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

December 7, 2001

The Hockey News December 7, 2001

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01266/7060389-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0046-01

IN THIS ISSUE

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Rob Tychkowski</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03361/7058877-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="223" height="248"></div>Ryan Smyth was playing the best hockey of his career and the Edmonton Oilers were off to their best start in a decade.In a season that was supposed to be an 82-game swan dive without Doug Weight centering the No. 1 line, everything was perfect. For 20 games at least.In Game 21, paradise was lost. Smyth slammed awkwardly into the end boards during his first shift of a Nov. 16 game with Chicago and will be out for at least two months with a broken ankle. The injury puts a serious kink into Smyth&rsquo;s bid to make the Canadian Olympic team.The Oilers were rolling at the time (they earned at least one point in nine of their previous 10 games) and Smyth was leading the charge, so the injury hit all of them like a punch in the stomach. Smyth was understandably devastated, but is now making a determined effort to stay positive.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough thing to swallow, but I feel not too bad for the circumstances,&rdquo; said Smyth, who had surgery just hours after the accident, said. &ldquo;Obviously, it&rsquo;s a bad blow and a bad break. I have to keep a positive attitude about it.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Tommy Salo, G. Ryan Smyth and Anson Carter had great starts, but Salo was the undisputed MVP. He was a workhorse, playing in 22 of Edmonton&rsquo;s first 24 games, posting a 1.98 GAA and.929 save percentage. On an early November road trip, the Oilers only scored six goals in the first four games, but still came away with six of a possible eight points (Salo had two shutouts, a 1-0 OT loss and a 1-1 tie).ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Jochen Hecht, LW. With Ryan Smyth out, the Oilers will have to rely on scoring depth more than ever. That means their second line will have to pick up some slack. Hecht got off to a decent start with six goals and 13 points in 22 games and will be counted on more than ever to produce.NOTEBOOK Edmonton&rsquo;s first home game following left winger Ryan Smyth&rsquo;s surgery also marked center Doug Weight&rsquo;s return to Edmonton. The Oilers blanked St. Louis 20. Weight received a warm ovation to start the game, but was booed every time he touched the puck&hellip;One of the first players to call Smyth and express his concern was former Oiler and NHL public enemy Bryan Marchment. &#9632;

f0025-03

NHL TEAM REPORTS

Ankle injury derails Smyth’s great year

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011110/7058715-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="214" height="247"></div>When it comes to underrated all-around players, Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; coach Brian Sutter puts Alex Zhamnov near the top of his list.Zhamnov&rsquo;s skill, work ethic and leadership abilities were all on display in the Hawks&rsquo; 12-74-0 start.&ldquo;One thing I can tell you is I&rsquo;ve never met a harder-working individual or a classier person than Alex Zhamnov,&rdquo; Sutter said.Zhamnov was on a point-a-game pace with 23 points in 23 games, centering the Hawks&rsquo; top line with Tony Amonte and Kyle Calder, but Sutter says that was only telling half the story.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a vital cog in our offense, but we use him in a much different role than other people use their top centerman,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;His line always plays against (the opposition&rsquo;s) top people. Your checking line isn&rsquo;t supposed to be the line where you have your top scoring guy, but we count on him to do both.&ldquo;Bryan Trottier was that way. He was one of the leading scorers in the league and it was always his job to shut down the other team&rsquo;s top center.&rdquo;Zhamnov, who has never played in a playoff game in five-plus seasons in Chicago, knows defense comes first.&ldquo;My main focus is for the team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if I don&rsquo;t have any points for 10 straight games as long as we win every one of these games.&ldquo;I believe we have a great team here and we&rsquo;re just getting started.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Jocelyn Thibault, G. The Hawks needed a good start from the veteran and they got it. Thibault, who started 22 of the first 23 games, was making the important saves when they were needed, especially at home where he started 9-0-2.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Steve Sullivan, RW. After scoring 34 goals, 75 points and earning a new three-year, $9-million contract last season, Sullivan broke out of the gate slowly this year. It&rsquo;s not that Sullivan was playing poorly. He had 15 points after 23 games, but only five goals. By his own admission he wasn&rsquo;t shooting enough and was too often looking to make the perfect play with linemate Michael Nylander.NOTEBOOK Left winger Steve Thomas broke his left ankle blocking a Derek Morris shot Nov. 15 at Calgary and was expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks. &#9632;

f0020-01

Versatile Zhamnov earns lofty praise

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01301/7060441-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="298" height="374"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Brophy Senior Writer</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s not about making the Canadian Olympic team. It&rsquo;s not about being the No. 1 center for the Boston Bruins. And it&rsquo;s not about his ongoing quest to become one of the most productive players in the NHL.For Joe Thornton, the 2001-02 season is about one thing and one thing only:&ldquo;My only goal coming into the season was to make the playoffs,&rdquo; Thornton said. &ldquo;I mean that. We&rsquo;ve been out for two years now and that&rsquo;s when all the fun takes place. I couldn&rsquo;t stand the thought of not being in the playoffs a third straight year.&rdquo; For Thornton, 22, everything else will take care of itself. The playoffs? Well, that&rsquo;s something he has a little say in. Though Robbie Ftorek likes to divide the playing time among his forwards fairly evenly, at least on the top three lines, there&rsquo;s no doubt Thornton is the player being counted on for offense, even if the new coach won&rsquo;t say as much.Surprisingly, Ftorek said there&rsquo;s no pressure on Thornton to be the man.&ldquo;If he was on the ice by himself, then there would be pressure,&rdquo; Ftorek said. &ldquo;But we usually have five other guys out there with him. He&rsquo;s not a go-to guy. He&rsquo;s just one of our players.&rdquo;Keep in mind, this is the same guy who claimed Wayne Gretzky was &ldquo;just another player&rdquo; when he coached the guy the rest of the world calls &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; in Los Angeles.Ftorek&rsquo;s ramblings aside, Thornton is more than just another player. He&rsquo;s the future of the Boston Bruins, a player who is very close to being able to set the pace of a game. Let him stop scoring and have the team go into a nosedive and we&rsquo;ll see who faces the most heat. The fact is, Thornton, along with left winger Sergei Samsonov-one of the game&rsquo;s speediest stars who can handle the puck with the best of them-and right winger Martin Lapointe, the highest-paid grinder in the league, form one of the NHL&rsquo;s best new lines.With Jason Allison, the NHL&rsquo;s fourthleading scorer last season, out of the way-he was traded to Los Angeles Oct. 24 after failing to come to terms on a new deal with the Bruins-Thornton must take the next step in his development.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02201/7060434-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="1542" height="1366"><figcaption class="caption-body">He&rsquo;s big, fast and only 22&ndash;and Boston&rsquo;s Joe Thornton just keeps getting better.</figcaption></div>The No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NHL entry draft improved in each of his first four seasons, climbing from three goals and seven points as an 18-year-old, to 16 and 41 as a sophomore, 23 and 60 in Year 3 and then 37 goals and 71 points last season. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he&rsquo;s one of the game&rsquo;s most imposing forwards. When you tack on his considerable speed, it isn&rsquo;t hard to imagine him reaching the 40-goal, 100-point mark this year, though it would mean he has to pick up the pace a bit. With eight goals and 22 points through 21 games, he was on pace for 31 goals and 86 points.Call them the new-look Bruins. Allison was sent packing. Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel were brought back. Lapointe was signed as a free agent, as was Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, a hard-nosed defender, and versatile pivot Rob Zamuner. Goalie Byron Dafoe is healthy again. With 10 wins and 25 points in 21 games, the Bruins-in sixth place in the East as of Nov. 22-appear headed back to the playoffs.A lot, though, still hinges on how Thornton performs. Ftorek said he had an idea of what type of player Thornton was, but there were also a few surprises.&ldquo;I obviously knew he was a big kid, but I didn&rsquo;t realize how much speed he has,&rdquo; Ftorek said. &ldquo;And I didn&rsquo;t realize how young he is.&rdquo;Huh?&ldquo;What I mean is, there are a lot of areas he can improve in,&rdquo; Ftorek continued.&ldquo;Sometimes he needs to go to the net more. He and (Samsonov) like to cycle, but there are times when they need to break out of the cycle and go to the net. Sometimes they like to beat the same guy twice. Also, he could use a little more restraint. He gets excited at times, physically, when he shouldn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;Herein lies a conflict for Thornton. Mike Keenan, the Bruins&rsquo; coach last season, pushed Thornton to play on the edge, to use his size and strength to his advantage. It&rsquo;s tough to argue with the results.Thornton has a message for everybody and it goes like this: I am what I am.&ldquo;Once the game starts and the puck drops, I&rsquo;m in my own world,&rdquo; Thornton said.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m comfortable with the way I&rsquo;m playing. And I&rsquo;m comfortable with the role our line plays. We know when we&rsquo;re on the ice we&rsquo;re expected to score. That&rsquo;s the bottom line.&rdquo;<h2>Time on Joe&rsquo;s side</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03154/7060427-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="230" height="227"></div>This is the first NHL season that fifth-year center Joe Thornton hasn&rsquo;t seen an increase in his ice time.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04108/7060420-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="678" height="272"></div> &#9632;

f0047-01

OVERTIME

Thornton: No. 1 with a mission

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01965/7060510-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>Why Detroit&rsquo;s golden oldies are rocking the NHLLINDROS PROVING RANGERS RIGHTNO ROY? WHAT NOW FOR CANADA?2001 HOLIDAY BOOK SPECIALTWIN SLUMPS FOR SEDINS<a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> &#9632;

Cover-01

RED-HOT WINGS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011715/7057707-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Knuble and Bill Guerin celebrate a goal-den moment in Boston, where the Bruins were to a terrific 8-2-0-2 start. But the B&rsquo;s had just two wins in nine road games.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0003-01

What’s Bruin?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021371/7057738-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="295" height="350"><figcaption class="caption-body">Editor&rsquo;s NotebookJason Kay Managing Editor</figcaption></div>With a little more than 25 per cent of the results in, The Hockey News decision desk is ready to declare a winner: the fans.Like a cruise on the Love Boat, the exciting and new is capturing our imaginations in 2001-02. Names such as Jarome Iginla and Jeff O&rsquo;Neill grace the top of the scoring race; teams such as Calgary, Chicago, the Islanders and Rangers are giving their supporters reason to believe this year, finally, will be different.Of course, even Captain Stubing encountered rough seas periodically. With that in mind, here are some random snapshots and cheapshots through the quarter pole.&#9633; Contraction excitement belongs in delivery rooms, not NHL boardrooms. The argument that the league is as watered down as American beer has no basis in fact. The talent gap between the NHL&rsquo;s top-and low-end players is at its narrowest point ever, thanks in large part to the influx of Europeans. The result, this year, is a season that is much more about parity than parody.&#9633; Alberta has introduced a lottery to benefit the Flames and Oilers. It&rsquo;s called Scratch & Win. Sounds curiously like a Mike Keenan coaching strategy.&#9633; Players we miss: Saku Koivu, Peter Forsberg, Ray Bourque. Milan Heiduk.&#9633; Based on play through the first 20 games, Larry Pleau-GM of the St. Louis Blues and U.S. Olympic team&ndash;is in a slump as far as goalie decisions are concerned. One of the most respected minds in the game, Pleau has witnessed from afar the rise of the Roman (Turek) empire in Calgary after unloading the netminder in the off-season. Simultaneously, he has seen Mike Dunham fall from No. 1 on the Team USA depth chart to No. 4. The problem is, Dunham has already been named to the team. Consequently, one of the three Yankee goalies having superior seasons to Dunham-Mike Richter, Tom Barrasso and Brian Boucher-won&rsquo;t be invited to Salt Lake.&#9633; Keith Primeau, Jason Allison, Scott Gomez, Vincent Lecavalier and other slumping ice Picasso&rsquo;s are still works of art, only this year they&rsquo;re Venus de Milos. You know, the statue with no hands.&#9633; Inflated payroll aside, the success the Rangers are enjoying is significant. After all, it wasn&rsquo;t long ago the Blueshirts had as many candidates for a hospital wing as right wing.&#9633; Before the season started, everyone wanted to know who, in Jaromir Jagr&rsquo;s absence, would most frequently play with Mario Lemieux. So far, it has been his young son, Austin. &#9632;

f0003-02

It’s a more riveting start thanks to new & improved

<div class="byline">-Denis Gibbons</div>Never a player to be squeamish, Bill Gadsby admits he was shocked when he saw Tim Horton lying on the ice at Maple Leaf Gardens with blood oozing from his mouth and ears.&ldquo;It scared the livin&rsquo; hell out of me,&rdquo; Gadsby said. &ldquo;I thought the guy was dead.&rdquo;Horton suffered a broken jaw and broken leg as a result of the thundering Gadsby bodycheck in the 1955-56 season. Horton recovered and went on to win four Stanley Cups with Toronto.In 20 seasons with Chicago, the New York Rangers and Detroit, Gadsby earned three first-and four second-team all-star selections and was runner-up for the Norris Trophy in 1956, &rsquo;58 and &rsquo;59. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970, he was No. 99 on THN&rsquo;s survey of the top 100 NHLers of alltime, published in 1997. He scored 130 goals and 568 points in 1,248 games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011702/7057769-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="245" height="292"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Gadsby</figcaption></div>After retiring as a player, Gadsby coached Detroit for one-plus season, then was a salesman for a crane rental company for 17 years and operated his own hockey school for another 15.Now 74, he lives in Southfield, Mich., a suburb of Detroit, and often is a guest on Wings&rsquo; telecasts at playoff time. &#9632;

f0004-01

DEPARTMENTS

Gadsby’s hit on Horton one of hardest of all-time

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011654/7057831-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrick Roy 1998 Olympics</figcaption></div>So Patrick Roy has decided to pass on a golden opportunity. He&rsquo;s not alone.Russians Sergei Fedorov, Sergei Zubov and Alexander Mogilny beat the Colorado goalie to the punch in stating they weren&rsquo;t interested in competing at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.Canadian hockey fans likely licked their chops at the notion of three of Russia&rsquo;s best players not going to the Olympics, but one of their own? Ouch.Roy&rsquo;s announcement Nov. 21 was met with both shock and dismay in a country that serves frozen pucks for breakfast. Roy reportedly informed Team Canada officials of his intention more than a week before going public.Roy said he simply wants to rest for the playoffs during the Olympic break. But his decision certainly left some people speculating on some ulterior motives, including:&#9633; Is it because he wasn&rsquo;t named Canada&rsquo;s starter?&#9633; Is it because he has done so much he doesn&rsquo;t need a shot at Olympic gold to feel complete?&#9633; Is he just another rich, spoiled athlete who has forgotten the significance of representing his country?&#9633; Is he afraid of terrorist attacks on Salt Lake City?&#9633; Is he feeling burned out after a short off-season and a slow start for his team?Whatever the case, it was Roy&rsquo;s decision to make, whether Canadians like it or not.It does beg a question, however: Isn&rsquo;t the NHL taking a two-week break so its best players can go to the Olympics, not take a mid-season vacation? Because surely, with his awesome resume, Roy was the leading contender to be Canada&rsquo;s No. 1.His absence opens the door for a new hero to emerge. Some believe Toronto&rsquo;s Curtis Joseph is Canada&rsquo;s starter, Roy or no Roy-remember, Maple Leafs&rsquo; coach Pat Quinn is also Canada&rsquo;s coach.New Jersey&rsquo;s Martin Brodeur had said he wouldn&rsquo;t go if he was going to be relegated to No. 3. That shouldn&rsquo;t be a factor now.Ed Belfour of Dallas, Florida&rsquo;s Roberto Luongo and Phoenix&rsquo;s Sean Burke also see their chances improve with Roy&rsquo;s absence.How will Roy&rsquo;s decision be remembered? That depends on how Canada does in Salt Lake. Keep in mind, though, there are still those who have never forgiven Ray Bourque for skipping the 1996 World Cup, which Canada lost to the U.S. &#9632;

f0005-01

FEATURES

Canada needs No. 1 after Roy pulls out

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03768/7057869-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="556" height="459"></div>What a difference a year makes, at least in the NHL&rsquo;s scoring race. Only five players who were in the top 25 in the league through the first quarter of last season were also among this year&rsquo;s leaders. Detroit&rsquo;s Brendan Shanahan and Sergei Fedorov, the Rangers&rsquo; Theoren Fleury, Edmonton&rsquo;s Ryan Smyth-who&rsquo;s out with a broken ankle-and St. Louis&rsquo; Keith Tkachuk were the only back-to-back threats. Washington&rsquo;s Jaromir Jagr, meanwhile, the four-time defending Art Ross champ, was 10th a year ago, but down in 92nd place as of Nov. 22.NO FIXED ADDRESS Quick, without peeking, name the NHL teams for which these journeymen play: Dan Bylsma, Rob DiMaio, Nolan Pratt and Mike Sullivan. Answers at bottom of page&hellip;At the 1998 NHL entry draft, ex-Flyer-intimidator-turned-agent Andre &lsquo;Moose&rsquo; Dupont grew exasperated when his client was continually passed over. Dupont finally approached the Flyers&rsquo; table and yelled,&rdquo;Pick Bruno St. Jacques!&rdquo; Sure enough, Philadelphia did, selecting the defenseman 253rd overall. He made his NHL debut Nov. 17 against New Jersey, but lasted only 22 minutes after taking a puck in the face&hellip;Picture this: In the St. Louis media guide, Chris Pronger says the coolest thing in his room growing up was an Al MacInnis poster&hellip;Answers to &lsquo;No Fixed Address&rsquo;: Anaheim, Dallas, Tampa Bay and Phoenix.<h2>Olympic Watch</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021190/7057876-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="161" height="85"></div>Fifteen of 23 berthsfor Team Canada are still open, while eight of 23 remain up forgrabsfor Team USA. Here&rsquo;s a progress report on some of the North American candidates vyingfor spots. Arrows indicate whether a player is helping or hurting his chances based on this year&rsquo;s performance.<h2>Canada</h2><h2>United States</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04468/7057862-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="561" height="456"></div> &#9632;

f0005-03

THN ONE-TIMERS

<div class="byline">BY TOM WHEATLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011839/7057907-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div>Never mind a goalie standing on his head. After 20 games, this is shaping up as the most upside-down NHL season in memory.In the standings, the last have become first and vice versa. Or nearly so.Money still talks, but often not intelligibly.Not even heightened airport security can identify many of today&rsquo;s stars.And many stars of yesteryear have dropped too low for detection by the most sophisticated radar.Across the continent, owners, managers, coaches and fans are wondering if they are dreaming, having a nightmare or just plain hallucinating.It&rsquo;s time for a temperature check. And THN has the thermometer reading on what&rsquo;s hot and what&rsquo;s not in this 2001-2002 season: &#9632;

f0006-01

What’s Hot What’s Not

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021252/7057959-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg"></div><h2>Best of the Hockey World</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03751/7057952-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="370" height="628"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brendan Shanahan</figcaption></div><h2>Worst of the Hockey World</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04457/7057945-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="1088" height="448"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05360/7057938-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="369" height="626"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jason Wiemer</figcaption></div>For Mike Brophy&rsquo;s daily Cheers & Jeers visit <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> &#9632;

f0006-02

PLUS MINUS

Colin Campbell, the NHL&rsquo;s disciplinarian, should start kicking out repeat offenders-for good.Guys such as San Jose&rsquo;s Bryan Marchment know how to play the game and play it tough, but they don&rsquo;t seem to know when to stop before doing something dangerous. And then there&rsquo;s players such as Toronto&rsquo;s Tie Domi, who market themselves as tough guys. Yet I remember Domi selling autographed pictures of himself sucker-punching Ulf Samuelsson.These players are poor influences on the younger guys in the league. It&rsquo;s the macho mentality that allows this crap to continue. Players need to respect each other more. If there was a three-strike rule in effect, you&rsquo;d see fewer injuries and fewer goons.Brian Boake,&nbsp; Victoria, B.C.<h2>Cherry picking</h2>Is anybody out there watching Hockey Night In Canada? Something is terribly wrong, but no one has denounced the atrocity.How can Canada&rsquo;s otherwise professional and world-class public TV broadcaster, the CBC, continue to allow Don Cherry to voice his moronic and prejudiced comments every Saturday night?The influence he exerts on kids and coaches by preaching violence is immeasurable in terms of how far back he has set Canada&rsquo;s hockey program. Cherry wouldn&rsquo;t last a week on an American network. It&rsquo;s a disgrace his prehistoric attitude is tolerated, all in the name of viewer ratings. Shame on CBC and HNIC for keeping Cherry on the air.Jean-Pierre Allard,&nbsp; Orleans, Ont.<h2>Fighting part of game</h2>If you don&rsquo;t like violence, stop watching hockey!It&rsquo;s a contact sport; tempers are going to flare. Something happens, two players duke it out and then it&rsquo;s over with. It&rsquo;s a matter of respect. If unchallenged, opponents will take liberties. Slashes, cross-checks, high sticks, elbows&hellip;you name it.Hockey players sometimes have to stand up for themselves and fight. It&rsquo;s part of the game.Joshua Masters,&nbsp; Aurora, Colo. &#9632;

