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.

March 23, 2004

The Hockey News March 23, 2004

<h2><b>WHO AM I?</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> am a grizzled veteran who has played for six NHL teams. Nine times I scored 30 goals or more; my career high is 54. I have never won the Stanley Cup, but I will be in the playoffs this year. Who am I?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0864/7725055-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="349" height="559"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0960/7725048-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="315" height="760"></div><h2><b>THE &ldquo;WHAT, ME TRADED?&rdquo; AWARD</b></h2><p>Reports had Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig headed to Colorado, Los Angeles, Rangers, Ottawa and Toronto, among others. Seven high-paid Caps were dealt, but not Kolzig.</p><h2><b>TRIVIA</b></h2><p>Who was the last member of the Kansas City Scouts to play in the NHL?</p><p><b>a.</b> Simon Nolet</p><p><b>b.</b> Wilf Paiement</p><p><b>c.</b> Ed Gilbert</p><p><b>d.</b> Chuck Arnason</p><p>The correct answer to the Trivia/Who Am I questions will appear in next week&rsquo;s issue of The Hockey News and at <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> Last week&rsquo;s Trivia: C. Bill Dineen coached in the WHA for seven years. Last week&rsquo;s Who Am I: New York Islanders captain Michael Peca.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

ON THE FLY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02631/7723795-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="289" height="373"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01954/7723802-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="111" height="116"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ighting owner Bill Davidson is proud of the way his team has played, but still is not convinced Tampa Bay is a viable hockey market. Because of that - and losses the Bolts said have reached $50 million since Palace Sports & Entertainment bought the team and the St. Pete Times Forum lease in June, 1999 - Davidson will wait for a new labor agreement before deciding to keep or sell the team.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>&ldquo;The league is in deep financial trouble,&rdquo; Davidson said. &ldquo;Southern cities aren&rsquo;t, I don&rsquo;t want to say not as profitable, but you don&rsquo;t have the following you do in northern cities&hellip;So it&rsquo;s difficult to look forward (and see) Tampa Bay as a viable market.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT TAMPA BAY NEEDED</b> A power forward to give Tampa more strength in front of the net. Tampa Bay also wanted to add to its defensive depth and add a No. 3 goalie for insurance in case Nikolai Khabibulin or John Grahame was injured.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03423/7723788-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="347" height="749"></div><p><b>WHAT TAMPA BAY GOT</b> They made one of the earliest moves of the trade season in acquiring defenseman Darryl Sydor from Columbus Jan. 27 for Alexander Svitov, the third overall draft pick in 2001. The Bolts also re-acquired defenseman Stan Neckar from Nashville for a 2004 sixth round pick Feaster said he looked hard for a goalie, but the asking prices were &ldquo;ridiculous.&rdquo;</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Sydor was an important piece to solidify Tampa&rsquo;s run for the Eastern Conference title - and perhaps the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Lightning&rsquo;s 4-2 victory over Carolina March 10 gave them a 17-game point streak (13-0-2-2), the longest in the NHL this season&hellip;The win also lifted the team to 40 victories for the first time in franchise history.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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NHL TEAM REPORTS

Future in Tampa in question despite team’s winning ways

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03724/7722305-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg"></div><p>How long should Todd Bertuzzi be suspended?</p><p><b><i>Fan response to a poll on <a href="http://thehock-eynews.com">thehock-eynews.com</a> prior to the announcement of Todd Bertuzzi&rsquo;s suspension indicates they agree with how the NHL handled it.</i></b></p><p>Should Todd Bertuzzi face criminal charges?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04474/7722298-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="936" height="576"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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FEATURES & COLUMNS

THE HOCKEY NEWS INTERNET POLL

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06224/7724054-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="729" height="365"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05278/7724061-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="207" height="201"></div><p><b>HUNGARY</b></p><p><b>Member of HHF since</b> 1927</p><p><b>Pop. of country</b> 10,075,034</p><p><b>Registered players</b> 1,316</p><p><b>No. of ice facilities</b> 4</p><p><b>Major league</b> (six teams) Borsodi League</p><p><b>2003 champion</b> Alba Volan SC</p><p><b>2003-04 top scorers</b></p><p>Krisztian Palkovics, Alba Volan</p><p>Gabor Ocskay, Alba Volan</p><p>Balazs Ladanyi, Dunaujvarosi AC</p><p><b>Association website/e-mail</b></p><p><a href="http://www.icehockey.hu">www.icehockey.hu</a></p><p><a href="mailto:zoltank@icehockey.hu">zoltank@icehockey.hu</a></p><p><b>Head office</b> Budapest</p><p><b>2003 world ranking</b> No. 22<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DEPARTMENTS

HOCKEY NATION AT A GLANCE

<div class="byline">Jason Kay Editor</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021518/7721922-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="386" height="710"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011786/7721929-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="116" height="119"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031229/7721915-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="1667" height="1841"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDY MARLIN/BB)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>I</b>f you want to know who&rsquo;s going to win this year&rsquo;s Art Ross Trophy, keep an eye on last year&rsquo;s champ.</p><p>Should Peter Forsberg return from his abdominal/groin injury before the end of the regular season, it could have a domino effect on the Avalanche lineup. As it stands, Joe Sakic is playing between Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk. If Forsberg comes back, there&rsquo;s a decent chance he&rsquo;ll be inserted between Tanguay and Hejduk, his usual running mates. That would leave Sakic with less productive players.</p><p>Whatever transpires, it&rsquo;s another fierce Art Ross battle, one that will produce a new winner for the third consecutive year. In our opinion, based on statistical and anecdotal evidence, we believe Martin St-Louis will be the victor. The following are snapshots of the top six scorers through March 10 (not including the injured Robert Lang). The Q4 category is the player&rsquo;s points-per-game average since Game 61. For &lsquo;D&rsquo; strength of opponent, all 30 teams were assigned a grade from 1-7, with one being the stingiest and seven being the most porous. The number listed is the average of the opponents remaining on each player&rsquo;s schedule.</p><p>Number of games remaining is indicated by GR.</p><h2><b>MARTIN ST-LOUIS,</b> TAMPA BAY</h2><p>POINTS 81 PPG 1.16 04 1.40 PPG</p><p>D&rsquo; STRENGTH OF OPPONENTS 4.42 GR 12</p><p>VARIABLES Healthy; good chemistry with linemates Vinny Lecavalier and Ruslan Fedotenko; gets three relatively soft touches (Rangers, Washington, Atlanta).</p><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS PROJECTS 97 points</p><h2><b>JOE SAKIC,</b> COLORADO</h2><p>POINTS 80 PPG 1.16 04 1.80 PPG</p><p>D&rsquo; STRENGTH OF OPPONENTS 4.42 GR 12</p><p>VARIABLES Healthy; red-hot since tour de force game March 3 against Vancouver; Forsberg&rsquo;s return remains a wild card in the equation.</p><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS PROJECTS 96 points</p><p><b>THE CHAMP? <i>Martin St-Louis needs to make the most out of games against lesser defensive opponents.</i></b></p><p><b>DOUBLE PLAY <i>The Art Ross Trophy winner has nearly a 50:50 chance of capturing the Hart Trophy, a feat that has happened 34 times in 80 years. Here are the five most recent scoring champ/MVP winners.</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04995/7721908-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="1254" height="543"></div><h2><b>ALEX TANGUAY,</b> COLORADO</h2><p>POINTS 79 PPG 1.16 Q4 1.20 PPG</p><p>D&rsquo; STRENGTH OF OPPONENTS 4.42 GR 12</p><p>VARIABLES Healthy; enjoyed four- and five-point nights entering final quarter, but failed to register points in five of 10 games.</p><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS PROJECTS 94 points</p><h2><b>ILYA KOVALCHUK,</b> ATLANTA</h2><p>POINTS 73 PPG 1.06 Q4 1.22 PPG</p><p>D&rsquo; STRENGTH OF OPPONENTS 4.75 GR 12</p><p>VARIABLES Healthy; rekindled chemistry with Dany Heatley; sees weakest defenses of all Art Ross competitors.</p><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS PROJECTS 89 points</p><h2><b>MARKUS NASLUND,</b> VANCOUVER</h2><p>POINTS 75 PPG 1.14 Q4 1.00 PPG</p><p>&rsquo;D&rsquo; STRENGTH OF OPPONENTS 4.25 GR 12</p><p>VARIABLES No lingering affects from concussion, but how will Bertuzzi&rsquo;s absence factor in?; faces tough defenses down stretch.</p><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS PROJECTS 86 points</p><h2><b>MARIAN HOSSA, OTTAWA</b></h2><p>POINTS 73 PPG 1.07 04 1.11 PPG</p><p>&rsquo;D&rsquo; STRENGTH OF OPPONENTS 3.69 GR 13</p><p>VARIABLES Healthy; toughest schedule of those in race; return of Radek Bonk as center could provide needed boost.</p><p>THE HOCKEY NEWS PROJECTS 85 points</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05804/7721901-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="514" height="276"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Art Ross St-Louis’ to lose

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-06473/7721967-1-eng-US/f0004-062.jpg" title="f0004-06" width="387" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">Freddy Meyer</figcaption></div><h2><b>MILESTONES</b></h2><p>Tony Amonte &bull; RW, 33</p><p><b><i>Philadelphia, March 5 vs. Ottawa</i></b> Achieves NHL Milestone Award for playing in 1,000th game.</p><p>Jacques Martin &bull; coach, 51</p><p><b><i>Ottawa, March 6 vs. Nashville</i></b> Becomes 14th NHL coach to win 400 regular season games.</p><h2><b>NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS</b></h2><p>Brendan Shanahan &bull; LW, 35</p><p><b><i>Detroit, March 5 vs. Vancouver</i></b> Has second-longest active streak of</p><p>16 straight 20-goal seasons.</p><p>Luc Robitaille &bull; LW, 38</p><p><b><i>Los Angeles, March 9 vs. Phoenix</i></b> Becomes 10th player in NHL history to score 650 career goals.</p><p>Jean-Sebastien Aubin G, 26 <b><i>Pittsburgh, March 9 vs. Dallas</i></b> Sets Pittsburgh franchise record with 45 saves in shutout win.</p><h2><b>NHL DEBUTS</b></h2><p>Freddy Meyer &bull; D, 23</p><p><b><i>Philadelphia, March 6 at Washington</i></b> Boston University grad praised by coach for quick transition game.</p><p>Randy Jones &bull; D, 22</p><p><b><i>Philadelphia, March 6 at Washington</i></b> Emergency call-up was a free agent signing last July out of Clarkson.</p><p>Matt Underhill &bull; G, 24</p><p><b><i>Chicago, March</i></b> 7 <b><i>vs. Edmonton</i></b> Hawks&rsquo; sixth goalie this year is 247th ECHL grad to make the NHL.</p><p>Brad Boyes &bull; RW, 22</p><p><b><i>San Jose, March</i></b> 7 <b><i>at Dallas</i></b></p><p>Center was showcased at right wing, then dealt to Boston two days later.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-07300/7721960-1-eng-US/f0004-072.jpg" title="f0004-07" width="387" height="618"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRAD BOYES</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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WORTH NOTING

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MARK BRENDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011787/7722022-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span></b>ay what you want about Glen Sather, but the man is consistent. When he wanted to build a team of superstars acquired through trades and free agent signings no other team could afford, he did it extremely well. Didn&rsquo;t have much success on the ice, mind you, but he gritted his teeth through four depressing years and never wavered from the template.</p><p>In the post-trade deadline world he still hasn&rsquo;t wavered from the template. He has shredded it instead. The cosy, rich Ranger ship of washed-up vets has been burned to a crisp, its ashes carried out to sea. It remains to be seen whether Sather&rsquo;s latest rebuilding strategy will bring better on-ice success in the years to come, but it is indisputably a new plan.</p><p>By the gruesome end, the Rangers had traded nine players at a net savings on a frill-season payroll of $25 million. <b><i>(See chart at right.)</i></b> They reduced their payroll commitments to next year by $10 million. But Sather&rsquo;s Rangers weren&rsquo;t the only ones starting anew. Never before have the standings jumpers and salary dumpers been so clearly delineated.</p><p>Consider that of the 32 players who moved on the March 9 deadline day, just five Derek Morris from Colorado; Karl Rachunek and Shane Hnidy from Ottawa; Chris Therien from Philadelphia; and Jeff Jillson from Boston came off NHL rosters of teams in playoff positions. It was for good reason playoff-bound clubs protected their precious chemistry like cups of water in a desert, because they discovered it cost them little more than sand to pick up their spare pieces.</p><p>The Rangers, for example didn&rsquo;t pick up a single prospect in the top 50 of The Hockey News 2004 Future Watch. Only one FW Top-50 prospect moved anywhere - Boston defenseman Shaone Morrisonn (49) to Washington in the Sergei Gonchar deal.</p><p>Chicago held a fire sale. Minnesota dumped core players Jim Dowd, Sergei Zholtok, Brad Bombardir and Brad Brown for a song. Washington this season cast aside their top five scorers from last season - Jaromir Jagr, Gonchar, Robert Lang, Michael Nylander and Peter Bondra, plus Steve Konowalchuk, Mike Grier and Anson Carter to boot - and wound up with mostly unheralded kids and draft picks. 4</p><div class="sidebar"><h2><b>NO EASY OUT</b></h2><p><b><i>Jaromir Jagr is one of the few big names staying in New York.</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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Ranger road less taken

<h2><b><i>Best of the hockey World</i></b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021258/7722060-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="350" height="561"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE SULLIVAN</b></figcaption></div><p><b>NHL TOUGH ON TODD</b> Todd Bertuzzi is suspended for the rest of the season and playoffs for his brutal attack on Colorado&rsquo;s Steve Moore.</p><p><b>LIGHTNING STRIKES</b> Tampa Bay rolls on a 10-game undefeated streak, seemingly en route to winning the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy for finishing first overall.</p><p><b>WHAT A PICK-UP</b> Nashville&rsquo;s Steve Sullivan scores eight goals and 19 points in 11 games since arriving from Chicago.</p><h2><i>Worst of the Hockey World</i></h2><p><b>TEARS ARE NOT ENOUGH</b> Todd Bertuzzi makes a tearful apology for suckering Steve Moore, but his contrition doesn&rsquo;t discount his ugly attack.</p><p><b>HOUND DOWNED</b> Jeff Doyle of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds is suspended 15 games for knocking out Windsor&rsquo;s Steve Downie with a blow to the head.</p><p><b>LIFE IN THE MINORS</b> Richmond of the United League is forced to play five games in five nights with Game 3 in Adirondack - 10 hours away by bus.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03803/7722053-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="353" height="568"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEFF DOYLE</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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PLUS MINUS

