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 13, 2002

The Hockey News September 13, 2002

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011936/8156613-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Elston

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011864/8156392-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Froese (THN Archives)</figcaption></div>When observers look at the recent post-season woes of the Philadelphia Flyers, the carousel of struggling goaltenders has frequently been identified as a significant part of the problem.Indeed, with goalies such as Ron Hextall, John Vanbiesbrouk, Brian Boucher and Roman Cechmanek all putting up wildly inconsistent performances, Flyer fans could be forgiven for praying to a higher power for help.Bob Froese can help in that area.&ldquo;They call me &lsquo;Pastor Bob&rsquo; now,&rdquo; said Froese, who patrolled the pipes for Philadelphia from 1982 to 1986, and who now presides over Faith Fellowship Church in Clarence, N.Y. &ldquo;My goals still have to do with unity, but where the goal in hockey was to unite as a team to win, now the goal is to unite as a team to preach the word of Jesus.&rdquo;Froese, who holds the best winning percentage of any goalie in Flyers history (.737,9229-12), retired from the the New York Rangers in 1990 and became an assistant coach with the team under Roger Neilson.However, while working with Hockey Ministries International - a charity whose members include ex-NHLers Mike Gartner and Ryan Walter - Froese chose to join the clergy.&ldquo;I was extremely scared,&rdquo; said Froese, who, after being drafted by St. Louis 160th overall in 1978, finished his NHL career with a 128-72-20 record and 3.10 goals-against average. &ldquo;I knew hockey, but I didn&rsquo;t know anything else nearly as well.&rdquo;Froese was new to the ministry, but he wasn&rsquo;t lacking for stories of spiritual strength to draw on. In 1985, he replaced Pelle Lindbergh as Philadelphia&rsquo;s starting goaltender after Lindbergh died tragically in an automobile accident.&ldquo;When Pelle passed away, he was head and shoulders above me as a goaltender,&rdquo; said Froese, 44. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anyone understood what it was like to replace him. Guys like Rick Tocchet, Dave Poulin and Brad McCrimmon helped me adjust, but experiencing what I did when Pelle died matured me more than any single event in my life.&rdquo;Froese&rsquo;s best NHL season came in 1985-86, when he shared the William Jennings trophy with Darren Jensen for lowest GAA and was named a second-team all-star. Nevertheless, personal achievements don&rsquo;t resonate as career highlights for Froese.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to demean winning in any way,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but playing well as part of a team was always most important to me. My teammates knew that I valued what they thought above all else.&rdquo; &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

Puckstopper trades pads for pulpit

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-011005/8158756-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>EXCLUSIVE: EAGLESON SPEAKS OUTFALLEN POWER BROKER ON HIS PUNISHMENT, 1972, BOBBY ORR &M0REALAN EAGLESON2002 STICK BUYERS&rsquo; GUIDESPECIAL SUPPLEMENTman in hockey?Meet the real Georges Laraque &#9632;

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THIS IS THE TOUGHEST man in hockey? Meet the real Georges Laraque

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>By himself, John Slaney may have helped keep Rand McNally in business.In his first nine pro seasons, Slaney played home games in 12 different cities. Got a road atlas? Baltimore, Washington, Portland, Colorado, Cornwall, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Nashville, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.&ldquo;My wife (Brenda) and I liked it, we got to meet new people and see new cities,&rdquo; Slaney said. &ldquo;But we had a son (Tyler) three months ago, so you want to settle down.&rdquo;The Slaneys are settling down in Philadelphia, in large part because the Phantoms (American League) and Flyers weren&rsquo;t about to let the two-time AHL defenseman-of-the-year get away.Despite being viewed as a depth player who can be an emergency NHL fill-in, the Flyers signed the 30-year-old blueliner to a three-year deal reportedly worth more than a half-million dollars. Not bad for a guy critics say can&rsquo;t play defense.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011168/8158011-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="279" height="353"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Slaney</figcaption></div>&ldquo;He really is a superstar in our league,&rdquo; said Phantoms coach John Stevens. &ldquo;His vision and ability you can&rsquo;t teach. He plays in every possible situation.&rdquo;Slaney was the ninth overall pick in 1990 by the Washington Capitals after being named major junior&rsquo;s defense-&rsquo; man of the year with the Cornwall Royals. Early in his pro career, he was a riverboat gambler with the puck. But he has matured and now plays with, well, a little restraint.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a creative guy and he likes to take risks, but now he takes what the game gives him,&rdquo; Stevens said. &ldquo;We love to have him on the ice in the last minute because he makes such good decisions.&rdquo;Slaney had 20 goals and 59 points in 64 games last season. His plus-12 was the best on the Phantoms. &#9632;

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Journeyman Slaney finally at home

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011917/8156361-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Three in front&nbsp;John Cusack and Chris Chelios take Stanley for a ride. See pg. 5 for more.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021531/8156354-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="290" height="344"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTEBOOK&nbsp;Jason Kay Managing Editor</figcaption></div>We have not come to praise Alan Eagleson, but neither have we come to bury him. As far as his hockey life is concerned, Eagleson already is six feet under.The coffin lid slammed shut on Jan. 5, 1998, when Eagleson agreed to plead guilty to theft and fraud. He served one third of an 18-month sentence, paid restitution, resigned his spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, had to give back his Order of Canada and will forever be known as the &ldquo;disgraced hockey czar.&rdquo;While there are those who insist his punishment was too lenient, the police file is closed. In the eyes of the law, justice was served.We are, however, left with the untidy and uncomfortable issue of the Summit Series. With what brush do you paint a man so vilified for perpetrating financial crimes, but who played a pivotal role in a defining moment of a country?The Hockey News decided to let the record speak for itself and We afforded the same privilege to Eagleson. In an exclusive story by Mark Brender (with an assist to freelancer James Clarke who initially made contact with Eagleson on a British Columbia golf course), Eagleson recalls the landmark 1972 event, as we approach its 30th anniversary, and reflects on his hockey past. (See pg. 14).Our straightforward tack should not be mistaken for sympathy Nearly five years after his guilty plea, the wounds still run too deeply Eagleson&rsquo;s claim he thought he was doing the right thing at the time is as frail as the house of cards he built as executive director of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association and a player agent. The trail of people who feel they were wronged by Eagleson - from Glen Sharpley to Bobby Orr to Mike Gillis to the late Carl Brewer to scores of NHL pensioners - is too extensive to dismiss; bygones cannot yet, if ever, be bygones.That sentiment was reinforced when the Summit Series reunion organizers chose not to invite Eagleson for fear of offending some team members.Still, the past is in the books. Nineteen-seventy-two may have taken place three decades ago, but it isn&rsquo;t going away anytime soon. And, if not for Eagleson&rsquo;s participation, the stars may not have aligned in the way they did for Paul Henderson and Phil Esposito and Yvan Cournoyer and Valeri Kharlamov and Vladislav Tretiak and Alexander Yakushev.&ldquo;My son had the best line,&rdquo; Eagleson told Brender. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Dad, no matter how they try, they can&rsquo;t change history. You did the &lsquo;72 series and they can&rsquo;t take that away from you.&rdquo;True. But without dignity and the respect of the majority of the hockey community, you have to wonder how comforting the memories are. &#9632;

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No sympathy for Eagleson; just a chance to tell his tale

<h2>Stanley&rsquo;s day at the beach</h2>When Rob Grabowski got a call from Chris Chelios, it was nice to hear the voice of an old pal. Little did he know the call would lead to the adventure of a lifetime. Grabowski, 30, who along with his father Ray, 52, served as team photographers for the Chicago Blackhawks for 10 years, was invited to grab his camera equipment and join Chelios for a Stanley Cup celebration Aug. 24 in Malibu, Calif. Chelios, of course, helped the Detroit Red Wings defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in five games to claim the Cup last June. This is how Stanley&rsquo;s day at the beach went:5:30 a.m. Chelios, in his convertible, picks up Grabowski at his hotel bright and early and the pair head to Gold&rsquo;s Gym in Venice, where they meet up with Chelios&rsquo;s personal trainer, T.R. Goodman.6 a.m. The Stanley Cup arrives accompanied by Walt Neubrand from the Hockey Hall of Fame. The second Chelios sees the Cup, his eyes grow as wide and his smile as large as the night he won it. Chelios and Goodman pose for pictures in Goodman&rsquo;s office in front of a framed Chelios Red Wings jersey and then they take the Cup into the gym. Within seconds a hush falls over the facility as those in attendance halt their workouts to gather around the famed trophy.6:30 a.m. Chelios and company stop at a restaurant for a quick bite - much to the surprise of those who have dropped in for a quick coffee and bagel. &ldquo;People there were in shock,&rdquo; Grabowski said. &ldquo;They were asking, &lsquo;Is that the real Stanley Cup?&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011872/8156475-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="740" height="682"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Cusack</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021325/8156468-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="558" height="483"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Chelios</figcaption></div>6:45 a.m. Chelios temporarily says goodbye to the Cup as it is whisked away to Anaheim to be put on display with the trophies from other major league sports.1:45 p.m. After returning home to do some last-minute preparations for the party, Chelios, some friends and most of his family gather together and head to Zuma Beach, where he has hired a helicopter (it beats a four-hour car ride) to bring the Cup back to him. On the way he stops to pick up actor pal John Cusack and then stops at the house of another friend, Don Wildman, to do a little surfing.2:20 p.m. First they hear the helicopter, then they see it. When Neubrand retrieves the Cup from the chopper, he is greeted by actor Tony Danza shouting: &ldquo;Hey, where&rsquo;s the white gloves?&rdquo; Neubrand quickly puts them on to the applause and laughter of those nearby. Chelios and his wife, Tracee, are the first to greet the Cup. About six cruisers with 12 police officers are present to guard Chelios and the Cup. Once again Chelios not only takes the time to pose with anyone on the beach who wants a picture with the Cup, he gives everyone within earshot his home address and invites them to join the party.2:30 p.m. Friends, including actors Alan Thicke and D.B. Sweeney, begin arriving at Chelios&rsquo;s oceanfront Malibu home.3 p.m. The group, or as they like to be called, &ldquo;The Malibu Mafia,&rdquo; stops at Wildman&rsquo;s house to get some photos on the beach and are joined by Colorado&rsquo;s Rob Blake and Boston&rsquo;s Glen Murray.3:15 p.m. Cusack hops behind the wheel of Chelios&rsquo;s car and announces: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll drive. You sit in the back with the Cup.&rdquo; So off they go and thanks to a police escort, they are able to proceed quickly down the normally jammed Pacific Coast Highway.3:30 p.m. The party begins. Chelios arrives home standing in the back of the car with the Cup held high over his head. Actors Neve Campbell, Ray Liotta, Chad Lowe and Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, model/pro volleyball player Gabrielle Reece, as well as Red Wings teammates Luc Robitaille, Sean Avery and Jason Williams and former teammate Fredrik Olausson, have joined the festivities. The ever-smiling Chelios takes the Cup to the back deck (about 20 feet from the ocean) and sets it on a table covered by a red cloth. A crowd of about 150 gather around the prize.During the course of the party Chelios has his picture taken with everybody, including those in charge of the valet parking and also with a woman who just happened to be driving past his house. &ldquo;My husband&rsquo;s from Montreal,&rdquo; she cries. &ldquo;Can you take my picture with you and the Cup? He&rsquo;ll love it.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03853/8156461-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="1036" height="1492"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chelios & Neve Campbell</figcaption></div>9:30 p.m. The party shifts to a nearby Greek restaurant. Chelios has rented a bus for transportation. When he carries the Cup into the party, it&rsquo;s as though the Wings had just won it. Patrons, including pro football Hall of Famer and Chelios family friend Dick Butkus, whoop and cheer its arrival. After more picture-taking and plenty of dancing, people take turns sipping beer from the Cup.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04530/8156454-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="559" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chad Lowe</figcaption></div>1 a.m. Neubrand dutifully gathers up the Cup and heads back to his hotel. But don&rsquo;t worry, the party&rsquo;s not over. Not by a long shot. Chelios invites everyone in attendance to join him in Chicago Sept. 3 and 4 where he&rsquo;ll do it all over again. &#9633; &#9632;

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POWER PLAY

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender Contributing Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012080/8156506-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ace BaileyMark BavisTRUE-BLUE FRIEND&nbsp;Ace Bailey, pictured here in his St. Louis Blues uniform in 1974, is remembered as one of the game&rsquo;s good guys.</figcaption></div>In the days after Sept. 11, Michael Bavis learned something new about the twin brother he had lost.What he learned made him proud.From 1997 to 1999, Mark Bavis was an assistant coach at Harvard University. Many of the kids he coached there were the same ones who were driving back to Boston from all corners of the country to attend Mark&rsquo;s memorial. These kids, and others from the Massachusetts Hockey Satellite Program, were still depending on Mark for advice, still seeking his guidance two and three years after they last played for him. And Mark would give them his time. He wanted to be part of their lives.&ldquo;We heard it over and over,&rdquo; Michael said. &ldquo;The fact he was doing that for kids he wasn&rsquo;t coaching said a lot to me. It said a lot about who he was.&rdquo;The family of Garnet &ldquo;Ace&rdquo; Bailey was going through much the same thing. In the days after the attacks, letters started pouring in. They were from adults that Ace had met when they were kids, from kids today, all with something good to say They remembered his warmth, told stories, said they regretted not having a chance to tell Bailey how they remembered his kindnesses.&ldquo;It just hit home further how much Ace cared about kids and how he would do anything for kids,&rdquo; said Barbara Pothier, the sister of Bailey&rsquo;s widow, Katharine Bailey.Bailey always had a twinkle in his eye, an easy smile, a happy laugh, Pothier said. That his legacy would have something to do with children was a given among the family.Bailey was director of pro scouting for the Los Angeles Kings and Bavis was in the Kings scouting department. Both men were heading from Boston to Los Angeles on United Flight 175 when the plane was crashed into the World Trade Center in last year&rsquo;s terrorist attacks.Pothier was in the process of starting her own company at the time of the attacks. She immediately dropped her plans so she could be with with Katharine. When the family settled on a fund in Ace&rsquo;s honor to support programs at The Floating Hospital For Children in Boston, Pothier took on the job of running it. It is now her full-time career. The fund has raised $400,000 (all figures in U.S. funds) since February. A golf tournament is planned for Oct. 15, to be put on by the Kings&rsquo; American League affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.The fund&rsquo;s first project is renovating and refurbishing a 6,500 square foot indoor/out-door playroom and establishing an endowment to make sure kids staying at the hospital always have a place to go to play and be free.&ldquo;Ace would love that,&rdquo; Pothier said. &ldquo;It makes his death seem not so terribly in vain.&rdquo; One of Pothier&rsquo;s future projects is to raise $180,000 for a specially equipped pediatric ambulance. The New England Medical Center receives pediatric cases from other hospitals all around the Boston area. Often a child is in need of immediate trauma care when he or she has to be transferred. The two hours it takes for an ambulance company to pick the child up and get to NEMC can be the difference between life and death, or full recovery and permanent disability.A pediatric ambulance with a full-time staff and driver, Pothier said, would be able to respond in a fraction of the time and treat the child en route.&ldquo;Every time a kid is saved, what a wonderful blessing that will be.&rdquo;Michael Bavis, meanwhile, still struggles to deal with the circumstances of his brother&rsquo;s death. He knows people die every day. He accepts that. But the way his brother died makes his grief so unlike the kind most people ever experience.&ldquo;It still is not believable in a way,&rdquo; said Bavis, an assistant coach with Boston University &ldquo;You can look at something, can you really believe that somebody I knew was on that plane? And that&rsquo;s something you deal with.&rdquo;About 700 people and some 25 current NHLers, including Tony Amonte and Keith Tkachuk, turned out this summer for a dinner and golf tournament for the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation. The weekend raised $200,000 toward their goal of $1 million, Michael Bavis said.The Kings will continue to recognize the two men with special stickers on their helmets, as they did last season. GM Dave Taylor said they have also renamed two of the team awards. The most inspirational player will now receive the Ace Bailey Memorial Award and the best newcomer gets the Mark Bavis Memorial Award. &#9633;&ldquo;Ace would love that. It makes his death seem not so terribly in vain.Barbara Pothier, sister-in-law of Ace Bailey, on the Ace Bailey Children&rsquo;s Fund<h2>DONATIONS IN THEIR MEMORY</h2><h3>Ace Bailey Children&rsquo;s Fund</h3>The Floating Hospital for Children 750 Washington St., Box 231 Boston, Mass. 02111.<h3>Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation</h3>c/o Merilyn Sullivan 90 Cambridge Road Woburn, Mass. 01801 &#9632;

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FEATURES

Bailey, Bavis remembered

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021387/8156558-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg"></div><h2>Best of the Hockey World</h2>YOU MAY NOTICE A FEW CHANGES Queen Elizabeth plans to attend her first NHL game, a pre-season tilt in Vancouver, since 1952.NICK&rsquo;S NO. 1 Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom is our pick as the NHL&rsquo;s No. 1 player in The Hockey News Yearbook.ONCE MORE FOR OLD TIME&rsquo;S SAKE NHL pre season games are scheduled to be played in both Winnipeg and Quebec.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03815/8156551-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="371" height="632"><figcaption class="caption-body">Queen Elizabeth</figcaption></div><h2>Worst of the Hockey World</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04497/8156544-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="1090" height="458"></div>MESSY NEGOTIATION Here we go again, future Hall of Famer Mark Messier and the New York Rangers are at odds over what he&rsquo;s worth.BAD BOY BOBBY Former Islander Bob Nystrom, now director of corporate relations for the team, is involved in a dust-up at a Montrose, N.Y.,gas station.GO CLARKE GO! Hey Bob Clarke, you were a big reason why Canada prevailed in 1972. Forget the Eagleson connection. Go to the reunion and enjoy yourself.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05396/8156537-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="369" height="626"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Messier</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

Now that the NHL has apparently bought into ESPN&rsquo;s &ldquo;less is more&rdquo; policy, here are a few suggestions for the league&rsquo;s front office: cut the number of games in the regular season to 50, make each playoff round the best 2-out-of-3, reduce the number of periods in a game to two and reduce the number of minutes in a period to 10.These ideas would go a long way to prevent the &ldquo;over-exposure&rdquo; of hockey. Following this logic, the sponsors could then reduce the number of commercials to zero, knowing their product sales would soar because nobody would know of their existence.Anyone who buys ESPN&rsquo;s explanation for reducing the number of hockey games broadcast has to be a politician - or works in the NHL&rsquo;s front office.I am instituting my own &ldquo;less is more&rdquo; policy by not watching ESPN (&hellip;except for NHL games).John McCoy, Whitesboro, N. Y.<h2>Hockey fans second-class</h2>I&rsquo;m insulted that ESPN feels they had too much hockey programming last season.They&rsquo;re reducing the number of games they televise this year, but during hoops season you can find some kind of basketball on any given night. My cable system only gets two to three hockey games per week and one of them is usually on the West Coast so I only get to watch the first period.I&rsquo;m tired of hockey taking a back seat to basketball, and in some cases, pre-season baseball.Len Cusumano, Massapequa, N. Y.<h2>Holik&rsquo;s desire questioned</h2>Recently, former New Jersey Devils center Bobby Holik mentioned how excited he was to sign as a free agent with the New York Rangers (and their super-sized payroll).It is amazing how a player with a desire to win could jump from the Devils, one of the most consistently competitive sports franchises of the past decade, to play for the Rangers, a team full of overpaid underachievers.Scott Malecki, Piscataway, N.J. &#9632;

