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.

January 18, 2002

The Hockey News January 18, 2002

<div class="byline">-Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02858/7584245-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="221" height="251"></div>As the Calgary Flames reached the midpoint of the season, much of the focus shifted from early success to a pair of defensemen, Denis Gauthier and Derek Morris, who will miss January.Morris sprained his left wrist in a Nov. 29 game against Dallas and believed it was only a minor problem, one that would heal with rehab. Instead, after almost a month of virtually no progress, Morris needed surgery, which was per-formed Dec. 27. Without Morris, the power play was a disaster, slipping from fifth to 15th, courtesy of a horrible 3-for-66 run.Compounding matters was the loss of Gauthier in the New Year&rsquo;s Eve game against Edmonton. Gauthier fractured the cheekbone under his right eye when he was struck by an Eric Brewer slapshot. He should be back by February January is a month in which the Flames are supposed to make hay, with nine of 14 games at home, where they were 12-4-3-2 at the halfway mark. In March, the Flames play nine in a row on the road when the Brier, Canada&rsquo;s national curling championship, bumps them out of the Saddledome.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Bob Boughner, D. Boughner, signed as an unrestricted free agent in the summer, has added stability to a young emerging defense corps. He&rsquo;s steady and adds a physical dimension that borders on meanness.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING More consistency on special teams. Jarome Iginla, the league&rsquo;s top scorer, put it best: &ldquo;In the second quarter, our power play and our penalty killing were hurting us, there&rsquo;s no doubt about it.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK The Flames managed 46 points in their first 41 games, thanks to a second-quarter slump that saw them win only four times in 20 games. &#9632;

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NHL TEAM REPORTS

Flickering Flames lose two key D-men

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IN THIS ISSUE

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

With all the scoring that Canada did, it was remarkable that Ottawa Senators&rsquo; prized prospect, Jason Spezza, did not score a single goal for Canada.He was arguably Canada&rsquo;s best player in both the round-robin game and the final against Russia, but his effort in the other games was uneven. Before the tournament started, he said if he didn&rsquo;t score a goal and Canada won the gold, he would be happy, but joked later he never thought that would happen.&ldquo;Did I feel I had a bad tournament? No,&rdquo; said Spezza, who had four assists in seven games. &ldquo;I thought I contributed when I was called upon and did my best. There were times when I got frustrated and down on myself, but I picked myself up and I wanted to have a big game in the final.&rdquo;Here&rsquo;s a roundup of what transpired at the WJC: &#9633; Finland won its ninth medal when it beat Switzerland 5-1 for the bronze. The U.S. settled for fifth place with a 3-2 overtime win against Sweden. The Americans had a 4-1-2 record.&#9633; Canada&rsquo;s games on TSN drew terrific ratings. Prior to the Canada-Russia final, games averaged 473,000 viewers for live broadcasts, an increase of 27 per cent over last year and 17 per cent over 2000.&#9633; Belarus defeated France 4-3 in a shootout to take ninth place in the tournament. The lOth-place French are relegated to the B Pool. Germany, which won the B Pool, will move up to the A Pool at next year&rsquo;s tournament in Halifax.&#9633; The 2003 event is in Halifax and Sydney, N.S., next year and organizer Scott Ferguson was in the Czech Republic learning the tricks of the trade. One group plays in the 10,825-seat Halifax Metro Centre, while the other is in Sydney&rsquo;s 4,800-seat arena.<h2>WJC MEDAL TOTALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021205/7583890-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="579" height="635"></div><h2>2002 WJC HONORS</h2>MEDAL WINNERSGold RussiaSilver CanadaBronze FinlandTOP GOALTENDERKari Lehtonen, FinlandTOP DEFENSEMANIgor Knayzev, RussiaTOP FORWARDMike Cammalleri, CanadaALL-STAR TEAMG Pascal Leclaire, CanadaD Igor Knayzev, RussiaD Jay Bouwmeester, CanadaF Mike Cammalleri, CanadaF Marek Stavos, SlovakiaF Stanislav Chistov, Russia &#9632;

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FEATURES

Snakebitten Spezza goal-less at tournament

<div class="byline">-Jim Benton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01981/7584345-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="224" height="234"></div>Patrick Roy&rsquo;s play is belying his claim that he isn&rsquo;t really a shutout goalie.Roy notched his seventh shutout, which tied his single-season high, and the 59th of his career on the same night he became the first NHL goalie to win 500 games when the Colorado Avalanche netminder blanked the Dallas Stars 2-0 Dec. 26.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s certainly a special moment,&rdquo; said the 36-year-old Roy. &ldquo;Every time something like this happens, it has to be special. I didn&rsquo;t want to put any pressure on it. I just want to enjoy it.&rdquo;Avalanche assistant coach Jacques Cloutier was the losing goalie in eight of Roy&rsquo;s 500 wins.&ldquo;I played against him when he started and I&rsquo;ve been with him for the past seven years,&rdquo; Cloutier said. &ldquo;He hasn&rsquo;t changed. He&rsquo;s trying any kind of way to improve his game.&ldquo;A lot of players when they get older, they take it easy a bit. He&rsquo;s the opposite. His work in practice and the way he applies himself every day is amazing. Five hundred wins is a very special milestone. You have to be as hungry when you are 20 years old as he is now at 36 years old. His focus hasn&rsquo;t changed.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Pascal Trepanier, D. Trepanier signed as a free agent while the Avalanche was training in Sweden. He was hurt early in the pre-season, but he has been steady and reliable since. He had four goals and nine points in 40 games and was plus-4 while averaging 15:16 of ice time per game.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Consistent production from the second line. The absence of Peter Forsberg has been noticeable. Chris Drury is on pace for only a 14-goal season. The addition of Steven Reinprecht on the line has helped, but thus far coach Bob Hartley has had trouble sticking with a third player. There have been ongoing rumors Forsberg may yet return.NOTEBOOK Right winger Ville Nieminen ended a 21-game scoring drought with his second goal of the season New Year&rsquo;s Day. &ldquo;The last time I scored there were leaves on the tree,&rdquo; Nieminen said&hellip;The Avalanche recalled veteran center Kelly Fairchild from Hershey of the American League. The 29-year-old Hibbing, Min., native had previous NHL stops in Dallas and Toronto. Fairchild had 11 goals and 24 points in 34 games with Hershey. &#9632;

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Roy gets to 500 wins in style with 59th shutout of his career

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01987/7586317-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div><a href="http://thehockeynew.com">thehockeynew.com</a>WHAT&rsquo;S WRONG WITH WEIGHT?RUSSIA RULES JUNIOR WORLDDEVILS SCRAMBLE FOR ANSWERS30 NHL TEAM UNSUNG HEROESNHL&rsquo;s old-time teams back in style &#9632;

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THE RISE OF THE ORIGINAL SIX

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011836/7583120-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"></div><h2>Finn-tastic</h2>Finnish goaltender Juha Kuokkanen flops to make a save in world junior action.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021471/7583113-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="295" height="349"><figcaption class="caption-body">Editor&rsquo;s Notebook&nbsp;Jason Kay Managing Editor</figcaption></div>Through no fault of his own, &lsquo;The Next One&rsquo; has become &lsquo;The Fragile One,&rsquo; an egg caught in the teeth of a shark.The Shark in the most recent instance was Mark Smith, who unwittingly sank his bicuspids into Eric Lindros during a Dec. 28 game when the San Jose youngster was on the receiving end of an open-ice Lindros check. While there&rsquo;s some doubt whether the collision was high-impact, it&rsquo;s certain the result was. Lindros suffered a &ldquo;mild concussion,&rdquo; his seventh since March of 1998.Perhaps the ringing in No. 88&rsquo;s head this time around was punctuated by alarm bells; that staying out of the lineup was a precaution based on current knowledge and past errors. If the Rangers and Lindros are being sensible about protecting the player&rsquo;s senses, they should be applauded.Still, the fact Lindros was felled by such a routine play bolsters the belief that it isn&rsquo;t a matter of if he&rsquo;ll suffer a career-ending head injury, but when.Deep down, Lindros must know it, too. While the medical community is still trying to wrap its collective head around the concussion issue, Lindros needs to look no further than the other side of the family tree for anecdotal evidence of the cumulative effect of head injuries. His younger brother, Brett, retired in 1996 at 20 after the third concussion of his NHL career following several in junior. Brett incurred his last on a play where no contact was involved.We&rsquo;re not suggesting the time has come for Lindros to retire, despite some experts saying he risks long-term damage. He&rsquo;s putting nobody but himself in danger and the decision to end one&rsquo;s career is personal. But his statements that he hasn&rsquo;t even contemplated golf year-round begs the question, why not? Given Lindros&rsquo; literal state of mind these days, getting inside his head is a tricky proposition. Here are some thoughts on the reasons for his persistence:&#9633; He needs a Stanley Cup. It&rsquo;s the only thing missing from his resume and to retire without one would be a permanent blemish.&#9633; He doesn&rsquo;t want to give Bob Clarke the last laugh. Eventually, there will be a winner and loser in this nasty relationship and neither wants to be defeated by their arch-enemy.&#9633; Money matters. It didn&rsquo;t last season, when Lindros went the entire year without a paycheck. On the other hand, maybe he&rsquo;s trying to make up for lost time.&#9633; He&rsquo;s addicted to playing. Hockey doesn&rsquo;t come with a warning label, but, like any passion, it can be highly habit-forming.Whatever the case, the Lindros health watch is on and the second hand is being closely monitored. Let&rsquo;s just hope the ticking we&rsquo;re hearing isn&rsquo;t a time bomb. &#9632;

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Getting inside Lindros’ head becoming tricky proposition

<div class="byline">-Denis Gibbons</div>Ron Sedlbauer had a moment in the NHL sun, but didn&rsquo;t get the ink he deserved.The speedy 6-foot-3,195-pound left winger scored 40 goals in 79 games in 1978-79 for Vancouver, a team that fin-ished 13th in a 17-team league.Playing on a line with Chris Oddleifson and Hilliard Graves, Sedlbauer, a native of Burlington, Ont., played through a cracked rib late in the season, but the injury hindered his chance for even more goals. Still, it was easily a career year for Sedlbauer, who scored 143 goals and 229 points in 430 NHL games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011764/7583151-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="246" height="267"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Sedlbauer</figcaption></div>&ldquo;There was a newspaper strike in Vancouver at the time and it kind of didn&rsquo;t get the recognition it should have,&rdquo; Sedlbauer recalled.The following year, he was traded to Edmonton, which was looking for a sniper to play on a line with 18-year-old rookie Wayne Gretzky. But Sedlbauer broke his wrist in practice that morning and the deal was nullified. He finished his NHL career with Toronto in 1980-81. Now 47, he lives in Burlington, where he is vice-president of Cougar Shoes and president of the Jr. A Burlington Cougars. &#9632;

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Sedlbauer struck often: too bad papers on strike

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03795/7583227-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Comrie Edmonton Oilers</figcaption></div><h2>Young guns in spotlight</h2>But kid goalies few and far betweenThe NHL has a good idea with its YoungStars Game on all-star weekend. The 4-on-4,30-minute exhibition Feb. 1 in Los Angeles precedes the skills competition and should provide an entertaining show as it gives the kids a chance to shine.Thirteen players will be selected to each team - one goalie, six defensemen and six forwards. It&rsquo;s not a &ldquo;rookie&rdquo; game, though there will be plenty of freshmen there. To be eligible, players must be 25-and-under and in an entrylevel contract.Below are the 26 players THN would select, randomly assigned to the two teams. We&rsquo;re assuming Atlanta&rsquo;s Ilya Kovalchuk, Minnesota&rsquo;s Marian Gaborik, New York Ranger Mike York and Philadelphia&rsquo;s Simon Gagne will be selected to play in the All-Star Game.The NHL, meanwhile, is assuming whomever it chooses as its two goalies won&rsquo;t get hurt in the game. Chances are slim, but for a new initiative that needs to come off without a hitch, it&rsquo;s a bit of a risk not to have a back-up.The reality, though, is there are only four goalies - Colorado&rsquo;s David Aebischer, the Rangers&rsquo; Dan Blackbum. New Jersey&rsquo;s J-F Damp-housse and San Jose&rsquo;s Miikka Kiprusoff who fit the criteria.It&rsquo;s another indication of the remarkable goaltending depth in today&rsquo;s game. In the 1980s it was commonplace for a young netminder&rsquo;s on-the-job training to come in the NHL. Now it&rsquo;s unthinkable. That&rsquo;s a big reason why goal-scoring is lower than ever.<h2>THN ONE-TIMERS</h2>Mid-February trade deadline on at least one GM&rsquo;s wish listIf it were up to Nashville GM David Poile, the NHL trade deadline would be only a few weeks away. Poile believes the current March 19 trade deadline, when most teams have only a dozen or so games remaining, comes far too late in the season. He argues from a competitive-balance standpoint, a better deadline would be in mid-February, about three-quarters of the way through the schedule. That would make it a more costly venture for teams trading for rent-a-players, while teams contending for playoff spots would be less likely to give up their stars. Any changes to the trade deadline will have to wait until the collective bargaining agreement expires in 2004.HAPPY NEW YEAR? Based on their stats through the first half of 2001-02, a number of players must have been thrilled to see the calendar change. Maybe the new year will bring new luck for Anaheim&rsquo;s German Titov (30-4-4-8), Buffalo&rsquo;s Chris Gratton (40-3-8-11), Carolina&rsquo;s Shane Willis (37-3-10-13), Dallas&rsquo; Derian Hatcher (37-1-8-9), Montreal&rsquo;s Doug Gihnour (29-3-6-9), Nashville&rsquo;s Scott Walker (23-4-5-9), New Jersey&rsquo;s Scott Gomez (37-3-13-16), Ottawa&rsquo;s Bill Muckalt (35-0-6-6), Phoenix&rsquo;s Mike Johnson (24-1-4-5), San Jose&rsquo;s Patrick Marleau (35-5-7-12), St. Louis&rsquo; Dallas Drake (36-3-47) and Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Vincent Lecavalier (36-7-1017). Let&rsquo;s not forget Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig (13-14-5,2.86,. 900)&hellip;Jason Spezza, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2001 draft by Ottawa, did nothing during the World Junior Championship to suggest he&rsquo;s ready for the NHL. He wasn&rsquo;t even on the ice in the last minute when Canada needed a goal to tie Russia in the final&hellip;OK, so Toronto&rsquo;s Mats Sundin has his only 100-point season in 1992-93 while wearing a visor. Two years ago, teammate Bryan Berard loses the sight in his right eye as a result of an errant stick. Sundin, in turn, nearly loses an eye to a high stick Dec. 26 while not wearing a visor, returns to action that night with a visor and scores two goals. Hey Mats, see the light, buddy.<h2>The Hockey News</h2>Our picks for YoungStars Game<h3>Baby Faces</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011762/7583220-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="449" height="731"></div><h3>Peach Fuzz</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021240/7583213-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="448" height="736"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

POWER PLAY

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011964/7583265-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="419" height="373"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Passmore&nbsp;In The First Person</figcaption></div>Backup goalies, like baseball&rsquo;s pinch-hitters, exist in the shadows until thrust dramatically into the spotlight. Most days their lot in life is to face a mountain of rubber in practice, most up around their ears. On those rare days when they suddenly see live action, they can ill-afford to be anything less than stellar. Chicago backup Steve Passmore started just five of the Hawks&rsquo; first 43 games and knows what it&rsquo;s like. In conjunction with hockey writer Scott Burnside, he tells us about the life of a backup.As a backup, the mental game is the toughest game I play. When the coaches call on me, I put pressure on myself and try to take it off at the same time. I&rsquo;ve got to go in there wanting to have a great game. This is good. But if I go in there there thinking I have to have a great game or I won&rsquo;t play for another month, that&rsquo;s bad. It&rsquo;s a delicate balance.Guys that make good backups have to get along with everybody on the team. Backups are known as good guys in the dressing room, probably a little more upbeat, maybe a bit of a jokester. If I was any other way, I&rsquo;d find it hard adjusting to this role.That doesn&rsquo;t mean I want to get used to it. Nobody comes into this league thinking, you know what, I really want to be a backup goalie. Next year I want to be writing about what it&rsquo;s like to be a starter.But where I am now, I couldn&rsquo;t ask for a better partner than Jocelyn Thibault. We talk all the time about situations, about games. Joce is a really positive guy, too. It&rsquo;s nice when you are the back-up and you finally get a game and the starter is saying, &ldquo;Come on, let&rsquo;s get a win.&rdquo; He&rsquo;s actually happy and excited for me. He wants me to do well.Joce knows I&rsquo;m not going to take his job, but I want it and I&rsquo;m going to try to play as many games as I can. But in saying that, he won&rsquo;t keep his job by being bitter towards me. I won&rsquo;t improve my lot by being bitter towards him. You hold a job and steal a job by your play, nothing else.And if it ever turns out that Joce is playing great and I&rsquo;m not seeing much ice time even if I&rsquo;m also playing great, you know what might happen at the end of the season? I raise the Cup. I don&rsquo;t see anything wrong with that. When they put my name on the Cup, they can call me a backup all they want. Let them put &ldquo;backup&rdquo; in brackets beside my name. I&rsquo;ve got no problem with that. It won&rsquo;t hurt my feelings.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021315/7583258-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1836" height="1633"><figcaption class="caption-body">For Steve Passmore, the NHL is about fun and games - usually a lot more of the former than the latter.</figcaption></div>In the meantime, when you play as infrequently as I do, you have to get creative. A while ago I asked our video guy, Ike Rhodes, to make me up a tape, just clips of me making saves. I want to remember that at one point, I used to play I went home and watched it and went, &ldquo;Oh, O.K., that&rsquo;s what I did.&rdquo;Usually when I&rsquo;m not playing I&rsquo;m talking to guys on the bench. I don&rsquo;t shut up a whole lot. Joce and I talk to each other during the periods. We make a lot of eye contact, acknowledge each other a lot during the game. Other than that, I look around the stands and keep my on the out-of-town scores to see what else is happening.Sometimes I&rsquo;m not even sitting with the rest of the team. In Phoenix, the visiting backup sits in the runway. In Pittsburgh and Montreal I have to sit on the other side of the rink. But that&rsquo;s O.K.: One time in Montreal I sat beside the Canadiens&rsquo; owner, George Gillett, for most of the game. He sits right down by the glass. We had a great time.It can be fun sitting beside fans, too. I&rsquo;ve tied people&rsquo;s shoelaces to the rail. That&rsquo;s what they get for not paying attention. Once in Pittsburgh, I stole a bag of candy from the lady beside me. She had her purse open during the anthem and it was a big bag of candy, so I grabbed it. When the anthem finished she sat down and I said, &ldquo;Ma&rsquo;am, would you like a piece of candy?&rdquo; She said sure, and then you could see it kind of settling in, like, &ldquo;Hey wait a minute&hellip;&rdquo;One thing I don&rsquo;t feel, though, is that I&rsquo;m unimportant to the larger cause. I feel like I&rsquo;m a big part of our team. It&rsquo;s the same thing with the guy that plays three minutes or the guy that plays 30 - we&rsquo;re all a big part of what&rsquo;s going on. No matter what our individual role, we&rsquo;re all a piece of the puzzle. And without it, something is missing.Kind of like the missing candy. &#9632;