No room for repeat offenders

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011732/7058014-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0008-01

Elston

It was a sad day for Vancouver in 1998 When Trevor Linden was traded. But it&rsquo;s great now that he&rsquo;s back. Linden has lots to offer, especially on a young team like the Canucks. His leadership and example will prove invaluable.Ivan Matkovic,&nbsp; Victoria, B.C.Why are the Flyers shelving their orange road jerseys in favor of making their black &ldquo;third&rdquo; jerseys their official away uniform? Their road orange was classic and traditional; shame on them for moving away from history.Bobby Bartolomeo, Chesapeake, Va.Trading Jaromir Jagr, the &ldquo;best player in the world,&rdquo; to a conference rival: Painful. Watching him wallow in Washington: Priceless!James Altman, Imperial, Pa.Who&rsquo;s going to be Boston&rsquo;s captain? I think it should be Joe Thornton because he&rsquo;s the Brums&rsquo; best forward, plays with fire and carries himself like a leader. (See pg. 47 for more on Thornton.)Jordan Tremblay, Iroquois Falls, Ont.How can the The Hockey News not list goalie Tom Barrasso as an Olympic candidate? I hope for Team USA&rsquo;s sake that GM Craig Patrick and coach Herb Brooks have been watching his remarkable play in Carolina.David Pawlowski, South Park, Pa.<h2>READERS&rsquo; ONE-TIMERS</h2>This is your place for quick comments on current hockey events. Reader&rsquo;s One-Timers accepts opinions of 60 words or less, so please be concise. &#9632;

Leader Linden back where he belongs

The San Jose Sharks are again right at the top of the Pacific Division, but they won&rsquo;t make the same mistakes they made last year.If the Sharks can stay healthy, they&rsquo;ll skate away with not only the division banner, but the Western Conference title as well. The Stars are on their backs seeing stars, the Avs buried themselves with a slow start and St. Louis will be singing the blues-when the Sharks take a bite out of them (and every other team in the NHL).Adam Morton, New Glasgow, N.S.<h2>Turn page on past, Clarke</h2>I&rsquo;ve been sitting back watching the Philadelphia Flyers-Eric Lindros saga for two years.It seems to me that one man has let it all get the best of him. That man, of course, is Flyers&rsquo; GM Bobby Clarke. The more he tries to explain his side of it the more, the more it seems everyone in hockey tunes him out!Let it go! Move on! Everyone else has, especially Lindros. The longer you drag this out, the worse it is for you and the Flyers.Michael McCartney, Lawrenceville, Ga.<h2>Fans want cake, not icing</h2>I find there&rsquo;s usually little flow to the NHL game and many interruptions are due to icings.One way to curb the frequent and often deliberate icings would be to give the guilty team a minor penalty after every second or third infraction. This way, the fans would have less icing and more cake!Peter Berg, Kanata, Ont.<h2>Small state big on hockey</h2>As a Rhode Island native who&rsquo;s proud of the state&rsquo;s hockey tradition and contribution to the NHL, I must point out there are four-not three!-Rhode Islanders in the NHL.Defensemen Keith Carney, Bryan Berard and Jeff Jillson and goalie Brian Boucher were all born on Rhode Island, while Mathieu Schneider and Garth Snow played high school hockey there. Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the U.S., but it has a big hockey tradition.Len Hathaway, Alpharetta, Ga.<h2>Got something to say?</h2>MAIL: U.S.A.: Letters, THN, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y, 14240-9947.Canada: Letters, THN, 25 Sheppard Ave. W, Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7E-MAIL:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mccaigs@transcontinental.ca">mccaigs@transcontinental.ca</a> or visit <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a>. Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number. Submissions will be edited. &#9632;

Best in West? San Jose

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011639/7058100-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="315" height="371"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg Columnist</figcaption></div>His head, clearly, is fine. If it wasn&rsquo;t, Eric Lindros would have made himself dizzy by now from all the cycling and recycling of the puck being done by he, Theoren Fleury and Mike York.Round and round they go, leaving centers bouncing off the huge Lindros, defensemen being hornswog-gled by the slick York, wingers losing races off the boards to Fleury. For seeming hours at a time, the puck keeps moving from one member to another as opponents spiral ever downward and out of control towards another goal or penalty.The centrifugal forces have lifted the Rangers to the top of the Atlantic Division and the fans from a halfdecade snooze. &ldquo;Eric is dominating, no other way to describe it,&rdquo; said Mark Messier. &ldquo;That line is as good as there is now.&rdquo;In nine games, Lindros, Fleury and York scored 18 goals. That&rsquo;s one indication reports of Lindros&rsquo; demise are premature, another being that nobody at Madison Square Garden is chanting for the head of Glen Sather or expecting the head of Lindros to roll off at any second.He has taken some shots-not just verbal ones when Bob Clarke came to town with his Flyers-from sticks and elbows to the chin, face and forehead. The bomb in Lindros&rsquo; skull nevertheless hasn&rsquo;t gone off.Instead, the Rangers ran up points in nine straight games, which considering they haven&rsquo;t made the playoffs in four years, is almost as crazy as some people thought Lindros was for coming back or Sather seemed for investing in a player who has suffered six concussions, even though it was the Flyers who took the bigger gamble.&ldquo;We knew Lindros was the best player in the deal and if it works out, we probably got the short end,&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;How are you going to get a player of equal value for him?&rdquo;More than that, how do you put a tag on what a healthy Lindros will mean to an anchor franchise of the NHL that had almost fallen off the media capital&rsquo;s sporting map? Certainly, a bona-fide, team-carrying, ruggedly-handsome star would appraise far higher than a combination of Kim Johnsson, who has been a nice fit for the Flyer defense; Jan Hlavac, who has only 20-goal hands to go with his 40-goal speed; and Pavel Brendl, who to this point of his career has proved to be lazy. Lindros, not Jaromir Jagr, was Sather&rsquo;s better and safer playOnly Brendl has the potential to cause the Rangers any lasting regret. We will light a candle for the Flyers on that one while they experiment with the proper incendiary devices to fire up the 20-year-old&rsquo;s soul. The package Sather traded was especially affordable for a rundown franchise thin on the low-paid and promising players Pittsburgh wanted for Jagr.A combination including Radek Dvorak, the Rangers best young player, could have gotten Craig Patrick to talk, but how would that have put Sather ahead? The Pens&rsquo; GM had no interest in York, making Sather a lucky guy to have been turned down, as it turns out.It should not be forgotten that the oft-concussed Pat LaFontaine stayed upright for more than a year before his career ended in teammate Mike Keane&rsquo;s shoulder. The longer Lindros goes without a seventh concussion, the better, but he&rsquo;ll always be at higher risk.Then again, another blow to the head wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily mean it&rsquo;s over, either. So far, Lindros is keeping his answers even shorter than his 5-foot-9 (York) and 5-foot-6 (Fleury) linemates.&lsquo;Things are working out fine,&rsquo; is about all Lindros says-not that he feared they wouldn&rsquo;t or had anything to prove to Clarke, teammates, or New York fans who thought the 28-year-old with the ticking brain and meddlesome parents brought too much baggage to be worth unpacking.When Lindros&rsquo; hat trick against Atlanta brought his NHL total to 300, he managed to make it sound like 30. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always nice to score goals,&rdquo; he said.The stone face creases only on ice, the growing warmth of the Garden loyalists and hypocrites increasingly melting Lindros down to bursts of actual animation.&ldquo;Actually, he has been having fun with us from the start,&rdquo; Fleury said.The gossip pages place Lindros where the beautiful people are, dancing on a tabletop alongside Messier.Meanwhile, jigs are up in the Garden&rsquo;s aisles as Lindros&rsquo; rust slides off.&ldquo;It was a long warmup period and he has won the fans over with his play,&rdquo; said coach Ron Low. &ldquo;We thought his timing and hands would be off for a while and now we&rsquo;re seeing the one-timers and the awesome shot. He&rsquo;s a complete package.&rdquo;It beats being damaged goods, to be sure.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021145/7058093-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="3339" height="3858"><figcaption class="caption-body">Power Ranger&nbsp;Concussion-prone Eric Lindros has stayed healthy all season and teamed with pint-sized linemates Theo Fleury and Mike York to bring sluggish New York fans out of their seats.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0009-01

COLUMN

Probation is over: Lindros a favorite

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy, Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021252/7058131-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Old & The Beautiful Free agent signee Luc Robitaille fits right in with Detroit. The 35-year-old scored his 600th NHL goal this season, joining fellow veteran Red Wings Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman at that plateau.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011706/7058138-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="183" height="190"></div>You could say the Calgary Flames are the story of the first quarter of the season and nobody would bat an eye.The Flames, who have been inspired by Jarome Iginla&rsquo;s scoring heroics and goalie Roman Turek&rsquo;s nightly clinics, are challenging for top spot in the Western Conference and would easily be the biggest news of the first quarter, if not for&hellip;The Chicago Blackhawks. They sign a No. 4 defenseman (Jon Klemm), an over-the-hill winger (Steve Thomas), one of last year&rsquo;s big busts (Igor Korolev) and a coach who spent last winter at home on the farm (Brian Sutter). But all the moves have paid dividends. Going undefeated in their first 11 home games surely would make them the hot topic of the first quarter, except for&hellip;The New York Islanders. GM Mike Milbury pulled the team out of the abyss he helped create by bringing in veterans Alexei Yashin, Michael Peca, Chris Osgood and Adrian Aucoin. A franchise that hasn&rsquo;t been to the playoffs since Wayne Gretzky captured his last scoring title is thriving again&hellip;finally.And yet, even the Islanders aren&rsquo;t the story of the first quarter.No, the real story is the Detroit Red Wings. In the last 12 years, the Wings have won eight division titles and finished second four times. In two of the years they finished second, they won the Stanley Cup.But Detroit is coming off a disappointing 2000-01 campaign. After winning the Central Division last season, the Wings were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the upstart Los Angeles Kings. So what did the aging team do? Dump their veterans in favor of a youth movement? Uh, no. Rather, they imported three oldies-but-goodies in 36-year-old netminder Dominik Hasek and veteran snipers Brett Hull, 37, and Luc Robitaille, 35.But that&rsquo;s not all. Dissatisfied with their production while playing 5-on-5, the Red Wings have loosened the reins on their left wingers, who had been confined to a defensive role even when they were in the offensive zone. The result? Through the first quarter, Detroit ranked first in scoring, averaging 3.52 goals per game, and at 19-3-0-1 was on pace to set NHL single-season records for wins and points. The Wings already hold the mark for victories (62 in 1995-96), while the Montreal Canadiens amassed the highest number of points-132-in 1976-77.The Red Wings&rsquo; goals-against average (2.28) was in the top 10 in the league. When you score as often as they do-and when you have Hasek in net-the wins pile up quickly. It also helps that Detroit is willing to open up its defensive strategy.&ldquo;We still do it at times,&rdquo; said left winger Brendan Shanahan of the left-wing lock,&rdquo;but we used to do it all the time, in all three zones. We still play a disciplined system, but it&rsquo;s not always down to the left winger to be responsible defensively.Now if you get the step on a guy, you go. You can be active in the offensive zone instead of always being back on your heels.&rdquo;There&rsquo;s no denying the Red Wings have the horses.Captain Steve Yzerman remains one of the best two-way forces in the league; Nicklas Lidstrom is on track for a second straight Norris Trophy; Sergei Fedorov is a dominant offensive threat again; Shanahan is challenging for the league lead in goals; and Chris Chelios is rejuvenated and injury-free. Twelve different Red Wings scored a game-winning goal in the first quarter. No other team could come close to that claim.If Hasek hasn&rsquo;t been Superman this year, it&rsquo;s only because he hasn&rsquo;t had to be.&ldquo;I have friends in the league who tell me that they can&rsquo;t believe how much talent we have,&rdquo; said Wings&rsquo; left winger Kirk Maltby. &ldquo;All I know is, the expectations are very high in our dressing room. The expectations of management are high. Same with the fans.&rdquo;Not to mention Scotty Bowman. He&rsquo;d love nothing more than to add a ninth Stanley Cup ring-as a head coach-to his collection, which would break the record he shares with legendary Montreal bench boss Toe Blake. Bowman knows he&rsquo;s close, but he&rsquo;s a realist.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s early,&rdquo; said Bowman, who points to a tough stretch in the second half of Detroit&rsquo;s schedule in which the Wings play 21 of their final 34 games on the road.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve played very well, but I&rsquo;m not sure our defense is as strong as it needs to be. We had a good young defenseman (Jesse Wallin) who had a good camp, but he had abdominal surgery and hasn&rsquo;t played. I think we need to add to our blueline.&rdquo;Other teams, with far greater problems, can only shake their collective heads in wonder.&ldquo;Everyone keeps saying they&rsquo;re old and that the wheels will fall off,&rdquo; said one team&rsquo;s pro scout, who has watched the Wings play.&ldquo;But they&rsquo;re getting better. They have flow and the support they give each other is getting better. I don&rsquo;t know who&rsquo;s going to come along and beat them. They are so smart, so composed and so responsible in their own end.And they work hard every game.&rdquo; OK, so maybe everybody isn&rsquo;t talking about the Red Wings. Maybe they&rsquo;re not as sexy a story as the Flames, Hawks or Isles. Shanahan doesn&rsquo;t care.&ldquo;A history has been established here,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;There is a certain level of play that is expected. It doesn&rsquo;t guarantee wins, but it&rsquo;s a pretty good recipe for wins.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0010-02

COVER STORY

MOTOR CITY

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021096/7058190-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="761" height="664"><figcaption class="caption-body">Roman Turek</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011536/7058197-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="190" height="193"></div><h2>BEST GOALIES</h2>1. ROMAN TUREK&nbsp;CalgaryRun out of St. Louis after back-to-back playoff failures, Turek didn&rsquo;t suffer a regulation loss in the first quarter.2. PATRICK ROY&nbsp;ColoradoAfter some early bumps, he has been great-especially considering lack of goal support.3. TOMMY SALO&nbsp;EdmontonOilers&rsquo; workhorse being touted as early Hart Trophy candidate.4. MIKE RICHTER&nbsp;RangersHeld down the fort as teammates struggled to find their legs in the early going.5. ROBERTO LUONGO&nbsp;FloridaLiving up to his reputation as the best young goalie in the game.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03741/7058183-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="1526" height="1602"></div><h2>BEST FORWARDS</h2>1. JAROME IGINLA RW&nbsp;CalgaryGot a quick stranglehold on the scoring lead and refused to let go.2. PATRIK ELIAS LW&nbsp;New JerseyOn track to become one of the NHL&rsquo;s most dangerous players in the offensive zone.3. BRENDAN SHANAHAN LW&nbsp;DetroitVeteran power forward kicked the season off with a hat trick and hasn&rsquo;t looked back.4. KEITH TKACHUK LW&nbsp;St. LouisMuscle man is again one of the league&rsquo;s best combinations of goals and grit.5. JEFF O&rsquo;NEILL LW&nbsp;CarolinaSeventh-year pro is the poster child for hard work paying off in spades.6. STEVE YZERMAN C&nbsp;DetroitContinues to be the key player, on and off the ice, for the league&rsquo;s best team.7. RYAN SMYTH LW&nbsp;EdmontonWas well on his way to earning an Olympic berth before breaking ankle.8. ERIC LINDROS C&nbsp;RangersAfter an understandably slow start, he&rsquo;s looking very much like the No. 88 of old.9. DANIEL ALFREDSSON RW&nbsp;OttawaWas tied for third in even-strength goals (nine) and even-strength points (18).10. ANSON CARTER RW&nbsp;EdmontonAt his best when the game is on the line, as his league-leading five game-winners attest.<h2>BEST DEFENSEMEN</h2>1. NICKLAS LIDSTROM&nbsp;DetroitMaking a strong case for back-to-back Norris Trophies after three straight years as runner-up.2. BRIAN LEETCH&nbsp;RangersReduction in ice time-nearly five minutes per game-leads to more consistent play3. ROB BLAKE&nbsp;ColoradoCarries the load with Ray Bourque retired and Adam Foote injured.4. CHRIS CHELIOS&nbsp;DetroitReturn to health means return to belligerent style and league&rsquo;s best plus-minus (plus-18).5. AL MACINNIS&nbsp;St. LouisSolid force at both ends of the ice on a team that has yet to find its legs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04576/7058176-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="765" height="666"><figcaption class="caption-body">Nicklas Lidstrom</figcaption></div><h2>ALL* ROOKIE TEAM</h2>DAN BLACKBURN GRangersImpressive 18-year-old gets the nod by default due to a lack of competition.JEFF JILLSON DSan JoseAll three of his goals came on the power play; one was a game-winner.RADEK MARTINEK DIslandersSolid defender&rsquo;s plus-7 was the best on the team after his first 14 NHL games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05461/7058169-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg" title="f0011-05" width="538" height="779"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ilya Kovalchuk</figcaption></div>DANY HEATLEY FAtlantaNHL&rsquo;s best rookie led all freshmen at the quarter pole with 17 points in 21 games.KRISTIAN HUSELIUS FFloridaTHN&rsquo;s &ldquo;best player outside the NHL&rdquo; last year is now one of the better players on the inside.ILYA KOVALCHUK FAtlantaWho cares if he can&rsquo;t play defense-he&rsquo;s 18 years old and on pace for 35 goals.<h2>BEST TEAMS</h2>1. DETROIT RED WINGSMore talent that you can shake a one-piece composite stick at and on pace for a record 139-point regular season.2. CALGARY FLAMESIf you think we&rsquo;re embarrassed about picking them to finish last in the West&hellip;well, you&rsquo;re damn right we are.3. EDMONTON OILERSNHL&rsquo;s best defensive team getting lots of mileage out of goalie Tommy Salo and a bunch of studs on defense.<h2>MOST SURPRISING TEAMS</h2>1. CALGARY FLAMESTurek has a history of playing well in the regular season, but did anybody expect so much from Iginla?2. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKSJon Klemm is making people forget all about the Bobby Orr era in the Windy City.3. NEW YORK ISLANDERSThey rolled the dice on playoff underachiever (Yashin), 200001 absentee (Peca) and unwanted goalie (Osgood)&hellip;and won.<h2>MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAMS</h2>1. COLORADO AVALANCHEDefending champs are without Bourque and Forsberg, but that doesn&rsquo;t explain the play of Drury, Hejduk and Co.2. WASHINGTON CAPITALSLet&rsquo;s see, we&rsquo;ll trade for the league&rsquo;s best scorer and nobody will be able to stop us. Wrong!3. LOS ANGELES KINGSHopes were high for a team that knocked off Detroit in the first round and took Colorado to seven games in Round 2. &#9632;

