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.

January 24, 2003

The Hockey News January 24, 2003

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011903/8087533-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(BBS)</figcaption></div>Bob Goodenow and Gary Bettman yuk it up in New York after putting the finishing touches on a new CBA, a bankruptcy bailout package for the Senators and a Middle East peace deal&hellip;.well, not really. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Funny men

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Jim Connelly</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011018/8090006-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="398" height="231"></div>Wayne State, which was picked to finish first in College Hockey America in the pre-season coaches&rsquo; poll, struggled through the conference schedule in the first half of the season and face an uphill climb in the second half.Having reached the holiday break with just one J conference win, the Warriors managed a 2-3-1 record within the conference and 7-11-1 overall by early January.Still, with a heavy out-of-conference schedule to start the season, the club&rsquo;s limited successes to date are still something of a bright light for coach Bill Wilkinson. &ldquo;We just have to worry about how we play (outside the CHA) and do a good job at both ends of the rink,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;Any time you play other leagues you&rsquo;re always trying to win games for your league and we&rsquo;re the young guys on the block. The more times we can beat teams, it&rsquo;s a positive sign for our league.&rdquo;The Warriors hope their non-league success translates back to the CHA. The school&rsquo;s final 14 games this season are within the conference. &#9632;

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Warriors willing to represent CHA

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01652/8090329-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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2003 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS

<div class="byline">BY PHILIP COLVIN</div>Michigan State coach Rick Comley must be glad the holidays are over.During the Christmas break, the Spartans lost two defensemen when freshman Evan Shaw left the team and sophomore Duncan Keith opted for major junior.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011125/8089882-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="399" height="229"></div>Although Shaw didn&rsquo;t take a regular shift on the blueline, the loss of Keith hurts the Spartans&rsquo; chances of getting back into the Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoff race.Keith, a native of Winnipeg, signed with the Western League&rsquo;s Kelowna Rockets while he was home for the break. He later changed his mind, but by NCAA rules, was ineligible to return. After considering filing an appeal, Keith decided to stay with the Rockets. He made his debut with the team Dec. 27.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very disappointed,&rdquo; Comley said. &ldquo;He regrets the decision. He wanted to come back and appeal it, but his chances probably wouldn&rsquo;t have been good.&rdquo; Drafted 54th overall in 2002 by Chi-E, Keith struggled to live up to expecns. Still, he scored three goals and points in 15 games for Michigan.The Spartans face a huge challenge the rest of the season with only five defensemen. &ldquo;You can play with five OK, but we&rsquo;re an injury away from really being in trouble,&rdquo; Comley said.As for Shaw, he returned home to Cumberland, R.I., where he was weighing his options. (See pg. 31 for more on Keith.)SPOTLIGHT Ohio State went undefeated in six games (5-0-1) in December and Center R. J. Umberger had a hand in all five of the Buckeyes&rsquo; wins.The junior scored nine goals, including four garrie-winners, and 13 points in the six-game span as Ohio State moved into second place in the CCHA.Umberger ranks 44th all-time on the Buckeyes&rsquo; scoring list with 47 goals and 101 points.NHL PROSPECT WATCH After scoring 18 goals as a freshman and being drafted 10th overall by Calgary in 2002, Michigan&rsquo;s Eric Nystrom was focused on having another big year.But the sophomore left winger, the son of former N.Y. Islanders&rsquo; great Bobby Nystrom, had just three goals and four points in 10 CCHA games.&ldquo;Eric has played well, but he has just been snakebit around the net,&rdquo; said Michigan associate coach Mel Pearson. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s still getting his chances.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK Lake Superior received an emotional and financial boost at Christmas when former Lakers stand out Doug Weight, a 12-year NHL veteran, donated $200,000 towards an endowed scholarship in his name. The Lakers then beat Michigan State Jan. 3 for their first league win of the season. &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

Shocking loss of D-man Keith stings Spartans

The Hockey News has gotten the tap on the shoulder and we&rsquo;re about to change on the fly.In our ongoing attempt to improve the world&rsquo;s leading hockey publication, we&rsquo;ve developed a new look and feel that has us as excited as a rookie about to play his first NHL game.Only we&rsquo;re armed with 55 years of experience that we&rsquo;re taking into battle.The new-look version of The Hockey News is based on feedback we&rsquo;ve received from you, the readers, over the past year-and-a-half. It will be launched next week (Jan. 31 cover date, Issue No. 21) and, as we endeavor to provide you with relevant hockey information you won&rsquo;t get elsewhere, we will remain true to our roots. Your favorite components, such as NHL team reports, Plus/Minus and the cover story return not only intact, but enhanced. And we will continue to be your source for minor pro, major junior and U.S. college coverage and NHL team statistics.But, thanks to what you&rsquo;ve told us, we&rsquo;ve taken The Hockey News to the next level with more unique analysis, opinion, insight and personality in an attractive new, magazine-like package. Well sprinkle pertinent stats throughout the publication to help you better understand your favorite game.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021524/8087564-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="291" height="344"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTEBOOK&nbsp;Jason Kay Managing Editor (COVER: Naslund: Sports Action/Glenn James)</figcaption></div>We&rsquo;ll also call on hockey experts&ndash;men who have played the game and coached it, such as Glenn Healy, Barry Melrose and Scotty Bowman&ndash;to tell us what really happens on the ice and in the dressing rooms. Well take tough stands on major issues with a weekly. Editorial position piece and call on cartoonist Dave Elston to continue to deliver his unparalleled satirical ice wit.We&rsquo;ll also inject a healthy dose of fun into the new product without crossing into silly-dom.Cosmetically, you&rsquo;re also in for a treat.The new and improved magazine employs a superior print process that we think you&rsquo;ll love. Each and every issue will be fullcolor and the photos and graphics will pop with energy The ink on the brighter pages won&rsquo;t rub off on your hands&ndash;a personal pet peeve&ndash;and we&rsquo;re stapling the book to ensure it remains intact while you&rsquo;re reading it.While the steps we&rsquo;re taking are bold, we&rsquo;re certain you&rsquo;ll quickly embrace them. It&rsquo;s a confidence born of research in which subscribers and hockey fans in Canada and the U.S. were shown the changes. The results were resounding: the new magazine got unanimous approval.So get ready to join us on the latest leg of our journey and let us know what you think.And most of all, thanks for reading The Hockey News. &#9632;

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You spoke, we’re responding with exciting, new format

If the NHL&rsquo;s crackdown on obstruction was in place two decades ago, Reijo Ruotsalainen might have played more than seven seasons in the league.&ldquo;The NHL was so rough when I played,&rdquo; said Ruotsalainen, now 42. &ldquo;There was a lot of fighting back then and that wasn&rsquo;t my game. The league seems better for skilled players now. But I tried to play my best and I had some success.&rdquo;Standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 170 pounds, Ruotsalainen was drafted 119th overall by the New York Rangers in 1980 and began his North American career as a 21-year-old in 1981-82.However, that wasn&rsquo;t the first chance the native of Oulu, Finland, had to play in the NHL.&ldquo;Edmonton was interested in me. They wanted me to come over when I was 18,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;At the time, I wasn&rsquo;t sure I was ready, but once I saw (fellow Finn) Risto Siltanen play for them, I felt confident I could play in the league.&rdquo;Widely known for his skating skills&ndash;coach Herb Brooks once claimed he was the NHL&rsquo;s best skater&ndash;Ruotsalainen played for the Rangers, Oilers and Devils, amassing 237 assists and 344 points in 446 regular season games. His most prolific offensive season was in 1984-85 with the Rangers, when he tallied 45 assists and 73 points in 80 games.&ldquo;I was a small player,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I had to use my speed and mobility to give me an advantage.&rdquo;Ruotsalainen also made his mark in the post-season with 32 assists and 47 points in 86 career playoff games. More importantly, he won two Stanley Cups, both with Edmonton, in 1986-87 and 1989-90.Interestingly, Ruotsalainen values his second Stanley Cup more than his first championship with the Oilers.. &ldquo;I treasure both times I won the Cup,&rdquo; he said,&rdquo;but the first time I was in Edmonton, I felt like I didn&rsquo;t do that much to help out. The second time, I think I contributed much more, so to me, that win was a little more special.&rdquo;A veteran of the international game, Ruotsalainen played for eight more years after his final NHL contest, appearing in the Swiss and Finnish elite leagues before hanging up his skates for good in 1997-98.Ruotsalainen got into coaching soon afterwards, working as an assistant under Ted Sator, his former coach in New York, with Miami and New Orleans of the East Coast League.Now an assistant with Oulu Karpat of the Finnish league, Ruotsalainen said he would welcome another chance to work in North America.&ldquo;My family talks about it every day,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They ask me, &lsquo;When are we going back?&rsquo;&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m happy. I&rsquo;m very satisfied with what I accomplished,&rdquo; Ruotsalainen added. &ldquo;Now that I&rsquo;m a bit older, I appreciate everything that much more.&rdquo; &#9633;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011850/8087595-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="748" height="1080"><figcaption class="caption-body">Reijo Ruotsalainen (BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Ruotsalainen won two Cups with Oilers

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Mark Brender</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011858/8087650-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">HARD TO FIGURE&nbsp;Why are players still getting crushed into rock-hard glass when there are plenty of alternatives? (BBS)</figcaption></div>Last summer, acting on recommendations from its injury committee. the NHL mandated that all teams must have flexible glass systems in place by the end of 2002. This was a very good thing.However, by the time the New Year&rsquo;s champagne corks were popping, one-third of NHL teams were still playing in rinks with glass that has less give than Scrooge in a roomful of holiday revelers. This was not a good thing.In late December the NHL quietly extended the deadline for teams to have more flexible plexiglass systems in place until the start of next season. That means 10 clubs&ndash;Calgary, Minnesota, Montreal, Nashville, Ottawa, Phoenix and Vancouver, plus parts of the rink in Edmonton, Philadelphia and New Jersey&ndash;will be playing with the fan-friendly, rigid, seamless glass for another four months at least.&ldquo;It shows you how important the players are,&rdquo; fumed Dallas star Mike Modano, who was concussed after being hit from behind into the glass in Philadelphia in late December. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a meat market. Move them in and move them out. Get some younger guys whose brains aren&rsquo;t scrambled yet.&rdquo;Toronto&rsquo;s Mats Sundin also suffered a shoulder injury Dec. 27 after being hit into the glass in Calgary. While there&rsquo;s no proof these injuries wouldn&rsquo;t have occurred with flexible systems, common sense says they wouldn&rsquo;t have been as severe.NHL spokesman Frank Brown said a new glass system (for which testing hadn&rsquo;t been completed) became available, so clubs were given the extension while testing takes place. He said all clubs must be compliant by the start of 2003-04. Dave Battel, president of Minneapolis-based glass manufacturer Crystaplex, said the company is close to per fecting a seamless system that has more give than supported acrylic shielding systems.There&rsquo;s no getting around the perception. though, that foot-dragging teams have been appeased It&rsquo;s tough to believe that won&rsquo;t continue next season in Phoenix, where the Coyotes move into a new arena in December and surely don&rsquo;t want to fork out tens of thousands of dollars for a few months of games.Are the Coyotes short of cash? Definitely. Are they shortsighted? Well, that will depend on whether any Coyotes are hurt in the interim, after being slammed into unforgiving glass and the NHL&rsquo;s deadline flexibility. &#9632;

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ON THE COVER

What gives? Too bad it’s not the glass

Looking for some good hockey reading? The works of P.J. Stock don&rsquo;t have an ISBN number, but they&rsquo;ve got everything else&ndash;intrigue, suspense, clever wit, inside dirt. Just as he does on the ice, Stock the ecrivan packs a mighty punch. Ever wonder how NHL players decide who picks up the check when they go out for dinner at one of those swanky steak joints? Picture the throw-the-sticks-in-the-middle-and-then pull-them-out-again routine&hellip;done with credit cards. Yes, Stock tells all in his candid journal entries on the Boston Bruins&rsquo; website (<a href="http://www.bostonbruins.com">www.bostonbruins.com</a>). In our humble estimation, it&rsquo;s some of the best puck perusal this side of&hellip;well, we&rsquo;re far too modest for that.PITKANEN PRIMED Joni Pitkanen is ready to be in Philadelphia. His performance at the world junior proved it. His selection as top tournament defenseman proved it. And if that&rsquo;s not good enough for you, let Joni himself tell you. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m ready to play,&rdquo; he smiled. Indeed, the WJC for Pitkanen was about more than just helping Finland win its first-ever medal of any color on Canadian soil (a bronze); it was about helping he and his agent, Larry Kelly, win a contract with the Flyers, who chose Pitkanen fourth overall last summer, so he can play in the NHL next season. &ldquo;Yeah, that&rsquo;s the thing,&rdquo; he smiled again&hellip;Ottawa&rsquo;s 6-4 loss to Vancouver Jan. 8 snapped a streak of 24 consecutive games in which the Senators held opponents to three goals or less. It was the longest such streak since 1955, when the Montreal Canadiens held opponents to three or fewer for 25 straight games&hellip;Things are going so well in Calgary under Darryl Sutter that the Flames are drawing 5,000 fans for open practices&hellip;Contrast Pitkanen&rsquo;s attitude with that of the other blue-chipper skater on the Finnish junior team, power forward Tuomo Ruutu. Ruutu, who was drafted ninth over all by Chicago in 2001 and ranked No. 1 in Future Watch 2002, still hasn&rsquo;t signed with the Hawks and it he doesn&rsquo;t seem to care much if a deal gets done any time soon. &ldquo;I have fun playing in Finland,&rdquo; said Ruutu, who plays for IFK Helsinki. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m in no great hurry to come.&rdquo;&hellip;Carolina recalled 28-year-old defenseman Steven Halko Jan. 3 and thereby set into motion the NHL&rsquo;s most dubious streak. Halko had played 153 NHL games over parts of six seasons without scoring a goal. If Halko retired tomorrow, he would have the record for the longest goal-less NHL career. If and when Halko&rsquo;s luck turns, the &ldquo;honor&rdquo; will revert back to Dallas Eakins, currently playing with Chicago of the American League, at 120 scoreless NHL games. &#9632;

THN ONE-TIMERS

<div class="byline">BY BUCKY GLEASON</div>A few years ago, when Dominik Hasek and Michael Peca were all the rage in Sabre-land, Buffalo was the model for a small-market franchise making good. Now we know it was all an illusion.WHAT&rsquo;S HAPPENING The Sabres appeared to be financially stable until it became clear owner John Rigas was the focus of the Adelphia Communications scandal that rocked Wall Street last March. Rigas and sons Timothy and Michael later were charged with bilking shareholders of $3.1 billion.The fallout was immediate and immense. The Sabres were abandoned by ownership, the NHL assumed control and began overseeing operations and the future of the organization in Buffalo was in jeopardy.With the company filing for bankruptcy protection, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced the team was for sale to anyone willing to keep the franchise in Buffalo. In November, months after prospective owners scoured the team&rsquo;s financial records, Bettman accepted a bid of about $65 million from local businessman Mark Hamister, the frontman, and partner Todd Berman, who was raised in Western New York.Their offer was chosen over one submitted by former gubernatorial candidate Tom Golisano, a Rochester businessman.WHAT IT MEANS Hamister&rsquo;s deal calls for the Sabres to remain in Buffalo under their current HSBC Arena lease with local governments, which has 24 years remaining, but the offer comes with a catch. He needs some $33 million in government money to make the arena financially viable or he will pull his offer off the table. His departure from the deal would open the door for the Sabres to file for bankruptcy and likely leave town or, possibly, fold.Hamister has been working with local and state governments on obtaining the package. There has been resistance. The City of Buffalo is broke, Erie County is hurting for money and New York State is some $11 billion in debt.Still, lawmakers appeared to be leaning toward finding money in their budgets to make the deal work. Hamister has allies on all three levels.POSSIBLE OUTCOMES The ideal situation for Hamister and Sabres fans, of course, would be for him to obtain government money and move toward closing the purchase.Under this scenario, it&rsquo;s conceivable the Sabres would file for a pre-packaged bankruptcy. It would allow Hamister to keep the team without being liable for past Adelphia debts accrued during the Rigas regime.It&rsquo;s possible the NHL&rsquo;s board of governors, which must approve the sale, would vote against Hamister and his effort to keep the team in Buffalo.If governments don&rsquo;t come through and Hamister pulls his offer, the Sabres would likely file for bankruptcy. The team would then be free to break its lease and leave the city and the Sabres would likely be placed on the open market.Bettman has hinted that in the absence of another interested owner, the Sabres could fold. It would happen only if nothing else were arranged between the league and prospective owners.BOTTOM LINE Unless local and state governments come through with the satisfactory financial package, the Sabres&rsquo; 33-year existence in the NHL is history.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011952/8087712-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="244" height="201"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021462/8087705-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="352" height="419"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Rigas</figcaption></div>Buffalo FAST FACTSFranchise birth: May 22, 1970Population of Buffalo area: 950,000Arena: HSBC ArenaCapacity: 18,6902002-03 average attendance: 12,737 (29th)2002-03 average ticket price: $37.96 (22nd)2002-03 payroll: $31.1 million (23rd)History of ownership: NHL took over operations, May, 2002; John Rigas, 19982002; Northrup and Seymour Knox, 19701998. &#9632;

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FEATURES

Government aid needed for Sabres to stay alive

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04536/8087743-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="354" height="416"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Bryden</figcaption></div>Has any other NHL team ever had things go so well on the ice, but so poorly off it? While Ottawa sat atop the Eastern Conference, the Senators faced the greatest crisis in their history.WHAT&rsquo;S HAPPENING Operating under a mountain of debt that dated back to the Senators&rsquo; 1992-93 entry into the NHL, Ottawa owner Rod Bryden twice tried to raise money by selling limited partnerships in his team during the 2002 tax year, tied to generous tax breaks that had been pre-approved by the Canada Customs and Revenue AgencyThe second of Bryden&rsquo;s two initiatives collapsed Dec. 31 when two of the financial institutions owed money by the Senators&ndash;FleetBoston Financial Corp, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce&ndash;blocked the deal.Under terms of Bryden&rsquo;s plan, about 650 investors had purchased 13,580 limited partnership units he had put up for sale, an offering that&ndash;had it been approved&ndash;would have raised $235 million in equity and helped the team get current on its debt payments.The deal&rsquo;s collapse caused the team to miss their Jan. 1 payroll and ultimately forced the Senators to file for bankruptcy protection under the Company Creditors&rsquo;. Arrangement Act (CCAA), Canada&rsquo;s equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy.WHAT IT MEANS In conjunction with their bankruptcy filing, the Senators received an immediate loan of $8.8 million from the CIBC and FleetBoston, monies that would be directed towards meeting the team&rsquo;s day-to-day operating expenses.As the majority owner, Bryden had until Jan. 14 to submit a bid for the team. If he didn&rsquo;t do so, or if the team&rsquo;s creditors didn&rsquo;t accept his offer for the team, by Jan. 24, the Senators would be put up for sale by Gameplan LLC, a Bostonbased firm, with a view to getting the transaction done by early MayThe short-term financing agreement enabled the Sens to pay the players, leaving the team to deal with the more complex longer-term issue&ndash;how to keep a well-run, smallmarket team alive in a soft economy, facing the daily challenge of operating with a 63cent Canadian dollar.POSSIBLE OUTCOMES Oddly enough, the Senators&rsquo; decision to file for bankruptcy protection under the CCAA may be the first step in a process that actually keeps the team in Ottawa, provided someone&ndash;Bryden, fronting for a group of investors, is the most visible possible bidder&ndash;steps forward to purchase the team at what would probably be a bargain-basement price.In general, the CCAA&ndash;as the receiver&ndash;would be obliged to sell, the team to the highest bidder in order to maximize the returns for the team&rsquo;s creditors.In the past, that would have raised fears that an American such as Paul Allen, owner of the NBAs Portland Trailblazers, would buy the team and move it to another city. But because so many NHL teams appear on rocky financial footing these days, the threat to sell and relocate isn&rsquo;t as great as it once was. The slumping North American economy, plus the prospect of a drawn-out NHL labor dispute in 2004, suggests there aren&rsquo;t many well-heeled investors looking to pour money into the business of hockey these days.BOTTOM LINE Because it eliminated the team&rsquo;s onerous debt load, bankruptcy is actually the last&ndash;and best&ndash;chance of keeping the franchise alive in Ottawa.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031026/8087750-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="236" height="196"></div>OttawaFAST FACTSFranchise birth: Dec. 16, 1991Population of Ottawa area: 1.05 millionArena: Corel CentreCapacity: 18,5002002-03 average attendance: 16,353 (16th)2002-03 average ticket price: $40.38 (16th)2002-03 Payroll: $30.3 million (25th)History of ownership: Rod Bryden, 1993-pres.; Bruce Firestone, 1991-1993. &#9632;