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No being blue as a No. 2

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03775/7583317-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg"></div><h2>Best of the Hockey World</h2>AND HE THINKS HE&rsquo;S A PLAYMAKER Carolina&rsquo;s Ron Francis becomes just the fifth player in NHL history to record 500 goals and 1,000 assists.MORE MILESTONES Dallas center Mike Modano and Atlanta pivot Ray Ferraro net their 400th career goals; San Jose defender Gary Suter notches his 200th.RUSSIAN GOLD Russia overcomes a pair of two-goal deficits to defeat Canada 5-4 in the final of a thrilling World Junior Championship.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04473/7583310-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="372" height="628"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Francis</figcaption></div><h2>Worst of the Hockey World</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05374/7583303-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="1101" height="456"></div>SPITTING IMAGE First, Russia&rsquo;s Alexander Svitov spits on a Canadian opponent at the WJC; later, he&rsquo;s suspended for sucker punching a Swiss player.ABSENCE IN DALLAS Stars&rsquo; center Pierre Turgeon, signed as a free agent in the off-season, suffers through a career-worst 14-game goal drought.GOAL IS TO SCORE It&rsquo;s a wonder the second-year Columbus Blue Jackets have hit double digits in wins, considering they&rsquo;re averaging only 1.9 goals per game.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06264/7583296-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="367" height="629"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Turgeon</figcaption></div>For Mike Brophy&rsquo;s daily Cheers & Jeers visit <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

Eric Lindros&rsquo; latest concussion came as no surprise. Neither did the Rangers&rsquo; hesitancy to admit it.Lindros has helped revive the organization, but it obviously comes at a price: his health.Is it possible the Rangers are willing to shrug off another Lindros concussion as a bump on the head if it means keeping him on the ice? Of course.After years of seeing Lindros battered again and again in Philadelphia, it&rsquo;s obvious he doesn&rsquo;t have a lot of time left in the NHL. Unfortunately for Lindros, this isn&rsquo;t a knee injury - it&rsquo;s a condition that will affect the way he lives the rest of his life.But what will it take for the Rangers to realize the severity of his condition? Another Scott Stevens hit? When that hit inevitably happens, it will be too late.Genevieve Schrier, College Park, Md.<h2>U.S. goalie&rsquo;s story inspires</h2>Congratulations to Carolina&rsquo;s Tom Barrasso on being named to the U.S. Olympic team.His play this season is another great accomplishment in a phenomenal career. To come back after losing his dad, being out of the NHL for a year and having the constant worry of an ill child is an inspiration.Like a true champion, Barrasso looked adversity in the eye and stared it down. On the same day he was named to Team USA, I also noticed that Barrasso&rsquo;s daughter, Ashley, who has battled cancer for most of her young life, helped relay the Olympic torch through Pittsburgh.Tom Force, Greenville, S.C.<h2>Boucher over Barrasso</h2>I found it appalling that Team USA passed over Brian Boucher in favor of Tom Barrasso.Boucher is the best overall performer in the NHL this season. Sure, he had a sophomore slump last year, but he&rsquo;s back in form with the best save percentage and goals-against average in the league. Show me an American with better numbers.Bud Evans,&nbsp; Royersford, Pa. &#9632;

Rangers risk losing Lindros

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ELSTON

Baseball has the right idea with contraction. The NHL should do the same. The league&rsquo;s talent base is watered down because there are 30 rosters to fill. The solution to the lack of scoring is to shrink the NHL to 20-25 teams.Derek Sexsmith,&nbsp; Kitchener, Ont.Adam Mair deserved his 10 games for leaving the bench to fight. But what about the two Senators who helped goalie Jani Hurme take off his glove so he could better pummel Felix Potvin? What&rsquo;s next - you hold him and I hit him?Mel Powell, Sherman Oaks, Calif.The Flyers can still justify being the pre-season pick for the Cup. Their power play is clicking and their penalty killing and defense are the best in the NHL.Garrett Schorran, Kempton, Pa.Why are people so quick to tell Patrick Roy - and other players - what to do and how to feel? If an NHLer, for whatever reason, does not want to go to the Olympics, he doesn&rsquo;t have to go. That&rsquo;s a lot better than if the player went anyway and gave a lackluster effort.Dan Holtzclaw, St. LouisWith the NHL schedule condensed due to the Olympics, it makes no sense to have an All-Star Game this year, too. It&rsquo;s too much to ask of the league&rsquo;s stars; it will negatively affect them in the playoffs.Dan Radomski, Berkley, Mich.<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;

Time to ‘contract’ talent-thin NHL

Great job on &ldquo;The Flash of Elias&rdquo; story. (THN, Dec. 28.) New Jersey&rsquo;s Patrik Elias is a great young player who doesn&rsquo;t seem to get his due. His humor, drive and background combine to form a player with lots of talent and personality.But when people ask me why he&rsquo;s my favorite player, I talk about Tomas Zelenka and Elias&rsquo; quest to help his friend by using the fame he has achieved in hockey And I talk about how Elias put on linemate Petr Sykora&rsquo;s jersey backwards after Sykora was hospitalized in the final Stanley Cup game in 2000. These are the things that truly make Elias special.Paige Schector, Port St. Lucie, Fla.<h2>Ducks&rsquo; demise due to Disney</h2>I had to laugh at Anaheim correspondent Dan Wood&rsquo;s assertion that &ldquo;it would be nice if (fans) in Southern California actually cared about this team.&rdquo; (THN, Dec. 14).As a season ticket holder since the Mighty Ducks&rsquo; inception, my response is it would be nice if the team had ownership who cared.All of the Ducks&rsquo; troubles start and end with Disney and the front office. Coach Ron Wilson was fired five years ago - after reaching the second round of the playoffs - and the franchise hasn&rsquo;t been the same since. They haven&rsquo;t drafted an impact player since Oleg Tverdovsky in 1994, which implies their scouting department is one of the worst in hockey. And four coaches in five years tells me GM Pierre Gauthier doesn&rsquo;t have a clue.Orange County will not support a loser and this franchise will remain one of the worst as long as Disney is the owner.Bob Kargenian, Placentia, Calif.<h2>Koivu&rsquo;s positive influence</h2>Saku Koivu should have been on the &ldquo;Top 100 People of Power and Influence.&rdquo; (THN, Jan. 4.)The Canadiens&rsquo; captain has shown remarkable courage in his battle with cancer and he still aims to play this season. He&rsquo;s an inspiration to anyone stricken with cancer and a great role model to all hockey fans, young and old.Robin van Nieuwburg, Beaconsfield, Que.<h2>Got something to say?</h2>MAIL: U.S.A.: Letters, THN, PO. 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@atranscontinental.ca">mccaigs@atranscontinental.ca</a> or visit <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a>. Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number. Submissions will be edited. &#9632;

Devil Elias: NHL star, role model

<div class="byline">By Tom Wheatley</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011743/7583451-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT&nbsp;The Blues are hoping for bigger and better things from Doug Weight in the second half</figcaption></div>Doug Weight takes all the fun out of kicking a man when he&rsquo;s down.He was off to a flying thud in St. Louis after selling himself out of Edmonton for $40 million. The Blues, a Final Four contender last spring, were scuffling to jockey for a playoff berth. His arrival actually made a $36million power play worse, including a bottom-three rank on the road. His scoring pace trailed that of Pierre Turgeon, the quiet point-per-gamer who was given the free agent boot to Dallas.His right winger, Scott Young, was on pace for half the career-best 40 goals he scored last year with Turgeon.But anyone wanting to butcher Weight has to take a number and wait. No. 39 is at the head of the line, serving himself a ration of grief.&ldquo;I had a good start, but then we went 10 games and lost a lot, and we weren&rsquo;t producing,&rdquo; he said, as the Blues turned the calendar in third place in their division and sixth place in the West. &ldquo;And you know what? I took a lot on my shoulders. I don&rsquo;t think I tried to bring Scott down with me, but I was really down.&rdquo;As the season midpoint loomed, Blues&rsquo; coach Joel Quenneville rated Weight&rsquo;s play as &ldquo;OK.&rdquo; Hardly a ringing endorsement for a player whose 34 points in 40 games is Well off last year&rsquo;s pace of 90 points.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just evaluating what we expected for him,&rdquo; said Quenneville, who pushed the Weight-over-Turgeon switch. &ldquo;I guess his numbers are just OK. We&rsquo;d like to see him score at a higher rate, as he probably would.&ldquo;I think his overall game has room for improvement. We&rsquo;ve seen him pick up his play probably over the last 10 games from his first 20. At the rate he has been getting better, I can see him reaching the level where he&rsquo;s comfortable in his game.&rdquo;How can a three-time All-Star Game participant and two-time U.S. Olympian who will earn $40 mil over five years not be in a comfort zone? After all, an offensive force in Edmonton figures to be even more forceful in St. Louis, with its all-world cast.As it turns out, the game is still played by flesh and blood humans whose statistics don&rsquo;t project automatically with each change of venue. Even hockey players have feelings.&ldquo;Dougie&rsquo;s a sensitive guy,&rdquo; said Blues&rsquo; assistant coach Mike Kitchen. &ldquo;He puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform well. When the club isn&rsquo;t performing, he feels it&rsquo;s him. But I don&rsquo;t think he has to feel responsible for all our mishaps.&rdquo;The only certainty in the first half is owner Bill Laurie is not getting full return on the $57 million he ponied up for a Stanley Cup run.There were, however, some positive signs as 2001 drew to a close. Weight and Young finally meshed, and so did the Blues, in late December. In home wins over Montreal and Nashville, Young scored three times, all from Weight helpers, and had 12 goals as the midpoint neared.Also rousing lately was the power play emit of Chris Pronger ($9.5 million), Weight ($9 million), Keith Tkachuk ($8.3 mil), Al Maclnnis ($5.5 mil) and Pavol Demitra ($3.7 mil.) That $36-million quintet tops the payroll of roughly half of the NHL&rsquo;s 30 teams. Pronger and Weight together earn $300,000 more than the entire Minnesota Wild.Weight does not see that numbers game as cheap-shot math.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on the other side of that for nine years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d beat the Rangers and all of a sudden we&rsquo;re heroes because we make $35 million less.&rdquo;Not only does Weight feel pressure to perform for the fans, but he also feels pressure to impress his new teammates.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny how I felt like a rookie (upon joining the team),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You want to impress every guy on this team. I haven&rsquo;t been in this position in a long time. Confidence has become a problem. I was having trouble sleeping and having trouble thinking about anything but the game. And it&rsquo;s something that definitely wore on me.&rdquo;Keith Tkachuk, who came to St. Louis in a big trade last March, can relate to what Weight is going through.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big adjustment coming here,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;I had the same problem at first. It&rsquo;s a different style and a different system. You&rsquo;ve got backside pressure and low coverage and it takes a while to get used to.&ldquo;And here, there&rsquo;s a bigger nucleus of star players. He was the nucleus in Edmonton. That&rsquo;s a tough adjustment, but I think he has done an excellent job of fitting in.&rdquo;Young, who wished the Blues had both old buddy Turgeon and new buddy Weight, expanded on that.&ldquo;Things like the power play in Edmonton were designed specifically around Dougie,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;Here, we take what&rsquo;s available. And we&rsquo;ve got guys like Al who take so much attention away from everyone else.&ldquo;I played with Turgeon for about two years and right away it didn&rsquo;t click.&rdquo;Quenneville has no quibble with Weight&rsquo;s work ethic, calling him &ldquo;a pretty conscientious person and player.&rdquo;Having said that, Quenneville also wants Weight & Co. to pick up the pace.He delivered that message in pointed, pre-holiday 1-on-1 chats with each player. The specific message to Weight: &ldquo;Be relaxed out there and play your game, because you&rsquo;re such an important piece. We know that you&rsquo;re.getting better.&rdquo;Weight put down the cleaver long enough to realize that, too.&ldquo;This organization over the past six weeks has been unbelievably supportive,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I feel great. I feel very comfortable with Scott now and I&rsquo;m really excited about what I can bring to this team.&ldquo;And our team&rsquo;s strong. I think we have unbelievable things ahead of us. Hopefully, I&rsquo;ll look back in three years and I won&rsquo;t even remember what it was like the first couple of months.&rdquo;And then not even Doug Weight would have Doug Weight to kick around any more.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;Confidence has become a problem. I was having trouble sleeping&hellip;</blockquote>Doug Weight &#9632;

f0009-01

Feeling Weight of the world

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03821/7583503-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="318" height="376"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg&nbsp;Columnist</figcaption></div>In the inverted world of a franchise that consciously decided to make itself worse, Jan. 1 was the most appropriate time for the New Jersey Devils to declare their hangover at an end.&ldquo;We played almost 48 playoff games the last two years,&rdquo; said Bobby Holik. &ldquo;Every one is like what, three regular season games, in terms of what you put into them, physically and mentally?&ldquo;That was the biggest downer of my career, not winning the Stanley Cup last year. And I don&rsquo;t think we lost it in the last two games as much as by not sweeping Carolina and going seven against Toronto. It took its toll.&ldquo;Then, you come back in October subconsciously wondering, &lsquo;What can we do right now about being a contender?&rsquo; It&rsquo;s not the right approach, but we&rsquo;re human, so it does have an effect on your start. But now we&rsquo;re into January.&rdquo;New Jersey begins 2002 resolving to be the team that won it all in 2000 and all but the last game in 2001. This, despite the fact Alexander Mogilny, who scored 43 goals last season, now plays for the conference-leading Leafs, whom the Devils handled the past two springs. Never mind the Devils expect to be there at the end of the 20th NHL season of the player from whom they get their energy and resolve, Scott Stevens; vow to be heard from even though Holik, barely below the well-taken-care-of Stevens and Martin Brodeur as the franchise&rsquo;s most important bridge between its two Cups, is unsigned for next season and may be gone before the trade deadline.The proud Holik, hurting inside at the absence of a longterm offer at an age (31) that warrants one, hasn&rsquo;t ceased hurting his opponents.&ldquo;I have no idea what&rsquo;s going to happen, but I have a contract now and I&rsquo;m not going to ruin my reputation as a guy who plays for his team,&rdquo; he said.Regardless, the Devils&rsquo; trademark depth is frayed, as seems to be the drive of heart-and-soul players such as John Madden and Randy McKay. Jason Arnott and Patrik Elias, free-agents-to-be restricted this summer by the collective bar-gaining agreement and Lou Lamoriello&rsquo;s 98 mph hardball, have not produced to the expected superior level.&ldquo;There has been a lot of frustration because this is a big year for me and Jason,&rdquo; Elias said. &ldquo;And because we&rsquo;re not winning like we&rsquo;re used to winning.&rdquo;Any mystery as to why is cleared up with but a glance at Scott Gomez&rsquo;s linemates in the absence of Mogilny. When the Devils missed the playoffs coming off their first Cup, their chafing from Jacques Lemaire&rsquo;s defensive handcuffs was dooming. Their endangerment this time looks more like a classic case of mental fatigue unrelieved by a single impact addition.The longer the Devils struggle to make the playoffs, the longer the regular season will be the playoffs.&ldquo;Every game we play seems like Game 1 of a series,&rdquo; said coach Larry Robinson. &ldquo;I can see where guys can get mentally tired.&rdquo;And the Devils have too many young players and underachievers for the coach to back off in a month-long mental, recess. Unless one of the seven teams ahead of New Jersey has a catastrophic injury, it appears either Washington, which looked like a home-ice first round team after adding Jaromir Jagr, or the Devils, will wind up ninth in an eight-team Eastern Conference playoff field.So Robinson, who has started Brodeur an insane 35 times in 39 games, feels he has to push.&ldquo;We have a lot of players not scoring to past levels,&rdquo; said the coach. &ldquo;But I see more frustration than doing something about it. If you play your position well, bear down, you will score some ugly goals.&rdquo;When a team has become reliant on too many ugly goals, it is not pretty watching it struggle to maintain its self-image. &ldquo;You spend a lot more energy getting to the playoffs now,&rdquo; Stevens said. &ldquo;That makes (the Stanley Cup) the hardest trophy to win and leaves an impact on the following year.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve also lost some players and that makes a bit of a difference. Some guys may be looking at that, but we have to work with what we have.&ldquo;Lou knows what he sees and what we need and when the time is right, he&rsquo;ll do something.&rdquo;The farm isn&rsquo;t as loaded as it was. The longer the Devils help teams like Montreal and Tampa Bay stay in the race, the demand for help at the trade deadline will remain larger than the supply.If the Devils get in, they will be the worst nightmare of a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, but beyond that, their fuel supply appears lower than their expectations.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04558/7583496-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="3139" height="3617"><figcaption class="caption-body">Power Outage&nbsp;Scott Gomez is one of several slumping Devils this season. Gomez&rsquo;s fall from grace has coincided with the departure of sniper Alexander Mogilny, who joined Toronto as a free agent in the off-season.</figcaption></div><h2>Curse of Stanley?</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011826/7583489-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="249" height="254"></div>Take notice. New Jersey: combined, the 10 Stanley Cup finalists since 1990-91 have won just four playoff rounds in the season after their Cup appearance. Listed are the teams, with point total and piayojf round reached.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021328/7583482-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="801" height="467"></div> &#9632;