Less TV not more for fans

Why hasn&rsquo;t Jarome Iginla signed with Calgary yet? There&rsquo;s no real difference between making $11 million or $15 million over two years. I don&rsquo;t think Iginla&rsquo;s agent cares about the best interests of hockey.Phil Delisle, Lyss, SwitzerlandI just received my copy of THN&rsquo;s Yearbook and I want to say I&rsquo;ve had enough of the Rangers on the cover. They don&rsquo;t merit it.Bob Palmer, Middletown, N.J.(Editor&rsquo;s Note: The 2002-03 THN Yearbook has 13 different covers, distributed by geographic region.)Two thumbs up - that&rsquo;s what I give The Hockey News for your 2002-03 Yearbook. The new look of the magazine is great; good job, guys!Steve Giacobello, Westbury, N. Y.The only people that will benefit from ESPN&rsquo;s shortened TV schedule are wives and girlfriends of male hockey fans. My wife must have called ESPN and made some sort of deal; now, instead of hockey, I&rsquo;m going to have to watch her watch Oprah.Ed Hauryski, Bath, N.Y.I can&rsquo;t believe THN named Nick Lidstrom as the best player in the NHL. (THN Yearbook.) It&rsquo;s as obvious as Don Cherry&rsquo;s tacky neckties that Peter Forsberg is the greatest player in the league.Vanessa Carlton, Edmonton<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;

Hey, Iginla: Please sign next huge offer

I find it hard to believe The Hockey News would pick the Red Wings to repeat as Stanley Cup champions this season. (THN Yearbook.)Take a look at the last two teams to win before the Wings. Both the Colorado Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils ran out of steam after their Cup victories.Credit both teams for getting deep in the playoffs after winning a championship, but it is easy to see that in today&rsquo;s NHL, a Stanley Cup repeat is virtually impossible.Raymond Gassi, Calgary<h2>I want my Isles TV</h2>Michael Peca&rsquo;s interview with Jonathan Davis was straightforward, honest and extremely funny. (THN, Aug. 30.)I&rsquo;d love to hear more players speak as openly about the aspects of the sport the fans don&rsquo;t generally get to witness. In fact, while reading the article I started to think how great it would be to watch a reality hockey show on TV Forget Ozzy Osbourne and Anna Nicole Smith; how about The Islanders on MTV?Kevin Maher, Salem, Mass.<h2>Peca photo all wet</h2>I just received your latest issue, &ldquo;Beneath the Surface with Mike Peca&rdquo; and I take objection to the cover photograph. (THN, Aug. 30.)Unless you are changing your name to The Swimming News, this cover reeks of GQ. Whatever were you thinking?Jonathan Gee, Thompson, Man.<h2>Other options besides NHL</h2>A recent question on THN&rsquo;s website asked which side I sympathized with in the NHL&rsquo;s impending 2004 work stoppage, the players or the owners.This must be an oversight because I think a lot of hardcore hockey fans would answer &ldquo;Neither!&rdquo; Both the players and owners better realize there are other options for hockey fans besides the NHL.It&rsquo;s time for hockey fans to voice our collective displeasure about being repeatedly and shamelessly gouged to make rich men richer.Matt Wilson, Vancouver<h2>Got something to say?</h2>MAIL: U.S.A.: Letters, THN, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947.Canada: Letters, THN, 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7E-MAIL:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:proteaua@transcontinental.ca">proteaua@transcontinental.ca</a> or visit <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a>. Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number. Submissions will be edited. &#9632;

Red Wings repeat not likely

<h2>Porsche for salea</h2>Sergei Fedorov is selling his white Porsche 911 Carrera in an online auction on eBay. The Detroit center put the one-year-old vehicle up for sale with a reserve bid of $134,000 (U.S.). The car comes with a CD player, sunroof, red leather interior and an odometer reading of 1,583 miles. Fedorov is including a Red Wings team jersey, will pose for a picture with the buyer and has offered to auto-graph the car as well. The market value of the car is $125,000.<h2>Tootoo kin dies</h2>Terence Tootoo, a center for the East Coast League&rsquo;s Roanoke Express, was found dead just outside Brandon, Man., Aug. 29. Police are investigating, but do not suspect foul play. Tootoo, 22, is the older brother of Jordin Tootoo, a 2001 draft pick of Nashville and a star with Brandon of the Western League. Terence Tootoo was the first Inuit pro hockey player. Terence had nine goals, 25 points and 218 penalty minutes in 65 ECHL games last season.<h2>U.S. claims gold</h2>The U.S. won gold at the 2002 under-17 Five Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic. The Americans and Czechs finished with 3-0-1 records after a 2-2 tie, but the U.S. had a better goal differential. The U.S. beat Germany 3-1, Switzerland 4-1 and Slovakia 60. William Parenteau led the U.S. with three goals while Tyler Haskins, Patrick Kaleta and Jeff Prough each had two. Goalies Andrew Batson and Jeff Lerg allowed just four goals. &#9632;

INSIDE HOCKEY

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello Senior Editor</div>The NHL could add two more competitive teams if the current crop of unsigned restricted and unrestricted free agents were allowed to pool their talents and become clubs No. 31 and 32.The Restricted Raiders would certainly be a Stanley Cup contender with the likes of forwards Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay and Simon Gagne leading the attack, Kyle McLaren, Jiri Fischer and Brad Stuart patrolling the blueline and league MVP Jose Theodore along with Evgeni Nabokov holding down the fort in goal.They&rsquo;re the marquee players among the group of prominent restricted free agents still without contracts in the days leading up to NHL training camps.These Group II free agents can sign offer sheets with any team, but their 2001-02 team is permitted to match the terms. To date, not one has been given an offer, including Theodore or Hart Trophy runner-up Iginla.In fact, no Group II free agent has received an offer sheet since 1998, when Carolina tried to sign Sergei Fedorov away from Detroit. Detroit matched Carolina&rsquo;s offer and Fedorov stayed a Wing.Compensation for signing high-priced restricted free agents is up to five first round draft picks.While the Restricted Raiders look like Cup contenders now, the names will dwindle come Oct. 9, the NHL&rsquo;s opening night.Most of the players listed in the table on the left will come to terms with the team that retains their rights. The signings will continue through training camp and into the pre-season.By the first month of the season, virtually all the restricted free agents will be back on the ice. The spotlight now is on Calgary GM Craig Button and Montreal GM Andre Savard to see how they handle negotiations with their franchise players.Note to those hockey fans in pools or fantasy leagues: regard the names on the list and monitor their status.So while the Restricted Raiders will become decimated with player signings, what of the NHL&rsquo;s 32nd team?The Unrestricted Upstarts would be an expansion team with plenty of experience. With an average age of almost 35, the Upstarts would be deep on defense and in goal, but without much firepower up front. Our guess is they&rsquo;d be hard pressed to make the playoffs.And their roster will also dwindle as the season approaches.<h2>Restricted field</h2>Prominent restricted free agents are listed with their 2001-02 team in order of 2001-02 salary. Compensation for signing these players is up to five first round draft picks.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011717/8156723-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="599" height="1521"></div><h2>Unrestricted class</h2>Prominent unrestricted free agents are listed with their 2001-02 team in order of 2001-02 salary. Players can sign with any team without compensation to their old team.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021229/8156716-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="601" height="1528"></div> &#9632;

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Dozens of quality players still looking for contracts

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender&#x2013;Contributing editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011888/8156775-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div>We know what you&rsquo;re thinking.Like, hey Einstein, what&rsquo;s to 4 know? When I see the Edmonton W J Oilers play, my eyes don&rsquo;t lie. The I guy &lsquo;s bigger than a boxcar, tougher than a mouthful of metal, the bad dest, meanest, heaviest hombre on skates.Well, yes, he may be all that. But if that&rsquo;s all you know, you don&rsquo;t know Georges Laraque and that&rsquo;s not a good place to be. That would mean Georges has an image problem. Georges doesn&rsquo;t want an image problem. You are now responsible for Georges having an image problem.So here&rsquo;s what you can do. Move to Edmonton. On the occasion of your child&rsquo;s birthday, have him or her write Georges a letter. Or send Georges an e-mail. Georges has his own website: <a href="http://www.georgeslaraque.com">www.georgeslaraque.com</a>. He loves his computer. Have your kid tell Georges he wants him to come to the party Make sure to include your address and the time the party starts. Georges wouldn&rsquo;t want to be late.If you want your party to stand out in his mind, make it unique. Bring in a clown on a camel. If your son plays Playstation with Georges and takes the Oilers and pretends he&rsquo;s Georges, the real Georges will love that, too. Anything to add some variety.&ldquo;I do so many,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;they&rsquo;re basically all the same.&rdquo;Don&rsquo;t bother asking him to take your daughter to the big high school dance, though. He did it last season and once was enough. A man has his limits.&ldquo;That was the biggest and craziest thing I&rsquo;ve ever done and I can&rsquo;t do that ever again because it was pretty demanding,&rdquo; Laraque says. &ldquo;That took all day.&rsquo;Limos, flowers, the whole bit, and he even travelled an hour or so outside Edmonton to get to the high school gym.So the next time you see Georges duking it out with arch-rival Donald Brashear or Sandy McCarthy or some other slugger, remember, you could just as easily be getting to know a grinning, goofy 25-year-old over a friendly game of pin-the-tail-on-the donkey. Remember, he may be the NHL&rsquo;s reigning heavyweight champion, but he doesn&rsquo;t want an image problem.He fights because he&rsquo;s good at it and he likes it and it&rsquo;s his job. He does the other stuff for the same reasons.&ldquo;I know a lot of people think I&rsquo;m nuts doing it, but what else am I going to do?&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You have, like, 10 years in a career where you can be in a position to make everyone happy, why not? I want to do it. I have to do it. That&rsquo;s the only way I feel good about myself. I don&rsquo;t want people to know me only as a tough guy.&rdquo;Birthdays, anniversaries, backyard barbeques - it&rsquo;s not as if Georges is the only player to get these requests. What sets him apart is the lengths he will go to honor them.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never heard of it,&rdquo; says Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. &ldquo;This is uncharted territory.&rdquo;Georges Laraque grew up outside Montreal, where the only person who wanted to see a black boy playing hockey was the boy himself. The white parents in the stands made that clear. They started with &ldquo;nigger&rdquo; and never finished. Georges&rsquo; parents didn&rsquo;t want him to play, either. They thought it was a terrible environment for a child to have to grow up in. When they refused to come to the rink any more, driven away by the taunts, Georges would ride his bicycle, hockey bag slung over his shoulder. When the snow got too deep he took the bus.&ldquo;Everybody was always telling me you&rsquo;ll never make it to the NHL, it&rsquo;s a white man&rsquo;s sport and you&rsquo;ll never do it,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;As much as I liked football and soccer more, the reason I stuck with hockey was because I wanted to prove everybody wrong. Maybe that&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m a tough guy, because I&rsquo;ve been fighting all my life.&rdquo;The 6-foot-3 and 245- to 265-pound profile (during the season) might also have something to do with it. To get his off-season weight range, add 20 pounds. Laraque maxed out this summer at 270 (versus 285 a year ago) and is entering camp at 245. &ldquo;The last time I was 245 was six years ago,&rdquo; he says.Laraque&rsquo;s past made him more than just a fighter. It made him a principled fighter. He pays as much attention to &ldquo;the code&rdquo; as any bug-eyed computer programmer. In his world, the code has been passed down from generation to generation, each one giving opportunity to the next. It is a world in which showing up matters more than winning, in which showing up your opponent is a crime against the profession.Rule 1: Don&rsquo;t turn down a fight (unless the coach has specifically asked you not to drop &lsquo;em).&ldquo;When I came into this league, I went up to guys to make my name,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;And if those guys would have refused to fight me, I wouldn&rsquo;t have a reputation. And now the new up-and-comers, like Jody Shelley, a new guy in Columbus, he asked me twice&hellip;it&rsquo;s my job to do what Tony Twist, what Bob Probert, what Stu Grimson did to me, agree to fight me so I could build my reputation.&rdquo;Rule 2: Know the situation, know your opponent. &ldquo;If a guy is sick, or he&rsquo;s tired or whatever reason it is, and you fight him and that guy doesn&rsquo;t want to, and you beat him, does he respect you? Or is he going to respect you when you fight him and he was ready for it?Rule 3: Fight fair.&ldquo;How can you respect guys that jump guys? How can you respect guys that fight guys at the end of their shift? Cause there&rsquo;s a lot of guys who make their reputation like this&hellip;I believe that every guy I&rsquo;ve fought against, they could never say something like this (about me). I don&rsquo;t want any edge. I always want it to be clean. And I believe that when a guy is down, you never touch him. When a guy has no defense and he tries to cover his face, why continue punching? And when the referee comes in, the fight is over. There are some guys that are tougher when the referee comes in than when he isn&rsquo;t. There&rsquo;s some guys, they&rsquo;re starting to get beat up, and when the referee comes in, now they want to kill you.&rdquo;It might be wise to add one other rule, although this one isn&rsquo;t of Georges&rsquo; making. Call it the preservation rule: If you&rsquo;re in a fight, don&rsquo;t beat Georges.<h2>Georges&rsquo; Top Tough Guys</h2>Below is Georges Laraque&rsquo;s list of 10 top scrappers, but it&rsquo;s not his definitive 1-10 ranking. Laraque calls Tie Domi, not on the list, &ldquo;pound for pound the toughest guy in the NHL.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011724/8156768-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="3161" height="3636"></div>Donald Brashear. Philadelphia&lsquo;Physically the strongest fighter there is&rsquo;Peter Worrell, Florida&lsquo;Very aggressive, big reach, goes toe-to-toe&rdquo;Jim McKenzie, Unrestricted free agent&ldquo;The NHL&rsquo;s most underrated fighter&rsquo;Eric Cairns, NY Islanders&ldquo;Tall, similar in style to Worrell&rdquo;Sandy McCarthy, NY Rangers&lsquo;Punches fast, has lots of stamina&rdquo;Matt Johnson, Minnesota&lsquo;Likes to go for the knockout bomb&rsquo;Wade Belak. Toronto&lsquo;One of my toughest fights ever in the NHL&rdquo;Paul Laus, Florida&lsquo;One of the hardest punchers, has no fear&rdquo;Bob Probert, Chicago&ldquo;The King. NHL&rsquo;s greatest fighter ever&rdquo;Scott Parker, Colorado&lsquo;Near top of young tough guys&rdquo;&ldquo;You&rsquo;re just better off persevering through a marginal defeat than you are anything else,&rdquo; MacTavish says. &ldquo;Otherwise he&rsquo;s going to want to do it again.&rdquo;But Georges wants to be known as more than just a fighter. He wants to be a player.Entering his fourth full season, he has already taken huge strides. Last season, Detroit associate coach Dave Lewis called him the most dominant big man in the NHL. In one game against Nashville he played 17 minutes-seven more than his season average.The Oilers want him to seize a regular spot as the third line right winger. When he is skating and playing with a physical nastiness, he can be an electrifying force. Nobody can move him from the front of the net.Nobody can knock him off the puck in the corner. The Oilers like to joke he has the highest puck-possession-to-goals-scored ratio in the league.Laraque enters this season determined to become a 20-20 tough guy, as in 20 goals and 20 assists, plus however many fights his team needs from him. Two years ago he had 13 goals and 29 points, both career highs, plus 148 penalty minutes. He slipped to five goals and 19 points in 200102, with 157 PIM, but his points target remains the same. He believes as long as he sets his goals high, complacency will be kept at bay.For MacTavish and GM Kevin Lowe, there are a couple keys to him earning more ice time. The first one is his weight. The Oilers feel he gets sluggish when his weight is too high; MacTavish imposed a 255-pound limit last winter and sent Laraque home one day for being a pound over.&ldquo;He has to be able to have the speed, and he does have it, to get in and make those checks as long as he can keep the weight off,&rdquo; MacTavish said. &ldquo;He was doing that more at the end of last year.&rdquo;Given Laraque&rsquo;s current frame and frame of mind, this won&rsquo;t be a problem. &ldquo;I will, not hopefully, I will get more ice time this year because I&rsquo;m going to make sure I earn it.&rdquo;Now here&rsquo;s where things get tricky. The Oilers love what Georges does for the organization. Lowe would much rather have someone like Georges than someone who does nothing. But he&rsquo;s just so&hellip;busy.In addition to the birthday parties and the like, he&rsquo;s involved with more charities than even he can remember. This is a man who last season mailed out 5,000 pictures to fans, placed gently into 8-by-10 envelopes with the same hands that bruise cheekbones in his day job.The Oilers believe if he toned things \down, just a bit, maybe he&rsquo;d be even more of a menacing, larger-than-life presence come game time.&ldquo;Maybe we&rsquo;ve got to burn him out, more on the ice and then he&rsquo;ll be less likely to stop at a kid&rsquo;s place for milk and cookies,&rdquo; Lowe jokes.But the kid, Kevin. Think of the kid.&ldquo;Hockey is great, yeah, making it to the NHL and stuff, but what&rsquo;s great about being in the NHL is being able to have an impact on people&rsquo;s lives,&rdquo; Georges says. &ldquo;Think about it, all I am is a hockey player, but having the power to make a child smile, is there anything better than that?&rdquo;You hear that one a thousand times a season. If you understand Georges, you know he means it. &#9633;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021208/8156761-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="1132" height="1600"><figcaption class="caption-body">Box score&nbsp;Georges Laraque wants to be regarded as an all-around player on the ice and an all-around person in the community.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03883/8156754-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="1196" height="1168"><figcaption class="caption-body">Georges Laraque Edmonton</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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COVER STORY

