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.

February 1, 2002

The Hockey News February 1, 2002

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div>The scout says Canada may live to regret leaving the kid off its Olympic team.Yeah, Joe Thornton sure is making them look bad.I&rsquo;m not talking about Thornton.Jeff O&rsquo;Neill has been playing well. If it&rsquo;s offense they want, he can probably help.I&rsquo;m not talking about O&rsquo;Neill. Anson Carter? Keith Primeau? No and no. Try Dany Heatley. Say who? Heatley? For the Canadian Olympic team?A 21-year-old rookie (just out of U.S. college, no less) skating for the worst team in the NHL, being promoted for a spot on the most prestigious team in Canada?Yeah, scout&rsquo;s honor.And it&rsquo;s true: Once you get past thinking it&rsquo;s a ridiculous idea long enough to actually watch Heatley play, you realize it&rsquo;s not such a ridiculous notion at all. You begin to understand, even if Heatley cannot, why the scout said seeing the 6-foot-2,210-pound Atlanta right winger for the first time reminded him of a young Russian named Alexander Yakushev.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to have to tell me who that is,&rdquo; Heatley said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll have to ask &lsquo;Kovy&rsquo; about that. But obviously that would be an honor, to be compared to that guy.&rdquo;&ldquo;That guy&rdquo; happens to be one of the greatest Russian forwards ever. And &lsquo;Kovy&rsquo; is Heatley&rsquo;s linemate, rookie-scoring-lead running mate and Russian roommate Ilya Kovalchuk, who is described by Heatley as &ldquo;a good kid, the kind of kid you want on your team,&rdquo; which is odd only in that Heatley is barely two years older.In four short months, Heatley has NHL-speak down cold. Fortunately, he plays a far better game than he talks.He is already a more complete two-way player than most NHLers ever will be. Some compare Heatley to John LeClair, &ldquo;but (Heatley) has got better hands,&rdquo; said Thrashers center Ray Ferraro.He&rsquo;s also a quicker, more agile skater. And, down the road, a more productive playmaker. LeClair&rsquo;s career high for assists is 47; Heatley, with 17 goals and 38 points in 48 games, might not be far off that mark this season. He and Kovalchuk (23 goals, 38 points) have developed the kind of chemistry the Sedin twins were supposed to deliver for Vancouver&hellip;and then some.Heatley has played both wings, center, and the point on the power play. If Atlanta is down a goal in the last five or 10 minutes of a game, coach Curt Fraser has taken to using him as a defenseman, &agrave; la Sergei Fedorov, to generate offense from the blueline.&ldquo;The only place we haven&rsquo;t used him is in goal,&rdquo; Fraser said. &ldquo;(Goalie) Milan (Hnilicka) is doing a good job, but if he slips, Dany&rsquo;s in.&rdquo;Is Heatley surprised by it all?&ldquo;Yes and no,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The organization has given a lot of young guys the opportunity to step in and play a lot and the rookies that are playing right now are taking advantage of it.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s why Heatley, and Kovalchuk, will be playing in the YoungStars Game Feb. 1. The only thing wrong with that is it prevents them from being where they both might actually belong.In the real thing. &#9633;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01995/7594654-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="716" height="1372"></div><h2>TEAM WORLD</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03474/7594647-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="203" height="152"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04333/7594640-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="331" height="333"></div>Hockey truly is an international game: Players from six different countries-the Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden-are represented on the World team. World all-stars are listed below by position with team, All-Star Game appearances (ASG) and 2001-02 statistics.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05247/7594633-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="1034" height="1254"></div><h2>2002 NHL YoungStars</h2>Twenty-four players aged 25-and-under will be divided into two teams for the 4-on-4 YoungStars Game Feb. 1. The coaches are Kings broadcaster Jim Fox and ESPN analyst Barry Melrose.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02669/7594626-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="801" height="1257"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06196/7594619-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="2042" height="1850"></div> &#9632;

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ALL-STAR GAME PREVIEW

Heatley marvel to watch

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01881/7595674-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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HOCKEY’S BEST STATS

NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

<div class="byline">-Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04621/7594078-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="669" height="853"><figcaption class="caption-body">HELPING HANDS Espen Knutsen is Columbus&rsquo;s all-time assists leader with 62 in 109 career games. (BBS)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03907/7594085-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="236" height="241"></div>A year ago the Dallas Stars hit the low point of their season in an 8-0 January loss to the Los Angeles Kings, then regrouped and went on to win another division title.This season, they&rsquo;re hoping history might repeat itself after a jarring loss to a different team.The Stars dropped a 5-2 decision to Detroit Jan. 12. Four days later, the Stars posted a well-deserved 3-2 win at home.&ldquo;It was about redemption,&rdquo; said coach Ken Hitchcock.And pride, confidence and payback, too.The Stars had won just one of their previous six games against teams with winning records. The dressing room was especially grumpy, including goaltender Ed Belfour. And the Stars responded with their best effort of the season.&ldquo;Maybe the Detroit game was the best thing for us, because we were embarrassed and the pressure was on us,&rdquo; Kirk Muller said. &ldquo;Maybe that game was the L.A. game of last year. Now we&rsquo;re like, &lsquo;Where do we stand? Let&rsquo;s wake up and start pushing.&rsquo; &ldquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Dallas&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Mike Modano.Faceoff Specialist: Joe Nieuwendyk.Passer: Sergei Zubov.Stickhandler: Pierre Turgeon.Shot: Mike Modano.Shot-blocker: Richard Matvichuk.Defensive Defenseman: Derian Hatcher.Bodychecker: Kirk Muller.NOTEBOOK Center Mike Modano tied a career-high with his second six-game goal streak of the season. He was also bypassed for the All-Star Game after saying he might skip the event to rest for the Olympics&hellip;The Stars sent frustrated winger Benoit Hogue to Boston Jan. 12. In return, they agreed to claim winger Scott Pellerin off waivers. About Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock.Hogue said: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a bad guy, it&rsquo;s just the way he handles players and the way he treats them is totally unfair.&rdquo; &#9632;

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NHL TEAM REPORTS

Clipping rival Wings an uplifting event

Atlanta ThrashersPos: Right Wing Age: 21Birthplace: Freiburg, GermanyHockey Heroes&ldquo;My favorite players growing up were Joe Mullen and Brett Hull. They&rsquo;re goal-scorers and that&rsquo;s what I liked.&rdquo;In His DrivewayA 2001 Infinity 4-by-4 truckFavorite Actress&ldquo;Julia Roberts. She&rsquo;s beautiful.&rdquo;Favorite ToothpasteCrestIdeal Golf Foursome, Including HimselfJohn Lennon, Dave Matthews and Marilyn MonroeWho Would Play Him in a Movie of His Life &ldquo;Probably one of my buddies. They know me the best.&rdquo;Favorite/Least Favorite Subjects in High School&ldquo;Favorite: Math. I&rsquo;m good at it. Least favorite: Sciences. I&rsquo;m not so good at it.&rdquo;-Dirk Soeterik<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04123/7596045-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="379" height="779"></div><h2>GOT AN INTERMISSION IDEA?</h2>Submit ideas for SEPARATED AT BIRTH & FICTICIOUS UNES!E-mail:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hodgsonj@Jmnscontinental.ca">hodgsonj@Jmnscontinental.ca</a> Snail Mall:U.S.A.:&nbsp;Intermission. THN. P.O. Box904, Buffalo. N.Y., 14240-9947Canada:&nbsp;Intermission, THN, 25 Sheppard Ave. W. Suite 100. Toronto. Ont., M2N 6S7 &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

TIMEOUT WITH DANY HEATLEY

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01989/7596190-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sergei FedorovPat LaFontaineJoe Thornton Boston Bruins</figcaption></div>SKILLS, SPILLS & THRILLSTHE NHLers WHO LEAD BY EXAMPLELaFONTAINE SPEAKS OUTRETIRED STAR FEELS LINDROS&rsquo;S PAINThornton&rsquo;s Shooting StardomHeatley Leads YoungStarsBlake&rsquo;s LA. ReturnPlayer Profiles, Stats & More &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

ALL-STAR GAME SPECIAL SHOW TIME!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011838/7593158-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Steve Babineau/USA)</figcaption></div>Ottawa goalie Patrick Lalime and Boston&rsquo;s Byron Dafoe show their fighting spirit.<blockquote class="pullQuote">If the game was in Hong Kong, I would have taken a boat to get there. That hasn&rsquo;t changed.&nbsp; Florida defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, on his first All-Star Game in 1994. Pg. 5.</blockquote> &#9632;

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Gloves off

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021473/7593189-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="289" height="348"><figcaption class="caption-body">Editor&rsquo;s Notebook&nbsp;Jason Kay Managing Editor</figcaption></div>Energized by a build-up as long and intense as the Christmas shopping season, the Olympic hockey tournament is nearly upon us.The nations have made their lists and checked them twice and we&rsquo;ll soon find out who&rsquo;s golden on ice. As silent nights fall on NHL arenas, the hockey competition in Salt Lake will be as tight as security at the Games. In matches involving the top seven nations, there are no sure bets.We are, however, on fairly solid ice in predicting that at some time after &ldquo;Let the Games begin!&rdquo; is hollered and before the final anthem is played, the shootout issue will be in the spotlight.In each of the past three Olympiads, the tie-breaking formula has decided a critical game: In 1992, Canada defeated Germany in a quarterfinal contest; in 1994, Sweden bested the Canucks in a gold medal shootout; and in 1998, the eventual champion Czechs &lsquo;Dominated&rsquo; Canada in a semifinal penalty shot contest.There are those who deride the shootout, treating it like hockey&rsquo;s version of herpes-a nasty virus that keeps reappearing. But you can be sure those same pessimists will be inching just as far forward on their seats and curling their toes as tightly as those who embrace the pure excitement the shootout generates.And, inevitably, shootout advocates will start beating the drum, lobbying for its implementation during NHL regular season games. I say, let the percussion begin. Here&rsquo;s why the league should institute the shootout format following five minutes of 4-on-4 overtime:&#9633; The tie-die factor. We don&rsquo;t like them on Father&rsquo;s Day, so why do we settle for them during the season? The introduction of 4-on-4 in 1999-2000 was a good starting point, but more than 12 per cent of games still end in draws. That&rsquo;s just a two per-cent decrease from the pre-4-on-4 days of 1998-99. And honestly, with Domi already in Toronto, does the NHL need any more ties?&#9633; The shot-in-the-arm factor. The goals-per-game average is at a near-record low 5.2. We&rsquo;ve heard the argument that low-scoring games can be thrilling. But they also can be boring. The specter of a breakaway contest following 65 minutes of a sleepy 1-1 game gives fans and viewers added incentive to stick around.&#9633; The no-defense factor. The shootout beats the neutral zone trap and left wing lock every time.&#9633; The change-is-good factor. Traditionalists argue the shootout dramatically alters the game as we know it. So? And besides, there&rsquo;s plenty of precedent. According to the Official NHL Guide & Record Book, the league has implemented 112 major rule changes over the years. The shootout should be lucky 113. &#9632;

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Here comes the shootout; let’s invite it to stay a while

<div class="byline">-Craig Skinner</div>No matter where Richard Brodeur goes in Vancouver, he&rsquo;s still &lsquo;King Richard.&rsquo;And the topic of conversation still turns to the spring of 1982. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing,&rdquo; said Brodeur, 49. &ldquo;(That team) will always be a part of the city because your first time going to the Stanley Cup is like your first love. You remember it for life.&rdquo;The Canucks were swept in the Stanley Cup final by the New York Islanders, but Brodeur-who was dubbed &lsquo;King Richard&rsquo; during the Canucks&rsquo; playoff run-said he has many special memories from that time.His favorite on-ice memory is stopping 46 shots in Game 1 of the Campbell Conference final to beat Chicago 2-1 in double overtime. &ldquo;I played well and beat my idol, Tony Esposito,&rdquo; Brodeur said. &ldquo;It was a big thrill.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011766/7593220-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="244" height="271"><figcaption class="caption-body">Richard Brodeur (THN Archives)</figcaption></div>But Brodeur said the wild support of the towel-waving Vancouver fans is what he remembers most.Brodeur retired in 1989 with 131 wins in 10 NHL seasons with Vancouver, Hartford and the Islanders and he also spent seven years in the World Hockey Association. He lives in Vancouver, where he is a consultant for a communications company and runs summer hockey schools. &#9632;

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Twenty years later, they still call him ‘King Richard’

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021241/7593289-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Adam Oates Washington Capitals(Oates: Brain Babineau/SA; Park: Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div>Washington center Adam Oates has made a long, honorable career out of passing on the glory by passing the puck.But this was Oates&rsquo;s night. On Jan. 14 against Boston, he set up Dainius Zubrus in overtime to give the Capitals a 1-0 win. In the process, Oates, 39, became just the eighth player in NHL history to reach 1,000 assists.Cam Neely, Brett Hull and Peter Bondra are among the many lucky wingers who have benefitted from Oates&rsquo;s vision and largess.Oates was hoping the milestone would come two games earlier in Toronto, where his father David was in attendance, but this was the next best thing. It happened in Washington, and, most importantly, it meant something.&ldquo;I was so concerned we were going to be losing 4-0 and I&rsquo;d get a cheap one,&rdquo; he said.Someone fished the puck out of the net. His teammates mobbed him. Caps&rsquo; owner Ted Leonsis gave him a big hug. Oates received calls from all over the NHL and the golfing world. He&rsquo;s good friends with Canadian golfer Mike Weir and is evidently on a first-name basis with half the caddies on the PGA tour. (Caddies and Oates have a natural connection, what with their both being in the helping profession.)When asked what the milestone means to him, Oates, as is his way, took his moment in the limelight and made it somebody else&rsquo;s. &ldquo;The last couple of weeks since I got close, I&rsquo;ve talked to my parents a lot about it,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;What I realized is it&rsquo;s really for my parents. I just thanked them for all the games (they took him to and watched) over the years&hellip;They&rsquo;re very proud of me. They were both crying at different times.&rdquo;His parents came to Canada from England, where soccer was David&rsquo;s sport. When young Adam became interested in lacrosse and later in hockey, his father instilled in him soccer values-that it is at least as important to give as it is to receive.&ldquo;I used to tell him, &lsquo;You get the same confidence you have in hockey as in lacrosse, you&rsquo;ll be a helluva player,&rsquo;&rdquo; David said.Agreed.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been outstanding,&rdquo; said Caps&rsquo; GM George McPhee. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s still a very productive player and will continue to be, I think, for a few more years. He has to be one of the smartest players who ever played the game.&rdquo;<h2>Set-up Superstars</h2>Adam Oates&rsquo;s career average of .851 assists per game as of Jan. 17 puts him in esteemed company. Not many people bring it up, but Oates knows where he stands. &ldquo;Yeah, pretty cool, pretty lucky,&rdquo; he says. Here are the NHL&rsquo;s top five all-time assist-per-game (A/G) leaders.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011764/7593282-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="605" height="277"></div> &#9632;

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Oates passes credit

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03796/7593320-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="422" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body">Richard Park</figcaption></div>As it turns out, Richard Park was no more ready for the Pittsburgh Penguins than they were for him. Pittsburgh made Park the 50th overall pick of the 1994 entry draft, but he never really caught on with the Penguins. In 58 games over three seasons, the 5-foot-11,190-pound center scored four goals and 15 points. He was traded to Anaheim and later signed with Philadelphia, but spent the majority of the past four years tearing it up in the minors. &ldquo;Pittsburgh was a team of superstars when I got there,&rdquo; said the 25-year-old Park, who signed with Minnesota last summer and has been a pleasant surprise with the Wild this season, with two goals and 11 points in 28 games. &ldquo;I kind of got lost in the shuffle. I didn&rsquo;t have the proper guidance, but I don&rsquo;t blame anybody. If I hadn&rsquo;t gone to the minors for a certain amount of time, I don&rsquo;t believe I ever would ever have got to the point of being as comfortable here (in the NHL) as I am now.&rdquo; Park, who was bom in Seoul, South Korea, credits an understanding wife, Devyn, for allowing him to continue to chase his dream.IT&rsquo;S ABOUT TIME The Montreal Canadiens say Patrick Traverse&rsquo;s recent concussion has given them added incentive to speed up adjustments to Molson Centre boards and glass that will make them more forgiving. The changes, originally planned for this summer, will be done during the Olympic break. Give the Habs credit for acting, but it never should have come to this. With all the hockey world has learned about concussions in recent years, there is no excuse for any NHL arena to have boards that are, in the words of Montreal center Joe Juneau, &ldquo;almost harder than a cement wall&rdquo;&hellip;Florida&rsquo;s Sandis Ozolinsh says he wouldn&rsquo;t miss the NHL All-Star Game for the world. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care (how tight the schedule is). My first year, if the game had been in Hong Kong I would have taken a boat to get there and that hasn&rsquo;t changed since. I think it&rsquo;s an honor.&rdquo;&hellip;The NHL is on pace to break the record for most penalty shots in a season, 40, set in 1999-2000. After 709 games there were 28 penalty shots called this season, which put the league on pace for 49&hellip;Another record that could fall is shared shutouts. There are five this season, which ties the mark set in 1997-98&hellip;Here&rsquo;s evidence of the NHL&rsquo;s generation gap: Future Hall-of-Famer Mark Messier made his NHL debut with Edmonton Oct. 10,1979 against Chicago. There are 76 players who have played in the NHL this season who were not bom at the time, including five teammates of Messier&hellip;To think, the Islanders could have Roberto Luongo&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dany Heatley, but Mike Milbury just had to have Rick DiPietro. &#9632;

