiased a perspective on refereeing as any GM will ever have.</p><p>MacLean was scouting talent for his Columbus Blue Jackets, who debut in October. So does the two-referee system for an entire campaign, after being used for 50 of each team&rsquo;s 82 games last year, plus playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year was an amazing experience for me,&rdquo; said MacLean. &ldquo;I watched a hundred-plus games in person and I never noticed the referees one time. What does that tell you?&rdquo;</p><p>That he wasn&rsquo;t paying attention then or being honest now?</p><p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; he said with a laugh. &ldquo;That if you&rsquo;re not emotionally involved with the game, you tend not to be as critical. It really shows me how much emotion plays into that. I even mentioned that to Gary Bettman and he said, &lsquo;Why don&rsquo;t you bring that up at the GMs&rsquo; meeting?&rdquo;&lsquo;</p><p>MacLean did not follow up on the commissioner&rsquo;s suggestion. As a former NHL head coach and assistant coach, he knows it&rsquo;s impossible to be unbiased during your own games.</p><p>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re coaching,&rdquo; MacLean said, &ldquo;you watched every play and every whistle. But even then, when you go home and watch the replays, you&rsquo;d be surprised how many times you say, &lsquo;Why did I complain about that call?&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>With two sets of eyes, the league hopes that replays will become a source of vindication and not vilification.</p><p>&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s good,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;I hope it does what it&rsquo;s supposed to do: Speed up the game. Not speed up the time of the game, but speed up play. There&rsquo;s not as much clutching and grabbing behind the play.&rdquo;</p><p>Ex-referee Andy van Hellemond is the league&rsquo;s new director of officiating. A 1999 Hall of Fame inductee, he worked solo for his record 1,475 regular season and 227 playoff games. Two refs is now his baby.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s accomplishing what it wants and needs to do,&rdquo; van Hellemond said. &ldquo;It covers the ice better with the two officials. It makes the players much more accountable for their actions away from the play, where ultimately the referee used to watch around the puck and miss things off to the side or behind the play.&rdquo;</p><p>Some critics felt that any benefit would be overshadowed by the congestion of another official crammed onto an already packed ice surface, but that hasn&rsquo;t turned out to be a concern.</p><p>St. Louis Blues&rsquo; winger Pavol Demitra, last season&rsquo;s Lady Byng winner, has found less ungentlemanly play with two cops on the beat. &ldquo;Oh, for sure,&rdquo; Demitra said. &ldquo;They see more stuff behind the play. If there&rsquo;s two referees, everybody&rsquo;s afraid to do more.&rdquo;</p><p>Demitra&rsquo;s coach, Joel Quenneville, also gave two thumbs up to two refs.</p><p>&ldquo;They made a natural progression with it,&rdquo; Quenneville said. &ldquo;Everybody&rsquo;s getting more confident with the system, especially the referees with their positioning and their confidence with the calls. There&rsquo;s room for improvement once they become familiar with it.</p><p>&ldquo;Hopefully we&rsquo;ll see progress in the quality of officiating&hellip;and I&rsquo;m not saying it was bad to begin with.&rdquo;</p><p>At times, two referees have had trouble sharing two whistles. Blues&rsquo; captain Chris Pronger said players&rsquo; frustration can boil over when one referee is calling infractions the other is letting go.</p><p>Turf wars are another issue. One Western Conference scout, who asked not to be identified, said referees have their own pecking order that plays out on the ice.</p><p>&ldquo;The senior referees with the rookie referees, there&rsquo;s intimidation there,&rdquo; the scout said. &ldquo;And so many things happened next to a referee and he&rsquo;d let it go, but the guy far back on the ice would call it. The front referee should be watching the puck all the time. The back guy should watch to see that everything else is going right.&rdquo;</p><p>Van Hellemond acknowledges communication and consistency between the two referees is probably the system&rsquo;s biggest problem to be worked out.</p><p>Referees not familiar with each other can call poorly officiated games. Quenneville said van Hellemond told him the ideal plan is to keep referees together for between five and eight games in a row, just as happens with linesmen.</p><p>Scheduling concerns aside, some are questioning whether there are enough quality officials to go around. In 1997, the last hurrah of the solo system, the NHL had 27 referees under contract (including some working in the minors). Ten had worked fewer than 100 NHL games and two were rookies. This year, with expansion and the new system, the NHL has hired 46 referees, some destined for the minors. Half have worked less than 100 NHL games. Nine are rookies, bringing the three-year total to 26 newcomers.</p><p>But, as is always the case, if the referees call what they say they&rsquo;re going to call, no one will complain too loudly.</p><p>&ldquo;Andy said they&rsquo;re going to call obstruction in the neutral zone,&rdquo; Quenneville said. &ldquo;If you put your stick on a guy and try to eliminate his space, it&rsquo;ll be obstruction hooking. The other thing is they&rsquo;re going to be looking at is slashing in the game&mdash;the hacks and the whacks and the chops&mdash;and for supplemental discipline.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

Two-ref system gets full-time test

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011217/8267501-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE ACCUSED: Marty McSorley faces a charge of assault with a weapon in a Vancouver court on Sept. 25.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Andre Pichette/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>There is punishment and there is justice.</p><p>And soon people will know where Marty McSorley fits in the equation.</p><p>McSorley&rsquo;s trial by judge on a charge of assault with a weapon begins Sept. 25 in Vancouver. Five days have been set aside to determine whether he is guilty for striking Canucks&rsquo; left winger Donald Brashear on the head with his stick in a game Feb. 21.</p><p>McSorley, 37, already has been punished. The NHL suspended him for the remainder of last season (23 games) plus playoffs and if he wants to play in the NHL this season, he must apply to be reinstated. It&rsquo;s the NHL&rsquo;s stiffest ban ever for an on-ice incident and the league hoped it had laid the issue to rest.</p><p>But the Crown prosecutor&rsquo;s office investigated and laid the charge in March.</p><p>McSorley, through lawyer Bill Smart, has indicated he will plead not guilty. If convicted, the veteran NHLer faces up to 18 months in jail.</p><p>He is the 14th player in the history of the NHL and defunct World Hockey Association to face criminal charges for an on-ice incident. The last to appear in court was Dino Ciccarelli of the Minnesota North Stars, who was charged in Toronto in 1988 after hitting Maple Leafs&rsquo; defenseman Luke Richardson on the head with his stick. Ciccarelli was found guilty and served a day in jail.</p><p>McSorley&rsquo;s trial has overtones.</p><p>Two judges, one retired in Ontario and the other a senior justice in British Columbia, have spoken on the matter. Mr. Justice Wally Opal of the B.C. Supreme Court quashed the notion the NHL is best positioned to deal with its own internal matters.</p><p>&ldquo;A crime is a crime,&rdquo; Opal told Vancouver reporters last winter, only a few days after the incident, &ldquo;and no organization has immunity from prosecution.&rdquo;</p><p>In Ontario, retired justice Sidney Harris&mdash;the man who put Ciccarelli in jail-saw the replay of the incident and declared &ldquo;the charges are appropriate.&rdquo;</p><p>And there is a feeling the NHL and how it deals with hockey violence is on trial, although commissioner Gary Bettman does not agree with that assessment.</p><p>&ldquo;I do not think the trial should be viewed, from the league&rsquo;s perspective, as any significant event,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;The events that the league had to deal with was the act itself and we have done that. We would have preferred the judicial authorities leave this to the processes that we have in place.</p><p>&ldquo;All the trial will be is a rehashing of something we have already dealt with. But at the end of the day, I do not think it is right to define, our game or our players by the act of a few.&rdquo;</p><p>For those who need a refresher, here&rsquo;s a review of what happened:</p><p>McSorley and Brashear fought in the first period of the Feb. 21 game between the Canucks and Boston Bruins. Then, with 2.7 seconds left before the final buzzer and his team losing 5-2, McSorley caught up with Brashear and swung his stick with both hands against the side of Brashear&rsquo;s head. Brashear, a frequent fighter for the Canucks, fell backward, striking his head on the ice as his helmet came off. His body twitched and blood ran from his nose. He was diagnosed with a severe (Grade 3) concussion.</p><p>The next day, the NHL suspended McSorley indefinitely, then imposed the rest-of-season ban the day after that. Nearly two weeks later, on March 7, the Crown prosecutor went ahead with charges, which in British Columbia hinge on two questions: Whether there&rsquo;s a &ldquo;substantial likelihood&rdquo; of conviction and whether the public interest requires a prosecution.</p><p>So what can we expect to happen inside the Vancouver court?</p><p>The issue is this: To what, extent can violence in the I professional game be considered criminal behavior? Hockey is a unique forum in which a certain level of violence is tolerated and there is a degree of implied consent. Consent often is used as a defense in assault cases.</p><p>&ldquo;The question really becomes whether or not the type of incident that Mr. McSorley was involved in was in the scope of the notion of implied consent within hockey,&rdquo; said Alan Young, a professor of criminal law at Osgoode Hall in Toronto.</p><p>&ldquo;No one sits down at the beginning of the game and stipulates the level of violence that will be accepted. But the customary norms of the game imply consent to certain types of aggressive behaviors, and what this trial will have to determine is whether or not the stick-swinging incident is outside of the scope of the implied consent and outside of the scope of the customary norms of the game.&rdquo;</p><p>McSorley&rsquo;s lawyer suggested the location of the incident sets this case apart from more typical trials.</p><p>&ldquo;It differs from the usual case of assault because it occurred in a sporting contest in which, by the very nature of the game, fights occur which would be a criminal offense if they occurred on the street rather than the ice,&rdquo; said Smart, shortly after the charge was laid on March 8.</p><h2><b>Consent not valid defense if accused intended harm</b></h2><p>McSorley&rsquo;s defense likely will be two-fold.</p><p>First, that it was an accident, that he swung his stick at Brashear&rsquo;s shoulder to get his attention, but missed.</p><p>Second, that it&rsquo;s part of the culture of the game.</p><p>&ldquo;There are many different violent activities that constitute penalties by the norms of the game,&rdquo; said Young, the Toronto professor.</p><p>&ldquo;But just because it&rsquo;s a penalty does not mean it exceeds the implied consent. In fact, having a penalty suggests the NHL feels well-equipped to deal with these excesses of violence. Regardless of the fact that this would be a major penalty in hockey, the question is whether or not the players or the referees or the coaches anticipate and therefore consent to this level of violence, or whether or not the actual stick-swinging incident is so far beyond the scope of the customary norms that it cannot be considered consensual touching. And if it is not consensual, then it is an assault.&rdquo;</p><p>What McSorley&rsquo;s defense team will probably do is play, for the court, a videotape that demonstrates, even though the use of the stick is reprehensible, it is something that happens in hockey. A case that comes to mind is the vicious cross-check to the head of Anaheim&rsquo;s Paul Kariya that put him out of the 1998 Winter Olympics and nearly cost him his career. Gary Suter, then with Chicago, received a four-game suspension. This suggests that despite the fact the public wishes players did not use their sticks in this fashion, it is an accepted risk of the game.</p><p>While this may sound straightforward, it&rsquo;s not.</p><p>&ldquo;Generally, consent is a defense to any assault,&rdquo; Young said.</p><p>&ldquo;But the Supreme Court (of Canada) changed the law and said that consent is not operative if Mr. McSorley or another accused intended and caused bodily harm. The court will not have to address the issue of customary norm and implied consent if it makes a finding the stick-swinging incident was both intentional and did cause harm.</p><p>&ldquo;It is not such a simple issue because it is not clear, from what I have seen, that Brashear&rsquo;s injury occurred as a result of a direct application of the stick or the manner in which he fell to the ice. There are basically two issues: Whether or not consent can even operate in this area and if they feel consent can operate, they have to define the scope of implied consent in hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>On the day he was charged, McSorley appeared on ESPN to plead his case. He said he went out on the ice for one reason, to provoke Brashear into a fight. &ldquo;I had absolutely no intention of hurting Donald Brashear with my stick,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and I do not know if people really have looked at the tape and have given that any consideration, but I wanted a confrontation with Donald Brashear, no different than I have done on so many other nights and no different from (what other tough guys have done) on so many other nights. It just went badly.&rdquo;</p><p>Apart from the verdict itself, there also are public issues in this case; specifically, to what extent will violence in sports be glorified? It can be argued that two sets of rules already exist. What is done in a hockey rink cannot be done on the streets, but the public does tolerate a degree of aggressive behavior in hockey.</p><p>While there is no question McSorley stepped over the line, the bigger issue is: Should the Canadian legal system be involved or is this something that should be left to the NHL to police?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

Ice violence goes on trial

<div class="byline">By John Dellapina</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011054/8267532-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>An uncommon scene last year: post-game celebrations in New York.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Bruce Bennett/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Why not us? That&rsquo;s the question the New York Rangers are asking these days.</p><p>Every season there&rsquo;s at least one team that refuses to mind its manners, one team that doesn&rsquo;t just pursue the steady, modest progress that is the time-honored path to title contention, but instead makes a big leap all at once.</p><p>Since 1975-76, at least one NHL club has improved upon its previous year&rsquo;s point total by 20 points or more. Last season&rsquo;s Washington Capitals, who skyrocketed 34 points above their 1998-99 total; St. Louis Blues (+27); Los Angeles Kings (+25); and Florida Panthers (+20) are only the latest cases in point.</p><p>The Rangers appear poised to be the biggest mover in 2000-01. And they know about such things. Seven years ago, the Rangers made one of the most memorable and significant quantum leaps in NHL history, winning the Stanley Cup a year after missing the playoffs.</p><p>Can they do it again?</p><p>Another parade down lower Manhattan&rsquo;s Canyon of Heroes should sound like a stretch to even the most ardent Mark Messier disciple. Still, for every fight on Broadway, there seems to be a sign pointing toward a major Ranger resurgence.</p><p>&ldquo;Skill-wise, potential-wise and on paper what it looks like, I think there&rsquo;s a possibility we could make a significant difference from the last couple of years,&rdquo; Messier said.</p><p>On paper, start with The Man himself. Messier&rsquo;s mere presence on the ice uplifts not only the Rangers, but every Rangers&rsquo; fan. His commanding presence in the dressing room should reunite a team that split apart during last spring&rsquo;s death spiral.</p><p>Yes, Messier is 39 going on 40. And yes, key teammates Brian Leetch (32), Adam Graves (32), Mike Richter (34) and Theo Heury (32) are all edging away from their prime athletic years.</p><p>But Messier showed up for training camp in tremendous shape and showed flashes of brilliance throughout last season in Vancouver, particularly while spearheading a stretch run that nearly resulted in a playoff berth. And the other four clearly remain capable of producing big seasons. In addition:</p><p>&#9633; The leadership group, from GM-president Glen Sather to coach Ron Low to captain Messier, couldn&rsquo;t be more like-minded. That has to help after a 1999-2000 season in which GM-president Neil Smith and coach John Muckier were pulling in opposite directions. &ldquo;I think that makes it easier for everyone in the organization to stay on the same page and then make adjustments and make changes when things aren&rsquo;t working,&rdquo; Leetch said.</p><p>&#9633; Critical players such as Leetch and Fleury figure to have bounce-back seasons. Leetch hasn&rsquo;t had nearly the same success since Messier left; last season was wrecked by a broken arm. Fleury probably couldn&rsquo;t score 15 goals again if he tried&mdash;or should that read, if he tries, he&rsquo;ll score at least 30?</p><p>&#9633; The fine line between winning and losing in today&rsquo;s game makes major moves up the standings possible. The majority of games are decided by a goal or two, especially in the trap-happy Eastern Conference. The Rangers were abysmal in such contests a year ago largely because they had no reliable defensive system with which to protect late-game leads and ties. During one suicidal 26-game stretch after the All-Star Game, they lost leads or turned ties into losses 10 times by allowing third-period goals.</p><p>&ldquo;We definitely improved as a team over the way we played last year,&rdquo; said Peter Nedved. &ldquo;We definitely have the capability to win. Whether we do that or not is a different story.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

Reason to believe in Ranger revival

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011186/8267563-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>If Alpo Suhonen-a native of Finland-succeeds in Chicago, it will likely convince other NHL clubs to give European coaches a chance.</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hether they want to or not, coaches Alpo Suhonen and Ivan Hlinka are carrying the aspirations of fellow Europeans on their shoulders this season.</p><p>Suhonen and Hlinka are the first Euros to work as head coaches in the NHL and you can bet that owners and GMs around the league will scrutinize their work closely. (Russian-born John Gottselig coached Chicago in the mid-1940s, but he moved to Winnipeg, where he was raised, as a child).</p><p>The introduction of two European-trained coaches is different than just one, simply because it makes more of a statement.</p><p>As far as credentials go, Suhonen and Hlinka can match resumes with the majority of NHL bench bosses. So it&rsquo;s not a huge step to move them into positions of authority; rather, one could argue these moves were overdue.</p><p>Consider this: The first player to cross the Atlantic and win a steady job was Thommie Bergman in 1972 and now, almost three decades later, Europeans dominate the NHL. Yet 28 years after Bergman&rsquo;s arrival, Suhonen and Hlinka are the first Euros granted entry to the league&rsquo;s head coaching fraternity.</p><p>&ldquo;It is an experiment and for a little while they will be under the microscope a little bit because they are breaking new ground,&rdquo; said Columbus coach Dave King, a walking encyclopedia of international hockey from his days as coach of Canada&rsquo;s national team.</p><p>The pattern of hiring coaches always has been a bit streaky, whether it has been a run on college coaches or those in the junior ranks or former players.</p><p>&ldquo;You know how trendy we are in our game,&rdquo; said Toronto coach-GM Pat Quinn, who had Suhonen as an assistant coach in Toronto for two seasons.</p><p>This could be the same for European-trained coaches, Quinn said. If they&rsquo;re successful, the trend may continue. But if Suhonen and Hlinka stumble, it might make it more difficult for other Europeans.</p><p>&ldquo;I think they&rsquo;ll feel some pressure and I&rsquo;m sure they sense there are people who want them to fail,&rdquo; said Mike Smith, the Hawks&rsquo; director of hockey operations. But Smith said he didn&rsquo;t hesitate in deciding Suhonen was the best man for Chicago.</p><p>&ldquo;Ultimately their confidence level will come through, their ability to deal with players will come through and this should be a short-term extra-pressure situation.&rdquo;</p><p>There is an argument to be made that the NHL has been as discriminatory against hiring European coaches as the NFL and major league baseball teams were in hiring black coaches and managers.</p><p>&ldquo;Why, if you are considering hiring the best coaching staffs, why did it take so long to hire Europeans?&rdquo; asked Smith, who has a reputation for going against the flow. In the global NHL, the qualification for being a good player has nothing to do with nationality and that notion has finally spread to the job of head coach.</p><p>Suhonen was asked if he feels pressure to succeed because he&rsquo;s seen in some circles as a European first and a head coach second.</p><p>&ldquo;I do not feel there is extra pressure for me because I am a European or a foreigner for the simple reason that I have been working outside Finland for so many years,&rdquo; he said. Suhonen first came to North America to learn &ldquo;our style&rdquo; in the 1970s.</p><p>So now that the bench door has been opened, who&rsquo;s next?</p><p>Whoever becomes the third European head coach will have spent time as an assistant; or in the minors, like Suhonen; or played in the NHL and gone on to have a successful career in Europe, like Hlinka, an ex-Vancouver Canuck.</p><p>That being the criteria, the most logical candidate is Slava Fetisov, an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils who is destined for the Hall of Fame because of his illustrious playing career.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to establish discipline, but you are going to do some things differently,&rdquo; King said. &ldquo;You would not expect a European coach to come in here and simply adopt a North American game.</p><p>&ldquo;They (Suhonen and Hlinka) are going to put their stamp on the team a little bit. That requires salesmanship and some personality and both of them have it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

Breaking down barriers

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrloch</div><p>For the first time in five years, the Stanley Cup found a home in the Eastern Conference last season.</p><p>Now defending champion New Jersey and its conference colleagues will try to keep the prized mug in the eastern time zone for a second straight season, something that hasn&rsquo;t happened since the Rangers (1994) and Devils (1995) accomplished the feat.</p><p>The road to glory starts in October with the beginning of the regular season. Here, in alphabetical order, is a brief look at each of the 15 Eastern Conference teams, what they did over the summer and the key issue they face in 2000-01:</p><h2><b>Atlanta Thrashers</b></h2><p><b>Key arrival</b> Adam Burt, D.</p><p><b>Key departure</b> Johan Garpenlov, LW; Mike Stapleton, C.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> Atlanta, intent on building through the entry draft and with youth, had a quiet summer-which could mean a long winter.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Can goalie Damian Rhodes stay healthy and start living up to expectations? The first player ever signed by Atlanta, Rhodes had ankle problems last year and expansion teams need strong goaltending to be respectable.</p><h2><b>Boston Bruins</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Paul Coffey, D; Peter Popovic, D.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Steve Heinze, LW; Rob Tallas, G.</p><p><b>Off-season development GM</b> Harry Sinden is waging his annual war, this time against restricted free agents Anson Carter, Sergei Samsonov and Joe Thornton. Sinden is going to have to dust off his wallet if the Bruins are going to compete.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Bruins&rsquo; legend Ray Bourque is now plying his trade on the Colorado blueline. What will a full year be like without him?</p><h2><b>Buffalo Sabres</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Dave Andreychuk, LW; Brian Campbell, D; J.P. Dumont, RW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Dwayne Roloson, G; Geoff Sanderson, RW.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> The good news for the Sabres is goalie Dominik Hasek has decided to put off his premature retirement. Now, they have to keep him out of the MASH unit and get him back on track.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Will captain Michael Peca sign a contract and return for the start of the season? He&rsquo;s the closest thing the Sabres have to a franchise player after Hasek.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011172/8267594-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="886" height="1602"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Viktor Kozlov&rsquo;s Panthers aim to join the ranks of the contenders,</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Lisa Meyer/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Carolina Hurricanes</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Rob DiMaio, C; Kevin Hatcher, D; Sandis Ozolinsh, D; Jean-Marc Pelletier, G; David Tanabe, D.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Paul Coffey, D; Jeff Daniels, RW; Sean Hill, D; Andrei Kovalenko, RW; Curtis Leschyshyn, D; Paul Ranheim, LW; Gary Roberts, LW.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> Nobody in Carolina would have noticed, but there was a mass exodus out of Raleigh.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Is anybody out there?</p><h2><b>Florida Panthers</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Brad Ference, D; Olli Jokinen, RW; Igor Larionov, C; Roberto Luongo, G; Denis Shvidki, LW.</p><p><b>Key departures Oleg</b> Kvasha, C; Mark Parrish, RW; Ray Sheppard, RW; Mike Vernon, G.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> Florida believes it improved its goaltending by getting Luongo from the Islanders, but the rookie won&rsquo;t be playing behind a crackeq ack defense.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Does defending Rocket Richard Trophy champion Pavel Bure have enough magic to turn the Panthers into contenders?</p><h2><b>Montreal Canadiens</b></h2><p><b>Key arrival</b> Enricco Ciccone, D.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> I Shayne Corson, LW; Turner Stevenson, RW.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> The Canadiens were put up for sale by Molson, which means they&rsquo;re still cash-starved and don&rsquo;t have the resources to pursue high-profile players.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Can the Habs stay healthy? Their training room looked like a hospital ward last year.</p><h2><b>New Jersey Devils</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Turner Stevenson, RW; Ed Ward, RW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Brad Bombardir, D; Claude Lemieux, RW; Vladimir Malakhov, D; Krzysztof Oliwa, LW.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> The champs virtually stood pat&hellip;and why not? The only thing they need to guard against is the dreaded Cup hangover.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Larry Robinson stepped behind the bench reluctantly last year. Was his short-but-sweet stint just the magic of the moment or is there more to come?</p><h2><b>New York Islanders</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Rick DiPietro, G; Garry Galley, D; Kevin Haller, D; Roman Hamrlik, D; Oleg Kvasha, C; Mark Parrish, RW; Taylor Pyatt, LW; Mike Stapleton, C; John Vanbiesbrouck, G.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Eric Brewer, D; Ted Drury, C; Josh Green, LW; Olli Jokinen, RW; Roberto Luongo, G; Mike Watt, LW; Kevin Weekes, G.</p><p><b>Off-season development Mike</b> Milbury is still paying his draft-day phone bill. He made more moves in 24 hours than some GMs have made in five years.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> How has Milbury survived this long?</p><h2><b>New York Rangers</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Ron Low, coach; Vladimir Malakhov, D; Mark Messier, C; Glen Sather, GM.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Alexandre Daigle, RW; Kevin Hatcher, D; Kevin Stevens, LW; Mathieu Schneider, D.</p><p><b>Off-season development With Neil</b> Smith and John Muckier turfed, the Edmonton mafia of Sather and Low were reunited with Messier to bring respectability back to a sour Big Apple.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Will Sather be able to create a champion now that he has big bucks at his disposal?</p><h2><b>Ottawa Senators</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Jani Hurme, G, Ricard Persson, D; Alexei Yashin, C.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Tom Barrasso, G; Kevin Dineen, RW; Joe Juneau, C; Shaun Van Allen, C.</p><p><b>Off-season developments</b> Yashin gave up the fight and announced his surrender at the start of camp. Unfortunately, he sounded more like he&rsquo;d rather play for Moscow Dynamo than the Senators.</p><p><b>Burning questions</b> Will Yashin play with heart? Will he remain a Senator?</p><h2><b>Philadelphia Flyers</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Roman Cechmanek, G; Paul Ranheim, LW; Kevin Stevens, LW; Michal Sykora, D.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Craig Berube, LW; Adam Burt, D; Roger Neilson, coach; John Vanbiesbrouck, G; Valeri Zelepukin, LW.</p><p><b>Off-season developments GM</b> Bob Clarke spent his summer going to war with stars Eric Lindros and John LeClair and, to a lesser extent, goalie Brian Boucher and former coach Roger Neilson.</p><p><b>Burning questions</b> When and to whom will Lindros be traded and what can the Flyers expect in return?</p><h2><b>Pittsburgh Penguins</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Ivan Hlinka, coach; Milan Kraft, C.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Rob Brown, RW; Pat Falloon, LW; Peter Popovic, D; Peter Skudra, G; Ron Tugnutt. G; Tyler Wright, C.</p><p><b>Off-season developments Herb</b> Brooks realized his Olympic glory had passed him by and handed the reigns over to another gold medalist, Hlinka. That should make for a strong power play starring Jaromir Jagr.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Can Mario Lemieux orchestrate the building of a new arena for the Penguins?</p><h2><b>Tampa Bay Lightning</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Brad Richards, C; Kevin Weekes, G.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Bruce Gardiner, C; Kevin Hodson, G; Daren Puppa, G.</p><p><b>Off-season development GM</b> Rick Dudley is using the Senators as a model and, as such, is remaining patient. But it should be noted Ottawa had a bunch of lean years before climbing the standings.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Will Vincent Lecavalier have enough spectacular nights to keep fans coming out to see an otherwise struggling team?</p><h2><b>Toronto Maple Leals</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Shayne Corson, C; Dave Manson, D; Gary Roberts, LW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Kevyn Adams, C; Bryan Berard, D; Wendel Clark, LW.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> Corson and Roberts finally had their dreams come true by signing rich, long-term deals with the Maple Leafs. But if they don&rsquo;t produce, Curtis Joseph will have to save the day again.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> The Leafs may have gotten tougher up front, but will they do anything to improve their defense?</p><h2><b>Washington Capitals</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Craig Berube, LW; Sylvain Cote, D.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Mike Eagles, C; Miika Elomo, LW.</p><p><b>Off-season developments Peter</b> Bondra, whose goal output has slipped substantially the last two seasons, let it be known he wants out of town.</p><p><b>Burning questions</b> Which Capitals&rsquo; team will show up this season? The one that made it to the final in 1998 and finished strongly last season, or the one that missed the playoffs in 1999?</p><p><b>EASTERN CONFERENCE</b></p><h2><b>OVERALL STANDINGS</b></h2><p><b>Here are THN&rsquo;s projected standings for 2000-01 and seedings entering playoffs.</b></p><p><b>1. New Jersey Devils*</b></p><p><b>2. Buffalo Sabres*</b></p><p><b>3. Washington Capitals*</b></p><p><b>4. Philadelphia Flyers</b></p><p><b>5. Toronto Maple Leafs</b></p><p><b>6. New York Rangers</b></p><p><b>7. Florida Panthers</b></p><p><b>8. Ottawa Senators</b></p><p><b>* Asterisk denotes division winner</b></p><h2><b>NON-PLAYOFF TEAMS</b></h2><p><b>9. Pittsburgh Penguins</b></p><p><b>10. Boston Bruins</b></p><p><b>11. Carolina Hurricanes</b></p><p><b>12. Montreal Canadiens</b></p><p><b>13. Tampa Bay Lightning</b></p><p><b>14. New York Islanders</b></p><p><b>15. Atlanta Thrashers</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

Eastern Cup victory: aberration or trend?

