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.

April 6, 2004

The Hockey News April 6, 2004

<div class="byline">-DAN WOOD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04370/7837101-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="342" height="747"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he Mighty Ducks haven&rsquo;t had much to feel good about this season, but a wild triumph over the powerful Red Wings at least provided something.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02750/7837108-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="236" height="310"></div><p>The Ducks, who used an openinground playoff sweep over the Red Wings to ignite last season&rsquo;s run to the Stanley Cup final, were winless in three games against Detroit this season before emerging victorious in the highest-scoring game in franchise history, an 8-6 win March 21.</p><p>The Ducks tied the team record for most goals in a game, established Jan. 21,1998 in an 8-3 triumph over the Florida Panthers. They also tied club records by overcoming a three-goal deficit to win, by having 13 players record at least one point and by seven players registering multiple points.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Mike Babcock&rsquo;s trip to the Stanley Cup final in his rookie year last season helped the Ducks coach corral a one-year contract extension, through next season. Despite the Ducks&rsquo; disappointing performance this year, Babcock escaped much of the blame, though whispers began to surface about, the team&rsquo;s propensity for often not playing the obligatory &ldquo;60 minutes.&rdquo; A poor start next season could put Babcock&rsquo;s tenure in jeopardy.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Defenseman <b>Sandis Ozolinsh</b> returned to the Ducks lineup March 19 in a 4-2 loss to the visiting Sharks. Ozolinsh missed 42 games this season because of a tom pectoralis muscle in his left shoulder&hellip;Left winger <b>Rob Niedermayer</b> recorded a career-high four assists and left winger <b>Petr Sykora</b> scored his 200th career goal March 21 in an 8-6 triumph over the visiting Red Wings&hellip;With two goals in the wild victory over Detroit, center <b>Steve Rucchin</b> reached the 20-goal mark for the second consecutive season and the third time in his 10-year NHL career.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0028-04

NHL TEAM REPORTS

Thumping of Wings interrupts bad season

<div class="byline">LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-09135/7837305-1-eng-US/f0030-092.jpg" title="f0030-09" width="342" height="751"></div><p><b>T</b>he Carolina Hurricanes took to the road for a late, very improbable run at a playoff spot.</p><p>Thanks in large part to the secondbest five-game road trip in team history, Carolina set a franchise record with points in 11 straight road games (7-0-1-3).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-08152/7837312-1-eng-US/f0030-082.jpg" title="f0030-08" width="233" height="247"></div><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a turn of events with this team over the last 15 games where everything is coming together,&rdquo; said defenseman Bret Hedican. &ldquo;No matter whether we&rsquo;re down a goal or up a goal, we&rsquo;re playing like we did in the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>The spate of success rekindled the Canes&rsquo; faint hopes for a playoff spot, although they waited so long to embark on the hot streak they left themselves margin for error.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really proud of the players,&rdquo; said coach Peter J Laviolette. &ldquo;It has not been easy bouncing i around and getting in at two in the morning. We haven&rsquo;t had a day off in forever.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Signed to a three-year contract in December to replace Paul Maurice, Peter Laviolette plans to make his first major changes this summer-taking more control of players and off-season workouts, and demanding more accountability heading into training camp. The Hurricanes went 8-15-3-0 in his first 26 games as coach this season, but earned 24 points in Laviolette&rsquo;s next 18 games (9-3-2-4).</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> When rookie center <b>Eric Staal</b> missed the Hurricanes&rsquo; March 19 game against Pittsburgh with a mysterious &ldquo;torso injury&rdquo;, center <b>Josef Vasicek</b> became the only player to appear in all of Carolina&rsquo;s first 75 games. Staal, meanwhile, had gone 28 games without a goal as of late March&hellip;Defenseman <b>Sean Hill</b> had 10 points and was plus-7 over a nine-game stretch (March 3-20)&hellip; Carolina beat Ottawa 3-2 March 23, ending an 11-game winless streak g against the Senators that dated back to April, 2001.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0030-09

Canes’ late-day surge last kick at qualifying

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021246/7836496-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="406" height="668"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011606/7836503-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="93" height="94"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span></b>or players, the day after the regular season is a time for rest and healing. There&rsquo;s no such luck for the coaches. It might be four days until the first playoff game or the next series, but the video room is already calling.</p><p>In 2002, when we played New Jersey in the first round, our video man Chris Hufiine had prepared a 12-minute tape with everything we needed to look at by the morning after our last regular season game. On it was the Devils&rsquo; forecheck, their neutral zone systems, defensive zone coverage, special teams, faceoff alignments and goaltending. Chris isolated examples from New Jersey&rsquo;s final five games of the season in addition to the tape we gathered during the year.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CAREFUL WORK IN VIDEO ROOM</b></h2><p>As coaches we would go through the 12minute tape clip-by-clip, editing out parts we didn&rsquo;t want We reserved the next day, when the players came back, for studying the opposition. We would put the names of every player up on the chalkboard and go through their individual tendencies. Everyone who knew something about a guy would have a chance to speak up. Then we would check off their lines and defense pairings, start talking about matchups and a game plan and finally it was onto the ice for a skate to get the blood flowing.</p><p>Day 3 was systems day. Our guys watched that 12-minute video for the first and only time. During practice we worked specifically on drills related to our game plan. The first two teams we played that year, the Devils and Montreal, were both trapping teams. The second two teams-Toronto and Detroit-played different styles. We needed to adjust our breakout and neutral zone counters and had to change things up in practice as a result.</p><p>It&rsquo;s good to get that stuff out of the way two days before the first game because then there&rsquo;s no visiting media hanging around. (Our own media was tired of watching us practice. They wouldn&rsquo;t know the difference.) The day before the first game we didn&rsquo;t want to talk about the other team; it was just &lsquo;go up and down the ice and get feeling good&rsquo;.</p><p>Motivation isn&rsquo;t much of an issue in the playoffs; players either believe in the system you&rsquo;re playing or they don&rsquo;t. Line matches and personnel decisions matter. But from a coach&rsquo;s perspective, at least as important as all that-especially if you&rsquo;re the underdog-is keeping up hope.</p><h2><b>PLAYERS LOOK TO YOU FOR ANSWERS</b></h2><p>When you lose a game, you can&rsquo;t usually just forget about it. Players want to know why we lost and how we&rsquo;re going to fix it. As a coach you&rsquo;ve got to give them hope why they can win the next day. Often it&rsquo;s something technical. It can also be getting the players to see that the situation isn&rsquo;t as dismal as they believe.</p><p>There&rsquo;s a certain way to act when you lose a playoff game in the NHL. Nobody talks on the g bus. Nobody talks on * the plane. Players act this way because they&rsquo;re supposed to. But it can hurt the cause.</p><p>For example, we won the first two games in our series against New Jersey. They beat us badly in the next two. On the bus heading to the airport after Game 4,1 told the guys we did what we were supposed to do, the Devils did what they&rsquo;re supposed to do. We&rsquo;re in great shape, so relax, talk, smile, do whatever. Keep the hope.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03936/7836489-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="4305" height="1740"></div><p>Outside of that, it&rsquo;s pretty much the players running the show-them and the video guy. The day after a game there would be tapes on all the coaches&rsquo; desks when we arrived at 6:30 or 7 in the morning. The whole game would be there plus every turnover, regroup, breakout, faceoff, chances for and against, forechecks, neutral zone play and breakouts for both teams. Chris might leave the rink at 2:30 or 3 in the morning after a home game. If it was a road game and we flew home after the game, he would head to the rink when we landed and pull an all-nighter.</p><p>One other non-game day memory stands out from that 2002 playoff run: Before we headed to Toronto for Game 6 in the Eastern Conference final, I was chatting with one of our players. While we were talking every player on the team walked by us. I said hi to every one, and I remember thinking how nice it was to be feeling good about everybody. Nobody was grinding at me. I didn&rsquo;t feel like there was any player that I had to get more out of than they were already giving. It was the only time in my years of coaching that I&rsquo;ve ever felt that way. I</p><p><b>-PAUL MAURICE COACHED THE CAROLINA HURRICANES FROM 1995 TO 2003</b>.</p><p><b>WORKING MEN</b></p><p>Recent Stanley Cup champs have averaged 1.6 days offfor every playoff game. Days off are on the left.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

FEATURES & COLUMNS

Coaches’ tasks never done

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0364/7839196-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>EACEFUL PRODUCER</b>&nbsp;<i>Brad Richards has the fewest penalty minutes among players with 50 or more points. The P.E.I. native is a strong candidate for the Lady Byng Trophy</i>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-03

IN THIS ISSUE

The Hockey News: STATS EXTRA

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021535/7835995-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="324" height="575"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011805/7836002-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="103" height="91"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-041010/7835988-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="761" height="1144"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b> lead-pipe cinch prediction for the playoffs: during the last TV timeout of the third period for games at Toronto&rsquo;s Air Canada Centre, Stompin&rsquo; Tom Connors&rsquo;s <i>The Hockey Song</i> will blast through the PA system before morphing into <i>2</i> Unlimited&rsquo;s <i>Get Ready for This</i>.</p><p>I know this because it has recurred game in, game out for years. It&rsquo;s an established pattern.</p><p>Most everything else in the post-season is a crapshoot. In particular, nailing the winner is a slippery business because there are so many unknowns. There is no blueprint that guarantees success.</p><p>Or is there?</p><p>In an exercise to help identify a favorite, I decided to build the profile of a champion based on statistical evidence. The regular season data of Stanley Cup-winning teams in recent years was assembled and the trends analyzed. I went as far back as 1995-96, the season after New Jersey won with a trap-based system and the last time the NHL&rsquo;s goals-per-game average exceeded 6.00. Since then, defense has ruled and there has been a discernible change to the way the game is played.</p><p>After wading through the numbers, Detroit emerged as the team to beat&hellip;on paper. Here&rsquo;s why they best fit the mold:</p><p><b><i>You&rsquo;ve got to be elite</i></b> Hardly a shocker, but it is telling none of the past eight winners has finished lower than fifth in the overall standings; three have been Presidents&rsquo; Trophy winners. The Wings held down the No. 1 spot through late March.</p><p><b><i>Offense matters</i></b> With the exception of the 2003 Devils, who had a relatively anemic attack, defense alone doesn&rsquo;t cut it. The other seven past champions have ranked eighth or better in goals scored. Detroit is second this season.</p><p><b><i>Case for the defense</i></b> It&rsquo;s a given you have to be able to prevent goals and our champs were all among the top eight in their Cup year. The Wings have some work to do here they&rsquo;re 10th-but with a strong finish could place as high as fifth.</p><p><b><i>A special relationship</i></b> The power play and penalty-killing units must be solid, though not necessarily spectacular. Markers are a top-seven PP (excluding the aberration 2003 Devils) and a top-nine PK (excluding the 19th-ranked 2000 Avalanche). Detroit ranks fifth and first in special-teams play.</p><p><b><i>Hot not all that</i></b> It isn&rsquo;t critical to enter the playoffs on a roll, but you don&rsquo;t want to be badly stumbling, either. Of the past eight champs, only the 2001 Avs were dominant in the season&rsquo;s final quarter, posting a .725 points percentage. Everyone else was between .500 and .625 in their last 20 games. The Red Wings have a .656 points percentage in the final quarter.</p><p><b><i>Team game, part I</i></b> The hardware is nice, but dominant individual performers aren&rsquo;t indicators for success. Joe Sakic (2001) is the only player in the past eight years to win the Hart and Stanley Cup in the same year. The same holds true for the Vezina (Brodeur, 2003) and Norris (Lidstrom, 2002).</p><p><b><i>Team game, part II</i></b> The goalie may be the most important player on the ice, but he&rsquo;s still just one of 20 men on the roster. Consider that none of the past eight Cup-winning goalies finished higher than 10th in save percentage during the corresponding regular season. Netminding may be a chink in Detroit&rsquo;s armor, but don&rsquo;t forget Mike Vernon was 33rd in SP before helping the Wings to rings in 1997.</p><p><b><i>The road factor</i></b> Knowing how to win in hostile environments is important. The previous champs were each better than .500 on the road. Detroit is .514.</p><p><b><i>The year before</i></b> Going deep into the post-season the previous year is not a Stanley Cup prerequisite. In fact, just one team made the final the year before winning the Cup (the 1997 Wings, who repeated as champs). All teams made the playoffs the previous year, but four of eight were eliminated in the first round, possibly indicating a &ldquo;something to prove&rdquo; factor. After losing in four straight in the first round to Anaheim, the Wings definitely have something to prove.</p><p>To summarize the data, the past eight champs have been teams that are consistently strong throughout the course of the season and don&rsquo;t come out of nowhere to win. They don&rsquo;t rely too heavily on any one player or aspect of their game; they&rsquo;re well-balanced and strong (though not necessarily the best) in the key areas. They can get by with one relative weakness, but need a strong defense. A good finish to the season isn&rsquo;t necessary, nor is a goalie who had an elite regular season save percentage.</p><p>After Detroit, Ottawa the official pick of The Hockey News to win it all-most closely resembles our paper champions. If neither team is victorious, we&rsquo;ll go back to the drawing/dart board next year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031246/7835981-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="446" height="234"></div><h2><b>RATING GAME</b></h2><p><i>Here is the Wings&rsquo; data used in our profiling exercise. Stats are through March 23</i>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05817/7835974-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="620" height="689"></div><p><i>See pg. 18 for comparable data on all playoff teams</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-02

Wings look good, in theory

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-06483/7836040-1-eng-US/f0004-062.jpg" title="f0004-06" width="383" height="613"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MATT HUSSEV</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS</b></h2><p><b>Martin Brodeur</b> &bull; <b>G, 31</b></p><p><i>New Jersey, March 23 at Florida</i> Becomes youngest NHL goalie to win 400 regular season games.</p><p><b>Sean Burke</b> &bull; <b>G, 37</b></p><p><i>Philadelphia, March 23 at Carolina</i> Wins his 303rd game to move past Turk Broda into 18th place all-time.</p><p><b>Luc Robitaille</b> &bull; <b>LW, 37</b></p><p><i>Los Angeles, March 22 vs. Edmonton</i> Becomes NHL&rsquo;s all-time highest-scoring left winger (1,370 points).</p><p><b>Brendan Shanahan</b> &bull; <b>LW, 35</b></p><p><i>Detroit, March 18 at Phoenix</i></p><p>Moves past Johnny Bucyk into 17th place in all-time goals (557).</p><h2><b>NHL DEBUTS</b></h2><p><b>Josh Olson</b> &bull; <b>LW, 22</b></p><p>Florida, March 11 at Montreal Big 6-foot-5, 225-pounder from North Dakota scored in 3-2 win.</p><p><b>Michal Barinka</b> &bull; <b>D, 19</b></p><p><i>Chicago, March 11 at New Jersey</i> Size, ability to move puck may have him on Hawks&rsquo; defense next season.</p><p><b>Matt Hussey</b> &bull; <b>C, 24</b></p><p><i>Pittsburgh, March 16 vs. Washington</i> Wisconsin grad scored on his first shot; beat Kolzig with a backhander.</p><p><b>Mike Stutzel</b> &bull; <b>LW, 25</b></p><p><i>Phoenix, March 16 vs. Anaheim</i> Northern Michigan grad played 3:00 in a game ruled by special teams.</p><p><b>Kari Lehtonen</b> &bull; <b>G, 20</b></p><p><i>Atlanta, March 19 vs. Florida</i> Top prospect in Future Watch 2003 and 2004 outdueled Roberto Luongo, making 19 saves.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-07308/7836033-1-eng-US/f0004-072.jpg" title="f0004-07" width="386" height="615"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE STUTZEL</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-06

DEPARTMENTS

WORTH NOTING

<div class="byline">-MARK BRENDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021342/7836102-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012015/7836109-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="93" height="94"></div><p><b>A</b>h, springtime, when the snow melts and the winds turn warm and the thugs come out to play.</p><p>Much happened in the two weeks following Todd Bertuzzi&rsquo;s sucker punch on Steve Moore that could be filed under the ever-popular &ldquo;unbelievable&rdquo; category.</p><p>There was, in no particular order: a brutally reckless baseball-swing high stick; a vicious spear to the privates; a coach who claimed he meant no ill will by sending out his designated goon and three defensemen for a draw with three seconds left in a lost game; and, assorted suspensions for kneeing (two games, Chris Simon), sucker-punching (three games, Jody Shelley) and high-sticking (four games, Marty Turco).</p><p>Tea and crumpets, anyone?</p><p>Here&rsquo;s what was most unbelievable: when Moore was released to recuperate in the comforts of his Colorado home at the end of those two weeks, the NHL actually had one <i>fewer</i> player in hospital. The moral of the story-and apparently the only moral of the story-is that Wade Belak and Mark Messier should make a beeline for the craps table.</p><p>Toronto&rsquo;s Belak was handed an eight-game suspension fofspinning his stick 270 degrees like a head-high helicopter blade and striking Ossi Vaananen in front of the Colorado net. Belak complained his greatest crime was bad timing, what with everyone already on edge post-Bertuzzi.</p><p>The incident cost Belak $67,682.94 in salary. He should have thrown in an another twenty grand to the inventor of the visor and the same amount to Vaananen for wearing one. It would have been lights out for both of them if Vaananen hadn&rsquo;t been. Messier received just two games for pitchforking Pittsburgh defenseman Martin Strbak in the groin. In Messier&rsquo;s defense, Strbak did push him first.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s an old, wily veteran taking a young guy to task,&rdquo; empathized Rangers coach Tom Renney. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way it is. It&rsquo;s unfortunate, because we had to shorten down to three centers.&rdquo;</p><p>Tom, we feel your pain. It was a similar shame in the eyes of Calgary coach-GM Darryl Sutter&rsquo;s (two-game suspension) that Krzysztof Oliwa (three-gamer) made it look like Sutter actually sent him out to chuck knucks against Nashville. How could any one believe such a thing? &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what guys are thinking,&rdquo; said Colorado&rsquo;s Teemu Selanne after the Belak windmill. &ldquo;I think we have to start paying attention as a union, as players&hellip;I don&rsquo;t know if someone has to die before they&rsquo;re going to learn, but we have to stop this before something really bad happens.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>OUCH!</b></h2><p><b><i>Tomas Vokoun and Miikka Kiprusoff exchange pleasantries March 20</i></b></p><h2><b>SUSPENSIONS</b></h2><p>Here&rsquo;s a breakdown of NHL suspensions as of March 25. The topfigure represents the number of players suspended for the indicated infraction; bottomfigure is the total number of suspended games. There have been</p><p>two bans for punching-to Jody Shelley (three games) and Todd Bertuzzi (rest of season and playoffs). * minimum</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06268/7836095-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="1221" height="1088"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0006-02