f0011-02

FIRST QUARTER REPORT

<div class="byline">By Stu Hackel</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011664/7058235-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div>It has been an exciting NHL season, but the hockey book campaign is, in the opinion of Kevin Harper,&rdquo;a bit of a yawn.&rdquo;National sales manager for Canada&rsquo;s top book distributor, North 49, Harper has noticed both a decline in the number of hockey titles published this fall and a general drop in provocative and creative hockey titles among the major Canadian publishers.&ldquo;Hockey has been an over-mined field in the last couple of years and publishers haven&rsquo;t been happy with the sales, generally speaking,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They are repackaging old ideas.&rdquo;Still, Harper finds some worthwhile mass-market titles in this year&rsquo;s crop. He is intrigued by The Hockey Compendium, saying the authors &ldquo;put a lot of work into it and it&rsquo;s fun to read.&rdquo; He also appreciates the quality of Quest for the Cup, is moved by Zamboni Rodeo&rsquo;s portraits of minor league players and lauds the cultural histories of Roch Carrier&rsquo;s Our Life With The Rocket and Bruce Dowbiggin&rsquo;s The Stick.Other notable titles not handled by North 49 worth noting include Mario Lemieux: Over Time; Jari Kurri; Remembering The Golden Jet; and Ice Time.Here are brief reviews of the books available this season. Two other promising titles-The Cold War (about the Habs-Leafs rivalry in the 1960s) and a book on the 1996 World Cup-were not made available by the publisher for review.<h2>Large Format Books</h2>Mario Lemieux: Over Time, by Chrys Goyens and Frank Orr. Team Power Productions, $44.95 U.S./$59.95 Cdn. Color and B&W photos, 216 pages. The most attractive hockey book in years, this one features rare photos and sharp design while effectively interweaving tales of Mario&rsquo;s career and historic comeback.Hockey&rsquo;s Best Shots, DK Publishing, $29.95 U.S./$39.95 Cdn. Color and B&W photos, 160 pages. While no photo collection that omits the bloodied, stitched Jacques Plante with his first mask can be accurately entitled &ldquo;best,&rdquo; this selection contains a wide range of excellent images.Quest for the Cup, Jack Falla, general editor. Thunder Bay Press, $24.98 U.S./Key Porter, $50 Cdn. Color and B&W photos, 304 pages. Every few years, someone publishes a history of Cup competition and this latest attempt has the advantage of some breezy writing and very good photos, especially from the past 10 years.Jari Kurri, by Ari Mennander with Jim Matheson. Kurri Productions Oy, $39.95 Cdn. Color and B&W photos, 152 pages. This book does such an excellent job in tracing young Kurri&rsquo;s early Finnish career and his prime Oilers&rsquo; years-complete with great photos from a private collection-one can almost forgive its dismissing of his Rangers&rsquo;, Anaheim and Colorado stops in a mere three paragraphs. (Available through the Edmonton Oilers.)<h2>Hockey Today, History, Bios</h2>Squaw Valley Gold: American Hockey&rsquo;s Olympic Odyssey, by Seamus O&rsquo;Coughlin. Writer&rsquo;s Showcase Press, $18.95 U.S. 216 pages. The interesting story of the journeys leading to America&rsquo;s first gold medal in Olympic hockey at Squaw Valley, Calif., in 1960, is a remarkable but often forgotten chapter in the U.S.&rsquo;s sports history.On Family, Hockey and Healing, by Walter Gretzky. Random House Canada, $34.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 242 pages. The story of hockey&rsquo;s most famous father is well known, but this book, detailing his stroke, rehab, personal transformation and return to hockey, truly is inspiring.Remembering The Golden Jet, Craig Maclnnis, editor. Stoddart, $16.95 U.S./$24.95 Cdn. Color and B&W photos, 128 pages. The fourth of MacInnis&rsquo; little tribute books, this one convincingly reclaims Bobby Hull&rsquo;s status as hockey&rsquo;s most celebrated pre-Gretzky star.Hockey That Changed The World and Me, by Don Anderson. Island Ventures Press, $19.99 Cdn. B&W photos, 178 pages. These reflections by a former amateur star, dating back to the 1930s, capture a bygone golden era of Western Canadian senior hockey. (Available through Ask &lsquo;B&rsquo; Sports Cards and Collectibles, Parksville B.C.)Ice Time, by Jay Atkinson. Crown, $23 U.S./$33 Cdn. 257 pages. Despite some unnecessary lapses into autobiography, the saga of a 40-something rink rat writer, who returns to help coach his Massachusetts high school team, shines when he reflects on the nature of the sport and the character of its players, young and old.Nightmare on 33rd Street, by Rick Carpiniello. Albion Press, $18.95 U.S. B&W photos, 370 pages. From bad line changes to substance-abuse rehab, whatever could go wrong for the New York Rangers last season, did, and beat writer Carpiniello details it all.Zamboni Rodeo, by Jason Cohen. Greystone, $21.95 U.S./$32.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 242 pages. This perceptive, yet light-hearted, account of a season with the Western Professional League&rsquo;s Austin Ice Bats shares the spirit-if not the nonstop laughs-of Slap Shot&rsquo;s Federal League and the Charlestown Chiefs.My 26 Stanley Cups, by Dick Irvin. McClelland & Stewart, $25.95 U.S./$34.99 Cdn. B&W photos, 304 pages. Reading this book, which captures his familiar voice on the printed page, is like having Irvin sitting in your living room telling you his hockey memoirs.The Stick, by Bruce Dowbiggin. MacFarlane Walter & Ross, $32.99 Cdn. 259 pages. Through this finely written examination of the hockey stick&rsquo;s evolution, its role as a tool, weapon and collectible, Dowbiggin also can see it as a talisman revealing Canada&rsquo;s national character.Our Life With The Rocket, by Roch Carrier. Viking, $35 Cdn. 304 pages. With unequalled passion, Carrier combines impressions of growing up in Quebec and cheering for Maurice Richard with explaining how the Rocket became Quebec&rsquo;s champion.Hockey Stories On and Off the Ice, by Dan Diamond and James Duplacey with Eric Zweig. Andrews McMeel Publishing, $12.95 U.S./$19.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 215 pages. Hockey history is filled with an endless number of funny tales and memorable quotes and this book compiles a few hundred of the best right from the game&rsquo;s dawn.Killing Frank McGee, by Don Reddick. General Store Publishing, $19.95 Cdn.218 pages. The story of &lsquo;One-Eyed&rsquo; Frank McGee, the very first superstar in the very first dynasty in the history of hockey, and how he gave his life for his country-Canada-in the First World War.Hockey Heroes: Mario Lemieux, by Sean Rossiter. Greystone, $19.95 Cdn./$12.95 U.S. Color photos, 60 pages. The story of how the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; owner-superstar made an amazing comeback at the age of 35, following an illustrious career that included two Stanley Cups and leading Canada to victory in the 1987 Canada Cup.A Fan for All Seasons, by Tom Gaston with Kevin Shea. Fenn, $14.95 U.S./$21.95 Cdn. 221 pages. Gaston, who has been attending Maple Leafs&rsquo; games for more than 70 years, shares his memories in this book.<h2>Stats, Instruction and Reference</h2>The Essential Blue & White Book, by Andrew Podnieks. Greystone, $18.95 U.S./$29.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 421 pages. While this 75th anniversary edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; factbook has fewer photos and peripheral information than the 1995 original, it has a cleaner typeface and improved compact size.The Complete Player, by Dr. Saul L. Miller. Stoddart, $16.95 U.S./$24.95 Cdn. 244 pages. In this valuable resource for players and coaches at all levels, Miller explains the successful psychological, emotional and motivational techniques he has used with NHL clubs.The Hockey Compendium, by Jeff Z. Klein and Karl-Eric Reif. McClelland & Stewart, $19.95 U.S./$24.99 Cdn. 256 pages. This all-new version of their mid-1980s book of hockey research reaffirms that no one equals Klein&rsquo;s and Reif&rsquo;s creativity with stats and few write with as much wit and intelligence.Laura Stamm&rsquo;s Power Skating, Third Edition, by Laura Stamm. Human Kinetics, $17.95 U.S./$28.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 225 pages. Stamm&rsquo;s thorough book-with photos, drills, diagrams and tips-updates her proven techniques, based on 30 years of improving skaters from mites to seniors.Hockey Scouting Report 2002, by Sherry Ross. Greystone, $12.95 U.S./$19.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 476 pages. The ongoing co-operation of hockey&rsquo;s top evaluators makes this the most authoritative analysis of NHL player talent available to the public.The Concise Encyclopedia of Hockey, by M.R. Carroll. Greystone, $19.95 U.S./$29.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 244 pages. With a bit more emphasis on the modern game than the past, these short bios, histories and descriptions make a good choice for the beginning fan.Men at Play, by Michael A. Robidoux. McGill-Queen&rsquo;s University Press, $70 Cdn. for hardback/$27.95 Cdn. for paperback. 222 pages. Robidoux spent a year with an AHL team and this sophisticated academic study of hockey players as a unique and exclusive &ldquo;occupational group&rdquo; strips away romantic notions for cold, hard scholarship.Hockeyology: Digging Up Hockey&rsquo;s Past, by Howard Mickoski. Tehuti Press, $27.95 Cdn./$19.95 U.S. 388 pages. Mickoski shows the origin of most of the game&rsquo;s components. An enlightening look at hockey before the NHL was formed in 1917.<h2>Trivia</h2>What&rsquo;s the Score, by Liam Maguire. Triumph, $14.95 U.S./Random House of Canada, $21.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 198 pages. Maguire&rsquo;s trivia trademark-telling the complete story behind a question and showing connective threads in hockey history-is stamped on each fact-filled page of this book.Ice Hockey Q&A, by Dan Diamond and Eric Zweig. Andrews McMeel Publishing, $10.95 U.S./$16.50 Cdn. 256 pages. The smart layout of this book (you turn the page for the answers) adds to the challenge of answering the smart questions presented by the editors of Total Hockey.The Greatest Hockey Quiz Book Ever, by Ron Wight. Key Porter, $14.95 Cdn. 157 pages. For his first book, this Guelph, Ont., high school teacher organizes chapters into three &ldquo;periods&rdquo; (Who Am I?, multiple choice and expert trivia) and adds &ldquo;Four-on-four&rdquo; (a quartet of related questions) as a coda.<h2>Fiction</h2>Brady Brady and the Great Rink, (also Brady Brady and the Runaway Goalie), by Mary Shaw. Color illustrations by Chuck Temple. Stoddart Kids, $6.99 Cdn./$4.95 U.S. The wife of former NHLer Brad Shaw describes how a young boy tries to build the best backyard rink ever and, after a lot of hard work, is rewarded when kids from all over town come to play on it. It&rsquo;s a delightful bedtime story for children.Shadrin Has Scored for Russia!, Text and illustrations by Kevin Sylvester. Stoddart, $6.95 U.S./$9.99 Cdn. 96 pages. What if the Soviets had won the 1972 Summit Series? Sylvester&rsquo;s cartoon satire envisions a different world that readers may-or may not-find humorous. The name in the title refers to the great Soviet center Vladimir Shadrin.50 Mission Cap, by Adrian Brijbassi. Trafford, $18.99 U.S./$27.99 Cdn. 283 pages. Authentically depicting a season of major junior hockey, this selfpublished novel&rsquo;s plot thickens when new team owners import two Russian players.East of Mourning, by Michael Markus. Trafford, $12.95 U.S./$18.50 Cdn. 136 pages. In this self-published novel, a hockey coach takes a special interest in, and has a complex relationship with, a very gifted juvenile player.<h2>New Editions</h2>Home Ice, by Jack Falla. McClelland & Stewart, $22.95 Cdn. 208 pages. One of last year&rsquo;s best meditations on love, loss, friendship, healing and backyard rinks-now is available in Canada.Hockey Chronicle, by Eric Duhatschek, Trent Frayne, Lance Hornby, Gord Miller and Al Strachan. Checkmark Books, $29.95 U.S. Color and B&W photos, 255 pages. This U.S. publication of last year&rsquo;s Canada-only title briefly profiles each NHL club alongside a more lengthy franchise-player profile.Pavel Bure, by Kerry Banks. Greystone Books, $14.95 U.S./$19.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 286 pages. Updates 1999 bio with chapter on Bure&rsquo;s love life and speculations on his criminal contacts.For The Love Of Hockey, by Chris McDonell. Firefly, $24.95 Cdn. Color and B&W photos, 200 pages. All that&rsquo;s new in this paperback version of an excellent 1997 large-format book on stars past and present is the updating of player movement in photo captions.In The Bin, by Lloyd Freeberg. Triumph, $14.95 U.S./$22.95 Cdn. B&W photos, 228 pages. Telling humorous tales from the penalty box, Anaheim off ice official Freeberg tacks on three new chapters.Hockey Now, by Mike Leonetti, Firefly $19.95 Cdn. Color photos, 166 pages. The revised edition of this 1999 star-oriented paperback adds some newcomers, updates player profiles and shows traded stars in current team sweaters.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011552/7058228-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="2074" height="1563"><figcaption class="caption-body">Next chapter Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s comeback inspired some new literature, including the captivating Mario Lemieux: Over Time.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

Reading between the lines

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011652/7058273-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Henrik SedinDaniel Sedin</figcaption></div>When Swedish players first came to the NHL, there was a joke-not necessarily true-that they were afraid to venture into the corners.Old-school hockey people laughed about Swedes going into corners carrying a dozen eggs and emerging with all 12 intact.Many Swedes have since laid waste to such thinking, which brings us to Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the identical twins playing for the Vancouver Canucks. Daniel and Henrik love the corners. They live in the corners.They operate from the corners.There&rsquo;s only one problem: They can&rsquo;t score from the corners.For some unfathomable reason-and it doesn&rsquo;t appear to be fear &ndash; the twins seem obsessed with setting up along the walls, then passing to each other from the sideboards to the backboards and vice versa. Daniel Sedin didn&rsquo;t score 20 goals in his rookie NHL season by having his backside planted to the boards, but that is where you&rsquo;ll find him most of the time in the offensive zone.&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve played OK,&rdquo; Daniel said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had the scoring chances, that&rsquo;s the thing, but it&rsquo;s just not happening. We&rsquo;re not getting the lucky bounces like we did last year. But the only pressure I feel is from myself.&rdquo;Daniel Sedin scored once in the Canucks&rsquo; opener against Chicago and again in the third game Oct. 9. The left winger then embarked on a drought of epic proportions. By the time the Canucks reached their 24th outing Nov. 21, Daniel was still in his den with two goals, the drought reaching a dismal 21 games.Meanwhile, Henrik, a center whose goal numbers are traditionally low, needed 19 games to net his first, a wraparound effort on Minnesota&rsquo;s Manny Fernandez.&ldquo;Every game we&rsquo;ve had two or three good chances and we haven&rsquo;t scored, which is bad, but we just have to keep going,&rdquo; Henrik said. &ldquo;I think the goals will start to come for us.&rdquo; What made the twins&rsquo; lack of production even more remarkable was the amount of quality ice time coach Marc Crawford bestowed upon them. They began the season taking a regular shift, playing the back end of every power play and killing penalties. They averaged about 17 minutes of ice time per game, up about five minutes over last year.But when the increased minutes did not result in production, Crawford began cutting the twins&rsquo; ice time&hellip;by about five minutes per game.Many theories abounded for the Sedins&rsquo; prolonged dry spell, including:&#9633; Blueliners know the twins love to set up in the corner and play keep away, so they back off and let Sedins stay there.&#9633; They lack breakaway speed, so they are not respected on the rush and have become predictable by stopping up or heading into the corners.&#9633; Daniel&rsquo;s offseason back surgery hurt his training regimen and prevented him from working on his foot speed. (Henrik had no such excuse, although it&rsquo;s tough to earn assists when your goal-scoring brother is slumping.) Crawford has been patient with the twins, knowing they only turned 21 in September.&ldquo;Obviously everybody has to produce for us to be successful and they&rsquo;ve done their part and can continue to improve like anybody else can,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;Their game is control and outsmarting opponents. They&rsquo;ve had a number of chances and we have to stay the course with them because they&rsquo;re doing a lot of things right and they will get rewarded.&rdquo;Indeed, the twins have maintained their strong play without the puck despite their inability to put up any offensive numbers. Crawford has used them in defensive situations and they have never stopped working.The bottom line was still a combined total of just three goals and 14 points through Vancouver&rsquo;s first 24 games, a far cry from the optimistic projections that they could reach 50 points apiece.Daniel had 20 goals and 34 points as a rookie last season; Henrik nine goals and 29 points.Then again, there may be a simpler explanation for the Sedins&rsquo; surprising inability to produce.It may just be another case of the dreaded sophomore jinx.<h2>Sizing up sophomores</h2>The freshmen of 2000-01 are now the super sophomores of 2001-02-some of them, anyway. Here&rsquo;s a look at the top 10 vote-getters for last year&rsquo;s Calder Trophy. Arrows indicate how they&rsquo;re doing this season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021243/7058266-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="719" height="963"></div> &#9632;

f0014-01

Sophomore jinx, squared

<div class="byline">By Wayne Karl</div>While most of the hockey world awaits the excitement of the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, a group of 13-year-old girls will make history of their own in February.A &ldquo;dream team&rdquo; of 16 players from across the United States will be the first all-girl squad to compete in the Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament, Feb. 14-24 in Quebec CityThey&rsquo;ll be nicknamed the Mission Betty, thanks to a sponsorship from hockey equipment manufacturer Mission Hockey. Mission will outfit the team, head to toe, in the company&rsquo;s gear.Manon Rheaume, who in 1983 became the first female to play in the tournament, will coach the Betty. Rheaume is director of the women&rsquo;s equipment category for Mission. She will be assisted behind the bench the first weekend of the tournament by former Canadian national coach Shannon Miller, who presently coaches at Minnesota-Duluth.&ldquo;An all-girl team will generate a lot of attention and support and this way we can show that girls can play hockey, too,&rdquo; Rheaume said.Sporting goods company Adidas will also sponsor the Mission Betty, outfitting the players in off-ice apparel. The Hockey News is supporting the team as a secondary sponsor.MEET YOUR (MASK) MAKER Keen goalie observers may have noticed manufacturers now have their logo printed on the forehead area of NHL goalie masks, much like on all players&rsquo; helmets.The logo placement is the result of a new arrangement which allows manufacturers to move the single exposure of their logo from the backplate to the front of the mask.Itech has further stepped up in the mask category by signing a deal to become the &ldquo;official goalie mask of the NHL.&rdquo;Minor hockey and recreational players can buy certified Itech masks bearing official colors and logos of all 30 teams, or with the exact same paint job of an NHL goalie who wears an Itech mask.MARIO&rsquo;S NEW LID Look for Mario Lemieux to debut a new look around the Salt Lake City Olympics. Lemieux, as part of his contract as Nike Hockey&rsquo;s signature endorsee, will model the company&rsquo;s new Quest model helmet featuring a more hip, modern design that borrows slightly from a bicycle helmet. &#9632;

