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.

September 6, 2002

The Hockey News September 6, 2002

<div class="byline">-Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05380/8106361-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="220" height="252"></div>After a marginal three-point rise that left them 13th in the Western Conference, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are seeking significantly more improvement this season.With new GM Bryan Murray and rookie coach Mike Babcock calling the shots, the Ducks might just find it.Murray&rsquo;s off-season re-tooling project fetched Adam Oates, Petr Sykora and Fredrik Olausson, an influx of talent that figures to boost an offense that was the NHL&rsquo;s second-worst last season. If Anaheim can repeat the 2.39 goals-against average that ranked eighth in the league last season, Stanley Cup playoff contention might follow.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Paul Kariya, LW. With Oates supplying sweet set-up passes and Sykora providing another top-notch scoring threat, Kariya figures to fly past last year&rsquo;s 32 goals and 57 points.2. Steve Rucchin, C. After two injury-wracked seasons, Rucchin&rsquo;s career is at make-or-break time. The addition of Oates should enable Rucchin to settle in as a second-liner.3. Stanislav Chistov, LW. The diminutive offensive dynamo, chosen fifth overall in the 2001 entry draft, has tons of talent and will be given every opportunity to further juice up the offense-challenged Ducks.INJURY UPDATE Right winger Joffrey Lupul, Anaheim&rsquo;s first round selection in this year&rsquo;s draft, will miss much or all of training camp because of a hairline fracture of a vertebra in his lower back suffered during off-season training.Otherwise, the Ducks figure to start training camp healthy. Defenseman Keith Carney is recovered from a torn bursa sac in his right elbow that cost him the final five games of last season. Center Marc Chouinard missed the final 20 games last season because of a torn muscle and nerve damage in his left shoulder, but no lingering problems are anticipated.NOTEBOOK GM Bryan Murray reached into his past with Florida in hiring former Panthers scouts Tim Murray, Wayne Meier and Todd Hearty. Tim Murray, Bryan&rsquo;s nephew, becomes Anaheim&rsquo;s director of player personnel&hellip;The Ducks named former Boston College strength and conditioning coach Sean Skahan as the club&rsquo;s strength and conditioning coach&hellip;Former assistant coach Tom Watt will work in player development. &#9632;

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NHL TEAM REPORTS

Reloaded offense clear improvement

<div class="byline">-Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03732/8106492-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="221" height="236"></div>Provided they get right winger Jarome Iginla under contract, the Calgary Flames figure to be a marginally improved team over last season.None of the players leaving town-primarily defenseman Igor Kravchuk, goaltender Mike Vernon and center Clarke Wilm-had a major impact on the team&rsquo;s fortunes during 2001-02.On the other hand, the additions-left winger Martin Gelinas, plus highly regarded first-year players right winger Chuck Kobasew and defenseman Jordan Leopold-could all contribute to improving the team&rsquo;s llth-place finish in the Western Conference standings.Beyond the new additions, improvement should come from the team&rsquo;s young defense corps, which is starting to mature.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Marc Savard, C. An injury-filled season saw Savard&rsquo;s point production fall from 65 to 33 last season. He might not regain his spot alongside Iginla on the top line, but Savard clicked with Kobasew during last year&rsquo;s exhibition season and the two could find some chemistry again.2. Mathias Johansson, C. Johansson will not add much scoring, but he is considered an adept and responsible defensive forward, with strong penalty-killing skills.3. Chuck Kobasew, RW. As a 19-year-old Kobasew led the team in goal-scoring during last year&rsquo;s exhibition season, but couldn&rsquo;t come to terms on a contract. An opportunist who finds the seams in the defense, he will get a chance to produce regularly.INJURY UPDATE Savard finished the year on injured reserve as a result of a concussion sustained late in March, but he could have returned had the team made the playoffs.A separated shoulder knocked defenseman Denis Gauthier out of the lineup, but it eventually healed without surgery Another blueliner, Brad Werenka, hasn&rsquo;t played an NHL game in almost a year-and-a-half as a result of a concussion. He has shown little improvement in the past 12 months and it looks as if his career may be over.NOTEBOOK In an effort to rebuild their American League farm team in Saint John, the Flames signed three free agents who played last season with Wilkes-Barre of the AHL: right winger Robert Dome, left winger Martin Sonnenberg and center Darcy Verot. Dome has the best chance of making the NHL roster&hellip;Even though he is an unrestricted free agent, there is a good chance left winger Craig Berube will return to the Flames&hellip;Season-ticket sales were stuck just below the 10,000 mark, before the team introduced a &ldquo;flex-pack&rdquo; option in mid-August. The Flames set a target of 14,000 season tickets, but it appears they won&rsquo;t get there before the start of the season. &#9632;

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Flames look to progress with Gelinas, rookies

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011709/8106188-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg&nbsp;Columnist</figcaption></div>Back at the drawing board, the Flyers stare in horror at the selfportrait they created last spring.They painted nothing but a series of bulls-eyes on themselves during a spiral not to be believed even when seen. A team with Jeremy Roenick, Simon Gagne, Mark Recchi, John LeClair, Keith Primeau and Adam Oates scored two goals in a five-game series on Patrick Lalime, which blew minds and a $54-million payroll onto a canvas appropriate for a kindergarten wall.The Flyers dipped their fingers in water-colors and smeared each other. In Game 4 at Ottawa, goalie Roman Cechmanek skated to the bench and angrily told his teammates that he couldn&rsquo;t do it alone. His fellow millionaires responded by giving him practice opportunities at one of his specialties, the face save, something for them to do between trips to the GM&rsquo;s office to plead for the guillotining of coach Bill Barber.Barber was dead and everybody knew it. But the day after elimination, some players still held up his head and shot at it a few times, claiming they hadn&rsquo;t learned a thing from the coach except how to turn on each other.If ever there was a team ordering up a large moving van, it was these guys. But the solution of GM Bob Clarke, who has seemed curiously screened in multiple refusals to add a big-ticket goalie for his big-ticket team, was to trade Cechmanek&rsquo;s only friend in the room (Jiri Dopita) and the goalie (Brian Boucher) who took the Flyers on their last long playoff run in 2000, never mind the fact few believe Cechmanek ranks any more among the elite as a player than he does as an inspirational figure.So center Michal Handzus, acquired along with backup-to-be Robert Esche from Phoenix for Boucher, became the biggest summer fix after owner Ed Snider decided to stop throwing more good money after bad and ignore free agents (Bill Guerin, Bobby Holik) better than the ones Philadelphia signed last summer.To top it off, Clarke hired a coach who grew hated by the players on his last job.But Ken Hitchcock, who in a former life couldn&rsquo;t say no to a meatball, jumped at the opportunity to do brain surgery on these meatballs. And, having exhausted more sarcasm here than Chris Therien does chances to clear the puck, we would be surprised if Hitchcock didn&rsquo;t locate and strengthen the Flyers&rsquo; pulse.All the while the Stars couldn&rsquo;t stand the sound of Hitchcock&rsquo;s voice, they won a Stanley Cup and got to another final behind a goalie (Ed Belfour) who was far more miserable and just as unto himself as Cechmanek. And remember, this same core group of Flyers, minus Cechmanek and Roenick, were plenty responsible enough to make a 2000 run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final with a substitute teacher (Craig Ramsay).To Clarke, that was a manifestation of the structure the cancer-stricken Roger Neilson left behind, much like the good habits Hitchcock taught DHIIELS&ldquo;When (the Stars) got beat by Edmonton in 1997, everybody came back making personal and professional sacrifices,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;In talking to the (Flyer) players, they have reached a stage where the playoff frustration of the last couple years made them realize the clock is ticking.&rdquo;Some biological bombs may have already gone off, closing the window of opportunity on old folks who are catching a chill from an increasingly impatient populace.&ldquo;(Eric) Desjardins played with a hidden (shoulder) injury all year,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he has been overworked, more that he can work smarter, not trying to be overly physical or press the attack too much.&ldquo;Recchi last year tried to build more endurance instead of the quickness training he has always done.That&rsquo;s why he looked so slow at times. The feet go, the hands go next. You get tired, lose quickness and start over-thinking.&ldquo;By overworking, LeClair pulls himself out of scoring areas. He has gone below the goal line so much the last couple years that when the puck comes free, he&rsquo;s never in position to shoot it. All the missed opportunities affected the rest of his game and he says as much.&ldquo;Cechmanek, that will be resolved before we go on the ice at training camp. We will discuss it and move on. He did what he did because he is ultra-competitive, like all the good ones.&rdquo;The coach is a lot more proven than, the goalie. Also, by now, the GM, who got locked into somecoaching dilemmas by bad choice (Wayne Cashman), illness (Neilson) and initial appearance of success (Ramsay and Barber), finally has gotten it right, but maybe too late. &#9633;<h2>FLYERS FALL IN SPRING</h2>In the eight seasons since Bob Clarke returned for his second tour of duty as Flyers GM, Philadelphia has finished no worse than seventh overall. But the team&rsquo;s playoff fortunes have not matched its success in the regular season. &#9632;

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COLUMN

Hitch too late to save Flyers?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01998/8107972-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">VINCENT LECAVALIER, TAMPA BAYWAYNE KARL</figcaption></div>190 PLAYERS TO WATCHNEW SEASON, NEW HOPEEQUIPMENT GUIDENEW FOR 2002-03PRO FOR A DAYTHN&rsquo;s MAN LACES &rsquo;EM UP &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

101 REASONS to get EXCITED about 2002-03

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011906/8105730-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Who said Dominik Hasek hung up the blades because his head was no longer in the game? The retired Detroit goalie hams it up with ex-teammate Jiri Slegr during the Stanley Cup&rsquo;s visit to the Czech Republic in August. See story pg. 10.(COVER: Cole & Jagr; Sports Action Photography; Karl: Mark Wilson: All others: BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>A perfect fit &#9632;</h2>

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OPENING FACEOFF

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021527/8105761-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="293" height="351"><figcaption class="caption-body">Editor&rsquo;s Notebook&nbsp;Jason Kay Managing Editor</figcaption></div>With the smell of champagne and buzz of victory serving as an atmospheric backdrop in Detroit&rsquo;s dressing room last June, Brendan Shanahan was asked to summarize the Wing dynasty.The popular orator said the first Stanley Cup in 1997 was a confirmation they could truly do it; the second one in 1998 was for injured comrade Vladimir Konstantinov; and the third one in 2002 was to cement Detroit&rsquo;s place in NHL historyAnd what will the fourth one be for? &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll spend the summer thinking about that,&rdquo; he smiled.It wouldn&rsquo;t take a rocket scientist, or even Joe Juneau, to divine a cause. An obvious rallying point would be Curtis Joseph, the good-guy veteran who at 35 is a ringless Wing.A more obscure, but equally as deserving choice, would be Dave Lewis. Detroit&rsquo;s new good-guy coach is an everyman&rsquo;s hero. He has defied the modern ladder-climbing modus operandi by building a career on stability. For 15 years as a player with four teams, he worked in relative anonymity as a stay-at-home defenseman. For the next 15 years in Detroit, he worked in relative anonymity as a stay-at-home assistant/associate coach.You can&rsquo;t spell &ldquo;stability&rdquo; without &ldquo;ability&rdquo; and Lewis, 49, spent his lengthy apprenticeship mastering his trade. He has been Detroit&rsquo;s eye in the press box sky, analyzed video, led on-ice practice sessions and stood behind the bench. His forte is communication and motivation through positive reinforcement.&ldquo;I try to go to a spot in a player where only he goes,&rdquo; Lewis explains of his 1-on-l technique. &ldquo;Most players have doubts and you try to encourage them&hellip;and get the best out of them.&rdquo;How that Style plays in the post-Scotty Bowman era will go a long way in determining Lewis&rsquo;s success. Bowman was aloof to the point that Lewis, for much of his time under the coaching genius, acted as a middle man between the troops and the general.Lewis says communication will continue to define him, but acknowledges he has to separate himself from the herd.&ldquo;My focus has changed to the team rather than individual players,&rdquo; says Lewis, who missed out on a Cup as a player when he was traded by the Islanders on the eve of their dynasty years. &ldquo;My mentality now is a group mentality.&rdquo;His mindset is also one of boundless enthusiasm. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m counting the days until training camp starts,&rdquo; he says.And what of replacing a legend and the Stanley Cup-or-bust demands of Hockeytown? &ldquo;I like those expectations,&rdquo; he says.Now it&rsquo;s up to Brendan and the boys to make it happen for one of the game&rsquo;s good guys. &#9632;

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If Wings need motivation, they could win one for Lewis

<div class="byline">-Adam Proteau</div>When the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix after the 1995-96 season, few people were as upset as Moe Mantha.&ldquo;It was like a punch in the gut when the Jets left for Phoenix,&rdquo; said Mantha, a defenseman who had two tours of duty in Winnipeg. &ldquo;They have wonderful, supportive fans Up there. It&rsquo;s a real shame things didn&rsquo;t work out.&rdquo;Drafted 23rd overall by Winnipeg in 1980, Mantha also played for Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Minnesota North Stars and Philadelphia during his 12 seasons in the NHL, collecting 81 goals and 370 points in 656 games. His best season came in 1985-86, when he scored 15 goals and 67 points for the Penguins.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011853/8105792-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="243" height="291"><figcaption class="caption-body">Moe Mantha (THN Archives)</figcaption></div>After retiring in 1992, the native of Lakewood, Ohio, began a coaching career that included stops in the American and East Coast Leagues. Now the head coach of the U.S. national development program, Mantha works with the nation&rsquo;s top 16-and-17-year-olds, something he said comes naturally to him. &ldquo;Even as a player, I always liked working with young players,&rdquo; said Mantha, 41. &ldquo;I lived my dream and coaching allows me to make other people&rsquo;s dreams a reality.&rdquo; &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

Jets’ departure ‘a punch in the gut’ for Mantha

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011861/8105854-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">GUN FOR HIRE&nbsp;Jarome Iginla is on the semi-open market. It&rsquo;s no surprise there are no takers. (Dale MacMillan/BBS)</figcaption></div>Too bad the Calgary Flames couldn&rsquo;t force one of their U.S. based rivals to give Jarome Iginla an offer sheet.The Flames, in fact, would like nothing better than for Iginla to receive an offer sheet from a team south of the border. It would be the quickest way to solve an impasse that has the Iginla camp asking for $7.5 million (U.S.) per season and Calgary unprepared, for now, to budge from about $5.6 million.An offer sheet would help matters because of the NHL&rsquo;s Canadian assistance plan, which compensates Canadian-based clubs for the currency disparity between American and Canadian dollars. Canadian teams need only match a U.S.-based offer sheet in Canadian dollars while a league fund picks up the difference.If, for example, the Rangers signed Iginla to a $9-million offer sheet, at the current exchange rate of $0.61, Calgary would immediately match and only have to pay about $5.6 million-exactly what the Flames are offering now.A similar scenario would hold true for Montreal and unsigned goalie Jose Theodore. Theodore is said to be asking for $6 million; the Canadiens are offering in the range of $4 million.The problem for Calgary and Montreal, of course, is that no such offer is coming.Conspiracy theorists maintain the two players haven&rsquo;t received offer sheets because of collusion between NHL clubs. Agent Don Meehan, who represents both players, has said commissioner Gary Bettman is discouraging teams from giving offer sheets; it&rsquo;s the only reason Meehan can imagine why Iginla hasn&rsquo;t received any.Free from the shackles of vested interest, we can think of another reason: the offers would inevitably be matched, so no team bothers.And when the Canadl an assistance plan is involved, teams have even more reason not to bother. Ironically, the effect of the plan is to put Canadian-based players like Iginla and Theodore at a dis-advantage compared to their American counterparts.Suppose a team such as the Rangers wanted to put pressure on a small-market U.S.-based team by offering $12 million for a restricted free agent. Matching it could cause financial nightmares. But the financial hardship for Calgary or Montreal wouldn&rsquo;t be nearly as hard and the Rangers would have to make their offer that much more substantial-and costly to their own payroll-to have a chance of landing the player.So what-other than the fear of Bettman bouncing off the walls-is to prevent Calgary from offering, say, a third round draft pick to a U.S. team to encourage it to give Iginla an $8-million offer sheet?Turns out the NHL thought of this ahead of time. The plan says any Canadian team arranging to secure an offer sheet forfeits the right to the subsidy.The talks continue. &#9632;

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FEATURES

‘Assistance’ plan no help to Iggy

Don&rsquo;t think just because the NHL approved the contracts of Ranger free agent signees Bobby Holik and Darius Kasparaitis that the league has given up the fight. Far from it. Initially the NHL contested signing-bonus provisions in the two contracts, arguing that signing bonuses allocated to the potentially locked-out 2004-05 season are in fact guaranteed salary and as such violate the collective bargaining agreement. The NHL figures if players are getting paid during a lockout, they&rsquo;ll be less likely to make concessions that will get the league back on the ice. On Aug. 22 the league did an about-face and approved the deals, leading some to believe it had a weak case.In fact, the NHL, after consulting with the Rangers, now believes the contract language in the two deals does not grant Holik and Kasparaitis any money if there is a shutdown in 2004. That&rsquo;s why it approved the contracts. The league sent word of its decision to the NHL Players&rsquo; Association along with its rationale. It&rsquo;s only a matter of time before the NHLPA fires back with a grievance of its own. One way or another, the case is destined to end up in front of an independent arbitrator.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021314/8105885-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="310" height="407"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tony Amonte</figcaption></div>POW-WOW ON OFFICIATING Coaches, GMs and league officials have been on officiating standards conference calls in previous years, but never have they been in the same room at the same time as they will in this first-of-its-kind meeting, Sept. 10 in Toronto. The meeting will go over the hurry-up faceoff rule as well as the latest crack-down on interference, one that many execs are insisting will be strictly enforced. &ldquo;The hard part about that is to get the parameters,&rdquo; said NHL director of officiating Andy VanHellemond. &ldquo;The level of tolerance is so very important.&rdquo; Regarding the faceoff rule, teams slow to the draw will first get a warning, then, on the second infraction, a delay of game penalty. One other change: teams will no longer be able to stall for time by changing goalies. Barring injury, goalies can only be replaced at the same time as a regular line change. &ldquo;I just think (NHL VP) Colin Campbell and his staff are making a real concerted effort to make sure everybody is aware of what we&rsquo;re going to do,&rdquo; said St. Louis GM Larry Pleau&hellip;An NHL source says the man Curtis Joseph really didn&rsquo;t get along with was Leafs president Ken Dryden, not coach-GM Pat Quinn&hellip;GMs pursuing unrestricted free agents would do well to follow Phoenix&rsquo;s Mike Barnett. Barnett made one offer to Tony Amonte and let him shop it around without a time deadline. That up-front style is one reason why Amonte chose the Coyotes. &#9632;