Violence spirals on

<h2><i>Best of the Hockey World</i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03786/7836147-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="342" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SEAN HILL</b></figcaption></div><h2><i>Worst of the Hockey World</i></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>K</span>ING OF THE WING</b> Luc Robitaille of the Kings passes Johnny Bucyk to become the NHL&rsquo;s alltime highest-scoring left winger with 1,370 points.</p><p><b>KING OF THE HILL</b> Carolina defenseman Sean Hill fires four goals, eight points and is plus-6 in a seven-game span.</p><p><b>FINALLY!</b> The slumping Phoenix Coyotes end a nasty 15-game winless streak with a 3-2 overtime win over Minnesota.</p><p><b>WADING IN</b>&hellip; Toronto&rsquo;s Wade Belak is suspended eight games-six regular season, two playoff-for slashing Colorado&rsquo;s Ossi Vaananen in the head.</p><p><b>MARKED MAN</b>&hellip; Mark Messier of the Rangers is suspended two games for spearing Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Martin Strbak.</p><p>&hellip;<b>AND THE REST</b> Calgary&rsquo;s Chris Simon, Dallas&rsquo;s Marty Turco and Columbus&rsquo;s Jody Shelley join the suspended ranks with their assorted acts of mayhem.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04481/7836140-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="343" height="548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>WADE BELAK</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0006-03

PLUS MINUS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05379/7836178-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="382" height="616"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PETER NEDVED</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07153/7836185-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="228" height="192"></div><p><b><i>From around the NHL</i></b></p><p>&bull; There&rsquo;s still no word whether the Atlanta district attorney&rsquo;s office will pursue criminal charges against <b>Dany Heatley</b> for the accident that killed former Thrasher <b>Dan Snyder</b>. The DA&rsquo;s office recently told Heatley&rsquo;s lawyers it needs a few more weeks to complete its investigation. The accident happened six months ago.</p><p>&bull; Here&rsquo;s one creative way to curb the recent violence and stick-related incidents: eliminate the Lady Byng Trophy. Could be this late in the season some players become overly concerned they&rsquo;re going to be nominated for it.</p><p>&bull; What were the Flames thinking when they bought out <b>Martin St-Louis</b>? And, for that matter, why didn&rsquo;t either Minnesota or Columbus scoop him in the expansion draft?</p><p>&bull; Our sincerest apologies to <b>Petr Nedved</b>. We were wrong. You have made a difference. We must have mixed you up with <b>Alexei Kovalev</b>.</p><p>&bull; Strange play of the week goes to Buffalo left winger <b>J-P Dumont</b>. Dumont took a cross-crease pass from <b>Daniel Briere</b> and swept it past Montreal goalie <b>Mathieu Garon</b>. It would have been Dumont&rsquo;s 20th of the year-if only Dumont didn&rsquo;t proceed to whack the puck into the corner on his follow-through. In the end, no harm done: Dumont scored later in the game and the Sabres won 2-1.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-05

SNAPSHOTS

<div class="byline">BY LAURA SULLIVAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021431/7836216-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARKUS NASLUND: VANCOUVER CANUCKS</b><span class="photo-credit">(VOKOUN:JOHN RUSSELL/BBS; NASLUND:SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011904/7836223-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="93" height="94"></div><p><b>W</b>ho would have guessed the best scorers in the NHL are also ace mathematicians?</p><p>OK, so it&rsquo;s not about report cards. I&rsquo; has to do with a scientific theory called the Bayesian thought process, which says elite athletes, perhaps subconsciously, can create random patterns with their shots, much like a computer does. Only the players do it with pucks instead of zeroes and ones.</p><p>In theory, it makes sense. After all, as Atlanta netminder Pasi Nurminen puts it, &ldquo;goalies are not that stupid that they don&rsquo;t watch the highlights and see where the guys are shooting.&rdquo;</p><p>Although he won&rsquo;t stake it all on that knowledge, where the puck is likely to be headed is one of the calculations churning in the goaltender&rsquo; mind as an opponent skates in.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>DIFFERENT SHOOTING TARGETS</b></h2><p>&ldquo;If they know you have three or four places you like to put the puck,&rdquo; says Vancouver&rsquo;s Markus Naslund, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s going to make the goalie worry a little more about you.&rdquo;</p><p>So when a guy like Naslund can mix it up so well that his shot placement is random, he&rsquo;s unpredictable. No amount of studying is going to help a goalie guess the target.</p><p>The average shooter, on the other hand, is either going to rely on his one strongest shot or, when he tries to mix it up, the patterns he creates will be predictable and stoppable.</p><p>To test this theory-which was originally studied for its application to tennis players-The Hockey News made a cursory analysis of three scorers: Vancouver&rsquo;s Markus Naslund, Columbus&rsquo;s Rick Nash and Atlanta&rsquo;s Ilya Kovalchuk. All three players have in common a touch for the net.</p><p>We recorded where a player shot the puck based on the five first-glance openings on a tended net-upper- and lower-right sides, upper- and lower-left sides and five hole.</p><p>With the help of Dr. Andrew Rukhin, professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Maryland, the results-series of digits running from 1 to 5-were analyzed using the chi-squared method to assess each player&rsquo;s randomness.</p><p>The results showed all three, to a degree, create random patterns with their puck placement. Naslund is the best, mixing up his selections to an almost perfectly random degree.</p><p>&ldquo;Markus can do so many thing&rsquo;s and that makes him unpredictable,&rdquo; says teammate Johan Hedberg. &ldquo;You have to expect everything.&rdquo;</p><p>Nash, in second, slightly favors the top shelf and five hole. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s picking me apart so he&rsquo;s doing something right,&rdquo; says teammate Marc Denis.</p><p>Kovalchuk, although random, tends to go to the upper right-hand corner and the five hole more often.</p><p>For that five-hole shot, Washington goalie Olie Kolzig says, &ldquo;you know (he&rsquo;s going there), but he gets the puck off so quick, you can&rsquo;t get down fast enough.&rdquo;</p><p>But do the shooters themselves believe that not just speed, strength, skill and sight, but also statistical savvy play a role in their success?</p><h2><b>NATURAL INSTINCT</b></h2><p>Naslund gave credence to at least the subconscious aspect of the theory. &ldquo;A lot is instinct,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I can almost feel where the puck is going to go before it leaves my blade.&rdquo;</p><p>Only Kovalchuk, among the three, could be described as a true believer in the Bayesian randomness theory.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tougher and tougher (to score) every year,&rdquo; says Kovalchuk, a grizzled veteran of three seasons. &ldquo;So I should do something else. That&rsquo;s why I work in practice everyday.&rdquo;</p><p>Kovalchuk thinks keeping it random may be the most important part of any player&rsquo;s net-finding prowess.</p><p>&ldquo;As soon as you stop (randomizing) you&rsquo;re going to score fewer goals,&rdquo; he says.</p><h2><b>SHOOTING GALLERY</b></h2><p><i>In determining shooting patterns, our study identified five primary targets on net</i>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

Shot study shows stars randomize

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021365/7836254-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011872/7836261-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="204" height="106"></div><h2><b>The Hockey News: FROM THE EDITORS</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span></b>n a recent visit to NHL headquarters, staff members of The Hockey News thought they could hear the words &ldquo;head and shoulders, knees and toes, eyes, ears, mouth and nose&rdquo; emanating from the direction of Colin Campbell&rsquo;s office. We wondered why the league vice-president was watching <i>Barney</i>. Turns out he was conducting disciplinary hearings for Mark Messier and Wade Belak. Just another routine day at the salt mine.</p><p>OK, that&rsquo;s something of a stretch, but the point is rocksolid: we&rsquo;re experiencing an unusually high volume of cross-the-line infractions, even in the wake of the Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore incident.</p><p>The easy out would be to join the ranks of the morally offended, get on our soap box and decry that the game is going to H-E-double hockey sticks. We&rsquo;re not biting. Instead, here are some snapshot thoughts on the issues that have arisen since the level of unacceptable violence has risen:</p><p>&bull; <b><i>Respect</i></b> Some believe it has disappeared like a soft player in the playoffs. We disagree. There may be a lack of respect, but the level hasn&rsquo;t dramatically deteriorated since the days of Gordie Howe&rsquo;s elbows, Ted Green&rsquo;s and Wayne Maki&rsquo;s swinging sticks or Dan Maloney pile drives into the ice. Remember, there are 24 more teams and in excess of 500 more players than in the Original Six days. Logic dictates there will be more infractions.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>&ldquo;Blaming the men in stripes for out-of-control violence is a copout</i></b>.</blockquote><p><b><i>Accountable coaches</i></b> Like a Hollywood director, coaches have the power to dictate scenes with their language and actions. That&rsquo;s a responsibility that shouldn&rsquo;t be taken lightly and when it&rsquo;s abused, it shouldn&rsquo;t go unpenalized. Putting a line of pugilists on the ice in the waning moments of a game is no more appropriate than casting Danny DeVito as Rambo.</p><p>&bull; <b><i>Referees</i></b> Blaming the men in stripes for out-of-control violence is a cop-out. They aren&rsquo;t perpetrating the crimes; we think they do their level-best to prevent them. Does anyone believe referees enter games wondering, &rsquo;Geez, how can I mess up today and get in the middle of a war zone?&rsquo; Keeping the peace is what makes refs look good and earns them their promotions. They make occasional mistakes, but so does the backchecking forward who lets his man get away or the defenseman who turns the puck over. Players need to deal with human error or a difference in opinion and take responsibilities for their actions.</p><p>&bull; <b><i>Deterrents</i></b> Gargantuan suspensions for ugly infractions don&rsquo;t prevent recurrences. See McSorley and Bertuzzi. The only way to get rid of the big stuff is to start with the small stuff, all the hacks and whacks that are tolerated. Instill in players&rsquo; minds that they can&rsquo;t lay any lumber on an opponent and it changes the mindset on stickwork.</p><p>And, finally, let&rsquo;s all take a chill pill and get ready to embrace the playoffs. Barring further incident, by the time we reach Game 2 of the first round all this extracurricular trash will have been forgotten (Steve Moore notwithstanding) and we&rsquo;ll be enjoying the most exciting time of the year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

THE HOCKEY NEWS EDITORIAL

Players and coaches should be accountable

<h2><b>MEMORIAL CUP MADNESS</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen you see how the &lsquo;March Madness&rsquo; of NCAA basketball stirs up interest across North America, don&rsquo;t you think it would be interesting to see the Canadian Hockey League put together a similar tournament where its three leagues would battle in do-or-die matchups for the Memorial Cup?</p><p>Such a move may go against the tradition of the Memorial Cup, but it would give much greater exposure to exciting hockey.</p><p><b><i>Robin van Nieuwburg, Montreal</i></b></p><h2><b>FOCUS ON SKILL, NOT FIGHTING</b></h2><p>In a recent letter, Timothy Hoinkis said the Senators-Flyers brawl made him feel &ldquo;all warm inside.&rdquo; Was he serious? (THN, March 23)</p><p>Fighting should be banned from hockey. The game is awesome when it&rsquo;s played with skill; fighting only ruins a beautiful sport.</p><p>And, contrary to Hoinkis&rsquo;s suggestion, I do leave my seat when a fight breaks out.</p><p>A hockey game played fairly is what makes me feel all warm inside.</p><p><b><i>Mary Tallon, Oshawa, Ont</i></b>.</p><h2><b>KIPRUSOFF SPECTACULAR</b></h2><p>The play of Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff has been nothing short of spectacular. He was overshadowed by Evgeni Nabokov in San Jose, but who would have expected this?</p><p>Bravo to coach-GM Darryl Sutter for stealing him from the Sharks and for getting the rest of the team to subscribe to a work ethic that should be the envy of every team.</p><p><b><i>Chris Mattiuz, Windsor, Ont</i></b>.</p><h2><b>EMPATHY FOR BERTUZZI</b></h2><p>I feel sorry for Todd Bertuzzi. No player ever wants to seriously injure a fellow player. But as players know, these games are absolute battles.</p><p>Every team has its sights set on the Stanley Cup and people can get hurt.</p><p><b><i>Nick Campbell, Norwell, Mass</i></b>.</p><h2><b>LEAFS BYLAW SENS-LESS</b></h2><p>Way to go Ottawa City Council.</p><p>You&rsquo;ve made Canada&rsquo;s capital look idiotic by trying to pass a new bylaw preventing fans from wearing Maple Leaf jerseys at the Corel Centre.</p><p>Is it Toronto&rsquo;s fault the Corel Centre doesn&rsquo;t sell out with Sens fans when the Leafs are in town? If Ottawa promoted the Sens half as much as they do the Leafs, we wouldn&rsquo;t be talking about this sideshow.</p><p><b><i>Eric Ducharme, Ottawa</i></b></p><h2><b>WADE-ING INTO CONTROVERSY</b></h2><p>Thanks to Teemu Selanne for having the guts to tell the truth. Wade Belak&rsquo;s vicious stick assault on Ossi Vaananen was every bit as mindless as Todd Bertuzzi&rsquo;s attack on Steve Moore.</p><p>Was Belak off-balance when it happened? Was he frustrated? Who cares? Such an action would be a felony on the street; why should it be allowed and excused in hockey?</p><p><b><i>Steve Merrill, Fredericton, N</i>.<i>B</i></b>.</p><h2><b>THN EMPLOYS HEROES?</b></h2><p>I&rsquo;m only 13, but I&rsquo;m a die-hard fan of The Hockey News and haven&rsquo;t missed an issue in ages. So I was never more proud when my letter was published. (THN, March 3)</p><p>Thanks a million. You guys are my heroes.</p><p><b><i>Shane Harrigan, Elora, Ont</i></b>.</p><h2><b>LETTER OF THE WEEK</b></h2><p>So NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly says players may be &ldquo;pleasantly surprised&rdquo; if they accept &ldquo;cost certainty&rdquo; as the answer to the NHL&rsquo;s problems. (THN, March 23)</p><p>A better surprise would be seeing average crowds over 12,000 at Carolina games. Bui that&rsquo;s not especially likely.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t mean to insult fans in Carolina or any &ldquo;non-traditional markets,&rdquo; who are just as passionate about the game as anyone. But there is simply not enough of those fans to support their NHL franchises.</p><p>Forcing cost certainty down the throat of the NHLPA won&rsquo;t make people more interested in hockey in those cities. Nor will forcing fans to endure the lifeless, trap-heavy style practised in a bloated league with a diluted talent pool.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t see how playing for crowds who couldn&rsquo;t care less, all the while alienating people who care passionately about hockey, is a pleasant surprise.</p><p><b><i>Marco Mannarino, Edmonton</i></b></p><h2><b>Got something to say?</b></h2><p><b>U.S.A</b>.: Letters, The Hockey News, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947.</p><p><b>Canada:</b> Letters, The Hockey News, 25 Sheppard Ave.W., Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7</p><p><b>E-mail:</b> <a href="mailto:aproteau@thehockeynews.com">aproteau@thehockeynews.com</a> or visit <b><a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a></b> Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number.</p><p><i>Submissions will be edited</i>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021191/7836323-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="406" height="673"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011668/7836330-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="204" height="106"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span></b>at Quinn looked like he had the hang of it, only to have it yanked from his mitts in June. Doug MacLean thought he could excel at it, only to reconsider his perspective in January. Glen Sather had been using it mainly to cement the positions of his detractors, only to be forced to ditch it in February as if he were Eddie Van Halen and it an inconsequential lead singer.</p><p>The role of coach-GM is the elephant graveyard for the NHL&rsquo;s overzealous egos. It is a sexy sell, the notion of one boss, one bottom line. But by-and-large, such a setup has, at best, yielded high-end mediocrity; at worst, it has put teams through more indignities than the stress-relief-squeeze-toy-thingy on Bob Clarke&rsquo;s desk.</p><p>And so Quinn is ever-so-gently nudged out by the gents at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment; and MacLean hands Columbus&rsquo;s coaching reins to Gerard Gallant; and the chants from Rangers faithful thunder sufficiently to merit Sather&rsquo;s attention, so he too resigns as coach. Judging by their collective success rate, it is tempting to proclaim the coach-GM hybrid a spent species.</p><h2><b>EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIP</b></h2><p>But then you remember Darryl Sutter and the Calgary Flames and you think maybe that dog can still hunt. You think of the shrewd trades, the unity of purpose, the promise of playoff games for the first time in eight seasons, and you think maybe both jobs can be done by one man and multiple cell phones. He has done so well, you&rsquo;re willing to forgive the brain cramp that got him suspended two games after he used Krzysztof Oliwa as a weapon of retribution against Nashville.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s face it: were Sutter reversing the fortunes of a major-market franchise, were he branding his philosophy into the hairy hide of an Original Six team, the resulting spotlight would make the</p><p>J-Lo/Ben Affleck saga resemble a correction notice in the classifieds. But Sutter fives in Calgary, so he&rsquo;ll have to settle for the gratitude of the I locals and for the joy of winning.</p><p>&ldquo;Darryl is the perfect fit for the Calgary market,&rdquo; said Dean Lombardi, the ex-San Jose GM and current Flyers scout who employed Sutter as Sharks coach for more than five years. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t need the glitz and glory. He doesn&rsquo;t have to be the focus of attention.</p><p>&ldquo;Much of Darryl&rsquo;s impact this year has come through his attitude. He has given the Flames what they&rsquo;ve desperately needed-a personality.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>STUDIED UNDER LOMBARDI</b></h2><p>Lombardi is credited for helping make Sutter&rsquo;s learning curve as GM an easier one; it was he who got Sutter involved in personnel moves, he who gave Sutter a <i>de facto</i> internship for the role.</p><p>&ldquo;I thought it was important to include Darryl in the process,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;The Sutters have a reputation for grit and hard work, but most people don&rsquo;t know how sharp Darryl&rsquo;s mind is. This is a guy who could&rsquo;ve went to Princeton. A lot of his decisions this year have panned out.&rdquo;</p><p>And how. Start with the Flames&rsquo; season-defining deal for Miikka Kiprusoff, arguably the NHL&rsquo;s most astute trade this year. Then consider Marcus Nilson, an afterthought in Florida who had five goals in nine games with Calgary after six in 69 games with the Panthers. And don&rsquo;t forget ex-Hawk Ville Nieminen, who has done much to complement the Flames&rsquo; checking unit.</p><p>This isn&rsquo;t to say a first round playoff exit wouldn&rsquo;t interrupt the Sutter love-in Calgarians are enjoying. But in the eyes of another former GM, Sutter has avoided the minefield that faces every coach-GM and deserves kudos for it.</p><p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s interesting with (coach-GMs) this season,&rdquo; said former Rangers GM Neil Smith, &ldquo;is they&rsquo;ve all faced very different situations.</p><p>&ldquo;Pat (Quinn) had a veteran team that had to mind its future, so John Ferguson was brought in; Doug (MacLean) had a young team that wasn&rsquo;t responding, so he moved upstairs and let Gallant take over; and Glen (Sather) had a veteran team that also wasn&rsquo;t responding, so he took the route Doug did. But Darryl has a young team that&rsquo;s been responding. His approach is successful, so he hasn&rsquo;t had to change anything.&rdquo;</p><p>When the shelf life of a coach&rsquo;s career mirrors that of a Britney Spears marriage, staying the course is no small feat. And, as courses go, it&rsquo;d be hard to ask for a better one than Sutter and the Flames have put themselves on.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03795/7836316-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="3224" height="2812"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>LAST MAN STANDING</b></h2><p><i>Here are the records of the NHL&rsquo;s six most recent coach-GMs. Darryl Sutter is the only one still wearing both hats</i>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-02