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Bankruptcy protection may be Sens’ salvation

<h2>Best of the Hockey World</h2>WHAT A START Chicago goalie Michael Leighton records a shutout in his NHL debut as the Blackhawks tie Phoenix 0-0.SUDDENLY CRUISIN&rsquo; After failing to register a point in his first 30 games, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s big Steve McKenna slams home five goals in 10 games.TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE Russia defeats Canada 3-2 to claim a second straight gold medal at the World Junior Championship in Halifax.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06304/8087788-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="371" height="623"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kerry Fraser</figcaption></div><h2>Worst of the Hockey World</h2>ROD BRYDEN Owner of bankrupt Senators says it&rsquo;s up to fans to increase attendance to keep team. But it&rsquo;s the team&rsquo;s crippling debt that is the problem.NHL The league created the mess in Ottawa by 'awarding a franchise to a team that was behind the eight-ball from the get-go.WRONG CALL Instead of fining Montreal&rsquo;s coach and GM for complaining about a missed call, the league should have admitted ref Kerry Fraser&rsquo;s costly error.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-08184/8087781-1-eng-US/f0008-082.jpg" title="f0008-08" width="373" height="625"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve McKenna(Rigas: canapress; All other images BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

Throw out those arguments that the NHL is a watered-down league, with average Europeans taking roster spots away from North Americans.As of Jan. 3,23 of 30 teams were at or above.500. This is proof the NHL is more competitive than ever before. Sime, the style of the game has changed quite a bit, but it&rsquo;s nice to see teams such as Florida, Minnesota and Tampa Bay battling it out each game.Derek. Yerardi,&nbsp; Chestnut Hill, Mass.<h2>Rangers, youth incompatible?</h2>Despite the severity of Mike Richter&rsquo;s head injury, Rangers GM Glen Sather should not have obtained goalie Mike Dunham.Nothing against Dunham, but what was wrong with Dan Blackburn? He was doing fine in net and now he rarely plays. Why do the Rangers continue to shy away from young players?Kenneth Bull,&nbsp; Hillsborough, N.J<h2>Age nothing but a number</h2>It&rsquo;s interesting that of the four women who made the &ldquo;100.People of Power & Influence&rdquo; list, only Hayley Wickenheiser&rsquo;s age is listed, yet the ages of all 96 men are listed. (THN, Jan. 3) Are we to assume the others are, shall we say, more mature than 24? It&rsquo;s just a number, ladies.(Editor&rsquo;s Note: All 100 People of Power & Influence were asked for their age. Three of the four women who were selected declined to disclose that information.)Kevin McKeague,&nbsp; 41, Seattle, Wash.<h2>ABC airing repeat schedule</h2>Once again, the folks at ABC show just how little they know about hockey.If you look at the first slate of televised games, you&rsquo;d think the NHL had gone back to an Original Six era. The same six teams ABC always shows are featured again&ndash;Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, the Rangers, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.I&rsquo;d rather rely on local coverage or satellite TV than see the same six teams, over and over again.Gil Hannebohn,&nbsp; Pasadena, Md. &#9632;

NHL parity big boon for game

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Elston

Players who say visors impair on-ice vision are a joke. All I have to point to are the recent eye injuries suffered by Bryan Smolinski and Landon Wilson. Players who don&rsquo;t wear visors need to open their eyes&ndash;before they lose them altogether.Andrew Goldstein,&nbsp; Hermosa Beach, Calif.Thanks for paying tribute to one of the founders of the Edmonton Oilers, Bill Hunter. (THN, Jan. 3) He was tremendous for hockey, as well as for the late, great World Hockey Association.Tom Miller,&nbsp; ChicagoWhy are Bryan Trottier and Glen Sather allowing Dan Blackburn to waste away on the bench? I hope their strategy doesn&rsquo;t ruin his career.Steve Kosch,&nbsp; Pt. Pleasant, N.J.The NHL should realize that making a team&rsquo;s win total the first playoff tiebreaker is ridiculous. It&rsquo;s obvious what the first tiebreaker should be: fewest overtime losses.Jason Kennedy,&nbsp; Auburndale, Fla.The best rookie in the NHL? Easy: Dallas&rsquo; Niko Kapanen. How many first-year players average almost 15 minutes of ice time per game on one of the NHL&rsquo;s deepest teams? Kapanen is as talented as any rookie and can skate like the wind.Brian Glennon,&nbsp; Garland, Tex.<h2>READERS&rsquo; ONE-TIMERS</h2>This is your place for quick comments on current hockey events. Reader&rsquo;s One-Timers accepts opinions of 60 words or less, so please be concise. &#9632;

Wilson, Smolinski should’ve worn visors

It was interesting to read Mark Brender&rsquo;s interviews with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and players&rsquo; union boss Bob Goodenow and to hear the two sides of the NHL&rsquo;s labor situation. (THN, Jan. 3)Both Goodenow and Bettman seem to think a constant fan base is a given, but that isn&rsquo;t necessarily the case. Fan support in many markets is waning. Fans are tiring of millionaire players and billionaire owners bickering.Both sides are going to push their rhetoric until a strike happens. That&rsquo;s bad for the players, bad for the owners, bad for the fans and bad for hockey If both sides think fans will come running back after such childish posturing, they&rsquo;re mistaken.Howard Stewart, Snowmass Village, Colo.<h2>Familiar answers unsettling</h2>Does anyone else have a bad feeling about what&rsquo;s going on in Buffalo? We&rsquo;re hearing the same evasive answers about the state of the franchise that we heard in Quebec, Winnipeg and Hartford. (THN, Jan. 17)For the sake of Sabres fans, I hope something can be done. No city should lose its franchise.Christopher Cook,&nbsp; South Windsor, Ct.<h2>NHL arming for labor battle</h2>The Buffalo Sabres are on the verge of bankruptcy So are the Ottawa Senators, who couldn&rsquo;t even meet their payroll demands.It looks like the NHL is acquiring plenty of ammo for the labor war in 2004.Richard Jenkins,&nbsp; North Wilkesboro, N.C.<h2>Danton&rsquo;s dubious deeds</h2>Has anybody received more press for doing nothing than Mike Danton? (THN, Dec. 27)Let&rsquo;s review: he&rsquo;s a mid-round pick who has caused more grief than a star player should. Midround picks should work hard, earn a spot on the team, and, after they&rsquo;ve established themselves, can start to speak their mind. Danton comes in and starts complaining long before he had reason to&ndash;or the right.Danton needs to change his attitude before he&rsquo;ll be able to resume his NHL career.Billy-Joe McInnis,&nbsp; Hammonds Plains, N.S.<h2>Got something to say?</h2>MAIL-U.S.A.: Letters, THN, RO. 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:aproteau@thehockeynews.com">aproteau@thehockeynews.com</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;

Fan base far from guaranteed

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011923/8088020-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(BBS)</figcaption></div>The easy thing to do would have been to simply crown Mario Lemieux the NHL&rsquo;s first-half MVP. Trust us, we gave No. 66 plenty of consideration.Super Mario has been superb, perhaps better than even he anticipated, while taking a lead in the scoring race that will be awfully hard for anyone to overcome. His 20 goals and 68 points had him on pace for 41 and 138, high numbers reminiscent of the good ol&rsquo; days. But&ndash;and you knew this was coming&ndash;his Pittsburgh Penguins were not in a playoff position at the halfway point (though they were close). And when it comes time to vote for the Hart Trophy at the end of the year, whether or not each contender&rsquo;s team is in the playoffs will be just one consideration. Jarome Iginla got The Hockey News MVP vote last year despite his team&rsquo;s failure to qualify for the playoffs.But having your team not only in a position to make it into the post-season, but to also win the Stanley Cup, is a big plus. Enter Markus Naslund.The Vancouver captain was the best player on one of the NHL&rsquo;s best teams in the first half.For Naslund, it has been a continuation of the hot run he has been on for three years. Only this season, he has taken his game to the next level. Consider:&#9633; In the first half, the 29-year-old Swede had a league-leading 30 goals and was on pace for a career-best 60. Only one other player (Ottawa&rsquo;s Marian Hossa) was on pace for 50 or more.&#9633; Nine of his goals were game-winners, also tops in the league.&#9633; His line, which includes center Brendan Morrison and right winger Todd Bertuzzi, is the best in the league.&#9633; And let&rsquo;s not forget the success of the Canucks. The NHL&rsquo;s best team in the second half of last season hit a few bumps in the road early, but was in a dogfight for top spot in the Western Conference at the halfway point. The Canucks were the best team in the calendar year 2002 with a 48-19-8-3 record.Pittsburgh&rsquo;s first pick (16th overall) in the 1991 draft&ndash;imagine the damage he and Lemieux could have inflicted as linemates&ndash;Naslund was traded to the Canucks in 1996 for Alek &ldquo;What ever happened to?&rdquo; Stojanov. At the time, both players were underachieving first-rounders. Considering Naslund has since become a league force while Stojanov has been forced out of the league, it&rsquo;s one of the most lopsided deals in NHL history&ldquo;I think it is a matter of. preparing yourself to play the best you can play in every game,&rdquo; Naslund said. &ldquo;When you are younger, I don&rsquo;t think you have the maturity to understand how mentally prepared you need to be to play at a high level during a long season.&rdquo;Since the start of the 2000-01 season, no NHL player has scored more goals than Naslund&rsquo;s 111 (as of Jan. 7). Pavel Bure is second with 107, although it should be pointed out that he has missed numerous games because of injury over that time. That said, Naslund had his best-ever season cut short by 10 games in 2000-01 when he broke his leg in mid-March, leaving him with 41 goals and 75 points. Last year Naslund managed 40 goals and 90 points in 81 games, good enough to finish second to Iginla in the scoring race.<h2>NHL WEST</h2>Western Conference teams are listed according to their first-half grade. Grades are a reflection of performance versus pre-season expectations.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021399/8088013-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="137" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03868/8088006-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="825" height="747"></div><h2>NHL EAST</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04591/8087999-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="145" height="125"></div>Eastern Conference teams are listed according to their first-half grade. Grades are a reflection of performance versus pre-season expectations.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05429/8087992-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="831" height="743"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011706/8087985-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="1122" height="1772"><figcaption class="caption-body">GREAT GABORIK!&nbsp;Marian Gaborik continues to be the Wild&rsquo;s go-to scorer and has become more responsible defensively.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021222/8087978-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="1115" height="1770"><figcaption class="caption-body">SUPER MARIO&nbsp;Penguins owner-captain Mario Lemieux is well on his way to winning his seventh scoring title.</figcaption></div>Naslund is a quiet, unassuming individual both on and off the ice. A man of faith and a dedicated family man with three children, he focuses on being the best he can be and hopes others follow his example. He has been described as &ldquo;a typical Swede&rdquo; although he said he doesn&rsquo;t exactly know what that means.&ldquo;What is a typical Swede?&rdquo; Naslund wondered. &ldquo;Ulf Samuelsson was a Swede, I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m anything like him, am I? I guess many Swedes are quiet people who don&rsquo;t feel they have to speak up a lot.&rdquo;As captain, Naslund said he is selective about when he raises his voice.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not the type of captain who feels he has to have something to say about everything that happens,&rdquo; Naslund said. &ldquo;Players time guys like that out after a short time. I am very lucky on this team that we have all kinds of leadership, so it doesn&rsquo;t fall on my shoulders. I prefer to lead by example. I think it is more important for the players to see me playing as best I can on a nightly basis rather than be blabbing all the time.&rdquo;Said Morrison: &ldquo;He really doesn&rsquo;t have a lot to say. There was one time early, though, when the team wasn&rsquo;t going so well, that he addressed the team and said we were capable of playing much better and we&rsquo;d better get a grip and turn things around soon before it got away from us. For the most part, though, he just goes out and plays his game consistently. That type of leadership has a great affect on the team.&rdquo;Only Jaromir Jagr (236), Joe Sakic (230) and Alexei Kovalev (221) have more points than Naslund&rsquo;s 220 since the start of 2000-01. Vancouver coach Marc Crawford said he has noticed a change in Naslund&rsquo;s game that has helped him become a more consistent producer.&ldquo;The biggest thing is that when he gets a scoring chance, he doesn&rsquo;t take it for granted,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;He knows that he&rsquo;s going to get a certain number of chances each game and that he has to bear down on them because the chances get fewer when the playoffs start. I think when he was younger, he might have been a little bit casual that good scoring chances will always come.&rdquo;<h2>2001-02 vs. 2002-03</h2>Scoring is up slightly, fighting down a bit; penalties are up and so is power play efficiency. Here&rsquo;s how 2002-03 compares with last year in key categories through the mid-season point (615 games).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03814/8087971-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="548" height="817"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ed Belfour</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04628/8087964-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="804" height="562"></div><h2>MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05493/8087957-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg" title="f0011-05" width="791" height="373"></div>1. MARKUS NASLUND, VANCOUVERMake it three straight years of sublime scoring performances by the quiet Swede.2. MARIO LEMIEUX, PITTSBURGHSurprised even himself by playing 40 games before suffering a groin injury.3. MARIAN GABORIK, MINNESOTACoach Jacques Lemaire has done an amazing job molding this budding superstar.<h2>BEST DEFENSEMAN</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-06424/8087950-1-eng-US/f0011-062.jpg" title="f0011-06" width="791" height="372"></div>1. NICKLAS LIDSTROM, DETROITHis all-around game has him on pace for a third straight Norris Trophy.2. AL MACINNIS, ST. LOUISHas bounced back from an off-year and played wonderfully while Chris Pronger out.3. DERIAN HATCHER, DALLASHatcher has been superb defensively and is challenging for the league&rsquo;s plus-minus lead.<h2>BEST GOALIE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-07378/8087943-1-eng-US/f0011-072.jpg" title="f0011-07" width="792" height="373"></div>1. MARTY TURCO, DALLASHas the lowest goals-against average and save percentage among starters.2. ED BELFOUR, TORONTOStarted slowly, but was the Leafs&rsquo; savior andMVP when the injury bug bit.3. JOCELYN THIBAULT, CHICAGOChallenging for league lead in GAA, SP and wins on a team that isn&rsquo;t a contender.<h2>BEST ROOKIE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-08344/8087936-1-eng-US/f0011-082.jpg" title="f0011-08" width="782" height="370"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Gaborik: SA; all other images: BBS)</figcaption></div>1. TYLER ARNASON, CHICAGOLed rookies at the quarter pole and again at the half in goals (11) and points (22).2. NIKO KAPANEN, DALLAS.Solid two-way performer led all rookies with 16 assists and plus-16 rating.3. ALES KOTALIK, BUFFALOSabres&rsquo; best player since early December; keep an eye on this guy in the second half.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011875/8087929-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="1239" height="1490"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOLTIN&rsquo; JOE&nbsp;Boston captain Joe Thornton continues to develop into one of the NHL&rsquo;s best combinations of goals and grit.</figcaption></div>Naslund insists when he skates onto the ice, he expects to score every game.&ldquo;I really do,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I understand the things I have to do to get scoring opportunities and I understand if I do those things, the goals will come. I think a certain level of confidence comes when you start to become a productive player in the NHL. But I also think it can escape you just as quickly as it comes. The thing to remember is, if you consistently do the things that allow you to get scoring chances, even when the puck stops going in for a while, it will eventually go in for you.&rdquo;For Morrison, who perhaps doesn&rsquo;t get the credit he deserves for his contributions to the Canucks&rsquo; big line, playing with Naslund and the powerful 6-foot-3, 245-pound Bertuzzi is a dream come true.&ldquo;I really think we have similar styles even though we each bring something a little different to the table,&rdquo; Morrison said. &ldquo;Bert, obviously because he is so big and fast, is able to give Markus and I a little extra room out there. Plus he has a great toughness around the net. Markus gets open and has one of the hardest and most accurate shots I&rsquo;ve ever seen. I think of myself as the playmaker on the line.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021476/8087922-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="824" height="1157"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marian Hossa</figcaption></div>The decision to pick Naslund over Lemieux was not an easy one. And there were others who received serious consideration including: Hossa, Marion Gaborik of Minnesota and Joe Thornton of Boston, which speaks well for the league&rsquo;s solid foundation of youth.Gaborik, just 20, is the go-to guy on a third-year team that&rsquo;s on pace for its first-ever playoff berth. He had 23 goals (five winners) and 41 points in the first half.Thornton, 23, is regarded as the best young player in the game because he brings so much to the table in terms of offense, tough-ness and ship.Hossa, 24, has injected excitement into an otherwise workmanlike Ottawa lineup and was in a battle with Naslund for the Rocket Richard Trophy with 27 goals through 41 games. &#9632;

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Halftime HERO

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011715/8088058-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="939" height="2112"></div>Subscribe today and get 42 issues including our Yearbook, the #1 Selling Hockey Annualcall now to order:1-888-361-9768ORDER coue: 5400The Hockey News gives you the inside scoop on hockey like no other publication in the world!&bull;Get Inside The Game With: &bull;Interviews &bull;Photos &bull;Stats & Predictions&bull; Get Current Reports From The Best Hockey Writers In All 30 NHL Cities&bull; Get Complete Coverage Of Minor Pro, College And Junior Leagues Across North America&bull; Delivered Directly To Your Door!YOU SAVE 65% off the newsstand prize<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021199/8088051-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="1668" height="950"></div><a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a> &#9632;

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Subscribe & get more than the highlights

