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.

July 1, 2003

The Hockey News July 1, 2003

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011622/8592619-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011486/8592612-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="285" height="389"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Adam Proteau</b>&nbsp;<i>Editorial Staff</i></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n the NHL&rsquo;s ideal world, this time of year would see sportswriters trumpeting the resolution of another entertaining season, fans excitedly recounting highlight-reel plays and players and teams reaping the benefits of a burgeoning industry. But this season was far from ideal. Franchises went bust. Offensive wizardry was again abandoned for the kind of stultifying defensive game that only coaches-feeling management&rsquo;s hot breath down their collars-can stomach. Heck, even the best-laid plans of streakers went awry.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021127/8592605-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="1544" height="1709"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LAST OF THEO?</b></figcaption></div><p><i>Theo Fleury&rsquo;s problems with substance abuse landed him a six-month suspension. Will yet another team give him a chancel</i></p><p>Though consensus couldn&rsquo;t be reached on a diagnosis, the undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the NHL was as unavoidable as it was widespread. <i>Something is wrong with the game,</i> the cries rang out, <i>and we want solutions on how to fix it.</i></p><p>Pity, then, that the 2002-03 season left more questions than answers.</p><h2><b>QUESTION MARKS ABOUND</b></h2><p>Blackhawks fans know what we mean. They&rsquo;re wondering what will become of Chicago right winger Theo Fleury, he of the Ohio strip club meltdown and six-month suspension for another violation of the league&rsquo;s substance abuse agreement. Have we seen Fleury on an NHL roster for the last time? More importantly, shouldn&rsquo;t his post-hockey fate be of greater concern than the smudged, latter chapters of what was once an untarnished career?</p><p>At least Hawks supporters can count on watching their team for the immediate future. Mario Lemieux and Penguins fans aren&rsquo;t quite as lucky. Their unanswered questions have to do with replacing the league&rsquo;s oldest arena-and, if they don&rsquo;t get a new one, how long Lemieux can continue to subsidize pro L hockey in Pittsburgh.</p><p>The Pens weren&rsquo;t the only team with questions. The Sabres and Senators went broke, only to be rescued from relocation-or worse-by last-minute deals with local captains of industry. The Blues and Kings claimed monstrous financial deficits and the Mighty Ducks, Western Conference title and all, were still for sale at season&rsquo;s end. The instability made it hard to believe commissioner Gary Bettman&rsquo;s protestations that all was rainbows and lollipops behind the league&rsquo;s doors.</p><p>Nobody could agree on anything. Canadians debated the game&rsquo;s birthplace (Halifax, N.S., or Montreal?), Americans argued as to why playoff TV ratings continued to fall (boring hockey or lack of marquee teams?) and everyone wondered what the deal was with composite sticks.</p><p>That wasn&rsquo;t the end of the league&rsquo;s unsettled issues, though. Former NHLer Dave Babych&rsquo;s successful lawsuit against a Flyers doctor called into question the future of player care. Edicts on the elimination of seamless glass and the installation of protective netting caused complaints from players and fans. Goalie equipment continued to mushroom out of control.</p><h2><b>DARK CLOUD ON THE HORIZON</b></h2><p>And, hovering above it all like a vulture, the specter of a work stoppage after the 2003-04 season.</p><p>Even on a topic of such paramount importance, the NHL offered no real answers; Bettman and players&rsquo; union boss Bob Goodenow couldn&rsquo;t agree on so much as whether or not an initial proposal had been made by the league.</p><p>We&rsquo;re not arguing nothing was settled in 2002-03. We know Bryan Trottier and the Rangers weren&rsquo;t an ideal match. We know (and <i>The Hockey News</i> knew before anyone else) Sergei Fedorov and Anna Kournikova were husband and wife. We know Roger Neilson died as he lived, with class and concern for all.</p><p>And there were numerous high points to the year, including the emergence of young stars (Rick Nash, Marian Gaborik) the resurgence of the sport in Anaheim and another sublime season from Peter Forsberg.</p><p>But when Brett Hull&rsquo;s 10 suggestions on changing the game, the future of the red line, the size of nets, traphappy coaches and the likelihood of shootouts ending ties all gamer bigger headlines than the game itself, that&rsquo;s a message-one that should trigger tremors through the foundations of the NHL and players&rsquo; union offices.</p><p>In short, the league needs direction and it needs it yesterday.</p><p>Otherwise, fans may decide on a course of their own&mdash;namely, one pointing in the opposite direction of the ticket booth.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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COVER STORY

NHL needs direction

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-011055/8595178-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div><p><b>NEILSON: HOCKEY LOSES GREAT MAN</b></p><p><b>ULTIMATE DRAFT COVERAGE</b></p><p><b>PAUL KARIYA <i>ROCKED, THEN ROLLED</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

THE HIGHS. LOWS & CRUSHING BLOWS

<h2><i><b>Best of the Hockey World</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021411/8592066-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="251" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ROGER NEILSON</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>EMEMBERING</b> Roger Neilson lived to coach hockey and did so right up until the end. He touched many people in his lifetime and will not be forgotten.</p><p><b>TOP DOG</b> Marc-Andre Fleury rides a solid performance at the World Junior Championship all the way to being the first overall pick at the entry draft.</p><p><b>DOMINATOR PART II</b> Mere talk of the return of Dominik Hasek to the NHL has us licking our chops for the 2003-04 season to begin.</p><h2><i><b>Worst of the Hockey World</b></i></h2><p><b>NO SHOWS</b> Eventual winners who failed to show at the NHL Awards celebration undermines what was otherwise a great evening.</p><p><b>SIGN OF THE TIMES</b> You know times are tough when no one is willing to gamble on world class talent Jaromir Jagr because of his contract.</p><p><b>ALL TALK, NO ACTION</b> With a work stoppage looming in 2004, there was plenty of talk about big deals at the draft, but no blockbuster trades.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03916/8592059-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="253" height="405"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JAROMIR JAGR</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>2003 DRAFT DEMOGRAPHICS</b></h2><p><i>Here are the countries that produced the most picks at the 2003 draft. Also, five players from Switzerland were selected, four from Germany; two each from Belarus, Kazakstan and Latvia; and one each from Austria, Poland and the Ukraine.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04588/8592052-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="888" height="535"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">-JOE STARKEI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-08296/8593979-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="561" height="495"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07334/8593986-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="208" height="268"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>t precisely 7:51 a.m. on June 21, the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; rebuilding movement took a sudden and dramatic turn. That is when Florida Panthers GM Rick Dudley phoned Penguins GM Craig Patrick to finalize a trade that would allow the Penguins to take prized Quebec goaltending prospect Marc-Andre Fleury with the first overall pick later that day.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s far and away the best goaltender in the draft,&rdquo; Patrick said.</p><p>Fleury, who starred for Canada at the World Junior Championship, probably will return to Cape Breton of the Quebec League next season, but he should be ready for the NHL soon after.</p><p>The affable Fleury not only knows all the angles in goal, he knows how to play the political angles as well. When a reporter asked him which forward would be best to start a team with-Mario Lemieux, Peter Forsberg or Wayne Gretzky-Fleury replied, &ldquo;Maybe I should say Lemieux.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Penguins had their most unusual draft in recent history, not only by trading up to select a goalie but by opting for so many gritty North American players thereafter. With the 32nd pick they got perhaps the toughest forward in the draft in center Ryan Stone, who estimates he has fought 24 times the past two seasons. Agitators such as Daniel Carcillo and character guys such as Paul Bissonnette followed. It sent a signal as to what type of team the Pens hope to become under new coach Ed Olczyk</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Goalie <b>Tom Barrasso</b>, wanting to end his career as a Penguin, signed with the team and promptly retired. Barrasso, 38, helped the Pens win Stanley Cups in 1991 and &lsquo;92.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

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NHL TEAM REPORTS

Future with Fleury looks much better

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012007/8591858-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"></div><p><i>A Dominik Hasek comeback would put Detroit a step up on recapturing Stanley Cup glory-and give Curtis Joseph a one-way ticket out of town.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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WING BACK?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011961/8591959-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="290" height="326"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTEBOOK Jason Kay Managing Editor</b></figcaption></div><p>In Hollywood terms, they went from being the Titanic to the Love Boat; from the Poseidon Adventure to the Good Ship Lollipop.</p><p>Starring in the role of Captain Stubing was GM Bryan Murray, the veteran leader who, in his first year at the helm of the Mighty Ducks, recognized the problem and successfully turned the ship around by establishing a new franchise karma. For his remarkable efforts, The Hockey News has named him its NHL executive of the year. <i>(See pg. 25 for all our award winners.)</i></p><p>Really, the seeds of the reversal were planted a year earlier when Murray was the Ducks&rsquo; coach. He saw a listing ship, a group of players who bordered on cynical because of a perceived lack of commitment from management.</p><p>&ldquo;I felt after being here for a year that there were a lot of negative vibes&hellip; (as if) nobody cared about us,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;It seemed to the players that we didn&rsquo;t make any changes and we were sort of behind the times in office areas and I knew the first thing that had to be done was to change the culture of the organization.&rdquo;</p><p>So when Murray replaced out-going GM Pierre Gauthier May 2, 2002, he had a strategic gameplan in place. It started with little things such as renovating the dressing room and weight-room facility, hiring a strength and conditioning coach and a video coach. They were elements that many organizations take for granted, but were welcome improvements for the wayward Ducks.</p><p>&ldquo;Having a video coach is a given today; we didn&rsquo;t have one,&rdquo; Murray said. Having a strength and conditioning coach has always been a priority to me since my days in Washington. That was in the early &lsquo;80s and we still didn&rsquo;t have one out here. I thought I knew what we needed to show our players a commitment and to help them get better.</p><p>&ldquo;To me, that triggered everything.&rdquo; Then Murray became trigger-happy. One of his first transactions was the hiring of Mike Babcock as head coach. Murray&rsquo;s path had crossed with Babcock&rsquo;s a few times over the years and the buzz was all good. Then, as Ducks coach in 200102, Murray worked closely with Babcock at training camp for two weeks and a rapport was established. A job was also won.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021649/8591952-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="1066" height="1463"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PEIR SYKORA</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>MURRAY&rsquo;S MOVES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031342/8591945-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="240" height="202"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE BABCOCK</b></figcaption></div><p><i>May 22/02</i>&nbsp;<b>Named coach</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-041092/8591938-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="239" height="200"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KURT SAUER, D</b></figcaption></div><p><b>June</b>&nbsp;<i>6/02</i></p><p><b>Signed as unrestricted free agent</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05882/8591931-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="240" height="200"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ADAM OATES, C</b></figcaption></div><p><i>July 1/02</i></p><p><b>Signed as unrestricted free agent</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-06533/8591924-1-eng-US/f0004-062.jpg" title="f0004-06" width="240" height="201"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PETR SYKORA, RW</b></figcaption></div><p><i>July 6/02</i></p><p><b>From New Jersey for Jeff Friesen, RW;</b></p><p><b>Oleg Tverdovsky, D</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-07335/8591917-1-eng-US/f0004-072.jpg" title="f0004-07" width="242" height="202"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JASON KROG</b></figcaption></div><p><i>July 17/02</i></p><p><b>Signed as unrestricted free agent</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-08221/8591910-1-eng-US/f0004-082.jpg" title="f0004-08" width="242" height="202"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SANDIS OZOLINSH, D</b></figcaption></div><p><i>Feb. 1/03</i></p><p><b>From Florida for Matt Cullen, C;</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-09190/8591903-1-eng-US/f0004-092.jpg" title="f0004-09" width="240" height="200"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Pavel Trnka, D</b></figcaption></div><p><b>ROB NIEDERMAYER, C</b></p><p><i>March 11/03</i>&nbsp;<b>From Calgary for Mike Commodore, 0; J-F Damphousse, G</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-10134/8591896-1-eng-US/f0004-102.jpg" title="f0004-10" width="240" height="201"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE THOMAS</b></figcaption></div><p><i>March 11/03</i>&nbsp;<b>From Chicago for fifth round pick in 2003 draft</b></p><p>&ldquo;That was really the interview process,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;When I got the job (as GM), it was a given he was getting the job (as coach). He was huge. He came in with an attitude and enthusiasm and a way to get the guys to play. That was (my) best move of the whole bunch.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s saying a ton when you consider the magnitude of the bunch. Murray, like a gambler on a hot streak, turned over the Ducks personnel, primarily focusing on offense. And every move he made, everything he touched, turned to gold.</p><p>He brought in Adam Oates as a high profile unrestricted free agent and signed less-heralded free agents such as Jason Krog and Kurt Sauer. He engineered a trade for Petr Sykora, moving two players-Jeff Friesen and Oleg Tverdovsky-who Murray insists weren&rsquo;t happy in Anaheim. He subsequentiy traded one of the players acquired in the Sykora deal, goalie J-F Damphousse, to Calgary in the Rob Niedermayer transaction. He pried Sandis Ozolinsh out of Florida to bolster the power play. And he rescued Steve Thomas from Chicago. Each of the newcomers played a vital role in Anaheim&rsquo;s success.</p><p>Murray credits his scouting staff for helping him execute the deals and acknowledges he couldn&rsquo;t have made the changes without some additional funding. But he says he didn&rsquo;t have to do much arm-twisting to an organization that has a reputation for guarding its pennies closely.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Disney made (funds) available all along, but nobody did anything about it,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;(Team chairman) Paul Pressler was great. He said, &lsquo;If you believe this is what we need&hellip; then that&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m hiring you.</p><p>You do what you want to do.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>It was like an invitation to ride the opens seas. What more could a sailor want?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-1181/8591889-1-eng-US/f0004-112.jpg" title="f0004-11" width="406" height="218"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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FEATURES & COLUMNS

Murray’s secret? New karma

<div class="byline">-MARK BRENDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011969/8592021-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LOST WING</b>&nbsp;<i>Four years and $40 million is apparently not enough to keep &ldquo;unemployed&rdquo; Sergei Fedorov in Detroit.</i></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n case anybody hasn&rsquo;t heard the news, Sergei Fedorov is just another &ldquo;unemployed hockey player.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s what he said after Detroit refused to budge from its reported four-year, $40-million contract offer. This startling realization that he was &ldquo;unemployed&rdquo; left our Sergei &ldquo;angry and disappointed.&rdquo; Fedorov&rsquo;s agent Pat Brisson was angry and disappointed, too, because his client was being portrayed as greedy of all things, when in fact that was the furthest from the truth. Where the media gets these crazy ideas, nobody knows.</p><p>A day after letting the world know how angry and disappointed he was, Fedorov wrapped his Ferrari around a tree in a single-car accident at 3 o&rsquo;clock in the morning. Don&rsquo;t worry, he&rsquo;s OK, but this could still be a problem. It&rsquo;s tough for a lot of unemployed folk to get a job these days without a functioning car and if our Sergei can&rsquo;t afford the repairs he could be in a pickle.</p><p>If so, he&rsquo;d have company. The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a pickle, too. Evidently they have cashflow problems, or balance-sheet problems, or some: other financial nightmare, because, well, they just have to raise ticket prices again. The Leafs need more money to compete for those unrestricted free agents, you know. To get better and all. Maybe they can even go after our Sergei, himself forced into UFAdom at 31 for the first time in his career.</p><p>Granted, less understanding folk might say our Sergei is a fish out of water out on this one. By making the most expensive average ticket in the league more of a tax write-off for their corporate fans and more out of reach for the real ones, the Leafs are merely audacious; it&rsquo;s nothing they can&rsquo;t get away with. But our Sergei? The man has his gall.</p><p>Some might say he&rsquo;s living in a dreamland if he can&rsquo;t understand how the unemployed shtick goes over with the masses these days, and how out of touch it makes him look with where his own industry is headed. The big boys at the draft were practically begging each other to partner in a salary dump-fest and now our Sergei is holding out for another year and $10 million?</p><p>Some might say our Sergei has got to be blind not to see what is going on. Maybe the dented tree has something to say about that.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DEPARTMENTS

About Sergei, tree isn’t talking

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-06247/8592097-1-eng-US/f0005-062.jpg" title="f0005-06" width="287" height="456"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GLEN MURRAY</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05383/8592104-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="172" height="147"></div><p><i><b>From around the NHL</b></i></p><p>Now that <b>Jozef Stumpel</b> is a King again, can <b>Glen Murray</b> be far behind? Murray lives in L.A. in the summer and loves the surfing lifestyle. His Boston contract is up in a year.</p><p>&bull; Hours after getting selected in the first three rounds of the draft, the fortunate ones could be seen walking Nashville&rsquo;s noisy strip sporting their NHL jerseys. <b>Ivan Baranka</b>, an 18-year-old Slovak selected 50th overall by the Rangers, was strolling at dusk with Dallas second-rounder <b>Vojtech Polak</b> and a couple female friends. Baranka caught his reflection in a restaurant window, turned to face his reflection, then did a slow 360-degree turn checking out his look in Rangers blue. His companions first waited a distance ahead of him, then made their way back to break Baranka&rsquo;s trance.</p><p>Agent <b>David Frost</b> says all <b>Mike Danton</b> needs to do in St. Louis is shut up and play. Better Late than never.</p><p>It will be worth watching to see how San Jose&rsquo;s 2003 draft class pans out. While most teams were content to stock up on picks in a deep draft, the Sharks took a different tack. For their second, third and fourth selections, San Jose GM <b>Doug Wilson</b> traded a total of eight picks away to move up a few spots and get a player his staff really wanted. The players San Jose gambled on: <b>Steve Bernier</b> (16th overall), Joshua Hennessy (43rd overall) and <b>Matt Carle</b> (47th overall). San Jose still finished with 11 picks over the two days.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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SNAPSHOTS

<p><b>The Hockey News</b></p><p><b>FROM THE EDITORS</b></p><p>In the big picture, it&rsquo;s like the guy who cuts you off on the road, the woman who jumps the line at the grocery store, the neighborhood kids who trample your flowers while playing road hockey.</p><p>Not monumental or life-altering, but annoying, discourteous and disrespectful.</p><p>And sadly, it&rsquo;s reflective of a selfish attitude that&rsquo;s becoming more and more pervasive throughout society.</p><p>We&rsquo;re talking about the decisions by several award nominees to decline invitations to attend the annual league gala in Toronto.</p><p>This year, four eventual winners were no-shows: Dallas&rsquo;s Jere Lehtinen (Selke); Toronto&rsquo;s Alexander Mogilny (Lady Byng); Los Angeles&rsquo;s Roman Cechmanek (Jennings); and Minnesota&rsquo;s Jacques Lemaire (Adams).</p><p>In only one case did we hear of an excuse-Lemaire was busy, said Wild GM Doug Risebrough, helping his daughter prepare for her wedding.</p><p>Understood. We are firm believers in putting families first and aren&rsquo;t questioning Lemaire&rsquo;s integrity.</p><p>In Cechmanek&rsquo;s case, he&rsquo;d been traded from Philadelphia, the organization for which he&rsquo;d won the award, so there&rsquo;s a thread of logic to his absence.</p><p>The others? Mogilny was at home in California and Lehtinen had returned to Finland.</p><p>So in Toronto, Minnesota and Dallas, fans were deprived of seeing one of their own honored on an international stage.</p><p>It may seem like small potatoes, but consider: the Maple Leafs haven&rsquo;t won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and hadn&rsquo;t had a major award winner since 1993; the Wild, supported so fervently since their inception in 2000, had never had an individual award winner; the Stars, ousted by Anaheim in the second round of the playoffs, could take some solace in Lehtinen becoming just the third player in NHL history to win three or more Selkes.</p><p>who shell out hundreds of dollars for single-game tickets and merchandise and thousands for season tickets. It&rsquo;s about respect.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not as if attending the function is a major sacrifice. Fly to Toronto, put on some nice duds, chat with the media, watch a decent show, maybe accept an award and be appreciated by thousands, eat a nice meal and fly home the next morning. Heck, families are even allowed to attend.</p><p>In the face of increasing &ldquo;injury&rdquo; no-shows at the All-Star Game this season, commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL might start becoming tougher about excusing players from the contest. We suggest the league take the same stance on its awards night. If fines or the withholding of award bonuses contravene acceptable labor practices, then some good, old-fashioned arm-twisting may be the answer.</p><p>Players should remember fan alienation is a bad idea at the best of times, let alone on the eve of labor &ldquo;Armageddon.&rdquo;</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b><i>It&rsquo;s about giving something back to the people who underwrite the gargantuan salarie.</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

