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October 12, 2004
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Perron seeing picture with vision therapy
Nathan Perrott underwent extensive vision therapy this summer, but he certainly didn’t need any to see the lockout coming. Perrott, a 27-year-old tough guy who spent all of last season with Toronto after six years in the minors, found himself back in the American League with the St. John’s Maple Leafs. Perrott is relieved and grateful for the chance to play high-level hockey during the lockout. And he’s doing it with better vision than he has ever had in his life. Perrott has been afflicted since he was a child with a disorder that allows him to see out of only one eye at a time and he has almost no depth perception. But he worked all summer with an expert in the field in Colorado and said he has made significant improvements. “It’s going…
Kitchen’s big break delayed by lockout
Blues coach Mike Kitchen, schooling the team’s American League players in Worcester when he should be a week into his first training camp as skipper, summed up his frustration thusly: “You finally get an opportunity to be a head coach,” he said, “and you don’t have a team to coach.” Instead or prepping his team, Kitchen is playing professor to minor leaguers at the team’s practice facility in suburban St. Louis, tutoring the youngsters on systems. As the lockout continues, he expects to make some trips to Worcester to continue working with the IceCats. “We’re not the first group of guys he wanted to coach in his first training camp,” said center John Pohl. Said Kitchen: “The ideal situation would be to have the (NHL) players, but this give me a good opportunity…
Leaders working hard (so they say)
We know Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow aren’t spending much time with each other these days not unless they have voodoo dolls hidden in their respective office closets. Aside from town-hall appearances on CBC’s nightly newscast, neither have been heard from publically since Bettman’s dispiriting Sept. 15 announcement that the lockout was officially under way. So what, exactly, are they doing? Goodenow is said to be going about business as usual at the NHL Players’ Association’s Toronto offices, conducting daily meetings with the different departments of the union, fielding calls from players and agents and making sure the players are kept up to date with any and all news. Meanwhile, at the offices of the enemy in New York, Bettman continues to be in regular contact with team owners, corporate sponsors, league lawyers and…
Bierk’s re-signing adds to crowd in net
Amid a flurry of low-level, last minute, beat-the-expiring-CBA moves made by the Coyotes was the re-signing of free agent goalie Zac Bierk. Phoenix wanted to retain Bierk, even though the of injured, 26-year-old netminder was limited to four NHL games last season due to hip and groin problems. He had a 2.17 goals-against average in 16 games with Phoenix in 2002-03 and became a free agent July 1. The Coyotes seemed set in net with four goalies in the system (Brian Boucher, Brent Johnson, David LeNeveu and Jean-Marc Pelletier, but Phoenix GM Mike Barnett kept tabs on Bierk’s rehab progress, saying there was room for Bierk if he showed enough progress. FREE AGENT UPDATE Not only did the Coyotes sign five new free agents in the off-season, they also cleared the decks when…