HALIFAX&ndash;The Canadians put up their best defense, then met suggestions they were outclassed with defiance.It got to them, all this talk of the Russians being so skilled and talented and unstoppable. It turned out to be true in the end, no matter how hard Canada tried to spin things to the contrary, but that didn&rsquo;t make the reality any easier to accept. Not in the immediate aftermath, anyway In the end, the red carpets were out and Captain Canada Scottie Upshall was crying buckets on the blueline as the Russians whooped it up half-a-rink away The fans sat stunned for a few moments, then broke into an &lsquo;Ca-na-da, Ca-na-da!&rsquo; chant in recognition of their boys, beaten but not defeated. Just as things should have been.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011857/8088103-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="284" height="348"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Brender&nbsp;Contributing Editor (canapress)</figcaption></div>There couldn&rsquo;t have been a more fitting or just conclusion to a spectacular tournament. The Russians&rsquo; 3-2 gold medal victory, in as fine and hotly contested a game as anyone could have hoped for, was much the expected when these two undefeated teams, clearly the class of a 10-team field, met to do battle. Canada carried a 2-1 lead into the third period, but dynamic goals by tournament all-stars Igor Grigorenko and Yuri Trubachev dashed the host&rsquo;s hopes.Nobody in Halifax ever doubted the Canadians&rsquo; abilities or their heart. It was just that, as some of the partisans must have feared, the Russians were a little bit more skilled, a little more talented, a little bit better.&ldquo;Well, we&rsquo;ve got a lot of talent on our team as well,&rdquo; retorted Canadian defenseman Brendan Bell.&ldquo;Maybe sometimes we give other teams too much credit. You know, they were a great bunch of forwards, they had a lot of skill, a lot of talent, and we played them well. We played them tough. It&rsquo;s just the way the puck bounces sometimes, other teams capitalize on their opportunities.&rdquo;Or, to take an even more obvious example of frustration with the line of questioning, here&rsquo;s Jordin Tootoo: &ldquo;I thought we took it to them hard. They&rsquo;re a great team. They&rsquo;re fast, they&rsquo;re strong, but overall I thought we definitely outplayed them.&rdquo;Not many share Tootoo&rsquo;s view.But the edginess is understandable, because words such as &ldquo;skill&rdquo; and &ldquo;talent&rdquo; have become loaded and carry an underlying subtext that no Canadian hockey player can miss. They take us back to the old stereotypes, to post-Nagano when Canada was viewed as a hockey nation in decline, its development programs losing ground.Better to follow Canadian coach Marc Habscheid and give credit where credit is due. The exceptional Russian class of &rsquo;83 that formed the core of this world junior team has now won three consecutive gold medals&ndash;this year and last year at the WJC and the previous year at the world under-18 championship. Grigorenko and Alexander Perezhogin are worldclass offensive talents and they have a deep supporting cast.Much like they did a year ago, the Russians coasted indifferently through the early part of the tournament, even allowing five goals to Switzerland in a 7-5 victory. They played their preliminary round games in Sydney, N.S., in a rink they said was &ldquo;too small&rdquo; in games that obviously meant too little. But with medals on the line, the highly touted Finns in the semifinal barely even made the Russians break a sweat. Canada had them worried.Speaking through a translator, Russian coach Rafail Ishmatov said he believed his players were better as individuals than the Canadians. He said it showed. The Russian players also took their shots; Grigorenko said the Canadian style is just to throw the puck at the net, then &ldquo;push it in.&rdquo; Trubachev said rather than prepare for Canada&rsquo;s physical attack (which they withstood well), the Russians tried to make Canada respond to them.So of course there are still differences. Anyone who watched the two teams go through their morning skates could see that much. Canada ran through the same drills they would do directly before a game&ndash;some back-and-forth passing, 2-on-1s and shooting drills. Russia spent most of its time practicing 5-on-5 and 5-on-4 play with two groups of five on the ice and two groups on the bench.Different strategies? Different tactics? Different results? Sure. But let&rsquo;s keep it all in proper perspective, like the Canadian kids did. A few hours after the most-watched, most-hyped junior hockey game in history, they were together in a hotel lobby, joking, talking, laughing, and yes, preparing to do a little bit of celebrating.After the tears dried, they knew they had been through one of the dandiest hockey games anyone will see all year, nothing more, nothing less.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021404/8088096-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="2336" height="1699"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Russians leap over the boards to celebrate their second straight World Junior Championship gold, a 3-2 nail-biter over Canada.</figcaption></div><h2>RECORDS SHATTERED</h2>Nova Scotia did itself proud. On every level, the 2003 World Junior Championship will go down as one of the tournament&rsquo;s finest hours.Fans in Halifax and Sydney filled the rinks to an unprecedented level. The total attendance of 241,504 shattered the previous WJC mark of 173,453, set in Winnipeg in 1999.The gold medal game between Canada and Russia, televised in Canada on TSN, peaked at 4.2 million viewers and averaged 3.3 million, an all-time record for the 19-year-old network. The semifinal between Canada and the United States averaged two million viewers, which put it as the second-most viewed TSN show of all-time.&#9633; Germany and Belarus, the ninth-and 10th-place teams, are relegated to the &lsquo;B&rsquo; pool next year. They will be replaced by Austria and Ukraine. This is the first year two teams instead of one have been relegated. Some fear this will result in a weakening at the bottom tier of the A&rsquo; pool since the majority of players who helped Austria and the Ukraine move up will be too old to play in the WJC in 2004.<h2>ALL-TIME WJC MEDAL STANDINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03973/8088089-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="470" height="505"></div><h2>2003 WJC FINISH</h2>STANDINGS1. Russia2. Canada3. Finland4. United States5. Slovakia6. Czech Republic7. Switzerland8. Sweden9. Germany10. Belarus &#9632;

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COLUMN

Russians rule roost at WJC

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER &#x2022; Contributing Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011690/8088141-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Making mark&nbsp;Eric Nystrom was impressive on ice and off. (canapress)</figcaption></div>HALIFAX&ndash;It was far too close for Canada&rsquo;s liking and just tight enough to give the United States a taste of what might have been.Outshot 42-15, the Americans were dominated everywhere except the scoreboard in a tension-packed semifinal game against Canada. U.S. goalie Bob Goepfert, unnoticed amidst the hype surrounding Finland&rsquo;s Kari Lehtonen and Canada&rsquo;s Marc-Andre Fleury, stole the hearts of Halifax fans and nearly the game.Immediately after that 3-2 loss, however, the Americans struggled to see the result as anything but another World Junior Championship opportunity gone awry.&ldquo;I think one of the motivatmg forces behind our game performance (against Finland for the bronze medal) is going to be what we felt after losing this game,&rdquo; said U.S. captain Eric Nystrom.Evidently, they felt tired.The Americans&rsquo; 3-2 bronze medal game loss to the Finns two nights later was their seventh game in 11 nights over two cities. The U.S. managed just two shots in the first period. The build-up and let-down associated with the Canada game, played in front of 10,594 thunderous pro-Canada fans, had taken its toll.&ldquo;I think that game (against Canada) had so much emotion, so much intensity and passion, I think that took a lot out of us,&rdquo; Goepfert said.&ldquo;To play a game like that and to lose, it was heartbreaking. I think we were still recovering in the first period, unfortunately. It was too bad we didn&rsquo;t wake up sooner.&rdquo; Early in the third, the Halifax crowd actually broke into a boisterous &ldquo;USA! USA!&rdquo; chant, showing far more life than some of the American players (that&rsquo;s you, Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan). The Americans kept plugging and fought back in the third with some typically North American gritty play&ndash;a slash here, a bang there, crash the net, knock over the goalie, score on rebound. It just happened too late. The U.S. went home without hardware for the sixth consecutive year.The Americans played well in the preliminary round, going 3-0 after an opening-game loss to the Russians, and then defeated the Czech Republic in a crucial crossover quarterfinal to set up the showdown with Canada.U.S. coach Lou Vairo said although the depth of U.S. talent still can&rsquo;t compete with the Russians and Canadians, it is improving.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not a player here that hasn&rsquo;t been coached by several wonderful coaches in then-young careers, from youth hockey through high school through university or junior hockey,&rdquo; Vairo said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve all been through good programs. They understand whatever you&rsquo;re trying to present to them. It&rsquo;s not from scratch any more.&rdquo;The &ldquo;wait until next year&rdquo; routine has become an annual event for the Americans, but this year next year looks especially good. The U.S. has a possible 10 returnees, including leading scorers Zach Parise (four goals, eight points) and Ryan Kesler (three goals, seven points) and goalie Jim Howard, who has been the top-rated netminder in the NCAA this season. Russia has seven potential returnees and Finland and Canada each have four.Vairo said he&rsquo;d rather have the respect of a proud hockey nation like Canada than 50 gold medals. On those grounds, call the tournament a rousing U.S. success. Their stick-waving salute to the fans after each game was warmly received; Nystrom was as classy a spokesman as any team could ask for. Chris Higgins, Kesler and Parise all played hard and clean and Goepfert, especially Goepfert, won&rsquo;t soon be forgotten.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really special,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old Pittsburgh prospect of the ovation he received from the Halifax fans. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to cherish this as long as I live.&rdquo;<h2>2003 PROSPECT FLEURY IMPRESSES AT WJC</h2>Canada&rsquo;s Marc-Andre Fleury, the top-rated goalie prospect for the 2003 draft, left Halifax with everything but a gold medal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021203/8088134-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="585" height="553"></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

No medal, but U.S. leaves impression

There have been greater ideas than the Ottawa Senators.In 1990, the business of opening up the Sun Belt to the NHL became contradictorily entwined with the issue of Canadian content. One for each country, the Lightning and the Senators were born out of the smoke created by Bruce Firestone and Phil Esposito rubbing their combined two nickels together in front of a funhouse mirror.An exercise born of more faith than logic to a drawing area of only 1.2 million persons was imperiled six months before the franchise was even granted, the day the St. Louis Blues made Scott Stevens the first player not named Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux or Steve Yzerman to earn more than $1 million a year.A franchise exhumed after 58 years debuted 10-70-4, an early indication that dead things are better left buried. The Canadian dollar continued to plummet like public trust in Alexei Yashin. High tech, the only thing as big in Ottawa as the government, proved to have the staying power of Alexandre Daigle. The privately financed arena built as part of a development scheme that never materialized can take an hour to reach in pre-game rush hour, something to get mad about when the Senators can&rsquo;t finish off the Leafs.Operating deficits&ndash;even with five home playoff dates, last season&rsquo;s may have been as high as $15 million&ndash;made the service on a $50-million franchise fee and a $200-million arena impossible to pay down. Thus has the building Winnipeg and Quebec City couldn&rsquo;t finance before losing their franchises become the anchor around the drowning Senators&rsquo; neck, evidence that cities with minor league corporate bases can&rsquo;t really afford major league teams.The Senators&rsquo; debt, now at $350 million including the Corel Centre, could choke a Hossa. A contender impressively built almost exclusively through the draft may be doomed to fail every spring for that very reason, the inability to afford a high-ticket player to get it over the hump.Two refinancing plans put together by owner Rod Bryden have fallen into the canal. The players weren&rsquo;t paid on January 1. Bankruptcy protection is the only way for now, and great shame has fallen on the NHL, which is also digging reluctantly into its pocket to pay the operating expenses for Buffalo.But a league that has had plenty of such crises since the 1967 expansion, given too many franchises to the wrong people, is not easily embarrassed, nor should it be for a Senators team getting a huge bang for bucks it doesn&rsquo;t have.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011652/8088179-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="287" height="361"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg&nbsp;Columnist</figcaption></div>The players, on advice of their agents and association, have stayed cool and the team remains hot. In the first game the Senators played for free, there was a blizzard of hats at Marian Hossa&rsquo;s third goal, no intention to pass them around to take care of shoes for Jody Hull&rsquo;s kids. Hardnosed creditors like Zdeno Chara are paying the ultimate price, playing at no price, but the piper performs a dirge despite the best intentions of the people desperately trying to save the franchise against economic reality, maybe against the best long-term interests of the league.Thirty teams have spread the talent so thin you can&rsquo;t tell your Blue Jackets from your Predators and don&rsquo;t really want to. And here is an entertaining team drowning in red ink, making a practically irrefutable argument for a smaller league.But you don&rsquo;t bring children into the world to do away with them when they get into trouble. And, if a quickly and shoddily put together contraction scheme for baseball failed, there is no reason to believe that Gary Bettman could get one done, nor any indication that the commissioner really wants to. In fact, he is pushing for a cap, and the league to the cliff in 2004, to keep smaller markets viable.Letting Ottawa and Buffalo go would not cause Bettman to back off his resolve. So if the point of a lockout is to save Edmonton, Calgary and Pittsburgh, Ottawa deserves that chance, too.Reality suggests a losing battle, but that&rsquo;s what they said when nobody wanted to buy the Blues in 1983 and the Penguins&rsquo; doors were padlocked by the IRS in 1976. When something means a great deal to a community, there is always another way.Practically every circumstance questions the viability of the Senators except one, that being the resolve of the people who care too much about them to let them go away.<h2>Panthers top expansion club</h2>Florida has had the most success of the nine NHL expansion teams since 1991. They are ranked in order of all-time winning percentage as of Jan. 9.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021285/8088172-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="823" height="446"></div> &#9632;

f0016-01

Logic-defying Sens still worth saving

<h2>New buzzers will alert NHL referees</h2>Off-ice NHL video officials soon will be able to use a buzzer or siren to alert on-ice officials that a play is worthy of review.The use of the hurry-up faceoff rule this season has shortened the time video goal judges have to review data during stoppages in play.Currently, video officials phone down to the penalty box where the timekeeper must get the attention of a referee or linesman. In most cases, that takes 20 seconds or less. Once action resumes, a questionable play no longer can be reviewed.As soon as special buttons are installed in all arenas, the official video judge will be able to signal the referees by flipping a switch.&ldquo;You want to make sure there is an airtight way for the video official to make it clear to everyone who needs to know that the puck shouldn&rsquo;t be dropped until a review takes place,&rdquo; said Frank Brown, NHL VP media relations.<h2>Correction</h2>The Hockey News incorrectly identified John Pagotto&rsquo;s title with The Hockey Company in the feature on 100 People of Power and Influence, in the Jan. 3 edition. Pagotto is vicepresident, equipment division, North America. The president and CEO of The Hockey Company is Matt O&rsquo;Toole. Pagotto ranked 68th on the list. The Hockey Company has CCM, Jofa and Koho as its brand names and is the foremost supplier of NHL equipment.<h2>Saskatoon/Winnipeq joint bid</h2>Saskatoon and Winnipeg are now teammates in one of Canada&rsquo;s bids to land the 2007 World Championship.Initially, the two cities submitted separate letters of intent to play host to the International Ice Hockey Federation event, but they&rsquo;ve since joined forces.&ldquo;With the revenues that are needed, we felt having two big buildings working together is better to make a strong, winning bid,&rdquo; Ken Wood, GM of the 11,300-seat SaskPlace, told the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.Halifax is the only other Canadian city left in the running. The Nova Scotia city partnered with Sydney, N.S., to set an attendance record of 242,173 at the 2003 World Junior Championship.Calgary and Edmonton have dropped out of the running for 2007, citing potential conflicts with NHL playoffs.Germany, Russia and Sweden also have expressed interest in hosting the annual tournament. &#9632;

INSIDE HOCKEY

<div class="byline">BY JAMES CLARKE</div>So how does a kid from Vancouver Island end up as the first ever full-time coach of Thailand&rsquo;s national hockey team?Having Howie Meeker as a grandfather helps, but by all accounts Aaron Story&rsquo;s posting is a natural progression.&ldquo;Coaching at that level is something he wanted for a long time,&rdquo; says his dad, Howard Story, of Nanoose Bay, B.C. &ldquo;Basically, he just created it.&rdquo;A visitor to Thailand for years, he landed the job through hockey connections.Story, 26, was approached about the position a year ago. He signed Nov. 20 and started one week later.Since then, he has immersed himself in the job of preparing his squad for that country&rsquo;s debut at the Asian Winter Games, Feb. 1-8 in Aomori, Japan. Thailand will be facing Japan, China, North and South Korea and Kazakhstan.Now, the hurdles:Infrastructure. There are just three ice rinks in Thailand, a nation of 71 million people south of China. Two, in the capital city of Bangkok, aren&rsquo;t available for hockey. The third, where the Thai nationals train, is in the northern city of Chiang Mai, which Story now calls home.A figure skater owns Bangkok&rsquo;s top rink, but doesn&rsquo;t allow hockey. &ldquo;The other one&rsquo;s in a mall and is really small,&rdquo; Story said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know whether to skate or swim.&rdquo;Humiliation factor. Story says it&rsquo;s a huge challenge to get his players to let go of the black cloud hanging over the team.Thailand suffered one of the most lopsided defeats in hockey history, a 92-0 loss to South Korea in 1998 at the Asian Games Junior Tournament in China. It&rsquo;s a dubious honor noted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.&ldquo;They just can&rsquo;t seem to get it out of their heads, but we&rsquo;re working on it,&rdquo; Story said.No leadership. A few members of his squad have played outside Thailand. Two players tried out for a Japanese team. One of his forwards played high school hockey in Oakland, Ont., and another lived in the U.S. where he got two years worth of &lsquo;beer leagues&rsquo; under his belt.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve had no coaching whatsoever,&rdquo; Story said. &ldquo;When I first got the team, most of the guys still wiggled their butts when they went backwards; as soon as the opposition touched the puck they&rsquo;d start backing up. It&rsquo;s just all new stuff to them; they&rsquo;re loving it and I&rsquo;m loving it as well.&rdquo;Quirky goalie. &ldquo;My goalie&rsquo;s great,&rdquo; Story says of his keeper, nicknamed &lsquo;Ninja&rsquo;. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a Thai boxing instructor and I can&rsquo;t get him to use his stick; he always wants to leave it on the bench because he says it gets in the way&rdquo;No star player. Members of the Thai national team have hounded coach Story to marry the local girl he&rsquo;s living with in order to get his citizenship and suit up with the team.Born in Kitchener, Ont., and raised in Parksville, B.C., Story played two seasons for the Notre Dame Hounds in Saskatchewan. He&rsquo;d easily be Thailand&rsquo;s best player, but is happily retired.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021145/8088241-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="277" height="338"><figcaption class="caption-body">Aaron Story</figcaption></div>Language barrier. Just three members of the team are fluent in English &ldquo;and it&rsquo;s hockey, right; I just show them what I want them to do and it&rsquo;s done.&ldquo;My main focus is to bring up the caliber of hockey so they don&rsquo;t embarrass themselves&ndash;give them an idea about what the game involves.&rdquo;An avid student of the game, and raised on a steady diet of his grandfather&rsquo;s system at the Meeker hockey school, Story passed on playing semi-pro in Australia and a scholarship at the University of North Dakota.&ldquo;I did a lot of coaching with (Meeker),&rdquo; he said,&rdquo;but this is the first time I was told: &lsquo;Here&rsquo;s a team, do what you can.&rsquo;&rdquo; His home rink is on the fourth floor of the Loutas Shopping Mall. As for the Thai national team he inherited, Story says they range in age from 17 to 33.The team trains six days a week&ndash;four hours on the ice, two hours in the gym and 30 minutes running stairs.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big deal for Thailand,&rdquo; he says of the Games. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s their first time making an effort in the sport and the government is throwing quite a bit of funding at it.&rdquo; Story used video in his chalk talk sessions one day and noticed a big difference.&ldquo;I showed them a Rock &lsquo;Em Sock &lsquo;Em video and the next practice they&rsquo;re all out there just smokin&rsquo; each other.&rdquo;<h2>Wickenheiser second female pro skater</h2>Canada&rsquo;s Hayley Wickenheiser is set to become the second female hockey player (non-goalie) to play a pro game when she makes her debut with Kirkkonummi Lightning of the Finnish second division Jan. 11. It has been widely reported that Wickenheiser is a pioneer in that regard, but Maren Valenti played 24 games (no points or penalty minutes) with Freiburg in Germany&rsquo;s second division in 1998-99. Wickenheiser is sure to make a bigger impact, even though it&rsquo;s her first attempt in a league that allows hitting.<h2>Hey, Mom! I&rsquo;m in the NHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011475/8088234-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="709" height="189"></div>Weekly report of players mak ing their NHL debuts.Jim Vandermeer, D, 21, Phi, Jan. 3 at Ana Flyers call him a throwback player, who loves to get irteverybody&rsquo;s face, a la Joe Watson.Paul Manning, D, 23, Clb, Jan. 4 vs. Pho Colorado College grad played 13 solid minutes and was even in the Blue Jackets&rsquo; 2-0 win.John Tripp, LW, 25. NYR, Jan. 8 vs Car ECHL grad had two assists on line with Messier and assisted on Lundmark&rsquo;s first NHL goal.Michael Leighton, G, 21, Chi, Jan. 8 vs. Pho The AHL all-rookie team goalie last season showed poise stopping all 31 shots in a 0-0 tie.Fernando Pisani, LW, 26, Edm, Jan. 8 at Ana The Edmonton native crossed six time zones from St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld. to Anaheim for debut.Ray Emery, G, 20, Ott, Jan. 8 at VanThe Soo Greyhounds grad stopped all four shots in 10 minutes of mop-up duty in 6-4 loss. &#9632;