f0010-03

COLUMN

Hellish year follows trip to final

<div class="byline">By Scott Burnside</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011777/7583541-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Theoren Fleury New York RangersBrett Hull Detroit Red Wings</figcaption></div>On May 2,1967, with 47 seconds left in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final, Toronto&rsquo;s George Armstrong sent a lazy shot towards the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; empty net, sending the Leafs to their 13th Stanley Cup and officially closing the door on the Original Six era.Some believed it would also mark the end of competitive hockey.&ldquo;The criticism was that there wouldn&rsquo;t be enough players, that the game would be watered down,&rdquo; recalls former Montreal winger John Ferguson.The 1967-68 season saw six new teams join Boston, Chicago, Detroit, the New York Rangers, Montreal and Toronto to make a 12-team NHL. The league soon expanded to 14 teams, then to 21, and on and on en route to the current 30, to. the point where a schedule fea-taring the same six teams battling each other 14 times a season seems positively prehistoric.Fast-forward 35 years. The Original Six are back in style. The Detroit Red Wings, in their 76th NHL season, are the runaway leaders of the Western Conference and the early favorites to capture their 10th Stanley Cup. At the season&rsquo;s midpoint, the NHL&rsquo;s second-, third-and fourth-place teams based on winning percentage were also Original Six clubs: Toronto, Chicago and Boston.Only scant points behind in the Eastern Conference race were the New York Rangers. The most successful NHL franchise of alltime, the Montreal Canadiens, are also surprising critics, hovering on the edge of the playoffs in spite of injury mayhem and the absence of their heart and soul, captain Saku Koivu.Is the NHL on the verge of the ultimate hockey nostalgia trip? A first round Leafs-Canadiens playoff matchup? A Leafs-Rangers or Bruins-Rangers conference final followed by a classic tilt with the greybeard Red Wings or the upstart Blackhawks?&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very, very important because they&rsquo;re majdr hockey centers,&rdquo; says Ferguson, whose storied career includes a stint as GM of the Rangers.Commissioner Gary Bettman must positively vibrate at the prospect of a new golden age for hockey. But then again, nostalgia only runs a generation deep.&ldquo;The golden age of anything is when you&rsquo;re 10,&rdquo; cautions Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; president Ken Dryden.For Dryden, the players he saw on black-and-white TV in the 1950s appeared to be 10 feet tall and able to skate 100 mph, just as later generations pictured Guy Lafleur or Wayne Gretzky&ldquo;Now, people talk about the 1970s as the golden age,&rdquo; Dryden says.Only a handful of active NHL players might recall snippets of the Original Six era. Mark Messier, about to turn 41, just turned six as the Leafs were stumbling through the second half of that last Stanley Cup season. Chris Chelios was five. Most everyone else brings to mind that old Woodstock saying: if you can remember it, you weren&rsquo;t really there.&ldquo;This generation now, the Original Six doesn&rsquo;t really mean anything to them,&rdquo; says Red Wings&rsquo; executive Jim Devellano.Of course, the Original Six weren&rsquo;t even original, but merely the surviving six, the product of the NHL&rsquo;s early, tumultuous evolution from the mid-1920s through World War II.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a convenient categorization,&rdquo; Dryden says.But he says the teams themselves, their histories and memories, serve as a kind of anchor that helps stabilize the rest of the league.&ldquo;They are the teams that find their way. They&rsquo;re going to do all right and you hope they do better than that,&rdquo; he says.So far so good in 2001-02.<h2>Original Six-cess</h2>It hasn&rsquo;t been all smooth sailingfor the Original Six. Just twice have they all finished above .500 in the same season (1968-69 and 1993-94). This season they are on pace to finish a combined 114 games above .500, which would be the best showing in more than two decades. Here are the top six Original Six seasons since the late 1970s<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021406/7583534-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="507" height="391"></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

Original Six Glory Days are here again

<div class="byline">-Nancy Marrapese-Burrell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011638/7583579-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="300" height="111"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021138/7583572-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="459" height="189"></div>This season, the player and coaching shuffles made by the Boston Bruins&rsquo; management seem to have worked.Over the summer the team added Martin Lapointe, Rob Zamuner, Scott Pellerin and Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, who all brought character, grit and leadership to a dressing room that needed it.New coach Robbie Ftorek came in with a positive attitude and his system and style have worked. It certainly hasn&rsquo;t hurt that in a revived Byron Dafoe the Bruins have a completely healthy No. 1 goalie for the first time in three years, the lack of which proved to be the downfall for Pat Burns and Mike Keenan.In addition, Joe Thornton, now 22, has become what the Bruins hoped he would be when they drafted him No. 1 overall in 1997. And he is complemented extremely well by the talents of left winger Sergei Samsonov and right winger Glen Murray, a former Bruin who returned along with Jozef Stumpel in the Jason Allison trade.Defensively, Hal Gill has taken the next step up in his career and, along with the always reliable Don Sweeney and O&rsquo;Donnell, helps form a solid blueline that would be even stronger if the ferocious Kyle McLaren - lost until March after undergoing wrist surgery - could manage to stay healthy.To top it all off, the club&rsquo;s mid-season MVP - has come from an unexpected source: Brian Rolston. The versatile forward is playing with the most confidence of his career and has proven to be a contagious, positive factor in what&rsquo;s shaping up to be the best Boston season in years. &#9632;

f0013-01

BOSTON

<div class="byline">-Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04700/7583624-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="291" height="114"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-05557/7583617-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="436" height="180"></div>The first-half success of the Chicago Blackhawks can be attributed to many things, but it all starts with the man behind the bench.In his first season as Chicago&rsquo;s coach, Brian Sutter has instilled a competitive spirit that comes alive on game night, thanks to his methods of motivation and preparation.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not surprised by what we&rsquo;ve done, but I can&rsquo;t say I honestly expected it or didn&rsquo;t expect it,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;I just knew we were going to be better.&rdquo; While the Hawks have firmly grasped the team concept Sutter preaches, there have been several individual performances that stand out.Playing behind a vastly improved defense, goalie Jocelyn Thibault doesn&rsquo;t face nearly as many quality scoring chances as in the past and is making the saves he needs to make.The big four on defense - Jon Klemm. Boris Mironov, Alexander Karpovtsev and Phil Housley - have given the Hawks the kind of versatility and consistent play every winning team needs from its top four defensemen.Among forwards, Alex Zhamnov has excelled to the point where Sutter talks about him in Hart Trophy terms. Eric Daze, finally using his size and speed to his advantage, has scored more important goals than any other forward while developing into a complete player. Young wingers Kyle Calder and Mark Bell have also given the Hawks a big shot in the arm with their grit and scoring.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03835/7583610-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="443" height="832"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sergei Samsonov</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-04

CHICAGO

<div class="byline">-Nicholas J. Cotsonika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07426/7583669-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="330" height="111"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-08397/7583662-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="460" height="188"></div>The Red Wings added three future Hall of Famers in the off-season in Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille. Ever since, just about everything has gone right.The Wings started the season 22-3-1-1 and, after suffering through a 1-5-1-0 slump, finished the first half 28-8-3-2. So stacked are the Wings that nearly half of their roster-10 players - is going to the Olympics.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re a great hockey team,&rdquo; said Columbus coach Dave King after the Wings blew out his overmatched Blue Jackets one night. &ldquo;I mean, they&rsquo;re just really a terrific hockey team.&rdquo;Coach Scotty Bowman has been his energetic, demanding self at age 68. Team chemistry was a worry of GM Ken Holland&rsquo;s entering training camp, but while rivals who made significant changes have floundered, the Wings have excelled. The new guys fit in well with the other superstars: Chris Chelios, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman. Plus, the Wings have been relatively injury-free.But standards are high in Hockeytown, which cares only about another Stanley Cup. The Wings often haven&rsquo;t given full 60-minute efforts, have failed to hold a lot of leads and some observers say they&rsquo;re soft in the defensive end.Yzerman said if he had to give the Wings a letter grade, it would be a B. &ldquo;The success of our season will be determined by what we do in the playoffs,&rdquo; he said.As always.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06465/7583655-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="779" height="857"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Housley</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-07

DETROIT

<div class="byline">-Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-09369/7583714-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="343" height="113"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-10346/7583707-1-eng-US/f0013-102.jpg" title="f0013-10" width="475" height="187"></div>The Montreal Canadiens have been one of the NHL&rsquo;s most pleasant surprises through the first half of the regular season, contending for a playoff spot despite paltry offensive firepower and their usual rash of injuries - the most devastating being the abdominal cancer that struck captain Saku Koivu.So how have the Canadiens remained competitive? By playing consistently and emphasizing defense. It also hasn&rsquo;t hurt to have one of the league&rsquo;s hottest goaltenders.For the second consecutive season, 25-year-old Jose Theodore has shown he&rsquo;s capable of singlehandedly carrying the team. Theodore was good a year ago when he was forced to play 59 games due to injuries to Jeff Hackett. This season, Theodore is great. He appeared in 28 of the Canadiens&rsquo; first 39 games and had 12 of Montreal&rsquo;s 16 victories, posting a 2.04 goals-against average and. 931 save percentage.But he hasn&rsquo;t been alone. Defenseman Patrice Brisebois, armed with a contract extension, is playing some of the best hockey of his career and is less of a defensive liability And Craig Rivet, recovered from a shoulder injury that limited him to 26 games last season provides the Canadiens with a physical force.But let&rsquo;s not kid ourselves. The Canadiens also took advantage of a sluggish opening half by New Jersey, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. All those teams should improve, meaning that making the playoffs for the first time in four years will be no easy task.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-15170/7583700-1-eng-US/f0013-152.jpg" title="f0013-15" width="513" height="787"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrice Brisebois</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-09

MONTREAL

<div class="byline">-Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-11316/7583759-1-eng-US/f0013-112.jpg" title="f0013-11" width="336" height="143"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-12278/7583752-1-eng-US/f0013-122.jpg" title="f0013-12" width="519" height="214"></div>There were a ton of &ldquo;ifs&rdquo; hanging over the New York Rangers entering the 2001-02 season. Through the first half of the year, though, almost everything has turned up roses.Now a whole new set of questions have arisen and how they are answered will determine if the Rangers remain among the top teams in the East.In the first half, the comebacks of Eric Lindros (six concussions, a year off), Mike Richter (consecutive reconstructive knee surgeries), Vladimir Malakhov (consecutive reconstructive knee surgeries), Theoren Fleury (substance abuse rehab) all turned out as good or better than could have been hoped. Richter, in particular, wasn&rsquo;t even expected to be playing by opening night, but turned out to be the club&rsquo;s first-half MVP.But the second half began without Lindros, who suffered a mild concussion Dec. 28. Without him, this team looks an awful lot like the one that has missed the playoffs four straight years.Lindros immediately made the Rangers bigger and meaner. His presence allowed players such as Petr Nedved and Mark Messier to take on lesser roles, which deepened the roster.The other major question marks concern the special teams, which were dreadful in the first half, and overall consistency in the defensive end, where opponents&rsquo; 40-shot nights were regular occurrences, often erased by the ing of Richter and 18-year-old backup Dan Blackburn.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-16128/7583745-1-eng-US/f0013-162.jpg" title="f0013-16" width="568" height="861"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan McCabe</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-11

NEW YORK

<div class="byline">-Patil Hunter</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-13238/7583797-1-eng-US/f0013-132.jpg" title="f0013-13" width="319" height="139"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-14205/7583790-1-eng-US/f0013-142.jpg" title="f0013-14" width="514" height="193"></div>It&rsquo;s fitting the Maple Leafs should hit the halfway point of the season teetering precariously atop the Eastern Conference. Toronto&rsquo;s rise to the top, after all, has been all about balance.The Leafs, after retooling during the summer to become a free-skating club once again, are seeing the equal distribution of scoring up front that they sought with the additions of Alexander Mogilny, Mikael Renberg, Travis Green and Robert Reichel. After 41 games, the Leafs had seven forwards with at least eight goals and seven with at least two gamewinners.On defense, Toronto is getting dedicated contributions from several players rather than relying on one or two blueline stars. The group as a whole, much maligned to start the season, has been solid if not spectacular while cutting shots against down from 27.3 last season to 24.4 this campaign. The emer-, gence of Bryan McCabe as a budding star, the typically responsible work of Dmitry Yushkevich and the surprisingly steady contribution of Aki Berg has silenced calls for a blueline overhaul.And the team&rsquo;s two most important players, center Mats Sundin and goaltender Curtis Joseph, hit the mid-season playing exceptional hockey, sharing the limelight in a city hungry for success. Sundin entered the second half of the season on a five-game goal-scoring streak and was among NHL scoring leaders with 23 goals and 41 points; Joseph was his usual spectacular self. &#9632;

f0013-13

TORONTO

<div class="byline">By Wayne Karl Hockey Business News Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011770/7583828-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jonas Hoglund Toronto Maple Leafs</figcaption></div>First the NHL&rsquo;s stick suppliers raised the bar technologically Now they&rsquo;re seeking to push the limits of the rules of the game.Last season Easton achieved unprecedented success with its Synergy a lightweight one-piece stick made of a combination of Kevlar and graphite that allows players to fire quicker and, some say harder shots.More than 100 NHLers were using the high-tech weaponry by the end of last season. Halfway through 2001-02, Easton claims as many as 180 players are using the Synergy.But the flash of the silvery Synergy has been supplanted, if temporarily, by the flare of the mustard-gold and appropriately named Response, by Louisville.The most noticeable of the second wave of one-piece composite sticks, the Response weighs five to 10 grams lighter than the already featherweight (460-gram) Synergy, according to Louisville, and some 50 NHL players, including slap-shot king Al Maclnnis, have embraced the product.Another interesting development will be to see the impact of the new technology at the Olympics in Salt Lake City International Ice Hockey Federation rules allow sticks with a blade-curve limit of 1.5 centimeters, or about five-eighths of an inch. The NHL&rsquo;s limit is a half-inch. Since one-piece composite technology had not yet been developed for Nagano in 1998, Salt Lake will be the first opportunity to see these news sticks combined with a larger curve.<blockquote class="pullQuote">Buzz in the Biz The Business of Hockey</blockquote>Louisville, for one, has received several requests from players who want their Responses made with the bigger curve.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got that dilemma with the NHL currently, because you&rsquo;ve got guys who order two molds - one legal and one slightly illegal,&rdquo; said Graham Watson, vice-president of business development for Louisville. &ldquo;For the Olympics, with the greater curve allowed, a lot of players are requesting sticks with the five-eighths (of an inch) curve.&rdquo;Stick manufacturers plan to approach the NHL and International Ice Hockey Federation to seek a standardization of the curve specifications, likely at the five-eighths-of-an-inch limit. One standard would make the stick manufacturing and marketing processes easier, Watson said. &ldquo;And secondly, in a game where we&rsquo;re trying to increase scoring, it seems like allowing a larger curve might be a step in the right direction,&rdquo; he said.BAUER TRIES FLEX Bauer Nike Hockey is also breaking into the one-piece composite stick category, with help from Eric Lindros and Mario Lemieux.Lindros is the highest-profile user of Bauer&rsquo;s new Tri-Flex full composite stick, which the company says provides a quicker release, harder shot and less fatigue. Designed to work like a bow and arrow, the shaft is flexible at both ends of the stick with more stiffness in the middle. Players get the stability of a stiff shaft with the flexibility needed for a faster shot, Bauer says.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s also about consistency,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;With wood-fiberglass sticks, no matter how hard they try and no matter who&rsquo;s making the stick, you&rsquo;re not going to get the same feel every day that you do with these new sticks.&rdquo;So far, 25 to 30 NHL players are using its new sticks, Bauer says, including Jonas Hoglund of the Toronto Maple Leafs. What stick did he switch from? A Louisville Response.Meanwhile, Lemieux has been helping Nike develop another one-piece composite model. Also a life-long wood stick user, Lemieux had been playing with a non-branded Nike stick, nicknamed the Explorer under the Nike Alpha Project - a distinction the company reserves for its leading edge technology projects. Lemieux is expected to debut the new stick around the All-Star Game and the Olympics. &#9632;