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrioch</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hese are the stories that have been percolating for months under the hot summer sun. Now, as the off-season hockey talk turns into action, we can begin to see how they will play out.</p><p>Here are the top five on-ice and off-ice situations to watch in 2000-01, starting on the ice:</p><p>1. <b>Eric Lindros</b> Lindros turned down Philadelphia&rsquo;s two-way, $8.5-million qualifying offer in July. He wants to play for Toronto, but the Maple Leafs don&rsquo;t seem willing to take the risk to sign him. But when and where he returns from his latest concussion problem-if he returns at all-could have a huge impact on the playoff race and post-season.</p><p>2. <b>Alexei Yashin</b> Either Yashin emerges as a jukebox hero by rocking the Corel Centre with inspired play or he gets booed out of town when he plays like a dog. At $3.6 million, he&rsquo;d be a bargain for any team that wants a guy who doesn&rsquo;t have a good track record at honoring contracts.</p><p>3. <b>Numbers game</b> Patrick Roy is four wins from becoming the winningest goalie in NHL history. If Ron Francis scores 28 goals this year, he&rsquo;ll hit 500. Vincent Damphousse needs one point for 1,000 while Jaromir Jagr is 42 away. Who will get there first?</p><p>4. <b>First-year blues</b> The Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets won&rsquo;t be very good, but neither team should threaten to undercut Ottawa&rsquo;s 24 expansion points in 199293. If they do, somebody should be fired.</p><p>5. <b> Frosh follies</b> No matter how often Vancouver&rsquo;s highly touted Sedin twins are asked who is who, they&rsquo;ll still be better off than New York Islanders&rsquo; rookie goalie Rick DiPietro. It says here DiPietro wishes by midseason that he had stayed in school.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011080/8267625-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="281" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Patrick Roy</b></figcaption></div><p>Here are the top five off-ice stories:</p><p>1. <b>Andy on the spot</b> Whatever direction new head zebra Andy van Hellemond goes when dealing with the on-again, off-again penalty crackdowns, tongues will be wagging.</p><p>2. <b>Gretz the exec</b> The arrival of advisor Cliff Fletcher proves The Great One&rsquo;s fingerprints are all over the Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; franchise. Will his agent, Mike Barnett, come next? The only sure thing is Wayne Gretzky has never put up with mediocrity</p><p><b>3. Spilled beer in Montreal</b> Molson Brewery has put the beloved Canadiens up for sale. If a suds company drowning in dough can&rsquo;t afford this storied franchise, what does that mean for Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Vancouver? Foreign ownership would be sacrilege.</p><p>4. <b>Slats bites Big Apple</b> In Edmonton, Glen Sather never knew this much cash existed. He might use it to build a winner. On the other hand, he might find out that it&rsquo;s never easy getting spoiled rich kids to change their ways.</p><p>5. <b>Bye bye Bowman?</b> Detroit coach Scotty Bowman has a flair for the dramatic. Nothing would be better than if the winningest coach in NHL history closed out his time behind the Wings&rsquo; bench with a Stanley Cup. Then again, if Detroit does win, he might try for one final Cup in 2001-02. He has eight rings now. Two more would make one for every finger.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-01

Ten reasons to keep your head up in 2000-01

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><p class="dropcap"><span>P</span>arity may exist in the Eastern Conference, but in the West-home to three of the four newest expansion teams, plus a quartet of perennial heavyweights-expect the gap between the haves and the have-nots to be exceedingly wide this season.</p><p>Here, in alphabetical order, is a brief olook at each of the 15 Western Conference teams, what they did.</p><p>over the summer and the key issue they face in 2000-01.</p><h2><b>Mighty Ducks of Anaheim</b></h2><p>Key arrivals Maxim Balmochnykh, LW; Jim Cummins, RW; Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G; German Titov, LW; Patrick Traverse, D.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Ted Donato, LW; Stu Grimson, LW; Kevin Haller, D; Fredrik Olausson, D.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> The annual second line shakeup continued, with hopes pinned on two Russians&mdash;the versatile Titov and the promising Balmochnykh.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> If the Paul Kariya/Teemu Selanneled Ducks miss the playoffs again, does that spell the end of the Pierre Gauthier/Craig Hartsburg regime?</p><h2><b>Calgary Flames</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Craig Button, GM; Don Hay, coach; Toni Lydman, D; Mike Vernon, G.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Bob Dollas, D; Grant Fuhr, G; Andreas Johansson, LW; Sergei Krivokrasov, RW; Darryl Shannon, D.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> After four years of missing the playoffs, the Flames fired GM Al Coates and coach Brian Sutter in an attempt to bring a &ldquo;new culture&rdquo; to the organization.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Can Vernon return home to Calgary and lead the team to a playoff spot?</p><h2><b>Chicago Blackhawks</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Alpo Suhonen, coach; Rob Tallas, G; Valeri Zelepukin, RW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Kevin Dean, D; Ed Olczyk, LW; Steve Passmore, G.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> They hired the first European-born and-trained coach in NHL history, bringing in Suhonen to revive a franchise still living in the 19th century.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> These late-season surges by Alexei Zhamnov are all well and good, but will he ever consistently produce when the games really matter?</p><h2><b>Colorado Avalanche</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> David Aebischer, <b>G;</b> Nolan Pratt, D.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Dave Andreychuk, LW; Marc Denis, G; Jeff Odgers, RW; Sandis Ozolinsh, D.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> Getting Ray Bourque signed enabled Colorado to trade Ozolinsh to Carolina and get their payroll relatively under control.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Three times a Stanley Cup champion, does the soonto-be winningest goaltender in NHL history, Patrick Roy, still have what it takes to get the Avalanche to the winner&rsquo;s circle again at 35?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011154/8267656-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="877" height="1545"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Paul Kariya&rsquo;s Ducks will be life-and-death to make the playoffs.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(John Giamundo/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Columbus Blue Jackets</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Jan Caloun, RW; Marc Denis, G; Frantisek Kucera, D; Lyle Odelein, D; Ron Tugnutt, G.</p><p><b>Key departure</b> Turner Stevenson, RW.</p><p><b>Off-season development Remem</b>bering how well Dave King did with a series of young, understaffed Canadian national teams, the Blue Jackets hired one of the sawiest available coaches to lead them in their first year.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Can the more-than-respectable tandem of Tugnutt and Denis do for Columbus what John Vanbiesorouck and uuy Hebert did for Florida and Anaheim in their inaugural seasons?</p><h2><b>Dallas Stars</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Ted Donato, LW; Rick Tabaracci, G; Marty Turco, G; Shaun Van Allen, C.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Guy Carbonneau, C; Sylvain Cote, D; Manny Fernandez, G; Dave Manson, D; Brian Skrudland, C; Scott Thornton, LW.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b></p><p>The Stars more or less stood pat in the summer, saying goodbye to a handful of role players and relying mainly on their organizational depth to fill the holes.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> After two consecutive years in the Stanley Cup final, can the Stars make it a natural hat trick? Or is last season&rsquo;s 12-point regular season decline a sign of things to come?</p><h2><b>Detroit Red Wings</b></h2><p><b>Key arrival</b> Boyd Devereaux, C.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Darryl Laplante, C; Igor Larionov, C; Stacy Roest, C.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> The Red Wings spent all their money to re-sign prospective unrestricted free</p><p>agent Brendan Shanahan and ageless Larry Murphy, believing their aging core of veterans is still good enough to take another run at the Cup.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> But is it? There is a fine line between developing stability and growing stale. Can coach Scotty Bowman keep the competitive fires alive in a group whose back-to-back championships are fading fast in the rearview mirror?</p><h2><b>Edmonton Oilers</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Eric Brewer, D; Dan Cleary, LW; Josh Green, LW; Chris Hajt. D; Kevin Lowe, GM; Craig Mac-Tavish coach.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-01

Big gap between powers & plebes

<p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hey&rsquo;re the players who can make or break your hockey pool team, guys who can be the difference between a club making the playoffs or hitting the links in April.</p><p>They&rsquo;re second&mdash;and third-year NHLers, no longer green kids, but not yet veterans. Their teams have seen enough of them to be enthusiastic about their promise and hopeful they can develop into true impact players.</p><p>And they&rsquo;re the players we&rsquo;re featuring in our team stories. Starting on pg. 35, we&rsquo;ve identified one up-and-coming NHLer deemed pivotal to his team. (Exceptions are Columbus and Minnesota, where we&rsquo;ve profiled their No. 1 draft picks), Last season, Colorado&rsquo;s Milan Hejduk went from surprising rookie to super sophomore. Could Philadelphia&rsquo;s Simon Gagne be this year&rsquo;s Hejduk? How about Buffalo&rsquo;s Maxim Afinogenov?</p><p>Other intriguing kids include Montreal goalie Jose Theodore, who&rsquo;s clamoring for more starts; Toronto&rsquo;s Tomas Kaberle, who has quickly and quietly become a stalwart on defense; and Vancouver&rsquo;s Mattias Ohlund, who was a tower of strength after returning from a serious eye injury.</p><p>Also included in the team stories are the top five rookie candidates for each club, 32-player depth charts, one player who needs to rebound and a statistical look at 1999-2000.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Whiz kids or wish kids?

<p><b>Key departures</b> Jim Dowd, C; Roman Hamrlik, D; Bill Ranford, G; Alex Selivanov, RW; German Titov, LW.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> The Oilers get their third new coach in three years, with Craig MacTavish stepping in for Kevin Lowe, who had previously replaced Ron Low.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> After four years of winning almost as many games as they lose, can the Oilers actually make a move up the standings? Or is this as good as it gets for a team that perennially sheds a front-line player in order to make ends meet?</p><h2><b>Los Angeles Kings</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Stu Grimson, LW; Mathieu Schneider, D; Tomas Vlasak, LW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Garry Galley, D; Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, D.</p><p><b>Off-season development The</b> Kings did some minor tinkering with their defense corps, but otherwise did little to improve upon a team whose 25-point regular season gain was tempered by a do-nothing playoff.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> How long before the Kings get potential unrestricted free agents Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille signed to new longterm contracts?</p><h2><b>Minnesota Wild</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Marian Gaborik, LW; Sergei Krivokrasov, RW; Pavel Patera, RW.</p><p><b>Key departure</b> Mike Vernon, G.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> It looked as if the Wild were always one step behind Columbus in two pivotal areas-adding experienced European scorers and blue-chip NHL goaltending-but the good news is, their payroll should come in considerably lower than that of the Blue Jackets.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> How will demanding Jacques Lemaire handle the adjustment from coaching a talentrich New Jersey team to the expansion Wild?</p><h2><b>Nashville Predators</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals None.</b></p><p><b>Key departures</b> None.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> Unless you count dumping tough guy Patrick Cote on the Oilers, the Predators did nothing of consequence. Instead, they stock to their three-year plan of building slowly from within.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Can slippery center David Legwand break through in 2000-01 like Vincent Lecavalier did in Tampa Bay last season?</p><h2><b>Phoenix Coyotes</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Joe Juneau, C; Brad May, LW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Dallas Drake, LW; Bob Essensa, G; Lyle Odelein, D; Mikael Renberg, RW.</p><p><b>Off-season development A new-</b> look front office that includes two prominent old faces, Wayne Gretzky and Cliff Fletcher, will lend credibility to the organization.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Do the Coyotes finally have what it takes to win a playoff round for the first time since 1987?</p><h2><b>St. Louis Blues</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Dallas Drake, LW; Sean Hill, D; Dwayne Roloson, G.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Jim Campbell, RW; Dave Ellett, D; Jamie McLennan, G; Scott Pellerin, LW; Stephane Richer, RW.</p><p><b>Off-season development After</b> years of paying off backloaded contracts, the Blues splurged on two of the summer&rsquo;s better unrestricted free agents-gritty winger Dallas Drake and offensive blueliner Sean Hill-in the hopes of getting themselves over the top.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> How will Pavol Demitra play after a serious April concussion?</p><h2><b>San Jose Sharks</b></h2><p><b>Jose Sharks</b></p><p><b>Key arrival</b> Scott Thornton, LW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Jeff Norton, D; Ron Stem, RW; Andy Sutton, D.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> In mid-September, the Sharks still had eight regulars not under contract.</p><p><b>Burning question</b> Is this the year the best young team on paper takes a quantum leap forward in the actual standings?</p><h2><b>Vancouver Canucks</b></h2><p><b>Key arrivals</b> Bob Essensa, G; Scott Lachance, D; Daniel Sedin, C; Henrik Sedin, LW.</p><p><b>Key departures</b> Darby Hendrickson, C; Brad May, LW; Mark Messier, C; Garth Snow, G; Harry York, C.</p><p><b>Off-season development</b> The Canucks paid Mark Messier a $2-million severance package and allowed him to skate back to Broadway.</p><h2><b>WESTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><p><b>OVERALL STANDINGS</b></p><p><b>Here are THN&rsquo;s projected standings for 2000-01 and seedings entering playoffs.</b></p><p>1. <b>Colorado Avalanche*</b></p><p>2. <b>Dallas Stars*</b></p><p>3. <b>St. Louis Blues*</b></p><p>4. <b>Detroit Red Wings</b></p><p>5. <b>Phoenix Coyotes</b></p><p>6. <b>San Jose Sharks</b></p><p>7. <b>Los Angeles Kings</b></p><p>8. <b>Edmonton Oilers</b></p><p><b>* Asterisk denotes division winner</b></p><p><b>NON-PLAYOFF TEAMS</b></p><p><b>9. Anaheim Mighty Ducks</b></p><p>10. <b>Calgary Flames</b></p><p>11. <b>Vancouver Canucks</b></p><p>12. <b>Chicago Blackhawks</b></p><p>13. <b>Nashville Predators</b></p><p>14. <b>Columbus Blue Jackets</b></p><p>15. <b>Minnesota Wild</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

FEATURE

Can Coyotes finally win a round?

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03631/8267770-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="871" height="1533"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Opponents are growing to hate Vitaly Vishnevski&rsquo;s banging style of play.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(H.DiRocco/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011099/8267777-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="175" height="177"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>V</span>italy Vishnevski might not be a household name to NHL fans, but opponents are well aware of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks&rsquo; second-year defenseman.</p><p>&ldquo;Number 6, right?&rdquo; asked newly acquired right winger Dan Bylsma, who first saw Vishnevski while playing for the rival Los Angeles Kings last season.</p><p>It was a big Vishnevski check, after all, that put the hurt on Kings&rsquo; star Ziggy Palffy in a late-season game. The hit left Palffy with a sprained shoulder that cost him the final 12 games of the season.</p><p>&ldquo;Every team you play against, there&rsquo;s a lineup on the board and you go, &lsquo;Watch out for this guy,&rsquo;&rdquo; Bylsma said. &ldquo;From that hit on, (Vishnevski) was one of those guys.&rdquo;</p><p>Vishnevski, Anaheim&rsquo;s first round pick (fifth overall) in 1998, arrived in the NHL midway through last season after playing 35 games with Cincinnati (American League). A native of Kharkov, Rus., Vishnevski made an immediate mark. In 31 games, he led or co-led the Ducks in hits 16 times; he finished with 113.</p><p>&ldquo;He certainly did a great job for us as a 19-year-old last year,&rdquo; Anaheim coach Craig Hartsburg said. &ldquo;He played, obviously, very physical and very hard. He&rsquo;s a guy that everybody in this league is going to hate playing against.&rdquo;</p><p>Unlike players with long rap sheets such as San Jose&rsquo;s Bryan Marchment and Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Darius Kasparaitis, Vishnevski rarely ran afoul of the striped shirts.</p><p>&ldquo;He takes very few penalties,&rdquo; Hartsburg said, noting Vishnevski&rsquo;s modest 26 penalty minutes. &ldquo;The thing is, he plays hard and he plays clean.&rdquo;</p><p>Though Vishnevski managed only one goal and two points to go along with his even plus-minus rating, the physical 6-foot-2, 200-pounder offers significantly more than an imposing presence.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not the only thing he does for us,&rdquo; Hartsburg said. &ldquo;He is very poised with the puck. Very seldom did he make bad decisions; very seldom is he out of position. Add on the fact he plays a hard game, where he finishes his checks extremely hard and that only adds to the total package of what he does.&rdquo;</p><p>The biggest challenge for Vishnevski this season might be the fact he is unlikely to sneak up on anyone. While superstars Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne remain everyone&rsquo;s focus, opponents have also taken notice of Anaheim&rsquo;s rambunctious defense corps, headed by Vishnevski and Ruslan Salei.</p><p>&ldquo;When people expect you to be physical, it&rsquo;s probably harder to be more physical,&rdquo; Salei said. &ldquo;Last year, nobody in the league knew (Vishnevski). Nobody really expected him to do anything like that. Now they&rsquo;re going to be more careful, so it&rsquo;s probably going to be a Little bit harder for him.&rdquo;</p><p>Like many NHLers from Eastern Europe, Vishnevski is struggling to overcome the language barrier. His speaking and comprehension have improved vastly in just a year, but he still needs an interpreter for interviews.</p><p>Questioned, through Salei, about his reputation for big hits and growing unpopularity throughout the NHL, Vishnevski merely smiled. Asked to evaluate his play, he offered little.</p><p>&ldquo;He said he&rsquo;s really shy,&rdquo; Salei said. &ldquo;He thinks people who watch him know better how he looks (than he does). He&rsquo;s just trying to be focused all the time, play simple and not try to do too much.&rdquo;</p><p>Only 20 and in just his second year in North America, Vishnevski is understandably uncomfortable in the public eye. His maturity level, however, seems extremely advanced.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great kid,&rdquo; Hartsburg said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a little bit shy, but he&rsquo;s always smiling. His poise was (remarkable) for a young guy who didn&rsquo;t know the language. He played a lot on instinct and he has great instincts. He speaks</p><p>better now. That&rsquo;s one area that he&rsquo;ll get better at, just his understanding of everything.&rdquo;</p><p>Vishnevski adds a welcome dimension to Anaheim&rsquo;s promising collection of twentysomething defensemen that also includes Salei, Oleg Tverdovsky, Niclas Havelid, Pavel Trnka and Patrick Traverse.</p><p>&ldquo;The more (Vishnevski) keeps maturing and learning in the league, he&rsquo;s going to get better and better,&rdquo; Hartsburg said.</p><p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t anticipate him taking huge leaps and bounds&hellip;His improvement will be gradual, but that&rsquo;s based on the level he started. He&rsquo;s at a very high level right now. He&rsquo;s certainly going to be a big part of this franchise for a long time.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Guy Hebert</p><p>2. J-S Giguere</p><p>3. Dominic Roussel</p><p>4. Gregg Naumenko</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Oleg Tverdovksy*</p><p>2. Ruslan Salei</p><p>3. Pavel Trnka</p><p>4. Vitaly Vishnevski</p><p>5. Niclas Havelid</p><p>6. Patrick Traverse</p><p>7. Jason Marshall</p><p>8. Pascal Trepanier</p><p>9. Chris O&rsquo;Sullivan</p><p>10. DeanMalkoc</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Paul Kariya</p><p>2. Marty McInnis</p><p>3. Mike Leclerc</p><p>4. Maxim Baimochnykh</p><p>5. Kevin Sawyer</p><p>6. Jay Legault</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Steve Rucchin</p><p>2. German Titov</p><p>3. Matt Cullen</p><p>4. Antti Aalto</p><p>5. TonyHrkac</p><p>6. Marc Chouinard</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Teemu Selanne</p><p>2. Ladislav Kohn</p><p>3. Jim Cummins</p><p>4. DanBylsma</p><p>5. Jonas Ronnqvist</p><p>6.Petr Tenkrat</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02767/8267763-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="324" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Marty McInnis</b></figcaption></div><p>Fully recovered from an abdominal tear, he could double his goal (10) and point (28) totals of a year ago.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04506/8267756-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="560" height="310"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Anaheim&rsquo;s top 22 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05425/8267749-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="559" height="820"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06386/8267742-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="552" height="142"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07349/8267735-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="564" height="380"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0035-03

Vishnevski a big hit

<div class="byline">By Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03581/8267843-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="889" height="1549"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Petr Buzek&rsquo;s goal is to keep up his level of play for the entire season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Jim Leary/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011069/8267850-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="203" height="189"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>nybody who didn&rsquo;t know the story earlier could recite it verbatim by the all-star break last season. Petr Buzek was going to be a first round draft pick. Petr Buzek lost control of his car and hit a big tree. Petr Buzek almost died, but didn&rsquo;t. He almost lost the use of his legs, but didn&rsquo;t.</p><p>In 1995, Petr Buzek became the first guy drafted while sitting in a wheelchair. Five years later, Petr Buzek played in the NHL All-Star Game.</p><p>If the story ended there, the Atlanta Thrashers&rsquo; 23-year-old defenseman might have to think a while before coming up with some tangible personal goals for his second season. But because he appeared to wear down and his play tailed off after the first two months of the season, Buzek&rsquo;s objective this season is fairly simple: To prove he is more the player from the first half of last season, not the second.</p><p>&ldquo;The first two months I think I played great. After that I don&rsquo;t know what happened,&rdquo; Buzek said.</p><p>&ldquo;It was hard, not just on me but everybody, when you&rsquo;re losing every night. Sometimes, you want to play your best but you can&rsquo;t. In your head, you&rsquo;re telling yourself what you want to do, but you can&rsquo;t play your best. But I went through it and I learned from it.&rdquo;</p><p>Thrashers&rsquo; coach Curt Fraser said Buzek &ldquo;kind of fell off&rsquo; after he was run into the glass in a game in Montreal and sustained a concussion that sidelined him for six games.</p><p>&ldquo;The All-Star Game and all the other stuff was a bonus for him,&rdquo; Fraser said. &ldquo;We have to remember he was a first-year player.&rdquo;</p><p>Buzek has the strength and skills to be the team&rsquo;s best all-around defenseman. He&rsquo;s one of the few players on the roster who can both handle the puck, set up a teammate, throw a check and clear a body from near the crease. For two months last season, he displayed each of those skills. He, along with Frantisek Kaberle and Yannick Tremblay, are the team&rsquo;s three young defensemen who potentially can grow with the franchise for several seasons.</p><p>What happened after Buzek&rsquo;s fast start is not unusual for a young player, said GM Don Waddell.</p><p>&ldquo;Being in his first year, he played above his ability initially and a lot of that was his adrenaline and emotion,&rdquo; Waddell said.</p><p>&ldquo;He was playing so much the first two months of the season that when he hit a wall physically, it also hit him mentally. He went in the other direction for a couple of months and he lost some confidence and some of the emotion of being a first-year NHL player. He can&rsquo;t play that way. He has to play with a lot of jam and a lot of emotion every night to be successful. He&rsquo;s a contact person, he has to make contact. When he stops doing those little things, he&rsquo;ll revert to being a very ordinary player.&rdquo;</p><p>Waddell also believes that after Buzek was named to the World team in the All-Star Game, he got caught too often trying to make the big &ldquo;all-star&rdquo; type plays.</p><p>&ldquo;He has to make sure he does what got him here-finishing checks, playing the man, moving the puck,&rdquo; Waddell said.</p><p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t worry about joining the rush unless the opportunity presents itself. Those are the things he did for the first two months.&rdquo;</p><p>Buzek&rsquo;s play seemed to pick up the last two weeks of the season and he carried that into the off-season, playing on the Czech Republic&rsquo;s gold-medal winning team at the World Championship. In that sense, his year ended a high note.</p><p>&ldquo;That was awesome,&rdquo; Buzek said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like fighting for your country.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a great feeling. You win the game and you&rsquo;re standing on the blueline and they&rsquo;re playing your national anthem. When you go home, you&rsquo;re heroes.&rdquo;</p><p>Buzek was Atlanta&rsquo;s last restricted free agent to come to terms, signing a new contract just a couple of days before training camp. He was determined to have things work out that way. He did not want to take a chance on alienating his teammates by being a latecomer.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to miss any minute of the training camp,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I wanted to be here from the first minute to the end. This is a team sport and we&rsquo;re like family. If you&rsquo;re late, it&rsquo;s not like you&rsquo;re doing everything for the team.</p><p>&ldquo;I wanted to fight for them and be here on time&hellip;I didn&rsquo;t want to come here after training camp, like a big shot.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOAL TENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Damian Rhodes</p><p>2. Milan Hnilicka</p><p>3. Norm Maracle</p><p>4. Scott Fankhouser</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Frantisek Kaberle</p><p>2. Gord Murphy</p><p>3. Petr Buzek</p><p>4. Yanick Tremblay</p><p>5. Adam Burt</p><p>6. Chris Tamer</p><p>7. David Harlock</p><p>8. Sergei Vyshedkevich</p><p>9. Steve Stalos</p><p>10. Rumun Ndur</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Andrew Brunette</p><p>2. Hnat Domenichelli</p><p>3. Tommi Kallio</p><p>4. Matt Johnson</p><p>5. Dmitri Vlasenkov</p><p>6. Bryan Adams</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Ray Ferraro</p><p>2. PatrickStefan</p><p>3. Andreas Karlsson</p><p>4. Steve Guolla</p><p>5. Per Svartvadet</p><p>6. Herbert Vasiljevs</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Donald Audette</p><p>2. Dean Sylvester</p><p>3. Shean Donovan</p><p>4. Denny Lambert</p><p>5. Brad Tapper</p><p>6. J.P.Vigier</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02699/8267836-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="329" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Damian Rhodes</b></figcaption></div><p>A four-month ankle injury layoff marred last season. The defense corps in front of him should be improved.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04448/8267829-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="577" height="316"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Atlanta&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05374/8267822-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="573" height="824"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06325/8267815-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="567" height="169"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07297/8267808-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="568" height="386"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-03