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BIG APPLE SALARY DUMP

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05289/7722129-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="382" height="616"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAVE ANDREYCHUK</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04487/7722136-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="229" height="201"></div><p>&bull; Count officials at the Department of Foreian Affairs in Ottawa among those none too pleased with Todd Bertuzzi. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a rare official visit to Canada and addressed Parliament, but still couldn&rsquo;t get on the front page of the national newspapers. It was all NHL, all Bertuzzi, all sky-fatling-in.</p><p>&bull; By the way, is Bertuzzi&rsquo;s mugging of Steve Moore what the people who would do away with the instigator rule want when they say the NHL should let its players police themselves?</p><p>&bull; And to think, Bertuzzi-gate all started with a clean hit. A hard hit, indeed, but a clean hit delivered by Moore on Vancouver captain Markus Naslund in a game three weeks earlier.</p><p>&bull; Another 40-point season in 2004-05 will Lift the venerable Dave Andreychuk past Gilbert Perreault, Mike Gartner, Denis Savard and Guy Lafleur into the top 20 in all-time NHL scoring.</p><p>&bull; No NHLers are on pace to score 50 goals this season. The Hockey News suggests 50 be the minimum number of goals the Rocket Richard Trophy winner must score to collect the award. In other words, no winner this year. The last time there was no 50-goal scorer was 1998-99, when then-Anaheim sniper Teemu Selanne won with 47 goals.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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SNAPSHOTS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011991/7722167-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="261" height="155"></div><h3><b><i>The</i> Hockey News</b></h3><h2><b>FROM THE EDITORS</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span></b>irst, we&rsquo;ll take care of business: the punishment fits the crime. Todd Bertuzzi deserves to miss the rest of this season and the playoffs for his indefensible attack on Steve Moore.</p><p>What remains at issue, though, is what the NHL should do next, if anything. And we&rsquo;re not talking about extending Bertuzzi&rsquo;s suspension should the 2004-05 season start on schedule.</p><p>Is it time for the league to further address the &ldquo;culture of violence&rdquo; or has it dealt with the matter sufficiently?</p><p>Clearly, the league believes its current course is the right one. Based on senior vice-president Colin Campbell&rsquo;s news conference remarks following the disciplinary announcement, the NHL doesn&rsquo;t see a need to tackle tackling or punching or stick-swinging or elbowing any more diligently than it already does.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;<i>If fighting were banned, we&rsquo;d have far fewer grudge matches between rivals.</i></blockquote><p>Judging by the media&rsquo;s reaction on both sides of the border, (much of it hypocritical, but that&rsquo;s another editorial), the league is wrong. In particular, in the U.S., hockey is again being portrayed as a primitive, backwards blood sport that is no better than wrestling or rollerball.</p><p>The problem is, whether or not they agree with the media&rsquo;s assessment, the vast majority of hockey fans like it the way it is (Bertuzzi-like incidents notwithstanding). They love the brutality, the thunderous bodychecks, the spirited rivalries and, yes, the fights. In the reader survey we published in our March 16 issue, 95 per cent of 11,000 respondents said they either love, like or can tolerate fighting.</p><p>And there&rsquo;s the rub. To significantly change hockey&rsquo;s culture of violence, fighting would have to be banned. As would all face washes, minor and major stick infractions, flying elbows and charges. There would need to be a zero tolerance policy on illegal, physical acts.</p><p>Don&rsquo;t mistake this for a pacifistic rant; we&rsquo;re not proposing fighting or intensity go the way of the rover. But if things remain as they are, expect more Bertuzzi type incidents every few years.</p><p>An acceptance of fighting, or vengeance in any form, sets hockey apart from the other sports. Some believe it&rsquo;s honorable, but there&rsquo;s no disputing the fact it&rsquo;s primal. That the game&rsquo;s participants are allowed to strike each other with their fists gives hockey a unique set of parameters and gives the players a &ldquo;violence is OK&rdquo; mindset And it&rsquo;s passed on from generation to generation.</p><p>Of course, if fighting were banned, we&rsquo;d have far fewer grudge matches between bitter rivals and lose some of the anticipation that goes with DetroitColorado, Toronto-Ottawa and New York-New York match-ups.</p><p>Officially, The Hockey News falls into the &ldquo;tolerance&rdquo; bracket on the fighting issue. We accept that it is currently part of the game and adds a dimension, but wouldn&rsquo;t be violently opposed if it were abolished. &rsquo;</p><p>But the bottom line remains: as long as players are permitted to trade punches, we shouldn&rsquo;t react with shock when a hideous on-ice crime is perpetrated every few years.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Drop shock and awe if you like status quo

f0006-02

DEALS AT THE DEADLINE

<h2><b>CANUCKS SHOULD BE ASHAMED</b></h2><p>ToddBertuzzi&rsquo;s assault on Steve Moore is what happens when a coach and GM are not made accountable for their inflammatory comments.</p><p>Canucks coach Marc Crawford and GM Brian Burke tried to rile the team after Moore hit Markus Naslund. Consequently, Bertuzzi&rsquo;s premeditated cheap shot became one of the ugliest moments in NHL history. The Canucks come out of it looking classless and more interested in violent acts than in playing hockey.</p><p><b><i>Josh Graham, Aurora, Col.</i></b></p><h2><b>OVERZEALOUS OWNERS HURT NHL</b></h2><p>The NHL Players&rsquo; Association&rsquo;s message is that owners can create and stick to their own budgets, according to Bob Stellick. (THN, March 9)</p><p>That&rsquo;s true, but here&rsquo;s the problem: there will always be teams with owners willing to raise the budget to gain an advantage. This leaves small-market teams unable to compete against financially well-off teams, creating more disparity and fan apathy. Unless the players&rsquo; union realizes this, the NHL is in serious jeopardy.</p><p><b><i>Reegan Dahl, Saskatoon, Sask.</i></b></p><h2><b>LETTER OF THE WEEK</b></h2><p>In my 20 years as a Rangers fan, I have never been so angered by a trade as I was when our &ldquo;franchise,&rdquo; Brian Leetch, was traded to the Maple Leafs.</p><p>Leetch bled Ranger blue for 17 seasons and stuck it out through the good and bad. He fought through tough ankle injuries to play and poured his heart and soul into some mediocre Ranger teams, never voicing any displeasure that he wasn&rsquo;t playing for a contender.</p><p>Even up until the trade was made, Leetch made it known he wanted to remain in Manhattan, as he knew in his heart he wanted to be anoter Rangers lifer, like Mike Richter or Rod Gilbert.</p><p>People of Toronto, New York&rsquo;s loss is your gain. You should take pride and be thankful that you now have one of the classiest gentleman ever to play in the NHL wearing a Leafs uniform.</p><p><b><i>Aaron Kerzner, West Haven, Ct.</i></b></p><h2><b>FAN LOVES FISTICUFFS</b></h2><p>The Senators-Flyers brawl made me feel all warm inside.</p><p>Why does the NHL want fighting out of the game? Is it because fans supposedly hate it? They should reconsider their view, as there wasn&rsquo;t a fan using their seat during the fight.</p><p><b><i>Timothy Hoinkis, Oaklyn, N.J.</i></b></p><h2><b>THE BALLA(R)D OF CLARKE</b></h2><p>After watching the March 5 OttawaPhiladelphia game and hearing Flyers GM Bob Clarke call Senators coach</p><p>Jacques Martin a &ldquo;gutless puke", I&rsquo;ve had enough of Clarke.</p><p>I can&rsquo;t understand why he is still allowed to run the team. Is he trying to model himself after Harold Ballard?</p><p><b><i>Angus McPherson, Vancouver</i></b></p><h2><b>MOVE TRADE DEADLINE BACK</b></h2><p>It&rsquo;s time to move the trade deadline back. I think it&rsquo;s sad to see so many teams sell off their good players.</p><p>If the deadline were earlier, most teams would still be in playoff contention, which would result in less salary dumping and stockpiling and would curb the &ldquo;rent-a-player&rdquo; trend.</p><p><b><i>Shane Harrigan, Flora, Ont.</i></b></p><h2><b>LEGACE OVER JOSEPH?</b></h2><p>I think Detroit goalie Curtis Joseph should make way for Manny Legace.</p><p>Legace has put up some of the best numbers of his NHL career this season. He has done a marvelous job of filling in for Joseph and has given Wings coach Dave Lewis another option for the post-season.</p><p><b><i>Tyler Laurette, Midland, Mich.</i></b></p><h2><b>BERTUZZI HIT HURTS FANS</b></h2><p>Here is a different take on the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident:</p><p>Bertuzzi is my favorite player and the Stars and Canucks are my favorite teams. I began saving more than a year ago to watch him play in Dallas. After much work I got seats behind the visitors&rsquo; bench for the March 18 game between Vancouver ands Dallas.</p><p>Now Bertuzzi is out of the lineup and I&rsquo;m broke and brokenhearted. His hit hurt not only Moore and the Canucks, but fans as well.</p><p><b><i>Jana Mueller, Chandler, Tex.</i></b></p><h2><b>Got something to say?</b></h2><p>U.S.A.: Letters, The Hockey News, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947.</p><p>Canada: Letters, The Hockey News, 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N6S7</p><p>E-mail: <a href="mailto:aproteau@thehockeynews.com">aproteau@thehockeynews.com</a> or visit <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a> Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number.</p><p><i>Submissions will be edited.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

<div class="byline">Ed Willes Guest Columnist</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-05332/7722267-1-eng-US/f0007-052.jpg" title="f0007-05" width="258" height="141"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011806/7722260-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="399" height="676"></div><p><b>N</b>ow what?</p><p>Prior to their March 8 game against the Colorado Avalanche, the only question which seemed relevant about the Vancouver Canucks was, &rsquo;Are they good enough to win the Stanley Cup?&rsquo;</p><p>The Canucks were coming off a 104-point regular season and it was widely viewed they&rsquo;d accumulated the necessary experience and toughness to make the great leap forward.</p><p>Enduring two cataclysmic playoff losses - blowing a 2-0 series lead to Detroit in the first round in 2001-02 and a 3-1 series lead to Minnesota last year - were supposed to be the final stage in the making of a champion.</p><p>Then Todd Bertuzzi swung his gloved fist at Steve Moore and the entire complexion of the franchise&rsquo;s season changed in a moment of madness.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s surreal,&rdquo; Canucks center Brendan Morrison said in the immediate aftermath of Bertuzzi&rsquo;s attack on the Colorado forward.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little bit of a fear of the unknown. It&rsquo;s human nature to be concerned about what&rsquo;s going to happen. I haven&rsquo;t ever gone through something like this before.&rdquo;</p><p>As much as NHL players steel themselves to play through trials and tribulations which would buckle the knees of an ordinary man, the Canucks are entering unchartered waters as they try to deal with the Bertuzzi ban for the rest of the season and playoffs. Losing your star right winger to an unprecedented suspension when he is the subject of a criminal investigation and the center of a nation-wide debate over violence in the game? That&rsquo;s a new one.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got no choice but to come together,&rdquo; said captain Markus Naslund, one of Bertuzzi&rsquo;s closest friends. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very important part of the year right now.&rdquo;</p><p>And they&rsquo;ve got to come together under extreme duress. There is the ongoing question of Moore&rsquo;s health and we don&rsquo;t mean to diminish that concern in this space, but there&rsquo;s also a hockey aspect to the story which carries huge implications for the Canucks as they move forward without Bertuzzi.</p><p>For starters, they&rsquo;ve lost an individual who, when he&rsquo;s on, is one of the best players in the game. Aside from Joe Thornton, there isn&rsquo;t an</p><p>NHLer who comes close to Bertuzzi&rsquo;s dazzling combination of size, skill and brute strength.</p><p>The timing of Bertuzzi&rsquo;s actions also put Canucks GM Brian Burke in a bind. Burke thought he filled his team&rsquo;s needs acquiring left winger Martin Rucinsky and blueliner Marc Bergevin, but with Bertuzzi&rsquo;s immediate future suddenly in doubt, the Canucks&rsquo; GM grabbed Geoff Sanderson, who has two years and $6.3 million left on his contract. Adding that kind of cash to the payroll wasn&rsquo;t in the plans before the Moore incident.</p><p>The Canucks have emerged as one of the NHL&rsquo;s best &bull; teams, but have seldom demonstrated they can perform when the spotlight is at its hottest.</p><p>Losing Bertuzzi certainly won&rsquo;t help.</p><p>You can explain away the past two playoff disappointments and the failure to close out the Northwest title last season as part of a character-building experience. But with everything else going on, does their recent post-season history take on a different meaning? It&rsquo;s just another question being asked about the Canucks since Mar. 8.1</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021192/7722253-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="1524" height="2875"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISA/BBS: SCREN CAPTURES COURTESY ROGERS SPORTSNET)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0007-05

Canuck plan waylaid

<div class="byline">Bill Daly </div><div class="byline">NHL Chief Legal Officer</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021415/7722336-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="400" height="672"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011883/7722343-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="111" height="116"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><i><span>I</span>n the March 2 edition of The Hockey News, editor Jason Kay published an e-mail chat he had with an unnamed agent that touched on the NHL-commissioned Arthur Levitt report and CBA issues. Among the agent&rsquo;s opinions were assertions: the Levitt report was &ldquo;a PR effort"; that despite the NHL&rsquo;s moneylosing claims, billionaires are still buying teams; and, the NHLPA has already made a proposal that would cut payrolls to about 61 per cent of team revenues.</i></b></p><p><b><i>NHL executive vice-president and chief legal counsel Bill Daly wrote a letter to The Hockey News refuting many of the claims. Here&rsquo;s an edited version:</i></b></p><p><b>J</b>ason, I read with serious concern your conversation with the agent. To the extent those are actual quotes, the agent is disturbingly uninformed (or more likely misinformed).</p><p>&bull; I would suggest the unnamed agent check with Teams X and Y. <b><i>(Editor&rsquo;s Note: The agent said Tampa Bay and Los Angeles were losing money in 1998, but are making money now.)</i></b> He will find not only that neither is even close to being profitable, but that as a pair they are probably losing more than in 1998. This is despite surging attendance, higher ticket prices and significantly higher revenues. The only conclusion to draw from this is player costs are rising at a rate unrelated to, and far in excess of, revenues.</p><p>&bull; While we have had no franchises fold since 1998, we have had three in bankruptcy. Also, Mr. Levitt noted three other clubs have received &ldquo;going concern&rdquo; letters from their independent auditors, meaning the clubs do not have sufficient income to pay their expenses. I have a difficult time believing anyone can be so naive as to think that is a healthy state of affairs.</p><p>&bull; The NHL has extended an open invitation to the NHLPA since 1999 to conduct an independent audit of our teams&rsquo; finances. After expressing initial interest, and doing some work on a handful of teams, it was the union that in 2001 decided against continuing that process. Despite the fact they have continued to receive team-by-team financial information from the league on an annual basis, at no point since that time has the union expressed interest in receiving additional information or in conducting further audits.</p><p>&bull; Anyone intent on criticizing the Levitt report should read it first. Then, if you have questions, I will be happy to answer them. The report was undertaken primarily to substantiate what we have been saying about the financial state of the game for years and to answer the union&rsquo;s criticisms the numbers aren&rsquo;t audited. At a minimum, the Levitt report conclusively lays to rest those criticisms.</p><p>&bull; The suggestion that cost restraints on other clubs would not be helpful to teams such as Pittsburgh, Nashville and Carolina, and their ability to remain competitive and viable, is misguided. Inherent in the ability of clubs to generate and maximize revenues is their ability to spend competitively with other clubs on player salaries. The current system does not allow that. Provide a system that allows competition on a fairly level playing surface and I would submit these clubs would experience significant increases in revenues.</p><p>&bull; This isn&rsquo;t about fault. We are not suggesting our problems are the players&rsquo; fault. We are suggesting they are a direct result of a system that has not only allowed, but facilitated, the growth of player costs at a far faster rate than the growth of revenues.</p><p>&bull; Recent investors in NHL clubs have invested at significantly discounted (even depressed) values, and even then only because they&rsquo;re confident the league&rsquo;s management is committed to achieving in collective bargaining an economic system that works.</p><h2><b>SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE FIXED</b></h2><p>&bull; Restrictive free agency by itself means nothing unless clubs are able to pay players at rates that their current local marketplace realities would support. The evolution of the league-wide marketplace for players has made that impossible. Today, given the salary arbitration system and the way it operates, a player in Edmonton must be paid comparably to the same type of player in New York. And, if Edmonton&rsquo;s economics can&rsquo;t support paying that rate, it loses the player - far sooner than the year in which the player would otherwise reach the age of unrestricted free agency. Good management can take you only so far. The system needs to be fixed. The bottom line is we have tried the union&rsquo;s preferred &ldquo;marketplace&rdquo; and it does not work. Maybe the union and agents should give our preferred concept a chance - they may be pleasantly surprised.</p><p>&bull; Besides being an inaccurate description of the union&rsquo;s proposal, and providing an unrealistic view of the cost savings the proposal would create, for argument&rsquo;s sake let&rsquo;s assume the unnamed agent is right in his (61 per cent) assumptions. The question remains, as you correctly point out, why won&rsquo;t the union guarantee these results? If they believe in them, they should stand behind them. That is not something they are prepared to do. Why not?</p><p>&bull; Unfortunately, I guess, the current state of affairs is also straightforward for the league and owners, who are also on the same page. People shouldn&rsquo;t assume the ownership in Toronto is not just as committed to achieving a workable economic system as is the ownership in Nashville.</p><p>The bottom line is that while there may be many ways to fix the system, they all include one element that is essential a fixed and enforceable relationship between league-wide revenues and player costs. We have seen the results of using an alternative type of system and they aren&rsquo;t pretty.</p><div class="sidebar"><h2><b>ACCORDING TO THE LEVITT REPORT:</b></h2><p><b>$273m Amount</b> of money, in millions lost by NHL in 2002-03</p><p>19 Number of NHL teams that lost money in 2002-03<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0008-02

