THN Crossword

ACROSS 1 Joe Sakic is captain of this Western Conference club 8 Sign again, one’s contract 9 What hockey equipment was once made of 10 Legendary blueliner just as famous for his Timbits 11 Former official John is in Hockey’s Hall of Fame 12 Dubbed 'Freddie the Fog,’ he led the Flyers to two Stanley Cups 14 First name of Canada’s Olympic captain 17 He's coach in Washington 19 Jeff is a Hurricane sniper 20 Tried too hard, especially when trailing 21 Gretzky once played with this brand of stick 22 King winger who represented the States in Salt Lake DOWN 2 Changes course suddenly 3 Chris Drury had his first big success at the League World Series 4 Pictured, he had three 50-goal seasons while with Boston 5 Miscues 6 Tied 7 After taking Olympic gold, he told THN, “I’m beat up. But the pain is not so…

NHL Goalies

Stillman produces following demotion

When St. Louis Blues coach Joel Quenneville laid down his “hard work equals ice time” rule after the second home loss to Minnesota this season, winger Cory Stillman took the biggest plunge. The ensuing line assignments said it all: Stillman was demoted to fourth line center. Stillman responded by scoring four goals and adding a couple assists in the next seven games. He had a goal in the game following the downgrade to a checking line and scored twice in the Blues playoff-berth clincher against San Jose April 11. “The line I play with has been working hard,” Stillman said. “We know the role we’re playing. We know we’re not going to get that many minutes to work with so we have to get the puck in deep, go hard and create turnovers.” Stillman,…

Madden’s low totals sink hopes for Seike

Can poor offensive numbers prevent a player from winning a defensive award? John Madden thinks so. Last year’s Frank J. Seike Trophy winner, Madden wondered whether his lack of goalscoring would short-circuit his shot at winning a second straight season. “I think I’ve played as well defensively as I did last year. I just don’t have the offensive numbers,” said the New Jersey Devils center, whose 13 goals were 10 fewer than he scored last season. “Jay Pandolfo has also been a big part of my success and he got injured. And Turner Stevenson, who I played with, got injured. “I’m not making a case for myself, but I still think I have a chance to win.” Madden won the Seike last year with a plus-24 rating. After scoring the only goal in a…