Petr could be great

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03508/8267916-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mild-mannered John Grahame turns into a chatterbox in the crease.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Jim Leary/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01954/8267923-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="191" height="197"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s impossible to know how John Grahame&rsquo;s 1999-2000 season would have gone if Byron Dafoe hadn&rsquo;t missed training camp, plus the month of October, because of a contract dispute.</p><p>It&rsquo;s easy, however, to see what Grahame did with the opportunity.</p><p>Grahame, who shared time in goal with Rob Tallas through Nov. 4, made Tallas expendable. After four years as the Boston Bruins&rsquo; No. 2 goalie, Tallas was unprotected in the 1999 expansion draft, didn&rsquo;t receive a qualifying offer and later signed with Chicago as a free agent.</p><p>Grahame, a fourth-year pro, is entering the first season in I which he is expected to contribute at the NHL level.</p><p>The 25-year-old son of former NHL netminder Ron Grahame, (the Bruins traded the elder Grahame to Los Angeles for a 1979 draft pick used to select Ray Bourque), is one of Boston&rsquo;s more intriguing young players. The lanky (6-foot-2, 210-pounds), long-haired Denver native, quiet and laid-back off the ice, changes drastically once he&rsquo;s in uniform. Grahame is constantly chattering, looks for any opportunity to leave the crease and handle the puck and on at least one occasion last season, he went into a comer to check an enemy forward.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s kind of my nature as a player,&rdquo; said Grahame, who avoided an arbitration hearing by signing a two-year, one-way contract. &ldquo;I like to be active as far as playing the puck, talking with the defensemen-kind of like playing quarterback. I try to help guys out by yelling, passing the puck, making the saves-whatever I can do.&rdquo;</p><p>Coach Pat Bums, at first a bit surprised by Grahame&rsquo;s on-ice transformation, grew to accept the young goalie&rsquo;s occasionally unorthodox tendencies. Grahame, after all, went 3-3-2 with a 1.72 goals-against average and .939 save percentage before Dafoe signed and the Bruins, unwilling to lose Tallas on waivers, returned Grahame to Providence (American League) instead.</p><p>Bums also likes the fact Grahame, who returned to Boston when Dafoe went down for the season with a mid-February knee injury, doesn&rsquo;t want to simply accept the label of backup goalie. &ldquo;He wants to win the (No. 1) job,&rdquo; Bums said. &ldquo;He has experience now. He wants to play and that&rsquo;s good.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s unclear how much Grahame will play, but if he performs as he did as a rookie, he may see more work than Tallas did in Dafoe&rsquo;s first two seasons in Boston.</p><p>The B&rsquo;s got everything possible out of Dafoe in 1997-98 (65 games) and 1998-99 (68), but in addition to the surgery on his right knee in February, Dafoe had to have an another, albeit less serious operation on the same knee in late July. Barring setbacks, Dafoe expected to be ready to start the regular season, but with Boston&rsquo;s busy schedule in early October (six games in the season&rsquo;s first 10 days), Grahame should get some early work.</p><p>But given Dafoe was a 1999 Vezina Trophy finalist in his last healthy season and that he&rsquo;ll pull down $3.15 million (U.S.) this season, Grahame probably won&rsquo;t play as much as he has since leaving Lake Superior State (Central Collegiate Hockey Association) for the pros in 1997-98. He has played at least 48 games per season since then, topping out at 67 in 1998-99, when he backstopped Providence to the Calder Cup. Grahame made 64 appearances last season-24 in Boston, where he finished 7-10-5 with a 2.46 GAA and .910 save percentage.</p><p>&ldquo;If I happen not to play for a few games in a row, what can I do?&rdquo; Grahame said. &ldquo;Obviously, it would be a new situation for me if I&rsquo;m not playing all the time. I&rsquo;d have to try different ways to stay sharp, but you never know what&rsquo;s going to happen.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s Grahame&rsquo;s way of saying it&rsquo;s his intent to try to play so well, Bums has to use him.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to take the confidence I had at the beginning of last year and pretty much the whole time I was up here and do the exact same thing I did last year,&rdquo; said Grahame, whom Boston selected 229th overall in 1994.</p><p>&ldquo;As long as I go out and play well every time, I&rsquo;m going to have no problem with the amount of time I play. I&rsquo;ll be satisfied and the team will be satisfied, if I play the best I can every time I get the opportunity.</p><p>&ldquo;I may as well not sit back, though. That does me no good and it does the team no good.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Byron Dafoe</p><p>2. John Grahame</p><p>3. Kay Whitmore</p><p>4. Andrew Raycroft</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Kyle McLaren</p><p>2. Don Sweeney</p><p>3. Hal Gill</p><p>4. Paul Coffey</p><p>5. Peter Popovic</p><p>6. Darren Van Impe</p><p>7. Brandon Smith</p><p>8. Jonathan Girard</p><p>9. Nick Boynton</p><p>10. Johnathan Aitken</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Sergei Samsonov*</p><p>2. Brian Rolston</p><p>3. P-JAxelsson</p><p>4. Mikko Eloranta</p><p>5. Ken Belanger</p><p>6. Joe Hulbig</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Jason Allison</p><p>2. Joe Thornton*</p><p>3. Sami Pahlsson</p><p>4. Andre Savage</p><p>5. Shawn Bates</p><p>6. Mattias Karlin</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Anson Carter*</p><p>2. Andrei Kovalenko</p><p>3. Mike Knuble</p><p>4. Cameron Mann</p><p>5. Eric Nickulas</p><p>6. Lee Goren</p><p>* Restricted free ageriF</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02644/8267909-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="322" height="434"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Byron Dafoe</b></figcaption></div><p><b>Byron Dafoe</b> A contract dispute and knee surgery made 1999-2000 a year to forget for the 1998-99 Vezina Trophy finalist.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04425/8267902-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="556" height="310"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Boston&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05377/8267895-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="562" height="815"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06331/8267888-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="559" height="121"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07297/8267881-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="557" height="385"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0037-03

Backup won’t back down

<div class="byline">By Bob Sutton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03307/8268135-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="862" height="1524"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Carolina&rsquo;s new up-tempo style suits sophomore David Tanabe just fine.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Claus Andersen/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01670/8268142-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="157" height="172"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>efenseman David Tanabe almost became too comfortable when he landed a spot with the Carolina Hurricanes a year ago. His offensive skills made up for a lack of experience, but that lasted only so long.</p><p>In early February, the 19-year-old kid who shocked everyone by making the team out of training camp was shipped out to Cincinnati of the International League.</p><p>&ldquo;I think being sent to the minors was the wake-up call I needed,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Now, with a restructured defense, the Hurricanes might need Tanabe to play an expanded role with the team. He&rsquo;s ready and willing&mdash;and probably able.</p><p>Tanabe played 31 games last season for Carolina and scored four goals, this after only one season of college hockey at the University of Wisconsin. At times the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder admitted to being overwhelmed by the glamour of the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;I learned a lot of stuff on and off the ice last year,&rdquo; Tanabe said. &ldquo;Hopefully I can apply it here and play a full year here. I probably improved in composure when I have the puck. I&rsquo;ve matured as a player. In college, you could get away with doing some stuff that you can&rsquo;t get away with at this level.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;In my mind, David Tanabe had an outstanding year last year,&rdquo; said Carolina coach Paul Maurice. &lsquo;T haven&rsquo;t seen too many young defensemen come in and do some of the things he did. He learned what he needs to know at (age) 19. Now he knows how it works.&rdquo;</p><p>The way it works, Maurice says, is that Tanabe must work diligently if his NHL career is going to be a successful one.</p><p>&ldquo;He needed to learn that,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;He needed to sit out. I was very, very concerned in November if he was going to be a player who relied on his talent or if he was going to work hard.&rdquo;</p><p>Tanabe said he concentrated on the mental aspect of the game this summer, realizing that proper preparation is vital to success in the NHL. He said that means everything from eating right to learning proper sleeping habits and cutting out some of those midnight video game sessions.</p><p>Tanabe, from Minneapolis, was the club&rsquo;s first round pick, 16th overall, in the 1999 entry draft. When he arrived for his first training camp, he knew two other players in camp. This year, he felt comfortable and a part of the team when training camp began.</p><p>Tanabe is also comfortable with the tag of &ldquo;offensive defenseman.&rdquo;</p><p>He used his February assignment to Cincinnati to hone his offensive skills. He concentrated more on the defensive end with the Hurricanes.</p><p>&ldquo;When I want to the minors, I spent a lot of time being creative with the offensive side of things,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hopefully, last year in the minors I proved I could stand out every night.&rdquo;</p><p>The Hurricanes have been impressed with Tanabe&rsquo;s ability and willingness to learn. At the same time, they&rsquo;ve been cautious to find the right role for him.</p><p>Tanabe might be the perfect fit for Carolina&rsquo;s new emphasis on puck movement from the defensive zone. The Hurricanes added veterans Sandis Ozolinsh and Kevin Hatcher to orchestrate that strategy, allowing Tanabe more time to mature. The Hurricanes don&rsquo;t want Tanabe to have to carry the power play.</p><p>&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t have to worry about that,&rdquo; Maurice said.</p><p>But Tanabe, a right-handed shooter, might land on the second powerplay unit.</p><p>With a new cast of defensemen, Tanabe first must make the team. That shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem based on his skill level, but as Tanabe learned last year there is more to playing in the NHL than talent alone.</p><p>Paul Coffey, the man who helped nurture him along last year and to whom Tanabe turned for advice, moved on to Boston as a free agent, so Tanabe will have to take matters into his own control more than ever.</p><p>&ldquo;We know he can play,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not fighting for a spot based on whether he can play. But there&rsquo;s some competition.&rdquo;</p><p>Tanabe is confident this season will unfold differently than last. He wants to stay in Carolina all season and yearns to play in crucial situations.</p><p>If his talent and work ethic merge as the Hurricanes think they will, he&rsquo;ll be a top four defenseman on this team and in a great position to take it a step further.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Arturs Irbe</p><p>2. Jean-Marc Pelletier</p><p>3. Tyler Moss</p><p>4. Marc Magliarditi</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Sandis Ozolinsh</p><p>2. Kevin Hatcher</p><p>3. Glen Wesley</p><p>4. Marek Malik</p><p>5. Steve Halko</p><p>6. David Tanabe</p><p>7. DaveKarpa</p><p>8. Niclas Wallin</p><p>9. Mike Rucinski</p><p>10. Nikos Tselios</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Bates Battaglia</p><p>2. Martin Gelinas</p><p>3. Darren Langdon</p><p>4. Jeff Daniels</p><p>5. Jaroslav Svoboda</p><p>6. Erik Cole</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Ron Francis</p><p>2. Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour</p><p>3. Rob DiMaio</p><p>4. Ian McNeil</p><p>5. Byron Ritchie</p><p>6. Josef Vasicek</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Sami Kapanen</p><p>2. Jeff O&rsquo;Neill</p><p>3. Tommy Westlund</p><p>4. Shane Willis</p><p>5. JeffHeerema</p><p>6. Craig Adams</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02410/8268128-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="313" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Kevin Hatcher</b></figcaption></div><p>Veteran defenseman is expected to play an important role as Carolina looks to improve its transition game.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04247/8268121-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="566" height="318"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Carolina&rsquo;s top 19 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05215/8268114-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="557" height="824"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06190/8268107-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="563" height="88"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07174/8268100-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="563" height="378"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0040-03

Tanabe’s time to shine

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03277/8268208-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="865" height="1515"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Self-described &lsquo;goofball&rsquo; Anders Eriksson is out to make a good impression.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01566/8268215-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="160" height="166"></div><p>For a fun-loving guy like Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; defenseman Anders Eriksson, last season wasn&rsquo;t much of a good time.</p><p>Expected to be the Hawks&rsquo; No. 2 defenseman behind Boris Mironov, Eriksson missed the first three weeks of training camp in a contract dispute and got off to a slow start.</p><p>Soon afterwards he found himself in coach Lome Molleken&rsquo;s doghouse and never escaped. Along the way he was a healthy scratch 10 times and Molleken openly questioned Eriksson&rsquo;s attitude and commitment.</p><p>The same thing happened to Eriksson in Detroit, where his smiling and happy demeanor off the ice didn&rsquo;t go over well with Red Wings&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman either.</p><p>Eriksson says that when it&rsquo;s time to play hockey, he is as serious as the next guy.</p><p>&ldquo;They needed somebody to chop on, I guess,&rdquo; Eriksson said of turbulent 1999-2000 campaign. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t think I need to change my personality because that doesn&rsquo;t have anything to do with hockey. If you&rsquo;re laughing and having fun outside hockey, as long as you&rsquo;re on the ice and you do your job and you work hard, it shouldn&rsquo;t matter.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to change as a person. I&rsquo;ve always been very talkative and a little bit of a goofball, the guy who is heard over everyone else. That&rsquo;s who I am. I think the first time people meet me they think I&rsquo;m arrogant and very loud and noisy, but if they give me a second chance to get to know me, I think they get to like me.&rdquo;</p><p>The new Hawks&rsquo; coaching staff including head man Alpo Suhonen and assistant Don Jackson will like Eriksson just fine if he can live up to his potential, move the puck up the ice quickly and play a more physical game.</p><p>&ldquo;He has unbelievable talent, for sure,&rdquo; Suhonen said.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s up to him how good he wants to be,&rdquo; said Jackson, whose duties under Suhonen include overseeing the defense corps.</p><p>&ldquo;If he wants to be, I think he&rsquo;s capable of being a top defenseman in the league. He has all the tools. What concerned me was when you have a player who is as talented as he is, why was he in and out of the lineup and scratched so many times last year? But both Alpo and I have come into this organization with an open mind.&rdquo;</p><p>Once again the Hawks are counting heavily on Eriksson, along with Mironov and Bryan McCabe, to help lead what was the NHL&rsquo;s seventh-worst defense last season.</p><p>How Eriksson and McCabe rebound from poor first full seasons in Chicago will greatly determine if the Hawks can return to the playoffs after a three-year absence.</p><p>Last season Eriksson let his emotions get the better of him when he wasn&rsquo;t used in all situations. When he finally focused his energy on hockey he finished with a charge, ultimately establishing new career highs for games played (73), assists (25) and points (28).</p><p>Coming into 2000-01, Eriksson understands the importance of getting off to a good start, which is why he worked himself into better shape during the off-season and sought arbitration in order to have his contract situation out of the way before training camp. He was awarded a one-year, $1-million deal.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to do the same thing as last year and miss a very important part of the season,&rdquo; Eriksson said. &ldquo;With a new fresh start with new fresh coaches, this is a chance to make a good impression to them and try to figure out what kind of player I am. I think I&rsquo;m a pretty good two-way player, but there are a lot of things I can improve, especially shooting the puck. I can be more physical in front of our net. I will do anything it takes to adjust to be in the lineup every night.&rdquo;</p><p>The coaches were concerned about how Eriksson would come to camp, but his fitness tests were better than in the past.</p><p>&ldquo;The encouraging part for me is Anders came to camp in fair shape and I understood the opposite of him,&rdquo; Jackson said.</p><p>&ldquo;I worked hard this summer and think I&rsquo;m in pretty good shape,&rdquo; Eriksson said. &ldquo;Everybody has always worried about my weight and my body fat for the last five years and this year they&rsquo;re happy, I guess. I just want to give myself the chance to be the best I can be. Hopefully, I can fulfill their expectations. I want to be one of the leaders in here, one of the go&mdash;to guys on this team. And I think I can be.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Jocelyn Thjbault</p><p>2. Rob Tallas</p><p>3. Michel Larocque</p><p>4. Jeff Maund</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Boris Mironov</p><p>2. Bryan McCabe</p><p>3. Anders Eriksson</p><p>4. Kevin Dean</p><p>5. Steve McCarthy</p><p>6. Jamie Allison</p><p>7. Brad Brown</p><p>8. Doug Zmolek</p><p>9. Nolan Baumgartner</p><p>10. Chris McAlpine</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Valeri Zelepukin</p><p>2. Michal Grosek</p><p>3. Dean McAmmond</p><p>4. Bob Probert</p><p>5. Jean-Yves Leroux</p><p>6. Kyle Calder</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Alex Zhamnov</p><p>2. Michael Nylander</p><p>3. Josef Marha</p><p>4. Mark Janssens</p><p>5. Mark Bell</p><p>67 Steve Larouche</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. TonyAmonte</p><p>2. Steve Sullivan</p><p>3. Eric Daze</p><p>4. R. VandenBussche</p><p>5. Blair Atcheynum</p><p>6. Steve Dubinsky</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02348/8268201-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="319" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Eric Daze</b></figcaption></div><p>Healthy after back surgery, this may be Daze&rsquo;s last chance to live up to his potential as a 30-40-goal scorer.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04237/8268194-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="565" height="310"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo;SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Chicago&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05214/8268187-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="565" height="813"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06193/8268180-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="550" height="109"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07175/8268173-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="562" height="370"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0041-03

Eriksson shaping up

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03280/8268281-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="871" height="1536"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Martin Skoula surprised many with his cool demeanor and capable play.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(John Giamundo/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01578/8268288-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="165" height="165"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>here were the jittery, hurried passes rookies are supposed to make? Where were the first-year &ldquo;growing pains?&rdquo; What in the world was Martin Skoula doing looking so comfortable on NHL ice last season, his first in the league?</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you, that kid plays with a lot of poise for someone his age&hellip;or any age,&rdquo; said Aaron Miller, Skoula&rsquo;s Colorado Avalanche teammate and blueline partner.</p><p>&ldquo;When he has the puck and guys take a run at him, it&rsquo;s like it doesn&rsquo;t bother him at all. He either sidesteps the play or makes a nice little crisp pass and the threat is over.&rdquo;</p><p>The 20-year-old&rsquo;s poise with the puck was, indeed, the trait that impressed so many Avalanche watchers last season. It&rsquo;s supposed to take a few years before defensemen develop the kind of calm with the puck in their own end that Skoula already possesses.</p><p>But it&rsquo;s not like the former Barrie Colts&rsquo; star came out of nowhere to post an impressive rookie year. He was the 17th player selected in the 1998 draft, after all. But Skoula&rsquo;s play in 1999-2000 surpassed everyone&rsquo;s expectations, as most figured he would only see time as a fill-in or might even spend the season in the minors.</p><p>But the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Czech Republic native instead became a vital component of the Avs&rsquo; defense. And Skoula will have every opportunity to improve upon his solid freshman campaign as he should see even more ice time than last year&rsquo;s 18:35 per game, which ranked him fourth among Colorado rearguards.</p><p>&ldquo;The first season seemed to go pretty fast,&rdquo; Skoula said.</p><p>&ldquo;So, I&rsquo;m excited about this year. I think my first year went pretty good and I will just try to get better.&rdquo;</p><p>Skoula played 80 games with the Avalanche last season, scoring three goals and 16 points to go along with his plus-5 rating. Most in the Avs&rsquo; brass think he will blossom into an offensive threat in the coming years as he becomes even more comfortable in his own end.</p><p>With the departure of roving Sandis Ozolinsh to Carolina, Skoula should see more action on the power play this year&mdash;and more green lights to jump up into the play, overall.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to score a few more goals this year, sure,&rdquo; Skoula said.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I can. But I just want to keep getting better defensively first and let the offense come naturally.&rdquo;</p><p>Skoula&rsquo;s main strength, beyond his patience with the puck, is a smooth, balanced skating stride. Combining that mobility with his long reach, he is able to fish pucks from behind the net quickly and efficiently, thereby giving himself ample time to send clean outlet passes to cutting forwards.</p><p>Skoula also proved he was tough enough to survive the NHL trenches for a full season, as he usually dished out more punishment than he took.</p><p>In fact, he seemed to get stronger as the year went on and nowhere was that more evident than in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal at Detroit. With Ray Bourque sitting out with a knee injury, Skoula was matched up with Adam Foote to play yeoman minutes in the overtime game and the kid helped set up the winning goal with a diving chip-out pass from his own end.</p><p>&ldquo;I think that was a real confidence-building game for Martin,&rdquo; said Avalanche coach Bob Hartley. &ldquo;Hey, he had a great rookie season for us. He is way ahead of the game for most defensemen his age. He&rsquo;s going to be a good one for a long time.</p><p>&ldquo;To get a guy that young who can step right into your blueline like he did-you just don&rsquo;t find that too often.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, Skoula should be a cornerstone of the Colorado defense corps for the next decade.</p><p>Shy and barely able to speak English at the beginning of last season, Skoula is more fluent this year and, hence, more comfortable in the dressing room. With his stall located right next to good friend Milan Hejduk&rsquo;s, Skoula is starting to become downright chatty in the room.</p><p>&ldquo;Yes, I do feel more comfortable this year, because I&rsquo;ve got one year in the league now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So, I&rsquo;m hoping that will help my game even more.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHARTS</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Patrick Roy</p><p>2. David Aebischer</p><p>3. Phillipe Sauve</p><p>4. Frederic Cassivi</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Adam Foote</p><p>2. Ray Bourque</p><p>3. Aaron Miller</p><p>4. Martin Skoula</p><p>5. Jon Klemm</p><p>6. Nolan Pratt*</p><p>7. Alexei Gusarov</p><p>8. Greg de Vries</p><p>9. Dan Smith</p><p>10. Rick Berry</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. AlexTanguay</p><p>2. Shjon Podein</p><p>3. Chris Dingman</p><p>4. Eric Messier</p><p>5. Brad Larsen</p><p>6. Ville Niemenen</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Peter Forsberg</p><p>2. Joe Sakic</p><p>3. Chris Drury*</p><p>4. Stephane Yelle</p><p>5. DanHinote</p><p>6. Jared Aulin</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Milan Hejduk</p><p>2. Adam Deadmarsh</p><p>3. Dave Reid</p><p>4. Scott Parker</p><p>5. Mike Craig</p><p>6. Mikhail Kuleshov</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02352/8268274-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="313" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Peter Forsberg</b></figcaption></div><p>After a so-so year by his standards, his priority is to stay healthy; do that and he&rsquo;ll dwarf last season&rsquo;s output.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04225/8268267-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="568" height="316"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Colorado&rsquo;s top 24 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05195/8268260-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="565" height="834"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06180/8268253-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="565" height="82"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07157/8268246-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="562" height="385"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0042-03

