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February 8, 2002
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.
Quiet Francis closes in on Bourque’s assist mark
Time was running out on Ron Francis. Not on his career-the 38-year-old is having his best season since he arrived in Carolina in 1998-but on his pursuit of Ray Bourque for second place on the NHL’s all-time assist list. The Hurricanes had declared Jan. 29 “Ron Francis Night,” leaving the center eight games to collect four assists to tie Bourque at 1,169. But Francis went four games without an assist before picking up three in a 7-5 loss to Vancouver Jan. 21. Then he got No. 1,169 in dramatic fashion two nights later. He set up Bates Battaglia’s power play goal with 31 seconds to play, forcing a 2-2 tie with Nashville. “They put some heat on me when they scheduled that night,” Francis said. “I only had a couple of games left.” That left…
THN ONE-TIMERS
How are last year’s award winners doing this year? Well, don’t expect a lot of repeats. Consider: Hart Trophy winner Joe Sakic finished second in scoring last year; he’s not in the top 20 this year. Nicklas Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy, finishing second in defenseman scoring with 15 goals; he’s seventh in ‘D’ scoring and on pace for eight goals and 52 points. Jaromir Jagr led the NHL in scoring for a fourth straight year with 52 goals and 121 points last season; he’s 34th and on pace for 29 goals and 74 points. Dominik Hasek won the Vezina Trophy, but his numbers have taken a slight hit even though he’s on a stronger team. His goals-against average is 2.18-up from 2.11–and his save percentage is.912 down from.921. John Madden scored…
My dream is about to come true
When I broke my ankle in mid-November, there weren’t many people who thought I’d be back in the Edmonton lineup in six-and-a-half weeks. I don’t think I necessarily would have returned any later if I didn’t have the Olympics to look forward to. But I do know that when I was waking up at 5:30 in the morning and at my physiotherapy appointment by 6:00 or 6:30, it sure was nice to have that red and white Canada sweater in the back of my mind as motivation. I thought about lots of things-the Oilers, the Olympics, my recovery. I had a few down days, but not many. I was 12 when the 1988 Olympics were held in Calgary. Our family had tickets to hockey games and freestyle skiing. Canada versus Russia in…
Young guns bolster Czechs
For several generations of young Czechs, the dream was winning an Olympic gold medal. Because playing in the NHL seemed as likely as walking on the moon, the ultimate was to outplay the Russians and to come home with the gold. Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora never had those dreams. “I never really dreamed about winning a gold medal in the Olympics. Honestly,” Elias said with a shrug. “I dreamed about other things.” Enter a new generation of Czechs, a generation whose dreams so often come true. They believe they can do anything, including successfully defending their country’s 1998 Olympic gold medal that was won in Nagano, Japan, the first ever over the rival Russians. The pressure of defending an Olympic gold medal is great, but the Czech Republic assembled a roster that seems…
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