UNDERSTANDING Georges

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011871/8156820-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Better days&nbsp;Eagleson, shown here at a golf tournament in British Columbia this summer, splits his time between Canada and England.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021417/8156813-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="289" height="349"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Brender&nbsp;Contributing Editor</figcaption></div>When members of Team Canada gather in Toronto later this month to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series, two key figures - Alan Eagleson and Bob Clarke - will not be among them.Eagleson won&rsquo;t be there because Eagleson has not been invited.And Clarke won&rsquo;t be there because Eagleson has not been invited.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know who made the decision that Al shouldn&rsquo;t be invited to these reunions, but I don&rsquo;t think that anybody has that right,&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re either a team or you&rsquo;re not.&rdquo; Eagleson was also excluded from the Team Canada gathering two years ago that celebrated its selection as Canada&rsquo;s team of the century. Clarke, one of Eagleson&rsquo;s most ardent supporters, didn&rsquo;t attend that event either, for the same reason.Ed Gryschuk of Ficel Marketing in Mississauga, Ont., the company organizing the 30th anniversary event, said he never considered inviting Eagleson because he didn&rsquo;t want to get into &ldquo;politics.&rdquo; He felt there might be some hard feelings among the players.In an exclusive interview with The Hockey News, Eagleson, 69, said such snubs don&rsquo;t bother him.&ldquo;What I&rsquo;ve learned, after what I&rsquo;ve been through, is minor things like that make no difference,&rdquo; said the former director of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, convicted in 1998 of three counts of fraud in the United States and three charges of theft and fraud in Canada for his activities as NHLPA head.&ldquo;The nicest part of that (in 2000) is Bobby Clarke stood up and said Eagleson should have been here. And Tony Esposito was quick to second it. And even Phil (Esposito), he said Al and I have had lots of arguments over the years, but he should have been here. That&rsquo;s good enough for me.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like Marcel Dionne said to me (about three months ago). He said, Al, no matter whatever else has ever happened to you, you&rsquo;ll always go down as the guy that did the &lsquo;72 series.&rsquo; And that was nice.&rdquo;Play name association with the word &ldquo;Eagleson&rdquo; and most hockey fans today will come up with &ldquo;disgrace.&rdquo; His two courtroom appearances in January, 1998, capped a mighty fall from a position as the most powerful man in hockey to its most famous and controversial outcast.&ldquo;I did what I thought was right at the time. Proved to be wrong,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;I paid my penalty and it&rsquo;s over. Can&rsquo;t look back.&rdquo;In a 20-minute phone interview from his home in Collingwood, Ont., Eagleson said his decision to plead guilty to the charges against him was based on pragmatism. He agreed to a plea bargain, he said, because he had neither the time nor the money to prove his innocence.&ldquo;If I had millions of dollars,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d still be fighting it.&rdquo;He recalls celebrating his wife&rsquo;s 60th birthday, April 14,1997, nine months before he eventually entered his guilty pleas and began serving what turned out to be a six-month prison sentence. He had dinner with his family. They toasted the occasion with champagne.Afterwards his wife, Nancy, asked him how much longer they could afford to pay legal bills. How many years would pass before they would be free of the proceedings? They were worried they would be in poor health by the time it was all over. If it was ever going to be over.&ldquo;She said, &lsquo;Do we want to spend the rest of our years fighting this?&rdquo; Eagleson recalled.They decided not.&ldquo;I would probably right now be in the final extradition process and I&rsquo;m 69 years old,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;And then, the trial would start a year or two from now. I mean, I&rsquo;d have been fighting it until I was 75 and I&rsquo;d be broke and probably dead.&rdquo;&ldquo;If I had millions of dollars, I&rsquo;d still be fighting it.Alan Eagleson, on pleading guilty to criminal charges in 1998Members of Team Canada 1972 have been able to put aside the Eagleson issue when they get together. Besides Clarke, Eagleson has other supporters in Dionne and Tony Esposito. On the other side, players such as Brad Park and Bobby Orr (who never played in the series because of injury but was on the roster), were instrumental in the legal battles that led to Eagleson&rsquo;s downfall. The topic of Eagleson rarely comes up.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that everybody&rsquo;s that close that it would create a division,&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;The only one I&rsquo;ve ever spoken to about it is Serge Savard. Serge feels that I should just forget about it and go (to the events), but I don&rsquo;t feel that way.&rdquo;Said Brad Park: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an issue we really don&rsquo;t get into. We all have our feelings on it, but we put it aside. It wouldn&rsquo;t be a very productive thing to do. If I have a problem it&rsquo;s with Alan Eagleson, not with anybody else. I&rsquo;d have a real big problem if he was there.&rdquo;On Clarke&rsquo;s decision, Park commented: &ldquo;If that&rsquo;s the reason he&rsquo;s not coming, I&rsquo;m not sure that&rsquo;s a very constructive reason.&rdquo;Among other subjects, Eagleson talked with THN about Bobby Orr, the early client who was responsible for helping Eagleson build his reputation and a massive stable of players in the 1970s. When Orr officially left Eagleson via a signed statement in April, 1980, Orr&rsquo;s finances were in shambles.Eagleson said the two have seen each other from across the room a few times over the years, without acknowledgement.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s in Boston and I&rsquo;m up here,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t expect him to knock on my door any day with a bunch of flowers, nor does he expect me to do that for him.&rdquo;Eagleson said Orr was the greatest hockey player he had ever seen until Wayne Gretzky came along.When asked what he thinks of when Orr&rsquo;s name is mentioned, Eagleson paused. &ldquo;Sadness, for him and me.&rdquo;Eagleson blames Orr for turning on him, saying he worked with U.S investigators - Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Kelly and FBI Special Agent Tom Daly and investigative journalist Russ Conway - to secure Eagleson&rsquo;s downfall. Conway&rsquo;s 1995 book, Game Misconduct: Alan Eagleson and the Corruption of Hockey, was runner-up for a Pulitzer Prize.&ldquo;I think, he won&rsquo;t agree with it, but I think he lost something at the same time when he left in &lsquo;79,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;And his bitterness overcame him and that should never&hellip;&rdquo;He didn&rsquo;t finish the sentence.&ldquo;After all the things he has done to me in cahoots with Conway and Kelly and Daly, I have no malice and no hatred for him,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s life and there&rsquo;s no sense worrying about bad things. Got a grandson and a granddaughter now and they brighten every day of my life.&rdquo;Orr was out of the country and could not be reached for comment.The Summit Series became such a big part of the Canadian psyche because of how Canada won the event, taking three of the final four games in Moscow, all in dramatic fashion. Eagleson&rsquo;s name is synonymous with the Summit Series because he played the largest, most visible role in putting it together. He had been working with international officials on a best-on-best tournament between NHLers and the Soviet Union as early as 1969 and he was instrumental in convincing NHL owners to let their players take part.&ldquo;Just the greatest series that ever took place and in my opinion nothing will ever touch it, just because it was the first time,&rdquo; he said.He believes Phil Esposito&rsquo;s effort was &ldquo;the greatest one-man performance I&rsquo;ve ever seen in any series.&rdquo; He commended Harry Sinden, coach of the team, for getting the absolute most out of the players he chose, some of whom, such as J.P. Parise, were surprise picks.But like nearly everyone else at the time, Eagleson believed the tournament would be a cakewalk for Canada. He was fully expecting the NHLers to win eight straight games.Eagleson had wanted to play a best-of-7 series, but the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association had already agreed to the eight-game format. The other thing Eagleson lost control over, he said, was the refereeing. The CAHA agreed to use all international referees, &ldquo;which I never would have accepted.&rdquo;After the first game, won by the Soviets 7-3 right in the Montreal Forum, Eagleson was wondering if Canada would win any of the eight. He huddled in a state of shock with Sinden and assistant coach John Ferguson in the Canadiens dressing room. Canadiens GM Sam Pollock and Chicago GM Tommy Ivan walked in. It was Ivan, Eagleson recalled, who calmed things down and pointed out it was just one game of an eight-game series. &ldquo;And that brought it all into focus.&rdquo;After four games, Canada had won one, tied one and lost two heading to Moscow. With the series tied at three games apiece, with one tie, there were furious backroom maneuvers underway between Canada and the Soviet Union over the selection of the two referees for the deciding Game 8. Swedish referee Uve Dahlberg was supposed to be one of them, but the Soviets informed Eagleson at lunchtime the day before the game that Dahlberg was sick. They had replaced him with Team Canada&rsquo;s nemesis, West German Josef Kompalla, who would work with the equally questionable Franz Baader.Eagleson said he had just got off the phone with Dahlberg an hour ago and Dahlberg wasn&rsquo;t sick then. Eagleson called the referee again. Dahlberg said he was told if he worked the game, his officiating days with the International Ice Hockey Federation would be done.&ldquo;When I came back in the room and told Harry and Fergie what Dahlberg told me, I&rsquo;ll never forget, Fergie got up, there was this big glass pitcher of water and ice cubes on the table, he just picked it and flinged it against the wall,&rdquo; Eagleson said.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011703/8156806-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="1026" height="1704"><figcaption class="caption-body">Free man&nbsp;Alan Eagleson left Mimico Correctional Centre in 1998 after serving six months of an 18-month sentence.</figcaption></div>Eagleson threatened the Canadians would walk. A compromise was worked out: Canada chose one referee - Rudy Bata of Czechoslovakia - and the Soviets chose Kompalla. Eagleson&rsquo;s fears about Kompalla&rsquo;s refereeing, in Canada&rsquo;s eyes, proved well-founded. Parise received a game misconduct for nearly chopping his stick over Kompalla&rsquo;s head after one questionable first period call. That&rsquo;s when hundreds of Soviet soldiers filled the rink - some of whom later manhandled Eagleson after he bolted from the stands for the timekeeper&rsquo;s box when the red light didn&rsquo;t go on after Canada&rsquo;s game-tying goal in the third.&ldquo;Probably nobody else in the rink except me knew the goal judge was Viktor Dombrovsky, who was the head Russian referee,&rdquo; Eagleson said. &ldquo;And I could just see holy, here we go again, we&rsquo;re going to get gypped out of a goal&hellip;And the next thing I know, they&rsquo;re beating the bajabbers out of me.&rdquo;Peter Mahovlich was the first player over to Eagleson and jabbed one of the soldiers with his stick. Eventually the rest of the players rescued Eagleson and brought him to Team Canada&rsquo;s bench, where he stayed for the rest of the game.After the series, the Team Canada contingent was scheduled to fly home from Czechoslovakia in two different planes. Eagleson figured after what they had been through, they deserved a charter. He called Air Canada and was told he needed clearance from the Canadian government to cover the cost. Fine. He rang up federal Health Minister John Munro, who gave the authorization he needed.On that plane trip home, Eagleson said Bobby Clarke told him that if he ever needed anything, Clarke would be there for him. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve thought of that so often because without me ever asking for his help in my difficult times, he was the first guy to bat for me.&rdquo;Eagleson now spends five months of the year in Collingwood and seven months at a home in London, England. He said he is enjoying life and continues to get by, just as he did in the down times, with the help of family, friends and faith.&ldquo;Whatever happened, it&rsquo;s over, and whatever obligation or debt I had to society, whatever it was, if any, I have paid in full and I&rsquo;ve paid through the nose, but it&rsquo;s over and I&rsquo;m on with my life,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got an abundance of friends in the hockey world. The friends outside hockey who have stuck by me are equally important and they&rsquo;re high quality. (Former Ontario premier) Bill Davis, (former Canadian prime ministers) John Turner, Joe Clark, (Ontario politician) Darcy McKeough, (Ontario chief justice) Roy McMurtry. I mean, as Brian (lawyer Brian Greenspan) said, I like my team of all-stars better than theirs.&ldquo;But anyways, I&rsquo;ve got no malice to anyone, I went through it, good luck to everyone and good health, and that&rsquo;s the only message I&rsquo;ve got.&rdquo; &#9633; &#9632;

f0014-01

Eagleson: moving on, but…

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03850/8156858-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="439" height="693"><figcaption class="caption-body">Terry O&rsquo;Reilly</figcaption></div>Alan Eagleson was one of hockey&rsquo;s most powerful and influential men for nearly three decades before his conviction for fraud and theft in 1998. Here are the major dates and events in Eagleson&rsquo;s hockey tenure.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021215/8156879-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="133" height="134"></div>July, 1967 Lawyer/agent Alan Eagleson, a former member of Ontario parliament, establishes the NHL Players&rsquo; Association.September, 1972 Eagleson assumes lead role in Canada vs. Soviet Union Summit Series.September, 1976 Eagleson organizes first Canada Cup tournament. Others under his control were in 1981,1984, 1987 and 1991.March, 1977 Early sign of player discontent with Eagleson. Boston players Brad Park and Terry O&rsquo;Reilly chastise Eagleson for pumping $600,000 of NHLPA funds into floundering Cleveland Barons franchise. Barons merge with North Stars in Minnesota a year later.September, 1979 Bobby Orr, the marquee player on Eagleson&rsquo;s list of 150 clients, severs relationship with the agent/NHLPA head. A year later, Revenue Canada claims Orr owes $500,000 in back taxes (from 1971 through 1976).April, 1989 Eagleson appointed an officer of the Order of Canada.June, 1989 First attempt to oust Eagleson as NHLPA executive director. Second attempt comes in August, prompting him to announce he&rsquo;ll step down when his contract expires in 30 months.October, 1989 Eagleson inducted as builder in Hockey Hall of Fame.January, 1990 Agent Rich Winter files complaints to RCMP and Law Society of Upper Canada. Months earlier, Winter and fellow agents Ron Salcer and Ed Garvey try to oust Eagleson as NHLPA head because of his abuse of power.September, 1991 Publication of Russ Conway&rsquo;s investigative series in the Lawrence (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune.November, 1991 FBI launches investigation into Eagleson.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-06347/8156872-1-eng-US/f0015-062.jpg" title="f0015-06" width="136" height="138"></div>December, 1991 Eagleson steps down as NHLPA executive director. At a retirement luncheon the next month, Eagleson says in his final public appearance: &ldquo;There has not been one speck of impropriety. After what I&rsquo;ve been through, what the&mdash;would I have to worry about in the future.&rdquo;October, 1992 Retired NHL players win lawsuit to reclaim money that was improperly taken from the pension fund, which was under Eagleson&rsquo;s guidance. Money (about $45 million) is finally paid to 800 players 17 months later.January, 1993 RCMP launches its own investigation into Eagleson.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04625/8156865-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="134" height="133"></div>March, 1994 Boston grand jury indicts Eagleson on 32 charges of fraud and racketeering; an arrest warrant is issued. Two more charges are added in August.June, 1994 U.S. federal court freezes Eagleson&rsquo;s assets in the U.S. and Britain.November, 1994 Law Society of Upper Canada charges Eagleson with 44 counts of professional misconduct.November, 1995 Eagleson is named in a class-action lawsuit from former NHL players that mirrors U.S. criminal charges.December, 1996 Eagleson loses civil suit to former player Mike Gillis on an insurance settlement and is ordered to pay more than $480,000.January 6, 1998 Eagleson surrenders to U.S. authorities in Boston, is booked and fingerprinted by the FBI and appears in court to plead guilty to three charges of mail fraud.January 7,1998 Eagleson pleads guilty to three charges of fraud in a Toronto court and is sentenced to 18 months in an Ontario prison.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-05434/8156851-1-eng-US/f0015-052.jpg" title="f0015-05" width="548" height="787"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Orr</figcaption></div>January, 1998 Eagleson is first person ordered to return Order of Canada pin and resigns from Hockey Hall of Fame - before they take steps to banish him.May 18,1998 Eagleson granted day parole and finds works as a janitor at a sheet-metal company in Toronto.July 6,1998 Eagleson released from Mimico Correctional Centre after serving one-third of his term. He remains on parole and must not leave Ontario for one year. &#9632;

f0015-03

Long flight of the Eagle

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021299/8156917-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="608" height="2549"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011667/8156924-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="173" height="179"></div>Where will the prospects go when camp ends? All 30 NHL clubs have one affiliate in the 28-team American League (AHL), with Montreal and Edmonton sharing Hamilton, and Phoenix and Tampa Bay sharing Springfield. Twenty-two NHL clubs also have working agreements in the 27-team East Coast League (ECHL). Carolina, Chicago and San Jose each have agreements with two ECHL teams.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03981/8156910-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="1199" height="1369"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Berard will patrol the Boston Bruins blueline this season after a one-year comeback stint with the New York Rangers.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0016-02