All-girl team on Mission to Quebec

<div class="byline">By Denis Gibbons</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021065/7058342-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">With Dominik Hasek back in goal-and a deeper roster-the Czechs believe they can be golden again.</figcaption></div>The good news for the Czech Republic is that its 2002 Olympic team should be stronger than the one that captured the gold medal at Nagano in 1998. The bad news is that, after they followed that upset victory with three straight World Championship gold medals (1999 to 2001) and consecutive World Junior Championship golds in 2000 and 2001, fans at home might be expecting-and only satisfied with-more gold.The win at Nagano turned the Czech Republic upside down almost as much as the Velvet Revolution in the early 1990s, in which the country was transformed from a Communist satellite into a democracy. Hockey fever is sky-high-it&rsquo;s estimated 46 per cent of the population watched the Czech Republic&rsquo;s 3-2 overtime win over Finland in the gold medal game of the 2001 World Championship.Czech teams always have had superb skills and employed effective defensive strategies, but often threw in the towel if they fell behind early in the game.But now they&rsquo;re playing with the confidence of champions. That&rsquo;s not to mention the puck-stopping presence of six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek, who robbed five of Canada&rsquo;s best shooters in the semifinal shootout in Japan before blanking the Russians 1-0 in the golden game.Josef Augusta, who played for Czechoslovakia in the inaugural Canada Cup in 1976, has the overwhelming task of assembling a roster that can successfully defend the gold medal. Ivan Hlinka, who was fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins in October, declined an invitation to coach, but is the GM.&ldquo;We have stars and we need stars,&rdquo; Augusta said. &ldquo;But these individuals must play as a team for us to be successful in Salt Lake City.&rdquo;After naming eight players last spring, the Czechs added 29 more to their roster of candidates during the summer. Although they had no official training camp, many of the hopefuls participated in charity exhibition games organized by Jaromir Jagr in August.The country&rsquo;s Olympic candidates also met for two days in the resort town of Karlovy Vary, where they played golf and tennis and took time to relax in the area&rsquo;s world-famous hot springs.Tampa Bay defenseman Petr Svoboda, who was the inspirational leader at Nagano and scored the only goal in the gold medal game, was one of the original eight players named to the Czech team, but is doubtful to play because he&rsquo;s still recovering from a concussion suffered last December.Svoboda, 36, has not played a game this season and Augusta said he will not skate in the Olympics unless he has returned to the NHL before the Games. It was Svoboda who was in the front lines whenever opponents tried to intimidate the Czechs in Nagano.Meanwhile, Bobby Holik of New Jersey definitely won&rsquo;t be on the ice for the Czechs. He&rsquo;s eligible, but has decided against it after becoming a U.S. citizen.In net, the Czechs rival Canada for the best goaltending in the tournament as Hasek is back and Calgary&rsquo;s Roman Turek is the No. 2 stopper. The third spot will go to either Roman Cechmanek of Philadelphia or Atlanta&rsquo;s Milan Hnilicka.Augusta has named Jagr captain of the team and is counting heavily on the Washington superstar to supply a lot more offense than he has in his debut with the Capitals so far.The Czechs will miss Pittsburgh left winger Martin Straka, who is out until April with a broken leg, but will have the dynamic New Jersey duo of Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora, who didn&rsquo;t even play in 1998. The Pens&rsquo; Robert Lang is the logical choice to center that line.Center Jiri Dopita of Philadelphia is a solid two-way performer, while NHL sophomore Martin Havlat of Ottawa is making a strong bid for consideration.With Tomas Kaberle of Toronto and Martin Skoula of Colorado suiting up for their first Olympics, the Czechs will have a more mobile defense corps. Roman Hamrlik of the New York Islanders should lead the blueline bunch.The most amazing thing about the Czech victory in Nagano is that it was accomplished with only a dozen NHLers; the rest came from European leagues.The homebrew contingent will be smaller this time. Two of the better candidates from the Czech League are former NHL defenseman Michal Sykora and center Peter Cajanek, a 2001 draft pick of the St. Louis Blues.<h2>Olympic Series</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011521/7058335-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="172" height="130"></div>We look at the Czech Republic, the defending Olympic champion, in the fifth installment of our weekly examinations of national teams for the 2002 Olympics. Next week we&rsquo;ll feature Finland, followed by Slovakia and the other seven preliminary round competitors.<h2>Czech long list</h2>With eight players named to the Czech Olympic team, 15 spots are up for grabs. Final rosters must be submitted by Dec. 22. Here are the names of the chosen eight, followed by the other candidates. Players are identified as right-(R) or leftshooting (L). A check mark indicates the player was at the 1998 Olympics.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03759/7058328-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="731" height="2539"></div> &#9632;

f0015-02

Czechs should be better

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello Senior Editor</div>For someone who has never been drafted, Jay Bouwmeester sure has been a prospect for a long time.&ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t he about 30 years old now?&rdquo; kidded Frank Bonello, director of the NHL&rsquo;s Central Scouting Service. &ldquo;It just seems that way We&rsquo;ve been watching him for a lot of years.&rdquo;Bouwmeester is the No. 1-ranked prospect from the Western League for the 2002 entry draft, according to CSS&rsquo;s preliminary ranking released in late February The Medicine Hat Tigers&rsquo; defenseman is in his fourth season of major junior hockey and has been under the scouts&rsquo; microscope for at least that long.The slick-skating 6-foot-4 Bouwmeester played eight games with Medicine Hat as a 15-year-old in 1998-99. He made a huge impact the following season as a 16-year-old drawing comparisons to St. Louis blueliner Chris Pronger.&ldquo;Then his play tapered off last season, but it&rsquo;s picking up again this season,&rdquo; Bonello said. &ldquo;His game is about skating and shooting and moving the puck up-ice as a defenseman.&rdquo;Bouwmeester is a late 1983 birthday, meaning he missed eligibility for the 2001 draft by just two days. So if talent alone doesn&rsquo;t make him the first overall pick next June, maturity might.Central Scouting, in its preliminary ranking, rates players according to region, not on an overall basis (See pg. 43 for complete preliminary list.)Pushing Bouwmeester for first spot overall is London Knights&rsquo; left winger Rick Nash, the topranked player in the Ontario League.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very talented player who is extremely clever,&rdquo; Bonello said. &ldquo;He sees the ice very well, anticipates well and always seems to be a step ahead of others.&rdquo;In the Quebec League, goaltending again grabs the spotlight. Val d&rsquo;Or stopper Maxime Daigneault entered the season the top-ranked major junior stopper, but he was surpassed by JeffDeslauriers from Chicoutimi.The overall calibre of the 2002 draft class is said to be a grade below average, but Bonello says that could change.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve thought that in other years when the November rankings come out, then we&rsquo;re proven wrong by the end of the year,&rdquo; Bonello said.Consensus is the European crop isn&rsquo;t as strong and deep as in past seasons, but the U.S. college ranks are solid, led by Boston University defenseman Ryan Whitney.<h2>Hey, Mom! I&rsquo;m in the NHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011437/7058373-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="732" height="157"></div>Weekly report of players making their NHL debuts.John Erskine, 21, Dal, Nov. 19 vs. NYI.Physical defenseman has progressed well since being picked in second round of 1998 draft.Radim Vrbata, 20, Col, Nov. 20 vs. NYR.Czech winger had two assists on line with Sakic and Heiduk, then three points in second game.Mike Peluso. 27, Chi, Nov. 21 vs. Nas.Last cut of camp replaced injured winger Steve Thomas on third line and scored goal in debut.David Morisset, 20, Fla, Nov. 21 vs. Ana.Lanky right winger had just one goal in 17 AHL games before recall due to Pavel Bure injury. &#9632;

f0016-01

Bouwmeester takes lead in sub-par 2002 draft class

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div>Daniele Sauvageau can relate to the goaltending situation faced by Canada&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s Olympic team.The coach of Canada&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s team hasn&rsquo;t decided on her No. 1 goalie for the Salt Lake City Games in February.Sauvageau had three goalies on her roster when she finalized Canada&rsquo;s lineup. They are Kim St-Pierre, Sami Jo Small and Charline Labonte and of the trio, Small is the only one With Olympic experience, if you can call it that.She was the third goalie on the 1998 Olympic team and watched every game from the stands. Small and St-Pierre have been integral parts of recent world championship teams, while Labonte is thought to be penciled in as spare goalie.But when asked to rank her goalies, Sauvageau replied: &ldquo;At this point, it is like la, lb and 1c.&ldquo;Our goalies have to play, but the trouble is we have not played that many games,&rdquo; Sauvageau said. &ldquo;At one point with our goalies, we will have to go with the sharpest goalie at the time and we have three goalies who can play at this level.&rdquo;Sauvageau does not have the luxury of watching her goalies face major-league shooters each night. Her benchmark will be how they perform in the six games against the U.S. before the Olympic competition begins.Canada was coming off two exhibition losses to the U.S. in October heading into the TSN Challenge, a three-game series pitting Canada against the U.S., Nov. 27 in Ottawa, Nov. 28 in Montreal and Nov. 30 in Hamilton. The two teams meet Jan. 8 in Vancouver for a final exhibition game before the Olympics.The difference between the Americans and Canadians is wafer-thin and given how close they are, a bounce or turnover could mean the difference between winning and losing.Canada&rsquo;s 21-player roster includes 12 veterans from the 1998 squad. The go-to players are defensemen Geraldine Heaney and Therese Brisson and forwards Hayley Wickenheiser, Danielle Goyette, Nancy Drolet and Jennifer Botterill. (See pg. 45 for complete roster).It has been Canada&rsquo;s ongoing policy to spread responsibility evenly. Not one player is relied on more than any other. It has been the team&rsquo;s mantra to share the wealth and avoid a buildup of pressure on a small group.Sauvageau reinforced that philosophy with the seeding of her goalies and comments about the rest of Canada&rsquo;s team&ldquo;We have 21 leaders in 21 different ways,&rdquo; said Sauvageau, who was an assistant on the 1998 team. &ldquo;We have younger players who are up for the challenge. We have older players who have been here before. It is quite amazing to coach 21 women who can lead in their own way&rdquo;Sauvageau says naming the team three months prior to the Olympics gives her time to install systems she hopes will help Canada make amends for losing to the U.S. in the 1998 final.&ldquo;We do not have those 45 or 60 games to say, &lsquo;Hey this is where we are at.&rsquo; I think three months is good. We put a world team together in a week and we have three months with this one.&rdquo; &#9632;

Canadian women set to go; final Olympic roster named

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02979/7058484-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="281" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body">J. Nieuwendyk</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011286/7058491-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="224" height="209"></div>Team stories include first-quarter MVP&rsquo;s and players &ldquo;on the hot seat&rdquo;&ndash;those whose ability either to step it up or keep going strongly will be critical to team success.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03705/7058477-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="282" height="402"><figcaption class="caption-body">Shane Doan</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04517/7058470-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="569" height="710"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05365/7058463-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="280" height="403"><figcaption class="caption-body">Robert Lang</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06288/7058456-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="279" height="399"><figcaption class="caption-body">Fredrik Modin</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07241/7058449-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="566" height="709"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08202/7058442-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="277" height="393"><figcaption class="caption-body">G. Sanderson</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09179/7058435-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="277" height="394"><figcaption class="caption-body">V. Damphousse</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-10165/7058428-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="1215" height="1372"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Kariya&rsquo;s effort has been there for Anaheim-which is more than can be said of some of his mates-but the results have not.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0017-02

From most valuable to most in need

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-11146/7058522-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="222" height="244"></div>Barely a quarter of the way through the schedule, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were on the critical list.An eight-game winless streak, one short of the franchise record, left the Ducks at 6-13-3-0 and sharing last place in the Western Conference. It was familiar territory for Anaheim, which finished 2000-01 in last place at 2541-11-5.The Ducks hit what they can only hope is rock bottom in a 6-0 loss Nov. 21 at Florida that prompted captain Paul Kariya and first-year coach Bryan Murray to unload.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s embarrassing,&rdquo; Kariya said. &ldquo;Three quarters of the team (didn&rsquo;t) even show up to play. It&rsquo;s a joke. It&rsquo;s a lack of commitment to the team. It&rsquo;s a lack of effort. It&rsquo;s a lack of wanting to win, preparation, everything. The absolute least you can do is be ready to play. I mean, you think guys in Colorado or Detroit have to baby-sit guys to get them ready to play? It&rsquo;s just ridiculous.&rdquo;Murray also questioned the heart of virtually the entire team, with the notable exception of Kariya.&ldquo;He tries awfully damn hard every night,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We need to get some people that will join him in playing the kind of game we are capable of playing. We have to find out how much some of these guys care about playing on our team. I think I&rsquo;m finding it out.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G. After missing the season&rsquo;s first five games because of a strained groin muscle, Giguere needed exactly one start to regain top form. With a 4-6-1 record, 2.45 goals-against average and.912 save percentage, Giguere was clearly the team&rsquo;s most consistent performer during the season&rsquo;s opening 22 games.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Paul Kariya, LW. Without a goal in 16 of Anaheim&rsquo;s first 22 games, including a 10-game drought that matched his career high, Kariya simply has to do more. But that is no small task. Given the lack of offensive support he receives from teammates, it&rsquo;s a no-brainer for opposing teams to focus their defensive energy on checking Kariya.NOTEBOOK Veteran right winger Jim Cummins cleared waivers and was assigned to the Mighty Ducks&rsquo; American Hockey League affiliate in Cincinnati&hellip;Center Steve Rucchin said Nov. 17 he expects to be sidelined at least two more weeks because of a left tibia stress fracture. &#9632;

f0017-11

Kariya rips mates after terrible loss

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-12134/7058553-1-eng-US/f0017-122.jpg" title="f0017-12" width="222" height="252"></div>Pascal Rheaume was cut loose by St. Louis after last season and signed by Chicago as a free agent. The Blackhawks then put him on waivers with the intent of sending him to the minors.So how did he end up centering a line in Atlanta with two first round draft picks? &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been looking for somebody to play with the kids and Rheaume fits right in,&rdquo; said coach Curt Fraser. &ldquo;He creates room for the kids and he goes to the net hard. Pascal plays like a lot of us need to play.&rdquo;Rheaume, claimed on waivers from the Blackhawks, had two goals and three points and was plus-1 in his first three games with Atlanta while playing with 2000 and 2001 No. 1 picks Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk&ldquo;I get a lot more ice time than I had in Chicago,&rdquo; said Rheaume, who was centering the fourth line with the Hawks.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to do everything I can to stay here.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Dany Heatley, RW. Ilya Kovalchuk had the spotlight coming into the season and has had his share of spectacular moments. But Heatley is the better all-around player, exudes amazing leadership for a 20-year-old rookie and easily has been the team&rsquo;s best player. Fraser has such confidence in Heatley that he has used him at center when injuries sidelined others and on the point on the power play.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Patrik Stefan, C/LW. Atlanta needs somebody scoring other than Heatley and Kovalchuk. Stefan has been injury-prone in his two-plus seasons and has been limited to parts of four games this year because of a broken jaw and hyper-extended elbow. He actually has played well in his limited action. But this is Year 3 of a three-year deal and, unless he gets healthy and productive, Stefan could soon be playing elsewhere.NOTEBOOK Atlanta went winless in 10 games (0-9-10) after a 3-31-2 start, before a 3-2 win over Buffalo Nov. 19. The Thrashers were shut out three times in four nights and had a scoreless string of 205 minutes and 55 seconds. &#9632;

f0017-12

Rheaume clicks with whiz kids

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1498/7058584-1-eng-US/f0017-142.jpg" title="f0017-14" width="711" height="1043"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-13113/7058591-1-eng-US/f0017-132.jpg" title="f0017-13" width="220" height="248"></div>A select group of defensemen hardly rested after the Boston Bruins suffered back-to-back home losses at the hands of the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets. While the short-term results were good-Boston won its next three straight-the B&rsquo;s knew they couldn&rsquo;t keep it up.Hal Gill played 29:09, 30:01 and 30:41 in victories over Montreal, New Jersey and Buffalo. Sean O&rsquo;Donnell played 26:38,31:27 and 27:25 in those games and Don Sweeney 28:03, 26:33 and 19:56.&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to do that much every night for 82 games plus playoffs,&rdquo; said coach Robbie Ftorek,&rdquo;but right now they&rsquo;re doing a good job.&rdquo; Some of the ice-time increase was the result of Kyle McLaren&rsquo;s injuries. Playing in his fifth game after missing 12 with a torn chest muscle, McLaren suffered a bruised knee Nov. 17 and missed one game before returning Nov. 23 against Vancouver.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Byron Dafoe, G. Despite scoring only three more goals than they allowed, the Bruins lost only six of their first 21 games in regulation time because of Dafoe&rsquo;s strong start.Dafoe played 18 games, posting a 2.03 goals-against average and.910 save percentageON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Jozef Stumpel, C. Stumpel is supposed to be the key to Boston&rsquo;s having two top-flight scoring lines, but the big center had just one goal and five points in his first 12 games back with the Bruins.NOTEBOOK Pressed into duty as a forward, versatile defenseman JamieRivers scored a pair of important goals in a Nov. 17 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Rivers, claimed on waivers from Ottawa Oct. 11, scored the first as a fourth line right winger and the second from the point on a power play.<h2>SLOW START</h2>Jozef Stumpel scored just once in his first dozen games with Boston after coming over from L.A. &#9632;

f0017-14

‘D’ wear and tear will take its toll

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bucky Gleason</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011320/7058622-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="219" height="254"></div>Here&rsquo;s what happens with a young team: They lose games they most certainly should win, then out of nowhere comes an unexpected victory.The Sabres had scored a total of only four goals in four straight losses to Nashville, Florida, Boston and Atlanta and appeared headed for trouble before they broke out of the slump with a 4-2 victory over a Toronto team that is better than the four they lost to. Go figure.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a learning process,&rdquo; said captain Stu Barnes. &ldquo;Hopefully, we&rsquo;ve learned our lesson. We can&rsquo;t dwell on the past and the games that we let slide. The other side of that is we can&rsquo;t forget about them.&rdquo;Coach Lindy Ruff&rsquo;s patience appeared to be exhausted as he criticized virtually every Buffalo forward in the days leading up to the Toronto game. He singled out veterans Slava Kozlov, Chris Gratton and Curtis Brown, all of whom have been struggling.&ldquo;There are forwards up front that have to step up,&rdquo; Ruff said. &ldquo;There are forwards that have been here seven, eight, nine years. You can look at Gratton, Brown, Kozlov and the likes of those players.&rdquo;Ruff was slightly less critical of newcomer Tim Connolly, but made it clear he wants the gifted center skating more and stickhandling less, after watching Connolly fumble scoring chances.In beating the Leafs, the Sabres avoided their first five-game losing streak since 1993, after losing nine of 12 games. Buffalo was left with a tough schedule in the next month and ground to make up after squandering points in the first quarter of the season.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Miroslav Satan, RW. Satan has been the Sabres&rsquo; best player because he has been their most consistent. Buffalo was in enough trouble, but it could have been much worse without their lone sniper. Satan led the Sabres with nine goals, 17 points and a plus-9 rating. He helped run the power play from the point, killed penalties and led the team in ice time. That&rsquo;s why management had no problem with an arbitration ruling awarding him $3.25 million.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Chris Gratton, C. Gratton has been demoted to the fourth line because his play has been inconsistent. The Sabres want him playing better immediately, or they could be the latest team to give up on a player, long on talent but short on results. Gratton had just two goals and eight points and was minus-7 through his first 23 games.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Rhett Warrener was hoping to return to the lineup before December, after missing four weeks with a torn groin muscle. The Sabres were 5-4-1-1 with him in the lineup and just 4-8-0-0 in the first 12 games without him&hellip;Center Tim Connolly became the fifth player in NHL history to attempt two penalty shots before his 21st birthday. He&rsquo;s the only one to score on both&hellip;Left winger Erik Rasmussen was a healthy scratch after going 10 games without a point. &#9632;