f0017-02

Thai hockey program bulks up

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011533/8088279-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="241" height="315"></div>The Columbus Blue Jackets&rsquo; free fall to last place in the Western Conference cost coach Dave King his job. King was fired Jan. 7, the day after Columbus put forth an uninspired effort in a 5-1 home loss to Nashville. GM-president Doug MacLean will coach the Blue Jackets through the end of the season, then look for a new coach this spring.&ldquo;A good man lost his job today,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;This is not all Dave King&rsquo;s fault. We all share a role in this. There was too much inconsistency and we expected to be a better team this year.&rdquo;King was 64-106-21-13 in 2-1/2 seasons with the Blue Jackets. MacLean has ruled out coaching the Blue Jackets beyond this season. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d only do that if I wanted to be single again,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My wife has already made that pretty clear.&rdquo;&#9633; Chicago GM Mike Smith was able to get a fourth round draft pick in 2004 from the Rangers for disgruntled defenseman Boris Mironov. &ldquo;I would have liked to get more, but I couldn&rsquo;t find much interest,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;That would have been something falling out of heaven.&rdquo;&hellip;Rookie Michael Leighton&rsquo;s shutout of Phoenix Jan. 8 in a 0-0 tie made him the first goalie to post a shutout in his NHL debut since Edmonton&rsquo;s Jussi Markkanen in 2001.&#9633; Dallas coach Dave Tippett says stayat-home defenseman Derian Hatcher deserves Norris Trophy consideration. &ldquo;He has more effect on the game than I thought before, just because you see him in all the little battles,&rdquo; Tippett said. &ldquo;You see in those scrums, you see him get that look in his eye where he&rsquo;s (ticked) off.&rdquo;&#9633; Detroit winger Luc Robitaille had one goal in 21 games, no points in 11, his worst slump ever. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s in a drought,&rdquo; said coach Dave Lewis. &ldquo;I hope he finds a well.&rdquo;&#9633; Los Angeles left winger Steve Heinze, who opened 2002-03 in the minors after ending last season with a 27-game goal drought, recorded his first goal since Jan. 15, 2002 when he scored Jan. 9. Heinze was tied for the team lead with 15 goals last year when he stopped scoring.&#9633; San Jose defenseman Brad Stuart, who had off-season surgery to repair the ligaments and muscles around his right ankle, went on injured reserve Jan. 7 due to continued pain and swelling in the same area. The decision was made after Stuart capped a 10-game scoreless stretch with a minus-10 rating. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s real frustrating,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There have been a lot of days that aren&rsquo;t fun even putting my skates on.&rdquo;&#9633; Former Colorado forward Dave Reid dropped out of the running for an assistant coaching job with the team after he felt he couldn&rsquo;t commit beyond this season for family reasons&hellip;Former backup goalie Craig Billington was hired Jan. 7 as an Avalanche goaltending consultant.&#9633; Injuries on the same day to Phoenix goalies Sean Burke and Brian Boucher forced the Coyotes to recall Zac Bierk and newly acquired Jean-Marc Pelletier from the minors and bring up a third, Colin Zulianello, on an emergency basis.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021171/8088272-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="765" height="919"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave King</figcaption></div>&#9633; Calgary rookie defenseman Jordan Leopold was scratched in four of five games since Darryl Sutter took over as coach. Leopold was back in the lineup Jan. 9 against Ottawa. Sutter praised Leopold&rsquo;s overall skill level, but suggested his &ldquo;decision-making&rdquo; was the primary area he needed to work on.&#9633; Minnesota goalie Manny Fernandez is out of action until mid-February after spraining his left knee. Dieter Kochan was called up to replace Fernandez. Coach Jacques Lemaire said Dwayne Roloson will play most, if not all, the games during Fernandez&rsquo;s absence.&#9633; A conflict with the NCAA West Regional basketball tournament forced the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to re-schedule a March 26 home game against San Jose to March 13. The change will require Anaheim to play four games in five nights.&#9633; Edmonton center Mike Comrie is out of action until late February with a broken thumb after being hit with a Dan McGillis slapshot Jan. 6. Fortunately, he doesn&rsquo;t need surgery. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t hurt, but I took my glove off and my thumb was about 90 degrees sideways,&rdquo; Comrie said. &#9632;

f0018-01

Slumping Blue Jackets bid adieu to coach King

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03844/8088317-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="254" height="318"></div>Montreal GM Andre Savard and coach Michel Therrien were fined $50,000 and $25,000 (U.S.) for &ldquo;abuse directed at the on-ice officials.&rdquo;The incident occurred following a 3-2 loss at New Jersey Jan. 7. Referee Kerry Fraser disallowed a Montreal goal in the first period, but allowed the Devils&rsquo; winning goal by Joe Nieuwendyk to stand although goalie Jeff Hackett was knocked down by Jeff Friesen.Therrien and Savard screamed at Fraser as he left the ice following the game. Savard had to be restrained from entering the officials&rsquo; room.&#9633; Coaches Jacques Martin of Ottawa and Marc Crawford of Vancouver will lead the Eastern and Western Conference teams at the 2003 NHL All-Star Game Feb. 2, in Sunrise, Fla. Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock will assist Martin behind the Eastern bench. Detroit coach Dave Lewis will assist the Western allstars. The coaches were named based on points-percentages through Jan. 8 games.&#9633; Boston center Joe Thornton could be out of action until early February because of an elbow infection. Thornton, who played in all 39 games, missed the Jan. 7 game at Toronto that required a trip back to a Boston hospital for antibiotics treatments. He was third in league scoring at the time with 21 goals and 52 points in 39 games.&#9633; Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux missed a game because of injury for the first time this season Jan. 9 against Toronto. Lemieux strained a groin in a 6-3 loss to the Islanders two nights earlier when he was hooked from behind&hellip;Goalie Johan Hedberg is out until midFebruary with a broken collarbone. Hedberg was injured against the Islanders when he took a shot and was reinjured two weeks later in practice.&#9633; Toronto winger Mikael Renberg&rsquo;s hand infection, which was triggered when he aggravated a blister on his finger while tying his skates Dec. 28, turned out to be serious. Doctors in Vancouver said he was close to having his hand amputated. &ldquo;Those two words (amputation and death) came up in the conversation,&rdquo; said Leafs&rsquo; athletic therapist Brent Smith.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04561/8088310-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="740" height="923"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andre Roy (BBS)</figcaption></div>&#9633; Philadelphia winger John LeClair, out since Nov. 27 with a dislocated right shoulder, can start skating Jan. 20 with a target return date of March 1.&#9633; Atlanta GM Don Waddell was close to making a decision on a coaching hire after interviewing former NHL coaches Terry Murray and Bob Hartley. The GM, who fired coach Curt Fraser during the holiday break, would prefer not to stay behind the bench the rest of the season&hellip;Defenseman Uwe Krupp, who has played only one game this season after back surgery, settled his $8.2-million injury dispute with Detroit. Krupp, 37, said he will get less than half of what was owed him on his Detroit contract.&#9633; The New York Rangers rid themselves of left winger Krzysztof Oliwa, who was dealt to Boston for a ninth round pick. Oliwa didn&rsquo;t play a single shift for the Rangers since he got coach Bryan Trottier suspended by starting a brawl in Columbus Nov. 9.&#9633; Rookie Buffalo winger Ales Kotalik had four goals and two assists in three games against Carolina, Ottawa and Philadelphia&hellip;Center Tim Connolly hit the mid-point with one goal in 36 games and was pointless in 23 of 24 games.&#9633; Tampa Bay winger Andre Roy was fined $1,000 for punching Detroit&rsquo;s Kirk Maltby from the bench Jan. 7. Roy said Maltby hit him with a stick across the jaw.&#9633; During a trip to Vancouver, the Ottawa Senators went for a team bike ride through scenic Stanley Park before their Jan. 8 game. While the tour was only supposed to last an hour, defenseman Anton Volchenkov got separated from the group and became lost. Since he hasn&rsquo;t gained command of English and had no idea where he was going, a search party had to be sent out to find the 20-year-old Russian rookie. Volchenkov was found about three hours later.<h2>How Grades Are Determined</h2>Mid-season grades in NHL team reports on pgs. 1927 are assigned by The Hockey News teachers&hellip;er, team correspondents using the following criteria. Expectations figured heavily into the equation.Grade: A+ to A-1. Stars delivering on performance/salary expectations.2. Very good players delivering beyond performance/salary expectations.3. Good/role players delivering well beyond performance/salary expectations.Grade: B+ to B-1. Stars performing below performance/salary expectations.2. Very good players delivering on performance/salary expectations.3. Good/role players delivering beyond performance/salary expectations.Grade: C+ to C1. Stars performing far below performance/salary expectations.2. Very good players delivering below performance/salary expectations.3. Good/role players delivering on performanoe/salary expectations.Grade: D+ to D1. Stars performing outrageously below performance/salary expectations.2. Very good players delivering far below performance/salary expectations.3. Good/role players delivering below performance/salary expectations. &#9632;

f0018-03

Seething Hah bosses fined for verbal abuse

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021058/8088355-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="600" height="746"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dan Cloutier</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011409/8088362-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="221" height="231"></div>The Vacouver Canucks enjoyed the biggest improvement through 41 games this season compared to the first 41 games of 2001-02. The Canucks earned 19 more first-half points this season than they did last year. Minnesota was next (+11), followed by Ottawa (+9), Dallas (+9) and Florida (+9). At the other end, the Rangers (-13) and San Jose (-13) suffered the biggest drop-offs. Teams are listed in order of improvement, with point totals through 41 games in 2001-02 and 2002-03. (Boston and Buffalo are updated through 40 games; New Jersey is updated through 39 games.)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03729/8088348-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="616" height="1470"></div> &#9632;

f0019-02

Biggest first-half gain belongs to Canucks

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04557/8088393-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="220" height="225"></div>Flying high at Christmas, with a 15-10-6-3 mark that put them in Stanley Cup playoff position, the Mighty Ducks watched the bottom fall out as the first half of the season ended.The Ducks suffered through a season-high, five-game losing streak as part of a seven-game winless skid that left them at 15-16-7-3 and precariously close to dropping out of playoff contention, before they opened the second half with a 5-3 victory Jan. 9 at Colorado.Anaheim gave up 19 goals in. its first four games after Christmas.B+&nbsp;Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G. Posted historic shutout streak of 237:07.B+&nbsp;Keith Carney, D. Unquestioned leader on blueline.B+&nbsp;Steve Rucchin, C. Tailed off a bit after outstanding start.B+&nbsp;Andy McDonald, C. Strong at both ends of ice.B&nbsp;Martin Gerber, G. Provided chance to win in almost every start.B&nbsp;Niclas Havelid, D. Top offensive threat from backline.B&nbsp;Paul Kariya, LW. Leader in scoring, but not $10 million worth.B-&nbsp;Mike Leclerc, RW. Strong start short-circuited by injuries.B-&nbsp;Stanislav Chistov, LW. Typical rookie dip, but what a future.B-&nbsp;Kevin Sawyer, LW. Concussion cost Ducks key role player.B-&nbsp;Jason Krog, C. Versatile performer has proven his value.C+&nbsp;Ruslan Salei, D. Could be more reliable in own zone.C+&nbsp;Kurt Sauer, D. Rookie free agent a nice addition.C+&nbsp;Pavel Trnka, D. Has provided some offense in limited role.C+&nbsp;Petr Sy kora, RW. Ducks need more goals from him, as well as better two-way game.C+&nbsp;Patrie Kjellberg, RW Miscast top-liner at home on third unit.C&nbsp;Adam Oates, C. Early season broken hand hurt big-time.C&nbsp;Matt Cullen, C. Inconsistency continues to plague development.C&nbsp;Dan Bylsma, RW. Penaltykiller battling for ice time.C&nbsp;Marc Chouinard, C. Fourthliner strong presence most nights.C-&nbsp;Vitaly Vishnevski, D. Hasn&rsquo;t progressed as quickly as hoped.C&nbsp;Alexei Smirnov, LW. Promising rookie hurt by lack of ice time.C-&nbsp;Mike Brown, LW. Waiver acquisition hasn&rsquo;t shown much.D+&nbsp;Fredrik Olausson, D. Veteran free agent signee hasn&rsquo;t done much to help power play.Inc.&nbsp;Rob Valicevic, RW. Minorleague recall played just three games. &#9632;

f0019-04

NHL TEAM REPORTS

Mighty Ducks lay eggs in post-Christmas skid

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05411/8088431-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="219" height="223"></div>The ouster of coach Curt Fraser and defensive assistant Tim Bothwell after an 8-201-4 start led to GM Don Waddell&rsquo;s stepping behind the bench on an interim basis.Goaltending has been awful, the defense has been has soft, erratic and panic-stricken.So much for a hoped-for playoff run.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06303/8088424-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="236" height="288"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andy Sutton</figcaption></div>B+&nbsp;Ilya Kovalchuk, LW Premier goal scorer but lax defensivley.B+&nbsp;Dany Heatley, RW. Goal scoring down, but no sophomore jinx.B-&nbsp;Andy Sutton, D. Has gone from healthy scratch to team&rsquo;s No. 1 pairing.C+&nbsp;Shawn McEachern, LW. Play has dropped off, but valuable leader.C+&nbsp;Patrik Stefan, C. Finally using speed and size to advantage.C+&nbsp;Brad Tapper, RW. Strong since recall, he&rsquo;ll stick this time.C&nbsp;Mike Weaver, D. Six inches taller and he&rsquo;d never see minors again.C&nbsp;Jeff Odgers, RW. Playing usual role of policeman.C&nbsp;Chris Herperger, C. Called up for defensive purposes and largely did his job.C-&nbsp;Slava Kozlov, LW. Play has dropped off, more production needed.C-&nbsp;Mark Savard, C. More production is needed, given his playing time.C-&nbsp;Per Svartvadet,C- Provided defensive help when recalled, but can do more.C-&nbsp;Pascal Rheaume, C. Utility center at his best when he provides toughness.C-&nbsp;Tony Hrkac, C. Won&rsquo;t match last year&rsquo;s 18 goals, but good to have around.D&nbsp;Frantisek Kaberle, D. Still too inconsistent and not tough enough.D&nbsp;Daniel Tjarnqvist, D. Has one of club&rsquo;s worst plus-minus marks.D&nbsp;Chris Tamer, D. Has to clear bodies because he&rsquo;s not quick.D&nbsp;J-P Vigier, RW. Went goal-less in first dozen games.D&nbsp;Jeff Cowan, LW. Fourth-liner needs to make more of his ice time.D-&nbsp;Richard Smehlik, D. Key acquisition has been hurt a lot.D-&nbsp;Yannick Tremblay, D. Has skills, but makes too many errors.D-&nbsp;Lubos Bartecko, LW. Injury problems have led to lack of development.D-&nbsp;Pasi Nurminen, G. Shows flashes of greatness, then implodes.D-&nbsp;Byron Dafoe, G. Has struggled with rustiness following long layoff in fall. &#9632;

f0019-05

Thrashers poor play costs Fraser his job

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-07261/8088462-1-eng-US/f0019-072.jpg" title="f0019-07" width="219" height="225"></div>The Bruins, despite the loss of goalie John Grahame and key wingers Sergei Samsonov and Martin Lapointe, recorded at least a point in 23 of their first 27 games (19-4-3-1), then crashed.A one-month, 2-10-1-0 slump, marked by a lack of scoring depth, defensive breakdowns and ineffective goaltending, sent them spiraling back to earthEntering the second half, the B&rsquo;s were searching for enough consistency to make sure they stay in the playoff pack.A&nbsp;Joe Thornton, C. New captain scoring at 100-plus-points pace.A&nbsp;Glen Murray, RW. En route to second straight 40-goal season.A&nbsp;Sergei Samsonov, LW. Went 4-59 in seven games before seasoninterrupting wrist operation.A-&nbsp;Mike Knuble, LW. Contributed 23 points and plus-18 rating in Samsonov&rsquo;s absence.A-&nbsp;P.J. Axelsson, LW. Despite injuries, bona fide Selke candidate.A-&nbsp;Bryan Berard, D. Adds blueline scoring, reasonably good defense.B+&nbsp;Jonathan Girard, D. Young blueliner plus-11 in first full season.B+&nbsp;Nick Boynton, D. Second-year man led NHL in plus-minus at one point.B&nbsp;Hal Gill, D. Solid stay-at-homer helped partner Girard come of age.B&nbsp;Ivan Huml, ON. Rookie started well before demotion to Providence (AHL).B-&nbsp;Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, D. Ice time leader on blueline (21:36).C+&nbsp;Brian Ralston, C. Not as much a factor as last season.C+&nbsp;P.J. Stock, LW. PIM leader sparks Bruins when he drops gloves.C+&nbsp;John Grahame, G. Had 1.92 GAA through early December, then slipped.C&nbsp;Marty McInnis, C. Still has skills, can&rsquo;t find set role.C&nbsp;Don Sweeney, D. Veteran still solid even-strength presence.C&nbsp;Rob Zamuner, RW. Hard worker now on sidelines with broken foot.C&nbsp;Michal Grosek, RW. Not much offense, but good banger.C&nbsp;Steve Shields, G. Veteran kept B&rsquo;s in every start.C&nbsp;Sean Brown, LW. Switch from defense to role-playing winger a success.C-&nbsp;Jozef Stumpel, C. No. 2 pivot slump-prone, can&rsquo;t find compatible wingers.D+&nbsp;Martin Lapointe, RW. Effort&rsquo;s there, production and defense (minus-14) isn&rsquo;t. &#9632;

f0019-07

Beantowners hit skids following great start

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bucky Gleason</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-08228/8088500-1-eng-US/f0019-082.jpg" title="f0019-08" width="218" height="223"></div>For anyone to say this season has been a disaster for the Sabres would be insulting to disastrous seasons everywhere. Their problems actually started last March and they aren&rsquo;t going away any time soon.Sabres owner John Rigas was taken away in handcuffs on national television and now faces federal charges connected to the Adelphia Communications scandal. The team is for sale and knocking on bankruptcy&rsquo;s door. The Sabres won 10 of 40 games and the only thing worse than the scoring slumps is the goaltending.B+&nbsp;Ales Kotalik, RW. Surprise talent should have been called up sooner.B+&nbsp;Ryan Miller, G. Great addition who can make season respectable.B&nbsp;Henrik Tallinder, D. Rookie usually solid while learning on the fly-B-&nbsp;James Patrick, D. Ageless veteran one of few bright spots.B-&nbsp;Chris Gratton, C. Best player early before scoring drought.B-&nbsp;Miroslav Satan, RW. Hoping for 30 goals when Sabres need 40.C+&nbsp;Adam Mair, C. Gritty fourth-liner earning more ice time.C&nbsp;Rhett Warrener, D. Obstruction crackdown has limited his effectiveness.C&nbsp;J-P Dumont, RW. One week you see him, the next you don&rsquo;t.C&nbsp;Vaclav Varada, RW. Still rugged in corners, but lacking in scoring.C&nbsp;Eric Boulton, LW. Brawler building reputation with more playing time.C&nbsp;Rob Ray, RW. Inspirational leader still has knockout punch.C&nbsp;Stu Barnes, C. Captain having difficult time in miserable season.C&nbsp;Alexei Zhitnik, D. Puck lugger hasn&rsquo;t scored since Nov. 24, 2001.C&nbsp;Dmitri Kalinin, D. Sturdy along blueline but prone to mistakes.C&nbsp;Brian Campbell, D. Offensive defenseman looking for first goal.C&nbsp;Jochen Hecht, LW Early offense before slump, concussion.C-&nbsp;Curtis Brown, C. Brief hot streak helped offset terrible start.C-&nbsp;Jay McKee, D. Looking for new ways to generate old passion.C-&nbsp;Martin Biron, G. Unable to build on second half of last season.D&nbsp;Mika Noronen, G. Nailed to the bench with future uncertain.D&nbsp;Taylor Pyatt, LW Expected breakthrough hasn&rsquo;t happened.D&nbsp;Tim Connolly, C. On pace for worst season in four-year career.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-09192/8088493-1-eng-US/f0019-092.jpg" title="f0019-09" width="238" height="289"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ales Kotalik</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0019-08

Sabres season already past salvation stage

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011309/8088538-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="217" height="230"></div>A slump in which Calgary lost 11 of 12 games in November&ndash;and ultimately cost coach Greg Gilbert his job&ndash;saw the Flames far off the pace in the Western Conference playoff race at midseason.A miserable first half featured awful special teams, mediocre goaltending and a pop-gun attack that left Calgary near the bottom of the NHL heap in scoring.After 41 games, they were nine points off last year&rsquo;s pace and that was a season in which they missed the playoffs for a sixth consecutive time.Unless new coach Darryl Sutter can perform miracles, Calgary is headed for a league-high seventh consecutive miss.B&nbsp;Jarome Iginla, RW Injuries undermined first-half production.B&nbsp;Denis Gauthier, D. Big banger kept opposing forwards honest.B&nbsp;Bob Boughner, D. Team was above.500 with him in lineup.B&nbsp;Stephane Yelle, C. Smart, steady defensive presence.B-&nbsp;Chris Drury, C. Great speed, but needs more consistency on offense.B-&nbsp;Craig Conroy, C. Slow start, but rounding into form.B-&nbsp;Toni Lydman,D- Improved, but not a No. 1 defenseman yet.B-&nbsp;Jamie McLennan, G. Played well when given opportunity.B-&nbsp;Martin Gelinas, LW. Best plus-minus rating among regular forwards.C+&nbsp;Chris Clark, RW. Not bad offensive numbers for a third-liner.C+&nbsp;Robyn Regehr, D. More poise and consistency, year-over-year.C&nbsp;Roman Turek, G. Up-and-down first half, but playing well for Sutter.C&nbsp;Steve Montador, D. Decent depth player, used for most part as fill-in.C&nbsp;Oleg Saprykin, LW. Good outside speed, but needs more finish.C&nbsp;Matthias Johansson, C. Useful defensive addition, decent penaltykiller.C-&nbsp;Blake Sloan, RW. Versatile and intelligent, but marginal skills.C-&nbsp;Steve Begin, LW. High energy, but not always channeled properly.C-&nbsp;Scott Nichol, RW. Effective agitator, but takes too many foolish penalties.C-&nbsp;Jordan Leopold, D. Promising but erratic, still adjusting to NHL tempo.D&nbsp;Petr Buzek, D. Sometimes the lights go out.D&nbsp;Craig Berube, LW. Aging warrior slowing down.D&nbsp;Jamie Wright, LW. Not assertive enough in crashing net.D&nbsp;Rob Niedermayer, LW. Didn&rsquo;t come to play every night.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02939/8088531-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="235" height="289"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Boughner</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0020-01

