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.

November 23, 2004

The Hockey News November 23, 2004

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-06214/8292022-1-eng-US/f0005-062.jpg" title="f0005-06" width="283" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">DON BAIZLEY</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05345/8292029-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="168" height="139"></div>From around the NHL&bull; Some hockey insiders believe NHL commissioner Gary Bettman assured a few owners he would attain cost certainty in the new CBA and if they were unhappy with the deal he negotiates, they can walk away from their teams and the league would purchase the franchises. Thats why the NHL has a $300-million war chest.&bull; High-powered agent Don Baizley and former Canucks GM Brian Burke went blow-for-blow over the CBA at a sports business conference in Toronto. Baizley argued the market correction is already happening and it&rsquo;s no surprise two of the worst contracts under the old deal-the Jaromir Jagr $89-million signing in Washington and Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s $87-million mega-deal on Long Island-were done by owners from the <a href="http://dot.com">dot.com</a> world (Ted Leonsis and Charles Wang, respectively). Now that the digital economy has slowed down, the owners have too, Baizley said. Burke railed on Baizley&rsquo;s argument that it&rsquo;s too difficult to accurately sort out the hockey revenue pie, calling it &ldquo;an insult to accountants everywhere.&rdquo;&bull; Player agents Allan Walsh and David Schatia have joined forces with Octagon, which is led by Brian Lawton. Walsh counts Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Marc-Andre Fleury among his clients while Schatia represents Nashville&rsquo;s Scott Hartnell, among others. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

SNAPSHOTS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01233/8294467-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>Just five games into his pro career, Rochester left winger Thomas Vanek found himself in a strange location: the stands.Unable to produce a point in the first month of the season and seemingly unwilling to compete defensively, Vanek was a healthy scratch despite being selected fifth overall by Buffalo in 2003. It was the earliest a first-rounder had been held out of the Amerks lineup in at least 20 years.&ldquo;The only message is that it&rsquo;s a different league and it takes competing in every situation for all individuals,&rdquo; said coach Randy Cunneyworth.Vanek got the hint. Over the next six games, he scored three goals, set up another and was much more dangerous. That included a two-goal performance in Rochester&rsquo;s 3-1 win over Cincinnati at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, the place where Vanek eventually hopes to play.&ldquo;Many players paid their dues in the minors and got better in the minors,&rdquo; Vanek said.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m trying to do.&rdquo;<h2>AHL WEST NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02354/8293811-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="240" height="232"></div>SAYING GOODBYE The Manitoba Moose played their final hockey game in Winnipeg Arena on Nov. 6, with the Utah Grizzlies spoiling the farewell by winning 2-1 in a shootout.With the Moose set to move into the MTS Center on Nov. 17, 13,985 fans showed up to say goodbye to the rink that was once home to the WHA&rsquo;s and NHL&rsquo;s Winnipeg Jets.&ldquo;It kind of had that NHL buzz around the building,&rdquo; said Moose center Nathan Smith.THE SHOW GOES ON The Chicago Wolves have extended their television contract with Comcast through 2007-08.The Wolves believe making every game available last season is one of the reasons attendance is up more than 1,500 per game.Those still living in the dark ages won&rsquo;t be able to listen to the games, though.&ldquo;Our games are at night and most people are home at night and they don&rsquo;t turn on the radio, they turn on the TV,&rdquo; said broadcaster Judd Sirott. &ldquo;This is not the &lsquo;40s and &lsquo;50s anymore, when people are huddled around the radio listening to Amos and Andy.&rdquo;WHAT A CROWD The Rochester Americans moved a Nov. 5 home game to Buffalo&rsquo;s HSBC Arena so fans of the parent Sabres could watch a live game. Judging by the crowd, Sabres fans were starving for some action. More than 12,100 watched Rochester defeat Cincinnati 3-1, the largest &ldquo;home&rdquo; crowd for the Amerks. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to see hockey is still strong in people&rsquo;s minds,&rdquo; said Amerks goalie Ryan Miller. &ldquo;I was excited to see so many people came out.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03281/8293804-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="991" height="1423"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ilya Bryzgalov, who played three games for Russia at the World Cup, was named Cincinnati&rsquo;s player of the month for October.</figcaption></div><h2>HOCKEY NATION AT A GLANCE</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04226/8293797-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="149" height="138"></div>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.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05196/8293790-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="525" height="251"></div>DENMARK<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06181/8293783-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="492" height="647"></div>Major league (nine teams)National League2004 champ Esbjerg IK2003-04 top scorersKasper Degn, HerningDan Ceman, FredrikshavnLeos Pipa, EsbjergAssociation website <a href="http://www.ishockey.dk">www.ishockey.dk</a>Head office Brondby2004 world ranking No. 14Best world rank No. 10 (1949) &#9632;

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Rochester’s tough love spurs Vanek

<div class="byline">-JOHN MANASSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04584/8292856-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="218" height="278"></div>Thrashers coach Bob Hartley has been in Atlanta for a few weeks, helping the team with marketing in the community. Asked if he were worried that injuries to NHLers playing abroad could prevent them from playing when the lockout ends, Hartley was diplomatican interesting response, considering his star right winger Dany Heatley suffered a serious eye injury while playing in the Swiss league. &ldquo;Right now, players are free to play anywhere and injuries are part of our sport wherever you play,&rdquo; Hartley said. &ldquo;(Heatley&rsquo;s injury) was an awful accident. Luckily for Dany, as much as we know, his eye is all right and he&rsquo;ll recover.&rdquo;&hellip;Hartley took part in the Thrashers&rsquo; first 4-on-4 corporate challenge. A team of listeners from a local sports radio station played against a team that included Hartley, assistant coach Steve Weeks, GM Don Waddell, radio analyst Billy Jaffe and TV analyst Darren Eliot. The Thrashers team won 14-1, but the defeated players didn&rsquo;t seem to mind. They got massages from the team masseur, a free lunch, use of the team&rsquo;s dressing room and pictures, autographs and a chance to hob-nob with Atlanta&rsquo;s front-office staff. &#9632;

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NHL TEAM REPORTS

Heatley’s serious eye injury ‘part ot sport’, Hartley says

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011945/8291825-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAINFUL SIGHT&nbsp;The NHL lockout claims another victim as Dany Heatley suffers a serious eye injury playing in Switzerland. He is expected to recover fully. See pg. 18.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Opening Faceoff