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THN ONE-TIMERS

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012069/8105916-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Feeling Ducky&nbsp;Adam Oates, being checked here by Anaheim&rsquo;s Ruslan Salei, can&rsquo;t wait to join Salei and the Ducks this season.</figcaption></div>As strange as it seems now, 17 seasons into one of the more prolific playmaking careers in NHL history, new Mighty Ducks of Anaheim center Adam Oates grew up idolizing Bobby Hull.&ldquo;I probably do zero like he did,&rdquo; said Oates, comparing his own style of play to that of &lsquo;The Golden Jet&rsquo;.Whereas Hull owned the most feared slapshot of his-and perhaps any-era, Oates bites opposing defenses in a more subtle manner.It&rsquo;s his passing that has created a place for Oates in hockey history: he has tallied a staggering 1,027 assists in 1,210 NHL games. And his playmaking hasn&rsquo;t flagged with age. He led the league in assists with 64 last season and managed 69 in 2000-01 to tie with Jaromir Jagr for the most.Despite his adoration of Hull as a youngster, Oates never fancied himself a goal-scorer.&ldquo;I scored goals, but I was never a shooter,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was a little kid, so I always had to learn how to bob and weave. I&rsquo;ve always been the guy like the point guard in basketball.&rdquo;His uncanny knack for finding open teammates at precisely the right moment might be innate, but there is plenty of learned behavior as well. As Oates quickly discovered, playmaking brings its own kind of reward.&ldquo;My dad always wanted me to be a passer,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a kid and you pass the puck a lot, other kids like you.&rdquo;Plenty of NHL teammates, from Brett Hull in St. Louis to Cam Neely in Boston to Petr Bondra and Jagr in Washington, have taken quite a liking to Oates, too. While those superstars, as well as many other players over the years, have benefited from Oates&rsquo;s sweet passes, he has climbed steadily up the NHL&rsquo;s all-time assists and points charts.Only seven players-Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis, Ray Bourque, Mark Messier, Paid Coffey, Gordie Howe and Marcel Dionne-have more career assists than Oates. More impressively, his assists-per-game average of .849 trails only Gretzky (1.320) and Lemieux (1.166). And with 14 goals and 78 points in 80 games for Washington and Philadelphia last season, Oates increased his career point total to 1,357, good for 17th all-time and sixth among active players.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very flattering,&rdquo; said Oates of being in such esteemed company.&ldquo;Basically, I&rsquo;ve been a very lucky guy, to be able to play this long, play with such good players and stay reasonably healthy over the years.&rdquo;Oates signed as a free agent with Anaheim largely for the opportunity to play with left winger Paul Kariya, who will be his newest sharp-shooting partner. Burdened by the lack of offensive help, Kariya slipped to 32 goals and 57 points last season, the lowest full-season totals of his NHL career.&ldquo;If Paul reads off Adam and chemistry develops between the two, I think Paul can get back over 100 points-and 100 points is something nowadays,&rdquo; said Ron Wilson, who coached Kariya with the Ducks and Oates with the Capitals. &ldquo;They are very similar in their cerebral approach to the game. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve ever coached a smarter player than Adam Oates and Paul is brilliant. Paul has incredible physical skills and Adam studies the game like nobody else. I think they&rsquo;re going to get along fine.&rdquo;Oates, who turned 40 on August 27, can&rsquo;t wait to start working with Kariya-and perhaps newly acquired Anaheim right winger Petr Sykora as well.&ldquo;When I used to teach at hockey schools, I&rsquo;d try to teach kids that you have to be aware of the guys you play with,&rdquo; Oates said. &ldquo;If I play with Kariya and Sykora, I know they&rsquo;re both left-, hand shots, so I have to know where they are on the ice and pass the puck on a certain side, not just to the guy You have to pass the puck to the right spot and with the right amount of pace.&rdquo;For Anaheim, the hope is the Oates-Kariya combination will burn opponents the way Kariya and Selanne used to do, while young Ducks centers such as Matt Cullen and Andy McDonald will make strides just by watching and learning from the vet-J eran Oates&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good time for us to have a guy like Adam come in,&rdquo; said Bryan Murray &lsquo;We have a number of kids who look like they will be able to play, so Adam&rsquo;s ability and dedication are a big plus.&ldquo;I know one thing. When you get to practice now and you have a high-skill guy who works hard, it rubs off on people.&rdquo; &#9633;<h2>Perfect Passers</h2>Here&rsquo;s the best playmaker on each NHL team, according to The Hockey News 2002-03 Yearbook. &#9632;

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Oates eager to dish

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04495/8105968-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg"></div>MEETING OF MINDS Initiative led by NHL VP Colin Campbell to bring together coaches, GMs, league execs for rules meeting an encouraging sign.SLIMMER QUINN Toronto coach-GM Pat Quinn drops cigars and 55 pounds, looks good after summer of lifestyle changes.SIX STRAIGHT Canada downs host Czech Republic 5-1 in final to capture the under-18 Eight Nations Tournament for the sixth year in a row.CONTRACT CLASH NHL backtracked on challenge of Holik and Kasparaitis contracts-for now-but it&rsquo;s one more sign that CBA unrest is approaching fast.IGGY MESS Here&rsquo;s hoping award winners Jarome Iginla and Jose Theodore settle on contracts before opening night. Things could get ugly yet.HEADS ACHE Nashville&rsquo;s Stu Grimson and Calgary&rsquo;s Brad Werenka not in their team&rsquo;s plans for this season; careers threatened by post-concussion syndrome.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05394/8105961-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="1116" height="476"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021383/8105954-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="376" height="626"><figcaption class="caption-body">Colin Campbell</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03812/8105947-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="368" height="622"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Holik</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0006-04

PLUS MINUS

Tony Amonte blaming Blackhawks GM Mike Smith for his difficulties with re-signing with the team was wrong. Lest we forget the similar contract scenarios of Chris Chelios, Ed Belfour and Jeremy Roenick, all of which preceded Smith.The guy that quashed Amonte&rsquo;s deal is the same guy that quashed the others: Bob Pulford. He has owner Bill Wirtz&rsquo;s ear and has been through the last 20-season rebuilding program.Rick Nuccio,&nbsp; Bloomingdale, III.<h2>Don&rsquo;t blame Canada</h2>I am writing in response to the letter &ldquo;Players the problem&rdquo; (THN, Aug. 30).Apart from the game&rsquo;s financial status, I think the state of hockey in Canada is riding pretty high compared to some of the rich teams in the U.S. who have had a total lack of success.When four out of six Canadian teams make it to the post-season, I don&rsquo;t see too many problems in the system.Before you go dumping across the border, look in your own backyard.Shane Demerchant,&nbsp; Florenceville, N.B.<h2>Hudler a gem</h2>Is the rest of the league trying to maintain Detroit&rsquo;s dominance? How else can you explain Jiri Hudler being passed over by every team at the 2002 entry draft and falling to Detroit at No. 58 overall, all because he is 5-foot-9?When will teams wake up and realize that while size is a nice quality in a player, it does not mean small guys can&rsquo;t compete?Hudler will be a good NHL player and make other teams ashamed of their size discrimination.Sarah Olsen&nbsp; Wake Forest, N.C.<h2>Defending Darcy</h2>I&rsquo;ve always admired the play of Michael Peca. Having said that, the hit Darcy Tucker put on Peca was legal. I feel that Tucker did not intend to injure Peca, but it was a very intense playoff series and both players don&rsquo;t hold back in any situation.Ian Simpson,&nbsp; Hamilton, Ont. &#9632;

GM Smith not issue for Hawks

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011956/8106023-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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Elston

Hats off to Markus Naslund for staying in Vancouver and setting a good example for the Sedin twins and other future Canucks. Hopefully Todd Bertuzzi will play a full season and find a way to be the ultimate superstar in the NHL.Terence Danes,&nbsp; Hazelton, B.C.When will a team from the Eastern Conference win the Stanley Cup? Winning without talent is OK, but when you have talent and still lose, it&rsquo;s downright embarrassing.Adam Pigula,&nbsp; Temperance, Mich.ESPN shows fewer NHL games, forcing fans to get satellite services and order game packages. Again, fans get poorer and owners and the league get richer.James Lee-Smith,&nbsp; Brooklyn, N. Y.With scoring down and neutral-zone trapping and three-hour games on the rise, I don&rsquo;t blame ESPN for cutting back on its NHL coverage. As far as I&rsquo;m concerned, they did the NHL a favor while getting nothing in return.David Lynch,&nbsp; Springfield, Mass.I would like to see NHL games on CNBC. I thought the network did a super job during the Olympics. Maybe under this plan, we could see the Oilers and Canucks at least once during the regular season.Richard Jenkins,&nbsp; North Wilkesboro, N.C.<h2>READERS&rsquo; ONE-TIMERS</h2>This is your place for quick comments on current hockey events. Readers&rsquo; One-Timers accepts opinions of 60 words or less, so please be concise. &#9632;

Naslund, Bertuzzi future of Canucks

I have always supported Bob Clarke, but now feel as though I should stop making allowances for him and hold him accountable for the failures the Flyers will inevitably suffer this season if something is not done soon.This summer, Philadelphia lost Adam Oates, Brian Boucher, Ruslan Fedotenko and Luke Richardson. As compensation they have Michael Handzus and a few players who won&rsquo;t be NHL-ready for years. I don&rsquo;t know how Clarke can justify these moves.I believe Clarke should be let go unless he can rectify the team&rsquo;s predicament with trades or signings.The only encouraging things about the Flyers are coach Ken Hitchcock&rsquo;s system, where everyone pitches in on defense, and Hitchcock&rsquo;s desire to work with struggling players.Jocelyne Lemoine,&nbsp; Winnipeg<h2>Salary cap needed</h2>Today&rsquo;s NHL has players running the show and demanding millions of dollars from rich team owners. The way I see it, if there is no salary cap put in place by the NHL, small-market teams such as the Canucks, Flames and Oilers will be destroyed.In other words, the teams who have the most loyal fans and most heart-and least dollars-are going to be in the dirt.The Rangers have the bucks to go out and buy every all-star free agent on the market and it has got to stop. Hockey players are losing their sense of loyalty because rich franchises are luring them in with seven-figure salaries.In short, if we don&rsquo;t add a cap, the league is going to be crap.Dan Henriques,&nbsp; Surrey, B.C.<h2>TV withdrawal</h2>How nice that ESPN has decided to reduce its hockey coverage by 30 per cent.They say it isn&rsquo;t a good idea to saturate the sport. I guess that does not pertain to college basketball, major league baseball or the NBA.As a big hockey fan, it sure was nice to be able to count on ESPN for a decent amount of NHL games. Those were the days.Aaron Coates,&nbsp; Inver Grove, Minn.<h2>Got something to say?</h2>MAIL.: U.S.A.: Letters, THN, RQ Box SOI. Buffalo. N.Y. 142-1-9947.Canada: Letters, TUN, 25 Sheppard Aw. 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.thehockceynews.com">www.thehockceynews.com</a>. Include name, hometown. province/state and phone number. Submissions will be edited. &#9632;

Clarke on hot seat this year

Twenty-five current and former NHL players, including Sean Burke, Chris Phillips and Mike Gartner, teamed up with country music singer Garth Brooks for a concert and party in Las Vegas. The July concert was a celebration and a chance to raise money for Brooks&rsquo;s Teammates for Kids Foundation. Prior to the concert a silent auction of hockey memorabilia raised $600,000 (U.S.) for the charity. A highlight of the evening was when Burke, the goaltender for the Phoenix Coyotes, joined Brooks on stage for a rendition of Cat Stevens&rsquo;s famous song Wild World.<h2>PHPA helps cause</h2>The ninth annual Professional Hockey Players&rsquo; Association sports auction and golf classic raised more than $40,000 (Cdn.). The two-day event was held July 22-23 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. The proceeds will be distributed to four charities in the Niagara area. To date, the PHPA&rsquo;s events have raised more than $300,000 for charities, including the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation and the Stephane Morin Family Trust Fund. The PHPA represents players in the minor pro leagues. Edmonton Oiler Dan Cleary, along with Brian Secord, Scott Secord and Stewart McKinnon, won the golf event with a low score of 13-under par.<h2>Accident kills coach</h2>Boris Alexandrov, coach of the Kazakhstan national team died in a car accident not far from Ufa in Russia. Alexandrov, 47, was on his way to Moscow when his car was involved in a head-on collision July 31. He was a member of the Soviet gold medal team at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, and represented the powerhouse Central Red Army in the 1970s. Alexandrov scored the tying goal for Central Army in the 1975 New Year&rsquo;s Eve classic 3-3 tie against the Montreal Canadiens. Starting from 1995, he was coach of the Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk elite team and the national team.<h2>Wild O&rsquo;Ree weekend</h2>The Minnesota Wild and the city of St. Paul will host the eighth annual Willie O&rsquo;Ree All-Star Weekend, Feb. 22-23,2003. The event honors O&rsquo;Ree, the NHL&rsquo;s first black player, who is now the director of youth development, NHL Diversity The weekend celebrates the multicultural heritage of the NHL as youths aged 1012, representing NHL Diversity programs from across North America, interact with NHL players, attend an NHL game and enjoy the host city. The highlight of the weekend is the Willie O&rsquo;Ree All-Star Game, in which coded teams compete in an East-versus-West format. &#9632;

Stars for charity

<div class="byline">By Helene St. James</div>PARDUBICE, CZECH REPUBLIC Towards the end of his public party, Dominik Hasek stood on a stage in a plaza in his hometown of Pardubice, the Stanley Cup perched upside-down on his head like an avant-garde rain hat. It was futile because by this point, Hasek&rsquo;s hair already lay slicked back by a deluge of champagne.He had had the Cup by his side for more than 12 hours by the time he wound up wearing it. His day with the Cup, Aug. 18, began when he visited children in the cancer ward at Pardubice Hospital, enthralling a group of 20 or so with a history of the Cup, pictures and auto-graphs. From there, he took it to a private function before appearing in the early evening at the plaza, where party-goers ate red-and-natural colored popcorn and waved Red Wings flags while bands jammed, cheerleaders danced, and models sashayed in fashions from Hasek&rsquo;s Dominator clothing company. One extended musical number was a medley of Grease tunes in Czech.&ldquo;I want it to be more than about me,&rdquo; said Hasek during his second public appearance in the Czech Republic since he retired June 24,11 days after leading the Wings to the championship. &ldquo;I want people to enjoy the whole day. But we also have to remember the people who are struggling, affected by the flood.&rdquo;Hasek and former Wings teammates Jiri Slegr, Jiri Fischer and Ladislav Kohn helped run an auction that, together with other events, raised about $100,000 (U.S.) for victims of the floods that devastated much of the Czech Republic.Fans came and went, peaking as the evening grew late. At 9:45 p.m., about 5,500 were on hand to see a video montage of Hasek&rsquo;s career. The crowd saved its loudest cheers for clips from the 1998 Olympics, where Hasek led the Czechs to the gold medal,Slegr explained Hasek&rsquo;s popularity: &ldquo;He will be a legend in the Czech Republic forever. He is well respected and even now that he is done, he will be remembered because he is an Olympic champion and a Stanley Cup champion.&rdquo;Hasek had spent six hours helping to pick out clips-and devoted far more footage to his one year with the Wings than his nine in Buffalo. Such as the conference final featuring Hasek vs. Patrick Roy The gem that was Game 7 of that series-to Wings fans, if not Colorado supporters-was shown to the rapture of the Czech crowd. There was Roy failing on his showboat save. There was Hasek, allowing not a goal to Joe Sakic or Peter Forsberg.It was 10:30 p.m. when the Cup appeared. The four Czech mates drenched each other with champagne, but managed to get enough into the Cup for Hasek to swill twice. Slegr then slung his arm around him and said a few words about what Hasek has meant to the Czech Republic.The applause rose as the Cup was put back in its crate and the hometown hero left the stage to fireworks that lit up the night while one last video showed the moments following the Cup-clinching game, when cameras zoomed in on a delighted, and soon to be retired, Hasek.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011927/8106126-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="729" height="1030"><figcaption class="caption-body">National hero Dominik Hasek shows off the Stanley Cup to Czech Republic fans. (courtesy Bob Montrose)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Hasek and Co. party at home

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello Senior Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021402/8106157-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">One of three historic American flags from Sept. 11 stopped at a rink in Winona, Minn., this summer after its keeper brought it along to a father-son hockey camp. (BBS)</figcaption></div>The unofficial caretaker of the Ground Zero flag couldn&rsquo;t help but feel the spirit when he brought the historic symbol to a small arena in the Midwest.&ldquo;I swear, it was just like out of Field of Dreams,&rdquo; said Maj. Dave Andersen. &ldquo;If you bring it, they will come.&rdquo;Thousands of people from the Midwest made the trip to Winona, Minn., when they heard one of three famous Ground Zero flags would be on display at the local Bud King Ice Arena in late July.Andersen, a major in the Marine Corps, was stationed in New York last Sept. 11 when terrorists flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Center towers. Some members of the New York Police Department emergency services unit were former Marines and died in the collapse.Andersen was there from the outset. He helped police with the rescue effort and cleanup. The flag, rescued from a nearby financial building that survived the attack, hung at Ground Zero and gathered numerous signatures from the families and friends of victims. It became a link to the attacks.The second flag is the FDNY flag raised on site by three of its members. The third is the tattered flag most recognizable from the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.The flag remaining in the care of Andersen journeys to various parts of the country upon request. Winona was its first stop at an ice arena.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a hockey dad and our family had plans to go to Winona for a father-son camp,&rdquo; Andersen said. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t until the last minute that I decided to bring it along. I thought it was time the people of the Midwest had a chance to see it.&rdquo;Previously, the flag was given to the Marines in New York and taken to Afghanistan, where it flew in hostile territoryAndersen said he will remain the keeper of the flag until the time that it&rsquo;s retired to a museum.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to bring it to an NHL game,&rdquo; Andersen said. &ldquo;All they have to do is ask. I&rsquo;ll be there with it.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Ground Zero flag in Midwest arena