Horrible first half makes playoffs unlikely

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Luke DeCock</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03672/8088569-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="216" height="221"></div>The glory of the Stanley Cup final seemed so, so far away when the New Year dawned.The Hurricanes finished up the first half of the 2002-03 season with losses in nine of 15 games.Carolina, afflicted in October by a Stanley Cup hangover, carried in November by the goaltending of Kevin Weekes and plagued in December by an anemic offense.&ldquo;Obviously, it was kind of a roller-coaster first half,&rdquo; said defenseman Glen Wesley&ldquo;We got off to a rough start, really caught on, cooled off, got hot again and then we cooled off again. We&rsquo;ve let some games slip away. You look back at those games and hope those don&rsquo;t come back to haunt you.&rdquo;A-&nbsp;Ron Francis, C. Still an impact player at 39.A-&nbsp;Glen Wesley, D. Most consistent blueliner, back on power play.B+&nbsp;Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour, C. Production dipped after hot start.B+&nbsp;Erik Cole, RW. Developing nicely in second season.B+&nbsp;Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, RW. One of few Canes scoring at halfway point.B+&nbsp;Kevin Weekes, G. Carried Hurricanes through mid-November.B&nbsp;Bret Hedican, D. Steady, third on Canes in ice time.B-&nbsp;Kevyn Adams, C. Flourished in expanded third line role.B-&nbsp;Sean Hill, D. Lack of power play goals surprising.B-&nbsp;Jan Hlavac, LW. Has added offense since trade, but only on power play.B-&nbsp;Niclas Wallin, D. Best when he keeps game simple.B-&nbsp;Aaron Ward, D. Consistency still eludes him, potential tantalizes.C+&nbsp;Craig Adams, RW Never short of energy, but finish around net a problem.C&nbsp;David Tanabe, D. Has shown signs of bouncing back from poor season in 2001-02.C-&nbsp;Jesse Boulerice, RW. Enforcer even helps out on offense with two goals.C-&nbsp;Jeff Daniels, C. Reliable veteran still a useful component.C-&nbsp;Arturs Irbe, G. Not what you&rsquo;d call the best first half of his career.C-&nbsp;Jaroslav Svoboda, RW. No more Calder talk for slumping rookie.D+&nbsp;Bates Battaglia, LW. Has regressed following breakthrough in 2001-02.D&nbsp;Sami Kapanen, LW Lack of production beyond disappointing.D&nbsp;Josef Vasicek, C. Back injury ruined first half.Inc.&nbsp;Tomas Malec, D. Rookie shows tremendous promise. &#9632;

f0020-03

Hurricanes suffering Cup final hangover

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04459/8088600-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="218" height="226"></div>The Blackhawks are in almost the same place they were a year ago, heading into the second half of the season, with one big difference: the expectations are a lot higher, especially of themselves.The Hawks expect to make the playoffs in the tough West. Not only that, they believe they can challenge Detroit for first place in the Central Division.&ldquo;Last year was a set-up year for us,&rdquo; said goalie Jocelyn Thibault. &ldquo;This year we&rsquo;re a more mature team and we expect more from ourselves.&rdquo; Thibault and the defense have been better than expected, but the offense missed Eric Daze and Theoren Fleury early and has struggled, in particular on the power play.A+&nbsp;Jocelyn Thibault, G. Halfway through a career year.A&nbsp;Steve Poapst, D. Hawks&rsquo; top defenseman through first half.A&nbsp;Alex Zhamnov, C. Should get Selke Trophy consideration.B+&nbsp;Tyler Arnason, C. His offense saved Hawks earlyB&nbsp;Eric Daze, LW. Still the team&rsquo;s top scoring threat.B&nbsp;Theoren Fleury, RW. Hawks took off when he returned.B&nbsp;Phil Housley, D. Still going strong at age 38.B&nbsp;Steve Sullivan, RW. He&rsquo;s always where the action is.B-&nbsp;Kyle Calder, LW. Does all the dirty work&ndash;and likes it.B-&nbsp;Nathan Dempsey, D. His points from defense welcome addition.B&nbsp;Jon Klemm, D. Always matched up with opponent&rsquo;s best.C+&nbsp;Sergei Berezin, LW. Misses too many good scoring chances.C+&nbsp;Lyle Odelein, D. Steady, but slowing down.C&nbsp;Mark Bell, RW. Still not living up to potential of first round draft pick.C&nbsp;Mike Eastwood, C. Main job is to win faceoffs.C&nbsp;Igor Korolev, C. Stays in lineup as penalty killer.C&nbsp;Steve McCarthy, D. Getting better with every game.C&nbsp;Jason Strudwick, LW. Defenseman has played better as left winger.C&nbsp;Ryan VandenBussche, RW Adds toughness when he gets to playC-&nbsp;Alexander Karpovtsev, D. Defenseman has been mistake prone.C-&nbsp;Andrei Nikolishin, C. Knee injury set him back.D+&nbsp;Steve Thomas, RW. Just one goal in first 41 games.D&nbsp;Chris Simon, LW. Big disappointment since trade with Washington.Inc.&nbsp;Michael Leighton, G. Rookie backup could be key down stretch. &#9632;

f0020-04

Blackhawks take aim at Wings in Central

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05264/8088631-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="216" height="223"></div>Coach Bob Hartley was fired, there was a blockbuster trade and a lot of boos at the Pepsi Center. And yet, the Avalanche had just two fewer points in the first half of 2002-03 than it had at the same time last season when the team came within one win of going to the Stanley Cup final.Still, nobody around the Avs was very happy with the first half, least of all GM Pierre Lacroix. Colorado went 6-3-0-1 in new coach Tony Granato&rsquo;s first 10 games, but inconsistency continued to plague the eighttime defending division champs, especially at home. Special-teams play wasn&rsquo;t good and a power forward was lacking up front.A&nbsp;Dean McAmmond, LW. Outstanding production after missing first two months.A&nbsp;Adam Foote, D. Might be his best pro season so far.A-&nbsp;Peter Forsberg, LW. Averaging more than a point per game.A-&nbsp;Milan Hejduk, RW. Stellar season so far.A-&nbsp;Joe Sakic, C. Same old Joe: consistent and dependable.B+&nbsp;Derek Morris, D. Making good transition to Avs.B-&nbsp;Patrick Roy, G. First half not as good as previous season.B-&nbsp;Rob Blake, D. Slow offensive start, but coming on.B-&nbsp;Steve Reinprecht, C. Got off to horrible start, but turning it around.B-&nbsp;Mike Keane, RW. Slowing down, but still good to have around.B-&nbsp;Brad Larsen, LW. Injuries curtailed what was a good start.B-&nbsp;Riku Hahl, C. Good looking prospect employs pesky style.C+&nbsp;Martin Skoula, D. Erratic at times, but plus-minus is good.C+&nbsp;Scott Parker, RW. Injured a lot, but skating better when healthy.C+&nbsp;Radim Vrbata, RW. Production down from solid rookie season.C+&nbsp;Eric Messier, LW. Good shotblocker. Not much offense.C+&nbsp;Dan Hinote, LW. Not getting as much ice time as last year.C&nbsp;David Aebischer, G. Still too erratic to start games and poor in OT.C&nbsp;Jeff Shantz, C. Part of struggling penalty-killing unit.C&nbsp;Greg de Vries, D. Somewhat disappointing after solid season.C&nbsp;Serge Aubin, C. Frequent healthy scratch this year.C-&nbsp;Alex Tanguay LW. Nearly traded early Goal-scoring down again.D&nbsp;Bryan Muir, D. Turnovers in two straight games cost Avs a point.D&nbsp;D.J. Smith, D. No points and a lot of penalties. &#9632;

f0020-05

Inconsistent Avalanche In middle of pack

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Aaron Portzline</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-06210/8088669-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="220" height="227"></div>The Blue Jackets bumped their payroll up to $28 million and boosted their expectations to making the playoffs in this, their third season.But by the midway point, they were 14th in the Western Conference, leading GM-president Doug MacLean to fire coach Dave King and take over the coaching duties through the end of the season. (See pg. 18 for more on King.) The playoffs are a pipe dream. The hope, though, is the Blue Jackets will put forth a more consistent effort the rest of the wayA&nbsp;Andrew Cassels, C. Has brought Geoff Sanderson and power play back to life.A&nbsp;Marc Denis, G. Taking this opportunity to prove he&rsquo;s a No. 1.A-&nbsp;Geoff Sanderson, LW. Now healthy, he&rsquo;s among NHL&rsquo;s top goalscorers.A-&nbsp;Ray Whitney, LW. Wearing the &lsquo;C&rsquo; and wearing it well.B&nbsp;Tyler Wright, C. On pace for biggest offensive season.B&nbsp;Jaroslav Spacek, D. Jackets&rsquo; only scoring threat from blueline.C+&nbsp;Rick Nash, LW. Won&rsquo;t finish his chances until he gets bigger and stronger.C+&nbsp;David Vybomy, RW. Finally proving he&rsquo;s an NHL player.C+&nbsp;Mike Sillinger, C. Recovering from slow start.C+&nbsp;Duvie Westcott, D. Playing too well to go back to minors.C&nbsp;Derrick Walser, D. Plenty of scoring skills, defense a challenge.C&nbsp;Luke Richardson, D. Has been solid, but not spectacular.C&nbsp;Sean Pronger, C. Checking line staple, works hard every night.C&nbsp;Jody Shelley, LW. Brawler&rsquo;s all-around game keeps getting better.C&nbsp;Jamie Allison, D. When he plays, he plays well.C&nbsp;Lasse Pirjeta, LW. Great shot, but hasn&rsquo;t stayed healthy enough to show it off.C-&nbsp;Scott Lachance, D. Didn&rsquo;t gel with Rostislav Klesla, has no points.C-&nbsp;Rostislav Klesla, D. Club expected more of second-year pro.D&nbsp;Grant Marshall, RW Lost edge, stopped providing offense early.D&nbsp;Hannes Hyvonen, RW. At his best he&rsquo;s a pest, but he&rsquo;s not consistent enough.D&nbsp;Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, D. Injuries have washed out most of season so far.Inc.&nbsp;Espen Knutsen, C. Abdominal tear has him on shelf&ndash;and Blue Jackets miss him.Inc.&nbsp;Jean-Francois Labbe, G. Rarely plays, so it&rsquo;s hard to judge.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-07179/8088662-1-eng-US/f0020-072.jpg" title="f0020-07" width="233" height="288"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andrew Cassels</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0020-06

Columbus fires King, MacLean takes over

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011053/8088700-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="216" height="225"></div>Yes, you can find fault with the first half put together by the Stars if you look hard enough.They didn&rsquo;t play well when Mike Modano was out with a concussion. They stumbled on a five-game road trip. They lost their cool a couple of times.However, the Stars built a 17-point lead in the Pacific Division and established themselves as a legitimate contender after a one-year absence from the post-season.The question is whether they can take the next step.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve given us every indication they are (a contender),&rdquo; said GM Doug Armstrong.&ldquo;Time will tell if they have that killer instinct&hellip;of being able to shut teams down, taking pride in winning close games, because the games are going to get closer.&rdquo;A+&nbsp;Jere Lehtinen, RW. Improves every line on which he plays.A+&nbsp;Marty Turco, G. Better than Ed Belfour (or anybody expected).A&nbsp;Derian Hatcher, D. Might merit a Norris vote or two.A-&nbsp;Philippe Boucher, D. Gives Stars deepest defense in league.A-&nbsp;Bill Guerin, RW. Exactly what Stars thought they were getting.A-&nbsp;Mike Modano, C. On pace for another point-a-game season.B&nbsp;Ulf Dahlen, RW. Veteran invaluable on power play, and at bargain-basement price.B+&nbsp;Niko Kapanen, C. Turned into stopper on third line.B+&nbsp;Brenden Morrow, LW. On pace for 20 goals without power play time.B+&nbsp;Sergei Zubov, D. Thriving while being given more freedom.B&nbsp;Jason Arnott, C. Bounced back from injury-plagued start.B&nbsp;Rob DiMaio, RW. Resurgent season after troubled 2001-02.B&nbsp;Darryl Sydor, D. Solid but unspectacular season.B&nbsp;Ron Tugnutt, G. Veteran has bonded well with Turco.B&nbsp;Pierre Turgeon, C. Came alive as playmaker in second quarter.B-&nbsp;Richard Matvichuk, D. Contract season may be distraction.C+&nbsp;Stephane Robidas, D. Gradually contributing in Stars&rsquo; system.C+&nbsp;Scott Young, RW. Bedeviled early by major slump.C&nbsp;Kirk Muller, C. May inherit Carbonneau role on fourth line.C&nbsp;Manny Malhotra, C. Of late, has been healthy scratch.C-&nbsp;Aaron Downey, RW. Enforcer recently fought Peter Worrell to draw.C&mdash;Scott Pellerin, LW Has had tough time cracking lineup.Inc.&nbsp;Sami Helenius, D. Healthy scratch for 18 straight games. &#9632;

f0021-01

Finding fault difficult on powerhouse Stars

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Nicholas J. Cotsonika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02664/8088738-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="212" height="223"></div>The Red Wings had plenty of reasons to stumble in the first half: the retirements of Scotty Bowman and Dominik Hasek; knee injuries to Pavel Datsyuk, Jiri Fischer and Steve Yzerman; a Stanley Cup hangover; the targets on their backs; having 30 fewer power plays than their opposition.But, thanks in large part to the play of their fresh faces and so-called support players, they were 23-10-7-1 at the midway point, one of the top teams in the NHL, not far off last season&rsquo;s pace. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re finding ways to win,&rdquo; said coach Dave Lewis.A&nbsp;Nicklas Lidstrom, D. Considered Hart candidate by team.A-&nbsp;Sean Avery, C. Pestering, hitting&ndash;even scoring.A-&nbsp;Dmitri Bykov, D. Little-known rookie pairs well with Lidstrom.A-&nbsp;Sergei Fedorov, C. After great first quarter, tailed off in second.A-&nbsp;Brett Hull, RW. Despite droughts, has been differencemaker often.A-&nbsp;Jason Woolley, D. Major plus since Wings acquired him from Buffalo.B+&nbsp;Chris Chelios, D. Not as great as last season, but still good tutor.B+&nbsp;Brendan Shanahan, LW. Good numbers, but could be more physical.B+&nbsp;Kirk Maltby, LW. Led NHL with four shorthanded goals in first half.B&nbsp;Kris Draper, C. On pace for career high in assists.B&nbsp;Tomas Holmstrom, RW. Rediscovered scoring touch by crashing net&hellip;B&nbsp;Igor Larionov, C. At age 42, he moves&ndash;and moves the puck&ndash;well.B&nbsp;Darren McCarty, RW Already surpassed last season&rsquo;s goal total.B&nbsp;Henrik Zetterberg, C. Rookie was great before hitting wall in last 10 games.B-&nbsp;Jiri Fischer, D. Was good, but not great, before tearing ACL.C+&nbsp;Pavel Datsyuk, C. Needs to use teammates more.C+&nbsp;Jesse Wallin, D. Developing blueliner was team-worst minus-6.C&nbsp;Mathieu Dandenault, D. Can be inconsistent; could use more offense.C&nbsp;Maxim Kuznetsov, D. Played best hockey paired with Chelios.D+&nbsp;Boyd Devereaux, LW. After great camp, suffered broken thumb, struggled.D&nbsp;Luc Robitaille, LW. Four goals? What&rsquo;s happened to 600-goal scorer?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03416/8088731-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="235" height="288"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kirk Maltby</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0021-02

Overcoming obstacles leads to more success

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Rob Tychkowski</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04308/8088769-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="214" height="224"></div>It has either been feast, famine or choke for the Edmonton Oilers in the first half of 2002-03.They began the season with just three wins in their first 13 games, then went 13-3-1-0, then blew five third period leads in 10 games during a stretch that saw them win three times in 12 games (3-4-1-4).But at the end of it all, the Oilers were still above the playoff cutline at the halfway mark of the season, putting together a 3-0-1-0 run in early January&ldquo;When things were at their worst everybody was ready to jump on us,&rdquo; said center Marty Reasoner. &ldquo;But in a matter of a week we turned things from being miserable to looking up.&rdquo;A&nbsp;Tommy Salo, G. If team MVP was handed out today, he&rsquo;d take it home.A&nbsp;Mike Comrie, C. Fourteen goals, five game-winners before breaking thumb in early January.A&nbsp;Mike York, LW Slow start, then 12 goals in 15 games.B+&nbsp;Anson Carter, RW. On pace for career high in goals.B+&nbsp;Ethan Moreau, LW. Doing everything well.B+&nbsp;Todd Marchant, Plays penalty kill, power play, and is on pace for career high in points.B+&nbsp;Jason Chimera, LW. Scoring a lot with little ice time.B&nbsp;Ales Pisa, D. Oilers&rsquo; plusminus leader during first half of season.B&nbsp;Jussi Markkanen, G. Plenty of confidence in their backup.B&nbsp;Ryan Smyth, LW. Tireless worker, led team in scoring through first half.B&nbsp;Janne Niinimaa, D. Workhorse plays all situations.B-&nbsp;Eric Brewer, D. Inconsistent, but still a cornerstone for franchise.B-&nbsp;Steve Staios, D. Handling added responsibility well.C+&nbsp;Marty Reasoner, C. Quiet contributor.C+&nbsp;Jason Smith, D. Physical play has fallen off.C+&nbsp;Scott Ferguson, D. Steady, hard-working defenseman.C&nbsp;Alexei Semenov, D. Decent in only five NHL games.C-&nbsp;Shawn Horcoff, C. Quiet season. Good defensivelyC-&nbsp;Brian Swanson, C. Hasn&rsquo;t played much, or stood out when he does.C-&nbsp;Ales Hemsky, RW. Rookie forward didn&rsquo;t find net in first 25 games.D+&nbsp;Dan Cleary, RW. Good defensively, but poor production on offense.D+&nbsp;Georges Laraque, RW. Three goals, but very little physical presence. &#9632;

f0021-04

Roller-coaster ride symbolizes first half

<div class="byline">&#x2014;David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011188/8088807-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="218" height="226"></div>This was set up as a transitional season for the Panthers, not the one during which they returned to the post-season.Vaulting from a 60-point season to the playoffs seemed, even to some in the Panthers organization, a hallucinatory fantasy for a team featuring so many first and second-year NHLers.The illusion is close to becoming a reality. If they could win at home&ndash;one win since Nov. 9&ndash;the Panthers would be solidly in the East&rsquo;s top eight and Southeast Division leader. As it is, they&rsquo;re hanging on the edge of the pack.Not a bad transition.A-&nbsp;Olli Jokinen, C. Slowing down, but already enjoying career year.A-&nbsp;Jay Bouwmeester, D. Swiftly, smartly does basics of job.B+&nbsp;Sandis Ozolinsh, D. Still adds more than he gives away.B&nbsp;Jani Hurme, G. Took over No. 1 role for a bit after Luongo was hurt.B&nbsp;Roberto Luongo, G. Postback injury struggles only smudge or season.B&nbsp;Viktor Kozlov, C. Team&rsquo;s best forward since American Thanksgiving.B-&nbsp;Kristian Huselius, LW. Goal scorer pots only meaningful ones.B&nbsp;Andreas Lilja, D. Solid defensively, absent offensively.B-&nbsp;Jaroslav Bednar, RW. Euro cliche&ndash;skilled, soft over-passer.B-&nbsp;Stephen Weiss, C. Slender rookie growing into job.C+&nbsp;Peter Worrell, LW. Agitating fighter, puck butcher.C&nbsp;Valeri Bure, RW. Goals off even before injuryC&nbsp;Branislav Mezei, D. Grade should improve after broken right foot heals.C&nbsp;Ivan Novoseltsev, RW. Skates, well, but spins out like bad Ferrari.C&nbsp;Brad Ference, D: Less time in box, better on ice.C&nbsp;Ryan Johnson, C. Splatter hits, shot blocks, no offense.C&nbsp;Lance Ward, RW. Former defenseman grinds sans offensive instinct.C-&nbsp;Ivan Majesky, D. Has begun fading over long season.C-&nbsp;Marcus Nilson, LW/C. Production less than sum of parts.D+&nbsp;Niklas Hagman, LW. Having vintage sophomore slump.D&nbsp;Igor Ulanov, D. It&rsquo;s not a shift, it&rsquo;s an adventure.D&nbsp;Stephane Matteau, LW. Out of legs, hands, place on team.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02865/8088800-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="237" height="288"><figcaption class="caption-body">Roberto Luongo</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-01

