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.

February 28, 2003

The Hockey News February 28, 2003

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08261/8124205-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="302" height="219"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09237/8124198-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="202" height="155"></div>Arena Pengrowth Saddledome Capacity 18,742 GM Kelly Kisio Coach Richard Kromm8th SEASON IN WHLBEST 1998-99, won WHL title HIGHEST NHL DRAFT PICKS Pavel Brendl, 4th, NYR, &rsquo;99 Kris Beech, 7th, Wsh, &rsquo;99 Brent Krahn, 9th, Cgy, &rsquo;00<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10216/8124191-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="464" height="252"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

CALGARY HITMEN

<h2>Best of the Hockey World</h2>NICE START The goalie who replaced Jeff Hackett in Montreal, Mathieu Garon, beats Washington 2-0 in his season debut and Boston 3-1 in his next start.AVALANCHE OF POINTS Peter Forsberg scores five goals and 16 points in a 10-game stretch, in which Colorado goes 8-0-2-0.WHAT A YEAR! Pittsburgh toughie Steve McKenna enters the season with eight goals in 245 career NHL games; he has nine in 53 games this year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021318/8121777-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="268" height="419"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATHIEU GARON</figcaption></div><h2>Worst of the Hockey World</h2>DEAL IS THE PITTS The Penguins get little more than cash in a desperation trade of Alexei Kovalev to the rival New York Rangers.YOU CAN&rsquo;T 00 THAT Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Andre Roy is suspended three games for shoving officials following a fight.CANES CAN&rsquo;T After a trip to the final last year, Carolina has been a disaster this season; a recent seven-game losing skid sank them to 13th in the East.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03847/8121770-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="278" height="423"><figcaption class="caption-body">ANDRE ROY</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

<h2>DIO YOU KNOW?</h2>Philadelphia Flyers goalie Bruce Gamble suffered a heart attack in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks Feb. 9, 1972. He played the entire game, leading the Flyers to a 3-1 win, but it was the final NHL contest of his career.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0650/8124965-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="185" height="276"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRUCE GAMBLE</figcaption></div><h2>TRIVIA</h2>When did the NHL re-introduce overtime in regular season games?a. 1980-81b. 1977-78c. 1983-84d. 1985-86<h2>NUMBER CRUNCH</h2>0 Number of shutouts by Predator goalies this year83 Shots Sam Lopresti faced in one game (1941).758 Ken Dryden&rsquo;s career winning percentage.942 Jacques Plante&rsquo;s save percentage (&rsquo;70-71)The correct answer to the trivia question will appear in next week&rsquo;s issue of The Hockey News and at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a>&nbsp;Last week&rsquo;s answer: c. Tiger Beat &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

ON THE FLY

<div class="byline">BY PETER BOTTE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011058/8122374-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">CREASE WANDERER Rick DiPietro spends as much time chasing down loose pucks in his own zone as he does absorbing them off the sticks of the opposition.</figcaption></div>Rick DiPietro&rsquo;s name came up often at the 2003 NHL All-Star Game and it wasn&rsquo;t completely fair to him or to the New York Islanders.Yes, first-time all-star wingers Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik are the two players GM Mike Milbury immediately bypassed in order to select DiPietro with the No.l overall pick in the 2000 entry draft. And yes, either one of them perfectly would fill the Islanders&rsquo; ongoing need for someone to play regularly with star center Alexei Yashin on Long Island.But Milbury is hardly second-guessing his controversial move to trade Roberto Luongo and grab the cocky DiPietro as the first goaltender ever chosen with the first selection overall in modem NHL draft history.Instead, Milbury fully expects the 21-year-old former Boston University star to be playing full time in the NHL next season.<h2>PUCK-HANDLING GOALIE</h2>&ldquo;I still haven&rsquo;t seen any reason to believe he&rsquo;s not going to be what everyone thinks he will be,&rdquo; said coach Peter Laviolette.You clearly can count DiPietro among those impressed by his own ability, a personality trait which the Islanders view as important as his dynamic work in the crease or his lauded puck-handling acumen.Milbury once remarked that the traits that make DiPietro a pain in the neck are the same traits that &ldquo;make him good.&rdquo;A former veteran teammate of his in the minors once quipped that DiPietro needs two seats on an airplane, &ldquo;one in coach for himself and another in first-class for his ego,&rdquo; even if the rookie admittedly has been humbled slightly by spending most of his first three pro seasons honing his craft below the NHL level.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s who he is, he plays with a lot of confidence because he lives with a lot of confidence, and you don&rsquo;t want to temper that,&rdquo; Laviolette said. &ldquo;You can see it in the net, the way he handles the puck, the way he attacks the shots, the way the guys like to test him in practice, the way he responds to himself and what&rsquo;s going on around him.<h2>MENTALLY TOUGH</h2>&ldquo;He gets pumped up when he does well and (ticked) off when he gives up a goal. He&rsquo;s not only confi-&lsquo; dent, but one tough competitor.&rdquo;DiPietro was dev-astated when Chris Osgood was plucked off the waiver wire on the eve of the 2001-02 season to provide a tandem with backup Garth Snow.But in retrospect, the move was an opportunity for DiPietro to quietly round out his game without the immediate pressure usually facing someone with his lofty draft position. Goalies and defensemen take longer to have an impact in the NHL.Following a slow start-OK, brooding period-DiPietro backstopped Bridgeport to the Calder Cup final in 2002. In 30 games with the Sound Tigers this season, his 2.23 goals-against average and.926 save percentage were among the best in the league. He&rsquo;d also posted a 2.02 GAA and.926 save percentage in four starts for the Isles.&ldquo;All I wanted to do this year was to work as hard as possible and play as well as I could, to make their decisions difficult,&rdquo; DiPietro said.With all three goalies set to have their contracts expire this summer, Milbury is facing yet another critical decision at that position.Trading Osgood, whose recent ankle injury has allowed the Isles to see what a DiPietro-Snow tandem would be like in his absence, would free up $4 million for the them to allocate to a scoring forward or a crease-clearing defenseman.And trading DiPietro would likely just be another reason for Milbury&rsquo;s critics to mock him for allstars that got away.<h2>SIZING UP GOALIES OF TOMORROW</h2>The ranking of prospect goalies was determined by a panel of 14 NHL executives for Future Watch 2003. Goalies are ranked according to their long-term upside. The number in parentheses is rank among all Future Watch prospects.1. Kari Lehtonen (1) Atlanta&rsquo;s first pick in 2002 is No. 1 prospect.2. Rick DiPietro (5) The only goalie drafted No. 1 has steak and sizzle.3. Maxime Ouellet (24) Promising hope after trade to Washington.4. Pascal Leclaire (28) Columbus 2001 pick having tough rookie pro year.5. Ari Ahonen (29) Finnish stopper a workhorse for New Jersey&rsquo;s farm.6. Mika Noronen (30) He couldn&rsquo;t cut it his first crack in Buffalo.7. Ray Emery (35) Ottawa prospect has taken giant steps forward.8. Jason Bacashihua (37) Dallas first-rounder on slow, steady path.9. Phil Sauve (42) Destined to one day replace Roy in Colorado.10. Mathieu Garon (53) Making good in Montreal seven years after draft. &#9632;

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GOALIE SPECIAL

DiPietro set for the show

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-011001/8125034-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>NHL TRADE BUZZWHY KOVALEV&rsquo;S NOT ENOUGH FOR RANGERS12 PAGEGOALIE SPECIALIS CHRIS PRONGER DONE? &#9632;

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LEGEND IN THE MAKING MARTIN BRODEUR

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011910/8121615-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Four years after leaving the New York Rangers for Pittsburgh, Alexei Kovalev is back on Broadway.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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BACK IN BLUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011857/8121646-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTEBOOK&nbsp;Jason Kay Managing Editor</figcaption></div>HIT AND MISS Hits like the one Jeremy Roenick is laying on Mats Sundin are being tracked, but the NHL is only providing the stats to the NHLPA.These are very mysterious times in the NHL.Thanks to the specter of the pending labor negotiations, a Fred Shero-like fog insidiously surrounds many league-related stories that cross the newswire and cutting through the pea soup is trickier than beating the trap.What can we take at face value? How much is posturing in preparation for 2004? What&rsquo;s the hidden agenda?The truth is out there, though we won&rsquo;t pretend to have all the answers. But here are some sleuth-like thoughts on:THE MYSTERY OF ROD BRYDEN AND THE OTTAWA SENATORS At first glance, this story is a head-shaker of the highest order. Bryden takes over a team on financial thin ice a decade ago, is unable to service a huge debt, declares bankruptcy, criticizes a strong fan base for not showing enough support, then-despite a complex deal that involves huge tax breaks and a limited partnership-is the league&rsquo;s white knight of choice to head a group to run the business at which he just failed.Meantime, pharmaceutical magnate Eugene Melnyk claims he&rsquo;s prepared to write a check to buy the club outright, request no public money, do whatever is necessary to bring a championship to Ottawa and wants to keep the team in the nation&rsquo;s capital. He stopped just short of promising universal tax cuts. (See pg. 8 for more.)What gives?It&rsquo;s believed the NHL desperately wants Bryden to remain in the fold. He was a hawkish owner during the 1994 lockout and remains a strong Gary Bettman ally. From the owners&rsquo; perspective, his presence also serves as a symbol of what is wrong with the current CBA. Here is a man who, the huge debt he inherited notwithstanding, operated the Sens prudently and built a model on-ice franchise. Still, they are broke and broken.On the other hand, if Melnyk were parachuted in and starting throwing his money around, he may be further fodder for the critics who maintain reckless owners are the architects of the league&rsquo;s demise.Or maybe Bryden has photos.THE REAL-TIME SCORING STATS CAPER The NHL stopped tracking hits, blocked shots, giveaways and takeaways this season because it said it didn&rsquo;t have confidence in a system it had installed and promoted as the dawning of a new age. The Players&rsquo; Association took the matter to court and arbitrator Joan Parker ruled the stats must be reinstated.Good news for fans, right? Not so fast, Bettman said. The league maintained its position on the numbers&rsquo; accuracy, took a narrow interpretation of the arbitrator&rsquo;s ruling and said it would only provide the data to the NHLPA.What gives?A cynic would make a CBA connection. The stats are used as comparables in arbitration cases, usually to players&rsquo; benefit. Tracking them ostensibly gives agents more ammo and theoretically helps drive up salaries. Taking them away was a clawback the union wasn&rsquo;t prepared to accept. You have to wonder if the league&rsquo;s militant stance is a warning shot, an indication it means business. Disturbingly, it feels a lot like trench digging at a time when fans are starting to clamor for signs of peace.For the record, the NHL began officially tracking the realtime stats again Feb. 11. The PA said it would take a wait-and-see approach on the data&rsquo;s dissemination before deciding its next step, if there is to be one. Keep your eyes on this skirmish.THE STEEL CITY HEIST The Alexei Kovalev trade is a wash-if you take Kovalev out of the deal.The stench from this deal is worse than a dressing room full of stale hockey gear. The Penguins send one of the game&rsquo;s best players to a division rival with whom they&rsquo;re competing for a playoff berth in exchange for cash-no slight intended to any of the players involved. (Seepgs. 6,29, 31 for more on trade.)What gives?Mario Lemieux admitted the Penguins are in financial trouble, but not to the point where they&rsquo;re in danger of missing a payroll. Surely, the same deal-or one just as bad-could have been made this summer.This should be an embarrassment for the game. Or, a cynic might suggest, it plays into the league&rsquo;s hands. First Ottawa, then Buffalo, now Pittsburgh. It&rsquo;s crystal clear the current economic structure is failing miserably.Isn&rsquo;t it? &#9632;

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FEATURES & COLUMNS

What are we to believe?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021561/8121684-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="307" height="480"><figcaption class="caption-body">JASON CHIMERA</figcaption></div><h2>MILESTONES</h2>Mario Lemieux &bull; C, 37Pittsburgh, Feb. 8 at BostonFour-assist game to become the 10th player to reach 1,000 assists.Brett Hull &bull; RW, 38Detroit, Feb. 10 vs. San JoseThe Golden Brett becomes the sixth NHLer to score 700 goals.Mike Modano &bull; C, 32Dallas, Feb. 11 vs. CarolinaOne week after getting assist No. 600, he plays game No. 1,000.<h2>NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS</h2>Darryl Sittier &bull; C, 52Feb. 8 in TorontoMaple Leafs honor his No. 27 by raising a banner to the rafters.Martin Brodeur &bull; G, 30New Jersey, Feb. 9 vs. MinnesotaBecame the first goalie ever to win 30 games in eight straight seasons.Jason Chimera &bull; C, 23Edmonton, Feb. 9Bests Mike Gartner&rsquo;s mark with 13.332-second lap in skills competition.<h2>NHL DEBUTS</h2>Christian Backman &bull; D, 22St. Louis, Feb. 11 at BuffaloPuck-moving Swede rated No. 4 on Blues&rsquo; Future Watch prospect list.Chris Schmidt &bull; C, 26Los Angeles, Feb. 11 at NashvilleSeventh-year pro from Beaverlodge, Alta., was minus-2 in 3-2 loss.Niko Dimitrakos &bull; RW, 23San Jose, Feb. 12 at ColumbusMaine grad, a Boston native, opened on fourth line in big, fat debut.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031268/8121677-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="308" height="478"><figcaption class="caption-body">NIKO DIMITRAKOS</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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WORTH NOTING

<div class="byline">-MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011865/8121739-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">CHRIS PRONGER ST. LOUIS BLUES</figcaption></div>How serious is Chris Pronger&rsquo;s wrist injury? Serious enough to have the 28-year-old superstar defenseman contemplating retirement.&ldquo;People don&rsquo;t understand how serious this is,&rdquo; Pronger told The Hockey News Feb. 13, one day before a scheduled press conference to explain to the St. Louis media the affect three operations on his left wrist have had and what his future holds. &ldquo;People ask me if I would really retire. Well, at some point you have to say enough is enough. You prepare yourself for the best, which obviously is me playing again. But you also prepare yourself for the worst, which would be retiring.&ldquo;People ask me when I&rsquo;m coming back and I tell them I don&rsquo;t know. They say, &lsquo;No really, when are you coming back?&rsquo; I tell them, &lsquo;You&rsquo;ll know I&rsquo;m back when I&rsquo;m back because that&rsquo;s when I&rsquo;ll know.&rsquo; Until then, how the hell do I know? I&rsquo;m in the second stage of rehab, which is getting my wrist better. This is uncharted territory for me. I don&rsquo;t know how long it will be before I can play.&rdquo;The Blues captain and member of Canada&rsquo;s gold medal-winning Olympic team last February, he has not played this season after knee and wrist surgeries last summer.Pronger had a plate put in his wrist Feb. 27, 2001, and had bone spurs, bone chips and ligaments removed, as well as having a bone filed down May 21, 2002. Then, after his wrist locked on him, he had an inch of bone removed Oct. 21, 2002. He has only recently begun to do light weight work in an effort to strengthen the injured wrist. The NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player and best defenseman in 2000, Pronger said he gets frustrated when he hears people say he should be back playing.&ldquo;You have an inch of bone removed, ligaments removed&hellip;you know the surgeries were done to correct the problem, but at some point repeated surgeries end up making the area weaker,&rdquo; Pronger said. &ldquo;It takes a toll on you.&rdquo;In a perfect world, Pronger would play another 10 years pain-and injury-free.However, he has started to mentally prepare himself for the worst. His plan is to play this season, but if there is too much pain, retirement is a very real possibility.&ldquo;Ultimately you have to ask yourself what is in your best interests long-term,&rdquo; Pronger said. &ldquo;Do I want to squeeze an extra 40 games in and then not be able to use my wrist at all in three years? No. Do I want to not be able to pick up my kid? No. Because that&rsquo;s what happened; I couldn&rsquo;t even lift my son (Jack).&rdquo; &#9632;

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ON THE COVER

Pronger questions future

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04524/8121808-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="725" height="806"></div>Here is New York&rsquo;s adjusted payroll for the past five seasons (based on season-long compensation). The Rangers have had the highest payroll each year except for &lsquo;98-99, when they were third. &#9632;

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NO-LIMIT RANGERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-06197/8121839-1-eng-US/f0005-062.jpg" title="f0005-06" width="301" height="463"><figcaption class="caption-body">SEAN AVERY</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05324/8121846-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="169" height="146"></div>From around the NHL&bull; To say Toronto GM Pat Quinn doesn&rsquo;t spend to win is wrong. Quinn has acquired the likes of Ed Belfour, Alexander Mogilny, Mikael Renberg, Shayne Corson, Robert Svehla, Gary Roberts and Robert ReicheL You can argue about his choices or that he let some good ones-Jason Smith, Yank Perreault, Steve Sullivan-get away, but not that he doesn&rsquo;t open his wallet.&bull; Among the highlights from an outstanding first part of ESPN&rsquo;s The Season are the antics of Detroit&rsquo;s Sean Avery. &lsquo;You can&rsquo;t handle me, Georges,&rdquo; Avery taunts Edmonton&rsquo;s Georges Laraque. Judging by the look on Laraque&rsquo;s face, he doesn&rsquo;t know whether to keel over laughing or pummel the rookie.&bull; Pittsburgh is officially a No Ference Zone. A few days after Mario Lemieux fought Florida&rsquo;s Brad Ference, the Penguins traded defenseman Andrew Ference (no relation) to Calgary.&bull; Vancouver&rsquo;s Brian Burke gave The Hockey News a plus and minus when asked about his team&rsquo;s 30th-placed ranking in Future Watch. &ldquo;We have great respect for The Hockey News,&rdquo; he told the Winnipeg Free Press, &ldquo;but on this subject they&rsquo;ve shown the uncanny ability to be wrong.&rdquo;&bull; Now that the NHL is tracking real time stats again, was the Alexei Kovalev trade a giveaway or takeaway? &#9632;