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THN ONE-TIMERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011966/7593358-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="367" height="386"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat LaFontaine&nbsp;In the first verson</figcaption></div>Pat LaFontaine, who retired from hockey in 1998 due to repeated concussions, shares his insight on head injuries and why he supports Eric Lindros&rsquo;s comeback bid.When Eric Lindros missed four games with a concussion this season, it brought it all back for me-the dizziness, the headaches, the fatigue. Post-concussion is a scary place to be. You wonder how long it will take to recover, whether this is the one that will push you over the edge. I wish it on no one.Fortunately, Eric made it back quickly and that&rsquo;s great. I&rsquo;m thrilled he has returned as a topflight player. I don&rsquo;t question his decision or his right to do so at all. He consulted with world-class doctors and if they have cleared him to play, then as much as anyone can tell, he&rsquo;s not putting his long-term health in jeopardyI think I can offer perspective and can identify with what Eric has gone through. I took almost a full year off after suffering a concussion with Buffalo in October, 1996. After training extensively and consulting with several specialists, I returned with the Rangers the next season and had a wonderful time. I know I would have had regrets if I hadn&rsquo;t tried to come back.But yes, concussions got me in the end. It was tough to accept when I had to retire. In March, 1998,1 had another concussion after a fluky collision with my teammate Mike Keane. It wasn&rsquo;t a hard hit, but the symptoms came back and took longer to disappear. I waited until August before making my decision, but the doctors effectively made it for me. I knew it was time: even at my press conference, five months after the hit, I wasn&rsquo;t quite myself.This is where a strong support group becomes imperative. Every instinct tells you that you &ldquo;owe it to your team&rdquo; to get back on the ice. And you want to prove to yourself that your recuperative powers remain strong. Yet, there&rsquo;s lingering doubt in your decision-making process, because it&rsquo;s your brain that sustained the injury That&rsquo;s when the advice and recommendations of a competent medical staff and physicians become so important.There&rsquo;s also a key difference between my scenario and Eric&rsquo;s. I played in the NHL for 15 years and was 33 when I called it quits. Eric is 28. I can only imagine how hard it must be to contemplate giving up the game when you&rsquo;re in your prime.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021317/7593351-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1539" height="1329"><figcaption class="caption-body">(John Giamundo/BBS)</figcaption></div>I hope Eric doesn&rsquo;t have to. I hope he can play another eight years concussion-free. But let&rsquo;s be honest-the odds aren&rsquo;t in his favor. One concussion increases the likelihood of having another four-fold. After two, who knows what the odds are? Brain-injury research proceeds slowly; long-term effects aren&rsquo;t clearly documented. What I can say for sure is there is life after hockey. I keep busy with a home-renovation business and do charity work. I get to see my three children grow up and enjoy sports. I&rsquo;m an avid cyclist. I hit the road for two hours and work the same muscle groups as in hockey and I lose myself in my thoughts. For the physical exertion, the challenge and mental escape, it&rsquo;s the closest to competitive hockey I can come.My only regret from my career is I didn&rsquo;t wear a mouthguard until my final season. Mouthguards can&rsquo;t prevent concussions, but they can mitigate their severity When I tried a mouthguard earlier in my career, I found it uncomfortable. If I had to do it all over, I&rsquo;d force myself to get used to it.I would also say this to anyone who cares about head safety: Install a four-point locking system on your helmet chin-strap. When I was hit in 1996, my helmet came off even though I had the chinstrap done up tight. My forehead hit the ice. I&rsquo;m convinced with a four-point system as used on many bike helmets, the helmet would have stayed on.NHL players should remember that a good pro career might only be or one-sixth or one-seventh of their life. There&rsquo;s too much to do to take unnecessary chances. I was talking to former New York Giant Harry Carson recently He retired from the NFL in 1988 and still has some memory blackout because of repeated concussions. It took Jeff Beukeboom a few years to recover. It has taken Al Toon, the Jets receiver, a long time, too.From where I sit, concussion prevention should be a top priority Accidents and clean collisions will happen, but no one should have to leave the game they love simply because their equipment wasn&rsquo;t securely fastened. Additionally, infractions to the head and neck areas should be punished severely Five- and eight-game suspensions won&rsquo;t do it. There is too much at risk to take these matters lightlyConcussion prevention isn&rsquo;t important just to protect players&rsquo; NHL careers. It&rsquo;s important to protect what comes after. &#9633; &#9632;

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FEATURES

Heads up on head injuries

<div class="byline">-Mark Brender For more, visit www.mshockeychallenge.com.</div>Pat LaFontaine was a superstar center with Buffalo when he lost the 1996-97 season due to post-concussion syndrome. What he found was inspiration.During his recovery; LaFontaine visited sick children in area hospitals. When he retired in 1998, he wrote Companions in Courage, a profile of 56 athletes who triumphed over injury, illness and other hardships. His inspiration came from the kids he met in the hospitals, valiantly fighting their own battles.With the creation of the CIC Foundation, LaFontaine is returning the favor. Soon, in kids&rsquo; hospitals across the U.S., there will be CIC Rooms-high-tech computer playrooms where patients and their families can go to have fun and be in a positive environment. Video-conferencing will allow children to chat in real time with NHL heroes who take time to wish them well. The CIC Foundation is supported by the Microsoft Hockey Challenge, a series of charity hockey games featuring NHL alumni and entertainment world personalities.&ldquo;When kids are given a place where they think anything is possible, then anything becomes possible,&rdquo; LaFontaine said. &ldquo;To know that it has evolved into this book and helping kids is something to really feel good about.&rdquo; &#9632;

CIC Foundation gives kids reason for hope

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03777/7593420-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="370" height="632"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marc Busenburg</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04475/7593413-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="369" height="633"><figcaption class="caption-body">Eric Lindros</figcaption></div>GRAND OLD MEN Washington&rsquo;s Adam Oates registers the 1,000th assist of his career while Detroit&rsquo;s Brendan Shanahan gets his 1,000th point.SHOOTING STAR Mike Modano of Dallas scores a goal in three straight games and then raises the stakes with three straight two-goal games.WORKING OT Marc Busenburg plays five games in four days-three with Rochester (AHL), two with Adirondack (UHL). Two games went into OT the same day.GET WELL&hellip;PLEASE! Eric Lindros struggles after coming back from concussion No. 7-particularly in his return to Philadelphia-with no points in six games.FREEDOM OF SPEECH? NON! Molson Centre ushers confiscate signs from fans that are critical of Canadiens&rsquo; defenseman Patrice Brisebois.WHAT THE HULL&rsquo;S GOING ON? Hull leads their QMJHL division with a 16-23-6-6 record. They&rsquo;d be second-last in two of the three other divisions and last in the other.For Mike Brophy&rsquo;s daily Cheers & Jeers visit <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

In 1980, there were about 40 people in my parents&rsquo; living room watching a bunch of unknown U.S. college kids take the hockey world by storm. They beat the mighty Russians, they beat the world and they became heroes.Fast forward to 1998, when the men&rsquo;s team embarrassed the U.S. with a poor showing on the ice and by acting like hooligans off it.So don&rsquo;t send the pros back. And people should stop trying to link every U.S. men&rsquo;s Olympic team to the 1980 team. There&rsquo;ll never be another &lsquo;Miracle on Ice&rsquo; and it degrades the memory. Kids used to dream about going to the Olympics, but now, just like everything else in sports, it&rsquo;s all about the money. The Olympic spirit has little to do with it and I find that incredibly sad.Susan Zarlingo, St. Louis<h2>Keep it in perspective, Canada</h2>When it comes to hockey Canada has an identity crisis. We build ourself up as the hockey superpower of the world, our Olympic team gets loads of media coverage and we keep hearing about the importance of the Games.I say: Who cares?Yes, the Olympics are important, but Canada goes too far. I hope we don&rsquo;t win gold-then we&rsquo;d really have something to talk about. I&rsquo;m as patriotic as the next person, but let&rsquo;s just play the games and when we win the gold medal, that&rsquo;s when we can talk and rub everyone&rsquo;s face in it.Jim Schroeder, Port Coquitlam, B.C.<h2>Big ice favors Europeans</h2>Don&rsquo;t blame Canada for not winning gold in international competition. After all, that&rsquo;s not the Canadian game they&rsquo;re playing.Canadians are best suited for the smaller rink and tight checking, not the wide-open European game. Name the last Euro to be MVP of the NHL playoffs. You can&rsquo;t, because there hasn&rsquo;t been one. That&rsquo;s because Canadians excel at playoff hockey.So I say make the international rink the same size as NHL rinks and enforce NHL rules. Then we&rsquo;ll see who comes out on top.Mike Pontin, Calgary &#9632;

Bring back Olympic innocence

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011858/7593475-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0008-01

FANFARE

San Jose has all the ingredients for a Stanley Cup run. They&rsquo;re big, fast, gritty and tough, which usually leads to success in the playoffs. If they can keep up their strong play, they could win the Pacific Division and be one of the top three seeds in the West.Marc Taillon, Assiniboia, Sask.Boston University&rsquo;s Jack Parker belongs in the &ldquo;Top 100 People of Power & Influence.&rdquo; (THN, Jan. 4). He has two NCAA titles and has coached many Olympians, NHL all-stars and Stanley Cup winners.Adam Stern, ChicagoThe NHL&rsquo;s problem isn&rsquo;t a lack of scoring. It&rsquo;s the scheduling. Teams never used to play on consecutive nights. Now it happens often-and tired teams never play well.Nathan Gabay, Knoxville, Tenn.It&rsquo;s interesting to see Boston doing so well under coach Robbie Ftorek. New Jersey was in first place when they fired him (in 2000) and the Kings were doing well when they got rid of him (in 1989). Hmm, I thought winning was a good thing.Richie Glaser, San DiegoEdmonton&rsquo;s 7-6 win over Montreal Jan. 6 was exactly what the NHL needs. It&rsquo;s not real fun for goalies, but it&rsquo;s great for the league. And it&rsquo;s much better than Minnesota playing the trap night after night.Matthew Reinhart, Edmonton<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;

Danger: Sharks hungry for Pacific prey

As a Red Wings fan, I&rsquo;m gratified that so many Detroit players are going to both the Olympics and the All-Star Game.However, given that the players involved in both events are likely to experience &ldquo;February fatigue,&rdquo; I can&rsquo;t understand why, in Olympic years, the NHL even holds an All-Star Game. We&rsquo;re going to see some tired players and teams for the remainder of the NHL season and playoffs.Debra Wells, St. Clair Beach, Ont.<h2>Cancel All-Star Game</h2>In light of the recent talk by NHL players about boycotting the All-Star Game in favor of resting for the Olympics, only one thing makes sense: cancel the All-Star Game in Olympic years and shut down the NHL for the preliminary round.The league could still name an all-star team, I suppose, but pitting North America vs. The World in an Olympic year seems silly.Brian Pike, Edmonton<h2>Devils&rsquo; woes start at top</h2>I just read Jay Greenberg&rsquo;s column on New Jersey&rsquo;s &ldquo;hellish&rdquo; year. (THN, Jan. 18)Management deserves most of the blame. First, there&rsquo;s the absurd MVP-like pay of around $8 million a year to Martin Brodeur, who never steps up. Meanwhile, they berate team leader Bobby Holik in arbitration to the point that he won&rsquo;t be back. And if the Patrik Elias-Jason Arnott-Petr Sykora line goes two games without scoring, they&rsquo;re broken up for the next month.The coaches should preach simple play-and back off a bit-and let the team come together.Matthew Brojanowski, Sunnyside, N.Y.<h2>A pain-free NHL</h2>Injuries in the NHL have been killing teams. Here are three ways to prevent them:1. Automatic icings. Players are killing each other over icings.2. Make all rookies wear visors. It&rsquo;s stupid to risk your eyesight.3. Eliminate the instigator rule. It will decrease stickwork, players rarely get hurt in fights and fans love fights. Think of it like this: fewer injuries, more fans.Wade Anderson, Biggar, Sask.<h2>Got something to say?</h2>MAIL: U.S.A.: Letters, THN, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y, 14240-9947.Canada: Letters, THN, 25 Sheppard Ave. W, Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7E-MAIL:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:mccaigs@transcontinental.ca">mccaigs@transcontinental.ca</a> or visit <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com.</a> Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number. Submissions will be edited. &#9632;

Too many demands on players

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011745/7593554-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The health of stars such as Jaromir Jagr and Pavel Bure, shown here at the 1998 Olympics, is the biggest pre-tournament issue.</figcaption></div>Health. In a word, that&rsquo;s the main issue as the Winter Olympics loom on the hockey horizon.As much as the coaches and GMs of the top seven hockey countries say injuries are out of their control, you know they&rsquo;re checking the injury wire as routinely as they do the scoring summaries.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re like everybody else, we&rsquo;re hoping nobody gets hurt,&rdquo; said Swedish GM Anders Hedberg, who has a significant hole in his lineup with Peter Forsberg sidelined due to ankle surgery.The compression of the NHL schedule to allow for participation in the Salt Lake Winter Games increases the odds that the injury list will grow. NHL teams are averaging a game almost every second night and is definitely a factor.Kevin Lowe, Canada&rsquo;s assistant GM, is more worried players will succumb to nagging injuries rather than serious ones.&ldquo;The ones I&rsquo;m more concerned about is where a guy pulls a groin in the last (NHL) game (before the Olympic break) and he can play at 70 per cent,&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;Well, we need to know that. You have to sacrifice yourself for the team here and fess up and say, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m not going to be able to give you 100 per cent.&rsquo; &ldquo;Slovak GM Peter Stastny was asked about injuries being a factor and he spoke for his peers when he replied: &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t ask me about injuries. That&rsquo;s all I need, to get the team together and then&hellip;&rdquo;Here&rsquo;s a look at the major issues facing each of the seven top countries as they head into the stretch run for Salt Lake City:CANADA Lots of questions. Eric Lindros was playing timid early in his return after suffering his seventh concussion in December. Meanwhile, fellow Ranger Theoren Fleury&rsquo;s off-ice issues reportedly are being resolved. Goalie Ed Belfour was feuding with Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock, who is an assistant coach with Team Canada and Martin Brodeur has had off-and-on struggles to regain his form in New Jersey.What does all this mean? That Curtis Joseph appears to be a lock as the No. 1 goalie and you have to think Wayne Gretzky and company want to get Joe Thornton into the lineup. Team Canada&rsquo;s braintrust will huddle at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles and maybe somebody will come down with the Thornton flu, wink, wink.CZECH REPUBLIC Jaromir Jagr missed a handful of games in January. He&rsquo;s nursing what is being called a minor groin injury, but given how the Capitals like to hide injuries, who knows what the truth is.Said Jagr, after missing four straight games: &ldquo;It was the worst it has felt.&rdquo; In all, Jagr has missed 11 of 48 games this season.FINLAND The Finns&rsquo; biggest worry is scoring. With Saku Koivu out and Teemu Selanne struggling in San Jose, Sami Kapanen of Carolina is the only bona fide threat.There are also some issues on defense as Toronto&rsquo;s Jyrki Lumme, 35, is struggling to find his game.RUSSIA The Russians have a crucial hearing before a European court of appeal on the status of goalie Evgeni Nabokov Jan. 24. GM Slava Fetisov wants to overturn a ruling by the International Ice Hockey Federation that Nabokov is ineligible because he played for Kazakhstan as a teenager. Nikolai Khabibulin is the starter.There&rsquo;s only one other burning issue, but it&rsquo;s huge. It&rsquo;s not whether Pavel Bure will play-he should be back from a broken left hand-but how effective he&rsquo;ll be coming off the injury. A fizzled Russian Rocket won&rsquo;t carry the motherland deep into the medal round.SLOVAKIA GM Peter Stastny has targeted Slovakia&rsquo;s first two preliminary round games, against Germany and Latvia Feb. 9 and 10, as the keys to making the final round. &ldquo;If we win those two games, we basically don&rsquo;t have to play the third game,&rdquo; he said.Stastny has loaded up Slovakia&rsquo;s roster for both games, especially the one versus Latvia. He&rsquo;ll have Ziggy Palffy, Jozef Stumpel, Marian Hossa, Zdeno Chara, Lubomir Visnovsky and Pavol Demitra on hand for that contest.SWEDEN Now that Hedberg finally knows Forsberg definitely is not going to Salt Lake, the issue is who replaces him. The inside scoop has either Chicago&rsquo;s Michael Nylander or Florida&rsquo;s Kristian Huselius as next in line.The absence of Huselius from Sweden&rsquo;s Olympic roster caused a huge stir back home, where there is always pressure to prop up the Elite League. Hedberg said he is in no rush to name a replacement. &ldquo;But we can&rsquo;t let it drag on forever, until right before the Games start. That won&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;UNITED STATES There are lots of questions being asked about the American defense; in particular, is it good enough to go the distance on home soil?Tom Poti was being booed in Edmonton. Chris Chelios of Detroit is 40 and Chicago&rsquo;s Phil Housley turns 38 in March. And where&rsquo;s the beef? Aaron Miller of Los Angeles has been cast into the role of intimidator, leaving people to snicker.In net, it&rsquo;s a question of who starts. Mike Richter of the Rangers has seen his game slide in 2002, while the play of Carolina&rsquo;s Tom Barrasso and Mike Dunham of Nashville has also levelled off. &#9633; &#9632;