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011895/8291877-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="292" height="332"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTEBOOK&nbsp;Jason Kay Editor</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021592/8291870-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="2551" height="3113"><figcaption class="caption-body">SEE ME&nbsp;The Sabres are making it cheaper for fans to see Chris Drury and his teammates play live.</figcaption></div>In terms former NBA executive Gary Bettman can understand, it would be a slam dunk of Wilt Chamberlain proportions.Sure, the NHL already has public sentiment on its side, but if it wanted to truly bring down the house, it would promise to bring down the prices in the house if/when cost certainty is achieved.The exorbitant cost of NHL tickets has been a point of contention during the labor impasse. The players&rsquo; association asserts prices are set on the basis of supply and demand and aren&rsquo;t controlled by player compensation. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for example, charge one arm, one leg and rights to your first born for mid-range seating because, like the self-cleansing dog, they can. Prices are not directly linked, they insist, to how much cash players are earning.Management disagrees. It claims the super-inflationary rate of salary growth is the primary reason for ticket price hikes. In order for Jaromir Jagr to keep bread on his table, fans must part with increasing amounts of their hard-earned bread. (See pg. 13 for more on Jagr.)So which side is half-baked? In the (food) court of public opinion, the fans are largely eating what the owners are serving. They&rsquo;re paying more because players are earning more.Doesn&rsquo;t it stand to reason, then, if cost certainty becomes cost reality and player compensation is curbed that fans should be the beneficiaries?The Benefactor, a.k.a. Mark Cuban, says yes. The Maverick owner, who knows a thing or two about making money, told The Hockey News he believes NHL owners must give something back to the unwashed masses.&ldquo;The key isn&rsquo;t whether fans will love hockey (when it returns), it&rsquo;s whether or not they will be able to afford to go to games,&rdquo; Cuban said. &ldquo;If the players and owners are smart, they will come to a solution that provides for much less expensive ticket prices. Cut ticket prices in half and fans will come back with a huge smile on their face.&rdquo;That, unfortunately, isn&rsquo;t the message NHL teams are sending. There is absolutely no guarantee that once Bettman and Bob Goodenow shake hands, put on those geeky-looking ball caps and smile for the cameras as fiercely as if they&rsquo;d founded utopia, the paying public will be any better off than it was before Sept. 15, 2004.That&rsquo;s what we discovered when we put the following question to the 30 NHL teams: &ldquo;If the NHL achieves cost certainty, is there a plan in place to pass any of the potential savings on to the customers? Are there any other types of &lsquo;rewards&rsquo; being offered to fans for remaining loyal or to entice them to come back?&rdquo;The silence was deafening.We received nine responses, five of which offered polite, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s-premature-to-forecast-anything&rdquo; no comments. Just three of 30 teams contributed anything of substance.The Buffalo Sabres reminded us that before the lockout began, they had drastically reduced ticket prices. In addition, they introduced variable price seating, meaning higher-demand games would be more expensive than Tuesday night versus Carolina.The Washington Capitals also lowered prices an average of 11 per cent at the conclusion of 2003-04 and claim they have &ldquo;incentives and benefits&rdquo; in mind for ticket holders.The Atlanta Thrashers say they are currently rewarding season-ticket holders by offering freebies and discounts to other events at Philips Arena.And the Columbus Blue Jackets informed us of the attractive interest plan they&rsquo;ve instituted for season-ticket holders who don&rsquo;t request refunds.The muted league-wide response is curious. We thought, when presented the chance to let fans know how they&rsquo;d be recognized once the lockout ends, teams would pounce. (We double-checked and confirmed feedback to this question is not punishable under By-Law 17.7; you know, the one that penalizes teams for talking about the CBA with $1-million fines and public floggings).We understand it&rsquo;s early to outline specific plans for price reductions, but surely there will be incentives offered to the people on whom the clubs so severely depend, won&rsquo;t there? The franchises can&rsquo;t be so blinded by self-importance and arrogance to believe fans will automatically return just because hockey does, can they?Perhaps there is a grander plan to appease the public that the league and its teams are waiting to unveil. Problem is, it&rsquo;s not being communicated. We&rsquo;re left to speculate and, based on the trickle of information we received, Joe Fan is being taken for granted, yet again.TICKET PRICES&nbsp;Here&rsquo;s the average ticket price in the NHL since 1994-95, with per-cent increase (or decrease, which happened in 2001-02) inside the white bars.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031295/8291863-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="901" height="700"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-041051/8291856-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="407" height="216"></div> &#9632;

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What’s in it for the fans?

<div class="byline">-MIKE BROPHY</div>Will Mike Danton be back before the NHL is? Not likely.It is not known if Danton even wants to resume his short-lived NHL career. The former St. Louis Blues winger was convicted of trying to hire someone to commit murder, with the intended target believed to be his agent, David Frost, and was sentenced to 7-1/2 years in prison Nov. 8.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011898/8291946-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="695" height="657"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Danton remains behind bars in the United States, but could be in Canada soon.</figcaption></div>Frost had previously told The Hockey News that Danton would make a return to the NHL and some teams had expressed interest in signing the 5-foot-9,190-pounder provided his paperwork allows it and doctors clear him to play.Frost was more cautious following Danton&rsquo;s sentencing.&ldquo;In terms of hockey, we&rsquo;ll cross that bridge when we get to it,&rdquo; said Frost, who remains a powerful figure in Danton&rsquo;s life as his agent and as a &ldquo;surrogate father figure.&rdquo; Frost said a Washington lawyer has been hired to look after the paperwork required to have Danton transferred to a Canadian prison. He expects Danton to be transferred to Canada in the spring or early summer.Frost said one of Danton&rsquo;s doctors felt the best thing would be to &ldquo;get him back home, back with people he feels he needs to be around. Get them involved in his therapy, get them to have a better understanding of who he is. That&rsquo;s what would get him feeling better.&rdquo;Frost said he believes Danton could be paroled as early as June, 2005.&ldquo;The facts are a 90-month sentence is 30 months from full parole, 15 months to day parole,&rdquo; Frost said, &ldquo;and if you add it up, he&rsquo;s already done seven months so if he lands here in June he&rsquo;s right at 15 months. Now you have to hope-Mike&rsquo;s got to hope-everything goes according to plan. If it does, his life gets back together a bit quicker.&rdquo;Danton has been estranged from his family for years. Following his sentencing, he was also critical of the media, telling TSN: &ldquo;&hellip;(A)ny media member that has been seduced by other individuals&rsquo; lies has mistakenly aligned themselves with preserving a false perspective on the truth of the matter.&rdquo;By mentioning &ldquo;other individuals,&rdquo; Danton is referring to his father, Steve Jefferson, who has been openly critical of his son&rsquo;s relationship with Frost.&ldquo;This changes nothing,&rdquo; said Jefferson to the Toronto Sun after the sentence was announced. &ldquo;Mike is sick and he&rsquo;s not going to get better until Dave (Frost) is dealt with. The judge said the relationship between Mike and Dave has been put back together. Mike tried to get his life together and it did not work, so he ran right back to Dave.&rdquo;Frost said Danton just wants to get better.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s eager and adamant about completing his therapy and working with his doc-tors. We do a family session (by conference call) with him once a week.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Danton paroled in June?