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SNAPSHOTS

The Hockey News FROM THE EDITORSSo the fiscally irresponsible New York Rangers got Alexei Kovalev from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a song. Are we supposed to be impressed?Because we are not.The Rangers just keep on spending and keep on losing. When will the insanity stop?The acquisition of Kovalev, the league&rsquo;s fourth-highest scorer at the time of the trade, comes too late for the Rangers to make a serious run at the playoffs. Even if defenseman Brian Leetch and scoring ace Pavel Bure return healthy, New York would have to win at a near-impossible.700 clip to qualify for the post-season (they&rsquo;ve managed a.440 pace so far). And a few teams ahead of them would have to go into free-fall mode.Who is to blame for this mess? All fingers point in one direction-at the club&rsquo;s president, GM and now its coach, Glen Sather. His throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-if-it-sticks management style has an organization that can afford to buy the Stanley Cup in utter disarray.While we respectfully acknowledge the great job Sather did building a five-time champion in Edmonton, his performance was in decline when the Rangers hired him as their savior. Sather left Edmonton after having won just two playoff rounds in the previous nine seasons. And his once-leg-endary ability to hit home runs at the draft table had completely abandoned him.Since his arrival in New York in June, 2000, Sather has brought the likes of Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure, Bobby Holik, Vladimir Malakhov and Darius Kasparaitis-all stars, to various degrees-to town. The supporting cast he has assembled, well, that&rsquo;s a different story. From Krzysztof Oliwa to Billy Tibbetts, it has included, at times, players of limited ability who have only served to undermine the presence of greatness on the team.Also, Sather&rsquo;s selection of coaches, first Ron Low and then Bryan Trottier, is laughable. Low joined the Rangers with a losing record as Sather&rsquo;s coach in Edmonton; Trottier, the former Islander, had no head coaching experience at the NHL level prior to his hiring.And now Sather steps behind the bench himself with a &ldquo;guarantee&rdquo; of guiding the Rangers into the playoffs. A guarantee from Glen Sather? Compared to Mark Messier&rsquo;s guarantee of a win during the 1994 playoffs-when he backed up his bold statement with a hat trick against New Jersey-Sather&rsquo;s words ring hollow.What seems to be driving the Rangers into the ground more than anything is their win-now mentality (never mind they&rsquo;re working on their sixth straight season out of the playoffs-three with Sather at the helm). There is no sign of a plan designed to guarantee long-term success for the franchise. Do the Rangers think their solid fan base will dry up if they announce it is in the best interests of the organization to build slowly instead of swinging for the fence with every expensive deal?The Rangers&rsquo; payroll keeps rising and yet they get a negligible return for their dollar.Sather has had his chance on Broadway. Now it&rsquo;s time to give someone else a shot.<blockquote class="pullQuote">There is no sign ofapian designed to guarantee long-term success for the franchise.</blockquote> &#9632;

Hold Sather accountable for Rangers’ sorry saga

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012073/8121901-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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ELSTON

<h2>THE SHOOTOUT: THE CASE FOR</h2>Why not use a shootout to decide regular season games? Supposed protectors of the &ldquo;purity&rdquo; of the sport say it diminishes regulation play, but 4-on-4 overtime does, too.With attendance down in a great number of NHL cities, the league needs to find more excitement to bring fans back, and adopting the shootout would help.At least fans would get to see a winning team every game.Drew Ruscil, Mt. Vernon, N.Y.<h2>THE SHOOTOUT: THE CASE AGAINST</h2>I disagree with those praising the shootout. People forget that was the All-Star Game-the best shooters faced the best goalies. That&rsquo;s why it was exciting.But such matchups won&rsquo;t always happen during the regular season. Several teams will be unfairly penalized due to a lack of a quality goalie or quality shooters.The NHL should ensure the better team wins games, not the team with better individuals.Gil Hannebohn, Pasadena, Md.<h2>LETTER OF THE WEEK</h2>Once again, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman&rsquo;s tact and diplomacy skills (or lack thereof) were on full display for the hockey world to see.I refer specifically to the classless move of allowing the trade of Sandis Ozolinsh to the Mighty Ducks to proceed smack in the middle of all-star weekend. As a result, a disheartened Ozolinsh had to be talked into playing the game-as an Eastern Conference allstar, though he was, in fact, the newest member of the Western Conference.Apparently, it was beyond the comprehension of the NHL brass that Ozolinsh might have a problem with wearing the sweater of a conference to which he no longer belonged. What was he supposed to do, throw on an Anaheim jersey and play for the West?Bettman and Co. need to be reminded they serve to make the game better for the fans, not themselves.Michael Farrell,&nbsp; Bernhards Bay, N.Y.There is no sign of apian designed to guarantee long-term success for the franchise.<h2>MORE KUDOS FOR REDESIGN</h2>I love the new look of The Hockey News. The editorial, player features and team reports are my favorites.Also, the use of color throughout the magazine is amazing and having the pages stapled together is great.Keep up the good work-I always look forward to your next issue.Brad Stewart, Calgary<h2>LET PLAYERS CHOOSE</h2>As a season-ticket holder for the ECHL&rsquo;s Reading Royals, I want to voice my displeasure with the league&rsquo;s decision to make all players wear halfshields starting next season.What a joke! Between the visors and the netting behind the goals, I won&rsquo;t be renewing my tickets next year. I enjoy Royals games greatly, but if the league is going to treat players Like mites, they will no longer receive my money.Stan Lilly, Maxatawny, Pa.<h2>CUJO NEEDS CHALLENGE</h2>Why do the Detroit Red Wings continue giving the nod to Curtis Joseph night after night?Manny Legace has clearly and consistently shown he is the better goalie. If the Wings want results out of Joseph, they should ignore his gigantic contract and make him fight to be their No. 1 goalie.Derek Krismanich, Waterloo, Ont.<h2>ABC OWES CANADA APOLOGY</h2>Shame on ABC television for cutting to a commercial instead of broadcasting the Canadian national anthem prior to the All-Star Game.There was no reason for them to give an entire country the shaft like that. It was downright embarrassing and did little to refute the notion America is arrogant and ignorant toward the rest of the world.Pete Morrissette, Woodridge, III.<h2>WHY TRADE MCGILLIS?</h2>The Flyers made a huge mistake trading Dan McGillis to the Sharks. He is just the type of tough, gritty defenseman the Flyers will need to win a Stanley Cup.The Sharks definitely came out on top of this trade.Adam Freedman, Pawtucket, R.I.<h2>Got something to say?</h2>U.S.A.: Letters, The Hockey News, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947.Canada: Letters, The Hockey News, 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7E-mail: <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;

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011875/8121956-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Brender&nbsp;Contributing Editor</figcaption></div>When the gaudiness of the backup&rsquo;s stats are rivaled only by that of the starter&rsquo;s paycheck, an awkward goalie controversy brews and something&rsquo;s got to give.Something like, say, Manny Legace&rsquo;s lower back?Only in Detroit&rsquo;s dreams.With Curtis Joseph struggling so mightily, what the Red Wings need most from Legace is a disappearing act. Getting him away from the rink is the only way he&rsquo;ll escape from the inside of Joseph&rsquo;s head. Joseph has to play more, not less, and he has to play with the confidence that comes with knowing that he&rsquo;s the man.So what to do? The perfect thing would be one of those four-to-six week jobs for Legace&mdash;a deep thigh bone bruise, a broken pinkie. Joseph could help Legace rehab from the pinkie injury since he had the same hurt last spring with Toronto. Then, if Cujo hasn&rsquo;t turned things around by the time the roses bloom, it&rsquo;ll be his turn to be a team player.<h2>MOTOWN JURY SINGING THE BLUES</h2>The Wings know Joseph can put together a solid couple games, but a solid couple months? At this point the Motown jury is singing the blues. Joseph was average over the first three months, then went 3-8-1 in January and early February with a 3.15 goals-against average and.893 save percentage. He has gone back-to-back games with allowing fewer than four goals just once since late December. Legace, who played three of four games before the all-star break while a healthy Joseph stewed on the bench, went 3-2-1 with a 2.30 GAA and.924 save percentage over the same time.Coach Dave Lewis called Joseph in for a chat before the allstar break; in his first game back Cujo whiffed on a few as the Wings settled for a 5-5 tie with Nashville. Legace&rsquo;s.933 save percentage is tops in the league. Joseph&rsquo;s season.906 is in the bottom half and falling.Curtis Joseph&rsquo;s save percentage is below the NHL average for the second year running. The numbers under the seasons at the bottom of the graph is his NHL rank.<h2>HOW LONG WILL DOLLARS DICTATE?</h2>In an earlier era, one goalie outplaying the other by this much would be enough to make the former the No. 1 man. But with Joseph in the first season of a three-year, $24-million deal, the Wings want to give him every chance to find his form. The question is for how long the dollars will dictate the keeper.The ideal would be for Cujo to have six weeks to make his case before Legace comes back from his, er, upper body injury, right Scotty? Then at least Lewis could say Joseph has had plenty of opportunity before making the first critical decision of his coaching career. You thought playing Sergei Fedorov just 15 minutes in a Feb. 8 game against Colorado took courage? If Lewis is faced with the choice to start a season-long lukewarm Joseph or a stellar Legace in the playoff opener, then we&rsquo;ll see what kind of jam the new coach really has.It says here that barring an amputated limb Cujo will get the playoff nod, but he&rsquo;ll be on a short leash. (One poor showing after a poor season and this could easily turn into the Olympics all over again, with Legace playing Martin Brodeur to Joseph&rsquo;s slow burn). Dominik Hasek stumbled badly early in the Vancouver series last year, but his Vezina-and Hart-stacked trophy case gave him a two-game grace period that Joseph won&rsquo;t have.It also took Hasek a while to adjust to life in Detroit a year ago, but by mid-February last season Hasek&rsquo;s save percentage was back up to a respectable.917. Another difference between Hasek and Joseph: when the Dominator was slumping, he acknowledged it. If the team needed to play better, Hasek said so. If Hasek needed to play better he said that, too, and he used &ldquo;I&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;we.&rdquo; When Joseph uses the plural, it sounds an awful lot like a man in denial.It&rsquo;s true that Legace doesn&rsquo;t know the kind of pressure Joseph is feeling. It was Joseph whom the Wings brought in as their next-inline Stanley Cup stopper, and it is Joseph, not Legace, who has yet to earn his teammates&rsquo; trust.But it would be a mistake to believe that because Legace has never felt the weight of being an NHL starter or a full playoff game, he would necessarily crumble underneath it. Legace faces pressure every night he plays and has excelled.The Wings would be wise to remember that fact if, by the end of the year, Joseph can&rsquo;t say the same.DOG DAYS&nbsp;Curtis Joseph&rsquo;s slow start in Detroit has turned into a full-on slump. &#9632;

f0007-01

Wings need backup plan

<h2>LEMIEUX HAS FORGETTABLE WEEK</h2>PITTSBURGH Hockey great Mario Lemieux had the worst week of his season in mid-February. Not only did he have to come to terms with having to trade away the only other star on his Pittsburgh Penguins, but the team owner got into just the second on-ice fight of his career and later suggested this might be his final season as a player. The trade that sent Alexei Kovalev and three other players to the New York Rangers for four players and $4 million was necessitated by the financial state of the small-market Pens. Earlier this season, Lemieux said he intended to play at least two more years, but that changed as the Penguins drifted out of the playoff picture. &ldquo;Every year, I sit down with my family and good friends and that&rsquo;s not going to change this year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;(Then) I&rsquo;ll have a decision.&rdquo; To make matters worse, Lemieux got into a confrontation with Florida&rsquo;s Brad Ference during a 6-0 loss to the Panthers Feb. 6. Lemieux was upset after Ference cross-checked him in the back during the second period. In the third period, Lemieux slashed Ference, then chased him down and picked up an instigator, fighting major, misconduct and game misconduct for his troubles.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011958/8121987-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="274" height="422"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARIO LEMIEUX</figcaption></div><h2>EUROS SEEK MORE COMPENSATION</h2>STOCKHOLM, Swe. European hockey officials met to discuss a strategy on how to handle an agreement they have with the NHL covering compensation for European NHL draft choices. The NHL has provided $10 million a year to European leagues since 1995-96. The money is divided equally among teams that have players drafted, which works out to about $200,000 per player. Russia and the Czech Republic are unhappy with the deal, saying it does not properly compensate them for developing top NHL players. They want to go back to the old system of negotiating releases on a case-by-case basis. &ldquo;If there is no agreement,&rdquo; said International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel, &ldquo;we will go back to the old way. That means more money being paid for some players and nothing for others.&rdquo; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said he wants one deal covering all nations.<h2>STREAKER GETS LIGHT SLAP</h2>CALGARY The streaker who slipped and knocked himself unconscious at a Calgary Flames game earlier this season was ordered to donate $2,500 to two charities and perform 35 hours of community service. Tim Hurlbut, 21, was intoxicated when he fell over the boards after scaling the glass while naked in an Oct. 17 game against Boston. He hit his head on the ice and was knocked out cold. Judge Cheryl Daniel also ordered him to take alcohol counselling and chastised him for the &ldquo;pathetic spectacle of yourself splayed naked on the ice for six minutes until you were covered.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-01

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="byline">BY BRUCE GARRIOCH</div>OTTAWAAs the city was breathing a sigh of relief, Rod Bryden wasn&rsquo;t in the mood to party-just yet.The Senators owner confirmed Feb. 10 his bid to buy back the NHL franchise, along with New York billionaire Nelson Peltz, had been accepted by the major lenders and there were only a couple of hurdles left to clear.While Bryden wasn&rsquo;t ready to party because he still needed approval from the Ontario Court, Peltz and the Covanta Energy Corp., Bryden was confident his repurchase of the Senators and the Corel Centre would pass.<h2>BRYDEN IS RESILIENT</h2>Though Bryden confirmed he had made separate bids for the Senators and the arena, sources said the two bids combined were worth more than $90 million (U.S.) and were likely to be accepted once the dust had settled.Peltz had a 30-day period of due diligence that was scheduled to end in early March. Once he had confirmed he was involved, then the rest of the mechanics could be put in place to get the deal completed and approved by the NHL board of governors.&ldquo;I would think the time we will truly be able to celebrate is mid-April,&rdquo; Bryden said. &ldquo;But, there&rsquo;s still a lot of work to be done between now and the time this transaction closes. It&rsquo;s a big step, but only a step. I wouldn&rsquo;t call it a triumph yet. I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s a time to celebrate, but I think we should be encouraged.&rdquo;Under the terms of the bid, Bryden would be able to purchase majority control under a structure in which he would also sell limited partnership units similar, to a plan that failed Jan. 1.Still, there was controversy about the decision to keep Bryden. Toronto billionaire Eugene Melnyk, who had con-firmed his interest in the team in early February, made brash remarks that he would have done what it took to win the Stanley Cup in Ottawa.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021463/8122018-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="282" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROD BRYDEN</figcaption></div>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t rely on trying to get through on a shoestring budget,&rdquo; said Melnyk, who owns the Ontario League&rsquo;s St. Michael&rsquo;s Majors. &ldquo;One day, it may take one specific trade that could make or break a team. I would have been there for that. There&rsquo;s disappointment that I couldn&rsquo;t get involved and there&rsquo;s disappointment that I couldn&rsquo;t be part of something that has the potential to be a dynasty.&rdquo;Bryden said he believed Melnyk&rsquo;s presence might have helped the process, but confirmed it never drove up the price that the major lenders-the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and FleetBank of Boston-wanted.&ldquo;I believe his presence may have helped get a deal done. I believe the major lenders knew that if this deal suddenly died, then they would have had somebody waiting in the wings who was willing to step in and try to get something done,&rdquo; Bryden said. &#9632;

f0008-02

Sens fate takes positive turn

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031027/8122049-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="648" height="642"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04537/8122056-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="104" height="120"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div>If games can&rsquo;t be decided in five minutes of 4-on-4 overtime, then call it a night.That&rsquo;s the feeling of the majority of NHL players polled by The Hockey News. Twenty-six of 30 players-one from each team-said five minutes of overtime is enough.&ldquo;I think the ice at the end of the game would be bad in most buildings and it would hurt the game,&rdquo; said one player.Added Florida&rsquo;s Valeri Bure: &ldquo;I think five minutes is perfect. There&rsquo;s lots of opportunities to score and nobody plays defense.&rdquo;Calgary winger Chris Clark said he&rsquo;s in favor of an additional five minutes. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to have a winner and an extra five minutes definitely could provide a winner.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-03