f0009-01

Shhhhhh! Someone’s injured

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011828/7593585-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chicago scout Brad Hornung at work at Regina&rsquo;s Agridome, where he was rendered a quadriplegic 15 years earlier. (Don Healy/Regina Leader Post)</figcaption></div>Brad Hornung considers himself lucky. Lucky to be alive. Lucky to have supportive friends and family members. Lucky to know gentlemen like Mike Smith.This past summer, Smith, the Chicago Blackhawks GM, hired Hornung to work with the team&rsquo;s amateur scouting department.Hornung understands both ends of the scouting process. During the 1986-87 Western League season, his draft year, he was a heavily scouted Regina Pats center.The nature of the scrutiny changed, with shocking suddenness, March 1,1987.That evening in a game against Moose Jaw at the Regina Agridome, Hornung suffered a severe spinalcord injury when he was checked from behind into the boards.Initially, there were fears Hornung would not survive. He swallowed his tongue. A tracheotomy was performed on the ice.Hornung survived the injuries, which left him a quadriplegic. Doctors predicted he would not be able to breathe without the aid of a respirator. Three months later, Hornung was breathing on his own.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing well,&rdquo; said Hornung during a rare interview in his room at Regina&rsquo;s Wascana Rehabilitation Centre in mid-January &ldquo;I&rsquo;m living a full life.&ldquo;When I got hurt, the initial thought was I&rsquo;d be on a respirator for the rest of my life. When I was able to get off the respirator, it was like a second chance.&rdquo;A second chance at a hockey career arrived last summer, when Hornung was contacted by Smith.In the mid-1990s, Smith interviewed Hornung for a book, Life After Hockey. During the interview, Hornung discussed his goals for the future, many of which pertained to hockey.Smith kept that conversation in the back of his mind. When an opportunity arose to utilize Hornung&rsquo;s talents, Smith picked up the phone.&ldquo;Brad&rsquo;s an upbeat guy,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s bright and understands the game. There&rsquo;s no reason to think he couldn&rsquo;t do something like this. The computer puts him on an even footing.&rdquo;Hornung works with a voice-activated computer. Smith was ahead of that technology, at least in his own mind. He envisioned Hornung&rsquo;s eventual role as a scout before advances in computer science actually made it possible.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the type of person Mike Smith is,&rdquo; said Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Bill Lesuk. &ldquo;He will see things that a lot of people don&rsquo;t see.&rdquo;The computer hears things, which makes it possible for Hornung to perform varied tasks.When filing scouting reports, Hornung speaks into a microphone. The computer can detect and input words at a rate of 30 to 40 per minute.&ldquo;What he has done is fine,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;As he gets more into this, he&rsquo;ll have more responsibility. People in his situation are capable of doing a lot of things.&rdquo;Recognizing that, Smith initially asked Hornung about the possibility of working with the Blackhawks on an internship basis. This arrangement was endorsed by the University of Regina&rsquo;s Faculty of Administration, in which Hornung was enrolled.During the work term, Hornung read hockey-related stories on the Internet and prepared a daily media analysis-a compilation of articles or nuggets of information which he thought would be of interest to Smith.This past summer, Smith added Hornung to the amateur scouting department.&ldquo;This was always in the back of my mind,&rdquo; said Hornung, who turns 33 Feb. 13. &ldquo;I was enjoying taking classes at the university, but I wasn&rsquo;t sure what opportunities there were. When this one came up, I was quite happy.&rdquo;Along with scouting WHL players, Hornung pores over game reports filed by other Blackhawks scouts, looking for trends. Hornung analyzes and synthesizes the scouts&rsquo; appraisals of draft prospects.After his injury, Hornung was anxious to explore career prospects. With that in mind, he began taking university classes in 1988.He received a history degree on May 23,1996. He also received a standing ovation while being presented with Campion College&rsquo;s Award of Merit-which is given to a student who demonstrates a spirit of generosity in volunteer work for the college and in the community&ldquo;I felt good about it, but there&rsquo;s more I wanted,&rdquo; Hornung said.He continued post-secondary studies. For classes, Hornung&rsquo;s professors asked students to volunteer as note-takers. Copies of their notes were given to Hornung, who attended all classes.&ldquo;That was a big part of it to me-the social aspect,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I wanted to meet people and interact with the students and teachers.&rdquo;Hornung was accustomed to interacting with the hockey fraternity. Brad&rsquo;s late father, Larry, spent a lifetime in hockey as a player and scout.In fact, Larry Hornung scouted in the Winnipeg and Toronto organizations when Smith was an executive with those teams.Larry Hornung died of cancer on May 8,2001, at age 55. He is survived by his wife, Terry, and two children-Brad and Leanne.&ldquo;There has never been a time in Larry&rsquo;s, Terry&rsquo;s or Brad&rsquo;s presence when you don&rsquo;t come away with some laughter,&rdquo; said Lesuk, a long-time friend of the Hornung family.&ldquo;I never heard Larry complain about anything and, quite honestly, I&rsquo;ve never heard Brad complain, either. Meanwhile, some people complain every day about the smallest things.&rdquo;Brad Hornung is upbeat, even when asked about tragic events in his life. He also accentuates the positive when asked about the injury-a burst fracture of the third cervical vertebra and a crushed spinal cord.At the time, Hornung had 32 goals and 66 points in 61 games as a WHL sophomore.Despite his modest stature, the 5-foot-10,175-pound center was hoping to be selected in the 1987 NHL draft. At the time, first-time draft eligibles could only be selected in the first three rounds.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never really sat back and thought, &lsquo;Where could I be?&rsquo;&rdquo; Hornung said. &ldquo;I think of all the people I&rsquo;ve met here. I&rsquo;ve met a lot of great people and made a lot of great friends. I never would have met any of these people.&rdquo;On several occasions during the interview, Hornung referred to himself as &ldquo;lucky.&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m living a full life.&rdquo;Funds generated by the Brad Hornung Foundation, which was established after his injury, have allowed him to acquire necessities such as a motorized wheelchair, a customized van and a voice-activated computer.&ldquo;I try to be as independent as I can,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got my computer. In my wheelchair, I can get around on my own. With the van, I&rsquo;ve got friends who will come with me. People have been great.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been lucky.&rdquo; &#9633; &#9632;

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Brad Hornung: Certified scout

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div>Vancouver Canucks defenseman Mattias Ohlund became the first known Olympic-bound NHLer to test positive for a banned substance, putting his participation at the Salt Lake Games in jeopardy.The drug found in Ohlund&rsquo;s system was part of the medication he has been taking for an ongoing eye injury. Sources say Ohlund tested positive for a masking agent for steroids and the tests were conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the new international drug-testing agency sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee. Ohlund has had three eye surgeries in the last two years since taking a puck to the face and uses eye drops.It was not immediately clear whether Ohlund will be banned from the Games or whether he can appeal any disciplinary action based on the circumstances which led him to test positive. Athletes from other sports have tested positive for substances contained in over-the-counter cold remedies and their suspensions have been lifted. Swedish officials were quick to say Ohlund&rsquo;s doping was a mistake and they pointed the finger at the Canadian doctor who performed the eye surgery, saying he prescribed the medication.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011636/7593616-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="280" height="354"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mattias Ohlund</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Mattias had no idea the medicine contained the banned substance,&rdquo; said Swedish Olympic Committee spokesman Bjorn Folin.&ldquo;This was doping by mistake&hellip;It won&rsquo;t jeopardize his Olympic participation,&rdquo; said Swedish Ice Hockey Federation president Rickard Fagerlund in a statement. Added Swedish GM Anders Hedberg: &ldquo;Mattias will be in the Olympics.&rdquo;NHL players were warned in the spring and again at orientation camps last summer about taking medications without checking to see whether they contained banned substances.In a deal worked out with the NHL, the NHL Players&rsquo; Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation, doping officials are allowed to show up at team practices and conduct random tests on players heading to the Salt Lake Games. &#9632;

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Swedish defenseman Ohlund tests positive for banned substance

<div class="byline">By Paul Post</div>Regardless of what else he does, Marc Busenburg stands head and shoulders above everyone else as pro hockey&rsquo;s Ironman of the Year.The 24-year-old defenseman from Shrewsbury, Mass., played a rare doubleheader with the American League&rsquo;s Rochester Americans and United League&rsquo;s Adirondack IceHawks Jan. 12. He was on the winning side-and played a key role in the outcome-in both games, each of which went into overtime.Topping things off, the double-duty marked his fifth game in four days. Busenburg also played for Rochester Jan. 9 and 11 and for Adirondack Jan. 10.&ldquo;That has to be a record,&rdquo; said Adirondack coach Gates Orlando. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it has ever been done before.&rdquo;Busenburg normally plays for Adirondack and was on recall to Rochester, which won 3-2 in overtime at Albany Immediately after the game, he drove an hour north to Glens Falls, N.Y., and donned his IceHawks uniform against visiting New Haven. He scored on a 40-foot slapshot and had an assist to help the IceHawks overcome a 4-2 third period deficit, forcing an overtime shootout that Adirondack won.The hardest part might not have been exhaustion or fatigue, but simply putting back on a full set of soaking-wet gear.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a yucky feeling,&rdquo; Orlando said. &ldquo;The shoulder pads, elbow pads, knee pads are wet. It must have been kind of weird.&rdquo;Orlando attended Rochester&rsquo;s game and jokingly mentioned the idea of having Busenburg play twice to Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth. Apparently Cunneyworth didn&rsquo;t mind, so Orlando posed the idea to Busenburg.&ldquo;I thought he was joking at first,&rdquo; Busenburg said. &ldquo;I was feeling pretty good so I said, &lsquo;Why not?&rsquo; &ldquo;Busenburg realized he was a wanted man when he spotted Orlando waiting for him after the game.&ldquo;When he came off the ice, Marc looked at me and I could tell what he was thinking: &lsquo;Uh oh, he&rsquo;s serious. He wants me to go,&rsquo;&rdquo; Orlando laughed.Cunneyworth joked at least Busenburg wouldn&rsquo;t have to take warm-ups.Finally, Busenburg is, in fact, not the first Rochester player to accomplish a daily double. Dominic Pittis, now with the Edmonton Oilers, once skated for the Amerks and Buffalo Sabres on the same day.PATRICK WINNERS Recipients of this year&rsquo;s Lester Patrick Trophy were honored at a ceremony in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 15. The 1960 U.S. men&rsquo;s Olympic hockey team, Herb Brooks and Larry Pleau were presented with the award given for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S. Brooks coached the Americans to a gold medal in 1980 and is guiding the 2002 Olympic team. Pleau is senior vice-president and GM of the St. Louis Blues.<h2>Hey, Mom! I&rsquo;m in the NHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021162/7593647-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="742" height="155"></div>Weekly report of players making their NHL debuts.Robert Schnabel, 23, Nsh, Jan. 12 vs. Ana. Czech stay-at-home rearguard is 6-foot-5, 233 pounds. Drafted twice, by Islanders and Phoenix.Nolan Yonkman, 20, Wsh, Jan. 14 vs. Bos. Rangy defenseman is 6-foot-6, 236 pounds, but still rough around the edges.Eric Meloche, 25. Pit, Jan. 15 vs. Van. Montreal-born right winger is Ohio State grad and Pittsburgh&rsquo;s eighth round pick in 1996. &#9632;

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Busenburg’s doubleheader topped by 5-in-4 schedule

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div>There was no huge outcry when the decision was made to cut Nancy Drolet from Canada&rsquo;s Olympic women&rsquo;s team.Drolet, 28, was dropped from the team three weeks before the Salt Lake Games in favor of Cheri Piper because Drolet lost her scoring touch, said coach Danielle Sauvageau.&ldquo;This year for some reason she could not score,&rdquo; Sauvageau said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t live off reputation at this level. You have to work and perform. I&rsquo;m sure she was trying her best, but there comes a point you don&rsquo;t keep a player on what she has done.&rdquo;Drolet, a veteran of six world championships, had a knack of scoring big goals. She scored in overtime to clinch world titles for Canada in 1997 and 2000. The Canadian women lost eight straight games against the U.S. this season. Drolet was pointless in those games.Overall, Drolet had six goals and 10 points in 17 games this year. She was third in career scoring among Canadian women with 46 goals and 102 points in 91 games.Drolet was shocked by the coaching staff&rsquo;s decision, made just hours before the Canadian Hockey Association had to submit its official Olympic roster. She filed an appeal Jan. 18 and reportedly wouldn&rsquo;t be available to comment until the appeals process was completed.&ldquo;I have to do what I feel and think is right and whatever happens, be at peace with myself,&rdquo; said Drolet before filing the appeal.Hayley Wickenheiser supported the coach&rsquo;s move, which some see as an act of desperation by the struggling Canadian women. &ldquo;Something needed to be changed, we needed to shape things up and shake everybody up,&rdquo; Wickenheiser said. &ldquo;We are seven-time world champions and sometimes veterans get complacent and they sit back and get on their heels.&rdquo;Sauvageau noticed since November that Drolet was struggling. When Drolet didn&rsquo;t elevate her game in the first six encounters against the U.S., the coaching staff decided to give Piper, who is a 5-foot-5 speedster, a chance to show her stuff.&ldquo;(Piper) brings more flexibility,&rdquo; Sauvageau said. &ldquo;She can play center or both wings. She brings offense, great hands and toughness. She&rsquo;s like a pit bull out there.&rdquo;While the appeal could drag on for weeks, Sauvageau feels her players won&rsquo;t get caught up in it. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve moved on,&rdquo; she said.HOCKEY DAD GUILTY The trial involving one hockey father who beat another to death ended with Thomas Junta being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Junta, 42, was charged July 5,2000, of killing Michael Costin after arguing at their sons&rsquo; practice in Cambridge, Mass. The jury was told Junta beat his victim so hard he almost decapitated him. The jury returned after 13 hours of deliberation with a guilty verdict, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail. &#9632;

Canadian women axe Drolet after scoring touch dries up

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021408/7593702-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="564" height="2480"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011779/7593709-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="220" height="215"></div>February figure to be a hectic month for NHL players, given the All-Star Game weekend in Los Angeles Feb. 1-2 and the Olympics in Salt Lake City Feb. 9-24. Listed are the number of players from each NHL team slated to go to each event. Only players from the six countries already in the Olympics&rsquo; final round-Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.-are included. &#9632;

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February’s full slate keeps NHLers busy

<div class="byline">-Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03911/7593740-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="221" height="264"></div>If the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim could erase two particular chunks of the 200102 NHL season, they just might have something.A 5-3 victory over the visiting Nashville Predators Jan. 14 snapped an eight-game winless streak that included two ties. The skid was one short of the franchise record, which Anaheim had already matched earlier this season with a seven-loss, two-tie run from Nov. 7-24.The Ducks had a reasonable excuse for their November slide. It coincided with injuries to top center Steve Rucchin and ace defenseman Keith Carney. While Carney was back during the second slump, Rucchin remained sidelined with a fractured left tibia, and Anaheim struggled on offense.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s any question that we struggle to maintain confidence to score that late goal,&rdquo; said coach Bryan Murray. &ldquo;We keep talking. We keep building. We try to do things in practice to help, but there is a mental aspect to it.&rdquo;.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Anaheim&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Paul Kariya.Faceoff Specialist: Samuel Pahlsson.Passer: Paul Kariya.Stickhandler: Paul Kariya.Shot: Paul Kariya.Shot-blocker: Dan Bylsma.Defensive Defenseman: Keith Carney.Bodychecker: Vitaly Vishnevski.NOTEBOOK Anaheim dealt veteran right winger Jim Cummins, who had been playing with Cincinnati (American League) to the New York Islanders for minor league left winger Dave Roche Jan. 14&hellip;Right winger Sergei Krivokrasov cleared waivers Jan. 16 and the Ducks assigned him to Cincinnati&hellip;The Ducks recalled rookie winger Timo Parssinen from Cincinnati Jan. 15 to replace winger Jeff Friesen, who suffered a sprained ankle&hellip;Left winger Paul Kariya snapped a seven-game goal drought Jan. 11 at Minnesota and then recorded his sixth career hat trick Jan. 15 in a 5-3 victory over visiting Nashville&hellip;Right winger Marty McInnis scored his first goal in 17 games in a 2-2 tie at Minnesota Jan. 11. &#9632;

f0012-03

Two winless streaks taint Ducks’ year

<div class="byline">-Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04535/7593771-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="222" height="255"></div>Milan Hnilicka is starting to prove he can be a starting NHL goalie.Whether that means he can survive 40-shot assaults for 60 games a year is another matter.The Atlanta Thrashers goalie, who has not been the primary cause of the team&rsquo;s horrendous start this season, showed some resiliency after one of his worst starts of the year, during which he allowed four goals on 12 shots. In his next three starts, the second-year goalie from the Czech Republic allowed four goals on 118 shots, resulting in wins over Calgary (1-0) and Toronto (3-2) and a tie with Tampa Bay (2-2).But with Atlanta on the verge of a franchise-record five-game unbeaten streak, Hnilicka looked fatigued and let in a couple of soft goals in a 6-3 loss to the Flyers Jan. 17. He allowed more goals in three periods (five on 26 shots) than he had in the previous nine.&ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t sharp,&rdquo; said coach Curt Fraser. &ldquo;But Milan&rsquo;s our guy right now. We need him to be strong for us.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s because for the third straight year, Damian Rhodes is injured. What originally was thought to be a groin strain has turned out to be a &ldquo;sports hernia,&rdquo; a lower abdominal tear. Rhodes will be out three to four weeks.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Atlanta&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Ilya Kovalchuk.Faceoff Specialist: Bob Corkum.Passer: Dany Heatley.Stickhandler: Dany Heatley.Shot: Ilya Kovalchuk.Shot-blocker: Chris Tamer.Defensive Defenseman: Chris Tamer.Bodychecker: Jeff Cowan.NOTEBOOK Rookie forwards Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk continued their season-long tear. Through 48 games, they were tied for the team lead with 38 points and also topped all NHL rookies. Kovalchuk had 23 goals, which was only nine off Donald Audette&rsquo;s franchise record set last season. Both were snubbed for the All-Star Game, but were obvious selections for the inaugural YoungStars Game&hellip;Right winger Jeff Odgers scored Jan. 17 in his first game back from a broken ankle. It was his first goal since April 6 of last season. &#9632;