f0014-01

Stick technology marches on

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011557/7583859-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gold-medal winning Russia had plenty to celebrate at the 2002 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic.</figcaption></div>PARDUBICE, Czech Republic - Russian players have long been renowned for their incredible sense of timing and it was specifically that attribute that made them gold medallists at the 2002 World Junior Championship.Going into the playoff round, the Russian team was in complete disarray and looking much like the team that imploded and finished seventh in last year&rsquo;s tournament. They were making fools of themselves on the ice and when they weren&rsquo;t busting heads, they were spitting at opponents. They went into their quarterfinal game against the U.S. without one of their best players and their coach, both of whom had been suspended for on-ice transgressions.But somewhere on the road to oblivion they managed to turn everything around and began playing their best hockey of the tournament, capping their effort with a 54 win over Canada in the gold medal game Jan. 4.&ldquo;The whole point of the tournament is to wrap up to the final,&rdquo; said Mighty Ducks of Anaheim prospect Stanislav Chistov, who finished with four goals and eight points in seven games. &ldquo;Games against teams like France are tough to get up for mentally. Our goal was that we didn&rsquo;t really care too much about the early results. Our goal was to have our best game in the final because it is a one-game tournament.&rdquo;After the round-robin portion of the WJC, the Russians played with a sense of purpose and incredible precision on their march to the final. They left the previously undefeated U.S. on the scrap heap with a 5-1 dismantling, then played a patient and diligent game before defeating the heavily favored Finns 2-1 in overtime in the semifinal.Against Canada, they fell behind 2-0 before the first period was half over and were trailing 3-1 in the first minute of the second. Once again, however, the Russians found their resolve and took over with three straight goals. One of the turning points came after Canada&rsquo;s third goal, when coach Vladimir Plyuschev pulled Andrei Medvedev and replaced him with Sergei Mylnikov. That also happened to coincide with a Russian revival that saw them carry the play and put Canada back on its heels.&ldquo;Medvedev had played very well in the preliminary games and he worked hard to prepare for the final game,&rdquo; Plyuschev said. &ldquo;I know his mental strength and unfortunately today he was not mentally strong. I had the idea the day before to exchange my goalkeepers, but I gave Andrei another chance.&rdquo;The Russian team was dogged by controversy all tournament. In its 5-2 loss to Canada in the round robin, center Alexander Svitov spit in the face of winger Brian Sutherby. At the end of the 4-0 win over Switzerland, Svitov earned a two-game suspension for repeatedly punching Swiss defenseman Beat Forster in the head while he was held by Svitov&rsquo;s teammates.Plyuschev, a 46-year-old former bit player with the Red Army team, said he had no problem with Svitov&rsquo;s transgressions.&ldquo;Alexander did not start this, the Swiss player did,&rdquo; he said.The loss in the final ruined a dominant offensive performance by the Canadian team, one that scored 40 goals and changed the perception of Canadian players as lacking skills. The Canadians scored 15 more goals than Russia, the next-highest scoring team, and coach Stan Butler placed an emphasis on skill and creativity.&ldquo;Our 22 guys emptied the tank and did everything they could to try and get that gold back to Canada,&rdquo; Butler said.Canada, which won bronze in 2000 and 2001, also settled for silver in 1999 after losing to Russia in overtime in Winnipeg.&ldquo;Although we didn&rsquo;t get what we wanted to get, 20 years from now a silver medal at a world championship is still pretty impressive,&rdquo; Butler said.Canada finished with a 5-2-0 record. They lost to the Finns in round-robin play. &#9632;

f0016-01

Russians rise from dead

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011395/7583928-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Defenseman Brett Lebda and the U.S. lost only one WJC game, to the Russians. It just happened to be the game that mattered most.</figcaption></div>PARDUBICE, Czech Republic - Shortly after he arrived in the Czech Republic, U.S. coach Keith-Allain went for a stroll with his family and came back to his room to discover he had been robbed.That was his first stroke of bad luck at the 2002 World Junior Championship. The second came when his team met a hungry Russian bear. So much of the WJC is about making your own good luck and in that respect, the Americans did not do a good job. They finished with just one loss, the least of any country in the tournament, but the defeat could not have come at a worse time.That loss forced the Americans out of the medals and led to their fifth fifthplace finish in eight years.After going 2-0-2 in the round robin and finishing second in Group A, the Americans had the misfortune of playing a Russian team that had underachieved in the early going. The Russians were without center Alexander Svitov and coach Vladimir Plyuschev, who were suspended for their parts in a brawl against Switzerland, but the team galvanized and played its best hockey during the quarterfinal.The Americans, who proclaimed themselves a contender for the gold before the WJC began, looked far less than that in a 5-1 loss in which they were outplayed.&ldquo;We had hoped to compete for a medal,&rdquo; Allain said. &ldquo;We played too tentative against the Russians and we gave them too much respect and they used the room to their advantage.&rdquo;It wasn&rsquo;t as though the Americans were devoid of talent. They had real hopes of contending for their first medal since 1997 with a lineup that boasted four first round NHL draft picks and a number of terrific prospects for the 2002 draft. They seemed to have every prerequisite filled and in the end, got strong goaltending from Dallas Stars&rsquo; prospect Jason Bacashihua.&ldquo;I thought they had a really good team,&rdquo; said one NHL scout. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s tournament play You get a team on the wrong day and your tournament is over, no matter how well you play&rdquo;In part because it had grown frustrated with its results in the WJC, USA Hockey established the national team development program in 1996 and since then has hot-housed some of its best 16- and 17-year-old players in Ann Arbor, Mich. Part of the program&rsquo;s mandate is to expose players to the rigors of international competition and it had some early success with a silver medal in the 1997 WJC. But since then, the results have not been encouraging.The U.S. team did win the under-17 World Hockey Challenge in 2001 and those players will make up a large part of next year&rsquo;s team in the 2003 WJC in Halifax. There were 12 players on this team who had gone through the program.Observers contend the results should not be an indictment of the program and that with a little luck, the Americans would have been in the medal hunt. But if part of the mandate is to prepare players for pressures and unpredictability of tournaments such as the WJC, shouldn&rsquo;t the results be a little better?&ldquo;Maybe, but I think it has been a good program and they&rsquo;ve done some very good things,&rdquo; said another scout. &ldquo;They keep producing good players.&rdquo;One problem the Americans faced was that the players who were supposed to have an impact did not. First round picks Richard Umberger and David Steckel did not have a goal between them and defenseman Michael Komisarek watched much of the tournament from the bench.Scouts would like to see a bigger pool of elite players. &ldquo;They just don&rsquo;t have the depth. After the top five or six players it gets pretty skimpy,&rdquo; said one scout.<h2>Decade of North American Ice Fortunes</h2>Team USA has won only one medal in the past 10 years at the World Junior Championship. Canada has captured nine medals in that time span.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021074/7583921-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="1763" height="847"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jason Bacashihua Team USA</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0017-01

U.S. sputters at wrong time

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div>PARDUBICE, Czech Republic - The Czech Republic entered the 2002 World Junior Championship with dreams of continuing its domination with a third straight gold medal in front of a delirious home crowd, but finished in humiliation with its coach ripping players and threatening to resign.A 6-2 win over Slovakia on the final day saved the Czechs from total ignominy, but a seventh-place finish on home ice was a nightmare for the team and tournament organizers. Their showing was the second-worst ever by a defending champion, after Canada&rsquo;s eighth-place finish in 1998 on the heels of winning five straight titles.Czech coach Jaroslav Holik was critical of his team from the start and publicly lamented the lack of talent among his 1982-born players. His frustrations came to a boil after the Czechs lost their first relegation game to the U.S. by a score of 4-3.&ldquo;I am ashamed of the performance of some players, the way they were fighting for the Czech Republic, it is something I cannot accept,&rdquo; said Holik, the fattier of outspoken New Jersey Devils&rsquo; center Bobby Holik. &ldquo;A lot of them want to play in the NHL, but they are not ready for it. My comments to the players I cannot even publish.&rsquo;Talk about eating your young.The Czechs were victimized by their hands of stone. They outshot their opponents in five of seven games and finished with a 232-138 margin in shots, but couldn&rsquo;t finish. &ldquo;Our biggest problem,&rdquo; said winger Miloslav Horava, &ldquo;was scoring goals.&rdquo;Holik, who led the Czechs to their triumphs in the past two WJCs, said he is con sidering stepping down as coach of the national junior team. At times it looked as though the pressure of defending the chain pionship and disappointing the home fans was wearing on both Holik and his players. At different points he said he was coaching &ldquo;a bad team&rdquo; and after one game called his players stupid on national television.The Czechs weren&rsquo;t helped by the fact top defenseman Rostislav Klesla and center Vaclav Nedorost were not available, but both Canada and Russia were missing key players as well and made the final. The Czechs had nine players from the Canadian Hockey League and Holik said the event proved to be a rude awakening for them. One player who did not disappoint was winger Ales Hemsky of the Hull Olym-piques, who had four goals and 11 points.Holik did not share the public&rsquo;s confidence even before the championship. He repeatedly said he thought the Czechs were capable of winning a medal if many things went right, but did not see this team as a champion. And going into their quarterfinal against Finland, Holik didn&rsquo;t show the least bit of confidence in his players.&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just say that if our rival doesn&rsquo;t score any goals,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;maybe we can succeed once and take the victory.&rdquo;Holik proved prophetic as his team lost 3-1 and was bounced from contention. &#9632;

Czechs a big flop at home

<h2>All-Star coaches</h2>Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn are the coaches for the All-Star Game, Feb. 2 in Los Angeles. Bowman will guide the World All-Stars because his Detroit Red Wings had the best Western Conference winning percentage through Jan. 4. His assistant is Brian Sutter of the Chicago Blackhawks, who were second to the Wings. Quinn&rsquo;s Toronto Maple Leafs had the top winning percentage in the Eastern Conference. His assistant is Robbie Ftorek of Boston. San Jose&rsquo;s Vincent Damphousse is the unlikely leader among North American centers in fan balloting for the All-Star Game.<h2>Hockey dad on trial</h2>The manslaughter trial involving one hockey father who allegedly beat another hockey dad to death is underway in Cambridge, Mass. Thomas Junta, 42, was charged July 5,2000, of killing Michael Costin after arguing at their sons&rsquo; hockey practice. Junta, who claims Costin was the aggressor in the fight, was said to have become angered when a scrim-mage, supervised by Costin, 40, involved bodychecking. The two parents argued before Junta, according to prosecutors, pinned Costin down and banged his head against the floor until he lost consciousness. Coston died two days later.<h2>Davos wins Spengler</h2>Host team Davos won the Spengler Cup in Switzerland when Lonny Bohonos scored in overtime to beat Canada 4-3. It was the second straight year Davos beat Canada in the final. The goal by Winnipeg-born Bohonos was unassisted at 1:02 of overtime. Canadian goalie Patrick Desrochers was named the tournament&rsquo;s top goalie and an all-star. Canadian defenseman Mike Gaul was also named to the all-star squad. Former NHLers on Canada&rsquo;s Spengler Cup team included forwards Reggie Savage, Dixon Ward, Mike Maneluk and Jean-Yves Roy.<h2>Grinch-spirited fine</h2>The NHL fined the Edmonton Oilers for having a 45-minute workout on Christmas Day. Practicing on Dec. 25 is prohibited by the NHL, but the Oilers voted to skate anyway in exchange for Dec. 22 and 23 off (they had just returned from an eight-day road trip at 3 a.m. Dec. 22). The fine is estimated to be in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. &ldquo;It was an oversight of the CBA agreement on behalf of the players,&rdquo; said player rep Todd Marchant. &ldquo;That such a big deal is being made about this is a little bit ridiculous,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; GM Kevin Lowe. &ldquo;Whatever it is, I&rsquo;ll pay.&rdquo; &#9632;

INSIDE HOCKEY

Sweden was the last of the six hockey nations required to name its 2002 Olympic roster by the Dec. 22 deadline. Fourteen players (denoted with asterisks) are returning from the 1998 Olympic team that finished fifth in Nagano. The Slovaks are one of eight countries vying for two qualifying berths Feb. 9-12 and are the top seed. The Slovak roster is projected.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011436/7584007-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="894" height="1186"></div> &#9632;

f0018-01

Sweden completes roster for Salt Lake Olympics

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div>The contract talks which have been most significant in the NHL this season are wrapping up, with Bob Goodenow getting a six-year, $15-million (U.S.) deal to continue as executive director of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association.Goodenow will be paid approximately $2.5 million per season, an increase of about $1,000,000 from his previous deal which expired Dec. 31, sources say. There were reports Goodenow was to be paid $3.5 million, but NHLPA president Trevor Linden dismissed them as inaccurate.&ldquo;The $3.5-million figure is high, a lot high,&rdquo; Linden told The Globe and Mail.Goodenow has been in negotiations with the NHLPA&rsquo;s executive since February and according to people familiar with the talks, the negotiations were very orderly and not contentious. This is the fifth contract he has signed to be the NHLPA&rsquo;s main man since he became executive director more than a decade ago.The union executive was elected by players and it has the right to enter into a deal with Goodenow as part of the NHLPA&rsquo;s overall budget. NHL players do not have to vote on the deal because they elect each member of the executive committee, thereby giving them the authority to make a deal.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fair to say a (contract) framework exists,&rdquo; said executive member Stu Grimson, a left winger with the Nashville Predators. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to comment on the negotiations right now, (but) I would say they went pretty well.&rdquo;Both sides hired consultants to help determine what Goodenow&rsquo;s pay should be.In deciding what to pay Goodenow, the NHLPA executive looked at the salary structures of GMs, such as New Jersey&rsquo;s Lou Lamoriello, who makes a reported $3 million per season; Glen Sather, who is reportedly making $4 million; and Toronto&rsquo;s Pat Quinn, who gets about $2.2 million.There were suggestions Goodenow was looking to become the highest-paid Union leader in sports, but his new salary falls short of the mark. Bill Hunter, who runs the NBA union, makes about $2.7 million per season, while NFL Players&rsquo; Association boss Gene Upshaw makes $1.9 million.The average NHL salary was $271,000 when Goodenow replaced the disgraced Alan Eagleson as the NHLPA&rsquo;s execu-tive director a decade ago. Since then, salaries have skyrocketed and the average this season is about $1.5 million.NHL owners blame Goodenow for everything from high ticket prices to player injuries, but Goodenow has the support of players.By extending Goodenow&rsquo;s pact well past the 2004 expiry date for the collective bargaining agreement, the players are sending a clear message to the NHL that they stand behind their leader.But not everyone connected with the NHLPA is happy about the way the negotiations were handled.&ldquo;It seems to me strange that one-half of one per cent of the players in the league can make a decision to pay the executive director what he wants, without consulting with the other 99.6 per cent of the players in the league,&rdquo; said player agent Rich Winter of Edmonton.<h2>Hey, Mom! Im in the NHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021081/7584038-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="735" height="156"></div>Weekly report of players making their NHL debuts.Tom Kostopoulos, 22, Pit, Dec. 29 vs. Ott Seventh round pick in 1999 is a hard-nosed winger willing to mix it up. Scored in his debut.Brian Glonta, 23, NJ, Dec. 30 vs. EdmFormer Boston College standout, at 5-foot-7,160 pounds, had 18 points In 26 games with Albany.Steve Moore, 23, Col, Jan. 1 vs. Nsh Former Harvard star played on the fourth line with Dan Hinote and Scott Parker.Toni Dahlman, 22, Ott. Jan. 3 vs. Wsh Low-scoring Finnish winger was stop-gap on the third line with Radek Bonk and Martin Havlat. &#9632;

f0018-02

Goodenow gets pay hike

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02986/7584069-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="581" height="2616"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011331/7584076-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="226" height="215"></div>Maybe it&rsquo;s time to give defensive defensemen a little more credit. After all, half of the teams in the NHL list a stay-at-home blueliner as their unsung hero for the first half of 200102, according to THN correspondents. Below are each team&rsquo;s unsung hero. &#9632;

f0019-02

30 low-key players you need to know

<div class="byline">-Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03663/7584107-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="225" height="261"></div>With a little more goal support, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere might have been recognized as the NHL&rsquo;s player of the month for December.Giguere finished first in the league with a 1.43 goals-against average and. 946 save percentage during the final month of 2001. In 11 games, he stopped 283 of 299 shots, but wound up with only a 4-5-2 record.Two of the losses were in overtime, with four coming by one goal. The lone exception was a 3-1 defeat Dec. 31 in Columbus, in which the Blue Jackets scored an empty net goal in the final minute.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s sad,&rdquo; said Ducks&rsquo; coach Bryan Murray &ldquo;The goals against, the save percentage, the type of saves he made, the fact he allowed us to have a chance to win games - all of those things speak awfully well for him.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Dan Bylsma, RW. A healthy scratch in four of the first five games, Bylsma not only returned to the lineup, he earned a two-year contract extension Dec. 20. An extraordinary penalty killer with an uncanny ability to find passing lanes and block shots, Bylsma also made unexpected offensive contributions. Through Jan. 2, he had six goals, double his previous high in six NHL seasons.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Ducks are in desperate need of a topliner, preferably a center to add offense and complement captain Paul Kariya. Anaheim must land such a player via either trade or the free agent market.NOTEBOOK Anaheim put together season-high streaks of three consecutive victories from Dec. 21-26 and four straight games without a loss that stretched through Dec. 27. &#9632;