NHL’s family tree includes AHL, ECHL

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04741/8156955-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="218" height="227"></div>Steve Rucchin appears determined to accomplish what few modern NHLers achieve these days: a long, successful career playing for only one team.Preferring to remain with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim instead of opting for potential unre-stricted free agency next year, the center signed a four-year, $11.8-million contract with the franchise.Rucchin, who agreed to terms Aug. 26, had been the final unsigned Duck. He has missed a combined 110 games over the past two seasons because of various injuries.&ldquo;I know what I can do as a player and I&rsquo;m confident I&rsquo;m going to have a big year this year,&rdquo; Rucchin said. &ldquo;That would bode well for me in the free agency market, but I&rsquo;ve been here for a number of years. I&rsquo;m impressed with the organization trying to become a competitive team in this league. The biggest factor for me was wanting to remain with the Mighty Ducks.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH Needing a good start to build confidence under rookie coach Mike Babcock, Anaheim begins with road games in St. Louis and Dallas before hosting Detroit to start a four-game homestand. The Ducks then face a five-game road trip that includes four Canadian stops at the end of October. By then, Anaheim should have a good read on its ability to be a playoff contender.MILESTONES Center Adam Oates needs 43 points for 1,400 and is 73 assists away from 1,100. He&rsquo;s eighth all-time in assists and third among active players, behind Ron Francis and Mark Messier. Defenseman Fredrik Olausson is 27 points shy of 600 and needs 22 appearances for 1,000 games played. If he doesn&rsquo;t miss a game, Olausson would reach 1,000 against visiting Florida on Nov. 24. Left winger Paul Kariya needs 76 games for 600 and is also 12 points short of 600 and 25 goals away from 300.NOTEBOOK Anaheim signed five players Aug. 23 who figure to provide depth at the minor league level. Center Brian Gornick agreed to a two-year, entry-level contract, while defenseman Josh De Wolf, center Nick Smith and left wingers Francis Belanger and Cam Severson signed one-year contracts. Gornick, Anaheim&rsquo;s ninth round pick (258th overall) in the 1999 draft, was the first player ever selected from the Air Force Academy&hellip;Defenseman Antti-Jussi Niemi, a restricted free agent, is expected to play in his native Finland this year after appearing in only one game with the Ducks last season. &#9632;

f0016-04

NHL TEAM REPORTS

Rucchin inks deal, commits to Anaheim

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05538/8156986-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="215" height="227"></div>As training camp neared, the Atlanta Thrashers were still uncertain if No. 1 goalie Milan Hnilicka would be on the ice.Hnilicka was healthy and ready to go, except for the fact he didn&rsquo;t have a contract. He was one of the league&rsquo;s lowest paid goalies last year at $625,000 and was seeking a deal more in line with the two-year, $4.1-million package that Buffalo recently gave Martin Biron.Thrashers GM Don Waddell said he&rsquo;d be &ldquo;shocked&rdquo; if Hnilicka wasn&rsquo;t in the fold when camp begins, but made no secret of the fact he would consider other options if talks stalled.SCHEDULE WATCH Atlanta opens the season Oct. 11 in Carolina against last season&rsquo;s Eastern Conference champions. The Hurricanes have the Thrashers&rsquo; number; Carolina have yet to lose to Atlanta in 15 meetings (10-0-3-2), although last year the clubs tied twice and two of Atlanta&rsquo;s three losses came in overtime.Nine of the Thrashers&rsquo; first 13 games are on the road, but that&rsquo;s followed by a season-high six-game homestand. The Thrashers play seven straight road games in February and March, with a five-game West Coast swing sandwiched between games at Tampa Bay and Washington.MILESTONES Center Tony Hrkac will play his 700th career game this season, barring injury. He is 22 games short of the mark.Second-year center Dany Heatley could establish a modest franchise record. He was the only Thrasher to play in all 82 games last year and is 21 short of tying Chris Tamer&rsquo;s club mark of 103 straight games.NOTEBOOK Rookie center Mark Hartigan has a pre-trial hearing set for Sept. 18 for fifthdegree assault and disorderly conduct charges, stemming from a bar brawl Aug. 18 in Minneapolis&hellip;Right winger Yuri Butsayev, a restricted free agent, is considering playing in Russia this year. Butsayev was acquired with a draft pick from Detroit in the deadline deal that sent defenseman Jiri Slegr to the Red Wings&hellip;Excluding goaltender Milan Hnilicka and Butsayev, the team completed its signings of restricted free agents, coming to terms with defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist and center Dan Snyder. &#9632;

f0016-05

Thrasher netminder remains unsigned

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06445/8157017-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="216" height="224"></div>Steve Shields has put his money where his mouth is.Though some are skeptical about his ability to replace Byron Dafoe after failing to keep No. 1 jobs in San Jose and Anaheim, Shields is so anxious to prove doubters wrong he took a pay cut as part of the off-season trade that brought him from the Ducks to the Bruins.&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t put a price tag oh opportunity,&rdquo; explained Shields, who goes from a $2million salary last season to a $1.2-million salary this year.Shields had his best years in San Jose from 1998-99 to 200001, but an ankle injury and Evgeni Nabokov&rsquo;s emergence made him expendable. J-S Giguere ultimately unseated him in Anaheim.&ldquo;The last two years have really been up and down,&rdquo; said Shields. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why this is so exciting for me. I feel like Boston gives me the best chance to be successful, because I believe I&rsquo;m going to a team that&rsquo;s headed in the right direction.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH The Bruins start the season with a six-game trip that includes five Western Conference opponents. That&rsquo;s not their longest stretch of road games, though - they play seven straight away from home Feb. 11-23.One date to watch is the Oct. 24 home opener against Ottawa. That will be Terry O&rsquo;Reilly Night, when Boston will retire the former captain&rsquo;s No. 24. The first meeting with Montreal since last year&rsquo;s bitter playoff loss to the Habs is a FleetCenter matinee on Nov. 29 and the B&rsquo;s host former teammate Bill Guerin and the Dallas Stars on Feb. 25.MILESTONES Barring injury, defenseman Don Sweeney is scheduled to play his 1,000th NHL game - all as a Bruin - on Nov. 12 at Buffalo.Sergei Samsonov and Joe Thornton both began their NHL careers with Boston in 1997-98 and they both could crack the 300-point mark this season. Samsonov is 12 points shy of the plateau, Thornton 53.NOTEBOOK A group of veterans and prospects began skating informally with almost two weeks left in August&hellip;Rookies and prospects have the ice to themselves at Boston&rsquo;s practice facility in Wilmington, Mass., starting Sept. 8. The main camp opens Sept. 12. &#9632;

f0016-06

Shields takes less for shot at No. 1

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Bucky Gleason</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03841/8157048-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Carolina&rsquo;s Josef Vasicek screens New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur in the 2001 playoffs.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011489/8157062-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="215" height="225"></div>The Buffalo Sabres might be short on scorers, but nobody can say they are lacking in goaltending talent after they convinced top prospect Ryan Miller to skip his senior season at Michigan State and sign a two-year deal.Miller decided to forego his final season with the Spartans and start his professional career, which will likely begin with Rochester in the American League. The 1999 fifth round pick (138th overall) gives the Sabres a group of three good, young goaltenders that also includes Martin Biron and Mika Noronen.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m planning on being an NHL player,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to work hard. But I&rsquo;m still a young goaltender and I need to learn.&rdquo;Miller, 22, who won the Hobey Baker Award as the top U.S. collegiate player in 2001, posted a 73-19-12 record with a 1.53 goals-against average in three seasons with the Spartans. His 26 career shutouts shattered the NCAA mark.&ldquo;You look at his achievements,&rdquo; said Sabres GM Darcy Regier. &ldquo;It tells us as an organization he&rsquo;s ready to turn pro.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021158/8157055-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="232" height="269"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ryan Miller</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH The Sabres play eight of then-first 13 games on the road, including six straight between Oct. 26 and Nov. 7. Former captain Michael Peca will be out of the lineup for Buffalo&rsquo;s season opener against the Islanders, but he could be back New Year&rsquo;s Eve when the two teams meet in Buffalo.MILESTONES Center Stu Barnes needs three goals to reach 200 and right winger Maxim Afinogenov needs one goal to reach 100. Center Chris Gratton needs seven points for 400. Coach Lindy Ruff needs 11 victories to sin-pass Scotty Bowman (210) as team&rsquo;s all-time leader.NOTEBOOK Providence Bruins owner Frank DuRoss has joined forces with Sherry Bassin in an ownership group looking to buy the Sabres. DuRoss has ties to Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, a Buffalo businessman whose SportService concession business has a contract with HSBC Arena. &#9632;

f0017-03

Miller decides to turn pro, adds to Buffalo’s net depth

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04618/8157093-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="216" height="222"></div>In Calgary, much of the intrigue that doesn&rsquo;t surround Jarome Iginla&rsquo;s contract negotiations revolves around the future of center Marc Savard with the Flames organization. cOnly two years ago, Savard was the team&rsquo;s No. 2 scorer behind Iginla and the de facto No. 1 center, scoring 65 points. Even though he is relatively small, it looked as if his future with the organization was bright. Savard, however, lost his job on the top line beside Iginla after hurting his knee early in the season. By the time he came back, his replacement, Craig Conroy, had helped push Iginla into the NHL scoring lead.Savard griped about playing a more subordinate role and ultimately, around Christmas, he demanded to be traded. GM Craig Button explored some trade possibilities, but couldn&rsquo;t find a proper fit.One of the reasons the Flames were discreetly shopping a defenseman in the off-season was their belief they needed to get stronger down the middle.Savard, 25, remains available, but the team is not aggressively shopping him. Early in the summer, it looked as if there was little chance that he would be with the organization come training camp. Now? It&rsquo;s 50-50 he&rsquo;ll be around for the start, if not necessarily for the finish of the year.SCHEDULE WATCH The Flames play nine of 10 on the road beginning Feb. 7 when &ldquo;Disney On Ice&rdquo; moves into the Saddledome. Martin Gelinas gets to play against his former team, Carolina, on Dec. 12.MILESTONES Left winger Craig Berube needs one game for 1,000. Right winger Jarome Iginla needs 37 points to reach 400. Left winger Martin Gelinas needs five games for 500.NOTEBOOK Matthew Lombardi, considered by the Flames as a late bloomer who has the potential to play in the NHL, signed an entry-level contract with the team after re-entering the 2002 entry draft. A former Edmonton draft choice, Lombardi is a 5-foot-11, 191-pound center who played four years with Victoriaville in the QMJHL, where he finished second in league scoring last season. &#9632;

f0017-04

Disgruntled center Savard still part of Flames scene

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Luke DeCock</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05431/8157131-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="215" height="223"></div>Call it the price of success for the Carolina Hurricanes.On the heels of their run to the Stanley Cup final, they were able to retain potential unrestricted free agents Ron Francis and Bret Hedican while signing young players such as Jeff O&rsquo;Neill and Aaron Ward to long-term deals.The result is a payroll swelled to almost $38 million from $33.5 million, but as players began to report to Raleigh, GM Jim Rutherford said there would be no costcutting trades heading into training camp even though the team is well above the budget it set for this season - a budget set before the Hurricanes won the Eastern Conference championship.&ldquo;The players did a wonderful job,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;We had to keep this team together.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH Circle Nov. 29 on the calendar. That&rsquo;s the only Stanley Cup final rematch this season, when the Red Wings visit Raleigh. Carolina plays nine straight home games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 19. The homestand may give the Hurricanes a chance to avoid the usual early season slump that affects some teams that go deep into the post-season for the first time.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06333/8157124-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="226" height="264"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Francis</figcaption></div>MILESTONES Center Ron Francis goes into the season with 1,701 points - fifth all-time and 149 behind Gordie Howe for second place, 70 behind Marcel Dionne for third. Defenseman Glen Wesley needs 11 points for 500 while center Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour is scheduled to play in his 1,000th game Nov. 15 against his former Philadelphia teammates. Sami Kapanen will reach 500 games on Nov. 29 if all goes well.NOTEBOOK There was no movement on a new contract for 21-year-old defenseman David Tanabe, who turned down the team&rsquo;s qualifying offer of $550,000&hellip;After five years of horrible television contracts - the Canes had only 40 games televised last season, fewest in the NHL - Carolina is close to a new cable deal that could see as many as 65 games broadcast. &#9632;

f0017-05

Trip to Stanley Cup final prompts rise in payroll

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011548/8157162-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="215" height="222"></div>Alex Zhamnov realizes that when he looks over his right shoulder this season, Tony Amonte won&rsquo;t be there.For six seasons, linemates Zhamnov and Amonte were inseparable on the ice, but that dynamic changed when Amonte bolted the Blackhawks and signed with the Phoenix Coyotes as an unrestricted free agent.&ldquo;For sure, it&rsquo;s going to be hard without Tony,&rdquo; Zhamnov said. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s life in the NHL. It&rsquo;s a business.&rdquo;It will be up to coach Brian Sutter to decide if Zhamnov and Theo Fleury become the Hawks&rsquo; new 1-2 punch on the top line. Sutter is certain to try putting the two players together during the pre-season.&ldquo;(Fleury) is a little different kind of player than Tony, but he&rsquo;s going to bring something special to this team,&rdquo; Zhamnov said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great player and he&rsquo;s a leader.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH The Hawks will get the chance to bust out of the gate quickly, as they did last year, by playing seven of their first nine games at home.They have 14 sets of back-to-back games, including a home-and-home date with St. Louis on April 3-4 that could have playoff ramifications.The Hawks face former captain Tony Amonte and Phoenix for the first time on Nov. 28 at America West Arena. Amonte doesn&rsquo;t return to the United Center until Jan. 8.The Hawks meet Theo Fleury&rsquo;s former New York Rangers teammates only once, on Dec. 11 at Madison Square Garden.MILESTONES Right winger Steve Thomas begins his 18th season needing three goals for 400 while defenseman Phil Housley enters his 21st season needing 29 assists for 900. Housley is also two assists shy of catching Phil Esposito for 17th place on the all-time list.Left winger Bob Probert needs 81 penalty minutes to catch Marty McSorley for third place on the all-time list at 3,381.NOTEBOOK Right winger Theoren Fleury hit the ice with many of his new teammates for the start of informal workouts on Aug. 26 at the Hawks&rsquo; practice facility in Bensenville, Ill. &ldquo;It was neat putting on that jersey and seeing that big Blackhawk on my chest,&rdquo; Fleury said. Fleury will wear his familiar No. 14 once he settles on a buyout price with right winger Ryan VandenBussche. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s probably going to cost me a Rolex,&rdquo; Fleury joked. &#9632;

f0018-01

Zhamnov to Fleury likely to be new call

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021185/8157200-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="216" height="224"></div>If Alex Tanguay or Martin Skoula are not signed to new contracts by the start of training camp on Sept. 13, recent Colorado Avalanche history suggests they won&rsquo;t be part of the organization for long.As of the end of August, Tanguay and Skoula remained unsigned, with negotiations yielding little progress. Coincidence or not, players who have driven a hard bargain with GM Pierre Lacroix have found themselves on other teams before too long.The list of Colorado players who have missed the start of seasons because of contract hassles since 1995 are Wendel Clark, Scott Young, Martin Rucinsky, Chris Simon, Sandis Ozolinsh and Valeri Kamensky All were traded or let go as free agents within two years. Defenseman Aaron Miller took the Avs to arbitration in 2000 and was sent to the Kings a year later.Tanguay and Skoula both made $975,000 last year and are believed to be seeking raises to at last the $1.5-million mark.SCHEDULE WATCH AS always, games against the Detroit Red Wings are circled by Avalanche fans, but they&rsquo;ll have to wait until Jan. 16 for the teams&rsquo; first meeting. Other marquee nights include Jan. 30 against the Rangers, when former assistant Bryan Trottier and defenseman Darius Kasparaitis host the Avs at Madison Square Garden.The season&rsquo;s killer stretch figures to come from Jan. 11 through Feb. 8, when the Avalanche will play 11 games, nine of which will come against tough foes Detroit (three times), Dallas (twice) and Carolina, Toronto, the Rangers and Boston.MILESTONES There are a couple of big milestones approaching for two Colorado veterans. Goalie Patrick Roy needs to play in six more games to break Terry Sawchuk&rsquo;s record of 971 games played, the most ever by a goalie. Only 34 more appearances will make him the first NHL goalie in history to play 1,000 games. Also notable, captain Joe Sakic needs 17 goals to reach the 500 plateau.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03857/8157193-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="234" height="288"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Lacroix</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK A highlight of the Avs&rsquo; pre-season will be a Sept. 28 game in Quebec City against the Montreal Canadiens. The game, to be played at the franchise&rsquo;s former home arena - Le Colisee - was sold out within hours of its announcement. &#9632;

f0018-02

Avs who don’t sign usually shown door

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Aaron Portzline</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04573/8157231-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="218" height="226"></div>The Columbus Blue Jackets will need to do some shuffling to make room for their latest acquisition.The signing of center Andrew Cassels means that either Mike Sillinger or Espen Knutsen may be shifted from center to right wing on one of the Blue Jackets&rsquo; top two lines.Sillinger has played on the right wing several times throughout his 12-year NHL career, while Knutsen played the position extensively in Europe.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d have to talk to (coach) Dave King about it, but I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;ll be a problem,&rdquo; said president and GM Doug MacLean.Eight-year veteran Grant Marshall is a lock for one of the top two right wing spots.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a great move, adding Cassels,&rdquo; Sillinger said. &ldquo;Now, we have several options we&rsquo;ve never had before, especially with No. 1 overall pick Rick Nash coming in, too.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH Ron Tugnutt, the most popular Blue Jacket to date, was traded to the Dallas Stars over the summer. On Nov. 1, Tugnutt makes his return to Columbus, this time in a green Dallas uniform.Nationwide Arena always rocks when the Pittsburgh Penguins come to town and this year&rsquo;s Dec. 31 matchup won&rsquo;t be an exception. Throw New Year&rsquo;s Eve into the mix and no one in central Ohio will be wasting time with Dick Clark.MILESTONES On a young team - and on a young franchise - there aren&rsquo;t many milestones to watch out for. However, team graybeard Kevin Dineen does have one coming up. The veteran right winger, who is heading into his 19th NHL season, needs only 16 games to reach 1,200 in his career. He currently stands at 16th among all active players in games played.NOTEBOOK The Blue Jackets and the agent for center Kiel McLeod have agreed to let McLeod take part in training camp before they resume contract talks. If he isn&rsquo;t ready to make the jump to the NHL - or if he remains unsigned - he&rsquo;ll head back for a final year of junior hockey with Kelowna in the Western League&hellip;Center Serge Aubin remains unsigned and will most likely not be back&hellip;Right wingers Matt Davidson and David Ling, two minor league veterans who played sparingly in Columbus last season, signed one-year contracts. &#9632;

f0018-04

Sillinger or Knutsen will shift to wing

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011421/8157269-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="212" height="223"></div>For the past couple months, the Dallas Stars both sounded and acted like contenders.Even a relatively small move this summer illustrated the mindset of a team that believes the leap from playoff also-ran to Stanley Cup is smaller than most people think.Consider the reasoning that went into the signing of unrestricted free agent winger Ulf Dahlen for $1.5 million in August. As a 23-goal scorer last season, he could play anywhere from a top scoring line to a third-line. And he just might make a couple of key veteran plays that top teams need in the post-season.&ldquo;On a championship team, he&rsquo;s one of those luxury guys,&rdquo; coach Dave Tippett said of Dahlen, who played 65 games for Dallas in 1993-94. &ldquo;He can do so many things well. He&rsquo;s very versatile. He&rsquo;s got great passion because he wants to win before he retires.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH Toronto, which has not played a game in Dallas since Jan. 20, 1999, comes to town Nov. 8, providing a homecoming for Ed Belfour. The Stars&rsquo; all-time winningest goalie wasn&rsquo;t resigned this summer and left as a free agent.The Stars will also face former head coach Ken Hitchcock once, in Philadelphia Jan. 17. Hitchcock was fired after five division titles and the 1999 Stanley Cup. The Stars open with 12 of their first 18 games on the road.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021071/8157262-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="233" height="286"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ulf Dahlen</figcaption></div>MILESTONES Mike Modano already owns most of the team&rsquo;s offensive records, but a few more are within his grasp. He needs 23 points to become the first player in franchise history to reach 1,000; he is 54 games shy of 1,000 for his career, and 33 more assists would help him break Neal Broten&rsquo;s career mark of 593.Pierre Turgeon is close to two marks: Eight points will give him 1,200 for his career and 32 goals would help him reach the 500 club.Also, newly acquired Scott Young needs seven goals for 300 and prodigal Star Ulf Dahlen is 16 short of the same round number.NOTEBOOK Stars GM Doug Armstrong faces a key decision on defenseman Derian Hatcher, who can be an unrestricted free agent after this season. While not offensively gifted, Hatcher&rsquo;s size and strength could spark a bidding war on the open market. And he is just 31&hellip;Former University of Michigan star Brian Wiseman, who played under coach Dave Tippett in the International League, has joined the Stars staff as a video coach&hellip;Yes, that was Red Wing right winger Brett Hull getting some preseason work with Stars players during on-ice workouts in the Dallas area. &#9632;