THE HOCKEY NEWS EDITORIAL

Avoiding NHL awards disrespectful to loyal fans

<h2><b>NEELY NEEDS HALL RECOGNITION</b></h2><p>This is in response to Brian Costello&rsquo;s great article, &ldquo;Neely overlooked by Hall again&rdquo; (THN, June 27).</p><p>It is about time someone gave Cam Neely the credit he deserves. Cam was one of the best forwards ever to play for Boston. Not only does he deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, he deserves to have his number retired by the Bruins.</p><p>There will never be another player as complete as Cam Neely.</p><p><i><b>Laurie Young,</b></i><br><i><b>Las Vegas, Nev.</b></i></p><h2><b>GIGUERE DEFINITELY PLAYOFF MVP</b></h2><p>I am a huge New Jersey Devils fan, but what their fans did in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final-booing Anaheim&rsquo;s J-S Giguere after he was named the Conn Smythe recipient as playoff MVP-was absolutely wrong.</p><p>Giguere earned the honor by almost singlehandedly knocking off Detroit and Dallas, the top two seeds in the Western Conference, and overcoming the tenacious Minnesota Wild.</p><p>There&rsquo;s no doubt he deserved the award.</p><p><i><b>Benny Seltzer,</b></i><br><i><b>Fair Lawn, N.J.</b></i></p><h2><b>LETTER OF THE WEEK</b></h2><p>Why all the dumping on this year&rsquo;s playoffs?</p><p>Those of us who can remember the great playoffs of the 1970&rsquo;s can relate to low-scoring, but exciting games.</p><p>The few changes the game really needs are relatively small, such as moving the net back to where it is supposed to be; regulating goalie equipment; and going back to calling obstruction penalties the way the rule states.</p><p>That said, the most significant change the NHL requires is to get a hockey man to run the league. Someone who can restore a sense of tradition (after all, who knows who plays in the Northeast</p><p>Division?). Someone who can restore the hotly contested rivalries of the old Norris Division playoffs, and bring back the wide-open style of the old Smythe Division.</p><p>Please restore the best parts of the NHL before it&rsquo;s too late.</p><p><i><b>Randy Coady,</b></i><br><i><b>Paradise, Nfld.</b></i></p><h2><b>NEILSON A CLASS ACT</b></h2><p>Thank you, Roger Neilson, for your class and courage in the face of overwhelming adversity and for your contribution to hockey, not only in North America, but around the world.</p><p>I can only hope those who remain will be the ambassadors for hockey that you were.</p><p>Rest in peace, Roger.</p><p><i><b>Mark Emanuel,</b></i><br><i><b>Voorhees, N.J.</b></i></p><h2><b>KELLY ON THE MARK</b></h2><p>jim Kelley&rsquo;s article, &ldquo;NHL paying price for &lsquo;D&rsquo;&rdquo; was bang-on (THN, June 27). Commissioner Gary Bettman continues to be in denial while falling television numbers prove hockey is on the decline. The NHL must listen to its fans before it is too late!</p><p><i><b>James Altman,</b></i><br><i><b>Imperial, Pa.</b></i></p><h2><b>NHL REWARDS OBSTRUCTION</b></h2><p>As a longtime NHL fan, I have to question the league&rsquo;s direction.</p><p>With all due respect to the New Jersey Devils, I am confused when, despite the supposed crackdown on obstruction, teams that obstruct are ultimately rewarded for their actions. The NHL should stop wasting time with useless proclamations. If they won&rsquo;t make the calls when the games matter most, why make them at all?</p><p><i><b>C. Mundis,</b></i><br><i><b>Albuquerque, N.M.</b></i></p><h2><b>CONGRATS FOR PAT</b></h2><p>Kudos to Pat LaFontaine for making it into the Hockey Hall of Fame.</p><p>Lafontaine was the classiest person ever to play in the NHL. He was a role model on and off the ice.</p><p>Congratulations, Pat!</p><p><i><b>Cindy Decario,</b></i><br><i><b>Burnaby, B.C.</b></i></p><h2><b>HEWITT BELONGS IN HALL</b></h2><p>Although I&rsquo;m delighted to see Oilers play-by-play man Rod Phillips inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, I&rsquo;m puzzled as to why the late Bill Hewitt continues to be overlooked.</p><p>For 23 years, Hewitt was the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs on <i>Hockey Night in Canada.</i> His credentials are as good, if not better, than others who already have been inducted.</p><p>Here&rsquo;s hoping the Hall will do the right thing next year and induct Hewitt.</p><p><i><b>Greg Innis,</b></i><br><i><b>Livonia, Mich.</b></i></p><h2><b>Got something to say?</b></h2><p><b>U.S.A.:</b> Letters, The Hockey News, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947.</p><p><b>Canada:</b> Letters, The Hockey News, 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7</p><p><b>E-mail:</b> <a href="mailto:aproteau@thehockeynews.com">aproteau@thehockeynews.com</a> or visit <b><a href="https://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a></b> Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number.</p><p><i>Submissions will be edited.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

f0006-01

Elston

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011981/8592228-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="293" height="386"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Brian Costello</b>&nbsp;<i>Senior Editor</i></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hey sit in the stands for 10 hours spanning two days of the draft. Chewing their nails, adjusting their tie, shifting uncomfortably in the seats normally occupied by paying customers of the NHL.</p><p>The NHL draft is the coming-out party for more than 200 teenagers. For a handful of others who show with high hopes, it&rsquo;s the equivalent of being stood up on your first date with that girl of your dreams.</p><p><i>Don&rsquo;t go to the draft unless there&rsquo;s a good chance you&rsquo;ll be selected in the first round.</i> That&rsquo;s what agents tell their clients. That&rsquo;s the position taken by sports psychologists. Even Don Cherry says so.</p><p>Yet every year you see them in their stands. They dress in fine suits. They&rsquo;re flanked by girlfriends, sisters, brothers and parents. Some of them go home after two days not having heard their name called.</p><h2><b>DRAFT IS A WAITING GAME</b></h2><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a regimented, exhaustive process,&rdquo; said sports psychologist Cal Botterill. &ldquo;It reminds me of an intravenous drip. You lose a drop of blood for every pick. I feel awful for them sitting there waiting.&rdquo;</p><p>For as much as draft day is a celebration of hockey&rsquo;s future, agents are mindful of the often deflating nature of the process. They pay the expenses for sending a prospect and his family to the draft, but strongly advise against attending unless the prospect is sure to be a top pick</p><p>In the weeks leading up to selection day, analysts prepare mock drafts. It creates false hope. Our Draft Preview issue had Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan rated 20th. He went 56th. We had Paul Bissonnette ranked 54th. He went 121st.</p><p>We had Jean-Michel Bolduc rated 84th, a third-rounder. He wasn&rsquo;t picked until the ninth round, the 281st selection. The shame in his face was blatant.</p><p>&ldquo;I kind of built myself up for it,&rdquo; said Bissonnette after a second sleepless night. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the best feeling when you&rsquo;re projected to go somewhere and you don&rsquo;t. It was a rough day.&rdquo;</p><p>For the players who went home without an NHL team after the second day, the feeling must be worse. &ldquo;This is the first time they&rsquo;ve been told they&rsquo;re not good enough,&rdquo; an agent said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just a disappointment, it&rsquo;s the confirmation of a disappointment.&rdquo; That leads us to the other side of the equation. Why not attend the draft if you&rsquo;re a hopeful prospect? There are no guarantees in life, no sure wins in a hockey game and no shoo-ins at a job interview. That&rsquo;s reality.</p><p>Maybe attending the draft and going home empty-handed is a growth experience. Even top athletes must realize that being in the spotlight comes with pitfalls.</p><h2><b>DRAFT COULD BE CAREER HIGHLIGHT</b></h2><p>The majority of the 292 players selected in Nashville will never play in the NHL. So what&rsquo;s wrong with being on hand to possibly hear your name called, to slip on that sweater, to shake the hands of NHL powerbrokers, to remembering that day forever? You don&rsquo;t skip college graduation because of the risk of tripping over your feet as you&rsquo;re receiving your diploma, do you?</p><p>You play hockey your entire life, lace up skates thousands of times and when the most pivotal day to determine your future comes, you&rsquo;re told to stay home because you might be disappointed or embarrassed by the result? No way, not me. I&rsquo;d be there from start to end-even if I&rsquo;m a long shot.</p><h2><b>FACING THE MUSIC</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021324/8592221-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="3212" height="2124"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i>Happy to be taken by Minnesota late in the second round, Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan was nevertheless aghast he slipped from first round status.</i></figcaption></div><p>Any given draft is only a small slice of hockey history, but if that&rsquo;s my one chance to become part of it, I&rsquo;d like to be there to bear witness.</p><p>The best solution to this debate comes from Botterill, who has worked as a sports psychologist for five NHL teams. A couple years before his son Jason was draft-eligible, Cal took him to the event as a spectator. They watched from start till end.</p><p>&ldquo;After a while he wanted to leave, but I told him we&rsquo;re staying until it&rsquo;s over,&rdquo; Botterill said.</p><p>&ldquo;I wanted him to look and see some of the faces of the kids who weren&rsquo;t selected. I wanted him to get a sense of what might await him. I think he got the message.&rdquo;</p><p>Jason Botterill ended up being rated a first-rounder in 1994, so the decision to attend was a no-brainer. Dallas picked him 20th. But the lesson was learned.</p><p>&ldquo;My advice to young players is go see a draft if there&rsquo;s one in your area and observe what happens around you when it&rsquo;s over,&rdquo; Cal Botterill said. &ldquo;Then (when it&rsquo;s your turn), you&rsquo;ll understand the choice you&rsquo;re making. It has to be the kid&rsquo;s decision.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03826/8592214-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="2283" height="283"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LATE PICKS GET CHANCE</b></figcaption></div><p><i>Just because you&rsquo;re drafted late-or not at all-doesn&rsquo;t mean your NHL dreams are snuffed. Here&rsquo;s a draft breakdown of the 131 players who made their NHL debut in 2002-03.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

Solving draft day dilemma

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO &#x2022; Senior Editor</div><p>A summer free agent season expected to be quiet was spiced up when a retired great indicated he wants back in the game.</p><p>Two days after the NHL draft, the Detroit Red Wings and player agent Rich Winter acknowledged they wen planning for Dominik Hasek&rsquo;s return. Hasek retired a year ago after helping the Wings win the 2002 Stanley Cup.</p><p>To retain his rights, Detroit was required to pick up Hasek&rsquo;s $8 million (U.S.) option by July 1 or he&rsquo;d become an unrestricted free agent.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031081/8592280-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="932" height="1177"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DOMINIK HASEK</b></figcaption></div><p>Hasek&rsquo;s return would force the Wings to trade incumbent Curtis Joseph, provided Joseph waives the no-trade clause in his $8-million deal. Several teams, most notably Philadelphia, are looking for No. 1 goalies.</p><h2><b>HASEK WOULD SPARK INTEREST</b></h2><p>On the off-chance Detroit doesn&rsquo;t pick up Hasek&rsquo;s option, he would become a prime unrestricted free agent. That would promote at least a little more spending in an economic landscape that has many teams talking fiscal responsibility.</p><p>High-profile players such as Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Brian Leetch and Derian Hatcher headline this year&rsquo;s cast of UFAs, but there&rsquo;s speculation many teams will be frugal in the final season before the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have the &lsquo;Gone Fishing&rsquo; sign on our door when teams call,&rdquo; Dallas GM Doug Armstrong told the <i>Globe and Mail.</i> The Stars were active last year signing UFAs Bill Guerin, Philippe Boucher and Scott Young to deals.</p><p>Teams are talking about becoming more financially prudent because they don&rsquo;t want to be locked into long-term, high-priced obligations if a new CBA limits their spending power.</p><p>NHL stars such as Jaromir Jagr, Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure, Guerin, John LeClair, Olaf Kolzig and Mike Peca were mentioned in trade rumors during the draft in Nashville. No big deals were made.</p><p>There was speculation a handful of restricted free agents (players under 31 whose contracts have run out) would become UFAs July 1 because the team that owns their rights would not make a qualifying offer.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re considering not qualifying two or three of our players,&rdquo; said Carolina GM Jim Rutherford.</p><p>That may become a growing trend as teams prepare for the anticipated labor battle.</p><p>There&rsquo;s also a large number of Group V unrestricted free agents (10-year veterans under 31 whose salary is less than the $1.79 million NHL average). They include forwards Todd Marchant and Vinny Prospal and defensemen Greg de Vries, Cale Hulse, Jamie Pushor and Ian Moran.</p><h2><b>EARLY FRENZY</b></h2><p><i>Expect a quiet first week of free agency, unlike July 1-7 UFA signings the past two seasons.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04567/8592273-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="339" height="338"></div><h2><b>UNRESTRICTED FIELD</b></h2><p><i>Here are the most prominent unrestricted free agents and their 2002-03 salaries, if they&rsquo;re unsigned July 1.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012071/8592266-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="568" height="1872"></div><h2><b>RESTRICTED CLASS</b></h2><p><i>Here are the most prominent restricted free agents. They become UFAs if not tendered a qualifying offer by July 1.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021546/8592259-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="564" height="1874"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0008-03

Hasek free agent wild card

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012042/8592325-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIGHTY PEN</b>&nbsp;<i>Marc-Andre Fleury is in good company as a Pittsburgh No. 1 overall pick. The only other time the Pens chose first, in 1984, Mario Lemieux came to town.</i></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>ASHVILLE-The Gaylord Entertainment Center was packed, the TV cameras were rolling, the rumor mill was churning. And then a funny thing happened on the way to a blockbuster of an afternoon.</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>All that talk of superstars on the move fizzled like a deflating balloon-or rather, nobody could get it blown up in the first place. Things were so dull that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman felt compelled to announce the Jozef Stumpel back-to-L. A. salary dump as breaking news. Maybe he read it in the morning&rsquo;s paper.</p><p>&ldquo;We heard a lot of calls, a lot of rumors, a lot of talking, not much happening,&rdquo; said Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix.</p><p>The high quality of players at the upper end of the draft and the collective bargaining agreement, which expires Sept. 15, 2004, were both blamed for the inactivity. Teams were hesitant to deal away draft choices when the potential payoff from picks well into the second round was so large. At the same time, many clubs were scrambling behind the scenes to cut payroll at least as much as improve their rosters. Finding someone willing to take on the bigger contracts proved difficult. It used to be that teams traded high draft picks to get the superstar players, but things don&rsquo;t work that way in a world preparing for a new CBA.</p><p>Buffalo GM Darcy Regier, for example, was open to trading his fifth overall selection, but he had strict conditions. The incoming player had to be under contract through to the other side of 2004, and at a reasonable price. He also had to be able to help the team in the short and long term. No wonder there wasn&rsquo;t a deal.</p><p>&ldquo;The new CBA is impacting what&rsquo;s happening here-or not happening,&rdquo; Regier said. &ldquo;I think the larger market k. teams are in a process of trying to decide how to go forward.&rdquo;</p><p>Or trying to figure out how to wash away the problems their lavish spending of recent years has created. With the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure and others on the market, it will come down to how much of a contract teams are willing to eat in order to make a deal that may get them very little in return.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011802/8592318-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="1357" height="1186"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CATS PROWL</b>&nbsp;<i>Florida coach Mike Keenan and GM Rick Dudley landed the player they wanted-Oshawa&rsquo;s Nathan Horton-even after dealing the top pick.</i></figcaption></div><h2><b>FEW DRAFT SPLASHES</b></h2><p>It&rsquo;d be nice to say at least the draft started with a bang-Florida GM Rick Dudley traded the first overall pick for the second straight year, after all-but a blockbuster it wasn&rsquo;t. Pittsburgh&rsquo;s dramatic move from third pick overall to first, a selection they used on perpetually smiley Cape Breton Screaming Eagles goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, was secured with a shuffle of draft picks and forward Mikael Samuelsson, a 26-year-old journeyman who is now on his fourth NHL team in three years.</p><p>But maybe it was fitting in the end. It wasn&rsquo;t the best day to talk about great acquisitions when the hockey world was in the midst of such a great loss. The draft passed into a state of depressed activity, with teams picking selections almost by rote, at about the same time as Ottawa coach Roger Neilson passed away in his home in Peterborough, Ont, after a long fight with cancer.</p><p>Neilson died at 1:15 p.m. (EST) on June 21,15 minutes after the draft officially began. With startling abruptness, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Neilson&rsquo;s passing to the arena after the 12th pick of the first round. The arena stood for a moment of silence. Later, once the initial shock wore off, almost everyone had something to say about the man because almost everyone on the draft floor had known him; it&rsquo;s a safe bet Neilson had worked directly at some point over the past four decades with a handful of men around each of the 30 draft tables. <i>(See pgs. 14 and 15 for more on Neilson.)</i></p><p>Surely Neilson would have been pleased to know youth would be served at the draft, as the silence on the trade front contrasted with predictable back-slapping on the draft podium. The first four teams on the board all insisted they got exactly what they wanted.</p><p>The Penguins, if you haven&rsquo;t heard, are in a rebuilding phase, and Pittsburgh GM Craig Patrick figured there&rsquo;s no better place to start than with a goalie who can&rsquo;t be fazed. &ldquo;It was perfect timing for us,&rdquo; said Patrick of Fleury&rsquo;s availability and the Pens&rsquo; No. 3 draft position. &ldquo;We had talked enough that I was pretty sure we&rsquo;d be able to get the deal done. He&rsquo;ll come to camp and if he wins the job, he&rsquo;ll play in Pittsburgh.&rdquo;</p><p>The acrobatic Fleury, a part-time butterflier with lightning-quick reflexes and a gambler&rsquo;s mentality, became the second goalie to be taken first overall, after Rick DiPietro in 2000. It&rsquo;s a sign of the times that after 31 years of no goaltender being taken higher than fourth, we&rsquo;ve now had two in the top spot in the past four drafts. Fleury also becomes the second first-overall pick by the Penguins in franchise history, the other being the man whose signature will be at the bottom of Fleury&rsquo;s paychecks.</p><p>Sitting in the stands, Fleury heard the Pens had made a trade, but he didn&rsquo;t want to get too excited. As for how he felt when he realized the Pens had traded up to get him, the star of Canada&rsquo;s 2003 national junior team remarked with a smile (always a smile): &ldquo;I will do my best not to disappoint them.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>HURRICANES NAB STAAL</b></h2><h3><b>CHANGING PLACES</b></h3><p><i>You know it&rsquo;s a quiet few days of dealing when Jozef Stumpel is the biggest name to change teams. Here are the trading highlights from draft weekend in Nashville. Unless otherwise indicated, draft picks refer to 2003.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021294/8592311-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="802" height="1343"></div><p>It helped Pittsburgh that the Carolina Hurricanes, owners of the second overall pick, were never serious about moving up.</p><p>The Canes were open to selecting either Fleury or Peterborough center Eric Staal, with a slight preference for Staal according to Canes GM Jim Rutherford. And wouldn&rsquo;t you know it, Staal was just the player who landed in their laps.</p><p>&ldquo;When we heard Pittsburgh was going to take the goalie,&rdquo; Rutherford said, &ldquo;it was like winning the lottery.&rdquo;</p><p>And Florida, naturally, wanted Oshawa center Nathan Horton all along. How convenient! There he was waiting at third overall. Columbus then selected Russian winger Nikolai Zherdev fourth-a player Columbus GM Doug MacLean said he cherished all season-and Buffalo took University of Minnesota center Thomas Vanek with the fifth pick.</p><p>Philadelphia also went hard after the top pick. Afterward, Flyers GM Bob Clarke wouldn&rsquo;t admit it was for Fleury, but the creases at the comer of his mouth gave him away. Dudley, though, was so high on Horton-and knew Horton wouldn&rsquo;t be available in the Flyers&rsquo; No. 11 slot-that he was demanding a huge price in young players off the roster, one Clarke wasn&rsquo;t willing to pay.</p><p>Fleury, Staal and Horton all have a chance to play in the NHL next season, although Rutherford went to great effort to stress Staal won&rsquo;t be rushed. Staal and Horton could both use some added muscle to improve their strength.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d really like to play next year,&rdquo; Staal said. &ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s a big step from junior, but I&rsquo;m going to work as hard as I can this summer to improve my strength and all-around play and give it my best shot next fall.&rdquo;</p><p>Horton was asked how much he still has to grow. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I usually grow around Christmas time.&rdquo;</p><p>Nathan Horton, meet Mike Keenan.</p><h2><b>BLUES SHED SALARY</b></h2><p>Among teams making personnel moves, St. Louis was at the forefront, dumping forwards Cory Stillman and Tyson Nash to Tampa and Phoenix, respectively, for draft picks. Blues GM Larry Pleau said the moves were a result of last season&rsquo;s team performance in the playoffs, individual performance and a need to hit payroll targets. When all three factor in, Pleau said, you never know how it will shake out.</p><p>There are still some big deals on the verge of being completed, starting most likely with the Phoenix Coyotes and their efforts to deal goalie Sean Burke. If the Coyotes don&rsquo;t make make a move first, they stand to lose one of Burke, Brian Boucher or Zac Bierk in the waiver draft without getting anything in return. Burke is by far the most marketable of the three.</p><p>In Phoenix and league-wide, the dominoes are teetering. Stay tuned for the inevitable fall.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><i><b>The new CBA is impacting what&rsquo;s happening here&mdash;or not happening.</b></i></p><p><i><b>-Buffalo GM Darcy Regier, on quiet draft dealing</b></i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0010-01