Time to try NHL’s concept

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-10" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-10109/7722475-1-eng-US/f0010-102.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ROBERT ESCHE</b></p><p><b>PATRICK</b></p><span class="photo-credit">(GOALIES: JIM MC/SAAC/BBS;)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he day after The Sucker Punch, Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix and coach Tony Granato had replaced raging anger with admirable poise. At a hastily called news conference, they said their only concern was for Steve Moore&rsquo;s health. They did not mention Todd Bertuzzi either by name or by slur. As for Bertuzzi&rsquo;s punishment, both men said they had confidence the NHL would hand down a sentence that fit the crime and left it at that.</p><p>If such measured calm seemed strangely out of place given the circumstance, it&rsquo;s probably because so many others in this league appear heading in the opposite direction, with one foot on the curb and the other in the gutter.</p><p>In the dressing room postgame on the night of Steve Moore&rsquo;s original hit on Markus Naslund, Vancouver&rsquo;s Brad May said there was a bounty on Moore&rsquo;s head. NHL vice-president Colin Campbell gave May a talking-to, but May never retracted.</p><p>After Martin Havlat&rsquo;s high stick on Mark Recchi in late February, Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock spouted off with similar sentiments: &ldquo;Someday someone is going to make him ea&rsquo;t his lunch. He&rsquo;s going to get it some-day and it&rsquo;s going to be harsh.&rdquo;</p><p>Following the NHL record 419 penalty minutes in a brawl-filled third period between Ottawa and Philadelphia March 5 (surprise, surprise). Flyer GM Bobby Clarke had to be restrained by arena personnel from going down the hallway to confront Senators coach Jacques Martin. &rsquo;That gutless puke Martin doing that (stuff),&rdquo; Clarke fumed. &ldquo;But when you pull that (stuff) off it comes back to get you. They have to come in here one more time. They won&rsquo;t be able to hide (Daniel) Alfredsson and (Marian) Hossa and all those guys then.&rdquo;</p><p>With the land mines of revenge being planted so frequently, is it any great surprise when things blow up?</p><p>But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman does not see cracking down on threats as the answer, even aside from the fact that the maximum player fine of $1,000 hardly makes it worth the effort.</p><p>&ldquo;Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time those are idle threats,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;Nothing comes of it. Let&rsquo;s not get hung up on punishing comments because it&rsquo;s not a comment that created this situation.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FIGHTS/GAME BY MONTH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-09131/7722468-1-eng-US/f0010-092.jpg" title="f0010-09" width="334" height="610"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-10

COVER STORY

Revenge threats not real issue: Bettman

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021342/7722430-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="853" height="671"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011851/7722437-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="111" height="113"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03831/7722423-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="845" height="666"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04564/7722416-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="845" height="660"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05416/7722409-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="847" height="662"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-06318/7722402-1-eng-US/f0010-062.jpg" title="f0010-06" width="848" height="665"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-07230/7722395-1-eng-US/f0010-072.jpg" title="f0010-07" width="847" height="664"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>E</span>asy to say now that nobody wanted it to happen. Easy to say nobody wanted Steve Moore to wind up in hospital with a concussion and two fractured vertebrae in his neck. That&rsquo;s always the post-trauma party line.</p><p>But only Markus Naslund had the courage to say as much ahead of time. In any walk of life where seeking vengeance isn&rsquo;t an accepted part of an employee&rsquo;s job description, tacitly endorsed industry-wide by the bosses who make and enforce the rules, that should have been enough.</p><p>In the hockey world, in Todd Bertuzzi&rsquo;s world, it wasn&rsquo;t.</p><p>Moore&rsquo;s borderline hit on Naslund in a Feb. 16 Colorado-Vancouver game left the Canucks captain with a concussion and Naslund&rsquo;s teammates enraged. The day before a March 2 rematch, Naslund made a public plea to quell the building storm. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want anyone injured,&rdquo; he said, and the quote was splashed as part of the headline in the morning paper the next day. Naslund said two points under the win column was the only payback he wanted. It&rsquo;s reasonable to assume he said something to the same effect in the Canucks dressing room.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-08174/7722388-1-eng-US/f0010-082.jpg" title="f0010-08" width="860" height="1202"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PILING ON <i>Andrei Nikolishin may have saved teammate Steve Moore from more harm by restraining Todd Bertuzzi.</i></b><span class="photo-credit">(CANAPRES: SCREN CAPTURES: COURTESY OF SPORTSNET; LAST FRAME: CANAPRES)</span></figcaption></div><p>And yet Todd Bertuzzi didn&rsquo;t hear it. Or he heard it and forgot about it the next time the score got out of hand. When the two teams met, March 8 in Vancouver, with the score 8-2 and the game long since spun into nastiness, Bertuzzi chose to &ldquo;stick up&rdquo; for his captain instead of listen to him.</p><p>Moore was skating out of Vancouver&rsquo;s end with about 12 minutes left. Bertuzzi trailed him, grabbed the back of Moore&rsquo;s sweater with his left hand for balance, dropped the stick out of his right hand and came through with a roundhouse right. Bertuzzi&rsquo;s punch landed on the right side of Moore&rsquo;s head. Moore fell to the ice with Bertuzzi coming down on top of him. Andrei Nikolishin piled on top of Bertuzzi and a melee broke out all over the ice.</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t until the blood began staining the ice beside Moore&rsquo;s face that anyone realized something had gone seriously wrong. Of course, the super shows a different picture, a brutalcheap shot. It always does.</p><p>Naslund is Todd Bertuzzi&rsquo;s best friend on the Canucks, one of his best friends in or outside of the game. Talk to anyone close to Bertuzzi in normal times and they say he is loyal to a fault. Apparently, they&rsquo;re right. But it speaks volumes when Bertuzzi&rsquo;s loyalty to hockey&rsquo;s vaunted &ldquo;code&rdquo; is stronger than to the words coming out of his best friend&rsquo;s and captain&rsquo;s mouth.</p><p>For that, he and the Canucks - to say nothing of Moore - are paying a very steep price. NHL vice-president Colin Campbell handed down a suspension of the rest of the season and the entire playoffs. Depending on how far the Canucks advance in the post-season, the total penalty could be anywhere from 17 to 41 games. In addition, the Canucks were fined $250,000, quite possibly the largest fine ever handed out for an on-ice act, for, in Campbell&rsquo;s words, not doing more to prevent the situation from happening.</p><p>&ldquo;If there is anything you can pull out of the situation today, it&rsquo;s that every coach in the National Hockey League and I hope every coach in hockey is looking at this and saying, &rsquo;Things can go wrong, I have a huge responsibility, I&rsquo;ve got to do what I&rsquo;ve got to do to prevent this in the future.&rsquo; &ldquo;</p><p>Bertuzzi will have to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman prior to training camp next season before receiving clearance to return. Moore&rsquo;s health will be one of the factors Bettman will consider when deciding to allow Bertuzzi&rsquo;s return.</p><p>News reports, citing Colorado trainer Pat Karns, said Moore&rsquo;s spinal cord was not injured in the incident and a full recovery is expected possible by next season.</p><p>Bertuzzi will also need clearance from Bettman to play in the World Cup beginning Aug. 30.</p><p>Canucks GM Brian Burke wouldn&rsquo;t comment directly on the suspension. Nor would he rule out an appeal, saying the Canucks had not decided on a course of action. Any appeal would be heard by Bettman.</p><p>Bertuzzi appeared contrite and emotional in a teary news Vancouver conference the day before the suspension was announced.</p><p>&ldquo;Steve, I just want to apologize for what happened out there. I had no intention of g hurting you and I feel awful for what has transpired,&rdquo; he said, also extending apolo-3 gies to Canuck ownership, management, s teammates and fans.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m truly sorry. I don&rsquo;t play the game that way. I&rsquo;m not a mean spirited person and I&rsquo;m sorry for what happened.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021175/7722381-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="796" height="836"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STICK VS. FIST <i>To Canuck GM Brian Burke, the McSorley and Bertuzzi cases are &lsquo;apples and oranges.&rsquo;</i></b></figcaption></div><p>Meanwhile, the Vancouver police are investigating the incident and are considering criminal charges. NHL vice-president and chief legal officer Bill Daly said the league will cooperate with any investigation, but that the strong sentence handed out to Bertuzzi shows the league can deal with things internally in an appropriate manner.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s incumbent on us to send a strong message that what happened is not hockey and is not part of hockey,&rdquo; Daly said.</p><p>As far as changing the culture that demands retribution after perceived slights against a team&rsquo;s star player, well, the NHL has as much as admitted that will continue on to see another day.</p><p>When emotions are running high, there is nothing the league can do to guarantee incidents like this will never happen again, Campbell said.</p><p>And if there was any price to be paid, Moore paid it. You want to talk about hockey&rsquo;s code? Fine, suppose there is a code following a play that referees decide doesn&rsquo;t warrant a penalty, Campbell decides doesn&rsquo;t warrant a suspension and Naslund decides doesn&rsquo;t warrant any further action from his team beyond a win in the next game. Moore followed it. He never hid. Matt Cooke challenged him to fight. He obliged. Maybe Moore&rsquo;s biggest mistake was winning the fight. So in Bertuzzi&rsquo;s eyes it still wasn&rsquo;t enough. Moore had to be made to suffer.</p><p>And so the NHL finds itself under attack again, as it did with Marty McSorley&rsquo;s stick attack on Donald Brashear four years ago. Normally uninterested U.S. columnists weigh in with their lifetime suspension demands after moseying over to cover the latest hockey decapitation story, while head line-seeking Canadians counterparts compete to see who can describe Bertuzzi&rsquo;s act in the most vile, heinous terms.</p><p>And there was even a short interview in The National Post with Dave &lsquo;The Hammer&rsquo; Schultz, in which the 1970s bad boy expounded on &ldquo;the code&rdquo; and the good old days when all men sewed Marquis of Queensbury rules into their hockey pants - for consultation when they felt blood pressure rising, surely. But that much is revisionist history.</p><p>&ldquo;Having played in the 70s and 80s,&rdquo; Campbell said, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s much more respect that goes on now than (then), I guarantee you that.&rdquo;</p><p>Bertuzzi didn&rsquo;t have any. He&rsquo;s paying the price.</p><h2>THE PUNISHMENTS</h2><p>Todd Hertuzzi&rsquo;s suspension of the rest of the season and playoffs is among the Mil&rsquo;s all-time harshest,</p><h3>ONE YEAR</h3><p>Feb., 2000. Marty McSorley, Boston, for his slash to the head of Vancouver&rsquo;s Donald Brashear. Convicted of assault with a weapon (18-month conditional discharge).</p><h3>REST OF SEASON AND PLAYOFFS</h3><p>March, 1955. Maurice &rsquo;Rocket Richard, Montreal, for going after Boston&rsquo;s Hal Laycoe and a linesman with his stick. NHL president Clarence Campbell attends Montreal&rsquo;s next home game, sparking Canadiens fans to riot inside and outside the Montreal Forum.</p><h3>21 GAMES</h3><p>April, 1993. Dale Hunter, Washington, for cross-checking New York Islanders Pierre Turgeon into the boards from behind.</p><h3>20 GAMES</h3><p>October, 1983. Tom Lysiak, Chicago, for tripping linesman Ron Foyt.</p><h3>20 GAMES</h3><p>November, 2000. Brad May, Phoenix, for a slash to the head of Columbus&rsquo;s Steve Heinze.</p><h3>12 GAMES*</h3><p>November, 1998. Matt Johnson, Los Angeles, for sucker-punching New York Rangers Jeff Beukeboom in the back of the head. Beukeboom played a few more games before retiring due to concussion symptoms.</p><p>&rsquo;Longest suspension (non-stick- or ref-related)</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03779/7722374-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="2375" height="4184"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-02

Fiasco in B.C.

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021423/7722506-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011804/7722513-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="111" height="113"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span></b>rian Leetch makes his way through the dressing room at Air Canada Centre after an up-tempo practice with his new team and stops for a moment to autograph a few jerseys.</p><p>Nothing new, really. Players do it all the time&hellip;sign k ball caps, sticks, jerseys, photographs.</p><p>&rsquo; But this was a little bit different, in fact.</p><p>Leetch was signing Toronto Maple Leaf jerseys. After 17 years of auto-graphing New York Rangers paraphernalia, it has to be just a little weird to be signing Leafs stuff, right?</p><p>&ldquo;You know, I thought it would be,&rdquo; says the friendly, but reserved native of Corpus Cristi, Tex. &ldquo;But it has become more familiar faster than I though it would.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know why, I think just because of the guys in the dressing room. We&rsquo;ve got a bit of a veteran team. It&rsquo;s an Original Six team and being able to put on the Maple Leaf is really something. I&rsquo;ve played hockey for so long, the game is still the same and a lot that goes on in the dressing room is still the same. I&rsquo;m excited about being here.&rdquo;</p><p>Leetch was a major part of the NHL&rsquo;s annual trade frenzy, leaving behind a sinking ship in New York to join the veteran-laden Maple Leafs, who think they have a strong chance of winning the Eastern Conference and making it to the Stanley Cup final for the first time since they won it all in 1967. With Leetch on board, they just might.</p><h2><b>RUMORS, RUMORS</b></h2><p>Trade rumors are nothing new to Leetch. He has heard &rsquo;em and ignored &rsquo;em for years.</p><p>&ldquo;You hear them about yourself almost every year,&rdquo; says the two-time Norris Trophy winner and future Hall of Famer. &ldquo;But the contract I had before the one I signed in the summer was for four years and it had a no-trade clause in it. So I knew even if the Rangers decided to go in a different direction at least I&rsquo;d have a little control over where I was going to go.&rdquo;</p><p>Leetch wasn&rsquo;t worried. As if the Rangers would ever trade him. At least that&rsquo;s the way he felt until this year. But when the superstar defenseman heard his name brought up again, he started packing his bags. His knew his time was up in New York City. The Blueshirts were selling the farm and no amount of tenure would protect him.</p><p>With a little Samantha Stevens wiggle of his nose, Rangers GM Glen Sather did the unimaginable, trading the lifetime Ranger, who is under contract through next season, to Toronto.</p><p>The deal was just one of handful Sather engineered as he tore down the mess he made in Manhattan. With the free-spending and free-falling Rangers headed toward a seventh straight year on the playoff sidelines - and with Leetch having turned 36 the day of the deal - New York had to take advantage of the fact Leetch still had significant trade value.</p><p>Sather actually made a pretty good deal with Toronto, getting two prospects in defenseman Maxim Kondratiev and center Jarkko Immonen, a first round pick in 2004 and a second round pick in 2005.</p><h2><b>LEAFS NEED TO WIN NOW</b></h2><p>Toronto&rsquo;s rookie GM John Ferguson, feeling an enormous amount of pressure to do something huge in a city that hasn&rsquo;t hosted a Stanley Cup parade in more than three decades, was in both the Leetch and Sergei Gonchar sweepstakes, but redoubled his efforts for Leetch after Washington shipped Gonchar to Boston.</p><p>Ferguson also acquired 41-year-old center Ron Francis from Carolina, surprised everyone by signing retired defenseman Calle Johansson and grabbed large left winger Chad Kilger on waivers from Montreal. Leetch, however, is clearly the most significant addition.</p><p>The seventh-highest scoring defensemen in NHL history, Leetch was rookie of the year in 1988-89; won the Norris as top defenseman in 1991-92 and 1996-97; was playoff MVP when the Rangers hoisted the Cup in 1994; and, helped the United States capture the World Cup of Hockey in 1996.</p><p>&ldquo;Brian has been a premier defenseman in this league since first coming into the league,&rdquo; Ferguson says. &ldquo;We look forward to having a player with his great credentials joining the group.&rdquo;</p><p>Leetch wasted no time showing he still has plenty left in the tank. One of the swiftest-skating defensemen in the NHL, he earned three assists in his first game with Toronto, a 6-2 win over the Islanders. And Leafs fans soaked it up. One held up a sign that read: &ldquo;<b><i>WELCOME TO THE PLAYOFFS BRIAN".</i></b></p><p>&ldquo;This is great,&rdquo; says Toronto right winger Alexander Mogilny. &ldquo;For a lot of guys, it&rsquo;s a chance of a lifetime to play with a special player.&rdquo;</p><p>Adds Leetch&rsquo;s new defense partner Bryan McCabe: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first opportunity to play with a Hall of Famer. It&rsquo;ll take a while for us to get to know each other, but I think anybody can adjust to play with Brian Leetch.&rdquo;</p><p>Mogilny is an all-world player who is only too pleased to welcome another of his ilk into the fold.</p><h2><b>NICE GUY, TOO</b></h2><p>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have to watch him for too long to see how talented he is,&rdquo; Mogilny says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very comfortable out there and he makes a great first pass out of the zone. I have watched him block shots, breaking his legs and his arms, and he just keeps on doing it every day. That&rsquo;s what makes him special. Also, he&rsquo;s one of the nicest men who have ever played this game.&rdquo;</p><p>Leetch&rsquo;s inherent niceness prevents him from expanding on what went wrong with the Rangers.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to point fingers at the Rangers, because I was as much a part of it as anyone,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;All I can say is, it was disappointing.&rdquo;</p><p>Leetch says it seems unfathomable that it has been seven years since he last played a playoff game. How long is that? Well, the last time Leetch was in the playoffs, current NHL goal leader Rick Nash was 12 years old.</p><p>&ldquo;Every year you go into it thinking you&rsquo;ll have a good season,&rdquo; Leetch says. &ldquo;I never went into a season thinking we had a bad team or we&rsquo;re going to have a tough time making the playoffs. I felt each year our team was good enough to compete. The first three years we missed, our team really wasn&rsquo;t that good. Certainly the last four years have been disappointing, though.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>NO WINNING FORMULA</b></h2><p>The Rangers brought back Mark Messier in 2000-01 after a three-year hiatus in Vancouver and, over the past few seasons, also acquired the likes of Eric Lindros, Darius Kasparaitis, Alexei Kovalev, Anson Carter, Greg de Vries, Tom Poti, Bobby Holik, Pavel Bure and Jaromir Jagr. But to no avail.</p><p>Leetch likes his new situation.</p><p>&ldquo;The talent here is deep,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Our best player, obviously, is Mats Sundin and our most important player is Eddie Belfour. In between those two guys we have a lot of depth on each line and lots of toughness.&rdquo;</p><p>In an Eastern Conference that is wide open, Leetch hopes that is a winning combination.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