f0019-01

Free agent Dahlen returns to Dallas eyeing championship

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Ansar Khan</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03740/8157307-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="214" height="222"></div>Stacy Roest couldn&rsquo;t keep his job with a recent expansion team, but there might be a spot open for him with the defending Stanley Cup champions.The Detroit Red Wings, who regretted losing Roest to the Minnesota Wild in the 2000 expansion draft, signed the 28-year-old free agent forward to a one-year contract.&ldquo;We got good feelings about him,&rdquo; Wings GM Ken Holland said. &ldquo;He has some skill and can play different positions, center or right wing. He gives us depth.&rdquo;The 5-foot-9,185-pound Roest started his NHL career with Detroit during the 199899 season. He had 11 goals and 28 points in 108 games over two seasons before the Wings were forced to leave him unprotected for the expansion draft.&ldquo;It was a difficult decision at the time because he played pretty well and we thought he had a future here,&rdquo; Holland said.After finishing 2000-01 with seven goals and a career high 27 points for Minnesota, Roest was inconsistent in 2001-02, scoring 10 goals in 58 games. Worse, he was a healthy scratch in 18 of 29 games, and Minnesota decided not to tender him a qualifying offer, enabling Roest to become an unrestricted free agent.SCHEDULE WATCH The Red Wings will raise their third Stanley Cup banner in six seasons, and 10th in franchise history, prior to their home opener against Montreal Oct. 17, while goaltender Curtis Joseph returns to Toronto Nov. 16, the Wings&rsquo; first appearance at the Air Canada Centre since Feb. 10, 2001.MILESTONES Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, who is expected to return in late December or early January from knee surgery, needs 38 points for 1,700 and 38 games for 1,400. He needs 20 assists to break Gordie Howe&rsquo;s franchise record of 1,023.Elsewhere, right winger Brett Hull is 21 goals short of becoming the sixth player in NHL history to score 700. Hull needs 54 points to reach the 1,300 plateau, while left winger Luc Robitaille needs 12 points to equal the same mark.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04567/8157300-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="233" height="286"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stacy Roest</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK The team has two remaining restricted free agents, right winger Darren McCarty and defenseman Jiri Fischer. McCarty turned down the Red Wings&rsquo; $1.95-million qualifying offer in hopes of landing a long-term deal. GM Ken Holland said if the sides can&rsquo;t agree to a multi-year contract, McCarty will sign the qualifying offer to avoid missing training camp&hellip;Left winger Matt Ellis and right winger Darryl Bootland signed three-year contracts with the Red Wings. &#9632;

f0019-03

After Wild interlude, Roest comes back to champion Wings

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Robert Tychkowski</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011200/8157345-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="221" height="224"></div>Ryan Smyth had a few screws loose - but you couldn&rsquo;t tell from watching him skate.When Smyth hit the ice at a University of Alberta conditioning camp Aug. 25, it marked the first time he has been on blades since ankle surgery in late May&ldquo;I was pretty confident on it,&rdquo; said Smyth, who had a surgical plate and several screws removed from the ankle he broke last November. &ldquo;It hasn&rsquo;t bothered me at all.&rdquo;Smyth, who missed seven weeks with the ankle injury last season, put off removing the hardware right after the season because he wanted to play for Canada at the World Championship.SCHEDULE WATCH The Oilers&rsquo; schedule gets nasty right off the start with 10 of their first 15 games on the road. And during a 19-game stretch from Feb. 11 to March 20, they&rsquo;re on the road for 14.October is reunion month as they play Bill Guerin&rsquo;s Dallas Stars Oct. 15 and Doug Weight&rsquo;s St. Louis Blues Oct. 24. Incredibly, they only play the Calgary Flames once (Nov. 21) in the first 14 weeks of the season.MILESTONES One of the youngest teams in the league isn&rsquo;t closing in on a lot of major milestones. But there are a few benchmarks that should be reached this season. Goalie Tommy Salo needs 37 wins to reach 200 for his career. If he stays healthy, left winger Ethan Moreau will hit the 500 game mark Feb. 8 against Chicago. He has 445. Barring injury, defenseman Jason Smith will play&rsquo;his 600th NHL game Dec. 5 in Tampa. Ryan Smyth needs six more games for 500. Right winger Georges Laraque needs 66 more penalty minutes for 600 in his career. (See pgs. 12-13 for more on Laraque.)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02877/8157338-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="232" height="265"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ryan Smyth</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK Defenseman Scott Ferguson describes the first day of conditioning camp: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s frustrating sometimes because your mind wants to do things that your body isn&rsquo;t able to do yet. The hands aren&rsquo;t reacting to the mind, not that mine ever did in the first place, but it&rsquo;s good to get some of the kinks out and get ready for camp.&rdquo;&hellip;Rookie left winger Jason Chimera has a one-handicap in goIf&hellip;Defenseman Eric Brewer and left winger Mike York are the last two Oilers without contracts. &#9632;

f0022-01

Smyth tests ankle during early camp

<div class="byline">&#x2013;David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03659/8157376-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="222" height="228"></div>The only surprise in the Florida Panthers setting goaltender Trevor Kidd free to fly to the Toronto Maple Leafs was that it took until August.Entering the off-season, it was anticipated Florida would buy out Kidd and save money by going with Wade Flaherty as Roberto Luongo&rsquo;s backup. Instead, Kidd deferred some of this year&rsquo;s salary and the team kept him.But what couldn&rsquo;t be adjusted was the number of starts Kidd would get as Mike Keenan&rsquo;s No. 2 goalie. Kidd started only five games between Keenan&rsquo;s first game Dec. 5 and Luongo&rsquo;s season-ending injury March 20.&ldquo;This gives me a chance to play more games than I expected to play in Florida,&rdquo; Kidd said.SCHEDULE WATCH The Panthers had the NHL&rsquo;s worst home record last season, but if they don&rsquo;t figure out how to win on the road, they&rsquo;ll be deader than the Montreal Expos by the end of October. Six of their first eight games are away from National Car Rental Center.Now that the Tampa Bay Lightning has won two consecutive season series against Florida and GM Rick Dudley has landed in Sunrise after being bounced from Tampa, the cross-state rivalry might get some hatred going from the Panthers&rsquo; side.The Lightning are the opponents for Florida&rsquo;s Oct. 10 home and season opener, then face them Oct. 28 and Feb. 8 in Sunrise; and Feb. 27 and March 29 in Tampa.MILESTONES Barring injury or trade, defenseman Paul Laus, the last original Panther will catch Robert Svehla&rsquo;s franchise record for games as a Panther (573) on Jan. 11 at Washington. Oft-injured Viktor Kozlov is 34 games from playing in his 500th NHL game, which would be Dec. 23 against Nashville if Kozlov stays healthy.Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh is 35 points from 500 for his NHL career. Right winger Valeri Bure is 80 points from 400 for his career.NOTEBOOK The improved defense corps drew GM Rick Dudley&rsquo;s praise after the Panthers&rsquo; week long &ldquo;conditioning camp&rdquo; for veterans spending the summer in North America. It was the first time in several years a Panthers GM wasn&rsquo;t having to be defensive about his defense&hellip;Former NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk joined the coaching staff as a goalie coach. &#9632;

f0022-03

Kidd’s lack of starts reason for his flight

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Matt McHale</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05349/8157407-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="897" height="1087"><figcaption class="caption-body">NO CAMP? Ian Laperriere had surgery after sustaining a hernia while working out. He&rsquo;ll back in October.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04474/8157414-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="222" height="230"></div>Ian Laperriere, the gritty right winger who led the Kings with 213 hits and 125 penalty minutes last season, could miss most of training camp after undergoing surgery to repair a hernia sustained during offseason training.Laperriere, 28, was working out in his hometown of Montreal at the time of the Aug. 16 injury. Doctors said Laperriere might be ready to play by late September or early October.Laperriere remained optimistic - &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be in camp and I&rsquo;ll be ready,&rdquo; he said - but it may just be wishful thinking on the veteran&rsquo;s part.Laperriere finished last season with eight goals and 22 points in 81 games.SCHEDULE WATCH The Kings play defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit twice in the first two weeks and 14 of their first 20 games are on the road. They have a eight-game trip between Nov. 5-21 that includes five consecutive games in Canada. Then they come home to face the vastly improved Dallas Stars and former Kings defenseman Philippe Boucher.Los Angeles will get an early look at cross-town rival Anaheim, facing the improved Mighty Ducks Oct. 16.MILESTONES Right winger Ziggy Palffy needs 35 goals for 300 and 55 points for 600. He has scored 35 or more goals in four of his seven full seasons. Center Jason Allison needs three points to reach 400. Center Bryan Smolinski needs 19 games for 700 and nine goals for 200. Defenseman Mattias Norstrom needs 15 games for 500, which should come Nov. 9 in Montreal.NOTEBOOK The Kings signed defenseman Chris McAlpine to a one-year contract. He played last season in Chicago&hellip;Left winger Alexander Frolov is scheduled to arrive from Russia in early September to start workouts with the Kings. Frolov, a top scorer last season in Russia&rsquo;s Elite League, heads into camp competing for an opening on Los Angeles&rsquo; second line. &#9632;

f0022-05

Injured Laperriere likely to miss camp

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06269/8157445-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="216" height="225"></div>This season&rsquo;s Wild won&rsquo;t look all that different from last season&rsquo;s Wild.Aside from parting with forwards Aaron Gavey and Stacy Roest and replacing them with acquisitions Cliff Ronning and Bill Muckalt, the Wild did little this summer and will go into this season with virtually the same team that ended last season.&ldquo;I think the players we have deserve the opportunity to continue getting opportunities,&rdquo; GM Doug Risebrough said. &ldquo;We are laying a foundation and it&rsquo;s the guys who have been here who have done that.&rdquo;There could be some tinkering at the waiver draft just before the season, and Risebrough claims he is always on the lookout to improve the Wild with a piece here or there. Mostly, though, he and coach Jacques Lemaire like how the puzzle is coming together.&ldquo;Our direction is great,&rdquo; Lemaire said. &ldquo;And there&rsquo;s no reason to go away from what we&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH For the first time in team history, the Wild open at home. The chance for a quick start gets better as five of the Wild&rsquo;s first six games are at the Xcel Energy Center. But a five-game road trip through California and Western Canada in late January (including a matchup against rival Vancouver) could determine whether the Wild stays in the playoff hunt.As always, Minnesota fans circle games against the franchise once known as the North Stars. Dallas makes its first visit to St. Paul Oct. 17.MILESTONES The Wild&rsquo;s magic number for milestones is three. Coach Jacques Lemaire is three victories away from 300, and center Cliff Ronning is only three points away from 800.NOTEBOOK Center Darby Hendrickson is experimenting with a visor during off-season workouts this summer. His right eye was injured when he was struck with a puck in Edmonton April 2. He has recovered fully from the injury, but might go to a visor this season to prevent future injuries. &#9632;

f0022-06

Wild GM puts faith in team’s progress

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-07223/8157483-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="224" height="231"></div>A year following the most emotional time of his life, a sense of normalcy has returned to Saku Koivu&rsquo;s daily routine.Koivu, the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; diminutive 27-year-old captain, was married this summer, has been training twice daily with the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss Elite League and is eagerly anticipating the start of a new NHL season, knowing his abdominal cancer is in remission.&ldquo;It has been quite a year,&rdquo; Koivu said. &ldquo;Ten months ago I never could have imagined that I would be practising hard in August and preparing for another season. This past year will stay with me for the rest of my life. I appreciate and approach things differently and I see hockey from a different per-spective.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-08180/8157476-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="230" height="264"><figcaption class="caption-body">Saku Koivu</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH The Canadiens. play 13 of 19 games on the road between Dec. 16 and Jan. 22. That includes seven straight - the Islanders, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton and New Jersey - over the Christmas and New Year&rsquo;s holiday period. Montreal plays six more consecutive games on the road from March 5-13. Seven of Montreal&rsquo;s last 10 games are at home, which should be of some comfort if the team is involved in a tight playoff race.Of the five games against traditional arch-rival Toronto, three are at the Molson Centre, Oct. 19, Jan. 18 and Feb. 22.MILESTONES Center Doug Gilmour needs 16 points to reach 1,400. He stands fifth amongst active point leaders.The first game of the season, Oct. 11 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, will be the 400th of Chad Kilger&rsquo;s career. Defenseman Stephane Quintal is three games away from 900.NOTEBOOK The Canadiens&rsquo; depth in goal took a hit when Vadim Tarasov, who shared duties with Mathieu Garon last season at Quebec, Montreal&rsquo;s American League affiliate, announced he was returning to Russia, his home country&hellip;Assistant coach Clement Jodoin has been impressed with defenseman Mike Komisarek, selected seventh overall in 2001, at the Canadiens&rsquo; prospects camp. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s much stronger,&rdquo; Jodoin said of the 6-foot-3, 240 pounder. &#9632;

f0022-07

Hard-training Koivu can’t wait to play

<div class="byline">&#x2013;David Boclair</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011082/8157521-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="216" height="224"></div>Clarke Wilm might not start many games in an offensive role, but he will have the opportunity to finish there.Predators&rsquo; coaches believe his versatility - he can play center or wing - will be an important element this season. The free agent pickup not only will be counted on to match up against the top lines of other teams in a checking role, but also to move up and replace teammates performing below par in offensive roles.Wilm, for one, relishes the chance to put some points on the board.&ldquo;I got stuck in a defensive rut (with Calgary),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have a great offensive year, but I know from the past that I can score. I&rsquo;m looking forward to doing that.&rdquo;Wilm twice has scored 10 goals in a season, but had just four in 2001-02 in 66 games. He had 49 goals and 110 points in 72 games with Saskatoon of the Western League his final junior season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02750/8157514-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="227" height="264"><figcaption class="caption-body">Clarke Wilm</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH The longest road trip in team history - seven games in 14 days - begins Oct. 30 in St. Louis and ends Nov. 12 at Detroit. The trip also includes stops at Colorado and San Jose, meaning the Predators will face last season&rsquo;s top four Western Conference teams.Overall, 11 of the first 15 games take place away from home.MILESTONES Coach Barry Trotz is on track to have the longest tenure for an expansion coach. He enters the season with 328 games under his belt, 63 shy of Terry Crisp, who lasted 391 games with Tampa Bay from 1992-97. If all goes smoothly, Trotz will get set the standard March 1 versus Chicago.Center Greg Johnson needs 57 points to surpass Cliff Ronning as the team&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer.NOTEBOOK GM David Poile attempted to negotiate extensions with three players on whom the team held options: defenseman Kimmo Timonen, right winger Vladimir Orszagh and left winger Vitali Yachmenev. Orszagh&rsquo;s was the only one that got done, as he is now under contract through 2003-04. &#9632;

f0023-01

Offensive role welcomed by free agent pickup Wilm

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03551/8157552-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="222" height="226"></div>Pat Burns wasn&rsquo;t sure he would ever recapture the passion for coaching in the NHL and he wasn&rsquo;t interested in coming back just for the money.So in the days approaching his first training camp with the Devils, Burns could not have been happier when he drove to the club&rsquo;s South Mountain Arena facility in West Orange, N.J. anxious to get started.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t sure I could come back. I wasn&rsquo;t sure I wanted to do this again,&rdquo; Burns said. &ldquo;When I sat down with (GM) Lou (Lamoriello) and talked about this job, the excitement came back. The fire for coaching will always be there, but after some of the situations I&rsquo;d been in in the past, I wanted to make sure this was right.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH Former Devil Petr Sykora returns to Continental Airlines Arena Nov. 12 as a member of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as Jeff Friesen and Oleg Tverdovsky face their former team.New York Ranger Bobby Holik&rsquo;s first game against his ex-mates and first visit to the Meadowlands takes place Nov. 21.The team&rsquo;s toughest stretch happens Nov. 27-Dec. 27, when they play 10 of 15 games on the road.MILESTONES Martin Brodeur is looking to become the first goalie in history to win 30 games eight straight seasons, while center Joe Nieuwendyk needs six goals for 500,27 assists for 500 and 33 points for 1,000.NOTEBOOK In a major development that could pave the way for a new arena to be built in Newark while assuring the Devils remain in New Jersey, the city of Newark reached an agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on a new lease for Newark International Airport. In return for a lease extension from 2031 to 2065, the city gets $100 million up front, at least $65 million annually and $165 million toward resolving back payment claims. That money is expected to help pay for the proposed $355-million, 18,500-seat arena that has had trouble gaining approval from lawmakers. There had been hints from YankeeNets management that, without a new arena, the Devils might be sold and moved. &#9632;

f0023-03

Burns finds right match as latest Devils’ skipper

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Peter Botte</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04398/8157583-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="219" height="227"></div>This summer, the New York Islanders didn&rsquo;t pursue the finisher they lacked for Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s top line last season. Instead, power forward Brad Isbister likely will get another crack at the coveted spot he failed to win.Despite the team&rsquo;s first playoff berth since 199394, Isbister was among a handful of letdowns.&ldquo;From a team standpoint, it was a great year,&rdquo; Isbister said earlier this summer. &ldquo;But I understand what people expected from me. I didn&rsquo;t have a great season. I want to improve upon it.&rdquo;With the badly sprained wrist Isbister sustained at the end of Game 3 of the playoffs against Toronto fully healed, the 230-pound left winger hit the weight room soon after he returned to his off-season home in Calgary.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been working with a trainer on foot quickness and explosive power on and off the ice,&rdquo; Isbister said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been doing lots of shooting drills and hopefully it&rsquo;ll help me improve my confidence in the slot.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH Dec. 6 figures to be Friday night at the fights, when Toronto visits Nassau Coliseum for the first time following the chippy first-round playoff series between the teams last spring. Isles captain Michael Peca, who is pointing to a late-November or early-December return to the lineup following reconstructive knee surgery and shoulder surgery, has vowed revenge against Toronto&rsquo;s Darcy Tucker for what he thinks was a dirty hit during the series.MILESTONES Yashin needs his first 50-goal season to reach 300 goals. Barring injury, Claude Lapointe should play his 800th career game in mid-January, and Roman Hamrlik could reach his 800th by season&rsquo;s end.NOTEBOOK Although the average price for an Islanders ticket will increase by almost 70 per cent, the team&rsquo;s season ticket base has improved almost as drastically This season&rsquo;s total will be nearly 10,000 - up from 6,000 last season and 3,500 the previous year - at the 16,234-seat Nassau Coliseum. Despite the dramatic increase, the average ticket price still will be around the NHL average, between $48 and $50 per ticket. &#9632;

