Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
December 13, 2002
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Daubenspeck finds that old magic in South Carolina
On the day Jason Fitzsimmons was hired to coach the South Carolina Stingrays last May, the first player to call was former Rays goalie Kirk Daubenspeck. But Daubenspeck, who led the team to a Kelly Cup in 2000-01 before heading to the West Coast League last season, was calling to offer more than congratulations. “He said he wanted to come back and I made that my No. 1 priority,” said Fitzsimmons, the Stingrays’ Kelly Cup-winning goalie back in 1997. “You start building a championship from the net out. Kirk has been a huge addition.” With Daubenspeck back in the fold, the Rays were off to a 13-6-0 start, best in the East Coast League’s Southern Conference. The 28-year-old was leading the ECHL with 12 wins and had a .913 save percentage. Fitzsimmons, 31, took…
Most valuable players at NHL’s quarter pole
It’s no surprise Colorado’s Joe Sakic, Detroit’s Sergei Fedorov and Edmonton’s Tommy Salo are their team’s First Quarter MVP, but Florida’s Olli Jokinen, Nashville’s Andreas Johansson and Tampa’s Vinny Prospal are unexpected heroes. Listed are the 13 centers, eight goalies, four right wingers, three left wingers and two defensemen who earned team MVP nods in the first quarter of the NHL season.…
Wesley not offensive at either end of rink
By the time Carolina’s 21st game of the season rolled around, only defenseman Glen Wesley remained without a point to show for the first quarter of the season. That changed in a hurry in a 73 win over Montreal when Wesley picked up three assists in a five-goal second period. Two nights later he scored his first goal of the year in a 3-1 loss to the Rangers. “The bottom line is we’re winning,” Wesley said. “Obviously (the points are) a bonus. In the back of your head, you want to get rid of the goose egg and be playing well.” Wesley isn’t the offensive defenseman he was early in his career when he regularly piled up 30-plus points. But he is putting together a steady defensive season at age 34. After starting slowly…
Weinhandl’s eye injury doesn’t halt development as elite point producer
That Mattias Weinhandl is playing at all in the NHL despite barely 10 per cent vision in one eye is a noteworthy achievement. That he recently has thrived on the first line with star Alexei Yashin is remarkable. “His vision doesn’t seem to me to be a problem,” said coach Peter Laviolette. Weinhandl, 22, was called up Nov. 19 from American League Bridgeport to fill in for injured winger Oleg Kvasha (ankle). Through six games he had five points, including three assists Nov. 23 in a win over the Rangers and his first NHL goal one-game later in a tie against Ottawa. A sprained right shoulder, sustained in a team practice, sidelined Weinhandl for two weeks until mid-December. “He’s a very gifted player,” said captain Michael Peca. The Swedish winger nearly lost his left eye-and…
Made possible with the support of