<h2>Best of the Hockey World</h2>FAME GAME Hard to imagine three better defensemen than Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy entering the Hall of Fame together.FINDING HIS TOUCH Calgary&rsquo;s Chuck Kobasew scores five goals in six games playing with Lowell of the American League.NO-LOSE SITUATION Memorial Cup host London Knights keep on rolling with 18 wins and a tie in 19 Ontario League games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021348/8291991-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="252" height="398"><figcaption class="caption-body">CHUCK KOBASEW</figcaption></div><h2>Worst of the Hockey World</h2>SOUNDS OF SILENCE OK, enough already. Two months with no CBA talks is not only ridiculous, it is irresponsible. Wake up, boys!LOCKJAW The Western League&rsquo;s Moose Jaw Warriors are off to a terrible start with just one victory in their first 20 games. Ouch!COME ON, GOMER Listen, we know it&rsquo;s not the end of the world, but how does NHLer Scott Gomez have only one goal in eight ECHL games?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03872/8291984-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="252" height="398"><figcaption class="caption-body">SCOTT GOMEZ</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04548/8291977-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="894" height="785"></div> &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">BY DENIS GIBBONS</div>The hockey team in the Russian city of Kazan is giving new meaning to the cliche &ldquo;well-oiled machine.&rdquo;With Tatneft, one of the country&rsquo;s leading producers of oil and natural gas footing most of the bill, Ak Bars (which means &ldquo;Snow Leopards&rdquo; in English) has signed some of the NHL&rsquo;s top talent for the second stage of the Russian Superleague season. (The season is divided into four stages, with three breaks for international play.)World Cup MVP Vincent Lecavalier, Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin of the Stanley Cup-champion Tampa Bay Lightning are the latest NHLers to move to Russia during the lockout, along with free agent winger Alexei Kovalev, who shone with the Montreal Canadiens in last season&rsquo;s playoffs and for Russia in the World Cup.The value of the contracts has not been made public, but reports suggested Khabibulin might be making as much as $4 million and that Lecavalier and Richards both will be paid about $300,000 per month.A survey conducted by the Russian paper Sport Express in 2002 showed that Kazan, based in the capital city of the autonomous republic of Tatarstan, spent more than any other team in the league, with a budget of $20 to $24 million. Once-powerful Spartak in Moscow spends about $6 to $7 million. With the influx of NHLers, Kazan&rsquo;s payroll could swell to $40 million, an unprecedented figure in Russian hockey.Superleague teams can dress a maximum of three imports per game. Lecavalier, Richards and unrestricted free agent goalie Fred Brathwaite are all from Canada and Ducks defenseman Ruslan Salei is from Belarus, meaning one of the four players is one the sidelines for every game.The club started its overhaul Sept. 30 by signing coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov to replace Czech Vladimir Vujtek Sr. Kazan then signed Salei, Rangers blueliner Darius Kasparaitis and Toronto center Nikolai Antropov in October.<h2>TEAM OVERHAULED</h2>Brathwaite, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Aleksey Morozov and Nashville&rsquo;s Denis Arkhipov have been there since the season started Sept. 1 and Atlanta&rsquo;s Ilya Kovalchuk signed on in late September.But while Morozov is fourth in league scoring and Brathwaite leads all goalies with eight shutouts, Kovalchuk had a 13-game goal drought and at the end of the first stage, Ak Bars was sitting fifth in the 16-team league, below the club&rsquo;s expectations.Tatarstan is inhabited mostly by Tatars, who are of Muslim and Turkish origin. The team, which wears the same red, green and white colors of the Tatarstan flag, is also partly funded by the republic&rsquo;s government. Tatarstan is celebrating its 1,000th anniversary and its fans are anxious for the team to add to its only championship win, which came in 1998.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021402/8292067-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="981" height="648"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRED BRATHWAITE</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012111/8292060-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="1071" height="946"><figcaption class="caption-body">SLOW START Ilya Kovalchuk struggled to score in the first stage of the Russian league&rsquo;s season.</figcaption></div>Vlad Shushkovsky, a Calgary-based agent who represents former NHL winger and current Kazan player Vitaly Yachmenev, said the Tatar people are very proud and it&rsquo;s very important for them to have a winning team.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team that when it signs a player wants to make sure it treats him fairly,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If they have to move a player, they either honor the contract or help him find a new job.&rdquo;Among players already cut to make room for the exiled NHLers were Vancouver farmhand Sergei Varlamov and Toronto-born David Nemirovsky, a former Florida Panther.Kazan is 14 points behind league-leading Moscow Dynamo, which boasts NHLers Pavel Datsyuk, Maxim Afinogenov, Artem Chubarov and Andrei Markov on its roster and recently signed Ottawa&rsquo;s Martin Havlat for $1.2 million.<h2>TOUGH BATTLE IN RUSSIAN LEAGUE</h2>Each of the league&rsquo;s 16 teams plays its opponents four times and Ak Bars has three games remaining with Dynamo.Officials of defending champion Avangard Omsk chose not to sign any NHLers before the season, feeling they had enough talent. But after finishing 12th in the first stage, the club quickly inked five-time NHL scoring champion Jaromir Jagr and Canadian-born goalie Norm Maracle.Jagr&rsquo;s departure was a huge blow to the Czech league. Before leaving Kladno, he was the league leading scorer and recently helped establish a league attendance record of more than 15,000 when his team visited Prague to play Slavia. Avangard is hoping Jagr can lead them into the playoffs, for which the top eight teams qualify.Andrei Mochkin, a spokesman for the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, said most Russian fans are taking a wait-and-see attitude to the arrival of the NHLers.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something like when NHL players are coming to the world championship,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But Ak Bars and Avangard are not at the top of our championship standings. It&rsquo;s the same as with the New York Rangers. Money can&rsquo;t buy a Stanley Cup.&ldquo;Only time will show us the results of this situation.&rdquo;<h2>AK BARS KAZAN</h2>GOALTENDERSF. Brathwaite (UFA)N. Kha bi bulin (TB)Andrei TsarevDEFENSED. Kasparaitis (NYR)Ruslan Salei (Ana)Dmitry BalminDmitry Bykov*Denis DenisovNikolai IgnatovSergei KlimentievKonstantin KorneevAndrei PervyshinVitaly ProshkinGennady RazinFORWARDSN. Antropov (Tor)D. Arkhipov (Nsh)Ilya Kovalchuk (Atl)A. Kovalev (UFA)V. Lecavalier (TB)A. Morozov (Pit)Brad Richards (TB)Alex DrozdetskyVadim EpantchintsevEvgeny FedorovJaroslav HlinkaEnver LisinDenis PlatonovAlexander RybakovVitaly Yachmenev*Danis ZaripovMikhail ZhukovSergei Zinovjev**former NHler. &#9632;

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Ak Bars loaded for bear

<div class="byline">-THN STAFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03821/8292098-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg"></div>Sergei Zholtok&rsquo;s impact in the hockey world was never measured by goals and assists, but rather by the size of his heart.An NHL veteran who spent 11 years in the league with six different teams, the popular Latvian forward will be remembered as one of the country&rsquo;s most loved players both on and off the ice.Hundreds of hockey fans, officials and players packed the historic House of Blackheads in Zholtok&rsquo;s hometown of Riga for a Nov. 8 memorial service. Many wore Latvian national team jerseys with black armbands.The 31-year-old former Nashville Predator, who had been playing for Riga during the NHL lockout, died of heart failure about five minutes before the end of a game against Dynamo Minsk Nov. 3.He is survived by his wife and two sons.Zholtok&rsquo;s heart condition was well known. He missed seven games while with the Minnesota Wild in January of 2003 when he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat Known as &lsquo;Zholi&rsquo; to his teammates, one of the NHL veteran&rsquo;s biggest assets had always been his unselfishness.Zholtok was actively involved in helping Latvian street children who had been physically and sexually abused and he also regularly suited up for his national team each spring at the world championship, winning a silver medal in 1994. &#9632;

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Latvians honor Zholtok’s life on and off ice

The HOCKEY NEWS FROM THE EDITORSThe scene was a familiar one: an NHLer, prone and in agony on the ice, hands to his face, scared witless a freak accident might end his career-and his previously perfect vision-permanently.This time, the details were different. The NHLer (Atlanta star Dany Heatley) wasn&rsquo;t at an NHL arena, but rather &ldquo;staying in shape&rdquo; in the Swiss league, where visors are mandatory. It proves that, no matter the precautions taken, hockey players walk the line between glory and disability every minute of their careers. (That said, it wasn&rsquo;t clear if Heatley was wearing his helmet properly, which may have prevented the injury.)Heatley is expected to fully recover and play again, but the potential for tragedy will remain when the NHL returns-and visors are left to individual choice. That&rsquo;s because neither owners nor the players&rsquo; union accepts visor usage for what it is-a cut-and-dried workplace safety issue, not a topic to be back-burnered or bargain-chipped in the shadow of a new labor deal.Their inaction all but guarantees more of the &ldquo;broken orbital bone&rdquo; diagnoses common to players who refuse to fully protect themselves. Steve Yzerman learned his lesson last season. We all know Bryan Berard&rsquo;s story. And now we know Todd Fedoruk&rsquo;s story: the Flyers enforcer, playing in the AHL, took a puck in the eye-while sitting on the bench-during a Nov. 3 game. He wasn&rsquo;t wearing a visor, either. His orbital bone is broken, too.Somehow, the visor issue continues to slip through the cracks, and we don&rsquo;t know why&mdash;especially when the main focus of the NHL and NHLPA these days is money.Players vehemently believe they should be allowed to earn as much money as possible, but they aren&rsquo;t worth squat when they&rsquo;re wearing a pirate patch the rest of their days.Owners, meanwhile, want nothing less than a guaranteed return on their money, but have little interest in fully guarding the most irreplaceable assets in which they invest.The league and union ought to know better. They&rsquo;re not unaware of renowned eye specialist Dr. Tom Pashby&rsquo;s studies that show hockey accounted for 40 per cent of sports-related eye injuries since 1972. They&rsquo;ve heard experts explain how players with visors are virtually immune to eye trauma. They know most active players have gone through the junior or college system, where eye protection isn&rsquo;t an option, but a requirement.Most of all, they&rsquo;re running out of time before the law of averages hands down a life sentence of anguish to an NHL superstar in his prime. Heatley narrowly avoided being that player.Which is why decisive action must be taken now, during this period of brinkman-ship between owners and players. This isn&rsquo;t an issue that lends itself to partisanship and negotiation. It is, as we said, cut and dried, black and white-and clearly, correctable.It&rsquo;s in everyone&rsquo;s best interest to make visors a necessity. Because every time a catastrophic eye injury occurs-and if the status quo holds, it&rsquo;s a certainty it&rsquo;ll happen again-the reasons not to become tougher to defend.<blockquote class="pullQuote">Neither the owners nor the players accept visor usage for what it is-a cut-and-dried workplace safety issue.</blockquote> &#9632;