f0023-04

Isbister gets another shot at top line winger status

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05291/8157621-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="216" height="227"></div>It was an official scolding, and probably a volley in the inevitable labor war of 2004.The NHL rejected the New York Rangers&rsquo; contracts signed by free agents Bobby Holik and Darius Kasparaitis, and then quietly accepted the deals as they were written.The league&rsquo;s rejections of Holik&rsquo;s five-year, $45million deal and Kasparaitis&rsquo;s six-year, $25.5-million contract were based on the fact both players&rsquo; signing bonuses were spread out over the life of the contract.In other words, both will receive significant money - Holik about $2 million and Kasparaitis $1 million - even if the league shuts down for the 2004-05 season.The NHL rejected the deals in early August, then whispered to the Rangers that both contracts were accepted about two weeks later.The league rejected several contracts the last two seasons as it does not want players to have income during what seems to be an inevitable lockout.The NHL Players Association filed a grievance over the matter, which was expected to go to arbitration until the league did an about-face.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06229/8157614-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="230" height="267"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Holik</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH Center Bobby Holik returns to New Jersey Nov. 23, while coach Bryan Trottier appears on the other side of the Rangers-Islanders rivalry for the first time Feb. 15.MILESTONES Center Mark Messier needs 47 points to pass Gordie Howe (1,850) for second on the all-time list, behind only Wayne Gretzky (2,857). Messier is 42 goals short of 700, and is 13 games behind Larry Murphy (1,615) for second place on the all-time games-played list behind Howe (1,767).NOTEBOOK Center Mark Messier remained unsigned as of late August, and is still not certain of returning for a 24th NHL season, although he and GM Glen Sather were discussing a new contract. Sather reportedly was offering Messier a significant pay cut from the two-year, $ll-million deal he signed in 2000. &#9632;

f0023-05

League does about-face on free agent contracts

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011156/8157659-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="220" height="223"></div>Ottawa Senators owner Rod Bryden has come up with a plan he is confident will put the club back on solid ground.Troubled by financial woes after a complicated transaction fell through last season because of the bankruptcy of the major banker, Covanta Inc., Bryden announced he has come up with another scheme to save the team.Setting up a company called Senators Sports and Entertainment, Bryden confirmed he&rsquo;s submitted a bid to retain majority ownership while reducing the club&rsquo;s debt from $400 million to $75 million.When the transaction is completed in late-December, Bryden will have a huge financial weight lifted off his shoulders.&ldquo;When this transaction is completed there will be very little debt on the combined assets,&rdquo; Bryden said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02817/8157652-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="230" height="266"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jacques Martin</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH The Senators can circle any date against the Toronto Maple Leafs on the calendar, but a four-game road trip in early-January will be pivotal.After facing the New York Rangers on Monday, Jan. 6 at Madison Square Garden, the Senators head west to face Vancouver Jan. 8, Calgary Jan. 9 and Edmonton Jan. 11. That&rsquo;s a lot of hockey and a lot of miles in a short period of time.MILESTONES Nobody was sure coach Jacques Martin would be back this season, but once he works the club&rsquo;s opener he&rsquo;ll be the second-longest serving bench boss in the league. With Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s departure from Detroit, only Carolina&rsquo;s Paul Maurice has been around longer.Heading into his eighth season, Martin-who has a career coaching record of 313-265-10113 - has been criticized for the club&rsquo;s poor performance in the post-season, but he was given an extension in part because the Senators believed he would have ended up behind the Red Wings bench in Detroit if they fired him.NOTEBOOK Trying to get everything in place for training camp, GM John Muckier signed right winger Dennis Bonvie and defenseman Brian Pothier to contracts, leaving right winger Chris Neil, center Mike Fisher and blueliner Karel Rachunek as the team&rsquo;s remaining unsigned free agents. &#9632;

f0024-01

Ownership structure undergoes changes

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03572/8157697-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="219" height="230"></div>Luke Richardson and Dan McGillis formed probably the steadiest defense pairing the Flyers have used in recent years.Yet the team is so convinced in the ability of rookie Bruno St. Jacques, it allowed Richardson to leave for Columbus via unrestricted free agency.&ldquo;Bruno looks as ready as anybody I&rsquo;ve seen come from the minors,&rdquo; coach Ken Hitchcock said. &ldquo;He looks like he&rsquo;s ready for the next step.&rdquo;GM Bob Clarke is one of St. Jacques&rsquo; biggest backers, often praising his passing ability and competitiveness. That&rsquo;s heartening news to the Montreal native, who turned 22 on Aug. 22.&ldquo;I know Luke is a great player but hockey is a business,&rdquo; St. Jacques said &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a challenge but I&rsquo;m not going to try to do what he (Richardson) did. I&rsquo;m just going to do what I do best.&rdquo;&lsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04390/8157690-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="233" height="267"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeremy Roenick</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH The Dallas Stars ride into Philadelphia Dec. 17 and neither team should be in a holiday mood. The visitors would like to show their former coach, Ken Hitchcock, a thing or two and the Flyers can be expected to defend his honor.Also, the Flyers kick off their season with a tough three-game road swing through Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal. The Flyers will spend four days in Banff, Alberta before the Oct. 10 opener, so the trip will last 10 days, offering plenty of bonding time for the players.MILESTONES Four Flyers are within striking distance of the 1,000-game mark. Jeremy Roenick is 17 games away, Eric Desjardins needs 29 games, Paul Ranheim is short 55 games and Eric Weinrich must play in 79 games.NOTEBOOK Flyers management has scrapped the subtle approach to motivation. Replacing the &ldquo;Pride is Forever&rdquo; sign on the locker room wall is a new one: &ldquo;We Supply Everything but Guts.&rdquo; Flyers GM Bob Clarke said he borrowed that line from one that was on the wall of the dressing room used by the Flin Flon Bombers, the junior team he played for in the 1960s. &ldquo;Only that one said, &lsquo;We supply everything but skates and guts,&rdquo; Clarke said with a laugh, &ldquo;because we had to buy our own skates.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0024-03

Blueliner St. Jacques eager to make jump

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-06207/8157728-1-eng-US/f0024-062.jpg" title="f0024-06" width="832" height="1235"><figcaption class="caption-body">BURKE UP Sean Burke has improved his wins total three straight years.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05264/8157735-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="224" height="227"></div>Sean Burke and Brian Boucher will get just about all of the work in net this season for the Phoenix Coyotes, but that didn&rsquo;t stop four other top goalie prospects in the organization from getting some quality work and look-sees during a recent goalie camp with the two veterans.&ldquo;In the past, we never really had a chance to sit down with each of the guys and get them ready and prepared,&rdquo; Coyotes goalie coach Benoit Allaire said of the camp, which brought in prospects Patrick DesRochers, Josh Blackburn, Steve Belanger and Colin Zulianello to work with the pros. &ldquo;Most times, it&rsquo;s a big (training) camp with a lot of players and you could only bring in four goalies. But we thought, &lsquo;Why shouldn&rsquo;t we make sure we&rsquo;re all on the same page here?&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH Six of the Coyotes&rsquo; first seven games and 12 of their opening 18 are on the road. Only six of those are against playoff teams from last season. Phoenix has a nine-game homestand in December and plays 11 of 13 games at home that month.A tough stretch awaits them at the finish of the season, where six of their seven games come against tough conference foes Vancouver (twice), Edmonton, San Jose, Colorado and Los Angeles.MILESTONES Right winger Claude Lemieux needs nine goals for 400 and 35 points for 800. Tony Amonte, who has the NHL&rsquo;s longest active ironman streak at 410 consecutive games, is 39 games shy of appearing in his 900th game. If he stays healthy, he&rsquo;ll hit the mark Jan. 1 when Phoenix begins a six-game trip at Washington.NOTEBOOK Barring construction delays, the Coyotes hope to christen their 17,500-seat arena in nearby Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 23, 2003. They will start 2003-04 at America West Arena and will move into the new building as soon as it is ready. &#9632;

f0024-06

Rookie goalie camp gets help from vets

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-07170/8157766-1-eng-US/f0024-072.jpg" title="f0024-07" width="221" height="227"></div>Mario Lemieux has passed the early tests in his attempt to make another comeback.Lemieux has been working out regularly under the supervision of former teammate turned trainer Jay Caufield. The two skate for about 45 minutes each day.&ldquo;Everything&rsquo;s fine,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been working out for a while, feeling pretty good.&rdquo;Lemieux has been experiencing the usual muscle aches of any player working his way into shape for training camp, but he said he has no lingering pain from a hip injury that forced him to end his season Feb. 27.SCHEDULE WATCH Former Penguins Darius Kasparaitis and Krzysztof Oliwa arrive with the New York Rangers at Mellon Arena Oct. 12 for the second game of the season. On Oct. 28, Washington comes to town, led by former Penguins Jaromir Jagr and Robert Lang.The Penguins play seven of their first 11 games at Mellon Arena. The Penguins were pleased to have only 15 sets of back-to-back games, down two from last season. The Penguins play six of their final eight games on the road, including two games at Philadelphia, whom the Penguins play only once prior to March 15.MILESTONES Lemieux enters this season seventh on the NHL&rsquo;s all-time points list with 1,601. The players directly ahead of him are Steve Yzerman (1,662) and Ron Francis (1,699).Lemieux is ninth alltime in goals with 654. Directly ahead of him are Yzerman (657), Mark Messier (658), Brett Hull (679) and Mike Gartner (708).NOTEBOOK Defensemen Josef Melichar and Michal Rozsival and right winger Tom Kostopoulos were the Penguins&rsquo; remaining unsigned restricted free agents as of late August. &#9632;

f0024-07

Hip discomfort gone, Lemieux ready to go

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Derrick Goold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-08137/8157804-1-eng-US/f0024-082.jpg" title="f0024-08" width="224" height="229"></div>Interested in upping his fitness level to the best it has ever been, goalie Brent Johnson increased his off-season strengthening and conditioning program to better prepare himself for the rigors of a full season as the Blues&rsquo; No. 1.&ldquo;I just want to get myself in the best condition I can,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;Everyone can improve.&rdquo;Johnson enlisted the help of Blues&rsquo; exercise physiologist Howie Wenger and others to sculpt a six-day-a-week weight program for the summer. He then joined informal workouts with Blues veterans as early as possible.After battling Fred Brathwaite for the No. 1 spot most of last season, Johnson finished with 34 victories in 58 starts. He didn&rsquo;t feel fatigue, he said, but Johnson will see more than a dozen more starts should he, as expected, retain top billing this season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-09120/8157797-1-eng-US/f0024-092.jpg" title="f0024-09" width="235" height="272"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brent Johnson</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH Scott Young, two seasons removed from his 40-goal splurge as a Blue, makes a quick return to St. Louis as a Star when Dallas closes out the Blues&rsquo; five-game homestand to open the season Oct. 19.The Blues play just five of 15 games at home in December, the month before captain Chris Pronger returns from knee/wrist rehab. And 19 of the Blues&rsquo; final 20 games are against conference foes, including three against Detroit.MILESTONES Center Doug Weight needs five goals for 200 and four points for 700. Defenseman Al MacInnis needs 13 assists to pass Gary Unger (283) and move into third on the team&rsquo;s assist list. MacInnis needs 20 assists for 900 in his career.Scott Mellanby could play his 1,300th NHL game on Jan. 9 in San Jose, the 43rd game of the season. He should have 18 points - enough to reach 700 - by then, too.NOTEBOOK Left winger Keith Tkachuk reported to informal workouts in late August-after a few rounds of golf in Scotland - still without the long-term contract that was offseason priority No. 1 for the Blues&hellip;Right winger Scott Mellanby and goalie Brent Johnson were picked to fly practice jaunts with the Blue Angels of the U.S. Navy before a St. Louis-area air show. &#9632;

f0024-08

Johnson prepared for full-time status

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Ross McKeon</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011039/8157842-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="218" height="227"></div>Getting Evgeni Nabokov resigned may have as much to do with fellow restricted free-agent goalie Jose Theodore&rsquo;s negotiations with Montreal as what the Sharks offer their No. 1 netminder.Popular conjecture suggests because the two young goalies - both represented by agent Don Meehan - have similar numbers, Nabokov may wait and see what Theodore gets before finalizing a new contract.Nabokov, 27, has the same number of regular season wins (71) as Theodore, accomplished in 47 fewer career appearances. Nabokov has one less shutout (15-14) and betters Theodore in goals-against average (2.24-2.49).Theodore, however, won both the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Vezina Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s best goalie last season.Nabokov, a bargain at $575,000 last year, declined declined the opportunity to have his contract resolved in arbitration.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02706/8157835-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="230" height="266"><figcaption class="caption-body">Evgeni Nabokov</figcaption></div>SCHEDULE WATCH After not playing perennial division rival Dallas in the first three months of the season, the Sharks face the Stars five times in their next 41 games.Typical of teams based on the West Coast, the Sharks have two long road trips - a season-high eight games from Nov. 1327 that features stops in Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Florida, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Nashville, followed by a seven gamer from Feb. 7-17 that takes hem to Minnesota, St. Louis, Detroit, Columbus, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles.MILESTONES Center Vincent Damphousse needs four goals to make it 400, right winger Teemu Selanne needs 45 points to reach the 900 mark, and left winger Adam Graves is two points away from 600. &#9632;

f0025-01

Theodore contract may affect Nabokov

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Damian Cristodero</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03479/8157873-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="221" height="227"></div>The Tampa Bay Lightning&rsquo;s financial woes are apparently more profound than originally believed.An independent consultant&rsquo;s report, produced by Marylandbased Turnkey Sports, said the Lightning lost $18 million last season and is &ldquo;legitimately in serious financial trouble and is unquestionably at risk of being lost to the market.&rdquo;Tom Wilson, CEO of Lightning owner Palace Sports & Entertainment, had previously estimated the franchise lost $10 million in each of the three seasons the company has owned the team. Using the $18 million figure attributed to last season, the current ownership&rsquo;s losses stand at roughly $38 million.Also, because the team&rsquo;s average attendance at the Ice Palace was below 80 per cent of capacity the past two seasons, the team has the option of bailing out of its lease and relocating to another city.Team president Ron Campbell said that strategy is not in the works. Ownership insists the team is not for sale, although Wilson has said he would discuss selling a minority share.&ldquo;We plan on being (in Tampa Bay),&rdquo; Campbell said.SCHEDULE WATCH First the good news: The Lightning has a great chance of getting off to a good start as just four of its first 12 games are against teams with winning records last season.Now, the bad news: An early road test. From Oct. 19 through Nov. 5, the team plays eight of 10 games away from the Ice Palace.MILESTONES Dave Andreychuk will be the man to watch this season. The left winger, who will be 39 when the season starts, needs seven goals for 600 and five power play goals to pass Phil Esposito&rsquo;s NHL record of 249. Andreychuk needs 18 goals to pass Bobby Hull for second place all-time among left wingers.NOTEBOOK Remember the heat GM Jay Feaster took for the trade that brought left winger Ruslan Fedotenko over from the Flyers for the No. 4 pick in the 2002 draft? Fedotenko&rsquo;s agent Dave Schatia said critics will eat their words. &ldquo;Tampa will get the pleasure of seeing a great young hockey player,&rdquo; Schatia said. &ldquo;The trade is going to prove the wisdom of Jay Feaster. I have no doubt about it.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0025-03

Financial difficulties worse than expected

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04313/8157911-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="218" height="227"></div>The Toronto Maple Leafs are well aware of Trevor Kidd&rsquo;s spotty NHL resume, but coach-GM Pat Quinn has never been one to shy away from reclamation projects.After plucking goalie Corey Schwab from hockey&rsquo;s scrap heap last season, Toronto acquired Kidd Aug. 26 when he cleared waivers and was bought out by the Florida Panthers, allowing the Leafs to sign him to a two-year deal worth $650,000 (U.S.) per season. Kidd will receive $1.7 million over the next three years from Florida in his buyout.Kidd understands his role will be to back up Belfour, but the Leafs believe he can step up should Belfour get injured or falter. Kidd, 30, was available after he was usurped in the No. 1 role in Florida by Roberto Luongo.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still holding onto the hope I can be a No. 1 guy again, but to do that, I&rsquo;d better start playing some games,&rdquo; Kidd said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05224/8157904-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="231" height="264"><figcaption class="caption-body">Trevor Kidd</figcaption></div>&ldquo;If I played 10 games and maybe 15 third periods in Florida, I&rsquo;d probably have trouble signing a contract next summer.&rdquo;SCHEDULE WATCH The Maple Leafs face former goalie Curtis Joseph for the first time when Detroit visits Nov. 16. Ed Belfour makes his first and only appearance in Dallas when the Leafs visit the Stars Nov. 8.The Leafs play the New York Islanders for the first time Dec. 6 and Michael Peca might be recovered from the blown out anterior cruciate ligament he suffered at the hands of Darcy Tucker in last year&rsquo;s playoffs. Peca has hinted retribution might be coming Tucker&rsquo;s way.MILESTONES If Mats Sundin leads Toronto in points this season, it would be his ninth consecutive year as the top scoring Leaf, eclipsing Darryl Sittler&rsquo;s record. Sundin needs 33 points to pass Ron Ellis for fifth on the team&rsquo;s all-time list (640) and 106 to pass George Armstrong at No. 4 (713).Gary Roberts needs 57 games for 1,000, but will have to recover early from surgery on both shoulders to do it.NOTEBOOK Leafs&rsquo; coach-GM Pat Quinn arrived in Toronto in late August at about 255 pounds, 45 pounds lighter than when he left in the off-season. Quinn is eating healthier and has kicked his six-per-day cigar habit after suffering cardiac arrhythmia during the playoffs last spring. &#9632;

f0025-04

Former Panther Kidd now Belfour’s backup

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06178/8157942-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="219" height="225"></div>Vancouver Canucks right winger Trent Klatt is ready to again make his presence felt after a lost season in 2001-02.Klatt unsuccessfully tried to play through a lower abdominal injury, missing 48 games before undergoing surgery in April. Doctors found a four-inch tear in his rectus abdominus muscle.&ldquo;The four inches was turning into scar tissue and trying to repair itself but every time I tried to do anything, I&rsquo;d blow it out again,&rdquo; Klatt said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so excited to have my health back again. I feel like a kid in a candy store.&rdquo;Rather than return to his offseason home in Minnesota, Klatt stayed in Vancouver during the summer and worked out three times a day to prepare for training camp.SCHEDULE WATCH For a west coast-based team, a lengthy Eastern road trip late in the season is always the most daunting of tasks. The Canucks have a five-game swing through Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia, Columbus and Toronto that begins March 1 and that could define whether they cruise into the playoffs or find themselves in a dogfight for the final spot.Compounding the Canucks&rsquo; potential problem is the fact the five-game trip concludes a stretch where they play nine of 12 games away from GM Place.MILESTONES Right winger Trevor Linden needs three goals to tie and four to break Stan Smyl&rsquo;s franchise record for career goals (262). Linden was 15 behind Smyl when he was traded away in 1998 and then scored 12 in 2001-02 after being re-acquired from Washington in November.Right winger Todd Bertuzzi needs 23 games to reach 500, while goalie Dan Cloutier needs 12 games to reach the 200 mark.NOTEBOOK The Canucks say they have sold 2,200 new season tickets for 2002-03. They hope to reach the 12,000 season ticket mark by opening night&hellip;The Canucks will again offer a 10-game pay-per-view package to augment their regular television coverage. Sixty-one games will be available on basic or cable TV, meaning there will be 11 non-televised games in the Vancouver market, although further pay-per-view games could be added. The 10-game package will sell for $79.95&hellip;John Garrett has replaced Ryan Walter as color commentator on the team&rsquo;s 45-game regional Sportsnet package. &#9632;