Grace under pressure

<div class="byline">By Aaron Portzllne</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03317/8268354-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="853" height="1524"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Rostislav Klesla was dominating in Columbus&rsquo; pre-season rookie camp.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01576/8268361-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="163" height="157"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith each minute defenseman Rostislav Klesla spent on the ice in camp, it became harder and harder to envision him not being a part of the Columbus Blue Jackets this season.</p><p>President-GM Doug MacLean and coach Dave King were making no promises. Although they liked what they saw, they were going to drag out the evaluation process as long as possible in Klesla&rsquo;s case to get a clear picture of where he stands.</p><p>The options were clear: He would either be returned to the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario League for a second season or be thrown into the NHL fire as a teenager playing on an expansion team&rsquo;s blueline.</p><p>&ldquo;Because he&rsquo;s a defenseman, it&rsquo;s a more difficult step,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s still only 18, he&rsquo;s young. He is mature in his play, but he only has one year in major junior behind him.</p><p>&ldquo;The other issue is: The only way he&rsquo;ll stay (in Columbus) is if he&rsquo;s a regular. We&rsquo;re not going to have him here and not playing.&rdquo;</p><p>This much, however, has been determined: Klesla is an uncommon talent, the type an expansion team doesn&rsquo;t get its hands on any other way than through the entry draft.</p><p>A native of Novy Jicin, Czech Republic, Klesla came to the U.S. two years ago, settling in Sioux City, Iowa. First, he learned to speak English. Next he asserted himself as a player and his stock quickly rose throughout North America.</p><p>Last year, after totaling 16 goals, 45 points and 174 penalty minutes in 67 game for Brampton, Klesla was rated second among North American skaters for the draft.</p><p>The Blue Jackets, owners of the fourth overall pick, say they never expected him to be available when it was their turn at the podium-although it&rsquo;s worth mentioning that he was picked to go fourth overall in THN&rsquo;s 2000 Draft Preview.</p><p>&ldquo;We went through many, many mock drafts and he never made it down to us,&rdquo; MacLean said after the draft in Calgary. &ldquo;To say the least, we&rsquo;re very pleased he did.&rdquo;</p><p>Klesla, 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, signed with Columbus just in time to attend the rookie camp in Traverse City, Mich. He didn&rsquo;t disappoint, dominating almost every other rookie in camp. The next stop was the Blue Jackets big camp, which started with a four-day, four-team round-robin tournament. Klesla wasn&rsquo;t dominating, but he played relatively mistake free, which is a supreme accomplishment for an 18-year-old.</p><p>&ldquo;The more you watch him,&rdquo; King said, &ldquo;the more you see.&rdquo;</p><p>Klesla went into camp knowing the longer he stock around, the better his chances became of sticking in Columbus for the inaugural season.</p><p>From the Blue Jackets&rsquo; perspective, it&rsquo;s not as though Klesla will make a huge difference in their end-of-season record. MacLean and King were faced with deciding what is best for his future.</p><p>With Lyle Odelein, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, Jamie Pushor, Frantisek Kucera and Deron Quint all considered having locked up spots on defense, the Blue Jackets have the potential to have a scrappy if not particularly skilled defense corps. Klesla would boost the skill level, but Columbus must weigh the risk of burdening their star prospect with a season full of losses.</p><p>What&rsquo;s most likely is Klesla will start the season with Columbus, get a taste of NHL action in a half dozen games or so to whet his appetite, then return him to Brampton. Chicago did that with 18-year-old defenseman Steve McCarthy last season.</p><p>&ldquo;The last thing you want to do is make a move too quick,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;You have to consider a player&rsquo;s development as the most important thing, much more important than two or three wins or whatever it is they might provide.</p><p>&ldquo;If I think it will benefit Rostislav Klesla to spend another year in junior, that&rsquo;s the direction we&rsquo;ll take. If I think he&rsquo;s ready&mdash;and of all of the first round players taken, I think he&rsquo;s the closest-then we&rsquo;ll have him in Columbus.&rdquo;</p><p>Klesla said he is prepared for either decision, but he came to camp with one thought in mind-playing in the NHL next season.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m the type of kid who can get used to pretty much everything,&rdquo; Klesla said. &ldquo;Whatever happens, I just say, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s life. Let&rsquo;s move on.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m here to make the team. If I don&rsquo;t get the ice time or I&rsquo;m not good enough, I&rsquo;ll go back to junior. But I&rsquo;m here to make the team. And that&rsquo;s it.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Ron Tugnutt</p><p>2. Marc Denis</p><p>3. Frederic Chabot</p><p>4. Greg Gardner</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Lyle Odelein</p><p>2. Frantisek Kucera</p><p>3. J-Luc Grand-Pierre</p><p>4. Jamie Pushor</p><p>5. Deron Quint*</p><p>6. Mattias Timander</p><p>7. Rostislav Klesla</p><p>8. Jamie Heward</p><p>9. PetfenNummelin</p><p>10. RadimBicanek</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Geoff Sanderson</p><p>2. Krzysztof Oliwa</p><p>3. J. Martin Spanhel</p><p>4. Ted Drury</p><p>5. Steve Maltais</p><p>6. Jonathan Schill</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Robert Kron</p><p>2. Espen Knutsen</p><p>3. Kevyn Adams</p><p>4. Tyler Wright</p><p>5. Serge Aubin</p><p>6. Blake Bellefeuille</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Steve Heinze</p><p>2. Jan Caloun</p><p>3. David Vyborny</p><p>4. Kevin Dineen</p><p>5. Chris Nielsen</p><p>6. Bruce Gardiner</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02380/8268347-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="310" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Geoff Sanderson</b></figcaption></div><p>This two-time 40-goal man hasn&rsquo;t surpassed 30 points in three seasons, but somebody has to score for Columbus.</p><h2><b>EXPANSION COMPARISON</b></h2><p>The 1974-75 Washington Capitals had the worst initial season (.131), while the &rsquo;93-94 Florida Panthers had the best record (.494).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04231/8268340-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="559" height="309"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Columbus&rsquo; top 19 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05198/8268333-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="557" height="775"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06162/8268326-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="555" height="109"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07144/8268319-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="555" height="379"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0043-03

Klesla plays for keeps

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03199/8268427-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jon Sim&rsquo;s feistiness is even known to tick off teammates in training camp.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01465/8268434-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="163" height="175"></div><p>Jon Sim has a lot of work in front of him. That&rsquo;s fine with the Dallas Stars, though, because Sim has already proven he&rsquo;s up to it.</p><p>The scrappy 22-year-old winger will be expected to become a Stars&rsquo; tegular this season. Dallas wants him to play physically and in control. He&rsquo;ll eventually be asked to contribute more on offense while continuing to irritate opponents and play a sound defensive game.</p><p>The Stars weren&rsquo;t always sure the freewheeling Sim could handle all that responsibility. But over the past two years, they&rsquo;ve watched as he&rsquo;s matured at a rapid pace.</p><p>&ldquo;There was a time when I think he just wanted to show up and play, he didn&rsquo;t really want to put the work in off the ice,&rdquo; said Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve really seen a change in Jon. He has had a great summer, he has been a part of two playoffs and he really seems hungry to make the step up.&rdquo;</p><p>Sim received a painful jolt over the summer when he was invited to a party for his good friend Colin White in New Glasgow, N.S. At the party, of course, was the Stanley Cup, which White won as part of the New Jersey Devils.</p><p>&ldquo;It was OK. I didn&rsquo;t stay too long,&rdquo; Sim said of the party. &ldquo;It just kind of makes you want to get it back.&rdquo;</p><p>Sim already has his name on the Cup after playing four playoff games in the 1999 title run. He&rsquo;d love to put it on there a few more times. And after seeing White and the Cup this summer, he put even more work into his summer conditioning with a personal trainer. Now, he&rsquo;s in better shape and he also has a better concept of the game.</p><p>This fall Hitchcock has enough trust in Sim and young teammates Roman Lyashenko and Brenden Morrow to put them on a line together.</p><p>&ldquo;Roman is a great two-way player and the other two are catching up,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want them to have to think too much out there, but they know what&rsquo;s expected.&rdquo;</p><p>Sim, in the past, has been all over the ice, following the puck, looking for a hit, somehow finding a way to the net. At 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds, he is cut from the same cloth as Dino Ciccarelli or Pat Verbeek. He is an irritating winger who can grab a spot in front of the net and deflect pucks in all manner of ways. He has soft hands and a knack for finding loose pucks.</p><p>In his junior hockey career with Sarnia of the Ontario League, Sim scored 165 goals among 312 points in 220 games. He has six goals in 32 regular season NHL games.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not emphasizing scoring,&rdquo; Hitchcock said, &ldquo;but that&rsquo;s part of who he is.&rdquo;</p><p>And scoring is what the Stars need. Just as Morrow provided the team with an offensive spark last season, Dallas is looking to Sim this year for similar results. The kid line has been put together in part to create more balance through the lineup. For all their success, the Stars scored only 211 goals last season, barely 2.5 per game.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re not a fourth line, they&rsquo;re an energy line,&rdquo; Hitchcock said.</p><p>Sim will probably log plenty of power play time and will be the first candidate to jump up and play beside Mike Modano or Joe Nieuwendyk if an injury occurs. Whatever happens, though, Sim is expected to be given a full NHL season to prove what he can do.</p><p>&ldquo;Jon has worked his way up and he has learned a lot,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;Now, he has a chance to put that to use.&rdquo;</p><p>At the very least, Sim isn&rsquo;t intimidated. He wasted no time early in training camp this season establishing the type of game he would play. He twice got into scraps with teammate Jamie Langenbrunner and also ticked off Blake Sloan.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously, (No.) 49 has gotten under some people&rsquo;s skin, which is something he&rsquo;s going to have to do for his whole career,&rdquo; Hitchcock said.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an effective player right now. He wants to have a regular spot on the hockey club and he&rsquo;s willing to do whatever it takes to get there.&rdquo;</p><p>Sim said he&rsquo;s not doing anything differently to attract the attention.</p><p>&ldquo;It just seems to follow me around, I guess,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know, I&rsquo;m kind of used to it. It has been like this my whole career. I just play my game and that seems to upset people sometimes.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Ed Belfour</p><p>2. Marty Turco</p><p>3. Rick Tabaracci</p><p>4. Mike Bales</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>J. DerianHatcher</p><p>2. Sergei Zubov</p><p>3. Richard Matvichuk</p><p>4. Darryl Sydor</p><p>5. Brad Lukowich</p><p>6. Richard Jackman</p><p>7. Sami Helenius</p><p>8. John Erskine</p><p>9. Alan Letang</p><p>10. Jeff MacMillan</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Jere Lehtinen</p><p>2. Brenden Morrow</p><p>3. Ted Donato</p><p>4. Kirk Muller</p><p>5. Ryan Christie</p><p>6. Jamie Wright</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Mike Modano</p><p>2. Joe Nieuwendyk</p><p>3. Shaun Van Allen</p><p>4. Roman Lyashenko</p><p>5. Greg Leeb</p><p>6. Chris Wells</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Brett Hull</p><p>2. J. Langenbrunner</p><p>3. Mike Keane</p><p>4. Jon Sim</p><p>5. Grant Marshall</p><p>6. Blake Sloan 2</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02260/8268420-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="319" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Joe Nieuwendyk</b></figcaption></div><p>Dallas needs more production than 38 points in 48 games and more leadership. Staying healthy would help.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04158/8268413-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="562" height="307"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Dallas&rsquo; top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05135/8268406-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="559" height="825"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06119/8268399-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="559" height="109"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07111/8268392-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="559" height="379"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0044-03

Pest Sim gets noticed

<div class="byline">By Ansar Khan</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03187/8268500-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="865" height="1539"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Blueliner Jiri Fischer spent the summer adding bulk to his 6-foot-5 frame.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Claus Andersen/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01392/8268507-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="165" height="169"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>J</span>iri Fischer had his tonsils removed after last season, but didn&rsquo;t spend much time in bed eating ice cream. Two weeks after the Detroit Red Wings were ousted from the playoffs, the young defenseman returned to his native Czech Republic to begin an extensive off-season training regimen.</p><p>Every day after breakfast, Fischer I spent three hours running and lifting weights. After lunch, he did more cardiovascular training. Soon, his already chiseled physique became even more muscular. And he&rsquo;ll need the extra strength to bear the load that comes with big expectations-as a 19-year-old, Fischer earned a spot on the talented Red Wings&rsquo; roster last year, appearing in 52 games. The organization is counting on him to expand his role this season.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s going to be a little more pressure, that&rsquo;s for sure; expectations are going to be higher,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I think I&rsquo;m ready for pretty much everything.&rdquo;</p><p>Appropriate, considering Detroit&rsquo;s plans for the 6-foot-5,225-pounder.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re counting on Jiri to step up and be a consistent part of the team and start playing in more important situations,&rdquo; said Red Wings&rsquo; assistant GM Jim Nill.</p><p>Added coach Scott Bowman: &ldquo;I definitely know he&rsquo;ll play more this year. Last year, Jiri got his feet wet. There was a lot of pressure on him. There was indecision: &lsquo;Is he going to stay, is he going back to junior?&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;All that is by the wayside now. We all know he has a big upside. You always hope those players can bypass the next step, which is growing pains and I think he can.&rdquo;</p><p>Fischer, the Wings&rsquo; 1998 first round draft pick (25th overall), became a fixture in the lineup around mid-season. He showed steady improvement, becoming more of a physical presence as he gained confidence. But his lack of experience relegated him to the press box for the entire post-season.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a great advantage for me that I stayed last year, I played way more than I thought I would and I think I learned a lot,&rdquo; Fischer said.</p><p>His teammates think so, too.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year, from the 50&mdash;to the 70-game mark, I thought he played fantastic,&rdquo; said captain Steve Yzerman. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;ll have any trouble playing a regular role on our team. As the season goes on, he&rsquo;s going to get better and better and will stand out. I think he&rsquo;s going to be an excellent player.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a smart guy with a tremendous attitude, works extremely hard. He&rsquo;s fortunate that at his age, he&rsquo;s physically strong enough. He&rsquo;s among the strongest guys in the league right now.&rdquo;</p><p>Veteran defenseman Larry Murphy, who was an NHL rookie when Fischer was bom in 1980, said: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be the No. 1 defenseman here at some point, that&rsquo;s obvious. It&rsquo;s just a maturity thing. It always takes a defenseman a couple of years to get a handle on things.&rdquo;</p><p>Fischer is well aware of the areas in which he needs improvement.</p><p>&ldquo;Playing with the puck, making better and quicker passes, being a little more relaxed out there, don&rsquo;t rush plays,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you make a mistake, try to learn from it and forget about it.&rdquo;</p><p>Fischer wasted little time throwing his extra weight around during the first few days of intrasquad scrimmages in training camp.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s skating a lot more with the puck and looks confident out there,&rdquo; said defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. &ldquo;He has been handling himself real well so far in camp.&rdquo;</p><p>The team&rsquo;s top two defense pairings will again feature Lidstrom, Murphy, Chris Chelios and Steve Duchesne. Fischer and veterans Todd Gill and Aaron Ward are expected to battle for the fifth and sixth spots.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;re going to throw him in there and play him 25 minutes a game, but I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s going to be too long before he will be doing that,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;He has the potential to be one of those guys who plays 30 minutes a game.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wings don&rsquo;t want to rush Fischer, but they realize it&rsquo;s important he gain experience now because Murphy, 39, could be in his final season and Chelios turns 39 in January. In addition, Lidstrom might again ponder a return to Sweden when his contract expires in two years. If that happens, the Wings want to make sure Fischer is ready to assume top-dog status.</p><p>So far, he has given them every reason to believe he&rsquo;ll five up to expectations.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Chris Osgood</p><p>2. KenWregget</p><p>3. Manny Legace</p><p>Jason Elliot</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Nicklas Lidstrom</p><p>2. Chris Chelios</p><p>3. Larry Murphy</p><p>4. Steve Duchesne</p><p>5. Jiri Fischer</p><p>6. Todd Gill</p><p>7. Aaron Ward</p><p>8. Yan Golubovsky</p><p>9. Jesse Wallin</p><p>10. Maxim Kuznetsov</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Brendan Shanahan</p><p>2. Vyacheslav Kozlov*</p><p>3. Tomas Holmstrom</p><p>4. Kirk Maltby</p><p>5. YuriButsayev</p><p>6. Marc Rodgers</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Steve Yzerman</p><p>2. Sergei Fedorov</p><p>3. Boyd Devereaux</p><p>4. Kris Draper*</p><p>5. Brent Gilchrist</p><p>6. B.J. Young</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. PatVerbeek</p><p>2. Darren McCarty</p><p>3. Martin Lapointe</p><p>4. Mathieu Dandenault</p><p>5. Doug Brown</p><p>6. Steve Brule</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02230/8268493-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="313" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Darren McCarty</b></figcaption></div><p>A contract impasse, the death of his father and injuries resulted in this rugged customer&rsquo;s most trying season.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04159/8268486-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="568" height="313"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Detroit&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05137/8268479-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="562" height="822"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06118/8268472-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="559" height="142"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07107/8268465-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="574" height="382"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0045-03

Compliments for Fischer

<div class="byline">By Mario Annicchiarico</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03169/8268573-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="877" height="1554"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Eric Brewer is getting a lift from playing in Edmonton&rsquo;s hockey hotbed.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LISA MEYER/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01382/8268580-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="157" height="175"></div><p>Eric Brewer&rsquo;s NHL future just might depend on finding the right fit.</p><p>After two years of being questioned by Mike Milbury and the struggling New York Islanders regime, slipping into the relatively safe, small market known as Edmonton might just be like settling into a pair of comfortable Hush Puppies for the 21-year-old defenseman.</p><p>Brewer certainly has some big shoes to fill after moving northwest along with Josh Green and draft pick Brad Winchester in a draft day trade this summer that sent potential all-star rearguard Roman Hamrlik to Long Island.</p><p>But being classified as a top four defenseman in the Oiler organization certainly gives the Vernon, B.C., product a place to start.</p><p>Slotted behind Janne Niinimaa, Tom Poti and Jason Smith, the Oilers are looking for a comeback type of season from a youngster just two years removed from what was an outstanding junior career with the Western League&rsquo;s Prince George Cougars. Last year he struggled while battling a knee injury and bouncing between Long Island and American League Lowell where he played 26 and 25 games respectively.</p><p>&ldquo;Brewer, to be a top four defenseman would be a real treat this season, but ultimately you don&rsquo;t want to put any undue pressure on him,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; GM Kevin Lowe, who pulled the trigger on his first major deal that essentially brought youth and a couple of lower salaries to Edmonton. &ldquo;You know you can rely on Tommy, Janne and Jason to take most of the load. Then I think the fifth and sixth defensemen are going to play a lot more this year than they did last year. It&rsquo;ll be shared out a little more.&rdquo;</p><p>Brewer, a stay-at-home defenseman who moves well on his skates for a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder, garnered some attention at the outset of Oilers&rsquo; training camp.</p><p>&ldquo;I was impressed. His skating is spectacular,&rdquo; said Lowe, as Brewer meshed in with the Oilers at an open camp that drew hundreds of fans the first few days.</p><p>That, in itself, was a shock to Brewer, who was used to thinned out crowds in a usually subdued Nassau Coliseum. That change of surroundings alone might help elevate his game to the level he displayed in his rookie NHL season when he recorded five goals and 11 points in 63 games with the Islanders.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a huge change already,&rdquo; Brewer said after his first skate before the hundreds of fans.</p><p>&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t had that many people out to two whole training camps, let I alone one practice,&rdquo; he said of his old I days on Long Island.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting to see. It&rsquo;s a great I environment. Everyone here gets I along really well and it doesn&rsquo;t take I people from the outside long to get a I good whiff of that.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Living in a hockey environment I like ours is a lot like his junior days I where there are expectations,&rdquo; Lowe I said, &ldquo;and hopefully that brings the I best out of him.&rdquo;</p><p>Brewer fully expects to be under I the spotlight since coming over in the deal for Hamrlik, a popular defenseI man who took up a lot of playing time.</p><p>&ldquo;I would hope it puts more emphasis on us,&rdquo; he said, referring to himself and Green. &ldquo;But they always have their ideals and they always do what&rsquo;s best for the team. If we&rsquo;re fit to do it, then great. If not, then we&rsquo;ll have to deal with it after. I know one thing, I&rsquo;m definitely ready, eager and willing.&rdquo;</p><p>Brewer, who seemed to fall out of Milbury&rsquo;s favor, was physical from the outset in Edmonton and fills in on a youthful defense whose poise will be tested from the outset.</p><p>&ldquo;We got Brewer because he&rsquo;s a young guy who can skate,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; vice-president of hockey operations Kevin Prendergast. &ldquo;He moves the puck well. He and Green give us depth. Granted we gave up a hell of a hockey player in Hammer, but we think we got two real good prospects back.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s young and he&rsquo;s going to get a chance to play a lot.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;The Islanders obviously felt they had to move me and Edmonton was willing to step up to bat,&rdquo; Brewer said. &ldquo;I think that will be a good environment for a player like myself. I just had a tough season last year. We&rsquo;ll see how it goes, but it seems like a great opportunity.&rdquo;</p><p>The Oilers are counting on him to take advantage of it.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Tommy Salo</p><p>2. Joaquin Gage</p><p>3. Eric Heftier</p><p>4. Alex Fomitchev</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Janne Niinimaa</p><p>2. Tom Poti</p><p>3. Jason Smith</p><p>4. Eric Brewer</p><p>5. Igor Ulanov</p><p>6. Sean Brown</p><p>7. Frank Musil</p><p>8. Chris Hajt</p><p>9. Terran Sandwith</p><p>10. Alexei Semenov</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Ryan Smith*</p><p>2. Rem Murray</p><p>3. Ethan Moreau</p><p>4. Dan LaCouture</p><p>5. Brad Norton</p><p>6 Josh Green</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Doug Weight</p><p>J. Todd Marchant</p><p>3. Chad Kilger</p><p>4. Domenic Pittis</p><p>5. Shawn Horcoff</p><p>6. Brian Swanson</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Bill Guerin</p><p>2. Georges Laraque</p><p>3. Mike Grier</p><p>4. Patrick Cote</p><p>5. Dan Cleary</p><p>6. Michel Reisen</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02229/8268566-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="322" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Rem Murray</b></figcaption></div><p>Shoulder and knee injuries last year prevented Murray from building on a fine season in 1998-99.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04142/8268559-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="571" height="316"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Edmonton&rsquo;s top 23 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05113/8268552-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="568" height="834"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06101/8268545-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="565" height="85"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0781/8268538-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg" title="f0046-07" width="565" height="388"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0046-03

Deal boosts Brewer

<div class="byline">By David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03210/8268646-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="883" height="1548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Goaltender Roberto Luongo is ready to graduate from prospect to pro.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Jim Leary/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01398/8268653-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="166" height="166"></div><p>What else is there to say about goalie Roberto Luongo, a Florida Panther since the draft-day trade with the New York Islanders?</p><p>If you&rsquo;re a THN hawk, you know Luongo is rated as the No. 1 NHL prospect, the one prospect figured to be a surefire superstar. If you&rsquo;ve heard anything from the Panthers&rsquo; management, you know they&rsquo;re positive he&rsquo;ll one day be a Stanley Cup-toting franchise player in Florida.</p><p>And if you read the <i>Miami Herald</i> in July, you might&rsquo;ve seen Greg Cote, a columnist with a typical South Florida football background, explain it this way to readers: &ldquo;South Florida pro sports have never before welcomed a player this young and this touted. No Panther, Marlin, Heat or even Dolphin draft choice has arrived with such promise, such presumed greatness.&rdquo;</p><p>This in an area that welcomed Dan Marino to the NFL&rsquo;s Miami Dolphins two years after university football coaches snarled that Marino was too good for the college game.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s pretty big,&rdquo; said Luongo when told of Cote&rsquo;s analysis. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve still got everything to prove.&rdquo;</p><p>Maybe you even know he has two younger brothers who are also goalies, in midget and bantam hockey. Maybe you know he&rsquo;s lanky (6-foot-3, 198 pounds), is of Italian descent and speaks Italian, French and English.</p><p>And you can assume with his naturally bronzed skin and dark hair, he&rsquo;ll be mistaken for being Hispanic by many people on the street in South American-influenced South Florida.</p><p>But what else is there to say?</p><p>Frankly, not much before the Panthers&rsquo; uniform No. 1 plays game No. 1.</p><p>&lsquo;It&rsquo;s time for me to move on from prospect to NHL goalie,&rdquo; Luongo said after the first day of training camp scrimmages.</p><p>Luongo still had his pads on from staying after the post-scrimmage skating laps to work with assistant coach Billy Smith. Criticisms of Luongo are few, but there are a few areas in which he can improve.</p><p>&ldquo;My quickness around the net and trying to be a bit more aggressive when guys are in close,&rdquo; Luongo said. Then he chuckled, &ldquo;Be patient against Pavel (Bure).&rdquo;</p><p>But it wasn&rsquo;t Bure, a tireless bedeviler of goalies even in practice, who scored the goal that prompted that afternoon&rsquo;s session with Smith. A Denis Shvidki pass from the right side of the net was one-timed home by Mike Sillinger at the left post. Smith hates to see his goalies give up goals that could be prevented with more aggressive use of the stick.</p><p>&ldquo;He had a clear pass,&rdquo; Luongo said. &ldquo;If I would&rsquo;ve stuck out my stick, maybe he would&rsquo;ve been forced to make a bad pass.&rdquo;</p><p>Many figure Isles&rsquo; GM Mike Milbury, certainly no Wayne Gretzky as a player, made a bad pass in June when he dished off Luongo and forward Olli Jokinen to Florida for young goal-scorer Mark Parrish and gangling Oleg Kvasha. Luongo, 21, had played well behind the Isles&rsquo; young, porous team defense.</p><p>In 24 games in New York, Luongo had a 7-14-1 record with a 3.25 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. He also saw action in 26 games with affiliate Lowell (American League), compiling a 10-12-4 record, 2.93 GAA and .908 save percentage.</p><p>Luongo began the season in Lowell while Felix Potvin and Wade Flaherty started the season-poorly-on Long Island. &ldquo;When I got called up, I was playing once every three games,&rdquo; Luongo said. &ldquo;That was all right. Then, after Christmas I started playing less because (Kevin Weekes) was playing unbelievably. That was OK as well. But 24 games for the time I was there was pretty good.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;ll get at least that many this season; more if he unseats Trevor Kidd as the starter in the second consecutive training camp to feature a battle between the incumbent and a newcomer.</p><p>Last year, Kidd didn&rsquo;t unseat Sean Burke until Burke sustained a concussion in the season opener. Burke got his head back, but not his job and was sent to Phoenix in November.</p><p>Panthers&rsquo; coach Terry Murray has said he&rsquo;d give Luongo a chance to compete for the No. 1 spot. But early in training camp, Murray said he wouldn&rsquo;t deal in hypotheticals when asked what he&rsquo;d do if Luongo outplayed Kidd during the pre-season.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just going to let it go for training camp,&rdquo; Murray said, &ldquo;until we play exhibition games and get closer to the time when you have to make those decisions.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Trevor Kidd</p><p>2. Roberto Luongo</p><p>3. Sean Gauthier</p><p>4 Richard Shulmistra</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Robert Svehla</p><p>2. Bret Hedican</p><p>3. Jaroslav Spacek</p><p>4. Mike Wilson</p><p>5. Todd Simpson</p><p>6. Lance Pitlick</p><p>7. Brad Ference</p><p>8. Dan Boyle</p><p>9. Peter Ratchuk</p><p>10. John Jakopin</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Ray Whitney</p><p>2. Rob Niedermayer</p><p>3. Denis Shvidki</p><p>4. Peter Worrell*</p><p>5. Marcus Nilson</p><p>6. DaveDuerden</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Viktor Kozlov</p><p>2. Igor Larionov</p><p>3. Mike Sillinger</p><p>4. Len Barrie</p><p>5. Eric Boguniecki</p><p>6. David Emma</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Pavel Bure</p><p>2. Olli Jokinen</p><p>3. Scott Mellanby</p><p>4. Paul Laus</p><p>5. Ivan Novoseltsev</p><p>6. Paul Brousseau</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02265/8268639-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="313" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Olli Jokinen</b></figcaption></div><p>Unhappy and unwanted on Long Island, Jokinen wants to answer questions about his conditioning and dedication.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04158/8268632-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="568" height="310"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Florida&rsquo;s top 23 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05121/8268625-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="571" height="828"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0699/8268618-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="559" height="139"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0782/8268611-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="574" height="382"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0047-03

