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March 30, 2004
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.
Hitchcock goes with instinct, names Esche playoff No. 1
This time, Ken Hitchcock is trusting his instincts. A year ago, the Flyers coach wanted goalie Robert Esche to start in the playoffs, but Roman Cechmanek got one more chance. Now, Hitchcock has seen enough. The Flyers brought in goalie Sean Burke before the trade deadline for insurance. But all year, Esche has been building a case for faith in the post-season and it has paid off. The Flyers named Esche their playoff man halfway through this season; he has paid them back with consistent play, including a 4-1-2 mark since coming off a sprained knee in February. Esche topped that streak off by out-dueling New Jersey's Martin Brodeur twice in one week. “We knew what we had halfway through last year,” Hitchcock said. “I think we could have even accelerated (Esche's progress)…
Bears aghast after seeing hit on Moore
Todd Bertuzzi's sucker punch on Steve Moore angered many in the hockey world, but the incident really struck a nerve with the Hershey Bears. Moore played 139 games in Hershey the past three years, including 13 this season. He had 24 goals and 58 points during his stay with the Bears and was known for a strong two-way game. “There's no room in any sport-especially the sport that I'm so proud to be involved in-for an action of that nature,” said Hershey coach Paul Fixter. “To me, it was as barbaric as barbaric can be.” Left winger Chris Bala joined the Bears following a March 9 trade, but he knows Moore well, having played with him for four years at Harvard University. “I read about it before I saw it,” said Bala of the…
HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF
QUENNEVILLE GETS POST Fired St. Louis coach Joel Quenneville was named Canada's coach for the World Championship. Quenneville, 45, was given the post by Canada GM Jim Nill. The tournament starts April 24 in Prague. CANADA CAMP IN OTTAWA The University of Ottawa will be the site for Canada's training camp for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Camp opens Aug. 20 and they will train for three days at the school before moving to the Corel Centre. Exhibition games in Ottawa are Aug. 25 and Aug. 28. The tournament opens Aug. 30. AUCTION RAISES FUNDS More than $56,000 was raised for the Dan Snyder Memorial Scholarship through the NHLPA's online auction. Fans had the opportunity to bid on Atlanta and Detroit sweaters. Steve Yzerman's sweater went for $4,650 (U.S.), while Ilya Kovalchuk's sold for…
Some players step it up
Anyone can scroll through a playoff team's final statistics and throw the names of the top scorers onto their draft sheet. However, what often ends up being the case is a completely different statistics sheet at the end of the playoffs. Some players pick up their game and put points up on the board with more regularity than they did in the season. It's crunch time and these players are deserving of a spot higher up on your draft list. So who is this year's Jamie Langen-brunner or Marian Gaborik? Looking at the average points per game of players over the past three seasons, and comparing them to the average points per game in the ensuing playoffs, some patterns emerge. We've compiled a list of players who have demonstrated the ability to step…
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