Post-season in picture tor surprising Panthers

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Matt McHale</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03647/8088838-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="219" height="225"></div>With all the injuries the Kings faced in the first half, they still were just five points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.At times, they played without 10 veterans, including top player Jason Allison for 21 games with a knee injury and Adam Deadmarsh, who remained the leading goalscorer despite missing 23 of the first 42 games with a concussion.The Kings will be tested in the next month. They play only one non-contending team before Feb. 9.A&nbsp;Mathieu Schneider, D. Healthy and on pace for best season.A-&nbsp;Ian Laperriere, RW Team leader, penalty killer, mini-brawler.A-&nbsp;Derek Armstrong, C. Has proved he can play in NHL.B&nbsp;Brad Norton, INI. Made team on tryout, stuck as winger.B-&nbsp;Jason Allison, C. Severe knee injury limits him and team.B-&nbsp;Adam Deadmarsh, LW. Concussions have teammates worried.B-&nbsp;Dmitry Yushkevich, D. Newcomer has helped blueline and rookie Frolov adjust.B-&nbsp;Jaroslav Modry, D. Cooled off after hot start.B-&nbsp;Mattias Norstrom, D. Solid again following slow start.C+&nbsp;Ziggy Palffy, RW. Went six weeks between goals, struggled without mates.C&nbsp;Eric Belanger, C. Needs to prove he deserves offensive role.C&nbsp;Alexander Frolov, LW Flashy, but sometimes disappears.C&nbsp;Brad Chartrand, C. Can&rsquo;t ignore 24-game goal drought.C&nbsp;Mikko Eloranta, LW Less impact this season.C&nbsp;Mike Cammalleri, C. So far, only glimpses of hype.C&nbsp;Jared Aulin, RW. Showed great hands, but still a ways off.C&nbsp;Jerred Smithson, C. Gritty, but too many of his kind already.C&nbsp;Chris McAlpine, D. Does the job, but rarely plays.C&nbsp;Kip Brennan, LW. Great right hook.C-&nbsp;Bryan Smolinski, C. More was expected from pending UFA C, Erik Rasmussen, C. More offense expected.C-&nbsp;Craig Johnson, C. Killing penalties, but way off in goals C, Aaron Miller, D. Too banged up to tell.C-&nbsp;Felix Potvin, G. Needs to recover from January funk.C-&nbsp;Jamie Storr, G. Magic not there this year.C-&nbsp;Lubomir Visnovsky, D. Still waiting for rookie form to return.C-&nbsp;Joe Corvo, D. High scorer in AHL, but not in L.A.C-&nbsp;Steve Kelly, C. He wants to score, club wants a grinder.D&nbsp;Steve Heinze, LW. Finally scored after recall from AHL. &#9632;

f0022-03

Kings face tough sked against frontrunners

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04462/8088869-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="220" height="231"></div>The NHL&rsquo;s surprise team of the first half? It has to be the Minnesota Wild.Everyone saw the Wild building a respectable franchise through its first two season, but no pne expected this little-team-that-could piling up 50 points through the first 41 games.Leading the way is third-year right winger Marian Gaborik, who has gone from a future star to a star right now. The goaltending has been solid and coach Jacques Lemaire has his band of no-names running with the big boys out West.The question is: Can the Wild keep it going in the second half, despite its lack of experience in big games?A&nbsp;Marian Gaborik, RW. Emerging as one of league&rsquo;s elite players.A&nbsp;Pascal Dupuis, LW. On pace for 50 points.A&nbsp;Dwayne Roloson, G. Lost only four of first 20 starts.A-&nbsp;Sergei Zholtok, RW Still scores, but now plays defense as well.B+&nbsp;Manny Fernandez, G. Started season with 6-0 record; cooled after that.B+&nbsp;Brad Bombardir, D. Teambest plus-15.B&nbsp;Cliff Ronning, C. Wild&rsquo;s top playmaker leads team in assists.B&nbsp;Andrew Brunette, LW. Goals are up, assists are down.B&nbsp;Jim Dowd, C. Bounces to whatever line Wild needs him.B&nbsp;Willie Mitchell, D. Could be the team&rsquo;s best defenseman in a year.B&nbsp;Matt Johnson, LW. No longer just an enforcer.B-&nbsp;Nick Schultz, D. Rough start, now team&rsquo;s most consistent.B-&nbsp;Wes Walz, C. Checks other team&rsquo;s top centers.C+&nbsp;Antti Laaksonen, LW. Solid defense, streaky scorer.C&nbsp;Richard Park, RW. Former minor-leaguer could hit 15-goal mark.C&nbsp;Andrei Zyuzin, D. Consistent since acquisition from New Jersey.C&nbsp;Stephane Veilleux, LW. First-year forward willing to do heavy lifting.C&nbsp;Pierre Marc Bouchard, C. Rookie being brought along slowly.C&nbsp;Brad Brown, D. Team&rsquo;s most physical defenseman.C-&nbsp;Jeremy Stevenson, LW. Called up from minors to add size to lineup.C&nbsp;Jason Marshall, LW. First-half of season ruined by concussion.D&nbsp;Lubomir Sekeras, D. One-time offensive defenseman isn&rsquo;t scoring.D&nbsp;Ladislav Benysek, D. Being pushed out by younger players. &#9632;

f0022-04

Can Wild keep pace in second halt of year?

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05340/8088900-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="218" height="218"></div>They&rsquo;re scoring more goals and have improved their depth. But, like last season, the Canadiens will require a second-half surge to qualify for the playoffs.They reached the halfway mark of the schedule playing.500 hockey, with a record of 16-165-4, but that wouldn&rsquo;t be enough to claim one of the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s eight playoff spots.Montreal, a team that stresses defense, has been a major disappointment in its own end. The Canadiens have allowed the most shots of any NHL team and only three clubs-Atlanta, San Jose and the Rangers-have allowed more-goals.A+&nbsp;Yanic Perreault, C. Excellent scorer and faceoff specialist.A&nbsp;Saku Koivu, C. Showing no ill effects of 2001 battle with abdominal cancer.A&nbsp;Jeff Hackett, G. Kept team in early-season games.A&nbsp;Richard Zednik, RW. Leads team in shots, with 109.A&nbsp;Andrei Markov, D. Emerging star and team&rsquo;s best defenseman.B&nbsp;Doug Gilmour, LW. Cagey veteran still contributes.B&nbsp;Craig Rivet, D. Playing solidly despite wrist injury.B&nbsp;Stephane Quintal, D. Dependable defenseman isn&rsquo;t afraid to fight.B&nbsp;Jan Bulis, LW. Only one point off last season&rsquo;s pace.C+&nbsp;Jose Theodore, G. Slow start, but better of late.C+&nbsp;Patrice Brisebois, D. Started strongly, but struggling now.C+ Randy McKay RW. Dependable role player and veteran leader.C&nbsp;Joe Juneau, C. Remains team&rsquo;s best defensive forward.C&nbsp;Chad Kilger, LW. Can be useful in proper situation.C&nbsp;Oleg Petrov, RW. Not working as hard as last season.C&nbsp;Ron Hainsey, D. Stint in minors improved his confidence.C&nbsp;Bill Lindsay, LW. Spunky forward when allowed to play.C&nbsp;Patrick Traverse, D. Does his best with limited ability.C&nbsp;Karl Dykhuis, D. Odd mein out with Hainsey&rsquo;s return.D&nbsp;Mike Ribeiro, C. Not living up to offensive expectations.D&nbsp;Donald Audette, RW. Season has been a nightmare.D&nbsp;Andreas Dackell, RW. Decent offensive skills seem to have disappeared.D&nbsp;Sylvain Blouin, LW. Can&rsquo;t even fight very well.D&nbsp;Marius Czerkawski, RW, Got in coach Therrien&rsquo;s doghouse for poor work ethic and wound up in Hamilton (AHL).Inc.&nbsp;Marcel Hossa, LW. Scored a goal in each of his first two games following recall from Hamilton. &#9632;

f0022-05

Habs need to Improve defensive zone effort

<div class="byline">&#x2014;David Boclair</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06262/8088938-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="213" height="225"></div>Two coaches&ndash;Dave King and Darryl Sutter&ndash;were fired immediately or shortly after their teams were beaten by the Nashville Predators.No doubt exColorado coach Bob Hartley&rsquo;s status also was effected by a 4-3 Nashville victory Nov. 10, which Avalanche captain Joe Sakic termed &ldquo;rock-bottom&rdquo; for that franchise.&ldquo;If we have that much power, maybe we should be ranked among the 100 most powerful people in hockey,&rdquo; coach Barry Trotz said. &ldquo;People don&rsquo;t give us enough respect.&rdquo;Two victories in the first 20 games created the situation in which the Predators are lightly regarded.A&nbsp;Andreas Johansson, LW On pace for franchise record in goals.A-&nbsp;David Legwand, C. Leading scorer has improved on faceoffs.A-&nbsp;Tomas Vokoun, G. Was better than.500 (6-4-3) after becoming No. 1.B+&nbsp;Vernon Fiddler, C. Rookie earned three recalls and 19 games.B+&nbsp;Kimmo Timonen, D. Makes power play go.B&nbsp;Adam Hall, RW Fearless and productive in varying roles.B&nbsp;Karlis Skrastins, D. Effective shot blocker, hard worker.B-&nbsp;Andy Delmore, D. Team-worst plus-minus, but has 12 PPG.B-&nbsp;Rem Murray, C. Helped stabilize line combinations and PK.C&nbsp;Mark Eaton, D. Plays well when called upon.C&nbsp;Bill Houlder, D. Still a reliable veteran presence.C&nbsp;Denis Pederson, C. Hurt too often, productive when he plays.C&nbsp;Scott Walker, RW. An impact performer when he&rsquo;s healthy.C&nbsp;Clarke Wilm, C. Physical, but had no points in first 17 games.C&nbsp;Jason York, D. Playing better after being healthy scratch.C-&nbsp;Scott Hartnell, LW Uneven performances led to limited roll.C-&nbsp;Cale Hulse, D. Couldn&rsquo;t stay out of the penalty box early.C-&nbsp;Vitali Yachmenev, LW Still looking for first goal.D+&nbsp;Brent Gilchrist, LW. Valuable leader, but unproductive.D+ Vladimir Orszagh, RW Unable to find useful linematesD&nbsp;Denis Arkhipov, C. Expected to be top scorer, had just three goals.D Martin Erat, LW. Earned first trip to minors with play in first 25 games.Inc.&nbsp;Greg Johnson, C. Captain played five games before injury.Inc.&nbsp;Jan Lasak, G. Promoted after Dunham trade, has yet to appear in a game.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-07219/8088931-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="239" height="291"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andreas Johansson</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-06

Predators can’t win, but are coach killers

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011070/8088969-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="219" height="226"></div>No wonder the New Jersey Devils seemed so comfortable playing low-scoring, tight-checking games throughout the first half of the season. They simply reflected the personalities of their coach and GM, who were constantly on the defensive.Coach Pat Burns, regularly defended his system, denying he wanted the Devils to play it close to the vest rather than open up the offense. GM Lou Lamoriello denied that there was need to make a trade. He said he had faith in his players and said the team was criticized for not being able to score back in 2000 when it won the Stanley Cup. (See pg. 46 for more on the Devils and their lack of scoring).A&nbsp;Martin Brodeur, G. Has had season that has many talking Hart Trophy.A&nbsp;John Madden, C. Shuts down opposition snipers, still one of team&rsquo;s best on offense.A&nbsp;Jamie Langenbrunner, RW. Cub&rsquo;s top goal-scorer despite missing four games.A&nbsp;Scott Stevens, D. Still workhorse on team that relies on shutting down opponent.B+&nbsp;Colin White, D. Cut down on foolish penalties and recorded plus-13 mark.B+&nbsp;Scott Niedermayer, D. Clutch performer excels at both ends of rink.B&nbsp;Sergei Brylin, LW. Versatile forward overcame knee surgery for best start of career.B&nbsp;Patrik Elias, UN. Missing longtime linemates Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott.B&nbsp;Ken Daneyko, D. At age of 38, finally realized need to sit out occasional game.B&nbsp;Brian Rafalski, D. Quarterback has to take some heat for dismal power play effort.B&nbsp;Brian Gionta, RW. Broken leg interrupted impressive first full season in NHL.B&nbsp;Jay Pandolfo, UN. Top penalty-killer enjoying one of best seasons.C+&nbsp;Scott Gomez, C. One of league&rsquo;s best playmakers wasted on line without scorers.C+&nbsp;Corey Schwab, G. Quality backup dealing with one of toughest jobs in hockey.C+&nbsp;Jeff Friesen, UN. Admits adjustment to Eastern Conference has been tough.C+&nbsp;Oleg Tverdovsky, D. Flashes of brilliance offset by battle with illness, fatigue.C&nbsp;Jim McKenzie, UN. Enforcer prevents smaller Devils team from being pushed around.C&nbsp;Turner Stevenson, RW. Stats don&rsquo;t reflect his knack for making things happen.C Tommy Albelin, D. Stepped in capably for Tverdovsky with reliable playC&nbsp;Joe Nieuwendyk, C.With just five goals for season, confidence is shaken.C&nbsp;Christian Berglund, RW. Lost roster spot to Mike Danton in camp, has yet to find niche.C&nbsp;Jiri Bicek, RW. Enough speed and passing skills to fit nicely with Elias. &#9632;

f0023-01

Devils coach, GM deflect criticism of defensive play

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Peter Botte</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02738/8089000-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="216" height="223"></div>Tread water until Michael Peca returns and make a run in the second half.New York Islanders GM Mike Milbury gladly would have accepted that scenario last summer, but the road to post-season contention in the Eastern Conference by mid-season wasn&rsquo;t particularly easy for Peter Laviolette&rsquo;s team.When Peca returned nearly a month ahead of schedule in mid-November following two major surgeries, the Islanders were dead-last in the Atlantic Division with a paltry 11 points in 16 games.Suddenly, a second straight playoff berth no longer seems a longshot. And the team&rsquo;s goals are much loftier than that.A&nbsp;Jason Blake, RW. Among team&rsquo;s top scorers, after four uneventful NHL seasons.A-&nbsp;Mark Parrish, RW. Scored 17 of first 18 goals from within five feet of net.A-&nbsp;Michael Peca, C. Isles were 5-10-1-0 without him, 13-7-4-1 with him.B+&nbsp;Adrian Aucoin, D. NHL&rsquo;s first-half leader in icetime.B+&nbsp;Roman Hamrlik, D. On pace for almost 60 points.B+&nbsp;Dave Scatchard, C. Already exceeded last season&rsquo;s total of 12 goals.B&nbsp;Arron Asham, RW. Scores more goals and plays harder than Mariusz Czerkawski.B&nbsp;Mattias Weinhandl, RW. Is it too late for a Calder run?B-&nbsp;Chris Osgood, G. Grade&rsquo;s going up, with a bullet.B-&nbsp;Kenny Jonsson, D. Starting to return to last season&rsquo;s fine form.B-&nbsp;Jason Wiemer, UN. Has found niche on two-way third line.B-&nbsp;Alexei Yashin. Nearly point per game, but just nine goals for $7.4 million?B-&nbsp;Shawn Bates, UN. NHL co-leader in shorthanded goals.B-&nbsp;Mattias Timander, D. Another solid depth pickup.C+&nbsp;Claude Lapointe, C. With Isles since &rsquo;96, but how much longer?C+&nbsp;Eric Cairns, D. Rarely loses fights, improved in own end.C+&nbsp;Garth Snow, G. Rick DiPietro&rsquo;s a ferry ride away.C+&nbsp;Steve Webb, RW Battering ram bothered by back spasms.C&nbsp;Brad Isbister. Deal with it. It might not ever happen for him.C-&nbsp;Radek Martinek, D. Slow recovery following knee reconstruction.D&nbsp;Oleg Kvasha. C. Parrish carrying Luongo/Jokinen trade alone. &#9632;

f0023-02

Isles drive tor playoff spot with Peca back in uniform

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03539/8089031-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="215" height="227"></div>You couldn&rsquo;t find a better excuse for the New York Rangers poor first half than the incredible number of injuries the team suffered.That excuse doesn&rsquo;t hold water, though, because the Rangers were playing awful, inconsistent hockey before the injury rash fully broke out. They had just made it to.500 when Brian Leetch went down, touching off a free-fall that threatened to end their season extra early.B+&nbsp;Petr Nedved, C. Thought to be trade bait, he was most consistent of Rangers.B&nbsp;Brian Leetch, D. Played well before being sidelined by freak injuryB&nbsp;Tom Poti, D. Has made a solid contribution offensively.B&nbsp;Dale Purinton, D. Tough guy making marked improvement.B&nbsp;Joel Bouchard, D. Capable replacement for Leetch.B&nbsp;Dan Blackburn, G. Strong showing in 18 straight starts.B&nbsp;Vladimir Malakhov, D. Once offered offense, his defensive game is still strong.B&nbsp;Sylvain Lefebvre, D. Rangers miss his experience and composure.B-&nbsp;Matthew Barnaby, UN. Sparkplug scoring, playing with more maturity.C+&nbsp;Ted Donato, C. Role player plugs holes capably.C+&nbsp;Mark Messier, C. Aging star still gets tons of ice time.C+&nbsp;Bobby Holik, C. Free agent signing was slowed by hip injuryC&nbsp;Pavel Bure, RW. Had career-worst goal scoring slump before knee injury.C&nbsp;Sandy McCarthy, RW. Few opportunities to help.C&nbsp;Cory Cross, D. Solid contribution in brief time with Rangers.C&nbsp;Josh Green, UN. Played only a few games, but played with spirit.C&nbsp;Rico Fata, C. Speed has not translated into goals.C&nbsp;Mike Dunham, G. Usually gives team a chance to win.C&nbsp;Mike Richter, G. Season ends prematurely.C&nbsp;Ronald Petrovicky, UN. Hit a wall after good start.C&nbsp;Billy Tibbetts, C. Hard-nosed fourth-liner can&rsquo;t score.C&nbsp;Eric Lindros, C. Came on after move to right with with Holik.C-&nbsp;Boris Mironov, D. Fresh start as Ranger.D&nbsp;Mikael Samuelsson, RW. Fell off terribly in last month.D&nbsp;Darius Kasparaitis, D. Had terrible start, particularly in own end.D&nbsp;Radek Dvorak, RW. Suffering through horrible slump. &#9632;