Top prospect arrives

<div class="byline">By Sacha Terrill</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03123/8268719-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="871" height="1539"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Defenseman Jere Karalahti is primed for Year 2 after a heady NHL debut.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(H.DIROCCO/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01258/8268726-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="157" height="172"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Los Angeles Kings didn&rsquo;t expect Jere Karalahti to be an impact player last year. The 24-year-old had no NHL experience and still was grappling with the finer points of English when he joined the Kings 34 games into the season.</p><p>Karalahti, however, seemed oblivious to all of that. He didn&rsquo;t care that many European players struggle through their first NHL campaign while adapting to a new style of hockey and a new culture. Instead, Karalahti won a roster spot and ended up averaging more than 17 minutes per game.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think about anything but playing,&rdquo; Karalahti said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have time to be nervous or think about it. I just came to the rink and worked hard. I wanted to show the guys they could trust me. I think now they know they can.&rdquo;</p><p>Karalahti is back stronger and even more confident than he was a year ago and the Kings have greater expectations for him this season partly due to the hit their blue line took this summer. Gone are veteran defensemen Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, who was lost to the Minnesota Wild in the expansion draft, and Garry Galley, who rejected the Kings&rsquo; contract offer and opted for unrestricted free agency.</p><p>The Kings partially addressed the losses with the signing of free agent defenseman Mathieu Schneider. Coach Andy Murray is optimistic that draft picks Andreas Lilja and Lubomir Visnovsky as well as Philippe Boucher-limited to one NHL game last season after surgery on his foot-can step up to fill the defensive void.</p><p>But Murray has also made it clear that more much is expected of Karalahti.</p><p>Karalahti and Aki Berg created the third defensive pair last season, but with the addition of Schneider the entire defense has been realigned and Karalahti will now form the second tandem with Mattias Norstrom.</p><p>&ldquo;We know what we have in Rob (Blake) and Matty. They are as good a pair as there is in the league. We&rsquo;re just wondering if we can make our other pairs a little bit better,&rdquo; Murray said.</p><p>&ldquo;Jere Karalahti has been here a year now, he should be a better player. What we&rsquo;re expecting this year is that he&rsquo;ll be more consistent. We liked what we saw last year, but with Jere and Aki Berg it&rsquo;s a matter of consistency.&rdquo;</p><p>Although Karalahti has played just 48 NHL games, he is a few strides ahead of Berg, who is entering his fifth NHL season. Perhaps playing six years in the Finnish Elite League gave him a head start, or maybe it was his life experience that forced him to mature quickly.</p><p>In 1996, Karalahti was a prominent player with IFK Helsinki when he was arrested for drug use. He did not serve any jail time but was required to complete a three-month drug rehabilitation program. The Finnish Elite League also suspended Karalahti for the remainder of the 1996-97 season and he missed several international tournaments.</p><p>After completing the rehab program, Karalahti was allowed to rejoin IFK with the condition that he submit to random drug tests. Since the ordeal, he has remained drug-free and focused on hockey.</p><p>The Kings, who drafted Karalahti in the sixth round in 1993, were impressed with his progress and signed him after he finished 1998-99 with 11 goals and 33 points in 49 games.</p><p>&ldquo;I used to have problems, but I put them behind me. I worked really hard to get through them,&rdquo; Karalahti said. &ldquo;I worked hard to get better as a hockey player. I&rsquo;m strong now. All my time is spent on hockey. I&rsquo;ve learned a lot of lessons.&rdquo;</p><p>Karalahti&rsquo;s arrival from Finland last year was delayed due to visa problems, but he managed to make a surprisingly quick adjustment. His thundering shot from the point and open-ice hitting made him popular with Kings&rsquo; management, while his dry sense of humor made him a favorite of teammates. He finished his first NHL campaign with six goals and 16 points and earned a new contract.</p><p>Though the challenge is certainly greater in his second NHL season, Karalahti said there is a level of comfort obtained from playing last season.</p><p>&ldquo;I know now it&rsquo;s my time to show what I got so I&rsquo;m ready for that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m used to this (pressure) back in Europe. It&rsquo;s a new thing over here, but I&rsquo;m ready.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Stephane Fiset</p><p>2. Jamie Storr</p><p>3. Steve Passmore</p><p>4. Alexei Volkov</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Rob Blake</p><p>2. Mattias Norstrom</p><p>3. Mathieu Schneider</p><p>4. Jere Karalahti</p><p>5. Aki Berg</p><p>6. Philippe Boucher</p><p>7. Lubomir Visnovsky</p><p>8. Jaroslav Modry</p><p>9. Andreas Lilja</p><p>10. Rich Brennan</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Luc Robitaille</p><p>2. Tomas Vlasak</p><p>3. Jason Blake</p><p>4. Craig Johnson</p><p>5. Kelly Buchberger</p><p>6. Stu Grimson</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Jozef Stumpel *</p><p>2. Bryan Smolinski</p><p>3. Steven Reinprecht</p><p>4. Ian Laperriere</p><p>5. Bob Corkum</p><p>6. Brad Chartrand</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Ziggy Palffy</p><p>2. Glen Murray</p><p>3. Nelson Emerson</p><p>4. Marko Tuomainen</p><p>5. Jason Podollan</p><p>6. Pete LeBoutillier</p><p>*Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02166/8268712-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="322" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Philippe Boucher</b></figcaption></div><p>Forgotten man on the blueline is healthy again after a foot injury limited him to only one game last season.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04101/8268705-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="565" height="313"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Los Angeles&rsquo; top 22 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0578/8268698-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="565" height="840"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0666/8268691-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="556" height="163"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0757/8268684-1-eng-US/f0048-072.jpg" title="f0048-07" width="571" height="391"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0048-03

No adjustment needed

<div class="byline">By Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03109/8268792-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="895" height="1551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Wild believe Marian Gaborik will eventually become a top NHL sniper.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Bruce Jessop/IHA)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01231/8268799-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="177" height="183"></div><p>The Minnesota Wild believes it has its first real star in Marian Gaborik, the No. 3 pick in the 2000 entry draft.</p><p>What it doesn&rsquo;t know is exactly when Gaborik will be a star.</p><p>This season? Next season? The year after?</p><p>The Wild will wait and see, but the key word here is &ldquo;wait.&rdquo; Minnesota is in no hurry to rush its 18-year-old treasure.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be patient,&rdquo; said Wild GM Doug Risebrough. &ldquo;He has played against a higher level of competition than most players his age. He has played in a men&rsquo;s league (in Slovakia), he has played in the World Championships (for Slovakia). But he hasn&rsquo;t played in the NHL and there&rsquo;s a big difference between the NHL and every other league. We&rsquo;ll just have to wait and see how he adjusts.&rdquo;</p><p>If the first few days of the Wild&rsquo;s training camp were any indication, Gaborik is adjusting just fine. Not only did he not look out of place during four days of intra-squad scrimmages, at times he looked dominant.</p><p>He showed his above-average speed and a wicked shot that helped him score 25 goals in 50 games for Trencin in Slovakia last season. And he showed a willingness to take a hit even if he didn&rsquo;t show a serious penchant for playing defense. As Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; GM Brian Burke wryly noted before the entry draft: &ldquo;He needs a compass to find his own end.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wild, though, figures to have enough defensive players. Like any expansion team, what the Wild needs most is offense and if Gaborik sticks that&rsquo;s what he&rsquo;ll be around to provide.</p><p>&ldquo;I like offense,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m an offensive player. I know I need to be an all-around player and (improve) defensively and get stronger. But I know my game is offense.&rdquo;</p><p>As the Wild prepared for the draft, Risebrough secretly hoped he would have a chance to draft Gaborik. With the third pick, he knew he had no chance at top rated Dany Heatley of Wisconsin. And he feared Gaborik might even be gone before No. 3.</p><p>But when the Islanders traded up to take goalie Rick DiPietro of Boston University first overall, Risebrough thanked his lucky stars.</p><p>&ldquo;The hardest thing for an expansion team to acquire is highly skilled offensive players,&rdquo; Risebrough said at the draft. &ldquo;You can teach defense, but you can&rsquo;t teach offense and you can&rsquo;t always trade for offense. You have to develop those type of players. Marian, we think, has a chance to develop into the type of offensive player every good team has.&rdquo;</p><p>The encouraging part of Gaborik&rsquo;s game is that despite his tender age he has played against men and he has played well. He saw significant ice time for the Slovaks in the World Championship. His size, 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds, allows him to chase loose pucks in the comers and his quickness and hockey sense allows him to find holes in open ice.</p><p>On the down side, Gaborik didn&rsquo;t fare well at the World Junior Championship last year in Sweden, scoring three goals and four points in eight games.</p><p>The Wild sees Gaborik as a future 40&mdash;or possibly 50-goal scorer, a potential franchise player. His impact this season, though, may be minimal. Gaborik is in a unique position. Because he played professional hockey in Slovakia&rsquo;s top league, the Wild are able to shuffle him back and forth to the minors. It would not be a surprise if Gaborik started the season with the Wild&rsquo;s top minor-league affiliate in Cleveland so he can grow accustomed to the North American style of play.</p><p>Then again, with limited talent, the Wild may have little choice but to play Gaborik now, particularly if he performs well through the Wild&rsquo;s pre-season schedule.</p><p>&ldquo;I want to play in the NHL,&rdquo; Gaborik said. &ldquo;That is my dream. I just want to work and get a chance to show what I can do. My hope is to play in the NHL now.&rdquo;</p><p>Gaborik likely will get that chance this year. When he becomes the star the Wild expects him to become, though, is another matter.</p><p>But one thing is for sure: one of the league&rsquo;s newest teams believes it has the league&rsquo;s newest star. We just may have to wait a few years to see if that is correct.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Jamie McLennan</p><p>2. Manny Fernandez</p><p>3. Zac Bierk</p><p>4. David Brumby</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Curtis Leschysnyn</p><p>2. Sean O&rsquo;Donnell</p><p>3. J.J. Daigneault</p><p>4. Brad Bombardir</p><p>5. Andy Sutton</p><p>6. Filip Kuba</p><p>7. Eric Charron</p><p>8. Ladislav Benysek</p><p>9. Mike Matteucci</p><p>10. Lubomir Sekeras</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Scott Pellerin</p><p>2. Marian Gaborik</p><p>3. Cam Stewart</p><p>4 Kai Nurminen</p><p>5. Darryl Laplante</p><p>6. Steve McKenna</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Jim Dowd</p><p>2. Stacy Roest</p><p>3. Aaron Gavey</p><p>4. Darby Hendrickson</p><p>5. Pavel Patera</p><p>6. Wes Walz</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>jTSergei Krjvokrasov</p><p>2. Jeff Nielsen</p><p>3. Jeff Odgers</p><p>4 Christian Matte</p><p>5. Steve Aronson</p><p>6. Peter Bartos</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02158/8268785-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="328" height="447"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Sergei Krivokrasov</b></figcaption></div><p>Playing injured most of last season, he slumped to 10 goals in 75 games. He scored 25 the previous year.</p><h2><b>EXPANSION COMPARISON</b></h2><p>Florida had the best record of the seven 1990s&rsquo; expansion teams.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0496/8268778-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="573" height="377"></div><p>(Atlanta&rsquo;s record includes four regulation ties).</p><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Minnesota&rsquo;s top 20 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0565/8268771-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="565" height="720"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0653/8268764-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="559" height="131"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0741/8268757-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg" title="f0049-07" width="570" height="382"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0049-03

Gaborik star in waiting

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0390/8268865-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="853" height="1547"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jose Theodore wants to play more, even if it means being traded.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01224/8268872-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="179" height="181"></div><p>Jose Theodore believes his time has arrived.</p><p>After spending three of the past four seasons as a backup for the Montreal Canadiens, the 24-year-old said he has paid his dues and is ready to assume a more substantial role. Theodore hopes to do that in Montreal, but is prepared to move on if necessary.</p><p>For the sake of his development&mdash;and, arguably, his sanity&mdash;he needs to play more.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m ready to step it up a notch,&rdquo; said Theodore, who missed the start of camp as an unsigned restricted free agent. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to accept being a backup. I want to play more, to show that I&rsquo;m capable of being a No. 1 goalie.&rdquo;</p><p>Theodore, Montreal&rsquo;s second pick (44th overall) in 1994, enjoyed a breakthrough in 1999-2000, although the Canadiens failed to make the playoffs for the second year in a row.</p><p>The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder appeared in 30 games, posting a 12-13-2 record. He also recorded five shutouts, a 2.10 goals-against average and a save percentage of .919. His average ranked him fourth in the NHL. He finished 5-l,000ths of a percentage point behind Dallas&rsquo; Ed Belfour for the best SP in the league.</p><p>He completed his season as the only Montreal player to represent Canada at the World Championship. Although Canada failed to win a medal, Theodore appeared in eight of his country&rsquo;s nine games and was the tournament&rsquo;s leading netminder.</p><p>Two performances with Montreal last season stood out. After starting with four straight losses, Theodore went into Los Angeles Nov. 20 and faced 33 shots in a 5-3 victory. That started a four-game winning streak for both Theodore and the Canadiens over the next week.</p><p>But his defining moment came Jan. 11, when Theodore jump-started the Canadiens&rsquo; second-half surge with a 3-0 shutout over Detroit at the Mol son Centre. Theodore faced 28 shots in the win.</p><p>Although he won four and tied one of his next six starts, Canadiens&rsquo; coach Alain Vigneault used Theodore sporadically down the stretch, starting him in only five of the team&rsquo;s final 32 games. Instead, Vigneault relied on veteran Jeff Hackett for the unsuccessful playoff run.</p><p>But Theodore had made his point.</p><p>&ldquo;I showed the guys I was ready and that they wouldn&rsquo;t have any worries about the team&rsquo;s goaltending,&rdquo; Theodore said. &ldquo;I showed I could play on a regular basis.</p><p>&ldquo;I know my time is coming.&rdquo;</p><p>Defenseman Craig Rivet was among those who came away impressed. Rivet predicted Theodore will be one of the league&rsquo;s top five goaltenders in the near future.</p><p>&ldquo;He wants to be the best and he&rsquo;s there to be the best,&rdquo; Rivet said. &ldquo;He works extremely hard and doesn&rsquo;t want you to score-even in practice. He has this cockiness, this self-confidence in himself, both on and off the ice. It&rsquo;s a privilege to watch him play.&rdquo;</p><p>But the Canadiens are faced with a dilemma. At some point, the organization must decide between Hackett and Theodore.</p><p>Hackett&rsquo;s importance to the team can&rsquo;t be overlooked. Since his arrival from Chicago in a 1998 trade, he has been a leader on and off the ice. Even Theodore admits the veteran has assisted him in his development. But Theodore is eight years younger and has more of an upside.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve learned a lot from Jeff, but they&rsquo;ll have to make a decision sooner rather than later,&rdquo; Theodore said. &ldquo;Eventually, they&rsquo;ll have to move him or me to improve the team.&rdquo;</p><p>The Canadiens have caused Theodore more than his share of angst over the years. They dispatched him to Fredericton in 1997-98, paying him only $40,000 Canadian, and backed him into a comer last season, forcing him to accept a two-way contract.</p><p>The Habs rushed him into playoff games when he was young and inexperienced due to the inability of others to perform. He appeared in two games against New Jersey in 1997, going 1-1 with a 2.50 GAA and in portions of three games against Buffalo the following year, holding the Sabres to one goal in 120 minutes.</p><p>Yet Theodore has remained oblivious to the pressure, challenging shooters with his aggressive style while developing confidence and maturity.</p><p>&ldquo;I never doubted myself,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I always knew I could play in the NHL and always believed in myself. I&rsquo;ve had my tough times, but I&rsquo;d like to play in Montreal and show the fans what I can do.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Jeff Hackett</p><p>2. Jose Theodore*</p><p>3. Eric Fichaud</p><p>4. Mathieu Garon</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Patrice Brisebois</p><p>2EricWeinrich</p><p>3. Sheldon Souray</p><p>4. Craig Rivet*</p><p>5. Karl Dykhuis</p><p>6. Francis Bouillon</p><p>7. Enrico Ciccone</p><p>8. Christian Laflamme</p><p>9. Andrei Markov</p><p>10. Barry Richter</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Martin Rucinsky*</p><p>2. Benoit Brunet</p><p>2. Patrick Poulin</p><p>4.&rsquo;JuhaLind</p><p>5.Sylvain Blouin</p><p>6. Matt Higgins</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Saku Koivu</p><p>2. Trevor Linden</p><p>3. Sergei Zholtok</p><p>4. Craig Darby</p><p>5. EricChouinard</p><p>6. Mike Ribeiro</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Brian Savage</p><p>2. Dainius Zubrus</p><p>3. Oleg Petrov</p><p>4. Trent McCleary</p><p>5. ArronAsham</p><p>6. JimCampbell</p><p>Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02147/8268858-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="321" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Saku Koivu</b></figcaption></div><p>If he ever remains healthy for a whole season, Koivu has the speed and skill to be an offensive force.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0476/8268851-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="562" height="308"></div><h2><b>99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Montreal&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0550/8268844-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="556" height="829"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIERECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0641/8268837-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="562" height="141"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0732/8268830-1-eng-US/f0050-072.jpg" title="f0050-07" width="565" height="383"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0050-03

Ready for prime time

<div class="byline">By Jeff Legwold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-03107/8268938-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="877" height="1541"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>David Legwand wore down as the season progressed in 1999-2000.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(J.Russell/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01213/8268945-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="199" height="209"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>e was their first-ever draft pick, first swipe at trying to find a franchise player. And entering the organization&rsquo;s third season, in many ways David Legwand is still the Nashville Predators&rsquo; brightest hope.</p><p>Just like he was last season. But times change and so has the bottom fine for the 20-year-old Detroit native.</p><p>&ldquo;He can&rsquo;t be satisfied with 28 points,&rdquo; said Predators&rsquo; coach Barry Trotz. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t worry about him, he&rsquo;s just young. But this is all part of the maturing process and expectations will naturally go up for him.&rdquo;</p><p>Legwand came to the Preds with the franchise&rsquo;s first pick-second overall in the 1998 entry draft&mdash;and GM David Poile said the hope was Legwand would eventually be a player they &ldquo;could build around.&rdquo;</p><p>And in a year when the franchise overall is in a bit of a transition because its collection of young players is beginning to make a move for roster spots, Legwand is still the hope of the future.</p><p>&ldquo;I want to help us be in the playoff picture this year instead of just fighting to get in the playoff picture at the end of the year,&rdquo; Legwand said. &ldquo;I feel like there are more expectations, but there should be. That&rsquo;s why you play this sport, to try and see how far the team can go.&rdquo;</p><p>While the Predators put veteran Cliff Ronning on Legwand&rsquo;s wing last season to try to integrate him more quickly into the team&rsquo;s offense, he likely will center his own line this season.</p><p>Ronning is expected to center his own line as well. And while the crafty veteran has been the team&rsquo;s top scorer in each of the past two seasons because he can finish, it is Legwand&rsquo;s speed that raises far more eyebrows and makes him brim with potential.</p><p>The 6-2, 190-pounder was the team&rsquo;s fastest skater in early training camp drills.</p><p>&ldquo;And of our highlight goals last season, he had most of them,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;I mean against Toronto (Oct. 11), he has got guys hanging all over him, he drives the net, roofs it, the net&rsquo;s gone and when he&rsquo;s done he&rsquo;s still just standing there. That&rsquo;s the kind of potential he has.</p><p>&ldquo;Now it is just a matter of him learning to go every night,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;But that is a tough lesson for any young player. There aren&rsquo;t any nights off, it&rsquo;s a long haul, just part of learning to be a good pro.&rdquo;</p><p>For Legwand, the dip came in January when he missed 11 games with a broken foot. When he sustained the injury-Jan. 13 in Vancouver-he had nine goals in his first 44 games.</p><p>But when he returned Feb. 12 in Washington, he scored just three goals, to go with nine assists, over the Predators&rsquo; final 27 games.</p><p>&ldquo;I did wear down a little bit,&rdquo; Legwand said. &ldquo;When I came back from the foot, I felt a little sluggish. It was a big part of my off-season here. I don&rsquo;t want to feel like that, I just told myself I have to be a lot stronger this time around.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s why Legwand spent much of the off-season in Nashville working with the Predators&rsquo; strength and conditioning coach Mark Nemish.</p><p>Legwand hasn&rsquo;t added that much weight, but says he feels far stronger. He has tested stronger and in early training camp practices was difficult to knock off the puck.</p><p>&ldquo;And I think that can translate into some things for him,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;He probably needs a little more perimeter presence this year. Maybe score with a slapshot, not always go to the wrist shot. And I&rsquo;d like to see more second-effort type goals, crash, go to the net, see if he can make some things happen.</p><p>&ldquo;Because mentally I like the way he thinks the game. It&rsquo;s all there, he played a nice two-way game. But this year we need that two-way game to have a little more at the offensive end.&rdquo;</p><p>And with a slew of younger players-like 2000 first round draft pick Scott Hartnell, 1999 selection Jonas Andersson and 1998 choice Denis Arkhipov-making runs at roster spots, the Predators are seeing their veteran players pushed more than ever.</p><p>Then again coming off back-to-back 28-win seasons in the franchise&rsquo;s first two years, there is certainly room for some roster movement.</p><p>&ldquo;There have been three drafts now, just more young guys competing for NHL spots,&rdquo; Legwand said. &ldquo;But I think we can get in the playoffs this year if we keep it together.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Mike Dunham</p><p>2. Tomas Vokoun</p><p>3. Chris Mason</p><p>4. Jan Lasak</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Kimmo Timonen*</p><p>2. Karlis Skrastins</p><p>3. Drake Berehowsky</p><p>4. Bill Houlder</p><p>5. Cale Hulse</p><p>6. Craig Millar</p><p>7. Richard Lintner</p><p>8. Marc Moro</p><p>9. Pavel Skrbek</p><p>10. John Namestnikov</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Patrie Kjellberg</p><p>JL Vitali Yachmenev</p><p>3. Tom Fitgerald</p><p>4. Scott Walker</p><p>5. Ville Peltonen</p><p>6. Brantt Myhres</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Cliff Ronning</p><p>2. David Legwand</p><p>3. Greg Johnson</p><p>4. Sebastien Bordeleau</p><p>5. Mark Mowers</p><p>6. Randy Robitaille</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. RobValicevic</p><p>2. David Gosselin</p><p>3. Mike Watt</p><p>4. Denis Arkhipov</p><p>5. Marian Cisar</p><p>6. Scott Hartnell</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02150/8268931-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="323" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Randy Robitaille</b></figcaption></div><p>He scored 100 points in the minors, but just 11 goals for the Preds last year. He needs to jump to the next level.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0484/8268924-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="568" height="310"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Nashville&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0560/8268917-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="571" height="823"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0652/8268910-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="566" height="118"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0738/8268903-1-eng-US/f0051-072.jpg" title="f0051-07" width="562" height="384"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0051-03