f0018-01

Buffalo veterans given Ruff time after prolonged Sabre losing skid

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02984/7058653-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="217" height="247"></div>He missed 15 games with a knee injury, usually a bad sign for a player who relies on his foot speed.Once again, however, Calgary Flames&rsquo; center Marc Savard proved he can be a quick study. In his first game back after recovering from his injury, Savard contributed three points in a 5-5 tie with the Los Angeles Kings.Savard did pretty much the same thing last season after missing the first three games in a contract dispute: He was effective right off the mark.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know why that is, if I&rsquo;m just lucky or what,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;I just feel when I&rsquo;m out there, I feel strong. I keep the shifts a little shorter. Playing with two guys who are really hot helps, too.&rdquo; Savard made his return on a line with Jarome Iginla and Dean McAmmond, a unit that lasted just the one game-or the time it took Craig Conroy to return from a neck injury. Savard dropped down to the second line, playing with Rob Niedermayer and Scott Nichol.In his third season with the Flames, Savard has seen his share of struggling times, so watching the team succeed in the first month was a new experience.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to watch when you&rsquo;re losing because you want to get back in there and help,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re winning, you see the other side of it. You think, &lsquo;Geez, I want to be part of it.&rsquo; So it&rsquo;s a no-win situation when you&rsquo;re out of the lineup.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Jarome Iginla, RW. A 15-game point streak through Nov. 22 gave Iginla a leagueleading 36 points in 21 games, an astonishing breakout season for a player whose career high is 71 points. Assertive on every shift and skating better than ever, Iginla was a dominating physical presence whenever he was on the ice, using his powerful build to open up the ice for himself and his teammates.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Rob Niedermayer, C. On the same night Iginla scored his 19th goal, Rob Niedermayer contributed his first. With Savard back from injury and Conroy having moved up from No. 3 to No. 1 center, Niedermayer has been shifted to the left wing for now. The hope is that if Iginla and Conroy ever cool off that Niedermayer will pick up some scoring slack.NOTEBOOK Goalie Roman Turek, set to become an unrestricted free agent, signed a four-year, $19-million contract extension. Turek, already the team&rsquo;s highest-paid player at $2.8 million, will earn $4 million next year, followed by $4.25 million, $5 million and an option year at $5.75 million, which includes a $500,000 bonus. Turek&rsquo;s agent, Rich Winter, said the breakthrough came when &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen you look more relaxed. We talked about a no-trade clause and his desire to settle here with his family. I thought to myself, &lsquo;in this day of big contracts, it&rsquo;s not a bad thing to sign in a place where you&rsquo;re happy, where your family&rsquo;s happy and where your son is as good a player on his team as you are on your&rsquo;s. Roman decided to stay for a lot less money because he loves where he is.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0018-02

Healthy Savard happy to return after watching Flames’ hot start

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Luke DeCock</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03686/7058684-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="224" height="223"></div>Despite a power play that was worse than dismal in the first quarter of the season and penalty-killing that wasn&rsquo;t much better, the Hurricanes can take solace in one element of special teams that hasn&rsquo;t let them down.Carolina allowed an NHL-high 16 shorthanded goals last season, but had not given any up through its first 25 games this season.&ldquo;After going through what we went through last year, we&rsquo;ve made a lot better decisions,&rdquo; said defenseman Glen Wesley. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a couple breaks here and there, but for the most part we&rsquo;ve done a good job.&rdquo;Much of the improvement can be attributed to the Hurricanes&rsquo; adjusting to Sandis Ozolinsh and vice-versa. Many of the shorthanded goals last season came when no one covered when he made one of his trademark forays from the blueline to the net, although more than a few occurred when Ozolinsh decided to pinch at the wrong time.Not only has Ozolinsh done a better job getting back on defense this season, his teammates also have done a better job covering for him.&ldquo;A big part of it is Sandis&rsquo; game,&rdquo; said coach Paul Maurice. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s much more under control at the offensive blueline and he&rsquo;s making much better decisions.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, RW. No matter where the Hurricanes have played him, O&rsquo;Neill has scored goals. On a team challenged for scoring to begin with, his offensive contributions have led the way on a line with Ron Francis and Sami Kapanen. O&rsquo;Neill still needs to be more consistent, but is showing he should be considered for a place on the Canadian Olympic team.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Rod Brind &lsquo;Amour, C. Because of his critical faceoff and penalty-killing responsibilities, Brind&rsquo;Amour still leads Carolina forwards in ice time. But his offensive contributions haven&rsquo;t measured up to the second half of last season, when he averaged more than a point per game and earned himself a juicy contract extension. At times, Brind&rsquo;Amour has found himself the third line center behind Francis and Josef Vasicek.Brind&rsquo;Amour&rsquo;s defense has been solid, but the Canes need more scoring from him.NOTEBOOK Goaltender Tom Barrasso went on a hot streak that gave him a slight advantage over Arturs Irbe in their continuing battle for playing time. Barrasso gave up five goals in five games, but was plagued by a lack of goal support-Carolina scored only six goals in those five games&hellip;Defenseman Marek Malik has become an empty-net scoring specialist. He connected from his own goal line against Columbus after doing the same thing against Pittsburgh last March&hellip;Rookie Erik Cole collected five points in two games against Columbus and Dallas, more than half of his career NHL scoring total. &#9632;

f0018-03

Hurricanes learning to eliminate embarrassing power play gaffes

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Jim Benton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04328/7058746-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="729" height="1012"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02755/7058753-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="219" height="242"></div>Colorado goalie Patrick Roy says he is better when he plays assertive, but his aggressive play cost him a chance to become the first goalie in 52 years to record four consecutive shutouts.After three straight shutouts, New York Ranger Mikael Samuelsson scored a shorthanded, first period goal into an empty net Nov. 20 when Roy tried to beat Samuelsson to the puck near the blueline and failed. The goal ended Roy&rsquo;s shutout streak at 192:39.Less than five minutes later, wandering cost Roy again as the Rangers scored another easy one en route to an eventual 5-2 victory.Roy, the NHL&rsquo;s all-time winningest goalie, was upset with the way he yielded the first two goals, but is not longer as consumed by winning as he used to be after watching and listening to former teammate Ray Bourque.&ldquo;Ray a lot of times said to me, &lsquo;Patty, come on, you&rsquo;ve got to relax. Everybody knows it&rsquo;s not a lack of commitment on your part. You just have to have fun,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Roy, who caused a stir with his decision not to play for Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team (see pg. 5 for more).&ldquo;I came out this year with a way different approach. I think I deserve to finish my career with fun. I&rsquo;ve had a great career and if I have one year, two years, three years left, I want to have a good time and&hellip;give the best I have and not worry about it.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Patrick Roy, G. Colorado&rsquo;s mediocre start would have been worse without the stellar play of Roy. He lost two games 1-0 and one game 2-0, then had three consecutive shutouts. He was 7-8-1 with a 1.75 goals against average and a.935 save percentage in 16 starts prior to the Ranger loss.ON THE HOT SEAT Joe Sakic, C. All of Colorado&rsquo;s gunners have struggled to score, but Sakic is usually the team&rsquo;s most dependable sniper. Instead, he went 10 games without a goal.NOTEBOOK Colorado scored more than two goals for the first time in 10 games in a 5-4 loss to the Islanders Nov. 21.<h2>DOWN IN DENVER</h2>Slumping Avalanche captain Joe Sakic endured an un-MVP-like 10-game goalless drought. &#9632;

f0020-04

Free-roaming Roy learns to lighten up

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Aaron Portzline</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03515/7058784-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="219" height="261"></div>It&rsquo;s not as if Ray Whitney doubted himself and the Columbus Blue Jackets weren&rsquo;t exactly looking for a trading partner, either.Still, it was nice for all involved to see Whitney, nearly at full health, playing and scoring like his old self again. Whitney scored in five straight games from Nov. 10 through 19 to set a franchise record. The biggest came with 4.1 seconds left in overtime to give Columbus a 4-3 win over St. Louis Nov. 13.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to lie,&rdquo; Whitney said. &ldquo;It feels good to get out there and play and be able to contribute a little bit.&rdquo;The Blue Jackets dealt Kevyn Adams and a fourth round draft pick to Florida for Whitney at last year&rsquo;s trade deadline, knowing that Whitney had a bad back. He played in only three games for Columbus at the end of the season, then missed 11 of the first 15 games this year because of a strained collarbone. He returned Nov. 9.&ldquo;I saw Ray in the hallway a couple of days before he came back,&rdquo; said president-GM Doug MacLean. &ldquo;Ray said to me, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t worry, Doug. I&rsquo;m going to make this trade look good yet.&rsquo;&ldquo;Not that I had any doubts about Ray Whitney or the trade I made to get him, but still, I loved to hear him say that. It got me going pretty good.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Lyle Odelein, D. So maybe it&rsquo;s not a good sign when a stay-at-home defenseman is your fourthleading scorer (one goal, nine points) 22 games into the season. It does, however, speak to the type of year Odelein is having. He has played his position steadily and helped ease Rostislav Klesla&rsquo;s transition to the NHL.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Geoff Sanderson, LW. A 30-goal scorer last year, Sanderson had three goals and five points through Columbus&rsquo;s first 22 games.NOTEBOOKGoalie Marc Denis had a three-game winning streak from Nov. 10 to 16, with a.945 save percentage in that span. &#9632;

f0020-03

Whitney returns with a vengeance

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01873/7058815-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="243" height="246"></div>The trades, no matter how surprising or newsworthy, won&rsquo;t solve their problems, the Dallas Stars acknowledge.&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t turn around and say we fixed the problems and it was these guys,&rdquo; said forward Kirk Muller after the Stars rid themselves of two of their biggest acquisitions this past summer just 22 games into the season.The Stars traded right winger Donald Audette and center Shaun Van Allen to the Montreal Canadiens for left wingers Martin Rucinsky and Benoit Brunet Nov. 22. They also shipped disappointing defenseman Jyrki Lumme to Toronto for ex-Star Dave Manson.Audette, 32, was signed to a four-year, $12-million contract July 2, a decision that brought a close to the Brett Hull era in Dallas. Coming off a career-high 34 goals, Audette never adjusted to coach Ken Hitchcock&rsquo;s demanding system. He was a healthy scratch in the team&rsquo;s third game.Lumme had one assist in 15 games and was minus-5.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Joe Nieuwendyk, C. The veteran has always been a first-class player, even when people were saying he was going to be the third-line center this season. When Mike Modano and Pierre Turgeon were sidelined with injuries, Nieuwendyk kept the team afloat with strong leadership and a team-high nine goals.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Valeri Kamensky, LW. Let&rsquo;s see. Rucinsky and Brunet are both left wingers and neither Audette nor Van Allen were. Hmmm. If you were Kamensky, trying a comeback and without a goal with the Stars, you might be worried about your playing time. Kamensky hasn&rsquo;t been bad. He&rsquo;s really tried to play the system and is the last player off the ice at practice. But he&rsquo;s not finishing and his production is even more minute than in his two years with the Rangers.NOTEBOOK Right winger Donald Audette took a parting shot at the Stars&rsquo; system and coach Ken Hitchcock on his way out the door to Montreal. &ldquo;Ken Hitchcock wanted to change me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to adapt to a new system, but to change a player is something you can&rsquo;t do. They knew what kind of player I was.&rdquo; Audette blamed his playing time-an average 12:25 a game-for his problems and slow offensive start. &#9632;

f0025-01

Slow start prompts shakeup in Dallas

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Nicholas J. Cotsonika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02558/7058846-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="226" height="246"></div>The Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; 19-30-1 start was &ldquo;way more than we could have hoped for,&rdquo; said GM Ken Holland.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve played well and I think we&rsquo;ve had some luck on our side. Obviously, to this point in time, we&rsquo;re very happy.&rdquo;The Wings made significant changes in the off-season, adding future Hall of Earners Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille. Entering training camp, Holland said he worried about chemistry.But chemistry hasn&rsquo;t been a problem. Players have accepted new roles readily and, in some cases, less ice time. Although they&rsquo;ve had to adjust to each other, they&rsquo;ve found ways to win, and winning goes a long way toward team-building.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve seemed to hit it off,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;Everybody&rsquo;s bought into team success and everybody&rsquo;s getting a chance to contribute. I think the one area we really need to improve upon is playing 60 minutes of hockey.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Brendan Shanahan, LW. The way the Wings are playing, any number of players could be MVP. But Shanahan gets the nod. Perhaps motivated to make the Canadian Olympic team, freed by the Wings&rsquo; departure from the left-wing lock system, Shanahan has been on a hot streak since opening night, when he had a hat trick at San Jose. He was among the league leaders with 16 goals, 28 points and a plus-17 rating.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Sergei Fedorov, C. Everyone&rsquo;s always picking on Fedorov because he has such enormous talent. This year is no different. If the Wings are going to win, they need him at his best. Playing through an arm injury that limited his faceoff ability, Fedorov had a strong first quarter. Offensively, he ranked among the league leaders with 25 points, playing on a line with Shanahan. Defensively, he has been as brilliant as ever. He rated plus-14.NOTEBOOK The Wings&rsquo; power play has been one of the league&rsquo;s best. Still, they claim it can be better. &ldquo;The talent is getting us goals, but we can still gel some more,&rdquo; said left winger Brendan Shanahan. Right winger Brett Hull said the Wings&rsquo; stars defer to each other too often, not wanting to &ldquo;look like they&rsquo;re trying to do it themselves.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0025-02

Plethora of stars blend well together

<div class="byline">&#x2014;David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01962/7058908-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="224" height="251"></div>For getting what he felt he didn&rsquo;t deserve&ndash;a seven-game suspension for butt-ending Toronto&rsquo;s Darcy Tucker&ndash;Florida Panthers&rsquo; center Jason Wiemer wanted to not thank the local and national Canadian media.&ldquo;I think it has everything to do with it,&rdquo; Wiemer said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s in the media, it&rsquo;s on the TV 15 times before the game is over. Everybody in the newspapers in Toronto are saying it can&rsquo;t go unnoticed. I think the media had a lot to do with it.&rdquo;Wiemer butt-ended Tucker across the face late in the third period of a 5-1 loss to the Maple Leafs Nov. 19. While the stick appeared to be just a glancing blow across Tucker&rsquo;s face, the Leaf winger crumbled to the ice and sustained a concussion that was expected to sideline him until late November.Wiemer said it was unintentional, that he was only trying to slow Tucker down by getting his stick in front of him. But by making contact, Wiemer left himself vulnerable to supplementary discipline.Wiemer&rsquo;s loss hurts the Panthers not only in defensive matchups against opposing No. 1 lines, but on the power play. Wiemer is on the first unit because he can win the faceoff and will hang out in the slot for screens, rebounds and deflections.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Roberto Luongo, G. After 22 games, the Panthers had only one win in which the opponent scored more than one goal and only one win that didn&rsquo;t have Luongo in goal. He kept the opposition scoreless through 60 minutes four times. Most nights, he gives the Panthers a chance to win, no matter how poor they&rsquo;ve been defensively While he was injured, the Panthers went 0-3-1-0.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Pavel Bure, RW. This isn&rsquo;t the same Bure of the past two seasons. There isn&rsquo;t as much jump or hustle. Teammates have started to call him out on his failings other than scoring goals, a bad situation for someone who wears the captain&rsquo;s &lsquo;C.&rsquo; Bure has had one truly exceptional game this season, a complete effort against the Rangers Oct. 31.NOTEBOOK Bryan Murray was Florida GM from August 1994 until December 2000, so his return as Anaheim&rsquo;s coach brought attention and taunting from the National Car Rental Center crowd throughout a 6-0 Panthers&rsquo; win Nov. 21. Murray didn&rsquo;t leave without a shot: &ldquo;I know a lot of guys I brought to this team played well. And they weren&rsquo;t supposed to be any good.&rdquo;&hellip;The last two times the Panthers have scored more than five goals, right winger Pavel Bure was barely involved. He was injured for the Anaheim game and had only an assist in a 7-6 home loss to Columbus March 9. &#9632;

f0026-01

Wiemer says Canadian media to blame for blowing butt-end out of proportion

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Matt McHale</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02643/7058939-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="222" height="256"></div>If the are to make a move in the season&rsquo;s second quarter, Felix Potvin will have to snap out of his slump.The club&rsquo;s disappointing start can be traced to many sources, but none bigger than Potvin, last year&rsquo;s playoff hero whose poor play forced coach Andy Murray to sit him.Murray still says Potvin, whose save percentage dropped to.884, is the Kings&rsquo; No. 1 goalie. But in six games this season, Potvin allowed back-to-back goals in less than a minute. The Kings lost them all.&ldquo;Goaltenders have ups and downs in every season,&rdquo; Potvin said after Murray sat him. &ldquo;But we couldn&rsquo;t let this go on. Some nights I have felt fine, others not so good. I will work my way out of this.&rdquo;What makes the falloff so alarming is the memory of how well he played last season after coming over from Vancouver. After losing his job with the Canucks, Potvin had a 1.97 goals-against average and.917 save percentage with the Kings, then beat Detroit in the first round and took Colorado to seven games in the second round.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Kelly Buchberger, RW. He has done a good job trying to build a team out of this splintered group. His offensive contribution in recent seasons has slipped from sporadic to negligible, but the respect he commands in the dressing room has kept the Kings from a complete meltdown. Injuries, inconsistent play, Luc Robitaille&rsquo;s departure and the Jason Allison trade have made the Kings a different team. Buchberger orchestrates dinners on the road and other team building activities.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Jason Allison, C. He is coming on after a slow start, but Allison will be needed to provide more scoring and playmaking. Injuries to Adam Deadmarsh and Ziggy Palffy, Allison&rsquo;s projected linemates, have hurt the center&rsquo;s transition. Deadmarsh plays the Bill Guerin crash-the-net style Allison liked in Boston. And more games together will help Palffy and Allison blend their styles.NOTEBOOK Kings&rsquo; management denied television reports in Canada that coach Andy Murray&rsquo;s job was in jeopardy due to the team&rsquo;s poor start&hellip;Left winger Adam Deadmarsh has been sidelined this season with groin problems, a wrist injury and was listed as day-to-day in mid-November with an abdominal strain. He led the team in scoring when he collided with Detroit&rsquo;s Darren McCarty Nov. 17&hellip;Goalie Jamie Storr beat Edmonton Nov. 22, raising his lifetime record against the Oilers to 3-0-1. That game also broke a seven-game road winless streak for the Kings. &#9632;