f0025-06

Often-injured Klatt looks to bounce back

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-07153/8157980-1-eng-US/f0025-072.jpg" title="f0025-07" width="218" height="225"></div>Butch Cassidy is a rookie coach in the NHL, so he did what any smart individual would do - he sought out the best for advice on how things get done.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best there is in the game today so why wouldn&rsquo;t I seek him out to hear his views?&rdquo; the new Washington Capitals coach said after returning from the Czech Republic, where he and right winger Jaromir Jagr met face-to-face. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s friendly, relaxed and he&rsquo;s got quite a fewgood ideas and that&rsquo;s good.&rdquo;Cassidy has spent the summer running line combinations through his head but said he wants to see players work in front of him before making firm decisions.SCHEDULE WATCH The Capitals are leery of two stretches in the schedule.Washington opens at home Oct. 11 against Nashville, then hits the road for eight straight games, tying the club record for consecutive away games.The end of the season has another rough stretch with the possibility of a playoff berth at stake - a trip across Canada playing all six teams and closing with three conference opponents at home, Florida, Ottawa and Pittsburgh.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-08127/8157973-1-eng-US/f0025-082.jpg" title="f0025-08" width="233" height="267"><figcaption class="caption-body">Peter Bondra</figcaption></div>MILESTONES Right winger Peter Bondra needs 56 points to pass Hall-of-Famer Mike Gartner (789) as the Capitals&rsquo; all-time leading scorer. Blueliner Calle Johansson needs 40 games to pass Kelly Miller (940) as the all-time leader in games played as a Capital. Johansson already holds the record for defensemen (890).Jaromir Jagr needs 30 goals to hit the magic 500-goal figure, while defenseman Sylvain Cote needs 30 games to reach the 1,200 mark.NOTEBOOK Tim Hunter, who won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989, has been named to Washington&rsquo;s player development staff, overseeing and evaluating the progress of drafted players who have yet to turn pro. The job has been vacant since Dale Hunter bought the London Knights of the Ontario League in May, 2000&hellip;Center Jeff Halpern and defenseman Calle Johansson, both coming back after injuries last season that limited them to 48 and 11 games respectively, are working out with teammates. &#9632;

f0025-07

New coach Cassidy seeks Jagr’s advice

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02824/8158063-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="247" height="245"></div>AHL WEST NOTEBOOKJust because the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have sold out 57 consecutive games at First Union Arena at Casey Plaza and will probably sell every ticket again this season, don&rsquo;t think management&rsquo;s job is done.With the team&rsquo;s popularity soaring in northeast Pennsylvania, the Penguins will televise an American League-record 25 games this season. They will all be home games. There were 24 Chicago Wolves games televised last season. The previous high was 19, set by the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs in 2000-01.&ldquo;People say it will hurt our attendance, but we think it&rsquo;s a two-hour commercial for our product,&rdquo; said team president Jeff Barrett. &ldquo;We look it as more ways to promote the team, more ways to bring in new sponsors.&rdquo;First Union Arena seats 8,143 and the Penguins played to over capacity, averaging 8,337 last season. Amazing, especially considering the team had the AHL&rsquo;s second-worst record (20-44-13-3).The games will be broadcast in conjunction with WNEP-TV, the local ABC affiliate. They will be aired on Adelphia 63, a cable station, but some could be on the network station. The station and team will split costs and profits.EDGY AERO The Houston Aeros added one of the AHL&rsquo;s grittiest forwards when they signed ninth-year center Sylvain Cloutier to a one-year contract.&ldquo;Sylvain is a character player who provides strong leadership in the (dressing) room and on the ice,&rdquo; said Aeros GM Dave Barr. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a player other teams don&rsquo;t like to play against due to his competitive nature.&rdquo;Cloutier, 28, spent the past three seasons with the Albany River Rats, scoring 37 goals and 110 points in 205 games. He also had 329 penalty minutes.NEXT GENERATION The Hershey Bears are preparing to move out of Hersheypark Arena and into their new 10,500-seat arena, the Giant Center, and they&rsquo;ll turn to the past for the hockey christening.The opening opponent is the Bears&rsquo; oldest rival, the Rochester Americans. The first game is Oct. 19. A Cher concert will be the first event, Oct. 15.&ldquo;Since our marketing theme this year is &lsquo;Same Tradition, New Address,&rsquo; we wanted to play one of the oldest teams, and since we&rsquo;ve had a natural rivalry with Rochester since their inception (in 1956-57), it made sense historically,&rdquo; said Bears GM Doug Yingst, whose club enters its 65th season.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03667/8158056-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="1321" height="1896"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jonathan Cheechoo&rsquo;s goal production slipped to 21 in 53 games with Cleveland last season from 32 goals in 75 games the year before.</figcaption></div><h2>AHL</h2><h3>SCOUTING REPORT</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04482/8158049-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="345" height="471"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mathieu Chouinard</figcaption></div>VITAL STATISTICSHometown: Laval, Que.Age: 22 Size: 6-1, 211LAST AMATEUR CLUBShawinigan (QMJHL)POSITION Goaltender2001-02 SEASONGrand Rapids Griffins<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05356/8158042-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="382" height="117"></div>NHL AFFILIATIONOttawa SenatorsNOTEWORTHYDrafted 15th overall by Ottawa in 1998. He wasn&rsquo;t happy with contract offer, so he re-entered the 2000 draft and was taken 45th overall by Senators&hellip;Played 170 games in three QMJHL seasons, winning 100 times.BOTTOM LINEChouinard&rsquo;s star has fallen considerably since being a high-profile draft pick. After two sub-par seasons in the AHL, he has one more chance to right his development. Conditioning may be an issue. &#9632;

f0026-02

Penguins support prompts TV deal

<div class="byline">By Rob Mueller</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06289/8158094-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="203" height="213"></div>NOTEBOOKFan reaction to the East Coast League&rsquo;s safety-netting mandate has been mixed, but officials said the move was inevitable in the wake of last year&rsquo;s NHL tragedy.&ldquo;The tragedy in Columbus has made all pro clubs re-evaluate the safety of their fans,&rdquo; said Toledo Storm GM Mike Miller.For all 27 ECHL teams, safety steps taken include the installation of netting above the glass in the corners and behind the goals. Because of arena anomalies, the league is allowing height and design variances. The move came after the NHL and American League issued similar mandates in response to the death of 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil, who died after being struck by a puck during a game in Columbus March 16.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to take time to get used to,&rdquo; said Atlantic City GM Matt Loughran. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the price you have to pay for safety.&rdquo;GLADLY NOT GRITS Suggestions poured in by the thousands, ranging from Grits to Glory, from Beavers to Blackeyed Peas. But in the end, officials with suburban Atlanta&rsquo;s new ECHL club chose Gwinnett Gladiators.The team unveiled its name and burgundy, black and gold logo at the Gwinnett Civic and Cultural Center, where the team&rsquo;s new 11,300-seat arena is being built. Formerly the Mobile Mysticks, who suspended operations this season to prepare for the move to Atlanta, the Gladiators begin play in 2003-04. The Gladiators will be coached by Jeff Pyle, who was 137-113-52 in four seasons with Mobile.NOTEBOOK The Peoria Rivermen signed six-time Saskatchewan Golden Gloves champ Jeremy Yablonski, who had 303 penalty minutes for Idaho of the West Coast League last season&hellip;Rod Pasma is the ECHL&rsquo;s new director of operations. He was the NHL&rsquo;s officiating co-ordinator from 1998 to 2000&hellip;Toledo signed a one-year affiliation with the Nashville Predators while also maintaining an affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings&hellip;Atlantic City will have a loose working agreement with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins ended their affiliation with the Greenville Grrrowl. &#9632;

f0026-06

ECHL joins trend towards boosting fan safety

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>The changing fortunes of the New York Rangers are having a ripple effect on the American League&rsquo;s Hartford Wolf Pack.The Rangers and GM Glen Sather, without a playoff appearance since 1997, installed a new coaching staff and signed some free agents this summer. Meanwhile, on the farm in Hartford, the Wolf Pack have had a winning record the past three years.&ldquo;What we&rsquo;re looking for are some veteran players who the Rangers will be comfortable with when they&rsquo;re in need,&rdquo; said Wolf Pack GM Al Coates.&ldquo;Some of the veteran players we&rsquo;ve had were good AHL players, but weren&rsquo;t players Glen or the coaching staff felt comfortable with as (NHL) depth players.&rdquo;The clear message is veterans such as right winger Brad Smyth, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer last season, defenseman Terry Virtue and right winger Jason Dawe were not the right fit. As well, coach John Paddock, who landed in Binghamton, and assistant Mike Busniuk were released.Incoming are defensemen Joel Bouchard and Richard Lintner, left winger Ted Donato and right winger Nils Ekman. Ryan McGill, formerly of the Western League&rsquo;s Kootenay Ice, has been hired as coach with ex-Ranger Nick Fotiu as his assistant.&ldquo;Our changes are all an extension of what happened in New York,&rdquo; Coates said. &ldquo;No disrespect to John or Mike, but it seemed to make sense to change throughout the system and make sure we had everybody on the same page.&rdquo;Coates is high on Bouchard, whom he expects will play games in New York, and on Donato, a &ldquo;good NHL soldier who&rsquo;s very versatile and was terrific with young players in Manchester last season.&rdquo;But it hasn&rsquo;t been a total housecleaning in Hartford. Captain Ken Gernander, 33, is back for a sixth season.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the ultimate role model and a model citizen,&rdquo; Coates said. &#9632;

Wolf Pack alter look to suit Rangers

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011115/8158170-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="241" height="242"></div>AHL EAST NOTEBOOKThe New Jersey Devils continue to go to great lengths to avert last year&rsquo;s disaster in Albany, when the River Rats set franchise records for futility.Also looking to bolster their own depth, the Devils signed free agent defenseman Ken Sutton and left winger Dave Roche. Sutton, who has spent time in the New Jersey organization before, was lured back after a year split between the Islanders and Bridgeport. He has been named captain of the River Rats.Previous signed were defensemen Mike Matteucci and Ray Giroux and center Craig Darby.&ldquo;If you look through the history of our team, we&rsquo;ve made trades to improve and keep the Devils competitive, but it has eroded our depth,&rdquo; said Devils director of scouting David Conte. &ldquo;This was the idea, to improve our depth.&ldquo;The situations this summer have led us to change the complexion of our teams and we find it exciting. I take it personally that we&rsquo;ve had two sub-standard years and that&rsquo;s enough.&rdquo;Albany won just 14 of 80 games and finished last overall in 2001-02.HEAD BULLDOG The Hamilton Bulldogs have gone outside their dual affiliation with the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens for a new president.St. Catharines, Ont., native Steve Katzman was named to the post after spending more than five years as the director of Canadian sales and marketing for the NHL&rsquo;s Buffalo Sabres.Katzman also has experience in the Hamilton, Burlington and Niagara regions as a regional marketing manager for the Tim Horton&rsquo;s chain.Katzman succeeds Cary Kaplan, who resigned in July after differences with the team&rsquo;s new ownership group, which will take the franchise through the transition of dual affiliation this season and the departure of the Bulldogs for Toronto at the end of 2002-03.NOTEBOOK The Ottawa Senators signed defenseman Brian Pothier and right winger Dennis Bonvie. Both will likely spend significant time in Binghamton&hellip;The Springfield Falcons, via a hire from the Tampa Bay Lightning, have brought back assistant coach Norm Maciver for another season. The former NHL defenseman will be the right-hand man for coach Marty McSorley.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02746/8158163-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="1292" height="1883"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jaroslav Bednar&rsquo;s first season in Manchester was a fruitful one (37 points in 48 games), but the Kings want him in Los Angeles this season.</figcaption></div><h2>AHL</h2><h3>SCOUTING REPORT</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03526/8158156-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="335" height="465"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jakub Cutta</figcaption></div>VITAL STATISTICSHometown: Jablonec nadNisou, Czech RepublicAge: 20 Size: 6-3, 207LAST AMATEUR CLUBSwift Current (WHL)POSITION Defenseman2001-02 SEASONPortland Pirates<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04367/8158149-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="354" height="111"></div>NHL AFFILIATIONWashington CapitalsNOTEWORTHYDrafted 61st overall by Washington in 1999&hellip;Was the last cut of the Capitals as an 18-year-old in 2000-01 and returned to Swift Current&hellip;Has played five games with Washington over past two seasons.BOTTOM LINEThis stay-at-home type is a sturdy, strong-skating rearguard with a heavy shot and good instincts. More than anything, Cutta needs experience and refinement. A year away. &#9632;

f0027-01

River Rats bulk up with Sutton, Roche

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Brendan Savage</div>Goaltender J-F Rivard, the United League&rsquo;s all-time leader in four categories, is reluctantly calling it a career after six pro seasons. Rivard was hoping to return to the Rockford IceHogs, but coach Scott Bell said Brant Nicklin will be the No. 1 stopper after acquiring Nicklin in a trade with Quad City. Bell said he couldn&rsquo;t afford to use one of his six veteran spots on Rivard if he was only a backup. Rivard, 29, is the UHL&rsquo;s all-time leader in games (321), minutes (18,307), wins (160) and saves (9,520). He was 14-18-4 with a 3.55 goals-against average and. 900 save percentage while splitting time with Steve Debus last year, when the IceHogs missed the playoffs. Rivard is training for a management position with a Rockford electronics firm. &#9632;

UNITED LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Chadd Cripe</div>Former Idaho Steelheads coach and color commentator Clint Malarchuk has landed a job as goaltending instructor for the Florida Panthers. Malarchuk, 41, will still live in Nampa, Idaho, traveling to Miami for a week to 10 days each month. He also will visit goalies in the Panthers system. It is his first full-time coaching job since the Steelheads fired him two years ago. Malarchuk went 62-70-11 in two years as a coach and was the team&rsquo;s radio color commentator last season. He also works as a horse dentist out of his ranch in Nampa. &ldquo;(The Panthers) called me kind of out of the blue,&rdquo; Malarchuk said. He signed a one-year contract with an option for a second year. Malarchuk spent 10 seasons as an NHL goalie with three teams. &#9632;

WEST COAST LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2013;David Henry</div>The Austin Ice Bats are proclaiming themselves &ldquo;gassed up and ready to go.&rdquo; The Central League is well aware of the what the Ice Bats have under the hood following the signing of center Brett Seguin. Inking Seguin was the third and final step in maintaining Austin&rsquo;s &lsquo;STP Fuel Line,&rsquo; the most dominant line in league history. Including Seguin, along with wingers Gerald Tallaire and Dan Price, the Ice Bats owned three of the league&rsquo;s top four scorers last season with a combined 277 points. Even with the return of the high-octane linemates, don&rsquo;t pencil in the Ice Bats as repeat Southern Conference champions. &ldquo;Who knows if we&rsquo;ll keep that line together or not once the season starts,&rdquo; said Austin coach Brent Hughes. &#9632;

CENTRAL LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>Some funny things happened to Mike Duncan on his way to the Ontario League.He changed positions twice, switching from defense to goal, then back to defense.He also bounced around from one minor hockey organization to another until it reached the point that the 16-year-old native of London, Ont., almost quit the game.But, in late August, Duncan was on his way to the Belleville Bulls training camp as their No. 1 pick in this year&rsquo;s draft. He played with the Lambeth Lancers of the Ontario Jr. D League last season.&ldquo;The guys on my (minor) team two years ago told me I wasn&rsquo;t going anywhere,&rdquo; Duncan said. &ldquo;I knew it would be hard. There was so little time to learn defense.&ldquo;I had to work so much harder than anyone else basically just to learn to play. They had the extra five or six years to play. I went from goalie to defense, organization to organization.&rdquo;Duncan was still playing goal three years ago before switching back to defense. He&rsquo;d been a goalie for six years after starting out on the blueline.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what I wanted to do,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I knew I wasn&rsquo;t going to make it as a goaltender, so I decided to try defense again. I thought I&rsquo;d see what would happen.&rdquo;Duncan, at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, was the fourth defenseman selected last May, going 16th overall to the Bulls.&ldquo;Our scouts said the last part of the season in Lambeth was when he really developed,&rdquo; said Bulls GM Brad Vaughan.Duncan still wasn&rsquo;t sure a few months ago if he&rsquo;d made the right choice to stick with hockey. But as he headed for Belleville, he figured he had.&ldquo;There were times when I thought I wasn&rsquo;t going to play hockey any more,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But the past few months, I realized I could never quit playing - never.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011155/8158273-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="441" height="237"></div>MAJOR NOLAN The Toronto St. Michael&rsquo;s Majors obtained 19-year-old left winger Alan Nolan from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, but the Majors won&rsquo;t have Nolan in their lineup for the first six games of the season.Nolan must serve a suspension he incurred for an elbowing major during the playoffs last season.Nolan is a nephew of 1997 NHL coach-of-the-year Ted Nolan, who also guided the Greyhounds to two OHL titles and one Memorial Cup crown. The Greyhounds received a seventh round midget pick.COACH JUMPS BORDER Former Ottawa 67&rsquo;s captain Greg Walters has joined the Sarnia Sting as an assistant coach.Walters retired this summer after playing 575 games of pro hockey.He was a player/associate coach with the United League&rsquo;s Port Huron Border Cats last season. Port Huron and Sarnia are border cities, so he didn&rsquo;t have far to move.NEW RULES The OHL will immediately add a game misconduct to any major penalty this season - except fighting - regardless of whether an injury has occurred.In the past, there had to be an injury to the face or head to draw a game misconduct when a major was assessed for elbowing, charging or boarding.NET RESULT The OHL will make safety netting mandatory above the end glass in all of its arenas this season, according to a league source.Currently, the league recommends that netting be installed and 15 of 20 arenas have it in place. &#9632;