f0012-04

Hnilicka rebounds, then falters again

<div class="byline">-Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-07267/7593802-1-eng-US/f0012-072.jpg" title="f0012-07" width="818" height="884"><figcaption class="caption-body">SLICK SERGEI Sergei Samsonov is Boston&rsquo;s resident speedster and stickhandling wizard. (BBS)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05384/7593809-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="220" height="257"></div>As recently as last season, some wondered if Nick Boynton would be ready to crack the Boston Bruins lineup before his three-year entry-level contract expired.Boynton&rsquo;s response: A strong enough rookie season to earn an invitation to the first YoungStars Game, for players 25 and younger and on their first contracts.The 23-year-old defenseman, drafted in the first round (21st overall) in 1999, has been a pleasant surprise for the Bruins, whose thin defense has been stretched by Kyle McLaren&rsquo;s string of injuries. Playing with veteran Hal Gill, often against top lines, Boynton led all NHL rookies at plus-15 through Jan. 17.&ldquo;Nick allows our three veterans (Gill, Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, Don Sweeney) to get a little bit of a break because he&rsquo;s playing so well,&rdquo; said coach Robbie Ftorek.A third-year pro who sometimes struggled in two minor-league seasons, Boynton credits the steady Gill and the coaching staff&rsquo;s confidence with aiding his transition to the NHL.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to be out there with Hal against a lot of the top lines,&rdquo; said Boynton, who was plus-5 Jan. 5 against Washington and plus-4 against Ottawa Jan. 17.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Boston&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Sergei Samsonov.Faceoff specialist: Joe Thornton.Passer: Joe Thornton.Stickhandler: Sergei Samsonov.Shot: Brian Rolston.Shot-blocker: Don Sweeney.Defensive defenseman: Hal Gill.Bodychecker: Martin Lapointe.NOTEBOOK The Bruins acquired left winger Benoit Hogue from Dallas in exchange for the Stars claiming center Scott Pellerin off waivers. &#9632;

f0012-07

Boynton at home in third pro season

<div class="byline">-Bucky Gleason</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06311/7593840-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="221" height="261"></div>The Buffalo Sabres had enough contract hassles last year with Michael Peca to know they didn&rsquo;t want another one this year with their new captain.Good thing is, Stu Barnes didn&rsquo;t want any hassles, either.The Sabres and Barnes agreed on a three-year extension worth $8.4 million, making sure six months before the deadline he would not become an unrestricted free agent. The Sabres rarely renegotiate during the season.&ldquo;It even goes beyond the captaincy issue,&rdquo; said Sabres GM Darcy Regier. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the reasons he became the captain more than the fact he has a &lsquo;C&rsquo; on his chest. It has more to do with what he is and what he represents, his professionalism and his desire to stay in Buffalo.&rdquo;Last year, when the Sabres failed to sign Peca, he wound up sitting out the season and was eventually traded to the New York Islanders.Barnes, 31, took over as captain this year after coach Lindy Ruff consulted with his players. He had 13 goals and 32 points in 47 games while playing on their top line with Miroslav Satan and J.P. Dumont.Barnes will make about $2.8 million per season, a considerable bump from the $1.6 million he&rsquo;s earning this year.&ldquo;I think it would have been a letdown (to not re-sign) knowing the opportunity was there,&rdquo; Barnes said.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Buffalo&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Maxim Afinogenov.Faceoff Specialist: Chris Gratton.Passer: Tim Connolly.Stickhandler: Tim Connolly.Shot: Miroslav Satan.Shotblocker: Jay McKee.Defensive defenseman: Rhett Warrener.Bodychecker: Vaclav Varada.NOTEBOOK Right winger Vaclav Varada had three goals in his first 37 games before scoring four times in five contests from Jan. 6 to Jan. 16. &#9632;

f0012-06

Barnes locked up for next three years

<div class="byline">-Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011639/7593871-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="222" height="242"></div>Even as they sank lower and lower in the Western Conference standings, the Calgary Flames could always take solace in the fact they were in a playoff spot. Or they could until mid-January.That&rsquo;s when the Flames, who got off to an exceptional start, were overhauled in the standings by the surging Los Angeles Kings. A Calgary team that won 13 of its first 19 games won just six of its next 28 to sink to ninth spot. Belatedly, all the pre-season predictions of gloom were starting to come true.&ldquo;It does create a sense of urgency,&rdquo; said right winger Jarome Iginla. &ldquo;When we&rsquo;re in a playoff spot, that was our goal from the start of the year. We know we don&rsquo;t want to let it slide too much. We don&rsquo;t want to let that spot get too far away.&rdquo;It will only be a battle to the end if the Flames get more balanced scoring, better special teams play and more dazzling goaltending than they&rsquo;ve received in the last two months. Defenseman Denis Gauthier, who returned to the lineup two weeks ahead of schedule, even though the fractures in his face had not completely healed, put a positive spin on the weeks ahead.&ldquo;This is probably the best spot we&rsquo;ve been in in five years to make the playoffs,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;To waste a good start like that would be a shame.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Calgary&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Dean McAmmond.Faceoff Specialist: Craig Conroy.Passer: Marc Savard.Stickhandler: Derek Morris.Shot: Jarome Iginla.Shot-blocker: Robyn Regehr.Defensive Defenseman: Bob Boughner.Bodychecker: Denis Gauthier.NOTEBOOK Not every NHL player was thrilled to play in both an Al-Star Game and an Olympics in the same year, but Flames&rsquo; right winger Jarome Iginla said he has no problem with doing double duty. &ldquo;For me, this is a thrill,&rdquo; Iginla said&hellip;Iginla, incidentally, was given short shrift by The Hockey News in last week&rsquo;s issue (Jan. 25). In a cover story that, in part, listed each team&rsquo;s MVP through the first half, the Flames&rsquo; nod mistakenly went to Boston center Joe Thornton. Iginla, the NHL&rsquo;s leading scorer at half time, is the worthy recipient. &#9632;

f0013-01

Flames don’t want excellent start to go to waste after long slump

<div class="byline">-Luke DeCock</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021139/7593902-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="228" height="227"></div>Kevyn Adams went from Mike Keenan&rsquo;s doghouse to the Carolina Hurricanes third line. And Bret Hedican went from having only his impending free agency to play for to playing for success.&ldquo;You can talk about money all you want in this game, but the only reason I play is to win the Stanley Cup,&rdquo; Hedican said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the most exciting thing. In Florida, it has always been disappointing because that&rsquo;s why I play the game.&rdquo;For Hedican and Adams, acquired from the Panthers Jan. 16 for Sandis Ozolinsh and Byron Ritchie, going from the Panthers to the Hurricanes means changing attitudes. Instead of wasting away the season with the Panthers in their annual slide toward the bottom of the Southeast Division-unless, of course, new Florida coach Mike Keenan can turn things around-they&rsquo;ll fight for the division title.&ldquo;There were days there I shook my head,&rdquo; Hedican said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t figure out why guys don&rsquo;t come to the rink for a game or practice and don&rsquo;t want to work hard.&rdquo;Added Adams: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a first-place team. I&rsquo;m certainly more familiar with these guys because we (played) them more. I know this is a very good team.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Carolina&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Sami Kapanen.Faceoff Specialist: Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour.Passer: Ron Francis.Stickhandler: Sami Kapanen.Shot: Jeff O&rsquo;Neill.Shot-blocker: Sean Hill.Defensive Defenseman: Glen Wesley.Bodychecker: Aaron Ward.NOTEBOOK Right winger Sami Kapanen, left off the All-Star Game ballot, was named to the World Team. Defenseman David Tanabe was selected to play in the YoungStars game&hellip;Newcomers, center Kevyn Adams and defenseman Bret Hedican, found themselves in the penalty box together less than 30 minutes into their first game with Carolina. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t say anything; we both kind of looked at each other like, &lsquo;Here we are,&rsquo;&rdquo; Hedican said. With the addition of Adams and Hedican, the Canes have seven American-born players-most in the NHL. The others: left winger Bates Battaglia, goalie Tom Barrasso, right winger Erik Cole and defensemen Sean Hill and David Tanabe. &#9632;

f0013-02

Adams, Hedican relieved by deal that sends them to Hurricanes

<div class="byline">-Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03836/7593933-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="220" height="238"></div>When Chicago coach Brian Sutter looks at Alex Zhamnov, he sees one of the best players in the NHL.There&rsquo;s no question in Sutter&rsquo;s mind Zhamnov should be considered for the Selke Trophy and even one of the candidates for the Hart Trophy.&ldquo;His average games are three or four steps in front of anybody else,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;Alex is a guy who is without question among the top three or four guys for MVP. I&rsquo;m not saying he&rsquo;s a better player than Joe Sakic or Steve Yzerman, but he has been as good as those guys this year, Mike Modano, and people like that.&rdquo;Zhamnov was plus-eight and had 47 points in 50 games and is on course to break his career high of 72 points set as a rookie with Winnipeg in 1992-93. Zhamnov has been nearly as impressive as a defender against the top centers in the Western Conference.&ldquo;Absolutely, without question he should be considered (for the Selke),&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;When your plus-minus is what his is and you play against all the top players, you&rsquo;re darn right he should be considered.&ldquo;How many of the other top players play against the other team&rsquo;s best line? Joe Sakic does because (Peter) Forsberg&rsquo;s not there. Stevie Yzerman does, Modano. And consider the other team is putting their best two defensemen on the ice to play against him. When we play Colorado, every time Alex and Tony (Amonte) are on the ice, (Rob) Blake jumps over the boards.&rdquo;Zhamnov isn&rsquo;t ready to call his 10th season the best.&ldquo;I hope so,&rdquo; Zhamnov said. &ldquo;But the season is 82 games and the playoffs. For sure, it has been a good season so far, but I&rsquo;ll talk about it when it&rsquo;s over.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Chicago&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Alex Zhamnov.Faceoff Specialist: Peter White.Passer: Michael Nylander.Stickhandler: Alex Zhamnov.Shot: Eric Daze.Shot-blocker: Alexander Karpovtsev.Defensive Defenseman: Jon Klemm.Bodychecker: Boris Mironov.NOTEBOOK GM Mike Smith acted to beef up his defense by acquiring Joe Reekie from Washington for a fourth round draft pick in 2002. &ldquo;We needed to get bigger as we go forward and Reekie provides us with that size we&rsquo;re looking for,&rdquo; Smith said. &#9632;

f0013-03

Zhamnov making case for himself as candidate for Hart and Selke

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-05558/7593978-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="321" height="353"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Gervais Equipment Manager</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04701/7593985-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="116" height="127"></div>The Canadiens aren&rsquo;t into the third jersey market yet, and they may never go that route. So Habs, trainer Pierre Gervais doesn&rsquo;t have to lug three sets of sweaters along on trips, along with the rest of his stuff, but he&rsquo;s had to take home and away sweaters because other teams are into the new marketing toy&mdash;the third jersey.Sweaters are the main concern for every NHL equipment man. You can&rsquo;t leave home without them, and they&rsquo;re the most important part of a players, equipment.Gervais had to pack the home whites and the reds for a road trip earlier this season when the Oilers trotted out their new dark blue and silver third jerseys at Skyreach Centre for a televised home game. NHL teams are notified well in advance about the third-jersey games, so they travel with both sets of sweaters, but it&rsquo;s still a bit of a headache. &ldquo;When you pack home whites on trips, you also have to pack extra things like white tape and helmets,&rdquo; said Gervais. That&rsquo;s more bags to carry for the equipment staff.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>Another problem with sweaters: what happens if a player bleeds on a jersey during a game? &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t play with blood on a sweater so when a player is getting stitched, we quickly wash the sweater in some soap in the dressing room. It works pretty well because the sweater is wet anyway (with sweat), so the soap soaks in,&rdquo; said Gervais, who&rsquo;s kept hopping. &ldquo;I do pack two home or away sweaters for all the fighters, though.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06466/7593971-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="192" height="194"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07427/7593964-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="482" height="307"></div>THE CHOICE OF PROFESSIONALSBlademaster&trade; skate sharpening systems are used extensively by N.H.L. teams, Team Canada and Team USA.GUSPRO INC. Chatham. Ontario. Canada N7M 5L5Tel (519) 352-4550 Fax: (519) 352-7676 Toll-Free: 1-888-648-7776 website: <a href="http://www.guspro.com">www.guspro.com</a> &#9632;

f0013-05

FROM THE MONTREAL CANADIENS’ LOCKER ROOM:

<div class="byline">-Jim Benton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011771/7594016-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="217" height="240"></div>Center Peter Forsberg has a goal to be back in the Colorado lineup sometime during the playoffs, but if that doesn&rsquo;t happen he will likely be back with the Avalanche next season.Colorado reached agreement with Forsberg on a one-year contract extension-at the team&rsquo;s option-for the 2002-03 season.Forsberg will receive this year&rsquo;s base salary of $9.5 million next season if the Avalanche exercises its option before June 30.Colorado lifted Forsberg&rsquo;s suspension, a non-punitive status that was placed on him so the team wouldn&rsquo;t have to carry him on the roster after he took a leave of absence Sept. 15. Forsberg, who elected not to be paid and remain in Sweden during his leave, now will be paid his salary on a pro-rated basis and will receive $4.46 million for the rest of this year.Forsberg was in the final year of his contract and it wasn&rsquo;t clear if he would be eligible to become a restricted free agent July 1 until he agreed to the contract extension.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to stay here&rdquo; Forsberg said. &ldquo;Last time before my three-year contract, I never wanted to approach the free agent market because I think it&rsquo;s a great place to play.&rdquo;Forsberg, who had his spleen removed last May and had ankle surgeries in July and September, came to Denver with the intention of rejoining the Avalanche, but was found to have tendon damage in his left foot and underwent surgery Jan. 10.He is expected to miss a minimum of four months.&ldquo;My goal is to be back for the playoffs,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;To be honest, when I come back I think I will be better than I ever was. I&rsquo;m going to play the same style&hellip;These last couple injuries have nothing to do with my style of play&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Colorado&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Dan Hinote.Faceoff Specialist: Chris Drury.Passer: Steven Reinprecht.Stickhandler: Milan Hejduk.Shot: Joe Sakic.Shot-blocker: Greg deVries.Defensive Defenseman: Adam Foote.Bodychecker: Rob Blake.NOTEBOOK Colorado has been shut out seven times, tying a franchise record. The Avs have also notched seven shutouts, one shy of the franchise best. &#9632;

f0014-01

Forsberg, Avalanche clear up contract

<div class="byline">-Aaron Portzline</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021329/7594047-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="219" height="259"></div>The Columbus Blue Jackets were desperate for power play help when they called up center Brett Harkins from the minors in late-December.They had no idea how big a difference he would make.When Harkins arrived from American League Syracuse Dec. 28, the already woeful power play was in an 0-for-29 dive, cementing its spot as the worst in the NHL at a frigid eight per cent (14 of 175).It&rsquo;s no coincidence the power play sprang to life Dec. 29 against Buffalo, when Columbus scored two power play goals in a 2-2 tie. That was Harkins&rsquo;s first game. After his arrival, the Blue Jackets went ll-for-32 on the power play and climbed out of the basement. Harkins, a left winger, assisted on seven of the 11 goals.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a great situation for me,&rdquo; Harkins said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m playing with guys like Ray Whitney and Espen Knutsen. They make it easy to get the puck to them. They make my job a lot easier.&rdquo;Harkins has had cups of coffee in the NHL before. His longest stint was a 44-game season with Boston in 1996-97. He has also been with Detroit and Florida, but has lived mostly in the minors.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m thrilled that he&rsquo;s taking advantage of this,&rdquo; said president-GM Doug MacLean. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be fun to see where this goes.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Columbus&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Geoff Sanderson.Faceoff Specialist: Mike Sillinger.Passer: Espen Knutsen.Stickhandler: Ray WhitneyShot: Jamie Heward.Shot-blocker: Rostislav Klesla.Defensive Defenseman: Lyle Odelein.Bodychecker. Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre.NOTEBOOK Goalie Marc Denis&rsquo; 31-save performance in a 2-0 win over the Rangers Jan. 16 was his first shutout as a member of the Blue Jackets&hellip;Left winger Jody Shelley had 11 fighting majors in 16 games this season. &#9632;

f0014-02

Pop gun power play finds tonic in Harkins

<div class="byline">-Nick Cotsonika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011624/7594116-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="222" height="239"></div>You had to see it to believe it.Rookie center Pavel Datsyuk made the prettiest play of Detroit&rsquo;s season Jan. 9 against Vancouver. He went almost end-to-end, stickhandling through three Canucks and schooling star defenseman Ed Jovanovski. Then, making it look easy, he flicked the puck past the left pad of goaltender Peter Skudra.&ldquo;Just a beautiful goal,&rdquo; said Detroit captain Steve Yzerman. &ldquo;You watch him, he does something special every shift. We&rsquo;ve watched him every day in practice, and he doesn&rsquo;t really surprise any of us now, because we realize the individual ability he has.&rdquo;Datsyuk, 23, came over from Russia before training camp and doesn&rsquo;t speak English. But he doesn&rsquo;t seem to need to.&ldquo;He never seems confused-ever,&rdquo; said linemate Boyd Devereaux.Devereaux used to yell for the puck. Datsyuk told him to quiet down, he&rsquo;d find him.&ldquo;I just kind of shut up and let him do his work,&rdquo; Devereaux said.Sergei Fedorov said he thought Datsyuk had been one of the Wings best forwards all season. Still, coach Scotty Bowman scratched Datsyuk for four of five games during a December run. When Datsyuk returned to the lineup, he looked refreshed scoring five goals in nine games and Bowman started talking about using him more often on the power play.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s creative,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;We keep saying we&rsquo;re going to play him. It&rsquo;s time now. He can handle more work. He&rsquo;s a dangerous player.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Detroit&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Sergei Fedorov.Faceoff specialist: Steve Yzerman.Passer: Igor Larionov.Stickhandler: Sergei Fedorov.Shot: Brett Hull.Shot-blocker: Kirk Maltby.Defensive defenseman: Chris Chelios.Bodychecker: Darren McCarty.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Jesse Wallin has recovered from the groin/abdominal injury he suffered during the exhibition season. The 1996 first round pick played only two NHL games prior to this season. &ldquo;We know what we have in him; he just needs experience,&rdquo; said coach Scotty Bowman. &#9632;