Sutter doing things right

<div class="byline">BY JOHN HUMPHREY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021442/7836368-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="696" height="977"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011825/7836375-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="205" height="117"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span></b>ow in his 25th year as Ontario League commissioner and eighth year as Canadian Hockey League president, David E. Branch is pondering changes that could radically alter the two leagues, both on and off the ice.</p><p>According to the 55-year-old Branch, a CHL drug policy, new guidelines for OHL expansion and a review of the Ontario bantam draft are in-the works.</p><p>Also, a CHL-wide drug policy is currently being formulated and could be in place for the start of 2004-05.</p><p>&ldquo;If you are going to do something like this, you have to do it right,&rdquo; Branch says. &ldquo;I think any policy we come up with has to have player education on the evils of drug usage at its core.&rdquo;</p><p>Branch added there is no set timeline for such implementation.</p><p>&ldquo;Our member leagues are working together with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports to come up with a policy that will penalize offenders from the outset of their transgression,&rdquo; Branch says. &ldquo;We started working on the issue at our CHL meetings since last spring and summer.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DRUG USE EXAGGERATED</b></h2><p>Branch stressed the pending CHL drug policy was not in response to comments made by player agent Gilles Lupien, who alleged up to 40 per cent of the players in the Quebec League use drugs to help them sleep during road trips-or to artificially pump themselves up before games.</p><p>Lupien himself was responding to a front page story in Montreal&rsquo;s <i>La Presse</i> claiming drug use in the QMJHL was widespread among major junior players in Quebec.</p><p>Branch clearly was not happy with Lupien&rsquo;s remarks.</p><p>&ldquo;I was shocked by his allegations and I was shocked by the manner in which he chose to make them,&rdquo; Branch says. &ldquo;I have never spoken to Mr. Lupien about the matter, but as soon as I heard what he had said, I was in communication with (QMJHL commissioner and CHL vice-president) Gilles Courteau.&rdquo;</p><p>Branch candidly admitted the likelihood that some players in the CHL do use drugs, but not to the extent claimed by Lupien.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to realize the day and age in which we live today and realize further that drug use is a social issue,&rdquo; Branch says. &ldquo;To suggest there is no drug use in the CHL would be foolhardy.</p><p>&ldquo;But I can assure you our CHL policy on drugs will be zero-tolerance.&rdquo;</p><p>And according to Branch, CHL players have already been undergoing drug testing for years.</p><p>&ldquo;CHL players competing at the world under-18 and World Junior Championship are subject to random drug testing by international hockey officials and we would like to see a similar smooth and fair process instituted in the CHL soon.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>NO EXPANSION SOON</b></h2><p>Conversely, do not look for expansion in the Ontario League any time in the near future, Branch claims.</p><p>&ldquo;We are at 20 teams and we are not considering expansion now / or in the near a future,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Our league went through significant growth in the 1990s when we added five teams (Plymouth, 1990; Barrie, 1995; Toronto, St. Mike&rsquo;s 1997; Mississauga and Brampton, 1998) and in retrospect we grew too much too soon.</p><p>&ldquo;We did not want to add all of those teams, quite frankly. But we were faced with some excellent owners and excellent facilities coming at us, so we said, &rsquo;Why not?&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I think now our past expansion has worked out for the best, we have worked through the adjustments and as a league we have stabilized after our growth spurt.&rdquo;</p><p>Branch does, however, down play rumors suggesting the league awards expansion franchises or allows existing teams to moves to cities that have lost their OHL franchises in the recent past.</p><p>&ldquo;The OHL will not expand for the sake of expansion,&rdquo; Branch says. &ldquo;Any future growth will be very deliberate and will be in markets that hopefully do something for our league as a whole. I&rsquo;m talking about expanding player talent pools and exposing our product into new areas where we get more players and will allow us to increase our marketing and promote awareness of our league.&rdquo;</p><p>With the province of Prince Edward Island becoming off-limits to the OHL draft as a result of the emergence of the Quebec League&rsquo;s P.E.I, Rockets, the only province up for grabs in Canada in terms of player eligibility is Newfoundland.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03935/7836361-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="1978" height="2848"></div><p>As far as the United States goes, the state of New York seems to be the likely target of OHL expansion one day, with Ohio being the league&rsquo;s second choice for U.S. expansion.</p><p>&ldquo;Our thoughts as a league and our strategies behind expansion are dramatically different than have ever been before,&rdquo; says Branch before adding the OHL must learn from other leagues that expanded too much and suffered the consequences as a result.</p><h2><b>DRAFT MAY CHANGE</b></h2><p>One aspect of life in the OHL likely to change, however, is the bantam draft. Branch claims the selection of 16-year-old players is &ldquo;ideally not&rdquo; a good thing for the league.</p><p>&ldquo;We are going to be studying the draft process and yes, we are gathering information and yes, it is under review,&rdquo; Branch says. &ldquo;Sometimes you have to respond to meet the needs of the environment.</p><p>&ldquo;And when the NHL is bringing some of our players into their league at 18, we have to look at the age of players who are eligible to join our league.&rdquo;</p><p>The idea of raising the age limit in the OHL is not feasible either, according to Branch. Currently, a team is allowed to carry three overage players on their roster. Overagers may be 20 years old at the beginning of the season and can still play in the league after their 21st birthday as long as that birthday is after Jan. 1.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we have a handle on the upper age limit of our league and I think the cap of three overage players allowed per team works for everyone,&rdquo; Branch says. &ldquo;If there is a change in the age range of our league, I don&rsquo;t see it coming at the upper age.&rdquo;</p><p>All of the aforementioned changes are being considered with the aim of improving a better playing environment for both CHL and OHL players, Branch says.</p><p>&ldquo;Our players,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;are our most valuable assets.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>THE BOSS</b></h2><p><b><i>David Branch has made his mark on the junior hockey scene for 25 years.</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

Jr. hockey’s silver lining

f0013-01

PLAY OFF PREVIEW

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021368/7836451-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="331" height="544"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011815/7836458-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="93" height="94"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b><i>The Hokey News:ODDS</i></b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>K</span></b>now this when we tell you Ottawa will win the Stanley Cup this year: we also believe the Senators could lose out in the first round of the playoffs.</p><p>If you think that means we don&rsquo;t have faith in our selection of the Sens, you are 100 per-cent right. If it is wishy-washy prognostication you&rsquo;re looking for, then you have come to the right place.</p><p>Picking Ottawa, obviously, was not an easy decision. For starters, we think any one of seven teams in the East could win the conference crown. That group includes Ottawa,</p><p>Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston, New Jersey and Montreal. In the West, it&rsquo;s looking like it&rsquo;ll be a showdown between Detroit and Colorado, though after watching what Anaheim and Minnesota did last season, we&rsquo;re not counting out San Jose, Calgary, Dallas or Vancouver, either. This year has the potential to be a playoff for the ages.</p><p>Why the Senators? Well, mainly because they have no discernable flaws. We don&rsquo;t buy into the theory the Sens are soft. It&rsquo;s true goalie Patrick Lalime hasn&rsquo;t been as consistent as one would&rsquo;ve liked this year, but we have faith in his ability to play well when it counts most.</p><p>Remember, Ottawa came within a goal of making the final last year and the Senators are an improved team.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we have a great chance this year,&rdquo; Lalime said. &ldquo;We have pretty much the same team that we had last year, except we have improved in some areas. I think all the pieces of the puzzle are here.&rdquo;</p><p>The improvements come in the form of left winger Peter Bondra and defensemen Greg de Vries and Todd Simpson. They add experience and depth to a team that was already deep and with rugged center Mike Fisher back healthy after missing most of die year, the Sens have no apparent weaknesses. The blueline, featuring Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden and Chris Phillips, is big and dependable. The 6-foot-9 Chara will receive consideration for the Norris Trophy.</p><p>Up front, captain Daniel Alfredsson is getting some attention as a Hart Trophy candidate for his solid two-way play, while Marian Hossa and Martin Havlat are excellent scorers. Hossa and Alfredsson are in the top 10 in league scoring. Sophomore Jason Spezza has had difficulty scoring down the stretch, but remains a creative force who will play a much bigger role in this year&rsquo;s playoffs than he did last year.</p><p>The question mark remains Lalime. Can he repeat the superb play he displayed in last season&rsquo;s playoffs? If not, can backup Martin Prusek get the job done? Lalime remembers the heartache of losing in the Eastern Conference final last season.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t watch the first three or four games of the final,&rdquo; Lalime said. &ldquo;It just hurt too much. You get so close to getting to the final and then you wake up one morning and it&rsquo;s all over.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04646/7836444-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="2426" height="3306"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARIAN HOSSA OTTAWA SENATORS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JIMMCISAAC/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03941/7836437-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="960" height="3540"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-02

ON THE COVER

Going with Senators

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021127/7836555-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="408" height="676"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011483/7836562-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="93" height="94"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span></b>epth, the word that drives the frenzy that is the NHL&rsquo;s trade deadline, is a relative thing. Even teams that appear as deep as Dr. Phil can come up as shallow as Paris Hilton come playoff time given a few injuries.</p><p>No NHL team can afford to be as well-armed as the 1976 Montreal Canadiens thanks to today&rsquo;s player salaries, but all have to get as close to that ideal as they can. The intense two-month marathon of the Stanley Cup tournament demands it. There will always be a team like the Mighty Ducks to buck the odds and ride a hot goaltender deep into the playoffs, but the big picture shows that depth pays off more often than not.</p><p>However, given the league&rsquo;s parity-or mass mediocrity if you&rsquo;re a glass-half-empty-sort-some of your agent&rsquo;s picks as the deepest teams heading into the playoffs are staggering badly. Both the Red Wings and Avalanche in the Western Conference can blame injuries, although both are hoping to be healthy by the playoffs.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>In the East, the Maple Leafs and Senators, both deep on paper, were falling all over the ice and each other in late March. This likely spells a fourth- and fifth-place finish for them, in either order, and has fans in both cities worried a Battle of Ontario will end badly.</p><p>The Flyers, a team we like if everybody&rsquo;s healthy by the playoffs, remained steady despite injuries to key players Keith Primeau, Jeremy Roenick and Eric Desjardins, plus one of then-depth additions, blueliner Vladimir Malakhov.</p><p>It was the thinner teams that were defying the conventional wisdom. The Bruins, with a rookie goalie, the usual complement of so-so forwards and a decent but unspectacular defense even with the addition of Sergei Gonchar, took over the Northeast Division.</p><p>The young and speedy Lightning appeared headed for their first conference title, but they have had few injuries. Their relative lack of experience could end any championship hopes if a couple of key players get hurt.</p><p>In the West, the Stars came back from the near-dead, riding two rejuvenated players, goalie Marty Turco and Mike Modano. But depth? Hey, this is a team that Shayne Corson could still make after sitting at home for most of the year.</p><p>Once the playoffs start, though, placing your bets with the team that has the fewest holes in its roster remains the way to go. So, we&rsquo;ll go with the reliable old Red Wings in this regard, although permit us the weasel option that this is only if their important injured players Kris Draper, Robert Lang and Mathieu Schneider-heal as expected.</p><p>With Draper and Lang back in the lineup, the Red Wings are stronger at center I than everyone save the Flyers, who are expected to have Jeremy Roenick and Keith Primeau ready to join Alexei Zhamnov and Michal Handzus.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04527/7836548-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="738" height="1048"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ALEXEI ZHAMNOV: PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</b></figcaption></div><p>And the Detroit defense, with Derian Hatcher&rsquo;s injury troubles behind him, is deep enough to survive even if Mathieu Dandenault (foot) and Jason Woolley (back) can&rsquo;t play in the first round.</p><p>The only concern for the Wings is goaltending. Once he finally won the No. 1 job, Curtis Joseph did not play as much as he likes because of injuries and Manny Legace was wobbly down the stretch.</p><p>Goaltending is also the Achilles heel of the two teams with the most talent, the Senators and Maple Leafs. The Senators will head into the playoffs once again relying on Patrick Lalime and he is hardly inspiring confidence these days.</p><p>The Maple Leafs actually have two Achilles heels-goaltending and a Jekyll-and-Hyde team personality that sees them, on some &rsquo; nights, play with no discipline and no defense.</p><p>As goaltender Ed Belfour goes, so go the L Leafs, and his aching back may not be up to the playoff load. If not, the Leafs will probably have to turn to rookie Mikael Tellqvist, since backup Trevor Kidd is simply not an option.</p><p>That leaves the Flyers as a solid pick to come out of the East if their injured stars can pick up where they left off.</p><p>GM Bob Clarke finally has his goaltending in reasonable shape with Sean Burke there to back up emerging star Robert Esche.</p><p><b>-DAVID SHOALTS IS A COLUMNIST FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03806/7836541-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="1084" height="1620"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GLENN MURRAY BOSTON BRUINS</b><span class="photo-credit">(MURRAY:BRIAN WINKLERI/BBS; ZHAMNOV: JIM LEARY/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>THE PROFILE OF A WINNER?</b></h2><p><b>W</b>hat&rsquo;s the profile of a Stanley Cup champion?</p><p>That question prompted us to analyze the statistics of recent winners to determine what, if any, trends would emerge.</p><p>We began the data compilation in 1996, the season after New Jersey&rsquo;s 1995 Cup win and the unofficial beginning of the low-goal big-trap era.</p><p>The first table shows where the winners ranked in key regular season categories. Included is road points percentage, how they did in the last quarter and playoff result the previous year. The second table provides the same information on teams in the hunt this year. Circled numbers indicate a first-, second- or third-place standing in a category.</p><p>The findings aren&rsquo;t conclusive, but all the winners excelled in most of the key categories. We&rsquo;ll leave the application to this season up to you.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05352/7836534-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="2259" height="1716"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-02

Health, depth critical

f0020-02

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02773/7836918-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Career-long New JerseyDevil Sergei Brylin hoisted his third Stanley Cup last year.</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011103/7836925-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="92" height="94"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>Tentative Playoff Schedule</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ast year&rsquo;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.</p><p>As is the case every year, the dates for each round after the first are subject to &ldquo;move-up&rsquo;&rsquo; scenarios, if a speedy end to the previous round allows the NHL to start a subsequent round earlier than first projected.</p><p>Here are the tentative dates for the 2004 playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03529/7836911-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="790" height="671"></div><h2><b>TV Coverage</b></h2><p><i>(All times E.S.T.)</i></p><p><b>ABC:</b> 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. <i>Broadcast Team:</i> Play-by-play: Gary Thorne. Color: Bill Clement, John Davidson.</p><p><b>ESPN:</b> Coverage of 31 games through the playoffs, including Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup final. <i>Broadcast Team:</i> TBA <b>ESPN</b> 2: Coverage of 34 games through the playoffs. <i>Broadcast Team:</i> TBA</p><p><b>CBC:</b> Coverage of all playoff games involving Canadian teams. Coverage of Stanley Cup final series. <i>Broadcast Team:</i> Play-by-play men include Bob Cole and Chris Cuthbert. Color men include Harry Neale and Greg Millen. _</p><p><b>TSN:</b> Coverage of series involving matchups between two U.S.-based teams through the first three rounds. <i>Broadcast Team:</i> Play-by-play men include Gord Miller and Dave Randorf. Color men include Pierre McGuire and Gary Green.</p><h2><b>All-Time Active Scorers</b></h2><p>Below are the top 20 all-time active playoff scorers. Six of the players are currently with Detroit and three-Fedorov, Oates and Robitaille-are former Red Wings.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04353/7836904-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="781" height="1189"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0024-02