Harnessing the speed

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0375/8269011-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="880" height="1548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Scott Gomez&rsquo;s talents won&rsquo;t surprise anyone in his sophomore season.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01203/8269018-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="191" height="201"></div><p>The cameras never stopped rolling. The microphones were always in his face. He filled more notebooks than an overzealous math teacher.</p><p>Yet throughout his news-making rookie season, Scott Gomez never lost focus. He kept producing right up until the time he hoisted the Stanley Cup and then flew off to Toronto to collect the Calder Trophy.</p><p>&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t imagine a better scenario. I think people tend to forget I had a blast,&rdquo; Gomez said. &ldquo;I heard a lot about rookie of the year all season, but I was living a dream.&rdquo;</p><p>Now the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; forward faces an even greater challenge. What does he do for an encore?</p><p>&ldquo;He can do whatever he wants, he&rsquo;s that talented,&rdquo; said Devils&rsquo; captain Scott Stevens. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;ll have any trouble dealing with this season. I think he&rsquo;ll be a better player. He has that talent and he&rsquo;s a very smart player.&rdquo;</p><p>After taking the Cup to his home in Anchorage, Alaska and sharing it with the entire city July 14-15, Gomez returned to New Jersey Aug. 1 to begin working out. He followed the same grueling regimen with fitness coach Vladimir Bure that made his rookie season a success. Gomez, 20, said he was ready for the challenge.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how many times I can answer what it&rsquo;s like being the first Latino in the NHL, but this season will be great. I have to prove I belong,&rdquo; Gomez said. &ldquo;If there is one thing I can take away from Claude Lemieux, it&rsquo;s something he said to me: &lsquo;Hard work gets you out of anything.&rsquo; &ldquo;</p><p>Lemieux, who left the Devils as an unrestricted free agent, was a major influence on Gomez. The two spoke several times during the summer and Gomez will be a better player because of their one-year association.</p><p>There is room for improvement in Gomez&rsquo;s game. He played much of last season as a winger and figures to spend most of this season at center, which means he needs to improve on faceoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to see him maybe shoot a little more,&rdquo; coach Larry Robinson suggested. &ldquo;His defensive responsibilities, especially in the playoffs, really improved. If he&rsquo;s going to play in the middle, he has to improve on faceoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I took faceoffs for granted last year,&rdquo; Gomez said. &ldquo;It depends on where I play, but I definitely want to improve on faceoffs. And you can always be better in the defensive zone. I guess there&rsquo;s a lot of room for improvement.&rdquo;</p><p>Although Gomez broke the Devils&rsquo; rookie record for points in a season (70) and scored 19 goals, he did not spend much time on the power play. Consequently, his offensive production could continue to rise.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see what kind of person and player he is,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;As the second half of last season rolled around, he didn&rsquo;t let up on production, so a lot will depend on his attitude. He came in early this summer and worked out, so I think his attitude is good.&rdquo;</p><p>As a playmaker, his game ranks among the league&rsquo;s best. As a finisher, Gomez is just beginning.</p><p>On the Devils, only goalie Martin Brodeur is a more popular interview. Having grown up in Alaska as the son of a Mexican father and Colombian mother, Gomez&rsquo;s story as the I NHL&rsquo;s first Hispanic player was one I everyone wanted to hear.</p><p>The Devils know what they have in Gomez, a top center for many years to come and a high-profile face who has already become among the game&rsquo;s most marketable players. They&rsquo;re determined not to let him be swallowed up by the sophomore jinx.</p><p>&ldquo;Whether you have a good rookie year or not, your second year is tough,&rdquo; said center Bobby Holik. &ldquo;The cat is out of the bag. Other teams know your strengths and weaknesses, although he doesn&rsquo;t have too many weaknesses. He&rsquo;s going to have more attention paid to him than ever before.&rdquo;</p><p>Although Gomez scored the winning goal in his first playoff game against the Florida Panthers, Robinson suggested he might be benched during the second round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He wasn&rsquo;t and his game improved. Robinson was able to get the most out of Gomez in the playoffs and will continue to push him this season.</p><p>&ldquo;The sophomore jinx is a guy who sits on his laurels,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;I blame that first, on the individual and then on the people who are handling him. You&rsquo;ve got to stay on top of him.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Martin Brodeur</p><p>2. Chris Terreri</p><p>3. J.F. Damphousse</p><p>4. Frederic Henry</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Scott Stevens</p><p>2. Scott Niedermayer*</p><p>3. Brian Rafalski</p><p>4. Colin White</p><p>5. KenDaneyko</p><p>6. Ken Sutton</p><p>7. Willie Mitchell</p><p>8. Sasha Goc</p><p>9. Josef Boumedienne</p><p>10. Mike Commodore</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Patrik Elias</p><p>2. Sergei Brylin</p><p>3. Jay Pandolfo</p><p>4. Jim McKenzie</p><p>5. Steve Kelly</p><p>6. Jiri Bicek</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Jason Arnott*</p><p>2. Bobby Holik</p><p>3. Scott Gomez</p><p>4. John Madden</p><p>5. Sergei Nemchinov</p><p>6. Richard Rochefort</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. PetrSykora</p><p>2. Alexander Mogilny</p><p>3. Randy McKay</p><p>4. Turner Stevenson</p><p>5. Carlyle Lewis</p><p>6. Pierre Dagenais</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02114/8269004-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg" title="f0052-02" width="327" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Randy McKay</b></figcaption></div><p>Off-season rotator cuff surgery should help him regain his rough-and-tumble scoring form of two years ago.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0463/8268997-1-eng-US/f0052-042.jpg" title="f0052-04" width="566" height="308"></div><h2><b>99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are New Jersey&rsquo;s top 23 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0546/8268990-1-eng-US/f0052-052.jpg" title="f0052-05" width="565" height="815"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0639/8268983-1-eng-US/f0052-062.jpg" title="f0052-06" width="563" height="114"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0730/8268976-1-eng-US/f0052-072.jpg" title="f0052-07" width="562" height="376"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0052-03

Fast track to stardom

<div class="byline">By Peter Botte</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0379/8269084-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tim Connolly is so entertaining, even his own GM has to stop and watch.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Lisa Meyer/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01192/8269091-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="191" height="205"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>P</span>erhaps the best way to understand the gifts of New York Islanders&rsquo; rising star center Tim Connolly is through the interest he generates even among those who know his talents well.</p><p>Islanders&rsquo; GM Mike Milbury recently sat in the stands at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., and refused to leave his seat while the team was undergoing rather pedestrian on-ice exercises at the beginning of training camp.</p><p>&ldquo;I regularly find I myself waiting for the next drill involving Timmy to start,&rdquo; Milbury said, &ldquo;because he&rsquo;s just entertaining as hell.&rdquo;</p><p>The buzz around Connolly, the No. 5 overall selection in the 1999 entry draft, is beginning to gain significant steam around the NHL.</p><p>The quiet Syracuse native hardly dominated in his rookie NHL season in 19992000. Few 18-year-olds do.</p><p>Still, his 14 goals and 34 points represented enough of a starting point for the Islanders to believe they might have found the No. 1 center they have been searching for the past several years.</p><p>&ldquo;He had some ups and downs last year and it&rsquo;ll be interesting to see if in the second year he falls into that Tve-made-it&rsquo; syndrome,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t think so. I think he wants to be an outstanding player in the league. And I think he has that in him.&rdquo;</p><p>Early returns on Year 2 presented the Islanders with no reasons to alter that thinking. When he checked into his second NHL training camp Sept. 8, Connolly weighed the same 185 pounds he carried last season.</p><p>But following a summer of working out vigorously under the guidance of Isles&rsquo; strength and conditioning coach Sean Donellan, the gifted center hardly looked like a teenager.</p><p>&ldquo;I definitely got stronger this summer,&rdquo; Connolly said. &ldquo;I turned a lot of that baby fat into muscle and I&rsquo;m happy with the results. I feel 100 per cent different.&rdquo;</p><p>Not that the Islanders want much else about him to change. Connolly has the stickhandling and passing ability to make defenders crumble in his wake, as he did the first day of camp this year while scoring on a l-on-2 rush against defensemen Mathieu Biron and Eric Cairns.</p><p>According to coach Butch Goring, Connolly opened camp &ldquo;skating with tremendous jump and with a level of confidence we didn&rsquo;t see at this time last year.&rdquo;</p><p>While the Islanders expect Connolly to take the next progression with his offensive numbers this season-perhaps to the 25-goal, 60-point level-they are hoping he will show improvement in other crucial areas as well.</p><p>&ldquo;Timmy doesn&rsquo;t say a whole lot, but he has a lot of pride in what he does,&rdquo; Goring said. &ldquo;He took it pretty hard last year with faceoffs. He took a beating and he knows it. He may not tell you, but he knows exactly where he was percentage-wise.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Yeah,&rdquo; Connolly said, &ldquo;38 per cent.&rdquo;</p><p>Islander centers Dave Scatchard and Claude Lapointe, both in the top-10 in the league in faceoff percentage last season, have made themselves available to Connolly for brain-picking.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s any secret that&rsquo;s my biggest need of improvement,&rdquo; Connolly said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve been working hard at it and have two pretty good guys here to learn some tricks from.&rdquo;</p><p>It is his willingness to leant and adapt to his teammates that has made the Islanders believe he will shed his shy exterior as he matures. Goring expects Connolly, a former captain with Ontario League team in Erie, will emerge into a team leader as his career progresses.</p><p>A summer full of radical change for the team-ownership and personnel-has created lofty expectations and a sense of anticipation Long Islanders haven&rsquo;t felt in years. Connolly is a big part of that.</p><p>&ldquo;We have a lot of new players who have talent and experience,&rdquo; Connolly said. &ldquo;Our goal definitely is to make the playoffs. I don&rsquo;t think we can come in thinking anything less with the changes we made and with the expectations of the coaching staff, the front office and the new owners.&rdquo;</p><p>Regardless of which wingers he plays with, be it Mariusz Czerkawski, Brad Isbister, Mark Parrish or fellow 1999 first-rounder Taylor Pyatt, Connolly refuses to set personal statistical goals. He&rsquo;ll leave that to the imagination of people like Milbury, whom Connolly keeps glued to his seat simply with his potential for excitement.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Rick DiPietro</p><p>2. John Vanbiesbrouck</p><p>3. Wade Flaherty</p><p>4. Stephen Valiquette</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Roman Hamrlik</p><p>2. Kenny Jonsson</p><p>3. Zdeno Chara</p><p>4. Kevin Haller</p><p>5. Eric Cairns</p><p>6. Mathieu Biron</p><p>7. Branislav Mezei</p><p>8. Aris Brimanis</p><p>9. Evgeny Korolev</p><p>10. Ray Schultz</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Brad Isbister*</p><p>2. Claude Lapointe</p><p>3. Mats Lindgren</p><p>4. Taylor Pyatt</p><p>5. Jeff Toms</p><p>6. Raffi Torres</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Tim Connolly</p><p>2. Oleg Kvasha</p><p>3. Dave Scatchard</p><p>4. Mike Stapleton</p><p>5. Jesse Belanger</p><p>6. Robert Petrovicky</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Mariusz Czerkawski</p><p>2. Mark Parrish</p><p>3. Bill Muckalt</p><p>4. Steve Webb</p><p>5. Mark Lawrence</p><p>6. Petr Mika</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-02120/8269077-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg" title="f0053-02" width="329" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Kenny Jonsson</b></figcaption></div><p>New veteran faces may help ease the burden of captaincy and allow Jonsson to bounce back from a brutal season.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0469/8269070-1-eng-US/f0053-042.jpg" title="f0053-04" width="572" height="313"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are the Islanders&rsquo; top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0549/8269063-1-eng-US/f0053-052.jpg" title="f0053-05" width="568" height="828"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0641/8269056-1-eng-US/f0053-062.jpg" title="f0053-06" width="568" height="136"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0730/8269049-1-eng-US/f0053-072.jpg" title="f0053-07" width="568" height="390"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0053-03

Artist learning to draw

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0371/8269157-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="883" height="1551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>While some of his teammates gave up last year, Mike York never did.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01197/8269164-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="185" height="196"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n June, he was in his seat at the NHL awards show, getting nervous that he might have to make an acceptance speech as the Calder Trophy winner.</p><p>In July, his position was given to a 39-year-old legend.</p><p>So does Mike York wonder where he stands with the New York Rangers as a sophomore?</p><p>&ldquo;No, not at all,&rdquo; said the 22-year-old center. &ldquo;Just having a chance to play with a guy like that is totally awesome, especially with all the success he has had in the past.&rdquo;</p><p>York was talking, of course, about Mark Messier, whose return to the Rangers means York is a third-liner now.</p><p>&ldquo;You never really know what&rsquo;s going to happen, that&rsquo;s up to the coaches,&rdquo; the soft-spoken York said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m ready to start winning some games this year.&rdquo;</p><p>Last season, spent mostly between Adam Graves and Theo Fleury, York led the Rangers in goals with 26 as a freshman. Now Messier figures to skate between Graves and Fleury.</p><p>But because York can do so many things so well, because his game is so well-rounded despite his 5-foot-10 frame, because he&rsquo;s so rarely caught out of position, Rangers&rsquo; coach Ron Low doesn&rsquo;t see much about his role changing.</p><p>&lsquo;I would imagine it will change to a degree,&rdquo; Low allowed at first, acknowledging the fact that Messier&rsquo;s arrival will have an impact.</p><p>But as Low continued talking, he ended up saying the Rangers don&rsquo;t want any less out of York in his second year than he gave them in his first. Translation: Just keep doing what you&rsquo;re doing.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be pretty much counted on to score points like he did last year,&rdquo; Low said, &ldquo;and be the great defensive player he was last year as well, so maybe his role isn&rsquo;t going to change.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That just makes our team all that much better now, now that we&rsquo;ve got Mess, Petr (Nedved) and him,&rdquo; Fleury added. &ldquo;Now we&rsquo;ve got three solid veterans and instead of a two-line team it&rsquo;s three. Then you throw Tim Taylor&rsquo;s line in the mix and it&rsquo;s a pretty good team.&rdquo;</p><p>York and Fleury have more in common than their slight stature. Both play the game with a style that can best be called tenacious.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe it&rsquo;s from being shorter than everybody else,&rdquo; York said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t take a shift off, or you&rsquo;ll get hurt.&rdquo;</p><p>York&rsquo;s size was a bit of a concern before he made the team last season. During his four-year standout career at Michigan State he never allowed his size to stop him, but college hockey is full of small players who can&rsquo;t make the adjustment to a bigger, faster, stronger NHL. Once the regular season began, though, his size was never brought up.</p><p>&ldquo;I think one of his greatest assets is his consistency, his work ethic,&rdquo; Graves said. &ldquo;For a smaller guy he&rsquo;s surprisingly very strong on the puck. He finds holes and he&rsquo;s very adept at reading the play and reading where the puck is going to come off, especially off the goalie&rsquo;s pads in tight. He&rsquo;s good at getting to those pucks and when he does, he finds a way to put the puck in the net.</p><p>Another thing that impressed Graves was York&rsquo;s stamina. He hadn&rsquo;t played more than 45 regular season games his previous four seasons, but he was one of only two Ranger players (along with defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre) to play in all 82 games. And he managed to maintain a consistent level of performance throughout.</p><p>&ldquo;It was obviously a surprise for some of us,&rdquo; Graves said, &ldquo;but the more you get to see him play, the more you realize he&rsquo;s the real thing. He&rsquo;s a very skilled player and he excels in a lot of areas: He&rsquo;s good defensively, he&rsquo;s good on draws, strong on the puck and he really understands the game.&rdquo;</p><p>All York wants more of is victories. He stood out in the final six games of last season when it appeared that so many teammates had pulled the chute and quit. York, on the other hand, never slowed down.</p><p>&ldquo;The season&rsquo;s not over until you play all 82 games,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;so you have to try to stay focused and it&rsquo;s pretty tough when you&rsquo;re out of the playoffs&hellip;I hate losing, no matter what the circumstances are.&rdquo;</p><p>The circumstances will be different this season. Maybe things will be better, not just for York, but for the Rangers.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Mike Richter</p><p>2. Kirk McLean</p><p>3. J.F. Labbe</p><p>4. Jason LaBarbera</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Brian Leetch</p><p>2. Vladimir Malakhov</p><p>3. Kim Johnsson</p><p>4. Sylvain Lefebvre</p><p>5. Stephane Quintal</p><p>6. Rich Pilon</p><p>7. Dale Purinton</p><p>8. Jason Doig</p><p>9. Tomas Kloucek</p><p>10. MikeMottau</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Adam Graves</p><p>2. Valeri Kamensky</p><p>3. Jan Hlavac</p><p>4. Eric Lacroix</p><p>5. Pavel Brendl</p><p>6. KenGernander</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Mark Messier</p><p>2. Petr Nedved</p><p>3. Mike York</p><p>4. Tim Taylor</p><p>5. Manny Malhotra</p><p>6. Jamie Lundmark</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. theo Fleury</p><p>2. Radek Dvorak</p><p>3. John MacLean</p><p>4. Sandy McCarthy</p><p>5. Jason Dawe</p><p>6. Johan Witehall</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02108/8269150-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg" title="f0054-02" width="323" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Theo Fleury</b></figcaption></div><p>Expected to play with Mark Messier and Adam Graves, Fleury wants to prove last season was the aberration.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0452/8269143-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="559" height="307"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are the Rangers&rsquo; top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0540/8269136-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="569" height="822"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0630/8269129-1-eng-US/f0054-062.jpg" title="f0054-06" width="568" height="139"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0718/8269122-1-eng-US/f0054-072.jpg" title="f0054-07" width="562" height="383"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0054-03

York’s job: Do it again

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0387/8269230-1-eng-US/f0055-032.jpg" title="f0055-03" width="875" height="1549"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Defenseman Chris Phillips wants to be a key part of the Senators.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Jim Leary/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01189/8269237-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="186" height="188"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>ttawa Senators&rsquo; defenseman Chris Phillips wants to make an identity for himself in the NHL this season. At this point, even he&rsquo;s not sure where he stands.</p><p>The Senators&rsquo; No. 1 selection in the 1996 NHL entry draft, Phillips was tabbed as one of the building blocks of the blueline for the next 10-12 years, not only because of his ability, but also his character.</p><p>Five years later, he&rsquo;s still trying to find out where he fits.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say my career has been disappointing, but it has been frustrating,&rdquo; said Phillips, getting ready for the start of his fourth season. &ldquo;This is a huge year for me. It isn&rsquo;t make or break, but I definitely have to step up.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my fourth year and it seems like I&rsquo;ve been through everything I can go through in the first three years. I&rsquo;ve had injuries, I&rsquo;ve been moved from defense to forward to defense. I really just want to stay healthy and establish myself as one of the top four defensemen this year. That&rsquo;s the goal.&rdquo;</p><p>Phillips, 22, was just too good to resist for former GM Pierre Gauthier when he stepped to the microphone on a warm, sunny day at the Kiel Center in St. Louis and made the Western League defenseman the top pick.</p><p>He was, after all, the natural choice. He stayed behind in his hometown of Fort McMurray, Alta, for an extra year to take care of his disabled parents, Garth and Carol. That made him captain material in the Senators&rsquo; eyes.</p><p>Phillips is a stay-at-home defenseman and nobody expected him to be the next Ray Bourque. But if he developed the way the Senators expected, he would supply solid play throughout his career.</p><p>Unfortunately, he has been hampered by injuries. Because of ankle problems he played only 34 games in 1998-99, then missed 19 last year on account of ankle surgery. That made the last two years a virtual write-off.</p><p>Trying to find a place for Phillips to fit in, coach Jacques Martin used him as a forward. Yes, he looked uncomfortable, but all the club wanted him to do was go to the net with his 6-foot-3 frame to create space.</p><p>He didn&rsquo;t like it, but he didn&rsquo;t want to cause waves and accepted it.</p><p>&ldquo;The one thing you know with Chris Phillips is that he&rsquo;s a great team guy,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;You know he made the sacrifice by going up front, a position where he wasn&rsquo;t comfortable, because he wanted to do what he could to help the team win. You have to admire that.</p><p>&ldquo;I really like Chris. He&rsquo;s big, he&rsquo;s strong and think what he has to do for himself this season is identify what kind of player Chris Phillips is going to be in this league. He&rsquo;s still I young and he has been hurt by all the time he&rsquo;s missed, but I&rsquo;d like to see him develop into a top-four defenseman.&rdquo;</p><p>Last year, Phillips had a hard time fitting in. The Senators had seven defensemen until they traded Janne Laukkanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline. For the most part, Phillips played up front until the playoffs.</p><p>But something happened in the post-season, Phillips looked confident for the first time on the blueline when he was needed the most and many believe that bodes well for him this year.</p><p>&ldquo;It just seemed to me that I was a spare part most of the time in my career. I was either an extra forward or an extra defenseman and what I have to do here this year is establish myself.&rdquo; Phillips said.</p><p>&ldquo;You want to be a key part of the team. I keep asking myself: Am a forward or a defenseman? I want to be one of the players who is counted on here. I want to be out there trying to shut down the best players on the other team.&rdquo;</p><p>Phillips has decent offensive skills, but he&rsquo;d have a tough time getting ahead of Igor Kravchuk, Jason York, Sami Salo and Wade Redden on the power play. Still, everybody wants a solid defensive defenseman.</p><p>The reality is if Phillips doesn&rsquo;t establish himself this year, a trade is possible. This might be his last chance to show he can wear a Senators&rsquo; uniform for the next five or six years.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been through a lot, so this should be my time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I thought I finished off well last year and I just want to take a step forward and keep progressing.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Patrick Lalime</p><p>2. JaniHurme</p><p>3. Mike Fountain</p><p>4. Mathieu Chouinard</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Wade Redden</p><p>2. Jason York</p><p>3. Sami Salo</p><p>4. Igor Kravchuk</p><p>5. Chris Phillips</p><p>6. Ricard Persson</p><p>7. JohnGruden</p><p>8. Joel Kwiatkowski</p><p>9. Sean Gagnon</p><p>10. Shane Hnidy</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Shawn McEachern</p><p>2. Magnus Arvedson</p><p>3. RobZamuner</p><p>4. Andre Roy</p><p>5. Colin Forbes</p><p>6. Derek King</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Alexei Yashin</p><p>2. Radek Bonk</p><p>3. Vaclav Prospal</p><p>4. Mike Fisher</p><p>5. Todd White</p><p>6. John Emmons</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Daniel Alfredsson</p><p>2. Marian Hossa</p><p>3. Andreas Dackell*</p><p>4. Martin Havlat</p><p>5. Petr Schastlivy</p><p>6. Chris Neil</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-02125/8269223-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg" title="f0055-02" width="323" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Alexei Yashin</b></figcaption></div><p>After sitting out last season, the Russian Rogue must produce plenty of points to cash in for next season.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0460/8269216-1-eng-US/f0055-042.jpg" title="f0055-04" width="563" height="307"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Ottawa&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0540/8269209-1-eng-US/f0055-052.jpg" title="f0055-05" width="575" height="824"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0630/8269202-1-eng-US/f0055-062.jpg" title="f0055-06" width="557" height="144"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0723/8269195-1-eng-US/f0055-072.jpg" title="f0055-07" width="564" height="382"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0055-03

Getting a little defensive

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0358/8269303-1-eng-US/f0056-032.jpg" title="f0056-03" width="889" height="1555"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Simon Gagne&rsquo;s poise under pressure impressed everyone who watched him.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01152/8269310-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="195" height="193"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>imon Gagne would have been an important player for the Philadelphia Flyers this season even if a healthy Eric Lindros had returned to the fold.</p><p>With Lindros all but certain to wind up somewhere else, the 20-year-old Gagne&rsquo;s role with the team undoubtedly will expand and that&rsquo;s more than fine with him.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not quite a veteran like Rick (Tocchet),&rdquo; Gagne said at training camp, &ldquo;but I feel more comfortable. I was satisfied with my first year. They know I can score a big goal. Now I feel like I&rsquo;m more important to the team and I&rsquo;ll try to help the team win more games.&rdquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s a good chance Gagne will return to center, his natural position, after spending most of his rookie year on left wing.</p><p>Gagne broke in last year at the pivot spot with Mark Recchi on his right flank and the two clicked almost immediately. As the season got under way, the Flyers had enough depth at center (Lindros, Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour, Daymond Langkow, Marc Bureau) to allow Gagne to gain some experience at wing.</p><p>After a strong freshman campaign, which saw him score 20 goals and make the NHL&rsquo;s all-rookie team, Gagne worked on his strength during</p><p>the off-season. He grew an inch and put on about 15 pounds of conditioned weight, leaving him close to 6-foot-1, 190 pounds.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel a lot better on the ice, a lot stronger. I&rsquo;m pretty happy to add a few pounds,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>The extra size and strength should help him make the transition to the center spot, if that&rsquo;s where coach Craig Ramsay decides to play him. Ramsay, though, won&rsquo;t make a firm commitment because he feels Gagne is good enough that it won&rsquo;t much matter</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll feel more comfortable no matter whether he plays left wing or center,&rdquo; Ramsay said.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think Simon will be as affected this year by where he plays.&rdquo;</p><p>In his initial season, Gagne displayed many of the skills scouts who had seen him in the Quebec League raved about.</p><p>For starters, he showed poise beyond his years in pressure situations, such as the power play. Former coach Roger Neilson and later Ramsay both showed faith in Gagne with the man advantage. He moves well in traffic, can take a hit and is opportunistic around the net. He tied for the NHL rookie lead in power play goals with eight and was second in rookie power play assists (13) and points (21).</p><p>In the open ice, Gagne is one of the few players on the Flyers who can make a bang-bang play off the rush with consistency.</p><p>The Flyers saw many of these traits when he played junior. That&rsquo;s why they declined to include him in a package for then-Chicago defenseman Chris Chelios at the 1999 trade deadline.</p><p>Management considers Gagne, a native of Ste-Foy, Que., a franchise player. Team chairman Ed Snider is always proud of homegrown talent. Some of the best players in franchise history-Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Ron Hextall, Brian Propp and Rick Tocchet-came up through the organization.</p><p>On the ice, Gagne&rsquo;s speed stands out on a team hardly blessed with overall quickness. The Flyers are trying to upgrade the overall speed of their team and Gagne offers a good start.</p><p>What made last season remarkable was how Gagne&rsquo;s season ended so strongly after such a slow start. As late as December, the Flyers were considering sending him to play in the World Junior Championship. But a couple injuries left the Flyers short of manpower. That&rsquo;s when Gagne caught fire and began to show his true ability,</p><p>Gagne hopes to avoid a repeat of his start in 2000-01. He entered camp in excellent shape and was paired with his old partner, Recchi, in early scrimmages.</p><p>Although Gagne&rsquo;s 20 goals were good for second on the NHL rookie list last season (Mike York of the Rangers had 26), his strong suit is still considered playmaking. He has the speed to draw defensemen toward him, freeing up linemates for passes. There&rsquo;s no reason to expect the Flyers&rsquo; emerging star will do anything but continue to rise this season.</p><p>&ldquo;He has all the tools, a really smart hockey player,&rdquo; Langkow said. &ldquo;You put those things together&hellip;.he&rsquo;s only going to get better.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Brian Boucher</p><p>2. Roman Cechmanek</p><p>3. Neil Little</p><p>4. Maxime Ouellet</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Eric Desjardins</p><p>2. Chris Therien</p><p>3. Dan McGillis</p><p>4. Luke Richardson</p><p>5. Andy Delmore</p><p>6. Mark Eaton</p><p>7. Michal Sykora</p><p>8. Mikhail Chernov</p><p>9. Francis Lessard</p><p>10. Brad Tiley</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. John LeClair</p><p>2. Simon Gagne</p><p>3. Kevin Stevens</p><p>4. Paul Ranheim</p><p>5. Gino Odjick</p><p>6. Steve McLaren</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Eric LJndros*</p><p>2. Keith Primeau</p><p>3. Daymond Langkow</p><p>4. Derek Plante</p><p>5. Kent Manderville</p><p>6. Peter White</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Mark Recchi</p><p>2. Rick Tocchet</p><p>3. Keith Jones</p><p>4. Jody Hull</p><p>5. Mark Greig</p><p>6. Rob Murray</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-02102/8269296-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg" title="f0056-02" width="329" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Keith Jones</b></figcaption></div><p>Jones missed half the season after undergoing knee surgery, then managed just nine goals upon his return.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0447/8269289-1-eng-US/f0056-042.jpg" title="f0056-04" width="570" height="311"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Philadelphia&rsquo;s top 23 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0532/8269282-1-eng-US/f0056-052.jpg" title="f0056-05" width="569" height="827"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0625/8269275-1-eng-US/f0056-062.jpg" title="f0056-06" width="571" height="83"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0717/8269268-1-eng-US/f0056-072.jpg" title="f0056-07" width="567" height="387"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0056-03