f0028-01

Goalie-turned-blueliner in Belleville camp

<div class="byline">By Willy Palov</div>The Victoriaville Tigres are doing their part to open up the mostly untapped American market.The defending league champions organized a three-game exhibition series against a New England all-star team made up of prep school and university players. The motivation was to gauge the interest level for possible expansion into the U.S. and to showcase Quebec League hockey to U.S. players.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02799/8158304-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="399" height="276"></div>The QMJHL is the only one of the three Canadian Hockey League partners without franchises in the U.S. Victoriaville GM John Greene, along with former Boston Bruins Steve Kasper and Ray Bourque, came up with the idea.Kasper, now a New England-based player agent, and Bourque coached the U.S. team during games in Salem, N.H. in August. The Tigres won two out of three.&ldquo;It went very well,&rdquo; Greene said. &ldquo;It was exposure for the players who might want to come up to play here and, at the same time, it was exposure for our league to the people down there.&ldquo;Who knows, if we ever want to expand, something like this might be the kind of thing we need to do more of.&rdquo;A handful of American-born players have travelled north to the QMJHL in the past few years, but the numbers are low compared to the Ontario and Western Leagues. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d love it if more kids came up because it would help raise the level of play,&rdquo; Greene said. &ldquo;You can never have too many good players in your league.&rdquo;WILDCAT CATS The Shawinigan Cat-aractes&rsquo; 20-year-olds must have been inspired by major league baseball players.They staged a pre-season strike over salaries that lasted only two days. Defenseman Jean-Francois David and forwards Jean-Michel Boisvert and Jonathan Bellemare wanted $50 more than the $350 per week the team offered.They refused to play until the team softened its take-it-or-leave-it stance. The sides resolved their dispute Aug. 21 when the team agreed to shell out $400 per week.COURTEAU REMAINS Gilles Courteau&rsquo;s reign as QMJHL commissioner will continue for at least five years after he agreed to a contract extension.Courteau, who was previously referred to as the league president, has been at the QMJHL helm for nearly 17 years.&ldquo;The QMJHL is in good hands and the renewal was unanimously voted by the governors,&rdquo; said Camille LeBlanc, the president of the board of governors.Courteau is also vice-president of the CHL.HO-HUM DEADLINE The summer trade period ended with a whimper Aug. 26.There was only one significant deal and it was small, even by QMJHL standards. The Montreal Rocket acquired 19-year-old defenseman Samuel Gibbons from the Val-d&rsquo;Or Foreurs for a second round pick in 2003.There were six other trades, but all of them were minor.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s too early for teams to make moves,&rdquo; said Cape Breton coach-GM Pascal Vincent. &ldquo;Teams still want to see if some of their players will be back from NHL camps and they need time to see if the players they have will come together as a team.&rdquo;Except for deals involving 20-year-olds and draft picks, teams aren&rsquo;t allowed to make any moves until the Christmas trade period. &#9632;

f0028-02

Tigres make strides into U.S. territory

<div class="byline">By Greg Harder</div>Marc Habscheid is coming home.After representing his country on numerous occasions as a player, the Kelowna Rockets bench boss came full circle this summer when he agreed to plunge back into the national program as the coach of Canada&rsquo;s junior team.Habscheid, an assistant coach with last year&rsquo;s squad, will again be challenged to balance his two jobs through the fall before stepping away from Kelowna for one month to guide Canada at the 2003 World Junior Championship.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very fortunate,&rdquo; said Habscheid upon returning from Canada&rsquo;s summer development camp in Halifax, the site of this year&rsquo;s world junior tournament.&ldquo;The CHA is extremely helpful and I&rsquo;m lucky to have two other coaches (assistants Mario Durocher and Mike Kelly) who are great coaches. We work well together, so you spread it around. There&rsquo;s no doubt it&rsquo;s a lot of work, but I&rsquo;m fortunate, too. I have a pretty good owner (Bruce Hamilton in Kelowna). He wants me to do this, but at the same time, I know he employs me and I&rsquo;m certainly not going to let that slide.&rdquo;Habscheid is keeping his expanded role in perspective.&ldquo;You talk about the stress of the coach, but there&rsquo;s a lot of stress on the players,&rdquo; said the third-year Kelowna coach. &ldquo;You sometimes forget they&rsquo;re just kids, they&rsquo;re teenagers&hellip;All of Canada is going to be looking at these young guys come Christmas.&rdquo;Habscheid knows the stress of the tournament. The former NHLer helped Canada win its first gold medal at the 1982 WJC. He&rsquo;s also the first player to return to the program as its head coach.Habscheid is anxious to relate his experiences to the players.&ldquo;I know exactly what they&rsquo;re going through,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve all watched the tournament on TV. They&rsquo;re on pins and needles and hoping with all their hearts that they&rsquo;re going to be one of the 22 (to crack the lineup) because of the excitement it&rsquo;s going to bring. It&rsquo;s a great experience.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04407/8158335-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="398" height="276"></div>WEST BEST Western League talent figured prominently in a skills competition on Day 7 of Team Canada&rsquo;s development camp, which wrapped up Aug. 19.Jordin Tootoo of the Brandon Wheat Kings won the hardest-shot title with a slapshot measured at 97 miles per hour. Matthew Spiller of the Seattle Thunderbirds was second at 95 mph.The fastest-skater crown went to Medicine Hat Tigers rearguard Jay Bouwmeester, the third overall pick of the Florida Panthers in this year&rsquo;s NHL entry draft. Duncan Milroy of the Memorial Cup-champion Kootenay Ice scored the tiebreaking goal in the breakaway competition.NOTEBOOK Prince George Cougars center Mike Wirll has a free agent tryout with the NHL&rsquo;s Atlanta Thrashers&hellip;Swift Current Broncos defenseman Ales Cerny, 20, signed with an Elite League team in his native Czech Republic&hellip;Moose Jaw Warriors rookie import Petr Jelinek is the son of one-time Ottawa Senators right winger Tomas Jelinek&hellip;For the second consecutive year, Kevin Acheson is the winner of the Allen Paradice Memorial Trophy as the WHL&rsquo;s top official. The award is voted on by the league&rsquo;s 19 teams. &#9632;

f0028-04

Habscheid prepares to take on world

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Paul Shaheen</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03587/8158366-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="309" height="104"></div>With USA Hockey&rsquo;s prestigious &ldquo;Tier I&rdquo; certification now in hand, the United States League is looking forward to the start of its 24th season and the many college and pro prospects that will surely come in its wake.As has been the tradition for years, this season begins with two pre-season showcases, including the Buc Bowl Tournament in Des Moines, where nine of the USHL&rsquo;s 11 squads play in a round-robin Sept. 12-15.With the NCAA&rsquo;s early signing period slated for the first week of November, the Buc Bowl is a springboard for college recruiters and early collegiate commitments. The event&rsquo;s &ldquo;tournament&rdquo; status gives Division I coaches special rights to scout participating players all weekend long, yet have it count only as one official &ldquo;evaluation.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0028-03

UNITED STATES LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011025/8158397-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0029-01

2002 PRE-SEASON SCHEDULES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02684/8158428-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0029-02

NHL STATISTICS SPECIAL

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011156/8158466-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011065/8158459-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="3124" height="3633"></div> &#9632;

f0030-01

NHL DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011139/8158497-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">No one could ever accuse Derek Smith of flaunting his wealth. The former Buffalo Sabre showed up for training camp in the late 1970s wearing running shoes from the 1960s. The Ottawa 67&rsquo;s graduate twice had 60-point seasons before retiring in 1984.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

INTERMISSION

Transactions include NHL personnel moves from August 24-30.<h2>ANAHEIM</h2>Aug. 26 Steve Rucchin, C, signed tour-year contract.<h2>ATLANTA</h2>Aug. 27 Daniel Tjarnqvist, D. and Dan Snyder, C, signed contracts.<h2>BUFFALO</h2>Aug. 26 Ryan Miller, G, signed two-year contract.<h2>COLUMBUS</h2>Aug. 28 Derrick Walser, D, and Blake Bellefeuille, C, signed one-year contracts.<h2>DALLAS</h2>Aug. 29 Steve Gainey, LW, signed one-year contract.<h2>DETROIT</h2>Aug. 27 Stacy Roest, C, signed contract.Aug. 29 Matt Ellis, LW, and Darryl Bootland, RW, signed three-year contracts.<h2>FLORIDA</h2>Aug. 29 Bill Murphy named public address announcer.<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>Aug. 27 Chris McAlpine, D, signed contract.<h2>NEW JERSEY</h2>Aug. 26 Ken Sutton, D, and Dave Roche, C, signed contracts.<h2>OTTAWA</h2>Aug. 26 Brian Pothier, D, signed multi-year contract. Dennis Bonvie, RW, signed one-year contract.<h2>TORONTO</h2>Aug. 18 Trevor Kidd, G, signed multi-year contract.<h2>WASHINGTON</h2>Aug. 26 Tim Hunter added to player development staff.Aug. 27 Rob Zettler, D, retired.<h2>REMEMBER WHEN</h2>Headlines from The Hockey News archives10 years ago this season, Sept. 18,1992Summit Series 20-year anniversary; It keeps getting betterNHL bruisers must find way to adapt now that bashing inappropriateNHL returns to basic cable service with five-year ESPN arrangementNHL&rsquo;s drug policy comes under fire, but there are no plans to change itLucrative Lindros contract leaves Yzerman wonderingOttawa 30-year-old rookie Jelinek a natural leaderDaigle sets goals high in QMJHL, but isn&rsquo;t saying how high25 years ago this season, October, 1977NHL-WHA showdown avertedPlayer agent Richard Sorkin charged in $360,000 fraudCanadiens still ranked as No. 1 team for new seasonRangers hoping goalie Aastrom will improve on defenseIs Islanders rookie Mike Bossy a new home-run man?Potvin top powerlifter in sixth annual Superstars&rsquo; competitionOHA throws book at Templeton in attempt to curb rowdinessStingers, WHA teams shell out for Ftorek40 years ago this season, October, 1962Sawchuk ready to wear mask after trial runHistory shows Stanley Cup champs rarely win in NHL&rsquo;s All-Star ClassicRookie puckstopper Dennis Riggin pushes Hank Bassen from goaling pictureMahovlich, Keon, Horton salary demands are too high for ImlachBarons desperate for more scoring depth; secure Masterton, Hilts from NHL CanucksKingston set again as Gamble, Sinden report &#9632;

NHL TRANSACTIONS

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02764/8158573-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg"></div>Answers in next issue and <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><h2>ACROSS</h2>1 Area occupied by goalies4 Hard shots9 One who spends a lot of time at hockey arenas10 A former Central League city, Fred Shero coached there11 Toss out12 &lsquo;Shanny&rsquo;s&rsquo; first name13 State with American League hockey15 When NHL teams report to camp: abbr.18 He was Conn Smythe Trophy winner in 2000, pictured21 Reg is a lesser-known Hall of Famer23 Provoke24 One of Jarome Iginla&rsquo;s trophies25 Help in the scoring of a goal26 Ken is president in Toronto<h2>DOWN</h2>1 He was among the Oilers&rsquo; top pointgetters last season2 Ex-netminder Wakely3 Delete a player from the lineup5 Not marked6 Kind of goalie7 Veteran winger Corson8 Spear14 Detroit&rsquo;s 2001-02 season has been called &lsquo;One for &lsquo;15 Daniel Alfredsson is one16 Where Eric Lindros played junior17 Skalbania brought NHL hockey to Calgary19 Makes20 Shot is considered the best all-time hockey movie22 The Philadelphia Flyers were once known as &lsquo;The Street Bullies&rsquo;<h2>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</h2>ACROSS1. CHARGE 4. ROBBIE 9. ALBERTA 10. THREE 11. EXTRA 12. YZERMAN 13. ANDY15. CONN 18. ROCKIES 21. INTRA 23. SELLS 24. SEATTLE 25. ROSTER 26. ROBERTDOWN1. CRAVEN 2. AUBUT 3. GERMANY 5. ON THE 6. BERGMAN 7. EYEING 8. GARY14. NICKLAS 15. CHICAGO 16. FRASER 17. PARENT 19. ISSUE 20. SASK 22. TITLE<h2>Separated at Birth</h2>Have you ever spotted these two personalities in the same room at the same time?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03554/8158566-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="378" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Chelios</figcaption></div>Scrappy Red Wings star a boffo crease cleaner<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04396/8158559-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="381" height="432"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tony Danza</figcaption></div>Sitcom star played a scrapper, housecleaner<h2>They say it&rsquo;s your birthday!</h2>Players with birthdays on a forgettable day:<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06252/8158552-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="813" height="304"></div> &#9632;

f0032-02

THN Crossword

<div class="byline">&#x2013;Adam Proteau</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05302/8158604-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="367" height="560"></div>Detroit Red WingsPos: Left wing Age: 36 Birthplace: Montreal, Que.What CD is in your stereo?&ldquo;That&rsquo;s easy - my wife Stacia&rsquo;s new record, Hush.&rdquo;If you were NHL commissioner, what would your first act be?&ldquo;I would tell the referees to call the game as they see it, to whistle down every broken rule, no matter the circumstances. If that happened, obstruction would be cleared up in a month.&rdquo;Who are your closest friends in the NHL?&ldquo;Rob Blake, Glen Murray and Sean O&rsquo;Donnell.&rdquo;What three famous people would you like to have dinner with?&ldquo;President Bush, Bono from U2 and Steven Spielberg.&rdquo;Who is the toughest guy you have played with?&ldquo;Chris Chelios - he will play through any injury just to be a part of the game. He is the most mentally tough player I&rsquo;ve ever been on the ice with.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0032-05

LUC ROBITAILLE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011031/8158635-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0033-01

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

Chances are the Calgary Flames will be able to work out a new deal for Jarome Iginla - probably a two-year pact which might even be done by the time you read this.But you have to wonder if the Flames are compromising themselves if they give in to Iginla&rsquo;s salary demands and rely on the new collective bargaining agreement in 2004 to help them keep him beyond the life of the new deal. What if Canadian teams don&rsquo;t get what they want in the CBA? You know, a salary cap (or luxury tax, call it what you want) and revenue sharing that will be a big boost to the NHL&rsquo;s small-market teams?Then, whatever deal the Flames sign Iginla to may prove to be the stumbling block that keeps the struggling franchise from regaining respectability in the near future. We&rsquo;re talking about a team that has missed the playoffs for six straight years and hasn&rsquo;t won a post-season round since 1989.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011160/8158687-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="292" height="375"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Brophy&nbsp;Senior Writer</figcaption></div>Truth is, Iginla&rsquo;s trade value may never be higher than it is right now. It could possibly increase - marginally - by the March trade deadline, depending on the type of deal he signs and his output. Then again, if he gets big bucks, but his production slips, his new contract could hinder Calgary&rsquo;s ability to move him.(I know what you&rsquo;re thinking: if the trade doesn&rsquo;t pan out, the franchise is sunk. Perhaps, but overpaying Iginla could set the franchise even further back than it is now. And don&rsquo;t you think keeping Iginla in Calgary and continuing to miss the playoffs will eventually grow awfully tired?)None of this comes as news to Calgary GM Craig Button. He has gone over all the scenarios in his mind and arrived at this conclusion: &ldquo;Jarome is so much a part of our team and our community. Our goal is to have him play for our team and we&rsquo;ll see what the new CBA brings to us.&rdquo;Button is walking a tightrope. He has to say all the right things to convince Calgary fans he is doing his utmost to retain Iginla. At the same time, as the GM, he&rsquo;s obliged to consider the organization&rsquo;s best interests over the long term - including the possibility of trading Iginla.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02789/8158680-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="1525" height="1336"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jarome Iginla is looking for big bucks, but it could be a deal Calgary lives to regret.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had inquiries about Jarome,&rdquo; Button said. &ldquo;All I can say is, when you&rsquo;re talking about trading a star player, you are looking for quality in return, not quantity.&rdquo;<h2>Playoff Droughts</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03624/8158673-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="134" height="137"></div>Calgary hasn&rsquo;t qualified for the postseason for six straight years, giving the Flames one of the longest nonplayoff streaks in NHL history.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04488/8158666-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="609" height="465"></div>A lot of GMs in Button&rsquo;s shoes would be facing a public outcry to hold on to the star player. But Button is lucky. Most Calgary fans seem to appreciate how one huge contract can devastate a franchise, having seen how megadeals to Paul Kariya and Pavel Bure crippled Anaheim and Florida.Still, whether fans would truly understand Button trading the team&rsquo;s best and most popular player remains to be seen. It could be they&rsquo;d side with management holding firm with Iginla, with the understanding that would force Iginla to sit out. If it comes to that, though, the Flames risk getting off to a bad start and missing the playoffs for a seventh straight year.It&rsquo;s hard to imagine anyone in Calgary being too understanding of either the Flames or Iginla if that happens. It would just be another nail in the coffin of a struggling Canadian franchise. Remember folks, the Flames got off to a wonderful 13-2-4-2 start last season - with Iginla leading the way - and still wound up missing the playoffs by 17 points.Calgary fans love the affable Iginla, who is as genuine a person as you&rsquo;ll ever meet. He has made his mark in the community, not like some players who do it for the media spotlight, but because it&rsquo;s simply who he is.That said, watch how quickly fans turn on him if he misses the start of the season and the Flames struggle out of the gate and miss the playoffs.Some fans already feel Iginla, who is well within his rights to ask for as much money as he can get, is a pawn in a game being played by his Toronto-based agent, Don Meehan. They point to Michael Peca, another Meehan client, who sat out the 2000-01 season in a contract dispute with Buffalo. The Flames, like the Sabres, can&rsquo;t afford to have a healthy marquee player on the sidelines. &ldquo;Shame on Iginla for letting his agent get him in this position,&rdquo; one fan wrote to Calgary Herald columnist Bruce Dowbiggin.Iginla appears determined to squeeze as much out of the Flames as he possibly can. The numbers bandied about suggest he&rsquo;s asking for $7.5 million a year while the Flames have offered $5.5 million. One source suggested to me the two sides have inched closer, to $7 million and $6 million.If there is one area the existing CBA can assist teams, it is in helping them keep their young, quality restricted free agents. The Flames have that working in their favor. But if they sign him rather than trade him, regardless of what they might get for him next March, they may live to regret it down the road. &#9633; &#9632;

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Trade Iginla while his value is high

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 final<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05394/8158725-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="730" height="684"><figcaption class="caption-body">Heroes of 1972: Paul Henderson and Phil Esposito</figcaption></div>For the latest news, visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><h2>Next Issue</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06352/8158718-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="500" height="800"></div>September 20, 2002Sami Kapanen has speed to burn - and something to proveNew coach, new life: Pierre Turgeon gets a second chance in DallasMajor Junior Preview: Predictions, schedules, analysis & kids to watch &#9632;

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September 13, 2002

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