THE NEW LIFE OF BRIAN

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011654/7722544-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRIAN LEETCH TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>TRADE BAIT</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><i><span>B</span>rian Leetch was one of the players The Hockey News identified in our March 2 issue as most likely to be traded before the March 9 deadline. At right is that story; all but two players - Carolina&rsquo;s Jeff O&rsquo;Neill and Columbus&rsquo;s Andrew Cassels - we believed to be trade bait did, indeed, change teams.</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

ON THE COVER

MARCH MADNESS

<div class="byline">BY DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021348/7722575-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="394" height="619"><figcaption class="caption-body">GORDIE HOWE.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011795/7722582-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="139" height="165"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>ordie Howe said he knows just how to stop incidents such as the one in which Vancouver&rsquo;s Todd Bertuzzi cold-cocked from behind Colorado&rsquo;s Steve Moore.</p><p>&ldquo;Give &rsquo;em a season (suspension),&rdquo; Howe said. &ldquo;That will slow them down.</p><p>&ldquo;Come down strong on the individuals. Then maybe the other people will think. Some guys don&rsquo;t mind five or six games. Maybe they want to go fishing.&rdquo;</p><p>Howe was clear he was speaking generally. But when asked specifically about Bertuzzi&rsquo;s actions, he was equally harsh.</p><p>One of the toughest, meanest and best players in the game&rsquo;s history, Howe said he had no trouble going after a player perceived as delivering a cheap shot.</p><p>But he had problems with a hit from behind. And he would have rather Markus Naslund, the target of Moore&rsquo;s hit, taken care of himself</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Asked what he would have done in a similar situation, Howe said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d have asked the coach to put me out against him. That&rsquo;s all.&rdquo;</p><p>Howe remembered a game in which Stan Mikita was chopping at the back of his legs, &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m bleeding at the calves,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>&ldquo;I passed over to Ted (Lindsay) and he&rsquo;s going in on net all alone so 18,000 eyes were watching him. I just turned around and I belted (Mikita) one. I knocked him out. When he came out of it he looked at the guy next to him and said, &rsquo;What happened?&rdquo; The guys says to him, &ldquo;No. 9.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;So Stan comes out, he&rsquo;s a real trooper and a hell of a player. And he says, &rsquo;Are we even now?&rsquo; And I said, &rsquo;Yeah, OK.&rsquo; &ldquo;</p><p>The difference, Howe said was that, &ldquo;I hit him looking at him&hellip;You don&rsquo;t have to jump anybody.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

Howe: ’Hit him looking at him’

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04633/7722613-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="848" height="841"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03923/7722620-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="127" height="145"></div><p>They&rsquo;re a steely, disciplined lot those NHL players. Resolve to burn and certainly not prone to distraction. Most of them, anyway.</p><p>In a poll of 30 NHLers, one from each team, 23 (77 per cent) say they&rsquo;re not distracted by antics on the Jumbotron or in the stands.</p><p>&ldquo;Not really,&rdquo; said Atlanta&rsquo;s Patrik Stefan. &ldquo;I hear it from my wife. She tells me after the game if there was something funny. I focus on winning the game.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Never,&rdquo; said Columbus goalie Marc Denis. &ldquo;Especially on the road. One of the first things you learn is &lsquo;don&rsquo;t look up.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>Said New York Rangers grizzled veteran Bobby Holik: &ldquo;I can say that never once in my career have I been affected by the scoreboard or the crowd.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>&ldquo;No,&rdquo; insisted Nashville rookie Jordin Tootoo. &ldquo;I am 100 per cent focused on trying to win the game. It&rsquo;s all about hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>OK, OK, sorry to break your concentration. A few players questioned were willing to admit they&rsquo;re human, too.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously, you can&rsquo;t ignore it if someone is getting beer bottles broken over their head,&rdquo; said Boston&rsquo;s Hal Gill.</p><p>&ldquo;During a TV timeout or if it&rsquo;s a rout, then it&rsquo;s fun to look around.&rdquo;</p><p>&rsquo;The funniest thing I saw (on the Jumbotron) was in Colorado,&rdquo; said Mark Recchi of Philadelphia. &rsquo;They used computers and it looked like there was a guy dancing in front of our bench. We all looked up and it was pretty funny.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I always get caught looking up at the Jumbotron and then all of a sudden there is me up on the screen looking up at myself, so then I really quickly put my eyes down&rdquo; said Washington goalie Olie Kolzig. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve never been caught where the puck is about to be dropped I&rsquo;m there staring up at it.&rdquo;</p><p>- <b>FOR COMPLETE PLAYER POLL RESULTS, VISIT <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-04

PLAYER POLL

<h2><b>OVECHKIN FINDS OUT FATE APRIL 6</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>ussian left winger Alexander Ovechkin will find out his expected future city of residence when the NHL holds its draft drawing April 6. The 14 non-playoff teams all have a chance to win the lottery, but only the bottom five have a chance to move up to first overall in draft order. The last-place team - more than likely Pittsburgh Penguins - has a 48.2 per cent chance of securing the No. 1 pick. Ovechkin has been the projected top pick for almost two years.</p><h2><b>AWARDS FOR SERVICE TO HOCKEY</b></h2><p>John Davidson, Mike Emrick and Ray Miron will be the toast of New York when they are honored at the Lester Patrick award luncheon. The trio will be feted for their outstanding service to hockey in the U.S. Davidson, Emrick and Miron bring to 98 the number of individuals who have been honored in the memory of Lester Patrick, who spent 50 years in hockey and was a pioneer in hockey&rsquo;s development.</p><h2><b>HARDING JOINS CENTRAL LEAGUE TEAM</b></h2><p>Disgraced former U.S. figure skating champion and aspiring boxer Tonya Harding is trying minor pro hockey. The Indianapolis Ice of the Central League signed Harding, 33, for its March 12 game against Colorado. Harding won&rsquo;t play, but the marketing stunt is similar to the one the Ice pulled in 2002, when 7-foot-7 former NBA player Manute Bol signed for one game, but never made it on the ice as his feet swelled inside his custom-made skates.</p><h2><b>AHL GREAT DIES AT 89</b></h2><p>Former American League scoring ace Phil Hergesheimer died at 89. The older brother of former NHLer Wally, Phil twice led the AHL in goals and had 553 points in 548 games, mostly with Cleveland.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<p><i>A</i>harbinger of the battle that looms? Or a fun on-ice confrontation that carries absolutely no significance?</p><p>Debatable, but mark one on the board for the union.</p><p>The office staff from the NHLPA beat a team of NHL office employees 4-2 in the second annual Business of Hockey tournament in Toronto March 6. Reports indicate there were no altercations and surprisingly, no on-ice officials were needed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05426/7722675-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="503" height="375"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CBATRACKER</b></figcaption></div><p>If there&rsquo;s a work stoppage next season, the third annual game will surely be a sellout.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-05

NHLPA victors in this battle

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021225/7722706-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"></div><h2><b>2003-04 TRADES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011584/7722713-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="161" height="163"></div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>T</span>he New York Rangers have made 11 trades since Sept. 15, one more than Florida, Phoenix, Vancouver and Washington. Detroit, meanwhile, has swung just one deal.</i></p><p>Anson Carter joined his third team of 2003-04 when the salary-dumping Washington Capitals traded the 29-year-old right winger to the Los Angeles Kings.</p><p>Carter started the season with the Rangers, after going to New York from Edmonton at last year&rsquo;s trade deadline. New York sent him to Washington for Jaromir Jagr Jan. 23, before the Caps flipped him to the Kings March 8. After back-to-back seasons of 60 and 55 points, Carter has struggled this year, scoring 15 goals and 27 points in 64 games.</p><p><b>TRADE WRAP-UP</b> The weeks leading up to the March 9 trade deadline saw an unprecedented number of deals. The categories in this week&rsquo;s NHL team reports (pgs. 16-29) look at what each team needed, what each team got and the &lsquo;Bottom Line&rsquo;.</p><p><b>SHOTS PER GAME IN SPOT-LIGHT</b> The&rsquo;Spotlight&rsquo; boxes in the NHL team reports show the five players on each club averaging the most shots per game (minimum 30 games played). The player with the highest average shots per game is pictured.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

NHL TEAM REPORT SPOTLIGHT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAN WOOD</div><p><b>M</b>ighty Ducks GM Bryan Murray refused to be taken advantage of at the NHL trade deadline.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03918/7722751-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="310" height="387"></div><p>Even with the Ducks all but eliminated from playoff contention 33</p><p>just one season after advancing to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final &mdash; Murray dismissed all trade offers while holding firm to the belief the right ingredients were already in Anaheim&rsquo;s dressing room. &ldquo;I wanted to keep the core together,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I felt at the start of the year that this was a good hockey club, but we never really got going.</p><p>&ldquo;We can blame it on a lot of things, but I believe with what we have coming in terms of younger kids, we have the core of a very fine hockey club.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04690/7722744-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="351" height="743"></div><h2><b>WHAT ANAHEIM NEEDED</b></h2><p>The top of the Ducks&rsquo; wish list included size, grit and experience up front, likely in the form of third line types. With such commodities scarce at the trade deadline, Anaheim can be expected to continue its pursuit during the off-season, either via trades or free agency.</p><p><b>WHAT ANAHEIM GOT</b> While they arrived well in advance of the trade deadline, Martin Skoula and Petr Schastlivy certainly figure in the team&rsquo;s future plans. The offense-minded Skoula, who came over from Colorado, is viewed as a top-four defenseman. Schastlivy, acquired from the Ottawa Senators, is a solid two-way left winger.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The trade deadline wasn&rsquo;t the right time for moves by the Ducks, who are no longer a contender, but aren&rsquo;t in a rebuilding mode, either.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK Jean-Sebastien Giguere</b> became just the second goaltender in Mighty Ducks history to appear in 200 games with Anaheim during a 5-2 loss to visiting Montreal March 8. <b>Guy Hebert</b> was the first to reach the milestone.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-03

GM likes team’s core, so Ducks don’t deal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN MANASSO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>hrashers GM Don Waddell would not say he was displeased with the performance of Francis Lessard, who has been Atlanta&rsquo;s enforcer all season.</p><p>Instead, he called the March 9 acquisition of Kip Brennan from Los Angeles an addition to the team&rsquo;s toughness.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05498/7722789-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="300" height="381"></div><p>&ldquo;We felt all along that we would like to add what we call a very heavy-weight player, a very tough player,&rdquo; Waddell said. &ldquo;Guys like (Andy) Sutton and (Garnet) Exelby, we need them on the ice. We wanted to add somebody that keeps the other team honest.&rdquo;</p><p>In this, his third NHL season, the 23-year-old i Brennan had one goal and 79 penalty minutes in 18 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06419/7722782-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="348" height="749"></div><p><b>WHAT ATLANTA NEEDED</b> The Thrashers were in the precarious position of being nine points out of a playoff position at the trade deadline, but not wanting to appear they were giving up. An upgrade on defense or a No. 2 center would have helped, but Waddell refused to pay the heavy price he felt teams were asking for rental players.</p><p><b>WHAT ATLANTA GOT</b> Since coach Bob Hartley took over on Jan. 14, 2003, his goal has been to make the Thrashers harder to play against. The addition of Brennan could do just that, adding an intimidation factor the team previously lacked.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Thrashers must do more in the off-season if they are to make the jump from fifth-year expansion team to playoff contender.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Atlanta lost defenseman <b>Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre</b> and left winger <b>Bill Lindsay</b> on waivers to Washington March 9. Grand-Pierre would have been the team&rsquo;s eighth defenseman and the Thrashers were trying to send him to the Chicago Wolves (AHL). Lindsay, who is an unrestricted free agent at year&rsquo;s end, has a fractured larynx and is a long way from returning.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-05

Addition of Brennan improves toughness

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NANCY MARRAPESE-BURRELL</div><p>On trade deadline day, the Bruins added an insurance policy for their blueline and a top prospect.</p><p>In a three-way deal between Boston, Buffalo and San Jose, the Bruins acquired former Sabres defenseman Andy Delmore and ex-Sharks center Brad Boyes. In exchange, the Bruins sent young blueliner Jeff Jillson to San Jose. Boyes, 21, was a first round draft pick (24th overall) of Toronto in 2000. He was assigned to Providence of the American League.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07376/7722827-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="267" height="376"></div><p>&ldquo;Our scouts feel very strongly about (Boyes),&rdquo; said GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell. &ldquo;They feel he&rsquo;s going to have an excellent future.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-08331/7722820-1-eng-US/f0016-082.jpg" title="f0016-08" width="347" height="739"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SHELLY CASTELLAND)</span></figcaption></div><p>Delmore, 27, has a heavy shot and is a power play specialist.</p><p>&ldquo;We felt we needed to add another guy,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Connell said. &ldquo;If we do have injuries, we&rsquo;ll have another adequate (defenseman) who knows the league.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT BOSTON NEEDED</b> Boston wanted an offensive presence on defense, particularly on their struggling power play, and a second line center.</p><p><b>WHAT BOSTON GOT</b> The Bruins addressed both those needs, acquiring defenseman Sergei Gonchar and center Michael Nylander from Washington in early March. They also added some depth in Delmore, an offense-minded blueliner.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Bruins dramatically improved their chances to win a playoffround for the first time since 1999.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger <b>Sandy McCarthy</b>, claimed on waivers by the</p><p>Rangers March 9, expressed his disappointment with the lack of communication between himself and the</p><p>Bruins after he wasn&rsquo;t activated from a concussion during his final three weeks with the team. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played in the league for 12 years,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>&ldquo;They could&rsquo;ve come and said, &rsquo;Well, maybe you should try to find somewhere else to play,&rsquo; or something.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-07

Depth, prospects key to B’s trades

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM KELLEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021105/7722865-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="286" height="373"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011462/7722872-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="113" height="105"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>t was eerie for Mike Grier to become a Buffalo Sabre: Eerie, but not inconvenient. The veteran right winger needed only to transfer his gear from the home team locker room in the MCI Center to the visitor&rsquo;s digs and await the arrival of his new mates the day after the March 9 deadline.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>He not only welcomed the Sabres to Washington, but scored a goal and set up two others to help Buffalo beat his old team 6-0.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a tough night and I&rsquo;m glad it&rsquo;s over,&rdquo; Grier said. &ldquo;Once you get out there and see the guys and coaches on the (Washington) bench, it&rsquo;s tough. I&rsquo;m thankful I got to start and get it over with quickly.&rdquo;</p><p>Grier came to the Sabres for Jakub Klepis, a well-regarded prospect the Sabres received from the Ottawa Senators in a near deadline-day deal for Vaclav Varada last season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03785/7722858-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="341" height="737"></div><p><b>WHAT BUFFALO NEEDED</b> Size up front, some experienced defensive help in light of injuries to Alexei Zhitnik (shoulder) and Rory Fitzpatrick (knee) and a season-long knee issue with Jay McKee.</p><p><b>WHAT BUFFALO GOT</b> Size and a decent two-way player in Grier who should mesh well with center Chris Drury. They also got physical toughness in Brad Brown and a potential power play quarterback in defense-man Jeff Jillson.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The team is better than before March 9.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Defenseman Alexei Zhitnik suffered a bruised rotator cuff after being driven into the boards from behind by Dallas Drake of St. Louis in the game prior to the trade deadline.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-02