PLAYER POLL

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011808/8122094-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011931/8122087-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="6561" height="3297"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg&nbsp;Columnist</figcaption></div>On a mid-season day like any other, in a 3-2 Devils win like so many others, Martin Brodeur became the first NHL goalie to win 30 or more games in eight straight seasons. He then announced that if it&rsquo;s all the same to you, he would like to continue to chase the continuum.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about not being streaky and slumpy, just winning hockey games by staying steady all the time,&rdquo; Brodeur said.Like Pat Burns&rsquo; scowl, or Lou Lamoriello&rsquo;s white shirt, the scenery never changes at the Meadowlands, a cement tract where it is best to note the number on the nearest pole while parking or you might still be trying to find your car by the time Brodeur finally has a bad year.To him, knocking down no less than 37 wins in eight straight seasons is no reason to get all sloppy or even all &ldquo;slumpy&rdquo; about it. This is an accomplishment that has been put in ideal perspective by GMs who, despite Brodeur&rsquo;s two Stanley Cups and Olympic gold medal, never have voted him the Vezina Trophy. And you almost get the feeling Brodeur admires them for their consistency.<h2>STATS DON&rsquo;T TELL ENTIRE STORY</h2>&ldquo;One thing I like about Patrick (Roy) is how consistent he was and still is every year,&rdquo; Brodeur said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had stats good enough to win that award and it just didn&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;It is easy to suggest that if more of these GMs had done as much for their clubs as Brodeur has done for his, they would have stayed employed long enough to learn how to vote. Jim Carey-Jim Carey!!!!-won a Vezina and Brodeur has not.Of course, since Brodeur made the NHL for good in 1993, Roy hasn&rsquo;t either, largely because Dominik Hasek has been named five times. But it has even been four years since Brodeur was a runner-up. And bridesmaids during this time, such as Roman Turek and Roman Cechmanek, have yet to catch any bouquets projecting them as The Next or even earning the right to take Brodeur&rsquo;s athletic supporter to the cleaners, where the balloting probably takes place.Thus, Hasek&rsquo;s retirement last June is not the only reason this injustice has gone on long enough. Unless the GMs blow a blooper from center ice this spring, Brodeur&rsquo;s cover may be blown so badly that when they pull the cover off the trophies, his name will be on the Hart as well.Think about it. On the NHL&rsquo;s most successful teams this season, have Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, or Mike Modano clearly shown to be more valuable than the goaltending leader in wins?In the last 12 months the Devils have let go Bobby Holik, Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora, three critical players on their 2000 Stanley Cup team and are still neck-and-neck with Ottawa for the best record in the East.&ldquo;It has been a double-edged sword for Marty,&rdquo; said defenseman Ken Daneyko. &ldquo;He has always been mentioned in the top three or four goalies, but because we&rsquo;ve had a lot of depth and have been perceived as starless and defensive-oriented, he didn&rsquo;t get enough accolades.&ldquo;But he is starting to get recognized more as the cornerstone of our franchise. And maybe now as the best goalie in the world.&rdquo;Let&rsquo;s face it, most of the people who think it&rsquo;s important that there be such a thing as a world&rsquo;s best goalie live in Canada. And, after Brodeur beat the U.S. 5-2 last February in Salt Lake City, Roy, who hissed away his latest, and probably greatest, opportunity to play for his country, became yesterday&rsquo;s news.&ldquo;I see by comments of people towards me, the Olympics opened some eyes,&rdquo; Brodeur said.And a Vezina would seal the deal.&ldquo;I would love to win it at some point but it&rsquo;s not something I will lose sleep over,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The two Cups is where I try to put my mind when people talk about this. There are great goalies who had great seasons the same years I did, and played on teams centered by their (goaltending) performance every night, making them more of an eyecatcher.&rdquo;<h2>SUPERB PUCK-HANDLING SKILLS</h2>We&rsquo;re not so sure about that. Brodeur has the best eyes since Bette Davis&rsquo;s, a terrific glove, and unprecedented puckhandling skills. Any student of the goaltending arts understands there is no hard relationship between number of saves and difficulty of victory. The 18-shot, 2-1 win leaves no margin for error enjoyed by the goalie who kicks out a number of screamers in a 34-save, 5-1 success.In fact, on a typical night, Brodeur prevents three-to-eight potential shots by clearing the puck himself. One cannot quantify the wear and tear he saves Scott Stevens and Daneyko, both still going amazingly strong at 38 as living, breathing celebrations of their goaltender, as well as his celebraters.&ldquo;Having a third defenseman back there makes the game much easier,&rdquo; Daneyko said. &ldquo;And Marty is so easy to be around.&ldquo;A lot of goalies are hot-headed and blame you but he has never really done that. He takes the young guys out, gets the team together and does the little things that don&rsquo;t get seen by the media.&rdquo;<h2>LOCKED INTO NEW JERSEY</h2>If three straight early-round defeats from 1997-99 and a mediocre Brodeur performance when the Devils lost to Roy in defense of their Cup in 2001 slowed the stream of clues, the people who know Brodeur best have long known just how good he is. Lamoriello, without his usual Soprano-styled, piano-wire contract negotiations, gave Brodeur a five-year, $40-million deal last season, in package making the New Jersey goalie the second highest paid next to Roy.The contact takes Brodeur, still only 30, past unrestricted free agency. &ldquo;I committed myself to stay in Jersey because I know we are going to have a chance to do really well here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The (individual awards) are fun to get and any recognition is flattering, but they don&rsquo;t change much in my life. Winning a game is something I can do something about. The other things, I don&rsquo;t get to vote.&rdquo;Exit polls indicate a landslide. It is Brodeur&rsquo;s term at last.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about not being streaky and slumpy, just winning hockey games by staying steady all the time.&rdquo; -MARTIN BRODEUR</blockquote><h2>BY THE NUMBERS</h2>Here&rsquo;s Martin Brodeur by the numbers. Among his career accomplishments, the 30-year-old has a 2.21 goals-against average entering this season, lowest in the modem era; 355 wins and 61 shutouts (as of Feb. 13), which give him a chance to pass all-time leaders Patrick Roy (535 and counting) and Terry Sawchuk (103). He also recently became the first goalie to record eight consecutive 30-win seasons. And, of course, he has two Stanley Cup rings&hellip;but no Vezinas. &#9632;

f0009-01

Devil gets “his due

<div class="byline">BY MURRAY TOWNSEND</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011881/8122125-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">UNBEATABLE&nbsp;Dallas goalie Marty Turco has been the NHL&rsquo;s best goalie so far this season. His statistics are a sight to behold.</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s good to have a backup plan.You don&rsquo;t need to tell the Dallas Stars. The NHL&rsquo;s best goalie this season is last year&rsquo;s backup in Texas. And the second-best goalie this year is the man he was backing up. Marty Turco is the main reason why Dallas is first overall-so the Stars hope he won&rsquo;t be out long after sustaining a sprained ankle Feb. 11. Ed Belfour has Toronto at 25-12-2 since late November.Our ranking of the top 20 NHL goalies reflects play over the entire season. For weekly rankings, which are weighted more heavily towards recent play, check <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a>.1. MARTY TURCO, DALLASThe last time Turco lost a game was Dec. 26. Since then, he&rsquo;s 10-0-4. At home, he&rsquo;s 8-0-2 in 10 recent starts.Key Stat: League-leading.931 save percentage for No. 1 goalies.2. ED BELFOUR, TORONTOIt&rsquo;s rare for washed-up goalies to be this good. The oldest stopper in the league (37), his save percentage is.928. His career best is.916 in 1997-98.Key Stat: 64 career shutouts is tied with Patrick Roy for most by an active3. MARTIN BRODEUR, NEW JERSEYHe became the first goalie to have eight consecutive 30-win seasons. He&rsquo;s on pace for 45, threatening Bernie Parent&rsquo;s all-time record of 47.Key Stat: League-high 30 wins.4. DWAYNE ROLOSON, MINNESOTARoloson went undefeated in his first 10 road starts (6-0-4); his first away loss didn&rsquo;t come until Jan. 4.Key Stat:.928 save percentage.5. OLAF KOLZIG, WASHINGTONHis excellent comeback season includes 14 straight starts in which the Caps earned at least one point.Key Stat: Career-high.925 save percentage compares to.902 last year.6. JOCELYN THIBAULT, CHICAGOThe modern-day record of 15 shutouts in one season (by Tony Esposito in 1969-70) isn&rsquo;t in danger, but Thibault leads league with seven.Key Stat: Career high in shutouts.7. J-S GIGUERE, ANAHEIMHe had an incredible home stretch which included three straight shutouts and four in five starts.Key Stat: 1.95 GAA at home.8. PATRICK LALIME, OTTAWAHis three consecutive shutouts in January is reminiscent of last season&rsquo;s playoffs when he did the same thing.Key Stat:.924 save percentage on the road.9. ROMAN CECHMANEK, PHILADELPHIAHe has allowed two or less goals in 26 of 37 starts; has been splitting time with Robert Esche.Key Stat: 2.01 GAA this year; 2.04 last year and 2.01 in first season.10. JEFF HACKETT, BOSTONAmong league leaders in save percentage all season; in none of his 10 losses did his teammates score more than two goals.Key Stat: Faces 32.3 shots per game, second to Roberto Luongo.11. PATRICK ROY, COLORADOThe first netmin-der to play 1,000 games has come on after a slow start. Roy didn&rsquo;t record his first shutout until Jan. 23. Now he has three.Key Stat: Has faced nearly 28,000 shots in his career.12. MANNY FERNANDEZ, MINNESOTAReturned from a month on the sidelines with 1-0 shutout win Feb. 10; earlier, he helped the Wild get off to great start by going 6-0-0.Key Stat:.925 save percentage, compared to.892 last season.13. MANNY LEGACE, DETROITIt&rsquo;s not his fault he isn&rsquo;t playing more, but at least he deserves the title of best backup in the game.Key Stat: 933 SP leads league.14. DAN CLOUTIER, VANCOUVERPlays just well enough for the Canucks to win and there&rsquo;s something to be said for that, even if his stats aren&rsquo;t greatKey Stat: 27 wins are second only to Brodeur.15. MARTIN BIRON, BUFFALOHe earned three straight shutouts after Ryan Miller&rsquo;s arrival.Key Stat: 1.30 GAA in January.16. ROBERTO LUONGO, FLORIDAHe gets pulled regularly and faces a barrage of shots, but manages a respectable save percentage (.912).Key Stat: 12-13-4 vs. the Eastern Conference; 0-10-1 vs. the West.17. MARC DENIS, COLUMBUSThe busiest goalie in the league has started 52 of 54 games.Key Stat: 14-10-3 at home, with a.927 save percentage.18. TOMAS VOKOUN, NASHVILLEHas started 29 of 30 games after winning the No. 1 job.Key Stat: 14-10-5 in his last 29 starts; 2-7-2 prior to that.19. NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN, TAMPA BAYAt 7-0-2, he would&rsquo;ve been the league MVP if the season ended after the first month. But not now.Key Stat: 11-20-7 after October.20. KEVIN WEEKES, CAROLINAHe was the NHL&rsquo;s best goalie in the first six weeks, which included a string of 13 of 14 starts in which he allowed two or fewer goals.Key Stat: 0-13-0 in last 13 starts.Goalies whose performances this season haven&rsquo;t been good enough to crack the top 20 include Detroit&rsquo;s Curtis Joseph, Edmonton&rsquo;s Tommy Salo, San Jose&rsquo;s Evgeni Nabokov, Montreal&rsquo;s Jose Theodore and Calgary&rsquo;s Roman Turek. &#9632;

f0012-01

We rank the Top 20

<div class="byline">BY BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011864/8122170-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ED BELFOUR TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</figcaption></div>Brendan Shanahan places all NHL netminders in the same category. They&rsquo;re the enemy.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like goalies,&rdquo; said the Detroit sniper. &ldquo;I will not compliment them.&rdquo;Former NHL 40-goal man Ed Olczyk approaches the subject from the opposite viewpoint. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s any weak goalies in the NHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You need two, but you have to have that No. 1 stud guy to get you over the hump.&rdquo;Deciphering the studs from the duds, determining the NHL&rsquo;s best puckstoppers in eight distinct categories, is our mission.Determining which goalies Shanahan dislikes the most.<h2>BEST POSITIONING</h2>1. Ed Belfour, TorontoBelfour is a battler, but his ability to make so many second and third saves comes from his solid technique between the pipes, something that has evolved over the years. &ldquo;When Eddie first came up, he was flopping all over the place,&rdquo; said Detroit goalie Manny Legace. &ldquo;Now he stands up more, challenges the shooter, takes away your room.&rdquo;Belfour&rsquo;s strong technical work stems from his unequaled work ethic.&ldquo;Every day, Eddie strives to achieve. one thing,&rdquo; noted Philadelphia assistant coach Craig Hartsburg, Belfour&rsquo;s coach in Chicago. &ldquo;Perfection.&rdquo;Others: 2. Patrick Roy, Col.; 3. Martin Brodeur, NJ; 4. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ana.; 5. Olaf Kolzig, Wsh.<h2>BEST MENTAL EDGE</h2>1. Ed Belfour, Toronto&ldquo;Sometimes, I think I&rsquo;m too intense,&rdquo; admits Belfour, considered to be the most focused goaltender in the NHL.Painstakingly fastidious about his game-day preparation, Belfour will let no one else touch his gear. He once spent six hours sharpening his skates. His off-day regimen and on-ice performance are handled in the same determined fashion. &ldquo;Come game time, there&rsquo;s probably nobody more prepared to play his best,&rdquo; said former Dallas teammate Marty Turco.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so strong mentally,&rdquo; added Minnesota&rsquo;s Manny Fernandez, who backed up Belfour in Dallas. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s unbelievable.&rdquo;Others: 2. Patrick Roy, Col.; 3. Martin Brodeur, NJ; 4. Curtis Joseph, Det.; 5. Nikolai Khabibulin, TB.<h2>BEST SKATER</h2>1. Ed Belfour, TorontoBelfour performs effectively at the forward position in pick-up hockey, occasionally working out at left wing during optional practices.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not afraid to challenge an opposing forward in a race for the puck,&rdquo; said Hall of Famer Johnny Bower. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s really good at getting out to the puck quickly and trapping enemy forwards in his own end.&rdquo;Others: 2. Martin Brodeur, NJ; 3. Marty Turco, Dal.; 4. Johan Hedberg, Pit.; 5. Brent Johnson, StL.<h2>PASSING THE TORCH: NHL&rsquo;S BEST GOALIES, 1917-PRESENT</h2>The figurative goaltending torch has been carried by many great stoppers since the formation of the NHL in 1917. The netminders below were the best of their era. Included are the span of their careers and the team with which they were most identified. These truly special stoppers had overlapping careers and were dominant for these lengthy stretches. Other greats such as Clint Benedict, Turk Broda, Ed Giacomin, Tony Esposito, Bernie Parent, Billy Smith and Grant Fuhr had outstanding careers, but weren&rsquo;t the best in the game for an extended run.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021411/8122163-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="3142" height="322"></div><h2>BEST GLOVE</h2>1. Evgeni Nabokov, San JoseThey don&rsquo;t call him &lsquo;Nabby&rsquo; merely because it&rsquo;s short for his surname. &ldquo;He has got a dynamite glove hand,&rdquo; said one scout of Nabokov.Another NHL scout said his team is schooled not to even test it in game conditions.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad I don&rsquo;t have to beat him there in a game, because I almost never get one by him on the glove side in practice,&rdquo; said San Jose left winger Adam Graves.Others: 2. Martin Brodeur, NJ; 3. Jose Theodore, Mtl.; 4. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ana.; 5. Jocelyn Thibault, Chi.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011697/8122156-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="3169" height="2413"></div><h2>BEST REBOUND CONTROL</h2>1. Patrick Roy, ColoradoRoy uses his 6-foot-2,185-pound frame to make the net disappear. &ldquo;He just crowds the puck,&rdquo; Graves said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have anything to shoot at. All you can do is hit him.&rdquo;And when the puck hits Roy, it&rsquo;s as if he&rsquo;s made of marshmallow.&ldquo;He has a way of cuffing the puck and just smothering it, so there&rsquo;s virtually no rebound,&rdquo; Bower said.Others: 2. Martin Brodeur, NJ; 3. Ed Belfour, Tor.; 4. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ana.; 5. Marc Denis, Clb.<h2>BEST VALUE</h2>1. Patrick Lalime, OttawaEarning just $1.85 million this season, Lalime has the Senators challenging for the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy. He has appeared in 75 per cent of Ottawa&rsquo;s games over the past three seasons and owns a.594 winning percentage in that span.&ldquo;He played phenomenally in last year&rsquo;s playoffs,&rdquo; said Ed Olczyk. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a talent and he&rsquo;s proven himself to be an all-star goaltender.&rdquo;Others: 2. Dwayne Roloson, Min.; 3. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Ana.; 4. Dan Cloutier, Van.; 5. Pasi Nurminen, Atl.<h2>BEST BACKUP</h2>1. Manny Legace, DetroitLegace is shining with a 2.00 GAA and league-best.933 save percentage this season. In four years behind Chris Osgood, Dominik Hasek and Joseph, Legace is 47-15-10. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing to me how these guys keep their rhythm, keep their timing and keep their focus and then can come in after eight or nine days,&rdquo; said Detroit coach Dave Lewis of backups. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough job.&rdquo;Others: 2. Dwayne Roloson, Min.; 3. Martin Prusek, Ott.; 4. Pasi Nurminen, Atl.; 5. Jani Hurme, Fla.<h2>BEST PUCKHANDLER</h2>1. Martin Brodeur, New Jersey&ldquo;Brodeur handles the puck the same way (Ron) Hextall did,&rdquo; said Johnny Bower, drawing comparisons to the ex-Philadelphia goalie who, like Brodeur, scored two regular season goals during his NHL career.&ldquo;(Brodeur) gets it and gets it out of the zone before the other team has a chance to attack. He has great vision. He always seems to know where his wingers are up the ice and he gets the puck to them.&rdquo;Others: 2. Ed Belfour, Tor.; 3. Marty Turco, Dal.; 4. Chris Osgood, NYI, 5. Johan Hedberg, Pit. &#9632;