f0026-02

Kings need No. 1 goaltender Potvin to regain heroic form of last season

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01915/7058970-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="231" height="233"></div>A few weeks back, Wild centers Darby Hendrickson and Wes Walz eased up next to fellow center Jim Dowd on one of the team&rsquo;s charter flights.They asked him if the Wild had approached him about a new contract.Dowd, after all, was due to be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Hendrickson and Walz both got new deals in the offseason. Dowd, it seemed, was the same type of hard-working veteran that best represents what the Wild is trying to build. Where was his deal?Dowd, who turns 33 on Christmas Day, just smiled and dodged the question. Now Hendrickson and Walz know why: Dowd subsequently signed a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2003-04 season.&ldquo;He represents what this organization is all about,&rdquo; said Wild GM Doug Risebrough. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a leader and a great example to our young players.&rdquo;Dowd is coming off a career season in 2000-01 when he had eight goals and 29 points. With seven goals and 17 points in his first 22 games, he&rsquo;s on pace to smash those marks by the midseason point.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m as happy as can be,&rdquo; Dowd said. &ldquo;I like it in Minnesota-it&rsquo;s a great place to live and a great place to play. I like the direction of the organization and I just want to now keep proving myself.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Marian Gaborik, RW. The Wild figured its first-ever draft pick would someday be the franchise&rsquo;s best player. It only took a little over a season for that to happen. Gaborik is averaging better than a point a game and is a threat on the ice nearly every shift. Wild coach Jacques Lemaire says Gaborik, 19, has the maturity and talent of a 10year veteran.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Stacy Roest, RW. Roest set the bar high in the season&rsquo;s first two weeks by scoring five goals in the first five games. But his scoring well has run dry and the Wild could use a few more goals out of someone other than the first line. Hendrickson and Walz need to pick up the pace, too, but Roest is a pivotal offensive player. When he scores, the Wild usually plays well.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Nick Schultz, the Wild&rsquo;s second round pick in 2000, may be allowed to leave the team to play for Canada in the World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. &#9632;

f0027-01

Dowd rewarded with deal extension

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02579/7059001-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="226" height="230"></div>The day after celebrating his one-year anniversary on the job, Montreal GM Andre Savard continued remaking his team.Savard acquired 32-year-old right winger Donald Audette and 34-year-old center Shaun Van Allen for left wingers Martin Rucinsky and Benoit Brunet, both of whom are eligible to become unrestricted free agents this summer.The Canadiens made a pitch for Audette last summer when he was a free agent, but balked at his demand for a $17-million contract over four years. Instead, he signed a $12-million four-year deal with the Stars.Although Audette was coming off the best season of his career, scoring 34 goals and 45 assists in 76 games with Buffalo and Atlanta, he was chafing under coach Ken Hitchcock&rsquo;s rigid defensive system. He was a healthy scratch in Dallas&rsquo; third game and was held to four goals and 12 points in his first 20 games.Audette picked up an assist in his first game with the Habs, a 5-2 win over Atlanta.&ldquo;We sure hope Donald brings that offensive touch that he has always shown,&rdquo; Savard said.Van Allen is a defensive specialist who played for Ottawa two seasons ago when Savard was a Senators&rsquo; assistant coach. He had two goals and four assists in 19 games with Dallas.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Jose Theodore, G. With Jeff Hackett injured, Theodore is counted on heavily. When Theodore missed four games with a concussion, the Canadiens failed to win. Theodore gives Montreal a chance to win game after game without much offensive support.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Doug Gilmour, C. Signed as a free agent for his veteran leadership, Gilmour must start providing the Canadiens with a modicum of offense. He had but two assists in 13 games and wasn&rsquo;t showing any creativity.NOTEBOOK Canadiens&rsquo; coach Michel Therrien signed a contract extension through next season. &#9632;

f0027-02

Audette’s touch welcome addition

<div class="byline">&#x2014;David Boclair</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03381/7059039-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="241" height="223"></div>Defenseman Marc Moro has been a favorite of Nashville management and coaches almost from the moment he was acquired in a trade with Anaheim before the 1998-99 season. Now if he could only find a place to play.The 24-year-old made an opening day NHL roster this season for the first time and was a regular in the lineup throughout October. However, on Nov. 19 he accepted a two-week conditioning assignment at Milwaukee of the American League.Moro lost his Predators&rsquo; roster spot to Bubba Berenzweig and dropped further down the depth chart when Cale Hulse returned from his broken hand. Moro has auditioned in previous years as a fourth-line forward and has been a fearless physical competitor in an attempt to earn a full-time NHL job.&ldquo;He gets high grades on everything from his work ethic to determination to practice habits to being just a good person,&rdquo; said GM David Poile. &ldquo;It gets to be tough when you haven&rsquo;t played in a while. His confidence and the coaches&rsquo; confidence in him becomes an issue when he hasn&rsquo;t done it in a while.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;David Legwand, C. The first draft pick in franchise history has been Nashville&rsquo;s best twoway forward. He has been used in checking and offensive roles, led the team in goals (six) and plus-minus (plus-5) and was seeing increased time on the penalty killing unit.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Scott Walker, RW. Walker&rsquo;s 25 goals last year led the team. He had just four through 22 games this year. An equally disturbing number was his minus-11, given the fact that he is one of the Predators&rsquo; true grinding forwards. He showed signs of steadying his play before a concussion caused him to miss three games in midNovember.NOTEBOOK The Predators&rsquo; 4-3 win over Chicago Nov. 21 tied a franchise record four consecutive home victories.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04256/7059032-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="1127" height="959"></div><h2>PRED ON THE RISE</h2>Third-year Nashville center David Legwand is enjoying his best NHL season. &#9632;

f0027-03

Hard-working Moro can’t stick around

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01953/7059070-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="222" height="256"></div>No one else will get the chance to lure Scott Stevens away from the New Jersey Devils.The hard-hitting defenseman signed a three-year extension, worth approximately $21 million, to assure he would finish his career with the Devils.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no other place I really wanted to be,&rdquo; Stevens explained of his decision to bypass unrestricted free agency next summer. &ldquo;I believe in this team, in this organization. I want to win another Cup and retire here.&rdquo;The deal came six weeks after the Devils gave goalie Martin Brodeur a five-year, $40million extension.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question the years Scott has been here, he has been synonymous with the logo and the team,&rdquo; said GM Lou Lamoriello.Stevens, 37, wanted a deal similar to the two-year agreement Al MacInnis signed with the St. Louis Blues. The Devils gave him a third year and extended a no-trade clause that is not, according to Lamoriello, in writing but is a spoken bond between the player and team.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Patrik Elias, LW. Everyone wondered how Elias would react to the added pressure of playing the final year on his contract before going to salary arbitration. He raised his game to the next level, powering the Devils&rsquo; top line with Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora while establishing himself as perhaps the league&rsquo;s best left winger. His 13 goals in 19 games led the team.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Randy McKay, RW. Nagged by a bruised rib, McKay scored just one goal and found himself shuttled between several different lines. McKay, 33, also wondered whether the Devils would open negotiations before he reached unrestricted free agency next summer. &ldquo;I have to take care of myself and the contract will take care of itself,&rdquo; McKay said.NOTEBOOK Veteran defenseman Tommy Albelin&rsquo;s status with the team was questionable when he was a healthy scratch for seven straight games. The acquisition of defenseman Andrei Zyuzin from Tampa Bay did not help Albelin&rsquo;s situation&hellip;Center Bobby Holik called rumors the Devils were interested in trading him for Boston right winger Bill Guerin &ldquo;irrational.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0028-01

Stevens expecting to retire as Devil

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Peter Botte</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04315/7059101-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="680" height="801"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02634/7059108-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="219" height="254"></div>Garth Snow made several trips back and forth between Long Island and his family&rsquo;s Massachusetts home during training camp and the early part of the NHL season.The Islanders&rsquo; goalie was excused for 10 straight days in October to be with his older brother, Glenn, before he died Oct. 26 at the age of 36 after a lengthy battle with leukemia&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t thank the organization enough for that,&rdquo; Snow said. &ldquo;They allowed me to say things to my brother that we never did when we were growing up. You know, &lsquo;I love you,&rsquo; or &lsquo;I&rsquo;m proud of you.&rsquo; And apologize for all the things we used to do to each other. I&rsquo;ll never forget what the Islanders did for me and my family.&rdquo;In a 3-3 tie Nov. 14 at Pittsburgh, Snow made his first start since returning to the team after attending his brother&rsquo;s funeral.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Chris Osgood, G. Michael Peca has provided leadership and more offense than expected-and Alexei Yashin has been everything advertised-but the Isles would&rsquo;ve been nowhere near their best 20-game start (12-5-2-1) since 1987 without Osgood&rsquo;s calming presence in the nets. They suffered a season-high five-game winless streak (0-4-1-0) with Osgood enduring his first shaky stretch.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Mariusz Czerkawski, RW. It&rsquo;s said some players are more productive on losing teams. Czerkawski, with three goals through 20 games for the second straight season, still must prove he isn&rsquo;t one of them. He rebounded for his second straight 30-goal season last year with a flurry, once the Isles were eliminated from contention. Playing mostly with Yashin, who also likes to carry the puck, seems to have hurt Czerkawski more than it has helped him.NOTEBOOK GM Mike Milbury expects three Islander first round draft picks-goaltender Rick DiPietro, defenseman Branislav Mezei and left winger Raffi Torres-to spend the entire season with the team&rsquo;s Bridgeport (AHL) affiliate. With Chris Osgood solidifying the goaltending situation, Milbury also could trade DiPietro eventually.<h2>NET GAIN</h2>Mike Richter is one of the driving forces behind the resurgent Rangers. &#9632;

f0028-04

Snow salutes Isles for human touch

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03453/7059139-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="221" height="250"></div>Suddenly, without explanation, everything seemed to fit for the New York Rangers.Their big guy, Eric Lindros, was leading his FLY line (with Theo Fleury and Mike York) to new offensive heights. Their goalie, Mike Richter, was playing as if he were back among the NHL&rsquo;s elite.Thus the Rangers, underachievers for four seasons, were right there among the top teams in the Eastern Conference on the strength of an 8-00-1 stretch in which they earned 17 of a possible 18 points.Two things happened. One, Lindros began to get mega ice time. Two, the Rangers started to trap and play better in their own end.The FLY line combined for 19 goals and 47 points in 10 games and the Rangers, who hadn&rsquo;t been two games over.500 in five seasons, found themselves at 14-7-1-1.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Mike Richter, G. Very simply, the Rangers aren&rsquo;t in the playoff picture without top notch goaltending, because they give up so many shots and scoring chances each night. They didn&rsquo;t have a healthy No. 1 goalie last year, and a team that should have been good enough to make the playoffs didn&rsquo;t.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Eric Lindros, C. All he has to do is stay healthy, which might or might not be a lot to ask. When he is able to play, Lindros has proven to still be among the small handful of the best and most dominant players in the game, as he showed over the first quarter of the season. He was getting even better as the quarter closed.NOTEBOOK Coach Ron Low missed the Nov. 17 game in Pittsburgh in order to travel to Manitoba and attend the funeral of his younger brother, Jack, who died of brain cancer&hellip;Right winger Mikael Samuelsson&rsquo;s first NHL goal Nov. 20 snapped Colorado goalie Patrick Roy&rsquo;s three-game shutout streak. Roy didn&rsquo;t finish the game, which the Rangers won 5-3. &#9632;

f0028-03

Rangers take off on FLY line wings

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01842/7059170-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="232" height="245"></div>The Ottawa Senators were having a November to remember.The Senators got off to a difficult start and people were calling for the head of coach Jacques Martin during a five-game winless streak in October. Then the Senators rolled through their second month with an 11-game unbeaten streak.After completing a 4-4 tie with the Calgary Flames Nov. 22 at the Corel Centre, the Senators moved their record to 9-0-2-0, which tied a club record for the longest undefeated streak set in January, 1999.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing good hockey right now,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;I think what&rsquo;s happening is we&rsquo;re playing well defensively and we&rsquo;re getting contributions from everybody. That&rsquo;s important for us.&rdquo;Perhaps, the biggest turnaround has been the play of goaltender Patrick Lalime, who was going so well that Martin was pumping him up for a spot as the No. 3 goalie on the Canadian Olympic team.&ldquo;Sometimes when you&rsquo;re playing well the puck just hits you and that gives you confidence,&rdquo; Lalime said. &ldquo;I just want to make the saves to help the team. But they&rsquo;re helping me. It goes both ways.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Daniel Alfredsson, RW. Signed to a one-year, $3-million (U.S.) contract in September, the captain has taken his game to another level. During the 11-game streak, he had nine goals and 19 points playing on a line with center Todd White and left winger Magnus Arvedson.There was a lot of talk coming into camp that Alfredsson would be traded because people were down on his performance in the playoffs. With his showing so far, the playoffs are long forgotten.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Radek Bonk, C. Expected to be the No. 1 center with Alexei Yashin dealt in the off-season, Bonk was getting heat in Ottawa for his performance during the first quarter. He had just four goals in 21 games while playing alongside Shawn McEachern and Marian Hossa.NOTEBOOK GM Marshall Johnston met with Slovak players, defenseman Zdeno Chara and right winger Marian Hossa, but hasn&rsquo;t made a decision on whether they&rsquo;ll be allowed to leave early for the Olympics. &ldquo;We hope to know soon,&rdquo; Chara said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s looking at all the options.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0029-01

Scintillating streak quells discontent

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02541/7059201-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="219" height="223"></div>Once in a great while a player can actually benefit from reading his own press clippings.Flyers second-year right winger Justin Williams went 13 games without a goal and that&rsquo;s pretty hard to do when your center is Jeremy Roenick and your left winger is John LeClair.GM Bob Clarke took Williams to task in the media, saying the 20-year-old was doing too much yapping at refs and not enough rapping at goalies.&ldquo;Just keep your mouth shut and play hockey,&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a proven player yet. All the peripheral stuff, leave it alone or the coaches will put you on the bench.&rdquo;Coach Bill Barber also held a private meeting with Williams and went over a videotape of what he called &ldquo;constructive criticism.&rdquo;Williams responded with his best two games of the season. During a home-and-home series with New Jersey, Williams had several good scoring chances in a 3-1 win Nov. 17 and came back with a goal and two assists in a 3-3 tie Nov. 20.&ldquo;When you don&rsquo;t score for a while, you start to question yourself, question your talent,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;He (Barber) just said he needed more from me. When you get a goal, it&rsquo;s a huge lift off your shoulders.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Brian Boucher, G. The third-year goalie took over for a struggling Roman Cechmanek and went on a tear, posting a shutout string of 184-plus minutes. Before injuring a left hamstring muscle Nov. 15, Boucher had shot to the top of the league in goals-against average (1.50) and save percentage (.943).ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Roman Cechmanek, G. With Boucher sidelined, Cechmanek must regain the form he displayed last year when he led the league with a 2.01 goals-against average. Immediately after Boucher went down, Cechmanek responded with two of his strongest efforts in the games against New Jersey.Cechmanek says he has been working harder at game preparation and trying to cut down on rebound opportunities.NOTEBOOK The Flyers&rsquo; 3-1 win over the Devils Nov. 17 ended a 10-game (0-7-3-0) winless streak at Continental Airlines Arena dating back to March 25, 1997. &#9632;

f0029-02

Williams responds to public rebuke

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03350/7059232-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="223" height="264"></div>Radoslav Suchy&rsquo;s champagne wishes finally came true.Suchy, the Coyotes&rsquo; third-year defenseman from Slovakia, had played in 151 NHL games without scoring a goal, the longest active streak among players from the start of a career.He put the streak to rest Nov. 17 during a 6-1 rout of the New York Islanders, getting rare duty on the power play and scoring from his knees late in the game by flipping a shot past Chris Osgood.&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t even celebrate,&rdquo; Suchy said. &ldquo;I was on my knees and the guys jumped on me and I could never get to my feet. It was a great moment. It&rsquo;s nice to finally get the first one.&rdquo;After the game, he was showered with a bottle of champagne in the Coyotes&rsquo; dressing room. It was the third-longest wait in history, behind only Terry Murray (217 games) and Tony Twist (180).The coaching staff helped by moving Suchy up to one of the forward spots on the power play. After Michal Handzus slid a shot between the defensemen, Suchy raced into the slot for perfect positioning.&ldquo;I told (assistant coach) Rick Bowness they&rsquo;re not using me right,&rdquo; Suchy said, joking he should get power play time more often. &ldquo;No, it was just a lucky bounce. I have to thank the coaches for putting me out there.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Sean Burke, G. If anyone is still waiting for the veteran Burke to cool off, they&rsquo;d better dig in for the winter because he hasn&rsquo;t shown any signs of slowing down He had a 2.07 goals-against average and a.927 save percentage while facing a ton of shots every game.His leadership in the dressing room has been just as impressive and a spot on the Canadian Olympic team seems within reach.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Shane Doan, RW. After signing an incentive-laced, three-year contract following back-to-back 25-goal seasons, the Coyotes were counting heavily on Doan to replace some of the firepower they lost with the departures of Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick. But with just three goals (and 10 points) after 21 games, Doan had yet to find his scoring touch.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Todd Simpson could be out until mid-December after cracking a bone in his left foot. &#9632;

f0029-03

Suchy celebrates long-awaited goal

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01954/7059263-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="218" height="250"></div>All Mario Lemieux wants to do is play hockey and his right hip wasn&rsquo;t letting him.Lemieux, who had arthroscopic surgery Oct. 29, was expected to miss at least three weeks. He returned to the lineup 12 days after the surgery and played three games before sitting out again. In retrospect, he probably came back too early.&ldquo;Nobody wants to rush him (back this time),&rdquo; said GM Craig Patrick. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve already done that, and that didn&rsquo;t work.&rdquo;The pain did not subside when Lemieux came back and he subsequently sat out consecutive games with no firm return date planned.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just going to give it some time,&rdquo; Lemieux said.The Penguins had just 16 goals in 10 games without him, an average of 1.6 goals per game.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Robert Lang, C/LW. About the only positive Pittsburgh could count on in the first quarter was Lang&rsquo;s steady play and leadership. He led the team in points with 13 and was tied for the lead in goals with six after 21 games.Lang was given an &lsquo;A&rsquo; for alternate captain after Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka and Lemieux went down with injuries. He relished the new leadership role. And even when he went through a stretch of one goal in 15 games, he did things to help the team win. For example, he was a key part of a much-improved penalty killing unit.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Alexei Kovalev, RW. After missing 13 games because of arthroscopic knee surgery, Kovalev notched back-to-back hat tricks. Nobody expects that to continue, but if Lemieux continues to miss games, Kovalev is the Penguins&rsquo; clear-cut, go-to guy and their most talented offensive player.NOTEBOOK Coach Rick Kehoe instituted a policy of staying with a goaltender if he earns a point in a game&hellip;Left winger Dan LaCouture was hit just below the right eye by a souvenir puck tossed from the stands when fans celebrated right winger Alexei Kovalev&rsquo;s hat trick Nov. 14 against the Islanders. LaCouture escaped with only a bruise. &#9632;

f0030-01

Mario’s ailing right hip keeps him on sidelines

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Derrick Goold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02635/7059294-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="223" height="256"></div>It&rsquo;s not the losses. It&rsquo;s how they&rsquo;re losing that unsettles the St. Louis Blues.&ldquo;If we had played four great games and gotten a point out of them, I don&rsquo;t think we would be as distraught as we are, having played only three good periods in four games,&rdquo; said captain Chris Pronger.The Blues started a five-game road trip with four losses. The last two were shutouts-including one by former Blue Roman Turek on the eve of his big Calgary contract announcement.What&rsquo;s troubling the Blues is deeper than chemistry. There has been an ebb of confidence from a team laden with veterans. They stray from the system or just shy away from grasping momentum of a game.&ldquo;I see a team that is uncomfortable on the ice,&rdquo; said GM Larry Pleau. &ldquo;Jittery with the puck, uncomfortable as a group. We haven&rsquo;t played well enough as a team, consistent as a team, effectively as a team.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Keith Tkachuk, LW. No other Blue is even close to the number of scoring chances Tkachuk has had, and that is because no other Blue is working as hard to create those chances. Besides being tied with Pavol Demitra with a team-high 21 points, Tkachuk has been bruising around the net. He has carried and controlled the puck when others have been reluctant. He is the only Blue who has produced, no matter what line he&rsquo;s on.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Doug Weight, C. Hired to control the puck and feed the Blues&rsquo; big scorers, Weight has described himself as uncomfortable and lacking confidence. Though he is off to one of his best starts (17 points in 20 games), Weight has to be more assertive for St. Louis to pull out of its funk. Especially when the Blues separate him from Tkachuk, he must help others score or carry a line with his scoring.NOTEBOOK An angry coach Joel Quenneville had this to say after his team&rsquo;s 45 penalty minutes, four 3-on-5 situations and two power-play goals allowed in a 2-0 loss to Calgary Nov. 17: &ldquo;You won&rsquo;t see a worse officiated game the rest of the year.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0030-02