f0015-01

Freshman Datsyuk raising eyebrows

<div class="byline">-Rob Tychkowski</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021141/7594147-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="218" height="242"></div>For the first three months of the season, the Edmonton Oilers seemed to be living a charmed existence.They won despite losing Doug Weight to St. Louis, despite losing Ryan Smyth to a broken ankle and despite a daunting schedule that had them on the road for 16 of 23 games in November and early December.But the charm has apparently worn off. Bitten in the backside by the dog days of the NHL season, the slumping Oilers blew the nine-point lead they once enjoyed over Colorado in the Northwest Division race. A team that looked like a conference contender in December finds itself in a life and death struggle to even make the playoffs.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going through a very mediocre stretch right now and we have to work our way out of it,&rdquo; said coach Craig MacTavish. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re all very correctable things that we&rsquo;re doing or we&rsquo;re not doing. What we have to do is get back to good consistent play.&rdquo;Wrestling with shaken confidence, the Oilers posted just four wins in 14 games from Dec. 18 to Jan 16 and blew three third period leads in four games to start the new year.The swoon prompted a closed-door meeting Jan. 15 in St. Louis, with the ashen-faced Oilers catching an earful and an eyeful-there was damning video evidence-from MacTavish. They went out and lost 3-2 to the Blues.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a collection of winners in my mind and I think the players and the coaches and everybody in the organization takes it hard when the team&rsquo;s not having the success we&rsquo;re used to,&rdquo; MacTavish said. &ldquo;This is one of those times.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Edmonton&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Todd Marchant.Faceoff Specialist: Todd Marchant.Passer: Ryan Smyth.Stickhandler: Mike Comrie.Shot: Jochen Hecht.Shot-blocker: Jason Smith.Defensive Defenseman: Jason Smith.Bodychecker: Jason Smith.NOTEBOOK The No. 1 line of left winger Ryan Smyth, center Mike Comrie and right winger Anson Carter was a combined minus-18 from Jan. 5 to Jan. 15&hellip;The Oilers stand to make $1.5 million this year in a new province wide hockey lottery unveiled Jan. 16. &#9632;

f0015-02

Oilers dream season turns into nightmare

<div class="byline">-David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03799/7594178-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="220" height="246"></div>Now that the Florida Panthers have put serious money on the line with dicey defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, will he roll a winner or crap out?In Colorado and San Jose, Ozolinsh played an intelligently reckless game that meshed wonderfully with talented teammates. Not so in Carolina, where his 2000-01 season was described by the number &ldquo;25,&rdquo; as in $25 million on his five-year deal and a team-low minus-25 mark.&ldquo;Some blame it on going from the (more open) West to the East,&rdquo; said Ozolinsh, who had four goals and 23 points in 47 games this season. &ldquo;Some blame it on the contract.&rdquo;Once his ice time was reduced in Carolina, both because of his play and the emergence of second-year man David Tanabe, the contract fueled the trade to Florida.In return, Carolina received defenseman Bret Hedican, center Kevyn Adams and prospect defenseman Tomas Malec.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a significant price and a significant commitment from our ownership group,&rdquo; said Panthers interim GM Chuck Fletcher of the deal.This puts $14.5 million of the Panthers payroll on two players, Ozolinsh and Pavel Bure. Carolina will pick up part of Ozolinsh&rsquo;s $16.5 million over the next three years.&ldquo;You start looking at developing the foundation for a franchise,&rdquo; coach Mike Keenan said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got got arguably the best goal scorer in the league or in the top four (Bure). Now, you&rsquo;ve got a top defenseman (Ozolinsh). You most likely have a very important part of the puzzle in place with the goaltending (Roberto Luongo). That&rsquo;s to be developed yet.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Florida&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater. Ryan Johnson.Face-off specialist: Jason Wiemer.Passer: Viktor Kozlov.Stickhandler: Viktor Kozlov.Shot: Pavel Bure.Shot-blocker: Robert Svehla.Defensive Defenseman: Robert Svehla.Bodychecker: Robert Svehla.NOTEBOOK It took coach Mike Keenan just over a month to say this about the Panthers young players: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s just too many of them in the locker room at one time.&rdquo; Keenan has made not-so-subtle hints that he wants more veteran forwards for leadership. &#9632;

f0015-03

Open-ice Ozolinsh brought in for ‘0’

<div class="byline">-Matt McHale</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011559/7594209-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="220" height="248"></div>It looks like Ziggy Palffy&rsquo;s Olympic dream might come true after all.Palffy, who has missed six weeks this season due to injuries, said his native Slovakia has reached an agreement with Kings GM Dave Taylor, allowing him to play in a Feb. 10 qualifying game against Latvia.&ldquo;I know that (Slovakian GM) Peter Stastny has been talking to Dave and that it is going to happen,&rdquo; said Palffy, who also will represent the World Team at the upcoming All-Star game in Los Angeles. &ldquo;It has been a strange season with all the injuries. But the chance to go to the Olympics is really special.&rdquo;The Kings had been reluctant to release their Slovakian players for the Olympic qualifying because they have three games during the qualifying round of the tournament in Salt Lake CitySlovakia plays Germany, Latvia and Austria in the qualifying round. The top two teams from the qualifying round advance to the tournament&rsquo;s final round.Palffy will be joined on the Slovakian team by Kings defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky who is having a difficult season after an impressive rookie year in 2000-01.&ldquo;This means so much to us and our country&rdquo; Visnovsky said. &ldquo;I am so glad Dave changed his mind. This will be a great moment for all of us.&rdquo;Palffy opened the season with a sore lower back, then missed two weeks in November due to back spasms.He was sidelined all of December with a cracked rib.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Los Angeles&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Craig Johnson.Faceoff Specialist: Eric Belanger.Passer: Jason Allison.Stickhandler: Ziggy PalffyShot: Ziggy Palffy.Shot-blocker: Kelly Buchberger.Defensive Defenseman: Aaron Miller.Bodychecker: Mattias Norstrom.NOTEBOOK The Kings killed off all five Buffalo power plays Jan. 17, running their successful kill streak to 44, which tied a club record set during the 1998-99 season&hellip;Defenseman Jere Karalahti was loaned to Manchester of the AHL for conditioning after being a healthy scratch for nine straight games and 18 of 22. Teams have made inquiries about Karalahti&rsquo;s availability, one reason the Kings did not subject him to waivers when Ziggy Palffy and Mathieu Schneider returned from injuries Jan. 2&hellip;Left winger Eric Belanager, the team&rsquo;s top faceoff man (58 percent), sprained his left wrist Jan. 15 versus Nashville and could miss two weeks. &#9632;

f0016-01

Palffy will get chance to live out dream; Slovakian can play Olympic qualifying game

<div class="byline">-Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021207/7594240-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="232" height="234"></div>Cam Stewart has not played a game this season. The Wild forward may never play another one.Concussions appear to have claimed another hockey career.Stewart, out since suffering the sixth concussion of his career on a clean check by Edmonton&rsquo;s Scott. Ferguson Sept. 25, learned he will miss the rest of the season.That was not a surprise.&ldquo;I kind of figured I would be out the rest of the season,&rdquo; Stewart said. &ldquo;But when you actually hear those words, &lsquo;Out for the season,&rsquo; it really hits home.&rdquo;But noted concussion specialist Dr. James Kelly also delivered far worse news. He advised Stewart to retire from hockey.Stewart&rsquo;s father, Roger, a retired doctor, is advising the same.&ldquo;He is endangering his life and his future,&rdquo; Roger Stewart said. &ldquo;I think it would be extremely risky to continue playing.&rdquo;The 5-foot-ll, 196-pounder still cannot skate or work out without headaches and nausea, but he&rsquo;s not ready to announce his retirement just yet.&ldquo;Playing is still something I want to do,&rdquo; said the left winger. &ldquo;I want to wait and see how things go over the next couple of months. If I start feeling better, then I might give it another try There&rsquo;s no need to make a decision right now.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Minnesota&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Wes Walz.Faceoff Specialist: Jim Dowd.Passer: Andrew Brunette.Stickhandler: Marian Gaborik.Shot: Filip Kuba.Shot-blocker: Ladislav Benysek.Defensive Defenseman: Jason Marshall.Bodychecker: Matt Johnson.NOTEBOOK Despite being ninth among non-North American scorers on the day the All-Star Game additions were announced, right winger Marian Gaborik was not named to the team. It&rsquo;s the second straight season the Wild will not have an All-Star Game representative. Gaborik, though, was selected to play in the YoungStars Game for players 25 and younger&hellip;The Wild has announced it is making a bid to host the NHL All-Star Game between 2004 and 2006&hellip;The Wild was shut out for the sixth time this season when Arturs Irbe stopped 22 shots in a 2-0 victory for the Carolina Hurricanes Jan. 15&hellip;The Wild is getting used to the NHL grind. It is 5-5-3-1 in back-to-back games this season, compared to 2-10-0-1 in back-to-back games last year. &#9632;

f0016-02

Stewart may be forced to hang up skates following sixth concussion of career

<div class="byline">-Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011397/7594271-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="222" height="229"></div>The Montreal Canadiens are expected to take steps to make the boards and glass at the Molson Centre less rigid following yet another injury to one of their-players.Defenseman Patrick Traverse suffered a concussion Jan. 10 against the New York Islanders after being taken into the boards by Michael Peca.The hit by Peca was clean and he wasn&rsquo;t penalized, but Traverse lost consciousness for nearly two minutes when his head snapped back and struck the glass. He will be sidelined indefinitely.Team spokesman Donald Beauchamp said changes to the boards and glass that would make them more flexible had been planned for next season and may be moved up to prevent further injuries.The Canadiens led the league in man-games lost to injury the past two seasons.&ldquo;In light of the situation, it&rsquo;s highly possible that adjustments will be made before the end of the season,&rdquo; said Beauchamp, who provided no further details.An NHL injury review committee, headed by former goaltender Dave Dryden, tested the arena&rsquo;s boards and glass last November and recommended that changes be made to make them less rigid.Canadiens center Joe Juneau has described the boards as &ldquo;almost harder than a cement wall.&rdquo;Traverse&rsquo;s injury was expected to open a roster spot on the blueline for Stephane Robidas, but the Canadiens recalled defenseman Francis Bouillon from their American League affiliate in Quebec instead. Robidas eventually returned to the lineup-as a fourth line left winger.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Montreal&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Oleg Petrov.Faceoff Specialist: Yanic Perreault.Passer: Doug Gilmour.Stickhandler: Oleg Petrov.Shot: Brian Savage.Shot-blocker: Craig Rivet.Defensive Defenseman: Karl Dykhuis.Bodychecker: Chad Kilger.NOTEBOOK Goaltender Jose Theodore, who has seized the first-string job from veteran Jeff Hackett, has been named to the North American team for the upcoming All-Star Game. Theodore had a 15-13-5 record in 35 games, along with a 2.15 goals-against average. He recorded his fourth shutout this season Jan. 16 against Washington, blocking 28 shots in a 2-0 win. He&rsquo;ll be joined in Los Angeles by left winger Mike Ribeiro, who will participate in the inaugural YoungStars Game, open to players aged 25 and under who are playing on entry-level contracts. &#9632;

f0017-01

Molson Centre could experience changes after another Hab goes down with injury

<div class="byline">-David Boclair</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021076/7594302-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="238" height="224"></div>David Legwand became the first Predators&rsquo; draft pick to play in 200 NHL games.Unfortunately for the first selection in franchise history, he reached that point Jan. 17, entrenched in the worst scoring slump of his career.Nashville&rsquo;s 3-2 overtime victory over Toronto was Legwand&rsquo;s 18th straight game without a goal. He had just three assists during that scoreless streak and only one in 16 contests.Along the way he had been used in both offensive and defensive roles and shared time with a variety of linemates.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re putting pressure on him to get him out of his funk,&rdquo; said coach Barry Trotz. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s just no magic pill.&rdquo;Twice in 2000-01, Legwand went 15 games between goals.Trotz is quick to point out, though, that last season-Legwand&rsquo;s second in the NHL-the coaches stressed his defensive development.His even plus-minus mark, following the Toronto game, is considered by management as evidence of the lessons learned during that time.Even so, he was picked second overall in 1998 because of his significant offensive potential, which recently has gone unrealized.&ldquo;We need to get him to the next level and he needs to play with a bit more of an edge and use his assets better,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to shake him to the next level. He&rsquo;s gotten a little stale lately and we need to get him going again.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Nashville&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Martin Erat.Faceoff Specialist: Greg Johnson.Passer: Vitali Yachmenev.Stickhandler: Cliff Ronning.Shot: Andy Delmore.Shot-blocker: Karlis Skrastins.Defensive Defenseman: Cale Hulse.Bodychecker: Tom Fitzgerald.NOTEBOOK Scott Walker could miss the rest of the season after experiencing post-concussion symptoms for the third time in less than two months. The right winger was placed on injured reserve Jan. 11 and no timetable was set for his return. &ldquo;I am 100 per-cent certain his health is more important than the team or the game,&rdquo; said GM David Poile&hellip;Halfway through his first full NHL season, 22-year-old center Denis Arkhipov has thrilled coaches with his development. &ldquo;He has taken over that big, dominating center ice role we&rsquo;re looking for,&rdquo; Trotz said&hellip;Through 48 games, defensemen Andy Delmore (eight) and Kimmo Timonen (five) led the Predators in power play goals. &#9632;

f0017-02

Nashville needs Legwand to start scoring; stuck in worst slump of young career

<div class="byline">-Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011438/7594333-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="222" height="261"></div>You get the feeling that Ken Daneyko isn&rsquo;t ready to have his No. 3 retired to the Continental Airlines Arena rafters just yet.Reduced to a part-time role on a team that has struggled, the New Jersey Devils defenseman disputed claims that his performance has slipped.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m no different than I was six months ago when I was one of the key guys in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In five or six months you don&rsquo;t lose your position as a go-to guy,&rdquo; said the 37-year-old after sitting out three of four games as a healthy scratch. &ldquo;For my role and what I do, it&rsquo;s going to take a lot longer (for his game to significantly deteriorate). It&rsquo;s too short of a time.&ldquo;I believe I have two more years left in me after this one. In fact, I know it. I&rsquo;m not injured and I&rsquo;m not banged-up.&rdquo;Daneyko has one more season remaining on his contract, but there was increased speculation that he might not end his career with the Devils, the team for which he his entire NHL career.&ldquo;There is nothing to read into this, other than the six defensemen we have have played well,&rdquo; said GM Lou Lamoriello. &ldquo;No question, when push comes to shove, Kenny will be a very valuable person.&rdquo;It certainly didn&rsquo;t appear that way to Daneyko, who has already missed 14 games.&ldquo;Do I agree with the way things have been handled? Absolutely not,&rdquo; Daneyko said. &ldquo;When the team struggles, it puts pressure on the coaches and they start changing things. I just seemed to take a lot of the brunt this year. That&rsquo;s fine. I&rsquo;m man enough to handle it.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are New Jersey&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Scott Niedermayer.Faceoff Specialist: Bobby Holik.Passer: Scott Gomez.Stickhandler: Scott Gomez.Shot: Jason Arnott.Shot-blocker: Ken Daneyko.Defensive Defenseman: Scott Stevens.Bodychecker: Scott Stevens.NOTEBOOK After losing in overtime to the Tamp Bay Lightning, coach Larry Robinson admitted he had overworked goalie Martin Brodeur, starting him in 43 of the club&rsquo;s first 46 games. Robinson said the Devils&rsquo; slow start meant they didn&rsquo;t have the luxury of playing rookie backup J.F. Damphousse. &#9632;

f0018-01

Veteran Daneyko not ready to retire

<div class="byline">-Peter Botte</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021083/7594364-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="220" height="249"></div>While Mike Milbury hopes to make another big-ticket splash before the March trade deadline, he began the New York Islanders playoff push by adding three veteran forwards to provide depth and toughness.The team signed two former Islanders, forwards Kip Miller and Ted Donato, to free agent contracts for the remainder of the season.A few days earlier, Milbury acquired enforcer Jim Cummins from Anaheim.&ldquo;They were waiting for an opportunity,&rdquo; Milbury said, &ldquo;and here it is.&rdquo;Miller, the 32-year-old brother of Isles assistant coach Kelly Miller, was leading the American League in scoring with 21 goals and 35 assists in 41 games for Grand Rapids. He was a member of the Isles in 1995 and again in 1997-98.Donato, 33, had 13 goals and 32 points in 25 games for AHL Manchester. He is making his second appearance with the Islanders. He had seven goals and 11 assists in 55 games in 1998-99.Cummins-a 6-foot-2,210-pound bruiser who lost his tough guy role with Anaheim to Kevin Sawyer-had been playing for Cincinnati in the AHL this season.The Isles sent minor league winger Dave Roche to the Mighty Ducks.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are the Islanders best players in the following categories:Skater: Shawn Bates.Faceoff Specialist: Michael Peca.Passer: Alexei Yashin.Stickhandler: Mariusz Czerkawski.Shot: Adrian Aucoin, Mark Parrish.Shot-blocker: Kenny Jonsson.Defensive Defenseman: Kenny Jonsson.Bodychecker: Eric Cairns.NOTEBOOK The Islanders will send two players to the NHL All-Star Game for the first time in 14 years. Right winger Mark Parrish, snubbed by the U.S. Olympic team despite 22 goals through Jan. 17, will represent the North American squad. Center Alexei Yashin, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer, will play for the World Team. The last time the Islanders had more than one All-Star Game representative was 1987-88 when Denis Potvin and Pat LaFontaine were named.&hellip;Left winger Raffi Torres was returned to Bridgeport after notching just one assist in 14 NHL games. &#9632;