No Fury, Just Fleury

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011959/8592356-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i>Roger Neilson coached just two games for Ottawa-his 999th and his 1,000th. Coach Jacques Martin stepped aside for the final two games of the 2001-02 season to allow Neilson to reach the milestone.</i></figcaption></div><p><i><b>God:</b> &ldquo;Tell me St. Peter, what do you think of our newest recruit?&rdquo;</i></p><p><i><b>St. Peter:</b> &ldquo;Well, he seems like a nice enough fellow. But he has been bugging me to get him some video equipment as well as the addresses for Rocket Richard and Ace Bailey. And what&rsquo;s up with those crazy ties?&rdquo;</i></p><p>The most notable pick at the 2003 NHL entry draft occurred when God selected Roger Neilson in the first round.</p><p>Neilson, one of the most revered coaches in NHL history and a man with deep religious conviction, passed away June 21 after a courageous three-year battle with cancer. The announcement of his death was made by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman during the first round of the draft in Nashville.</p><p>Neilson was a hockey man to his core and continued to teach until his final days.</p><p>Though he was weak and frail at the end, the 69-year-old Neilson refused the Ottawa Senators&rsquo; invitation during the playoffs to go to Florida to relax. Instead, he did his best to help the Senators make it to the final. Coaching, not Florida sunshine, was what kept him going.</p><h2><b>PASSED AWAY ON DAY OF DRAFT</b></h2><p>Colin Campbell, the NHL&rsquo;s senior vice-president and a close friend of Neilson&rsquo;s, said it is ironic that Neilson passed away on draft day.</p><p>&ldquo;One thing Roger hated was drafts,&rdquo; Campbell said. &ldquo;He hated coming to drafts. He probably said when the draft started it&rsquo;s time to check out of Dodge.&rdquo; <i>(See pg. 15 for more from Campbell.)</i></p><p>The Hall of Famer (inducted last year in the builders&rsquo; category) checked out with a 460-381159 record in 1,000 games as an NHL head coach with Toronto, Buffalo, Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York Rangers, Florida, Philadelphia and Ottawa. He was an assistant coach to Jacques Martin the past two years. It was Martin who kindly stepped aside for two games last season to allow Neilson to reach 1,000 games coached.</p><p>Neilson, who never married, dedicated his life to his Christian faith and hockey. On the day he was honored a little more than a year ago by 1,300 of his closest friends, Neilson remarked, &ldquo;I wonder about people who don&rsquo;t have faith. I wonder what guides their lives and what they have to look forward to after they die?&rdquo;</p><p>Neilson, who was born in Toronto, was a goaltender of some note in his youth and played Jr. B. He actually tried out for the Toronto Marlboros Jr. A team and could have made it at that level, but the Marlies played games on Sunday afternoon and that was when Neilson attended church.</p><p>Eventually he turned to coaching minor hockey and for a time, working in the New York Rangers system coaching youngsters in the Toronto area.</p><h2><b>MADE BIG IMPACT ON HOCKEY</b></h2><p>Neilson&rsquo;s success is not measured in championships. His only trips to the Stanley Cup final were with the Vancouver Canucks in 1982 as a coach and with the Edmonton Oilers during their 1984 championship season as a video analyst.</p><p>No, it is measured more in the influence he had on the game and on those who played it.</p><p>During his days as coach of the Peterborough Petes, Neilson went through the rule book with a fine-tooth comb to find little loopholes he could use to his advantage.</p><p>For instance, he would instruct his goaltender to drop his stick and leave it lying across the goal line when being pulled in favor of an extra attacker.</p><p>With his team nursing a one-goal lead late in games, Neilson would send three or four players over the boards. Naturally the Petes would be assessed a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty. When play resumed, Neilson would let a few ticks of the clock go by before doing it again. Since you could only play a maximum of two men short, Neilson didn&rsquo;t care how full the penalty box got; he kept tossing players onto the ice until time expired.</p><p>Perhaps his most famous antic was using defenseman Ron Stackhouse as a goalie on penalty shots. As soon as the shooter touched the puck at center, Stackhouse would leave the net and check the attacker.</p><h2><b>REVOLUTIONIZED COACHING</b></h2><p>Neilson earned the nickname &lsquo;Captain Video&rsquo; after he introduced the hockey world to the use of video as a teaching tool. That, too, started when he coached the Petes.</p><p>&ldquo;He was well ahead of everybody else by 10 years,&rdquo; said Atlanta GM Don Waddell.</p><p>Though hockey can sometimes be a vulgar world, Neilson managed to not only survive in it, but thrive, too.</p><p>&ldquo;Roger was a great coach,&rdquo; said Philadelphia GM Bob Clarke. &ldquo;He was a gentle man who never swore and never drank.</p><p>&ldquo;He was kind of the opposite of what most people in sports are and yet he was able to function very strongly. He was very bright and very passionate about what he did.&rdquo;</p><p>Neilson loved to give back to the game, from running his annual coaching clinic to owning the Jr. B Lindsay (Ont.) Muskies.</p><p>&ldquo;The relationships that he developed with the players and the results he saw, I think that was what he enjoyed the most,&rdquo; said Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff, who played for Neilson.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if there is another person in hockey (whose death) would touch as many people as his.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Neilson leaves lasting legacy

<p class="dropcap"><i><span>R</span>oger Nielson coached 1,000 games with eight NHL teams, compiling a 460-381-159 career record for a. 540 winning percentage. Below is a team-by-team breakdown.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021481/8592436-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="352" height="221"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Guides Leafs past Islanders in 1977-78 quarterfinal.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031031/8592429-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="349" height="213"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Sabres finish first in the Adams Division, tie for fourth overall.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04715/8592422-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="349" height="205"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Takes team of no-name grinders to Stanley Cup final.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05488/8592415-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="347" height="210"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Replaced Don Perry behind bench to finish the season.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06386/8592408-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="349" height="206"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Rangers finish first in 1991-92, Neilson runner-up for top coach.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07302/8592401-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="348" height="222"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Expansion club misses playoffs by one point in Neilson&rsquo;s two years.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08248/8592394-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="349" height="202"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Has his Flyers on roll when cancer forces him to sidelines.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-09217/8592387-1-eng-US/f0014-092.jpg" title="f0014-09" width="344" height="213"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Assistant fills in as head coach for two games to reach 1,000.</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-02

Roger’s NHL stops

<p>I will never forget the first time I met Roger Neilson.</p><p>I was 17 and standing on the front porch of my parents&rsquo; home in Tillsonburg, Ont., when Roger pulled up in his wood-sided station wagon. I had recently been selected in the fourth round of the Ontario League draft by the Peterborough Petes and the team&rsquo;s coach and GM made a habit of visiting all his prospects.</p><p>The first thing Roger said to me was: &ldquo;You&rsquo;re too small to be a defenseman; you&rsquo;re going to be a forward.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;No, I&rsquo;m not,&rdquo; I replied. &ldquo;I will play defense.&rdquo; So there you have it, two stubborn minds locking horns in our first-ever meeting. It was the beginning of a great relationship.</p><h2><b>GIANT POSITIVE INFLUENCE</b></h2><p>I have never met a man in my life who was such a giant positive influence on so many people. To many he was a coach. To me he was a friend and mentor.</p><p>I had the honor of playing for Roger in junior and the NHL (Vancouver), then being his assistant coach for 3-1/2 years with the Rangers. I worked at Roger&rsquo;s hockey schools and I helped out at his annual coaching clinic.</p><p>When people talk about Roger, they often mention the goofy things he did, like put a defenseman in net for penalty shots or have someone in the stands throw things on the ice during a game so he could get an extra timeout. To me, those things aren&rsquo;t what made Roger.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011785/8592474-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="287" height="380"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Colin Campbell</b>&nbsp;<i>Guest Columnist</i></figcaption></div><p>Roger was a great coach and understood the game. He ran great practices. He taught you how to be a great coach. He taught you how to trade players, how to send them down to the minors. In our business you have tough decisions to make. Sometimes it&rsquo;s hard to face people you have cut or traded or sent down. But Roger always did things the right way so people didn&rsquo;t mind facing him in the future. There wasn&rsquo;t a mean bone in his body. Business was business.</p><p>And he took an active, down-to-earth role in his hockey schools. I can still remember arriving at his camp one year in Lindsay, Ont. It was about 7 a.m. and as I drove up with my son Gregory and my wife Heather, there was Roger running across a field, putting up direction signs for the parents of campers. To me, that was pure Roger.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021286/8592467-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="720" height="535"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GOOD MEMORIES</b>&nbsp;<i>Neil Smith, Colin Campbell and Roger Neilson share a laugh during their days together with the Rangers in the early 1990s.</i></figcaption></div><p>One of my favorite stories about Roger occurred during a difficult period. He had been fired by the Rangers, so Heather and I went to say goodbye before he left for Peterborough. Sadly, his dog Mike died around this time.</p><p>We arrived at the Rangers practice rink in Rye, N.Y., at 5:30 a.m. and Roger and a friend, Mac Brick, were packing a truck I looked in the back and saw Mike, sealed tight in an airpacked bag.</p><p>I said, &ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t going to work Rog. They aren&rsquo;t going to let you cross the border with a dead dog in the back of your truck&rdquo;</p><p>I was wrong.</p><p>In my capacity as senior vice-president in charge of handling discipline with the NHL, I had to deal with Roger twice. That was tough. Once when he said, &ldquo;There are two things in life you don&rsquo;t want to know; what&rsquo;s inside a hot dog and what goes on inside the NHL head office.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>MAD FOR TWO MINUTES</b></h2><p>I was upset Roger said that, but you could only stay mad at Rog for about two minutes. I had to suspend him when he coached Philadelphia after he threw a stick onto the ice. He didn&rsquo;t mind, though. He always said he wanted to coach from upstairs in the press box.</p><p>The one thing I don&rsquo;t think Roger gets credit for is how well his teams did after he left. Roger&rsquo;s fingerprints were all over our Stanley Cup season in New York in 1994. Same with the Florida Panthers who went to the Stanley Cup final in 1996, a year after Roger left.</p><p>I am one of thousands of players Roger coached who returned to work for him because Roger represented excellence.</p><p>By the way, I never did play forward for Roger.</p><p>Physically, Roger was a small man, but in many other ways he was a giant. When he went away for the final time June 21,2003, at 1:20 p.m., he took a big part of us with him, but at the same time, he left a very important part of himself with all of us, too.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>-COLIN CAMPBELL IS A SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT WITH THE NHL</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0015-01

A great friend, a great coach

<h2><b>FEDERAL LEAGUE PLANS FIRST SEASON</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OQUITLAM, B.C.</b> Radical revenue sharing has found a home in the new Federal League. The 10-team all-Canadian circuit, slated to start an 80-game schedule this fall, plans to pool 100 per cent of gate revenues and spread the proceeds among teams, players and the league according to a pre-set scale. League president John Larsen says ticket prices will be the same in every rink, with an average seat between $17 and $19. Players and coaches will receive 50 per cent of gross revenues. &ldquo;The more we make, the more they make,&rdquo; said Larsen, who believes the formula will encourage players to promote the team in their communities. The league&rsquo;s break-even point is an average attendance of 3,000 fans per game, Larsen says. Teams are planned for Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Hamilton, Quebec, Montreal and Saint John, N.B. Players will be guaranteed at least $1,500 per week, but some could make up to $120,000 a year depending on attendance. Larsen said most of the players will be pros who have been playing in Europe or U.S.-based minor leagues. Fifty spots are being reserved for graduating junior players, who can compete for spots in two tryout camps, July 6-11 in Vancouver and July 13-18 in Toronto. Larsen says competing against an American League team in Hamilton won&rsquo;t be a problem. &ldquo;We actually feel we&rsquo;re going to have a better team. AHL guys are young guys, first three years pro. Then they go on to play where our guys are coming from.&rdquo; Former NHLer Brian Curran is among confirmed coaches.</p><h2><b>NHL TO TARGET OVER-PADDED GOALIE</b></h2><p><b>NASHVILLE</b> The NHL will crack down on goalie pads, league GMs decided at their entry draft meeting. In particular, the NHL is concerned with the length of the pads-not the width-and will consider measures to regulate equipment provided it can get approval from the players&rsquo; association. Currently, there&rsquo;s no regulation on the length of pads and some have been measured at 44 inches, just four inches below the crossbar. They also noted that body padding has increased in recent seasons, contributing to low-scoring games. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter what they do with the rules,&rdquo; said Phoenix Coyotes owner Wayne Gretzky, &ldquo;until they change the goaltending equipment, they&rsquo;re still going to have 2-1 games. Goaltenders have become so big now.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>&lsquo;BIG RED MACHINE&rsquo; BOSS RETURNS</b></h2><p><b>MOSCOW</b> Viktor Tikhonov is back as coach of Russia&rsquo;s national team for the next three seasons. The legendary Tikhonov led the Soviet and Russian national teams from 1978 to 1994, winning eight world titles and three Olympic gold medals. Tikhonov, 73, replaces Vladimir Plyushchev, who was fired.</p><h2><b>CICCARELLI AVOIDS CHARGES</b></h2><p><b>DETROIT</b> Former NHLer Dino Ciccarelli spent a night in jail, but won&rsquo;t be charged, after a domestic dispute resulted in his wife, Lynda, being struck in the face. According to the prosecutor&rsquo;s office, Ciccarelli got into a tussle with a male friend of his wife&rsquo;s June 12. It was reported the Ciccarellis are in the midst of a divorce. One of 14 600-goal-scorers in the NHL, Ciccarelli, 43, coowns the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario League.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011742/8592505-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="253" height="407"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRIAN CURRAN</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>ne year ago, Jose Theodore won the Hart and Vezina Trophies as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player and top goaltender. But now, the clouds of scandal are circling around the Montreal Canadiens star goaltender.</p><p>After Theodore&rsquo;s father, uncle and four half-brothers were arrested for their alleged involvement in a loansharking ring operating out of the Montreal Casino, it was revealed the netminder had, at the very least, a social relationship with members of the Hells Angels criminal biker gang.</p><p><i>Le Journal de Montreal</i> carried an undated front-page photo of Theodore at a party in the Hells Angels bunker in St-Basile, Que., not far from the Theodore family home in Ste-Julie. The newspaper also reported the goalie and his 70-year-old father, Ted Nicholas Theodore, shared a joint bank account.</p><p>It was also reported NHL security officials warned Theodore to dissociate himself from Hells Angels members in 1999.</p><p>Montreal police denied Theodore, 26, is a suspect in the loan-sharking case. &ldquo;We do not intend to meet with him in this matter,&rdquo; said Jean-Guy Gagnon, deputy police chief in charge of criminal investigations.</p><p>&ldquo;Jose Theodore is currently not part of a criminal investigation.&rdquo; Theodore, through his agent, Don Meehan, also denied any involvement with his family&rsquo;s alleged activities. He hasn&rsquo;t commented on the extent of his relationship with the Hells Angels.</p><p>Both Canadiens president Pierre Boivin and newly-hired GM Bob Gainey have thrown their support behind the player.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m certain that Jose isn&rsquo;t involved (in illegal activities),&rdquo; Gainey said. But he quickly added: &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re in the public eye, you&rsquo;re going to attract attention from many different areas and you have to be careful who you&rsquo;re seen with.&rdquo;</p><p>Speculation immediately arose that the Canadiens will have no choice but to trade Theodore, given the negative publicity he has received. Gainey, predictably, was quick to quash the rumor.</p><p>Nonetheless, the accusations will dog Theodore for years. Did he know of his family&rsquo;s involvement and, if so, for how long was he aware?</p><p>Jt&rsquo;s always dangerous to mix professional sports with any element of organized crime and/or gambling.</p><p>If nothing else, Theodore has been found guilty by association. The Mike&rsquo;s restaurant chain immediately pulled a television commercial in which Theodore appears.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021364/8592536-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="249" height="408"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOSE THEODORE</b></figcaption></div><p>Following his award-winning season, Theodore was signed to a three-year, $16.5-million (U.S.) contract, making him the Canadiens&rsquo; highest-paid player. But he struggled last season, going 20-31-6 in 57 games with a 2.90 goals-against average and. 908 save percentage.</p><p>Preliminary hearings for the Theodore family are scheduled for late September, when NHL teams are in training camp. It remains to be seen how Theodore will be able to prepare for the season and how he&rsquo;ll endure the tremendous pressure about to be directed his way.</p><p><b>BOWMAN RETURNS</b> Coaching great Scotty Bowman hopes to coach the Montreal Canadiens alumni for their Nov. 22 exhibition against the host Edmonton Oilers alumni outdoors at Commonwealth Stadium.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be fun,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;But don&rsquo; forget, the Oilers alumni are 10 years younger than the Canadiens.&rdquo;</p><p>Bowman, 69, said he coached outdoors in Montreal at the amateur level 50 years ago. A nine-time Stanley Cup winner in Montreal, Pittsburgh and Detroit, Bowman was inducted June 25 into Canada&rsquo;s Walk of Fame in Toronto.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