Confidence, chemistry abandon fragile Blues

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Ross McKeon</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03438/7059325-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="220" height="247"></div>Miikka Kiprusoff needs to improve.To improve he needed to play.So the Sharks made their first roster move since opening night and sent their backup goalie to the minors Nov. 19 to help him get back on track.Kiprusoff, a promising 25-year-old Finn who shined in two emergency starts last post-season, welcomed a chance to play for a week with American League affiliate Cleveland while the Sharks were playing just twice in eight nights.Kiprusoff started slowly and in his most recent start, Nov. 15 in Phoenix, allowed five goals-four of the soft variety-in the third period of a 5-3 Sharks&rsquo; loss. San Jose led 3-2 through 40 minutes. Prior to that game, Kiprusoff allowed two bad goals in a 4-1 loss to Buffalo Oct. 23.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not unlike 30 other backup goaltenders,&rdquo; said coach Darryl Sutter. &ldquo;When they come off the bench, it&rsquo;s their job to play well. If they don&rsquo;t play well, it lessens their chances of playing.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Vincent Damphousse, C. The veteran center supplied a team-high 10 goals and 17 points in 19 games. He excelled in all areas, helping an improved power play, working regularly on a 90-per cent penalty-killing unit, and led the team in faceoffs and faceoff percentage.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Patrick Marleau, C. Marleau matched his career-long goalless streak of 12 straight games from Oct. 27 to Nov. 22 and found himself in coach Darryl Sutter&rsquo;s doghouse. The fifth-year NHLer had just two goals and eight points in 22 games while playing on the No. 2 line between Adam Graves and Owen Nolan.NOTEBOOK In an effort to break a two-month stalemate, GM Dean Lombardi was given permission by Art Breeze, agent for restricted free agent Mike Rathje, to talk one-on-one with his client on Nov. 19. A 90-minute meeting held at Rathje&rsquo;s home didn&rsquo;t produce a deal, but was viewed as a positive step. &ldquo;On one hand obviously, I certainly don&rsquo;t like the fact he&rsquo;s not here, but I like his self-confidence. It&rsquo;s good that he believes in himself,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &#9632;

f0030-03

Backup goalie Kiprusoff backs down to minors

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Damian Cristodero</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04307/7059356-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="222" height="245"></div>Petr Svoboda said the post-concussion syndrome that has prevented him from playing hockey for nearly a full year now is slowly getting better.Svoboda said he even expects to play again and would love to represent the Czech Republic in the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake City&ldquo;Absolutely,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t focus on one day. I just want to play because I miss the game so much. I&rsquo;ve got to wait it out and take it one day at a time.&rdquo;Svoboda, 35, was hurt last Dec. 14 when a check by Phoenix winger Shane Doan forced Svoboda&rsquo;s stick to snap up and smash him across the face, breaking his nose. Svoboda, though, is a long way from a return. He must be free of symptoms for a month before even thinking of facing body contact. And though the headaches and dizziness that have plagued him have diminished, they are still there.&ldquo;My life is almost back to normal in some ways and that&rsquo;s the No. 1 thing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now we have to go on to the second and third. Hopefully, it will work out eventuallySvoboda&rsquo;s two-year, $4.5 million contract expires after this season.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Nikolai Khabibulin, G. The Lightning could not have asked more of Khabibulin, who was 6-9-1 with two shutouts, a 2.18 goals against average and a.925 save percentage after his first 17 games.Khabibulin said he has regained about 90 per cent of the form he had two seasons ago in Phoenix and has benefited from a much-improved defense. He has given the Lightning players confidence they have a chance in any game.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Fredrik Modin, LW. If Tampa is going to get its offense going, Modin must score. He was expected to flirt with 40 goals this season, but through 19 games had just four. An injured left big toe has been broken twice and he&rsquo;s having trouble getting his shots on net.NOTEBOOK Right winger Ben Clymer had back-to-back, game-winning goals Nov. 18 against Carolina and Nov. 20 against Anaheim. &#9632;

f0030-04

Recovering Svoboda anticipating return

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04308/7059387-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="799" height="940"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01876/7059394-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="223" height="251"></div>Like the antique dealer who cruises the garage sales every Saturday morning, Toronto coach-GM Pat Quinn has taken on yet another reclamation project.This time it&rsquo;s 35-year-old defenseman Jyrki Lumme, whom Quinn acquired from Dallas Nov. 21 for Dave Manson. The Leafs then scrapped Lumme&rsquo;s lucrative two-year deal and signed him to a new three-year deal with a team option.Lumme had a terrible time in Dallas with just one assist in 15 games. There were reports of discord between Lumme and Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock and Lumme&rsquo;s play suffered because of the separation with his wife, Minna, and two daughters, who have all stayed in Finland since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Minna is convinced the U.S. will be the target of another attack, but she is willing to come to Canada.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t played well,&rdquo; Lumme said. &ldquo;(The Stars) wanted me to play a little different style and it didn&rsquo;t match.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Mats Sundin, C. The Maple Leafs don&rsquo;t have a player in the top 20 of NHL scoring and have been getting their production from a variety of sources. Sundin is on his customary point-per-game pace, but has scored a number of big goals playing on the Tre Kronor line with Hoglund and Renberg.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Curtis Joseph, C. Joseph got off to a terrible start that saw his save percentage dip significantly under the.900 mark. He has rebounded, but must prove he&rsquo;s worth the $9 million per season (U.S.) he is seeking.NOTEBOOK Goalie Curtis Joseph said he&rsquo;s not thinking any more about winning Canada&rsquo;s No. 1 job at the Olympics now that Colorado goalie Patrick Roy has bowed out. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to think that far down the road,&rdquo; he said.<h2>SUPER MATS</h2>The main difference in Toronto captain Mats Sundin&rsquo;s game? It might be that he&rsquo;s finally getting more than a bit of help from his friends. &#9632;

f0031-04

Languishing Lumme reborn with Leafs

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02570/7059425-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="223" height="257"></div>When the season began, the Vancouver Canucks had one vacancy on their defense for a left-shot rookie with blond hair. Almost everyone figured that rookie would be 1998 first-round pick Bryan Allen. No one figured it would be someone named Justin Kurtz.A 24-year-old journeyman without an NHL game to his credit, Kurtz came to the Canucks&rsquo; training camp ticketed to play for the minor league Manitoba Moose. He was under contract to only them, and not to the Canucks. But his impressive camp led to an NHL contract and when the Canucks stumbled from the gate, Kurtz was recalled Oct. 23.A month later, he was a regular on the Canucks&rsquo; blueline with six points in his first 15 games and a plus-2 figure.Kurtz credited his coach in Manitoba the last three seasons, former Norris Trophy winner Randy Carlyle, for his emergence as a player.&ldquo;He kept telling me to make sure I made the easy play and that way I wouldn&rsquo;t get into trouble,&rdquo; said Kurtz, drafted by Winnipeg in the fourth round in 1995.&ldquo;The longer I was there, the more I brought it into my game. I&rsquo;m doing those things now and people seem to be liking it.&rdquo;MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Dan Cloutier, G. Handed the No. 1 goaltending job in the summer, Cloutier responded by starting 20 of the Canucks&rsquo; first 24 games, recording three shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.30 and save percentage of.908. In one eight-game stretch, he did not allow more than two goals per outing.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Trevor Linden, C. The former captain rejoined the Canucks Nov. 10 and sparked a mini-surge that saw the team go 4-1-1-0 in Linden&rsquo;s first six games.With his $4 million (U.S.) salary (not all of it being paid by Vancouver), expectations are high Linden will maintain his high standard of play.NOTEBOOK The Canucks ended an unbelievable 12-year drought in Pittsburgh when they beat the Penguins 4-1 Nov. 21. The Canucks had gone 0-10-1-0 on Pittsburgh ice since last winning Jan. 7,1989. &#9632;

f0031-02

Journeyman Kurtz unknown no longer

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03415/7059456-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="224" height="265"></div>The real Washington Capitals can come out of hiding now.Thanksgiving in the United States is over and that&rsquo;s usually the signal for the Caps to start the season for real.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a couple real good efforts at home where we played hard for 60 minutes, we&rsquo;ve endured a few rough patches during the games and been able to build some confidence,&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson, who has gone through five traditional slow starts in his five years in Washington.This year, however, he says there is a difference.&ldquo;I view this as a slump we&rsquo;ve had three or four weeks into the season,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;I thought actually we started quite well this year when you factor in the schedule (11 of first 13 on the road) and a couple key people being out.&ldquo;We had a bad two weeks, that&rsquo;s kind of the way I&rsquo;m looking at it.&rdquo;The Caps stumbled through a horrid 1-7-1-0 run from late October through midNovember, with their only win coming against the Atlanta Thrashers.MOST VALUABLE PLAYER&nbsp;Ulf Dahlen, RW. Dahlen wins this one by a whisker over left winger Peter Bondra.Dahlen has been very consistent at both ends of the ice. He was tied for second in team scoring with 16 points. Of his eight goals, half were scored on the power play. He was on pace for a 30-goal, 60-point season with 60 points, levels he hasn&rsquo;t reached since the early 1990s.ON THE HOT SEAT&nbsp;Jaromir Jagr, RW. Jagr appeared to be rounding into shape after a slow start due to a knee injury, but his point-a-game pace isn&rsquo;t going to cut it for long.Fans are waiting to see the dynamic player who tortured them for years while wearing a Penguin uniform. Jagr knows his role.NOTEBOOK Veteran defenseman Frank Kucera was in a fine mood after the Capitals brought him back to the NHL from Sparta Prague in the Czech League. &ldquo;They usually don&rsquo;t go to Europe to make call-ups,&rdquo; he said. Kucera was teamed with Sergei Gonchar&hellip;Minor league defenseman Dean Melanson was recalled from Portland (AHL) and appeared in four games for the Caps, his first big league action since 1994-95 with Buffalo. &#9632;

f0031-03

Early season funk come and gone?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01939/7059487-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

NHL DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>Houston&rsquo;s Curtis Murphy is out to prove to American League followers that he&rsquo;s more than just a small offense-minded defenseman.Murphy, 25, was an impact player for the Turner Cup-champion Orlando Solar Bears of the International League last season. The only thing that kept him being a league MVP candidate was a mid-season triceps injury that kept him out until the playoffs.&ldquo;When I first came into (pro hockey), I wasn&rsquo;t a go-to guy,&rdquo; said Murphy, who had four goals and 13 points in 17 games. &ldquo;Now I&rsquo;ve put myself into a position where I can be that guy.&rdquo;Murphy averaged a point-a-game in Orlando last season and there are similar expectations with the Aeros. Houston has like minded defensemen Travis Roche, a rookie with eight goals in 16 games, and Mike Crowley. &ldquo;When Mike gets back, I won&rsquo;t have to be that guy on offense all the time, which will be better for the team,&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;My role might change a bit.&rdquo;Murphy, never drafted because of his 5-foot-8 frame, was signed as a free agent by Minnesota in June.There is a greater understanding of his play from Aeros&rsquo; coach Todd McLellan, who faced Murphy last season as coach of Cleveland.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01852/7059518-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="278" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body">Curtis Murphy</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I appreciate him more now,&rdquo; McLellan said. &ldquo;All too often offensive players get a knock that they can&rsquo;t or don&rsquo;t want to play in their own end. There are many nights that defensively, he&rsquo;s our best player, also.&ldquo;He does so many little things well and the speed he possesses, the first two or three strides, those are things you don&rsquo;t appreciate until you watch him for 10 or 15 games in a row. Once you understand that, you can see how he can change the momentum of a game.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0033-01

Murphy takes MVP form to Houston

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>When the Ottawa Senators signed goalie Martin Prusek in the off-season, they weren&rsquo;t necessarily expecting the 26-year-old from the Czech Republic to make an immediate impact.The Sens just knew Prusek wasn&rsquo;t a young kid, so they needed to make a decision on whether he was a legitimate prospect. He was drafted 164th overall in 1999.But Prusek, a mainstay for Vitkovice in the Czech League the past six seasons, has adapted to the North American game and has raised eyebrows, winning his first eight American League starts for Grand Rapids. His only loss came in relief of Mathieu Chouinard.His 2.14 goals-against average was seventh in the AHL and he had a solid.926 save percentage.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t know how he&rsquo;d do, but he has played well,&rdquo; said Senators&rsquo; GM Marshall Johnston. &ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t drafted high, but sometimes that&rsquo;s where you get bonuses. The bottom line is, who plays well.&rdquo;FLASHY DUCKS The line of center Andy McDonald, left winger Timo Parssinen and right winger Travis Brigley was one of the AHL&rsquo;s hottest, producing 10 goals and 21 points in a five-game stretch for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.The 5-foot-10,180-pound McDonald led the Ducks with six goals and 21 points in 16 games. He was a free agent signee by Anaheim out of Colgate before last season, when he scored 15 goals and 40 points in 46 AHL games and one goal in 16 NHL games.&ldquo;The difference between Andy this year and last year is he&rsquo;s stronger on the puck,&rdquo; said Cincinnati coach Mike Babcock. &ldquo;Last year every time he got touched his feet stopped moving. This year he&rsquo;s resilient.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02575/7059570-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="256" height="265"></div>SCHASTLIVY SHINES With five goals in two games, Grand Rapids&rsquo; left winger Petr Schastlivy took the AHL lead-and matched his career high-with 16 goals in 16 games.&ldquo;He does things with the puck that make you wonder why he&rsquo;s here (and not in Ottawa),&rdquo; said teammate Joe Murphy of the third-year pro.HOT STREAK After starting 17-1, Hershey vaulted into the South Division race by going 71-1 in nine games. Rookie forwards Jordan Krestanovich (eight-game point streak) and Radim Vrbata (seven goals and 15 points in the nine games) led the Bears&rsquo; offensive attack.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03430/7059563-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="1315" height="1892"><figcaption class="caption-body">After an eight-year NHL career with five teams, Daniel &lsquo;The Bandit&rsquo; Berthiaume is in his seventh year with the Roanoke Express of the ECHL.</figcaption></div><h2>AHL</h2>TEAM PROFILE7 of 27<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04334/7059556-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="356" height="469"></div>SPRINGFIELD FALCONSNHL AFFILIATIONPhoenix/Tampa BayARENACivic Center, cap. 7,444 Springfield, Mass.Tickets: 413-787-6600HISTORYThe birthplace of basketball also has a strong history in the AHL. The Springfield Indians and Kings have won seven Calder Cups.COACHMarc Potvin, 2nd yearGENERAL MANAGERBruce Landon, 20th yearNOTABLE PROSPECTS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05278/7059549-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="444" height="194"></div>2001-02Shared NHL affiliation means a young Falcons&rsquo; roster with plenty of solid NHL prospects. &#9632;

f0033-02

Czech goalie Prusek turns Sens’ heads

<div class="byline">By Rob Mueller</div>Dany Bousquet&rsquo;s surgically repaired left knee is stronger than ever and so are the Pee Dee Pride.The 28-year-old center made a speedy return from a tom knee ligament last season, regaining his status as one of the East Coast League&rsquo;s elite players while helping the Pride to a 14-4-0 start.&ldquo;The difference in our team is we&rsquo;ve got more depth on the blueline and solid goaltending,&rdquo; said Bousquet, whose 24 points ranked fourth in the ECHL. &ldquo;We added a few key guys on defense and our goalies are coming up big.&rdquo;Pride coach Davis Payne&ndash;who&rsquo;s in his first full year after taking over last November following the firing of Frank Anzalone-bolstered his blueline by bringing in Ryan Bast, who played two NHL games with Philadelphia in 1998-99.Payne also traded for winger Joel Irwin, who led Greensboro in scoring last year, and showed faith in second-year goalie J.R. PrestifiHppo, a former Harvard standout who struggled as a rookie with Augusta last season, but has blossomed since joining the Pride in March.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06242/7059601-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="203" height="209"></div>IN THE DOGHOUSE The ECHL suspended Greenville Grrrowl winger David Kaczowka seven games for elbowing Greensboro&rsquo;s Dan Passero in the head.Late in the Nov. 17 game, Kaczowka leveled Passero, knocking him unconscious for several minutes. Medical staff performed an external chest rub to revive Passero and he was taken to a hospital.MAXIME IMPACT The high-scoring Pensacola Ice Pilots hope to have solved their goaltending problems with the signing of 1998-99 ECHL goalie of the year Maxime Gingras.Gingras has struggled the past two seasons with Richmond and Mobile and was released in October by the Mysticks after he failed in training camp to land a job with Cleveland of the American League.Despite boasting the ECHL&rsquo;s top two scorers in Greg Pankewicz and Louis Dumont, the Ice Pilots&rsquo; 4.00 goals-against average ranked 28th in the 29-team league. &#9632;

f0033-06

Bousquet returns with Pride and promise

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>The Manchester Monarchs have nobody named Dorothy and they&rsquo;re not from Kansas, but surely they agree &ldquo;there&rsquo;s no place like home.&rdquo;Forced to play the first 13 games of their inaugural American League season on the road because the new $70-million Verizon Wireless Arena in downtown Manchester (N.H.) wasn&rsquo;t ready, the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; top affiliate took full advantage of its first weekend at home. The Monarchs won their home opener 3-1 over Lowell, before a sell-out crowd of 10,057 Nov. 16, and claimed a 5-4 decision over Portland two days later to begin the recovery from a poor 3-8-2 start on the road. (Manchester&rsquo;s Nov. 2 game at Bridgeport was postponed because of a power failure during the first period.)&ldquo;In every building, every crowd was against us for a long time,&rdquo; said coach Bruce Boudreau. &ldquo;Part of the start wasn&rsquo;t so bad because we were based at home and just practising out of another rink and, mostly, we had just day trips.&ldquo;But in the last part of it, we had a long week or two to Cleveland and Hershey and St. John&rsquo;s, then five games in six days the week of the home opener, so the guys are tired.&rdquo;Boudreau said the two home wins came &ldquo;from adrenaline&rdquo; and the points gave the team some optimism.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still near the bottom,&rdquo; Boudreau said,&rdquo;but at least we&rsquo;re rounding the corner and we can see the teams in front of us. I was really worried we&rsquo;d be buried before we even got started this year.&rdquo;The newly constructed 10,000-seat arena was the clincher in convincing the Kings to move their affiliation to the new AHL city.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s beautiful, a magnificent building,&rdquo; Boudreau said. &ldquo;It kind of reminds me of a miniature Staples Center, and it&rsquo;s noisy and bright.&rdquo; &#9632;