f0019-03

Breakout month for goalie Giguere

<div class="byline">-Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-07245/7584138-1-eng-US/f0019-072.jpg" title="f0019-07" width="846" height="871"><figcaption class="caption-body">NET GAIN J-S Giguere has been one of the Ducks&rsquo; few bright spots, sporting a 2.15 goals-against average and. 921 save percentage in 25 games.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04506/7584145-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="226" height="266"></div>The Atlanta Thrashers completed the first half of the season with their worst 41-game record in three years. If there has been any progress, lowing up in the won-loss record.After losing three one-goal games on a road trip, the Thrashers had a league-worst record of 8-25-5-3. The 24 points is far less than the 39 points they had in the first half last season and even fewer than the 27 first-half points in what turned out to be a 61-loss Year 1.Thrashers&rsquo; GM Don Waddell said he still believes the team will have a stronger second half than in either of the first two years. He also has been exploring the trade market, primarily for a physical defenseman. But those are in short supply.Waddell endorsed his coaching staff, but added: &ldquo;We have to find ways to win these games. Does (losing) put the responsibility on the coaches&rsquo; shoulders? Yeah, they have to prepare the players. But we can&rsquo;t let the players off the hook. They have to go out and do it.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Tony Hrkac, C. A late free agent signing after the team&rsquo;s pursuit of Yanic Perreault fizzled, Hrkac has been one of the few veterans performing up to expectation. He is smart, wins faceoffs, doesn&rsquo;t commit many defensive mistakes and was third on the team in scoring with 21 points through 40 games.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Thrashers&rsquo; weakest link is at center. Ray Ferraro has struggled and Patrik Stefan has been unspectacular, even when playing between Calder Trophy candidates Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk.NOTEBOOK Center Ray Ferraro scored his 400th career goal in a 5-4 win over Toronto&hellip;Rookie forwards Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk each had 15 points in 15 games in December and shared the NHL&rsquo;s rookie of the month honors. &#9632;

f0019-07

Worst first half ever doesn’t deter GM

<div class="byline">-Nancy Marrapese-Burrell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05378/7584176-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="221" height="267"></div>When Glen Murray rejoined the team he broke into the NHL with, the Boston Bruins, he faced a transition period.Murray was drafted by the Bruins in 1991, 18th overall, and was an 18-year-old kid trying to figure out how he could make his mark in the NHL.Now 29, Murray returned to Boston in an Oct. 24 trade with Los Angeles and this time his uncertainty had nothing to do with whether or not he could play in the league, but what exactly the Bruins expected from him. That became obvious when he was placed on a line with exciting youngsters Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov - he would be required to produce offense.&ldquo;I knew it was going to be different coming back here because I was going to get a chance to play,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Obviously, getting to play with Joe and Sammy has helped out a ton. Before, I did play, but not in the situations I do now.&rdquo;In 1992-93, Murray&rsquo;s first full pro season, he was demoted to Providence of the American League, which was disappointing. He now thinks it&rsquo;s exactly what he needed.&ldquo;It was awful at the time, but it definitely helped me get to where I am now,&rdquo; Murray said.Murray had six goals and 11 points in nine games with the Kings and 11 goals and 23 points in his first 32 games with the Bruins.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, D. Night in, night out, O&rsquo;Donnell is a stabilizing and effective presence on the blueline. He plays in all situations, he&rsquo;s a terrific leader, a role model for the young players and has very good instincts.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Someone to replace the ferocity of defenseman Kyle McLaren. With McLaren out for an extended period, likely through March, it affects both the penalty killing and 5-on-5 situations. Boston needs someone to step up and make up for the loss of the big defender.NOTEBOOK The Bruins have taken to using center Brian Rolston as a defenseman late in games in which they are trailing in an effort to generate offense. The coaches believe he can help produce scoring from the point playing 5-on-5 just as he does in his duties on the power play. &#9632;

f0019-05

Murray prospering in return to Boston

<div class="byline">-Bucky Gleason</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011222/7584207-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Calgary power forward Jarome Iginla invades Montreals crease.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06282/7584214-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="222" height="263"></div>Right when it appeared Slava Kozlov was starting to get serious about the season, he sustained a serious injury that could jeopardize his year with the Buffalo Sabres.Kozlov was sidelined indefinitely after suffering a deep gash that cut through most of his Achilles tendon. The freak injury occurred when Columbus winger Tyler Wright accidentally struck the back of Kozlov&rsquo;s left leg with his skate. The wound required some 60 stitches to close.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just bad luck,&rdquo; Kozlov said. &ldquo;It could have been anybody, but it&rsquo;s me. It&rsquo;s frustrating, but what can you do?&rdquo;Kozlov was the Sabres&rsquo; best forward for about a month before the injury occurred Dec. 29. He had four goals and 16 points in 12 games since being a healthy scratch for a Nov. 27 game. The injury resulted in a wave of moves across the lineup. Ruff inserted center Curtis Brown into Kozlov&rsquo;s left wing slot with center Tim Connolly and Maxim Afinogenov. Chris Gratton was promoted from the fourth line to help fill the void left by Brown.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough,&rdquo; Ruff said. &ldquo;That line was going real good for us. There are some guys that are going to have to step up and elevate their games.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Alexei Zhitnik, D. Zhitnik had just one goal through his first 41 games, but has been the Sabres&rsquo; best all-around defenseman. He&rsquo;s matched up against the top scoring lines most nights and remained on pace for a career-high 46 assists. He hasn&rsquo;t had more than 30 since 1993-94, when he was with Los Angeles. His assist total soared after he harnessed a once-wild slap shot, giving Buffalo&rsquo;s forwards a better chance of converting around the net.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Sabres were a miserable team to play against when Ruff arrived five years ago, but they now lack that hard-working, aggressive style. It has really hurt them on the road, where they were 512-1-1 at the midpoint.NOTEBOOK Center Chris Gratton, promoted from the fourth to the first unit after the injury to left winger Slava Kozlov, was on the trading block before the injury&hellip;Right winger Rob Ray needed eight minutes in penalties to reach 3,000 for his career. &#9632;

f0020-01

Kozlov’s injury hits just as he got game

<div class="byline">-Luke DeCock</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05225/7584276-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="791" height="1086"><figcaption class="caption-body">GRUNT WORK Carolina left winger Bates Battaglia is willing to pay the price in front of the net - and is getting more ice time as a result.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03601/7584283-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="230" height="228"></div>Ron Francis has always been thought of as a playmaker, not a goal-scorer, so his 500th NHL goal was as much a tribute to his extraordinary longevity as his goal-scoring prowess.By knocking in a rebound in a 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, Francis not only reached the milestone in his 1,000th game with the Carolina franchise, he also became the fifth NHL player to amass 500 goals and 1,000 assists.&ldquo;You hope that it comes in a victory somehow,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t, but it&rsquo;s still a very special milestone.&rdquo;When Francis scored, the Hurricanes streamed off the bench to congratulate him.But his teammates weren&rsquo;t the only ones impressed.&ldquo;You look at those milestones and you wonder if anyone from our generation could play that many games or have that sort of career,&rdquo; said Boston left winger Sergei Samsonov.&ldquo;Everyone has goals like those, but it&rsquo;s hard to imagine anyone can actually do it.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Bates Battaglia, LW. Long a fan favorite for his long hair, despite his frustrating play, Battaglia has justified the high expectations of him this season.His new willingness to take punishment in front of the net is the key to Carolina&rsquo;s revitalized power play and he&rsquo;s finally showing the maturity and motivation needed to make the most of his size and skills.Whether on the second line, first power play unit or as penalty-killer, Battaglia has seen as much ice time as any forward on the team.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The re-acquisition of Sean Hill last month was a step in the right direction, but the Hurricanes&rsquo; recent defensive inadequacies indicate there&rsquo;s still a need for another standup defenseman, preferably one with a nasty edge.NOTEBOOK The Hurricanes finished December with 20 points (83-1-3) to set a franchise record for the month. &#9632;

f0020-05

Francis’ 500th goal tribute to longevity

<div class="byline">-Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04397/7584314-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="222" height="256"></div>The Blackhawks got an early Christmas gift when right winger Steve Thomas returned to the lineup Dec. 23 against Detroit, after missing more than five weeks with a broken left ankle.The holiday cheer didn&rsquo;t last long, however, as Thomas broke the same ankle in a different place. He had surgery three days later to insert two screws and won&rsquo;t play again until mid-March.&ldquo;I thought I did enough to prepare myself to come back, but I guess you never can,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;I got cleared by the doctors and my ankle felt great. I felt I was skating pretty good in that game.&rdquo;There were about nine minutes left in the third period when Thomas lined up for a faceoff in his own end.&ldquo;They dropped the puck and I skated through the circle to take my man,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;It was Chris Chelios and I had just joked with him before the faceoff not to hit my ankle with a shot and he said he wouldn&rsquo;t. On my way out to him, I either got caught in a rut or got hit on the ankle, but it just buckled.&rdquo;Thomas was to be in a cast until mid-February. He did not require surgery after breaking the ankle the first time blocking a shot in Calgary Nov. 15.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Jon Klemm, D. It didn&rsquo;t generate many headlines last July 1 when the Hawks signed Klemm to a three-year, $7.5-million deal, but it might turn out to be the best free agent signing of 2001.Klemm was viewed as simply a role player in Colorado, but with the Hawks he has responded to added ice time (24 minutes a game) and regularly helps shut down the opposition&rsquo;s best forwards.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Chicago reached the halfway point in its season with the second-highest point total in the NHL despite having the worst penalty-killing percentage. Last season, Steve Sullivan led the league with eight shorthanded goals. He had none through the Hawks&rsquo; first 43 games this season.NOTEBOOK The Hawks&rsquo; surprising success was making it tough for right winger Tony Amonte to think about being traded&hellip;With seven goals (four of them game-winners) and 18 points, right winger Steve Sullivan was named the NHL&rsquo;s player of the month for December. He is the first Hawk to be so honored since goaltender Ed Belfour shared the award with Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux in December, 1992. &#9632;

f0020-04

Broken ankle (again) forces Thomas to sit

<div class="byline">-Aaron Portzline</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02595/7584376-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="224" height="246"></div>It&rsquo;s hard to say who enjoyed Ray Whitney&rsquo;s selfless act more - Columbus Blue Jackets&rsquo; coach Dave King, a sold-out crowd in Nationwide Arena or, the direct beneficiary himself, right winger Kevin Dineen.In the closing seconds of a 3-1 win over Anaheim New Year&rsquo;s Eve, Whitney had a chance for his second goal of the game, an empty-netter. Instead, he spotted a wide open Dineen and decided to reward him.Nationwide erupted.&ldquo;I feel just as good turning that puck over to Dino,&rdquo; Whitney said. &ldquo;In a 2-1 game, for him to get the empty-netter - that means something. He got rewarded for a good game. That&rsquo;s the way it should be.&rdquo;Afterward, King was so excited he went out of his way to compliment Whitney. He also reflected back to last season, when the Blue Jackets played like a true team and surprised many with 71 points.&ldquo;That selflessness from Whitney, it just typified how this team played at the end of last season,&rdquo; King said. &ldquo;You just don&rsquo;t know how much that kind of thing means.&rdquo;Dineen, an 18-year veteran who probably will retire after this season, was equally impressed.&ldquo;That was a classy thing to do,&rdquo; Dineen said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not too proud to take it. I&rsquo;ve scored 350 goals (actually 352) and I&rsquo;m sure there has been a few empty-netters in there.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, D. It looked as if he might be the odd man out before training camp started, but the Blue Jackets can&rsquo;t get Grand-Pierre out of the lineup. He has incredible skating skills for a big man (6-foot-3, 207 pounds) and he&rsquo;s a solid banger along the boards. At 24, he may yet develop into an offensive contributor. He filled in admirably at forward this season and his seven points through 40 games are already a career high.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Blue Jackets need a big center who can score. This would allow small Espen Knutsen to move to the wing. Unless somebody&rsquo;s willing to trade such a player for a hot dog and handshake, Columbus will try to land them in the entry draft.NOTEBOOK The Blue Jackets recalled center Brett Harkins from Syracuse to try to revive a power play that was 0-for-29 before he arrived. He promptly recorded three power play assists and an even-strength assist in his first three games&hellip;The New Year&rsquo;s Eve win improved Columbus to 6-0-0-1 all-time against Anaheim. &#9632;

f0021-02

Selfless Whitney earns praise after passing for empty-netter

<div class="byline">-Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03358/7584407-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="244" height="227"></div>The rest of Mike Modano&rsquo;s many milestones had come with the green tinge of the Dallas Stars.This one was wrapped in red, white and blue.Modano&rsquo;s spot among American players became a talking point after he became just the fourth U.S.-born player to score 400 goals. He scored on a power play goal during a 2-1 win over Atlanta Jan. 2, to join Joe Mullen, Pat LaFontaine and the still-active Jeremy Roenick.&ldquo;When it&rsquo;s done, I think he&rsquo;s going to be in very, very elite company,&rdquo; said Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock.For all his considerable talent and the way he has come to personify the Dallas franchise, Modano also has been an ambassador for hockey.&ldquo;It has been an honor to be a part of it and the growth of the game in the States,&rdquo; said Modano, a native of Livonia, Mich. &ldquo;It has been fun. I can&rsquo;t complain about the way the last 13 years have gone - the players I&rsquo;ve played with and all who have had a part in this.&rdquo;He talked about the kids playing in Texas and Arizona and Florida, who will constitute the next generation and he talked about how important it was to reach the mark at home after four games without a point. He had been the league&rsquo;s hottest player and then he stalled at No. 399.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said it a million times, I think we never really realized how good it could be down here and how great it has been,&rdquo; Modano said.UNSUNG HERO Marty Turco isn&rsquo;t the No. 1 goaltender in Dallas. That job belongs to Ed Belfour. What Turco, 26, has done, though, is provide the Stars with a luxury as his strong play has continued for a second season. He had won six straight games when the Stars were struggling and posted a 1.59 goals-against average with a. 936 save percentage during his streak.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Much of the first half has been spent searching for the team&rsquo;s identity. Perhaps nothing illustrates the Stars&rsquo; struggle more than their 7-8 record in one-goal games. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been talking about it a lot and it is something that we really need to work on,&rdquo; said center Kirk Muller.NOTEBOOK GM-to-be Doug Armstrong hired Francois Giguere as a hockey operations consultant. Giguere, a long-time executive with Colorado, will become assistant GM June 1 when Armstrong officially replaces Bob Gainey. &#9632;

f0021-03

Modano’s sees 400th career goal as one that will inspire youngsters

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-05176/7584452-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="322" height="361"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Smith Equipment Manager</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04257/7584459-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="124" height="133"></div>The first thing you see when you walk into most dressing rooms is the stick rack. Sticks of all shapes and sizes and colours on the wall, all taped to a player&rsquo;s likes or eccentricities.Players go through lots of sticks, not just by breaking them. They don&rsquo;t like the feel or how they&rsquo;re working, so they change. But some guys use a particular stick longer than others.&ldquo;Growing up, kids didn&rsquo;t dare break sticks,&rdquo; said Dallas equipment manager Dave Smith, &ldquo;because if you broke one, you had to wait awhile to get a new one.&rdquo;&ldquo;I remember talking to Dave Dryden (NHL&rsquo;s head of policing on equipment) awhile back and he laughed and said kids used to put nails in or glue, anything to get the stick to last as long as it could, and after awhile, you&rsquo;d downgrade it to a ball hockey stick if it wasn&rsquo;t good enough for games.&rdquo;NHLers aren&rsquo;t into playing with bad lumber. Nobody wants to be caught on the ice with a stick that might break when they&rsquo;re going in on a breakaway or playing the point on a powerplay. &ldquo;Guys don&rsquo;t want to put themselves in that situation, especially if they know the stick is marginal to begin with,&rdquo; said Smith.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>&ldquo;But I know Joe Nieuwendyk used one early this year for a long time. He used the stick just for game play, no practices. He went for weeks, using a stick he really felt good about.&ldquo;I had another fellow in the minors and it seemed he used it for a couple of months, only for games. He got a tremendous amount of points with it and when all was said and done he got a set of golf clubs out of Louisville, his stick company, because he used the stick so long. It became a little sidebar in the paper. Like &lsquo;this is game 22 and the stick is still scoring.&rsquo; One of those kind of deals,&rdquo; said Smith.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-06136/7584445-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="200" height="196"></div>DO YOU KNOW&hellip;WHAT THE PRO&rsquo;S KNOW?BLADEMASTER<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-07115/7584438-1-eng-US/f0021-072.jpg" title="f0021-07" width="487" height="308"></div> &#9632;

f0021-05

FROM THE DALLAS LOCKER ROOM:

<div class="byline">-Nicholas J. Cotsonika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011101/7584490-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="225" height="244"></div>Sergei Fedorov? On defense? Well, Red Wings&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman tried it a few years ago and he&rsquo;s trying it again.About two hours before the Wings&rsquo; New Year&rsquo;s Eve game against Minnesota, Bowman called Fedorov into his office. He told him he was moving him back from center, to give the Wings&rsquo; attack a boost from the blueline.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not my favorite position, but I&rsquo;ve played it before,&rdquo; Fedorov said. &ldquo;I just went out there and played. What am I supposed to do?&rdquo;Fedorov skated with Chris Chelios at even strength and went back up front on special teams. He played 22:50 against the Wild. He played 20:14 against Anaheim two nights later - and scored his first goal in 13 games. Prior to the move to defense, Fedorov was averaging about 18:30 per game.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s always a threat back there,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re getting some goals because he&rsquo;s jumped up and kept a lot of pucks in. The way games are played now, you need that kind of play. We need a good balanced attack, both forwards and defense.&ldquo;The big thing is we can play him a lot and it gives us the opportunity to dress forwards that deserve to play&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Kris Draper, RW. He finished the first half with 10 goals and 20 points, not to mention a plus-19 mark. He almost certainly will surpass his career highs of 13 goals, 17 assists and 25 points. The secret of his success? Simple: It&rsquo;s opportunity Short on right wingers, Bowman moved Draper from fourth-line center to scoring-line right winger. For much of the season, Draper has played with Fedorov and Brendan Shanahan - and taken advantage of it.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Bite. The Wings haven&rsquo;t been hard to play against physically, especially on defense. After they brought up forward Sean Avery from the minors Dec. 19, and he caused some ruckus in his first game, Bowman was pleased. He said they hadn&rsquo;t upset the other team in a long time.NOTEBOOK The Wings signed backup goaltender Manny Legace to a four-year, $4.8-million extension. Legace finished the first half 8-1-0. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s the best backup in the league and I think he could very well be the starter on a lot of teams,&rdquo; said GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;He has played great and earned the contract.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0022-01

Fedorov moves to ‘D’ to provide balance

<div class="byline">-Rob Tychkowski</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04396/7584521-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="947" height="892"><figcaption class="caption-body">FLEX ABILITY Rugged Paul Laus plays forward and defense for the Panthers and makes his presence known at both positions with physical play.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02785/7584528-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="223" height="249"></div>With the Olympics right around the corner, Ryan Smyth vowed a broken ankle wouldn&rsquo;t keep him down for the 10 weeks doctors projected.The feisty left winger was itching to get back into the lineup and 6-1/2 weeks of hard work helped him keep his promise.Smyth, who had a surgical plate and seven screws put in Nov. 16, returned Jan 3 against the Rangers. &ldquo;I wanted to give it a shot and I was happy with the way things went. We have great doctors and a great training staff and I really appreciated Dr. Dave Magee and those 6:30 a.m. wake-up calls for early morning therapy.&rdquo;GM Kevin Lowe said Smyth simply applied the same dogged determination to his rehabilitation he applies to his game.&ldquo;Once you get by the science of it, so much of coming back from an injury is mental attitude and the time you&rsquo;re willing to put in,&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;The other big factor was they operated quickly - right away (before the game was even over). If you wait a day or two you get swelling and then you can&rsquo;t operate for another 10 days.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Scott Ferguson, D. When Tom Poti missed the first few weeks of the season in a contract squabble and when Jason Smith missed time with a bad back, Ferguson stepped in and provided dependability, aggression and enthusiasm. At the halfway mark he led the team in plus-minus (plus-12) despite playing in only 25 games.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Oilers don&rsquo;t have a center who weighs more than 195 pounds. Power up the middle would really come in handy in the playoffs and Edmonton has the assets to trade for one.NOTEBOOK Coach Craig MacTavish had left winger Ryan Smyth take the morning skate in a red jersey (usually reserved for injured players) before the Ranger game and said he wouldn&rsquo;t be playing Jan. 3. &ldquo;It was our childish way of getting some sort of pleasure out of (fooling the media),&rdquo; MacTavish grinned. &#9632;

f0022-04

Smyth makes return from broken ankle

<div class="byline">-David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03572/7584559-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="225" height="243"></div>Perhaps the most interesting part of the Florida Panthers&rsquo; second 41 games will be getting more data on whether The Great Bure Brothers Experiment helps or hurts the team.Valeri Bure had one goal in six games before having knee surgery on torn cartilage Oct. 19. Pavel Bure played a few more games before coach Duane Sutter was replaced by Mike Keenan Dec. 3. Valeri&rsquo;s knee looked as if it would take almost the full 12 weeks to repair as 2002 dawned.&ldquo;Sometimes, it feels like it doesn&rsquo;t improve that much,&rdquo; said the younger Bure. &ldquo;But if you look two weeks ago, I skated well, but I couldn&rsquo;t shoot the puck. Now, I feel I can shoot the puck well and it doesn&rsquo;t hurt me a bit.&rdquo;Bure says he has been tempted to rush himself back, but has to constantly remind himself it would be foolish to do anything risky after 2-1/2 months of recovery.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Paul Laus, D/RW. When he&rsquo;s up front, Laus crashes the net and corners with a verve lacking in other Panthers. When he&rsquo;s on the blueline, he makes safe plays and is actually willing to knock people down in front. He&rsquo;s always willing to stand up for teammates. After 35 games, he was plus-2 and had had a career high four goals.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Anybody know of a veteran first or second line forward who can provide leadership and goal scoring from the nasty areas? Bet if Keenan-favorite, Boston&rsquo;s Bill Guerin, heads for unrestricted free agency the Panthers will make a run at him.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Bret Hedican&rsquo;s four points on two goals and two assists against Toronto Dec. 29 set a franchise record for points in a game by a defenseman. &#9632;

f0022-03

Bure reunion on tap as Valeri return nears

<div class="byline">-Matt McHale</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01993/7584590-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="223" height="242"></div>Now the Los Angeles Kings have a chance to find out just how good they can be.The Kings were bolstered in early January by the return of right winger Ziggy Palffy and defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who both missed long stretches with injuries.&ldquo;The team got on track last month and now we have to build on that momentum to carry us into the playoffs,&rdquo; said Schneider, who missed seven weeks with abdominal surgery. &ldquo;The injuries have been a problem all year, but now we&rsquo;ve gotten through that.&rdquo;Like Schneider, Palffy returned Jan. 2 and recorded an assist in the Kings&rsquo; 3-1 victory over Florida. Palffy was side-lined all of December with a cracked rib just below his collarbone. Earlier this year, he missed two weeks with back spasms.With all the injuries, the Kings top line of Palffy, Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh played together just seven times in the first three months of the season.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a playoff team and now we have to prove it,&rdquo; Palffy said. &ldquo;We have to keep moving no matter what.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Aaron Miller, D. Miller was selected by the U.S. Olympic team because of his size, presence on the blueline and ability to play 25 minutes a game. He is a solid, stay-at-home type whose play has been invaluable given Schneider&rsquo;s injuries and the inconsistency of Lubomir Visnovsky.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Without Palffy, who led the team last season with 38 goals and 89 points, the Kings have been playing minus an elite goal-scorer. Allison has been a point-a-game player since he arrived in late October, but he is more of a playmaker. Now that he&rsquo;s back, Palffy has to come through with some big goals.NOTEBOOK The Kings tried to return right winger Randy Robitaille and center Brad Chartrand to the minors after right winger Ziggy Palffy and defenseman Mathieu Schneider returned, but only one of them made it. Robitaille failed to clear waivers and was claimed by Pittsburgh. &#9632;

f0023-01

Schneider, Palffy back so club can look ahead

<div class="byline">-Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02667/7584621-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="234" height="228"></div>The surprising reign of Captain Brown isn&rsquo;t over just yet. The Minnesota Wild broke with tradition by letting defenseman Brad Brown, the captain for December, wear the &lsquo;C&rsquo; for January, too.&ldquo;Maybe they felt I got short-changed because I missed a few games with injuries,&rdquo; Brown said.Or maybe it&rsquo;s his play through injuries that earned him another month. Brown played one game with a fractured ankle, though he didn&rsquo;t know it was fractured at the time. He volun teered to go in the lineup when fellow defenseman Brad Bombardir couldn&rsquo;t play because he was recovering from his own fractured ankle. A day after Brown&rsquo;s gutsy performance, X-rays showed he had a fracture.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a small crack,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;The pain really wasn&rsquo;t all that bad. It&rsquo;s no big deal.&rdquo;&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the type of guy he is,&rdquo; said Wild coach Jacques Lemaire. &ldquo;He played because he knew we needed him. After his broke his ankle, he even apologized to me that he couldn&rsquo;t play anymore. That shows great character.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Ladislav Benysek, D. Benysek is one of those hard-to-notice defensemen and that&rsquo;s just the way he likes it. A veteran of European hockey who has finally learned the subtleties of the NHL game, Benysek is a stay-at-homer who consistently makes the smart play.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Big-time goaltending was a staple of the Wild last season. And while Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson have played well in short stretches, neither has carried the team for weeks at a time. Part of that is due to an overall team defense that isn&rsquo;t quite as stingy as it was a season ago.NOTEBOOK With a goal on Jan. 2, sophomore left winger Marian Gaborik picked up his 37th point of the season, one more than he had all of last season&hellip;Defenseman Brad Bombardir finally returned to the lineup after missing 29 games with a fractured ankle sus-tained Oct. 14. Bombardir will resume his role of playing against opposing team&rsquo;s top lines. &#9632;

f0023-02

Captain courageous earns his Wild letter

<div class="byline">-Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03473/7584652-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="223" height="226"></div>Doug Gilmour said his mission in life is to help the Montreal Canadiens make the playoffs, but the retirement talk won&rsquo;t go away.The speculation was resurrected when Gilmour missed the first three games of the team&rsquo;s post-Christmas seven-game road trip so he could receive treatment for a chronically sore back. The 38-year-old returned home to Toronto, where he worked with his personal trainer, before rejoining the Canadiens Jan. 1.&ldquo;If I have a problem physically, I&rsquo;m not putting it off,&rdquo; Gilmour said. &ldquo;I plan to have it looked after right away. I don&rsquo;t want to try and play through an injury and find out a couple of weeks later that I&rsquo;m going to miss a lot of weeks.&rdquo; Gilmour was playing his best hockey of the season in December, but in the Canadiens&rsquo; final game before the Christmas break, Dec. 22 against Los Angeles, he was twice forced to visit the Molson Centre clinic for treatment on a back condition that has flared up over the years, affecting his skating.Gilmour, with three goals and six assists in 30 games, returned against Vancouver playing left wing on a line with center Yanic Perreault. The move was designed to spare him from bending over to take faceoffs.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Mike Ribeiro, C. It took him three cracks, but the former Quebec League scoring sensation seems like he&rsquo;s finally ready to stick with the Canadiens. At 6-feet and 171 pounds, it&rsquo;s unlikely Ribeiro will ever become a superstar playing in the physical Eastern Conference, but he&rsquo;s worked hard at developing his game and finally seems cognizant of the work ethic required to play at the NHL level. He had six goals and 13 points in 22 games.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Montreal remains one of the NHL&rsquo;s most offensively challenged teams. One solution might be trading goaltender Jeff Hackett and struggling winger Brian Savage for a scorer.NOTEBOOK Goalie Jeff Hackett struggled after returning to the lineup from a shoulder injury and was winless in five games. &#9632;

f0023-03

Gilmour’s troubled back cause for discussion

<div class="byline">-David Boclair</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04332/7584683-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="243" height="229"></div>Nashville Predators&rsquo; right winger Petr Tenkrat is little known around the NHL, but he&rsquo;s doing his best to shed his anonymity.Tenkrat, acquired from Anaheim in November in a trade for Patrik Kjellberg, started a scoring surge with his first career hat trick versus Chicago in midDecember and followed up with two goals and eight points in his next seven games.Prior to his breakthrough, the 24-year-old Czech had two assists in 11 games for Nashville and 18 points in 57 career NHL contests overall.&ldquo;Everything is about ice time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you get a little more ice time, everyone can see your stock go up. That&rsquo;s everything I need, to play more and more and more. I hope I can keep my ice time up.&rdquo;In the four games leading up to his hat trick he averaged just over six minutes on the ice. Against the Blackhawks he was on the ice for 11:52. He played more than that in every game that followed, topped by 18:42 Jan. 1 against Colorado.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got some confidence now and we&rsquo;ve got some confidence in him,&rdquo; said coach Barry Trotz. &ldquo;He has probably been a little more than we expected.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Vladimir Orszagh, RW. Orszagh spent last season in Sweden after four years in the Islanders&rsquo; organization. Not only has he added an offensive element-18 points in 40 games - in his return to the NHL, but he has proved plenty gritty as well. He is one of Nashville&rsquo;s best forecheckers who has been an occasional penalty killer and a regular on the power play.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Predators could use a big, strong defenseman to take pressure off 6-foot-3,220-pound Cale Hulse. Nashville is undersized along the blueline and misses Hulse dearly whenever he is penalized himself or overworked.NOTEBOOK In consecutive home games the Predators overcame third period deficits to defeat Detroit 3-2 in overtime (Dec. 29) and tie Colorado 4-4 (Jan. 1). &ldquo;We might be down, but we&rsquo;re never out of it,&rdquo; said captain Tom Fitzgerald. &#9632;

f0023-04

Tenkrat’s scoring soars and ice time follows

<div class="byline">-Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011065/7584714-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="224" height="252"></div>They clicked as linemates in two world junior championships, so Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta saw no reason why they couldn&rsquo;t repeat their success in the NHL.When the New Jersey Devils recalled Gionta from their American League affiliate in Albany Dec.28 and the rookie right winger found himself on a line with Gomez two nights later, it was a chance for the two skilled young forwards to regain the chemistry they once displayed at tournaments in Finland and Winnipeg.&ldquo;This came as a pleasant surprise. It&rsquo;s a Christmas and New Year&rsquo;s present,&rdquo; said Gionta after his recall from the minors, where he scored seven goals in 26 games. &ldquo;Anytime you get called up, it&rsquo;s a chance. You&rsquo;d like to make a good first impression.&rdquo;It took three games for Gionta to notch his first NHL goal, a one-timer past Nashville goalie Tomas Vokoun Jan. 3. Naturally, it was scored on a setup from Gomez.&ldquo;Every time we&rsquo;ve played together we&rsquo;ve had some success,&rdquo; Gomez said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good blend, a good mix. He always seems to be on the puck.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Colin White, D. A physical presence in his own end ever since he broke in during 1999-2000, the 6-foot-4, 21%pound White raised the level of his game to the point where some believe he has been the team&rsquo;s steadiest defenseman. White&rsquo;s ice time in Critical situations has increased and GM Lou Lamoriello called White&rsquo;s play &ldquo;outstanding.&rdquo;WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Motivation. If Lamoriello makes a big trade, it will be to shake up a lethargic team, not fill a gaping hole. The Devils have played well against Detroit, St. Louis and Ottawa, yet they&rsquo;ve rolled over in losses to Nashville, Vancouver, Florida and Columbus.&ldquo;Something needs to be done,&rdquo; said Bobby Holik. &ldquo;We can beat any team. What we don&rsquo;t have is the mental frame of mind to play the same way against Nashville, St. Louis, Atlanta and Philly.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK Left winger Patrik Elias and center Jason Arnott asked coach Larry Robinson the morning of Jan. 1 that they be reunited with right winger Petr Sykora, who was returning from the injured-reserve list after battling the flu. Robinson said he had already decided to put the three baek together. &#9632;

f0026-01

Gomez and Gionta looking for magic

<div class="byline">-Peter Botte</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02728/7584745-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="224" height="251"></div>It might not be &ldquo;Hamr time&rdquo; again for the New York Islanders until after the Olympic break.Roman Hamrlik, the team&rsquo;s power play quarterback and workhorse defenseman, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in early January. He is expected to be out until midFebruary.&ldquo;The power play, the penalty kill, 5-on-5, 4-on-4,&rdquo; lamented coach Peter Laviolette, when asked where the Islanders would most miss Hamrlik.Even before Hamrlik went down, GM Mike Milbury had been seeking to add more depth to his defense corps, which also lost steady rookie Radek Martinek to season-ending knee surgery. Kevin Haller also has missed all but one game with a recurring groin injury that has shown no signs of improving.Veteran defensemen Kenny Jonsson and Adrian Aucoin, already playing more than 25 minutes apiece before Hamrlik&rsquo;s injury, are taking on an even heavier burden in his absence.Hamrlik might not be healthy in time to represent the Czech Republic in the Olympics.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Jason Blake, LW. Every team needs a waterbug player like Blake, who comes to play every game and bounces his undersized body around the ice like a pinball. Primarily a fourth-liner and penalty-killer, the Los Angeles King refugee even scored in three straight games bridging December and January.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Much of the luster of the Isles&rsquo; incredible start has faded and several flaws emerged in their 11-12-4-1 run following a 9-0-1-1 October. With owner Charles Wang willing to keep spending, Milbury&rsquo;s wish list includes a physical defenseman, a proven scorer to play on Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s line and a true heavyweight to combat the tougher teams in the Eastern Conference.NOTEBOOK Right winger Mark Parrish took the high road over his omission from the U.S. Olympic squad, saying he was &ldquo;proud of the fact I battled my way into consideration.&rdquo; But Parrish&rsquo;s agent, Brian Lawton, wasn&rsquo;t so understanding, saying USA Hockey will get &ldquo;zero cooperation&rdquo; from him in the future&hellip;2000 No. 1 pick Rick DiPietro was voted a starting goaltender for the American League All-Star Game. &#9632;

