Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
April 6, 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.
Your 2004 Stanley Cup Playoff Primer
Tentative Playoff Schedule Last year’s playoffs ended June 9, when New Jersey defeated Anaheim 3-0 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. The last possible date of the playoffs this season is June 7. As is the case every year, the dates for each round after the first are subject to “move-up’’ scenarios, if a speedy end to the previous round allows the NHL to start a subsequent round earlier than first projected. Here are the tentative dates for the 2004 playoffs. TV Coverage (All times E.S.T.) ABC: Coverage of 11 games through the playoffs. Saturday afternoon regional games at 3 p.m. through the first three rounds. Coverage of Stanley Cup final Games 3-7 at 8 p.m. Broadcast Team: Play-by-play: Gary Thorne. Color: Bill Clement, John Davidson. ESPN: Coverage of 31 games through the playoffs, including…
Wildcats rise to top old-fashioned way
The future is finally now for the Moncton Wildcats. The team is in the final year of a painstaking four-year rebuilding program and all signs point to a long playoff run. The Wildcats tried to build a championship team back in 1999-2000 by trading away almost all of their young players and draft picks. They paid a steep price for the strategy, going 23-43-6 in 2000-01 and 2048-4 in 2001-02. But two years of drafting near the top of the order and making move: to acquire good young players began to pay off in 2002-03 when they went 37-25-10. The Wildcats always targeted 2003-04 as the year they would be rebuilt and a 46-193-2 regular season record and a third-overall finish suggests they’re on schedule. Defenseman James Sanford has been with the team…
Tigers trapped by tournament eligibility rules
Colorado College has learned some very harsh lessons courtesy of the NCAA. In 1993-94, the Tigers won the WCHA regular season title, but were upset in the league playoffs by last-place Michigan Tech and left out of the NCAA tournament. This year, the Tigers won 20 games overall and beat three of the top WCHA teams, but a new wrinkle in the NCAA selection process prevented them from getting a berth in the national tournament. Colorado College, Notre Dame and Colgate were in a three-way tie in the PairWise Rankings for what amounted to the last at-large spot in the 16-team field. Notre Dame got the nod because of a secret bonus points formula devised by the NCAA. The equation rewards teams for non-conference wins over the top 15 schools in the PairWise…
Spezza rewards teammates after Senators reward him
Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza is going to be laughing all the way to the bank this summer. The 20-year-old Spezza broke a 17-game scoring slump March 20 with his 20th goal of the season, in the process triggering the final component of his contract, which pays him a $3.85 million bonus. Spezza, who receives $1.2 million in salary and a signing bonus this year, has a clause in his contract that requires him to score 20 goals or more, among other things, to assure himself of the lucrative bonus. In fact, Spezza was so happy at achieving three of the six clauses required to get the bonus, he took his teammates and the team’s training staff out for dinner in Boston March 23 because he wanted to share with everybody. Asked what he…
Made possible with the support of