NHL lockout ideal chance to make visors mandatory

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011998/8292153-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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ELSTON

<h2>CROSBY SHOW A BIG HIT</h2>I recently had the opportunity to watch Sidney Crosby when the Rimouski Oceanic came to town to play Cape Breton.I was very impressed. Not only did Crosby live up to the hype, but he was a gentleman on the ice. He took much abuse from opposing players and stood up for himself without resorting to childish tactics.Anyone who has the chance should go and watch this kid play. It&rsquo;s worth every penny.Desmond McDonald, Goose Cove, Nfld.<h2>U.S. TV NOT NHL&rsquo;S STRONG SUIT</h2>Want another reason why the NHL isn&rsquo;t big in the U.S.? Here you go: I was looking forward to the recent Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, but no American TV stations aired them. I get the Center Ice satellite package, but the ceremonies weren&rsquo;t aired there, either.Paul Coffey is my favorite player ever, yet I couldn&rsquo;t watch his induction live.If the NHL wants to expand its fan base, they must get the U.S. TV stations on board.Bonnie Karberg, Broadview Heights, Ohio<h2>LETTER OF THE WEEK</h2>Kudos to Jeff Friesen for believing &ldquo;you don&rsquo;t bring your problems to another league&rdquo; and deciding to wait out the labor dispute in North America.Conversely, I have lost a lot of respect for Patrik Elias, who defends his decision to play in Europe by saying it&rsquo;s not about the money, but rather about staying in shape. It may not be about the money for him, but I bet it sure is for the player he put out of work.Last time I checked, one can still keep in shape by running, lifting weights and hitting the ice with fellow locked-out NHLers. Elias&rsquo;s attitude is yet another example of an NHL Players&rsquo; Association member being way out of touch with reality.For the record, I will happily watch all those who decide to play in a post-impasse NHL-and think no less of them.Jeff Brown, Atlin, B.C.<h2>JUNIOR GAME IS FANTASTIC</h2>Mike Brophy&rsquo;s suggestion that fans watch junior hockey during the NHL lockout was right on. (THN, Nov. 2)If you want to see heart, sweat and determination, junior hockey is what you&rsquo;re looking for. These kids go all out. I can take my whole family to a game for about $70. Try doing that for an NHL game!Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, I miss the pros as much as the next person. But there is a super alternative just waiting to be discovered.Rich Baxter, London, Ont.<h2>HEY NHL: DEMOCRACY NOW!</h2>John Kerry is not the new president of the United States. There will be no ice rink at the White House.But at least the election was determined by the electorate. Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow should take notice-hockey fans are the NHL&rsquo;s electorate and if we don&rsquo;t get what we want, we need to revolt.Where has our ticket and merchandise money gone if not to ensure the future of this great sport?Rick Hochberg, Fort Pierce, Fla.<h2>ZHOLTOK&rsquo;S PASSING SADDENS</h2>The tragic news of Sergei Zholtok&rsquo;s death was especially hard on all the fans who were lucky enough to meet this true gentleman.My family and I were not only lucky enough to meet Sergei on several Minnesota Wild-sponsored promotions, but also encountered him in and around town.He was always a warm and friendly man who truly cared about the game and its fans.Our prayers are with his family during these devastating days. May he always have a clean sheet of ice upon which to skate.Gene Pagel, Oakdale, Minn.<h2>NO DEBATING NEELY&rsquo;S LEGACY</h2>After reading the article in the Great Debates magazine on the best player not in the Hall of Fame, I have a question: is there any doubt Cam Neely is that player?Neely was the best power forward in the NHL. He deserves to be inducted as soon as possible. Hey Hall of Fame committee: wake up, already!Chris Copeman, Huntsville, Ont.<h2>Got something to say?</h2>U.S.A.: Letters, The Hockey News, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947.Canada: Letters, The Hockey News, 25 Sheppard Ave. W. Suite 100, Toronto, Ont, M2N 6S7E-mail: <a href="mailto:aproteau@thehockeynews.com">aproteau@thehockeynews.com</a> or visit <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a> Include name, hometown, province/state and phone number.Submissions will be edited. &#9632;

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The owners are in one solar system, the players in another, and our sun has gone out. Things look so hopeless that for inspiration I went to one of the most hopeless places on earth.It takes me six hours by car to go 45 years back to Johnstown, where I fell in love with the game at nine, a mental age I recommend adopting by those both bitterly damaging and swearing off the game. The people who run the NHL have picked up their toys and gone home. Fortunately, I could go back to the place where the Hanson brothers brought their bleepin&rsquo; toys.It had been 14 years since I had last walked into the Cambria County War Memorial, which they have fixed up considerably without messing with a single one of my memories. Thankfully, that is about as possible as killing hockey in Johnstown, which, despite all odds, has proven to be a blessedly prodigious task.&ldquo;These people are going to be broke, Reggie, and they aren&rsquo;t going to be going to hockey games,&rdquo; forecasted Dunlop&rsquo;s ex, Francine.How wrong she has turned out to be.<h2>REBUILDING A LEGEND</h2>Like in Slap Shot, the steel mill closed and soon after the filming in 1977, downtown Johnstown went underwater for a third time. A metropolitan population once over 125,000 is now 79,000, with one of the highest unemployment rates and lowest average incomes in Pennsylvania.Neil Smith, the former Ranger GM, and Rick Adams, the once-ECHL president, have &ldquo;honed&rdquo; the Chiefs since 2002. They gave local management two years to drastically reduce annual losses of $250,000 or else these people would never hear Lady of Spain again. Last year, when the ECHL&rsquo;s oldest team, in its smallest city, won 45 games and lost a ridiculous one-game playoff, attendance rose by 307 a game up to 2,551, helping reduce losses to $40,000.&ldquo;Tickets are $14, a lot for the people here,&rdquo; said GM Jim Brazil! &ldquo;Things most teams operate with, in Johnstown we do without. We trade for $180,000 in advertising that we spend zero on. People see what the Chiefs bring to the community.&rdquo;Even better, it is seen by players who could live in condos off golf courses in other ECHL places. &ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a party or a beach town,&rdquo; said defenseman Brent Bilodeau, once a Canadiens&rsquo; No. 1 pick and a Chief for six years. &ldquo;I tell (recruits) you are here to develop yourself as a person and for the next level of hockey.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011834/8292243-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="292" height="378"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg&nbsp;Columnist</figcaption></div><h2>DOG STATUE HELPS RECRUITMENT</h2>It rains a lot in Johnstown, so the Chiefs find people with sunny faces, like Bilodeau&rsquo;s wife, Cass, who played five years in the WNBA and has a better attitude than Lily Braden did in the movie. As you remember, her words for the dog that saved Charlestown in the Flood of &lsquo;38 were utterly uncalled for. That statue is one of the better recruiting tools the Chiefs have.&ldquo;The movie gives us immediate name recognition,&rdquo; said coach and director of hockey operations Toby O&rsquo;Brien. &ldquo;Parents from New England, Southern Ontario, take pictures of the building, ask &lsquo;Where the hell is the dog?&rsquo; Which, actually, is being refurbished right now.&ldquo;At one point we didn&rsquo;t think we could compete for the best players on this level, even with the salary cap. But being one of the northernmost markets, the American League all around us, we lead the ECHL in call-ups. And that&rsquo;s a selling point.&ldquo;We tell players Johnstown is a hometown, a neighborhood pub kind of place where you make friends. Arturs Irbe came here last year with such a great attitude he was adored. We&rsquo;re on the front page of the newspaper.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021257/8292236-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="3202" height="2343"><figcaption class="caption-body">CHIEFS LIVE ON&nbsp;David Currie (31), Jeremy Van Hoof (12) and Ian Manzano (14) are upholding the storied tradition in Johnstown.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It can be struggle, but all hockey is struggling, including the NHL. Let&rsquo;s see&hellip;Hampton&hellip;Roanoke&hellip;Greensboro&hellip;off the top of my head I count 18 franchises that have come and gone while we&rsquo;ve been here, a testament to the people who live and play here.&ldquo;In 1988-89, (when hockey returned to Johnstown after an eight-year absence) people saw sellouts here and said &lsquo;Wow, that can happen other places.&rsquo; This league grew down the East Coast, the Central and Colonial Leagues popped up. The NHL went to the Sunbelt.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m active in USA Hockey and for a long time it was the fastest growing youth sport in the country. I think this franchise was a turning point.&rdquo;The turning point can&rsquo;t even turn a profit, yet keeps going because a place like this needs hockey. Right now, places like this are all hockey has.MINOR SUPPORT&nbsp;Here&rsquo;s the average attendance and year-to-year change in the American League and ECHL since &lsquo;99-00.<h2>AHL</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03760/8292229-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="90" height="50"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04581/8292222-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="510" height="345"></div><h2>ECHL</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05434/8292215-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="89" height="45"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06366/8292208-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="515" height="286"></div>*2004-05 shows games played through Nov. 9 and is compared to the same period in 2003-04. &#9632;