Habs to support Theodore

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04780/8592567-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="631" height="652"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031029/8592574-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="98" height="109"></div><p>Wayne Gretzky was the first player to get 200 points in a season. NHL players are almost unanimous in the belief he&rsquo;ll also be the last.</p><p>In a poll of 30 players, one from each NHL team, 27 (90 per cent) said no one will ever again approach 200 points in a single regular season.</p><p>&ldquo;Not with the current rules, the style of play and the way the game is called,&rdquo; said Buffalo&rsquo;s James Patrick. &ldquo;If the game evolves and there are changes made to open it up more, it could be a possibility. But that might be 10 or 20 years away.&rdquo;</p><p>Gretzky hit 200 four times in a five-year span during the NHL&rsquo;s highest scoring era. He had 212 points in 1981-82, 205 two seasons later, 208 the next year and a record 215 in 1985-86.</p><p>&ldquo;Goaltending is too good,&rdquo; said Anaheim&rsquo;s Adam Oates, who three times led the NHL in assists. &ldquo;The only way (to get 200) is if a guy like Mario totally sacrificed the rest of his game to get points.&rdquo;</p><p>Mario Lemieux came close in 198889, but was stopped at 199. The closest since is Gretzky&rsquo;s 163 in 1990-91.</p><p>Said the Islanders&rsquo; Shawn Bates: &ldquo;200 points? Geez. In a season? The way the game&rsquo;s going now, it&rsquo;s rare for us to get anyone with 100 points. Wow, 200?&rdquo;</p><p>There were three 100-point scorers in the NHL this season and 11 in the past seven seasons combined. A decade ago, the league had a high of 21 men with 100 points.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>30 NHL PLAYERS POLLED, ONE PER TEAM</p><p>Toronto&rsquo;s Tie Domi is an optimist.</p><p>&ldquo;If the game opens up, I think Joe Thornton could be a guy who does it. He&rsquo;s fast, big, strong and has a great shot. He handles the puck so well,&rdquo; Domi said.</p><p><b>-FOR COMPLETE PLAYER POLL RESULTS, VISIT <a href="https://www.thehockeynews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-04

The Hockey News PLAYER POLL

f0020-02

SEASON in REVIEW

Ducks, Wild open eyes

<p>They came from The Deep, largely because they relentlessly put the puck in deep.</p><p>Bottom-feeders chewed up sharks. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, a Mickey Mouse operation that had made the playoffs only once in its first nine seasons, upset Detroit and Dallas and came within one win of the Stanley Cup.</p><p>Tampa Bay, struck almost since its 1992 birth by weak financing and thunderously poor decisions, finally bottled Lightning in storming past Washington to a Southeast Division title, then defeating the Capitals again for the franchise&rsquo;s first-ever playoff victory.</p><p>Minnesota, a third-year expansion franchise, came from 3-1 deficits to eliminate third-seeded Colorado and fourth-seeded Vancouver in the Western Conference playoffs.</p><h2><b>LOW PAYROLLS, BIG PAYOFFS</b></h2><p>They beat on the biggies largely by not beating themselves, keeping slashing to a minimum-the only exceptions being their own budgets. They set precedents that tightened purse strings all around the NHL.</p><p>Actually Anaheim, allowed to raise payroll last season as a selling strategy by Disney, kicked up to $39 million, then added more at the trade deadline.</p><p>Still, the Ducks had only the 17th-highest player budget in the NHL, even if it dwarfed that of Tampa Bay, which, at $28.9 million, did not get as much bang for its pucks as Minnesota, dead last at $20.5 million.</p><p>It was all food for thought in a season where not one of the top seven moneybags got past the second round and in which New Jersey, the team with only the eighth-highest payroll, won it all.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011140/8592814-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="290" height="371"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jay Greenberg</b>&nbsp;<i>Columnist</i></figcaption></div><p>But it really said more about having coachable players than it did about having inexpensive ones.</p><p>Tbe ultimate coaching creation out of Francois Allaire&rsquo;s goaltending laboratories, J-S Giguere, had one of the great post-season runs in history. Anaheim star Paul Kariya bought into coach Mike Babcock&rsquo;s system of &ldquo;greasy&rdquo; hockey. Veteran Adam Oates and players brought in before the trading dead-fine such as Sandis Ozolinsh, Steve Thomas, and Rob Niedermayer, made it all about the ring they narrowly failed to win.</p><p>&ldquo;The second half of the year, we lost only 11 games and had one less point than the Red Wmgs in the last 41 games,&rdquo; said GM Bryan Murray. &ldquo;We were a pretty good team, not a normal seventh seed.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>WILD RECLAMATION PROJECT</b></h2><p>Minnesota had one budding superstar, Marion Gaborik, the best collection of robots since the 1995-96 Panthers and the coach of not-only-this year, but many, Jacques Lemaire. The Wild kept coming at you like Frankensteins deprogrammed of doubt.</p><p>They had a once-washout who had been out of the NHL for four years (Wes Walz), players who had once been traded for Rocky Thompson (Filip Kuba) and were small their whole career and had gotten old in addition (Cliff Ronning). Even more shocking, neither goalie Manny Fernandez nor Dwayne Roloson ever went to Allaire&rsquo;s school.</p><p>Tampa Bay, historically slow to catch on, succeeded with a quick team, including a fasthanded, too-good-to-be-true undrafted free agent, Martin St-Louis, plus a three-deep pivot corps of maturing Vincent Lecavalier, a first-overall pick; Brad Richards, a fortuitous 64th overall pick; and Vaclav Prospal, who had been tossed around the league like the beach ball that goalie Nikolai Khabibulin sees as a puck on his best days.</p><p>It actually wasn&rsquo;t the finest of years by Khabibulin&rsquo;s standards, but even with a defense whose best guy, Dan Boyle, was acquired for a fifth round pick, the Lightning was another team out of a cloud, insulated by the silver-lining preaching of a coach, John Tortorella.</p><p>After Anaheim jumped 26 points, Tampa Bay 24, and Minnesota 22 from their 2001-02 totals the question is whether these teams will become next year&rsquo;s Carolina.</p><p>The Canes&rsquo; 2002 rim to the final actually followed their fourth-consecutive winning season, so in becoming the worst team in the league this year, they hardly were the NHL&rsquo;s all-time one-year wonder.</p><h2><b>Midnight always strikes</b></h2><p><i>A number of teams have made unlikely playoff runs, only to lose in the final. Listed here are Cinderella teams since 1990 and their overall regular-season finish in the year of their run. The &lsquo;96 Panthers were a third-year franchise.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02800/8592807-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="674" height="256"></div><p>St. Louis jumped 27 points to 107 in 198081, fell back to 72 the next year and had only one winning season in the next eight.</p><p>Chicago went up 34 in 1982-83 to 104, went back to 69 and didn&rsquo;t break 90 again for eight years.</p><p>The 2001-02 Islanders, whose 44-point improvement was the NHL&rsquo;s fourth-highest ever, last season slipped back 13.</p><p>Quebec, which leapt 52 in 1993-94, dropped 28 the next. Two years later the team relocated to Colorado and won the Cup.</p><p>In fact, most teams that had 30- to 40-point leaps-the 1966-67 Bruins, the 1981-82 Oilers and the 1996-97 Stars-went on to win the Cup within three years.</p><p>&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t be (another Carolina) because our goaltending is good and defense is going to be better,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We have kids who can step in and we compete every night without the puck&rdquo; As teams spent the summer getting nowhere trying to unload players known for their puck savvy, such seemed to be the direction of the upwardly mobile.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03594/8592800-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="3224" height="1221"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GATE CRASHERS</b>&nbsp;<i>Tampa Bay, along with Anaheim and Minnesota, busted in on the 2002-03 playoff party. Each team made some noise.</i></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0023-01

Cinderellas making case to join elite

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011226/8592852-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BACK AT IT</b>&nbsp;<i>Peter <b>Forsberg proved he is the NHL&rsquo;s best player. Now he&rsquo;ll be paid like it, too.</b></i></figcaption></div><p>No justice, no peace.</p><p>Check that. Even with salary scale justice, there probably won&rsquo;t be labor peace. But at least there is justice.</p><p>For the first time since Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux were running mates, the best player in the world will be paid in line with his standing in the game. A few years back, Jagr was alone at the top of the salary heap. Now, Peter Forsberg, winner of the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champ and Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, has joined him.</p><p>Forsberg signed a one-year, $11-million contract in late June, a few weeks after showing off another one of his many talents at the NHL awards. Just when you thought you&rsquo;d seen it all-the 29 goals and leagueleading 106 points, the one-on-one domination, the relentless drive-his versatility continues to impress even in the off-season. Now presenting Peter Forsberg, Funny Man.</p><p>&ldquo;Everybody thought Mario Lemieux was going to win (the Art Ross),&rdquo; he said June 12 in Toronto, &ldquo;but unfortunately he had to trade his whole team away.&rdquo; Bad-a-boom, bad-a-bing.</p><p>The contract announcement put to rest talk that Forsberg, too, would go away. Forsberg himself fuelled such speculation by saying he was considering playing next year in Sweden. What a blow that would have been for the league, losing the human antacid for the goal-starved era and one of the few who can make it palatable.</p><p>&ldquo;The team has had tremendous success since 1995 and I&rsquo;m expecting a very exciting and successful season,&rdquo; Forsberg said in a statement. &ldquo;It will be challenging and everyone should be up for it.&rdquo;</p><p>Still, it&rsquo;s just a matter of time before the NHL&rsquo;s top playmaker packs his bags. Next summer could very well be it Forsberg, who turns 30 on July 20, wants to help his Swedish club team MoDo win a championship. Countryman and boyhood pal Markus Naslund, who beat out Forsberg for the NHL Players&rsquo; Association Lester B. Pearson Award, eventually wants to do the same.</p><h2><b>CLOSE TO HOME</b></h2><p>&ldquo;I think it shows how close we feel to our home country and our home city still, even though we&rsquo;ve been over here for 10 years,&rdquo; said Naslund, who grew up with Forsberg in their hometown of Ornskoldsvik. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re both going to play a year or two back home when this is all over.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I suspect this will be an annual event with him,&rdquo; said Forsberg&rsquo;s agent, Don Baizley.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think Peter knows how long he&rsquo;s going to play. I think he&rsquo;s going to take it a year at a time.&rdquo;</p><p>Sweden has gone through a tough time of late-the Tommy Salo blunder at the 2002 Olympics, disappointing non-medal finishes in recent world junior tournaments, just two homegrowns in the first 100 picks of the recent entry draft-but the NHL awards was a decidedly Swedish affair.</p><p>In addition to Forsberg, Detroit&rsquo;s Nicklas Lidstrom was named top defenseman for the third straight season-something no one has done since Bobby Orr won eight from 1968TS-and Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg was runner-up to St Louis&rsquo;s Barret Jackman for the Calder. Forsberg, Vancouver&rsquo;s Naslund and Lidstrom were all first-team all-stars.</p><p>&ldquo;People back home know what kind of players we are now,&rdquo; Lidstrom said.</p><p>A year from now they may get to see some of them first-hand, all too soon for the NHL&rsquo;s liking.</p><h2><b>ALL-STAR TEAMS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02870/8592845-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="672" height="1402"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0024-01

Forsberg steals show

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011099/8592967-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"></div><p>The Jovo Train is picking up force.</p><p>&hellip; A year after finishing in a tie for second in goals amongst defensemen with 17, Vancouver blueliner Ed Jovanovski&rsquo;s output dipped to just six. But the speedy defender lit it up in the playoffs scoring seven goals in 14 games (three more than Dallas&rsquo;s Sergei Zubov-who was second with four) and that, apparently, caught the eye of The Hockey News readers. Jovanovski&rsquo;s 40 assists this season were five more than his previous high of 35 set in 2000-01.</p><p>The 27-year-old Windsor native was named to the NHL&rsquo;s second all-star team along with Washington blueliner Sergei Gonchar. Detroit&rsquo;s Nicklas Lidstrom and Al MacInnis of St. Louis were voted first team all-star defensemen.</p><p>The first overall pick in the 1994 NHL entry draft joined the Canucks in January of 1999 in the Pavel Bure trade. As a Canuck, Jovanovski&rsquo;s game has taken a drastic rise and he is now considered a potential future Norris Trophy winner.</p><p>Since joining the Canucks, his game has become more complete. An indication of his rise to prominence was when he was selected to represent Canada at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. There, Jovanovski was a solid two-way performer who contributed three assists in six games to Canada&rsquo;s gold medal victory.</p><p>The first team is rounded out by New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur, Colorado center Peter Forsberg, Vancouver left winger Markus Naslund and Colorado right winger Milan Hejduk.</p><p>Also on the second team are Dallas goalie Marty Turco, Boston center Joe Thornton, Anaheim left winger Paul Kariya and Vancouver right winger Todd Bertuzzi.</p><h2><b>FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS</b></h2><p><i>Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi of the Canucks were the NHL&rsquo;s most productive teammates in 2002-03. THN readers took notice, voting both players to the THN first All-Star team.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02754/8592960-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="248" height="395"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PeterFORSBERG</b></figcaption></div><p><b>CENTER</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Leads league with 106 points.</p><p><b>Highlights</b> Wins Hart</p><p>Trophy&hellip; League-leading <i>77</i> assists&hellip; Ties Hejduk for best plus-minus.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03520/8592953-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="247" height="393"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MarkusNASLUND</b></figcaption></div><p><b>LEFT WING</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Career-high 104 points</p><p><b>Highlights</b> Leads NHL in power play points and game-winners&hellip; Finishes second in scoring</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04346/8592946-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="245" height="390"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ToddBERTUZZI</b></figcaption></div><p><b>RIGHT WING</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Career highs in goals, assists and points <b>Highlights</b> Leads NHL with 25 power play goals&hellip; Finishes fifth in scoring with 97 points</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05248/8592939-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="250" height="392"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NicklasLIOSTROM</b></figcaption></div><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Third in scoring by defensemen</p><p><b>Highlights</b> Wins third straight Norris Trophy&hellip; I Leads all players in ice time per game</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06198/8592932-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="246" height="392"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AIMacINNIS</b></figcaption></div><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Leads defense; men with 68 points</p><p><b>Highlights</b> Leads blue liners in power play points&hellip; Is runner-up for Norris Trophy</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-07164/8592925-1-eng-US/f0025-072.jpg" title="f0025-07" width="249" height="391"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MartinBROOEUR</b></figcaption></div><p><b>GOALTENDER</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Leads goalies in wins and shutouts</p><p><b>Highlights</b> Wins his first Vezina Trophy&hellip; Finishes third in voting for Hart Trophy</p><h2><b>SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS</b></h2><p><i>The five players voted to THN&rsquo;s second AllStar team enjoyed standout seasons in 2002-03 and figure to enjoy several more before their careers are over. All five players are under the age of 30.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-08133/8592918-1-eng-US/f0025-082.jpg" title="f0025-08" width="263" height="388"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JoeTHORNTON</b></figcaption></div><p><b>CENTER</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Career-high 101 points</p><p><b>Highlights</b> Finishes third in points and second in assists&hellip; Third in Pearson Award voting</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-09108/8592911-1-eng-US/f0025-092.jpg" title="f0025-09" width="261" height="390"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PaulKARIYA</b></figcaption></div><p><b>LEFTWING</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Leads Ducks in scoring by 22 points <b>Highlights</b> Ties for fifth in NHL with 56 assists &hellip; Scores goal after Stevens hit in final</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1087/8592904-1-eng-US/f0025-102.jpg" title="f0025-10" width="268" height="394"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MilanHEJDUK</b></figcaption></div><p><b>RIGHTWING</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Wins Richard Trophy with 50 goals <b>Highlights</b> Seven-game goal streak (Feb. 11-23) longest in NHL since 1998-99</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1174/8592897-1-eng-US/f0025-112.jpg" title="f0025-11" width="266" height="397"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SeraeiGONCHAR</b></figcaption></div><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Second in scoring by defensemen <b>Highlights</b> Ties for lead in goals by defensemen&hellip; Finishes fourth in average ice time</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1263/8592890-1-eng-US/f0025-122.jpg" title="f0025-12" width="268" height="398"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>EdJOVANOVSKI</b></figcaption></div><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Leads Canuck defensemen in points</p><p><b>Highlights</b> Finishes tenth in defensemen scoring&hellip; Second on Canucks with plus-19</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-1353/8592883-1-eng-US/f0025-132.jpg" title="f0025-13" width="265" height="394"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MartyTURCO</b></figcaption></div><p><b>GOALTENDER</b></p><p><b>Key Stat</b> Posts lowest GAA (1.72) since 1942 <b>Highlights</b> Runner-up for Vezina Trophy&hellip;Leads NHL a. 932 save percentage</p><h2><b>The Hockey News2002-03 AWARDS</b></h2><h3><b>NHLMVP</b></h3><p><b>Peter Forsberg,</b> Colorado Leads Avs to ninth straight division title</p><h3><b>BEST PLAYER</b></h3><p><b>Markus Naslund,</b> Vancouver Holds scoring lead until final game of season</p><h3><b>BEST DEFENSEMAN</b></h3><p><b>Nicklas Lidstrom,</b> Detroit Smooth skater rarely caught out of position</p><h3><b>BEST GOALTENDER</b></h3><p><b>Martin Brodeur,</b> New Jersey Backstops Devils to third Cup in nine years</p><h3><b>BEST ROOKIE</b></h3><p><b>Henrik Zetterberg,</b> Detroit Leads rookies in scoring with 44 points</p><h3><b>BEST COACH</b></h3><p><b>Jacques Lemaire,</b> Minnesota The brains behind Wild&rsquo;s surprising playoff run</p><h3><b>BEST EXECUTIVE</b></h3><p><b>Bryan Murray,</b> Anaheim Shrewd deals lead Ducks to within one win of Cup</p><h3><b>PLAYOFF MVP</b></h3><p><b>J-S Giguere,</b> Anaheim Stoned Wings, Stars and Wild, slips in final</p><h3><b>MINOR PRO PLAYER</b></h3><p><b>Mike Komisarek,</b> Hamilton A force on blueline during AHL playoffs</p><h3><b>MINOR PRO COACH</b></h3><p><b>Todd McLellan,</b> Houston Guides Aeros to upset win over Hamilton in AHL final</p><h3><b>MAJOR JUNIOR PLAYER</b></h3><p><b>Corey Locke,</b> Ottawa Leads Canadian League in scoring with 151 points</p><h3><b>COLLEGE PLAYER</b></h3><p><b>Peter Sejna,</b> Col. College Blues prospect scores 82 points in 42 games<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