Your 2004 Stanley Cup Playoff Primer

<div class="byline">BY DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02659/7836956-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="382" height="618"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CONN SMYTHE</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01991/7836963-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="102" height="131"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b>ong before the Soviet Union surprised Team Canada at the unforgettable 1972 Summit Series, it shocked the first nation of hockey at the 1954 World Championship.</p><p>Only this time, Canada was unable to write a storybook ending.</p><p>The greatest rivalry in international hockey history celebrated a quiet 50th anniversary in March. The first Canada versus Soviet Union battle didn&rsquo;t end in dramatic Paul Henderson-like fashion. It was settled on outdoor ice in the rain.</p><p>&ldquo;The worst thing that ever happened to me was standing on the blueline in pouring rain and watching that Russian flag go up,&rdquo; Greg Currie (now deceased) told the Toronto <i>Telegram</i> after Canada lost 7-2 at the 1954 Worlds.</p><p>Canada was the No. 1 hockey power, but the Soviet league had been operating only seven years and it was competing in its first World Championship.</p><p>Although represented by the East York Lyndhursts, a Sr. B team from Toronto, Canada was heavily favored.</p><p>There were only six NHL teams in those days, so senior teams were able to ice some reasonable talent.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>It appeared Canada had clinched the gold when they beat Czechoslovakia 52 while Sweden held the Soviets to a 1-1 tie. Canada needed only a tie against the Soviets to win the title.</p><p>Rain turned the ice to slush when the future superpowers clashed in front of 16,000 fans at Stockholm&rsquo;s outdoor Royal Stadium. Canada goalie Don Lockhart gave up two soft goals early as the Soviets jumped into a 4-0 lead.</p><p>It was 7-1 at the end of the second, and although former Boston Bruin Bill Shill scored a goal for Canada in the third period, it was too little, too late.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I should say this, but they outplayed us by more than five goals in that one game,&rdquo; said center Eric Unger, who now lives in Welland, Ont.</p><p>Canada&rsquo;s Moe Galand scored 16 goals in the tournament, including seven in a 20-1 rout of Finland. Yet Soviet star Vsevolod Bobrov was named the outstanding player.</p><p>Reaction in Canada was almost as negative as 18 years later when the Soviets trounced Canada 7-3 in the opening game of the 1972 Summit Series. Conn Smythe offered to send the Toronto Maple Leafs to Moscow to teach the Soviets a lesson, but Moscow didn&rsquo;t have a single artificial ice rink.</p><p>Defensemen Russ Robertson and George Sayliss are still alive, as are forwards Norm Gray, Earl Clements, John Scott, Unger and Galand. Only three of the 14 Soviet players are still living.</p><p>The Lyndhursts returned to Canada by sea, then took the train from Montreal to Toronto, where family members, friends and the press were waiting for them at Union Station.</p><p>&ldquo;Some of us were so embarrassed we got off in Scarborough,&rdquo; Robertson recalled.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-02

Rivalry celebrates 50 years

<h2><b>CHEERLEADER CHARGES HARASSMENT</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span> New York Rangers cheerleader is accusing her employer of sexual harassment and her lawyer says the allegation is &ldquo;just the tip of the iceberg.&rdquo; Courtney Prince, 25, levied the complaint against Madison Square Garden officials and its owner, Cablevision, in filings with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Prince says she was sexually harassed by an MSG executive, then fired from the Rangers City Skaters. &ldquo;Some of these skaters are as young as 18 and some of them were taken to bars regularly by older, married MSG management employees,&rdquo; wrote Prince&rsquo;s lawyer, Kathleen Peratis, adding that MSG cared more about &ldquo;weight, breast size and sex appeal&rdquo; than skating skill. Another skater, Amea Smith, told the New York Post that executives also made &ldquo;sexually inappropriate&rdquo; remarks to her and other dancers, but &ldquo;most of the girls won&rsquo;t say anything because they&rsquo;re afraid of losing their jobs.&rdquo; Barry Watkins, a spokesman for MSG, told the New York Post, &ldquo;This charge is without merit and we will defend these allegations before the EEOC.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SLOVAKIAN PLAYER FACES BAN</b></h2><p>A 23-year-old Slovakian player was suspended 18 months after attacking an official. Defenseman Martin Mraz of HKm Zvolen got loose from a linesman who was restraining him after an altercation and chased referee Rudolf Lauf. Mraz slashed the official with a two-hander and when Lauf fell to the ice, the player jumped on him and unloaded a series of punches before other players intervened. It happened March 21 in Game 4 of a semifinal between Zvolen and Slovan Bratislava. Mraz had three points and 39 penalty minutes in 51 games this year. The suspension is for hockey season months only, making it more than two years. There is also civil court action pending.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03436/7837025-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="867" height="847"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04275/7837032-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="112" height="119"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b><i>Who was your favorite team growing up?</i></b></p><p><b>A</b>s the self-declared capital of the hockey universe, Toronto is a fitting winner as the favorite team of NHL players when they were youths.</p><p>In a poll of 30 NHLers, one from each team, eight (27 per cent) say the Maple Leafs. A big reason why is many NHLers hail from Ontario.</p><p>&ldquo;I grew up in Maple Leafs country and watched <i>Hockey Night In Canada</i> every Saturday,&rdquo; said Philadelphia&rsquo;s Keith Primeau. &ldquo;I was a huge Darryl Sittier fan.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I was pretty much the typical Canadian kid obsessed with the Leafs,&rdquo; said Rick Nash of Columbus.</p><p>&ldquo;I went back and forth between the Leafs and Habs,&rdquo; said Edmonton&rsquo;s Steve Staois. &ldquo;Then when the Habs traded Chris Chelios, I went back to the Leafs for good.&rdquo;</p><p>Carolina&rsquo;s Pavel Brendl said &ldquo;none.&rdquo; Not even in the Czech league? &ldquo;Uh-huh.&rdquo;</p><p><b>-FOR COMPLETE PLAYER POLL RESULTS, VISIT <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b></p><h2><b><i>Penguins planning for a long future</i></b></h2><p><b>L</b>ike Mary Tyler Moore, the Pittsburgh Penguins might just make it, after all.</p><p>Despite suggestions the financially strapped team is in dire straits, team president Ken Sawyer said responsible business planning is working.</p><p>&ldquo;We have taken the steps to assure that we&rsquo;ll be here for the long term,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have been very prudent in managing our bottom line. So while we have losses this year (estimated at $5 million), we&rsquo;re structured very well with a strong balance sheet and credit available.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05196/7837018-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="429" height="316"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CBATRACKER</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0025-03

The Hockey News: PLAYER POLL

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06240/7837063-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JONATHAN CHEECHOO SAN JOSE SHARKS</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011094/7837070-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="92" height="94"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>5-YR</b>. <b>PLAYOFF GLANCE</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><i><span>H</span>ere is each team&rsquo;s win-loss record and series record in playoff action over the past five seasons. Teams are ranked according to number of series victories</i>.</p><p><b>A</b>s the San Jose Sharks embarked on a rebuilding movement this season, they knew their youngsters would have s to contribute if they were to qualify for the post-season.</p><p>They&rsquo;ve made the playoffs and Jonathan Cheechoo&rsquo;s play has been a big reason why.</p><p>The Sharks&rsquo; first round pick (29th overall) in 1998, Cheechoo has 27 goals and 44 points in 75 games for San Jose this season, totals that left him tied for 22nd in NHL goal scoring. Not that shabby for a 23-year-old right winger whose rookie totals were nine goals and 16 points last season. Even more impressive is that Cheechoo has become more dangerous on offense as the season has aged, with four two-goal games in his last seven contests. His late-season surge earned him a spot on Mike Brophy&rsquo;s 2003-04 All-Sophomore</p><p>Team. <i>(See pg. 62 for more.)</i></p><h3><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS/APPROACH</b></h3><p>This category provides an analysis of the goings-on behind NHL benches to see if the strategies and tactics of playoff-bound coaches change in the post-season, or if they decide to stick with the philosophies that got them there. For the 14 teams headed for the draft lottery, the focus is on each coach&rsquo;s job security and whether or not they&rsquo;ve still got their players believing in their message. See NHL team reports on pgs. 28-43 for more.</p><h3><b>CLUTCH GOALS IN SPOTLIGHT</b></h3><p>The &lsquo;Spotlight&rsquo; boxes show the top five clutch offensive players for each franchise, totals arrived at through compiling game-tying and game-winning goals. In the event of a tie, the player who scored more game-winners was rated higher. The player who leads his team in clutch goals is pictured.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-06

NHL TEAM REPORT SPOTLIGHT

<div class="byline">-JOHN MANASSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05280/7837139-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="345" height="747"></div><p><b>H</b>ighly touted goalie prospect Kari Lehtonen won his first two games after making his NHL debut.</p><p>In both games, the Thrashers pulled out a victory late in the third period for 3-2 wins over Florida March 19 and Washington March 24.</p><p>Neither was a thing of a beauty. In the win over the Capitals, Lehtonen was hardly tested and one goal was put in by his own team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03543/7837146-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="238" height="303"></div><p>Lehtonen said he was not as nervous as in his debut.</p><p>&ldquo;It felt like a normal game tonight,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There was a lot less pressure. (It was) easier to go out there and play.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Hartley is the most secure person in the organization. He posted a winning record last season after taking over and would have guided the Thrashers to the playoffs this year if not for a stretch of two wins in 21 games.</p><p>That happened largely because of injuries and because the team was unable to upgrade its talent. Hartley has several years left on his contract and firmly asserted control of the Thrashers during a 10-5-2-2 run down the home stretch in late March.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The sprained left knee suffered by center <b>Marc Savard</b> Feb. 27 in a collision with New Jersey&rsquo;s <b>Scott Gomez</b> ultimately ended Savard&rsquo;s season. One of the league&rsquo;s most productive players on a points-per-game basis with 19 goals and 33 assists in 45 games, Savard said this season was frustrating for him. The 45 games were Savard&rsquo;s fewest since his rookie season of 1997-98. A restricted free agent this summer, he hopes the injuries he sustained this season won&rsquo;t cost him a big payday. &ldquo;No, injuries don&rsquo;t help,&rdquo; Savard said of upcoming contract negotiations, &ldquo;but I played well when I came here last year and I&rsquo;ve done well this year. So hopefully that will count.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0028-05

Lehtonen hardly tested in big-league debut

<div class="byline">-NANCY MARRAPESE-BURRELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03517/7837177-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="342" height="744"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011090/7837191-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="92" height="94"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span></b>ne thing is certain about NHL veterans: they realize that, as they get on in years, there isn&rsquo;t always going to be a pot of gold at the end of the season to reward their hard work.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02731/7837184-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="214" height="299"></div><p>Defenseman Sean O&rsquo;Donnell is one such veteran. He&rsquo;s had some playoff disappointments since he signed with the Brums as a free agent in the summer of 2001. But he believes this year&rsquo;s team is a far cry from what he has seen in the past.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a lot deeper and we&rsquo;re just focusing on this year,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Donnell said of the changes in the Bruins. &ldquo;We look around and we look at the rest of the teams in the East. This is one<i>of</i> those years where we could lose in the first round or we could go all the way and get to the final&hellip;This may be the best team that some of us are going to be on ever again.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> What has Mike Sullivan done that will help the Bruins in the playoffs, you ask? He has kept his players concerned only about the moment He doesn&rsquo;t want them looking back or ahead and although they haven&rsquo;t always heeded his advice, Sullivan hasn&rsquo;t allowed them to linger over losses nor get full of themselves over wins.</p><p>&ldquo;The focus is on the task at hand,&rdquo; Sullivan said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the only way 1 think you can really be successful is to exert all your energy at that one task in front of you. It&rsquo;s about understanding the details of how we have to play in order to be successful.&rdquo;</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> With his victory over Ottawa March 23, rookie goaltender <b>Andrew Raycroft</b> posted his 27th win of the year, moving him into second place all-time on the Bruins&rsquo; list of wins by a first-year netminder. Raycroft surpassed <b>Tiny Thompson</b> (1928-29) and <b>Ron Grahame</b> (1977-78)&hellip;Right winger <b>Glen Murray&rsquo;s</b> goal March 23 was his 30th of the season, the third straight year he has reached that plateau.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0030-03

Depth, focus keys to B’s winning ways

<div class="byline">-JIM KELLEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05265/7837229-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="341" height="749"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span></b>erek Roy, the former Ontario League phenom who led the Kitchener Rangers to the Memorial Cup last year and won MVP honors for that tournament and in the OHL-has claimed a key role with Buffalo this season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04357/7837236-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="234" height="299"></div><p>He scored the winning goal in two <i>of</i> three Buffalo starts in mid-March as the team struggled to keep its playoff hope alive. Roy has so impressed Sabres management that he made veteran center Curtis Brown (dispatched to San Jose) expendable and has been getting a regular shift with young linemates Milan Bartovic and Maxim Afinogenov. A mid-season call-up, Roy had eight goals and 17 points in 44 games, including four game-winners.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been really impressed with some of the composure he&rsquo;s &rsquo; shown,&rdquo; said</p><p>Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. &ldquo;I think the tighter the game gets and the more fierce it gets, he kind of lowers the visor and becomes a little mini-bull.&rdquo;</p><p>Roy has struggled at times defensively, but he goes to the net hard and scores and that&rsquo;s something the Sabres have appreciated.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Ruff is secure for next season as he signed a three-year deal at the start of 2003-04 and because the Sabres played better in the second half, improving their offense, defense and penalty killing. The power play continues to be a problem as is consistency in net, but management realizes it&rsquo;s attributable to lack of talent, not coaching.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Sabres started goalie <b>Mika Noronen</b> in a 3-1 loss at Tampa Bay, but have relied more on <b>Martin Biron</b> in the stretch run&hellip;Blueliner <b>Alexei Zhitnik</b> (shoulder) began skating with the Sabres in mid-March. Zhitnik hopes to be available if the Sabres make the post-season&hellip;Left winger <b>Jochen Hecht</b> was shut out against Montreal March 24, but prior to that had a four-game point streak.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-10122/7837222-1-eng-US/f0030-102.jpg" title="f0030-10" width="1614" height="1828"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>Center Craig Conroy is Jarome Iginla&rsquo;s linemate and leads Calgary in assists</i></b>.</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0030-05

Rookie Roy’s intensity wows Sabres brass

<div class="byline">-ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-07176/7837267-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="341" height="743"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span></b>n the day the NHL issued a two-game suspension against Darryl Sutter for his part in a last-second brawl against Nashville, the Calgary coach-GM vehemently denied he had anything in mind but the purest of motives for putting three defensemen, plus enforcer Krzysztof Oliwa, on the ice for the final faceoff.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06208/7837274-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="232" height="301"></div><p>Oliwa also received a three-game suspension for physical abuse of officials on the play and the league fined the Flames $50,000 (U.S.).</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no intent there,&rdquo; said Sutter of the charge he sent the players out for the purpose of starting something. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s garbage. That&rsquo;s bull.&rdquo; Just after Nashville scored an empty-netter to ice a 3-1 win, Sutter had defenseman Robyn Regehr and Oliwa on the ice up front and Rhett Warrener and Mike Commodore patrolling the blueline.</p><p>Every player on the ice fought, including the goalies, Calgary&rsquo;s Miikka Kiprusoff and Nashville&rsquo;s Tomas Vokoun.</p><p>Team president Ken King supported Sutter&rsquo;s action, describing the fine as &ldquo;a meaningful amount of money a lot of tickets, a lot of popcorn.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> The Flames may have missed the post-season for, seven straight years, but Sutter has extensive experience behind the bench, qualifying for the playoff for five years in a row with San Jose (1997-98 to 2001-02). Overall, Sutter is 29in 68 career playoff games.</p><p>His teams play an aggressive, forechecking style and relentlessly grind other teams down.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Calgary said little about the injury that sidelined blueliner <b>Toni Lydtnan-</b>a concussion was suspected-but his absence from the lineup coincided with the March 16 return of defenseman <b>Mike Commodore</b>, back after missing six weeks with a separated shoulder.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0030-07

Sutter denies intent in sending nut muscle

<div class="byline">-TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05377/7837343-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="346" height="746"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011101/7837357-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="92" height="94"></div><p><b>T</b>yler Arnason hasn&rsquo;t been the same player since he clashed with coach Brian Sutter in a Nashville bar.</p><p>And that&rsquo;s a good thing.</p><p>Arnason, the Blackhawks&rsquo; inconsistent second-year center, had nine goals and 17 points in the 11 games that followed an altercation with Sutter Feb. 29, in which, according to published reports, Sutter physically confronted his top pivot, challenging him to be a better player.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02755/7837350-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="230" height="302"></div><p>&ldquo;I think it correlates more with the trade of (Alex) Zhamnov and (Steve) Sullivan,&rdquo; Arnason said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been given a lot of playing time lately and I think that&rsquo;s definitely the reason. You want to seize the opportunity and show you can play in this league and help your team win.&rdquo;</p><p>With seven games left in the season, Arnason had a careerbest 22 goals and 53 points and was a cinch to lead the Hawks in scoring.</p><p>Even Sutter said the sky is the limit when asked how good Arnason could be.</p><p>&ldquo;Lord only knows and I&rsquo;m saying that very, very positively because 1 think he can be a big-time impact offensive player in this league,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s up to guys like myself and to himself. In the last month he&rsquo;s heading in that direction.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Sutter&rsquo;s three-year contract is up and all anybody in the front office has said is the situation will be evaluated in the off-season.</p><p>There are some who believe Sutter deserves to come back based on how hard the Blackhawks have played for him down the stretch. Then there are those who question if Sutter is the right guy to lead the young Hawks from here.</p><p>Norfolk coach Trent Yawney is a possible replacement should Sutter not have his contract renewed.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The power play was smoking, going 17-for-48 in a 12-game stretch that saw the Blackhawks score at least one power play goal in 11 of those games&hellip;Coach <b>Brian Sutter</b> credited defenseman <b>Bryan Berard&rsquo;s</b> ability to get shots to the net with the key to the power play surge&hellip;Goalie Jocelyn Thibault, out since November following hip surgery, was hoping to play in at least three of the team&rsquo;s final six games.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0034-05