Newcomer Grier provides instant offense, promise

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><p><b>C</b>algary coach-GM Darryl Sutter will admit it: he has had his eye on Marcus Nilson for a long time now.</p><p>In fact, long before the NHL deadline approached and he finally pried the long-time Florida Panthers&rsquo; left winger away for a second round choice in the 2004 entry draft. Nilson played for Duane Sutter, Darryl&rsquo;s brother, which gave him an insight into his character and personality, two qualities that are often difficult to assess from outside an organization.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04509/7722910-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="289" height="378"></div><p>Sutter described his newest acquisition as, &ldquo;a guy who can play in your top nine. Mike (Keenan) has coached him. Dog (Duane Sutter) has coached him. He has averaged 15 goals a year for three years. Those guys know his character, which to me, is important. He&rsquo;s a guy who&rsquo;ll really help us. He&rsquo;ll fit right in with our team.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05337/7722903-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="346" height="745"></div><p><b>WHAT CALGARY NEEDED</b> Secondary scoring to take some pressure off Jarome Iginla and help on the left side where Martin Gelinas is out with a neck injury and Stephen Reinprecht is out for the year because of a bad shoulder.</p><p><b>WHAT CALGARY GOT</b></p><p>Nilson and Chris Simon both represent definite upgrades up front with each player capable of producing up to 15 goals per season. Simon drew in on the No. 1 line with Iginla, while Nilson was playing on a checking line with Dean McAmmond and Chris Clark.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Flames didn&rsquo;t hit a home run by getting an elite player, but they&rsquo;re unquestionably deeper up front.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Flames placed goaltender Roman Turek on waivers just before the NHL trading deadline, but found no takers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-04

Sutter finally gets his man; Nilson nice fit for Flames

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><p><b>W</b>ith Ron Francis gone in his shocking move to Toronto, the Hurricanes have a tremendous void to fill on and off the ice.</p><p>Francis was in his fifth season as the Canes, captain and at 41, still playing more than 16 minutes per night.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06260/7722948-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="294" height="311"></div><p>&ldquo;Everything is under review right now,&rdquo; said Carolina coach Peter Laviolette. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an opportunity for someone to grab his ice time and his leadership role, to take charge of the team on the ice and in the locker room. I don&rsquo;t know who that person is going to be.&rdquo;</p><p>Laviolette said no new captain would be appointed this season, although the Canes were considering adding a third alternate to join Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour and Glen Wesley. Candidates include defensemen Bret Hedican and Sean Hill and forwards Kevyn Adams, Jeff O&rsquo;Neill and Erik Cole.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07219/7722941-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="349" height="745"></div><p><b>WHAT CAROLINA NEEDED</b> To get younger and cheaper. The Canes are in full rebuilding mode, looking to dump salary and add picks and prospects. But when O&rsquo;Neill injured his shoulder, they didn&rsquo;t have much to offer.</p><p><b>WHAT CAROLINA GOT</b> Almost nothing a fourth round pick in 2005 for Francis. The anticipated Hill trade never went through, and veterans Wesley and Brind&rsquo;Amour were unwilling to waive their no-trade clauses.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The unexpected departure of Francis stunned fans and capped the franchise&rsquo;s 21 months of disappointment since the 2002 Stanley Cup final.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger Jeff O&rsquo;Neill was to have season-ending shoulder surgery March 12.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-06

Everything under review now that Francis is gone

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><p><b>J</b>ust when you thought it was safe to admit to being a Blackhawk&hellip;</p><p>The Blackhawks had to deal with yet another embarrassing office incident when coach Brian Sutter and center Tyler Arnason got into an altercation at a Nashville bar Feb. 29.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-08162/7722986-1-eng-US/f0018-082.jpg" title="f0018-08" width="293" height="379"></div><p>Arnason was also at the Columbus strip club last season when Theoren Fleury brawled with bouncers. Sutter denied reports he roughed up Arnason and had the second-year centerup against a wall.</p><p>&ldquo;It was probably the same as any other altercation I&rsquo;ve had with Arnie,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;We talked about him being a better player and a better teammate. It wasn&rsquo;t physical or anything like that. I might have poked him or something, but it wasn&rsquo;t unlike 101 other conversations I&rsquo;ve had with him.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-09138/7722979-1-eng-US/f0018-092.jpg" title="f0018-09" width="349" height="741"></div><p>Added Arnason: &ldquo;It was an exchange of views between Brian and I that got a little heated.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT CHICAGO NEEDED</b> To shave payroll and at least get something for veterans such as Alexei Zhamnov and Alexander Karpovtsev.</p><p><b>WHAT CHICAGO GOT</b> Defenseman Jim Vandermeer, acquired from Philadelphia in the Zhamnov deal, will play regularly next year. The Hawks also added prospects Colin Fraser and Jason Morgan, three second round draft picks and two fourth round choices in &rsquo;05.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> If the Hawks can find the right free agent veterans to go with their kids, they could make a quick turnaround.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger Eric Daze returned after missing 63 games following back surgery and scored in his first two games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-08

Hawks downplay skirmish between coach, player

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02878/7723024-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="295" height="372"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011245/7723031-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="106" height="117"></div><p><b>C</b>an the Avalanche become the team to harness the full potential of Chris Gratton?</p><p>Several NHL teams have been left disappointed in the big center&rsquo;s play over the years, but that didn&rsquo;t stop Colorado from acquiring him at the trade deadline.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big guy, he&rsquo;s very good on faceoffs and great in front of the net,&rdquo; said Avs coach Tony Granato of Gratton, obtained from Phoenix along with defense-man Ossi Vaananen in exchange for defenseman Derek Morris and prospect blueliner Keith Ballard.</p><p>&ldquo;We felt we needed some size up front,&rdquo; said Avs GM Pierre Lacroix.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03616/7723017-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="343" height="744"></div><p><b>WHAT COLORADO NEEDED</b> With Phil Sauve unimpressive in his rookie season, a &ldquo;Help wanted&rdquo; sign for a backup goalie was posted by Lacroix. And the uncertain health of center Peter Forsberg made getting another pivot a priority.</p><p><b>WHAT COLORADO GOT</b> Tommy Salo is an upgrade as David Aebischer&rsquo;s backup. Gratton carries a lot of baggage, but playing on a top team may help him. More forward depth comes in the form of veteran pest Matthew Barnaby (from the Rangers), while Vaananen joins a blueline already bolstered by pre-deadline deals for Bob Boughner and Kurt Sauer.</p><p><b>ROTTOM LINE</b> Salo and Barnaby were nice pickups, but the jury is out on the Gratton-Morris trade.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center Steve Moore sustained fractures to his C3 and C4 vertebrae, spine ligament injuries, a concussion and facial cuts when he was sucker-punched and driven to the ice by Vancouver&rsquo;s Todd Bertuzzi. <b><i>(See pgs. 6, 7, 10, 11 for more.)..</i></b>. Center Andrei Nikolishin returned from a 20-game absence from an abdominal injury March 8 against Vancouver and immediately helped the Avs&rsquo; penalty kill&hellip;There was no guarantee, but the Avs expected to get center Peter Forsberg back in time for the final two weeks of the regular season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-02

Colorado hoping Gratton finally arrives

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>f Blue Jackets players get their wish, interim coach Gerard Gallant will have the &ldquo;interim&rdquo; tag lopped off his title this summer. &ldquo;It means a lot to us,&rdquo; said left winger Jody Shelley. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t heard one guy say a bad thing about Gerard Gallant. I think he&rsquo;s the guy for this room.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04408/7723069-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="286" height="370"></div><p>GM-president Doug MacLean has said Gallant will be considered for the position this summer, or whenever interviews are held. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been pleased with Gerard,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve played, for the most part, like I expected us to play.&rdquo;</p><p>Which is to say that the Blue Jackets don&rsquo;t always show up for games. If they want Gallant [back, they haven&rsquo;t always j played like it. Under i MacLean, they were 9-21-4-3.</p><p>Under Gallant, who took over Jan. 1, they are / 11-16-4-1.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05232/7723062-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="348" height="754"></div><p><b>WHAT COLUMBUS NEEDED</b> To unload some veterans - and their salaries - who weren&rsquo;t performing to their abilities. They didn&rsquo;t want to part with center Andrew Cassels or defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, but any other veteran could have been had.</p><p><b>WHAT COLUMBUS GOT</b> MacLean was able to move slumping left winger Geoff Sanderson, who is due $6 million over two years after this season. The move will save the club close to $450,000 through the rest of this season, but MacLean has strongly hinted Sanderson could be back in Columbus next year.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Rangers and Capitals watered down the market, so many of the players Columbus wanted to shop lost their luster.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> In a minor swap at the March 9 trade deadline, left winger Lasse Pirjeta was dealt to Pittsburgh for Brian Holzinger, a native of Parma, Ohio. Holzinger, an unrestricted free agent at season&rsquo;s end, will play right wing, allowing Nikolai Zherdev to switch back to the left side.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-04

Players want Interim’ taken off coach’s title

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>tars GM Doug Armstrong used every trick in the book to provide depth for his team via the trade route. If a few of his gambles pay off, he could be labeled a genius.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-06180/7723107-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="296" height="329"></div><p>However, if other Western Conference teams get more out of their acquisitions, the Stars could simply be called cheap.</p><p>Dallas yielded only a second, third and eighth round draft pick (as well as fringe prospect Drew Bagnall), but were able to add winger Valeri Bure and defensemen Chris Therien and Lubomir Sekeras at the March 9 trade deadline. Mix that with the previous free agent signing of Shayne Corson and the Stars spent almost nothing to plug several holes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-07154/7723100-1-eng-US/f0020-072.jpg" title="f0020-07" width="350" height="752"></div><p><b>WHAT DALLAS NEEDED</b> Defense depth, a scorer to play with Mike Modano and some extra grit.</p><p><b>WHAT DALLAS GOT A</b> solid defender in Therien, a potential sniper in Bure and extra grit in Corson.</p><p><b>BOITTOM LINE</b> The Stars could have gone more expensive with a Brian Leetch or a Peter Bondra, but chose not to. Time will tell if they missed the boat or made the right choices in protecting their prospects.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Defenseman John Erskine is out for the year with a sports hernia. He had surgery to repair the injury March 9&hellip;The Stars set a team record for longest home unbeaten streak when they beat San Jose 4-0 March 7. Dallas was 11-0-3-0 at home in 14 games&hellip;With the win over San Jose, goalie Marty Turco improved to 7-0-0 lifetime against the Sharks with a 1.00 goalsagainst average. Turco has allowed one goal in three games against San Jose this season&hellip;With a 4-0 shutout loss to Pittsburgh March 9, the Stars were one short of tying the team record for games without a goal in one season (11), set in 1974-75. Eight of Dallas&rsquo;s 10 goalless games this season have come on the road. Shayne Corson and the Stars spent almost nothing to plug several holes.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-06

Stars add weapons without subtracting

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02612/7723145-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="291" height="354"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011000/7723152-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="111" height="121"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>hen the Detroit Red Wings acquired Robert Lang from Washington in late February for prospect Tomas Fleischmann, a first round pick this June and a second round pick in 2006 - they thought they were set at center.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>But then Kris Draper sustained a partially torn left rotator cuff in a freak accident at a morning skate. And then Pavel Datsyuk suffered a sprained left ankle in the game that night.</p><p>And finally, Lang suffered a fractured rib a few nights later, in only his fourth game with the Wings.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really unfortunate,&rdquo; Lang said. &ldquo;(Detroit was) just starting to feel like home and this comes along. Hopefully it&rsquo;s going to be just a little minor bump in the road and we&rsquo;ll get on with everything.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03372/7723138-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="355" height="756"></div><p><b>WHAT DETROIT NEEDED A</b> big, skilled center who could counter opponents such as Peter Forsberg and Mike Modano in the play-offs.</p><p><b>WHAT DETROIT GOT</b> Lang, a 6-foot-3,217-pounder who has been at or near the top of the NHL scoring list all season.</p><p><b>THE BOTTOM LINE</b> The Wings were the only team in the West to add a true difference-maker - Lang - and they did it for a low price.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Blueliner Derian Hatcher returned to the lineup March 8 after missing 64 games with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and Lang and the others are set to return for the playoffs. &ldquo;The way we&rsquo;re looking at it is, we&rsquo;ve faced adversity all season,&rdquo; said GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve sort of become a team of interchangeable parts, which I think is good&hellip; We&rsquo;re hoping it&rsquo;s going to be a strength.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-02

Stretch-drive pivot injuries put pressure on Red Wings

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><p>Three into two doesn&rsquo;t go.</p><p>So Tommy Salo had to.</p><p>With the Oilers four points back of the final playoff spot with 14 games left, GM Kevin Lowe shipped Salo to Colorado at the trade deadline, closing the book on the goalie&rsquo;s five-and-a-half year career in Edmonton.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04268/7723190-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="264" height="380"></div><p>Rookie Ty Conklin, 27, had all but wrestled away the starting job a few weeks earlier and when Edmonton re-acquired Jussi Markkanen from the Rangers, everyone knew the other goal skate was going to drop.</p><p>&ldquo;Jussi gave us some confidence and Ty has had a great year,&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;From an organizational standpoint we felt it was time to move on.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT EDMONTON NEEDED</b> A puck-moving blueliner to help their 29th-ranked power play and improve their breakouts. And with a long list of injured forwards, including Marty Reasoner, who is likely gone for the season, reinforcement at center was also added to the wish list.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-05181/7723183-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="343" height="756"></div><p><b>WHAT EDMONTON GOT</b> They got the offensive boost they wanted in Petr Nedved (and it helps the Rangers are paying his salary). Nedved is reunited &lsquo;Czech-Mate&rsquo; linemate Radek Dvorak. The puck-moving defensemen eluded them, though.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> It wasn&rsquo;t the usual trade dead-line salary dump, so from that standpoint any trade for the here and now is a welcome one.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger Georges Laraque says there&rsquo;s a difference in the way star players and role players are disciplined by the NHL: &ldquo;If I did something like (the Todd Bertuzzi attack on Steve Moore), I&rsquo;m out for 10 years.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-04

Conklin Oilers’ clear No. 1 as team’s Salo days over

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID J. NEAL</div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>lorida GM Rick Dudley swears he has a plan, a very good plan. And it&rsquo;s not just to get the Panthers in the playoffs this season, but to make them a contender for the long haul.</p><p>That was a tough sell in a dressing room disheartened by the trading of top scorer Valeri Bure and Marcus Nilson, who had never missed a game due to injury. Goalie Roberto Luongo, in particular, was unhappy.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-06139/7723228-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="275" height="374"></div><p>Dudley believes the draft picks he got back can be traded into fillers for the &ldquo;three or four holes&rdquo; he believes the team has. Dudley also swears Florida will be buyers in this summer&rsquo;s free agent market, which the team has usually avoided.</p><p><b>WHAT FLORIDA NEEDED</b> The Panthers wanted a No. 1 or 2 defenseman who could play 20-25 minutes a night and throw the body around. They believe with speaking-in-tongues fervor that many of their under-25 forwards will be what they project them to be.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-07117/7723221-1-eng-US/f0021-072.jpg" title="f0021-07" width="355" height="760"></div><p><b>WHAT FLORIDA GOT</b> A bit quicker (Christian Berglund versus departed Marcus Nilson), more financially anorexic (no need to qualify Nilson or Valeri Bure) and, in the dressing room, more confused about what management&rsquo;s goals are for this season.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Panthers can turn on this season&rsquo;s garbage disposal now that they&rsquo;ve filled it with one last wasted opportunity.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger Byron Ritchie&rsquo;s year ended March 9 with a broken clavicle on a hit by Toronto blueliner Bryan Marchment, who received a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct. While slender pacifist pivot Kristian Huselius flew into Marchment in Ritchie&rsquo;s defense, teammates saw nearby blueliner Jay Bouwmeester be slow to join the party.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-06

Lowly Cats disheartened by trading of Bure, Nilson

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT MCHALE</div><p>A nson Carter has lived in Los Angeles during the off-season since leaving Michigan</p><p>State in the mid-1990s.</p><p>It only seemed a matter of time before he played for the Kings.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0895/7723266-1-eng-US/f0021-082.jpg" title="f0021-08" width="269" height="360"></div><p>It nearly happened several times. Carter was offered to the Kings in March 2003, but Edmonton wanted Alexander Frolov. This year, the four-time 20-goal scorer was acquired from the last-place Washington Capitals in exchange for Jared Aulin and immediately moved onto the second line with Frolov and Jozef Stumpel.</p><p>&ldquo;This is like a dream for me,&rdquo; Carter said. &ldquo;Playing here and getting dropped right in the middle of the playoff race. That&rsquo;s all anyone can ask.&rdquo;</p><p>The Kings also added size and a little scoring at the deadline, adding Jeff Cowan from Atlanta in exchange for enforcer Kip Brennan.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-0973/7723259-1-eng-US/f0021-092.jpg" title="f0021-09" width="360" height="746"></div><p><b>WHAT KINGS NEEDED</b> With all the injuries, the team was small up front and needed an offensive presence in front of the net. Because of injuries, the Kings had to get a blueliner who could move the puck.</p><p><b>WHAT KINGS GOT</b> Carter is fast and not afraid to go into traffic. Dempsey has a big shot from the point and plenty of intelligence with the puck.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> If Carter can regain the passion lost playing season for the lowly Rangers and Capitals, the Kings might have enough to make the playoffs.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> When left winger Luc Robitaille scored his 20th goal against Phoenix March 10 it marked the 16th time in his 18-year career he has reached 20 goals.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-08

King Garter right at home after being dealt to LA.