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender&nbsp;Contributing Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011860/8106233-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ilya KovalchukMario Lemieux (Both: Sports Action Photography)</figcaption></div>1. Nobody will whine about the Olympic break being too long.2. Nobody will whine about Olympic preparation being too short.3. With the regular season starting a week later and ending a week earlier than usual, there will be an average of 6.8 NHL games per night for 180 nights.4. Peter Forsberg is back for a full year after an unbelievable playoff.5. Saku Koivu is back for a full year after an unbelievable fight.6. Mario Lemieux is back for whatever his back (and hip) can give.7. Jaromir Jagr is back from his sabbatical in the Amazon rainforest.8. This time, the Rangers are going to make the playoffs before they self-destruct.9. Philadelphia cronies gather to roast Bob Clarke. But, like, what will they have to talk about?10. Michael Peca has three more months to plan his revenge on Darcy Tucker and Tucker couldn&rsquo;t care less.11. Theoren Fleury and the San Jose Sharkie, in the same conference.12. With Ken Hitchcock in Philadelphia, the next Flyer who complains about coaching won&rsquo;t be allowed over center ice. In practice.13. Bill Guerin and Mike Modano will prove to be a much better combination than Pierre Turgeon and Ken Hitchcock.14. Pat Quinn is healthy. He stopped smoking cigars, started exercising and lost weight. Here&rsquo;s hoping some of the shedded pounds removed the chip on his shoulder.15. Fredrik Olausson is back in Anaheim. Environmentalists are thrilled a Duck has returned to his natural habitat.16. Todd Bertuzzi has learned that serving a 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a fight can cost him the scoring title.17. Brian Burke won&rsquo;t have to point out to officials which team Bertuzzi plays for, having already done so last spring.18. In Year 2, Ilya Kovalchuk&rsquo;s scoring celebrations will be the best since Tiger Williams&rsquo;s.19. Tommy Salo won&rsquo;t get scored on from center by a Belarussian.20. Dan Cloutier won&rsquo;t get scored on from center by a Nicklas Lidstromian.21. Arturs Irbe is getting new pads.22. Detroit is getting a new coach who is not a control freak when dealing with the media.23. Jere Karalahti is getting help.24. The hurry-up faceoff rule will send after-the-whistle facewashers to the cleaners.25. We get to see Erik Cole without a shag carpet on his face. Be honest, you don&rsquo;t have a clue what he looks like.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011693/8106226-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="1703" height="1265"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pavel Bure</figcaption></div>26. The great French Canadian first overall pick of the 1980s with his counterpart from the 1990s: Mario Lemieux and Alexandre Daigle, together at last (at least for training camp).27. Pat Burns is back as a Devil. Casting director Lou Lamoriello is up for an Oscar.28. Patrick Roy will save his fancy, lookie-here glove save theatrics for the regular season.29. Jose Theodore will again lead the 20-something crowd against Roy, Burke et al in a battle for control of the Vezina Trophy.30. Goal-scoring can&rsquo;t be as low as it was a year ago.31. Vincent Lecavalier can&rsquo;t be as bad as he was a year ago.32. Someone will score 100 points.33. Bill Muckalt will score.34. The Sedin twins will score at a pace that suggests they are in fact two players using two separate sticks, with separate entries on the scoresheet.35. The NHL insists it has successfully been through IA-Interference Anonymous-and is serious about cracking down on obstruction. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t blame the media for not believing,&rdquo; Phoenix GM Mike Barnett told THN. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s show us, don&rsquo;t tell us.&rdquo; That shows us something right there. Any good 12-stepper knows admitting past screw-ups is part of the problem.36. Florida ownership handed Mike Keenan a two-year contract extension plus two club options that could keep him in Florida through 2007-08. Six years! Keenan hasn&rsquo;t stayed with the same breakfast cereal for that long.37. In other news, Stephane Matteau signed the same deal.38. Bruce Cassidy gets to coach Jaromir Jagr, the kickboxing kid.39. Jarome Iginla will prove he&rsquo;s more than a one-hit wonder by finishing in the top five in the scoring race-provided he&rsquo;s under contract by opening night.40. Security won&rsquo;t be nearly as tight in St. Louis or San Jose as it was in Salt Lake City.41. Henrik Zetterberg will win the Calder Trophy as top rookie while falling just short of being named the best NHLer with a last name beginning with &lsquo;Z.&rsquo; He&rsquo;ll finish a close third behind Richard Zednik and champion Alexei Zhamnov (but ahead of the rising Dainius Zubrus).42. New Jersey&rsquo;s transition game, with Oleg Tverdovsky joining Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski on the blueline, will be a thing of beauty.43. Pavel Bure will win the Rocket Richard Award for the third time in five years.44. From now until Sept. 1, 2003, Martin Straka will get hurt just once more. His annual quota on season-threatening injuries is two. One down, one to go.45. Peter Worrell will fight less, but not by much.46. Detroit will become the first team to win back-to-back Cups with an average roster age of&hellip;47. Mark Messier, seeking his seventh Stanley Cup in his final NHL season, will be traded to Detroit at the deadline and push the Wings&rsquo; average age to&hellip;48. Can Ed Belfour really have his GAA climb six straight seasons? Leaf fans most definitely say&hellip;uh&hellip;Cujo? Cujo? Here, Cuuuujohhh!49. Hartford rejoice! Andrew Cassels, Geoff Sanderson and Kevin Dineen are together again! Columbus is a mere 660 miles away!50. One of Mike Babcock, Bruce Cassidy or Dave Tippet will turn out to be as good a quote as Ron Wilson.51. Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s downtime will let Pavel Datsyuk showcase his dynamite skills.52. Battle of Ontario, Part XIV As of press time, new Leaf and Senator players were finalizing their home purchases, one in each city.53. Tony Amonte and Teemu Selanne are in Phoenix and San Jose for all the right reasons.54. Wayne Gretzky is not coming back for all the wrong reasons.55. Doug Weight will have a bounce-back season.56. Netting at the end of NHL rinks may save a fan&rsquo;s life.57. Newly developed soft-cap elbow and shoulder pads-to be mandatory for the 2003-04 season-may save a player&rsquo;s career.58. To say nothing of more flexible board and glass systems.59. In Boston, Steve Shields and John Grahame will wage the hottest battle this side of Mike Moffat and John Blue.60. In Atlanta, Milan Hnilicka and Pasi Nurminen will live up to the memory of Phil Myre and Pat Riggin.61. In Dallas, Marty Turco and Ron Tugnutt will form the most underrated tandem this side of former Ranger net-minder Mike-Jon VanRichterbrouck.62. Carolina, with all due respect, will not be in the Stanley Cup final.63. In Buffalo, the NHL can show the rest of the league how to run a tight ship. Sabre watchers are already extremely nervous about again missing the playoffs.64. It will be another three years until Slovakian and Latvian players can complain about getting shafted.65. Agent Don Meehan is giving away two season tickets to two lucky fans in every rink in the league. Or he should be, after a summer of representing free agents Iginla, Theodore, Evgeni Nabokov, Curtis Joseph&hellip;66. The Life of Byron Dafoe can only get better.67. Columbus can&rsquo;t get any worse.68. This is the last season before the last season before the collective bargaining agreement expires.69. With another (relatively) concussion-free year, Eric Lindros will be back to being just another (darn good) hockey player.70. The entire Lindros clan has been invited to the Bob Clarke roast.71. Just kidding.72. Remember, David Legwand is still only 22.73. Igor Larionov turns 42 in December. Can you believe it?74. Kelly Buchberger will selflessly throw his body in front of shots for his fourth NHL team.75. Marian Gaborik, the NHL&rsquo;s best-kept secret, will stay that way. It&rsquo;s good to have secrets.76. Some goalie buried deep in the minors will make a huge splash with less than 15 games to go in the season.77. There will be no more juvenile scoreboard features at Air Canada Centre. (Right, guys? Right?)78. Even if he doesn&rsquo;t score on Dan Cloutier from center, Nicklas Lidstrom will still be Nicklas Lidstrom.79. Two teams from the Southeast Division-Carolina and Washington-will actually make the playoffs.80. When Colorado and Vancouver face off on Oct. 31, Adam Foote and Ed Jovanovski can dress up as hit men.81. Patrick Lalime will sparkle in the playoffs. Not sure if it will do Ottawa any good.82. In Adam Oates, Paul Kariya has a playmaking center for the first time in his career. Petr Sykora will help, too; hockey geometry tells us a one-line team is better than one that skates in circles.83. Left wingers Kariya, Jagr, Keith Tkachuk, Alexei Kovalev and Markus Naslund will all finish in the top 10 in scoring and make left wing the NHL&rsquo;s dominant offensive position.84. There is a pre-season game between Vancouver and Edmonton in Winnipeg. For those of you in Winnipeg, this is huge.85. Dangerous low hits will finally get the attention they deserve.86. San Jose will not improve on its point total for the seventh straight year. It will do something better-reach the Western Conference final for the first time in franchise history.87. Phoenix is one year closer to the new arena that everyone is already tired of hearing about.88. Best Bruins rookie handle: Ivan Huml, as in rhymes with pummel.89. This really will be Doug Gilmour&rsquo;s last year. Enjoy it.90. Marty McSorley will teach Phoenix&rsquo;s minor league prospects everything he knows about hockey.91. Pittsburgh will be offering a new car every home game to the fan who can name four home-side defensemen. Fortunately for the Pens, they&rsquo;ll never have to pay up.92. At some point in the playoffs the Flyers will score two goals in five minutes-a marked improvement on two goals in five games.93. Adios, Sergei Krivokrasov, we hardly knew ye.94. Minnesota and Florida won&rsquo;t go 0-15-22 in OT.95. Full seasons coming for gritty Caps Steve Konowalchuk and Jeff Halpern.96. Jay Bouwmeester.97. The IHL won&rsquo;t fold.98. Ted Nolan might find a job.99. Sergei Gonchar will be recognized as a true star.100. Chances are Roman Cechmanek possibly might not show up teammates when he&rsquo;s getting shelled. Maybe.101. Forty-one issues of THN, better than last year, better than ever. &#9633;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021206/8106219-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="1154" height="1853"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug Weight (Both: Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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COVER STORY

Drop the Puck!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011656/8106278-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Karl&nbsp;PublisherCagey veteran&nbsp;The Hockey News&rsquo;s Wayne Karl, Team White&rsquo;s secret weapon in the pro tryout camp of the United League&rsquo;s Missouri River Otters. (Mark Wilson)</figcaption></div>BRADFORD, ONT.There&rsquo;s a joke in some hockey circles that the UHL is better known as the Jules Verne League-meaning 20,000 leagues under the NHL. I&rsquo;m here to tell you the United League is definitely not 20,000 leagues under the NHL-just three or four. But for some players, it might as well be a couple hundred.I&rsquo;m living proof.The Missouri River Otters of the UHL held a pro tryout camp in the Toronto area in early August. Organized by development outfit Russell Hockey Enterprises, the tryout brought 34 prospects from North America and Europe to compete in intra-squad games over three days. The goal? To earn an invitation to the Otters&rsquo; full camp in St. Louis in September.Make that 34 prospects and one wanna-be. I volunteered to attend the camp on behalf of The Hockey News.Half the prospects here have experience at minor pro, university or junior hockey, while the others are students of Russell Hockey&rsquo;s summer camp. Most of the hopefuls range in age from 18 to their early-20s. None are older than 30. Then there&rsquo;s me.&ldquo;Name?&rdquo; organizer Jim Zitmanis asks at the orientation meeting.&ldquo;Karl,&rdquo; I say. &ldquo;Wayne Karl, not Karl Wayne. I want the PA guy to get it right when he announces my goals and assists.&rdquo;Zitmanis looks up and glares. &ldquo;Age?&rdquo; &ldquo;Forty,&rdquo; I whisper, not wanting to give the other prospects any advantage.&ldquo;Position?&rdquo;&ldquo;Left wing.&rdquo;&ldquo;League last played in?&rdquo;&ldquo;IGHL,&rdquo; I say.&ldquo;You mean the IHL?&rdquo; he asks.&ldquo;No, the IGHL, the Ice Gardens Hockey League. It&rsquo;s a&hellip;Why are you laughing?&rdquo;&ldquo;Is that a women&rsquo;s league?&rdquo; he chirps.&ldquo;No, and I was league scoring champion last season,&rdquo; I reply.&ldquo;What else?&rdquo; he asks.&ldquo;I tied for third in penalty minutes.&rdquo;&ldquo;And?&rdquo;&ldquo;And I&rsquo;ve been mistaken for Larry Robinson a few times. And I played OMHA Rep in Streetsville until I was 18. We won two All-Ontario titles and one Silver Stick. Of course, I was a goalie back then, usually second string.&rdquo;Zitmanis stops taking notes.&ldquo;Now I coach a AA minor peewee team and I&rsquo;m a CHA certified trainer.&rdquo;&ldquo;Good,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You might need a trainer tomorrow. Keep your head up.&rdquo;PRE-CAMP MEETING&ldquo;We&rsquo;re here looking for good, young players who may have been overlooked by the draft,&rdquo; Otters GM-president Kevin Fitzpatrick tells the prospects. &ldquo;Last year, two of our guys got called up to the AHL.&rdquo;Fitzpatrick highlights the selling points of hockey in Missouri: The coach, Mark Reeds, was UHL coach of the year last season. Twelve Otters&rsquo; game are tele vised; all are on radio. Salaries range from $275 per week to $1,300. Otters captain Lonnie Loach, who is returning for his fourth season, played with Ottawa, Los Angeles and Anaheim in 1992-93 and &rsquo;93-94.Reeds, who has eight seasons of NHL experience, enjoys celebrity status at this camp. At 5-foot-10 and close to his playing weight of 178 pounds, he hardly looks like a guy who scored 159 points in 365 NHL games as a winger.But listening to him talk, he obviously possesses the key ingredient he&rsquo;s looking for in these players-heart. &ldquo;What I&rsquo;m looking for is guys who want to play, who want the opportunity and want to get to the next, level. Anytime you step onto the ice, it&rsquo;s about competing.&rdquo;Reeds also stresses conditioning. Then he talks contracts. Only five players are signed for this season, and on a 20-man roster, that means 15 job vacancies. He also reminds them of realities.&ldquo;Our contracts are good for 24 hours,&rdquo; Reeds says. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not doing your job, you can be gone the next day&rdquo;GAME DAYI&rsquo;ve been assigned to Team White for the first intra-squad game.There&rsquo;s a 20-minute warmup followed by three 20-minute stop time periods, with UHL refs.In the dressing room before warm-up, the guys are silent with tension. They&rsquo;ve invested years in pursuing a pro career and this camp is a make or break weekend. I&rsquo;m just hoping not to break my neck.At a glance, it&rsquo;s difficult to spot the legitimate prospects in a room full of players. Some guys look small, most sport bravado, others look like they&rsquo;re praying. A few have their head buried in the hands. Many breathe heavy sighs.&ldquo;Anybody nervous?&rdquo; someone asks. Following a few cautious laughs, the room returns to silence.Finally, amid chatter and encouragement, we stream out of the room. Though most players never met before today, they&rsquo;re all giving each other taps on the shins and knocks on the gloves. One guy parks himself outside the dressing room door and punches every player as they pass him on the way out.On the way to the ice, a big Team Blue defenseman says he&rsquo;s going hit me so he can get his name in The Hockey News. I tell him that&rsquo;s a sure-fire way to not get mentioned and I remind him the players have been instructed I&rsquo;m off-limits to body checks.Stepping onto the ice, my legs feel like jelly, my hands like cement. After some basic skating and stretching, we line up to shoot on the goalies, then some 2-on-ls and 3-on-1s. My first two or three turns, I can&rsquo;t hold a pass. In the 2-on-ls I give the puck away every time. By the time we get to the 3-on-ls, I sense the other players don&rsquo;t want to be on my line. I can see them jockeying for position. The phrase &ldquo;drill killer&rdquo; comes to mind.&ldquo;Apologies in advance, guys,&rdquo; I tell my teammates after the warm-up. &ldquo;And for what just happened.&rdquo; Few laugh.Our Team White coach, Greg Patton, a Russell Hockey instructor, comes in for his pre-game pep talk.&ldquo;OK guys, we&rsquo;re gonna go with four lines. We&rsquo;re not going to give you any system, we just want to see how you react. Pick up your man coming back. Two men in on the puck when forechecking. Gotta have a high guy. Gotta be patient, high guy. Don&rsquo;t want three guys low on the puck and then get a turnover back 3-on-2.&ldquo;You gotta be smart out there. Don&rsquo;t try to do something you&rsquo;re not good at. If you&rsquo;re not a fighter, don&rsquo;t fight. If you&rsquo;re not a goal scorer don&rsquo;t try and dance with the puck. If you&rsquo;re a grinder, grind. OK guys? It&rsquo;s very simple. Just play hard. Talk it up, be intense.&rdquo;And with that, we storm from the room, a ferocious Team White.If there was any doubt about how intense the players would be, it was erased 13 seconds after faceoff. Team Blue&rsquo;s Robby Worlton drops the gloves to take on a much bigger Kevin Hill, the unofficial captain of Team White who has spent time in the UHL and East Coast League. It&rsquo;s a brief though nasty exchange, and I can hear the smack of knuckles hitting helmets.My team falls behind 1-0, and as line after line goes over the boards, I&rsquo;m almost happy to not hear my name called. Then, at about the seven-minute mark, Patton tells me I&rsquo;m up next.The puck clears our zone, and our left winger comes to the bench. &ldquo;Left, left!&rdquo; he yells and over the boards I go. I scramble into position as we head into the offensive zone. A quick whistle and we line up at the left faceoff circle in their end.Our defenseman, Claude Amstutz, an obvious talent who played in Switzerland last year, tells me to tie up their right winger on the draw. &ldquo;OK, got it,&rdquo; I assure him. I wonder if he believes me.Our center wins the draw and the puck squirts to my right. I see their winger go for the puck and I skate into his lane to tie him up. The puck slides back to Amstutz and he tries a shot, but it hits a leg and he&rsquo;s forced to go deep into the left corner.I see this and hang back to cover for him. The puck comes out toward the middle. I poke at it with my stick to keep it in the zone. It pops up in the air. I fall to my knees and try to swipe the puck out of mid-air. Their forward, the same guy I tied up seconds earlier, jumps up to join the rush and knees me in the head.Seeing the play go down the ice with no hope of catching up, I head to the bench, completing possibly the quickest rookie debut in pro sports&hellip;maybe 25 seconds.I resume my position, standing behind the bench, beside the coach, next to the stick rack, out of the way.I&rsquo;m ready to go again a couple minutes &lsquo;later, but it&rsquo;s not until 6:30 left in the period that Patton calls my name again.I hop over the boards and cross our blueline and head for my spot by the hash marks. I promptly blow a tire and fall.There&rsquo;s a whistle and we face off in our end. I line up at the left faceoff circle. I ask our left &lsquo;D&rsquo; what he wants me to do. He doesn&rsquo;t answer. I go to their right &lsquo;D&rsquo; and cut off the passing lane. The puck goes into our left corner. I cover my defenseman and circle my zone, ready to accept the puck if it comes around the boards.Our defenseman gets the puck behind the net and we break out. He passes the puck to me-what is he doing?-and we head out on a 3-on-2.1 pass it off to our center, 22-year-old Mason Byers, who carries the puck through the neutral zone and across their blueline before he gets tied up along the boards. Incredibly, Byers dishes the puck off to me again and I find myself heading from high in the slot deeper toward the goal. I see a lane. It looks clear and I head for the net. It&rsquo;s all so surreal, simultaneously a blur and slow motion. Before I know it, I&rsquo;m in front of the net, still with the puck. Just as I&rsquo;m about to lift a backhand, I get taken down from the left, but I get the shot off. I fall to my knees and do a face-plant to the ice, and when I lift my head I see the puck is in the net. I scored!Unbelievable.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011479/8106271-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="2375" height="2327"><figcaption class="caption-body">Above: Karl, second from left, accepts kudos after his first, and last, minor pro goal. Left: Karl&rsquo;s scouting report shows he&rsquo;s not quite ready for prime time yet.</figcaption></div>Just like that, the score is tied 1-1.I get up and our right winger, Devon Goldberg, a 21-year-old student at Russell, is beaming. &ldquo;Hey, there&rsquo;s one for The Hockey News,&rdquo; my linemates say, and I sheepishly accept the mugging.The euphoria is interrupted by the jawing of an angry Team Blue defenseman, eyes bulging: &ldquo;Next time I&rsquo;m gonna lay you out, buddy I gotta think about my plus-minus.&rdquo;Ah, OK. Easy pal, I thought, or Mark Reeds will send you so far down the minors even The Hockey News won&rsquo;t be able to find you.In the IGHL, I&rsquo;d be right there jawing back. But this is not the IGHL. At the Missouri River Otters pro tryout camp, they drop the gloves.Taking my cue to get out of the way and let the pros do their thing, I politely withdraw from the game after the first period. &ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ll retire at the top of my game,&rdquo; I tell my teammates.&ldquo;How did I do, coach?&rdquo; I ask Reeds.&ldquo;You did great. You scored a big goal to get your team back in the game. Very impressive. You struggled with your skating, because of the speed of the game.&rdquo;Director of player personnel Wink Wilson is more direct.&ldquo;Your-legs got going faster than your head and you fell on your can,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But you came back strong. Anybody who can come out and score his first pro goal is special. And you did something most pros forget to do. You covered for your defenseman when he pinched.You got gold marks for that.&rdquo;<h2>POST-GAME</h2>After the game, won by my Team White 7-3,1 seek out the poor goalie I victimized, expecting a cool reception. He greets me instead with a smile.&ldquo;Hey, nice goal,&rdquo; are the first words from Chris Taylor, a 21-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., who played Junior A for Brockville last season.I couldn&rsquo;t have scored on a nicer guy, I think, as Taylor talks of his goal to get invited to St. Louis, make the Otters and then advance beyond the UHL. An invitation to the main camp would push him to work even harder than his daily gym workouts, he says. &ldquo;That would tell me I have something that I could work with.&rdquo;Despite allowing a milestone goal from an aged rookie, all the hard work pays off for Taylor. He is one of six prospects invited to the Otters&rsquo; full camp. The jawing defenseman is not among them.When I see Reeds I ask him: &ldquo;Is there an invitation in your pocket for me?&rdquo;He puts his hand on my shoulder, laughs and politely says: &ldquo;No.&rdquo;And with that, GM Fitzpatrick tosses me a souvenir puck. &#9633;Wayne Karl becomes a free agent after punching his time card. He&rsquo;s available for other pro tryouts, fantasy camps, oldtimers all-star games and celebrity pro-ams. He will be falling on his can at a fundraising game to benefit women&rsquo;s hockey in TorontoSept. 7. He will not be playing for a women&rsquo;s team.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021149/8106264-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="2912" height="1126"><figcaption class="caption-body">Fighting for jobs&nbsp;Roundhouses are fair game at pro tryout hockey camps across North America. Fortunately for THN publisher Wayne Karl, he only had to score with his stick, not his fists.</figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">Your legs got going faster than your head and you fell on your can.</blockquote>Blunt truth from a scout on Wayne Karl, THN&rsquo;s UHL hopeful. &#9632;

f0016-01

My tryout with the big boys

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021175/8106323-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="632" height="1421"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011537/8106330-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="218" height="216"></div>The team that many deemed &ldquo;too old&rdquo; to win the Stanley Cup a year ago is theodds-on pick to repeat as NHL champion. A survey of Las Vegas casinos put Detroit at 7-2 to win the Cup again, with Western Conference rival Colorado close behind at 9-2. Philadelphia (7-1) and Boston (8-1)-despite losingBill Guerin and, most likely, Byron Dafoe to free agency &ndash; are the Eastern Conference favorites.<h2>2002-03 Stanley Cup Odds</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03848/8106316-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="593" height="891"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sergei Fedorov&rsquo;s Wings are 7-2 favorites to win another Cup.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04565/8106309-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="1198" height="1362"><figcaption class="caption-body">Atlanta&rsquo;s Shawn McEachern, acquired from Ottawa this summer, will provide a boost to what had been a one-line Thrasher attack. (All images BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0018-02