f0018-02

Isles make moves; add depth with vets

<div class="byline">-Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03766/7594395-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="219" height="244"></div>When the New York Rangers hit mid-season, they were one of the Cinderella stories of the NHL season. They were eight games over .500 and in first place in the Eastern Conference. They looked like a cinch to make the playoffs for the first time in five years.Then Game 42 crashed on them like midnight.Actually, the troubles began in Game 40, even though they would win that one and the next.It was in Game 40 that Eric Lindros suffered a concussion and Theo Fleury would allegedly punch out the San Jose mascot after incurring a match penalty for kneeing.Those two events-Lindros missed the next four games and Fleury admitted that his meltdown was brought about by personal family troubles-plus the prolonged absence of Mark Messier, who had a left rotator cuff injury, greased the Rangers for a mammoth skid.In their first nine games of the second half, and the first nine of 2002, the Rangers were winless, scoreless wonders.They went 0-7-1-1, including a home-and-home series with Columbus in which they suffered a loss and a blown-lead tie.In the nine games, they scored a grand total of 12 goals (four of those in one game), and were shut out three times.Lindros didn&rsquo;t have a point in six games upon his return from concussion No. 7 and, understandably, was playing on the perimeter and away from traffic and Fleury had one point in 11 games.&ldquo;We had a lot of really good scoring chances, more than we&rsquo;ve generated in a long time, and Denis was really good,&rdquo; Rangers coach Ron Low said after his team was shut out 2-0 by Columbus goalie Marc Denis Jan. 16. &ldquo;Or else we were really inept. One of the two.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are the Rangers&rsquo; best players in the following categories:Skater: Radek Dvorak.Faceoff Specialist: Eric Lindros.Passer: Brian Leetch.Stickhandler: Brian Leetch.Shot: Petr Nedved.Shot-blocker: Igor Ulanov.Defensive Defenseman: Sylvain Lefebvre.Bodychecker: Tomas Kloucek.NOTEBOOK Coach Ron Low suffered a 10-stitch cut on top of his head when hit by a Sylvain Lefebvre clearing pass into the bench in Philadelphia Jan. 12. &#9632;

f0018-03

Ranger magic gone; can’t score anymore

<div class="byline">-Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011333/7594426-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="228" height="244"></div>Mike Fisher is having a season to remember.The Ottawa Senators center might only be 21, but when he looks back on 2001-02, he will likely view it as the year he made a breakthrough and showed he could be a valuable player at both ends of the ice.Captain Daniel Alfredsson has been the club&rsquo;s top player, but Fisher isn&rsquo;t far behind. He was passed up for the NHL YoungStars Game, but that doesn&rsquo;t take away from his year.Not only had he established career highs with 13 goals and 21 points through the first 44 games, he also had a plus-eight mark and has been a key to the club&rsquo;s penalty killing units.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s done an outstanding job for us,&rdquo; said Ottawa coach Jacques Martin. &ldquo;You look at the way he&rsquo;s been playing and he&rsquo;s done the job at both ends of the ice.&ldquo;I think if you look at the last (six weeks), he&rsquo;s been one of our best players. Yes, he makes mistakes, but they&rsquo;re made because he&rsquo;s working hard. He always gives the same effort and that&rsquo;s what I like about him.&rdquo;Fisher said the key to his success has been health. He suffered through various injuries his first two seasons.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy with the way it&rsquo;s gone, but it&rsquo;s only halfway through the season,&rdquo; Fisher said. &ldquo;The key is being healthy. But I&rsquo;ve also been given a good opportunity to play and I&rsquo;ve been able to play in a lot of different situations.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Ottawa&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Daniel Alfredsson.Faceoff Specialist: Todd. White.Passer: Wade Redden.Stickhandler: Martin Havlat.Shot: Daniel Alfredsson.Shot-Blocker: Curtis Leschyshyn.Defensive defenseman: Wade Redden.Bodychecker: Zdeno Chara.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Wade Redden was named to the North American squad for the NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles. &ldquo;I was surprised to hear it,&rdquo; Redden said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to just be nice to be part of that whole experience. The All-Star Game is something I&rsquo;ve never been involved in. I hear it&rsquo;s a lot of fun.&rdquo;&hellip;The league passed up on right winger Daniel Alfredsson, who indicated he&rsquo;d like to use the time to rest his sore hip. &#9632;

f0019-01

Senators appreciate Fisher’s contribution

<div class="byline">-Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02988/7594457-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="223" height="226"></div>All it took was two words to get Jeremy Roenick to become a better two-way player.Mike Modano.The Philadelphia Flyers coaching staff keeps reminding Roenick what happened when the Dallas star conceded some of his offense to develop into a more complete performer. That transformation helped the Stars win a Stanley Cup in 1999.Roenick has been seen patrolling both ends of the rink recently and that has been a key factor in the Flyers rise to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.&ldquo;I think J.R., right now, has been a better player than he&rsquo;s been all through (this season),&rdquo; said coach Bill Barber. &ldquo;The reason why I say that is the responsibility aspect he&rsquo;s taken upon himself in our own end.&rdquo;At 32, can an old dog learn new tricks?&ldquo;If I don&rsquo;t, I have to listen to him (Barber) all the time,&rdquo; laughed Roenick, who celebrated his 32nd birthday Jan. 17. &ldquo;I have to take my hat off to the staff, they&rsquo;ve really made it a point to stress my defensive play. After each game, they&rsquo;ve made a tape for me to watch, they&rsquo;ve stressed the importance of giving up some things for other things.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Philadelphia&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Jeremy Roenick.Faceoff Specialist: Keith Primeau.Passer: Jeremy Roenick.Stickhandler: Mark Recchi.Shot: Simon Gagne/Kim Johnsson.Shot-Blocker: Eric Weinrich.Defensive defenseman: Luke Richardson.Bodychecker: Dan McGillis.NOTEBOOK The Flyers who were leading the Eastern Conference when the NHL All-Star Game additions were announced Jan. 17, expressed disappointment that only Jeremy Roenick was named to the team. Roenick felt left winger Simon Gagne and defenseman Kim Johnsson should have received all-star berths. &#9632;

f0019-02

Just repeat after me: ‘I’m Mike Modano’

<div class="byline">-Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04508/7594488-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="651" height="1025"><figcaption class="caption-body">SLOW START Sergei Berezin hasn&rsquo;t found his stride in Phoenix, with just six goals in 38 games. He averaged 25 goals yearly in five seasons with Toronto.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03665/7594495-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="222" height="258"></div>The Phoenix Coyotes are losing their patience with struggling Sergei Berezin, but the slumping left winger is the first to acknowledge he&rsquo;s just as frustrated with his lackluster start.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what else to do,&rdquo; said Berezin, who had just six goals through his first 38 games and only two during a 19-game stretch. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m paid to score goals and it&rsquo;s not happening. I&rsquo;m working as hard as I can, but I just can&rsquo;t seem to get it going.&rdquo;Berezin, acquired from Toronto during the off-season to help offset the loss of Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick, hit rock bottom in early January when he was made a healthy scratch for a home game against Atlanta.At $2.9 million in salary, he became the highest-paid player in Phoenix history to be a healthy scratch.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s never happened to me in my career,&rdquo; said Berezin, who scored 25 or more goals three times in his previous five NHL seasons.Coach Bobby Francis said Berezin just needs to keep working hard.&ldquo;Sergei is a very serious guy,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;I think why he&rsquo;s struggling is because he tries to do too much.&rdquo;.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Phoenix&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Ladislav Nagy.Faceoff specialist: Michal Handzus.Passer: Daymond Langkow.Stickhandler: Daniel Briere.Shot: Shane Shane Doan.Shot-blocker: Danny Markov.Defensive defenseman: Teppo Numminen.Bodychecker: Shane Doan.NOTEBOOK He was snubbed by the Canadian Olympic team, but Coyotes&rsquo; goaltender Sean Burke was named to represent North America for the second straight season in the NHL All-Star Game&hellip;Rookie left winger Krys Kolanos cooled off after a surprisingly hot star, scoring just one goal during a 17-game stretch. &#9632;

f0019-04

Berezin struggles, can’t hit back of net

<div class="byline">-Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011223/7594526-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="222" height="257"></div>Mario Lemieux was beginning to round into shape after missing 24 games with an injured hip. He also made it clear that this season is by no means his farewell tour.&ldquo;I intend to play a few more years,&rdquo; Lemieux said when a reporter in Calgary asked him if this might be his last trip to the Saddledome.Lemieux went out that night and ruined the Flames with a four-point game. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in his first three games back in the lineup. Lemieux and Aleksey Morozov were put on a newly formed line with Dan LaCouture. Morozov responded with a hat trick against Calgary, but it was Lemieux who stole the show. His performance included a number of dazzling passes and an empty-net goal-and it provided a huge ray of hope for Team Canada, which will shoot for its first gold medal in 50 years at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games.Lemieux, of course, is the captain. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been my goal since the beginning of the season to be in top form by the middle of February, in time for the Olympics,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m shooting for.&rdquo;The day before the Calgary game, Lemieux was chosen as the sole Penguins representative for the All-Star Game. Several top players let it be known they weren&rsquo;t interested in playing, but Lemieux is looking forward to it.&ldquo;For me, it&rsquo;s an easy decision,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have too many All-Star Games left. It&rsquo;s always a good time, to have a chance to play with the best players in the world, and it&rsquo;s only a couple of days.&ldquo;Although it&rsquo;s pretty hectic, you&rsquo;re able to relax a little bit, bring your family, your kids and enjoy the two days. Although it&rsquo;s so close to the Olympics, I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s going to have a major effect on the players.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Pittsburgh&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Alexei Kovalev.Faceoff Specialist: Jan Hrdina.Passer: Mario Lemieux.Stickhandler: Alexei Kovalev.Shot: Alexei Kovalev.Shot-blocker: Hans Jonsson.Defensive Defenseman: Josef Melichar.Bodychecker: Darius Kasparaitus.NOTEBOOK Left winger Kevin Stevens, who left the team before a game Jan. 10 in Buffalo, was mulling retirement. Stevens was frustrated with his reduced role&hellip;Right winger Eric Meloche, son of goaltending coach Gilles Meloche, had a game-high six hits in his NHL debut versus Vancouver Jan. 15. &#9632;

f0020-01

Lemieux on track for Olympic assignment after reappearance of old puck magic

<div class="byline">-Derrick Goold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02859/7594557-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="220" height="250"></div>On the day a box carrying his Team USA star-spangled skates arrived, St. Louis winger Scott Young took the second of many steps back toward playing when he eased into the driver&rsquo;s seat of his car.Young, whose left retina tore when San Jose&rsquo;s Shawn Heins lifted his stick blade into it, was cleared to drive Jan. 17, two days after he had patches removed from both eyes. Vision out of his left eye is still blurry, Young said, but he felt a return to the Blues&rsquo; lineup was in sight.&ldquo;I feel good, really good,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;My vision is a little off, but overall, it shouldn&rsquo;t be too long.&rdquo;Young injured his eye Jan. 8 and two days later had laser surgery to correct the damage. He then spent several days wearing patches over both eyes and could do little more than sit and listen to music. His target date for a return is Feb. 5, after the All-Star Game but enough time to skate into shape for his spot on the U.S. Olympic team.The injury cut Young&rsquo;s hottest scoring stretch of the season. He had scored in three consecutive games and had six goals in the previous seven games.Since bagging an empty-netter Nov. 29, Young thrived on Doug Weight&rsquo;s line, scoring nine of his 15 goals.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough blow,&rdquo; Blues coach Joel Quenneville said. &ldquo;Scotty had everything going in the right direction. He was hot as a firecracker.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are St. Louis&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Pavol Demitra.Faceoff Specialist: Mike Eastwood.Passer: Doug Weight.Stickhandler: Doug Weight.Shot: Al Maclnnis.Shot-blocker: Jeff FinleyDefensive Defenseman: Chris Pronger.Bodychecker: Dallas Drake.NOTEBOOK The Blues won their first seven games following the return of right winger Scott Mellanby, who missed four games while attending to his ailing mother. She passed away in late December. On his return, Mellanby had eight points (three goals, five assists) in a three-game span and 11 points in the seven-game winning streak&hellip;Left winger Keith Tkachuk was not selected to play in the All-Star Game despite having 23 goals and 46 points. Defenseman Al MacInnis wasn&rsquo;t chosen either, breaking a string of seven consecutive selections. MacInnis was third in fan voting for North American defenseman&hellip;Center Cory Stillman has &ldquo;completely turned his season around,&rdquo; said coach Joel Quenneville after Stillman&rsquo;s five goals in four games from Jan. 5-12. &#9632;

f0020-02

Recovering Young back in the driver’s seat, eyes early-February for return to lineup

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01983/7594588-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"></div><h2>NORTH AMERICA</h2>Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy have a shot at a perfect 10 that is, the 52nd NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles Feb. 2 will be their 10th midseason classic. Meantime, seven North Americans will be making their first appearance. North American all-stars are listed with team, All-Star Game appearances (ASG) and 2001-02 statistics. &#9632;

f0021-01

2002 All-Star Game

<div class="byline">By Tom Wheatley</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011067/7594685-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rob Blake Colorado Avalanche (Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div>A year ago, Rob Blake went to the All-Star Game in Denver surrounded by reporters and uncertainty. He was the lame-duck captain of the Los Angeles Kings, a 10-year linchpin on defense for the NHL team that drafted him.The Kings, citing irreconcilable differences, had put him on the trade market rather than meet his rising price on the upcoming free agent market.On the personal side, his wife, a lifelong Angelino fond of sun and surf, was pregnant with their first child.A year later, Blake returns to L.A. for the All-Star Game wearing a Colorado Avalanche helmet, a Stanley Cup ring and the coveted title of Dad, thanks to his four-month-old son.&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be interesting to go back there,&rdquo; said Blake, chuckling at his own understatement. &ldquo;You spend that many years there, you&rsquo;re set up with pretty good connections and everything. So it&rsquo;ll be difficult. But I&rsquo;m looking forward to it.&rdquo;Blake already faced a homecoming test in last year&rsquo;s playoffs when the Kings took the Avs to seven games in the second round. Forward Adam Deadmarsh and defenseman Aaron Miller, rugged customers obtained for Blake, helped lead the push, while Blake was booed relentlessly by his former fans at Staples Center.&ldquo;I expected it,&rdquo; Blake said, &ldquo;but I don&rsquo;t think you&rsquo;re ever prepared. I&rsquo;m sure I&rsquo;ll hear it again. The hardest part of that series was probably the booing.&rdquo;Blake set himself up for that venom by coming off as greedy in his quest for free agency He re-upped with Colorado just before the July 1 emancipation date for free agents, signing a deal that averages over $9 million per year, a raise of over $4 million on his Kings&rsquo; ransom.Obviously, since he stayed with Colorado, free agency was not as important to him as he let on a year ago.&ldquo;The whole time, all the way through the season, my only goal was to stay in L.A. if I could,&rdquo; Blake said. &ldquo;When that didn&rsquo;t work out, there was no way I wanted to rush into anything. I wanted to make sure I found the right situation. Fortunately, the way it worked out I got to stay in Colorado.&rdquo;The transition was virtually seamless. Blake stepped onto a blueline that already had Ray Bourque and Adam Foote and a team with superb depth.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re not leading a lot of games, you have to try to do more,&rdquo; said Blake, reflecting on his time in L.A. &ldquo;You have to try to get in the play When you&rsquo;re a defenseman who plays a lot, when you&rsquo;re up to 30 minutes a game, it gets hard to have enough energy to do that.&ldquo;Then I come to Colorado last year. I&rsquo;m back down to 25 to 27 minutes a game and we&rsquo;re usually up. When you&rsquo;re up 3-2 or 4-2 going into the third, the pressure is off to take off and join the play every time. You end up staying back and playing a more patient game.&ldquo;You really press when you&rsquo;re down and you&rsquo;re going to get caught up the ice. If it looks like you&rsquo;re doing too much when you&rsquo;re down a goal you are trying to do that.&rdquo;Blake kept his discipline even as the Avs struggled early this season. Bourque retired, Foote has had injury problems much of the season, underrated defenseman Jon Klemm signed with Chicago and center Peter Forsberg is out for the year.But Blake has persevered and is having another brilliant campaign. He ranked fourth among defensemen with 11 goals and 32 points in 44 games.&ldquo;Is he having a Norris caliber-season? &ldquo;I think so,&rdquo; said Blues&rsquo; scout Bob Plager. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s probably one of the best shots from the blueline. He&rsquo;s very dangerous every time he gets the puck. You&rsquo;ve got to watch him, too, when you&rsquo;re on the ice with the puck. He&rsquo;s one of the best open-ice hitters.&rdquo;Blake, who usually plays alongside Martin Skoula, gives coach Bob Hartley high marks for keeping the depleted team together.&ldquo;He gets a lot out of the players by not letting them off the hook,&rdquo; Blake said. &ldquo;He gets on us, but he gets the most out of us.&ldquo;He knows that we have depth and that to win the Stanley Cup, you&rsquo;ve got to be able to play with injuries. You might as well learn how during the season.&rdquo;Meanwhile, the hockey world learned not to trust conventional wisdom, such as the belief that Blake would take less money to stay in L.A.&ldquo;You know what?&rdquo; Blake mused. &ldquo;I told my wife, &lsquo;I think we&rsquo;ve got the best of both worlds. In the wintertime, we get the mountains and in the summer time we get the beach when we head back to L.A.&rsquo;&ldquo;She was real good about it. She kind of wanted to see what was out there, too. She told me, &lsquo;We can always come back to L.A. if we want when our career&rsquo;s over. Let&rsquo;s see what&rsquo;s out there.&rsquo;&rdquo;And she can always bring earplugs to those return matches at Staples Center. &#9633; &#9632;

f0026-01

King-sized homecoming

<div class="byline">By Doug Ward</div>Twenty-one years ago, Dave Taylor was a participant the last time the NHL All-Star Game was played in Los Angeles. Now 45 and GM of the Kings, Taylor won&rsquo;t be playing in this year&rsquo;s contest, but he will be busier than he was back in 1981.That&rsquo;s because the NHL&rsquo;s all-star festivities, which used to essentially begin and end with the game itself, now feature four days of ancillary events, culminating with North America facing off against the World Feb. 3. Taylor said he plans on attending all the events.&ldquo;Back in 1981,&rdquo; Taylor said, &ldquo;there was a formal dinner the night before the game, then we played the game itself. That was it. Now there&rsquo;s so much to see and do that we&rsquo;ll have fans from all over the world attending. It&rsquo;s almost like it&rsquo;s all-star week in Los Angeles.&rdquo;Taylor&rsquo;s Kings and the NHL will co-host the proceedings, which range from spectator events at the Staples Center to the popular interactive activities at the NHL All-Star FANtasy inside the Los Angeles Convention Center.The Inaugural Topps/NHL YoungStars Game, spotlighting players age 25 and younger will be played Feb. 1 at Staples Center. It will be followed by the Dodge/NHL SuperSkills competition.Taylor will be among the participants in the All-Star Celebrity Challenge Jan. 30. Producers David E. Kelley and Jerry Bruckheimer will serve as captains for the game in which Cuba Gooding Jr., Kiefer Sutherland and Denis Leary, among others, are scheduled to compete.Back in 1981, the Forum in Inglewood (capacity 16,005) hosted the game. That aging facility has since been replaced by the $350-million state-of-the-art, 18,118-seat Staples Center. The arena&rsquo;s location, adjacent to the L.A. Convention Center, will make for easy intermingling among fans attending both the All-Star FANtasy and the game or skills competition.On Feb. 1, the gold medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic team will re-unite to compete against a team of NHL Legends on the Center Ice Rink inside the convention center. With the exception of Mark Pavelich, every member of the &ldquo;Miracle on Ice&rdquo; team has committed to attend, making it the most comprehensive gathering of the team since they parted ways following a reception at the White House after the 1980 Olympics.With so many spectator-friendly attractions surrounding the All-Star Game, Taylor said attending the event as a fan is almost as much fun as playing in it. Almost.Taylor fondly remembers when he took the ice in 1981 alongside Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer, his Triple Crown linemates, as a unit.&ldquo;The three of us were introduced as a line instead of individually,&rdquo; Taylor recalled. &ldquo;We skated out to center ice together and we got a tremendous ovation from the L.A. fans. It&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ll never forget.&rdquo;This year Ziggy Palffy and Jaroslav Modry of the Kings will, no doubt, experience a similar once-in-a-lifetime thrill when they&rsquo;re introduced to the fans at Staples Center. &#9633; &#9632;