f0023-03

Stumbling Rangers on pace to miss post-season again

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04386/8089062-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="216" height="223"></div>The Ottawa Senators are going for broke this season&hellip;on the ice as well.While there&rsquo;s plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the future of the franchise, fans in Ottawa have had plenty to smile about when it comes to talking about the club&rsquo;s performance.Since dropping a 7-1 decision Nov. 9 to Boston&ndash;the club&rsquo;s worst loss in six years&ndash;the Senators have been on a roll.&ldquo;The one thing I&rsquo;ve been impressed with is the way we&rsquo;ve played as a team,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Martin. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re getting contributions from all four lines, we&rsquo;re playing well defensively and we&rsquo;ve had different guys stepping up at different times. I&rsquo;ve been pleased.&rdquo;A&nbsp;Patrick Lalime, G. Playoffs last year no fluke.A&nbsp;Marian Hossa, RW. Is among league leaders in goals.A&nbsp;Zdeno Chara, D: Big hits and big presence.A&nbsp;Daniel Alfredsson, RW. Has been the leader of the pack.A&nbsp;Wade Redden, D. Plays an important role at all times.A-&nbsp;Todd White, C. Has measured up after great year last season.B+&nbsp;Chris Phillips, D. Solid on and off the ice.B&nbsp;Curtis Leschyshyn, D. Veteran presence important.B&nbsp;Martin Havlat, RW. Youthful enthusiasm and highly skilled.B&nbsp;Magnus Arvedson, UN. Good health hasn&rsquo;t meant overwhelming success.B&nbsp;Mike Fisher, C. Maturing into two-way threat.B&nbsp;Martin Prusek, G. Has done good job when called upon.B-&nbsp;Peter Schaefer UN. Can&rsquo;t argue with defensive play.B-&nbsp;Jody Hull, UN. Role player lives up to expectations.B-&nbsp;Shaun Van Allen, C. Has made nice return to Ottawa.B-&nbsp;Karel Rachunek, D. Late starter has done his job.B-&nbsp;Anton Volchenkov, D. Newcomer has made an impact.B-&nbsp;Shane Hnidy, D. Has rebounded after tough start.C+&nbsp;Chris Neil, RW. Ankle injury limited his role.C&nbsp;Radek Bonk, C. Needs to find consistency in his game.C&nbsp;Petr Schastlivy, UN. Groin injuries have hampered him.C&nbsp;Joel Kwiatkowski, D. Has played his role when needed. &#9632;

f0023-04

Senators on-ice performance as good as money in bank

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011153/8089100-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="216" height="229"></div>The goal was to learn Ken Hitchcock-style hockey; judging by the Flyers&rsquo; numbers, progress was made in the first half of the season.The Flyers MPK reached the mid-point among the leaders in defense, some-thing dear to the coach&rsquo;s heart, while challenging for the top spots in the division and conference standings.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s still a lot of room for improvement, such as special teams,&rdquo; said Hitchcock, noting the Flyers&rsquo; poor standing in power play and penaltykill efficiency. &ldquo;We need to be consistent and we want more from our young guys to be a better team.&rdquo;A&nbsp;Robert Esche, G. Near top in GAA; as many shutouts as losses.A&nbsp;Dennis Seidenberg, D. Rookie shoots and passes like he&rsquo;s 30.A&nbsp;Michal Handzus, C. Positionally perfect, scores timely goals.A-&nbsp;Jeremy Roenick, C. Surprise! J.R is praising coach and following orders.A-&nbsp;Eric Desjardins, D. Bouncing back from disappointing 200102.B+&nbsp;Mark Recchi, RW. Recent drives to net paying off.B+&nbsp;Keith Primeau, C. Grinding it out, leading by example.B+&nbsp;Eric Weinrich, D. Not as sharp as 2001-02, but still steadyB+&nbsp;Radovan Somik, RW. Hitchcock calls him next Jere Lehtinen.B&nbsp;Donald Brashear, LW. Came alive after meeting with coach.B&nbsp;Kim Johnsson, D. OK on &lsquo;D,&rsquo; but should have more than one goal.B&nbsp;Marty Murray, C. Keeps forgetting he&rsquo;s a fourth line center.B&nbsp;John LeClair, UN. Was headed for 40-goal season before surgeryB&nbsp;Justin Williams, RW. Coach wants more consistent intensityB-&nbsp;Roman Cechmanek, G. Rebounds, puckhandling still issues.C+&nbsp;Simon Gagne, UN. Slow start, just now finding confidence.C&nbsp;Andre Savage, C. Decent job filling in as call-up.C&nbsp;Chris Therien, D. Split from Desjardins not end of world.C&nbsp;Todd Fedoruk, UN. Still swinging despite two bad hands.C&nbsp;Marcus Ragnarsson, D. With Johnsson, positionally sound.C&nbsp;Tomi Kallio, RW. Goodbye Columbus, hello contender.C&nbsp;Jim Vandermeer, D. Old-time hockey guy still fits in.C-&nbsp;Chris McAllister, D. Seventh defenseman has even plus-minus.C-&nbsp;Pavel Brendl, RW. At least working after practice a good sign.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02810/8089093-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="235" height="290"><figcaption class="caption-body">Eric Desjardins</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0026-01

Defensive improvement has Hitch, Flyers happy

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03653/8089131-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="217" height="225"></div>The Coyotes had reason for optimism, finally, as they steamed toward the season&rsquo;s halfway mark: goalie Sean Burke was back after a long stay on the injured list, and with him back in net, Phoenix rattled off a season-high, four-game win streak to stay in the playoff hunt.But the injury bug jumped up and bit the Coyotes once again. On Jan. 3, after a 4-1 upset victory in Detroit, the Coyotes learned they likely would be without Burke (sprained knee ligaments) and backup Brian Boucher (bruised knee) until late January, as their league-leading man-games-lost-to-injury total continues to soar.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just more adversity we have to face and we&rsquo;re ready to do that,&rdquo; said coach Bobby Francis, whose club still managed to earn points in 11 of 14 games despite nine regulars on the injured list.A&nbsp;Shane Doan, C. Versatile power forward emerging as leader.A&nbsp;Sean Burke, G. Injuries only thing stopping him.A-&nbsp;Mike Johnson, RW. Biggest surprise, keeps producing.A-&nbsp;Ladislav Nagy, UN. Quietly been efficient all season.B+&nbsp;Daymond Langkow, C. Loads of ice time, responsibility.B&nbsp;Daniel Briere, C. Numbers are down, but confidence is soaring.B-&nbsp;Branko Radivojevic, RW. Rookie has scored clutch goals.B-&nbsp;Ramzi Abid, UN. A difference-maker already as a rookie.B-&nbsp;Danny Markov, D. Relentless energizer out with broken arm.C+&nbsp;Tony Amonte, RW. Still waiting to get hot.C+&nbsp;Darcy Hordichuk, UN. Shift disturber warranting more time.C&nbsp;Kelly Buchberger, C. Gives what he can all the time.C&nbsp;Brian Boucher, G. Didn&rsquo;t distinguish himself when Burke was out.C&nbsp;Andrei Nazarov, RW. Effective when given the chance.C&nbsp;Deron Quint, D. Solid acquisition, but offense has cooled.C&nbsp;Ossi Vaananen, D. Reliable, hard-hitting, but penalty-prone.C&nbsp;Paul Ranheim, RW. Experienced addition to injury-riddled club.C&nbsp;Radoslav Suchy, D. Workmanlike to a fault.C&nbsp;Todd Simpson, D. Two suspensions for high-sticking hurt.C&nbsp;Paul Mara, D. Can be a force, but still developing.C&nbsp;Landon Wilson, UN. Valuable grinder out with eye injury.C-&nbsp;Teppo Numminen, D. Slowing down at age 34.C&nbsp;Claude Lemieux, C. Not much puck for the buck.D&nbsp;Brian Savage, UN. Injured, but ineffective when healthy &#9632;

f0026-03

Burke, Boucher hurt, Coyotes’ woes mount

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04469/8089162-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="217" height="228"></div>The Pittsburgh Penguins were about where most people thought they&rsquo;d be&ndash;flirting with.500, but out of a playoff position&ndash;at the halfway point of the 2002-03 regular season. But few could have guessed how they would get there.Pittsburgh (17-16-3-5 in its first 41 games) got an incredible first-half performance from Mario Lemieux (68 points in 40 games) and was the streakiest team in the NHL. The Pens had three five-game unbeaten streaks and a four-game winning streak that started immediately after a 10-game losing streak.&ldquo;It was a 20-point lesson,&rdquo; said right winger Ville Nieminen.Pittsburgh also had a sevengame winless streak, a leaguebest power play and nearly 200 man-games lost to injury.A+&nbsp;Mario Lemieux, C. Best player in the world.A&nbsp;Dick Tarnstrom, D. Norris numbers when healthy.A&nbsp;Martin Straka, UN. More than a point per game since returning.A-&nbsp;Alexei Kovalev, RW. Has 52 points, but minus-15 rating.B+&nbsp;Jan Hrdina, C. Two-way player on career pace for goals.B+&nbsp;Michal Sivek, C. One-third of the return on Jagr deal, he has impressed since call-up.B&nbsp;Kent Manderville, C. Sparks improved penalty-killing unit.B&nbsp;Shean Donovan, RW. Team wins when he plays.B&nbsp;Milan Kraft, C. Finally showing NHL readiness.B&nbsp;Marc Bergevin, D. Veteran biggest surprise next to Tarnstrom.B&nbsp;Michal Rozsival, D. Tied for top plus-minus on team.B-&nbsp;Aleksey Morozov, RW. Still too inconsistent.B-&nbsp;Johan Hedberg, G. Numbers down a bit.C+&nbsp;Steve McKenna, UN. With five goals in 40 games, he has already surpassed last season&rsquo;s total.C&nbsp;J-S Aubin, G. Needs to toughen up on road.C&nbsp;Dan LaCouture, UN. Provides consistent energy.C-&nbsp;Ian Moran, D. Worst plusminus on defense.C-&nbsp;Ville Nieminen, RW. Teambest two shorthanded goals.C-&nbsp;Jamie Pushor, D. Fairly steady and physical.C-&nbsp;Andrew Ference, D. Struggling following injuryC-&nbsp;Wayne Primeau, C. Must improve minus-14 rating.D+&nbsp;Hans Jonsson, D. Came on in second quarter.D&nbsp;Randy Robitaille, UN. Production way down from last season.D&nbsp;Janne Laukkanen, D. Injured most of the time and ineffective when he plays. &#9632;

f0026-04

Power play bright spot for up-and-down Pens

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Derrick Goold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05345/8089193-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="215" height="225"></div>Through six goalies, a string of groin strains, the likely season-long absence of Chris Pronger, a case of chickenpox and a team-wide tussle with the flu, the Blues have soldiered on and been one of the league&rsquo;s most potent offensive teams.With Brent Johnson installed as No. 1, the Blues must tidy up their defense&ndash;and maybe make an addition&ndash;to do more than come down with just the postseason blues.&ldquo;We said from Day 1, we&rsquo;ve got a whole bunch of excuses we can&rsquo;t use,&rdquo; said Doug Weight. &ldquo;We used enough of them last season.&rdquo;A&nbsp;Al Maclnnis, D. Acting captain; his resilience has been contagious.A&nbsp;Barret Jackman, D. Rookie&rsquo;s tremendous poise hides his age (21).A&nbsp;Petr Cajanek, C. Two-way center, Czech MVP gives team legit third line.A&nbsp;Scott Mellanby, RW Already has as many goals as he scored all last season (15).B+&nbsp;Doug Weight, C. Showed he can control games and produce points, like he&rsquo;s paid to do.B&nbsp;Cory Stillman, UN. Hot start has slowed; must curb meandering.B&nbsp;Jamal Mayers, RW. Was making quick, improving strides before knee injury.B&nbsp;Fred Brathwaite, G. Supported team through goalie-go-round, now the backup.B&nbsp;Bryce Salvador, D. Has lived up to expanded role.B&nbsp;Dallas Drake, RW. Exploited role on scoring line for goals.B-&nbsp;Eric Boguniecki, RW. Unexpected burst of goals too much to overlook.B-&nbsp;Pavol Demitra, C. Picked up playmaking as season unfolded.B-&nbsp;Keith Tkachuk, UN. Off-ice distractions limited production.B-&nbsp;Brent Johnson, G. Missed training camp with injuries; has confidence, but needs consistency.B&nbsp;Martin Rucinsky, UN. Sharp in-season addition turning into allround contributor.C+&nbsp;Reed Low, RW. Scrapper continues to improve game.C+&nbsp;Steve Dubinsky, C. Has goosed energy line; auditioning to take key faceoffs.C+&nbsp;Tyson Nash, UN. Regained pesky form.C&nbsp;Alexander Khavanov, D. Sopping up major minutes, but not yet the dynamo Blues envision.C&nbsp;Christian Laflamme, D. Steady blueliner has been reliable.C&nbsp;Matt Walker, D. Recent call up given chance to stick around.D+&nbsp;Shjon Podein, UN. Blue-collar penalty killer a recurring scratch.D&nbsp;Tom Koivisto, D. Finnish import learning to survive punishment. &#9632;

f0026-05

Half-year of obstacles no problem for Blues

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Ross McKeon</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06279/8089231-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="214" height="225"></div>In half-a-season the Sharks have gone from a team with great expectations to the NHL&rsquo;s biggest disappointment.Even when San Jose won its first division title last year, no Shark had a great individual season. So it was a good bet that some players would have better seasons this year, but aside from Teemu Selanne, that has not been the case.B+&nbsp;Teemu Selanne, RW. Rediscovered consistent scoring touch to help form only threatening line.B+&nbsp;Patrick Marleau, C. Picked up from hot finish, showing potential expected from No. 2 overall pick.B&nbsp;Marco Sturm, UN. Speed, confidence translates into greater offensive threat each season.B&nbsp;Mike Rathje, D. Set career high in points before 40-game mark.B&nbsp;Scott Hannan, D. Accepts challenge, excels as top-four defender.B-&nbsp;Adam Graves, RW. Coach on ice, mentor in dressing room, earns salaryC+&nbsp;Jonathan Cheechoo, RW. Out of place at outset, more productive after brief visit to minors.C&nbsp;Vincent Damphousse, C. Solid start, but takes too many unnecessary penalties.C&nbsp;Scott Thornton, UN. Injuries crop up for first time in San Jose, but effective when in lineup.C&nbsp;Dan McGillis, D. Adds physical dimension on blueline and has heavy shot, but inconsistent.C&nbsp;Shawn Heins, D. Has played OK when given a chance, but status as No. 7 D-man limits appearances.C&nbsp;Jim Fahey, D. Has patience with puck, doesn&rsquo;t back down.C&nbsp;Brad Stuart, D. Can&rsquo;t shake pain, swelling from ankle injury.C-&nbsp;Evgeni Nabokov, G. Hasn&rsquo;t heated up after contract stalemate.C-&nbsp;Todd Harvey, RW. Willing, but not getting many minutes; also struggled early on.C-&nbsp;Bryan Marchment, D. Impact hits are getting fewer and farther between.C-&nbsp;Owen Nolan, RW. Headed for another sub-par offensive season, leadership coming into question.C-&nbsp;Mike Ricci, C. Almost invisible in second quarter of season.D&nbsp;Niklas Sundstrom, RW. Missing from scoresheet, big part of struggling penalty-kill.D&nbsp;Mark Smith, C. No points in first 27 games, still looking for first goal at mid-season.D&nbsp;Matt Bradley, RW. Goes from overachiever last season to 13th forward.D-&nbsp;Miikka Kiprusoff, G. Failed as starter during Nabokov holdout, no better off bench.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07245/8089224-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="237" height="293"><figcaption class="caption-body">Adam Graves</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0026-06

Expected to contend, Sharks a huge letdown

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Damian Cristodero</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011100/8089262-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="216" height="222"></div>The Lightning did more than anyone expected as the season got under way. Since then it &pound;as done a little less.Tampa Bay slumped to 11-143-3, following a surprisingly good 7-1-2-0 start.Nevertheless, as of Jan. 8, the Lightning was atop the Southeast Division.&ldquo;If you had said at the beginning of the season we would be leading the division at the midway point, we would have taken it,&rdquo; said winger Fredrik Modin.The rub is the Lightning had allowed as many goals as it scored (116) and prospered despite sub-par goaltending from Nikolai Khabibulin, whose.907 save percentage was 12th among No. 1 goalies.Said GM Jay Feaster: &ldquo;We need Nik to be the world-class goaltender he&rsquo;s capable of being on a consistent basis for us to be a legitimate playoff team.&rdquo;A&nbsp;Dave Andreychuk, LW. One of league&rsquo;s best at faceoffs.A&nbsp;Martin St. Louis, RW. Team&rsquo;s most consistent offensive force.A&nbsp;Jassen Cullimore, D. Team&rsquo;s best defenseman, lost to injury.B+&nbsp;Dan Boyle, D. Offensive sparkplug.;B+&nbsp;Cory Sarich, D. Plays within himself.B&nbsp;Stan Neckar, D. Huge improvement over last season.B&nbsp;Nolan Pratt, D. Steady, competitive and can hit.B&nbsp;Vinny Prospal, LW. Good passer, must shoot and score more.B&nbsp;Andre Roy, UN. Contributes more than expected offensively.B&nbsp;Tim Taylor, C. Always faces opponent&rsquo;s top line.B-&nbsp;Vinny Lecavalier, C. Still needs to improve on faceoffs, puck possession.B-&nbsp;Brad Richards, C. Started slowly, must get better defensivelyC+&nbsp;Fredrik Modin, UN. Big shooter needs to use it more.C&nbsp;Chris Dingman, UN. Protects the puck and works well in corners.C&nbsp;Ruslan Fedotenko, UN. Offense and defense too streaky.C&nbsp;Kevin Hodson, G. Held his own despite little work.C-&nbsp;Ben Clymer, RW. Well behind last season&rsquo;s goal pace.C&nbsp;Pavel Kubina, D. Only two goals, none on power playC-&nbsp;Nikolai Khabibulin, G. Too many soft goals cost team points.C-&nbsp;Jimmie Olvestad, RW. Great defensively, but can&rsquo;t score.D+&nbsp;Sheldon Keefe, RW. Skating still a question mark and more offense expected.D+&nbsp;Brad Lukowich, D. Problems with coverages and positioning.D+&nbsp;Alexander Svitov, C. Trouble adjusting from European to NHL game.Inc.&nbsp;Brian Holzinger, C. Injuries and scratches limited his chances. &#9632;

f0027-01

Bolts better despite sub-par goaltending

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02734/8089300-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="214" height="226"></div>The first half of the Maple Leafs season was a study in contrasts. For the first quarter, the Leafs looked bewildered by the NHL&rsquo;s crackdown on obstruction, their defense looked old and porous and their confidence was fragile. And it showed as the team compiled an 8-11-2-0 mark through its first 21 games.Backed by spectacular goaltending, the Leafs were a juggernaut in the second half, going 13-4-2-1 in their next 20 to position themselves in the middle of the pack in the East.The trick over the second half will be to play as well on the road as they have at home.A+&nbsp;Ed Belfour, G. Brilliant behind shaky defense.A&nbsp;Alexander Mogilny, RW. Produces no matter who he plays with.A-&nbsp;Tie Domi, RW. Matched last year&rsquo;s total of nine goals in first half.B+&nbsp;Mats Sundin, C. Undisputed leader has endured long droughts.B&nbsp;Tomas Kaberle, D. Believe it or not, he&rsquo;s finally shooting the puck.B-&nbsp;Robert Svehla, D. Low-maintenance warrior effectively replacing Dmitry Yushkevich.B-&nbsp;Mikael Renberg, RW. All he has to do is shake the black cloud that follows him everywhere.C+&nbsp;Nik Antropov, C. Year in minors helped, must stay healthy.C+&nbsp;Wade Belak, RW Can play defense or wing, willingly accepts enforcer role.C+&nbsp;Ric Jackman, D. Has done great job of turning career around.C&nbsp;Jonas Hoglund, UN. Hits goalies in chest way too often.C&nbsp;Robert Reichel, C. Anchors effective third line.C&nbsp;Tom Fitzgerald, C/RW. Was supposed to be upgrade on Garry Valk, but isn&rsquo;t.C&nbsp;Paul Healey, RW Like most career minor-leaguers, has tailed off.C&nbsp;Jryki Lumme, C. Making safe plays, after disastrous first quarter.C&nbsp;Trevor Kidd, G. Hard to read because he doesn&rsquo;t start often.C-&nbsp;Harold Druken, UN. There&rsquo;s a reason why he has been with three teams this season.C-&nbsp;Bryan McCabe, D. Struggled mightily with obstruction crackdown while offense went south.C-&nbsp;Alyn McCauley, C. Has played his way back to fourth-line status.C-&nbsp;Shayne Corson, UN. Hurt a lot, not productive when healthy.C-&nbsp;Travis Green, C. Rebounding after miserable start.C-&nbsp;Karel Pilar, D. Was supposed to be top four in Toronto, not St. John&rsquo;s.C&nbsp;Darcy Tucker, UN. Disappointing on offense; team worst minus-11.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03514/8089293-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="237" height="290"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ed Belfour</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0027-02