Monarchs finally bask in home debut

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>The Hamilton Bulldogs were a team on the move after a slow start, using a 7-0-1 unbeaten streak to close in on first place in the Canadian Division.Hamilton was paced by goalie Marc Lamothe, who had three shutouts in five starts, and a stingy defense, which was battling for the league&rsquo;s lowest goals-against average (2.28).&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve taken a lot of pride in our defense and that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;ve had three shutouts at home,&rdquo; said Bulldogs&rsquo; coach Claude Julien. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long season. Things can change quickly in the American League with call ups and injuries so you&rsquo;ve got to take advantage of this kind of situation.&rdquo;DELAYED REACTION Wash ington Capitals&rsquo; prospect Nolan Yonkman finally made his debut with the Portland Pirates after missing the first 12 games with a knee injury.Yonkman, a second round pick (37th overall) in 1999, is 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds. The 20-year-old defensive defenseman played four seasons in the Western League.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pretty big guy,&rdquo; said Pirates&rsquo; coach Glen Hanlon. &ldquo;Now we have to see him in game situations, reading and reacting.&rdquo;RETURN TO FORM Bridgeport Sound goaltender Rick DiPietro was back on track after a rocky start, carving out a 4-0-3 streak in November while the Tigers were unbeaten in 10 games (7-0-3).Bridgeport was giving up barely more than two goals per game and was in step with the top teams of the Eastern Conference.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01953/7059677-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="252" height="250"></div>&ldquo;DiPietro looks a lot more secure and under control than he did earlier in the season,&rdquo; said Hartford coach John Paddock, after the Tigers beat his Wolf Pack 3-1 Nov. 17.TRIPLE TOWERS Big and young are accurate descriptions of the Springfield Falcons, the AHL affiliate for Phoenix and Tampa Bay.The Falcons led the league in both youth and size, according to league rosters, averaging 22.7 years, 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds.Three 6-foot-6 defensemen&ndash;Dan Focht, Kristian Kudroc and Mathieu Biron&ndash;patrol their blueline.ON THE NET The Portland Pirates are teaming up again with Oxford Networks to offer 10 telecasts of Pirates&rsquo; games on the Internet. The first two video webcasts are set for Dec. 2 and 31 at <a href="http://www.portlandpirates.com">http://www.portlandpirates.com</a>.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02658/7059670-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="1321" height="1890"><figcaption class="caption-body">Monarchs&rsquo; center Eric Healey leads a celebration on the bench and in the stands in the first game at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester Nov. 16.</figcaption></div><h2>AHL</h2><h3>SCOUTING REPORT</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03516/7059663-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="344" height="476"><figcaption class="caption-body">Yuri Butsayev</figcaption></div>VITAL STATISTICSBom: Togliatti, RussiaAge: 23 Size: 6-1,183LAST AMATEUR CLUBLada Togliatti (Rus.)POSITION Left winger2OO1-O2 SEASONCincinnati Mighty Ducks<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04400/7059656-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="408" height="115"></div>NHL AFFILIATIONDetroit Red WingsNOTEWORTHYDrafted 49th overall by Detroit in 1997&hellip;Spent most of rookie year (19992000) in NHL, scoring eight points in 57 games&hellip;Played most of last season in Cincinnati, but managed 15 games with Detroit.BOTTOM LINEA natural center, Butsayev is adjusting to the wing. He took his demotion in stride last season, scoring 29 goals in the AHL. But he&rsquo;s best suited as a third line checker who can provide some offense. &#9632;

f0034-01

Lamothe puts bite back into Bulldogs

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Brendan Savage</div>Muskegon goalie Sylvain Daigle is the United League&rsquo;s iron man in the early stages of the regular season. Of the 1,020 minutes played in Muskegon&rsquo;s 17 games, the six-year veteran was on the ice for all but 2:35 of them. The time Daigle missed was spent on the bench for an extra attacker during the Fury&rsquo;s three losses. The 25-year-old native of St-Hyacinthe, Que., didn&rsquo;t allow the intense workload to affect his play. He led the UHL in goals-against average (1.89) and wins (14) while sporting a.928 save percentage. Among his wins was a 1-0 shoot-out victory in Flint. Muskegon&rsquo;s 14-3-0 record was second in the league to Elmira&rsquo;s 15-3-0 mark. Daigle&rsquo;s performance meant backup Chad Marshall still was waiting to make his Fury debut. &#9632;

UNITED LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Don Ruiz</div>Former New York Islanders&rsquo; center and coach Butch Goring said he&rsquo;s enjoying his introduction to the West Coast League, even though his Anchorage Aces had the league&rsquo;s worst record early in the season. &ldquo;(The WCHL) is a very competitive league,&rdquo; Goring said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a better league than I thought it was going to be. It has taken some time for me to adjust and it has obviously taken some time for me to get to understand my team and the opposition. Overall, it&rsquo;s going all right. I wish it was going a little better.&rdquo; Anchorage was off to a terrible 3-10-2 start and was last overall in the eight-team WCHL. Goring, 52, coached the Boston Bruins in 198586 and lasted 147 games with the Islanders before being fired last season. &#9632;

WEST COAST LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2014;David Henry</div>A rivalry still exists between the Central League and the Western Pro League, despite a May merger. The incumbent CHL teams own bragging rights over their WPHL counterparts. The six CHL teams started 18-10-3 against the 10 former WPHL clubs. Oklahoma City (10-12) and Memphis (10-2-0),&rdquo;old&rdquo; CHL teams, were tops in the league. Bossier-Shreveport, long the bullies of the former WPHL with three straight titles, started a pedestrian 6-6-0&hellip;Center Chris Mackenzie re-signed for a third stint with Indianapolis. Mackenzie, 30, posted back-to-back, 120-plus point seasons with the Ice and has four pro championship rings-from Indianapolis of the CHL in 2000, the WPHL&rsquo;s Bossier-Shreveport in 1999 and back-to-back WPHL titles with El Paso in 1997 and &rsquo;98. &#9632;

CENTRAL LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>The Ontario League won&rsquo;t tolerate bullies on its playground.Commissioner David Branch slapped London Knights&rsquo; left winger Dan Buccella with a 15-game suspension Nov. 16 after he jumped Guelph Storm leading scorer Dustin Brown 13 seconds into the second period Nov. 4 in Guelph.Buccella&rsquo;s attack triggered a line brawl.Branch said Buccella challenged Brown before the faceoff to start the period.&ldquo;(Brown) didn&rsquo;t want any part of it and after the faceoff, Buccella applied a late hit (on Brown),&rdquo; Branch said. &ldquo;Buccella then dropped the gloves and started pounding on Brown. In fact, Brown was largely unsuspecting of Buccella&rsquo;s action.&ldquo;These type of bullying tactics are what we have to get out of our game.&rdquo;Brown led Guelph with 23 goals and 34 points in 24 games. He was not injured in the incident. Buccella can return Dec. 20.Buccella, who had no points and 22 penalty minutes in 12 games, said he did not verbally challenge Brown.&ldquo;There were some looks and stick action (before the faceoff) and I guess right from the faceoff I got the wrong impression,&rdquo; Bucella said. &ldquo;I thought something was going to go down and I got ready His stick came up along the.boards (on the check) and I dropped my gloves. He didn&rsquo;t.&ldquo;I realize what I did was wrong. I started a fight with a player that wasn&rsquo;t able to stick up for himself and I probably should have deserved some sort of punishment, but I think 15 games is steep.&rdquo;Buccella was suspended last season when he checked an unsuspecting Sean Stefanski, then with Oshawa, knocking Stefanski unconscious. Also last season, Knights&rsquo; coach Lindsay Hofford was suspended 12 games and GM Mark Hunter, filling in as interim coach, was suspended from his duties as GM until the end of the season and from coaching until Nov. 8.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01900/7059780-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="394" height="220"></div>Storm coach Jeff Jackson was fined $1,000 after the Nov. 4 game for saying the Knights played &ldquo;prehistoric&rdquo; hotkey and were an &ldquo;embarrassment to the league.&rdquo;HOPES FADING Erie Otters&rsquo; top scorer and Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; top prospect Brad Boyes will likely miss the 2002 world junior championship.Boyes was diagnosed with mononucleosis and told he probably won&rsquo;t be able to resume playing until Dec. 21.Canada&rsquo;s junior team opens camp Dec. 10 in Toronto and flies to Prague Dec. 17. The championship begins Dec. 25.Boyes had 13 goals and 30 points in 17 games and was on Canada&rsquo;s 2001 bronze medal team in Moscow.&ldquo;The timing is kind of borderline,&rdquo; he said of making with this year&rsquo;s team. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want anybody to change their rules for me. It wouldn&rsquo;t be fair to take away a chance for somebody else while they waited to see what happens with me.&rdquo;Canadian Hockey Association president Bob Nicholson said no decision has been reached and they will monitor the situation.The 32 players who will be invited to camp will be announced Nov. 29.PITCHING IN OHL fans contributed $135,000 that will be donated to the New York Firefighter 911 Relief Fund to help victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The money was collected by the teams at home games with the assistance of their local fire departments. &#9632;

f0035-01

Another Knight gets lengthy suspension

<div class="byline">By Willy Palov</div>A 3-1 win over the Sherbrooke Castors didn&rsquo;t help Tom Coolen keep his coaching job with the Moncton Wildcats.Team owner Robert Irving fired Coolen immediately after the Nov. 16 game and replaced him with assistant Christian Larue. It&rsquo;s believed the final straw was a rift between Coolen and Irving that centered around the coach&rsquo;s refusal to honor the owner&rsquo;s pre-game order to start rookie goalie Corey Crawford. Coolen was reluctant to address the alleged incident, but did hint there was a quarrel between the two.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02637/7059811-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="399" height="294"></div>&ldquo;Well, all I&rsquo;ll say is that Bill Ruggiero was our starting goaltender, we won the game and he was the first star,&rdquo; Coolen said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say any more than that except Darrell Young is our GM and he had nothing to do with what happened.&ldquo;Robert Irving came to see me after the game and, well, that&rsquo;s about all I want to say.&rdquo;Coolen said he was frustrated by the firing, but wasn&rsquo;t caught completely by surprise. The atmosphere had been getting tense in Moncton as the rebuilding Wildcats continued to lose.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not all that upset by it,&rdquo; Coolen said. &ldquo;I enjoyed working with the kids and it&rsquo;s not that I&rsquo;m relieved, but it&rsquo;s not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination, either.&ldquo;I had a great relationship with the players and, just as an example, I went into the dressing room after what happened and told the players what was up and they gave me a standing ovation. Every one of them came up and hugged me and at least 50 per cent of them were crying.&rdquo;The Wildcats were 7-17-0-3 at the time of Coolen&rsquo;s dismissal.MISSING BROTHER Sebastien Thinel is finding out it&rsquo;s not so easy to play without his brother by his side.The Quebec Remparts&rsquo; left winger spent the past three years on the same team and line as his identical twin Marc Andre, but the two are now in different leagues. Marc-Andre is in his rookie season with the American League&rsquo;s Quebec Citadelles, while Sebastien is in Quebec after spending his entire QMJHL career with the Victoriaville Tigres.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s different because with my brother we didn&rsquo;t even have to talk on the ice,&rdquo; Sebastien said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s funny because we spent all that time together in Victoriaville and then this year I got traded to the Remparts and he&rsquo;s in Quebec with the Citadelles so we see each other almost every day anyway.&rdquo;Thinel, 20, has 12 goals and 29 points in 24 games after scoring 118 points last year and 95 the year before.DIFFERENT LANE The Hull Olympiques got a boost when Jesse Lane quit Harvard University in favor of the QMJHL.The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defenseman is in his NHL draft year and wasn&rsquo;t satisfied with his playing situation with the Crimson. The 18-year-old is rated 38th overall by Red Line Report for the 2002 NHL draft.He was a ninth round midget pick of the Olympiques in 2000, but wanted to pursue the U.S. college route. He had two assists in his QMJHL debut and had two goals and five points in three games with the Olympiques. &#9632;

f0035-02

Wildcat coach axed after tiff with owner

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Adrian Foster has been bedeviled by injuries during his abbreviated Western League career. Now the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; first-rounder is anxious to make up for lost time.The 19-year-old center made an immediate impact in his first game back with the Saskatoon Blades, scoring a goal in an 8-3 loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors Nov. 18.&ldquo;It was a bit of a rush, because I got in late the night before and I hadn&rsquo;t practised yet,&rdquo; said Foster, who was not expected to suit up until the following weekend.&ldquo;It felt nice to be back. I wanted to get going. It was our third game in three nights. I was hoping to step in and help the guys out a little bit.&rdquo;Foster was limited to 12 games in his first two WHL seasons due to recurrent abdominal muscle tears. He underwent lower-abdomen surgery in October, 2000, and again in April.&ldquo;As far as the actual injury, it&rsquo;s fixed,&rdquo; Foster said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be smart about it. I don&rsquo;t want to do too much too quickly I&rsquo;ve done a lot of rehabilitation and I&rsquo;m hoping things will be OK for the rest of the year.&rdquo;Foster, who is under contract to New Jersey, practised and continued his rehabilitation with the Devils until they deemed him ready to play. At that point, he was returned to junior.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do what they tell me and, if I do, they&rsquo;ll give me a chance to play in the future,&rdquo; saidFoster, a surprise first round choice last June when the Devils announced his name with the 28th overall pick.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice of them to show interest in me and faith in my ability,&rdquo; Foster said.&ldquo;When I went down there, I think I showed a bit of what I&rsquo;ll be like in the future.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04415/7059849-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="393" height="272"></div>BURKE BLASTS BARRETT Lethbridge Hurricanes&rsquo; center Nathan Barrett&rsquo;s strong season didn&rsquo;t earn him an endorsement from Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; GM Brian Burke.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re happy with the way he has played, but none of us are sold on him at the next level,&rdquo; said Burke, whose team picked Barrett in the eighth round (241st overall) of the 2000 NHL draft.&ldquo;We think he&rsquo;s lazy, he&rsquo;s indifferent at times and he&rsquo;s not brave. He has some physical skill and I&rsquo;m not giving him cap money. Junior hockey graveyards are littered with kids like that.&rdquo;After 23 games, the unsigned Barrett had 21 goals, a league-high 41 points with 34 penalty minutes.&ldquo;I think I just have to take (the criticism) as a positive,&rdquo; said Barrett, 20. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t really take it the wrong way. What am I going to do-tell him to shut up? He has been around the game longer than I have. If he says that, all I have to do is prove him wrong.&rdquo;NUMBERS GAME Wendel Clark became the first ex-Saskatoon player to have his number retired by the Blades.Clark wore No. 22 with Saskatoon in 1983-84 and 1984-85 before being picked No. 1 overall in the 1985 draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He retired after 1999-2000.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m truly honored,&rdquo; said Clark of the Nov. 16 special evening. &ldquo;It can&rsquo;t get any better than this.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK The expansion Vancouver Giants&rsquo; winless streak reached 13 games Nov. 18 when they lost 4-1 to Kelowna. Vancouver was 5-16-1-2 as of Nov. 21.<h2>WORLD WATCH</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03519/7059842-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="702" height="174"></div>Future and former NHLers are among the top performers-in Europe. Here are four of the hottest in 2001-02 with position, age and NHL rights.&#9633; Igor Grigorenko, RW. 18 (Detroit). The Wings&rsquo; top pick in 2001 (62nd overall) scored three goals in three games for Russian national junior team at Four Nations Tourn ament in Finland.&#9633; Mikael Hakanson, C, 27 (Tor onto). Was tied for first in Swedish Elite league scoring with 10 goals and 21 points for Djurgarden after 23 games.&#9633; Philippe Bozon. LW. 34 (free agent). Former St. Louis Blue led all scorers in Alps International Tournament at Grenoble with two goals and four points in three games for his native France.&#9633; Chris Tancill. C. 33 (fire agent). Former San Jose Shark was tied for Swiss A&rsquo; League lead in goals with 16 after 24 games with Zug. &#9632;

f0035-04

Devil in disguise back in Saskatoon

<div class="byline">By Paul Harris</div>Ryan Miller is at it again.The 2001 Hobey Baker Award winner and all-time NCAA shutout leader had back-to-back blankings against Miami Nov. 16-17 as Michigan State won 3-0 and 2-0.Miller, a junior who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 1999 NHL draft, has 22 career shutouts. He&rsquo;s also 55-128 with a 1.42 goals-against average and.943 save percentage for his career at Michigan State.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01864/7059880-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="393" height="238"></div>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve seen anybody better in my college career as a player or a coach,&rdquo; said Miami coach Enrico Blasi.In 11 games this season, Miller was 8-2-1 with a 1.49 GAA, .937 save percentage and four shutouts.&ldquo;I hope the people out there realize what they&rsquo;re seeing in Ryan Miller,&rdquo; said Michigan State coach Ron Mason. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re seeing a phenom out there playing in net. He&rsquo;s right in the zone at this point.&rdquo;Tall and lanky, Miller is a classic butterfly goalie who covers the bottom of the net and forces shooters to beat him high. But his long torso makes that difficult.ANALYSIS Picked to finish in the bottom third of the 12-team Central Collegiate Hockey Association, the Ferris State Bulldogs were in the middle of the pack with a 4-4-1 conference mark.The small school, located in the western Michigan town of Big Rapids, was getting outstanding work from the freshman netminding tandem of John DeCaro and Mike Brown. Decaro was 3-1-1 with a 1.88 GAA and.938 save percentage, while Brown was 3-3-0 with a 2.52 GAA and.917 save percentage.The Bulldogs also boasted the league&rsquo;s top two scorers in senior right winger Rob Collins, with eight goals and 21 points, and junior left winger Chris Kunitz, with 11 goals and 15 points.SPOTLIGHT Sharp play by sophomore goaltender Mike Betz is the main reason Ohio State Swept a pair of games from Northern Michigan in Columbus Nov. 16-17.The Buckeyes claimed 3-1 and 2-1 decisions as Betz stopped 52 of 53 shots in the two games for a.981 save percentage. For the season, Betz was 72-1 with a 1.89 GAA and.929 save percentage.NOTEBOOK Bowling Green scored goals in a variety of ways in its 4-1 non-conference victory over Wayne State of the College Hockey America conference Nov. 17. The Falcons scored on the power play, shorthanded, at even strength and into an empty net in the game at Fraser, Mich. &#9632;

Search for your favorite player or team

December 7, 2001

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

Ankle injury derails Smyth’s great year

Versatile Zhamnov earns lofty praise

Thornton: No. 1 with a mission