Arnason’s play Improves dramatically after confrontation with coach Sutter

<div class="byline">-ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06336/7837388-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="345" height="747"></div><p><b>P</b>eter Forsberg returned to the Colorado Avalanche lineup in mid-March, this time 100 per-cent healthy.</p><p>So said the reigning Hart Trophy champ, after returning from another lengthy absence due to groin and abdominal problems.</p><p>&ldquo;This time, it feels like it&rsquo;s all healed up,&rdquo; said Forsberg, who notched an assist March 23 against Chicago in his first game back. &ldquo;I feel better than I have all year.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03596/7837395-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="233" height="294"></div><p>That is the best news the Avalanche could have hoped for going into the playoffs.</p><p>The team missed the Swedish native&rsquo;s supreme talents, winning just two of its previous 11 home games during his most recent absence (2-5-3-1) and stood at just 8-9-4-1 since the NHL allstar break.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Tony Granato enters his second post-season as Avalanche coach, hoping to avert the first round exit of last year.</p><p>Granato favors an up-tempo offensive approach. Unlike his predecessor, Bob Hartley, Granato allows his defense to join the rush more. That has helped Colorado have the highest-scoring iefensive unit the last two years, but has left it vulnerable at times to odd-man rushes.</p><p>Granato allows his top six forwards more leeway for offensive expression than Hartley preferred.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Steve Moore</b>, severely injured in the March 8 attack by Vancouver right winger <b>Todd Bertuzzi</b>, checked out of Denver&rsquo;s Rose Medical Center March 22. Moore is able to walk under his own power and his fractured vertebrae are expected to heal by May or June. But the Avs team doctor, <b>Andrew Parker</b>, said whether Moore returns to his NHL career was still uncertain. Moore, who had declined to speak with Bertuzzi, will remain in the Denver area&hellip;Right winger <b>Dan Hinote</b> recovered from a dislocated left shoulder much sooner than anticipated and was expected to be active for the playoffs&hellip;Blueliner <b>John-Michael</b> Liles, the NHL&rsquo;s top-scoring rookie rearguard, sustained a right knee injury March 23 and was expected to be sidelined indefinitely&hellip;A Nashville loss to Anaheim March 23 helped the Avs clinch their 10th straight playoff spot. The last time the franchise missed the playoffs was in 1993-94 when the team was based in Quebec.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0034-06

Avalanche hopes to end on high note with healthy Forsberg back In lineup

<div class="byline">-AARON PORTZUNE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07308/7837426-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="346" height="748"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he Columbus Blue Jackets&rsquo; mission, as their fourth season winds down, is to help left winger Rick Nash win the Mau i rice &lsquo;Rocket&rsquo; Richard Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s top goal-scorer.</p><p>Through March 25, Nash had 39 goals, tied with Atlanta left i winger Ilya Kovalchuk and Calgary right winger Jarome Iginla for tops in the league.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04466/7837433-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="235" height="301"></div><p>&ldquo;I never thought I&rsquo;d be in this position,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;But since I&rsquo;m here, I might as well go for It.</p><p>His teammates vowed to help in any way possible.</p><p>&ldquo;It would be huge,&rdquo; said center Manny Malhotra. &ldquo;Nasher isn&rsquo;t cocky. He&rsquo;s not all about i himself. He&rsquo;s a team guy. That&rsquo;s the kind of guy you&rsquo;d like to see win it.&rdquo;</p><p>Interim coach Gerard Gallant said he won&rsquo;t bump up Nash&rsquo;s minutes-the 19-year-old was averaging 17:34 a game-but he had advice on how the rest of the troops could help.</p><p>&ldquo;Play hard and get the puck to the net,&rdquo; Gallant said. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t try to be cute with it, setting him up. Get it to the net. That&rsquo;s i where Rick scores his goals.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Gallant has earned the respect of the players, but the highs and lows under previous coaches Dave King and Doug MacLean haven&rsquo;t stopped. In March, the Jackets endured an eight-game losing streak.</p><p>MacLean has said Gallant will be considered this summer for the full-time position. It remains to be seen if the team has enough draw to land a big-time name, such as recently fired St. Louis coach Joel Quenneville.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Blue Jackets reached an amateur tryout agreement with center <b>Greg Mauldin</b>, allowing the University of Massachusetts junior to play up to five NHL games without compensation while still maintaining his NCAA status. Mauldin was a seventh round pick (I99th overall); in the 2002 draft. If he signs a pro contract, thereby ruling out a <i>I</i> return to UMass, Mauldin will head to Syracuse after his tryout is complete&hellip;The Blue Jackets matched a franchise record with an eight-game losing streak from March 3 to March 18&hellip; After i Columbus shut out Minnesota 2-0 March 24, the Blue Jackets improved to a 7-6-1-1 record in overall meetings with the Wild, with whom they joined the NHL in 2000-01.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0034-07

Columbus making group effort to help Nash in trophy hunt

f0035-01

The Hockey News: KNOW YOUR GAME

<div class="byline">-MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04422/7837495-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="343" height="749"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01998/7837509-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="92" height="94"></div><p><b>T</b>eppo Numminen is not quite sure what&rsquo;s going to happen.</p><p>The Stars defenseman has known for a while he has an aortic valve disease, but he has never had any problem playing with it. However, his heart rate increased significantly after a game against Vancouver March 18 and doctors found &ldquo;aortic dilation,&rdquo; a condition that increases the risk of rupturing the major artery in the heart.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02664/7837502-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="232" height="255"></div><p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t know if he can play hockey with it,&rdquo; said Dr. John C. Brooks. &ldquo;I know of no hockey player that has played with it.&rdquo;</p><p>Brooks said Numminen has a mild, non-life-threatening dilation, but added there could be risk of a rupture if Numminen gets his heart rate up too high or if he got hit in the chest.</p><p>Numminen, 35, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and retirement could be an option. However, Numminen is seeing other specialists and a return this season has not been completely ruled out.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Dave Tippett is a players&rsquo; coach and his sense of calm has spread throughout the Stars. During the team&rsquo;s early season slump, Tippett was one of the keys to its recovery. He loves a challenge and sees it in a positive light rather than a negative one.</p><p>In addition, the experience of last season has allowed Tippett to reel in his team and make it more defensive. That should help in the postseason.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Defenseman <b>Sergei Zubov</b> sustained a charley horse in his right thigh after being kneed by Calgary&rsquo;s <b>Chris Simon</b> March 22. He was not expected to be out for an extended period&hellip;Goalie <b>Marty Turco</b> became the sixth-fastest goalie in NHL history to record 20 career shutouts when he held Vancouver scoreless March 18. Turco took 181 career games to reach the milestone.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0036-04

Serious heart detect sidelines Numminen

<div class="byline">-NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05350/7837547-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="340" height="746"></div><p><b>A</b>fter all the Red Wings have gone through with Dominik Hasek md Curtis Joseph, they may start the playoffs with Manny Legace in net.</p><p>Hasek called it quits on the season Feb. 10 due to a groin injury. Joseph went down with a sprained ankle the next night. He returned a month later, but was still touch-and-go down the stretch.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03550/7837554-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="237" height="287"></div><p>&ldquo;You have to get some practice, you have to get some games and right now we&rsquo;re running out of games,&rdquo; said coach Dave Lewis. &ldquo;If Curtis is injured, Manny is going to be the guy.&rdquo;</p><p>Legace has 11 minutes of NHL playoff experience. Asked if he had thought about starting Game 1, Legace smiled and said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sick to my stomach thinking about it.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Five days after the Wings acquired Robert Lang, Lewis put a sign in the dressing room: &ldquo;To whom much is given, much is expected.&rdquo; The message was clear: the Wings are a big-name, big-money team and are expected to win with it.</p><p>Lewis likes motivating in little ways instead of with grand speeches. He has been more intense lately-after all, he has an 0-4 record in the playoffs and his job is on the line-but he remains a calm communicator.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Steve Yzerman</b> had 18 goals and 49 points in 69 games-his best numbers since the 18 goals and 52 points he put up in 54 games in 2000-01. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not &lsquo;Stevie Y&rsquo; from the late &rsquo;80s, but it&rsquo;s certainly the best he&rsquo;s played in a long time,&rdquo; said left winger <b>Ray Whitney</b>. &ldquo;I certainly think he&rsquo;s playing better than a lot of people thought he would coming into the season-maybe better than he thought he would.&rdquo; Yzerman is 38 and played just 16 games last season coming off major knee surgery. &ldquo;Over the last month, I&rsquo;ve really felt a lot better,&rdquo; Yzerman said.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10211/7837540-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="1626" height="1827"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>Edmonton left winger Ryan Smyth screens Vancouver goalie Dan Cloutier</i></b>.</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-05

Joseph’s wonky ankle puts heat on Legace

<div class="byline">-ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07280/7837585-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="346" height="748"></div><p><b>I</b>t has become an annual rite of spring in Edmonton: incredible stretch drives that lift the Oilers from the draft lottery to the playoffs.</p><p>With points in 17 of their last 18 games as of March 24, the Oilers vaulted from 12th to seventh in the Western Conference and continued their remarkable tradition of late-season sprints to the finish. If you made an 82-game schedule out of the final one-quarter of the schedule from each of the past four years, the Oilers would be 46-16-13-7, which would translate into a 112-point season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06306/7837592-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="220" height="309"></div><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just used to being in this position,&rdquo; said left winger Georges Laraque. &ldquo;Other teams look at it like there&rsquo;s so much pressure on them, but for us, this is the fun part. To us, it&rsquo;s not even pressure anymore, it&rsquo;s normal.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Craig MacTavish has always been a believer in rolling all four lines. Part of that belief comes from the fact there aren&rsquo;t any stars to sop up premium ice time; part of it because a swarming team attack is the only way Edmonton can win. It keeps everyone involved and prevents any one fine from getting too worn down. And if they run into injuries, there isn&rsquo;t anyone they can&rsquo;t throw in who hasn&rsquo;t played a lot before.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Oilers got all five goals from their defensemen in a 5-2 win over San Jose March 21, a franchise first&hellip; Coach <b>Craig MacTavish</b> chuckled after left winger Ryan <b>Smyth</b>, a fresh cut across his brow, scored the gamewinning goal in Los Angeles. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a vintage Smytty goal,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Blood all over him and a deflection."&hellip; Rugged defenseman and Oilers Masterton nominee <b>Igor Ulanov</b> on what drives him to play through the pain: &ldquo;Bumps and bruises are part of it, the way I play. If you want to give you better be ready to take.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0036-07

Late-season pushes nothing new to Oilers

<div class="byline">-DAVID J. NEAL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09230/7837623-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="340" height="751"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>U</span></b>pon first glance, the Panthers&rsquo; trade of enforcer Peter Worrell to Colorado for grinder Eric Messier and center Vaclav Nedorost looked like grand theft with an alibi.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08251/7837630-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="230" height="309"></div><p>That is, until injuries made this a lost season for Florida&rsquo;s loot. Messier was expected to miss the season&rsquo;s final 61 games with a broken wrist that was only supposed to keep him out 8-12 weeks.</p><p>Off-season double-shoulder surgery delayed Nedorost&rsquo;s season debut until November. He played 15 games with Florida before going to the American League and re-injuring his shoulder. That limited him to 18 games.</p><p>Another callup resulted in another injury, this time a concussion that cost him seven games.</p><p>By the time Nedorost returned, the Panthers were all but eliminated from the postseason race.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Whether or not John Torchetti&rsquo;s gets the &ldquo;interim&rdquo; moved from the front of his name likely depends on whether Lindy Ruff gets &ldquo;Sabres coach&rdquo; removed from the front of his. Should Ruff become available-it&rsquo;s unlikely-Panthers GM Rick Dudley, a former teammate and coach of Ruff&rsquo;s, would consider bringing him to Florida.</p><p>Otherwise, Torchetti has the technical, teaching style Dudley wants and a bluntness his players appreciate.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Neither is a big-name franchise, but fans are advised to always tune in whenever the Panthers visit the Thrashers. Florida&rsquo;s 3-2 loss to Atlanta March 19 was the 11th of the 13 games between the teams that ended tied or by a one-goal margin, the 10th in which the game-winner or gametying goal came in the third period and the eighth in which the final regulation goal came in the last five minutes of the game.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0036-09

Messier, Nedorost have Injury-filled year

<div class="byline">-MATT MCHALE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05348/7837731-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="341" height="743"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02605/7837745-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="103" height="91"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he addition of Anson Carter and the return of Martin Straka were supposed to bolster the Kings&rsquo; chances of getting back to the playoffs after missing out on it last year.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04395/7837738-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="220" height="292"></div><p>Instead, both experienced nothing but disappointment with the Kings, who don&rsquo;t look as if they&rsquo;ll be playing post-season games this year.</p><p>Carter recorded just one assist in nine games with the team after arriving from Washington March 9. Though he has spent most of the time with the Kings&rsquo; second offensive unit, the four-time 20-goal scorer has yet to make an impact.</p><p>&ldquo;He is a great guy,&rdquo; Kings coach Andy Murray said of Carter, who he coached twice with Canada at the World Championship. &ldquo;We just need him to be a better player.&rdquo; Straka returned March 6 after missing three months due to surgery on both knees. He had just two assist in nine games and was benched twice in favor of rookie Scott Barney.</p><p>&ldquo;There is no pain, but I&rsquo;m just not right,&rdquo; Straka said. &ldquo;I am as disappointed as anyone.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Andy Murray&rsquo;s style has not changed, but his roster and the cavalcade of injuries could not help but hinder their performance. He is a defense-oriented coach who likes to get the puck quickly out of his zone and use the forecheck to pressure opposing goaltenders. When it works, Eric Belanger can score like Ziggy Palffy, but with defensemen Aaron Miller and Lubomir Visnovsky hurt most of the second half of the season, the Kings have had trouble penetrating.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Goalie <b>Roman Cechmanek</b> returned to the lineup March 18 after missed five weeks with a groin strain, but was pulled after two periods in a 5-3 loss to San Jose. <b>Cristobal Huet</b> resumed his No. 1 duties in place of Cechmanek</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01891/7837724-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="148" height="129"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1,000 POINTS LEFT</b></h2><p><i>Los Angeles veteran Luc Robitaille became the highest-scoring left winger in NHL history March 22. Here are the nine left wingers who have more than 1,000 points:</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03474/7837717-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="294" height="432"></div><p><b>Luc Robitaille</b> 1986-present <i>LA, Pit, NYR, Det</i>&nbsp;<b>1,370 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06308/7837710-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="301" height="432"></div><p><b>Johnny Bucyk</b> 1955-78 <i>Det, Bos</i>&nbsp;<b>1,369 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07277/7837703-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="300" height="430"></div><p><b>Dave Andreychuk</b> 1982-present <i>Six teams</i>&nbsp;<b>1,318 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08234/7837696-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="296" height="432"></div><p><b>Bobby Hull</b> 1957-80 <i>Chi, Wpg, Hfd</i>&nbsp;<b>1,170 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09200/7837689-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="298" height="426"></div><p><b>Michel Goulet 1979-94</b>&nbsp;<i>Que, Chi</i>&nbsp;<b>1,153 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10177/7837682-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="298" height="432"></div><p><b>B</b>. <b>Shanahan</b> 1987-present <i>NJ, StL, Hfd, Det</i>&nbsp;<b>1,147 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11148/7837675-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="296" height="432"></div><p><b>Frank Mahovlich</b> 1956-74 <i>Tor, Det, Mtl</i>&nbsp;<b>1,103 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12128/7837668-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="299" height="432"></div><p><b>Glenn Anderson</b> 1980-96 <i>Edm, Tor, NYR, StL</i>&nbsp;<b>1,099 points</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-13117/7837661-1-eng-US/f0037-132.jpg" title="f0037-13" width="299" height="432"></div><p><b>Brian Propp 1979-94</b>&nbsp;<i>Phi, Bos, Min, Hfd</i>&nbsp;<b>1,004 points</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-05

Playoff hopes fade as Carter, Straka wilt

<div class="byline">-BRIAN MURPHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03531/7837776-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="345" height="744"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>orgive Marc Chouinard for wondering how much better his first year in Minnesota would have been had he not missed 36 games mending a sprained thumb, a broken jaw and recovering from a viral infection that stripped 20 pounds off his bones.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01970/7837790-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="92" height="94"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02660/7837783-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="237" height="269"></div><p>Chouinard was on pace to finish with 17 goals and 30 points and has proved to be more than just a checking center with face-off skills.</p><p>The versatile free-agent acquisition has shown a timeh touch around the net while playing almost 16 minutes per game, almost double what he received during the past two seasons spent languishing on Anaheim&rsquo;s fourth line. He appreciates the opportunity.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great that they&rsquo;ve given me a certain amount of responsibility and a chance to contribute,&rdquo; said Chouinard, whose $600,000 option the Wild likely will pick up.</p><p>&ldquo;Things are going well. I see myself staying here a few more years.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Jacques Lemaire has two seasons remaining on a three-year contract extension he signed in February, 2003. The coach who walked away from a perennial playoff team in New Jersey is content with developing a revamped roster in Minnesota. He doesn&rsquo;t plan on going anywhere.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be back next year because I want to see these kids grow. It&rsquo;s like starting over with young guys, which will be exciting,&rdquo; Lemaire said.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Left winger <b>Alexandre Daigle</b>, who was out of hockey for two years and spent most of last season in the American League under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, was nominated for the <b>Bill Masterton</b> Memorial Trophy. Daigle has been among the Wild&rsquo;s top three scorers in his most productive season since bagging 51 points with Ottawa in 1996-97&hellip; Left winger <b>Pascal Dupuis</b>, reflecting on the 43-day contract squabble that cost him $17,000 and left the Wild to start the season without their second-leading scorer from last year: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a selfish player, but if what I did hurt the team, I&rsquo;m going to look like a selfish player. It&rsquo;s something in the future I&rsquo;ll have to look at.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0038-03