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN MURPHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02804/7723304-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="298" height="337"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011123/7723311-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="119" height="118"></div><p><b>T</b>he Wild returned from a five-game road trip a dramatically different team than they were when they started it.</p><p>Key members of their memorable playoff team from last season were jettisoned in a roster alteration that signaled the end of the team&rsquo;s expansion phase and the start of its homegrown mission.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>As soon as Jim Dowd, Sergei Zholtok, Brad Brown and Brad Bombardir - average age, 31 - were traded, prospects Rickard</p><p>Wallin and Zbynek Michalek joined Stephane Veilleux, Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard - average age, 20 - to absorb experience and audition for jobs next season.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like starting over, with young guys, which will be exciting,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Lemaire.</p><p>The Wild stockpiled draft picks in the five trades leading up to the deadline. They have 11 picks in this year&rsquo;s draft.</p><p><b>WHAT MINNESOTA NEEDED</b> Supplemental offense, although their player-for-player bait was not marketable enough to hook those fish. Instead, the Wild resolved their unrestricted free agent issues. They inked Wes Walz and Matt Johnson to three-year extensions, moved Dowd, Bombardir and Zholtok and dealt minor-leaguers Darby Hendrickson and Jason Marshall.</p><p><b>WHAT MINNESOTA GOT</b> A 15-game window to scrutinize the remaining core and in-house prospects in their new and expanded roles. Plus, a mountain of draft choices, which can be used to cherry-pick more talent or sweeten trades that will address their scoring needs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03589/7723297-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="340" height="746"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Wild gutted an underachieving lineup in the short term, but the inevitable purge brought the future of the franchise into the present.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Goalie Manny Fernandez snapped a three-month, 12-game winless streak with a 4-3 victory over San Jose March 9&hellip;Right winger Andrew Brunette, on the Wild morphing from playoff chasers to resume builders after a road loss to Dallas Feb. 27: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve beaten the dog to death. The dog&rsquo;s not getting up, so let&rsquo;s bury him and start over.&rdquo;&hellip;Alex Henry inherited the alternate captaincy - a first for the young defenseman - from former Wild Jim Dowd.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-02

Wild gets much younger after slew of deadline deals

<p><b>I</b>t wasn&rsquo;t the baptism Alexei Kovalev or the Montreal Canadiens had hoped for.</p><p>In the first period of the first game for his new team, against Phoenix March 5, the elite sniper, acquired three days earlier in a trade from the New York Rangers, sustained what was described as a mild shoulder separation.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04410/7723349-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="295" height="333"></div><p>Kovalev played five shifts, totalling 7:01. The injury occurred late in the first period, after Kovalev was assessed a hooking penalty.</p><p>&ldquo;I reached for the puck, leaving my shoulder open for a pretty good hit - and that&rsquo;s not something you should do,&rdquo; Kovalev said.</p><p>The news could have been worse. Kovalev resumed skating three days later and was expected to return to the lineup.</p><p><b>WHAT MONTREAL NEEDED</b> The Canadiens required some offensive assistance; they have placed too much pressure on goalie Jose Theodore to be near-perfect. It also was no secret GM Bob Gainey coveted a center who shoots right since all of his the current Habs pivots shoot left. He got his righty with the acquisition of Jim Dowd from Minnesota.</p><p><b>WHAT MONTREAL GOT</b> He didn&rsquo;t display it with the underachieving Rangers, but veteran winger Kovalev still can be one of the top six players in the league when placed in the proper situation. Kovalev will be a better player when he returns than he was at any time this season. Dowd is already better. He averaged eight to 10 minutes in Minnesota, but plays more than 18 minutes with Montreal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05300/7723342-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="349" height="748"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Canadiens are a markedly better team now than they were at the end of February and continue winning despite injuries.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Left winger Yanic Perreault, playing better since being put on a line with Saku Koivu and Richard Zednik, survived the trade deadline. Center Chad Kilger didn&rsquo;t He was claimed on waivers by Toronto. Kilger had only two goals and four points in 36 games and was a healthy scratch far too frequently&hellip;Backup goalie Mathieu Garon played his best game this season March 6, at Los Angeles, making a career-high 46 saves in a 4-2 win&hellip;In an exchange of minor-leaguers, the Canadiens acquired blueliner Rene Vydareny from Vancouver for left winger Sylvain Blouin.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-04

Kovalev’s separated shoulder an unlucky Habs beginning

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02686/7723387-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="293" height="331"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011012/7723394-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="105" height="114"></div><p><b>T</b>his year at the trade deadline, the Nashville</p><p>Predators traded away draft picks rather than hoard them as they&rsquo;ve done in the past.</p><p>In acquiring Steve Sullivan, Brad Bombardir, Sergei Zholtok and Shane Hnidy, the Preds parted with a second round, two third-rounders and a fourth round pick in 2004 as well as a second round pick in 2005. They did pick up a sixth-rounder and an eighth round pick in 2004 from Tampa Bay in deals for defensemen Stan Neckar and Timo Helbling, respectively.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Meanwhile, Sullivan and Hnidy are scheduled to become restricted free agents and figure into long-term discussions. &ldquo;We always have an eye for the future,&rdquo; said GM David Poile, &ldquo;and I feel really good about us going forward.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT NASHVILLE NEEDED</b> Experience on defense was a must, particularly in light of Jason York&rsquo;s fractured cheekbone, which is expected to sideline him until late March. More size along the blueline wouldn&rsquo;t hurt, either. Also, a versatile center who could contribute in various situations and who could win some key faceoffs was paramount.</p><p><b>WHAT NASHVILLE GOT</b> The Preds got a quartet of players, all with playoff experience, beginning with Sullivan acquired Feb. 16. Bombardir and Hnidy offer much-needed size and strength in front of the net.</p><p>Zholtok is not a dominant faceoff guy, but offers more offensive reliability than Denis Arkhipov and has the ability to man the point on the power play.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03489/7723380-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="346" height="755"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Nashville addressed its immediate needs and, in the cases of Sullivan and Hnidy, added possible long-term pieces as well.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Nashville set a team record for goals in a 9-4 win March 4 at Pittsburgh, six games after it set the previous mark with an 8-2 rout of Phoenix Feb. 21. Eight different players scored against the Penguins&hellip;<b>Dan Hamhuis</b> (one goal, four assists at-Pittsburgh) became the first rookie defenseman to score five points in a game since blueliner <b>Slava Fetisov</b> did it in 1989-90 for New Jersey&hellip;With his shorthanded goal March 9 against Boston, center <b>Greg Johnson</b> set Nashville records for shorthanded goals (four) and points (six) in a season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-02

Nashville builds for present, but keeps eye on long term

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>ith their chances of winning the Atlantic Division becoming less likely, New Jersey was anxious to see the prolific &lsquo;EGG Line&rsquo; - Scott Gomez at center, with Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta on the wings back together for a final playoff push.</p><p>When Gionta was struck below the nose by a slapshot from teammate Paul Martin, opening a gash requiring 50 stitches to close, it forced coach Pat Burns to scramble the &lsquo;EGG Line&rsquo;. That left Elias and Gomez without a key component to their success.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04344/7723432-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="265" height="371"></div><p>&ldquo;With his speed and the fact Gio is so good around the net, he could be the X-factor in our line,&rdquo; said Gomez of the unit which combined for 20 goals and 46 points in 10 games together before Gionta&rsquo;s March 5 injury.</p><p>Gionta said he did not suffer a concussion, but experienced severe swelling and sinus problems.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t see (the puck) at all; it just hit me,&rdquo; said Gionta, who has 19 goals this season. &ldquo;I knew right away it wasn&rsquo;t good. (Martin) feels real bad, but there&rsquo;s nothing you can do. It was a freak thing.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05256/7723425-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="347" height="755"></div><p><b>WHAT NEW JERSEY NEEDED</b> GM Lou Lamoriello put a lot of faith in the recovery of Scott Stevens, who was &ldquo;progressing&rdquo; in his recovery from a concussion. Still, because of the nature of Stevens&rsquo;s problem, the Devils needed a veteran defenseman as insurance as much as they needed help at center. It was also Lamoriello&rsquo;s belief the team should have a veteran backup goalie in fight of Corey Schwab&rsquo;s strained groin that will likely sit him the rest of the season.</p><p><b>WHAT NEW JERSEY GOT</b> Ironically, the Devils got a center with a concussion in Viktor Kozlov. They gave up on young center Mike Rupp to acquire pivot Jan Hrdina. If he&rsquo;s healthy, Kozlov&rsquo;s size and skill will be a valuable addition. The Devils viewed Hrdina as the key to getting Jeff Friesen going.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> New Jersey is better up the middle, but unless Stevens stays healthy it won&rsquo;t matter at all.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Defenseman <b>Brian Rafalski,</b> who bruised his right leg when he crashed into the goal post in Toronto Feb. 28, re-injured it March 9&hellip;Center <b>Igor Larionov</b> reportedly refused to waive his no-trade clause at the trade deadline.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-04

Devils hoping ‘EGG Line’ can be put together again

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02752/7723470-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="275" height="409"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011090/7723477-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="115" height="123"></div><p><b>T</b>he New York Islanders&rsquo; additions at the trade deadline were minor, but the sub-stractions were non-existent.</p><p>GM Mike Milbury stressed that his relative inactivity at the March 9 trade deadline should be taken as a strong message management believes the components were already in place for the skittish Islanders to hold onto the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the third straight season. The team held a seven point lead over No. 9 Buffalo a day after the deadline.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>&ldquo;Nobody in here wanted to see this team torn apart,&rdquo; said winger Mark Parrish. &ldquo;Now we have to prove the organization was right down the stretch and make it&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT ISLANDERS NEEDED</b> The team has had difficulty clearing its crease all season and a physical presence such as unmoved Washington defenseman Brendan Witt would have been a welcomed addition. Milbury also was on the prowl for a &ldquo;blood and guts&rdquo; forward to energize an occasionally unmotivated group.</p><p><b>WHAT ISLANDERS GOT</b> Though he didn&rsquo;t necessarily fill the grit void, Milbury did scoop up veteran Alexander Karpovtsev from Chicago for a draft pick to provide experienced minutes at the back end of the defensive rotation with Radek Martinek (ankle) expected to miss the rest of the season. Longtime fan favorite Steve Webb was also brought back from minor league obscurity with Pittsburgh to provide a spark up front.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03601/7723463-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="345" height="786"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Every team above the Isles in the East made far more significant deals. Looks like the Isles will pull a third i straight one-and-done this spring&hellip; if they hold onto i the final playoff spot.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Alexei Yashin</b> returned to the i lineup for the first time I since Dec. 23 with a seven-minute stint March 9 in St. Louis. He had missed 35 games after Philadelphia center <b>Michal Handzus&rsquo;s</b> skate blade lacerated his right wrist just before Christmas&hellip; Right winger <b>Mark Parrish</b> scored in four straight games March 2-9&hellip;Blueliner <b>Kenny Jonsson</b> missed the March 4 game against Toronto for the birth of his second child.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-02

Milbury elects to stand pat, as GM feels pieces in place

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY BROOKS</div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith a chance to get a shot at his seventh Stanley Cup by going to a contender as a rental, an emotionally empty Mark Messier not only declined that invitation, but gave strong indications he will not return for a 26th NHL season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04424/7723515-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="260" height="394"></div><p>&ldquo;I think right now my two biggest reasons for playing obviously were Brian and feeling going into the year that we were going to have a better than a good year and position ourselves to compete for the Stanley Cup,&rdquo; Messier said, referring in part to the recently traded Brian Leetch, his best friend. &ldquo;Other than that, there&rsquo;s really nothing else left to play for other than to have the chance to not only play for the Stanley Cup, but the Stanley Cup in New York.</p><p>&ldquo;To see the team where it&rsquo;s at now is tough. I was hoping to try to be a part of turning that around. It didn&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT RANGERS NEEDED</b> The organization needed to reload an inadequate feeder system while divesting itself of the numerous impending free agents who had failed to lift the Rangers into playoff contention. In other words, the priority was to get younger; much, much younger.</p><p><b>WHAT RANGERS GOT</b> The Rangers got younger; much, much younger, with GM Glen Sather pulling off a housecleaning of an unprecedented nature in which he dealt nine players off the NHL roster for a cornucopia of prospects and draft picks.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05311/7723508-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="338" height="786"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Will any of the kids turn out? Impossible to say, but there sure is a chance.</p><p>And the bottom line is, for the first time since the late &rsquo;80s and early &rsquo;90s, the Rangers are committed to building internally through their system and developing a nucleus of core Blueshirts.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Goalie <b>Jason LaBarbera,</b> who had established an American League record with Hartford for shutouts in a season, recorded his first NHL victory March 5 in a 3-2 win over Washington. After suffering a 7-4 loss to Pittsburgh two nights later, the 24-year-old was returned to Hartford&hellip;A shoulder injury aggravated while shooting pucks in practice ended center <b>Eric Lindros&rsquo;s</b> hopes of returning this season from the concussion he suffered Jan. 28.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-04

Messier declines opportunity to exit Rangers for contender

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02682/7723553-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="295" height="371"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011040/7723560-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="105" height="104"></div><p><b>I</b>t took just one phone call to move Greg de Vries from the outhouse to the penthouse.</p><p>While munching on his pre-game meal with the Rangers March 9 in Atlanta, the 31-year-old rugged defenseman got the call that saved his season when his cousin told him he&rsquo;d been dealt to Ottawa.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Not long after, Rangers GM Glen Sather called to confirm the report on Canadian TV; hours later de Vries joined his new team in Calgary to prepare for a Stanley Cup playoff run.</p><p>&ldquo;This is a great move for me,&rdquo; said de Vries, who was dealt to Ottawa in return for unhappy blueliner Karel Rachunek and prospect Alexandre Giroux, who had been toiling in the American League. &ldquo;When I went to New York, I thought I was going to be there for a couple of years. It just didn&rsquo;t work out.&rdquo;</p><p>Sens GM John Muckier said de Vries should be a good fit as a partner for Wade Redden and will provide the physical play the club needs in the playoffs. &ldquo;He fills a need that we felt we had to fill,&rdquo; said Muckier of de Vries. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a character with a Stanley Cup ring and we also felt that aspect was important to add to our team.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT OTTAWA NEEDED</b> A big, rugged defenseman and right-handed shot to play alongside Redden. Muckier also considered the possibility of bringing in Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig because of starter Patrick Lalime&rsquo;s struggles.</p><p><b>WHAT OTTAWA GOT</b> The skills of de Vries are in tune with the Senators. He brings experience and, most importantly, he&rsquo;ll be only the second player in the Ottawa room to have a Stanley Cup ring. (Depth defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn won with Colorado in 1996.) That has always been an area in which the team has been lacking.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03464/7723546-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="344" height="749"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> With the addition of Peter Bondra and de Vries, the Sens feel they&rsquo;ve loaded up well for a Stanley Cup chase.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Senators GM John Muckier didn&rsquo;t deal for Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig and maintained he had confidence in starter Patrick Lalime and backup Martin Prusek. &ldquo;I like Lalime; also like Prupk,&rdquo; Muckier said. &ldquo;Lalime is having problems (lately, but) I also saw what Lalime can do for our hockey club last year and I have a hard time thinking he can&rsquo;t do it again.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-02

Newest addition to Senators glad to be done with Rangers

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><p><b>G</b>iven the Flyers&rsquo; history of injuries at play-off time, even eight defensemen apparently were not enough.</p><p>So when GM Bob Clarke went after a ninth on trade deadline day, nobody blinked an eye.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04314/7723598-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="296" height="345"></div><p>The Flyers secured Vladimir Malakhov from the Rangers March 8 (and dealt Chris Therien to Dallas to balance the payroll), but Clarke still made a pitch for the Blueshirts&rsquo; Greg de Vries, who wound up being traded to Ottawa.</p><p>But the addition of Malakhov should go a long way toward giving the Flyers the depth they believe they need for the spring.</p><p>&ldquo;Malakhov is much better with the puck and a better skater (than Therien),&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;He can do things for the team that Chris couldn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT PHILADELPHIA NEEDED</b> After Jeff Hackett&rsquo;s surprise retirement, the Flyers sought an experienced backup for Robert Esche. Also, coach Ken Hitchcock wasn&rsquo;t wild about the play of veterans Eric Weinrich and Therien, believing the team needed an upgrade in speed and skill. And with the status of Jeremy</p><p><b>NHL TEAM REPORTS</b> Roenick and Keith Primeau uncertain due to concussions, the Flyers needed help at center.</p><p><b>WHAT PHILADELPHIA GOT</b> Sean Burke is the perfect mentor for Esche because the two have a friendly working relationship. The additions of defensemen Danny Markov, Mattias Timander and Vladimir Malakhov provide the Flyers some injury insurance. And Alexei Zhamnov gives the Flyers another top-flight, experienced center.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Flyers checked off most items on their shopping list and should be better as they have more players with playoff experience.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05206/7723591-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="341" height="747"></div><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Defenseman Chris Therien, dealt to Dallas March 8, was the longest-tenured athlete on any pro sports team in Philadelphia. He started with the Flyers in 1994-95. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been honored to have been a member of this organization for 10 years,&rdquo; Therien said. &ldquo;The fans have been great over the years. It&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ll never forget.&rdquo;&hellip;Defenseman Vladimir Malakhov denied reports he was considering retirement at the end of the year. He said he would retire only if the league was hit by an extended lockout.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-04