f0026-02

Hamrlik’s weak knee latest blueline blow

<div class="byline">-Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03579/7584776-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="223" height="250"></div>This had to be the biggest fear of the Rangers and their fans back in August, when they acquired Eric Lindros from Philadelphia.Lindros has suffered career concussion No. 7 and although it was considered a mild one, there has to be wondering if and when No. 8 will follow and what the ramifications will be.The Rangers&rsquo; center sustained his latest injury in San Jose Dec. 28, when he collided with Sharks&rsquo; center Mark Smith at center ice.Lindros did nothing for 48 hours, then began to ride a stationary bike before the Rangers flew specialist Dr. Karen Johnston in from Montreal to meet the team in Edmonton Jan. 1.&ldquo;Eric has had an appropriate period of rest and is progressing very well,&rdquo; said Dr. Johnston, in a statement released by the team.&ldquo;She didn&rsquo;t really set a guideline or give a really solid timetable (for a return),&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s taking a cautious approach, which overall doesn&rsquo;t hurt right now. (If) we&rsquo;re going to miss a game, that&rsquo;s the way it is. It&rsquo;s better to miss one than maybe 15 down the road.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Vladimir Malakhov, D. Malakhov, a career underachiever, signed a four-year, $14-million free agent contract (with an option for a fifth year) in the summer of 2000, then suffered a second consecutive torn anterior cruciate ligament on opening night. He played in parts of two other games, then his season was over.This year, Malakhov not only has come back but also is finally reaching his potential, playing a sound, two-way, surprisingly physical style.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Rangers have a gaping hole in special teams. Although the team has embarrassing riches in terms &lsquo;of skilled players, its power play has struggled since the middle of last season. And its penalty-killing, worst in the NHL last season, had not improved one iota in the first half of this season, even though Mike Richter and Dan Blackburn were providing stellar goaltending.NOTEBOOK Captain Mark Messier returned after missing four games with a sore shoulder&hellip;Defenseman Igor Ulanov landed in coach Ron Low&rsquo;s doghouse following several games in which he performed below par. Ulanov complained he wasn&rsquo;t getting enough ice time. &#9632;

f0026-03

Seventh concussion keeps Lindros out

<div class="byline">-Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06245/7584807-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="687" height="1009"><figcaption class="caption-body">BIG ADDITION six foot-9, 255-pound Zdeno Chara, who joined the Senators in the Alexei Yashin trade, toughens up Ottawa&rsquo;s blueline.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04409/7584814-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="224" height="249"></div>Instead of ringing in the New Year with a toast to health and happiness, the Ottawa Senators were busy trying to make sure they had enough bodies to make it through the season.The Senators have been hit hard by injuries with five regulars out of the lineup and Grand Rapids call-up Petr Schastlivy lost for the year with a knee injury.Hardest hit was the blueline, where defensemen Sami Salo (broken finger), Chris Phillips (hyperextended elbow) and Shane Hnidy (foot) were all hurting. Up front, right winger Bill Muckalt (leg) and left winger Ivan Ciernik (ankle) were out.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of amazing. We went for a long stretch where we were really healthy, we didn&rsquo;t get much of an opportunity to get people in the lineup,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Martin. &ldquo;Then suddenly the injury bug hit us and it seems like they&rsquo;re all going down at the same time. It&rsquo;s really unfortunate, but it&rsquo;s an opportunity for somebody else.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Zdeno Chara, D. Yes, everybody expected the 6-foot-9 blueliner to have a big impact, but nobody would have predicted this. Not only has Chara brought much-needed muscle since coming over in the Alexei Yashin deal, but he has also made the people around him play tougher. Chara has even seen spot duty playing a forward position on the power play because the coaching staff is enamored with his size in front of the net.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING While GM Marshall Johnston likes his team, there&rsquo;s a belief the club isn&rsquo;t strong enough up front and doesn&rsquo;t have enough scoring depth. The Senators have been one of the top scoring teams in the East, but a look at their power play indicates they need help.NOTEBOOK GM Marshall Johnston spent the holidays at the World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. He was keeping a close eye on No. 1 pick Jason Spezza, who suited up for Team Canada. &#9632;

f0026-06

Injury bug hits Sens, five regulars down

<div class="byline">-Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05301/7584845-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="221" height="227"></div>For Christmas, what do you give a professional hockey player who has just about everything?How about permission to leave his team for a week and play for his country in the preliminary round of the Olympics?That&rsquo;s what right winger Ruslan Fedotenko found under the proverbial holiday tree when the Flyers told him he could miss games to play for the Ukraine in Olympic qualifying action Feb. 9-15.A night after finding out, Fedotenko celebrated with his first two-goal game of the season in a 4-1 victory at Washington.Initially, the Flyers were down on the idea of giving Fedotenko permission to go, but GM Bob Clarke had a change of heart after he realized that Fedotenko is one of only a handful of NHL players on the Ukraine roster. Without players of his caliber, the Ukraine has virtually no chance of advancing to the final round.&ldquo;If it means that Fedotenko misses one game or two, I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s as important to us as him getting a chance to play in the Olympics and representing his country,&rdquo; Clarke said.Fedotenko said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m honored to play for my country and I&rsquo;m looking forward to it.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Eric Weinrich, D. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued the defense corps, but Weinrich has been the one steady force on the backline. As the season approached the halfway point, Weinrich was leading the group with a plus-15. The 35-year-old is one of the best defenders at keeping traffic away from goalies Roman Cechmanek and Brian Boucher.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING More vocal leadership in the dressing room. The Flyers have good leaders captain Keith Primeau, Mark Recchi and John LeClair - but reportedly they&rsquo;re not always very confrontational.NOTEBOOK The Flyers won their first game ever against the Avalanche in Colorado with a 5-2 win Dec. 29. They had been 0-2-4&hellip;A 4-1 win at Washington completed a four-game sweep of the Capitals, the Flyers&rsquo; second in the last four years. &#9632;

f0026-05

Fedotenko will play for Team Ukraine

<div class="byline">-Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011016/7584876-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="224" height="267"></div>Mike Barnett took his time in making the first trade of his brief tenure as rookie GM of the Phoenix Coyotes.And the long-time player agent leaned on a bit of his past to make sure he got exactly what he wanted.Barnett acquired a former client, gritty defenseman Drake Berehowsky, from the Vancouver Canucks along with center Denis Pederson, both of whom were brought in to add size, strength and depth.&ldquo;We wanted to get bigger and stronger and we have with the addition of these two guys,&rdquo; Barnett said.&ldquo;They have a history of playing aggressive hockey. I talked to (Canucks GM) Brian (Burke) a lot because he&rsquo;s been carrying eight defensemen for months, and Berehowsky was the guy I wanted because he is both physical and has the ability to help our power play.&rdquo;The Coyotes parted with center Trevor Letowski, left winger Todd Warriner, right winger Tyler Bouck and a third-round draft pick. Letowski was one Barnett hated to see go.&ldquo;God bless (Letowski),&rdquo; Barnett said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a tremendous guy, he plays bigger than he is and he did everything we asked of him.&ldquo;But we felt the back end of our forward group needed to be bigger and particularly in February and March when this team has lost some momentum in the past.&rdquo;A week after making his first trade, Barnett sent rookie defenseman David Cullen to Minnesota for center Sebastien Bordeleau.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Todd Simpson, D. The Coyotes missed Simpson terribly during the 15 games he sat out with a fractured bone in his foot. They had just five wins and two ties in those games. Simpson was a team-best plus-11 and anchored the physical element of a much-improved Coyotes&rsquo; defense corps.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Confidence, consistency and success away from home. Phoenix was a disappointing 4-11-4-1 on the road and struggled through a seven-loss, two-tie skid before beating San Jose 4-2 Dec. 30. The Coyotes were especially bad in first periods. They generally took too many penalties with undisciplined aggression and were getting outscored 23-7.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Drake Berehowsky and center Denis Pederson were happy to leave Vancouver after becoming regular healthy scratches by Canucks&rsquo; coach Marc Crawford. &ldquo;He talked about playing four lines, but it never came to that,&rdquo; Pederson said. &ldquo;He always had his guys out there and he was going to go with them until they couldn&rsquo;t go anymore. I wasn&rsquo;t one of his guys.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0027-01

Barnett makes first trades as Coyotes’ GM, adds muscle, depth for run at playoff spot

<div class="byline">-Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02660/7584907-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="224" height="246"></div>Mario Lemieux re-affirmed his intention to captain Team Canada in the Olympics and said he was getting close to rejoining the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; lineup.After not skating for more than a month as he recovered from an aborted comeback following arthroscopic hip surgery, Lemieux took tto the ice on Dec. 27 - one year to the anniversary of his dramatic comeback out of retirement. Four days later, he rejoined Penguins for practice. He said his surgically repaired right hip was feeling great and he was hoping to play 15-18 minutes in his debut.The Penguins were forced to employ an ultra-conservative approach in Lemieux&rsquo;s absence. He was asked if his team&rsquo;s defensive mindset will change upon his return.&ldquo;I hope so,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be more exciting, obviously, but we still need to play some good defense. I think we have to go back to, when we have the puck, not be afraid to make mistakes, create some chances and at the same time play good defense.&rdquo;The Penguins scored fewer goals (85) through 39 games than any team in franchise history. Lemieux could see his younger teammates were pressing.&ldquo;I think every time the team is struggling, the confidence is down and you can see it on the ice,&rdquo; he said.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Josef Melichar, D. It was a surprise to see Melichar stick with the team, considering a groin injury kept him from participating much in training camp. He has quickly established himself as a stable, stay-at-home defenseman who is one of the few blueliners on the team with a physical presence in front of his net. Through 39 games, Melichar was the Penguins&rsquo; only full-time defenseman with a plus-minus rating of even or better (plus-1).WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING A power play The best&mdash;, explanation as to why the Penguins&rsquo; power play has spent most of the season ranked last is Mario Lemieux, Martin Straka and Jaromir Jagr are missing from last year&rsquo;s fifth-ranked unit. But a sub-10 per cent rating is unacceptable. What&rsquo;s more, the Pens had given up seven short-handed goals through 39 games, giving their power play a plus-minus rating of plus-8.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Ian Moran, who had been out since Dec. 8 because of a broken bone in his right foot, was set to rejoin the lineup&hellip;Right winger Billy Tibbetts was sent Wilkes-Barre/Scran ton (AHL) after going 13 consecutive games without a point. Tibbetts said a hamstring injury slowed him down. Center Milan kraft also was demoted after going eight games without a point. &#9632;

f0027-02

Lemieux will play for Canada in Olympics, hopes to lift sagging Pens in return, too

<div class="byline">-Derrick Goold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011050/7584938-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="224" height="251"></div>This hasn&rsquo;t been Scott Mellanby&rsquo;s most productive campaign, but it&rsquo;s tough to blame him.In late December, Mellanby started finding a rhythm for the first time this season. He had a goal against Tampa Bay Dec. 21 and an assist against Florida the next night. He remarked to his teammates that he &ldquo;had started feeling good.&rdquo;Then he was called. away for a family matter.His mother, Janet, had been battling cancer since it was discovered during a visit to St. Louis in September. Mellanby spent Christmas with his family, returned to the Blues for a morning skate and then, when called, jetted back to be with his mother. She died Dec. 27.Mellanby marked his return the Blues after a four-game absence by scoring in a 4-2 victory against Columbus Jan. 3. It was the 35-year-old&rsquo;s third comeback of this young season.First, he had a leave to attend to his mother in September. In his first game back a slap shot broke his jaw. Now this.&ldquo;It has been uphill,&rdquo; Mellanby said. &ldquo;I was struggling and then we went to Florida I actually really felt I was starting to feel pretty good. It feels like you find your game shape and then I&rsquo;d miss more time.&rdquo;Mellanby had five goals and 10 points in 24 games.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Jeff Finley, D. Young defenseman Bryce Salvador was discussing his teammate Finley when he stopped and said, &ldquo;The 20 times we&rsquo;ve said reliable might give you an idea about Finner.&rdquo; Finley, in his fourth season with the Blues, sported an impressive plus-8 mark. He&rsquo;s at his best, teammates say, when you don&rsquo;t notice him. He never panics under pressure, never risks defense to gamble on offense and is an adept penalty killer.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING The Blues must cure their ineffective play on the road with improvement in their special teams. At the end of 2001, the Blues were ranked No. 1 in the power play at home and 29th on the road. No wonder they kept halting winning streaks with road losses. GM Larry Pleau said the Blues have failed &ldquo;to grab the momentum that can come from special teams.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK The Blues assigned seldom-used defenseman Steve Halko to Worcester of the American League to get him much-needed playing time&hellip;Right winger Scott Young, a 40-goal scorer last season, seemed to rediscover his scoring touch with four goals in four games between Dec. 28 and Jan. 3&hellip;Rookie defenseman Mike Van Ryn had an assist versus New Jersey Jan. 1 for his first NHL point. &#9632;

f0028-01

One roller-coaster saga after another makes up-and-down season for Mellanby

<div class="byline">-Ross McKeon</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02712/7584969-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="220" height="247"></div>In one fluid motion, Gary Suter attained a career milestone, lifted a gorilla off the San Jose Sharks&rsquo; back and satisfied a son&rsquo;s wish.Suter scored the 200th goal of his NHL career, a tie-breaking 5-on-3 power play goal that sparked a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia Jan. 2, enabling San Jose to snap its season-high five-game winless streak (four losses, one tie) and three-game losing streak.It also accomplished one other thing.&ldquo;That goal was for my son Jacob,&rdquo; Suter said. &ldquo;He kept asking me when I was going to score my 200th. I told him I don&rsquo;t score as often as I used to, so he told me, &lsquo;just shoot the puck.&rsquo; It was a spot in the game where we had to score.&rdquo;Suter was once one of the top-scoring defensemen in the NHL. Three times in his career he scored 20 or more goals in a season. Last year Suter managed 10 in 68 games.The milestone goal was just the third of the season for Suter who had not found the back of the net in 18 games. To further complicate his recent travails, the U.S. Olympian had been fighting a persistent stomach virus and had to watch what over-the-counter drugs he used since many contain substances banned by the International Olympic Committee.&ldquo;I just swallowed a lot of cork to plug me up,&rdquo; Suter cracked. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t test for cork.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Marco Sturm, LW. In his fifth NHL season, the 23-year-old German has developed into one of the most versatile forwards on the roster. Currently playing left wing on the top scoring line, Sturm is on a pace to shatter his personal-best 16 goals in 1998-99. Thanks to a strong awareness for defense, Sturm is the team&rsquo;s best penalty killer and is en route to leading the Sharks in shorthanded goals for a third straight campaign.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Outspoken leadership. The team that has heart, a good room and decent chemistry needs assertive leadership. Owen Nolan is captain because he embodies the team&rsquo;s identity. Nolan works hard, plays with an edge and competes every shift. He isn&rsquo;t a rah-rah leader, however. Mike Ricci, Adam Graves, Vincent Damphousse, Bryan Marchment and Suter are similar, all going about it in a quiet manner.NOTEBOOK The Sharks apparently don&rsquo;t like daylight. In games starting before 7 p.m. local since Jan. 18,1999, San Jose is 0-21-4-4&hellip;A 3-0 loss in Detroit Dec. 21 left the Sharks with a 2-20-0 all-time regularseason record at Joe Louis Arena&hellip;Right winger Owen Nolan broke ex-Shark Jeff Friesen&rsquo;s franchise record for assists by collecting his 202nd with San Jose Jan. 2. &#9632;

f0028-02

Defenseman Sutter notches 200th goal to help Sharks snap five-game funk

<div class="byline">-Damian Cristodero</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01932/7585000-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="227" height="249"></div>If the Tampa Bay Lightning is to stay in the playoff hunt - and going into the New Year, the team was just four points out in the Eastern Conference &ndash; it must win in January.Now that would be something different.January has been the Lightning&rsquo;s blackest hole. Over the previous four seasons Tampa won just six games in January while losing 46. This year started with a 2-0 loss to Minnesota Jan. 2.Last season the Lightning entered January six points out of a playoff spot, then went on a 27-game streak in which it won four times. The year before, January was part of the carnage in a two-wins-in-29-games rut.&ldquo;We just have to go out and play as hard as we can to eliminate that history,&rdquo; said center Tim Taylor.It would help if Tampa could learn to come from behind now and then. The Lightning was 0-12-1-1 this season when trailing after two periods.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Stan Neckar, D. Acquired from Phoenix last season as part of the trade for Nikolai Khabibulin, Neckar, 26, has quietly become one of Tampa Bay&rsquo;s steadiest defenders. He was plus-1 entering the new year and his 21:40 average ice time and 60 blocks were second on the team.Neckar&rsquo;s stay-at-home style suits the Lightning and he doesn&rsquo;t try to do too much. He is sturdy, knows his role and rarely takes a bad penalty.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Scoring pop from the forwards. The line of center Brad Richards, left winger Fredrik Modin and right winger Martin St. Louis is the only line that can be counted on for consistent scoring.Tampa Bay, second-worst in the NHL in goals, acquired left winger Zdeno Ciger from the Rangers in part to help Vinny Lecavalier snap out of a season-long scoring slump. But Ciger had one assist in eight games and Lecavalier had seven goals in 37.NOTEBOOK Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin proved he is mortal after all by allowing 14 goals in a four-game stretch from Dec. 17-29&hellip;Defenseman Nolan Pratt will miss up to eight weeks with a broken leg sustained Dec. 31 while blocking a shot. &#9632;

f0029-01

Avoiding January swoon crucial to playoff hopes

<div class="byline">-Paul Hunter</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02612/7585031-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="223" height="253"></div>Workhorse Toronto goalie Curtis Joseph stopped 762 pucks during the first half of the season. Now he figures it&rsquo;s time to save a little energy.Joseph hit the mid-season mark on pace to play more minutes than ever before in his NHL career. The 2,120 minutes he logged in 41 games ranked him third among goaltenders behind only Chicago&rsquo;s Jocelyn Thibault (2,247) and New Jersey&rsquo;s Martin Brodeur (2,164). The most Joseph ever played was the 4,132 minutes he spent between the pipes for Edmonton in 1997-98 and he was on pace to exceed that by almost two full games.So the 34-year-old netminder, who will also be part of Team Canada at the Olympics, figures he deserves a break. Especially with Toronto set to play 13 games in 26 nights to start the second half of the season.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s ridiculous,&rdquo; Joseph said of his team&rsquo;s upcoming schedule. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t expect I&rsquo;ll play as much as I did earlier. I&rsquo;m looking at taking a couple of days off down the road (so that) maybe I don&rsquo;t play for five or six days. I think if you get a few days where you get rest, you feel energized again. I&rsquo;m banking on that.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Aki Berg, D. Berg, a Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; castoff, has surprised with his enthusiastic physical play, his willingness to block shots and his smarts with the puck in his own end. The 24-year-old is rarely spectacular, but he&rsquo;s also rarely out of position.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING While defenders such as Berg and Bryan McCabe have stepped up their games this season, Toronto still needs a hard-nosed, clear-the-front-of-the-net defenseman. Someone, dare we say, like former Leaf Jason Smith. Too many times this season, Joseph has had to stare down opposition shooters left totally uncovered in front of the net.NOTEBOOK Center Mats Sundin has hit the 20-goal mark for the eighth consecutive season, one short of the team record held by Ron Ellis and Darryl Sittier&hellip;Leaf coach Pat Quinn will coach Team North America at the Feb. 2 All-Star Game. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re always great events but you don&rsquo;t really do much,&rdquo; Quinn said. &ldquo;You just stand around and look pretty. Well, maybe not me.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0029-02