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Slice of hockey heaven

<div class="byline">BY BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011968/8292281-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div>Kevin Kerr knows a little bit about what Hank Aaron went through after the 1973 baseball season.Aaron finished the &lsquo;73 campaign with 713 home runs, leaving him one shy of matching Babe Ruth&rsquo;s career record and giving him six months to think about belting the historic round-tripper.Today, Kerr is sitting on 662 career goals, one short of the modern minor league mark set by Scott Gruhl from 1979-96. Making matters worse is Kerr underwent off-season knee surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament, giving him an additional two months to ponder his pursuit of Gruhl while undergoing therapy in anticipation of a Dec. 3 return to the United League&rsquo;s Flint Generals.&ldquo;I think about it a lot,&rdquo; said Kerr, 37, who was too young to remember Aaron overtaking Ruth. &ldquo;I wish I had scored that empty-netter at the end of the last game last season. I thought about it all summer, I&rsquo;ve been reminded about it by a lot of people. My teammates remind me of it.&ldquo;It will be nice to get it over with and put it in the past. When I come back, there&rsquo;s going to be a lot of hoopla and for the sake of the team and the rest of the players, it would be good to get it over with so it doesn&rsquo;t drag on and take away from the importance of us winning games.&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s a great honor to be able to accomplish something like that.&rdquo;<h2>FOUND PERFECT SPOT WITH GENERALS</h2>Kerr was a dependable goal-scorer during his final three junior seasons with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario League and in his first six seasons in the American League, International League and the ECHL. But his career really took off when he joined the Generals of the Colonial League (now the UHL) in 1993-94.In his first five seasons in Flint, Kerr had at least 50 goals, 100 points and 200 penalty minutes each year. In 1996-97, he finished with 72 goals after bagging four in the last game of the season.It was in Flint that Kerr was paired with his perfect linemate, center Brian Sakic.Sakic, younger brother of Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic, rang up 383 assists during those five seasons. Kerr, meanwhile, scored 298 goals on Sakic&rsquo;s right side.&ldquo;Sak was huge,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;He was responsible for the majority of my goals here in Flint. He was a great centerman to play with. I owe a lot of goals to him. He set me up a lot.&ldquo;Kent Hawley (a friend and former opponent) made a comment one time that I have a knack of getting open. It&rsquo;s one thing getting open, it&rsquo;s another thing having somebody find you when you are open.&rdquo;The minor league record is a nice consolation prize for a kid from North Bay, Ont., who never achieved his No. 1 goal of playing in the NHL. (It should be noted Dick Roberge scored 756 goals mostly in the Eastern Hockey League in the 1950s and &lsquo;60s. The EHL began as an amateur loop in the 1930s and evolved into a pro league in the mid-&rsquo;50s.)Kerr was drafted 56th overall in 1986 by the Buffalo Sabres, but a handful of pre-season games was as close as he got to the NHL. He didn&rsquo;t have great size (5-foot-10,190 pounds); wasn&rsquo;t the fastest skater; and, in his younger days Kerr had a temper as short as anyone around.In 17 pro seasons, he&rsquo;s amassed 3,670 penalty minutes to rank fourth on the all-time minor league list. By his own estimate, Kerr has been suspended for at least 100 games and his banishments include a nine-game suspension in Rochester, 10 games in Cincinnati and unpaid vacations of eight and 10 games in Flint.Although he&rsquo;s not nearly as volatile on the ice since becoming a father seven years ago, Kerr doesn&rsquo;t apologize for his past antics.<h2>AGGRESSIVE REPUTATION HELPED KERR</h2>&ldquo;I hate to say it, but a lot of those suspensions or crazy things I did allowed me to have a lot more room on the ice than I probably would have got,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t have been in a situation where guys were a little leery of putting a stick on me or taking me out because they were worried about getting a stick across the face or a punch in the head.&ldquo;Bobby Reynolds (a Flint teammate) made a joke about that last year. He said, &lsquo;Could you imagine if you hadn&rsquo;t been suspended all those times? You&rsquo;d have been over 700 already.&rsquo; You take the good with the bad and move on. But I have thought about all those goals I would have scored if I hadn&rsquo;t been suspended.&rdquo;When he finally does hang up his skates-perhaps after this season, although nothing is final yet-Kerr will have more than just a goalscoring mark to look back on.He played for championship teams in Portland (1994) and Flint (1996), won a couple of Roller Hockey International championships, helped Team Canada win two world inline championships as well as a gold medal in the Pan-Am Games, and was the Colonial League&rsquo;s MVP in 1993-94.All of those accomplishments are nice, but what means as much to Kerr as anything is earning the respect of fellow players.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a personal thing,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;I spent my whole career in the minors and Kam White (Flint&rsquo;s captain) made a comment that he respected me a lot to be able to play 18 years. Guys like (Wayne) Gretzky, if you&rsquo;re playing against them, you marvel at their ability and what they&rsquo;ve accomplished. I guess in a way it&rsquo;s no different at this level.&ldquo;I never thought about it like that until Kam said that&rsquo;s a pretty good accomplishment. I don&rsquo;t toot my own horn a lot, but a lot of people have told me it&rsquo;s a pretty good accomplishment.&rdquo;Kerr, who has played for 14 teams in five leagues, has never been one to pore over statistics. So he wasn&rsquo;t even aware that he was within striking distance of Gruhl until a reporter mentioned it a couple of years ago when he was closing in on No. 600, which he scored for the Toledo Storm of the ECHL before returning to Flint for his third tour of duty with the Generals.&ldquo;I never dreamt of becoming a goal-scorer or a person who would be vying for a record,&rdquo; said Kerr, who has also scored 57 playoff goals and is the UHL&rsquo;s all-time leader in 12 categories. &ldquo;That didn&rsquo;t even enter my mind. I don&rsquo;t think I was ever a natural goal scorer. I think I worked hard to get into the right spots and right positions. I think my work ethic had a lot to do with it.&ldquo;Some people might think with the number of goals I scored that I was a natural goal-scorer. But a lot had to do with timing and being in the right spot at the right time.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011745/8292274-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="1543" height="1577"><figcaption class="caption-body">BEST OF REST&nbsp;Here are the top 10 all-time minor league goal-scorers, listed with career goals as of Nov. 10.</figcaption></div>* Dick Roberge spent most of the 1950s and &lsquo;60s in the Eastern Hockey League, which began in 1933 as an amateur league and folded in 1973. &#9632;