Bigger role for Gagne

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0370/8269376-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="883" height="1548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>At 23, Trevor Letowski is already a key man on the Coyotes&rsquo; roster.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(H.DiRocco/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01140/8269383-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="197" height="205"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>obby Francis used a lot of words and colorful phrases to describe one of his favorite young players last season. But this somewhat unusual comment may have summed up Trevor Letowski the best:</p><p>&ldquo;He looks like he just came off the beaches of California,&rdquo; the Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; coach said. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t back down from anything. He&rsquo;s laid-back, but plays with tons of emotion and composure. You&rsquo;d never believe he was a rookie.&rdquo;</p><p>Believe it, he was. And the 5-foot-10 sparkplug center, seemingly mature beyond his years, was one of the best first-year skaters in the NHL. Don&rsquo;t let the blond hair and amiable personality fool you, though. Cool Hand Lewt doesn&rsquo;t come from California. The little lightning bolt hails from Thunder Bay, Ont., a good 15-hour drive northwest of Toronto.</p><p>And that&rsquo;s where he still was when the Coyotes opened training camp in Scottsdale, Ariz., Sept. 6. A restricted free agent, Letowski and his agent were pushing for a bigger slice of the pie than GM Bobby Smith was willing to serve.</p><p>As of Sept. 15 Letowski, 23, had rejected the club&rsquo;s three-year offer for $1,425 million and was still seeking a salary closer to $2 million over that time frame. Letowski said he plans to sit until Smith decides to budge.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve talked to Trevor. I like Trevor,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve made Trevor what I we feel is a very fair offer and I expect him I to take it.&rdquo;</p><p>Letowski certainly isn&rsquo;t trying to break I the bank. His numbers last season, in fact, I would suggest he deserves even more than he is demanding. He ranked third among rookies with 19 goals and sixth overall with 39 points. His seven shorthanded points were the most of any first-year NHLer.</p><p>He was one of the mainstays on an effecfive penalty-killing unit and Francis had so much confidence in him, Letowski averaged more than 16 minutes while skating everywhere from the first to the fourth line.</p><p>He was never a healthy scratch and played in all 82 regular-season games and all five playoff games against Colorado.</p><p>&ldquo;Lewty can do everything,&rdquo; said right winger Shane Doan. &ldquo;He plays with tenacity, can play anywhere the coach wants him and the type of respect he shows for the game is very encouraging.&rdquo;</p><p>Said left winger Keith Tkachuk, &ldquo;He proved he belongs here and he&rsquo;s going to be here for a long, long time.&rdquo;</p><p>As glowing as those endorsements and his numbers are, Letowski still has battles left to fight. When and if he signs, he&rsquo;ll probably bounce I around the lineup once again. Jeremy Roenick and Travis Green will center the top two lines and the Coyotes don&rsquo;t want to tinker with the steady progress shown by Juha Ylonen on the third line.</p><p>And then there&rsquo;s the Daniel Briere factor. Letowski beat out the 1996 first round pick for a roster spot last I year in training camp. Briere is here. Letowski isn&rsquo;t.</p><p>To Letowski, this is just another challenge he plans to look square in the face and conquer.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really funny how my career has gone,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Every year, there has been a different challenge for me. But I&rsquo;ve been realistic with my goal and I&rsquo;ve been successful at climbing every step on the ladder. This just motivates me even more.&rdquo;</p><p>Wherever Letowski&rsquo;s dreams have taken him, there was always someone who tried to tell him he couldn&rsquo;t make it. When he began his junior career, the Sarnia Sting waited until the seventh round to select him in the Ontario League draft.</p><p>But he had the last laugh, recording 22 goals and 41 points. The next season, those figures jumped to 36 goals and 99 points. Then he was drafted by the Coyotes. Again, he was a seventh round selection and had to prove himself.</p><p>No problem. He scored 35 goals and 108 points with Sarnia and impressed so much, he was invited to try out for Canada&rsquo;s national junior team. Fighting for a spot against high draft picks, he made it and played a huge role in Canada&rsquo;s victory at the 1997 World Junior Championship.</p><p>Letowski credits team veterans and Francis for smoothing his transition from the &lsquo;Big Unknown&rsquo; to the &lsquo;Big Letowski&rsquo;.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s one of the toughest things for a rookie, to get respect from a first-year coach and the rest of the team,&rdquo; he said.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Nikolai Khabibulin*</p><p>2. Sean Burke</p><p>3. Robert Esche</p><p>4. Patrick DesRochers</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Teppo Numminen</p><p>2. Jyrki Lumme</p><p>3. Keith Carney</p><p>4. Stan Neckar</p><p>5. Radoslav Suchy</p><p>6. Chris Joseph</p><p>7. Joel Bouchard</p><p>8. Justin Hocking</p><p>9. OssiVaananen</p><p>10. Kirill Safronov</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Keith Tkachuk</p><p>2. Joe Juneau</p><p>3. Brad May</p><p>4. Louie DeBrusk</p><p>5. Ramzi Abid</p><p>6. Brad Ralph</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Jeremy Roenick</p><p>2. Travis Green</p><p>3. Juha Ylonen</p><p>4. Trevor Letowski*</p><p>5. Daniel Briere</p><p>6. Mike Sullivan</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Shane Doan</p><p>2. Mita Alatalo</p><p>3. Landon Wilson</p><p>4. Tavis Hansen</p><p>5. Jean-Guy Trudel</p><p>6. Craig Mills</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0299/8269369-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="327" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Keith Tkachuk</b></figcaption></div><p>Should double last year&rsquo;s output of 22 goals and 43 points, now that he&rsquo;s healthy and has peace of mind.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0457/8269362-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="563" height="312"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Phoenix&rsquo;s top 21 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0535/8269355-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="565" height="823"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0626/8269348-1-eng-US/f0057-062.jpg" title="f0057-06" width="563" height="83"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0713/8269341-1-eng-US/f0057-072.jpg" title="f0057-07" width="570" height="380"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0057-03

Waiting for big Letowski

<div class="byline">By Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0357/8269449-1-eng-US/f0058-032.jpg" title="f0058-03" width="936" height="1552"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Pittsburgh Penguins want talented center Jiri Hrdina to shoot more.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01148/8269456-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="193" height="195"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>wo years ago, no less an authority than Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; superstar Jaromir Jagr predicted teammate Jan Hrdina would one day score 40 goals.</p><p>Or did he?</p><p>&ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; Jagr joked. &ldquo;I said 14, not 40.&rdquo;</p><p>Jagr was kidding, but it&rsquo;s true 14 comes before 40 and Hrdina has yet to reach the former number. He has scored 13 goals in each of his first two NHL seasons, though most would agree he has the talent to at least double that total some-day. Perhaps even this season.</p><p>But if it&rsquo;s going to happen, Hrdina better start listening to the fans&mdash;the ones who yell &ldquo;shooooot!&rdquo; The 24-year-old center nearly drove former Penguins&rsquo; coach Herb Brooks to distraction with his reluctance to fire the puck.</p><p>Hrdina has averaged just 1.17 shots per game in his career, a figure that must rise to please new coach Ivan Hlinka.</p><p>&ldquo;He has a real subtle shot,&rdquo; Brooks said. &ldquo;He has a tremendous release. Great hands. But he doesn&rsquo;t do it enough.&rdquo;</p><p>GM Craig Patrick agrees.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;d love for him to shoot more,&rdquo; Patrick said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something all the coaches we&rsquo;ve had here have urged him to do and I&rsquo;m sure Ivan will do the same.&rdquo;</p><p>Hrdina isn&rsquo;t about to make any predictions, but he is disappointed in his goal totals. He has played much of his career centering for Jagr, the NHL&rsquo;s premier offensive talent.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t look at the season and say I want to score 20 goals or anything like that, but I know I should score more playing with Jags than I did,&rdquo; Hrdina said.</p><p>Playing with Jagr, for all its obvious advantages, might also serve to heighten Hrdina&rsquo;s reluctance to shoot. There were times last season when he passed up high-percentage shots to make low-percentage passes to Jagr, who was Hrdina&rsquo;s hero back in the Czech Republic.</p><p>Hrdina insists he was a pass-first, shoot-later player long before he teamed with Jagr.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just last year. I remember since I was young, my dad always told me to shoot more,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just because I play with Jags. Even when I played in Syracuse (AHL), I always passed more. I don&rsquo;t know, it&rsquo;s just the way I was taught to play.&rdquo;</p><p>How will he change his mindset?</p><p>&ldquo;You just have to learn to shoot,&rdquo; Hrdina said. &ldquo;Concentrate on it and shoot. You know I had 21 games without a goal last season. I wasn&rsquo;t happy about that.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, Hrdina went the last 21 regular-season games without a goal to finish with 13 goals and 46 points in 70 games. But his 46 points marked a four-point increase (in 12 fewer games) over his rookie year. And the other parts of his game stayed strong.</p><p>If a reluctance to shoot is Hrdina&rsquo;s weakness, it might be his only one. He is strong defensively, as his plus-13 rating from last season attests. He was the team&rsquo;s top faceoff man two years running, winning 54 percent of his draws last season. He kills penalties and can play the power play.</p><p>&ldquo;I just want to play a good, overall game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t worry about anything else. Play good defensively, be good at faceoffs, be responsible to your teammates, stuff like that, an overall game.&rdquo;</p><p>Patrick has Hrdina signed this season for $700,000, a bargain for sure.</p><p>&ldquo;His confidence level is rising as he gets better,&rdquo; Patrick said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to see. I think he knows he belongs in the National Hockey League now and I think he&rsquo;s going to get better as we&rsquo;re going to go forward.&rdquo;</p><p>Hrdina, the Penguins&rsquo; fifth round pick in 1995, does his best work at playoff time. He has eight goals and nine assists in 22 career playoff games. That includes the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Penguins&rsquo; upset over the New Jersey Devils in the 1998-99 playoffs.</p><p>Last season, he tied for second on the team (behind Jagr) in playoff scoring with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in nine games.</p><p>Hrdina&rsquo;s adaptability might be tested this season because he could be switched to left wing. Hlinka started training camp with an experimental line of Hrdina, Roman Simicek at center and Jagr at right wing.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see how it goes,&rdquo; said the soft-spoken Hrdina. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always played center. I played five or six games at right wing in Syracuse two years ago. I did OK, but I think I am better at center.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. J-S Aubin*</p><p>2. Peter Hamerlik</p><p>3. Craig Hillier</p><p>4. Sebastien Caron</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Darius Kasparaitis</p><p>2. Jiri Slegr</p><p>3. Michal Rozsival</p><p>4. Janne Laukkanen</p><p>5. Hans Jonsson</p><p>6. BobBoughner</p><p>7. John Slaney</p><p>8. Sven Butenschon</p><p>9. Andrew Ference</p><p>10. Josef Melichar</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Martin Straka</p><p>2. Josef Beranek</p><p>3. Alexsey Morozov</p><p>4. Rene Corbet</p><p>5. Martin Sonnenberg</p><p>6. Greg Crozier</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. JanHrdina</p><p>2. Robert Lang</p><p>3. Milan Kraft</p><p>4. Roman Simicek</p><p>5. Ian Moran</p><p>6. Darcy Verot</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Jaromir Jagr</p><p>2. Alexei Kovalev</p><p>3. Matthew Barnaby</p><p>4. Dennis Bonvie</p><p>5. Eric Meloche</p><p>6. Alexander Zevakhin</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0296/8269442-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="325" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Matthew Barnaby</b></figcaption></div><p>The Penguins should employ a player to help relieve him of enforcer duties, so watch for his goal output to increase.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0445/8269435-1-eng-US/f0058-042.jpg" title="f0058-04" width="561" height="311"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Pittsburgh&rsquo;s top 22 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0530/8269428-1-eng-US/f0058-052.jpg" title="f0058-05" width="557" height="823"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0622/8269421-1-eng-US/f0058-062.jpg" title="f0058-06" width="557" height="103"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0715/8269414-1-eng-US/f0058-072.jpg" title="f0058-07" width="566" height="384"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0058-03

Hrdina a real big shot

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0357/8269522-1-eng-US/f0059-032.jpg" title="f0059-03" width="886" height="1548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Marty Reasoner wants this to be the year he stays in St. Louis all season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Mark Buckner/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-01125/8269529-1-eng-US/f0059-012.jpg" title="f0059-01" width="192" height="201"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>lthough Marty Reasoner reported I to the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; training camp as an established player based on his strong finish last season, the 23-year-old center was taking nothing for granted.</p><p>He spent the off-season working with a personal trainer, eliminating the excess baggage around the middle and reporting at a lean 190 pounds-more than 10 pounds lighter than his playing weight last year.</p><p>He seemed determined to show that last season&rsquo;s finish was not a I fluke and to prove he deserves the I job that he already has earned.</p><p>To hear Reasoner tell it, he hasn&rsquo;t earned anything.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel like I have a lot to prove-nothing is guaranteed,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I want to prove I can help this team and be a part of it. I&rsquo;m taking nothing for granted.&rdquo;</p><p>After center Pierre Turgeon was sidelined with ligament damage on his thumb, the Blues recalled Reasoner from Worcester of the American League and put him into Turgeon&rsquo;s slot as the No. 1 center. Reasoner rose to the challenge and earned a permanent spot on the roster, giving coach Joel Quenneville the luxury of having three scoring lines.</p><p>In 32 regular season games, Reasoner had 10 goals and 24 points. In the Blues&rsquo; ill-fated first round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks, he had two goals and three points in seven games, starting well but fading as the series went on.</p><p>This might explain his reluctance to proclaim his arrival.</p><p>&ldquo;There are a lot of good players here, so you want to be at the top of your game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re always proving yourself, whether it&rsquo;s in training camp to make the team, or in April to get more ice time. Unless you&rsquo;re one of the big guys, you&rsquo;re always fighting either for ice time or being in the lineup.&rdquo;</p><p>Reasoner also knows the pratfalls of having a poor training camp. A year ago, he was expected to challenge for a position, but fell flat on his face and was among the Blues&rsquo; first cuts. It&rsquo;s a mistake he&rsquo;s determined not to repeat.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t play as well as I wanted to in camp last year,&rdquo; Reasoner said.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny how it turned out. I guess it worked out in the end, but it&rsquo;s not exactly the way I wanted it to go. Hopefully, I learned from it, that I have to be prepared at the start and it&rsquo;ll translate into a good camp.&rdquo;</p><p>The Blues were impressed by Reasoner&rsquo;s fitness and off-season commitment. They were also relieved because of last year&rsquo;s camp disappointment and because they are counting on him this season to make the Blues an even more dangerous team by anchoring a third offensive line. St Louis was third in the league in goals scored last season with an average of three per game.</p><p>Reasoner is a playmaker with good hockey sense and vision. His crouched-over skating style is reminiscent of former NHL star Dale Hawerchuk.</p><p>Reasoner doesn&rsquo;t initiate physical contract, but he doesn&rsquo;t shy from it either.</p><p>The Blues selected him 14th overall in the 1996 entry draft out of Boston College. He was a rising offensive star who would go on to have a brilliant senior season in 1997-98 that saw him lead the conference in goals, points and be named to the NCAA East first all-American team.</p><p>Reasoner&rsquo;s major challenge this season will be consistency. Until his emergence at the end of last season, his NHL experience had been marked by ups and downs. In his first pro season in 1998-99, he made the Blues out of training camp, but faded and ended up in Worcester.</p><p>Then, he had the horrible camp last year and bided his time in Worcester before being called up when Turgeon&rsquo;s bad luck became his own good fortune.</p><p>&ldquo;In my first year, I felt good in some games and felt like I could play in this league,&rdquo; Reasoner said.</p><p>&ldquo;In other games, I felt like I was a step behind. The big thing is consistency and being prepared to play every night at the top of your game. That&rsquo;s the biggest difference between college and pro. You have to play every night.&rdquo;</p><p>His attitude that he has something to prove every night is surely a step in the right direction.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Roman Turek</p><p>2. Dwayne Roloson</p><p>3. Brent Johnson</p><p>4. Cory Rudkowsky</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Chris Pronger</p><p>2. Al Maclnnis</p><p>3. Sean Hill</p><p>4. Jeff Finley</p><p>5. Bryce Salvador</p><p>6. MarcBergevin</p><p>7. Todd Reirden</p><p>8. Vladimir Chebaturkin</p><p>9. Jaroslav Obsut</p><p>10. Mike Van Ryn</p><h3><b>LEFT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Jochen Hecht</p><p>2. Dallas Drake</p><p>3. Lubos Bartecko</p><p>4. Tyson Nash</p><p>5. Reid Simpson</p><p>6. Pascal Rheaume</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Pierre Turgeon</p><p>2. Michal Handzus</p><p>3. Marty Reasoner</p><p>4. Mike Eastwood</p><p>5. Craig Conroy</p><p>6. Daniel Corson</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Pavoi Demitra</p><p>2. Scott Young</p><p>3. Ladislav Nagy</p><p>4. Jamal Mayers</p><p>5. Reed Low</p><p>6. Chris Murray</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0281/8269515-1-eng-US/f0059-022.jpg" title="f0059-02" width="333" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Craig Conroy</b></figcaption></div><p>Needs to create a new role given Blues&rsquo; dismantling of checking line. Speed and offensive skills should help.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0448/8269508-1-eng-US/f0059-042.jpg" title="f0059-04" width="570" height="309"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are St Louis&rsquo; top 23 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0534/8269501-1-eng-US/f0059-052.jpg" title="f0059-05" width="561" height="823"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0626/8269494-1-eng-US/f0059-062.jpg" title="f0059-06" width="562" height="111"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0720/8269487-1-eng-US/f0059-072.jpg" title="f0059-07" width="571" height="380"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0059-03

Plenty left to prove

<div class="byline">By Ross McKeon</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0348/8269595-1-eng-US/f0060-032.jpg" title="f0060-03" width="903" height="1548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Sharks plan to increase defenseman Brad Stuart&rsquo;s ice time this year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(John Glamundo/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-01116/8269602-1-eng-US/f0060-012.jpg" title="f0060-01" width="188" height="201"></div><p>Brad Stuart burst onto the scene last season, making a successful jump straight from junior hockey to the NHL.</p><p>Not only did he make the team, the 20-year-old native of Rocky Mountain House, Alta., was the only San Jose defensemen to appear in every game and he led the Sharks in blueline scoring.</p><p>What do the Sharks expect for an encore?</p><p>&ldquo;He has to play a lot of minutes for us to be a better team,&rdquo; said coach Darryl Sutter. &ldquo;He played 20 minutes a game last season. He has to somehow find three to four more minutes that are productive.&rdquo;</p><p>Good thing for the Sharks Stuart is thinking the same thing.</p><p>&ldquo;Just because I had a decent year I can&rsquo;t come in here thinking it&rsquo;s going to be easy,&rdquo; Stuart said. &ldquo;The other teams know what you&rsquo;re all about, I&rsquo;m going to have to work that much harder to get the same results.</p><p>&ldquo;I love playing a lot,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s when I play my best.&rdquo;</p><p>Fans and media in San Jose understand fully now why Sharks&rsquo; GM Dean Lombardi stuck to his guns at the 1998 draft in Buffalo and would not pull the trigger on an offer from Calgary to acquire sniping right winger Theo Fleury for the third overall selection, used to select Stuart.</p><p>Appearing on the West Coast, where news often travels slow to the East and playing a position that isn&rsquo;t conducive to producing big offensive numbers, Stuart still showed enough last year to gamer 250 votes and finish as runner-up to New Jersey&rsquo;s Scott Gomez in voting for the league&rsquo;s top rookie.</p><p>&ldquo;The thing I like about Stuey, he wants to get better,&rdquo; said Doug Wilson, an ex-NHL defenseman who now works as San Jose&rsquo;s director of pro development. &ldquo;He wants to be a great player.&rdquo;</p><p>At 6-foot-2, 210, Stuart has the size to compete against the older players in the league, but it&rsquo;s his offensive potential that makes him so complete on the blueline.</p><p>Stuart has soft hands, a blistering slapshot and outstanding speed. Still, it&rsquo;s not only his physical skills that stand out.</p><p>&ldquo;That kind of poise, confidence and ability is not something you see in a first-year guy and sometimes you don&rsquo;t see it in a 10year veteran,&rdquo; said Gary Suter, the 1985-86 Calder winner, who paired with Stuart last season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s so confident and cool. &ldquo;</p><p>Suter remembers an early-season game in Detroit when the Sharks were completing a six-game trip by having to play the second night of back-to-backs. In just his 10th NHL game, Stuart was beaten badly and the Sharks surrendered a goal. On his next shift, the determined Stuart atoned for his mistake by scoring himself.</p><p>&ldquo;If he makes a mistake, he&rsquo;s not afraid to try the same play again.&rdquo; Suter said.</p><p>It&rsquo;s that kind of maturity, displayed early in Stuart&rsquo;s career, that doesn&rsquo;t cause the Sharks even a moment of doubt he can be asked to carry more of the load on a solid defensive unit.</p><p>&ldquo;I just have to take that responsibility and not get too worked up over it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Not try to do too much. I&rsquo;ve got to be a little better, a little smarter.&rdquo;</p><p>Stuart breezed right through his rookie regular season. He became the first Sharks rookie to score as many as 10 goals in a campaign. His 36 points were seventh highest on the team, and tops among rookie blueliners around the league.</p><p>In addition, Stuart ranked fifth on the club in hits (123), fourth in blocked shots (57) and sixth in average ice-time (20:24).</p><p>In the post-season, however, it was not so easy. President Trophy-winning St. Louis identified Stuart as a key and the Blues ran the youngster with a hard forecheck as often as they could early in the seven-game series.</p><p>&ldquo;He got cracked early in that series and didn&rsquo;t really respond,&rdquo; Sutter said.</p><p>Knowing he had to cut back on Stuart&rsquo;s minutes, Sutter relied more on his veteran blueliners and behind strong efforts by Bryan Marchment, Mike Rathje, Marcus Ragnarsson and Suter, the Sharks pulled off a first round upset.</p><p>Recognizing the need to be ready for more physical punishment, Stuart worked with a personal trainer in Calgary to add strength without giving up speed or agility.</p><p>&ldquo;The playoffs are different from the regular season,&rdquo; Stuart said. &ldquo;It was a good experience, but I certainly realize I have things to work on.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Steve Shields*</p><p>2. Evgeni Nabokov*</p><p>3. Miikka Kiprusoff</p><p>4. Johan Hedberg</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Gary Suter</p><p>2. Mike Rathje</p><p>3. Brad Stuart</p><p>4. Marcus Ragnarsson*</p><p>5. Bryan Marchment</p><p>6. Scott Hannon</p><p>7. Shawn Heins</p><p>8. Christian Gosselin</p><p>9. GregAndrusak</p><p>10. DaveMacisaac</p><h3><b>LEFTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Jeff Friesen</p><p>2. Scott Thornton</p><p>3. Marco Sturm*</p><p>4. Stephane Matteau</p><p>5. Paul Kruse</p><p>6. Larry Courville</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Vincent Damphousse</p><p>2. Patrick Marleau*</p><p>3. Mike Ricci</p><p>4. Ron Sutter</p><p>5. Mark Smith</p><p>6. Jim Montgomery</p><h3><b>RIGHTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Owen Nolan*</p><p>2. Alex Korolyuk*</p><p>3. Niklas Sundstrom</p><p>4. Todd Harvey*</p><p>5. Matt Bradley</p><p>6. Tony Granato</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0273/8269588-1-eng-US/f0060-022.jpg" title="f0060-02" width="325" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bryan Marchment</b></figcaption></div><p>Played just 49 games last season. Hopes to avoid injury bug and make good use of intimidating style.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0438/8269581-1-eng-US/f0060-042.jpg" title="f0060-04" width="568" height="307"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are San Jose&rsquo;s top 19 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0528/8269574-1-eng-US/f0060-052.jpg" title="f0060-05" width="571" height="825"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0623/8269567-1-eng-US/f0060-062.jpg" title="f0060-06" width="559" height="114"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0719/8269560-1-eng-US/f0060-072.jpg" title="f0060-07" width="568" height="391"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0060-03