Malakhov replaces Therien as cog in Flyers’ defense

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JERRY BROWN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02735/7723636-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="261" height="383"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011076/7723643-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="113" height="113"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span></b>M Mike Barnett said it would take an offer of a top-four defenseman to pry center Chris Gratton from the Coyotes. And he said it would take a special player to force the team to part with one of the dozen or so players identified as its &ldquo;core group.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>As it turns out, the chance to make Derek Morris the centerpiece of his blueline and power play was enough for Barnett to pull the trigger. He shipped Gratton and Ossi Vaananen to Colorado and added Morris&rsquo;s 70 career goals to a blueline that has struggled to contribute on offense. Phoenix added more low-priced youth - New Jersey center Mike Rupp, St. Louis goalie Brent Johnson and top defense prospect Keith Ballard - and shed more than $9 million in salary by moving Gratton, Jan Hrdina, Brian Savage, Mike Sillinger and Vaananen during the week leading up to the trade deadline.</p><p><b>WHAT PHOENIX NEEDED</b> Skill and savvy on the blueline. Also, a policeman on the blueline who would make the Dogs&rsquo; crease the wrong place to be. Finally, a speedy scoring winger to team with Doan and Mike Comrie.</p><p><b>WHAT PHOENIX GOT</b> A top-flight blueliner in Morris; a big, young center in Rupp; a goalie in Johnson who has the tools if his confidence returns; i and a potential top-four defenseman in Ballard, who immediately rises to the top: of the Coyotes&rsquo;! prospects.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03528/7723629-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="345" height="751"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Sillinger, Hrdina, Gratton and Savage weren&rsquo;t the answer in Phoenix. Shedding their salaries and picking up Morris will give the Dogs a chance to regroup.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Interim coach Rick Bowness went winless in his first eight games (0-5-1-2) since replacing Bobby Francis Feb. 24.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-02

Chance to get Morris to good to pass up

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOE STARKEY</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span></b>oalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin likely does not have a place in the Penguins&rsquo; future plans, but a 45-save shutout of Dallas got him into Pittsburgh&rsquo;s record books.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04358/7723681-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="281" height="377"></div><p>No goalie in team history made more? saves in a shutout win than Aubin, who set the record March 9 in a 4-0 victory over Dallas. Joe Daley had the old record, stopping 41 shots in a 3-0 win over Boston on Feb. 19,1969.</p><p>Aubin spent deadline day monitoring his computer to see if he would be traded before the NHL&rsquo;s 3 p.m. deadline. He finished it by beating the Stars, who started the night on a nine-game unbeaten streak.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05272/7723674-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="343" height="740"></div><p>When he was announced as the game&rsquo;s first star, the oft-maligned Aubin received a standing ovation and raised his stick to the rafters.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a great feeling I hadn&rsquo;t felt in a while,&rdquo; Aubin said. &ldquo;It reminded me of three years ago when I was playing well at home.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT PITTSBURGH NEEDED</b> Warm bodies to take roster spots so that youngsters could be sent to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the affiliate&rsquo;s American League playoff run. They also could have used prospects or young, inexpensive veterans, but didn&rsquo;t have many tradable assets.</p><p><b>WHAT PITTSBURGH GOT</b> A warm body in left winger Lasse Pirjeta and a seventh round draft pick in 2004 in exchange for veterans Brian Holzinger and Marc Bergevin.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Penguins GM Craig Patrick wasn&rsquo;t expecting to do much and that&rsquo;s how it turned out. The team is well-positioned for the postlockout NHL, with promising young players and a payroll of little more than $20 million.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> In his 59th game of the season, left winger Kelly Buchberger got his first point of the season - a second assist on a Mike Eastwood goal March 9 against Dallas - and received a standing ovation from the Mellon Arena faithful.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-04

Aubin writes himself into Penguins history

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DERRICK GOOLO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>t little risk and scant cost, the Blues brought in left winger Brian Savage hoping, as GM Larry Pleau put it, he can get &ldquo;hot down the stretch.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06232/7723719-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="292" height="363"></div><p>A streaky scorer Phoenix was looking to unload because of his cumbersome contract, Savage comes to the Blues for what&rsquo;s likely going to be a short stay.</p><p>The Blues hope playing with Doug Weight will help ignite Savage. For two months, scoring has been the Blues biggest failing. The power play has gone kaput and goals have come from one line.</p><p>The Blues are &ldquo;starved for goals,&rdquo; according to coach Mike Kitchen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-07206/7723712-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="340" height="748"></div><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just hoping I can add to the flow of the team - maybe add some scoring punch and the hitting out there,&rdquo; Savage said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had some good streaks in the past and hope-fully this last stretch I can put the puck in the net.&rdquo;</p><p>The Blues have the right to return to Savage to Phoenix should they not be able to trade him or should no team claim him on waivers this summer.</p><p><b>WHAT ST. LOUIS NEEDED</b> Depth on the blueline due to the injuries to Al Maclnnis and Barret Jackman and second-line pop. They knew in October scoring would be a weakness - one they could fix by March.</p><p><b>WHAT ST. LOUIS GOT</b> Eric Weinrich was plucked for a song, filling the need on defense, while forwards Mike Sillinger and Savage were obtained from Phoenix for goalie Brent Johnson.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> There&rsquo;s more gamble than guarantee in the moves for additional offense.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center Mike Sillinger had three points in his first two games with the Blues. More strikingly, center Petr Cajanek had three goals in the same span on the top line.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-06

Blues rent Savage for run at playoffs

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROSS MCKEON</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b> season-ending injury sustained by Marco Sturm on a race for the puck and a less-serious ailment suffered byblueliner Tom Preissing on almost an identical play had the Sharks suggesting it is time the NHL stopped such dangerous situations.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-08181/7723757-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="284" height="379"></div><p>&ldquo;Is that what the fans want?&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;Hockey shouldn&rsquo;t be about running guys from behind into the boards when he&rsquo;s trying to touch the puck on an icing.&rdquo;</p><p>Sturm suffered a broken left fibula, a dislocated ankle and a high ankle sprain March 5 when he crashed fullspeed, feet-first into the end boards after stepping on the stick of Avs defenseman Adam Foote.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-09167/7723750-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="351" height="746"></div><p>Preissing was chasing down an icing two nights later when he got tangled in the stick of Dallas&rsquo; Brenden Morrow. He bruised his left thigh after colliding with the boards.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a stupid play,&rdquo; said center Vincent</p><p>Damphousse of touch icing. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very dangerous, and they&rsquo;ve got to get that out of the game.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WHAT SAN JOSE NEEDED</b> The Sharks wanted to boost their power play with a veteran defenseman or sniping forward. GM Doug Wilson said there was a trade the team was willing to make, but the team he was dealing with chose to keep its player.</p><p><b>WHAT SAN JOSE GOT</b> The Sharks acquired versatile center Curtis Brown in a three-way deal that meant parting with forward prospect Brad Boyes (to Boston) and a ninth round pick to Buffalo.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Even with Brown, the team has little depth if injuries hit down the stretch or early in the post-season. The Sharks weren&rsquo;t ready to mortgage any of their future, but the here-and-now must go perfectly for the Sharks to advance deep into the playoffs.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Goalie <b>Evgeni Nabokov</b> recorded his 25th career NHL shutout Feb. 29 against St. Louis.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-08

Touch-icing mishaps draw Sharks’ wrath

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><p class="dropcap"><span>U</span>ntil about five hours before the trade deadline, Ron Francis planned to almost certainly end his career in Carolina and retire to his favorite couch to watch the playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04295/7723840-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="260" height="391"></div><p>That changed with a phone call from Maple</p><p>Leafs GM John Ferguson, who asked Francis if he would waive his no-trade clause for a shot at a long playoff run in Toronto.</p><p>&ldquo;It was too good an offer to pass up,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be kicking myself for 50 years if I didn&rsquo;t take that chance.&rdquo;</p><p>The Francis trade came as a complete surprise, as did Toronto&rsquo;s signing of 37-year-old defenseman Calle Johansson, who had spent this season scouting for Washington and doing color commentary for Swedish TV.</p><p><b>WHAT TORONTO NEEDED</b> A physical, defensive presence on the blueline and a capable backup to provide insurance should No. 1 man Ed</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05245/7723833-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="350" height="747"></div><p>Belfour go down with an injury in the playoffs.</p><p><b>WHAT TORONTO GOT</b> An undeniable upgrade on the blueline in Brian Leetch and the smooth-skating Johansson, as well as veteran leadership, a faceoff ace and a dependable player in Francis. But not only did the Leafs not address their most pressing needs, they also picked up two fossils on a team that is already one of the NHL&rsquo;s oldest.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The old and creaky Leafs were vulnerable to key injuries to start the season and nothing has changed. A couple of big hurts and this team is toast in the playoffs.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger Tie Domi received a two-game suspension from the NHL for his third instigator penalty of 2003-04, which came in a 5-1 loss to Buffalo March 6. To that point, Domi had been the only Leaf to appear in all 69 games this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-04

Francis joins Maple Leafs after last-minute phone call

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ELLIOTT PAP</div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith Todd Bertuzzi suspended for the final 13 games of the regular season and the entire post-season - and Magnus Arvedson lost to injury - the Canucks were looking for a couple of forwards at the trade deadline. GM Brian</p><p>Burke didn&rsquo;t disappoint, acquiring Martin Rucinsky from the Rangers and Geoff Sanderson from Columbus.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06201/7723878-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="269" height="376"></div><p>Burke vowed not to give up NHLers or top prospects in deals and he didn&rsquo;t - moving a third round pick to Columbus and blueliner Martin Grenier and the rights to unsigned draft pick RJ. Umberger for Rucinsky.</p><p>Rucinsky seemed to be delighted to escape New York and join a playoff-bound team.</p><p>&ldquo;Vancouver is just a great place to play,&rdquo; Rucinsky said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to work hard, enjoy it, have some fun and hopefully it (will) work out.&rdquo; <b>WHAT VANCOUVER NEEDED</b> A center, an offensive winger to play with the Sedins and a depth blueliner to begin the playoffs in the press box if Vancouver&rsquo;s top six are healthy.</p><p><b>WHAT VANCOUVER GOT</b> No center, so Trevor Linden will continue to play in the middle. Rucinsky and Sanderson were what the doctor ordered in terms of veteran offense; and defenseman Marc Bergevin&rsquo;s fun-loving persona should fit in well.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-07165/7723871-1-eng-US/f0029-072.jpg" title="f0029-07" width="347" height="749"></div><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> Not obtaining a center to take the heat off Brendan Morrison could become a problem in the post-season.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Shaken by the Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident, the Canucks vowed to carry on. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got no choice but to come together,&rdquo; said Markus Naslund. &ldquo;I know Todd&rsquo;s character and that wasn&rsquo;t his intention. Everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. It&rsquo;s very unfortunate.&rdquo; <b><i>(See pgs. 6, 7, 10, 11 for more.)</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-06

Veteran wingers acquired to fill void left by Bertuzzi

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JASON LA CANFORA</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Capitals continued to ship out veterans and welcome in teenagers right up until the trade deadline, thoroughly reshaping the team in the process.</p><p>The Caps made four deals in the week before the March 9 deadline, trading Sergei Gonchar, Mike Grier, Michael Nylander and Anson Carter, and acquiring forwards Jakub Klepis and Jared Aulin, blueliner Shaone Morrisonn and many draft picks.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-08141/7723916-1-eng-US/f0029-082.jpg" title="f0029-08" width="281" height="379"></div><p>Of the bunch, only Morrisonn, part of the package for Gonchar, was on the NHL roster and he made an immediate impact with his steady play. He&rsquo;s likely to play 20-plus minutes a night for the rest of the year.</p><p>Washington made eight major trades this season in all, also dealing Jaromir Jagr, Peter Bondra, Robert Lang and Steve Konowalchuk.</p><p><b>WHAT WASHINGTON NEEDED</b> The Capitals require a defensive over-haul, but those eight trades acquired only one young blueliner - Morrisonn. However, the club also has five picks in the first two rounds of this year&rsquo;s draft, where the problem can be addressed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-09130/7723909-1-eng-US/f0029-092.jpg" title="f0029-09" width="341" height="735"></div><p><b>WHAT WASHINGTON GOT</b> The Caps are now loaded with forward prospects; they expect the likes of Aulin, Klepis and Brooks Laich to start making an impact in the minors next year.</p><p><b>BOTTOM LINE</b> The Capitals are years away from being playoff contenders again and it will take at least that long to assess the progress of the picks and prospects they have amassed.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center Jeff Halpern was the Capitals&rsquo; leading scorer through 70 games with 12 goals and 31 points - the lowest point total to lead any NHL team and on pace to be the lowest single-season highs in Caps history.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-08

Comprehensive makeover changes Capitals’ nature

f0030-01

DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02647/7723978-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="315" height="487"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TREVOR DALEY</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01988/7723985-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="137" height="143"></div><p>Trevor Daley&rsquo;s last name also describes how often he was flying to or from Dallas.</p><p>Recalls to the Stars or assignments to the American League&rsquo;s Utah Grizzlies were seemingly daily events. Between Oct. 25 and Dec. 31, the rookie defenseman was called up five times.</p><p>&ldquo;For a bit there, I was up and down, up and down, collecting my air miles,&rdquo; Daley said.</p><p>That&rsquo;s not a complaint. A second round pick (43rd overall) of the Stars in 2002, Daley has cherished the chance to play 23 games in the NHL as a first-year pro. He scored one goal and six points.</p><p>&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t ask for a better first year,&rdquo; he said. Still, the shuffling left him drifting, trying to establish an identity with a team. Three recent recalls were for five, two and three days. But since returning to Utah Jan. 23, Daley is becoming comfortable with the Grizzlies.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>A slick skater who can scoot away away from forecheckers, Daley&rsquo;s game is I offense. So when it took until February I before he started scoring with regularity, he had become frustrated. He went 13 games without a goal in the AHL, but had seven in his next 18 games.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an offensive (defenseman) and I have to put up numbers,&rdquo; Daley said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big part of my game. I would have liked to be consistent, but I never got settled anywhere.&rdquo;</p><p>He is proving the critics are wrong to worry about his lack of size. At 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, he&rsquo;s among the smallest defensemen.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something people always talk about, but I never worry about it,&rdquo; Daley said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something my skating will make up for.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, the Stars liked what they saw.</p><p>&ldquo;He can create things out of nothing,&rdquo; said Dallas coach Dave Tippett. &ldquo;His greatest asset is his skating, but if it&rsquo;s not used right, it can get him into trouble.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-02