Chouinard finds Wild home great spot for development

<div class="byline">-HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05330/7837821-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="343" height="744"></div><p><b>W</b>ith two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens were-already in full playoff mode.</p><p>One day after two Montreal French-language dailies reported that Patrice Brisebois was suffering from a mysterious ailment and might not be ready for the start of the playoffs-according to the defenseman himself-the player attempted to set the record straight. He now says the mysterious ailment is the same groin injury that has plagued him for two months, but claimed he&rsquo;ll be ready before the post-season begins.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04419/7837828-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="237" height="270"></div><p>&ldquo;I want to play all the games going into the playoffs,&rdquo; said Brisebois, who missed three consecutive games from March 19-24. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to take time off and get rusty.&rdquo;</p><p>Coach Claude Julien said Brisebois was experiencing stiffness in the groin area after failing to skate for a week.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> The Canadiens enjoyed success this season by playing defense as a team. In other words, utilizing the trap.</p><p>However, in the first full season under Julien, Montreal&rsquo;s play in its own end got substantially better. The Habs are now capable of getting the puck swiftly out of their zone.</p><p>Julien&rsquo;s mandate was to reduce the goals against and the Canadiens have succeeded. They allowed 175 goals through 77 games compared to 221 last year at the same juncture.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Defenseman <b>Sheldon Souray</b> suffered what&rsquo;s being called an upper-body injury against Buffalo March 24. He didn&rsquo;t return following the first period&hellip;Center <b>Jim Dowd</b> believes there are similarities between the Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild team he played for last season that advanced to the Western Conference final. &ldquo;Both are hard-working defensive teams,&rdquo; said Dowd, acquired by Montreal from the Wild at the trade deadline. &ldquo;The difference is that this team has more skilled players."&hellip;Left winger <b>Alexei Kovalev</b>, acquired from the Rangers and scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, said he&rsquo;d like to return to the Canadiens. Although Kovalev is earning a team-high $6.6-million, he claimed money isn&rsquo;t everything.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0038-05

Brisebois’ mystery injury gets controversy swirling

<div class="byline">-DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03461/7837859-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="343" height="743"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01914/7837873-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="103" height="91"></div><p><b>A</b>t arguably the most critical time of the year, the Nashville Predators began to let leads get away in a blink of an eye.</p><p>Calgary scored twice in 34 seconds of the second period to erase a 3-1 Nashville edge March 13. Three days later, the Canucks struck twice in 38 seconds after the Preds scored the game&rsquo;s first goal. Three days after that, a 3-2 third period lead over Edmonton was gone when the Oilers scored twice in 1:39.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02601/7837866-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="238" height="271"></div><p>The Predators ultimately earned just two points in those three games.</p><p>&ldquo;It shouldn&rsquo;t happen like that,&rdquo; said defenseman Kimmo Timonen of the team&rsquo;s inability to protect leads. &ldquo;We lost a couple of points because of that. It&rsquo;s probably pressure, probably less experience in this situation. 1 don&rsquo;t know what to (say).&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Barry Trotz, who was successful as a coach in the American League, has brought an educational approach to his first NHL playoff pursuit. He has eased up on the players and encouraged them to enjoy the process as a necessary first step for the organization. Trotz considers every point gained by the team a positive, even in games when third period leads or ties have vanished. No doubt his mindset will be the same in the post-season.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> After Nashville and Calgary engaged in a game-ending line brawl March 20 at the Saddledome, coach <b>Barry Trotz</b> responded to Calgary blueliner <b>Robyn Regehr&rsquo;s</b> assessment of him as the &ldquo;Pillsbury Dough Boy&rdquo; by saying: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s OK. They have great croissants"&hellip; Defenseman <b>Marek Zidlicky&rsquo;s</b> assist March 23 was his 37th of the season, the second-most ever by a Predator. Prior to this season, <b>Cliff Ronning</b> had the three highest single-season totals with 43 (2000-01), 36 (199900) and 35 (1998-99).</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0039-03

Allowing leads to slip a troubling problem

<div class="byline">-RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05321/7837904-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="343" height="742"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>fter two months of keeping their fingers crossed, the Devils saw their chances of successfully defending the Stanley Cup increase significantly when injured captain Scott Stevens began skating on his own.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04379/7837911-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="226" height="298"></div><p>Stevens, out since Jan. 7 with postconcussion syndrome, had hoped to return for the start of the playoffs. &ldquo;He started skating, but nothing has changed,&rdquo; said Devils GM Lou Lamoriello. &ldquo;He is progressing. He&rsquo;s feeling good. We don&rsquo;t want anybody to look into this that he&rsquo;s playing or not playing. We&rsquo;ll take it one day at a time. I don&rsquo;t feel any different about it than I have felt all along. We hope to have him (for the playoffs).&rdquo;</p><p>For the first time since Stevens was hurt, Lamoriello said &ldquo;he&rsquo;s recovering from a concussion&rdquo; rather than burnout or fatigue.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Pat Burns has had to work with an injury-depleted defense corps for the second half of the season, so he has relied even more on top checking forwards John Madden and Jay Pandolfo to keep the goals-against down. As he attempts to win another Cup, Burns has, out of necessity, made Scott Niedermayer his workhorse on defense. That role had been handled by Scott Stevens.</p><p>An interesting twist: with the trio of Patrik Elias, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta playing so well, the Devils have been more offense-minded than in recent years.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK Scott Niedermayer&rsquo;s</b> eighth career overtime goal March 23 against Florida put him past <b>Brian Leetch</b> on the all-time list for blueliners. The victory also gave goalie Mar<b>tin Brodeur</b> his 400th career win. Brodeur, 31, became the eighth and youngest goalie to reach the milestone&hellip;Right winger <b>Brian Gionta&rsquo;s</b> goal against Florida March 23 was his 20th of the season, the first time he has hit the mark in his career.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0039-05

Devils get good news: Stevens back skating

<div class="byline">-PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07247/7837942-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="337" height="740"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span></b>ne doesn&rsquo;t have to go too far back into NHL history to find examples of a hot goalie carrying a flawed team deep into the playoffs. It seemingly happens every year, with the most recent being Anaheim&rsquo;s J-S Giguere last spring.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06271/7837949-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="224" height="307"></div><p>With consecutive 3-0 blankings of Tampa Bay and Washington in late &rsquo; March, emerging star Rick DiPietro became the first Islanders goalie to post consecutive shutouts since Tommy Salo did it in October, 1998. The two wins solidified the Islanders&rsquo; stranglehold on the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference; gave DiPietro and his teammates confidence; and served notice the Isles shouldn&rsquo;t be considered an easy out in the I first round, regardless of which high-end opponent they draw.</p><p>&ldquo;Hopefully, I won&rsquo;t have to be the next Giguere,&rdquo; said DiPietro, who had made 10 consecutive starts through March 24. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing well enough now where we can be a pretty dangerous team coming in.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> First-year bench boss Steve Stirling attained a measure of respect in the dressing room with a consistent and encompassing approach to ice time. No one has been immune to the occasional benching. To wit: Mariusz Czerkawski and Oleg Kvasha, two of the team&rsquo;s leading scorers all season, were demoted to the fourth line for several games in March. That doesn&rsquo;t figure to change in the playoffs.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Cliff Ronning</b>, who was playing in a Vancouver-area beer league when the Islanders signed him in December, was nominated for the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey&hellip;The Islanders&rsquo; offer of two rounds of free playoff tickets for anyone purchasing season tickets for 2004-05 ended with a 90 per cent renewal rate and the sale of 1,500 additional season-ticket holders.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0039-07

DiPietro finds groove, aims for playoff wins

<div class="byline">-LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03279/7837980-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="338" height="742"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01614/7837994-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="92" height="94"></div><p>Student by day. NHL goal-scorer by night.</p><p>It&rsquo;s the stuff of Broadway. It&rsquo;s the stuff of the 2003-04 Rangers.</p><p>That&rsquo;s exactly the scenario that unfolded March 23 for 22-year-old Thomas Pock. He was hanging out with classmates at his UMass off-campus apartment in Amherst, N.Y., only to&rsquo;tie informed by his agent Paul Theofanous he&rsquo;d not only been signed as a free agent by the Blueshirts, but had to get to Madison Square Garden as quickly as possible because he&rsquo;d be playing that night against Pittsburgh.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02382/7837987-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="214" height="296"></div><p>In the third period of the game against the Penguins, Pock snapped a 50-foot wrist shot past goalie J-S Aubin in the Rangers&rsquo; 5-2 loss.</p><p>&ldquo;When I was driving down with my roommate,&rdquo; Pock said, &ldquo;I was joking and I told him I was going to score in the game.</p><p>&ldquo;He was laughing,&rdquo; said the Austrian-born Pock. &ldquo;And I was laughing back like, &rsquo;Yeah, right.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s overwhelming.&rdquo;</p><p>Pock, who scored 16 goals and 41 points in 37 games for UMass-Amherst this season, is one of 10 nominees for the Hobey Baker Award.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Tom Renney, who has been operating as the team&rsquo;s coach since GM Glen Sather stepped down Feb. 25, is not expected to keep the job for next season. Rather, it is likely Renney will return to, and concentrate exclusively on, his post as vice-president of player development if hockey is played next season.</p><p>Which means the Rangers will be hunting for a coach for the third consecutive summer and for the fourth time in the last five years.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Mark Messier</b> received a two-game suspension from the league for spearing blueliner <b>Martin Strbak</b> in Pittsburgh March 21. Although common wisdom suggests the 43-year-old Messier will retire at the end of the season, the Rangers captain has said he will make his decision over the summer&hellip;Left winger <b>Garth Murray</b> scored his first NHL goal March 21 against the Penguins. It was his 15th NHL game&hellip;Center <b>Jamie Lundmark&rsquo;s</b> two assists against Pittsburgh March 23 marked his first points in 28 games since his Jan. 26 return from a knee injury.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0040-03

Pock scores in first game after starting day at school

<div class="byline">-BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05195/7838025-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="346" height="743"></div><p><b>O</b>ttawa Senators center Jason Spezza is going to be laughing all the way to the bank this summer.</p><p>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.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04225/7838032-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="234" height="297"></div><p>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.</p><p>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&rsquo;s training staff out for dinner in Boston March 23 because he wanted to share with everybody.</p><p>Asked what he was going to do with the extra cash, Spezza said: &ldquo;Save, save and save.&rdquo;</p><p>Senators GM John Muckier said he wouldn&rsquo;t comment on the details of the contract, but admitted the organization doesn&rsquo;t mind rewarding a player who has helped contribute to the success of the team.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Jacques Martin doesn&rsquo;t deviate much from his ways and if this team is going to be successful in the playoffs, they&rsquo;re going to have to rely on hard work. Martin often talks about doing the little things right to be successful. If the Senators gets into a tight series, Martin is not going to worry about trying to match lines or shut down an opponent.</p><p>Instead, he is going to ask the team&rsquo;s offensive players to be aggressive and to dictate play.</p><p>That was a problem the Sens had all season and the playoffs aren&rsquo;t any time to try to be finding consistency. Martin also believes in the edict &lsquo;speed kills&rsquo; and he&rsquo;ll be telling his players to use theirs in the post-season.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Left winger <b>Vaclav Varada</b>, who was supposed to be gone for the season when he had knee surgery in December, is on the verge of making a miraculous recovery. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s ahead of schedule,&rdquo; said coach <b>Jacques Martin</b>. &ldquo;<b>I</b> would expect he&rsquo;ll be back in the playoffs"&hellip;Talks to get right winger <b>Daniel Alfredsson</b>, an unrestricted free agent after this season, signed are underway and both sides are optimistic a deal will get done.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0040-05

Spezza rewards teammates after Senators reward him

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02317/7838070-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="242" height="279"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01512/7838077-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="92" height="94"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>t might not have been the most significant of Sean Burke&rsquo;s 303 career wins, but it certainly ranks high on the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; list this season.</p><p>On a night when Burke moved past Toronto great Turk Broda into 18th place on the NHL all-time win list, the Flyers were just happy with a critical road victory. Burke ended a four-game (0-2-2) skid in a 4-2 win at Carolina March 23.</p><p>It was big not only for the Flyers&rsquo; division and conference title hopes, but also a confidence-builder for the goalie viewed as an insurance policy for playoff starter Robert Esche.</p><p>&ldquo;I needed a win, I hadn&rsquo;t had one for a while,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;Our team has been playing pretty well and I didn&rsquo;t want to come out of here with anything less than two points.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b></p><p>&rdquo; Coach Ken Hitchcock has plenty of post-season experience, including a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999. Hitchcock is known for his ability to break down a game and exploit other team&rsquo;s weaknesses through matchups. He and his coaching staff have resurrected the power play to No. 1 in the NHL. He made a bold move by naming Robert Esche his playoff goalie early on, giving Esche time to mentally prepare for the challenge.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger <b>Mark Recchi</b> suffered a few scary moments in a game at Carolina March 23. A Carolina player tumbled over and his skate blade slashed Recchi&rsquo;s throat, causing a cut which required 19 stitches to close. Fortunately for Recchi, the cut wasn&rsquo;t deep enough to cause serious damage. &ldquo;I was worried about my vein there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The doctor said I was lucky."&hellip;Rookie defenseman Randy Jones received praised from coach Ken Hitchcock for his play in wins over the Rangers and Carolina.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03247/7838063-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="344" height="785"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0041-02

Burke’s confidence boosted by victory

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05191/7838108-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="339" height="782"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he season started badly when he came to training camp out of shape and landed on the waiver wire in mid-October. These days, though, Daniel Cleary is an important member of what&rsquo;s left of the Phoenix Coyotes, playing 20 minutes a night as a top-six forward and showing he can handle the load.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04211/7838115-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="213" height="307"></div><p>Cleary scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season in late March with shorthanded efforts in back-to-back games. His third-period tally March 23 in Minnesota forced overtime and set the stage for the end of Phoenix&rsquo;s miserable, month-long, 15-game winless streak.</p><p>&ldquo;I never killed penalties in my life before this season,&rdquo; Cleary said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad (former Coyotes coach) Bobby Francis gave me that chance this year.&rdquo;</p><p>Cleary has proven a valuable asset on a roster decimated by injuries and gutted by cost-cutting trades. Playing on a line with former Edmonton teammate Mike Comrie, the duo combined for eight goals in their first eight games together.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> The fact Rick Bowness managed only one win in his first 15 games (1-8-3-3) since replacing Bob Francis has done little to instill confidence his &ldquo;interim&rdquo; tag will be removed after this season.</p><p>It&rsquo;s difficult to imagine Coyotes managing partner Wayne Gretzky and GM Mike Barnett passing up the chance to select their own coach this summer.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Two Coyotes asked to play heavy minutes over the second half of the season have run out of gas. Right winger and captain <b>Shane Doan</b> was a minus-19 over a 20-game span and defenseman <b>Cale Hulse</b> was minus-15 over a 19-game span&hellip;The Coyotes snapped a string of 21 straight winless overtimes (06-15) when a <b>Mike Comrie</b> goal beat Minnesota 3-2 March 23.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0041-05

Cleary’s resurrection gets plenty of play

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07161/7838146-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="338" height="786"></div><p><b>T</b>he most remarkable part of the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; turnaround was their power play.</p><p>It was the NHL&rsquo;s worst as of Dec. 2. Since Jan. I it has been the NHL&rsquo;s best.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06176/7838153-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="232" height="307"></div><p>That&rsquo;s right, the Mario Lemieux-less Pens, in their first 41 games after the turn of the calendar, clicked at a ridiculous rate of 27 per cent. That included a 48.6-&rsquo; per cent rate (17 for 35) during an 8-1-1 run that boosted spirits and seriously threatened the team&rsquo;s chance to draft first overall.</p><p>The key to the improved power play was the Feb. 11 acquisition of defenseman Ric Jackman from Toronto. He and Dick Tarnstrom were tied for most power-play goals by a defense pair with 18.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a smart player who finds open guys and has a great shot,&rdquo; Tarnstrom said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t score a lot of pass-pass-pass goals. We just get pucks to the net.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Eddie Olczyk is in the first year of a three-year contract that pays him roughly $400,000 annually. Olczyk earns slightly more than his predecessor, Rick Kehoe, and less than Kehoe&rsquo;s predecessor, Ivan Hlinka, who made $500,000 per season and was fired with nearly two years left on his deal.</p><p>Olczyk has earned high marks with management for his teaching prowess and his team has improved greatly in the final quarter of the season.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Right winger <b>Matt Hussey</b> was frequently scratched in Wilkes-Barre, where he&rsquo;d scored two goals in 53 games before the Penguins recalled him March 16. He proceeded to score in each of his games with the big team before being sent back to the farm&hellip;The Penguins are the first team since the 2000-01 Rangers to start three rookies in goal (<b>Marc-Andre Fleury, Andv Chindo</b>. <b>Sebastian Caroni</b></p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0041-07