Big changes from last time L.A. hosted

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011018/7594747-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="739" height="1445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Modano (BBS)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02662/7594740-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="358" height="385"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Burnside&nbsp;Columnist</figcaption></div>First hockey&rsquo;s supreme cornmanders act like a Vietnam-era draft board, threatening its best players with suspension and fines if they don&rsquo;t answer the bell for the annual All-Star Game schmoozefest. Then, rather than risk a showdown, (or a photo-op of Curtis Joseph and Mike Modano in leg-irons grimly signing autographs in Los Angeles) the NHL backs off, leaving some of the game&rsquo;s best off the list, tacitly acknowledging what to many is self-evident-holding an All-Star Game this year is lunacy.Joseph (22 wins, third in the NHL), Modano (26 goals, tied for second in NHL goal-scoring) and Daniel Alfredsson, a top-10 point-getter, all acknowledged they did not want to play in the Feb. 2 All-Star Game in Los Angeles, given that it comes less than two weeks before the start of the Salt Lake City Olympics. Oddly enough, they were left off the rosters selected by the NHL.It&rsquo;s not that Tomas Kaberle (21st in defensemen scoring) or Jere Lehtinen (82nd in NHL scoring) or Jose Theodore (18th in wins) are necessarily unworthy of playing in the affair. But like it or not, there is now the feeling this is a party everyone&rsquo;s parents have made them attend, even though they&rsquo;d rather be elsewhere.From the league&rsquo;s point of view, there was no getting around it. All-star weekend is a fertile field where sponsors must be tilled and cash harvested. A look at the NHL&rsquo;s website clearly illustrates the lay of the land; the 52nd All-Star Game, &ldquo;presented by Nextel&rdquo;: NHL All-Star FANtasy, &ldquo;presented by Nextel&rdquo;; &ldquo;Topps/NHL YoungStars Game&rdquo;; All-Star Celebrity Challenge, &ldquo;presented by Microsoft Windows XP&rdquo;; An Allstate Insurance Co.-sponsored exhibition game featuring members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team; &ldquo;NHL Alumni RBC All-Star Awards Dinner.&rdquo;And to be fair, many of these events raise money for good causes. The 2000 All-Star Game netted about $500,000 for NHL charities. Last year it was $700,000.It was also a year ago at the All-Star Game that U.S. Olympic coach Herb Brooks sounded a warning bell, asking the NHL to either cancel the 2002 game or change the format to allow Olympic teams to use the break to prepare. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, however, remained steadfast. Shutting down NHL play for 12 days to accommodate the Salt Lake City Games-five fewer days than it did for the 1998 Olympics in Nagano-was as far as the league was prepared to go.But all-star tinkering has been done in past, most recently in 1998 when the NHL adopted the World versus North America format.So why couldn&rsquo;t the league have gone a step further this year with the Olympics in the NHL&rsquo;s backyard? Why not have a mini-tournament featuring any of the Olympic teams interested in competing? Think fans would have balked at watching exhibitions between the Russians and Czechs, Canada and the U.S., Sweden and Finland?Imagine a series of 30minute games and workouts with teams playing two or three times in a day. Doesn&rsquo;t that sound more enticing than the shinny on tap for Feb. 2? Surely fans would shell out to watch Mario Lemieux doing 3-on-2s with Paul Kariya and Joe Sakic as readily as they would for the lame skills show now on the agenda.Did fans miss the no-hit, no-passion all-star extravaganza in 1979 when the NHL sanctioned the Challenge Cup series with the Soviets? Or again when Rendez-Vous &rsquo;87 featured real international competition?Last year an all-star record 26 goals were scored. No penalties were called, no checks thrown. Pavel Bure left in the middle of the third period. Almost everybody missed Simon Gagne&rsquo;s goal: ABC was in a commercial break.The first &ldquo;all-stars&rdquo; game took place in 1934 in Toronto as a benefit for injured Maple Leaf great Ace Bailey. There is no indication league czars were prepared then to throw their players in the brig if they didn&rsquo;t show up. &#9633; &#9632;

f0027-01

Olympic tune-up makes more sense

<div class="byline">By Bob Duff</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011052/7594778-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Star among stars&nbsp;Mario Lemieux, seen here celebrating in front of a fallen Mike Vernon in 1988, set an All-Star Game record that year with six points, including two goals. (Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div>Bobby Orr&rsquo;s spectacular Stanley Cup-winning overtime goal. Rocket Richard&rsquo;s five-goal performance against Toronto. Ray Bourque winning his first championship in his farewell game.Stanley Cup memories flow freely. But switch to the NHL All-Star Game and magical moments aren&rsquo;t as easily recounted, perhaps because fans aren&rsquo;t as likely to devote grey matter to games which don&rsquo;t matter in the standings.That doesn&rsquo;t mean the stars haven&rsquo;t shone when gathered on this mid-season stage. There are defining moments in All-Star Game history.These are a few of them:FEB. 5,1980 AT DETROITWales Conference 6, Campbell Conference 3The newly opened Joe Louis Arena played host to the NHL All-Star Game and a rekindling of the love affair between Hockeytown and Mr. Hockey.Back in the NHL with the Hartford Whalers, Gordie Howe, 51, a Red Wing from 1946 though 1971, was added to the Wales team by coach Scotty Bowman and was afforded a two-minute standing ovation by an adoring Detroit crowd of 21,002, an NHL All-Star Game record.&ldquo;It meant everything to be back in the home town again,&rdquo; said Howe, who set up Real Cloutier for the game&rsquo;s final goal.JAN. 24, 1999 AT TAMPA BAYNorth America 8, World 6In the lore of Canadiana, the word &ldquo;car&rdquo; calls a halt to a road hockey games to make way for passing motorists.In the storied career of Wayne Gretzky, &ldquo;car&rdquo; meant it was time to make more room in the driveway.Scoring once and setting up two goals in his 18th and final NHL All-Star Game appearance, The Great One added another vehicle to his collection when he was selected the game&rsquo;s most valuable player. &ldquo;In my 20year career, I&rsquo;ve won so many cars, 16 or 17, and I&rsquo;ve never kept one,&rdquo; said Gretzky afterwards. &ldquo;This one, I&rsquo;m going to keep.&rdquo;JAN. 19, 1991 AT CHICAGOCampbell Conference 11, Wales Conference 5With the Gulf War raging in the Middle East, patriotic Americans paid homage to Old Glory during a stirring rendition of the U.S. national anthem.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d never seen so many American flags in one location,&rdquo; remembered Vincent Damphousse, whose four-goal performance earned him MVP honors. &ldquo;The old Chicago Stadium was always loud, but I&rsquo;d never heard it as loud as it was that afternoon.&ldquo;You could turn to the guy next to you and scream as loud as you could and he wouldn&rsquo;t have heard you.&ldquo;You had chills running down your spine. It was a very emotional moment for everyone who was there, the sort of thing you&rsquo;ll never forget.&rdquo;FEB. 9, 1988 AT ST. LOUISWales Conference 6, Campbell Conference 5En route to his first NHL scoring title, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mario Lemieux paused along the way to put his stamp on the NHL All-Star Game.Lemieux scored a hat trick, figuring in all six goals for the Wales Conference to set an NHL All-Star Game record for points.&ldquo;Mario Lemieux was the whole story,&rdquo; said Wales coach Mike Keenan.Lemieux was at a loss to explain his brilliance.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what I do or how I do it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just do it naturally.&rdquo;JAN. 18, 1967 AT MONTREALMontreal Canadiens 3, NHL All-Stars 0Recalled from Quebec of the American League three days earlier to replace the injured Gump Worsley, minor league goalie Garry Bauman figured he would idle on the bench while starter Charlie Hodge fended off the NHL&rsquo;s best.&ldquo;Just before the start of the second, (Canadiens coach) Toe Blake came over and said, &ldquo;Okay kid, you&rsquo;re in,&rdquo; Bauman recalled.Facing a lineup which included 13 future Hall of Famers, Bauman blocked all10 shots he faced. &ldquo;I remember their starting forward line for that period was Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Gordie Howe,&rdquo; Bauman said.Hodge made 25 saves in the other two frames as the Habs posted the only shutout in NHL All-Star Game history. &#9633; &#9632;

f0028-01

All-Star memories

<div class="byline">-Bob Duff</div>Vincent Damphousse&rsquo;s nod as the starting center for the North American team in the Feb. 2 NHL All-Star Game at the Staples Center is a testament to his popularity with San Jose Sharks fans-and to the power of Steve Yzerman.Determined ballot-stuffing by Sharks supporters gave Damphousse-17th among North American centers in scoring, with 34 points through Jan. 16-a slight edge over Yzerman, who went public with his lack of desire to participate in the mid-season classic.Part of Canada&rsquo;s Olympic squad, Yzerman sought a break from the demanding schedule and got his wish. His vote total of 80,858 finished second to the 89,139 cast for Damphousse, who&rsquo;s slated to play in his first NHL All-Star Game in a decade. He was added to last season&rsquo;s North American team, but injury sidelined him.&ldquo;It has been a long time,&rdquo; said Damphousse, thanking San Jose&rsquo;s fans. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re loyal and they support the team.&rdquo;The most obvious evidence of ballot-stuffing came during Rendezvous &rsquo;87 in Quebec, when local fans made Nordiques goalie Clint Malarchuk the leading vote-getter for the NHL all-stars for the two games against the Soviet National team, over the likes of Patrick Roy and Grant Fuhr.Fan balloting to determine starters began in 1986 and is among many alterations the NHL All-Star Game has undergone since its 1933 berth as a benefit game for injured Toronto center Ace Bailey It became an annual affair in 1947, with league all-stars opposing the reigning Stanley Cup champions through 1968, except for a two-season stint in 1951 and &rsquo;52, which saw the first- and second-team all-stars from the previous season play each other.Expansion in 1967 led to an East-West divisional showdown that commenced in 1969. The game switched to a conference battle in 1974-75-Wales versus Campbell through 1993, then East versus West, following realignment in 1994.In 1979 and 1987, the All-Star Game was replaced by NHL-Soviet showdowns. The current North American versus the World format was adopted in 1998. &#9632;

Damphousse gets stuffed

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02714/7594833-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="299" height="298"></div>The city of Los Angeles hosts the 2002 NHL All-Star Game with a new twist. The familiar format of North America versus the World and the skills competition remain, but the Heroes of Hockey game has been replaced by the YoungStars game for NHL players aged are 25-and-under. The game will be played in a 4-on-4 format.DATE Saturday, Feb. 2, 3 p.m. (EST), Staples Center, Los Angeles.COACHES North America Coach: Pat Quinn, Toronto Maple Leafs; Assistant: Robbie Ftorek, Boston Bruins.World Coach: Scotty Bowman, Detroit Red Wings; Assistant: Brian Sutter, Chicago Blackhawks.TELEVISION ABC (Gary Thorne, Bill Clement, John Saunders, John Davidson, Barry Melrose, Darren Pang, Brian Engblom).CBC (Bob Cole, Ron MacLean, Harry Neale, Scott Oake, Scott Russell).Societe Radio Canada (Michel Bergeron, Jean Page, Rene Pothyer, Claude Quenneville).NHL Productions&rsquo; world feed will be broadcast to more than 170 countries around the world (Dave Strader, Joe Micheletti).YOUNGSTARS GAME & SKILLS COMPETITION Friday, Feb. 1, 9 p.m. (EST).ESPN (Gary Thorne, Barry Melrose; rinkside: Brian Engblom, Bill Clement, Darren Pang).10 p.m. (EST) SRC (skills competition; Michel Bergeron, Jean Page, Rene Pothyer, Claude Quenneville).11 p.m. (local, tape-delayed; repeat: Feb. 2,9:30 a.m. EST). CBC (Ron MacLean, Chris Cuthbert, Greg Millen, Kelly Hrudey; rinkside: Scott Russell, Scott Oake).ALL-STAR BREAK The NHL season is interrupted for four days to facilitate all-star weekend. There will be 420 games left after the break, 34 per cent of the 2001-02 schedule. &#9632;

f0028-02

2002 NHL All-Star Game guide

<div class="byline">-Ross McKeon</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06194/7594864-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="732" height="1081"><figcaption class="caption-body">SHARK ATTACK With 10 points in 18 games, defense-minded Mike Rathje was showing he could be a force at both ends. (BBS)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01934/7594871-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="223" height="251"></div>The San Jose Sharks and Teemu Selanne remain true to their word. There apparently are no plans to talk about a contract extension before the season ends.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s an expectation we would do it before the year is out,&rdquo; said Selanne&rsquo;s agent, Don Baizley &ldquo;And I think that&rsquo;s the consensus on both sides.&rdquo;Selanne, 31 and eligible for unrestricted free-agent status July 1, is in the final year of a contract that pays him $9.5 million this season, $3 million of which is still being paid by Anaheim. Assuming Selanne is not dealt before the trade deadline, the Sharks risk losing him for nothing more than compensatory draft picks.&ldquo;If they (the Sharks) like us and he (Selanne) likes them, we&rsquo;ll find a way to get this done,&rdquo; Baizley said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll know a lot more about that when it&rsquo;s all over.&rdquo;Baizley dined recently in Denver with Selanne, who scored his team-high fourth game-winning goal during a 1-0 overtime win over Colorado Jan. 15. It was Selanne&rsquo;s 15th goal in 45 games and just his second in a 13-game stretch.&ldquo;It hasn&rsquo;t been a banner year, and we&rsquo;re hoping there&rsquo;s a better second half for him&hellip;He&rsquo;d like to be contributing more,&rdquo; Baizley said.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are San Jose&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Patrick Marleau.Faceoff Specialist: Vincent Damphousse.Passer: Niklas Sundstrom.Stickhandler: Vincent Damphousse.Shot: Owen Nolan.Shot-blocker: Marcus Ragnarsson.Defensive Defenseman: Mike RathjeBodychecker: Owen Nolan.NOTEBOOK Goalie Evgeni Nabokov, already the franchise&rsquo;s career leader in shutouts, got his 12th Jan. 15 against Colorado. &#9632;

f0029-06

No contract talk for Selanne, Sharks

<div class="byline">-Damian Cristodero</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02614/7594902-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="221" height="250"></div>The next stretch in the Tampa Bay Lightning&rsquo;s schedule could be their ticket to the playoffs or a signal to start booking tee times.Going into a Jan. 18 game against Chicago, the Lightning was eight points out of a playoff spot in the East. Its next 12 games were all against Eastern Conference foes and six were against teams also in the thick of the post-season battle-Montreal, New Jersey, Buffalo and two against Washington.No one had to tell the players what it meant to their season.&ldquo;This is huge,&rdquo; said center Brad Richards. &ldquo;This is make or break.&ldquo;Our schedule before the allstar break is a setup to see where we&rsquo;re at, to see if we still have a look to be in the hunt,&rdquo; said coach John Tortorella.&ldquo;I do think you still need to take it game by game, but the month of January is: Where are you going to be after the all-star break? Are you in the hunt or maybe on the outside looking in?&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Tampa Bay&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Brian Holzinger.Faceoff Specialist: Tim Taylor.Passer: Brad Richards.Stickhandler: Martin St. Louis.Shot: Fredrik Modin.Shot-blocker: Pavel Kubina.Defensive Defenseman: Jassen Cullimore.Bodychecker: Jassen Cullimore.NOTEBOOK Going into a Feb. 18 home game against Chicago, goalie Nikolai Khabibulin had stopped 124 of the past 131 shots he faced for a save percentage of .947. His overall .934 SP continued to lead all NHL goalies&hellip;With series of injuries dropping the roster to 20 players, Tampa Bay recalled right winger Nikita Alexeev from American League Springfield&hellip;Zdeno Ciger was switched from left wing to right wing and-responded with three goals (including the game winner) in a 5-4 OT win over New Jersey Jan. 15. &#9632;