Belfour’s sharp play turns Leafs around

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04355/8089331-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="219" height="232"></div>Like head coach Marc Crawford&rsquo;s nickname, the Vancouver Canucks had something to &lsquo;crow&rsquo; about during the first half of the 2002-03 NHL campaign. The Canucks put together a sublime first 41 games, going 2511-5-0 behind the scoring of the dynamic duo, Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi, and the goaltending of Dan Cloutier.Among their accomplishments, the Canucks won 10 straight games in November and finished the month a phenomenal 12-1-0-0.They hit the halfway mark first in their division and were challenging for both first place in the Western Conference and first place overall.No one is planning a parade route just yet, however.&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t won anything,&rdquo; noted GM Brian Burke, a candidate for executive of the year.A+&nbsp;Markus Naslund, UN. Deadly on power play and in clutch.A&nbsp;Todd Bertuzzi, RW. Is there a better power forward in hockey?A&nbsp;Dan Cloutier, G. Forget GAA, his best number is wins total.A&nbsp;Brendan Morrison, C. Perfect complement to Naslund, Bertuzzi.A-&nbsp;Ed Jovanovski, D. Was on pace for career year until breaking foot.B+&nbsp;Mattias Ohlund, D. Workhorse on blueline, but offense down.B+&nbsp;Murray Baron, D. Excellent shot-blocker and penalty-killer.B&nbsp;Brent Sopel, D. Playing top-four role on fourth-liner&rsquo;s salary.B&nbsp;Sami Salo, D. Ex-Senator has been solid on blueline.B-&nbsp;Matt Cooke, UN. Tenacious checker and solid penalty killer.B-&nbsp;Marek Malik, D. Coming on strong after slow start.C+&nbsp;Artem Chubarov, C. Delivering defensively, but should score more.C+&nbsp;Trevor Linden, RW. Offense waning, everything else still there.C+ Peter Skudra, G. Seldom called upon, but seldom disappointing.C+&nbsp;Trent Klatt, RW. Bulldog winger brings work ethic every game.C&nbsp;Trevor Letowski, RW. Bundle of energy on checking line.C&nbsp;Henrik Sedin, C. Goals total down, playmaking up.C&nbsp;Bryan Allen, D. Starting to come on with increased ice time.C&nbsp;Mats Lindgren, C. Checks well, numbers should be better.C&nbsp;Todd Warriner, LW. Plugger plugs into checking role.C-&nbsp;Daniel Sedin, UN. Still looking to find rookie form.C-&nbsp;Darren Langdon, UN. Provides muscle in limited minutes.Inc.&nbsp;Jarkko Ruutu, UN. Can&rsquo;t crack lineup enough to make impact. &#9632;

f0027-04

Canucks challenging for first place overall

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05238/8089362-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="213" height="223"></div>Early expectations for the Capitals were high, perhaps unrealistically high.There was a new coaching staff, key player additions and the return of players who missed much of last sea son with injuries.The Caps finished the first half of the season in first place in the Southeast Division, with fans wondering how well they can perform in the second half.Now that the club has started to jell, early season expectations might be met. But for that to happen, Washington&rsquo;s special teams must dramatically reverse their downward spirals.A&nbsp;Olie Kolzig, G. Could be a second Vezina Trophy on the horizon.A-&nbsp;Mike Grier, RW. Tough winger does what is asked, does it well.A-&nbsp;Michael Nylander, C. Gifted hands and feet, not afraid when play gets physical.B+&nbsp;Sergei Gonchar, D. Defensive play improving dramatically.B+&nbsp;Ken Klee, D. Unyielding as seamless glass.B Jason Doig, D. Hasn&rsquo;t wasted second chance in big time.B&nbsp;Jeff Halpern, C. Reliable player, if only he could score a few goals at home.B&nbsp;Alex Henry, W. At 6-foot-6, former defenseman learning to be force on right wing.B&nbsp;Calle Johansson, D. Playing his best hockey at age of 35.B&nbsp;Steve Konowalchuk, UN. Clear the way, Caps captain&rsquo;s coming through.B&nbsp;Brian Sutherby, C. Fourth-liner often plays with second unit.B-&nbsp;Sebastien Charpentier, G. Waiting for his chance between the pipes.B-&nbsp;Peter Bondra, UN. Has 15 goals, but lacks chemistry with rest of team.C+&nbsp;Brendan Witt, D. Strong recovery following a slow start.C&nbsp;Rick Berry, D. Game needs a boost to regain form.C&nbsp;Jaromir Jagr, RW. Tailed off after great first quarter.C&nbsp;Robert Lang, C. Only two goals, three points during 14-game stretch.C&nbsp;Kip Miller, W, Still looking for. permanent position.C&nbsp;Dainius Zubrus, RW. Holdout, injuries have curtailed performance.C-&nbsp;Ivan Ciernik, UN. Stats don&rsquo;t support first line job.C-&nbsp;J.F. Fortin, D. Needs to be steadier, play more physically.C-&nbsp;Glen Metropolis C. Utility man doesn&rsquo;t play often.C-&nbsp;Andreas Salomonsson, RW. Not much to show for efforts. &#9632;

f0027-05

Gaps need more help from special feams

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011141/8089393-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0028-01

NHL DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>Charlie Stephens was just like many youngsters, dreaming of a career on skates long before they knew a real world existed.&ldquo;I was dying to be a hockey player since I was 5,&rdquo; Stephens said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the greatest job in the world.&rdquo;But Stephens was also different from the majority of those with NHL dreams. He was prepared to get on with a life outside of hockey after his junior career ended.Drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 draft by Colorado (196th overall), Stephens didn&rsquo;t hear from the Avs last summer and figured it was time to move on. He enrolled in courses at the University of Western Ontario and was ready to study kinesiology.&ldquo;I knew they were a deep team and I didn&rsquo;t know if they were going to sign me,&rdquo; said Stephens, initially selected 31st overall by Washington in 1999, but never signed. &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t heard from Colorado so I was ready to call it quits on hockey.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011011/8089424-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="278" height="351"><figcaption class="caption-body">Charlie Stephens</figcaption></div>Then the Avalanche called and Stephens, 21, decided school could wait. The 6-foot-3,225-pound center is among the top 10 in rookie scoring. He had 11 goals and 27 points in 33 American League games and had an NHL recall in December.&ldquo;At camp he wanted to turn some heads and he did,&rdquo; said Hershey coach Mike Foligno. &ldquo;He has good hands and a good shot. He has Dave Andreychuk reach and size around the net and he&rsquo;s hard to stop.&rdquo;Stephens is not all offense. Foligno likes the way he plays without the puck and in his own end. At plus-5, he&rsquo;s second on the Bears and first among forwards.As for school, he&rsquo;ll be taking courses at Western this summer, with the Avalanche paying his tuition. He&rsquo;s right. Hockey is a great job. &#9632;

f0029-01

Rookie Stephens decides school can wait

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>The end came too abruptly and not at Joe Sacco&rsquo;s choosing.When the 2001-02 NHL season ended, so, too, did Sacco&rsquo;s playing career. The Washington Capitals chose not to offer another contract and other clubs were only mildly interested, asking him to accept a two-way deal that would almost certainly mean time in the American League. The uncertainty wasn&rsquo;t what Sacco wanted, not after nine NHL seasons with four teams.&ldquo;After playing that long in the NHL, I was waiting for something better,&rdquo; said the right winger, who scored 93 goals and 207 points in 704 NHL games. He had seven assists in 65 games last season.Something better never came along, though, which is why Sacco joined the Philadelphia Phantoms on a 25-game tryout contract in early January.&ldquo;It ended so quickly last year and I&rsquo;m only 33 (he turns 34 Feb. 4),&rdquo; Sacco said. &ldquo;I was expecting to play a year or two more. Inside I was telling myself I owe myself one more opportunity.&rdquo;He appeared in mid-season form when he hit the ice, with two goals and four points in his first two games with the Phantoms. &ldquo;I want to get back to the level I was at the last 10 years,&rdquo; he said.<h2>AHL WEST NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02673/8089462-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="248" height="244"></div>WHAT A YEAR After missing 31 games with an abdominal muscle tear, the comeback for Syracuse&rsquo;s Darrel Scoville lasted just two games. The defenseman broke a bone in his foot and will be out until late February.Scoville had a goal and an assist in his first game back, helping the Crunch gain a 2-2 tie with Binghamton Jan. 4. He was hurt the next night in a 2-0 loss at Philadelphia, which extended the Crunch&rsquo;s winless streak to a team-record 13 games.SPLIT LOYALTY There was no question who twin sisters Ashly and Angela Hay were rooting for when Manitoba played in Utah.They held a big hand-held sign to cheer on Moose defenseman Darrell Hay, their brother, and not Utah coach Don, their father.&ldquo;It said, &lsquo;Go, Darrell, Go,&rsquo; there was no &lsquo;Go, Dad, Go,&rsquo;&rdquo; Don Hay said.It was a perfect family weekend. The Moose won 4-0 Jan. 2, then Utah won 6-2 two nights later, with Darrell scoring a goal.NOTEBOOK Five nights after scoring his first NHL goal for the Dallas Stars, rookie center Steve Ott was a healthy scratch for Utah after being on the ice for three Manitoba goals and committing a costly turnover in a 4-0 loss to the Moose Jan. 2.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03462/8089455-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="1316" height="1895"><figcaption class="caption-body">Second-year center Tomas Surovy scored the first home hat trick in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team history in a 6-3 win over Albany Jan. 4. (BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0029-02

Out-of-work vet Sacco accepts Phantom offer

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04328/8089500-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="350" height="470"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andy Hilbert</figcaption></div>VITAL STATISTICS Hometown: Howell, Mich.Age: 21 Size: 5-11,190LAST AMATEUR CLUB Michigan (CCHA)POSITION Center2002-03 SEASON<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05269/8089493-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="384" height="113"></div>NHL AFFILIATIONBoston BruinsNOTEWORTHYDrafted 37th overall by Boston in 2000&hellip;Could still be a senior at Michigan, but left after his sophomore season to turn pro&hellip;Had 26 goals and 53 points in 72 AHL games last season and was named to the all-rookie team.BOTTOM LINEIt&rsquo;s Hilbert&rsquo;s hockey sense and offensive instincts that have made him a top scorer at every level. The Bruins are deep at center so he&rsquo;s learning to play left wing and to be more consistent. &#9632;

f0029-04

AHL SCOUTING REPORT

<div class="byline">BY ROB MUELLER</div>John Marks has more than 600 minor pro victories and is the only coach in East Coast League history to win a championship with two different teams.Marks has a knack for developing talent and the experience of nine seasons as a Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; grinder and 15 seasons as a coach.That&rsquo;s why the 54-year-old Greenville Grrrowl coach considered himself a prospect in his own right after the parent Atlanta Thrashers fired Curt Fraser.Marks, who led a Greenville team featuring 13 rookies to the Kelly Cup last season, threw his hat in the ring, hoping Thrashers GM Don Waddell would give him an interview.<h2>NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06214/8089531-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="205" height="209"></div>Despite his track record as a proven tactician and teacher, all Marks got was the customary &ldquo;Thanks, but no thanks&rdquo; call from Waddell.The snub left the affable Marks frustrated.&ldquo;You see the same guys getting recycled,&rdquo; said Marks of the NHL coaching carousel. &ldquo;How many teams have Mike Keenan and Pat Burns been with? That really hurts. There are guys at this level who deserve a chance. I think I&rsquo;m one of them.&rdquo;DOUBLE DRAG Columbus coach Bruce Garber challenged fans to pack the building for a Dec. 28 game against Pensacola, vowing to wear a dress the next game if attendance reached 5,000.Garber was spared a night in drag when only 3,910 showed up. But the night turned out to be drag after all when a stick thrown by Cottonmouths right winger Sean McAslan struck one of the 3,910.McAslan received the longest suspension of the season-18 games. Goalie Matus Kostur also found trouble Dec. 27, getting three games for shoving a linesman in the final minute of a 6-1 shellacking.NOTEBOOK Toronto reassigned goalie Mike Minard from Reading to Toledo after coach Dave Lohrei left him in for the duration of a 13-2 loss to Cincinnati. Lohrei said Minard had the option to come out, but Minard refused. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never felt that humiliated in my life,&rdquo; Minard said. &#9632;

f0029-06

Grrrowl coach Marks upset about lack of NHL interest

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div>Sven Butenschon, who has spent much of his pro career shuttling between the minors and the NHL, admits he wasn&rsquo;t pleased when he found himself once again in the American League.After playing 16 games this season for the New York Islanders, the defenseman was sent to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in early January.The Isles acquired Butenschon, 26, from Florida in October for right winger Juraj Kolnik, 22.&ldquo;The whole thing was disappointing because I had such a good year last year,&rdquo; Butenschon said. &ldquo;But I can&rsquo;t complain at all. Any time you get a chance to play in the NHL, it&rsquo;s all you hope for.&ldquo;From experience, I understand what the game&rsquo;s like down here. When I go up to the Islanders, I know I can&rsquo;t do the same things. You have to be careful you don&rsquo;t get too many bad habits here, because when you get back up to the NHL and you try things, they&rsquo;re not going to work.&rdquo;Butenschon played 61 games for Hamilton last season, then finished the season with Edmonton, playing 14 games for the Oilers. Signed by Florida in the off-season, he was demoted to San Antonio out of camp and then traded to the Rangers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011142/8089562-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="278" height="354"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sven Butenschon</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We thought Butenschon would be able to help the Islanders because of his experience and when he wouldn&rsquo;t up be helping them, he&rsquo;s obviously talented and he would be helping us at this level,&rdquo; said Sound Tigers coach Steve Stirling.Stirling said he tries to be aware of Butenschon&rsquo;s differing roles.&ldquo;He gives them six-to-10 minutes (per game) up there,&rdquo; Stirling said,&rdquo;but here, his number quadruples and that sometimes can be confusing (for a player).&rdquo; &#9632;

f0030-01

Blueliner serves dual role in Isles’ system

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div>Ron Wilson faces an uphill battle as the new coach of the Saint John Flames.No relation to the new San Jose coach of the same name, Wilson was named as Jim Playfair&rsquo;s replacement when Playfair left to become an assistant with parent Calgary. At the time of the change, the Flames were 10 points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot at 10-19-2-1.Since the Calgary coaching uncertainty began Dec. 3 with the firing of Greg Gilbert, Saint John has not performed well. But a 4-2 win Jan. 4 over Worcester in Wilson&rsquo;s debut may be a sign of good things to come.&ldquo;A change of coaches is sometimes good, but we&rsquo;ve told the players repeatedly they can&rsquo;t worry about what they can&rsquo;t control,&rdquo; Wilson said.Wilson was Playfair&rsquo;s assistant in Saint John since the Calder Cup season of 2000-01. A veteran of 14 NHL seasons and 832 games, Wilson had also served as an assistant coach in Springfield for four years.Wilson said the Flames can improve from a mental standpoint. Nine one-goal losses have taken a toll on the team&rsquo;s psyche.&ldquo;We just need to get some confidence, because we haven&rsquo;t played a team yet that&rsquo;s much better than us,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just that we&rsquo;ve been playing not to lose.&rdquo;<h2>AHL EAST NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02766/8089600-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="243" height="248"></div>INSPIRED PLAY In the wake of his father&rsquo;s death over the Christmas holidays, Manitoba left winger Steve Kariya has been on fire.Kariya returned to the team earlier than expected and scored two goals in a 4-2 home win over Bridgeport Dec. 31. He followed that up with a goal and an assist in Manitoba&rsquo;s 4-0 win Jan. 2 in Utah.&ldquo;Getting my mind off things to go out and practise and play with the guys made me feel a lot better,&rdquo; Kariya said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be thinking about my dad for quite a while. It&rsquo;s tough.&ldquo;But my mom wanted me to get back on the ice and I wanted to, too.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK Portland goalie Maxime Ouellet established a Pirates record with a shutout string of 193 minutes and 42 seconds. He had three straight shutouts, Dec. 30, 31 and Jan. 4, and wasn&rsquo;t scored on until 7:38 into a Jan. 5 game vs. Worcester&hellip;Albany River Rats toughguy left winger Rob Skrlac scored his first goal in 133 games (since April 7,1999), Jan. 5 in a 2-1 victory at Hartford.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03545/8089593-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="1307" height="1900"><figcaption class="caption-body">Springfield&rsquo;s Eric Westrum is having a sophomore slump (five goals and 14points in 34 games), but he&rsquo;s third on the team with 81 shots on goal. (BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0030-02

New Saint John coach looks to fire up Flames

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Pavel Barta</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04382/8089631-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="483" height="334"></div>Future and former NHLers are among the top performers in Europe. Here are five such players with position, age and NHL rights.&#9633; Sergei Krivokrasov, RW, 28 (free agent). A veteran of 10 NHL seasons, Krivokrasov is the top scorer on Amur Khabarovsk in the Russian league with 11 goals and 20 points in 31 games.&#9633; Brett Hauer, D, 31 (free agent). Former Edmonton and Nashville farmhand is one of the Swiss league&rsquo;s top blueliners with six goals and 19 points in 28 games for Servette Geneve.&#9633; Antti Miettinen, C, 22 (Dallas). Selected 224th in 2000, Miettinen is having a strong season with 13 goals and 28 points in 30 games with the Finnish league&rsquo;s HPK Hameenlinna.&#9633; Pierre Hedin, D, 24 (Toronto). Chosen 239th in 1999, Hedin has great hands and a good shot. He has five goals and 14 points in 29 games with MoDo of the Swedish league.&#9633; Alex Hicks, LW, 33 (free agent). Hicks had 247 penalty minutes in 258 NHL games over five seasons. With German league&rsquo;s Cologne, he has 15 goals and 25 points in 30 games. &#9632;

f0030-04

WORLD watch

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Brendan Savage</div>Fort Wayne broke the United League&rsquo;s single-game attendance record Dec. 31 by drawing 10,228 for a 4-1 win over Muskegon. The game marked the first night the new suites and club seats were open at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, which underwent a renovation last summer. The old record was 10,076, set in 1997 at The Mark in Quad City&hellip;Elmira forward Aaron Phillips was stopped on penalty shots in back-to-back games. Port Huron&rsquo;s Kory Cooper stoned him Dec. 31 and Quad City&rsquo;s Joe Dimaline did the same Jan. 4. &#9632;

UNITED LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Chadd Cripe</div>Idaho, San Diego, Fresno and Bakersfield have followed the NHL&rsquo;s lead and installed safety netting at the ends of their rinks. Idaho added its nets for its first homestand of 2003 and fans weren&rsquo;t thrilled. &ldquo;At the far end, it makes things a little cluttered,&rdquo; said Steelheads fan Bob Carrier while sitting behind one goal. Players said they don&rsquo;t notice the nets, but understand the fans&rsquo; frustrations&ndash;they&rsquo;ve sat in the stands, too. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve gotta get used to it,&rdquo; said Idaho center Chris Marinucci. &ldquo;Your eyes go buggy the first time.&rdquo; &#9632;

WEST COAST LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2014;David Henry</div>Give the Fort Worth Brahmas credit for perseverance. During two promotions last season, the Brahmas invited fans to toss toy bulls onto the ice following the team&rsquo;s first goal of the game. Unfortunately for Fort Worth, the team was shut out both times. The Brahmas tried it again Dec. 21, this time inviting fans to toss stuffed animals onto the ice, with the toys being donated to charity. Though the Brahmas lost 4-3 in overtime to the Indianapolis Ice, they at least managed to score. &#9632;

CENTRAL LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Nick Gates</div>The Jacksonville Barracudas reached a three-year deal with Rob Downey, who is the GM of Spectacor Management Group. Spectacor will operate a yet-to-be constructed arena in the city. In a surprise move, Bryan Wells, who formed the eight-man Jacksonville ownership group and had been the team&rsquo;s GM, resigned. &ldquo;It was a mutual decision,&rdquo; said Barracudas owner Larry Laviolette, who is looking for a new partner&hellip;Savannah, Ga., is on track to become the ACHL&rsquo;s first expansion city and begin play in 2003-04. &#9632;

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January 24, 2003

Funny men

Warriors willing to represent CHA

2003 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS

Shocking loss of D-man Keith stings Spartans