Cujo counting on rest in pre-Olympic stretch

<div class="byline">-Elliott Pay.</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05234/7585062-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="744" height="1069"><figcaption class="caption-body">POOR PLAY Washington had high hopes after adding superstar Jaromir Jagr in the off-season, but he has struggled with injuries and the Capitals have floundered, especially on the road.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03407/7585069-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="226" height="258"></div>Ex-Canuck enforcer Donald Brashear blew back into Vancouver with the Philadelphia Flyers long enough to drop a verbal hand grenade in the lap of the organization.Without naming names, Brashear said the team is divided and has internal problems. He implied that coach Marc Crawford was part of the problem.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not even justified to comment back,&rdquo; Crawford responded. &ldquo;He is not a member of this club anymore. Our prob-lems have been on the ice, they haven&rsquo;t been anywhere else.&rdquo;Canuck captain Markus Naslund insisted the remarks were baseless.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know where that&rsquo;s coming from,&rdquo; Naslund said. &ldquo;This team, this year and the year before, everyone is on the same page. We&rsquo;re all in this together.&rdquo;UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Scott Lachance, D. He doesn&rsquo;t score much, he rarely if ever fights and you seldom see him on the highlight packages making a big open ice hit. But Lachance is invaluable as a stay-at-home defenseman and partner to swashbuckling fellow blueliner Ed Jovanovski. Lachance is also an excellent penalty killer and low-risk player. He has understated speed and seldom throws the puck away in a panic.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Backup goaltending. The Canucks hit the halfway mark of the season with just two wins from the backup goaltending position. Waiver pick-up Martin Brochu had no victories in three decisions while Peter Skudra had two in five. Last year&rsquo;s quality No. 2 man, Bob Essensa, was never adequately replaced.NOTEBOOK Vancouver acquired right winger Trevor Letowski plus minor-leaguers Tyler Bouck and Todd Warriner from Phoenix Dec. 28 for seldom-used center Denis Pederson and defenseman Drake Berehowsky. &#9632;

f0029-05

Brashear’s parting shot draws Canucks’ ire

<div class="byline">-Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04281/7585100-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="225" height="252"></div>The Washington Capitals finished the first half of the season with a dismal 16-18-7 record when so much was expected of the team.&ldquo;The frustration is understandable,&rdquo; said Caps&rsquo; right winger Jaromir Jagr, &ldquo;Expectations were very high on this team, (but) the team doesn&rsquo;t play very well, I don&rsquo;t play very well. But there&rsquo;s always hope. We&rsquo;re in kind of a tough spot, but it&rsquo;s not over until it&rsquo;s over.&rdquo;Injuries to key players have hurt, but it&rsquo;s more than that. The Caps are the third oldest team in the league (30.0 years, behind Dallas and Detroit) and they&rsquo;re slow. The defense is being burned by swifter skaters, who are forcing the Caps to back off defensively, creating bigger gaps that nobody can fill.UNSUNG HERO&nbsp;Frantisek Kucera, D. The Caps wanted to get a better look at some of their own prospects coming out of training camp so Frantisek Kucera, a throw-in defenseman in the Jaromir Jagr trade, was told to go back to the Czech Republic. The prospects fizzled, Calle Johansson was lost for the season and Kucera was brought back. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know where we&rsquo;d be without him,&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson.WHAT&rsquo;S MISSING Washington&rsquo;s inabil-ity to win away from home has the potential to cost the team a playoff berth. Through the first half, the Caps were 5-13-3 away from the MCI Center.NOTEBOOK The Caps are on their way to allowing more goals than they score for just the third time in 20 years. They missed the playoffs in both of those other years. &#9632;

f0029-04

First half disappointing for struggling Capitals

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011045/7585131-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0030-01

NHL DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>His tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; organization extends longer than any player on the roster, yet Neil Little still has never played one minute of an NHL game.If it doesn&rsquo;t happen this season, well, it probably never will.Little has been the American League&rsquo;s leading goalie virtually all season. His 1.66 goals-against average was a half-goal better than anyone else&rsquo;s. He also had the AHL&rsquo;s best save percentage (.941) for the league-leading Philadelphia Phantoms.But when Brian Boucher hurt his knee and Little was promoted, he watched eight games from the bench while Roman Cechmanek played. That brings to well over 40 the number of games where Little has been in a Flyers&rsquo; uniform and on the bench, but never stepped onto the ice after warmups.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01964/7585162-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="279" height="350"><figcaption class="caption-body">Neil Little</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost freakish that the games are always spread out where one guy can play them all and nobody ever went on a cold streak and nobody ever got hurt and nobody ever got pulled,&rdquo; Little said.Little, 31, first played for. the Flyers&rsquo; affiliate, then in Hershey, late in 1993-94 after four years at RPI. The 226th overall pick in 1991, he has continued to re-sign with the Flyers. In 1998-99, one year after helping the Phantoms win the Calder Cup, he even accepted an assignment to the International League so Boucher could be groomed with the Phantoms. He signed another one-year deal last summer. &ldquo;Every time my contract rolls around, I try to keep my options open, but nobody is stepping up saying they want me to be the backup in the NHL, it&rsquo;s always to be the third or fourth guy,&rdquo; Little said.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great guy for the organization,&rdquo; said Phantoms&rsquo; coach John Stevens. &ldquo;He has an unbelievable aura about him.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0031-01

Phantom stopper wants Little break

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02629/7585214-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="245" height="244"></div>AHL WEST NOTEBOOKHis is the career of endless promise - not to mention second and third chances.Robert Dome, a &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; pick when the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him 17th overall in 1997, has been nothing but miss ever since.The 6-foot, 210-pound right winger has played just 52 NHL games and now is having difficulty just getting into the lineup with the American League&rsquo;s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.After sitting out 17 games - a few due to injury, but mostly due to an inability to grasp defensive-zone assignments - Dome returned to the ice in late December, but two games later was back in the stands.&ldquo;When you have that much skill, you&rsquo;re always a prospect,&rdquo; said Wilkes-Barre coach Glenn Patrick. &ldquo;He has the skill to play in the NHL and I&rsquo;ve been very happy with his attitude.&ldquo;But he has had a hard time figuring things out defensively. He seems to want to do things, but he has trouble.&rdquo;In 10 AHL games, Dome had three goals and was minus-7. He played last season in his native Czech Republic and the Penguins re-signed him to a twoway deal this year.RUNNING FOR DOLLARS Hou ston Aeros&rsquo; GM Dave Barr, who played 13 NHL seasons with seven teams, hasn&rsquo;t stopped competing. Only now, when he runs the Houston Marathon in January, it has deeper meaning.Barr, 41, will be running the 26.2-mile race to raise money for the Crohn&rsquo;s and Colitis Foundation. His sister, Pam, suffers from the disease.He raised $4,500 when he ran the Houston Marathon in 1999. That year, he was the Aeros&rsquo; coach.DEJA VU When Rochester&rsquo;s Chris Taylor and Norfolk&rsquo;s Tyler Arnason converted on penalty shots Dec. 23, it was the first time there were successful penalty shots on the same day since Dec. 7,1996. Oddly, Wilkes-Barre goalie Robbie Tallas was involved both days. Arnason beat him this season and Hnat Domenichelli, then of Springfield, beat him five years ago.NOTEBOOK Cincinnati rookie goalie Ilja Bryzgalov stopped 31 shots for his first shutout, blanking Grand Rapids 3-0&hellip;Wilkes-Barre right winger Eric Meloche, son of former NHL goalie Gilles Meloche, had the first four-point game of his career, scoring a hat trick and adding an assist, as the Penguins beat Hershey 7-3.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03461/7585207-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="1319" height="1883"><figcaption class="caption-body">Czech center Kamil Piros is having a solid AHL rookie season with Chicago. He&rsquo;s third in team scoring with seven goals and 23points in 27games.</figcaption></div><h2>AHL TEAM ANALYSIS 13 of 27</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04339/7585200-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="452" height="417"></div><h2>HARTFORDWOLFPACK</h2><h3>NHL AFFILIATION</h3>New York Rangers<h3>ARENA</h3>Civic Center Veterans Memorial Col., cap. 15,635 Hartford, Connecticut Tickets: 860-246-7825<h3>HISTORY</h3>After six years in the WHA and 18 in the NHL, Hartford became the home of AHL hockey in 1997-98, winning the Calder Cup in 2000.<h3>COACH</h3>John Paddock, 3rd year<h3>GENERAL MANAGER</h3>Al Coates, 2nd year<h3>NOTABLE PROSPECTS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05269/7585193-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="453" height="192"></div><h3>2001-02</h3>The Wolf Pack are trying to make it five straight. 500-or-better seasons since their inception. &#9632;

f0031-02

Defensive miscues keep Dome benched

<div class="byline">By Rob Mueller</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06218/7585245-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="207" height="211"></div>NOTEBOOKAt 29, Louis Dumont is an old man by East Coast League standards, but playing on a line with two old linemates and fellow Albertans has the Pensacola Ice Pilots&rsquo; center feeling like a kid again.Reunited with Greg Pankewicz, his linemate with the Regina Pats of the Western League, and Dean Tiltgen, a former Augusta Lynx linemate, Dumont is having the best season of his eight-year pro career.At the halfway point, Dumont led the ECHL in scoring with 52 points (17 goals), one point ahead of the 31-year-old Pankewicz - an 11-year pro with 21 games of NHL experience.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re having so much fun,&rdquo; Dumont said. &ldquo;But the big thing is we&rsquo;re winning.&rdquo;The Dumont-Pankewicz-Tiltgen line has sparked a dramatic turnaround in Pensacola under first-year coach Todd Gordon. At 21-12-3, the Ice Pilots had the third-best record in the Southern Conference. They went 27-40-5 last season under Wayne Cashman.NEW ALL-STARS Hoping to market itself as a true developmental league and attract NHL scouts, the ECHL altered its all-star selection process this year. The result? The Jan. 21 exhibition in Trenton, N.J., features 18 rookies and 37 players making their first All-Star Game appearance.ECHL officials asked coaches to vote for a starting lineup as well lineup of the top prospects in The conference. League president Rick Adams said past all-star games featured veterans in which NHL scouts had no interest. A league spokesman said more than 20 NHL scouts were scheduled to attend this year&rsquo;s classic.SNAKE SUIT The Columbus Cottonmouths are being sued by the Central League for reneging on an agreement. The Cottonmouths left the CHL last summer after it merged with the Western Pro League and joined the ECHL.The CHL plans to enforce a contract signed last January that includes a provision that was supposed to prevent the team from competing against the CHL within five years of leaving the league. &#9632;

f0031-06

No friends like old friends for Ice Pilot Dumont

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>Don&rsquo;t ask Lowell Lock Monsters&rsquo; coach Ron Smith why the Carolina Hurricanes&rsquo; top affiliate is better this season than last year&rsquo;s outfit.The Lock Monsters held down top spot in the North Division with a 18-12-6-1 record. Last year&rsquo;s Cincinnati Cyclones, with Smith as coach and 12 of the same players, were third in the Eastern Conference of the International League.&ldquo;I can tell you what&rsquo;s different about this year&rsquo;s team is we&rsquo;ve lost 80 goals without Erik Cole (in Carolina), Brian Felsner, Stefan Ustorf and Gilbert Dionne and about 20 years experience without (defensemen) Len Esau and Jon Rohloff. That&rsquo;s a huge difference.&rdquo;Smith, who coached previously in the American League with Bing-. hamton, likes how his young Lock Monsters are playing, but is unsure if the team can, or needs, to replace all 80 of those goals and the lost experience.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011028/7585276-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="281" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body">Byron Ritchie</figcaption></div>Byron Ritchie leads the Lock Monsters with 20 goals and 46 points in 37 games.&ldquo;So much depends on the rest of the league,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I still don&rsquo;t have a handle on whether it is tougher (than the International League). We played Grand Rapids and Orlando a lot last year and I haven&rsquo;t yet seen anybody as good as them.&rdquo;&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t seen much other than six or seven teams. I have no feeling at how good Rochester or Philadelphia or Manitoba is. It&rsquo;s hard to judge. Everybody seems to be able to beat everybody else.&rdquo;The Lock Monsters earned an edge with a remarkable 10-0-1-0 start to the season.&ldquo;Everything just went perfectly for us,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;We were probably playing over our heads for the first 10 and we had trouble scoring after that. Now, we&rsquo;re kind of playing in the middle.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0032-01

Younsf Lock Monsters keeping pace

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02694/7585328-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="245" height="243"></div>NOTEBOOKManchester Monarchs&rsquo; goalie Travis Scott took a run at a 44-year-old American League record and came up just short of Johnny Bower&rsquo;s all-time mark for consecutive shutout minutes.Scott&rsquo;s streak was ended by Jason Botterill of Saint John 12 minutes into a game Dec. 29, leaving his shutout streak at 219 minutes, 37 seconds. It included three straight shutouts.Bower still holds the AHL record of 249:51, set in 1957 with the Cleveland Barons.Scott&rsquo;s amazing run earned him AHL goalie-of-the-month honors for December. In nine games, he was 7-1-1, with a 1.37 goals-against average and. 963 save percentage.Scott recorded back-to-back 32-save efforts to blank Saint John and Portland Dec. 22-23 and then stopped all 39 shots in a 3-0 win over Bridgeport Dec. 28.HOME SWEDE HOME Mikael Tellqvist threw the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs a curve over the team&rsquo;s holiday break when he returned to Sweden.While at home, Tellqvist told a Swedish newspaper he hoped the Toronto Maple Leafs could work out a deal with his former team, Djurgarden, to let him play the rest of the season there.The Leafs said it wasn&rsquo;t going to happen and Tellqvist was back in action for the Baby Leafs Dec. 28 in Hamilton. The 22-year-old goalie is on Sweden&rsquo;s Olympic team with Tommy Salo of Edmonton and Johan Hedberg of Pittsburgh.Tellqvist, 22, is Toronto&rsquo;s top net prospect, but has had a poor rookie season in the AHL. He was 3-8-3 with a 3.51 GAA. and. 892 save percentage.ABID BAN? Providence center Carl Corazzini sustained a con-cussion Dec. 29 in Springfield when he was hit into the boards from behind by Ramzi Abid. Corazzini missed his team&rsquo;s next game and wasn&rsquo;t scheduled to return until mid-January.&ldquo;I thought when he saw my number, he would ease up,&rdquo; Corazzini said. The check sparked a melee in which Bruins&rsquo; defenseman Briane Thompson manhandled a linesman while trying to pound on Abid.The AHL examined video evidence and was considering further disciplinary action.NOTEBOOK The Manitoba Moose received a major upgrade in skill when Vancouver sent them forwards Todd Warriner and Tyler Bouck, obtained in a trade with Phoenix, and center Harold Druken and defenseman Justin Kurtz.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03491/7585321-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="1318" height="1893"><figcaption class="caption-body">St. John&rsquo;s center Jeff Farkas is mired in a sophomore slump. He has just six goals in 36 games after scoring 28 as a rookie last season.</figcaption></div><h2>AHL SCOUTING REPORT</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04339/7585314-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="352" height="474"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Erskine</figcaption></div><h3>VITAL STATISTICS</h3>Hometown: Kingston, Ont.Age: 21 Size: 6-4, 220<h3>LAST AMATEUR CLUB</h3>London (OHL)<h3>POSITION</h3>Defenseman<h3>2001-02 SEASON</h3>Utah Grizzlies<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05257/7585307-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="357" height="112"></div><h3>NHL AFFILIATION</h3>Dallas Stars<h3>NOTEWORTHY</h3>Drafted 39th overall by Dallas in 1998&hellip;Defensive defenseman had 590 penalty minutes in three major junior seasons with London&hellip;Scored one goal and had 284 PIM with Utah as a rookie pro in 2000-01.<h3>BOTTOM LINE</h3>There&rsquo;s no concern about Erskine&rsquo;s work ethic, toughness and willingness. The question is, can he skate well enough and move the puck out of his zone at the NHL level? He needs more seasoning. &#9632;

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January 18, 2002

Flickering Flames lose two key D-men

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

Snakebitten Spezza goal-less at tournament

Roy gets to 500 wins in style with 59th shutout of his career