f0014-01

The Best BY CATERGORY

<div class="byline">BY SCOTT BURNSIDE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011660/8122229-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRICK LALIME OTTAWA SENATORS</figcaption></div>Goaltenders have always been a breed apart, aloof, marching to their own distinct rhythm.Now that different beat has seen them demonized by the league, NHL shooters and fans alike, characterized as rogues at the root of the NHL&rsquo;s ongoing struggle to increase scoring.At least that&rsquo;s how it seems to the masked men at the end of the ice.Ever since Garth Snow showed up a few weeks ago with pads up to his chin and GMs vowed to clamp down on the width and breadth of netminders&rsquo; equipment at their February meetings, fans and the media, with ample aid from the league&rsquo;s skaters, have drawn a direct line from goalies&rsquo; equipment to the lack of scoring.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s blown out of proportion,&rdquo; Toronto goalie Trevor Kidd told The Hockey News. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s as if there were no rules in place and we&rsquo;re cheating like crazy.&rdquo;Everyone from Brett Hull (&ldquo;I guarantee that out of 100 saves they save 50 per cent and 50 per cent just hit them.&rdquo;) to Pat Quinn (&ldquo;Every time you turn around they&rsquo;ve got new gimmicks&rdquo;) has piped in on the topic.&ldquo;I think about it every time I come down on a goalie,&rdquo; said Edmonton sniper Mike Comrie. &ldquo;There are hardly any holes.&rdquo;<h2>LIMITS ALREADY EXIST</h2>What might come as a surprise to many is not only are there rules, but for the past five seasons there have been rules that cover virtually every aspect of a goaltender&rsquo;s attire from the depth and circumference of the catching mitt to the length of the blocker to the cuff of the sweater to the thickness of the arm and shoulder pads.By next summer it&rsquo;s expected the length of pad will also be incorporated into the goaltending-rules section just as the hip portion of goalie&rsquo;s pants was brought under regulations this year, said Dave Dryden, the former netminder who is now charged with regulating NHL goalies.During his first round of inspections during training camp Dryden found 33 of 90 goalies were wearing pants too wide in the hips. Now, it&rsquo;s believed all are in compliance.<h2>GOALIES INSPECTED REGULARLY</h2>For those who suggest goalies are trotting out legal equipment for inspection and then employing illegal equipment in games, Dryden points out there are multiple checks throughout the season, first in training camp-after which everyone is expected to be within the guidelines-and another series of random checks by the end of January followed by an inspection of all goalies bound for the post-season.For those who are V found to play outside the rules, there are fines in place for goaltender and team that can go as high as $100,000 (U.S.) as well as sus-pensions, although the NHL curiously refuses to reveal who has been fined and for what.Trainers on individual teams responsible for keeping their goalies on the straight and nar-row are equipped with the same measuring equipment employed by Dryden.As well, all goalies have signed a fair play agreement stating they will abide by the rules.&ldquo;For awhile there was lots of cheating,&rdquo; acknowledged Edmonton&rsquo;s Tommy Salo. &ldquo;But you can&rsquo;t really cheat anymore.&rdquo;&ldquo;I believe that the goalies, when they take advantage, take advantage of something that&rsquo;s not in the rules,&rdquo; Dryden said.Kidd pulls down his blocker and points to modifications made by Leafs&rsquo; training staff, a series of stitches along the upper edge, that keeps the glove within guidelines.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to find somewhere to bend the rules,&rdquo; Kidd said.Those who say goaltenders enjoy an unfair advantage love to compare pictures of netminders from the 1980s and earlier to those of today.Certainly there is a spartan quality to the pads and helmets of old. But like newfangled sticks that allow the average shooter to unleash 90-mile-an-hour shots and helmets that protect against concussions, goalies&rsquo; gear has also been improved by science.<h2>MODERN EQUIPMENT BETTER</h2>For many years, pads were filled with deer hair and weighed about six pounds apiece-at the start of a game. By the end, water absorption might have added another two apiece.Ditto the shoulder and arm pads that soaked up sweat like a sponge.No wonder Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy regularly ripped shots past and over the goaltenders of their era.Now, pads are filled with lightweight foam, there is little water retention, which allows reflexes to remain sharp, and safety has been improved dramatically.While shooters might have been able to establish an edge through intimidation (the proverbial shot around the ears), Detroit&rsquo;s Curtis Joseph said earlier this season the fear factor no longer exists for most netminders.&ldquo;Goalies go down now and they cover a lot of net because they&rsquo;re not afraid to get hit,&rdquo; Joseph told reporters in Detroit.Like all players, the modern goalie is often bigger and in better physical shape than their predecessors.In short, they have evolved.<h2>GIVE THEM AN INCH</h2>Here are the specifications goalie equipment is required to meet as set out in the NHL rulebook.<h3>GLOVE</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021292/8122222-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="268" height="256"></div>&bull; Maximum perimeter (distance around the glove) cannot exceed 48 inches. &bull; Wrist cuff cannot exceed 8.5 inches. &bull; From the wrist to the top of the trap cannot exceed 19 inches.<h3>LEG PADS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03974/8122215-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="270" height="256"></div>&bull; Width of leg pads cannot exceed 12 inches. &bull; Calf protectors must follow the contour of the calf and ankle. Cannot be thicker than 1.5 inches.<h3>BLOCKER</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04737/8122208-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="268" height="257"></div>&bull; The blocker cannot exceed 8 inches in width and no more than 16 inches in length.<h3>CHEST & ARM PADS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05536/8122201-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="266" height="246"></div>&bull; Elbow protection cannot exceed 7.5 inches in width or length. &bull; Shoulder cap protectors cannot exceed 1 inch in thickness. &bull; Shoulder and collar bone protectors cannot exceed 7 inches in width or 1 inch in thickness. &#9632;

f0016-01

Goalies plead not guilty

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER Contributing Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011483/8122260-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">OLAF KOLZIG WASHINGTON</figcaption></div>In some ways the &ldquo;workhorse&rdquo; goalie has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Coaches play their No. 1 goalies so often, it&rsquo;s as if they believe all that equipment will make them immune to fatigue. Then the starters grow accustomed to thinking they need to play that much in order to stay sharp. Or that&rsquo;s their public line, anyway.But does it really have to be this way? Do the &ldquo;needs&rdquo; of this generation of top stoppers really surpass the needs of the last, or is it just that the money they&rsquo;re earning makes coaches and GMs feel compelled to overplay them? And if so, are teams actually hurting themselves in the long run because they don&rsquo;t want their $6million men resting too often?The one sure thing is that it hasn&rsquo;t always been this way.<h2>ROUGHLY 50-30 SPLIT</h2>In his classic 1983 book The Game, Ken Dryden talked about how, later in his career, he had come to accept that he could never play well enough to fully &ldquo;beat out&rdquo; his backup goalie partner, Michel Larocque. Dryden entered each season telling Montreal reporters he hoped to play 60 games. Larocque told them he wanted to play 40. And yet they both knew, according to Dryden, that the competitive equilibrium would be split roughly 50-30.In the five seasons they played together, Dryden-a five-time first-team all-star, and future Hall of Famer with six Stanley Cups in eight NHL seasons, selected in 1997 by The Hockey News as the fourth-best goalie in history-averaged just 56 games a season. He never played more than 64. Larocque averaged 27 and never played fewer than 22.Last season, no fewer than 13 NHL goalies played at least 65 games, a worldoad Dryden never saw. If any modern coach dared play a goalie with Dryden&rsquo;s credentials a mere 56 games, he&rsquo;d be ridiculed by the press, sniped at by the goalie and strung up by his toes in the parking garage by the team owner (with pink slip stuffed in his pocket).But for his day, Dryden was the rule, not the exception. Islanders goalie Billy Smith won four straight Cups and, for five years from 1980 to 1984, averaged 19 playoff games a season. But the most he played in one season was 46 games. In his 17-year-career Smith, partnered with Chico Resch, played 50 games in the season just once.<h2>FEWER TANDEMS TODAY</h2>Rogie Vachon, considered a workhorse of his day, cracked the 60-game mark just four times in 16 years. Gerry Cheevers never played more than 52 games in a season. For every Tony Esposito and Bernie Parent, goalies who took on workloads more associated with modern netminders, there were others who became well known as part of tandems-Pat Riggin and Al Jensen, Don Edwards and Bob Sauve, Richard Brodeur and Glen Hanlon. The names may not be as famous, but the tandems were not necessarily less successful. Playing for Washington, Riggin and Jensen shared the Jennings Trophy in 1984 while splitting action right down the middle.&ldquo;Anytime you play more than 60 games I think you&rsquo;re gambling a little bit,&rdquo; says 1970s netminder Phil Myre, now goalie coach for Ottawa, &ldquo;but some guys can handle it. I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s any magic formula.&rdquo;<h2>GOALIE TALENT DILUTED</h2>Today, most teams enter the season with a clear-cut No. 1, expected to play 60 games minimum. Atlanta, Boston, Carolina and Minnesota are the only teams with two goalies whose games played are within 20 of each other.There are a few reasons for the generational change. One theory holds that expansion has so diluted the goaltending talent that it&rsquo;s tough to find a quality No. 2 netminder who can be counted on to win a big game. In addition, expansion and the tight fight for the playoffs-30 teams (instead of 21 in the 1970s) competing for 16 spots-has made every game more crucial.More important, though, is dough. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s probably pressure to play the No. 1 guy because of the money,&rdquo; said Tampa Bay assistant and former netminder Jeff Reese.Of the 25 teams that had clear-cut No. 1 goalies entering this season, the average salary of the No. Is was $3.5 million. The average salary of their backups was $870,000. Owners don&rsquo;t want the big bucks sitting on the bench. Yet even Reese acknowledges teams that can play their No. 2 more often have the advantage of a rested starter. The starter also is pushed if the backup is playing well, something Tampa has discovered now that John Grahame is in town behind Nikolai Khabibulin.BIG IN-CREASE&nbsp;Tony Esposito&rsquo;s workload was huge in^ his day, but would just be run-of-the-mill in today&rsquo;s NHL.<h2>FEWER NIGHTS OFF</h2>Today&rsquo;s stars play more than their peers a generation ago. Here&rsquo;s a sampling of each era&rsquo;s top goalies. The average is taken from their busiest five straight years. &#9632;

f0017-01

No. 1 goalies earn money

<div class="byline">BY JEFF MACKIE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011541/8122305-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"></div>Imagine what it would feel like to live every moment of your life in unbearable pain. So much so that getting out of bed in the morning and putting on your clothes became a chore. Imagine how you would feel if everything you loved to do was suddenly an effort.Imagine, then, being told by doctors that you might recover if you took drugs which made your hands shake, that caused you to wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat wishing that morning wouldn&rsquo;t come, that you could somehow slip into a world where pain didn&rsquo;t exist.This was the reality faced by Eliot Esche in the final months of his young life, and it is the reason he made the decision to end his life at 22 by hanging himself from a tree in the backyard of his family&rsquo;s home. He was a gifted and accomplished artist who used his wicked sense of humor to make everyone around him laugh. He also suffered from clinical depression, an illness that he couldn&rsquo;t overcome.<h2>HOCKEY A DIVERSION</h2>Robert Esche, Eliot&rsquo;s 19-year-old brother, was hungover on March 25, 1997 when he picked up the phone and listened as his sister delivered the tragic news which would change his destiny. His destiny was to become an NHL goalie, first with Phoenix and now with Philadelphia. But what&rsquo;s interesting about Robert Esche&rsquo;s story is this: he made it to the NHL not in spite of his brother&rsquo;s suicide, but directly because of it.&ldquo;If you want the truth, I think I did such a good job of blocking it out that I started living a different life altogether,&rdquo; said Esche. &ldquo;In the long run, it has caused a lot of mental anguish for me. I pushed it away because I was young and I was a tough kid and nothing bothered me. A lot of things in my life were messed up, but I&rsquo;d pay no (attention) to it because I didn&rsquo;t want to think they were messed up. It was a weird situation.&rdquo;Eliot&rsquo;s suicide was part of a timeline of tragedy in Esche&rsquo;s family. His parents divorced when he was young; a cousin committed suicide prior to Eliot; an uncle who Esche regarded as a pillar of the family became ill after Eliot&rsquo;s suicide; his grandfather, a World War II veteran, passed away.At the time of his brother&rsquo;s death, Esche had just completed his second season in the Ontario League with the Detroit Whalers, who became the Plymouth Whalers the next season. He was good enough to be selected in the fifth round of the 1996 NHL draft by Phoenix, but after a couple of up-and-down seasons in the OHL, he was regarded as a marginal prospect.That changed when Esche left his family in Whitesboro, N.Y., 10 days after Eliot&rsquo;s death and returned to Detroit where he worked out almost daily in preparation for the next season. He refused to shed a tear, not wanting to acknowledge the pain Eliot caused his family. He had just lost his older brother-his best friend-but Esche was determined to bury the hurt in hockey.The 1997-98 season turned out to be the best of his three years in the OHL. He was a second team allstar and represented the U.S. at the World Junior Championship.He impressed Phoenix enough to earn a contract and spent the next four years in the Coyotes organization.In the summer of 2002, he was dealt to Philadelphia with center Michal Handzus for goalie Brian Boucher and a draft pick. Esche, 25, is having a breakthrough season with a 9-5-2 record, 2.05 goals-against average, and.912 save percentage through 22 games.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re confronted with death, all kinds of stuff jumps up and grabs you,&rdquo; Esche said. &ldquo;You can either go one way or the other. You can make a positive out of it or sit and sulk for years. Maybe not sulk, but grieve it. I don&rsquo;t know what the right thing was. Should I have grieved right off the bat and probably end up being all right?&ldquo;Now, I still battle with a lot of things in my head. There aren&rsquo;t many days where I can say mentally I&rsquo;m OK. I&rsquo;m just starting to grieve now because I put everything aside at a young age for hockey and it could get me in a lot of trouble.&rdquo;Esche admits he&rsquo;s not an intellectual man, but has complex emotions. That isn&rsquo;t to suggest he hasn&rsquo;t made smart decisions over the years.<h2>HELPED BY HIS DAD</h2>On the advice of his parents, he sought help from a psychiatrist. He also had the good sense to open himself up to the guidance and friendship of others. There was his junior coach Peter DeBoer and junior teammates Mark Cadotte, Mike Morrone and Jesse Boulerice, who now plays for Carolina. In Springfield of the American League, it was Brad Tiley and Rob Murray.In Phoenix there was Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, Teppo Numminen and his goaltending partner, Sean Burke.And more than anyone else in the world, Esche was helped by his father, Robin.&ldquo;My father would be the biggest asset I have in my life,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As tough as he was when I was growing up, he was a loveable man. He doesn&rsquo;t look for the quickest way because it&rsquo;s easier. He&rsquo;s just a great man-he was there for me. He stuck by me. His confidence really showed.&rdquo;A wedding was supposed to take place this summer in Westmoreland, NY. Esche and his fiancee Kelly were to be married at their home, a house Esche spent 15-17 hours a day for an entire summer helping build alongside his uncle and brotherin-law.But something interfered with those plans: the house burned down. Esche, not surprisingly, was unfazed.The wedding, he knows, will happen. And life, he knows, will go on.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011415/8122298-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="618" height="783"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021065/8122291-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="367" height="547"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;There aren&rsquo;t many days where I can say mentally I&rsquo;m OK. ROBERT ESCHE</blockquote> &#9632;

f0018-01

Robert Esche’s biggest save

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011315/8122343-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="300" height="384"><figcaption class="caption-body">Darryl Reaugh&nbsp;Guest Columnist</figcaption></div>Brett Hull thinks he&rsquo;s 10 times smarter than anyone in the game.Au contraire, Golden Brett!The real Mensa-men are those who&rsquo;ve donned the mask. Goaltenders, both past and present, are the game&rsquo;s resident high-foreheads. Here are 10 reasons why.1. BENCH AVOIDANCE There are currently no former NHL netminders serving as head coaches. Job security has become a week-to-week stresstest, with no fewer than seven coaches getting the axe this season. I&rsquo;d say avoiding the vocation is keen evidence of our heightened intelligence.2. ON-AIR PROLIFERATION You&rsquo;ve probably noticed NHL broadcasts are dominated by former goalies turned analysts. Why? It&rsquo;s not simply our good looks (although I&rsquo;ll get to that in a moment). It&rsquo;s for our ability to entertain, inform and educate. Sorry, but I don&rsquo;t see other positions pulling that trifecta off en masse; some actually make me feel dumber for having listened to them.3. THE MASK FACTOR Speaking of aesthetics-or good looks to you forwards-we&rsquo;re a pretty bunch. How have we stayed that way? Jacques Plante popularized a little thing called the goal mask to protect our faces from errant sticks, skates and pucks. Sure, we could go for the scarfaced, missing-chiclets thing Dany Heatley has going for him, but to us, the full-grill, Kelly Hrudey/Kurt Russell look-alike direction is better.4. SUITS OF ARMOR Think of how goalies have manipulated and manufactured protective equipment. We&rsquo;ve done the impossible, making our equipment lighter yet fatter. We&rsquo;ve fooled people into thinking blocking equipment is protective equipment.I mean, we actually have an impediment tacked onto our glove called a &ldquo;Cheater&rdquo;&hellip;and it is allowed! Could you imagine Sammy Sosa using a bat called a &ldquo;Corker&rdquo;?5. WATCH DOG COM-PADRE Who do we have policing our equipment limitations? A fellow goalie, Dave Dryden! Make no mistake, his integrity is not in question, but on the surface doesn&rsquo;t that seem akin to having Dave &ldquo;Tiger&rdquo; Williams dole out supplementary discipline?6. OWN SET OF RULES How about the NHL rulebook? Goalies have thought things through and demanded to be treated with special sections and different rules.We are allowed to use a broken stick and a wider stick with no curve limit. We are permitted to score goals or assist on others, but we don&rsquo;t stoop so low as to serve our own penalties. We&rsquo;re never &ldquo;fair game,&rdquo; although we roam like stray dogs and handle the puck more than Wayne Gretzky in his prime. We even put together a mind-meld with the NHL and got a rule that disallowed goals if an opposing player set foot in our sacred crease. I loved that one.7. MEDICALLY ADVANCED We know sharing water bottles with foulmouthed forwards wouldn&rsquo;t be healthy, so we get our own.8. MEDIA MANIPULATION Goalies have puppet-stringed the media into believing they won&rsquo;t be available on game day (or most other days too, if your last name is Belfour.)9. PERSONAL COACHES Last time I looked, the NHL had exactly zero right wing coaches. Goalies decided some individual attention would go a long way come contract time and it&rsquo;s also how we circumvent the coaching guillotine. For example, when the coaching staff in San Jose was let go they fired everyone except goalie coach Warren Strelow.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02945/8122336-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="876" height="1719"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wonder if goalie policeman Dave Dryden would let his former brethren get away with a pad this size?</figcaption></div>10. HIGHER CALLING Goalies are also presidential material. The only hockey person I know to have garnered votes in a U.S. presidential election is Ron Tugnutt. He got 12 votes in 2000&mdash;more than Clint Eastwood&mdash;and here&rsquo;s the kicker, Tugnutt&rsquo;s Canadian!Of course, this sounds persuasive until you acknowledge &ldquo;Smarter Than 10 Men&rdquo; Brett Hull has been smarter than us goalies 700 times!EX-NHL GOALIE DARRYL REAUGH IS A COLOR COMMENTATOR FOR DALLAS STARS BROADCASTS &#9632;