f0029-02

Crucial match-ups key to Bolts’ fate

<div class="byline">-Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03409/7594933-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="222" height="253"></div>Pat Quinn is the only NHL executive to hold the dual roles of coach and GM and it could very well be that way for three more years.Quinn formally agreed to a three-year contract extension Jan. 15 which will reportedly pay him $2 million (U.S.) in each of the next two seasons and $2.5 million in 2004-05. The framework of the contract had been in place for months, but there appeared to be disagreement between Quinn and president Ken Dryden over who would choose Quinn&rsquo;s successor as GM if he decided to relinquish one of his titles.Quinn and Dryden were purposely vague when the deal was announced, but it&rsquo;s roundly believed that Quinn got his way and will choose the GM if he sees fit.When asked whether he would continue both portfolios, Quinn said, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s possible, at least for the length of the current extension.&rdquo;The contract extension cemented Quinn&rsquo;s status as the top man in the hockey department. While he leans heavily on assistant Bill Watters for contract negotiations and director of player personnel Mike Penny for scouting, it&rsquo;s clear that Quinn retains the final approval on anything related to the on-ice product.&ldquo;(Quinn) is the guy making the hockey decisions,&rdquo; Dryden said. &ldquo;That has been the case since he took on both jobs and that hasn&rsquo;t changed.&rdquo;The focus now turns to goalie Curtis Joseph, who stands to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Leafs and Joseph&rsquo;s agent, Don Meehan, have had talks but no formal offers have been presented.BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Toronto&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Alexander Mogilny.Faceoff Specialist: Mats Sundin.Passer: Alexander Mogilny.Stickhandler: Mats Sundin.Shot: Mats Sundin.Shot-blocker: Dmitry Yushkevich.Defensive Defenseman: Dmitry Yushkevich.Bodychecker: Darcy Tucker.NOTEBOOK With Toronto&rsquo;s 3-2 overtime loss to Nashville Jan. 17, the Leafs were winless in four games for the first time this season. They were held to two goals or fewer in three straight games against non-playoff teams. &#9632;

f0029-03

Leaf boss Quinn signs on for more

<div class="byline">-Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04283/7594964-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="220" height="243"></div>Trent Klatt, the Vancouver Canucks undisputed sparkplug early in the season, ended weeks of anxiety with a successful return to the lineup against Pittsburgh in mid-January.The gritty right winger had been sidelined since Nov. 17 with a painful abdominal strain eventually diagnosed as an inflammation of the pubic joint. Luckily for both Klatt and the Canucks, an expert in dealing with the injury was right under their collective noses.Physiotherapist Alex McKechnie, whose office is located in the Canucks&rsquo; practice facility in suburban Burnaby, had previously worked with the likes of Paul Kariya and NBA star Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal when they were suffering from the same problem. Klatt spent six weeks rehabilitating with McKechnie, doing a variety of innovative rubberband exercises that strengthened his pelvic floor.Klatt pronounced the therapy program a success when he was able to play without pain or complications.&ldquo;I was pretty nervous about the first game back,&rdquo; Klatt said. &ldquo;More than anything, I just wanted to feel where I was at. It was pretty emotional. I wanted to come back at home. I wanted to have that extra emotion with the home crowd.&rdquo;Klatt was eager to find out how he would feel the morning after, especially absorbing a huge hit from Pittsburgh defenseman Darius Kasparaitis.&ldquo;If there were going to be problems, I would have felt it in the morning and I certainly didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo; Klatt said, &ldquo;So I&rsquo;m really optimistic that the problem has been solved.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Vancouver&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Ed Jovanovski.Faceoff specialist: Trevor Linden.Passer: Andrew Cassels.Stickhandler: Markus Naslund.Shot: Markus Naslund.Shot-blocker: Murray Baron.Defensive Defenseman: Scott Lachance.Bodychecker: Matt Cooke.NOTEBOOK Goalie Dan Cloutier returned to the team Jan. 12 after missing two games due to a serious illness in his family&hellip;Captain right winger Markus Naslund will make his third appearance in the All-Star Game and defenseman Ed Jovanovski his second straight. &#9632;

f0029-04

Home-spun therapy curing care for Klatt

<div class="byline">-Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05235/7594995-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="224" height="251"></div>The need to make due with available manpower has forced coach Ron Wilson to use a system he first came across years ago when playing for Davos in Switzerland.It is actually a variation of the system he had been using-two forechecking wingers, a center in the very high slot and two defensemen. Now, Wilson has substituted mobile, defense-minded players such as Sergei Gonchar, Ken Klee and Dainius Zubrus for the center in the high slot, and he rotates personnel on the ice individually instead of in pairs.It has produced some of the desired results. It has slowed down faster teams, which is a must for the plodding Caps. It has reduced odd-man rushes to almost nothing and significantly cut goalie Olie Koizig&rsquo;s work load.On the other hand, it also vastly reduces Washington&rsquo;s offensive opportunities.Wilson was forced to use the system when the Caps found themselves with 10 forwards and eight defensemen and a full house on injured reserve, leaving no room for recalls. It produced a 3-0-1 record before the Caps lost 2-0 to Montreal Jan. 16.It is not the most exciting brand of hockey to watch, which Wilson freely admits, but he said that was the least of his worries. He doesn&rsquo;t anticipate using the system once the Caps are returned to full health.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see a column in the standings for exciting play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;All I see is one for wins and one for points. That&rsquo;s the most important thing.&rdquo;BEST BY CATEGORY Here are Washington&rsquo;s best players in the following categories:Skater: Peter Bondra.Faceoff Specialist: Adam Oates.Passer: Adam Oates.Stickhandler: Jaromir Jagr.Shot: Sergei Gonchar.Shot-blocker: Joe Sacco-Brendan Witt.Defensive Defenseman: Frank Kucera.Bodychecker: Brendan Witt-Ken Klee.NOTEBOOK Right winger Jaromir Jagr&rsquo;s latest health problem is a strained groin. He had been using acupuncture trying to ease the pain, but had missed four games and counting as of Jan. 17&hellip;Veteran defenseman Joe Reekie was traded to Chicago for a draft pick as the Caps try to get younger and faster. &#9632;

f0029-05

Innovative strategy dull but effective

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011047/7595026-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div>NHL depth charts are latest line combinations and defense pairingsIncluded are restricted free agents (**).Rookies are denoted on team scoring page. &#9632;

f0030-01

NHL DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>Kip Miller figured his days of yearning for an NHL recall were long behind him, that three seasons of solid play with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim had ensured his job security.But when it came time to sign another NHL contract this past summer, no one was asking for his signature.&ldquo;There was just nothing&hellip;and I mean nothing anywhere,&rdquo; said Miller, 32. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s aggravating because you think after two 40-point (NHL) seasons, you&rsquo;ve proven you can play.&rdquo;Instead, Miller starred for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the first half of 2001-02, after they signed him to an American League pact in the off-season. Then, Miller&rsquo;s NHL goal was realized Jan. 16 when he signed with the Islanders for the rest of the year and joined the team.Before his call-up, he used a torrid month to overtake Hamilton&rsquo;s Brian Swanson for the AHL scoring lead in mid-January and he was clearly the first-half MVP in the West. He&rsquo;s a starter for PlanetUSA in the Feb. 14 AHL All-Star Classic in St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01966/7595057-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="274" height="349"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kip Miller</figcaption></div>Miller set a Griffins record with six points (two goals) against the Chicago Wolves Jan. 10, but that was just part of his heroics, which included 15 goals and 34 points in a 17-game span.He went on his hot streak without Petr Schastlivy, his line&rsquo;s triggerman for the first 2-1/2 months of the season. Schastlivy was recalled by the Ottawa Senators, where he suffered a season-ending knee injury in December.&ldquo;When Schastlivy was here, Kip was passing to him,&rdquo; said Griffins coach Bruce Cassidy. &ldquo;Now he&rsquo;s shooting the puck a lot more now. He&rsquo;s just so important to our team. He sets the table so well for everyone around him.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0031-01

Miller racks up points before recall

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>The Philadelphia Phantoms are living up to their pre-season billing as a Calder Cup favorite.The 19-9-8-4 Phantoms were tagged the No. 2 team in the American League behind the Houston Aeros in THN&rsquo;s season preview. Philadelphia was tied with Hamilton at mid-season with 50 points in 40 games. The Cup-favorite Aeros were trundling along just five games over .500.The following are first-half award favorites.TOP ROOKIE&nbsp;Tyler Arnason, C, Norfolk.The enigma is becoming the rising star. Arnason, who was good at St. Cloud State, but never had the drive to unleash his full potential, is showing total commitment to the AHL Admirals. Arnason, whose father, Chuck, played 401 NHL games for eight teams, led Norfolk in scoring with 17 goals and 40 points in 41 games.TOP DEFENSEMAN&nbsp;John Slaney, Philadelphia.Slaney, 28, led the Phantoms in scoring with 14 goals and 42 points in 42 games. He also had the best plus/minus (plus-17) on the best team in the Western Conference. His five game winning goals are an AHL-high this season.TOP GOALIE&nbsp;Neil Little, Philadelphia.While Slaney has provided scoring, glitz and even grit on the blueline, Little has been just as good in goal. He had the lowest goals-against average among starters in pro hockey until it ballooned in mid-January-to 1.97.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02631/7595095-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="242" height="245"></div>ALL-STAR TEAMGoalie: Neil Little, Philadelphia.Defense: John Slaney,Philadelphia: Greg Hawgood, Utah.Center: Kip Miller, Grand Rapids.Left wing: Petr Schastlivy, Grand Rapids.Right wing: Mark Greig, Philadelphia.ALL-ROOKIE TEAMGoalie: Michael Leighton, Norfolk.Defense: Jeff Jillson, Cleveland; Travis Roche, Houston.Center: Tyler Arnason, Norfolk.Left Wing: Guillaume Lefebvre, Philadelphia.Right Wing: Josh Langfeld, Grand Rapids.NOTEBOOK The heat was on Hershey coach Mike Foligno after the Bears set a franchise record-which isn&rsquo;t easy for a team that&rsquo;s 65 years old-by losing 10 straight games. The flop dropped them to 12-20-7-3 as of Jan. 16, out of the playoffs in the West and had some people calling for a change. Foligno&rsquo;s 3-1/2 year record is 127-121-26-10 (.511).<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03462/7595088-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="1308" height="1884"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rochester right winger Jeremy Adduono never looked so good after the Americans and Hershey Bears had &ldquo;throwback&rdquo; jersey night Dec. 1. (Bill Duh/Just Sports)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0031-02

Enigmatic Arnason becoming AHL star

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04340/7595133-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="407" height="351"></div><h2>LOWELL LOCK MONSTERS</h2><h3>NHL AFFILIATION</h3>Carolina Hurricanes<h3>ARENA</h3>Paul E. Tsongas, cap. 6,400 Lowell, Mass.Tickets: 978-458-7825<h3>HISTORY</h3>Their nickname was derived from the lock system along the Merrimack River. The canals were integral during the revolution, when Lowell was an important mill city.<h3>COACH</h3>Ron Smith, 3rd year<h3>GENERAL MANAGER</h3>Tom Rowe, 4th year<h3>NOTABLE PROSPECTS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05270/7595126-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="438" height="188"></div><h3>2001-02</h3>The fourth-year team is surging after three seasons of hovering within three games of the .500 mark. &#9632;

f0031-04

AHL TEAM ANALYSIS 15 of 27

<div class="byline">By Rob Mueller</div>It&rsquo;s not some spaghetti western set deep in the heart of Texas, just Rick Adams riding off into the sunset.Adams, the East Coast League&rsquo;s president and CEO since 1995, will step down when his contract expires in September of 2003 and become an owner.Adams will purchase a majority share of an ECHL expansion team set to begin play in Beaumont, Texas, in 2003 and will also be a minority owner of the league&rsquo;s Cincinnati Cyclones.With both franchises, Adams becomes part of an ownership group that includes NHL Hall of Famer Phil Esposito and David LeFevre.&ldquo;To the fans, the players, the owners and the players&rsquo; union, this is a vote of confidence by me to invest in this league and hopefully it will be viewed as the outgoing president investing in the company long-term,&rdquo; Adams said.His new venture with both clubs is pending approval by the league&rsquo;s board of governors, who are expected to do so at league meetings held in conjunction with the ECHL All-Star Game in Trenton, N.J., Jan. 22.Adams will continue his duties for one more year while the owners search for his successor.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06219/7595164-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="198" height="207"></div>WOOLEY BULLIES Despite the American League call-ups of leading scorers Kevin Colley (to Providence) and Stefan Rivard (to Lowell), the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies won three games in three nights to run its franchise-record winning streak to eight games.The Bullies won 12 of 13 games from Dec. 15 to Jan. 13 to improve to 24-9-6, pulling them within three points of Trenton for first in the Northeast Division. This is the Bullies&rsquo; first season in Atlantic City after relocating from Birmingham, Ala.NOTEBOOK The Richmond Renegades traded slumping forward Rod Taylor, the ECHL&rsquo;s all-time leader in goals (354) and games (622), to the Roanoke Express.Taylor, who had 10 goals and 20 points in 38 games with the Renegades, was traded Jan. 13 for third-year forward Troy Lake. &#9632;

f0031-06

Adams to step down to become team owner

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>Leadership comes in many forms and most of them were exhibited by Hamilton Bulldogs center Brian Swanson in the first half of the 2001-02 American League season.Swanson, 25, led the Bulldogs-and the league-in goals (24), points (54) and plus/minus (plus-24) through 40 games.This effort earned him a narrow decision, in an informal THN survey, over spunky Lowell Lock Monsters centerSwanson was the AHL&rsquo;s scoring leader Byron Ritchie as the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s first-half MVP.The Bulldogs, who set the pace in the Eastern Conference in the first half, were sparked both by Swanson&rsquo;s offensive abilities and his attention to the defensive side of the game. He helped lead the Bulldogs through a 12-1-1 stretch in November that moved them to the top of the standings.Swanson was the AHL&rsquo;s scoring leader for much of the first half, playing on a dominant line with left winger Jason Chimera and right winger Fernando Pisani.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011030/7595195-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="277" height="350"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Swanson</figcaption></div>What has impressed many about the line, which combined for 140 points in the first half, is the speed at which they made things happen.Swanson actually went pointless in four games in early January and dropped out of the scoring lead, but that hardly diminished his impact on the Bulldogs and their high-tempo style under coach Claude Julien.&ldquo;You play a lot of games and you can&rsquo;t score in every game,&rdquo; said Swanson, a native of Anchorage. &ldquo;You just have to keep going and play the way you always do.&ldquo;I honestly can&rsquo;t tell you much about the scoring race. I know I&rsquo;m up there because you guys keep telling me, but I couldn&rsquo;t tell you who else is, except for my linemates.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0032-01

Scorer Swanson leads MVP candidates

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>Picked to finish last in the American League&rsquo;s Canadian Division, the Hamilton Bulldogs have proved prognosticators wrong by leading the entire Eastern Conference at the midseason mark.Hamilton, which leads the AHL with two all-star starters, had a 21-11-6-2 record after 40 games and had a slight lead over Lowell, Bridgeport and Quebec. The following are first-half award favorites.TOP ROOKIE&nbsp;Jeff Panzer, C, Worcester.Panzer, from the University of North Dakota, is giving Norfolk&rsquo;s Tyler Arnason a run for the AHL&rsquo;s rookie scoring title and with 16 goals and 33 points in 38 games.TOP DEFENSEMAN&nbsp;Ray Giroux, Bridgeport.Giroux gets the nod for his consistency with a plus-11 rating and 25 points. Nathan Dempsey of St. John&rsquo;s, Hamilton&rsquo;s Sven Butenschon, Portland&rsquo;s Nick Naumenko, Manitoba&rsquo;s Bryan Helmer and Manchester&rsquo;s Joe Corvo are also candidates. Giroux, back from a season in Europe, was rewarded by the Islanders with a brief recall.TOP GOALIE&nbsp;Tyler Moss, Lowell.An inconsistent nomad in recent seasons, Moss is the narrow first-half choice over Manchester&rsquo;s Travis Scott and Hamilton&rsquo;s Marc Lamothe because he had a sparkling 2.24 goals-agairist average and .936 save percentage.ALL-STAR TEAMGoalie: Tyler Moss, Lowell.Defense: Ray Giroux, Bridgeport; Bryan Helmer, Manitoba.Center: Brian Swanson, Hamilton.Left wing: Jason Chimera, Hamilton.Right wing: Bobby House, St. John&rsquo;s.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02696/7595233-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="244" height="244"></div>ALL-ROOKIE TEAMGoalie: Ty Conklin, Hamilton.Defense: Alexei Semenov, Hamilton; Barret Jackman, Worcester.Center: Jeff Panzer, Worcester.Left wing: Marcel Hossa, Quebec.Right wing: Brian Gionta, Albany.NOTEBOOK The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have a hole in their lineup where their leading scorer once was. Left winger Dave Roche was traded to Anaheim, whose affiliate is Cincinnati, for tough right winger Jim Cummins Jan. 12&hellip;The AHL finalized deals with Sportsnet in Canada and ESPN2 in the U.S. for live broadcasts of its All-Star Classic from St. John&rsquo;s Feb. 14 and the skills competition (tape delay on Sportsnet Ontario) Feb. 13.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03493/7595226-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="1304" height="1888"><figcaption class="caption-body">Worcester&rsquo;s Matt Walker and Portland&rsquo;s Mark Murphy epitomize the battle between the IceCats and Pirates in the AHL&rsquo;s tight North Division. (Steve Babineau/SA)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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February 1, 2002

Heatley marvel to watch

NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

Clipping rival Wings an uplifting event

TIMEOUT WITH DANY HEATLEY