NHL 2002-03

Do you wanna bet? Las Vegas likes Wings

<div class="byline">-Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06295/8106392-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="219" height="250"></div>The summer acquisitions of wingers Shawn McEachern and Slava Kozlov should give the Atlanta Thrashers better forward depth than they had in the first three seasons.But the evolution of two positions will prove pivotal for the team&rsquo;s success this year: center and defense.The Thrashers remain weak up the middle. Patrik Stefan and Tony Hrkac are the logical No. 1 and No. 2 centers, but coach Curt Fraser is considering moving right winger Dany Heatley to the middle.Defensively, the Thrashers are making several changes, most notably with the free agent signings of Richard Smehlik and Uwe Krupp. But Smehlik is coming off a poor season in Buffalo and Krupp has to prove he still has something left in his tank.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Pasi Nurminen, G. The Finnish goalie made a strong recovery from knee surgery following the 2001 draft, had an impressive stint with the Thrashers and carried the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup. Expect him to push starter Milan Hnilicka, particularly if Hnilicka&rsquo;s contract problems stretch into the preseason.2. Daniel Tjarnqvist, D. He struggled in the first half of the season making the transition from Sweden, but in the second half was easily the team&rsquo;s best defenseman. He&rsquo;s very steady and confident.3. Patrik Stefan, C. He played his best hockey immediately after returning from a minor league demotion. The biggest question is whether he can stay healthy for the first time.INJURY UPDATE Atlanta doesn&rsquo;t have any major health issues entering training camp. Left winger Ilya Kovalchuk, the team&rsquo;s leading goal scorer as a rookie, seemingly has recovered from his late-season shoulder injury.NOTEBOOK Free agent center signee Mark Hartigan was charged with &ldquo;fifth degree assault,&rdquo; following an altercation in a Minnesota bar. He was released on bail&hellip;The Thrashers still had four restricted free agents, most notably goalie Milan Hnilicka. Also unsigned: defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist and forwards Dan Snyder and Yuri Butsayev. &#9632;

f0018-06

Center, defense key areas to watch

<div class="byline">-Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07246/8106423-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="225" height="254"></div>They lost free agent Bill Guerin, the first line right winger who hit the 40-goal plateau for two straight seasons.They haven&rsquo;t retained free agent goalie Byron Dafoe, the No. 1 man in this town for the past five years.Kyle McLaren, arguably the team&rsquo;s best defenseman, says he&rsquo;ll hold out until he&rsquo;s traded.Care to guess if Boston Bruins fans are optimistic about a repeat as Eastern Conference regular season champions?On the bright side the B&rsquo;s have plenty left over-especially up front where Joe Thornton, Jozef Stumpel and Brian Rolston might be the NHL&rsquo;s best 1-2-3 center trio-but they didn&rsquo;t replace those they lost with better players. There&rsquo;ll be a lot of slack for others to pick up this season.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Glen Murray, RW. He matched Guerin&rsquo;s 41 goals last year, but he&rsquo;ll truly be seen as someone who has broken through if he approaches that total again. Murray&rsquo;s tendency has been to tail off after strong seasons.2. Steve Shields, G. After an off-year with Anaheim, Shields sees his trade to Boston as a chance to re-establish himself. With Dafoe gone, the B&rsquo;s and their fans hope Shields is right.3. Marty McInnis, RW. The three-time 20-goal scorer fell from 20 to 11 last year and didn&rsquo;t find a niche after he was obtained from Anaheim in early March. A return to form could lessen the impact of Guerin&rsquo;s departure.INJURY UPDATE The B&rsquo;s are in good shape here. Thornton, limited by a shoulder injury at the end of last season, had surgery that isn&rsquo;t expected to cause him to miss training camp time. Winger P-J Axelsson has also recovered from a minor knee injury sustained while playing for Sweden in the World Championship.NOTEBOOK The Bruins signed defenseman Bryan Berard to a one-year-plus-option contract Aug 13. &ldquo;I thought I might be a pretty good fit (in Boston), as far as there being an opportunity to play the way I can,&rdquo; Berard said. Boston sees Berard as someone who can potentially aid a power play that ranked 26th last season. &#9632;

f0018-07

Holding ground won’t be easy

<div class="byline">-Bucky Gleason</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021061/8106454-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Calgary&rsquo;s Rob Niedermayer is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2001-02 season.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011411/8106461-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="222" height="247"></div>The Buffalo Sabres would like to think they have all the pieces coming together this season. But what does it mean when almost all the pieces are the same as those from last year?The Sabres will skate into training camp with essentially the same lineup that finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs last season. They completed some minor tinkering along the third and fourth lines, but remain a team without stars. They&rsquo;re counting on their players improving.Buffalo was six games above .500 over its final 41 games. If the Sabres pick up where they left off, the playoffs are within reach. If they revert to their previous form, their post-season hopes could be dashed before the 2002-03 campaign hits the stretch drive.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Chris Gratton, C. The enigmatic Gratton showed his talent after scoring 11 goals and 25 points in his final 32 games last season. How long he stays depends on how well he plays.2. Taylor Pyatt, LW. This young gun muscled his way to 10 goals and 20 points, most coming late in the season. He&rsquo;s 21, but has all the tools to develop into a solid power forward.3. Maxim Afinogenov, RW. He&rsquo;s coming off his first 20-goal season and the Sabres are fawning over his skills. He could bust through for 30 goals this year if Tim Connolly can get him the puck.INJURY UPDATE The only thing the Sabres bruised last season was their egos. Now they have no excuses. They should have everybody available for training camp.NOTEBOOK The Sabres remained up for sale while the NHL waited to hear from Sherry Bassin, who was leading a prospective ownership group interested in making a bid for the team. The league has controlled the team most of the summer after owner John Rigas faced federal charges connected with his operating procedures at Adelphia Communications. Among those in Bassin&rsquo;s group is former Sabres captain Pat LaFontaine, who would own a minority share&hellip;GM Darcy Regier was optimistic about having right wingers Maxim Afinogenov and Vaclav Varada signed before training camp, marking the first time in Regier&rsquo;s tenure Buffalo would start the season with a full roster&hellip;Goalie Martin Biron on the Rigas arrest: &ldquo;I was heartbroken when I saw John taken away in handcuffs. I wish everything could be pretty and nice.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0019-02

Sabres hope for the best icing last year’s lineup

<div class="byline">-Luke DeCock</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04560/8106523-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="223" height="226"></div>Expectations and optimism are running equally high in Carolina, and not just because of the Hurricanes&rsquo; breakthrough drive to the Stanley Cup final last season.Two signings over the summer show just how much has changed for the franchise. Players with options elsewhere were willing to remain with the team and the Hurricanes were willing to pay to keep them.Among other signings, Bret Hedican inked a deal for six years and Aaron Ward for four. Only Martin Gelinas chose to move on. Given that the roster didn&rsquo;t really come together until March, when Hedican got healthy and Jaroslav Svoboda claimed a spot in the lineup, there&rsquo;s a great deal of anticipation as to what is possible over a full season.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Josef Vasicek, C. The lanky center has shown signs of stardom during his first two seasons, but also signs of inconsistency. In the playoffs last season, Vasicek demonstrated he can be a playmaking force.2. Jeff Heerema, RW. The team has high hopes that Heerema, a rookie right winger, can replace Martin Gelinas and display the goal-scoring prowess he showed in major junior and with Lowell of the American League.3. David Tanabe, D. Tanabe never found his form during his sophomore campaign last season. Tanabe needs to make better decisions with the puck. Also, his contract situation is uncertain heading into camp.INJURY UPDATE While the Hurricanes had a number of players with injuries that required surgery over the summer-Vasicek&rsquo;s shoulder, Ward&rsquo;s knee-all are expected to be ready for the start of training camp.NOTEBOOK The Hurricanes signed goaltender Randy Petruk to a two-year contract. Petruk is expected to share time with goaltender Jean-Marc Pelletier in Lowell of the American League&hellip;Left winger Ryan Bayda, who turned pro last spring after his junior year at North Dakota, was one of nine prospects in Raleigh for the Hurricanes&rsquo; conditioning camp. Others included goaltender Cam Ward, defenseman Jesse Lane and center Adam Taylor, all of whom are part of the team&rsquo;s 2002 draft class, and defenseman Ed Hill, who played for Lowell last season and signed with Carolina this summer. &#9632;

f0019-04

Hurricanes will keep core from thrilling Cup run

<div class="byline">-Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011191/8106554-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="220" height="257"></div>It won&rsquo;t be easy for the Blackhawks to improve upon their 96-point season of a year ago. Whether they can or not depends largely on one thing: Theo Fleury&rsquo;s ability to keep a level head on and off the ice.As essentially Tony Amonte&rsquo;s replacement, Fleury must assume much of what were Amonte&rsquo;s responsibilities on offense. The acquisition of left winger Sergei Berezin also may help improve the team&rsquo;s scoring punch.GM Mike Smith feels the addition of free-agent defensemen Jason Strudwick and Nathan Dempsey adds toughness and mobility to an already deep blueline.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Steve Sullivan, RW. Sullivan&rsquo;s goal production dropped from 34 to 21 last season and the Hawks need him to regain his scoring touch. Sullivan must produce early or he could begin to lose powerplay time to Fleury and Berezin.2. Sergei Berezin, LW. The Hawks are confident Berezin can put personal problems behind him and regain his goalscoring touch after netting only 11 last season. Playing with more skilled players such as Alexei Zhamnov or Michael Nylander should help.3. Mark Bell, LW. This is the season for Bell to show if he is going to be an impact player or a run-of-the mill third- or fourth-liner. Drafted eighth overall in 1998, Bell made good strides last season and flashed the potential to be a 20-goal, 150-penalty minute guy.INJURY UPDATE Defenseman Boris Mironov underwent offseason surgery on his left shoulder and might need a few weeks of camp for it to be 100 per cent. Center Igor Korolev had back surgery, but is expected to play in the pre-season. Rookie right winger Pavel Vorobiev is about 90 per-cent recovered from surgery he had to reconstruct his left knee in 2001.NOTEBOOK It will be interesting to see if coach Brian Sutter makes right winger Theo Fleury an assistant captain. Either center Alexei Zhamnov or defenseman Jon Klemm are expected to replace right winger Tony Amonte as captain&hellip;With Fleury getting a two-year deal, the Hawks still do not have one player on the roster signed past the 2003-04 season&hellip;Negotiations were still dragging with 2001 first round pick Tuomo Ruutu. The 19-year-old center is expected to sign a contract to play another season in Finland. &#9632;

f0022-01

Chicago pins hopes on Fleury’s reform

<div class="byline">-Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02868/8106592-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="220" height="234"></div>Colorado Avalanche fans have had seven straight off-seasons free of worry about whether or not their team would be a Stanley Cup contender.But ask serious Avs fans what concerns them entering the coming season and they almost always raise the state of the defense.The departure of veteran Darius Kasparaitis via free agency only serves to highlight Colorado&rsquo;s lack of depth at defense. All-stars Rob Blake and Adam Foote are solid and Greg DeVries had a standout season last year, but the Avs&rsquo; other blueliners are question marks: Martin Skoula has yet to fulfill his promise and Bryan Muir and Brett Clark have limited NHL experience.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Peter Forsberg, C. The prospect of a full regular season to watch the Swedish star is easily the most exciting thing Avs fans have to look forward to. If he stays healthy-always a big if-many are anticipating a Hart Trophy.2. Milan Hejduk, RW. A late-season groin injury pretty much wiped out Hejduk&rsquo;s year and the Avs badly missed his offense in the playoffs. Look for another 30-40 goals from the smooth Czech winger this year.3. Radim Vrbata, RW. What kind of sophomore season will the Czech winger have? Will he build on the 18 goals he scored as a rookie, or will he backslide? Bet on the former.INJURY UPDATE The broken little finger that hampered the final two games of Forsberg&rsquo;s playoffs has healed, as have Hejduk&rsquo;s groin problems. Blake was dinged up by the end of the playoffs with groin and wrist problems of his own, but his injuries have healed.NOTEBOOK Negotiations between management and left winger Alex Tanguay and defenseman Martin Skoula still had not produced contract agreements as camp neared. Both made $975,000 last season, and are believed to be seeking raises to at least the $1.5-million mark&hellip;Look for the Avs to sign center Peter Forsberg to a one- or two-year contract extension at some point this season. Forsberg, 28, probably won&rsquo;t play more than another three or four years in the NHL. He has said he wants to play his final year of pro hockey for his old Swedish team, MoDo.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03650/8106585-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="235" height="279"><figcaption class="caption-body">Milan Hejduk</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-02

Avs remain strong, but‘D’a concern

<div class="byline">-Aaron Portzline</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04465/8106623-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="222" height="256"></div>The Columbus Blue Jackets took a surprising step backward in Year 2, but they head into training camp with plans to take a significant step forward.On offense, they&rsquo;ve added free agent center Andrew Cassels and No. 1 overall draft pick Rick Nash, which-combined with the return of a healthy Geoff Sanderson-should spike their goal-scoring toward respectability.The defense wasn&rsquo;t tweaked, but overhauled. Luke Richardson and Scott Lachance were signed as free agents and Mattias Timander and Deron Quint were shown the door, leaving only Jean-Luc GrandPierre from the first season.Talent and depth make this training camp far different from the first two and it could make next season a pleasant surprise for fans.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Geoff Sanderson, LW. Sanderson was healthy for only about 10 games last year. Now he&rsquo;s said to be fully healed and looking forward to a reunion with former linemate Cassels.2. Rostislav Klesla, D. Klesla didn&rsquo;t get the credit he deserved as a rookie last season, but look for him to stand out more this time around. Being paired with reliable Lachance should allow him to pinch more often.3. David Vyborny, RW. There have been whispers of Vyborny returning to Europe, but the bet here is that Columbus remains intrigued with his potential and interested in what he can do with the right linemates.INJURY UPDATE Chris Nielsen&rsquo;s off-season wrist surgery might slow his push toward a spot on the top two lines, but he hopes to be ready for training camp. A groin pull has bothered Kiel McLeod from the end of last season and through the summer.NOTEBOOK With the signing of free agent center Andrew Cassels, the Blue Jackets will have to decide whether to switch either Mike Sillinger or Espen Knutsen from center to right wing. Sillinger has played on the right side before in the NHL and Knutsen played there in Sweden before signing with Columbus&hellip;Center Serge Aubin was not given a qualifying offer, but there&rsquo;s a chance he&rsquo;ll be back with the Jackets at a lower salary if no other team signs him&hellip;Columbus&rsquo;s season-ticket base remains around 14,000. Three games-two with Detroit, one with Pittsburgh-sold out within hours after they went on sale. &#9632;

f0022-04

New talent, depth signal improvement

<div class="byline">-Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011074/8106654-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="221" height="223"></div>For the second consecutive season, the Dallas Stars did their best to corner the summer free-agent market.They hope that&rsquo;s the only similarity between the upcoming season and the 200102 implosion. As owner Tom Hicks has cautioned, there better not be a repeat.Maybe the Stars took success for granted.&ldquo;What happened to us the last couple of years is that we got complacent that we would be in the playoffs and semifinal or final,&rdquo; said GM Doug Armstrong. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll start in September to be a great regular season team. Once we do that, everything else will fall in place.&rdquo;For all their well-documented struggles, the Stars had a 90-point season last year. Four more points and they would have made the playoffs. Eight more and they would have won their division. The addition of Bill Guerin and Scott Young alone among six off-season pickups probably puts Dallas among the top four teams in the West.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Pierre Turgeon, C. Can he be any less effective than he was last season? Unlikely New coach Dave Tippett will build his confidence and familiar linemate Scott Young is a reminder of happier days.2. Marty Turco, G. All eyes will be on Turco as he replaces Ed Belfour. With almost every other position addressed and reinforced, Turco must prove gaudy numbers as a backup justifies No. 1 status.3. Jon Sim, LW. Sim always appears to be a season away, always tantalizing with big goal-scoring numbers in the minors. Approaching his 25th birthday, this may be his last chance to impress.INJURY UPDATE The long offseason had one positive benefit for the Stars. Every player is expected to be healthy and ready for training camp.NOTEBOOK The Stars aren&rsquo;t likely to budge much from the 10 per-cent qualifying offer made to left winger Brenden Morrow after his 17-goal season. Morrow made $895,000 last season&hellip;The signing of free-agent goaltender Corey Hirsch gives the Stars an experienced third goaltender in their system and a player to share netminding duties with prospect Jason Bacashihua with the Utah Grizzlies of the American League&hellip;The Stars have unveiled a logo to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their move to Dallas. &#9632;

f0023-01

Free-spending Stars set to shine again

<div class="byline">-Nicholas J. Cotsonika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02742/8106692-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="224" height="228"></div>Even defending Stanley Cup champions face questions at training camp.The Detroit Red Wings again possess the silver chalice, but they don&rsquo;t have Scotty Bowman and Dominik Hasek, both retired, and they don&rsquo;t have Steve Yzerman, who had major knee surgery.They signed Curtis Joseph to replace Hasek in goal, and they have several players who can fill in for Yzerman temporarily in the dressing room and on the ice. The biggest story will be how Dave Lewis handles succeeding Bowman behind the bench. He has a different style, and training camp is where you start setting the tone (See pg. 3 for more on Lewis.)<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Darren McCarty, RW. Although he made an impact in the playoffs, scoring four goals on Patrick Roy, he was disappointing last season, tying career-lows with five goals and 12 points. With good health, he should produce more.2. Jiri Fischer, D. He developed well under the tutelage of Chris Chelios last season. Based on his three playoff goals-he has three career regular season goals-he might be ready to add some offense to his game.3. Henrik Zetterberg, LW. The Wings don&rsquo;t want to put too much pressure on the rookie, but they hope he can make the same kind of impact Pavel Datsyuk did last season.INJURY UPDATE Yzerman had realignment surgery on his right knee Aug. 2. In an interview with The Detroit News, he said for the first time that retirement was a possibility however slight. &ldquo;I want to play, but I accept the fact that if it hurts too much, you get to the point where it doesn&rsquo;t make sense,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If I get to that point, I won&rsquo;t play.&rdquo; Wings spokesman John Hahn said Yzerman was scheduled to return in February, and &ldquo;Steve expects to be back then, if not sooner.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03543/8106685-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="233" height="281"><figcaption class="caption-body">Darren McCarty</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK Defenseman Jiri Fischer is involved in a paternity suit in suburban Detroit. Alexis Ann Simmons, 18, is seeking $1,215 a week in child support for her seven-month-old son, of which Fischer, 22, is the biological father, according to court documents. Fischer, whose salary is about $1 million, has been issued a temporary order to pay Simmons $750 a week. &#9632;

f0023-02

Reigning champions look to defend title

<div class="byline">-Robert Tychkowski</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04390/8106723-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="219" height="247"></div>While 92 points represents a good season, it wasn&rsquo;t good enough to earn a playoff spot for the Edmonton Oilers last year. Expect the Oilers to drop a few notches on defense-it&rsquo;ll be difficult to repeat the stinginess that ranked them second in the NHL in goals against-but they should make up for it at the other end.Edmonton is hoping Jiri Dopita&rsquo;s arrival and having Mike York on board for a full season will be the answer to their long-lost scoring depth.If the Oilers can avoid a midseason slump like the one that sunk them last year, they should sneak into the top eight in the West.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Mike Grier, RW. Grier had a bad start a year ago because of off-season shoulder surgery and a bad middle of the year because of complications from the injury. He&rsquo;s completely healthy now and will seem like found money if he regains his form.2. Janne Niinimaa, D. He&rsquo;s already an Olympian and is headed for star status if he continues to mature like he has been. He has a great mix of two-way play, durability and leadership.3. Ethan Moreau, LW. With Jani Rita and Jason Chimera expected to land jobs, a third line veteran like Moreau has plenty of competition. That knowledge, coupled with his checking, hustle and heart, will keep him here in October.INJURY UPDATE The Oilers don&rsquo;t have any lingering injury problems. Grier and winger Ryan Smyth, who had some offseason work done on the ankle he broke last season, will both be 100 per cent.NOTEBOOK Once notorious for going into training camp with plenty of restricted free agents still unsigned, the Oilers only have two in that category this year-defenseman Eric Brewer and forward Mike York. Bridging the gulf isn&rsquo;t expected to be a problem in either case&hellip;Fitness nut and right winger Anson Carter says training methods have really changed over the years: &ldquo;When I was in Boston, Gerry Cheevers was telling me that a few weeks before camp he would put on a garbage bag and drive around in his car with the heat up. That&rsquo;s how he&rsquo;d lose weight for camp. If my trainer had it his way, I&rsquo;d be working out seven days a week. He keeps telling us, &lsquo;You think the guys in Sweden or Russia are taking Sunday off?&rsquo;&rdquo; &#9632;