f0020-01

Netminders know it all

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011194/8122405-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">TREVOR LINDEN VANCOUVER CANUCKS</figcaption></div><h2>SPECIAL TEAMS</h2>The special-teams rating (Rating) is arrived at by adding a team&rsquo;s power play percentage (PP%) to its penalty-killing percentage (PK%). The NHL average is 100.Trevor Linden knows all about being traded. In the past five years he has gone from Vancouver-his home for his first 10 NHL seasons-to the New York Islanders to Montreal to Washington and back to Vancouver again.Many NHL players will be switching sweaters as the March 11 trade deadline looms-see the &lsquo;Trade Talk&rsquo; category for team-by-team analysis-but the chances of the 32-year-old Linden being in that group are slim to none.&ldquo;He never looked right in another uniform,&rdquo; said Vancouver GM Brian Burke in late January, while announcing the Canucks had re-signed Linden (and blueliner Ed Jovanovski) to a three-year extension. Linden&rsquo;s pact is worth $6.3 million, plus a team option for a fourth year. &ldquo;Hopefully, this means he&rsquo;ll end his career as a Canuck,&rdquo; Burke added.The No. 2 overall pick by the Canucks back in 1988, Linden was shocked Feb. 6, 1998, when at the behest of then-coach Mike Keenan, he was sent him to the Island for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe and a third round draft pick.He played parts of two seasons for each of the Islanders, Canadiens and Capitals from 1998 to 2001-never coming close to matching his production as a Canuck-until Burke reacquired him for a first-rounder in November, 2001. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy to be back,&rdquo; said Linden at the time. &ldquo;Vancouver is a special place for me. I never wanted to leave.&rdquo; (See pg. 32 for more on Linden.)BIG SHOOTERS IN SPOTLIGHT The five players that lead their NHL team in shots are featured in the &lsquo;Spotlight&rsquo; box this week. The player with the most shots is pictured.Washington&rsquo;s Jaromir Jagr, with 236 shots, leads the NHL. Boston&rsquo;s Glen Murray (223), Carolina&rsquo;s Jeff O&rsquo;Neill (216), St. Louis&rsquo;s Al Maclnnis (215) and new New York Ranger Alexei Kovalev (215) round out the top five. Stats are through Feb. 12. &#9632;

f0022-01

NHL TEAM REPORTS

<div class="byline">-DAN WOOD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03653/8122436-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="275" height="574"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02871/8122443-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="223" height="287"></div>When the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim acquired offense-minded defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh from the Florida Panthers just before the NHL all-star break, it appeared to solidify veteran defenseman Fredrik Olausson&rsquo;s role.Olausson, who was in and out of the lineup before Ozolinsh&rsquo;s arrival, entered the home stretch as Anaheim&rsquo;s No. 7 defenseman, unlikely to play much unless injuries struck.&ldquo;Freddie is here for two reasons,&rdquo; said coach Mike Babcock. &ldquo;Because of his ability to play, but more important, right from the get-go, because of his ability to lead. He&rsquo;s part of that, no matter what.&rdquo;Olausson, 36, is in his 16th NHL season and played his 1,000th career game Dec. 11, scoring the winning goal in a 3-0 triumph over Washington.&ldquo;As a hockey player, you want to play,&rdquo; Olausson said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt about that. But in the end, it&rsquo;s the team that matters. If the team is successful, it&rsquo;s a reflection on every individual.&rdquo;TRADE TALK After adding Ozolinsh and his $5.5 million annual salary on a contract that runs through 2004-05, Anaheim does not appear likely to make another big hit before the March 11 deadline. GM Bryan Murray would love to obtain a big, strong winger to add size and grit to a team that remains on the small side. With the Ducks in playoff contention for the first time in three seasons, they are not likely to be sellers in this year&rsquo;s market.NOTEBOOK Center Andy McDonald, who returned to the lineup for four games after having missed seven in January because of a concussion, suffered renewed symptoms following a 2-1 loss Feb. 5 at Edmonton. McDonald made little progress over the ensuing week and it was unclear when he would return. &#9632;

f0022-03

Olausson knows role as veteran leader

<div class="byline">-JEFF SCHULTZ</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05344/8122474-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="282" height="587"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04468/8122481-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="229" height="291"></div>The curse of the captaincy continues.The Atlanta Thrashers had three captains in their first three seasons-Kelly Buchberger, Steve Staios and Ray Ferraro. Buchberger and Ferraro both were traded before the season ended, and Staios was not given a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent.This year, Shawn McEachern was named captain by new coach Bob Hartley after the team&rsquo;s initial plan to rotate the position. But McEachern barely had a chance to play for his new coach because of a groin strain and now is likely gone for the season after suffering a herniated disc. McEachern had back surgery Feb. 12 and will be gone a minimum of six weeks.Whether he is back in Atlanta at all remains to be seen. The veteran winger is an unrestricted free agent after the season and would have drawn interest at the trading deadline, if not for the injury.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what to expect because I&rsquo;ve never had anything like this before,&rsquo;&rsquo;McEachern said.TRADE TALK McEachern&rsquo;s injury changes things significantly. Had he been healthy, chances are GM Don Waddell would have traded either him or Slava Kozlov, also unrestricted after the season. With McEachern out, there might be more pressure to re-sign Kozlov or keep him through the deadline. Waddell has done predeadline housecleaning every year (Ferraro, Jiri Slegr, Donald Audette). Defenseman Richard Smehlik also will draw interest.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Uwe Krupp, who played only one game before needing back surgery, was activated off of injured reserve&hellip;Left winger Ilya Kovalchuk became the 37th player to score 30 goals before his 20th birthday&hellip;The Thrashers had a minus-54 goal differential in the first 42 games, but were plus-11 in the next 12. &#9632;

f0022-05

Being team captain invitation to disaster

<div class="byline">-NANCY MARRAPESE-BURRELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02745/8122512-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="279" height="578"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011077/8122519-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="208" height="286"></div>Early in the season, the Bruins had too many blueliners and not enough grinding forwards, so coach Robbie Ftorek went to Sean Brown and asked him to do something he&rsquo;d never done before-switch his position.Brown obliged, becoming a forward on the fourth line, but he admitted it was a big departure from what he was used to.Then, because of injuries to rearguards Sean O&rsquo;Donnell and Rich Brennan, Brown wound up being switched back behind the blueline.&ldquo;If I had to go back to forward, I would do what I was told,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;When I was playing with RJ. (Stock) and whoever else rotated through our line, I thought we had some good games and I learned a lot from it. Whatever the coach says, whether it&rsquo;s defense or forward, I&rsquo;ll do it.&rdquo;TRADE TALK The Bruins made their big move when they shipped defenseman Kyle McLaren to the San Jose Sharks as part of a three-team deal that brought them goaltender Jeff Hackett from Montreal.Because neither John Grahame (now playing in Tampa) nor Steve Shields provided the Bruins with the consistently good goaltending they were hoping for, they felt they had no alternative but to use their trump card of McLaren for a quality puckstopper.NOTEBOOK The Bruins&rsquo; coaches passed the baton to captain Joe Thornton during an off-day in Florida Feb. 13 and let him run the team practice. Afterwards, the captain announced that he is not a potential coach&hellip;Left winger Mike Knuble played his 400th NHL game Feb. 8 against Pittsburgh. &#9632;

f0023-02

Versatile defender Brown fills in on Bruins fourth line

<div class="byline">-BUCKY GLEASON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04393/8122550-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="281" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03546/8122557-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="221" height="286"></div>Every time somebody mentions Tim Connolly or Taylor Pyatt, the name Michael Peca isn&rsquo;t far behind. The trade in 2001 which sent the gritty Sabres captain to the Islanders is largely viewed as the broken link between the franchise&rsquo;s best days and its worst.Connolly had just one goal and three points to show for a 35-game stretch in Buffalo, before scoring two goals and four points in three games in which he was the Sabres&rsquo; best player.Few have questioned Connolly&rsquo;s skill. He&rsquo;s one of the Sabres&rsquo; better skaters and puckhandlers and is getting more ice time killing penalties. He started the season well, three months of frustration followed. Pyatt&rsquo;s play hasn&rsquo;t been much better.TRADE TALK The Sabres need help everywhere, but they also could benefit by trimming their payroll.GM Darcy Regier doesn&rsquo;t appear willing to trade his most expensive players-Miroslav Satan and Alexei Zhitnik-because he doesn&rsquo;t believe it would be fair to prospective owners who view the two as assets.The Sabres could be coaxed into unloading Chris Gratton or Curtis Brown. Rookies Ryan Miller, Henrik Tallinder and Ales Kotalik appear to be untouchables.NOTEBOOK Rochester billionaire Tom Golisano was trying to put the finishing touches on a proposal to buy the franchise and keep the Sabres in Buffalo. If he fails, it could be destined for departure&hellip;Right winger Maxim Afinogenov had no points and was minus-6 through seven games after coming back from a concussion. &#9632;

f0023-04

Sabres still suffering from trading popular Peca

<div class="byline">-ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06225/8122588-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="281" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05287/8122595-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="224" height="289"></div>During the 2000-01 playoffs, Andrew Ference, then 22, found himself playing the point on a Pittsburgh Penguins power play that included Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka.But hernia surgery kept Ference out of the Pens&rsquo; first 21 games this season, and when he returned he was the team&rsquo;s seventh defenseman.Acquired by the short-staffed Flames for a conditional draft choice, Ference made his Calgary debut in a Feb. 12 game against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.GM Craig Button called him, &ldquo;a solid all-around player who will contribute to our team.&rdquo;&ldquo;I feel fresh, excited,&rdquo; Ference said.TRADE TALK The Flames are adamant that right winger Jarome Iginla will not be dumped for his salary in the same way Pittsburgh moved Alexei Kovalev. The only way they&rsquo;d surrender their most valuable asset is if they could get two or three established NHLers.Iginla, the reigning Art Ross trophy champion, has had a difficult season, partly because of injuries and increased expectations, but his play has picked up in the second half.NOTEBOOK For a short time in early February, the Flames became the first NHL team to ice three Hobey Baker award winners in the same lineup-center Chris Drury, and defensemen Jordan Leopold and Mike Mottau. Leopold was recalled from Saint John (AHL) and Mottau came over from the Rangers&rsquo; for a sixth round draft choice. But Andrew Ference&rsquo;s acquisition made Mottau the odd man out and he was sent to Saint John Feb. 11. &#9632;

f0023-06

Former Penguins point man solidities Flames backline

<div class="byline">-LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-08163/8122626-1-eng-US/f0023-082.jpg" title="f0023-08" width="277" height="580"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-07193/8122633-1-eng-US/f0023-072.jpg" title="f0023-07" width="226" height="245"></div>It seems incredible, but the Carolina Hurricanes have followed up the best season in franchise history with one of the worst.Eight months after going to the Stanley Cup final, the Canes sunk to a low not seen since 1982-83 when they were the Hartford Whalers.With a 2-1 overtime loss to Dallas Feb. 11, the Canes wrapped up a 2-16-1-3 stretch that eclipsed the sorry 3-17-1 record they set 20 years ago.And with the Feb. 7 trade of right winger Sami Kapanen to Philadelphia for right winger Pavel Brendl, the Hurricanes waved the white flag on the season.TRADE TALK The Kapanen-for-Brendl trade was the first move in what GM Jim Rutherford promised to be a &ldquo;major makeover.&rdquo;Their second move was sending goalie Arturs Irbe to American League Lowell after he cleared waivers. The Canes still owe the Latvian-born netminder $5.2 million over the next two seasons.What&rsquo;s the Canes next move? Other than the obvious-Ron Francis, Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, etc.-and the prospects, no one is exempt, especially older, high-salaried veterans such as Sean Hill, Aaron Ward and Jan Hlavac.Glen Wesley could also be moved at the deadline, but only after Rutherford and Wesley discuss his future-and his no-trade clause.The Canes are dumping salary, so prospects to shore up AHL cellar-dwellers Lowell or draft picks could be enough to pry players loose.NOTEBOOK Rookie right winger Jeff Heerema was lost for the season with a broken wrist Feb. 7&hellip;Goalie Kevin Weekes extended his dubious franchise record with a consecutive losing decision Feb. 11 vs. Dallas. &#9632;

f0023-08

Carolina builds for future, surrenders post-season hunt

<div class="byline">-TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02810/8122664-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="280" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011149/8122671-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="217" height="282"></div>When Eric Daze returned to Chicago&rsquo;s lineup Feb. 12, after missing two weeks with a groin pull, he hoped it was the last time this season he would have to deal with an injury.So did coach Brian Sutter.Many of the Hawks&rsquo; offensive problems can be traced to the absence of Daze, the team&rsquo;s best goal-scorer. He missed the first 15 games following September back surgery, sat out three more in January with back spasms, then hurt his groin Jan. 26 in Montreal.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the top scorers in the game and we&rsquo;ve missed just his presence,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like when a baseball team loses its clean-up hitter and all of a sudden the guys batting around him don&rsquo;t hit so well.&rdquo;TRADE TALK The Hawks need another scorer, but GM Mike Smith isn&rsquo;t going to mortgage the future to get one. Smith has made it clear he will not deal any of his top prospects or best young players for someone to help down the stretch. The GM still sees the Hawks as a team building for the future.Smith would certainly be interested in moving any one of a number of veterans, but there is likely to be little interest in players such as Igor Korolev, Lyle Odelein, Chris Simon or Alexander Karpovtsev because of their big contracts.NOTEBOOK Disappointing left winger Igor Korolev was sent to Norfolk (AHL) Feb. 12 after clearing waivers for the third time this season&hellip;Rookie center Tyler Arnason was getting his second wind following a January slump and giving the Hawks at least a little offense with his A-B-C linemates Mark Bell on left wing and Kyle Calder on the right side&hellip;Right winger Steve Thomas scored his first goal in 50 games Feb. 8 at Edmonton. It left him one shy of 400 for his career. &#9632;

f0024-02

Hawks look to Daze for health, happiness

<div class="byline">-ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04383/8122702-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="279" height="579"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03565/8122709-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="218" height="280"></div>Ray Bourque retired a year-and-a-half ago, but his influence remains large with the Avalanche.For the second season in a row, a Bourque pep talk to a struggling Avs team paid dividends, this time in the form of a 10-game unbeaten streak.Before Colorado played the Dallas Stars at home Jan. 20, Bourque visited his former teammates and told them to relax, that they were too good to be struggling the way they were.In particular, Bourque counseled goalie Patrick Roy, telling him to avoid the negative thoughts that had been creeping into his mind.After that, the Avs went on an 8-0-2-0 run and Roy captured NHL player-of-the-week honors in two out of three weeks. He posted three shutouts and regained his confidence.TRADE TALK The Avs were interested in Alexei Kovalev, but weren&rsquo;t going to meet the Penguins&rsquo; steep asking price, which was believed to be defenseman Martin Skoula and one of wingers Alex Tanguay or Radim Vrbata.Still, the Avs are likely to shop for a grinding forward. With Chris Drury possibly on the trading block in Calgary, Avs fans are hoping Pierre Lacroix can get him back, but don&rsquo;t count on it.A penalty-killing specialist also would help, as the Avs too often rely on Roy to bail them out on the penalty kill.NOTEBOOK Right winger Milan Hejduk and center Peter Forsberg scored back-to-back hat tricks against Detroit and Calgary Feb. 8-9 for the first time since the franchise moved to Colorado. On March 6-7,1983, left winger Michel Goulet and center Peter Stastny did it as members of the Quebec Nordiques&hellip;Captain Joe Sakic&rsquo;s recovery from a broken foot was slower than expected. The NHL&rsquo;s 2001 MVP likely won&rsquo;t be back until early March. &#9632;

f0024-04

Bourque’s pep talk pays off for Avs

<div class="byline">-AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-06201/8122740-1-eng-US/f0024-062.jpg" title="f0024-06" width="277" height="587"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05258/8122747-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="219" height="285"></div>Hoping to shake Geoff Sanderson out of a slump, coach-GM Doug MacLean has juggled the Blue Jackets&rsquo; forward lines.The most notable move was elevating rookie left winger Rick Nash-a Calder Trophy candidate&mdash;to the top line with center Andrew Cassels and right winger David Vyborny.Sanderson, stuck in a 13-game goal drought, was dropped to the third line with center Espen Knutsen and right winger Grant Marshall.For the first four months of the season, Sanderson and Cassels clicked just like in their old Hartford Whalers days. But they they flopped.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll do whatever it takes to get Sandy going,&rdquo; said MacLean, noting that Sanderson&rsquo;s effort and scoring chances hadn&rsquo;t dwindled in the least.TRADE TALK MacLean may get a lot of phone calls when March arrives. Columbus&rsquo;s top three scorers-Sanderson, Cassels and captain Ray Whitney-are eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season.Already, rumors have had Sanderson going to Ottawa, Vancouver and Colorado.It appears Whitney has become MacLean&rsquo;s top priority. He could be signed to an extension by the end of February. Whitney reportedly wants a four-year deal.Cassels&rsquo; contract gives him an option at the end of the season if he hits 50 points. As of Feb. 13, he had 45.NOTEBOOK The Blue Jackets have adjusted their ticket prices for &ldquo;premiere&rdquo; games, charging more for weekend games and games against the NHL&rsquo;s elite teams, like Colorado and Detroit&hellip;Right winger David Vyborny, with 14 goals and 35 points, already had set career highs in both categories&hellip;It took 42 games, but defenseman Scott Lachance scored his first point as a Blue Jacket-an assist-Feb. 12. &#9632;

f0024-06

Sanderson’s slump leads to line changes

Here are the top 10 point-getters in the history of the Dallas/Minnesota franchise, which entered the NHL in 1967 and transferred to Texas in 1993.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03473/8122841-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Modano 988 to present 1,040 points</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04307/8122834-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Neal Broten 1980-95, 1997 867 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05220/8122827-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Bellows 1982-92 722 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06175/8122820-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dino Ciccarelli 1980-89 651 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-07151/8122813-1-eng-US/f0025-072.jpg" title="f0025-07" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Smith 1978-84, 1990-93 554 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-08125/8122806-1-eng-US/f0025-082.jpg" title="f0025-08" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Gagner 1987-96 534 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-09105/8122799-1-eng-US/f0025-092.jpg" title="f0025-09" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Goldsworthy 1967-77 506 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1085/8122792-1-eng-US/f0025-102.jpg" title="f0025-10" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tim Young 1975-83 494 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1173/8122785-1-eng-US/f0025-112.jpg" title="f0025-11" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Payne 1978-88 466 pts</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1262/8122778-1-eng-US/f0025-122.jpg" title="f0025-12" width="220" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Craig Hartsburg 1979-89 413 pts</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0025-03