A real blueline beauty

<div class="byline">By Damian Cristodero</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0061-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0358/8269668-1-eng-US/f0061-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Pavel Kubina gradually is becoming the Lightning&rsquo;s best defenseman</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JIM LEARY/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-01120/8269675-1-eng-US/f0061-012.jpg" title="f0061-01" width="163" height="169"></div><p>Training camp hadn&rsquo;t even started and Pavel Kubina already was tired.</p><p>The 23-year-old Lightning defenseman had spent about 25 hours traveling from his native Czech Republic to Tampa. After landing, he had to wait two more hours to get his bags through customs. Eight hours later, Kubina was on the ice for Tampa Bay&rsquo;s first day of training camp.</p><p>He and his teammates went through six 45-minute intrasquad games in the next three days, so you&rsquo;ll forgive him a yawn or two.</p><p>&ldquo;Those were three tough days,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think our entire team benefitted from those three days because all the guys went hard.&rdquo;</p><p>It was good to see Kubina going hard. He had finished last season on a down note, missing the final nine games with an injured foot that looked so swollen and ugly it was hard to imagine his even walking on it.</p><p>But a long summer off did wonders for the foot, Kubina&rsquo;s prospects and resolve. He said he worked out hard in the Czech Republic and also practised with a professional team he used to play with in Ostrava.</p><p>Oh, yeah, and this Pavel also broke off a short-lived romance with a professional tennis star, specifically Martina Hingis.</p><p>The work has paid off, as Kubina has looked sharp and aggressive during the camp&rsquo;s early intrasquad games. He hasn&rsquo;t been shy about carrying the puck into the zone and even scored a goal off a rifle shot from the top of the slot.</p><p>&ldquo;He has looked very good,&rdquo; said Lightning GM Rick Dudley.</p><p>Another key, Kubina said, was changing his brand of skates to a much softer model that does not irritate his feet.</p><p>For a while, though, it appeared Kubina might be Tampa Bay&rsquo;s lone holdout. The Lightning offered him $650,000, a 100 per cent raise. But his agent, Jiri Crha, had countered with deals worth anywhere between $1.1 million and $1.7 million.</p><p>But with training camp looming, Kubina said he told Crha to make a deal. The agent proposed the impasse-breaking contract, which will pay Kubina $1.41 million over two seasons.</p><p>&ldquo;I wanted to be here on time,&rdquo; Kubina said. &ldquo;I wanted to be with the guys on the first day. That&rsquo;s why I signed. I wanted to stay in this town with this team.&rdquo;</p><p>Kubina said it is important for him to be a leader on and off the ice. With that in mind, he barked to his teammates to get a move on when it was time for off-ice conditioning.</p><p>The Lightning feel strongly that the 1996 seventh round draft pick could be their top defenseman. It starts with his size. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Kubina has the bulk to take opponents out of the play with a thud.</p><p>&ldquo;He hits like an ox,&rdquo; is how Dudley put it.</p><p>Kubina also has a bit of a mean streak as demonstrated by his 93 penalty minutes.</p><p>He has good offensive instincts as well, producing eight goals and 26 points and tying Vinny Lecavalier with a team-high six power play markers last season. In fact, it is those offensive instincts that got Kubina in a little bit of trouble last season.</p><p>Dudley and coach Steve Ludzik want their defenseman to think defense first. But in his first season with Tampa Bay in 199899, Kubina had nine goals. With Moose Jaw of the Western League in 1996-97, he had 12 in 61 games.</p><p>Kubina likes to score, but with Ludzik trying to rein him in a little, it took time before he felt completely comfortable in the first-year coach&rsquo;s system.</p><p>It is important Kubina, the coach and the GM are all on the same page.</p><p>Despite his age, Kubina is a Lightning elder statesman. Take Petr Svoboda out of the mix and the average age of the defenseman who played on last year&rsquo;s team is 22. So Tampa Bay needs all the experience it can get.</p><p>Much was made about the Lightning&rsquo;s inconsistent goaltending. What is talked about less is the mistakes the defense made that left the goaltenders feeling helpless.</p><p>That improved when Ludzik changed Tampa Bay&rsquo;s down-low coverage later in the season. But the Lightning still must tighten things up if goalies Dan Cloutier and Kevin Weekes are to have a fighting chance.</p><p>For two seasons Kubina has been paired with Svoboda and it is Svoboda who is credited with Kubina&rsquo;s improvement. Now it&rsquo;s his turn to share what he knows with the others such as Paul Mara and Cory Sarich.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Kevin Weekes</p><p>2 Dan Cloutier</p><p>3. Evgeni Konstantinov</p><p>4. Dieter Kochan</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Petr Svoboda</p><p>2. Pavel Kubina</p><p>3. Cory Sarich</p><p>4. Andrei Zyuzin</p><p>5. Paul Mara</p><p>6. Jassen Cullimore</p><p>7. Sergey Gusev</p><p>8. Marek Posmyk</p><p>9. Bryan Muir*</p><p>10. Kaspars Astashenko</p><h3><b>LEFTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. ToddWarriner</p><p>2. Fredrik Modin</p><p>3. Alexander Kharitonov</p><p>4. Kyle Freadrich</p><p>5. Gordie Dwyer</p><p>6. Nils Ekman</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Vinny Lecavalier</p><p>2. Brad Richards</p><p>3. Martin St.J.ouis</p><p>4. Brian Holzinger</p><p>5. Steve Martins</p><p>6. Thomas Ziegler</p><h3><b>RIGHTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Mike Johnson</p><p>2. Wayne Primeau</p><p>3. Ryan Johnson</p><p>4. Stan Drulia</p><p>5. Dmitry Afanasenkov</p><p>6. Sheldon Keefe</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0285/8269661-1-eng-US/f0061-022.jpg" title="f0061-02" width="313" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Andrei Zyuzin</b></figcaption></div><p>Second overall pick in 1996 hasn&rsquo;t made an impact. Now in his fourth season, it&rsquo;s time he earned his keep.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0447/8269654-1-eng-US/f0061-042.jpg" title="f0061-04" width="565" height="301"></div><h2><b>99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Tampa Bay&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0537/8269647-1-eng-US/f0061-052.jpg" title="f0061-05" width="562" height="816"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0631/8269640-1-eng-US/f0061-062.jpg" title="f0061-06" width="559" height="142"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0725/8269633-1-eng-US/f0061-072.jpg" title="f0061-07" width="565" height="385"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0061-03

Bolts’ basher a hit

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0339/8269741-1-eng-US/f0062-032.jpg" title="f0062-03" width="913" height="1533"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tomas Kaberle has quickly matured into a reliable two-way defenseman.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(John Glamundo/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-01119/8269748-1-eng-US/f0062-012.jpg" title="f0062-01" width="163" height="169"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>omas Kaberle doesn&rsquo;t look much different than he did when he arrived in a big way with the Toronto Maple Leafs two years ago. His cheeks still get all flush and rosy after a practice and you get the sense picking up a razor has not yet become a daily ritual.</p><p>But as Kaberle slowly and quietly continues to assert himself and move up the team&rsquo;s depth chart on defense, he also continues to establish himself as an offensive force in the NHL. And as the Maple Leafs enter this season facing the reality Bryan Berard&rsquo;s career is likely over, Kaberle will be asked to provide even more production while honing his defensive game.</p><p>&ldquo;What we&rsquo;re seeing right now,&rdquo; said Leafs&rsquo; GM-coach Pat Quinn, &ldquo;is that he&rsquo;s becoming a man.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;s also rapidly becoming <i>the</i> man for the Leafs. He was the only Leafs&rsquo; defenseman to play all 82 games last season, was the clear leader in all offensive categories with seven goals and 40 points and finished the season second on the team in ice time at 22:55 per game. The only Leaf to play more than Kaberle last season was Dmitry Yushkevich at 23:18.</p><p>Historically speaking, top players often experience a breakthrough season in their third year in the league, but that will be extremely difficult for Kaberle, since he has already done that in his first two seasons. In 1998-99, he entered camp as a late-round prospect ticketed for St. John&rsquo;s (American League). But he swept the coaching staff off its feet with remarkable poise and a seemingly non-existent panic level. Kaberle enjoyed a terrific rookie campaign with 22 points, but almost doubled that last year when he posted 40.</p><p>So what can we expect in Year 3? With the absence of Berard and another year of development, the next logical step for Kaberle would be to jump into the 50-to-60 point range, which in this era is the high-rent district for defensemen. Nobody is suggesting a Norris Trophy is in his short-term future, but it&rsquo;s worth noting Rob Blake had 66 points in his first two seasons and Chris Pronger had 44, compared to Kaberle&rsquo;s 62.</p><p>&ldquo;That is my goal for sure, to be up there with those guys,&rdquo; said the 22-year-old Kaberle. &ldquo;I think I can give more offense and I can become better in my own end. I must get better at things like clearing the front of the net and using my stick.&rdquo;</p><p>Quinn would certainly like to see Kaberle make improvements in his own end, but he&rsquo;s no worse than any of the other Leafs&rsquo; defense-challenged rearguards, with the possible exception of Alexander Karpovtsev. Kaberle needs to be more assertive around his net and in the defensive comers. On the positive side of the ledger, Kaberle can lug the puck out of danger without turning it over better than any Leaf defenseman and makes outlet passes that most veterans would envy. He will never be as explosive as Berard would have been, but he&rsquo;ll also be much more reliable.</p><p>One thing Kaberle must do is shoot the puck more and he will likely get the chance to do that this year as he gains more time on the first power play unit. The only problem is the Leafs rely highly on the individual talents of their forwards with the extra man and prefer to set up behind the net rather than teeing up shots from the blueline. Kaberle finished last season tied with Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy and Jyrki Lumme for 16th in scoring among defensemen, but scored just seven goals on 82 shots. Among the top 16 scorers, the player with the next fewest shots was Teppo Numminen with 126.</p><p>There is another incentive for Kaberle to continue his progression this season. This will be the last full season before the 2002 Olympics and there&rsquo;s little doubt Kaberle will be a candidate for the Czech team. Richard Smehlik, Jaroslav Spacek Roman Hamrlik, Jiri Slegr and Petr Svoboda are likely locks for the team, which would leave Kaberle to battle the likes of Martin Skoula, Jiri Fischer, Pavel Kubina and Michal Rozsival for the No. 6 spot.</p><p>Kaberle has been a bonus for the Leafs both in the impact and timing of his emergence. Few teams thought he would play in the NHL back in 1996 or he would have gone a lot earlier than 204th overall.</p><p>&ldquo;You always hope your young fellows come along like that,&rdquo; Quinn said. &ldquo;We feel Tomas is a guy who will continue to get better. He didn&rsquo;t even have the sophomore jinx last year.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Curtis Joseph</p><p>2. Glenn Healy</p><p>3. Jimmy Waite</p><p>4. MikeMjnart &ldquo;</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Qmitry Yushkevich</p><p>2. Alex. Karpovtsev*</p><p>3. Tomas Kaberle &ldquo;</p><p>4. Danny Markov</p><p>5. Cory Cross</p><p>6. Dave Manson</p><p>7. Gerald Diduck</p><p>8. Petr Svoboda</p><p>9. Chris McAllister</p><p>10. Dmitri Yakushin</p><h3><b>LEFTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Sergei Berezin</p><p>2. Gary Roberts</p><p>3. Darcy Tucker</p><p>4. Shayne Corson</p><p>5. Adam Mair</p><p>6. Mikael Hakansson</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Mats Sundin</p><p>2. Yanic Perreault</p><p>3. Nik Antropov</p><p>4. Igor Korolev 2</p><p>5. Alyn McCauley</p><p>6. Donald MacLean*</p><h3><b>RIGHTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Steve Thomas</p><p>2. Dmitri Khristich</p><p>3. Jonas Hoglund</p><p>4. Tie Domi</p><p>5. Garry Valk</p><p>6. Jeff Farkas</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0264/8269734-1-eng-US/f0062-022.jpg" title="f0062-02" width="310" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Dmitri Khristich</b></figcaption></div><p>Injuries contributed to 30-point season, but he&rsquo;s healthy and must prove Leafs didn&rsquo;t err by trading for him.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0430/8269727-1-eng-US/f0062-042.jpg" title="f0062-04" width="565" height="313"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Toronto&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0518/8269720-1-eng-US/f0062-052.jpg" title="f0062-05" width="559" height="825"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0615/8269713-1-eng-US/f0062-062.jpg" title="f0062-06" width="553" height="106"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0712/8269706-1-eng-US/f0062-072.jpg" title="f0062-07" width="562" height="379"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0062-03

Kid becoming the man

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0341/8269814-1-eng-US/f0063-032.jpg" title="f0063-03" width="811" height="1551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mattias Ohlund was among league leaders in ice time last season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DALE MACMILLAN/BBS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-01106/8269821-1-eng-US/f0063-012.jpg" title="f0063-01" width="172" height="163"></div><p>For Mattias Ohlund, the eyes have it.</p><p>The Vancouver Canuck defenseman, now entering his fourth NHL campaign, nearly lost his right eye one year ago when he was struck by a deflected puck during a pre-season game in Ottawa.</p><p>At 23, his career was in jeopardy. Doctors told him to remain idle for two months in the hopes the blood and fluid in his eye would drain naturally.</p><p>But that did not happen. His vision did not clear and finally surgery was required. The operation took place in mid-November and was deemed a success. Ohlund then was given a new time line, one he had desperately wanted to hear. Within six weeks, he was told, he would likely be back in the lineup.</p><p>The doctors were bang on. On Jan. 7, Ohlund returned to the ice in a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars.</p><p>&ldquo;It was nice to be back,&rdquo; he said, understating the case. &ldquo;And even nicer to be part of a win.&rdquo;</p><p>Ohlund appeared in 42 games last season and played reasonably well, all things considered. He scored four times, collected 16 assists and finished at plus-6. Extrapolated over a full season, his numbers would have been career-highs.</p><p>He averaged 27:41 minutes per game, the fifth highest figure in the NHL, behind premier players Chris Pronger, Sergei Zubov, Niklas Lidstrom and Rob Blake. The statistic became more remarkable when Ohlund revealed the sight in his right eye had again deteriorated as a result of fluid build-up. He would require further surgery.</p><p>To his credit, Ohlund never used his eyetroubles as an excuse.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think the vision affected me,&rdquo; he said recently, reflecting on a season almost lost. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s nice going into the new season knowing it&rsquo;s not going to be a problem, Last year, I was concerned sometimes. Now the eye feels good.&rdquo;</p><p>Compounding Ohlund&rsquo;s problem last season was the fact he wasn&rsquo;t permitted to do any exercise for more than two months after the initial injury.</p><p>Understandably, his conditioning suffered. He lost weight and strength. At times, he thought his career was over.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year,&rdquo; he said ruefully, &ldquo;was a learning experience.&rdquo;</p><p>Ohlund is a key part of the team&rsquo;s building program. His ability to log big minutes, move the puck and man the point on the power play is unquestioned. He doesn&rsquo;t have high-end speed or a mean streak, but can occasionally lay on the big hit.</p><p>Along with Ed Jovanovski, the Swede is a cornerstone of the Canuck blueline and one of the team&rsquo;s young Hons. There is speculation he might even be named the team&rsquo;s new captain, succeeding Mark Messier.</p><p>The experience he has gained through three widely differing seasons should be a plus for both him and the Canucks.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s time for me to step up and play at a level I&rsquo;ve not been able to play at yet,&rdquo; said Ohlund, the Canucks&rsquo; first round pick (13th overall) in 1994.</p><p>&ldquo;I have to be more sohd and not have the really bad games. I&rsquo;ve had three years in the NHL and I think, if look back, I had a decent first year, the second was not so great and then I had last year.&rdquo;</p><p>The Canucks, needless to say, are counting heavily on the 6-foot-3, 220-pound native of Pitea, a small town in northern Sweden. GM Brian Burke is fond of pointing out the Canucks I missed the playoffs by only four points despite playing half the season &ldquo;with-out Matty Ohlund, our best defenseman.&rdquo;</p><p>The challenges ahead for Ohlund are obvious. First and foremost, he needs his surgically repaired eye to hold up and not become a hindrance. Then he needs to re-capture the form he had as a rookie, when he finished as runner-up to Boston&rsquo;s Sergei Samsonov for the Calder Trophy.</p><p>Back then, there was no pressure placed on Ohlund. The Canucks were a veteran team with Mark Messier, Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny and Trevor Linden to lead them.</p><p>Now that has all changed. Coach Marc Crawford predicts a big rebound year for Ohlund.</p><p>&ldquo;Mattias should be better,&rdquo; said Crawford. &ldquo;His vision isn&rsquo;t 100 per cent but, having had surgery, he feels much better about his game. Vision is such a big part of it when you play the game with as much awareness and thought as he does.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Felix Potvin</p><p>2. Bob Essensa</p><p>3. Corey Schwab</p><p>4. Alfie Michaud</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Mattias Ohlund</p><p>2. Ed Jovanovski</p><p>3. Adrian Aucoin</p><p>4. Murray Baron</p><p>5. Scott Lachance</p><p>6. Jason Strudwick</p><p>7. Greg Hawgood</p><p>8. Bryan Helmer</p><p>9. Brent Sopel</p><p>10. Zenith Komarniski</p><h3><b>LEFTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Todd Bertuzzi</p><p>2. Daniel Sedin</p><p>3. Donald Brashear*</p><p>4. Matt Cooke</p><p>5. Josh Holden</p><p>6. Steve Kariya</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Andrew Cassels</p><p>2. Brendan Morrison</p><p>3. Henrik Sedin</p><p>4. Harold Druken</p><p>5. Johan Davidsson</p><p>6. Artem Chubarov</p><h3><b>RIGHT WINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Markus Naslund</p><p>2. Peter Schaefer</p><p>3. Trent Klatt</p><p>4. Denis Pederson</p><p>5. Vadim Sharifijanov</p><p>6. GregLeeb</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0267/8269807-1-eng-US/f0063-022.jpg" title="f0063-02" width="322" height="427"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Brendan Morrison</b></figcaption></div><p>With no contract troubles and Mark Messier gone, he&rsquo;ll have lots of chances to improve on his seven-goal season.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0430/8269800-1-eng-US/f0063-042.jpg" title="f0063-04" width="562" height="307"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Vancouver&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0520/8269793-1-eng-US/f0063-052.jpg" title="f0063-05" width="565" height="831"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0617/8269786-1-eng-US/f0063-062.jpg" title="f0063-06" width="562" height="166"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0715/8269779-1-eng-US/f0063-072.jpg" title="f0063-07" width="562" height="382"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0063-03

Ohlund raising the bar

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0064-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0333/8269887-1-eng-US/f0064-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jeff Halpern grew up playing hockey in suburban Washington.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LISA MEYER/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-01104/8269894-1-eng-US/f0064-012.jpg" title="f0064-01" width="160" height="163"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he problem with trying to fit center Jeff Halpern into a slot is that nobody with the Washington Capitals is quite sure what they have on hand.</p><p>That he has potential is beyond question, but he already has reached levels nobody thought were within easy grasp and his star is still on an upward trajectory.</p><p>&ldquo;He works so hard that I can&rsquo;t not see him getting better because of his work ethic,&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson, who guided</p><p>Halpern&rsquo;s progression through the lines during his rookie season last year.</p><p>The Princeton University graduate, never drafted by an NHL team, played in 73 games as a rookie, scoring 18 goals including four shorthanded and 54 points. He also was the team&rsquo;s top scorer (two goals and three points in five games) in its short playoff appearance.</p><p>That is not what the original school of thought held for the 24-year-old. He worked his way onto the roster out of training camp and found a spot on the fourth line. The idea was to keep him around until burnout settled in-as it usually does when collegians get a taste of pro life and an 82-game schedule&mdash;and then ship him to the minors. But the bus left and Halpern wasn&rsquo;t on it.</p><p>&ldquo;He has a great base of skills,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an excellent skater, very strong on his feet, he has good hockey sense. You combine that with an incredible work ethic and a desire to improve and it puts him in a position where everybody&rsquo;s upside is.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see an end to his climb. I can&rsquo;t say right now that he&rsquo;s going to be a 20 or 25 goal scorer because I think he has the potential to do even better than that if he&rsquo;s put in the right position and given opportunity.&rdquo;</p><p>Halpern creates his own opportunities by being ready, willing and able. He went from the NHL playoffs straight to the World Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia in May. He took a week off after his return and then it was straight to the team training facility and he was still there trying to improve his strength and conditioning when training camp opened in early September.</p><p>&ldquo;His biggest challenge now is not to put too much pressure on himself,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;A guy that young gets 18 goals and he assumes he&rsquo;s going to get 25 the next season. He has to let his game develop naturally and the numbers will take care of themselves.</p><p>&ldquo;He has to concern himself with getting to know the league better, getting better in faceoffs so I can use him more in tight situations, absorbing some minutes and responsibilities from Adam Oates in close games.&rdquo;</p><p>Halpern, the first product of suburban Washington youth hockey leagues to make the NHL, is somewhat awed by what goes on around him, as if needing to pinch himself occasionally to ensure being where he is is not a dream. He patterns himself, not after a superstar, rather Colorado&rsquo;s Chris Drury, the Boston University alum whom Halpern calls &ldquo;a skilled grinder.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;The only way I can have any success is if I play like I&rsquo;m at 100 miles an hour all the time,&rdquo; Halpern said. &ldquo;Going into last season I didn&rsquo;t know where I stood; going into this season I feel I have a spot. At least knowing that I belong, knowing where I need to be, I think that helped going into this year.&rdquo;</p><p>He now admits that as late as three weeks before the end of the regular season he arrived for practice every day with knots in his stomach, fearing he would be cut.</p><p>Injuries to other players helped his movement up through the lines, but proving he could handle the added responsibility cemented his promotions.</p><p>Wilson has used Halpern in all situations-penalty killing, where he excels, the power play, 4-on-4 and full strength.</p><p>&ldquo;I see Jeff as a solid second line center, a guy who can contribute 50-60 points with the ability to play in all situations and I expect he&rsquo;ll do at least that,&rdquo; Wilson said.</p><p>As the season nears, the Caps have only two centers with much NHL experience-Oates, the firmly entrenched No. 1, and Andrei Nikolishin, who specializes in heading a tough checking unit that defends against the opposition&rsquo;s best</p><p>With Jan Bulis recuperating from shoulder surgery and a restricted free agent as training camp opened, that leaves the road open for Halpern to move his line with Steve Konowalchuk and Ulf Dahlen into the second spot behind the Oates line.</p><h2><b>DEPTH CHART</b></h2><h3><b>GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Olie Kolzig</p><p>2. Craig Billington</p><p>3. S. Charpentier</p><p>4. C. Cruickshank</p><h3><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Sergei Gonchar*</p><p>2. Calle Johnasson</p><p>3. Brendan Witt</p><p>4. Ken Klee</p><p>5. Sylvain Cote</p><p>6. Joe Reekie</p><p>7. Dmitri Mironov</p><p>8. Alexei Tezikov</p><p>9. Rob Zettler</p><p>10. Mike Farrell</p><h3><b>LEFTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Chis Simon*</p><p>2. Steve Konowalchuk</p><p>3. Joe Murphy</p><p>4. James Black</p><p>5. Criig Berube</p><p>6. Terry Yake</p><h3><b>CENTERS</b></h3><p>1. Adam Oates</p><p>2. Jan Bulis*</p><p>3. Jeff Halpern</p><p>4. Andrei Nikolishin</p><p>5. Kris Beech</p><p>6. Michal Sivek</p><h3><b>RIGHTWINGERS</b></h3><p>1. Peter Bondra</p><p>2. Richard Zednik</p><p>3. Ulf Dahlen</p><p>4. Joe Sacco</p><p>5. Glen Metropolit</p><p>6. Trent Whitfield</p><p>* Restricted free agent</p><h2><b>REBOUND PLAYER</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0267/8269880-1-eng-US/f0064-022.jpg" title="f0064-02" width="310" height="424"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ulf Dahlen</b></figcaption></div><p>Experienced winger now in the best shape of his career, with something to prove following down season.</p><h2><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0425/8269873-1-eng-US/f0064-042.jpg" title="f0064-04" width="556" height="310"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 VETERANS&rsquo;SCORING</b></h2><p>Here are Washington&rsquo;s top 24 NHL veterans listed in order of 1999-2000 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1999-2000 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 2000-01 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0518/8269866-1-eng-US/f0064-052.jpg" title="f0064-05" width="562" height="819"></div><h2><b>&rsquo;99-00 GOALIE RECORDS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0614/8269859-1-eng-US/f0064-062.jpg" title="f0064-06" width="562" height="121"></div><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0710/8269852-1-eng-US/f0064-072.jpg" title="f0064-07" width="559" height="379"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0064-03

Grinder with skills

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0065-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-01117/8269974-1-eng-US/f0065-012.jpg"></div><h2><b>1999-2000 FINAL STANDINGS</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span>P</b>-games played; <b>W</b>-wins; <b>L</b>-losses; <b>T</b>-ties; <b>RT</b>-regulation ties; <b>GF</b>-goals for; <b>GA</b>-goals against; Diff.-difference between goals for and against; <b>P</b>-points; <b>Pct</b>.- percentage of actual points versus possible points. The top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0289/8269967-1-eng-US/f0065-022.jpg" title="f0065-02" width="1288" height="1060"></div><h2><b>2000-01 PRE-SEASON</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0363/8269960-1-eng-US/f0065-032.jpg" title="f0065-03" width="496" height="2163"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0448/8269953-1-eng-US/f0065-042.jpg" title="f0065-04" width="496" height="2178"></div><h2><b>TEAM PENALTIES</b></h2><p><b>PIM&mdash;</b>total penalty minutes including <b>BMI&mdash;</b>bench penalty minutes; <b>Avg.&mdash;</b>average penalty minutes per game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0532/8269946-1-eng-US/f0065-052.jpg" title="f0065-05" width="988" height="472"></div><h2><b>PENALTY KILLING</b></h2><p><b>TSH-</b>total times shortbandod; <b>PGA-</b>power-play goals allowed; <b>Pct.&mdash;</b>penalty-killing percentage</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0625/8269939-1-eng-US/f0065-062.jpg" title="f0065-06" width="994" height="481"></div><h2><b>POWER PLAY</b></h2><p><b>Adv-</b>total advantages; <b>PPG-</b>power-play goals; <b>Pct.-</b>power-play goals divided by total advantages.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0711/8269932-1-eng-US/f0065-072.jpg" title="f0065-07" width="1006" height="475"></div><h2><b>1999-2000 PLAYOFFS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0810/8269925-1-eng-US/f0065-082.jpg" title="f0065-08" width="667" height="2112"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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October 1, 2000

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2000-01 NHL SCHEDULE

Slick moves of Maxim

The Comeback Kid