‘JOVOCOP’ on the rise

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>or five months, the Houston Aeros were one of the American League&rsquo;s most explosive teams, a darting, attacking group that could turn a giveaway at their blueline into an odd-man rush in the blink of an eye.</p><p>But after a trade or two here, and a recall or two there, the Aeros&rsquo; lineup had more grit and grind and less flash and dash.</p><p>So coach Todd McLellan decided to change the game plan-with 10 games to go in the regular season.</p><p>&ldquo;The dynamics of our team changed a little bit so we changed our system,&rdquo; said McLellan, whose team was well on its way to winning the West Division at the time. &ldquo;We became a lot more aggressive on the forecheck. We tried to appeal a little more to the hard-working, grind-it-out player.</p><p>&ldquo;We allowed the plumber the freedom to do what he does best. We kind of challenged the skilled guys to adapt their game and appeal to the other type of players.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>UNDERSTOOD HIS TEAM</b></h2><p>Talk about taking a chance. Talk about knowing your team, and making the right adjustments.</p><p>After finishing the regular season with a 4323-7-3 record and 104 points, the Aeros zoomed through the playoffs and won their first Calder Cup, defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs in an epic seven-game championship series.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011237/8592998-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="281" height="449"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TODD MCLELLAN</b></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;With our new system, we&rsquo;d be going well and fall off, going well and fall off,&rdquo; McLellan said. &ldquo;I remember walking to the room after Game 4 in Norfolk (a 3-2 win to even the conference semifinal 2-2) and telling the guys, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re finally getting it. You understand what it takes to win.&rsquo; From that point on, they did a lot on their own.&rdquo;</p><p>For his work, his knowledge and his willingness to adapt in midstream, McLellan is The Hockey News selection for minor pro coach of the year.</p><p>Let us hope he has NHL aspirations, because the winner usually ends up there.</p><p>Steve Stirling was the top minor pro coach in 2001-02 with the AHL&rsquo;s Bridgeport Sound Tigers and now will guide the New York Islanders next season.</p><p>Peter Laviolette won a Calder Cup with the Providence Bruins in 1998-99 and was in the NHL as an assistant the following year.</p><p>McLellan, just 35, could be on the fast track anyway after three seasons in the Minnesota Wild farm system. He has a two-year regular season record of 82-49-17-8 in Houston. The year before, his first in pro hockey, he was coach of the International League&rsquo;s Cleveland Lumberjacks and had a 43-32-7 record.</p><h2><b>HONED SKILLS IN WESTERN LEAGUE</b></h2><p>McLellan spent the previous six seasons with the Western League&rsquo;s Swift Current Broncos, compiling a 236-160-36 record (.588) and winning coach of the year honors in 1999-2000.</p><p>He&rsquo;s in no hurry to reach the NHL, though. Jacques Lemaire will likely be behind the Wild bench as long as he wants.</p><p>&ldquo;Like every player, like every coach, I&rsquo;d like a chance at the next level,&rdquo; said McLellan, whose NHL playing career consisted of five games with the New York Islanders in 1987-88.</p><p>&ldquo;But one of the first things Doug Risebrough and I talked about (when he was hired) was, at my age, to be patient. The Minnesota Wild have given me a great opportunity and loyalty is very important.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

Coach’s intuition key to Cup win

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02880/8593036-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DANDY D-MAN</b>&nbsp;<i>Mike Komisarek, a rising star in the Montreal Canadiens farm system, had a strong regular season and playoffs with Hamilton, and played a quarter of the year with the Habs.</i></figcaption></div><p>When Mike Komisarek opted to turn pro after just two seasons of college hockey, he obviously knew what he was doing.</p><p>Komisarek&rsquo;s domination of the Hamilton Bulldogs&rsquo; blueline-during the regular season before a late-season recall to the Montreal Canadiens, and then in the playoffs-earned him minor pro prospect of the year honors from The Hockey News.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the kind of guy you can build a blueline around,&rdquo; said Bulldogs coach Geoff Ward. &ldquo;Montreal has a real blue-chipper.&rdquo;</p><p>The Canadiens very likely already knew that, since they drafted the hulking 6-foot-4,240-pound Komisarek with the seventh pick overall in 2001. He returned to Michigan for his sophomore season, then signed with Montreal last summer.</p><p>He didn&rsquo;t need much time to make an impact in the AHL. Komisarek, 21, finished plus-27 in 56 games, the fourth-best rating in the league and tops among rookies. Ranked 22nd overall among prospects in The Hockey News Future Watch 2003, Komisarek collected five goals, 30 points and 79 penalty minutes this season with Hamilton.</p><h2><b>DISPLAYED QUICK MATURATION</b></h2><p>&ldquo;He understands his strengths and weaknesses and as he grew confident in his physical play, his play really took off,&rdquo; Ward said.</p><p>&ldquo;He has really good vision, he has a hard shot and he gets it off pretty quickly and he plays from the defensive aspect of the puck all the time.&rdquo;</p><p>Komisarek was called up by Montreal in February and played in 21 NHL games, picking up one assist and 28 penalty minutes.</p><p>When the regular season ended, he rejoined the Dogs and helped them reach the Calder Cup final. He scored one goal and six points in 23 games and had an AHL-best plus-11 rating.</p><p>&ldquo;He certainly didn&rsquo;t play like a first-year player,&rdquo; Ward said. &ldquo;He earned the respect and confidence of the coaches very early to play in all situations and even in the playoffs he took his game to another level. With him being one of the leaders on our blueline during our playoff run will really help him.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>AHL HONOR ROLL</b></h2><p><i>Below are the winners of The Hockey News minor pro awards going back to 1995-96. The first name listed is the coach of the year, the second is player of the year.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03713/8593029-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="547" height="775"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-02

Prospect shows poise

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011182/8593067-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>H</span>ere&rsquo;s the world view of the 2003 entry draft, with the number of Canadians (Cdn.), Americans (U.S.) and Europeans (Euro.) selected by each NHL team. Teams are listed in order of total number of draft picks.</i></p><p>Rick Nash didn&rsquo;t win the Calder Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s top rookie this season. That honor went to rugged St. Louis Blues defenseman Barret Jackman.</p><p>But when the freshman class of 2002-03 is judged a few years from now, there is a very good chance the Columbus Blue Jackets&rsquo; teenage sensation will be considered the best of the lot.</p><p>Doug MacLean, the brains behind the Blue Jackets, moved up in the 2002 draft to get the first &lsquo;pick, which he used to take Nash. The 18-year-old repaid his coach-GM by tying for second in rookie scoring with 17 goals and 39 points with 78 penalty minutes in 74 games.</p><p>The Blue Jackets are hoping their top pick this year, Russian winger Nikolai Zherdev, will have a similar impact and that together, the two kids will eventually give Columbus an excellent 1-2 punch up front.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> This week&rsquo;s NHL team reports feature highlights from the entry draft in Nashville.</p><p>I In one of the deepest topend drafts in recent history, teams had plenty of gamebreaking talent from which to choose.</p><p>Despite swirling talks of blockbuster trades, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers made the only significant draft-day move.</p><p>The clubs swapped first round picks and got exactly what they needed-Pittsburgh, a franchise back-stopper in Marc-Andre Fleury at first overall; and Florida, a big, strong center in No. 3 Nathan Horton.</p><p>The Minnesota Wild came up with the shock of the day, selecting right winger Brent Burns 20th overall. He was projected to go deep in the second round at the earliest and as late as the fourth or fifth round. Still, Burns&rsquo; strong work ethic might be a fine fit for the Wild, who like players with the attitude and grit to make themselves better.</p><p><b>2003 DRAFT PICKS</b> At the bottom of each team report is that club&rsquo;s 2003 entry draft selections. Information includes the round a player was selected, position, 2002-03 team and league and overall draft position.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

DRAFT DEMOGRAPHICS

<div class="byline">-DAN WOOD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03577/8593098-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="565" height="434"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02807/8593105-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="217" height="284"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>aving jumped all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final after missing the playoffs the three previous seasons, the Mighty Ducks can afford to exercise some patience.</p><p>They plan to do just that with their two first round selections in this year&rsquo;s draft, center Ryan Getzlaf and right winger Corey Perry.</p><p>&ldquo;The good thing about being in the position we&rsquo;re in is that these kids are going to get a little time to become men, develop their games and do it the proper way,&rdquo; said Ducks GM Bryan Murray.</p><p>Getzlaf and Perry figure to play another season with their junior teams, Calgary of the Western League and London of the Ontario League.</p><p>After taking Getzlaf 19th overall, Anaheim swapped a pair of second round picks with Dallas in order to get Perry with the 28th selection.</p><p>&ldquo;We thought for sure if he didn&rsquo;t go in the first round, he would go first or second in the second round,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We just didn&rsquo;t want to miss the kid.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Ducks had a simple plan entering the draft and they executed it. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re all big guys,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We think the next step for our team is to get a little bigger.&rdquo; Of the nine players chosen, all are at least 6-feet. In addition to Getzlaf and Perry, the Ducks are high on right winger Shane Hynes and defenseman Juha Alen, both chosen in the third round, and defenseman Nathan Saunders, a fourth round pick.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Anaheim opted not to pick up a $3.5-million option on center <b>Adam Oates</b>, but GM <b>Bryan Murray</b> did not rule out the possibility of the club re-signing Oates, likely after he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0027-03

NHL TEAM REPORT

Patience a virtue in Ducks’ draft plans

<div class="byline">-JEFF SCHULTZ</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05273/8593136-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="569" height="432"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04408/8593143-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="222" height="277"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>ow busy Atlanta GM Don Waddell is this summer will depend in large part on what kind of market Slava Kozlov discovers when free agency opens.</p><p>Once again, Waddell is playing a game of &ldquo;contract chicken.&rdquo; He has made Kozlov what he believes is a fair offer: three years for about $9.3 million. Kozlov has been seeking $3.5 million to $4 million per season, prefers four years and believes he can get it. Waddell has played this game before. He didn&rsquo;t believe Andrew Brunette or Steve Staios would get the contracts they got in free agency when he didn&rsquo;t make qualifying offers and he didn&rsquo;t expect Donald Audette to command the four-year contract he got from Dallas in 2001.</p><p>But he was right on defenseman Jiri Slegr&rsquo;s limited marketability and he&rsquo;s also right that-with the current CBA expiring in one year-the vast majority of franchises are more intent on dumping contracts than adding them.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> In a word, limited. Lacking a worthy trade offer, the Thrashers drafted a defenseman in the first round for the first time in their five drafts. Braydon Coburn needs to beef up his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame, but projects as a solid two-way player. The team also acquired defenseman Ivan Majesky from Florida for a second round pick. Waddell hopes Majesky can play in the top two &lsquo;D&rsquo; pairings.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Goalie <b>Byron Dafoe</b>, as expected, exercised the $3.5-million player option on his contract and will be back for a second season to compete with incumbent starter <b>Pasi Nurminen.</b> As of now, Dafoe has the highest base salary of any player on Atlanta&rsquo;s roster.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0027-05

Game of ‘chicken’ involves Kozlov, GM

<div class="byline">-NANCY MARRAPESE-BURRELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02848/8593174-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="567" height="466"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011225/8593181-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="215" height="278"></div><p>The worst-kept secret in Boston was finally revealed in late June when Mike Sullivan was introduced as the 25th coach in club history.</p><p>Sullivan got his feet wet as a coach last year when he was behind the bench of the Bruins&rsquo; top minor league affiliate in Providence. When Robbie Ftorek was fired in March, replaced by GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell, Sullivan came up from the minors and served as an assistant until the club was eliminated by New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I kept coming back to Mike when going over all the qualities I was looking for in a coach,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Connell said. &ldquo;He relates well to players while earning their respect, he knows the players in our organization and he believes you can play an up-tempo style of hockey without sacrificing the defensive aspects of the game.&rdquo;</p><p>At 35, Sullivan becomes the youngest coach in the NHL. Wayne Cashman will stay on as an assistant.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Bruins traded down to add depth by getting two additional picks. They selected defenseman Mark Stuart with the No. 21 pick in the first round and center Patrice Bergeron, whom they likened to a young Adam Oates, and left winger Masi Marjamaki in the second round. In all, the club wound up with two defensemen, three centers, three wingers and two goaltenders.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Bruins decided not to offer contracts to defenseman Don Sweeney and forward Lee Goren. GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell said he planned to talk to Sweeney about the vacant assistant coach&rsquo;s job&hellip;Goalie Jeff Hackett has decided to test the unrestricted free agent market.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0028-02

Greenhorn Sullivan latest to lead Bruins

<div class="byline">-BUCKY GLEASON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04436/8593212-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="569" height="476"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03626/8593219-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="218" height="281"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>homas Vanek was very effective playing for the University of Minnesota in HSBC Arena. Now the Sabres are hoping the Austrian left winger can be just as dominant playing in the same setting for them.</p><p>Vanek was the MVP after scoring two winners and leading the Golden Gophers to the NCAA championship. The Frozen Four was staged in Buffalo, allowing the Sabres to get a closer look at the 6-foot-2, 208-pounder before they picked him fifth overall.</p><p>&ldquo;I love the rink,&rdquo; Vanek said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve won a championship there already and hopefully there&rsquo;s more to come. I&rsquo;m real happy I&rsquo;m in Buffalo.&rdquo;</p><p>Vanek had 31 goals and 62 points in 45 games for Minnesota. He scored 17 goals in the third period or overtime last season, giving Buffalo the impression he can deliver in the clutch. First, Vanek must decide whether to sign with the Sabres or return for another season with the Gophers.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Ownership has told GM Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff the Sabres are expected to make the playoffs. They weren&rsquo;t looking for immediate help at the draft, but could find it in Vanek if they can get him signed. Buffalo selected defensemen with five consecutive picks, in rounds four through seven. Included was Nathan Paetsch (202nd overall), who was a Washington second-rounder (58th) in 2001.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> GM <b>Darcy Regier</b> said several teams inquired about the fifth pick, but no offers impressed him enough. Philadelphia apparently was interested in a package deal that would have included goalie <b>Martin Biron.</b></p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0028-04

Success in HSBC has Vanek all smiles

<div class="byline">-ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06282/8593250-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="569" height="424"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05332/8593257-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="209" height="271"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Calgary Flames had a pretty good sense of what they were getting when they made defenseman Dion Phaneuf their first choice in the entry draft, ninth overall.</p><p>Phaneuf, after all, plays for the Red Deer Rebels, a team coached by Brent Sutter. The Flames&rsquo; new GM is Darryl Sutter, Brent&rsquo;s older brother.</p><p>Darryl Sutter watched Phaneuf in the Western League playoffs and was impressed with his ability to compete. Still, he cautioned not to expect too much too soon.</p><p>&ldquo;You draft them that high because of character and desire, but you can&rsquo;t rush them,&rdquo; said Sutter, who compared his top pick to a young Bryan McCabe. &ldquo;We took Phaneuf because we think he&rsquo;ll be a hell of a player in the NHL. But he will be, at his own pace and with our help.&rdquo;</p><p>Phaneuf, an Edmonton native, said he was happy to get chosen by the Flames.</p><p>&ldquo;Any time you can stay in the province you grow up in, it&rsquo;s a positive,&rdquo; he said.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Flames made an unusual pick with their second selection, drafting Tim Ranholt, a defenseman who played in Zurich, Switzerland last season. Sutter said the Calgary scouts were high on Ranholt, the 16th-rated European skater who was coached this past season by Pekka Rautakallio, a Finn who played 235 games for the Flames between 1979 and 1982. The Flames would like Ranholt to play junior in North America next year.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Flames named <b>Tom Webster</b> their eastern pro scout. Webster will cover the Eastern Conference while <b>Ron Sutter</b> will concentrate on the West.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0028-06

Alberta boy Phaneuf stays close to home

<div class="byline">-LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02729/8593288-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="717" height="427"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011086/8593295-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="222" height="247"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>ow much muscle can an 18-year-old add in two months? The answer to that question may indicate whether or not No. 2 overall pick Eric Staal will be in the NHL next season.</p><p>The Hurricanes love the 6-foot-3 center&rsquo;s skills, character and hockey sense, but they&rsquo;re not sure he&rsquo;ll be strong enough to make the jump this fall.</p><p>&ldquo;He has unlimited talent and upside,&rdquo; said Carolina scouting director Sheldon Ferguson. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s 6-foot-3 and his hockey sense is outstanding. He&rsquo;s a good skater, but he has just got to get a little stronger.&rdquo; Right now, Staal is listed at a light 182 pounds. He&rsquo;ll get a crash course in conditioning at the Canes&rsquo; summer prospect camp and get a long look at rookie camp in Ottawa. Either way, the Canes finally have a successor to Ron Francis and Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour at center.</p><p>&ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s a big step from junior, but I&rsquo;m going to work as hard as I can this summer to improve my strength and give it my best shot this fall,&rdquo; Staal said.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> After getting two skilled players in Staal and defenseman Danny Richmond on Saturday, the Canes went for size on Sunday. In three picks, they drafted 19 feet of defensemen. They may have gotten a steal in fourth round pick Aaron Dawson, a 6-foot-4 teammate of Staal&rsquo;s in Peterborough who has only been playing organized hockey for three years.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Carolina acquired veteran defenseman <b>Danny Markov</b> from Phoenix on the first day of the draft for young defensemen David Tanabe and <b>Igor Knyazev</b>-both past first round picks of the Canes-to stabilize their problematic defense. &ldquo;We looked at a lot of defensemen and we liked Markov,&rdquo; said GM <b>Jim Rutherford</b>&hellip; That wasn&rsquo;t Rutherford&rsquo;s only trade in Nashville. On the second day of the draft, Carolina dealt a 2004 sixth round pick to Philadelphia for penalty-killing forward <b>Marty Murray.</b></p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0029-02

Staal will spend summer-bulking up in weight room

<div class="byline">-TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04364/8593326-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="718" height="462"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03507/8593333-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="212" height="276"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>rent Seabrook was eager to meet coach Brian Sutter after Chicago made the Lethbridge blueliner the 14th pick in the draft. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking forward to meeting him and letting him yell at me a couple times,&rdquo; he joked.</p><p>Seabrook no doubt can take it. His character and leadership abilities were key in the Blackhawks&rsquo; decision to take the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder as high as they did.</p><p>A captain with Lethbridge as well as with Canada&rsquo;s under-18 national team, Seabrook was the sixth highest-rated defenseman in the draft and the 25th-ranked North American skater according to NHL&rsquo;s Central Scouting. But GM Mike Smith and his scouts had Seabrook rated the fourth-best defenseman available.</p><p>&ldquo;Every team he has been on, he has been part of the leadership group,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I see three outstanding qualities: his size, his leadership and his defensive play.&rdquo;</p><p>Seabrook interviewed three times with the Hawks during the course of draft week. &ldquo;I was sort of hoping they&rsquo;d take me,&rdquo; he said.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Five of the Hawks&rsquo; 10 picks were blueliners, including Seabrook and Czech Michal Barinka in the second round. The Hawks also took two goalies, selecting Corey Crawford in the second round and Mike Brodeur in the seventh.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> In trading center <b>Andrei Nikolishin</b> to Colorado, GM <b>Mike Smith</b> said it opened a roster spot for unsigned 2001 first round draft pick <b>Tuomo Ruutu</b>. However, there have been no negotiations in more than a year as Smith refuses to give Ruutu the so-called model entry level contract loaded with performance bonuses. &ldquo;There is some personal agenda of Mike Smith at play and I don&rsquo;t know what it is,&rdquo; said Ruutu&rsquo;s agent, <b>Bill Zito.</b> &ldquo;Tuomo is getting tired of it. He doesn&rsquo;t understand why and he doesn&rsquo;t respect the way it&rsquo;s being handled.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0029-04