f0023-04

Picking up offense key to post-season

<div class="byline">-David J. Neal</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02807/8106754-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sharp increase: It&rsquo;s not a matter of if reigning Hart and Vezina Trophies winner Jose Theodore will get a big raise, it&rsquo;s when.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011146/8106761-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="223" height="254"></div>With just 44 wins the past two seasons and no immediate end to the misery in sight, the Florida Panthers enter 200203 as a franchise in flux.Until Roberto Luongo succumbs to shell shock, goaltending is solid, but questions abound after that.A long overdue defensive overhaul through trades and the draft makes the Panthers more mobile and hostile in the back, but it also makes the team more prone to turnovers.Also, the Panthers still have the brittle Viktor Kozlov and the perpetually underachieving Olli Jokinen as their top two centers. And can all those youngsters who showed so well last season, especially late, be expected to do the same throughout this season?<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Pierre Dagenais, LW. Dagenais finished the season on a goal-scoring tear by making the most of his scorer&rsquo;s hands and hanging around for garbage goals. With a smart setup man, such as rookie center Stephen Weiss, he could be a 20-25 goal player.2. Niklas Hagman, LW. Fellow Panthers rookie Kristian Huselius was a Calder trophy finalist, but Hagman, a superball of hustle and skill, also claimed a rookie of the month award. He&rsquo;ll become a Mike Keenan favorite.3. Branislav Mezei, D. The 6-foot-4 Mezei, a developing defenseman in the Islanders&rsquo; system last season, impressed rookie camp observers with his skating ability. He should crack a defensive corps that has barely crested &ldquo;redoubtable&rdquo; the last few seasons.INJURY UPDATE The Panthers entered late August with no significant injuries.NOTEBOOK Panthers majority owner Alan Cohen showed who has the juice in the organization when he signed coach Mike Keenan to a two-year contract extension and two one-year club options. This takes Keenan&rsquo;s deal with the Panthers to 2005-06 at least, and potentially to 2007-08. It has been a decade since Keenan, who reports directly to Cohen, was with a franchise for four years&hellip;It was hard to tell the spirit of Keenan&rsquo;s humor when asked why right winger Valeri Bure wasn&rsquo;t attending an August conditioning camp: &ldquo;Perhaps he feels because he&rsquo;s such a small man compared to most players here, he doesn&rsquo;t want to participate right now,&rdquo; Keenan said. &#9632;

f0024-02

Panthers’ struggles have no end in sight

<div class="byline">-Matt McHale</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03562/8106792-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="226" height="252"></div>The L.A. Kings were one of the few teams in the Western Conference that did not make significant changes during the off-season. wit: their most notable change heading into training camp involves the plan to add rookies Mike Cammalleri and Alexander Frolov to the team&rsquo;s top two scoring lines.After many lean years, Kings fans have developed a greater expectation since the team has made the playoffs the past three years. Most will be watching to see if the club can compete with teams like Dallas and Phoenix, both of which upgraded its personnel after missing the playoffs last season.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Bryan Smolinski, C. The team&rsquo;s top player two years ago, Smolinski struggled in the second half last season. He went 30 games between goals and had just two empty-netters in the final 40 games. Smolinski is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, so his future is in his hands.2. Steve Heinze, LW. Nt the same time Smolinski was struggling, linemate Heinze fell apart. He went 27 games without a goal and was scratched for several games down the stretch. With two years and $4 million left on his contract, he is a part of the team&rsquo;s plans, but a sub-par start to the season may cut into his playing time.3. Jaroslav Bednar, RW. A year ago, the Kings hoped Bednar would be a top-six forward. At times last year, he showed real finishing skills, but his rookie year was a bust and he has fallen behind Frolov and Cammalleri on the prospects chart.INJURY UPDATE Right winger Ian Laperriere underwent surgery for a sports hernia in mid-August and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks. Laperriere suffered the injury diming off-season conditioning drills in his native Montreal and likely will miss a large chunk of training camp.Right winger Craig Johnson, who underwent surgery at the end of the season to repair a detached retina, will be ready when camp begins Sept. 13.NOTEBOOK GM Dave Taylor spent a week in Great Britain during the summer at a tournament with teams controlled by Kings owner Philip Anschutz&hellip;Right winger Ziggy Palffy attended the wedding of Blues center and fellow Slovak Pavol Demitra in their native country. &#9632;

f0024-03

Frolov, Cammalleri aim for top two lines

<div class="byline">-Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04382/8106823-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="230" height="228"></div>For many teams, an 80-point season would be a major disappointment. For the Wild, an 80-point season would be a reason to believe the team continues on the right track.After an impressive 68-point expansion season, the Wild posted 73 points last season. Now GM Doug Risebrough and coach Jacques Lemaire simply hope to keep taking baby steps.The addition of veteran Cliff Ronning-along with 30-goal scorer Marian Gaborik and Andrew Brunette-have the Wild thinking its offense can produce enough to stay competitive most nights. The need for offense won&rsquo;t be as great if goalie Manny Fernandez can rebound from a sub-par season.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Bill Muckalt, RW. He went through all of last season in Ottawa without one measly goal, but a change of scenery and increased ice time might put Muckalt back on the 16-goal pace he had as a rookie in Vancouver.2. Marian Gaborik, LW. With 30 goals as a sophomore, the argument can be made that Gaborik broke through last season. With more experience and better players around him, though, Gaborik is on his way to being a 40-goal guy. That type of season could come sooner than later.3. Kyle Wanvig, LW. After Wanvig went back into the draft in 2001 and was selected by the Wild, many thought he would make the team last season. It never happened and he spent the entire season, struggling at times, with Houston (AHL). He is likely to start this season there again, but should get a chance at some point.INJURY UPDATE Goalie Manny Fernandez missed the final few games of last season with a nagging ankle injury. Blueliner Brad Bombardir never fully recovered from a fractured ankle in October. And defenseman Mike Crowley missed most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon. All should be ready for the start of camp.NOTEBOOK Left winger Antti Laaksonen will make $750,000 this season after an arbitrator&rsquo;s decision Aug. 18. Laaksonen, who made $425,000 last season, asked for $1 million a season, while the Wild wanted to pay him $625,000. Laaksonen, who has appeared in every Wild regular season game, set career marks last season in goals (16) and points (33) while playing on the team&rsquo;s top checking line. &#9632;

f0024-04

Baby steps the key as Wild stay course

<div class="byline">-Sean Farrell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05257/8106854-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="228" height="221"></div>One question remains about the Canadiens&rsquo; prospects as the 2002-03 season approaches: Where will Jose Theodore be when it begins?If the Vezina and Hart Trophies winner is in his customary spot in the crease, expectations will be soaring, but with less than four weeks left before training camp began, Theodore remained an unrestricted free agent in quest of a lucrative, multi-year deal.Even if negotiations drag on and Theodore is a camp no-show, the presence of a healthy Saku Koivu and a rejuvenated Doug Gilmour and new additions Mariusz Czerkawski and Randy McKay ensure that optimism reigns in Montreal.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Saku Koivu, C. Following a heroic season&rsquo;s-end return from a bout with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Koivu&rsquo;s four goals and six assists in 12 playoff games capped an inspiring effort. Can he perform at that level over a full season?2. Randy McKay, RW. After posting four straight seasons with at least 37 points-including career highs with 24 goals and 24 assists in 1997-98- the 35-year-old looks to rebound with his hometown team after dropping to 19 points in 69 games last season with New Jersey and Dallas.3. Ron Hainsey, D. Montreal&rsquo;s first choice, (13th overall) in the 2000 draft, this 6-foot-3, 200-pound offensive defenseman&rsquo;s skills are sorely needed on the Canadiens&rsquo; power play. Hainsey nearly made the team out of camp last season and isn&rsquo;t likely to be demoted again.INJURY UPDATE Shoulder injuries plagued goalie Jeff Hackett last season, ultimately costing him his starting job.Hackett separated his left shoulder twice and had season-ending surgery in late March. He is expected to be ready for camp and will be counted on to shoulder the load in net if Theodore remains unsigned.NOTEBOOK Center Saku Koivu has been working out in Switzerland with the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss Elite League. The team is coached by Vladimir Yurzinov, who played with Koivu for TPS Turku before Koivu joined the Canadiens in 1995-96&hellip;With GM Andre Savard looking on, defenseman Mike Komisarek, Montreal&rsquo;s first choice (seventh overall) in the 2001 draft, was one of 31 prospects on hand as the Canadiens&rsquo; development camp began in Montreal Aug. 20. &#9632;

f0024-05

Unsigned Theodore can’t stop optimism

<div class="byline">-David Boclair</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011029/8106885-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="251" height="227"></div>As always, hopes for improvement in Nashville depend upon young players getting better.Forwards Scott Hartnell, David Legwand, Denis Arkhipov and Martin Erat all will play key roles.The biggest change this off-season has been at the bottom of the NHL roster and the top of the minor league system. Forwards Greg Koehler, Wyatt Smith, Dominic Pittis and Cameron Mann as well as defenseman Pascal Trepanier have all been brought in to enhance competition for jobs in training camp.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve certainly improved our depth,&rdquo; said GM David Poile. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re much better in that regard.&rdquo;<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Scott Hartnell, LW. His numbers and confidence grew significantly from his first to second season, and his steady development has shown no signs of slowing down.2. Denis Arkhipov, C. By the end of last season, Arkhipov became the offensive go-to guy. He will begin the year as the top offensive threat in all situations.3. Dominic Pittis, C. Coaches love his competitiveness and history of production in the minor leagues. They&rsquo;re hoping he can make the step up and stay in Nashville for good.INJURY UPDATE Stu Grimson continues to experience the effects of post-concussion syndrome that limited him to 30 games last year. He is not in the team&rsquo;s plans for the season. He last played on Dec. 12, but remains under contract and, technically, on the roster. Retirement is a possibility, but he will be welcomed back if he recovers.NOTEBOOK The team was stung when defenseman Jere Karalahti received a six-month suspension and was placed in Stage HI of the NHL-NHL Players&rsquo; Association substance-abuse program. Karalahti told a Finnish newspaper he had a three-day drinking binge in Nashville. Coaches had planned to play him with Kimmo Timonen on the top defense pairing this season. &ldquo;From our standpoint,&rdquo; said coach Barry Trotz, &ldquo;I can see that it&rsquo;s better that it&rsquo;s happening now because we have time to prepare ourselves to fill that hole.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0025-01

Camp competition battleground for all

<div class="byline">-Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02697/8106923-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="222" height="254"></div>After years of cringing at the thought of playing a freewheeling style, New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello was forced into constructing a team built around puck movement. It is a new look that promises to make the Devils more competitive than they were last season.Gone are the big bodies of Bobby Holik, Randy McKay and Jason Arnott. Coach Pat Burns will now try to take advantage of a defense corps that boasts three of the best puckhandlers in the league with Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski and newly acquired Oleg Tverdovsky. It is the best puck-moving defense corps the Devils have had since they won the Cup in 2000 with Rafalski, Niedermayer and Vladimir Malakhov.&ldquo;It should be even better than in 2000,&rdquo; Lamoriello predicted. &ldquo;Malakhov was there in the finals that year, but this will be over a whole season. I think we&rsquo;ve got the best defense we&rsquo;ve had in years.&rdquo;<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Patrik Elias, C. After slumping last season, Elias has a lucrative new contract and, probably, a new position. He is likely to be moved from left wing to center and will be counted upon to regain his 40-goal touch.2. Brian Gionta, RW. Does he have what it takes to consistently score goals in the NHL or will he be a college star who couldn&rsquo;t make the jump? The Devils believe his speed and nose for the net will overcome a lack of size and experience.3. Jeff Friesen, LW. No one expects Friesen to replace Holik, but the former Sharks and Ducks forward will have to make people forget Petr Sykora. The team&rsquo;s new look will be built around his speed.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03471/8106916-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="239" height="284"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrik Elias</figcaption></div>INJURY UPDATE Sergei Brylin had his knee repaired with surgery just after last season. He has skated and is believed to be ready for training camp, although he may take it slowly at first.NOTEBOOK Veteran defenseman Ken Sutton, signed as a free agent, will serve as captain at Albany (AHL). &#9632;

f0025-02

Sublime speed on ‘D’ Devilish new weapon

<div class="byline">-Peter Botte</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04306/8106954-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="221" height="250"></div>Can they do it again now that they are expected to do it?That was the biggest question facing the New York Islanders, who made the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, as they prepared to convene for their second training camp under coach Peter Laviolette.GM Mike Milbury didn&rsquo;t dramatically alter Laviolette&rsquo;s talent pool this summer, ohoosing to improve the team&rsquo;s toughness (i.e. Jason Wiemer in place of Mariusz Czerkawski) rather than its scoring ability.With captain Michael Peca expected to miss up to the first two months of the season following knee surgery, the Islanders will be hard-pressed to duplicate their superb 11-1-1-1 start to last season or their 96-point total. For that to happen, several returning players have to step up and help star Alexei Yashin.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Oleg Kvasha, C. When he&rsquo;s bad, he&rsquo;s unwatchable. But the 6-foot-5 Russian turned boos early last season at Nassau Coliseum into cheers with several big goals in a dynamic second half, which the Isles hope will carry over into this year.2. Radek Martinek, D. The late-round find was on his way toward making the all-rookie team on defense until a major knee injury halted his initial NHL campaign. His return to form would help rectify the Isles&rsquo; lack of blueline depth.3. Rick DiPietro, G. After his run to the Calder Cup final last season with Bridgeport, some in the organization are hoping the 2000 No. 1 overall pick will push Garth Snow out of the backup role.INJURY UPDATE Peca began running in July and hoped to be skating by late August, but was looking at a late November return at the earliest. Defenseman Kenny Jonsson was cleared to play soon after he sustained his latest concussion on a hit by Toronto&rsquo;s Gary Roberts in the playoffs.NOTEBOOK Center Dave Scatchard went through with his arbitration case and was awarded a two-year, $2.7-million pact&hellip;Former Islander Bob Nystrom was charged with mis-demeanor assault in early August. It&rsquo;s alleged he punched two gas station attendants in Montrose, N.Y. His lawyer, Michael Romano, said Nystrom was defending himself. &#9632;

f0025-04

Peca’s time on shelf leaves slack for others

<div class="byline">-Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05219/8106992-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="224" height="236"></div>We&rsquo;ve been here before with the New York Rangers. A summer of changes brings optimism and the hope that this is the year it turns around.Yet, in each of the last five seasons, which all began with optimistic training camps, the Rangers missed the playoffs. So why is this year going to be any different?Well, the coaching staff is new, with Bryan Trottier and his assistants. Bobby Holik and Darius Kasparaitis bring grit and snarl and a will to win at any cost that has been dearly missing.But the Rangers, as everybody knows, are no shoo-in. They have to prove they can play defensively, which they haven&rsquo;t done at all for two seasons.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Radek Dvorak, RW. He followed up his first 30-goal season in 2000-01 with a terribly disappointing 17-goal output last season. When healthy, he&rsquo;s too fast and skilled to not score.2. Tom Poti, D. Poti&rsquo;s offense picked up following the trade deadline deal last year that brought him and Rem Murray to New York for Mike York. Can his &lsquo;D&rsquo; follow suit?3. Jamie Landmark, RW. Lundmark was moved from center to the wing last year in the minors and with the Rangers terribly thin on the wings, he should get a real chance to make the team in camp.INJURY UPDATE Dvorak underwent reconstructive knee surgery April 12, but is expected to be ready to play in camp, and certainly by opening night. All other lingering injuries should be fine by camp.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06174/8106985-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="237" height="284"><figcaption class="caption-body">Radek Dvorak</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK Center Mark Messier, still unsigned, was reportedly seeking something akin to the $5 million he made last season. The Rangers were thinking of a considerably lower number&hellip;A few days after contesting the contracts signed by center Bobby Holik and defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, the NHL reversed itself and approved both deals. Initially, the league balked because the signing bonuses are stretched over the course of the contracts, meaning each player would receive money even in the event of a 2004-05 work stoppage. &#9632;

f0025-05

Autumn optimism old hat around here

<div class="byline">-Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02813/8107023-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">After four years bobbing up and down from the NHL to the minors, Daniel Briere made it for keeps with Phoenix, scoring 32 goals.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011157/8107030-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="225" height="247"></div>The Ottawa Senators want to make the next step.&ldquo;This team is close,&rdquo; said newly hired GM John Muckier the day he was brought in to replace the departed Marshall Johnston. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you have to come in here and tear anything down.&rdquo;After falling to Toronto in the second round of the playoffs, changes to the Senators&rsquo; lineup have been minimal, but the organization has undergone change off the ice. Johnston was followed out the door by talent scouts Jarmo Kekalainen and Trevor Timmins.Muckier has yet to put his stamp on this team because the issue of grit hasn&rsquo;t yet been addressed. More change is expected before October.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Shaun Van Allen, C. He couldn&rsquo;t get contract security when he was a free agent two years ago, but after bumpy stops in Dallas and Montreal, Van Allen returns to Ottawa.2. Chris Phillips, D. Phillips has yet to live up to No. 1 pick status after the Senators drafted him in 1996. But he was one of the club&rsquo;s top blueliners in the playoffs and is again regarded as one of the club&rsquo;s building blocks on defense.3. Antoine Vermette, C. He was expected to push for a spot last year, but Vermette was troubled by injuries believed to be caused by a concussion. It will be between Vermette and center Jason Spezza to see who makes the team.INJURY UPDATE The Senators should go into camp healthy Defenseman Sami Salo, who is expected to be dealt, had offseason shoulder surgery, but has declared he&rsquo;ll be ready.Rehabilitation for blueliner Karel Rachunek (shoulder) and winger Petr Schastlivy (knee) has gone well. Schastlivy, who was injured during a call-up last season and who is expected to push for a roster spot, has impressed strength coach Randy Lee with a good work ethic.NOTEBOOK As they headed into camp, the Senators had yet to sign center Mike Fisher, tough-guy right winger Chris Neil, and defensemen Karel Rachunek and Bryan Pothier. According to Fisher&rsquo;s agent Todd Reynolds, the two sides are trying to get a three-year deal completed. The club is also working on a long-term contract with Fisher. All players are expected to report to the club&rsquo;s main camp when it opens Sept. 14 in Ottawa. &#9632;