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COVER STORY

BEST ON THE BUS

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY &#x2022; Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011921/8292312-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE MALTIASLONNY BOHONOS</figcaption></div>The NHL dream never dies. It just fades.Steve Maltais and Lonny Bohonos know that as well as anyone. Or any two. Maltais, 35, and Bohonos, 31, both play for the Chicago Wolves in the American League and both have enjoyed short spurts of success in the NHL, but nothing that made them a desirable commodity over the long haul. And despite the fact they remain vital offensive performers, each knows his NHL days are done.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d be kidding myself if I thought I was going to get another shot,&rdquo; said left winger Maltais, who scored nine goals and 27 points in 120 NHL games with Washington, Minnesota (North Stars), Tampa Bay, Detroit and Columbus. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, if the call ever came I&rsquo;d be right on it. But teams invest so much money in young kids they have to try to make themselves look good by giving them a chance to succeed.&rdquo;Bohonos, a center who scored 19 goals and 35 points in 83 NHL games with Vancouver and Toronto, also did not expect the NHL to come knocking. &ldquo;Obviously you want to play hockey at the highest level and if had another chance, I&rsquo;d certainly take it. I&rsquo;ve been in Europe the past four years so I haven&rsquo;t really been around, but this is a great year for AHL players to showcase themselves while the lockout is on.&rdquo;Maltais has produced phenomenal minor pro league numbers, four times hitting the century mark in points while scoring 40 or more goals six times. His most productive NHL season was 1992-93 when he scored seven goals and 20 points in 63 games with Tampa Bay. He played 26 games with the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets in 2000-01, but hasn&rsquo;t seen the NHL since.&ldquo;I look back at my first few NHL games and I had chances to score, but didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; said Maltais, who has won a Turner Cup in the defunct International League and two Calder Cups in the AHL playing with Chicago. &ldquo;You always wonder if things would have been different if the puck had gone in. Maybe I could have got on a roll.&rdquo;Bohonos&rsquo;s claim to fame was scoring three goals and nine points with Toronto in the 1999 playoffs. &ldquo;I was really excited about the next season and worked harder than ever to prepare,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I played with great players in the playoffs-Mats Sundin and Steve Thomas-but the next year rosters dropped to 23 from 24 players and the Leafs signed a few free agents. That&rsquo;s the only time I really don&rsquo;t think I got the same opportunity to show what I could do in training camp as I did in the playoffs.&rdquo;Both Maltais, who had eight goals and 13 points in nine games this season, and Bohonos, with one goal and three points in three games, said they&rsquo;ll play hockey for as long as they can. &ldquo;Where else can you do something you love and actually go to work for two or three hours a day?&rdquo; Maltais said.And if the Wolves enjoy success this season, you can bet it will be riding the coattails of a couple of veterans who have been there and done that. &#9632;

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Veteran Wolves still howl

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER * Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021509/8292343-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg"></div>Call him a work in progress, call him small, call him an NHL longshot if you want.But if you&rsquo;re going to call him all that, you&rsquo;d better also call him a winner.Milwaukee Admirals speedster center Simon Gamache has played on three championship teams in three leagues in the past four years.He won the Memorial Cup with the Quebec League&rsquo;s Val d&rsquo;Or Foreurs in 2000-01, followed that up with an ECHL championship with the Greenville Grrrowl in &lsquo;01-02 and came back last year to capture an American League title with the Admirals. Thanks in part to Gamache&rsquo;s contin-ued production he had a team-leading six goals and 11 points in nine games-the Admirals were off to a torrid 8-0-1-0 AHL start.Nashville acquired him from Atlanta last year along with Kirill Safronov for prospects Ben Simon and Tomas Kloucek.A 5-foot-9,185-pounder who is often compared to Martin St-Louis, Gamache started this season by heading to Russia in late summer to join Moscow Dynamo. He lasted about a month. Nobody there spoke English, he didn&rsquo;t speak Russian.&ldquo;I think at the end it&rsquo;s just better that I&rsquo;m here, close to the team, close to Nashville,&rdquo; Gamache said. &#9632;

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Gamache’s trio of titles proof of champion’s heart

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER &#x2022; Senior Writer</div>Hartford Wolf Pack goalie Jason LaBarbera says one of the keys to his big-picture success has been keeping his minor triumphs in perspective. With so many triumphs and so much perspective-keeping, it&rsquo;s a wonder he has any time left over to stop the puck.&ldquo;I think when I was younger, I&rsquo;d make a good save or something and I&rsquo;d be ail excited about it,&rdquo; LaBarbera said. &ldquo;Now it&rsquo;s like, big deal.&rdquo;Last season the 24-year-old British Columbia native was named top goalie and MVP of the American League on the strength of an AHL-record 13 shutouts and a 1.59 goals-against average.Now for the truly frightening part for AHL shooters who haven&rsquo;t yet faced him in 2004-05: to hear LaBarbera tell it, he couldn&rsquo;t stop a beach ball last season compared to how good he&rsquo;s feeling today. That phenomenal goals against average of a year ago has hit unconscious territory; after seven games, the affable 6-foot-3, 205-pounder had allowed just eight goals for an otherworldly.956 save percentage and 1.25 GAA.LaBarbera played four games with the Rangers last season, starting three, and came away with some fantastic learning experiences if not fantastic numbers. Whenever his next chance comes, he&rsquo;ll be ready for it&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really look ahead like that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I really am a here-and-now kind of guy.&rdquo; &#9632;

MVP goalie LaBarbera says he’s even better this year

<div class="byline">BY MATTHEW REYNOLDS</div>KLADNO, CZECH REPUBLIC When Jaromir Jagr announced he was leaving his hometown to play hockey in Siberia, he listed a number of reasons. He wanted to hone his skills with stringent Russian workouts. He looked forward to a change of scenery and a fresh start.There was also that minor detail about increasing the number of zeroes on his paycheck.&ldquo;Money is important,&rdquo; Jagr said, &ldquo;especially since nobody knows what&rsquo;s going to happen in the NHL.&rdquo;European teams generally don&rsquo;t release salaries and Jagr has agreed not to discuss the details of his deal with Avangard Omsk, but the 32-year-old right winger and his agent boasted he would be the highest-paid player in Russia. Ilya Kovalchuk is said to be earning $ 1.6 this season. One report put Jagr&rsquo;s salary at $2 million.<h2>SHORT-LIVED RETURN</h2>Is it worth it? Apparently so for Jagr, who has already collected tens of millions of dollars during his 14-year NHL career and who will make $11 million a season with the New York Rangers when the NHL resumes.Consider what Jagr is giving up: the opportunity, after 15 years away, to play in his hometown, where his dad is club president. Since the Czech Extraleague began in September, Jagr had been selling out arenas across the Czech Republic in a de facto welcome-home tour. Kladno was in fourth place and Jagr had 28 points in 17 games. He even campaigned with the winning political party in recent elections.Consider where he&rsquo;s going: Omsk is in Central Siberia, due north of Kazakhstan, five time zones away. The city is closer to Ulanbaatur, Mongolia, than to Kladno or Prague. It was minus-11 (Celsius) there in early November and temperatures can plunge to minus-30 in the depths of winter. Its hockey team is in 12th place.Judging by his jersey number, 68, Jagr isn&rsquo;t fond of Russia, not to mention the frozen tundra of Siberia. The Czech star chose 68 to commemorate the year, 1968, when Soviet troops crushed pro-democratic reforms in Czechoslovakia.On the other hand, Jagr&rsquo;s old friend, the late Ivan Hlinka, coached in Omsk last season. Jaroslav Bednar, another Czech friend, plays there. And Omsk, an oil-rich city with a hockeyloving governor, has a lot of money to spend. Oligarch Roman Abramovich, who bought the Chelsea soccer club in England in 2003, owns the team.According to Jagr&rsquo;s agent, J.P. Barry, Omsk officials first contacted Jagr in September. Jagr began dropping hints in late October that his time at home was winding down. The increasing likelihood of no NHL season seemed to seal the deal.Initially Jagr will live in a team dormitory, according to Omsk club president Konstantine Potapov, but later will be given his own apartment. He will also have a car at his disposal, but apparently no other special privileges.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011749/8292398-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="576" height="1051"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jaromir Jagr says money is just one reason he decided to play in Russia.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;A lot of people told me not to go to Russia because the training there is different,&rdquo; Jagr said. &ldquo;But maybe that&rsquo;s just what I need to wake up. I&rsquo;m hard on myself, but as time goes by, it gets easier to let up. I won&rsquo;t have that choice there. It might make me a better player. It could help me in years to come.&rdquo;Whatever Jagr&rsquo;s motivations, Czechs don&rsquo;t seem to resent his departure. If anything, they&rsquo;re proud. One headline read &ldquo;Best player in world goes to Russia.&rdquo; Fans in his hometown seem grateful they had six weeks to watch him.In his last game in the Czech Republic Nov. 5, Jagr had two goals and four points as Kladno hustled out a come-from-behind 5-4 victory. Jagr hadn&rsquo;t yet announced he was leaving, but he had given hints to the press. The fans gave him a standing ovation, figuring they were seeing him for the last time. They remained standing and clapping until he returned from the dressing room for a bow.Jagr was scheduled to play his first game for Omsk Nov. 19 against Voskresensk.<h2>MOVEMENT ALL OVER</h2>Jagr is not the only European player to bolt for greener pastures after a warm homecoming. With an NHL settlement appearing more and more unlikely, playing for peanuts in the old factory town could be losing its appeal. Several marquee players seem to be reconsidering their options in light of their bank accounts.Marian Hossa said in late October he enjoyed playing with friends in his hometown of Trencin, Slovakia, even if the club could only pay him enough to cover expenses.Two weeks later the Slovak press reported Hossa is leaving for Sweden, where he&rsquo;ll presumably earn a lot more. The average wage in Sweden is six times the average wage in Slovakia.Fellow Slovak Ziggy Palffy backed out of a promise to play in his hometown, Skalica, population 48,000. When locals cried murder over his decision to go to Prague instead, he agreed to skate at home for the first six weeks of the season. His arrival in Prague was delayed, but wouldn&rsquo;t be denied. &#9632;