Hawks choose big Seabrook for his defense, leadership

<div class="byline">-ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02819/8593364-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="568" height="384"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011226/8593371-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="215" height="270"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>f ever the Avalanche was to break with tradition over its &ldquo;no free agents&rdquo; policy, this year would have seemed to have been the time to do it. But, no, said GM Pierre Lacroix.</p><p>&ldquo;We will not change our philosophy as an organization from previous years,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>That means the Avalanche, one of the wealthier teams in the NHL, again won&rsquo;t dive into the free agent pool July 1. The team has never signed a high-profile unrestricted free agent. Not only that, the organization will not sign its own top unrestricted free agent, defenseman Greg de Vries, who was second in the NHL among defensemen in evenstrength points (32) this season.</p><p>With the retirement of Patrick Roy, the Avs will save $8.5 million over last season&rsquo;s $61-million payroll, plus de Vries&rsquo; salary ($1,375 million). The team is committed to giving youngsters David Aebischer and Phil Sauve the chance to replace Roy, at least at the start of the 2003-04 season.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> With its first pick in the draft (No. 63 overall), Colorado added Plymouth (OHL) defenseman David Liffiton, 18, who compares his style of play to that of Adam Foote. The Avalanche also acquired offense-minded defenseman Tomas Slovak, 20, from Nashville in exchange for the rights to Russian forward Sergei Soin, who was drafted 50th overall in 2000.</p><p>As well, the Avs acquired center Andrei Nikolishin from Chicago for a fourth round pick in 2004.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Peter Forsberg</b>, winner of the Hart and Art Ross Trophies, will be back in Colorado for 2003-04. He signed a one-year, $11-million deal June 25&hellip; Colorado traded its main tough guy of the last five years, right winger <b>Scott Parker</b>, to the Sharks for a fifth round pick.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0030-02

Avs to tree agents: don’t bother calling

<div class="byline">-AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04424/8593402-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="567" height="469"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03591/8593409-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="223" height="279"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Columbus Blue Jackets claim Ukrainian right winger Nikolai Zherdev-whom they picked fourth overall-was actually No. 1 on their list before the entry draft started.</p><p>Big deal, right? Doesn&rsquo;t every team tell little white lies about it&rsquo;s No. 1 draft pick?</p><p>To back it up, coach-GM Doug MacLean and amateur scouting director Don Boyd grabbed their master list and opened it for the media. Sure enough, there was Zherdev, above Eric Staal, Nathan Horton, Marc-Andre Fleury and all the rest.</p><p>&ldquo;This is the guy we wanted,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;Zherdev has a dynamic upside and when I think about putting he and (last year&rsquo;s No. 1 draft pick) Rick Nash together, it&rsquo;s exciting.&rdquo;</p><p>The question now is whether Zherdev can play in Columbus next season, or if he needs more time.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Other teams may have been scared off by Dan Fritsche&rsquo;s surgically repaired shoulders, but not the Blue Jackets. They drafted the gritty, speedy center from Parma, Ohio, with the 46th overall pick.</p><p>In the seventh round, Columbus nabbed 27-year-old Russian defenseman Alexander Guskov, who could play in the NHL next season.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> It seems highly unlikely left winger <b>Ray Whitney</b>, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer, will return to the Blue Jackets. The club is satisfied with <b>Geoff Sanderson</b> and <b>Rick Nash</b> as its top two left wingers&hellip;The Blue Jackets are in hot pursuit of a bigtime center to play next to Nash. They have spoken to Dallas about <b>Pierre Turgeon</b>, but the Stars would have to eat a large chunk of his salary.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0030-04

Blue Jackets thrilled to get Zherdev fourth

<div class="byline">-CHUCK CARLTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06250/8593440-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="566" height="504"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05315/8593447-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="218" height="248"></div><p>What the Stars accomplished at the NHL draft was overshadowed by what didn&rsquo;t occur in Nashville and what might happen later this summer.</p><p>As rumors swirled around the Gaylord Entertainment Center, the Stars were smack in the middle of many of them. The Stars were open to dealing many of their big names.</p><p>The group is believed to include Bill Guerin (apparently despite a notrade clause), the recently waived Pierre Turgeon, veteran defensemen Richard Matvichuk and Darryl Sydor and center Jason Arnott.</p><p>The reason: money. The Stars and owner Tom Hicks are trying to pare a $66-million payroll and still find room to re-sign captain Derian Hatcher, an unrestricted free agent July 1. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question we&rsquo;ve always wanted Derian Hatcher,&rdquo; said GM Doug Armstrong. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t wake up and say we would be a better team without him. But everyone has to realize there are economic issues involved.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Dallas spent considerable effort trying to move up in the first round, but eventually traded down. They sent their first pick (28th overall) to Anaheim for the 36th and 54th picks. With their first pick (33rd), the Stars took skilled Swedish winger Loui Erikson, followed by Czech winger Vbjtech Polak.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Left winger <b>Jere Lehtinen</b> became just the third player to win as many as three <b>Seike Trophies</b> and has a connection to the other two. <b>Guy Carbonneau</b> is a former Stars teammate and <b>Bob Gainey</b> is the former Stars coach and GM who drafted Lehtinen.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0030-06

Stars search for way to re-sign Hatcher

<div class="byline">-NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-08170/8593478-1-eng-US/f0030-082.jpg" title="f0030-08" width="568" height="389"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-07205/8593485-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="215" height="250"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>J</span>ust when you thought Detroit&rsquo;s off-season couldn&rsquo;t get any wackier, there comes word superstar goalie Dominik Hasek is a return to Hockeytown.</p><p>The two-time NHL MVP moved home to the Czech Republic after retiring prior to this season. If he returns, it could open the door for the Wings to trade goalie Curtis Joseph, who has indicated he would waive the notrade clause in his contract. <i>(See pg. 8 for more on Hasek.)</i></p><p>There have been other crazy offseason happenings.</p><p>Prospect Igor Grigorenko got into a car accident, suffered serious injuries, was in danger of dying, improved and was released from the hospital. Owner Mike Hitch was elected to the Hall of Fame. Sergei Fedorov crashed one of his Ferraris into a tree and walked away.</p><p>That&rsquo;s not all. The Wings pulled their four-year, $40-million offer to Fedorov and were about to pull offers-two, three and four years at more than $2 million per-to Darren McCarty. Dmitri Bykov and Pavel Datsyuk received offers from their former Russian team, Ak Bars Kazan. Bykov signed with Kazan; Datsyuk was close to re-signing with Detroit</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> As usual, the Wings had slim pickings the first day. Their only pick was so late in the second round-64th overall-it was practically in the third round. But they were happy to get Jimmy Howard, NHL Central Scouting&rsquo;s secondranked North American goaltender.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> GM <b>Ken Holland</b> said the Wings&rsquo; offer to center <b>Sergei Fedorov</b> didn&rsquo;t generate &ldquo;10 seconds of discussion. We are so far apart in the philosophy of how the deal should be done, there&rsquo;s nothing to talk about.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0030-08

Hasek pondering return to Red Wings

<div class="byline">-ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02745/8593516-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="569" height="545"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011130/8593523-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="219" height="280"></div><p>Marc-Antoine Pouliot knows more about losing than any other player taken in the first round of the draft.</p><p>Despite playing for an awful Rimouski team that lost 58 times in 72 Quebec League games this season, including 38 straight defeats to finish the year, the lanky center managed 73 points and caught the eye of Edmonton&rsquo;s scouting staff with his never-give-up attitude.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a character kid,&rdquo; said GM Kevin Lowe. &ldquo;It was a tough year for him playing on a bad team. He showed a lot of character on nights when that team was losing 7-1.&rdquo; The 22nd overall pick has taken his share of bumps, the biggest of which might have come at the 2003 Prospects Game when Dion Phaneuf nailed him with a crushing hit.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not a lot of quit in him and he&rsquo;s got skill and he&rsquo;s got ability,&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got no fear.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Oilers learned this spring size matters and they simply don&rsquo;t have enough of it up front. With that in mind, strong, physical forwards were a priority at the draft. No surprise then, that eight of their first 10 picks were forwards and all them are big, with two of them 6-foot-4.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Seats for the NHL&rsquo;s first ever outdoor regular season game, Nov. 22 at Commonwealth Stadium against Montreal, are available to season ticket holders and are selling like crazy. Tickets go on sale to the general public in September and it&rsquo;s expected the 59,000-seat venue will sell out in a matter of days.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0031-02

Work in losing cause serves Pouliot well

<div class="byline">-DAVID J. NEAL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04425/8593554-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="570" height="595"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03558/8593561-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="209" height="274"></div><p>It was the colors, man, the colors.</p><p>Those reds, yellows and that big cat leaping right at you. Those are some of the reasons the Florida Panthers were Nathan Horton&rsquo;s favorite team in recent years.</p><p>Now, the Panthers are Horton&rsquo;s favorite team because he was the Panthers&rsquo; favorite player in the 2003 draft. After dealing the top pick to Pittsburgh, the Panthers took the power forward third overall. &ldquo;We felt Nathan Horton was the perfect guy for our hockey team,&rdquo; Dudley said.</p><p>Horton said he didn&rsquo;t follow speculation the Panthers might choose him first overall. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to in case it doesn&rsquo;t happen,&rdquo; Horton said.</p><p>The Panthers think Horton&rsquo;s size, strength and speed gives him a chance at making next season&rsquo;s roster.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Panthers had no power forwards in the system. They came out with two of the highest-rated ones in the draft, Horton and Kingston forward Anthony Stewart. Florida&rsquo;s desire to stay in the top four prevented them from getting more for the No. 1 pick than third line winger Mikael Samuelsson.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Panthers&rsquo; ninth round timeout wasn&rsquo;t about where to risk their final pick. They were trying to steal next year&rsquo;s sure thing, toprated forward prospect <b>Alexander Ovechkin</b>. The Panthers tried to argue Ovechkin, born two days past the Sept. 15 eligibility date for this year&rsquo;s draft, was eligible when leap years were taken into account. Had the NHL accepted this reasoning-it didn&rsquo;t-the Panthers would have taken Ovechkin with the last pick.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0031-04

Wearing Panther togs has Horton beaming

<div class="byline">-MATT MCHALE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06274/8593592-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="568" height="464"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05334/8593599-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="218" height="274"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith a draft loaded with talent, and looming labor problems forcing teams to worry about payroll, the Kings decided not to trade any of their three first round picks at the fJHL draft.</p><p>Rather than acquire expensive veteran talent, the Kings took Guelph right winger Dustin Brown with the 13th overall pick, then selected 6-foot-7 high school center Brian Boyle and Jeff Tambellini, son of former NHLer Steve Tambellini, with the 26th and 27th picks.</p><p>For the Kings, who missed the playoffs for the first time in four seasons, it was more important to stockpile younger, cheaper players than pursue established stars in trades.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think (the expiring CBA) was as critical as getting the chance to take advantage of one of the deepest drafts in history,&rdquo; said GM Dave Taylor. &ldquo;There were opportunities for deals, but nothing that was more attractive than these youngsters.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Brown, 19, a native of Ithica, N.Y., had 75 goals the past two seasons playing for Guelph (Ontario League). He was rated by Central Scouting as the No. 2 skater among eligible North Americans and Taylor said he could compete for a spot on the Kings&rsquo; top line alongside Jason Allison and Adam Deadmarsh.</p><p><b>NOTEDOOK</b> Center <b>Brady Murray</b>, son of coach Andy Murray, was selected by the Kings in the fifth round. Murray, 18, was considered a marginal prospect two years ago, but blossomed in his junior year in high school and in Junior A last season in British Columbia. &ldquo;This is a very exciting time for all of us,&rdquo; <b>Andy Murray</b> said. &ldquo;He has worked very hard and come a long way.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0031-06

Sticking with picks part of Kings’ plan

<div class="byline">-HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02800/8593637-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="563" height="523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011202/8593644-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="217" height="261"></div><p>The Canadiens insist there are no health issues concerning Andrei Kastsitsyn, their first round pick (10th overall) in the 2003 draft.</p><p>The right winger from Belarus suffered a seizure last season, creating fears he has epilepsy. Team physician David Mulder reviewed Kastsitsyn&rsquo;s records. He&rsquo;s convinced, if there&rsquo;s a problem, it is minor and controllable. As well, Kastsitsyn underwent an MRI and EEG at the NHL draft combine last May. No symptoms were evident.</p><p>The Canadiens believe the 6-foot, 189-pounder will develop into an offensive player. The 18-year-old is a skilled player with good hands and a deft scoring touch.</p><p>&ldquo;Our feeling is that he was one of the most talented players in the draft,&rdquo; said Trevor Timmins, the team&rsquo;s director of player personnel.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Canadiens hope they selected the sleeper of this year&rsquo;s draft in the third round, Nanaimo defenseman Ryan O&rsquo;Byrne. The 6-foot-5,210-pounder is headed to Cornell University. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very good skater and you don&rsquo;t find that in a player his size,&rdquo; Timmins said. The Canadiens selected the CHL&rsquo;s player of the year, Corey Locke, in the fourth round. Locke scored 63 goals and 151 points for Ottawa of the Ontario League, but he&rsquo;s only 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK Martin Madden</b> won&rsquo;t return as assistant GM when his three-year contract expires July 1. With <b>Bob Gainey&rsquo;s</b> hiring as GM, his predecessor, <b>Andre Savard</b>, becomes assistant GM. Madden has no interest in becoming a scout. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t interested in going back on the road full time,&rdquo; Madden said.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03582/8593630-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="1204" height="1366"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i>Signing Marian Gaborik to a new deal is a top priority for the Wild this summer.</i></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-02

Draft pick’s health not an issue to Habs

<div class="byline">-BRIAN MURPHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05323/8593675-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="562" height="425"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04419/8593682-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="214" height="242"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>oping to avoid a training camp stalemate with their franchise player, the Wild opened negotiations with Marian Gaborik before he became a restricted free agent.</p><p>GM Doug Risebrough presented a proposal to Gaborik&rsquo;s agent, Allan Walsh, on the eve of the draft. Both sides planned to continue talking throughout the summer.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s enough openness that it gives them a chance to be creative with it,&rdquo; Risebrough said of the offer.</p><p>It&rsquo;s believed a jumping-off point would start at $2-3 million a year.</p><p>Gaborik is coming off his second-straight 30-goal season in which he became a first-time All-Star Game participant and tied for second in playoff scoring with 17 points in 18 games. In three seasons, the 21-year-old has averaged 28 goals and 56 points.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> By taking three offensive forwards, the Wild addressed their scoring needs early in the draft and hope they got a steal in second-rounder (56th overall), Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan.</p><p>O&rsquo;Sullivan was a top scorer in the OHL and a projected first-round pick. But teams were scared off by his fractured relationship with his father.</p><p>&ldquo;This was a really talented kid who is dealing with some issues that weren&rsquo;t of his design or making,&rdquo; Risebrough said. &ldquo;We talked directly about it. We were comfortable.&rdquo;</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Prospects <b>Stephane Veilleux, Kyle Wanvig</b> and <b>Rickard Wallin</b> knitted themselves into a diverse and potent scoring line at Houston of the American League. Veilleux led the team with 18 postseason points. All three are expected to compete for NHL jobs at camp.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-05

Wild look to future, aim to lock up Gaborik

<div class="byline">-DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07224/8593713-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="565" height="600"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06271/8593720-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="221" height="236"></div><p>Although it is one of the league&rsquo;s newest franchises, Nashville has hockey roots that run deep.</p><p>GM David Poile&rsquo;s father and uncle both played in the league and his father also worked as a GM. Assistant GM Ray Shero is the son of coaching legend Fred Shero and pro scout Paul Gardner&rsquo;s father, Cal, and brother, David, played in the NHL.</p><p>Given all of that, the team reveled in the fact it got defenseman Ryan Suter with the seventh overall pick. Suter is the nephew of 17-year NHL veteran Gary Suter and son of 1980 U.S. Olympian Bob Suter.</p><p>&ldquo;I think bloodlines mean a lot,&rdquo; Poile said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m big on that.&rdquo;</p><p>The initial feeling was Suter would follow his father&rsquo;s footsteps to the University of Wisconsin for at least a year before trying out for the NHL.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Nashville picked five defensemen in the first three rounds, one fewer than in its previous five drafts combined. The team believes it secured a future pairing in Suter and second-rounder Kevin Klein and got size with second-rounders Shea Weber and Richard Stehlik, supplementing them with German blueliner Alexander Sulzer in the third.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Predators were confident attendance and response to the draft at Gaylord Entertainment Center convinced the NHL to bring an All-Star Game to Nashville in the near future. &ldquo;No question, we have the fan support and the passion of the fans to put on a great show,&rdquo; said owner <b>Craig Leipold.</b></p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0032-07

Family tie-ins continue as Freds select Suter

<div class="byline">-RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-09161/8593751-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="562" height="351"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08193/8593758-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="208" height="276"></div><p>Winning the Stanley Cup didn&rsquo;t prevent the Devils from landing what many scouts believed to be a top-10 prospect in the entry draft.</p><p>Having swapped first round picks with St. Louis (part of the compensation for the 1994 Scott Stevens tampering case), the Devils had moved from 30th overall to 22nd. But when North Dakota center Zach Parise became obtainable, GM Lou Lamoriello made a deal with Edmonton for the 17th overall selection in exchange for the 22nd and 68th picks.</p><p>&ldquo;When we saw (Parise) start slipping we had to move up,&rdquo; Lamoriello said of his quick action. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t know we&rsquo;d even have a chance at him. I&rsquo;ll tell you how surprised we were. This is the first time in four years we didn&rsquo;t have a name tag ready for the player we took.&rdquo;</p><p>Parise, son of Isles great J.P., played at North Dakota with defenseman David Hale, the Devils&rsquo; first round pick in 2000.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> David Conte, the brains behind the Devils&rsquo; exceptional draft history, said his goal this year was to replace the depth lost by trading so many talented young players in recent years. He seemed to have succeeded. In Czech center Petr Vrana, they got a skilled playmaker with the talent to become another Petr Sykora. By trading Mike Danton to move up in the draft for the 93rd pick, they also landed Russian center Ivan Khomutov, who has speed and an impressive wrist shot while being rated as a top 40 prospect.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> GM <b>Lou Lamoriello</b>, who may be forced out as president of the NBA Nets, denied reports he would leave the Devils (perhaps for the Boston Bruins). &ldquo;I have no intentions of going anywhere,&rdquo; Lamoriello said. &ldquo;I never did.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0032-09

Son of ex-lsles great slips to elated Devils

<div class="byline">-PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02735/8593789-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="707" height="439"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011086/8593796-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="222" height="281"></div><p>Bloodlines were all the rage at the NHL entry draft, and the New York Islanders made sure they got in on the party.</p><p>While GM Mike Milbury took some heat for passing on Zach Parise, the son of former</p><p>Islander J.P. Parise, he snapped up winger Robert Nilsson, whose father Kent spent 10 seasons in the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;My father has been my biggest influence in preparing for the NHL,&rdquo; said Nilsson, whom the Isles selected 15th overall. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve not only been prepared for this day by him, but for what the Islanders will expect of me in the very near future.&rdquo;</p><p>At 5-foot-l 1 and nearly 180 pounds, Robert Nilsson possesses his father&rsquo;s slight build and playmaking ability, but Anders Kallur, the team&rsquo;s head of European scouting, believes Robert is &ldquo;a little tougher than his dad.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not afraid to be physical,&rdquo; Kallur said. &ldquo;He even described himself to me in the interview as a power forward.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Milbury couldn&rsquo;t make the draft his personal showcase this summer. Instead he opted to replenish the team&rsquo;s prospect coffers by keeping all of his three second round selections. Six of Milbury&rsquo;s nine picks were used on forwards, including Russian wingers Dimitri Chernykh (48th overall) and Evgeni Tunik (53rd) and Western League center Jeremy Colliton (58th) in the second round.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK T</b>he trade market was stifled by concerns over the pending CBA war, but that didn&rsquo;t prevent GM <b>Mike Milbury</b> from trying to rekindle memories of his Mad Mike alter ego. Milbury attempted to move up to the No.l overall pick, which Florida shipped to Pittsburgh. He listened to offers for some of his big-name players, including center <b>Michael Peca.</b> &ldquo;People are afraid of losing any more money,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;Every year we say we&rsquo;ll get responsible (as a league) and every year we get stupid. Maybe we&rsquo;ve finally learned.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0033-02

Slight size, but super genes lands Nilsson on Island

<div class="byline">-LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04455/8593827-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="703" height="468"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03575/8593834-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="212" height="272"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>ad the Rangers been willing to oblige all those teams interested in dumping contracts in anticipation of a new, restrictive labor agreement, they could have held an immediate post-entry draft press conference to introduce Keith Tkachuk, Doug Weight, Bill Guerin, Jaromir Jagr and Richard Matvichuk-to name but a handful of those offered-as the newest Blueshirts.</p><p>That would&rsquo;ve meant adding another $40 million to the payroll, but who&rsquo;s counting? Well, for once, the Rangers, who are not only counting money, but uncertainties.</p><p>Eleven weeks following the end of the season, Glen Sather still hadn&rsquo;t found a replacement for himself behind the bench. The GM, who had not ruled out a reprise as coach, met with Larry Robinson in Toronto June 18, but Robinson took himself out of the running June 26.</p><p>&ldquo;I was looking forward to the challenge,&rdquo; Robinson said, &ldquo;but I didn&rsquo;t have that real excitement when I thought about taking this job.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Rangers scouts couldn&rsquo;t contain their glee upon selecting Hugh Jessiman, the 6-foot-4,200-pound sophomore right winger from Dartmouth, with the 12th pick. Jessiman, who skyrocketed through every known ranking during his explosive freshman season, is the franchise&rsquo;s first true power winger prospect in a generation. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not an easy guy to play against in any shape or form,&rdquo; said vicepresident of player development Tom Renney.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Mark Messier</b>, whose player&rsquo;s option for next season would have been triggered had the Rangers qualified for the playoffs, will become an unrestricted free agent July 1&hellip;Though published reports suggested the Rangers were in deep negotiations with Washington to acquire <b>Jaromir Jagr</b>, a source told the <i>New York Post</i> the team had &ldquo;no interest&rdquo; in the right winger.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0033-04

Rangers a dumping ground for unwanted superstars?