Daley familiar face on Dallas shuttle

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p>Jason Bacashihua never considered himself a great goalie facing breakaways.</p><p>But considering his unprecedented success on penalty shots, Bacashihua might want to start an &ldquo;Adopt the Shootout&rdquo; campaign for the American League and NHL.</p><p>The second-year goalie has faced &mdash; and stopped - what is believed to be an AHL-record five penalty shots with the Utah Grizzlies this season. He also stopped the only one he faced last season.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just getting lucky, I guess,&rdquo; said Bacashihua, the 26th overall pick of the Dallas Stars in 2001. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;m awesome on breakaways, but during the summer I work on it quite a bit.&rdquo;</p><p>The secret to his success surely isn&rsquo;t a secret. Patience, patience, patience.</p><p>&ldquo;The biggest thing obviously is waiting for the player to make the first move,&rdquo; said Bacashihua, rated 43rd in Future Watch 2004.</p><p>So what about using a shootout to break ties?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03476/7724023-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="337" height="332"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AHL WEST NOTEBOOK</b></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;Obviously the fans would enjoy it,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and being a goalie, I don&rsquo;t mind it.&rdquo;</p><p>A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE Who says hockey isn&rsquo;t a one-man show? Syracuse Crunch goalie Pascal Leclaire and San Antonio goalie Travis Scott proved it can be.</p><p>Scott made 55 saves, 50 in regulation, before Lee Goren scored late in overtime as the Rampage won 1-0 at Cleveland March 2.</p><p>Five nights later, Leclaire weathered a 50-shot barrage by Manitoba as the Crunch were outshot 50-9 yet won 1-0. Brad Moran scored the only goal in the first period.</p><p><b>QUICK CLINCH</b> There were five weeks remaining in the season when Grand Rapids became the first team to clinch a playoff berth.</p><p>The Griffins were 39-17-8-0 when they wrapped up a spot in the West Division.</p><p>They have their sights on bigger goals, however. Namely, a fifth consecutive division title (and third in a row in their three years in the AHL) and the overall regular season crown.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Hamilton winger Marcel Hossa is hot again, just as he was late last season. After scoring just three goals in his first 29 AHL games, Hossa piled up 11 in a recent 15-game span&hellip;Milwaukee defenseman Curtis Murphy is bidding to become the fourth back-to-back winner of the Eddie Shore Plaque as best AHL defenseman. Murphy leads the AHL in plus-minus at plus-29. Other winners in consecutive years were Terry Murray (1978 and &rsquo;79 for Maine), Dave Fenyves (1988 and &rsquo;89 for Hershey) and John Slaney (2001 and &rsquo;02 for Philadelphia).</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04351/7724016-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="1348" height="2004"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i>Simon Gamache is averaging almost a point per game in Milwaukee since his November acquisition from the Chicago Wolves.</i></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0031-03

Bacashihua unbeatable on 1-on-1s

<div class="byline">BY MIKE MASTOVICH</div><p>Big Brother might not be watching Columbia Inferno left winger Tim Smith. But he set a high standard.</p><p>Entering the final month of the ECHL season, the 5-foot-9,165-pound Smith led the league in points and assists. If he maintains his i pace, he&rsquo;d keep the scoring title in the family.</p><p>Last season, his older brother, Buddy, was the ECHL&rsquo;s most valuable player and leading I scorer with the Arkansas Riverblades. Buddy is playing for Kaufbeuren in the German league this season.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a few years older than me,&rdquo; said Tim Smith, 22. &ldquo;He showed me a few things over the years. He&rsquo;d spot me eight or nine goals and he&rsquo;d still beat me 10-9. It was great to learn like that.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07194/7724092-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="304" height="293"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NOTEBOOK</b></figcaption></div><p>Buddy Smith, 29, had 30 goals, an ECHL-best 74 assists and was the league&rsquo;s only 100-point scorer at 104 last year.</p><p>&ldquo;He had an unbelievable year last year and was MVP,&rdquo; Tim Smith said. &ldquo;For me to have the type of year I&rsquo;m having and put myself even close to his company is a great season.&rdquo;</p><p>Tim Smith had a league-best 78 points and 51 assists in 58 games. The 272nd draft selection in 2000 by the Vancouver Canucks, Smith was assigned to the Inferno last season, when he had 22 goals and 59 points in 68 games.</p><p>Pretty good for a couple of boys from the small town of Rochfort Bridge, Alta.</p><p>&ldquo;(Tim) is a lot of fun to watch,&rdquo; said Inferno coach Scott White. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s exciting when he gets the puck. He has confidence to make plays.&rdquo;</p><p><b>DOUBLE MILESTONE</b> Florence Pride left winger Allan Sirois scored a pair of goals in a 6-1 win over Charlotte March 7, giving him 200 career ECHL goals and a team-record 149 with the Pride.</p><p><b>INTER-LEAGUE PLAY</b> The Florida Everblades acquired the South East League&rsquo;s leading scorer, forward James Patterson, who had 41 goals and 110 points in 50 games with the Huntsville Channel Cats before signing an ECHL contract.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-07

Smith followina in brother’s footstens

<div class="byline">BY DAVE SOTTILE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02713/7724123-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="309" height="487"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ERIC PERRIN</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011054/7724130-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="141" height="141"></div><p>Hershey&rsquo;s Eric Perrin and Tampa Bay&rsquo;s</p><p>Martin St-Louis have something in common other than being boyhood friends from Laval, Que., and former University of Vermont linemates. They&rsquo;re both aiming for a scoring title.</p><p>In early March, the Lightning right winger led the NHL in scoring, while the Bears center was tied for tops in the American League.</p><p>It was St-Louis who recommended Perrin to Tampa GM Jay Feaster, suggesting the 28-year-old could help the organization. Feaster signed Perrin, who had been playing in Finland, last June.</p><p>With 20 multi-point games this season, Perrin has been Hershey&rsquo;s offensive catalyst. The undrafted free agent had 21 goals and 66 points in 63 games, leaving him tied with Cleveland&rsquo;s</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Miroslav Zalesak. Since Hershey joined the league in 1938-39, eight Bears have led the AHL in scoring. Christian Matte was the last in 1999-2000.</p><p>&ldquo;(Winning the scoring title) is in the back of your mind,&rdquo; Perrin said, &ldquo;but when I go out there, I want to give this team the best chance I can to win. I try to do that every night.&rdquo;</p><p>After graduating from Vermont, Perrin played three seasons in the old International League. In Finland, where he played for three seasons for four teams, Perrin scored 52 goals and 127 points in 162 games.</p><p>Fans elected the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Perrin to start for the Canadian all-stars at February&rsquo;s AHL All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. Naturally, he assisted on a pair of goals.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a gritty, gutty player who has great hands and great vision,&rdquo; said Hershey coach Paul Fixter. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very deserving of his status in this league. He&rsquo;s fun to watch and he loves to play. That race with Zalesak is going to be fun down to the wire.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-02

Perrin a Bolt of good luck for Hershey

<div class="byline">BY DAVE SOTTILE</div><p>With their average-per-game attendance at its lowest point in 10 years, the Portland</p><p>Pirates took the significant step of cutting ticket prices from $11 to $6 on almost 4,000 seats.</p><p>Through March 7, Portland ranked 25th among 28 American League teams in attendance, drawing an average of 3,942 fans through 33 home games at i the Cumberland County Civic Center.</p><p>Pirates CEO Brian Petrovek said the dramatic step was taken so people couldn&rsquo;t cite ticket prices as a reason not to attend games. The Pirates had not won in eight games before shutting out Providence 2-0 March 7.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re taking the approach that over time it&rsquo;s going to get us to where we need to be financially,&rdquo; said Petrovek to the Portland <b><i>Press-Herald.</i></b> &ldquo;There is some risk. But frankly we didn&rsquo;t think dropping to $8 or $9 or $10 tickets would be as noticeable.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03509/7724168-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="332" height="335"><figcaption class="caption-body">AHL EAST NOTEBOOK</figcaption></div><p><b>FASTEST GUNS</b> It&rsquo;s a league record that deserves an asterisk.</p><p>In a 4-2 Worcester win March 7, the host IceCats and Springfield Falcons combined for two goals in the final 2.9 seconds, breaking the league record for fastest two goals.</p><p>With the IceCats leading 3-1, the Falcons pulled goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier for an extra attacker. Right winger Peter Ferraro scored for Springfield with 3.0 seconds remaining. Pelletier stayed on the bench and after the ensuing faceoff, Worcester defenseman Christian Laflamme fired home an empty-net goal just before the buzzer, a score officially recorded with 0.1 seconds left.</p><p>Strangely, the two teams also held the prior record of four seconds, set in a game at the Springfield Civic Center Dec. 14, 1997.</p><p><b>BEEN THERE, DONE THAT</b> Center Patrick Sharp and defenseman John Slaney were in Philadelphia&rsquo;s lineup when the Flyers and Ottawa Senators set an NHL record with 419 penalty minutes March 5. Sharp fought Jason Spezza, earning a fighting major, misconduct and game misconduct.</p><p>&rsquo; Back on Dec. 28 Slaney and Sharp were in the Philadelphia Phantoms lineup for a 373-minute penalty fest against Ottawa&rsquo;s AHL affiliate, Binghamton.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Albany&rsquo;s Krisjanis Redlihs notched the first hat trick by an AHL defenseman this season, against Springfield March 3. The last River Rat blueliner to post a hat trick was Jason Smith in a loss to Hershey Nov. 6, 1993&hellip;Bridgeport defenseman Alain Nasreddine moved to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as part of a March 8 trade that sent right winger Steve Webb from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the New York Islanders.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04353/7724161-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="1348" height="1991"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>Alexandre Giroux was second among Binghamton Senators with 42 points in 59 games when he was traded to the New York Rangers.</i></b> <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT LEVY/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-03

Pirates drop stipend for 4,000 seats

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PAVEL BARTA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-09137/7724199-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="669" height="264"></div><p><b><i>Future and former NHLers are performing in Europe this season. Here are four such players with NHL rights in parentheses:</i></b></p><p>&bull; Jiri Dopita, 35, C (free agent). This robust pivot scored six points in 21 games with Edmonton last year. He recorded one goal and nine points in four playoff games with Pardubice in the Czech league.</p><p>&bull; Johan Halvardsson, 24, D (NY Islanders). The 108th overall pick in 1999 loves to hit and block shots. He is one of the top blueliners for Jonkoping in the Swedish league playoffs with three points in three games.</p><p>&bull; Kelly Fairchild, 30, C (free agent). Fairchild played 34 NHL games with three teams. He Led Berlin IceBears scorers with 20 goals and 43 points in 42 games in the German league.</p><p>&bull; Evgeny Gladskikh, 21, RW, (Vancouver). This speedy forward was picked 114th overall in 2001. He has developed well with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, scoring 10 goals and 22 points in 44 Russian league games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-09

EYE ON EUROPE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05269/7724230-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="259" height="145"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span> quirk in the United League schedule, which was redrawn after Columbus folded in mid-season, forced Richmond to play five games in five nights. &ldquo;This is brutal,&rdquo; said RiverDogs blueliner Luch Nasato. &ldquo;How anybody can OK that schedule is beyond me. For us to play two games at home, (bus) 10 hours to Adirondack, 10 hours back home to play Adirondack and then (bus to Flint) is a joke.&rdquo; Richmond, which went 2-3-0 in the Feb. 24-28 stretch, won both games against Adirondack, but lost the fifth game (4-1 to Flint) after injuries left the team with just 12 skaters.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-05

NOTEBOOK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID HENRY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06222/7724261-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="265" height="147"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Central League suspended Corpus Christi blueliner Mike Tilson indefinitely following an arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated and cocaine possession. According to the Corpus Christi <b><i>CallerTimes</i></b> and the Texas Department of Public Safety, he was arrested Feb. 17 for driving while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance. Tilson, 25, also is accused of possession of a prohibited substance in a correctional facility. The Rayz&rsquo; top scorer faces second- and third-degree felony charges and maximum sentences of two to 20 years in prison. His suspension began March 3.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-06

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NICK GATES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07188/7724292-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="189" height="163"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><i><span>I</span>f</i></b> this really is Craig Desjarlais&rsquo;s final season, he is going out in style. The 27-year-old Knoxville center had already established career highs for goals (22) and assists (44) as the South East League season entered its final two weeks and was a driving force in the Ice Bears&rsquo; push to make the post-season. &rsquo;Tve thought about (retirement), but I honestly don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; said the Bowling Green product, who is getting married in September. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m enjoying myself right now. The most important thing is I want to win a championship. We&rsquo;re finally getting the pieces in here.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-07

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SCOTT ANDERA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08164/7724323-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="221" height="153"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Miami Manatees no longer have a home. The team, struggling at the gate, exercised a clause to cancel its lease at Miami Arena, which lost its only tenant in the process. According to the WHA2, the Manatees drew an average of 1,061 fans for its 19 home dates, worst in the league. WHA2 chairman David Waronker said the homeless team will likely play its remaining &ldquo;home&rdquo; games in the Central Florida area, possibly Orlando or Rockledge, Fla., on the east coast. But thanks in large part to problems paying players on time, the team&rsquo;s future - past this season - is in doubt.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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<div class="byline">BY WILLY PALOV</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01958/7724368-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="291" height="164"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hey&rsquo;ve called him &ldquo;King Richard&rdquo; for most of his 11 years in the Quebec League, but the crown fits Richard Martel better than ever now that he&rsquo;s back in his hometown of Chicoutimi.</p><p>Martel has overseen a remarkable turnaround since taking over behind the Sagueneens bench in early November from the fired Rene Matte. Martel took a team that was 8-13-1-0 and got it above .500 and within striking distance of an Eastern Division title.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02651/7724361-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="335" height="374"></div><p>&ldquo;I find team bonding is so much better now,&rdquo; said center Rene George. &ldquo;Everyone gets along better than we used to. I mean, we always got along, but there often seemed like something was going on that kept us from coming together.</p><p>&ldquo;When Richard came here, he really turned things around. Everyone really works for him and everyone is together now.&rdquo;</p><p>Most impressive of all during their turnaround was the Sagueneens&rsquo; record at home. They won their first 14 games at home with Martel behind the bench andwere 16-1-2-0 through 19 home games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03494/7724354-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="339" height="913"></div><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been comfortable at home all season,&rdquo; George said. &ldquo;We have an international ice surface and we seem to play well there every night. But having him there gave us that much more confidence and we&rsquo;ve been i really hot ever since he took over.&rdquo;</p><p>The transformation justifies manage-ment&rsquo;s decision to give up a third round draft pick to acquire Martel from the BaieComeau Drakkar. Martel was serving as the GM in Baie-Comeau when the Sagueneens approached him about taking over as coach.</p><p>He had also been the coach-GM for five years in Baie-Comeau before giving up his coaching duties prior to this season. He has also coached in St-Hyacinthe and Val-d&rsquo;Or.</p><p><b>MAX STREAK</b> Once Gatineau Olympiques captain <b>Maxime</b> Talbot got over his jet lag, he went on the hottest streak of any QMJHL player this season.</p><p>After going pointless in his first game back from the world juniors, the 19-year-old center registered a point in 19 straight games. By the time the streak ended, he had amassed 14 goals and 47 points. Rimouski Oceanic center Sidney Crosby also had a 19-game points streak this season, but only managed 43 points.</p><p><b>FAB FEBRUARY</b> Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury responded to being sent down to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles by the Pittsburgh Penguins by earning defensive player-of-the-month honors for February. He was undefeated (6-0-1) in that span.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Sags home warriors since hiring Martel

<div class="byline">BY JIM CRESSMAN</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he sale of two franchises does not suggest the Ontario League is unstable financially, said commissioner David Branch. The Oshawa Generals were sold by John Humphreys after 37 years in his family and Dr. Bob Vaughan is selling the Belleville Bulls, a team he established in 1981. Both teams will likely remain in their respective cities.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04385/7724406-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="391" height="274"></div><p>&ldquo;John and Dr. Vaughan have been real important builders of our league,&rdquo; Branch said. &ldquo;Both men have just reached a point where they feel it&rsquo;s time to pass the torch. The sale of the two clubs is not related to anything else.&rdquo;</p><p>Humphreys&rsquo; father, Russ, bought the Generals in 1967 when the NHL ended its sponsorship of junior teams. Aurora (Ont.) real estate developer John Davies, who owns the Jr. A Newmarket Hurricanes, has agreed to the terms and price. It&rsquo;s his intention to keep the team in Oshawa and Humphreys said that&rsquo;s a condition of the sale.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05321/7724399-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="343" height="897"></div><p>Branch met Davies &ldquo;and his very words to me were he considers the Oshawa Generals I: to be the Green Bay Packers of hockey. He has absolutely no intention to move at this time.&rdquo;</p><p>Vaughan, meanwhile, has spoken to about 10 out-of-town groups interested in buying the Bulls. Several said they want to keep the team in Belleville, which Vaughan said is his i priority. The Bulls will miss the playoffs this spring for the first time in 21 years.</p><p><b>STIFF SENTENCE</b> Sault Ste. Marie Grey-hounds right winger Jeff Doyle was suspended 15 games after knocking Windsor Spitfires right winger Steve Downie unconscious with a blow to the head.</p><p>Doyle, 21, in his fifth OHL season, was third in team scoring.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m completely shocked,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was expecting three to five games. This isn&rsquo;t the way I wanted my career to end.&rdquo;</p><p>Commissioner David Branch was certain after seeing the video that the Feb. 27 hit was an intentional blow to the head.</p><p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t say it was 100 per cent his elbow or 100 per cent his arm, but the action of sticking out his arm resulted in it making contact with the head area,&rdquo; Branch said.</p><p>Branch also said Doyle was a repeat offender, having been suspended two other times in his career, including once this season, for elbows to the head.</p><p><b>LONG RUN ENDS</b> The Peterborough Petes will miss the playoffs for the first time in 28 years, a league record.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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March 23, 2004

ON THE FLY

Future in Tampa in question despite team’s winning ways

THE HOCKEY NEWS INTERNET POLL

HOCKEY NATION AT A GLANCE