f0013-01

Dash for Russian cash

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER</div>Never one to make a decision prematurely, Wayne Gretzky believes he has plenty of time to figure out if he wants to be the next coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. It has been almost half a year since Phoenix GM Mike Barnett made the offer and because of the NHL&rsquo;s labor woes it could easily be half a year or more until Gretzky gives him a definitive answer.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t really thought about it because I don&rsquo;t know when we&rsquo;re going to go back to work here,&rdquo; Gretzky said in Toronto, where he was launching a minor hockey charity program in conjunction with Hockey Canada.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know when we&rsquo;re going to have a league.&rdquo;Gretzky said he loved being around the players and coaching staff of Team Canada at the World Cup this fall. Getting involved again with a team and players on a day-to-day basis, with all the heightened emotions and competitive instincts such close contact brings out in him, continues to be his greatest temptation.&ldquo;Just to say no right now is too easy and I&rsquo;ve just keep holding myself back saying I&rsquo;ve got to think about it,&rdquo; Gretzky added.Some have suggested Gretzky, a Coyotes part-owner, may also have financial considerations in mind. Even as a coach he could sell tickets, always a consideration given that the Coyotes have a new building to fill and a fan base to be enticed back after the lockout.So with all that-and seeing as the door to the season is likely to be slammed shut anyway-there&rsquo;s no reason for Gretzky to do the same yet with a possible coaching career.Of the NHL&rsquo;s labor woes, Gretzky said: &ldquo;Right now it looks very bleak. It doesn&rsquo;t look good and obviously there&rsquo;s a strong possibility that the whole year will be cancelled.&ldquo;I hope that definitely doesn&rsquo;t happen, but at this point, judging from what I&rsquo;m hearing and reading through the media, there&rsquo;s no conversation and nobody&rsquo;s talking. If they&rsquo;re not talking and there&rsquo;s no conversation, obviously there&rsquo;s going to be no hockey.&rdquo;Gretzky knows plenty more than what he reads and hears in the media, of course, but if he has any plans to get more involved in the nitty gritty of negotiations, he&rsquo;s keeping them to himself. He says he does not feel any pressure to get involved in behind-the-scenes efforts and is willing to let NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union leader Bob Goodenow work it out.&ldquo;This is a complex, complicated situation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of issues that are at stake here, not just the quote unquote salary cap. There&rsquo;s a lot to be negotiated, a lot to be talked about. And I don&rsquo;t have the facts on it. I don&rsquo;t really know all the insides of that. That&rsquo;s up to Bob and Gary to hammer out.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not something that I can go in and fix, it&rsquo;s a lot deeper than that&hellip;People I know from both sides will ask me questions, ask me my thoughts, but nobody has ever said you&rsquo;ve got to go in there or you should talk.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011898/8292429-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="256" height="401"><figcaption class="caption-body">WAYNE GRETZKY</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0014-01

Gretzky stays out of CBA fray

<div class="byline">BY THN STAFF</div>The NHL lockout has been a boon to the American League, with an overall six per cent attendance spike being driven by marked increases in the three markets that also have NHL teams.AHL president Dave Andrews said attendance for the Philadelphia Phantoms, farm team for the Flyers, is up between 30 and 40 per cent and the Chicago Wolves are also enjoying a significant attendance boost.The Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; affiliate Edmonton Roadrunners, which transferred from Toronto this past summer, have seen a rise of some 3,500 fans nightly, from roughly 4,600 last year to 8,100 this season.Andrews said rule changes designed to open up the game have been generally well-received. There are more penalties being called and scoring is up nearly half a goal per game.The AHL is trying to reduce restraining fouls against the puck carrier. Goalies are also restricted in the area they can play the puck outside the goal crease. &#9632;

AHL attendance reaping benefits

<div class="byline">-NATHAN WHITE</div><h2>OSHL STOPS PLAYER PAYMENTS</h2>MONCTON, N.B. Players in the ill-fated Original Stars League didn&rsquo;t expect much for their efforts and that&rsquo;s exactly what they&rsquo;re getting. League president Randy Gumbley put stop payments on expense checks issued to players and employees, according to multiple sources. Goalie Marty Turco, who was with the league during an eastern Canada tour in October, said several players told him their checks bounced before he tried to cash his. Out-of-pocket expenses were meant to be paid on a per diem basis, but Turco said many players were patient with the league since their main goal was to keep in shape and enjoy playing rather than to make money. However, after several of the bigger names left the league, the OSHL cancelled a game in Saint John, N.B., then had the remaining players suit up for two games the same day in Halifax. Turco said they got together and decided to call it quits soon after. Gumbley, who disputed the allegations, said the league will re-start in December. In addition, he said players who were with the league until the end will be paid and those who left early, and are in &ldquo;breach of contract,&rdquo; will not.<h2>NHLPA GOES EUROPEAN</h2>TORONTO The NHL Players&rsquo; Association has an updated website (<a href="http://nhlpa.com">nhlpa.com</a>) prominently featuring a list of union members playing in Europe. As of Nov. 11 the site listed 291 NHLers-about 40 per cent of the league-spread out among 16 different European loops. Sweden led the way with 58 players, followed by the Czech Republic with 56 and Russia with 49.<h2>U.S. WJC TEAM TAKES SHAPE</h2>COLORADO USA Hockey has named 12 players to its team for the 2005 World Junior Championship in Grand Forks, N.D., and Thief River Falls, Minn. The list includes eight returnees from the 2004 gold medal-winning squad, including goalie Al Montoya (Michigan, CCHA) and defenseman Ryan Suter (Milwaukee, AHL). Other returnees are defensemen Jeff Likens (Wisconsin, WCHA) and Matt Hunwick (Michigan); and, forwards Dan Fritsche (Sarnia, OHL), Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan (Mississauga, OHL), Drew Stafford (North Dakota, WCHA) and Jake Dowell (Wisconsin). Newcomers are forwards Adam Pineault (Moncton, QMJHL), Ryan Callahan (Guelph, OHL) and Michigan teammates Mike Brown and T.J. Hensick.<h2>BELIVEAU SLAMS PLAYERS</h2>MONTREAL Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau says the players are &ldquo;completely wrong&rdquo; in the labor dispute with the NHL. The former Canadiens great told the Montreal Gazette he has always sided with players in the past, but now believes they are making a &ldquo;terrible mistake.&rdquo; He said today&rsquo;s players are leaving the game in poor financial shape for the next generation. The next day, NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin released a statement that quoted Beliveau saying during the 1994 lockout he&rsquo;d changed his support to the owners&rsquo;s side.<h2>NHLPA COMPUTER SYSTEM EXPOSED</h2>MINNEAPOLIS A Minnesota newspaper published details of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association&rsquo;s SCORE computerized player research system and was given an unauthorized demonstration by an unnamed player agent. An NHL Players&rsquo; Association spokesman accused the Minneapolis Star-Tribune of &ldquo;hacking&rdquo; into the union&rsquo;s computer. The system allows agents immediate access to all contracts and provides them with comparable players during contract negotiations.<h2>NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER!</h2>NHLers who have gotten older-technically-during the lockout:Nov. 17Chris Tamer, UFA, 34Nov. 19Petr Sykora, Ana, 28Nov. 21Alex Tanguay, Col, 25Denis Shvidki, Fla, 24Nov. 23Matt Johnson, Min, 29Saku Koivu, Mtl, 30Nov. 24B. Radivojevic, Phi, 24Keith Primeau, Phi, 33 &#9632;