<div class="byline">-BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02825/8593865-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="563" height="413"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011222/8593872-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="222" height="260"></div><p>Patrick Eaves was worth the wait for the Ottawa Senators.</p><p>The Sens considered dealing their No. 29 pick in the first round of the NHL entry draft, but they weren&rsquo;t about to pass up on the opportunity to get the 18-year-old Boston College right winger.</p><p>Ranked No. 47 among prospects in The Hockey News Draft Preview, Eaves was finally able to shake what was a difficult season after he recovered from a broken vertebrae in his back and the mental anguish of an accidental collision that left Merrimack goalie Joe Exter fighting for his life. (Exter suffered a fractured skull, spent 16 days in a coma and only recently started skating again.) &ldquo;To get drafted is a great feeling,&rdquo; said Eaves, the son of former NHLer Mike Eaves. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve worked hard to get to this point.&rdquo;</p><p>The Sens took a long, hard look at Eaves before settling on him. Leading up to the draft, doctors were called in to make sure he was fully recovered from the back injury that kept him out of action for three months.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Senators missed out on some of their midround target picks, but they did bolster their blueline with four defensemen. The most significant might have been Ottawa 67&rsquo;s William Colbert, the first player the Sens have ever taken from the local junior club.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to have that connection with the 67&rsquo;s and a coach like Brian Kilrea,&rdquo; said GM John Muckier. &ldquo;You know the guy is going to be getting good development and it&rsquo;s nice to go to a 67&rsquo;s game knowing you can watch one of your prospects every night.&rdquo;</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Bryan Smolinski</b> chose the Senators over unrestricted free agency by signing a four-year, $10-million (U.S.) deal.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0034-02

Eaves’ troubling year brightened by Sens

<div class="byline">-WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04513/8593903-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="564" height="505"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03650/8593910-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="222" height="246"></div><p>Jeff Carter said he tries to model his game after big, physical centers like Philadelphia&rsquo;s Keith Primeau.</p><p>The Flyers wouldn&rsquo;t mind if their first of two No. 1 picks in the 2003 draft takes that one notch higher someday and plays well enough to succeed their current captain.</p><p>After their bid to trade up for Florida&rsquo;s first overall pick failed, the Flyers stood pat. They saw no reason to go after a prospect such as University of Minnesota center Thomas Vanek (taken fifth by Buffalo) because they feel Carter, selected at No. 11, is in the same talent range. &ldquo;Our people liked Vanek a lot,&rdquo; said GM Bob Clarke, &ldquo;but we think Carter has a chance to be as good as (No. 3 pick Nathan) Horton.&rdquo; Carter put together a strong individual season in the Ontario League with Sault Ste. Marie, but the Greyhounds struggled. &ldquo;It was definitely a tough year and something you had to battle through,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-3, 182-pound Carter. &ldquo;Like everyone on the team, I think I grew as a person.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Center and goaltender were priority positions at the draft and the Flyers addressed both needs. Of their 11 picks, four were pivots and three were netminders.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Veteran left winger <b>John LeClair</b> waived his no-trade clause for four teams-Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Rangers-after the Flyers asked him to restructure the remaining three years on his contract. LeClair, due $27 million over that time, declined the request&hellip;As part of a front-office restructuring of the Flyers and NBA&rsquo;s Sixers (both owned by cable TV giant Comcast), GM <b>Bob Clarke</b> relinquished his title as team president to <b>Ron Ryan.</b></p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0034-04

Bid tor top pick foiled, but Carter consoles

<div class="byline">-BOB MCMANAMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06371/8593941-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="560" height="380"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05415/8593948-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="210" height="285"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>or a team without a first or second round draft pick, the Coyotes managed to make headlines with some wheeling and dealing that figures to extend deep into the summer.</p><p>The Coyotes dealt defenseman Danny Markov to Carolina for a pair of onetime first round picks in young blueliners David Tanabe, 22, and Igor Knyazev, 20. &ldquo;We gave up a very passionate player who was very well-liked in the community and by his teammates,&rdquo; said Coyotes GM Mike Barnett. &ldquo;But you have to give to get and we feel we got two outstanding young defensemen that hopefully will be in our organization for a decade-plus.&rdquo; Phoenix also acquired feisty left winger Tyson Nash from St. Louis for a fifth round pick And more moves were expected, as rumors continue to swirl about the impending departures of goalie Sean Burke and possibly defenseman Teppo Numminen, the team captain.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> With their first two picks, both in the third round, Phoenix added playmakers with potential in Vancouver-born Tyler Redenbach and Russian Dimitri Pestunov. But the most intriguing pick came in the fourth round when they tabbed Liam Lindstrom, son of former NHLer Willie Lindstrom (a teammate of Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s with the Oilers). The 6-foot center is a decent two-way player with desire and smarts. He&rsquo;s also Gretzky&rsquo;s godson.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Shane Doan</b> deserves a couple of assists for some draft-day maneuvering by the Coyotes. A former junior teammate of winger Tyson Nash, Doan was instrumental in the trade that brought Nash to Phoenix and he also lobbied hard for the drafting of Kamloops center <b>Tyler Redenbach</b>, a summer skating partner.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0034-06

Draft day dealing brings youth, attitude

<div class="byline">-DERRICK GOOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-10231/8594017-1-eng-US/f0034-102.jpg" title="f0034-10" width="561" height="537"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-09255/8594024-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="225" height="273"></div><p>Starting with floating Valeri Bure through waivers-twice-the St.</p><p>Louis Blues began trimming salary to make it possible, if not probable, to re-sign Pavol Demitra and harness the runaway budget of the past two seasons.</p><p>Demitra is a restricted free agent, and, after leading the team in scoring the past three seasons, is due a raise from the $3,975 million he made in 2002-03, his first 90-point campaign.</p><p>At the draft the Blues traded Tyson Nash and Cory Stillman, two other restricted free agents, for picks. Bure was claimed by Florida. The moves shaved the existing payroll to around $50 million, not including Demitra or free agent Shjon Podein.</p><p>The Blues aren&rsquo;t promising a lower payroll than last season, but they at least want what they pay for. And the names bubbling up show another intent: changing the &ldquo;look up front,&rdquo; GM Larry Pleau said. &ldquo;A different chemistry.&rdquo; But without Demitra, it would lack a catalyst.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> To christen Jarmo Kekalainen&rsquo;s first draft as the Blues director of amateur scouting, the team wanted what it hadn&rsquo;t had yet in Pleau s tenure-a dozen picks. There was an overt focus on skating skill, right down to Kekalainen&rsquo;s leg-explosiveness tests and the feet the first pick, defenseman Shawn Belle (Tri-City), scored the highest on those tests.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Blues are not expected to exercise the $2.5-million option on winger <b>Martin Rucinsky</b>, but the club was pleased with his post-season and is interested in having him back at a lower price.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0034-10

Stillman sacrificed to give Demltra due

<div class="byline">-ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02791/8594055-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="564" height="513"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011139/8594062-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="214" height="264"></div><p>The San Jose Sharks have a long memory. Now they have someone who can do something about it.</p><p>San Jose traded a fifth round pick to Colorado to acquire Scott Parker, the team&rsquo;s first enforcer since Brantt Myhres departed in 2000. The Sharks don&rsquo;t want to forget the incident Feb. 21 when Columbus tough guy Jody Shelley doled out a season-ending concussion to Brad Stuart, who was the victim of cheap shot retaliation.</p><p>&ldquo;What happened to Brad Stuart last year will never happen again,&rdquo; GM Doug Wilson said. &ldquo;Scott Parker certainly addresses an area we&rsquo;ve identified we needed.&rdquo;</p><p>The 25-year-old Parker, who is 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, has 462 penalty minutes in 202 career games.</p><p>Stuart needed an additional month off after the regular season ended before resuming workouts.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Departing from their trend of selecting a defensemen with either their first or second pick in each of the last seven drafts, San Jose went for size up front with each of its first three picks. The Sharks took eight forwards, two defensemen and a goalie.</p><p>&ldquo;From a quality standpoint, I like it and diversity-wise I like it,&rdquo; said Tim Burke, San Jose&rsquo;s director of amateur scouting.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Sharks agreed to terms on a contract with left winger <b>Alexander Korolyuk,</b> who spent last season in the Russian League over a contract dispute after playing the previous five years in San Jose&hellip;Trainer <b>Tom &lsquo;Woody&rsquo; Woodcock,</b> with the Sharks since their inception, was inducted into the Professional Hockey Trainers&rsquo; Society Hall of Fame.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0035-02

Parker’s flying fists will come in handy

<div class="byline">-DAMIAN CRISTDDERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04523/8594093-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="562" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03650/8594100-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="211" height="270"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n an attempt to soften the blow in case points leader Vinny Prospal is lost to free agency, the Lightning acquired left winger Cory Stillman from the Blues for the 62nd overall pick at the draft.</p><p>&ldquo;If I&rsquo;ve done anything in the last year and a half, I&rsquo;ve demonstrated that I am someone who does buy insurance,&rdquo; said GM Jay Feaster. &ldquo;If this is not needed, we just became an incredibly deeper team. We got a player who can step in and play.&rdquo; Stillman, who had 24 goals and a career-best 67 points this season, was available because the Blues are lowering their $60-million payroll.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to go to Tampa Bay,&rdquo; Stillman said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team on the rise.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Lightning&rsquo;s 11 draftees addressed the team&rsquo;s organizational needs on the blueline and in net. Tampa Bay drafted five defenseman and two goalies. The most intriguing picks were defenseman Mike Egener, selected in the second round (34th overall) and center Zybnek Hrdel, taken in the ninth round (286). Egener, who plays for Calgary of the Western League, is rock-solid with a mean streak, something Feaster covets. Hrdel, who plays for Rimouski (QMJHL) stumbled this season with 10 goals in 65 games. But he did play for the Czech Republic at the World Under-18 Championships.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Team president <b>Ron Campbell</b> said he has &ldquo;no doubt&rdquo; unrestricted free agent wingers <b>Vinny Prospal</b> and <b>Dave Andreychuk</b> will be re-signed&hellip;Goalie <b>Gerald Coleman</b>, taken in the seventh round (224th overall), is the first player drafted to come through the NHL&rsquo;s diversity program. Coleman, from Chicago, plays for London (OHL).</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0035-04

Stillman acquisition ‘insurance’ for Bolts

<div class="byline">-KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06400/8594131-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="565" height="312"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05440/8594138-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="206" height="276"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to restructure their front office this summer and the only casualty looks to be the organization&rsquo;s longest-serving employee.</p><p>As June drew to a close, the Maple Leafs were expected to announce major changes in their hockey department to coincide with a new board of directors led by Larry Tanenbaum, which comes to power July 1. The most substantial change would be Pat Quinn dropping the GM title to concentrate solely on coaching. Team president Ken Dryden was expected to have all his decisionmaking powers stripped in the hockey department and will be moved into a lesser role.</p><p>But assistant to the GM Bill Watters, who has held a number of management titles with the team since 1991, will not have his contract renewed.</p><p>&ldquo;Things are changing,&rdquo; Quinn said, &ldquo;and (Watters) is part of what looks like the past and we&rsquo;re going on.&rdquo;</p><p>The Leafs received permission to speak to Vancouver director of player personnel Steve Tambellini and St. Louis assistant GM John Ferguson Jr. about the GM job.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> Maple Leafs&rsquo; director of amateur scouting Barry Trapp said the Leafs were trying to upgrade their long-term skill and speed at the draft and he was satisfied they had done that.</p><p>The Leafs did not have a first round pick and didn&rsquo;t pick until No. 57, when they took U.S. high school defenseman John Doherty. None of the picks are likely to compete for a roster spot for at least three years.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Doug Gilmour</b> said he wanted to play another season and GM <b>Pat Quinn</b> said Gilmour remains a possibility&hellip; The Leafs hired <b>Doug Shedden</b> to coach their farm team in St. John&rsquo;s.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0035-06

Watters pushed out in Leafland shuffles

<div class="byline">-ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08315/8594169-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="564" height="474"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07355/8594176-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="215" height="279"></div><p>The Canucks selected a U.S. collegian with their first draft pick, but it wasn&rsquo;t the one many predicted.</p><p>GM Brian Burke and his staff passed on Michigan winger Jeff Tambellini, the son of Canuck executive Steve, and instead chose Ohio State center Ryan Kesler at No. 23 overall. Kesler was ranked 17th by The Hockey News, eight spots ahead of Tambellini, who went 27th to Los Angeles.</p><p>&ldquo;We liked Jeff a lot, but we had Ryan Kesler ranked ahead of him and we don&rsquo;t go off our list,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not doing our fans a service if we accommodate someone whose father works in the organization.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I thought they&rsquo;d take Tambellini,&rdquo; said Kesler, who hails from the same hometown (Livonia, Mich.) as Mike Modano. &ldquo;But this is a great feeling.&rdquo;</p><p>Kesler has been likened in style to Canuck veteran Trevor Linden, but perhaps without the scoring touch Linden possessed in his early years.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Canucks claim they always draft straight off their list, so seven forwards among their 10 picks may have been a coincidence. Then again, with Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison all in their mid-to late 20s, the Canucks have seemingly addressed the need to insert some forwards in their pipeline. Oh, and they did draft a player with a famous father-Brandon Nolan, son of former coach-of-the-year Ted, at 111th overall.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Canucks have apparently decided to seek an experienced NHL backup for <b>Dan Cloutier</b> rather than use young pro <b>Alex Auld</b>, who finished last season as the backup ahead of the nowdeparted <b>Peter Skudra</b>. Skudra will play in Russia next season.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0035-08

Kesler takes priority over exec’s offspring

<div class="byline">-DAVE FAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10243/8594207-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="568" height="305"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09282/8594214-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="220" height="276"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen attendance for the Capitals&rsquo; three home playoff games was dramatically below what owners thought was warranted, Ted Leonsis said he planned to reconsider his financial commitment to the team. His first order of business in reducing the $50.4-million payroll appears to be trading Jaromir Jagr.</p><p>It has been widely reported that the Capitals and New York Rangers are discussing the possibility of Jagr moving his act to Broadway, where it was thought he would go three years ago. Washington would be expected to take center Eric Lindros and his $9.3-million, one-year deal in return. And therein lies the hangup. Jagr has five years to go at $11 million per year plus an option year. Reports suggested the Rangers initially only wanted the Caps to pick up a large hunk of Jagr&rsquo;s salary for one year, but sources insist the asking price continued to go up.</p><p><b>DRAFT IMPACT</b> The Capitals took Brandon winger Eric Fehr with their first pick, 18th overall, and then took a curious route. Two high school students, a 17-year-old from Sweden and a collegian were taken before winger Mark Olafson was selected from Kelowna with the team&rsquo;s final pick.</p><p>None are expected to be in the Caps&rsquo; picture for at least three years.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Michael Nylander</b>, obtained from Chicago early last season, was a whisker short of becoming a Group V unrestricted free agent. He made $1.8 million last season; the league average came in at $1.79 million. He remains a restricted free agent&hellip;University of Michigan defenseman <b>Danny Richmond</b>, son of Cap scout <b>Steve Richmond,</b> was taken 31st overall by Carolina&hellip;The team and 2002 first round pick <b>Boyd Gordon</b> were close to agreement on a contract.</p><h2><b>2003 Draft Picks</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0035-10