f0026-02

Changes in store for Muckier’s Sens

<div class="byline">-Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03656/8107061-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="218" height="221"></div>The way the Flyers see it, new players weren&rsquo;t needed; just a new man at the helm.So instead of spending tens of millions of dollars for a second straight summer, the Flyers hired a proven coach and said they would give the current cast of talent one last shot.Can Ken Hitchcock motivate an underachieving bunch which scored only one regulation-time goal in a five-game playoff loss to Ottawa?Maybe so. But there are plenty of question marks, from goaltending to John LeClair&rsquo;s surgically repaired back. On paper, this year&rsquo;s team looks no better than last year&rsquo;s.Flyer fans should be cautiously optimistic. Optimistic because there are components for a contender. Cautious because the Flyers have found a way to bungle things in recent years.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Mark Recchi, RW. Despite last season&rsquo;s sub-par numbers, Recchi remains the NHL&rsquo;s sixth-leading scorer over the last five seasons. He might have to adapt to newly acquired center Michal Handzus.2. Simon Gagne, LW. A steady dose of center Jeremy Roenick, good health and a lucrative new contract could add up to Gagne&rsquo;s first 40-goal season.3. Pavel Brendl, RW. The Czech rookie made the team out of last year&rsquo;s training camp, then suffered a badly sprained ankle on opening night and never recovered his form. The trading of third line right winger Ruslan Fedotenko signals the Flyers are serious about Brendl&rsquo;s prospects.INJURY UPDATE The Flyers say John LeClair, who underwent his second back operation in three years, will be ready for camp. LeClair missed nearly all of the 2000-2001 season after developing a staph infection from the first operation.Eric Desjardins underwent off-season shoulder surgery but should be on hand when the pre-season gets underway.NOTEBOOK According to the Flyers, Joni Pitkanen, the team&rsquo;s first-round draft pick (fourth overall) in last June&rsquo;s NHL draft, is recovering quickly from an off-season operation on his right knee. Pitkanen and another defense prospect, Jeff Woywitka (the Flyers&rsquo; No. 1 pick in 2001), were participating in a rookie mini-camp at the team&rsquo;s practice facility in Voorhees, N.J. A third rookie, Bruno St-Jacques, is in line to claim a spot on the Flyers&rsquo; blueline this season. &#9632;

f0026-03

Disappointing Flyers look for motivation

<div class="byline">-Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04472/8107092-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="216" height="253"></div>Most people thought managing partner Wayne Gretzky and his long-time agent-turned-GM Mike Barnett were dreaming when they predicted before the 2001-02 season their Phoenix Coyotes would make the playoffs.It will be a nightmare if the re-tooled Desert Dogs don&rsquo;t get there again.After the surprise signing of free agent right winger Tony Amonte, the trade for goaltender Brian Boucher and the addition of veteran forward Kelly Buchberger, the Coyotes have improved a roster that finished with 95 points a year ago.&ldquo;Hard work wins a lot of hockey games, but hard work and talent wins a lot more,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;We feel we&rsquo;ve upgraded the team with a lot more talent than we had last year. As a group, we&rsquo;re a much better team right now.&rdquo;<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Daniel Briere, C. He may be small, but the 5-foot-9 Briere played huge last season with a career-high and team-leading 32 goals. A commitment to offseason conditioning with a Canadian power lifter makes it possible for him to add to those numbers.2. Shane Doan, RW. After back-to-back 26 goal seasons, Doan dropped to 20 last season, but if the power forward moves to the left side and plays on a line with the newly acquired Amonte, as expected, watch out.3. Jeff Taffe, C. The Coyotes have four capable centers already, which could make things difficult for the skilled rookie from Minnesota. But with a strong camp, Taffe could easily follow in the footsteps of Krys Kolanos. He added a much-needed 15 pounds and will compete for a spot, especially if Briere or Buchberger move to the wing.INJURY UPDATE Defenseman Danny Markov, who missed the final 10 games of the season after fracturing a bone in his foot, is fully healed and will be ready for the start of Phoenix&rsquo;s training camp Sept. 10.NOTEBOOK TWO months after Coyotes coach Bobby Francis received a three-year extension valued at an average of $800,000, his three assistants were still waiting for new contracts beyond this season. GM Mike Barnett said talks are progressing with Rick Bowness, Pat Conacher and Benoit Allaire and that each will have new deals before the start of the season. &#9632;

f0026-04

Amonte, Buchberger among new Coyotes

<div class="byline">-Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05347/8107123-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="221" height="249"></div>A double curse is afflicting the Pittsburgh Penguins these days.They either lose their players to injury or they lose them to the Washington Capitals.Last season, the Penguins racked up 330 man games lost to injury. And the upcoming campaign sees left winger Martin Straka sidelined for at least the beginning of the season, having sustained a freak injury while working out this summer.Anxious to play again with former Penguins captain Jaromir Jagr, Robert Lang left Pittsburgh to sign as a free agent with the Capitals.The Pens&rsquo; two biggest off-season pick ups could end up being training camp tryouts center Alexander Daigle and left winger Vladimir Vujtek, who played last season in Finland.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Alexander Daigle, C. It&rsquo;s a great sign that he called the Penguins-not the other way around-and that he has been in Los Angeles working out with Chris Chelios and others.2. Josef Melichar, D. A shoulder injury ended his rookie season prematurely, but he is ready to become the sort of consistent, physical presence the team needs. He still didn&rsquo;t have a contract as of late August, however.3. Kris Beech, C. He is one of several young Penguins who are on the bubble entering training camp. But once again, he put in a summer of a hard work. If he is significantly stronger, look out.INJURY UPDATE Martin Straka cracked a vertebra and tore a ligament in his back during a weight-training accident in July in the Czech Republic. Straka is scheduled to come to Pittsburgh in early September to be examined by the club&rsquo;s doctors. If he needs surgery his year is finished. The Penguins are cautiously optimistic that he won&rsquo;t.Mario Lemieux, trying to rebound from a hip injury and chronic back woes, returned to the ice Aug. 20 and reported no problems.NOTEBOOK The Penguins have extended a long-term contract offer to right winger Alexei Kovalev, who is considering it&hellip;Herb Brooks will be named the Pens&rsquo; director of player development. He had been working as a team scout&hellip;Pittsburgh unveiled a new home jersey, which features the old skating penguin logo and is a white-based version of their black alternate jersey, which will now be their road jersey &#9632;

f0026-05

Pens lose players to freak injury, rival

<div class="byline">-Derrick Goold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011104/8107154-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="222" height="238"></div>The St. Louis Blues standpat summer did little to stoke the fans&rsquo; optimism. What can a team that didn&rsquo;t get past the second round-again!-expect to do without Chris Pronger for half a season and without Scott Young for good?Fans have acute Detroit envy, complete with CuJo jealousyBut going into camp, all is not gloomy. Competition returns to the Blues roster as role players-if not bona fide talent-battle for several key openings. Auditions for center Doug Weight&rsquo;s wingers will get underway while Europeans Petr Cajanek and Tom Koivisto are at least two &ldquo;x-factors&rdquo; worth watching.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Doug Weight, C. Hampered by an abdominal injury Weight hasn&rsquo;t skated at full speed in two seasons. Determined to ditch the frustration of his debut season in St. Louis, Weight used a summer conditioning program to come back stronger, quicker and hungrier.2. Barret Jackman, D. Jackman&rsquo;s poise, pit-bull feistiness and sneakily aggressive offensive play will alter the personality of the Blues once the rookie defenseman makes the team as a regular.3. Petr Cajanek, C. He isn&rsquo;t coming to North America for the minors, but Cajanek, 27, is an unknown on the smaller ice surface. Still, if he is worth half his Czech league MVP hype he could get the perk of playing with Weight or Pavol Demitra. He had 20 goals and 64 points in 49 games with Zlin.INJURY UPDATE Weight will be ready for camp having recovered from abdominal surgery to repair tissue damage and the sprained pelvis.Captain Chris Pronger, however, continues a conservative recovery from reconstructive wrist and knee surgery. Despite being cleared to skate in September, Pronger will not return until January.NOTEBOOK Blues president Mark Sauer and GM Larry Pleau traveled to Boston to meet with winger Keith Tkachuk and agent Bob Murray. The subject: a long-term deal. A contract is expected to be completed before the season begins. &#9632;

f0027-01

Stand-pat Blues have jobs to be won

<div class="byline">-Ross McKeon</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03518/8107185-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">RISING STAR San Jose wants Patrick Marleau, who has five NHL seasons under his belt at the tender age of 23, to become a more consistent contributor.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02738/8107192-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="222" height="255"></div>Instead of making changes, the Sharks felt maintaining the status quo with a young but maturing team was the best avenue after recording six straight seasons of an improved point total.So as long as the team can keep injuries to a minimum again and avoid a protracted holdout by restricted free agent starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose could become the first team in NHL history to increase its point total seven straight seasons.In addition, none of San Jose&rsquo;s top threats-Owen Nolan, Teemu Selanne, Vincent Damphousse or Patrick Marleau-put up eye-popping numbers. If any, let alone all of the players enjoy better offensive showings, the team stands to benefit greatly.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Miikka Kiprusoff, G. With the potential for Nabokov to withhold his services, Kiprusoff could assume No. 1 goalie status and have the opportunity to string games together, the lack of which he quietly complained about while making just 20 appearances last year.2. Patrick Marleau, C. The speedy forward capped his otherwise disappointing fifth season by scoring 10 goals and 16 points in the final 10 games. While showing flashes of scoring throughout his first four years, Marleau exhibited strong work in all zones late last year, a characteristic he rarely displayed in the past.3. Jonathan Cheechoo, RW. A sniper plying his trade in the minors, Cheechoo will be eased in on the fourth line, but don&rsquo;t be surprised if his nose for the net and strong work along the boards earns the rookie increased playing time as the season progresses.INJURY UPDATE The Sharks entered late August with no significant injuries.NOTEBOOK Right winger Niklas Sundstrom was awarded a two-year, $3.75-million deal in an arbitration hearing. He will get a raise from $1.3 million last year to $1.8 million this season, and will be paid $1.95 million in 2003-04. &#9632;

f0027-03

Nabokov holdout benefits Kiprusoff

<div class="byline">-Joanne Korth</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04359/8107223-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="224" height="254"></div>Training camp is days away, but the Lightning is off to a better start this season than last. With all of its significant free agents signed, Tampa Bay should have perfect attendance for what is expected to be a highly competitive camp.Last season, Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier missed all of training camp because of a contract dispute and the former No.l draft pick struggled virtually all season.&ldquo;The one thing I could contribute to the effort was to get everybody signed,&rdquo; said GM Jay Feaster. &ldquo;The reality is, the guys never recover from missing camp.&rsquo;&rdquo;Tampa Bay&rsquo;s key acquisitions include left winger Ruslan Fedotenko, expected to win a spot on the top two lines, and top-four defenseman Brad Lukowich. Goalie Kevin Hodson, who has not played an NHL game since Feb.8,2000, likely will be Nikolai Khabibulin&rsquo;s backup.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Martin St-Louis, RW. A fan favorite for his ample grit in a 5-foot-9,185-pound package, St-Louis was having the best season of his career when he broke his leg Jan. 24. He returned April 3, showing no ill effects. Speed remains his biggest weapon.2. Vincent Lecavalier, C. At odds with coach John Tortorella, Lecavalier underachieved last season and still scored 20 goals. If he is willing to play within Tortorella&rsquo;s team concept, Lecavalier has the skill to be the franchise player the Lightning thought it had drafted first overall in 1998. If not, someone has to go.3. Sheldon Keefe, RW. One of several minor-leaguers who played well in the season&rsquo;s second half, Keefe impressed with his pesky style and willingness to mix it up in front of the net.INJURY UPDATE Hit hard by the injury bug last season, the Lightning expect to have every-one healthy for the start of camp. Three players who ended last season on injured reserve-centers Tim Taylor (groin) and Brian Holzinger (shoulder), and left winger Gordie Dwyer (shoulder)-are healthy.NOTEBOOK The Lightning resigned 13 of its 14 restricted free agents this summer and exercised options on right wingers Dave Andreychuk and Ryan Tobler, and defenseman Nolan Pratt. Their only remaining unsigned free agent is minor-league winger Matt Elich. &#9632;

f0027-04

Bolts’ training camp to be well attended

<div class="byline">-Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05241/8107261-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Leafs coach-GM Pat Quinn has lost nearly 45 pounds this summer.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-06170/8107254-1-eng-US/f0027-062.jpg" title="f0027-06" width="221" height="252"></div>When the Maple Leafs report to training camp Sept. 12 in Hamilton, Ont., they will do so as a far different group than the one that finished last season.That&rsquo;s not exactly a good thing, considering that last year&rsquo;s group finished third overall with a 100-point season.To suggest the Leafs markedly upgraded their roster would be the domain of only the perpetually optimistic, which encompasses a large part of the team&rsquo;s faithful. Most objective observers, however, see a much weaker team than last year&rsquo;s, considering left winger Gary Roberts will likely be out of the lineup until February.The biggest impact will be felt behind their own blueline. Gone are both goalies from last season in Curtis Joseph and Corey Schwab, replaced by Ed Belfour and a backup, expected to be Trevor Kidd.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Alyn McCauley, C. When multiple injuries hit during the playoffs and McCauley was thrust into an offensive role, he responded with 15 points in the playoffs. If McCauley isn&rsquo;t cast as a fourth-liner again, he might have a 50-point season.2. Alexei Ponikarovsky, RW. The Leafs effectively jettisoned veteran winger Garry Valk because they felt Ponikarovsky could fill his role.3. Karel Pilar, D. Still technically an NHL rookie, the 24-year-old Pilar played with the poise of a veteran before breaking his hand in the playoffs. Unless he implodes in camp, he is pencilled in as a top-four blueliner.INJURY UPDATE Roberts had successful surgery on his left shoulder Aug. 7, roughly a month after he had an identical procedure done on his right shoulder. He faces a long rehabilitation process and likely won&rsquo;t be ready until February.Winger Darcy Tucker said his back and shoulder injuries are completely healed, while right winger Mikael Renberg, who slashed his left forearm in a boating accident, might not be ready for the start of camp.NOTEBOOK The Leafs were on the verge of acquiring goalie Trevor Kidd from Florida to back up Ed Belfour. Kidd, who was placed on waivers by the Panthers, is expected to have his $2.3-million contract bought out, and would then become an unrestricted free agent. &#9632;

f0027-05

Significant changes to Cujo-less Leafs

<div class="byline">-Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011145/8107299-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="218" height="249"></div>The mood in the Vancouver Canucks front office may not be one of nervousness, but the sentiment is certainly prevalent among the team&rsquo;s skittish fans.The Canucks watched two core players-center Andrew Cassels and defenseman Scott Lachance-walk away via free agency, both to the Columbus Blue Jackets, no less, with nothing in return as August wound down.Management can make bold statements about replacing the two from within, but fans in Vancouver aren&rsquo;t dupes. A year ago, GM Brian Burke confidently predicted he would have an adequate backup goaltender to Dan Cloutier by opening night. That was not the case, so why shouldn&rsquo;t people be skeptical the Canucks have taken a step backwards?<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Trent Klatt, RW. The gritty winger is coming off a lost season due to a serious lower abdominal injury that eventually required surgery. He is entering the last year of his contract and is determined to re-establish himself as a significant contributor.2. Henrik Sedin, C. With the loss of Andrew Cassels, there are going to be power play minutes available for a set-up man and Sedin has shown flashes he can excel in this situation. His confidence should be high after a strong finish to last season.3. Daniel Sedin, LW. Unlike his brother, Daniel was dismal for pretty much all of 2001-02 as he struggled to overcome back surgery. But his 20-goal rookie season was no fluke and he should reach that mark again unless his health woes return.INJURY UPDATE The Canucks will come to camp healthy but there are question marks hanging over two players who did not finish last season Klatt and center Harold Druken. Klatt, as mentioned, required lower abdominal surgery while Druken was operated on for a wonky shoulder. Both have trained without mishap all summer.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02791/8107292-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="233" height="287"><figcaption class="caption-body">Trent Klatt</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK No. 1 netminder Dan Cloutier expressed disappointment that part-time goalie consultant Andy Moog has moved on to the Dallas Stars as a full-time assistant coach. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s too bad Andy had to go,&rdquo; Cloutier said, &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s part of the business.&rdquo; Moog was replaced by Ian Clark, who was recommended to the Canucks by Moog himself&hellip;Rookie center Nathan Smith, the Canucks&rsquo; first pick in the 2000 entry draft, and second-year left winger Fedor Fedorov, whose rookie campaign was marred by a serious eye injury, both spent the summer training in Vancouver with Canucks conditioning coach Peter Twist. The 6-foot-3 Fedorov has bulked up to 240 pounds. &#9632;

f0028-01

Despite successes, lack of player moves doesn’t inspire fans

<div class="byline">-Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04400/8107330-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="240" height="292"><figcaption class="caption-body">Calle Johansson</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03580/8107337-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="222" height="248"></div>If attitude is a gauge, the Washington Capitals will be a better team this season than last.Butch Cassidy has replaced Ron Wilson as head coach and those in the locker room are looking forward to a new routine.If nothing else, the Caps will be younger. Five players older than 35 and seven who are 33 or older will be replaced by younger players as GM George McPhee continues to put a priority on speed.The downside of the youth movement is that the club has lost the experience older players possess.Overall, the team is healthy, meaning they will have the services of Jaromir Jagr from the start of the season, and the franchise&rsquo;s critical defensive structure remains intact.<h2>THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH</h2>1. Jaromir Jagr, RW. Jagr&rsquo;s streak of scoring titles ended last season, mainly due to an injury-plagued poor first half. Injury-free and with compatible linemates from the start of the season, he might be awesome.2. Dainius Zubrus, RW. If Zubrus plays as he did last season and remains first line center with Jagr, anything is possible.3. Brian Sutherby, C. Sutherby will be given every opportunity to make the team, most likely as fourth line center to start the season. He has the tenacity and grit; what he lacks is experience at the NHL level.INJURY UPDATE Defenseman Calle Johansson, who had his right rotator cuff repaired in November, is nearing the end of his rehabilitation and is expected to be ready when the Capitals take on the Nashville Predators in the season opener Oct. 11.Center Jeff Halpern, who had a knee rebuilt in January, has completed his rehab and will be ready when camp opens at Odenton, Md.NOTEBOOK Goaltender Olie Koizig&rsquo;s second golf and tennis tournament benefiting the National Children&rsquo;s Medical Center raised more than $185,000 with the possibility that more funds might yet be rolling in&hellip;Dainius Zubrus and Andrei Nikolishin, both of whom can play center or wing, were the Capitals&rsquo; major unsigned restricted free agents as training camp drew closer&hellip;Right winger Peter Bondra won Slovakia&rsquo;s Golden Puck Award for scoring the game-winning goal against Russia in the World Championship. It was the second time Bondra has won the award&hellip;The Capitals lost unrestricted free agent right winger Ulf Dahlen to Dallas. That means the club&rsquo;s top checking line will have to be rebuilt. &#9632;

f0028-04

New-look Capitals sacrifice experience for speed, youth

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>Ten years after they parted ways following a Memorial Cup title, goalie Corey Hirsch has been reunited with coach Don Hay.Hirsch, who backstopped the Kamloops Blazers in their championship 1991-92 season, signed with the Dallas Stars to play for the Hay-coached Utah Grizzlies.&ldquo;Corey is ready to accept the role of being a mentor-type guy and the No. 3 goalie for the organization,&rdquo; said Hay, an assistant coach with the Kamloops title team who begins his second season in Utah. &ldquo;He knows the mentality you need to be a solid goalie and how to prepare yourself. And from Dallas&rsquo;s point of view, he&rsquo;s an excellent depth goalie.&rdquo;Hirsch has ridden a rollercoaster of emotions and learned a great deal about success and failure during his decade of pro hockey. He has played 106 NHL games for the New York Rangers, Vancouver and Washington and 267 games-for eight teams-in the American and International Leagues.Now he&rsquo;s prepared to impart his wisdom on prospects Jason Bacashihua and Mike Smith. Hirsch went 35-4-5 and was the AHL&rsquo;s top rookie with Binghamton in 1992-93 and won an Olympic silver with Canada in 1994.His can&rsquo;t-miss status was seemingly confirmed when he was named to the NHL&rsquo;s all-rookie team in 1995-96 after going 17-14-6 with a 2.93 goals-against average for the Canucks. But he has played only one NHL game in the past three seasons.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011015/8107368-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="275" height="351"><figcaption class="caption-body">Corey Hirsch</figcaption></div>&ldquo;You want to work hard and show what you need to do to maintain and play 10 years pro and keep your job,&rdquo; said Hirsch, who was 8-15-5 with a 2.69 GAA last year with Philadelphia (AHL) and Portland. &ldquo;You think you&rsquo;ll play 20 years in the NHL when you start, but things don&rsquo;t always work out.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0029-01