Jackman gives jolt to Pens’ power surge

<div class="byline">-DERRICK GOOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05180/7838184-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="342" height="748"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01522/7838198-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="103" height="91"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>t the root of the Blues&rsquo; problems in the second half of the season-and the cause for their jeopardizing a 24-year run of playoff appearances-is a power play that got unplugged.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02324/7838191-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="231" height="294"></div><p>The Blues hit the final seven games of the season out of the playoff picture, mainly because they struggled scoring and they struggled * scoring because the power play was awful.</p><p>In 148 chances before March 25, the Blues scored 14 goals with the man advantage. That 9.5 per-cent rate only tells half the story. The drought means 41 of the Blues&rsquo; first 55 power play goals were scored by Jan. 1, in the first 169 advantages of the season. That&rsquo;s 24.3 per cent. Comparing the two spans, when the power play clicked the Blues averaged 2.69 goals per game. When it wasn&rsquo;t: 1.97 goals per game.</p><p>&ldquo;We have to get more out of it,&rdquo; said coach Mike Kitchen, &ldquo;because it could mean the difference between getting into the playoffs and not getting in at all.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Kitchen pulls off being both taskmaster and teacher-and even sometimes pal, like when he knocks a player over in front of the net during practice drills or speeds by them in sprints. The Blues&rsquo; new coach has spent as many practices as he can tutoring the players on the defensive system. He has no patience for sloppy passing in practice and is tireless when preparing or pre-scouting.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Of possibly being the first Blues team in a quarter-century not to make it to the post-season, left winger <b>Keith Tkachuk</b> said: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to be remembered as the team that missed the playoffs."&hellip; The Blues froze ticket prices for the 2004-05 season, the third consecutive year prices will either stay the same or drop. According to the Blues, their average ticket price of $36.89 is second-lowest in the NHL.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0042-05

Extreme power outage Blues’ major downfall

<div class="byline">-ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06165/7838229-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="343" height="746"></div><p><b>I</b>t took San Jose only 76 games to do what it didn&rsquo;t come close to accomplishing last year: clinch a Stanley Cup playoff berth.</p><p>One year removed from all the heightened expectations and bitter disappointment, the Sharks assured themselves of a sixth post-season in seven springs. &ldquo;I would never have predicted 94 points and a shot at getting 100,&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;I would have thought we had a shot at a battle with those other teams looking at eighth before the season started.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03256/7838236-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="237" height="308"></div><p>And with the team assured of the playoffs, Wilson said things will only get more serious.</p><p>&ldquo;I told our team, &rsquo;I&rsquo;m going to coach like they&rsquo;re playoff games now, get used to it and I want you to play like they&rsquo;re playoff games,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a sloppy two weeks here defensively and we&rsquo;ve got to do a better job.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Wilson returns to the post-season for the fifth time with his third different team. His approach with the youthful Sharks is to execute with speed, pressure with skating ability and to counterpunch. Wilson stresses special-teams efficiency, particularly on the penalty kill. He isn&rsquo;t afraid to mix and match personnel depending on who&rsquo;s hot and who&rsquo;s not from not only game-to-game but shift-to-shift. Wilson and his staff are thoroughly prepared and the Sharks&rsquo; play shows it.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Vincent Damp-housse</b> is the team&rsquo;s Masterton Trophy nominee for the second time in three seasons&hellip;Center <b>Wayne Primeau</b> (jaw) and backup goalie <b>Vesa Toskala</b> (groin) dressed March 23 for the first time in three and four games, respectively&hellip;Radio announcer <b>Dan Rusanowsky</b>, who has been with the team since Day 1, was honored March 21 for calling his 1,000th NHL game, all with San Jose.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0042-06

San Jose prepares for return to playoffs

<div class="byline">-DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07147/7838267-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="342" height="751"></div><p><b>M</b>artin St-Louis&rsquo;s impressive season continued as he set Tampa Bay Lightning records for points in a season and on the road.</p><p>Three assists in a 7-2 win over Toronto at the Air Canada Centre in Tampa Bay&rsquo;s 77th game gave the right winger 89 points, 47 on the road. St. Louis had been tied with former Bolt Brian Bradley on both counts.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04205/7838274-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="237" height="300"></div><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honor to do it with a win,&rdquo; St-Louis said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what makes it special.&rdquo;</p><p>The marks came at a time when the Hart Trophy candidate was critical of himself for an inability to score. He had 35 goals, but just three in 12 games. And three of his previous five were empty-netters.</p><p>&ldquo;I thought I played well,&rdquo; he said of the Toronto game. &ldquo;But I still could be more opportunistic. But I saw the ice well and made some plays.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> There is likely no better-prepared coach than John Tortorella, who sometimes sleeps in his office at the St. Pete Times Forum. Very intense and sometimes confrontational, Tortorella expects the same kind of commitment from his players. His door is always open, however, and he treats every player the same. Tortorella can push hard, but has learned when to back off and let the players figure it out for themselves.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Captain <b>Dave Andreychuk</b> was nominated for the Masterton Trophy by the Tampa chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association&hellip;When the Lightning beat the Leafs 7-2 March 23, it broke an 0-4-0-1 streak at Toronto, where Tampa Bay had not won since January, 2001, in coach <b>John Tortorella&rsquo;s</b> first victory&hellip;The Bolts finished their road schedule at a franchisebest 22-12-4-3&hellip;Through 77 games, right winger <b>Martin St-Louis</b> had scored seven goals and 10 points while his team was shorthanded.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0042-07

St-Louis sets standard for Lightning scorers

<div class="byline">-KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05181/7838305-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="337" height="739"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01534/7838319-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="103" height="91"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>o suggest that Wade Belak accepted his eight-game suspension for clubbing an opponent over the head without objection would be an enormous stretch.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02359/7838312-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="214" height="307"></div><p>But, to his credit, he did acept a certain amount of culpability for his actions. Belak did wonder, however, how selective the NHL&rsquo;s justice system is and hoped others who wield sticks carelessly and viciously would be dealt with just as severely as he was.</p><p>&ldquo;(Mark Messier&rsquo;s) was intentional, not to the head, but intentional,&rdquo; said Belak, referring to a two-game suspension Messier received for spearing Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Martin Strbak the day after Belak hit Colorado&rsquo;s Ossi Vaananen in the head with his stick. &ldquo;But no way are they going to suspend (Messier) on probably his last year.&rdquo;</p><p>Belak did acknowledge that sticks must come down.</p><p>&ldquo;Hopefully, my suspension will maybe open eyes in the (NHL) front office to start calling the ones that guys almost lose eyes over,&rdquo; said Belak, who will miss the first two games of the playoffs.</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Pat Quinn has guided Toronto to the playoffs in each of the six years he has been behind the bench and once he gets there, his deployment of players changes radically. Quinn generally goes with four lines during the season and even his star forwards rarely get more than 20 minutes of ice time. He figures that will keep them fresh for the playoffs, when he gives them a far heavier workload.</p><p>The defense pairing of Brian Leetch and Bryan McCabe will see a huge boost in ice time, regularly putting in about 30 minutes per game in the post-season.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Blueliner <b>Ken Klee</b> was expected to miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder strain that he sustained in a 3-2 win over Philadelphia March 18, but was expected to be back in time for the playoffs.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0043-05

Banned Belak calls for more suspensions

<div class="byline">-ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06149/7838350-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="342" height="735"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>f self-proclaimed &ldquo;lame-duck GM&rdquo; Brian Burke is still being judged by ownership, the Todd Bertuzzi incident apparently won&rsquo;t be a determining factor in whether Burke is re-signed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03294/7838357-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="220" height="303"></div><p>Reclusive owner John McCaw doesn&rsquo;t talk to the media and leaves all public utterings to his chief lieutenant, Stan McCammon. McCammon said Burke, whose contract with the Canucks ends June 30, won&rsquo;t have his future decided by &ldquo;an isolated incident.&rdquo;</p><p>That incident-Bertuzzi&rsquo;s attack on Colorado center Steve Moore-cost Vancouver $250,000 in fines and perhaps millions in potential playoff revenue if the Canucks exit quickly without their intimidating right winger.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it affects the decision-making as it relates to Brian&rsquo;s contract at all,&rdquo; McCammon said. &ldquo;You assess the performance of an individual over the length of time they&rsquo;ve worked with you, as opposed to any singular act or any singular event.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S APPROACH</b> Marc Crawford is no stranger to playoff hockey. This will be his eighth time in the post-season as a coach and the opening round will mark his 14th series. Crawford might match lines a little more in the playoffs, but his most noticeable change is in his practice routine. He switches from 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. starts to 3 p.m. starts on non-game days.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Left winger <b>Daniel Sedin</b> looked to be the only Canuck who would record a significant jump in his personal stats. Sedin had 16 goals and 51 points with five games left in the regular season; last year he had 14 goals and 31 points&hellip;Although suspended right winger <b>Todd Bertuzzi</b> missed the final 13 games of 2003-04, he still finished a whopping 29 goals and 37 points behind last season (17 goals, 60 points in 69 games compared to 46 goals, 97 points in 82 games.)</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0043-06

Bertuzzi saga’s fallout won’t hurt GM Burke

<div class="byline">-JASON LA CANFORA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07133/7838388-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="340" height="740"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he Capitals celebrated their 30th year in the NHL with a gathering in late March, welcoming 23 former players back for a reunion. Those players offered varying opinions on the state of the woeful 2003-04 edition of the team, which is bracing for its worst season in more than 20 years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04211/7838395-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="237" height="305"></div><p>Dennis Maruk, who set franchise records with 60 goals and 136 points in 1981-82, wasn&rsquo;t impressed to see the Capitals chopping payroll.</p><p>&ldquo;What has happened in the NHL this past year is bad for everybody,&rdquo; said Maruk of the salary dumping.</p><p>Another longtime Capital said attitude had much to do with the success of past Capitals teams. &ldquo;We had a really special group of guys who played with a lot of passion and a lot of heart,&rdquo; said Kelly Miller, who played 940 games for the Capitals, third-most in team history. &ldquo;We called it &lsquo;Caps Hockey&rsquo; and it was in-your-face hockey&hellip;I think that&rsquo;s what this organization would like to get back to.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COACH&rsquo;S STATUS</b> Glen Hanlon and his staff had their options picked up for 2004-05 and have earned high praise from ownership and management since taking over for Bruce Cassidy in December.</p><p>GM George McPhee said Hanlon will remain in Washington for years to come and Hanlon has received rave reviews from departed players such as Jaromir Jagr, who has had his share of clashes with coaches over the years.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> The Capitals have used 47 players in games this season, shattering the previous franchise record of 42, set in 1989-90. Eight players have made their NHL debut with Washington this season&hellip; Center <b>Jeff Halpern</b> has scored 10 goals at home for Washington this season, twice as many as anyone else remaining on the Capitals roster.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></h2>

f0043-07

Retired Capitals upset by cutting of payroll

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02236/7838426-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>JAROMIR JAGR</b></p><p><b>NEW YORK RANGERS</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01426/7838433-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="103" height="91"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></div>

f0044-02

DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02198/7838464-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="297" height="484"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NATHAN ROBINSON</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01350/7838471-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="111" height="112"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he all-star skills competition did what American League defenses and goalies couldn&rsquo;t do in the season&rsquo;s first four months: stop Nathan Robinson.</p><p>Robinson badly strained his groin half a lap into the fastest skater competition and while he returned to the Grand Rapids Griffins lineup within two weeks, the second-year right winger has yet to return to his all-star form. Among league leaders in goals at the Feb. 8-9 break with 22 and points with 41, Robinson scored just one goal and three points in the next 15 games.</p><p>&ldquo;It definitely slowed me down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Especially the way I play. I&rsquo;m always skating, going in the corners and dipsy-doodling. When I want to do that extra move, I can&rsquo;t do it.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>The injury was a fluke: after all, who gets hurt in the skills event? Robinson did, however, have some forewarning.</p><p>&ldquo;Most of the month leading up to the All-Star Game my groin was sore,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was playing a lot of minutes and playing hard and figured it was just fatigue. I never knew it was leading up to what happened.&rdquo;</p><p>The injury instantly shattered his dream of proving he was the AHL&rsquo;s fastest skater in front of the home fans in Grand Rapids.</p><p>&ldquo;I always wanted to be part of that event and compare myself to the rest of the league,&rdquo; said the 5-foot-9,180-pound Robinson, who signed as a free agent with Detroit in 2002. &ldquo;I was really pumped up and really wanted to win it&rdquo;</p><p>Now he has turned his attention to regaining his top form and helping the Griffins win their first Calder Cup. They lost in seven games in the conference final to eventual champion Houston last season and the bitter memory still burns.</p><p>&ldquo;You lose in Game 7 and you learn from that,&rdquo; Robinson said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-02

Robinson slowly getting up to speed

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>omenic Pittis</b> had been beating himself up for three months, trying to figure out why points that used to come so easily were now so elusive.</p><p>Then Rochester Americans coach <b>Randy</b>, <b>Cunneyworth</b> decided the captain&rsquo;s &lsquo;C&rsquo; should be sewn on Pittis&rsquo;s sweater and suddenly the points piled up.</p><p>Since being named captain Jan. 28, Pittis skyrocketed from nowhere to among American League leaders in scoring. As March neared a close, the 10-year veteran was tied for fifth with 15 goals and 63 points in 66 games. Considering he was barely fifth in team scoring in November, that&rsquo;s quite a climb for the 1998-99 AHL scoring champ.</p><p>&ldquo;I think it would have come together for Dom without the &lsquo;C&rsquo;, just because of the push to move up in the standings and the push to perform, but he took it to heart,&rdquo; said Cunneyworth, who as a player was captain of Pittsburgh and Ottawa. &ldquo;He took more responsibility. When you have the &lsquo;C,&rsquo; it puts you under the microscope and forces you to be a little more cognizant of your effort.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03154/7838523-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="269" height="261"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AHL WEST NOTEBOOK</b></figcaption></div><p><b>HOCKEY COMPANY DEAL</b> The AHL and The Hockey Company agreed to a multi-year strategic marketing and licensing partnership.</p><p>It will establish THC (with brand names CCM, Jofa and Koho) as the exclusive supplier of sticks, helmets, gloves, pants, jerseys and socks to 26 AHL teams.</p><p>This deal also includes a joint marketing commitment between the AHL and The Hockey Company to cultivate the game at the grassroots level, including a pledge by THC to purchase thousands of tickets to be used in community-driven initiatives.</p><p><b>STRIVING FOR NO</b>. <b>1</b> The Milwaukee Admirals knew all along they were a good team and when coach <b>Claude Noel</b> challenged them to join the elite, they responded.</p><p>Between Feb. 1 and March 21, the Admirals went 20-4-1-0 and overtook Grand Rapids for first in the West Division. Once trailing the Griffins by 14 points, they opened a two-point lead by beating Utah March 19.</p><p>Defenseman <b>Curtis Murphy</b> led the AHL with a plus-37 and rookie defenseman <b>Greg Zanon</b> was making a name for himself with a plus-25 rating) third-best in the league.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Center <b>Steve Hildenbrand</b> scrambled to get from Johnstown of the ECHL to Cincinnati in time to join the Cleveland Barons March 20 and he made the trip worth it. He scored one goal and assisted on another in his AHL debut as the Barons won 4-3.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04126/7838516-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="1338" height="1971"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>After spending last year in Germany, minor pro journeyman Nick Naumenko returned for another go-round with the Utah Grizzlies</i></b>. <span class="photo-credit">(JASON PULVER/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05108/7838509-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="165" height="158"></div><h2><b>HOCKEY NATION AT A GLANCE</b></h2><p><i>The International Ice Hockey Federation is the world&rsquo;s governing body for hockey. In each issue this season, we profile one of 63 national association members</i>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0696/7838502-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="744" height="365"></div><p><b>IRELAND</b></p><p><b>Member of IIHF since</b> 1997</p><p><b>Pop</b>. <b>of country</b> 3,883,159</p><p><b>Registered players</b> 160</p><p><b>No</b>. <b>of ice facilities</b> 2</p><p><b>Major league</b> (three teams)</p><p>National League</p><p>Ireland won first-ever IIHF game at Div. HI event, 15-1 vs. Armenia</p><p><b>Top scorers at IIHF worlds</b></p><p>Lawrence Jurovich, Dublin William Morrison, Dundonald Mark Bowes, Dublin</p><p><b>Association website/e-mail</b></p><p><a href="http://www.iiha.org">www.iiha.org</a></p><p><a href="mailto:info@iiha.org">info@iiha.org</a></p><p><b>Head office</b> Dublin</p><p><b>2003 world ranking</b> Not ranked<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-03

With ‘C’ and resilience, Pittis scores

<div class="byline">BY MIKE MASTOVICH</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>wo of the ECHL&rsquo;s top Western Conference teams were caught up in the worst kind of numbers game during the stretch run to the Kelly Cup playoffs.</p><p>San Diego Gulls coach <b>Steve Martinson</b> and Mississippi Sea Wolves coach <b>Bob Woods</b> each were suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount as a result of &ldquo;administrative violations&rdquo; of the league&rsquo;s salary cap.</p><p>The ECHL declined to comment further on the issue after the March 18 announcement.</p><p>Neither the Pacific Division-leading Gulls nor the Central&rsquo;s second-place Sea Wolves forfeited team points, indicating the league believed there was no intent to deceive.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m being suspended and I have no recourse,&rdquo; said Martinson to The North County (Calif.) Times. &ldquo;I think if you&rsquo;re going to suspend a coach for what an organization does, then you should make sure that coach is responsible.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0786/7838554-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="246" height="232"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NOTEBOOK</b></figcaption></div><p>Said Woods to the Sun Herald in Biloxi, Miss.: &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t anything major, but they were violations nonetheless. They were clerical mistakes, but we&rsquo;re responsible for them.&rdquo;</p><p><b>HEAVY WORKLOAD</b> Greenville goalie Daniel Boisclair is the owner of an ECHL record. Boisclair had a single-game record 65 saves in a 2-1 victory at Greensboro.</p><p>&ldquo;He was on,&rdquo; said Greenville coach <b>John Marks</b> after the March 17 contest. &ldquo;He took a lot of shots on the emblem. There were a lot of angles, a lot of distance. He saw a lot of pucks.&rdquo;</p><p><b>FAN FRIENDLY</b> Defenseman Curtis Patrick rode the Wheeling Fan Club bus to Johnstown to join his new team, the Chiefs.</p><p>After finishing his senior season at Penn State, Patrick planned to sign with Wheeling until several players were assigned from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American League.</p><p>Patrick, the son of Pittsburgh scout Glenn Patrick and nephew of Pens GM Craig Patrick, hitched a ride to instead play for Johnstown.</p><p>The Chiefs beat the Nailers 6-2 March 13.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-07