When fans no-show, owner dumps dough

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011111/8594273-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>hen the deadline-day trade was made and defenseman Lawrence Nycholat was shipped off to the New York Rangers, the Houston Aeros did not start clearing a spot in the Compaq Center for the Calder Cup.</p><p>Hardly. They were trying to figure out why the parent Minnesota Wild traded away a key component of their American League team for a goalie, Johan Holmqvist, who few in Houston knew much about &ldquo;Nycholat was having a career year, he was a character kid and his teammates were really upset when the deal happened,&rdquo; said Aeros GM Dave Barr.</p><p>Three months later, the Aeros understood why the deal was made-and they were thankful. With Holmqvist playing the best hockey of his career, Houston won the Calder Cup, defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs 4-3 in a, thrilling seven-game championship series.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been waiting nine years to win a championship and it&rsquo;s the greatest feeling in the world,&rdquo; said Aeros captain Sylvain Cloutier, whose brother Dan, goalie for the Vancouver Canucks, was among the AHL-record 17,428 fans at Copps Coliseum for the 3-0 victory in Game 7.</p><h2><b>HOLMQVIST PLAYOFF MVP</b></h2><p>Holmqvist went 15-8 in the post-season, with a 2.00 goals-against average and. 923 save percentage, and was named winner of the Jack Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVR He set an AHL post-season record by playing 1,498 minutes and 48 seconds, and his 23 games and 15 victories tied records.</p><p>&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t expect him to be that good,&rdquo; said Aeros all-star Curtis Murphy, the Eddie Shore Plaque winner as the league&rsquo;s best defenseman. &ldquo;But you get to a new team and your confidence is high because you know somebody wants you.&rdquo;</p><p>Holmqvist was the missing piece for a talented Aeros team that could dominate a game, but still lose because of shaky goaltending. The best example: a 3-1 regular season loss to Grand Rapids, when Houston outshot the Griffins 3210. In four games against the Griffins, Houston was outscored 18-2.</p><h2><b>AEROS &lsquo;HAD&rsquo; TO TRADE FOR GOALIE</b></h2><p>&ldquo;We were going through a lot of strife in our goaltending. A deal had to be made,&rdquo; Barr said. &ldquo;Dieter Kochan had Lyme&rsquo;s Disease, Frederic Cloutier was hurt and Derek Gustafson just wasn&rsquo;t playing as well as he can.&rdquo;</p><p>The 25-year-old Holmqvist, a Rangers farmhand for three seasons, played better than anyone knew he could.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know Johan at all, but Minnesota&rsquo;s pro scouts did a very good job of identifying him and the trade was a breath of fresh air for him,&rdquo; said Aeros coach Todd McLellan. &ldquo;The new opportunity revitalized him. I played him right off the bat, I played him a ton and he responded.&rdquo;</p><p>Not that this was a one-man show. The Aeros were among the AHL&rsquo;s elite teams all season, going 47-23-7-3 to win the West Division with 104 points. They had firepower in left wingers Jean-Guy Trudel and Stephane Veilleux; veteran leaders in Hnat Domenichelli and Cloutier; promising prospects in Rickard Wallin and Kyle Wanvig; and mobility and scoring on the blueline with Murphy, Travis Roche and David Cullen.</p><p>&ldquo;And in the Norfolk series (the conference semifinal) we lost two in a row and we changed our style a little bit and got guys going that maybe weren&rsquo;t playing well,&rdquo; said Murphy. &ldquo;The third and fourth line guys are the ones who win it for you and they sort of turned it around in that series.&rdquo;</p><p>The Aeros won 3-2 in Game 4 to tie the Norfolk series, then won Games 5 and 6 by 4-1 and 3-1 scores to move on.</p><p>Those victories were blowouts by Houston terms. The Aeros won a record 10 one-goal games in the playoffs, including two in the final. They were 10-5 in one-goal games.</p><p>&ldquo;I remember after one of the games saying, &lsquo;Good Lord, could you win one 5-1 for a change,&rsquo;&rdquo; Barr remembered.</p><p>What fun would that be? One of the one-goal losses came in Game 2 of the final, which became the longest game in AHL history when Bulldogs winger Michael Ryder finally scored at 14:56 of the fourth overtime. Hamilton goalie Ty Conklin made 83 saves and Holmqvist stopped 79.</p><p>That evened the series 1-1 heading to Houston for Games 3,4 and 5.</p><h2><b>OVERCAME DEVASTATING CALL</b></h2><p>&ldquo;We thought we had won it late in the second overtime when we scored on a 5-on-3 power play, but in the judgment of the referee (Dan O&rsquo;Rourke), one of our players (Cloutier) interfered with the goalie,&rdquo; McLellan said. &ldquo;Turns out he was nowhere near the goalie, but we dealt with it, we talked about it openly for five minutes in the dressing room and then that was the last time it was mentioned.&rdquo;</p><p>The Aeros won two of three games in Houston and, after falling 2-1 in Game 6, won the Cup in Game 7. Holmqvist made 31 saves and became just the third goalie in AHL history to post a Game 7 shutout in the final.</p><p>&ldquo;It would have been nice to win it at home, but with 17,000 fans in the building it was great and they gave us a clap,&rdquo; Murphy said.</p><p>The Aeros, in turn, applauded their goaltender.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s now a very good prospect,&rdquo; Barr said.</p><h2><b>FOUR-TIME CHAMPS</b></h2><p><i>The Houston Aeros have won championships in three different leagues: the American League, International League and World Hockey Association. Listed are the key players from those teams plus the U.S. president at the time.</i></p><p><b>2002-03 CALDER CUP</b> (AHL) Top scorer: Jean-Guy Trudel (85) Coach: Todd McLellan Defenseman: Curtis Murphy Goalie: Johan Holmqvist Def. Hamilton Bulldogs 4-3 U.S. president: George W. Bush</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02723/8594266-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="159" height="145"></div><p><b>1998-99 TURNER CUP</b> (IHL) Top scorer: Brian Wiseman (109) Coach: Dave Tippett Defenseman: Greg Hawgood Goalie: Manny Fernandez Def. Orlando Solar Bears 4-3 U.S. president: Bill Clinton</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03598/8594259-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="161" height="135"></div><p><b>1974-75 AVCO CUP</b> (WHA) Top scorer: Larry Lund (108) Coach: Bill Dineen Defenseman: Mark Howe Goalie: Ron Grahame Def. Quebec Nordiques 4-0 U.S. president: Gerald Ford</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04460/8594252-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="161" height="75"></div><p><b>1973-74 AVCO CUP</b> (WHA) Top scorer: Gordie Howe (108) Coach: Bill Dineen Defenseman: Mark Howe Goalie: Don McLeod Def. Chicago Cougars 4-0 U.S. president: Richard Nixon</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05386/8594245-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="158" height="79"></div><div class="sidebar"><p><i>I played him right off the bat. I played him a ton and he responded.</i></p><p><b>Houston coach Todd McLellan on Johan Holmqvist</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0036-01

Houston flies to top

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p>When Claude Noel was named coach of the Milwaukee Admirals in late June, a cheer went up in the suburb of Thiensville, Wis.</p><p>Not from elated Admirals fans, but from Noel&rsquo;s wife and two sons. Being hired as Peter Horachek&rsquo;s replacement behind the Milwaukee bench means Noel can live at home.</p><p>&ldquo;God was shining his light on my house and it&rsquo;s a beautiful thing,&rdquo; said the 47-year-old Noel.</p><p>Noel left his family at home last summer when he took the job as coach of the East Coast League&rsquo;s Toledo Storm. A former coach in the ECHL with Dayton and Roanoke-and in the old International League with Kalamazoo-Noel was the assistant in Milwaukee for four years, yet wanted another chance to run the show.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01991/8594304-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="226" height="360"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CLAUDE NOEL</b></figcaption></div><p>But in leaving for Toledo, he and his wife decided not to uproot sons Chris and Sheldon, so Lynda stayed behind in suburban Milwaukee.</p><p>Now Noel is coming home, replacing Horachek, who was promoted to an., assistant with the parent Nashville Predators. The Admirals were 32-27-14-7 under Horachek, losing in the playoffs to eventual Calder Cup-champion Houston.</p><p>&ldquo;I went down to Toledo with the anticipation of just doing a good job,&rdquo; Noel said. &ldquo;I never dreamed it would happen in this fashion.&rdquo;</p><p>Results speak loudly, however. Noel was the ECHL&rsquo;s coach of the year after guiding the Storm to a 47-15-10 record.</p><p>&ldquo;I like to teach and I love being a coach because you have an impact on people&rsquo;s lives,&rdquo; Noel said. &ldquo;You can really shape team&rsquo;s attitudes and people&rsquo;s attitudes.&rdquo;</p><p>Noel was a winger in the AHL and IHL. A native of Kirkland Lake, Ont., he didn&rsquo;t score a point in a seven-game stint with the Washington Capitals in 1979-80.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Coach Noel back home with Admirals

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Norfolk Admirals say they have lost nearly $2 million since joining the American League three years ago, but owners <b>Page Johnson</b> and <b>Mark Garcea</b> will operate the team again next season.</p><p>The Admirals signed a new one-year affiliation agreement with Chicago Blackhawks, the only parent they have had. The deal includes an option for 2004-05.</p><p>Success on the ice has not translated to success at the box office, but crowds did improve slightly this season. Norfolk has a three-year record of 111-78-37-14 and has won the South Division title the past two years.</p><p>The Admirals averaged 4,632 fans this season, up 91 from 2001-02.</p><p><b>LONESOME GRIZZLIES</b> The Dallas Stars&rsquo; refusal to split up goaltending prospects <b>Jason Bacashihua</b> and <b>Mike Smith</b> means they&rsquo;ll be stocking the entire <b>Utah Grizzlies</b> roster alone.</p><p>While the Stars have been the primary affiliate in Utah, they prefer a limited partner to help them save money in player payroll costs.</p><p>Enter the Tampa Bay Lightning. After their dual affiliation with Phoenix (in Springfield) ended at the conclusion of this season, the Bolts were looking for an AHL team to send their top prospects. They liked Utah, but wanted a spot for a goalie. But Dallas wants both Bacashihua and Smith in the AHL. So, Tampa struck a partial-affiliation deal that will see the Lightning send up to six prospects to the Hershey Bears.</p><h2><b>AHL WEST NOTEBOOK</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02673/8594349-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="242" height="241"></div><p><b>SHIP AT SEA</b> The Milwaukee Admirals will continue to be operated by the trust of late owner <b>Jane Bradley Pettit</b> after <b>Craig Leopold</b>, owner of the parent Nashville Predators, decided not to buy the AHL team. The Admirals have operated in Milwaukee since 1971-72, beginning as a semi-pro team before joining the old International League in 1977-78.</p><p>The franchise was absorbed by the AHL with five other IHL teams in 2001.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to follow through with Mrs. Pettit&rsquo;s desire to keep hockey here,&rdquo; said Admirals governor Francis Croak.</p><p><b>NEED A LIFT</b> Here&rsquo;s something you won&rsquo;t find in the used car ads: a Zamboni. An old, but fully operational Zamboni is up for raffle by the Syracuse Crunch and it could be yours for just $5. Well, plus any fees to haul it-or drive it-away from the Onondaga County War Memorial, where it resurfaced the ice from the mid-1970s through 2000-01.</p><p>The Crunch tried e-Bay first, but when no one bought it, went with a raffle. Tickets went on sale in June, with the drawing set for March.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03535/8594342-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="1008" height="1481"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i><b>Chicago prospect Mikhail Yakubov had a quiet adjustment to pro hockey scoring just six goals and 11 points in 62 games with Norfolk.</b></i></figcaption></div><h2><b>BEARS A BIG HIT IN NEW ARENA</b></h2><p><i>Average per-game attendance in the AHL fell 3.7 per cent from last season (to 5,679 from 5,895). The Hershey Bears recorded the biggest rise as they moved into the new 10,500-seat Giant Center after 64 years in Hersheypark Arena. Hershey&rsquo;s attendance rose 27.8 per cent to an average of 7,822 this season. Cleveland&rsquo;s home attendance rose 10.4 per cent. Western teams contributing to the decline were Milwaukee (down 19.8 per cent), Rochester (down 13.6 per cent) and Philadelphia (down 11.4 per cent.)</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04449/8594335-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="485" height="669"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0037-02

Admirals win on ice, lose at gate

<div class="byline">BY ROB MUELLER</div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>ack in February, Arkansas RiverBlades managing partner <b>Max Hooper</b> denied a report in The Hockey News that his franchise was on the verge of folding.</p><p>Four months later, there&rsquo;s no denying the facts: the RiverBlades are out of business.</p><p>The North Little Rock, Ark.-based team surprised the East Coast League when it announced it was folding after four seasons.</p><p>&ldquo;The fan support has grown over the past two years and attendance figures were up, but we have not been successful in our attempts to make the RiverBlades profitable,&rdquo; said Hooper, a senior vice-president at Equity Broadcasting, which owns the franchise.</p><p>The announcement came a few days after <b>Chris Cichocki</b> resigned as coach. Cichocki has been since named the new coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones.</p><h2><b>NOTEBOOK</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05400/8594380-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="227" height="220"></div><p>Because the RiverBlades were included on the 2003-04 schedule released in early June, the ECHL released a revised schedule June 22.</p><p><b>CHAMPS MAKE CHANGE</b> The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies won their first Kelly Cup title in May, but the team failed on the business side.</p><p>That cost GM <b>Matt Loughran</b> his job. The Bullies replaced him with former New Orleans Brass GM <b>Dan Belisle</b>.</p><p>Despite icing the best team, the Bullies averaged around 3,200 fans a game this season.</p><p><b>VICTORIA KINGFISH?</b> According to published reports in Victoria, B.C., the ECHL&rsquo;s manifest destiny is about to take the league to Canada, with the dormant Baton Rouge Kingfish on the verge of being sold to Victoria businessman <b>Graham Lee</b> and moved to the city in 2004-05.</p><p>Lee is spearheading a $30-million arena project in Victoria. He had plans for a Western League team, but now is eying the ECHL.</p><p><b>NOTEDOOK</b> The Wheeling Nailers replaced fired coach <b>John Brophy</b> with <b>Pat Bingham,</b> who coached Adirondack in the United League this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-05

RiverBlades collapse stuns head office

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen Providence right winger Lee Goren learned the Boston Bruins would not be offering him a new contract this summer, he took the news better than expected.</p><p>That&rsquo;s because Goren, who is 25 years old and has played just 35 career NHL games, would become a Group VI unrestricted free agent July 1. The Winnipeg-native is excited about his future.</p><p>The third-year pro has just come off the best season of his young career-32 goals, 69 points and 106 penalty minutes in 65 games with the Providence Bruins. Goren also played 14 games with Boston, plus five more in the Stanley Cup playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;This year is the way I should play hockey every year,&rdquo; Goren said.</p><p>&ldquo;Hopefully now I&rsquo;ll have a contract to play in the NHL. If I didn&rsquo;t have to play another American League game, I&rsquo;d be the happiest guy alive.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011075/8594411-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="221" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LEE GOREN</b></figcaption></div><p>Goren, whom Boston drafted 63 rd overall in 1997, has been a part of the Bruins organization his entire pro career and was disappointed by the B&rsquo;s decision. &ldquo;I was hoping I&rsquo;d get a chance to go back,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d definitely like to play for Sully (former Providence coach and new Boston coach Mike Sullivan) again. On the other hand, I&rsquo;m a little excited about what might come up.&rdquo;</p><p>Goren gave some of the credit for his strong third season to Sullivan, who was in his rookie year as coach. Sullivan was promoted to Boston assistant coach late in the season and named head coach June 23.</p><p>&ldquo;I knew there would be a new outlook in the organization after I was there two years,&rdquo; Goren said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t the biggest fan of the old coach (Bill Armstrong).</p><p>&ldquo;Still, you have to do your job and it doesn&rsquo;t matter who you&rsquo;re playing for.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-01

Goren looking forward to life after B’s

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><p>The American League is casting a serious glance in the direction of Des Moines, Iowa, as the site for an AHL team by 2005-06.</p><p>The Iowa Events Center&rsquo;s Well Fargo Arena, part of a $217-million project already underway, is seeking to house an AHL team and Polk County officials sent out invitations to all 30 NHL teams to consider the option of moving their affiliates there.</p><p>AHL president <b>David Andrews</b> said, however, that the process might not move quickly, largely because existing AHL teams would not be likely to express interest publicly. Still, Andrews said, the league is very intrigued.</p><p>&ldquo;Des Moines, in my view, is the No. 1 location we would hope to move into.&rdquo;</p><p>Minnesota has expressed an early interest, as has Calgary. The Flames have ended their arrangement in Saint John, shutting down that franchise, and will send their prospects to Lowell in 2003-04.</p><h2><b>AHL EAST NOTEBOOK</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02724/8594456-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="246" height="246"></div><p><b>NEW COACHES SOUGHT</b> Both the Hamilton Bulldogs and the Toronto Roadrunners are searching for new coaches.</p><p>The Montreal Canadiens, who will be the Dogs&rsquo; sole NHL parent, are said to be interested in several candidates as bench boss, including former Habs coach <b>Alain Vigneault</b>.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers, who split the Hamilton franchise with Montreal this season, are moving their prospects down the road to Toronto.</p><p><b>Geoff Ward</b>, who took over as coach of the Bulldogs at mid-season, remains under contract to the Oilers through the end of the summer and figures to be in line for the Toronto job. The Oilers, though, are also said to be interested in Marc Habscheid, coach of the Western League&rsquo;s Kelowna Rockets.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Binghamton coach <b>John Paddock</b> has decided to stay put. The Ottawa Senators had given him permission to interview with Pittsburgh for an assistant coach&rsquo;s job with the Penguins. But Paddock, who is about to enter the second year of a three-year contract, declined to pursue the Pens job after an initial interview. Pittsburgh was searching for additional staff in support of new coach <b>Ed Olczyk</b>, who played for Paddock when he coached the Winnipeg Jets&hellip;Hamilton&rsquo;s 3-0 loss on home ice in Game 7 of the Calder Cup final had at least one silver lining: it was the Bulldogs&rsquo; first sell-out in seven seasons, as 17,428 packed Copps Coliseum. The game was also the largest-ever crowd for a Calder Cup playoff game.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03587/8594449-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="1014" height="1476"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i><b>Jason Morgan&rsquo;s sweater displaying the Saint John dragon is a collector&rsquo;s item as the Flames are gone for good from the New Brunswick city.</b></i></figcaption></div><h2><b>AHL ATTENDANCE SUFFERS SETBACK</b></h2><p><i>The AHL&rsquo;s streak of 14 consecutive record-breaking seasons for attendance is over. Even with one more team than last year, AHL total attendance reached 6,360,885, a shade below last year&rsquo;s total of 6,366,996. In the Eastern Conference, Saint John (22.3 per cent), Hamilton (13.9 per cent) and Hartford (13 per cent) had double-digit drops, while Manchester had the most significant increase (9.6 per cent). This was Saint John&rsquo;s final season in the AHL. New AHL cities in 2002-03 were San Antonio and Binghamton.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04472/8594442-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="482" height="666"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0038-02

AHL eyeing Des Moines as new site

<div class="byline">-BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05373/8594487-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="192" height="102"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>U</span>nited League players will be required to wear mouthguards during games and helmets during warmups next season under new league rules. The mouthguards &ldquo;will better protect (players&rsquo;) teeth and help insulate them from concussions,&rdquo; said Columbus Stars GM Robb King. As for the helmets, &ldquo;we don&rsquo;t want somebody stepping on a puck and cracking their head open during warmups because the team is liable.&rdquo; The UHL will also start the season 10 days later in an effort to avoid conflicts with high school football games. The 200304 season will start Oct. 24 and end April 10.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-05

NOTEBOOK

<div class="byline">-DAVID HENRY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06315/8594518-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="190" height="106"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>ime has run out on the El Paso Buzzards. The beleaguered Central League team was not included in next season&rsquo;s 17-team alignment announced during the CHL summer meetings in Phoenix, Ariz. The Buzzards battled financial problems, which arose from the bankruptcy of former owner Billy Davidson, just to finish the 2002-03 regular season. According to the CHL and El Paso city officials, as many as four potential ownership groups had expressed interest in purchasing the franchise, but there wasn&rsquo;t adequate time to complete the process.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-06

<div class="byline">-NICK GATES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07281/8594549-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="208" height="73"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Atlantic Coast League will have a team in Huntsville, Ala., next season. John Cherney, owner of the Channel Cats, chose to go with the ACHL over the rival World Hockey Association 2 for two reasons: &ldquo;Geography and it seems all the teams in the other league are owned by one person,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re sort of outnumbered if any serious issues come up.&rdquo; Cherney once owned the now-defunct Huntsville Tornado of the Central League and the Channel Cats in the extinct Southern League. The Cats plan to sign several former University of Alabama-Huntsville stars.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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July 1, 2003

NHL needs direction

THE HIGHS. LOWS & CRUSHING BLOWS

PLUS MINUS

Future with Fleury looks much better