Hirsch shifts from prospect to mentor

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>John Anderson has coached in the American League just one season, but no current coach has stood behind the same bench longer.Anderson signed a new contract to coach the Calder Cup-champion Chicago Wolves, meaning he&rsquo;ll be starting his sixth sea-son behind their bench. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the best place in the minors to be, without a doubt,&rdquo; Anderson said.The Wolves won the International League&rsquo;s Turner Cup in 1998 and 2000 before winning the Calder Cup in their first AHL season. Anderson, 45, also won a Colonial League title with the Quad City Mallards in 1996-97.&ldquo;When you win a title, there&rsquo;s only one team that&rsquo;s happy and they&rsquo;re only happy for two months, so you have to win again,&rdquo; Anderson said.Marty Howe also signed on to be Anderson&rsquo;s assistant for a fourth season.The core of the Wolves will be back with forwards Steve Maltais and Rob Brown and defenseman Dallas Eakins. But Calder Cup playoff MVP Pasi Nurminen will likely be Atlanta&rsquo;s backup goalie in the NHL.PLAYER&rsquo;S COACH A season ago, Herb Brooks devoted his time to preparing Team USA for the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, ultimately guiding the Americans to a silver medal.This season, he&rsquo;ll be popping up in AHL arenas to critique the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. As director of player development for Pittsburgh, Brooks will work with prospects.&ldquo;We have a lot of good kids in the organization and my job is to make sure they get to Pittsburgh,&rdquo; said Brooks, to the Pittsburgh PostGazette.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02675/8107420-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="359" height="424"></div>LOCAL FLAVOR The Rochester Americans&rsquo; defense will have a home-grown look with the re-signing of Rochester native Rory Fitzpatrick and the signing of Buffalo native Peter Ratchuk.Ratchuk played for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season and was considering a jump to Europe before being offered a contract by Buffalo. Since he was married Aug. 17, he was happy to stay in Western New York.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re thrilled to be able to stay close to home, so we don&rsquo;t have to pick up all the stuff and leave right away,&rdquo; Ratchuk said.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Trent Cull signed a two-year contract with the Syracuse Crunch. Cull, 28, played 74 games for Houston last season&hellip;Matt Shaw will return for a third season as an assistant coach with Houston.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03463/8107413-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="1295" height="1899"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rochester native Rory Fitzpatrick is back for his second season with the Americans. He has played 58 games for four NHL teams in seven years. (BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>AHL SCOUTING REPORT</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04329/8107406-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="338" height="470"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pasi Nurminen</figcaption></div><h3>VITAL STATISTICS</h3>Hometown: Lahti, Finland Age: 26 Size: 5-10,189<h3>LAST AMATEUR CLUB</h3>Lahti Reipas (Fin.)<h3>POSITION</h3>Goaltender<h3>2001-02 SEASON</h3>Chicago Wolves<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05270/8107399-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="383" height="79"></div><h3>NHL AFFILIATION</h3>Atlanta Thrashers<h3>NOTEWORTHY</h3>Drafted 189th overall by Atlanta in 2001&hellip;After two outstanding seasons with Jokerit, Nurminen made his North American debut in 2001-02&hellip;He&rsquo;s not eligible for Calder Trophy in 2002-03 because he&rsquo;s too old.<h3>BOTTOM LINE</h3>A small, acrobatic stopper with a great glove hand, Nurminen will be back up Milan Hnilicka in Atlanta this season. He&rsquo;ll have to make a good impression as top 2002 draft pick Kari Lehtonen matures. &#9632;

f0029-02

Anderson inks deal to stay in Chicago

<div class="byline">By Rob Mueller</div>The legal nightmare for Augusta Lynx left winger Lance Galbraith is finally over.An Ottawa judge tossed out a sexual assault charge against Galbraith stemming from an April, 2000, incident. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad it&rsquo;s over,&rdquo; said Galbraith, 22, after charges were dropped Aug. 14. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a huge sigh of relief and I&rsquo;m ready to move on.&rdquo;Galbraith&rsquo;s attorney argued prosecutors took too long and had insufficient evidence to try a case the scrappy winger said has stunted his career.The native of Brampton, Ont., was a star for the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s when a 21-year-old woman accused him of date rape more than two years ago. He later said his celebrity was &ldquo;the only reason there was a case&rdquo; and that it cost him an NHL contract.&ldquo;Now that the charge is gone, hopefully some doors will open,&rdquo; Galbraith said.The Calgary Flames invited him to training camp and he&rsquo;ll be given a chance to win a spot with the American League affiliate in Saint John.&ldquo;It was an allegation and they could never find any evidence-he&rsquo;s not guilty of anything,&rdquo; said Flames GM Craig Button to The Calgary Sun.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06215/8107451-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="304" height="316"></div>SATOR FINNISHED With the New Orleans Brass going dormant, coach Ted Sator will coach Espoo in the Finnish Elite League this season.The former NHL coach had been with the Brass since they joined the East Coast League in 1997. In five years in New Orleans, Sator was 178-136-46 and led his team to the playoffs every season.The Brass voluntarily suspended operations in July. Sator said he could return next season if the Brass is resurrected.NOTEBOOK After a year as an assistant coach at Clarkson, all-star defenseman Brad Dexter is back in the league, signing with Pensacola. One of the ECHL&rsquo;s top power play defensemen with South Carolina from 1996 to 2001, Dexter retired after winning a Kelly Cup in 2001&hellip;Montreal&rsquo;s 1992 first-rounder David Wilkie retired Aug. 14 after one ECHL season to become director of player development and assistant coach with the Augusta Lynx. &#9632;

f0029-06

Galbraith happy to put legal hassles to rest

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>New coach John Paddock has hope for the American League&rsquo;s new Binghamton Senators, but he&rsquo;d prefer not to tie that outlook to the past.The team&rsquo;s NHL parent, the Ottawa Senators, had an elite AHL team as its affiliate in Grand Rapids last season, but switched minor league loyalties to the mid-state New York locale.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve talked to (assistant coach) Gene (Reilly) and a few others to find out about that really good team last year,&rdquo; said Paddock, who also coached in Binghamton in 1990-91, guiding the New York Rangers farm team. &ldquo;There was a strong core on (last year&rsquo;s) team and even when they lost one of those key players, Kip Miller, to the NHL, they kept finding a way to win.&ldquo;Beyond Kip, two defensemen (John Gruden and Travis Richards) and the goalie (Martin Prusek) were the core, but those guys aren&rsquo;t going to be with us this season so it&rsquo;s going to be a much-changed environment.&rdquo;Paddock insisted, however, that a changed environment isn&rsquo;t necessarily a worse environment.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s simply not going to be the same team that finished with 95 points and was second in the Western Conference,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be a bit younger in Binghamton, but we&rsquo;re going to have some pretty good players there.&rdquo;Without the important Grand Rapids core, the Senators will try to assist in the transition of their prospects by introducing the likes of right winger Brad Smyth to the mix. Smyth played for Paddock last season in Hartford, where he was the team&rsquo;s leading scorer with 82 points.Along with Smyth, the Senators will have veteran Steve Martins in a similar-an AHL player who can also be of use to the NHL team-as well as former Springfield defenseman Josef Boumedienne. &#9632;

Senators set realistic expectations

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>All-star goalie Travis Scott liked everything about the Manchester Monarchs first season in the American League, so much so that he moved his family to the New Hampshire city and stayed there during the off-season.A permanent relocation? Perhaps, but Scott, 26, hopes the parent Los Angeles Kings or some other NHL team will have a job for him soon.Hubie McDonough, the Monarchs director of operations, said that could happen.&ldquo;(The Kings) weren&rsquo;t happy with their goaltending last year,&rdquo; said McDonough to the Manchester Union Leader.&ldquo;Those guys are not immovable if Travis has a great camp. He has the ability to get it done, but I&rsquo;m not sure he had the mentality because he didn&rsquo;t think he really had an opportunity. I think he knows now that he has the opportunity.&rdquo;In the meantime, Scott&rsquo;s five-year-old daughter, Jayden, played a role in the family&rsquo;s decision to relocate to Manchester. Jayden Scott starts kindergarten in September and her parents wanted stability.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s different if you&rsquo;re single,&rdquo; said Scott, who was 21-12-3 with six shutouts last season.&ldquo;When you have a family, moving is tough, but it&rsquo;s great the way the city has taken us in.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011146/8107527-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="365" height="422"></div>JIM DANDY Winnipeg will be the only happy place with this announcement: super-pest Jimmy Roy signed a two-year deal with the Manitoba Moose.Roy, entering his sixth pro season, all with the Moose, had a career-best 38 points last year in the AHL, along with 167 penalty minutes accumulated mostly by being an irritant to skaters and fans of enemy teams.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot to be said for guys that other teams hate to play against,&rdquo; said Moose GM Craig Heisinger. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure if you ask other teams in our league, especially our rivals, who they dislike most on the Moose, I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s Jimmy.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK Hamilton coach Claude Julien attended an August rookie conditioning camp for the Montreal Canadiens. He will be trying to please two masters this season, as the Edmonton Oilers and Habs will be sharing the AHL affiliate in Hamilton. Julien coached Oilers prospects only last year&hellip;Manitoba signed left winger Jason Shmyr, who played a season with the Moose in 1998-99 and has since skated for Utah, Portland and Houston.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02769/8107520-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="1307" height="1889"><figcaption class="caption-body">Highly regarded Swedish goalie Mikael Tellqvist struggled his first year in North America. The 22-year-old won eight of 28 games for St. John&rsquo;s.</figcaption></div><h2>AHL SCOUTING REPORT</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03547/8107513-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="342" height="464"><figcaption class="caption-body">Branko Radivojevic</figcaption></div><h3>VITAL STATISTICS</h3>Hometown: Piestany, Czech RepublicAge: 21 Size: 6-1, 200<h3>LAST AMATEUR CLUB</h3>Belleville Bulls (OHL)<h3>POSITION</h3>Right winger<h3>2001-02 SEASON</h3>Springfield Falcons<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04384/8107506-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="368" height="74"></div><h3>NHL AFFILIATION</h3>Phoenix Coyotes<h3>NOTEWORTHY</h3>Drafted 93rd overall by Colorado in 1999&hellip;Not offered a contract and signed with Phoenix as a free agent in June, 2001&hellip;Impressed with four goals and six points in 18 NHL games with Coyotes.<h3>BOTTOM LINE</h3>Slick-skating Czech winger blossomed after a slow start to his rookie pro season. He&rsquo;s a creative playmaker. Phoenix has him penciled in, but he may need more seasoning. &#9632;

f0030-01

Family comes first, so Scott heads east

<div class="byline">-Brendan Savage</div>The United League will follow the NHL&rsquo;s lead and install netting above the glass at each end of the ice in every arena. Commissioner Richard Brosal said the board of governors will discuss the issue at meetings in September before giving each team requirements such as height and width that must be met&hellip;Joe Dimaline had planned to retire and become a firefighter, but when those plans fizzled the goalie resigned with the Quad City Mallards. Dimaline, who has won Colonial Cups in Quad City and Muskegon, set a UHL record with a 2.17 goals-against average last season&hellip;Former UHL scoring champion and three-time MVP Jason Firth signed with the expansion Port Huron Beacons after a season in the West Coast League. &#9632;

UNITED LEAGUE

<div class="byline">-Chadd Cripe</div>The West Coast League&rsquo;s six teams are applying for entry into the East Coast League for 2002-03. The Las Vegas Wranglers, a 2003-04 WCHL expansion team, also will apply. The WCHL released its revised 2002-03 schedule in mid-August and it did not include inter-league play. The WCHL&rsquo;s teams will play their closest geographic rival 16 times this season and the other teams 14 times to maintain a 72-game slate. The top four teams advance to the playoffs, which will be two best-of-seven rounds. The season begins Oct. 11. The league includes teams in Anchorage, Alaska; Boise, Idaho; Fresno, Calif.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Long Beach, Calif.; and San Diego. Franchises in Tacoma, Wash., and Colorado Springs, Colo., folded during the off-season. &#9632;

WEST COAST LEAGUE

<div class="byline">-David Henry</div>Ralph Backstrom was a member of six Stanley Cup champions with the Montreal Canadiens during a 19year career, but if he wants to add to his impressive resume, he has a steep hill to climb. Backstrom, the NHL&rsquo;s top rookie in 1959 and now a special assignment scout with the St. Louis Blues, is banking on the potential of minor pro hockey in the Rocky Mountains area. Backstrom, along with co-owner Bill Stewart, signed a lease with Larimer County, Colo., on Aug. 13 to join the Central League in 2003-04. The unnamed franchise has a home under construction. The Budweiser Events Center, located near Loveland, Colo., will seat 5,100 and be part of a 243-acre events complex. &#9632;

CENTRAL LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>After three years of bowing out in the first round of the Ontario League playoffs, Sarnia Sting captain Eric Himelfarb decided enough was enough.Himelfarb&rsquo;s trade demand was granted Aug. 21 when the Sting sent the 19-year-old center to the Barrie Colts along with overage defenseman Riley Moher. In return, the Sting received overage defensemen Aaron Power and Tyler Hanchuck and 19-year-old center Joey Tenute.Himelfarb was third on the Sting last season with 35 goals and 83 points. It was the second straight season he&rsquo;d cracked the 30-goal plateau.&ldquo;It was the fact he&rsquo;d been here for three years and he wanted a fresh start,&rdquo; said Sting GM Terry Doran. &ldquo;It happens all the time, doesn&rsquo;t it? Sarnia is a pretty good place to play, but maybe he thinks he has to be play on a team that has a better chance of winning because this will be his contract year.&rdquo;Himelfarb was a sixth round pick (171st overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in 2001.&ldquo;Eric is one of the premier centers in the league and it&rsquo;s not often you get the chance to add someone like this to your team,&rdquo; said Colts coach Bud Stefanski.Power, an Eastern Conference all-star last season, was the last remaining player from Barrie&rsquo;s trip to the 2000 Memorial Cup.SIX AND COUNTING Kitchener Rangers center Mike Richards scored a hat trick as Canada defeated the Czech Republic 5-1 to win the under-18 Eight Nations Cup in Piestnay, Slovakia.Richards chipped in two power play goals and a shorthanded marker Aug. 18 as Canada won its sixth straight gold medal in the championship, going 5-0-0 in the tournament.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011056/8107630-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="415" height="215"></div>&ldquo;This was a big sense of relief,&rdquo; said coach Jim Hulton, who guides the Belleville Bulls in his day job. &ldquo;Any time you come into a tournament as an overwhelming favorite and five-time defending champion, you feel pressure to win. This is Canada and everyone expects you to win.&rdquo;GENERAL EXODUS? The Oshawa Generals may be the next OHL team to leave town. The team has asked the city to renovate the 38-year-old Civic Auditorium or build a new arena.The Civic Auditorium has no private suites or club seating, which are seen as necessary in today&rsquo;s market for a team&rsquo;s survival. Sources have said if neither request happens, owner John Humphreys is prepared to sell the Generals after this season.SPIRIT BURNED No sooner had the Saginaw Spirit relocated from North Bay then came the bad news that second round draft pick Brandon Burns may never suit up with the team.The 16-year-old defenseman has chosen to play for USA Hockey&rsquo;s under-17 team, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., this season and indications are he&rsquo;ll accept a scholarship to an American university next year.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking forward to (playing at) college,&rdquo; said Burns, from Upper St. Clair, Penn. &ldquo;This (the under-17 team) is some-thing I really wanted. I&rsquo;ve known about the OHL for three or four years, hearing about it from a couple of kids in Pittsburgh who play in it. One kid said he had a bad experience, but it&rsquo;s turning around a little for him.&rdquo;Spirit GM-president Costa Papista said he still has a year to convince Burns the OHL is the best route for him. &#9632;

f0031-01

Trade demand lands Himelfarb in Barrie

<div class="byline">By Willy Palov</div>Life sure has changed for Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers in the the past year.Back in mid-August of 2001, the lanky goaltender was a sixth round midget pick of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens just trying to make the team. Now he&rsquo;s a second round pick of the Edmonton Oilers (31st overall), an established starter in the Quebec League and one of four netminders at the Canadian world junior team summer evaluation camp in Halifax.Given that he wasn&rsquo;t even the No. 1 goalie for his midget team, his rise has shocked almost everyone but him.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02699/8107661-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="395" height="285"></div>&ldquo;People always say I was backup in midget AAA, but I never saw myself that way because I was always, in my mind, just as (worthy) of being the No. 1 guy,&rdquo; Drouin-Deslauriers said. &ldquo;But none of that matters to me now anyway because my situation is different. And I always knew what I was able to do (with) the attitude I would work hard all the time.&rdquo;Drouin-Deslauriers first made people take notice when he passed projected blue-chipper Maxime Daigneault of the Val-d&rsquo;Or Foreurs on the NHL Central Scouting Service&rsquo;s 2001-02 mid-season rankings.A 6-foot-4 lefty, Drouin-Deslauriers proceeded to put even more distance between him and his QMJHL rival by the time the draft rolled around. He was projected as a lock to go in the first round by most draft experts, including The Hockey News Draft Preview, which ranked him as the l0th-best player available.Even though he slipped to the first spot of the second round, Drouin-Deslauriers still rates as an elite prospect.&ldquo;My only objective was to be picked and when Edmonton took me I was really happy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;First round or second round doesn&rsquo;t matter to me because it was only important that someone wanted to give me a chance to play in the NHL and now that&rsquo;s what I have.&rdquo;Now he&rsquo;s bent on improving more in 2002-03. The highly driven 18-year-old should be able to surpass his impressive totals from last year (28-20-1,3.81 goals-against average and .900 save percentage).&ldquo;I still have a lot I want to learn and improve on,&rdquo; he said.POWER HUNGRY The Moncton Wildcats named Allan Power as their new GM.He replaces Christian Larue, who was filling the position on an interim basis while still serving as the team&rsquo;s coach.Power joins the Wildcats after spending the past two seasons as a regional scout with the Halifax Mooseheads. He also spent several years working for the QMJHL&rsquo;s scouting department.Darrell Young was Moncton&rsquo;s last fulltime GM, but he stepped down in the spring to accept a scouting position with the Tampa Bay Lightning.<h2>FRONT OFFICE SHIFT</h2>The Montreal Rocket shuffled their front office.GM Serge Savard Jr. added the president&rsquo;s title to his portfolio after Mario Messier stepped down. The team also replaced former team governor Jean-Luc Lussier with Marc Savard.FINALISTS MEET Like it does every year, the QMJHL scheduled a rematch between last year&rsquo;s league finalists for the opening game of the season.The Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Victoriaville Tigres will kick of the 2002-03 campaign on Sept. 12. &#9632;

f0031-02

Drouin-Deslauriers aiming to raise bar

<div class="byline">By Greg Harder</div>Doug Soetaert&rsquo;s latest start could be his most challenging.The former NHL goaltender will head up the Western League&rsquo;s expansion entry in Everett, Wash., accepting the title of vice-president and GM.Soetaert, who&rsquo;ll report to team owner Bill Yuill, has just over one year to get the league&rsquo;s 20th franchise up and running for the 2003-04 season.&ldquo;There are more things to do than hours in the day,&rdquo; said the 46-year-old Edmontonian, who&rsquo;s in charge of hockey and business operations in Everett.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter what position you&rsquo;re in, whether you&rsquo;re the GM, the marketing director or the goalie, there&rsquo;s pressure to perform. The biggest pressure I feel is to put a good organization together and I feel very confident.&rdquo;This is Soetaert&rsquo;s second turn at getting an expansion club off the ground. He was coach and director of operations with the Kansas City Blades when that club joined the now defunct International League in 1990-91.In 11 seasons, Soetaert guided Kansas City to a 437-378-85 record and won the Turner Cup in 1991-92.&ldquo;I have all the confidence in the world in getting the job done,&rdquo; said Soetaert, who played junior with the Edmonton Oil Kings. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got experience at recruiting players, developing an organization and hiring coaches.&rdquo;Soetaert posted a record of 110-103-44 in 12 seasons with the New York Rangers, Winnipeg and Montreal. He was a member of Montreal&rsquo;s 1986 Stanley Cup winner.Everett will be the fifth team in the WHL&rsquo;s U.S. Division, which currently includes the Seattle Thunderbirds, Portland Winter Hawks, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans.The Everett club, which is holding a name-the-team contest, is scheduled to play its home games in a yet-to-be-built 8,200-seat sports complex.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04388/8107699-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="393" height="270"></div>SKRUDLAND HONORED Two time Stanley Cup winner Brian Skrudland will have his No. 10 retired this season by the Saskatoon Blades.Skrudland, an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames, played three WHL seasons with the Blades, collecting 77 goals and 192 points in 208 games.The native of Peace River, Alta., played 15 NHL seasons, winning Stanley Cups in 1986 with the Canadiens and in 1999 with Dallas. He also played for Calgary, the Rangers and Florida.Skrudland will become just the third player to have his number retired by the Blades. His jersey will find a spot in the rafters beside Wendel Clark&rsquo;s No. 22 and Bernie Federko&rsquo;s No. 15.NOTEBOOK Not only did Canada win its sixth straight gold medal at the Eight Nations Cup in Slovakia, three WHLers helped the national under-18 team sweep the individual awards. Kevin Nastiuk of Medicine Hat was the top goalie, Shawn Belle of Tri-City the top defenseman and Nigel Dawes of Kootenay the top forward&hellip;Free agent center Matt Hubbauer, 20, agreed to a tryout with the Detroit Red Wings. Hubbauer led the Regina Pats last season with 48 goals in 66 games&hellip;Former NHL defenseman Doug Lidster has joined the Medicine Hat Tigers as an assistant coach. He&rsquo;ll work under coach Willie Desjardins.<h2>UNITED STATES LEAGUE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03518/8107692-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="310" height="94"></div>How close is the United States League from obtaining USA Hockey&rsquo;s Tier I status? As the song goes, it&rsquo;s &ldquo;a motion away.&rdquo;With an agreement having now been accepted by both parties, USA Hockey executive director Doug Palazzari has only to sign the contract, which would allow the 24-year-old Midwest-based Jr. A circuit to play under the Tier I banner.Tier I is a concept developed by USA Hockey in the mid-1990&rsquo;s. The intent was to create a high-end Jr. A league in the U.S. that could rival major junior while still allowing its players the right to NCAA eligibility.Several prerequisites were imposed, such as having solid ownership, attracting at least 2,500 fans per game, paying for players&rsquo; room and board, plus limiting the use of 20-year-olds and imports.-Paul Shaheen &#9632;

f0031-04

Ex-stopper Soetaert eager to get started

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011129/8107737-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011022/8107730-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="3155" height="3546"></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