TOP 10 ALL-TIME SCORERS

<div class="byline">-CHUCK CARLTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02700/8122872-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="288" height="585"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011032/8122879-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="225" height="250"></div>The Stars say they acquired Ron Tugnutt as their backup goaltender this summer because he was the best one available.They will learn soon if their scouting report was correct.An ankle injury suffered Feb. 11 against Carolina will sideline Vezina Trophy candidate Marty Turco until the end of February-and maybe longer, based on recent goaltender history.Tugnutt, 35, will replace Turco. In a roller-coaster season, Tugnutt has compiled an 8-3-2 record with a 2.29 goals-against average. But he has allowed 11 goals in his three losses and been pulled in two of those.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not excited about Marty being injured, but I&rsquo;m ready for the opportunity,&rdquo; Tugnutt said. &ldquo;Part of my job has been preparing myself for something like this.&rdquo;TRADE TALK Owner Tom Hicks proclaimed the Stars&rsquo; needs filled after the Jan. 16 trade that landed left winger Claude Lemieux.GM Doug Armstrong has been more cautious. He might look for a rental or dollar-for-dollar acquisition, something that won&rsquo;t affect team chemistry. That means potential unrestricted free agents such as Derian Hatcher and Ulf Dahlen will stick around.But expect at least one veteran defenseman and winger to be added.NOTEBOOK The sale of the Stars has been delayed by owner Tom Hicks&rsquo; sudden battle with hearing loss. In January, he lost all hearing in his left ear and all but 20 per cent in his right ear because of a viral infection. He&rsquo;s undergoing treatment&hellip;Goaltender Marty Turco tied Don Beaupre&rsquo;s franchise record with a 14-game unbeaten streak&hellip;Defenseman Sergei Zubov&rsquo;s goal to beat Carolina 2-1 in overtime Feb. 11 came with just one second left on the clock, only the sixth time that has happened since the NHL adopted overtime in 1983. &#9632;

f0025-02

Tugnutt in spotlight after injury to Turco

<div class="byline">-NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02817/8122910-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="273" height="585"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011161/8122917-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="224" height="270"></div>It was classic. It was history. And in many ways, it was typicval Brett Hull.Hull hid, nearly invisible, along the left boards late in the second period of the Red Wings&rsquo; 5-4 victory over the San Jose Sharks Feb. 10. Then he slipped into scoring position in the circle, dropped on his right knee and reaching back with his stick, one-timed a pass past Evgeni Nabokov for his 700th NHL goal.Hull, 38, became only the sixth player to reach the milestone, joining Wayne Gretzky (894 goals), Gordie Howe (801), Marcel Dionne (731), Phil Esposito (717) and Mike Gartner (708), and he did it in 1,157 games. Only Gretzky did it in fewer, 886.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a thrill to be a part of those guys,&rdquo; Hull said. &ldquo;It means a lot more that I&rsquo;ve got the rings to go with it. To have the personal accomplishments and to also have won the Stanley Cup, it kind of brings everything full circle.&rdquo;TRADE TALK It&rsquo;s no secret the Wings are looking for a veteran defenseman. GM Ken Holland seems to pick one up every year, and his scouts have been scouring the league for weeks. Even if the Wings don&rsquo;t acquire an impact player, they&rsquo;re likely to add depth.But the Wings want to be careful not to overreact to their recent slump. Their second and third defensemen, Chris Chelios and Jiri Fischer, have been out with injuries, and they expect them to be back.NOTEBOOK Although he was averaging more than 20 minutes per game, had only three goals in 25 games and was on the verge of opening negotiations on a contract extension, center Sergei Fedorov complained publicly about his playing time after the Wings failed to win for the sixth straight game, losing 5-3 at Colorado Feb. 8&hellip;A couple of days later, Fedorov told the media he didn&rsquo;t regret what he said, but he isn&rsquo;t opposing coach Dave Lewis. Fedorov said he agrees with captain Steve Yzerman, who told him to take his concerns directly to the coaches in the future&hellip;Detroit&rsquo;s top prospect, 19-year-old right winger Igor Grigorenko, followed up an all-star performance at the World Junior Championship by leading Russia&rsquo;s senior national team to victory at the Sweden Hockey Games tournament, Feb. 7-9. Grigorenko scored a hat trick in a 4-2 win over Sweden in the final. &#9632;

f0026-02

Trademark goal puts veteran Hull among NHL’s elite sharp shooters

<div class="byline">-ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04475/8122948-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="276" height="587"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03660/8122955-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="204" height="291"></div>They should start calling it the black-and-blueline.After working its way through defensemen Janne Niinimaa (sprained knee), Steve Staios (concussion) and Kari Haakana (broken ribs) in January, the injury bug has moved on to captain Jason Smith&rsquo;s shoulder.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a serious, serious separation, but it&rsquo;s still going to take some time to heal,&rdquo; said Smith, who&rsquo;s out until early March after an open-ice hit from Toronto&rsquo;s Darcy Tucker Feb. 11. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been hit harder than that lots of times and skated away; he just got me in the wrong spot.&rdquo;Smith doesn&rsquo;t get injured very often. He played 82, 80 and 74 games the previous three seasons and was the only Oiler to play every game this year. But Edmonton is used to forging on without its veterans; it lost Mike Comrie, Ryan Smyth and Georges Laraque for extended periods in January.&ldquo;I think the guys will do fine,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Throughout the year we&rsquo;ve had challenges where guys have been out of the lineup and we&rsquo;ve come through pretty well.&rdquo;TRADE TALK Don&rsquo;t expect any major moves out of GM Kevin Lowe. The Oilers have a strict budget and can&rsquo;t take on more salary than they deal away. They need a physical forward with some skill to help with their lack of size up front. And with Smith coming back from a shoulder injury and Niinimaa on a sore knee, they might want some insurance on the blueline.Center Todd Marchant is eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer, but Lowe says he&rsquo;ll keep him as long as he&rsquo;s contributing and Edmonton is headed for the playoffs. Center Anson Carter might be available since he&rsquo;s eligible for arbitration and could price himself out of the budget.NOTEBOOK At the Oilers skills competition rookie left winger Jason Chimera turned a lap in 13.332 seconds to best right winger Mike Gartner&rsquo;s NHL record of 13.386 from the 1986 AllStar game. Rookie defenceman Alex Semenov had slap shots of 102.6,104.6,104.4 and 103.5 m.p.h. Defenseman AlMacInnis won the 2003 All-Star skills event with a 98.9 m.p.h&hellip;Defenseman Jason Smith on the hit by right winger Darcy Tucker, which separated Smith&rsquo;s shoulder: &ldquo;If I had a chance to hit somebody like that I&rsquo;d probably take it.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-04

Oft-injured Oilers defense corps forces team to keep digging deep

<div class="byline">-DAVID J. NEAL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06283/8122986-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="274" height="584"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05350/8122993-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="212" height="289"></div>Florida Panthers defenseman Mathieu Biron remains 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, one bowling ball heavier than when he was drafted by Los Angeles in 1998. A bowling ball is basically what Biron has been traded for and, through his young career, his NHL role has steadily shrunk.Until very recently, that is. Once the Panthers dished defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh to Anaheim, American League callup Biron was put with Jay Bouwmeester, expected to get the bulk of Ozolinsh&rsquo;s ice time. That also got Biron first power play unit duty. Through the first five post-trade games, Biron averaged 22:21 ice time per game and had four assists.&ldquo;He is the second-most skilled defenseman we have, behind Bouwmeester,&rdquo; coach Mike Keenan said.The Panthers got Biron from Tampa Bay via trade with Columbus in the waiver draft. Tampa got Biron from the Islanders in a salary dump deal for defenseman Adrian Aucoin. The Kings had sent him to the Islanders as part of the package for Ziggy Palffy.TRADE TALK Valeri Bure hasn&rsquo;t scored since Nov. 9. Keenan, a frequent Bure defamer, recently has stopped running down Bure and even double shifted him late in a Feb. 12 game against the Rangers.&ldquo;We needed someone to score a goal, and you&rsquo;d like to think he&rsquo;s going to break out of it sooner than later,&rdquo; Keenan said.Can you say &ldquo;showcase,&rdquo; which you can have if &ldquo;The Price is Right&rdquo;? What&rsquo;s the price? A big, young prospect or two with untapped potential. Like most teams without realistic Stanley Cup dreams before 2004, the Panthers don&rsquo;t want to spend any more money than is necessary.Keenan also isn&rsquo;t enamored of left winger Kristian Huselius, who went goalless in 19 games from December to February. This might force a trade against GM Rick Dudley&rsquo;s better judgement.NOTEBOOK The night after Florida&rsquo;s worst-ever home shutout loss, 6-0 to Toronto Feb. 5, they tied their biggest-ever margin of victory in a 6-0 win at Pittsburgh. That gave goalie Roberto Luongo the franchise record for career shutouts, 14, and extended his whitewash streak against Pittsburgh to 122:28. Recalling some scorchings by the Pens, Luongo said, &ldquo;A couple of years ago, it wasn&rsquo;t the same song. I was getting shelled every night.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-06

Biron benefits from bigger role paired with rookie Bouwmeester

<div class="byline">-MATT MCHALE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02740/8123024-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="276" height="580"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011108/8123031-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="207" height="293"></div>Failure to win on the road spells trouble for the Los Angeles Kings who are trying to climb back into a Western Conference playoff spot.The Kings came home Feb. 11 for three games after defeating the Predators 3-2 in Nashville. It was just the team&rsquo;s second road victory since Dec. 11, a span of 12 games (1-10-0-1).The Kings head out on a five-game trip to the Eastern time zone before coming home March I for a game against lowly Atlanta.&ldquo;You have to play a more simple game on the road,&rdquo; said center Ian Laperriere. &ldquo;We have struggled to play a full 60 minutes.&rdquo;Most of the Kings&rsquo; many injuries have come on the road as well. Jason Allison&rsquo;s season was ruined on a knee-to-knee hit by the Thrashers&rsquo; Andy Sutton Oct. 29 in Atlanta. Adam Deadmarsh suffered a second and more serious concussion Dec. 15 in Phoenix.TRADE TALK With five unrestricted free agents and a couple of high-priced veterans on the roster, speculation has been widespread. Most of it focuses on Ziggy Palffy, the club&rsquo;s leading scorer. Palffy, 30, has an option year on his contract next season at $7.25 million. But the club claims it will lose $8 million to $10 million this season and is trying to cut payroll.&ldquo;No I don&rsquo;t like it,&rdquo; said Palffy of the speculation. &ldquo;I want to finish my career here.&rdquo;Mathieu Schneider, who will earn $3.75 million next season, also has been the subject of trade rumors.The unrestricted free agents and their salaries are: Felix Potvin ($3.3M), Dmitry Yushkevich ($2.75 M), Bryan Smolinski ($2.4M), Aaron Miller ($l.7M) and Craig Johnson ($750,000).NOTEBOOK Veteran minor league veteran center Chris Schmidt, who turns 27 March I, made his NHL debut in the 3-2 win over Nashville&hellip;Center Jason Allison, bothered by knee, neck and hip injuries, was expected back before the Kings upcoming road trip&hellip;Right winger Adam Deadmarsh, out since mid-December with a concussion, hasn&rsquo;t skated since Christmas&hellip;On a positive note, center Ian Laperriere returned from knee surgery after just eight days. &#9632;

f0027-02

Kings trying to trade Palffy in effort to reduce payroll

<div class="byline">-TOM JONES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04361/8123062-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="281" height="583"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03520/8123069-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="225" height="257"></div>Wild coach Jacques Lemaire might have a problem as the franchise makes its first playoff run. It&rsquo;s a problem every coach would love to have.While some teams are struggling to find one dependable goalie, the Wild has two.Dwayne Roloson is having the best season of his career and Manny Fernandez returned from a month&rsquo;s layoff in early February and posted his first shutout of the season. In Philadelphia, no less.Now that both Roloson and Fernandez are healthy, Lemaire will go back to rotating goalies, presumably for the remainder of the season.&ldquo;Two goaltenders are playing well,&rdquo; Lemaire said. &ldquo;If possible, we won&rsquo;t leave one sitting for a week and not playing.&rdquo;TRADE TALK Just like the past two seasons, the Wild figured it would be looking to deal a couple of veterans for the future at this time of the season.But Minnesota&rsquo;s surprising run has it in the playoff mix, and it&rsquo;s likely the Wild will simply stand pat and see where their playoff drive ends. GM Doug Risebrough said the team will consider acquiring a veteran prior to the March 11 trade deadline, but added he isn&rsquo;t willing to trade a promising prospect in return.Veteran defenseman Lubomir Sekeras has struggled this season in Minnesota, so the Wild might be willing to trade him for a draft pick to a team looking to add power play help.Nevertheless, the Wild&rsquo;s objective of building a solid franchise for the future remains a priority.NOTEBOOK With a goal Feb. 12 against the Philadelphia Flyers, right winger Cliff Ronning tied Brent Sutter for 99th place on the NHL&rsquo;s alltime scoring list with 829 points&hellip;When the Wild shut out the Flyers Feb. 10 and 12, it was the first time the franchise posted shutouts in consecutive games&hellip;Defenseman Brad Bombardir was named team captain for February&hellip;Following its Feb. 12 victory against the Flyers, the Wild improved to a league-best 19 wins (and one tie) when leading after two periods. &#9632;

f0027-04

Fernandez returns to lineup, Wild back to goalie rotation

<div class="byline">-HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02794/8123100-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="284" height="592"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011149/8123107-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="225" height="259"></div>The incessant pressure of playing in Montreal has claimed another victim.Canadiens defenseman Patrice Brisebois was admitted to a Toronto hospital and kept overnight after complaining of chest pains during the pre-game warmup prior to a Feb. 8 game against the Maple Leafs.Brisebois, 32, was suffering from an irregular heartbeat caused by stress, according to Dr. David Mulder, the Canadiens physician.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think at this point there is any heart damage,&rdquo; Mulder said.Brisebois returned to Montreal the next day. He was scheduled to undergo additional cardiac tests throughout the week and told to rest.It wasn&rsquo;t immediately known what caused Brisebois&rsquo;s health problems, but he was under considerable pressure recently with the team dropping four consecutive games. He was booed incessantly each time he touched the puck.The Montreal native has played his entire 13-year career with the Habs. He had four goals and 25 points in 55 games this season.TRADE TALK Even before Brisebois fell sick, a Montreal television station reported he had asked for a trade. Brisebois denied the rumor.Brisebois was signed to a four-year, $17.5million deal in Dec. 2001. The contract includes a no-trade clause through the end of next season, although the player could waive that right.His agent, Don Meehan, met with Canadiens GM Andre Savard, but said a trade was never discussed. However, when asked if Brisebois wanted out of Montreal, Meehan said: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s better that I not comment on speculation.&rdquo;The Canadiens would be seeking a physical defenseman or size at forward in any trade.NOTEBOOK Goaltender Mathieu Garon, recalled by Montreal following the trade of goalie Jeff Hackett, can become an unrestricted free agent this July as a five-year pro with limited experience, unless he plays 12 games this season. He has played only two. Garon, 25, is one year younger than first-string netminder Jose Theodore, which might force him to relocate if he wants to play. &#9632;

f0028-02

Brisebois breaks under strain of abuse from Montreal fans

<div class="byline">-DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04403/8123138-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="278" height="592"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03583/8123145-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="229" height="260"></div>A woeful start, which actually was a carryover from last season likely cost the Predators a spot in the playoffs this season, but could pay off in the long run, according to coach Barry Trotz.The Predators limped through the final 20 games of 2001-02 at 3-14-3-0 and the first 20 of 2002-03 at 2-10-4-4, but then went 15-13-4-0 the rest of the way to the all-star break.&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a pretty good bond between everybody who&rsquo;s gone through&hellip;that 40-game stretch,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;As coaches we tried everything to make us competitive and win hockey games and it was extremely difficult.&ldquo;From that experience, I think we&rsquo;re better coaches, our players, I think, mentally are a lot stronger.&rdquo;TRADE TALK Cale Hulse easily is the player most likely to be moved.The 29-year-old defenseman is eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and negotiations between he and the team were minimal to nonexistent each of the last two off-seasons when he was a restricted free agent (he went through arbitration in 2001 and accepted the team&rsquo;s qualifying offer in 2002).Tomas Kloucek, Robert Schnabel and Dan Hamhuis all likely will warrant some sort of late-season look. The Predators likely would accept either a draft pick or a prospect in return.For teams looking to add experience at minimal cost, defenseman Bill Houlder and forward Brent Gilchrist, both 35, are on one-year contracts.Gilchrist has been in the playoffs 11 of his 14 NHL seasons.NOTEBOOK After being acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers, for whom he played 32 games this season, center Rem Murray has the chance to play 85 games, which would tie the record for an 82-game season&hellip;Defensemen Andy Delmore (eight) and Kimmo Timonen (seven) set personal highs for shots in consecutive contests, Feb. 8 and 11, respectively&hellip;Following a 3-2 loss Feb. 12, the Predators are 1-7-2-0 all-time at home against Los Angeles. &#9632;

f0028-04

Preds look on bright side after ending extended slump

<div class="byline">-RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02678/8123176-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="285" height="581"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011018/8123183-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="196" height="277"></div>Martin Brodeur often wondered whether his chance of capturing the Vezina Trophy had passed him by.But now, after becoming the first goaltender in NHL history to post eight consecutive 30-win seasons, he&rsquo;s at least getting the respect many believe he deserves.&ldquo;In the past he had great competition,&rdquo; said former Devils and current Wild coach Jacques Lemaire. &ldquo;And maybe people said the Devils were so good defensively that they stayed back and helped the goalie. I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s true. He has been great.&rdquo; (See pg. 10 for more on Brodeur.)TRADE TALK GM Lou Lamoriello was hoping to add a top goalscorer and had inquired about Alexei Kovalev and Owen Nolan. But Lamoriello&rsquo;s plan hit a snag over the $4 million in cash needed to land Kovalev and the fact defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, who figured to be used as trade bait, was sidelined because of dizziness and fatigue.It left the GM hoping Tverdovsky, viewed as an extravagance, would recover from his physical problems before it got too close to the trade deadline. Tverdovsky began skating on his own Feb. 12.With the team likely to keep impending unrestricted free agent Joe Nieuwendyk, the strong possibility existed Lamoriello would settle for a minor deal to replace injured right winger Sergei Brylin. Such a deal almost certainly would involve rookie center Mike Danton, in limbo since he was booted from the team Nov. 29 and told he would be traded.NOTEBOOK Right winger Sergei Brylin, who broke his right wrist Feb. 5, underwent surgery the next day and was expected to be out until late April&hellip;Left winger Jim McKenzie needed 11 stitches to close two cuts to his right eyelid and eyebrow after he was hit by a puck deflected by Phoenix defenseman Danny Markov. &#9632;

f0029-02

Winning is inevitable when Brodeur in net

<div class="byline">-PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04332/8123214-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="281" height="587"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03466/8123221-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="212" height="291"></div>It took Dave Scatchard 47 games last season to notch his third goal. It took him only slightly more appearances this season to record two hat tricks.Scatchard&rsquo;s line-between vet Jason Wiemer and breakout winger Jason Blake-has been the Islanders&rsquo; most consistent unit all season. And Scatchard&rsquo;s 17 goals were second on the team-four more than first line center Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s unlucky 13-through Feb. 12. (Mark Parrish led with 21.)&ldquo;With added ice time and confidence from the coach, a lot of players can play at a higher level,&rdquo; Scatchard said. &ldquo;When you get an opportunity, you have to make the most of it. And that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ve been trying to do.&rdquo;Scatchard buried his second hat trick in barely a month Feb. 11 in a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay. He also scored three times against Pittsburgh Jan. 7.TRADE TALK The Rangers&rsquo; latest blank-check purchase of Pittsburgh all-star Alexei Kovalev proved a couple of things to the Islanders: there are several high-salaried forwards available to fill their undeniable need for a frontline winger to play with Yashin; and teams like the Isles might not be able to afford any of them in today&rsquo;s NHL, with owner Charles Wang&rsquo;s $40-million payroll budget already at its ceiling.GM Mike Milbury will continue to explore acquiring a skilled winger, with former Isles star Ziggy Palfify&rsquo;s name generating the most buzz on Long Island. But Milbury likely will have to settle for a cheaper option, unless he can move salaried players such as Brad Isbister ($1.8 million), Wiemer ($1,575 million), Claude Lapointe ($1.2 million) or even goalie Chris Osgood ($4 million).NOTEBOOK GM Mike Milbury on the Rangers&rsquo; acquisition of Alexei Kovalev: &ldquo;It is what it is, but it does raise some questions about how we do business as a league.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0029-04