Coaches will sit after clerical error

<div class="byline">BY DAVE SOTTILE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02202/7838585-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="301" height="486"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRAD BOYES</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01341/7838592-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="111" height="112"></div><p><b>G</b>etting traded twice before your 22nd birthday might give some players a complex.</p><p>Providence center Brad Boyes has decided not to let it bother him.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to take the positive out of something like that,&rdquo; Boyes said. &ldquo;It means that teams want you and I&rsquo;m looking at this latest move as an opportunity to make a mark with the Bruins.&rdquo;</p><p>Boyes was selected 24th overall by Toronto in 2000, but found himself heading to San Jose as part of the Owen Nolan deal March 5,2003. A year and four days later, the 21-year-old went from the Sharks organization to Boston as part of a three-way swap involving the Buffalo Sabres.</p><p>&ldquo;This kind of took me for a spin, but there&rsquo;s not much you can do about it,&rdquo; said Boyes, who moved from the American League&rsquo;s Cleveland Barons to the P-Bruins. The Mississauga, Ont., native ranked fourth in league scoring with 26 goals and 63 points through March 18.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Boyes quickly took a liking to his new surroundings. &ldquo;The people in Providence have been great to me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have an older bunch of guys than we did in Cleveland and some of them have been traded before, so they&rsquo;re passing on their knowledge of things to me, helping me keep everything in a positive light.&rdquo;</p><p>Boyes played in the AHL All-Star Classic last year and was later named to the league&rsquo;s allrookie team. He said wearing the &ldquo;first round pick&rdquo; label can be both a blessing and a curse, regardless of which organization you&rsquo;re in.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s pressure that comes with being a (first round) pick,&rdquo; Boyes said, &ldquo;and being mentioned as part of a team&rsquo;s future, but I enjoy the challenge. Sure, people are watching your every move and keying on you on the ice, but I see that as another challenge to overcome.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-02

Boyes not fazed by third pro address

<div class="byline">BY DAVE SOTTILE</div><p><b>B</b>ridgeport right winger <b>Jeff Hamilton</b> made American League history by breaking a 50year record.</p><p>Hamilton&rsquo;s 14th game-winner of the season, a first period goal that sunk the Hartford Wolf Pack 1-0 March 18, bettered the record of 13 set by Hershey&rsquo;s <b>Dune Fisher</b> in 1953-54.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even know about the record at first,&rdquo; Hamilton said.</p><p>&ldquo;A buddy of mine saw it online the next day and called me. I had no idea.&rdquo;</p><p>The Yale University product, who led the AHL in goal-scoring with 37, said his feat was more a matter of surroundings than skill.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of the same thing I experienced in college,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We were a very defense-oriented team at Yale, like we are in Bridgeport. When you win a lot of games by 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 scores, if you&rsquo;re scoring goals consistently, a lot of them wind up as winners.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03143/7838630-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="269" height="261"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AHL EAST NOTEBOOK</b></figcaption></div><p><b>IN GOALIE WE TRUST Jason LaBarbera&rsquo;s 14-</b>game unbeaten streak ended mid-March against Bridgeport, but the Hartford goalie has been so good this season, the Wolf Pack play differently with him in net.</p><p>&ldquo;Once in a while you have a tendency to back off a little bit when you know your goaltender is going to make the save,&rdquo; said Hartford coach <b>Ryan McGill</b>. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t get overly worried when (teams) get chances in front or when they get point-blank opportunities, because you know he&rsquo;s going to make the save and the guys are going to get the second and third opportunities moved out of there.&rdquo;</p><p>LaBarbera had an AHL-record 12 shutouts and a league-best 28 wins.</p><p><b>WHITEWASHES GALORE</b> Chalk up another victory for goalies in the battle of wills with AHL shooters.</p><p>Providence netminder <b>Tim Thomas</b> set a Bruins team record with his fifth shutout of the season March 21. Four of his blankings came away from Dunkin&rsquo; Donuts Center and all were by identical 1-0 scores.</p><p><b>NOTEBOOK</b> Philadelphia left winger <b>Peter Vandermeer</b> became the Phantoms&rsquo; all-time penalty minute leader March 16. Vandermeer has 1,003 PIM in 199 games with Philadelphia. Blueliner <b>Francis Lessard</b> set the previous mark of 997 in 202 games from 1999-2002&hellip;Hartford&rsquo;s three-year hex over Portland ended March 20, when the Pirates beat the Wolf Pack 1-0. Hartford had seven wins and four ties to show for the previous 11 meetings between the teams since the last Portland win March 28,2001.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04121/7838623-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="1341" height="1980"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>Chris Hartsburg, the son of former NHL defenseman Craig, is in his second pro year with Albany after four college seasons at Colorado</i></b></figcaption></div><h2><b>EYE ON EUROPE</b></h2><p><i>Future and former NHLers are performing in Europe this season. Here are four such players with NHL rights in parentheses:</i></p><p>&bull; <b>Josef Straka</b>, C, 26 (free agent). Selected 122nd in 1996 by Calgary, Straka hasn&rsquo;t yet played in the NHL. He led all scorers in Czech league playoffs with five goals and 11 points in nine games with Pilsen.</p><p>&bull; <b>Adrian Wichser, C</b>, 24 (Florida). Wichser, who was picked 231st overall in 1998 by the Panthers, has five goals and eight points in six playoff games for Lugano in the Swiss elite league.</p><p>&bull; <b>Greg Leeb</b>, C, 26 (free agent). Leeb played two NHL games with Dallas in 2000-01. He leads scoring in the German league playoffs with four goals and six points in four games with the Nurnberg Ice Tigers.</p><p>&bull; <b>Denis Denisov, D</b>, 22 (Buffalo). Picked 149th overall in 2000, Denisov scored four goals and 15 points in 52 regular season games with Kazan in the Russian league.</p><p><b>-PAVEL BARTA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-03

Tigers sniper likes to have final word

<div class="byline">-BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0595/7838661-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="207" height="111"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Rockford IceHogs, hoping to make a run at the playoffs with 13 games left in the season, fired first-year coach Mark Bernard. The Hogs were 25-35-3 and fifth in the Western Conference, leaving them seven points out of the playoffs when the change was made. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed, but am grateful for having had this opportunity,&rdquo; said Bernard to the Rockford <i>Register Star</i>. Tim Matilla, who had been assisting Bernard at most home games this season, was named interim coach. &ldquo;A change needed to be made,&rdquo; said GM Ryan Washatka.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-05

NOTEBOOK

<div class="byline">-DAVID HENRY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0686/7838692-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="207" height="115"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Laredo Bucks, coming off a strong Central League season, have reeled in the hardware. Bucks goalie David Guerrera was named top rookie while center Jeff Bes was named MVP with a league-high 117 points. The Bucks set League records for winning percentage (.813) and penalty-killing efficiency (89.4). Other regular season award winners were Scott Reid of San Angelo (top goalie); Bernie John of Indianapolis (top defenseman); San Angelo coach Ray Edwards (coach of the year); and Memphis captain Don Parsons (man of the year).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-06

<div class="byline">-NICK GATES</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0772/7838723-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg" title="f0046-07" width="145" height="130"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span> Gordie Howe hat trick-a goal, assist and fight-earned Knoxville&rsquo;s Jeff Hansen a lot of respect from teammates as well as an ECHL tryout. Hansen, 22, was signed by Cincinnati after he scored his first goal of the season in Knoxville&rsquo;s 7-3 win over Cape Fear Feb. 12. &rsquo;The puck hit my chin and deflected into the net,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was my first pro goal, so I&rsquo;ll take it.&rdquo; Hansen floored Cape Fear tough guy Bruce Watson in a rematch of an earlier third period fight. &ldquo;Maybe I caught him with a lucky one,&rdquo; Hansen said, &ldquo;but it felt good to drop him in front of everyone.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0046-07

<div class="byline">-SCOTT ANDERA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0856/7838754-1-eng-US/f0046-082.jpg" title="f0046-08" width="164" height="126"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>J</span>amie Miller might have a firm hold on Jacksonville&rsquo;s scoring lead, but he&rsquo;s also aware of his golf score. Miller, who tied a WHA2 record with four goals and six points in a playoff-clinching win March 21, is the Barracudas&rsquo; unofficial golf champion, recently shooting a 78. Though Miller has played golf with NHLer Patrick Marleau, what he&rsquo;d really like is to play the vaunted TPC at Sawgrass. &ldquo;I guess if I had to pick a dream foursome. I&rsquo;d take Mike Weir, Wayne Gretzky, and probably Tie Domi,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;I love the way (Domi) plays (hockey) and I think he&rsquo;d be a lot of fun.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-08

<div class="byline">BY WILLY PALOV</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02247/7838792-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="266" height="289"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01371/7838799-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="230" height="125"></div><p><b>T</b>he future is finally now for the Moncton Wildcats.</p><p>The team is in the final year of a painstaking four-year rebuilding program and all signs point to a long playoff run.</p><p>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.</p><p>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&rsquo;re on schedule. Defenseman James Sanford has been with the team since he was acquired in December, 2000 as the centerpiece of the team&rsquo;s first major trade for the future and has been as patient as anybody during the rebuilding process.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s one thing to go and trade for a bunch of players and get a team like Cape Breton did, but it&rsquo;s another thing to build from scratch and work your way up,&rdquo; said Sanford, 19. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been with most of these guys here for the last two years, so it&rsquo;s kind of a satisfying feeling that way.&rdquo;</p><p>Although it was painful at times, Sanford said the hard times made him and the other Wildcats better players in the long run.</p><p>&ldquo;It was rough for a while, but from a personal standpoint it helped my development,&rdquo; Sanford said. &ldquo;Even as a rookie I was playing against top lines and trying to cover guys like Brandon Reid and Simon Gamache when they were the best in the league.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I was minus-40 that year, but getting the experience and playing all the time helped me. It sucks to go through it, but it will pay off in the end.&rdquo;</p><p><b>CROSS-BORDER SHOPPING</b> The QMJHL continued its attempt to recruit more American players by holding it&rsquo;s first-ever U.S. Central Scouting Challenge in Exeter, N.H.</p><p>Scouts from the league head office and the league&rsquo;s 16 teams attended a two-day event to watch the top 40 draft-eligible prospects from New England.</p><p><b>ANOTHER TRY</b> The Victoriaville Tigres plan to re-sign coach Judes Vallee, despite missing the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. Vallee, in his second year behind the bench, guided the team to a 20-43-5-2 record, third-worst in the league.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03193/7838785-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="344" height="911"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0047-02

Wildcats rise to top old-fashioned way

<div class="byline">BY JIM CRESSMAN</div><p><b>T</b>he NHL hasn&rsquo;t cornered the market on fines and suspensions. The Ontario League is learning from the best.</p><p>OHL commissioner David Branch fined the London Knights and Windsor Spitfires $2,000 each after the coaches were in a wild, on-ice shouting match following the opener of their quarterfinal series.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04143/7838837-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="305" height="209"></div><p>Knights coach Dale Hunter and the Spitfires&rsquo; Mike Kelly got into it after London&rsquo;s 5-0 home ice win March 19. They were assessed gross misconducts by referee Pat Smola. It began with 31 seconds left when Hunter yelled at Kelly following the third fight in three minutes.</p><p>&ldquo;He was sending guys out to fight and I told him he had no balls,&rdquo; Hunter said. Kelly said he was &ldquo;mystified, quite frankly,&rdquo; why Hunter would yell at him.</p><p>&ldquo;I told him, &rsquo;You&rsquo;re not the classiest guy in the world to be talking about no balls on our team,&rsquo; Kelly said. &ldquo;Maybe I&rsquo;m lacking some balls, but Dale is lacking some intelligence. Who did I send out to fight?&rdquo; Branch said both men acted unprofes-sionally. &ldquo;Coaches have a burden of responsibility to conduct themselves in a professional fashion and if they don&rsquo;t, how do you expect the players to conduct themselves in a responsible fashion?&rdquo; Branch said.</p><p><b>RANGER BANNED</b> Kitchener Rangers center David Clarkson was suspended 10 games as his team went into the playoffs after swinging his stick at Ryan Callahan of the Guelph Storm on the final weekend of the season.</p><p>There was no contact, but Branch said use of the stick in that way isn&rsquo;t tolerated.</p><p><b>GOALIE SHELVED</b> Plymouth Whalers goalie <b>Paul Drew</b> was on crutches with a bad ankle sprain when his team began the playoffs.</p><p>He&rsquo;s expected to be out until mid-May after missing the last step walking down stairs.</p><p><b>FANTASTIC</b> The OHL set another attendance record, drawing 2,541,638 fans. The Ottawa 67&rsquo;s were the top draw again with 294,009, followed by London (284,309) and Kitchener (200,766).</p><p>The Knights and Rangers both set franchise records. It&rsquo;s the first time in league history three teams went over 200,000.</p><p><b>BULLS STAYING</b> Gordon Simmonds of Uxbridge, Ont., is the new majority owner of the Belleville Bulls and he&rsquo;ll keep the team where it&rsquo;s been playing since entering the league in 1981. Team founder Dr. Bob Vaughan retains 20 per cent. His son Brad stays on as GM and James Boyd will be retained as coach.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05109/7838830-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="338" height="908"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0047-04

Coaches firing salvos fined, not suspended

<div class="byline">BY ROB VANSTONE</div><p><b>J</b>eremy Williams is accustomed to scoring at quite a clip. He is also adept with the clippers.</p><p>The Swift Current Broncos gunner shaved his head-including his eyebrows-with the intention of spurring on his teammates for the Western League playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0689/7838875-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="291" height="287"></div><p>&ldquo;A teammate (<b>Davin Heintz)</b> didn&rsquo;t feel like he wanted to shave his head,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;He thought he wouldn&rsquo;t look as good. I told him, &rsquo;Hey, I&rsquo;ll shave my eyebrows if you shake your head.&rsquo; I just went and did it, not really thinking very much.&rdquo;</p><p>Williams hadn&rsquo;t planned on going as far as he did.</p><p>&ldquo;I thought I was just trimming the eyebrows,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to shave them right off, but I moved the switch on the clippers to the short end and I ended up shaving them right off.</p><p>&ldquo;I actually almost gouged my eye a little bit. I&rsquo;ve got a little nick on my eye because I trimmed them a little too short.&rdquo;</p><p>What do the people of Swift Current think of Williams&rsquo; new look?</p><p>&ldquo;I look like I&rsquo;m not healthy and kind of sick,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think they&rsquo;re just thinking, &rsquo;Oh, that boy must have a disease or something.&rsquo; I don&rsquo;t get too many looks. People actually pity me, I think, to a certain extent.&rdquo;</p><p>People could also pity the netminders who have to face Williams, who led the league with 52 goals. With 101 points, Williams was second to linemate Tyler Redenbach in the WHL&rsquo;s scoring race. Redenbach had 105 points.</p><p><b>WINNING WARRIORS</b> The 2003-04 Moose Jaw Warriors made franchise history by capturing a division title.</p><p>Moose Jaw&rsquo;s 41-22-8-1 record was good for first in the East Division. Not only that, the Warriors posted their first 40-win season since the franchise moved from Winnipeg after 1983-84.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a real buzz,&rdquo; said Warriors GM Rick Dorman.</p><p><b>NOT-SO-SWEET 16</b> The Vancouver Giants&rsquo; Dean Evason can celebrate the end of a long playoff drought.</p><p>Evason had lost his first 16 post-season games as a WHL coach before the Giants defeated the Kamloops Blazers-his former team-in Game 2 of the 2004 playoffs.</p><p>Evason had an 0-12 playoff record as the Blazers&rsquo; coach. After moving to Vancouver, he also lost three playoff games in 2003-missing one game due to a WHL-imposed suspension-and the opener of the Kamloops/Vancouver series.</p><h2><b>SPOTLIGHT</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0777/7838868-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="344" height="906"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0047-06

Williams gets radical for fresh playoff look

<div class="byline">-PAUL SHAHEEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0856/7838913-1-eng-US/f0047-082.jpg" title="f0047-08" width="420" height="125"></div><p>Though the St. Louis Eagles&rsquo; inaugural season has been forgettable, coach Rick Zombo hasn&rsquo;t lost his enthusiasm.</p><p>&ldquo;Fifteen wins (in 55 games) is all that&rsquo;s evaluated from the outside, but from the inside I&rsquo;m proud of what this team has done,&rdquo; said Zombo, a retired 12year NHL defenseman with Detroit, St. Louis and Boston. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had our share of injuries, but we&rsquo;re a young team and we&rsquo;ve played very competitively.&rdquo;</p><p>Having been outshot most of the time, it&rsquo;s no surprise Eagle goalies have garnered their share of work and their share of Division-1 interest along the way.</p><p>Starter Michael Zacharias earned a scholarship to Minnesota-Mankato earlier this year while backup Charlie Effinger, with a 6-14-1 record, received a ride to Miami of Ohio for next season.</p><p>&ldquo;Charlie&rsquo;s got great work ethic and character,&rdquo; Zombo said. &ldquo;He fits the mold of someone who&rsquo;s taken advantage of an opportunity.&rdquo;</p><h3><b><i>SPOTLIGHT TEAM:</i></b></h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0944/7838906-1-eng-US/f0047-092.jpg" title="f0047-09" width="1459" height="763"></div><h2><b>SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS</b></h2><p><b>Arena</b> KeyArena <b>Capacity</b> 11,133 <b>GM</b> Russ Farwell <b>Coach</b> Dean Chynoweth<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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April 6, 2004

Thumping of Wings interrupts bad season

Canes’ late-day surge last kick at qualifying

Coaches’ tasks never done

The Hockey News: STATS EXTRA