2002 NHL TRAINING CAMP ROSTERS

<h2>Thursday, Sept. 19</h2>1. Philadelphia at Washington, 7 p.m.2. Boston vs. St. Louis, at Worcester. 7 p.m.3. Florida at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.4. Nashville at Chicago. 8:30 p.m.5. Van vs. Edmonton, at Winnipeg. 8:30 p.m.6. Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m.7. San Jose at Los Angeles. 10:30 p.m.<h2>Friday, Sept. 20</h2>8. Toronto at Ottawa. 7 p.m.9. Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey, at Albany, 7 p.m.10. Carolina at Florida, 7:30 p.m.11. Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.12. Columbus vs. Buffalo, at Syracuse, 7:30 p.m.13. Bos vs. Washington, at Manchester, 7:30 p.m.14. Detroit at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.15. Vancouver at Edmonton. 9 p.m.16. Minnesota at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.<h2>Saturday, Sept. 21</h2>17. Ottawa at Buffalo, 6 p.m.18. New York Rangers at Montreal, 7 p.m.19. New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.20. Pittsburgh at Washington, 7 p.m.21. Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.22. Carolina vs. Florida, at Estero, Fla., 7:30 p.m.23. St. Louis at Nashville, 8 p.m.24. Dallas at Chicago, 8 p.m.25. Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.26. San Jose at Colorado, 9 p.m.27. Anaheim at Phoenix, 10 p.m.<h2>Sunday, Sept. 22</h2>28. Philadelphia at New York Rangers, 5 p.m.29. Nashville at Columbus, 5 p.m.30. N. Jersey vs. Pittsburgh, at Wilkes-Barre, 5 p.m.31. Ottawa at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.32. Minnesota at Edmonton, 8 p.m.33. Anaheim vs. Los Angeles, at Bakersfield, 8 p.m.34. San Jose at Phoenix, 10 p.m.<h2>Monday, Sept. 23</h2>35. Boston at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.36. Minnesota at Calgary, 9 p.m.<h2>Tuesday, Sept. 24</h2>37. Nashville at Atlanta. 10:30 a m.38. New York Islanders at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.39. New Jersey at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.40. Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.41. Carolina vs. T.B., at Estero, Fla., 7:30 p.m.42. Chicago at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.43. Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m.<h2>Wednesday, Sept. 25</h2>44. Detroit at Columbus, 7 p.m.45. Buffalo at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.46. Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.47. Nashville at St. Louis, 8 p.m.48. Calgary at Minnesota, 8 p.m.49. Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m.50. Phoenix at Vancouver, 10 p.m.<h2>Thursday, Sept 26</h2>51. Boston vs. Montreal, at Halifax. 6 p.m.52. Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.53. Washington at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.54. Phoenix at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.<h2>Friday, Sept. 27</h2>55. Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m.56. Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.57. Philadelphia at Carolina, 7 p.m.58. New York Rangers at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.59. Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m.60. Dallas at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.61. St. Louis at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.<h2>Friday, Sept. 27</h2>62. Calgary at Vancouver. 10 p.m.63. San Jose at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.<h2>Saturday, Sept. 28</h2>64. New York Islanders at Boston, 1 p.m.65. Buffalo vs. Ottawa, at Halifax. 6 p.m.66. Washington at Carolina. 7 p.m.67. Atlanta vs. Nashville, at Bossier City, La., 7 p.m.68. Columbus at Pittsburgh. 7:30 p.m.69. Florida at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.70. Colorado vs. Montreal, at Quebec City, 7:30 p.m.71. Detroit vs. Toronto, at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.72. Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 p.m.73. Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.<h2>Sunday. Sept. 29</h2>74. Boston at New York Rangers, 5 p.m.75. Pittsburgh at Columbus. 5 p.m.76. Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m.77. Los Angles at Anaheim, 8 p.m.78. Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m.<h2>Monday, Sept. 30</h2>79. Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.80. Vancouver vs. San Jose, at Sacramento, TBA<h2>Tuesday, Oct. 1</h2>81. New Jersey at New York Islanders, 11a.m.82. Chicago at Nashville, 2:30 p.m.83. New York Rangers at Philadelphia. 7 p.m.84. Boston at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.85. Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.86. St. Louis at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.87. Anaheim at Minnesota, 8 p.m.88. Vancouver at Phoenix, 10 p.m.<h2>Wednesday, Oct. 2</h2>89. New York Rangers at Columbus, 7 p.m.90. Philadelphia at New York Islanders, 7 p.m.91. Atlanta at Carolina, 7 p.m.92. Wsh vs. Pittsburgh, at Wilkes-Barre, 7 p.m.93. Montreal at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.94. Boston vs. Florida, at Estero, Fla., 7:30 p.m.95. Colorado at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.<h2>Thursday, Oct. 3</h2>96. Toronto at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.97. Buffalo at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.98. Edmonton at Minnesota, 8 p.m.99. Colorado at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.100. Phoenix vs. Los Angeles, at Okla. City, 8:30 p.m.<h2>Friday, Oct. 4</h2>101. Carolina at Washington, 7 p.m.102. Tampa Bay at Ottawa, 7 p.m.103. New York Rangers at Florida, 7:30 p.m.104. Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m.105. Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m.106. Phoenix at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m.<h2>Saturday, Oct. 5</h2>107. Washington at Philadelphia, 3 p.m.108. Carolina at Atlanta, 5 p.m.109. Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m.110. New York Rangers at Boston, 7 p.m.111. Tampa Bay at Toronto, 7 p.m.112. New York Islanders at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.113. Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.114. St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m.115. Columbus at Nashville, 8 p.m.116. Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m.117. Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m.118. Colorado vs. L.A., at Las Vegas, 10:30 p.m.<h2>Sunday, Oct. 6</h2>119. Atl vs. Min, at Grand Forks, N.D., 3 p.m.120. Columbus at Buffalo. 6 p.m.121. San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m.NHL regular season begins Oct. 9<h2>NHL TRANSACTIONS</h2>Transactions include NHL personnel moves from August 17-23.<h3>ATLANTA</h3>Aug. 19 Francis Lessard, D, signed contract.<h3>CALGARY</h3>Aug. 21 Matthew Lombardi, C. signed contract.<h3>COLUMBUS</h3>Aug. 21 Matt Davidson, RW, and David Ling, RW, signed one-year contracts.<h3>FLORIDA</h3>Aug. 17 Mike Keenan, coach, signed contract extension. Aug. 21 Clint Malarchuk named goaltending instructor. Aug. 22 Trevor Kidd, G, placed on waivers.<h3>MINNESOTA</h3>Aug. 18 Antti Laaksonen, RW, signed one-year contract.<h3>NEW JERSEY</h3>Aug. 21 Gates Orlando named assistant coach at Albany (AHL).<h3>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h3>Aug. 19 Dave Scatchard, C, signed two-year contract.<h3>OTTAWA</h3>Aug. 21 Jody Hull, RW, signed one-year contract.<h3>SAN JOSE</h3>Aug. 17 Niklas Sundstrom, LW, signed two-year contract.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011150/8107768-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="578" height="936"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Keenan</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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NHL PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02783/8107827-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg"></div>Answers in next issue and @ <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><h2>ACROSS</h2>1 Run at an opponent4 Ftorek is coach in Boston9 Province with two NHL teams10 Number retired by the Oilers and Avalanche11 Overtime, time12 As Red Wings&rsquo; captain, he was the first to hoist the Cup in 200213 Hall of Famer Bathgate15 Smythe after whom the trophy is named18 Colorado&rsquo;s first NHL entry went by this nickname21 squad games involve players from the same team23 Has no more tickets to offer, out24 A Western League city (it&rsquo;s in the U.S.)25 Lineup26 Reichel<h2>DOWN</h2>1 Murray was an NHLer for 18 seasons, eight of them with Philadelphia2 Marcel was once president of the Nordiques3 Uwe Krupp&rsquo;s homeland5 Away from home, road6 Gary was on Team Canada in 19727 Watching8 First name of the NHL&rsquo;s current commissioner, pictured14 Detroit&rsquo;s Lidstrom was named playoff MVP in 200215 Home of the American League champion Wolves16 Referee with a full head of hair17 Bernie was the first back-to-back Smythe Trophy winner19 Give out20 Province without NHL hockey: abbr.22 The Art Ross Trophy goes to the winner of the NHL&rsquo;s scoring<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</h2><h3>ACROSS</h3>1. SMYTHE 4. BRUINS 9. ALLISON 10. GET TO 11. KJELL 12. TORONTO 13. HABS 15. DEER 18. MESSIER 21. TOURS 23. NASAL 24. FLORIDA 25. ELSTON 26. OTTAWA<h3>DOWN</h3>1. SHARKS 2. YELLE 3. HUSTLES 5. ROGER 6. INTENSE 7. SHOT ON 8. UNIT 14. ASSISTS 15. DETROIT 16. AMONTE 17. OSHAWA 19. IGLOO 20. REFS 22. UTIC<h2>Separated at Birth</h2>Have you ever spotted these two personalities in the same room at the same time? Submitted by Larry Parnes of New York City.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03619/8107820-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="382" height="390"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scotty Bowman</figcaption></div>All-time coaching great master of juggling lines<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04484/8107813-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="384" height="398"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Hope</figcaption></div>All-time entertaining great master of one-liners<h2>They say it&rsquo;s your birthday!</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05390/8107806-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="792" height="296"></div><h2>MIKE COMRIE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06348/8107799-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="372" height="564"></div>Edmonton OilersPos: Center Age: 22 Birthplace: Edmonton, Alta.Who is the toughest guy you have played with?&ldquo;Georges Laraque. I&rsquo;ve seen him manhandle too many guys for him not to be the toughest.&rdquo;Do you have any hobbies?&ldquo;I go to a lot of movies. One of my favorites this year was Minority Report-it makes you think about what the future holds.&rdquo;If you were NHL commissioner, what would your first act be?&ldquo;I&rsquo;d make goalie equipment smaller so that fans could enjoy more scoring each game. I would also penalize the neutral-zone trap, the same way the NBA penalizes zone defenses.&rdquo;Who are your closest friends in the NHL?&ldquo;Three of my teammates-Dan Cleary, Shawn Horcoff and Josh Green. Great guys.&rdquo;What is your favorite city to visit on the road?&ldquo;Los Angeles. The nightlife and weather are great.&rdquo;-Adam ProteauLINE OF THE WEEKFicticious line Ron Gras ley of Lion&rsquo;s Head, Ont., would like to see&hellip;THE TOPOGRAPHY LINESean HILL (Mtl, Ana, Ott, StL, Car 1990-present)Kris BEECH (Pit 2000-present)Richard PARK (Pit, Ana, Phi, Min 1994-present)GOT AN INTERMISSION IDEA?Submit ideas for SEPARATED AT BIRTH & FICTICIOUS LINES!E-mail:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:hodgsonj@transcontinental.ca">hodgsonj@transcontinental.ca</a>Snail Mall:U.S.A.:&nbsp;Intermission, THN, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947Canada:&nbsp;Intermission, THN. 25 Sheppard Ave. IV, Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7 &#9632;

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THN Crossword

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011078/8107858-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div>For advertising info please contact Tony Loria at: (P) 905-883-9215 &bull; (F) 905-883-6213Email: <a href="mailto:tonyloria@transcontinental.ca">tonyloria@transcontinental.ca</a> &bull; Website: <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> &#9632;

f0035-01

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011046/8107910-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="296" height="380"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Brophy&nbsp;Senior Writer</figcaption></div>A lot of people would have said, &ldquo;Get stuffed!&rdquo; Perhaps Dolly Gilmour even thought of doing so, but she elected to take the high road instead.The audacity of it all. The mother of another player suggested, right to Dolly&rsquo;s face, the only reason her puny son Doug was even on that Kingston AAA novice team of 10-year-olds was because Don Gilmour, Doug&rsquo;s dad, was the coach.&ldquo;Oh yeah,&rdquo; Dolly replied. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see about that. The cream always rises to the top.&rdquo;Some 29 years later, Dolly added with a dash of innocence only a mother can provide: &ldquo;There were a lot of tournaments they played in which Doug was chosen the most valuable player, you know.&rdquo;Take that, momma!Somewhere out there the mother of Doug Gilmour&rsquo;s childhood teammate may be celebrating the fact her son is set to play his 20th straight year in a beer league. Meanwhile Dolly&rsquo;s little Dougie is readying himself for his 20th NHL season. And, no, Don Gilmour is not the coach of the Montreal Canadiens.Though the 39-year-old Gilmour has come close to retiring a couple of times the past few years, he is back for another year, perhaps more. Montreal has extended his contract through 2003-04. He&rsquo;s back because he feels he can still contribute. And after last year, who would argue the point?When the injury-and illness-crippled Habs limped into the playoffs and then won a round and damn near won two, Gilmour was front and center with four goals and 10 points in 12 postseason games.As usual, the 177-pounder was battered and bruised when last season came to an end. And once again, thoughts of hanging up the blades were front and center in his mind when Carolina sent the Habs packing. But as his body and soul healed, the itch to play again came flooding back. The fact he never even bothered to unpack his winter clothes in the off-season-to save him the trouble of repacking them to return to Montreal-is an indication that he always planned on coming back.&ldquo;When the season ended, all I wanted was to get away,&rdquo; Gilmour said, &ldquo;but I had to hang around for a month-and-a-half while the kids finished school. didn&rsquo;t know if I was coming back. It takes a month-and-a-half for me to start feeling normal (physically). But after I started to feel better, I knew.&rdquo;Gilmour wants to be 100 percent certain when he finally does retire that it&rsquo;s the right decision.&ldquo;I have talked to a lot of former players and people associated with the game who I respect and they all tell me to play for as long as I can,&rdquo; Gilmour said. &ldquo;The thing is, you have to be able to contribute. I&rsquo;d never hang around and just play on the periphery. I still feel I have something to offer.&rdquo;By now, you probably know all about Gilmour&rsquo;s history He&rsquo;s the too-small-to-make-it kid who was a scoring ace with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Cornwall Royals and made the jump directly to the NHL with the St. Louis Blues in 1983-84 as-get this-a checker. Some checker. He scored 25 goals and 53 points as a rookie and four years later was the Blues&rsquo; leading scorer with 42 goals and 105 points in 80 games.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02686/8107903-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="1102" height="1048"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug Gilmour always wanted to go back to the Canadiens. (Andre Pichette/BBS)</figcaption></div>After leading Calgary to the Stanley Cup in 1989, Gilmour enjoyed his best individual seasons in Toronto. In back-to-back years (1992-93 and &rsquo;93-94) he contended for the league MVP-finishing second behind Mario Lemieux in 1994- and scored a combined 59 goals and 238 points in 166 regular season games and 16 goals and 63 points in 39 playoff games.Never a particularly fast skater or hard shooter, the crafty Gilmour gets by on heart and hockey sense. And if you think he has mellowed with age, think again. Who can forget the glass shattering when Gilmour slammed shut the penalty box door during last year&rsquo;s playoffs?&ldquo;(Buffalo enforcer) Rob Ray phoned me a few days later and said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve spent most of my life (in the penalty box) and I&rsquo;ve never done that,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Gilmour with a laugh. &ldquo;And then he said, &lsquo;By the way, Doug, you&rsquo;re not that strong.&rsquo;&rdquo;Maybe Gilmour can&rsquo;t bench press the Molson Centre, but nobody doubts his passion for the game. His furrowed brow and the icy cold eyes that earned him the nickname &lsquo;Killer&rsquo; tell the real story: he loves winning and hates losing. And he believes the Canadiens have a decent shot this season.&ldquo;There are maybe two teams-Detroit and Colorado-who know they will do well next year,&rdquo; Gilmour said. &ldquo;After those two teams, I think there are a lot of teams that have a shot. Look at last season. I think our strong finish will greatly benefit the young players on our team and will raise the spirits of the veteran players.&rdquo;Gilmour shakes his head in wonderment at the thought of, being a 20-year NHL veteran. He remembers in his rookie season being assigned to check Marcel Dionne; scoring a goal on Tony Esposito; and peeking over the shoulder of Ron Duguay, whom he was taking a faceoff against, and seeing Brad Park set up on the Detroit Red Wings blueline.&ldquo;Some of the guys on the Blues were 33 and 34 years old and I thought they were old men,&rdquo; Gilmour said.Now, at 39, he&rsquo;s the old man. And when he plays, you can bet Dolly will still be watching.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy Doug is going to play again,&rdquo; his mother said. &ldquo;If he&rsquo;s happy, that&rsquo;s the main thing.&rdquo; &#9633;<h2>NHL&rsquo;s 39-And-Over Club</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03570/8107896-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="141" height="142"></div>Doug Gilmour is one of 10 players who &lsquo;ll be 39 or older when the 2002-03 season begins. Players are listed oldest to youngest, with games played.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04439/8107889-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="636" height="466"></div> &#9632;

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OVERTIME

Gilmour revved up over return

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05365/8107941-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pre-season peek: Dan Cloutier&rsquo;s Canucks vs. Oilers(Bruce Bennett/BBS; Jim McIsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div>Here&rsquo;s what to look for in the coming weeksThurs., Sept. 12 Most NHL teams begin training campThurs., Sept. 19 NHL pre-season opens with Edmonton vs. Vancouver in WinnipegSat., Sept. 28 30th anniversary of Game 8 in 1972 Canada-Russia Summit SeriesWed., Oct. 9 NHL regular season beginsThurs., Oct. 10 Detroit begins defense of Stanley Cup with game in San JoseFri., Oct. 11 AHL regular season beginsFri., Oct. 11 ECHL regular season beginsThurs., Nov. 21 Bobby Holik and his new team, the Rangers, visit New JerseyFri., Nov. 29 Carolina hosts Detroit in rematch of 2001 Stanley Cup finalFor the latest news, visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><h2>Next Issue</h2>September 13, 2002Last year&rsquo;s Dallas disaster drives Pierre Turgeon to find his StarWe remember 9/11 and how that day touched hockey worldTraining Camp depth charts: Find out how every player stacks up &#9632;

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