Scatchard’s hat tricks all about confidence

<div class="byline">-LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06218/8123252-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="284" height="586"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05273/8123259-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="211" height="281"></div>While there is no question the Rangers reacquired Alexei Kovalev in the hope the elite winger could jumpstart a dramatic stretch drive to the team&rsquo;s first playoff spot since 1997, this was not merely a quickfix move.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter what happens this year, it&rsquo;s the kind of move you can&rsquo;t turn down,&rdquo; said Mark Messier, Kovalev&rsquo;s center during the team&rsquo;s 1994 Stanley Cup run and then again in No. 27&rsquo;s first game back with the Blueshirts, Feb. 12 in Florida. &ldquo;The Rangers aren&rsquo;t going out of business after this year; they&rsquo;re going to be here for the next 100 years. This is good for today and it&rsquo;s good for tomorrow. It&rsquo;s good for however long Alex wants to play.&rdquo;The acquisition of Kovalev-accompanied by winger Dan LaCouture and defensemen Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson-was hailed by the entire team.&ldquo;Getting (Kovalev) changes the dynamics of the team immensely,&rdquo; said Eric Lindros. &ldquo;We have another weapon, we have more balance, we have a better team.&rdquo; (See pgs. 4, 6, 31 for more on trade).TRADE TALK Depending upon then-position in the standings approaching the March 11 trade deadline, the Rangers will either binge by adding short-term aid or purge by attempting to deal veterans to contenders.If the Blueshirts are out of the race, the focus will turn to Brian Leetch, whom Sather will likely ask to waive his no-trade clause so that he can be dealt as a rental. Leetch said in mid-January that he hopes not to be put in that position.NOTEBOOK After originally naming Dan Blackburn as the starter for the Feb. 12 game-a 3-1 win at Florida-GM Glen Sather changed his mind on the eve of the contest. Why? &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know; I saw Mike (Dunham) with his wife after they&rsquo;d been out to dinner down at the beach in Ft Lauderdale and thought it was a good omen,&rdquo; Sather said. &ldquo;I just had a sense.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0029-06

Acquisition of Kovalev has Rangers ecstatic

<div class="byline">-BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02772/8123290-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="280" height="581"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011150/8123297-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="207" height="287"></div>That sigh of relief from the Corel Centre on Feb. 10 came from the Senators dressing room.While the sale of the franchise back to owner Rod Bryden and newly acquired partner Nelson Peltz won&rsquo;t be completed until mid-April, the players were pleased to hear the bid had been accepted by the major lenders.While they&rsquo;ve tapered off a lot in the last month, questions about the team&rsquo;s financing have dogged the Senators since Bryden missed a paycheck Jan. 1 and everybody is looking forward to closing the book.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had to deal with it&hellip;mainly with questions,&rdquo; said captain Daniel Alfredsson. &ldquo;But, those have gone away a lot in the last few weeks and we&rsquo;ve been able to focus on what&rsquo;s happening on the ice.&rdquo; (See pg. 8 for more.)TRADE TALK Senators GM John Muckier is preparing to make changes before the March 11 deadline; ideally, the club would like to add a gritty left winger.Muckier is still searching for a Gary Roberts-type forward who can help the club win in the post-season. Two names that have been rumored: Phoenix&rsquo;s Brad May and Carolina&rsquo;s Bates Battaglia.Don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Senators unload winger Magnus Arvedson and his $1.6-million contract. An unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, the Senators aren&rsquo;t in the mood to lose him for nothing at the end of the season.NOTEBOOK Center Jason Spezza was recalled as an emergency fill-in Feb. 13 to replace Radek Bonk, who was out with a back injury&hellip;The Sens turned the Rideau Canal into a rink of dreams Feb. 10 to help celebrate CBC&rsquo;s Hockey Day in Canada, which aired Feb. 15. &ldquo;That was fun,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Martin after the skate. &ldquo;No, there wasn&rsquo;t a lot done as far as work goes, but&hellip;it was nice to get outdoors and have fun with the kids.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0030-02

Closure to cash crisis has Senators relieved

<div class="byline">-WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04387/8123328-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="281" height="586"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03550/8123335-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="225" height="260"></div>Sami Kapanen went north, but the Flyer offense keeps going south.Kapanen, traded from Carolina to Philadelphia Feb. 7 in a four-player deal that saw Pavel Brendl become a Cane, scored a winner in his first game as a Flyer.But after that, the Flyers were stopped cold in 1-0 and 2-0 losses to Minnesota. That made four shutouts in eight games-nine for the season, just one short of tying a franchise record.Kapanen, 29, hopes a change of scenery will help his fortunes. He had only six goals with the Canes after a 27-goal campaign in 2001-02.&ldquo;This is a second opportunity for myself,&rdquo; Kapanen said. &ldquo;This year has been a struggle. It&rsquo;s hard to explain. When you start losing games (the Canes lost 13 of 14 prior to the trade), you start losing confidence.&rdquo;TRADE TALK The Flyers have an extra No. 1 draft pick (Phoenix&rsquo;s) and a strong defense prospect in Jeff Woywitka (ranked as the 24th-best prospect in Future Watch 2003), which were both said to be sitting on the market for possible deals. Published reports had the Flyers interested in Buffalo&rsquo;s Miroslav Satan and Alexei Zhitnik, as well as Los Angeles Kings defenseman Mathieu Schneider.It is obvious the Flyers need help putting pucks in the net. At 2.29 goals per game, they&rsquo;re on pace to score their fewest goals in 30 years. The Flyers are scheduled to get back John LeClair from shoulder surgery and Simon Gagne from a groin injury by the end of February, so the need for offense might diminish before the March 11 trade deadline.NOTEBOOK GM Bob Clarke denied a published report stating NHL commissioner Gary Bettman vetoed a proposed Miroslav Satan trade to the Flyers because of the uncertain ownership situation in Buffalo. &ldquo;It (trade negotiations) never happened,&rdquo; Clarke said. &#9632;

f0030-04

Trade for Kapanen doesn’t end goal woes

<div class="byline">-BOB MCMANAMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06224/8123366-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="277" height="580"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05283/8123373-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="218" height="294"></div>The Coyotes still can&rsquo;t say with any certainty when or if second-year center Krys Kolanos will play for them this season. But the simple fact he&rsquo;s skating with them in practice after missing the first two-thirds of the schedule is an encouraging sign.Kolanos hasn&rsquo;t been the same since suffering a severe concussion in January, 2002, when he was checked into the boards from behind by Buffalo&rsquo;s Vaclav Varada. But 13 months later, the clouds are finally beginning to lift.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just got to get my endurance and kick up my cardiovascular level because I haven&rsquo;t taken it to the extreme yet,&rdquo; Kolanos said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ll slowly progress to that. It&rsquo;s a day-to-day, week-to-week thing. It&rsquo;s nice to be back on the ice, though.&rdquo;TRADE TALK Assuming they&rsquo;re out of the playoff race, look for the Coyotes to start unloading some of their veterans to trim the payroll and build for the future.Rumors have been swirling about defenseman Teppo Numminen, the captain, and goalie Sean Burke, both of whom may be jettisoned for youth and/or draft picks.Numminen has a no-trade clause, however, and with the birth of a second child due in April, it&rsquo;s doubtful he would agree to a deal now. He wants to finish his career with the Coyotes, if possible.The intrigue of going to a contender, though, could be appealing for a player who has never made it out of the first round of the playoffs in 14 years.NOTEBOOK The Coyotes still weren&rsquo;t sure if the NHL would make them install seamless glass at America West Arena before they move into a new arena next December. It would cost about $200,000 and the new system would have to remain at that rink, which will be devoid of hockey after the Coyotes move. &#9632;

f0030-06

Kolanos practising, Coyotes encouraged

<div class="byline">-JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02701/8123404-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="280" height="590"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011058/8123411-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="222" height="292"></div>Some would argue the Alexei Kovalev trade marked the end of the run-and-gun Penguins. Others would argue the run-and-gun Penguins were dead long before that.In any case, it was clear in the wake of the salary-dumping deal that sent Kovalev and three others to the New York Rangers the Penguins are going to have to change their philosophy. Less offense, more defense. Owner Mario Lemieux said it. GM Craig Patrick and coach Rick Kehoe agreed. And even if the Penguins failed to get anything approaching equal value for Kovalev, they did get some players who can help them implement their philosophy.&ldquo;Our season isn&rsquo;t over because we traded Kovalev,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;We have some players in return who can play right away and help our team in different areas.&rdquo;Mikael Samuelsson is an established two-way player who was grafted onto Kovalev&rsquo;s old spot on Lemieux&rsquo;s right wing. Defenseman Joel Bouchard was matched with Dick Tarnstrom on the top unit and took over Kovalev&rsquo;s old spot at the right point on the power play. Winger Rico Fata skated on the third line and the second power play. Defenseman Richard Lintner was sent to the minors. The day before trading Kovalev, the Penguins acquired another contributor in heavyshooting defenseman Shawn Heins, who was languishing in San Jose. (See pgs. 4, 6, 29 for more on trade.)TRADE TALK The Penguins&rsquo; needs are many, but their trades aren&rsquo;t necessarily about filling holes as much as dumping salaries. Nobody would be surprised if they continue cutting costs, especially if they drop out of the playoff picture before the March 11 deadline.Their highest-paid player, besides Mario Lemieux, is Martin Straka ($4 million this season, $4.35 million next season). However, it also possible GM Craig Patrick will pull back the reins after trading six players in two days.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Andrew Ference, shortly after he was traded to the Calgary Flames, ripped Penguins coach Rick Kehoe, saying, &ldquo;The most coaching I got, by far, was with (former Penguins coach Kevin) Constantine. Next to that, I think the most coaching I got was from (ex-teammate Alexei Kovalev).&rdquo; Kehoe&rsquo;s response: &ldquo;Any time you&rsquo;re in and out of the lineup, you&rsquo;re not going to be happy.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0031-02

Offense becomes afterthought after Penguins dump Kovalev

<div class="byline">-DERRICK GOOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04390/8123442-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="280" height="586"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03520/8123449-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="223" height="278"></div>At the root of the Blues&rsquo; six-game unbeaten streak-which they rode to fluff their mid-February lead over Detroit in the Central Division-was the super-hot scoring stretch of winger Keith Tkachuk, last season&rsquo;s goal leader for the Blues.Tkachuk took a six-game goal streak into the Blues&rsquo; Feb. 13th game, tying a career high. He had eight goals over the stretch and had taken the team lead for the first time this season with 25 goals. Of his 25th goal, he said: &ldquo;Pavol (Demitra) made the play. I just stood there, you know, like I normally do. I just stand there.&rdquo;Hardly just a statue, Tkachuk is also among the Blues openly talking about how the evenhanded, defensive way they&rsquo;re winning now will translate into playoff success. &ldquo;Even before he started scoring, he&rsquo;s been playing great the last 10 games,&rdquo; coach Joel Quenneville said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s tough to stop. He&rsquo;s always a factor.&rdquo;TRADE TALK Coveting a defenseman who could sop up 18 or more minutes a night and preferably play the right side, the Blues may not find their man-at least not at the right price. GM Larry Pleau has said any salary added must be traded away.The Blues have a bevy of young defensemen-Mike Van Ryn and Matt Walker, for instance-to possibly use and prospect Justin Papineau, but it doesn&rsquo;t add up to the pricetag of, say, a defenseman like Alexei Zhitnik or Bob Boughner.The Blues also are on the lookout, as always, for a winger to play on Doug Weight&rsquo;s line. Internally, the Blues think their biggest moves at the deadline could be returns rather than additions: Rich Pilon and Petr Cajanek. Oh, and that minute-munching defenseman they want? &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t make a better deal than getting Chris Pronger (back from injury) at the deadline,&rdquo; Pleau said.NOTEBOOK Defenseman Jeff Finley scored his first goal in 173 games on Feb. 11 against Buffalo. It was the game-winner. In fact, three of his last five goals, stretching four seasons, have been game-winners&hellip;One game after returning from a bone bruise suffered at the All-Star Game, center Doug Weight fractured his maxilla-the bone between the upper lip and the nose-after taking a puck to the face against Buffalo Feb. 11. He isn&rsquo;t expected back before the end of February. &#9632;

f0031-04

Tkachuk’s goal-scoring streak has Blues rilling high in Central

<div class="byline">-ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06248/8123480-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="281" height="585"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05305/8123487-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="214" height="289"></div>San Jose&rsquo;s season-long tinkering on defense, with an eye as much on the future as on the present, continued with the recent trade of Shawn Heins to Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional draft choice.Heins is the third member from the opening night lineup to get dealt this year, joining Marcus Ragnarsson and Jeff Jillson. Speculation surrounds the possible departure by the trade deadline, too, of Bryan Marchment, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.With Mike Rathje, Kyle McLaren, Brad Stuart, Scott Hannan and rookie Jim Fahey, the Sharks are well stocked with young defense for the future. They are excited about the prospect of adding German prospect Christian Ehrhoff, possibly as early as next year, to the group that includes recently acquired Dan McGillis.&ldquo;We always have maintained we&rsquo;d build from the back out,&rdquo; said GM Dean Lombardi.Heins, an undrafted project when signed as a free agent by San Jose in 1997, advanced to the NHL level, but could never crack the team&rsquo;s top six. He appeared in a combined 37 games the last two seasons, scoring three goals and 10 points.TRADE TALK Considering San Jose&rsquo;s precarious standing as a longshot for the post-season, the Sharks might be inclined to listen to more offers than anticipated.Regardless of their standing, however, backup goalie Miikka Kiprusoff could be on the move. The Sharks are anxious to promote Vesa Toskala from the minors, and there are other prospects in the system who could be in line for promotion. Facing the possibility of no playoff revenue, ownership might be more willing to send some big-ticket items-guys like Bryan Marchment, Adam Graves and Vincent Damphousse, who are due to become unrestricted free agents this summer-elsewhere for young players, picks or future considerations.Rumors also surround Owen Nolan, who has underachieved for consecutive seasons and has two years left on a hefty contract.NOTEBOOK Center Mark Smith snapped an 86-game goalless streak that extended to Nov. 6,2001 with his goal Jan. 10 against Detroit. Smith also set a personal high by registering points four consecutive games. &#9632;

f0031-06

Still looking for right mix on ‘D’, Sharks deal Heins to Penguins

<div class="byline">-DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02759/8123518-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="279" height="589"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011132/8123525-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="226" height="289"></div>Will the Lightning be buyers or sellers in the trade market?GM Jay Feaster said the month of February was critical. If the team stays in the playoff hunt-and as of Feb. 12 it was in ninth place in the East, one point behind the Montreal Canadiens-he will keep trying to find a top-four defenseman. If not, he might do a little housecleaning.&ldquo;We have a lot of confidence in this team,&rdquo; Feaster said. &ldquo;But if for some reason, if we can&rsquo;t compete at the level that keeps us in the playoff race and we fall from the pack, we&rsquo;ll have to assess where we are and where we&rsquo;re going.&rdquo;TRADE TALK With injuries to two of their top three defensive defensemen-Jassen Cullimore and Stan Neckar-the Bolts need a top-four blueliner.Among forwards, it appears only Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St-Louis, Dave Andreychuk and Brad Richards are untouchable.Speculation has centered on Brian Holzinger, who is in the minors, and Fredrik Modin. The team gave the big left winger a one-year, $1.7-million deal hoping he would return to 30-goal form. But through Feb. 12, he had just 13 and was on pace for 20.Feaster shot down a rumor making the rounds on Tampa sports radio that he was shopping struggling goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.NOTEBOOK Left winger Andre Roy was suspended for three games for pushing linesman Lyle Seitz and referee Paul Stewart while they tried to get him off the ice following a Feb. 11 fight with Islanders right winger Eric Godard&hellip;Right winger Sheldon Keefe was recalled after 10 games with Springfield (AHL), but was disappointed to wind up as a healthy scratch in his first game up. &#9632;

f0032-02

Lightning to decide if it will buy or sell

<div class="byline">-KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04391/8123556-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="278" height="583"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03549/8123563-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="206" height="296"></div>The majority owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs are currently the working and retired teachers of Ontario, but there is little doubt that construction magnate Larry Tanen-baum is calling the shots.The Maple Leafs officially changed owners Feb. 11 when Steve Stavro sold his majority interest in the team and announced that Tanenbaum would be replacing him as chairman of the board of directors July 1.Under the new regime, 58 per cent of the team is owned by the Ontario Teachers&rsquo; Pension Plan, while Bell Globemedia picked up 15 per cent. TD Capital owns 14 per cent of the team and Tanenbaum 13 per cent.But it is widely expected that the teachers&rsquo; pension fund will reduce its ownership in the team along with TD Capital and those shares will likely be purchased by Tanenbaum.&ldquo;We have only one objective,&rdquo; Tanenbaum said. &ldquo;To bring home championships.&rdquo;It is expected the new ownership will force Maple Leafs coach-GM Pat Quinn to relinquish one of his titles after this season.TRADE TALK Toronto was roasted for missing out on Alexei Kovalev, but what they really need is a top-four, two-way blueliner. Quinn, though, has exhibited an inability-or unwillingness-to complete a big trade.Nik Antropov was once thought to be trade fodder, but has played his way out of being dealt. Quinn said recently that a trade would be made only if the other team were willing to accept prospects. The Leafs might be willing to part with young center Brad Boyes to get a proven commodity.NOTEBOOK Toronto will hold the first part of its 2003-04 training camp in Finland and Sweden, Sept. 12-15. The team will play exhibition games against Finnish league Jokerit Sept. 16 and Swedish league Djurgarden Sept. 18 and Farjestad Sept 19. &#9632;

f0032-04

New Leafs chairman to usher in changes

<div class="byline">-ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06248/8123594-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="279" height="584"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05298/8123601-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="209" height="291"></div>In his never-ending search for a second scoring line, Canucks coach Marc Crawford tried something old with something new.Crawford put 32-year-old Trevor Linden, the team&rsquo;s senior forward, alongside twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the Canucks&rsquo; youngest skaters. They weren&rsquo;t exactly Gretzky-Kurri-Tikkanen, but the line represented a marked improvement over previous attempts.Linden, who has skated on some excellent lines during his career, welcomed the opportunity to become the latest &ldquo;triplet&rdquo;, a nickname attached to almost everyone who plays right wing with the twins.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a big believer in them,&rdquo; Linden said. &ldquo;They are great guys, really good players. They&rsquo;re very good with the puck.&rdquo;TRADE TALK With the Canucks enjoying a fine season, GM Brian Burke is in no mood to change the team&rsquo;s chemistry. He did, however, dispatch surplus forward Todd Warriner to Philadelphia for a conditional draft pick and may do likewise with winger Jarkko Ruutu.The Canucks need another offensive forward, but if it means giving up a young player to acquire one, Burke is not likely to act. He might try to find a playoff-hardened veteran who is with a non-contending team and will come at a reasonable price.NOTEBOOK Vancouver&rsquo;s highly respected fitness coach, Peter Twist, has left to spend more time with his expanding business and young family. Former Clarkson College coach Mark Morris, a one-time minor league teammate of coach Marc Crawford, has joined the Canucks for the remainder of the season to help fill the void left by Twist&rsquo;s departure&hellip;With 37 goals in 56 games, left winger Markus Naslund needed 13 goals to tie right winger Hakan Loob&rsquo;s record for most goals by a Swede in one NHL season. &#9632;

f0032-06

Linden gets chance alongside Sedin twins

<div class="byline">-DAVE FAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08180/8123632-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="279" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07209/8123639-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="221" height="290"></div>Although the Capitals are scoring more goals than they&rsquo;re allowing, their first two lines never have seemed like a comfortable fit.To illustrate that, coach Bruce-Cassidy has realigned the first three units and decided the fourth line, for now at least, basically will become spare parts.Cassidy switched centers on the first two units, moving Robert Lang up with Kip Miller and Jaromir Jagr, and dropping Michael Nylander to the second unit. At the same time Cassidy moved Peter Bondra back to the second line in the hopes he and Nylander can form a bond and make both of them more productive.Cassidy also reunited the club&rsquo;s most consistent unit, the checking line of Steve Konowal-chuk, Jeff Halpern and Mike Grier. He said rookie Brian Sutherby, the fourth line pivot, would get. ice time killing penalties and in defensive roles.TRADE TALK Washington appears to have enough scorers and checkers up front. It could use another veteran defenseman who can move the puck quickly and efficiently. The top two pairs are performing very well and there are talented youngsters at various stages on the learning curve.What the team needs is a reliable veteran who can move up in case of an injury and who can guide one of the youngsters on the third pairing. There could be some movement in that direction closer to the March 11 trade deadline.NOTEBOOK The Caps swept the New York Islanders this season, running their home record against the Isles to 12-0-2-0 and their overall record in the last 27 meetings between the two teams to 23-1-30&hellip;Right winger Jaromir Jagr received framed game sheets and a puck, plus a silver stick from the team and a piece of Tiffany crystal from the league, for reaching the 500-goal plateau. &#9632;

f0032-08

Cassidy juggles lines, looking for more unity

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011024/8123670-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0033-01

NHL DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>The first challenge this season for Kris Beech was to deal with being in the American League and not The Show. His next challenge was to find a way to stay healthy.He found that staying upbeat about life with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins-after playing his entire rookie season in Pittsburgh-was easy. He found staying on the ice wasn&rsquo;t.First came the frightening bruised lung, when he was blasted in open ice with a clean check by Utah defenseman Mark Wotton Nov. 3. He spent two nights in a Wilkes-Barre hospital after he started coughing up blood.&ldquo;It was a little scary when it happened,&rdquo; said Beech, 22. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t have any records of hockey players getting hurt that way.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011153/8123701-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="251" height="370"><figcaption class="caption-body">KRIS BEECH</figcaption></div>He missed three weeks, played three I weeks, then found himself in the hospital again, this time for an emergency appendectomy Dec. 15 while on recall to the Penguins. That kept him off the ice for four weeks.Now he&rsquo;s making up for lost time. During a seven-game stretch in late January and early February, the 6-foot-3,199-pound Beech scored six goals and 11 points. For the season, he had 14 goals and 31 points in 29 AHL games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to find a way to keep the same game every night,&rdquo; said Beech, who came to the Penguins along with center Michal Sivek and defenseman Ross Lupaschuk from the Washington Capitals in the Jaromir Jagr trade.&ldquo;I want the same intensity and same focus every night. I was disappointed, obviously, when I got sent down, but I didn&rsquo;t come down to float around and pout. I have high expectations for myself. I came to work so when I do go back up, I can do the things I want to do offensively and keep the puck out of our net.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0034-01

Life on the farm not a day at the Beech

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02784/8123760-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="245" height="243"></div><h2>AHL WEST NOTEBOOK</h2>No American League goaltender had played more minutes or made more saves than Vesa Toskala, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean he&rsquo;s on his way to all-star honors.Hardly. Not when the Cleveland Barons, young on defense and hit hard by injuries and recalls, have the worst record in the Western Conference.Toskala, a 25-year-old native of Tampere, Fin., is on his way to a dubious honor-leading the AHL in losses for two consecutive seasons. He&rsquo;s proof a goalie is often only as good as what&rsquo;s in front of him.Toskala was 9-27-2 with a 3.32 goals-against average and.902 save percentage. Last season, he was 19-33-7 with a 2.99 GAA and.912 save percentage while also leading the league in minutes played and saves.Continual losing can be a mental burden, but facing 35 to 45 shots a game greatly enhances development.&ldquo;In the long run, it could be a good thing for me,&rdquo; said Toskala, San Jose&rsquo;s fourth round pick in 1995. &ldquo;Even though I have so many losses, I still think I&rsquo;m playing pretty good here.&rdquo;ON THE PROWL Chicago Wolves left winger Simon Gamache zoomed into the top 10 in AHL scoring by notching 10 goals and 17 points in a 10-game stretch.The cause of the increased production: the playoffs are approaching and that&rsquo;s when the 5-foot-9,185-pound forward is at his best.Gamache split last season between Chicago and Greenville of the East Coast League, where he was the leading playoff scorer with 24 points in 17 games. The year before, he led the Quebec League in playoff scoring with 57 points in 21 games for Val-d&rsquo;Or. This season, he had 49 points in 50 regular season games.Gamache was selected fourth-from-last-290th overall-by Atlanta in the 2000 draft.AMAZING DROUGHT Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rookie center Colby Armstrong went a difficult-to-fathom 31 games without a goal before scoring the winner in a 4-3 victory over San Antonio Feb. 8.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a joke,&rdquo; he said of the dry spell. Armstrong was the 21st overall pick by Pittsburgh in 2001.GQ DREAMING Eric Bertrand spent the all-star break adding to his wardrobe, though his Hershey Bears teammates aren&rsquo;t so sure about his taste in style.Bertrand returned to the Bears wearing a leather coat with a gaudy fur collar, similar to those worn in the cult movie Slap Shot.&ldquo;He thinks he&rsquo;s Reggie Dunlop,&rdquo; said teammate Steve Brule, referring to the character played by Paul Newman.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03620/8123753-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="1028" height="1486"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chicago&rsquo;s Simon Gamache is heating up for the playoffs. He averaged more than two points per playoff game the past two seasons.</figcaption></div><h2>SCOUTING REPORT</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05391/8123746-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="150" height="130"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04485/8123739-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="270" height="425"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICKARD WALLIN</figcaption></div>POSITIONCenterAGE 22SIZE 6-2, 185<h3>HOMETOWN</h3>Stockholm, Sweden<h3>LAST AMATEUR CLUB</h3>Faijestad (Swe.)2002-03 Houston Aeros<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06349/8123732-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="377" height="84"></div><h3>NHL AFFILIATION</h3>Minnesota Wild<h3>NOTEWORTHY</h3>Drafted 160th overall in 1998 by Phoenix&hellip;Traded to Minnesota for Joe Juneau June 23, 2000&hellip;Spent four of past five seasons in Farjestad system&hellip;Made NHL debut Dec. 12 in Detroit.<h3>BOTTOM LINE</h3>His stickhandling and playmaking skills are top drawer. He doesn&rsquo;t have a scorer&rsquo;s mentality; he&rsquo;s always looking to make a pass. His best chance is to be paired with a triggerman. &#9632;

f0034-02

Toskala shines, but L’s mount

<div class="byline">BY ROB MUELLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07318/8123791-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="215" height="212"></div><h2>NOTEBOOK</h2>From the Land of the Rising Sun to the Land of Opportunity, it has been an historic year for Japanese players in the East Coast League.Yutaka Fukufuji became the first goaltender from Japan to play North American pro hockey Feb. 7, as the 20-year-old recorded 30 saves to lead the Cincinnati Cyclones to a 3-2 shootout victory over Johnstown.One of the top goalies in the Japan League last season, Fukufuji played one game for Cincinnati during their pre-season exhibition tour of Europe, but had spent the season on the 30-day injured-reserve list He was activated after American League Cleveland recalled goalie Marc Kielkucki.Earlier this season, Charlotte&rsquo;s Takahito Suzuki became the first Japanese player to score an ECHL goal. Suzuki represented the Checkers at the All-Star Game.MINED OF HIS OWN If anyone has the tools to help Baton Rouge dig its way out of the Southwest Division cellar, Kingfish right winger Garnet Jacobson is the perfect man for the job.The 24-year-old from Saskatoon has spent the past six summers working 12-hour shifts underground in potash, uranium and diamond mines in a remote area of Saskatchewan about 100 miles south of the Northwest Territories.For Jacobson, it&rsquo;s a family tradition. His grandfather was a miner and his father is his supervisor on expeditions. The mines are as deep as a half-mile underground.BRASS IN COURT As part of its ongoing quest to return to the ice next year, the New Orleans Brass filed a lawsuit against the city for failure to provide key financial documents during lease negotiations with Municipal Auditorium officials in January.The Brass suspended operations after the NBA&rsquo;s Hornets took over as the primary tenant at New Orleans Arena. The team wants a 10year lease with the Municipal Auditorium, where it played its first three seasons. &#9632;

f0034-07

Fukufuji a pioneer as first pro stopper

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div>During a long, frantic American League season, it&rsquo;s sometimes difficult for players to visualize their path to the NHL.Manchester&rsquo;s Tomas Zizka, a second-year defenseman who is having a strong season, has been wondering when his time will come. According to Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau, Zizka is on the right road to being noticed.Zizka has become a force for Manchester, breaking out with 11 goals and 35 points through 39 games.&ldquo;I think his offense comes naturally,&rdquo; said Boudreau of the 23-year-old, who was selected 163rd overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 1998.&ldquo;I try to let him know to just keep doing what he&rsquo;s doing. He doesn&rsquo;t have to go out and do anything extra special to get over the hump. He&rsquo;s over the hump.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011080/8123822-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="236" height="370"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOMAS ZIZKA</figcaption></div>In Zizka&rsquo;s rookie season, he caught | the attention of the Kings organization with his poised play. He also scored four goals and 21 points in 58 games.&ldquo;The thing that makes Tommy a really good player is that he sees the ice so well,&rdquo; Boudreau said.&ldquo;He reminds me of a guy who has seven or eight years experience, but he&rsquo;s only in his second year.&ldquo;With our team, that&rsquo;s a key. When we&rsquo;re winning and playing well, you have the Joe Corvos and Tomas Zizkas moving the puck out of your zone, so you are never in trouble.&rdquo;Zizka made his NHL debut for the Kings Jan. 22 in Anaheim, going minus-2 in the first period and ending his one-game stay that way.&ldquo;Arguably, he was pretty nervous,&rdquo; Boudreau said. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;ll get up there again. He&rsquo;s going to make a career in the NHL. I know (Kings GM) Dave Taylor is very high on him.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy I think will play.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0035-01

Monarchs’ Zizka looking to be Kinged

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02755/8123860-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="241" height="241"></div><h2>AHL EAST NOTEBOOK</h2>While Providence was on the ice putting the finishing touches on a home victory, thieves made off with some of the Bruins&rsquo; cash and personal effects.The Providence Journal reported the Bruins&rsquo; dressing room was broken into during the third period of a 3-2 win against the Saint John Flames at the Dunkin&rsquo; Donuts Center Feb. 7.Credit cards, personal identification and $580 in cash was stolen, according to a police report obtained by the Journal.Security guards are usually posted at both dressing rooms in the arena, but were apparently sneaking a peek at the game when the break-in occurred.The theft didn&rsquo;t affect the Bruins&rsquo; play, however. Providence defeated the Monarchs 3-2 the following night in Manchester and put away Manitoba 4-2 in Providence the day after that.The win over the Moose extended the Bruins&rsquo; home undefeated streak to 16 games.DOGS&rsquo; BENCH PICTURE CLEARS It took nearly three weeks, but the Hamilton Bulldogs&rsquo; coaching transition is complete.Former NHLer Joe Paterson was named assistant to bench boss Geoff Ward. Now the two are charged with maintaining the Bulldogs&rsquo; remarkable run in the American League and preparing the team for the playoffs.Claude Julien left the head-coaching job in Hamilton to take over as coach of the parent Montreal Canadiens Jan. 17.Ward and Paterson have never worked together, but did coach against each other in the Ontario League, when Ward was with Kitchener and Paterson with Sault Ste. Marie.Paterson was also coach of the AHL Louisville Panthers from 1999 to 2001, where he had a 63-81-12-4 record.&ldquo;Joe knows exactly what it takes to win at this level,&rdquo; Ward said.NOTEBOOK Right winger Pavel Rosa, Manchester&rsquo;s leading scorer as of early February, became an injury casualty Feb. 7, sustaining knee ligament damage when he was kneed by Manitoba&rsquo;s Jaroslav Obsut. Rosa, who had 18 goals and 39 points through 46 games, was expected to be out until late March. Obsut was suspended two games&hellip;Springfield right winger Shane Willis, who missed six weeks because of a broken ankle, scored a hat trick in his first game back with the Falcons, a 5-4 defeat of Providence in Springfield Feb. 1&hellip;AHL president Dave Andrews confirmed that the opening best-of-three round of the playoffs in each conference will begin April 11.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03620/8123853-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="1001" height="1483"><figcaption class="caption-body">Defenseman Dean Melanson patrols the blueline for Binghamton. He began the 2002-03 season with Portland, Washington&rsquo;s AHL affiliate.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0035-02

Providence victimized by thieves

<div class="byline">-PAVEL BARTA</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04496/8123891-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="94" height="101"></div>Future and former NHLers are performing in Europe this season. Here are four such players with NHL rights in parentheses.&bull; Antti Tormanen, RW, 32 (free agent). Tormanen played 50 games with Ottawa in 1995-96. He is the top scorer for Swedish league Sodertalje, with nine goals and 30 points through 42 games.&bull; Jim Paek, 0, 35 (free agent). Paek, who won the Stanley Cup twice with Pittsburgh, is a defensive stalwart for Nottingham in the British Superteague, with 10 points in 26 games.&bull; David Moravec, LW, 29 (Buffalo). Moravec played just one NHL game, for the Sabres, in 1999-2000. He is having a strong season, with 17 goals and 44 points in 45 games with Czech league Vitkovice.&bull; Yvon Corriveau, LW, 35 (free agent). Corriveau played 280 NHL games with three teams. He ranks among the top players in the German league, recording 16 goals and 41 points in 42 games with the Berlin IceBears. &#9632;</div>

f0035-04

EYE ON EUROPE

<div class="byline">-BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05416/8123922-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="196" height="107"></div>Flint and Port Huron, the United League&rsquo;s two closest geographic rivals, changed coaches four days apart. Robbie Nichols replaced Kirk Tomlinson in Flint Feb. 2 and Bruce Ramsay replaced Brad Jones in Port Huron Feb. 6. Nichols is the UHL&rsquo;s all-time winningest coach with a 207-10826 record. Ramsay is the UHL&rsquo;s all-time leader in penalty minutes with 2,248 in nine seasons&hellip;Flint and Fort Wayne set a UHL record for penalty minutes in one game with 334 in Fort Wayne&rsquo;s 5-1 victory Jan. 31. Flint also a set a singlegame record for one team with 205. &#9632;

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February 28, 2003

CALGARY HITMEN

PLUS MINUS

ON THE FLY

DiPietro set for the show