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021323/8292515-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="393" height="375"></div>Cliff Fletcher was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this year, but the &lsquo;Silver Fox&rsquo; earned his way into the hallowed hall in the late 1980s and early 90s when he went toe-to-toe with the whiz-bang Edmonton Oilers and beat them at their own high-octane game a couple of times.So when Fletcher received hockey&rsquo;s ultimate individual honor Nov. 8, it was no surprise he was looking back instead of forward. He recalled a game from the 1980s, when his Flames and the Oilers were tied 6-6 with Calgary on the power play and 90 seconds left on the clock.&ldquo;The next thing I know, Paul (Coffey) was standing in our crease getting the winning goal shorthanded,&rdquo; Fletcher recalled.Yes, those were the good old days.The first-ever all defensemen induction ceremony was one to be cherished. At a time when the NHL game has never been more of a train wreck both on and off the ice, the induction of Coffey, Ray Bourque and Larry Murphy allowed the hockey world to harken back to a less complex and more exciting time, if only for a few precious days. We may never see the likes of them again.<h2>SHONE IN FIREWAGON ERA</h2>Certainly, there are some talented offensive defensemen in the game today-Scott Niedermayer, Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Gonchar to name a few--but how are we to know how they would stack up against the likes of Bourque & Co.? It&rsquo;s a different game they&rsquo;re playing.The 3-D Class of 2004 has been replaced largely by a bunch of one-dimensional automatons, beaten down into conservative stay-at-homers who play as though they&rsquo;ll face electric shock therapy if they&rsquo;re ever caught up ice.Today&rsquo;s systems so stifle creativity that &ldquo;always chips it off the glass&rdquo; would be the highlight of many a pro scout&rsquo;s player report.&ldquo;I think we played in an era when scoring was easier than it is today,&rdquo; Bourque said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s coaches and systems today. You used to have two scoring lines, a checking line or two and maybe a tough line. The scoring lines usually matched up against each other and you&rsquo;d just try to outscore each other. That doesn&rsquo;t exist anymore.&rdquo;It would have also been more difficult for Coffey, who flew up and down the ice at just 6-feet and 190 pounds, to establish himself in a league where, undersized bodies are most often nailed to the bench. Bourque would have been just fine in today&rsquo;s NHL, but he would not have put up the numbers that made him the NHL&rsquo;s all-time scoring leader among defensemen. Murphy, for all his deficiencies and skating shortcomings, might have even persevered better than Coffey because of his long stick and ability to read the play and make the first pass.The way the game is played now clearly rankles Coffey, who doesn&rsquo;t understand why more coaches don&rsquo;t allow their young defensemen greater leeway to join the offense and learn from their mistakes.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s any more pressure to win now than there was back then,&rdquo; Coffey said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re just not letting their young guys develop &ldquo;A guy like (Florida Panthers&rsquo; defenseman Jay) Bouwmeester, why can&rsquo;t you live with his mistakes? He&rsquo;s a fabulous hockey player. He&rsquo;ll make five mistakes and 50 great plays so play the (heck) out of him. Florida isn&rsquo;t going anywhere anyway, so you might as well develop him from within and do it right there.&rdquo;<h2>STRONGEST BLUELINE CLASS</h2>Bourque, Coffey and Murphy represent by far the strongest class of rearguards ever to enter the hall in the same year. The competition comes from Eddie Shore and Lester Patrick inducted in 1947 and Bobby Orr and Harry Howell in 1979. While those two tandems were formidable, the sheer strength of numbers posted by this year&rsquo;s class tilts things in their favor.Discuss amongst yourselves whether this is the greatest group of players ever inducted, period. Our money is on 1972, when Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau and Bernie Geoffrion were inducted. Bobby Hull, Ken Dryden and Stan Mikita weren&rsquo;t exactly slouches in 1983, nor were Guy Lafleur, Tony Esposito and Brad Park in 1988.It was neither the place nor the time, but it would have been interesting had a Bourque-Coffey debate broken out. Do you prefer the sustained excellence and all-round consistency of Bourque or the speed and spectacular individual skills of Coffey, who was so dedicated to his skating that he jammed his size nine feet into skates that were almost three sizes smaller in an attempt to become faster?For the record, most hockey people would choose Bourque, who finished 14th behind Orr, Doug Harvey and Shore in The Hockey News 1997 ranking of the top 50 NHL players of alltime. Coffey finished 28th with defensemen Denis Potvin, Red Kelly and Larry Robinson separating he and Bourque.Hall of Fame inductions are always a time for comparisons and that was the case for a Boston hockey writer who suggested in a preinduction column that Orr was the better player, but Bourque had the better career.&ldquo;He needs his head checked,&rdquo; Bourque said.As good as Murphy was, he was never in Bourque&rsquo;s and Coffey&rsquo;s class and admitted as much the day he was inducted.&ldquo;I think with both Ray and Paul, if you wanted to judge where you fit in the league, you&rsquo;d look to those two guys,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They were obviously at the top for most of their careers.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011693/8292508-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="2332" height="1219"><figcaption class="caption-body">SHARP&rsquo;DRESSED MEN Larry Murphy, Paul Coffey, Ray Bourque and former GM Cliff Fletcher were inducted into the Hall of Fame.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0016-02

D-men trio to cherish

<div class="byline">-BUCKY GLEASON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011511/8292546-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="260" height="524"></div>ELMER FERGUSON MEMORIAL AWARDJIM KELLEYCREDENTIALS32-year reporting career with Buffalo News. Three-time president of Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association.CURRENT OCCUPATIONHockey writer for <a href="http://ESPN.com">ESPN.com</a>The puck had not traveled more than six inches past the goal line before Jim Kelley questioned its validity. The officials on the ice said one thing, but Buffalo&rsquo;s voice of hockey was much louder and far more credible.Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup final will go down as the darkest morning in Sabres&rsquo; history, but it also marked Kelley&rsquo;s shining moment in journalism. Most people didn&rsquo;t initially realize Brett Hull&rsquo;s left skate was in the crease when Hull scored the winner in the wee hours of June 20 to beat the Sabres, but Kelley did. If we&rsquo;re measured on performance under pressure, Kelley ascended to the top at that moment. His column was written on deadline and withstood the test of time.It was one among the many that influenced hockey in the 32 years he worked for The Buffalo News. Over that time Kelley grew into one of the most well-connected columnists covering the NHL (and a long-time contributor to The Hockey News), a fact that was confirmed when he accepted the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in print hockey coverage. The league he covered might not have always liked his work, but he always had its respect. &#9632;

f0017-01

Kelly’s sharp eye respected by fans

<div class="byline">-LUKEOECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021179/8292577-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="260" height="519"></div>FOSTER HEWITT MEMORIAL AWARDCHUCK KAITONCREDENTIALSHurricanes&rsquo; play-by-play man since team&rsquo;s inception; Former president of NHL Broadcasters&rsquo; Association (1986-2003).CURRENT OCCUPATIONCarolina play-by-play manIt&rsquo;s tough to get Chuck Kaiton off the job. At a reception during Hall of Fame weekend, when Kaiton should have been collecting the congratulations of others, he pulled aside Ray Bourque to ask him about his miraculous recovery from a hip injury in a 1990 playoff series.Of course, this is a man who missed only one of Ron Francis&rsquo;s games for the Hartford Whalers and Carolina Hurricanes. He is the only radio announcer the franchise has had in 25 years. This year&rsquo;s winner of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, Kaiton joined the Whalers in 1979 after four years of broadcasting University of Wisconsin hockey and has been with the franchise ever since.In addition to his wife, Mary, and three sons, more than 20 other friends and family joined him in Toronto for the awards ceremony. They&rsquo;ve all listened as Kaiton called thousands of hockey games. In Toronto they listened as others highlighted the career of Kaiton himself.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just great,&rdquo; Kaiton said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy for my family and my kids. Everybody around me knows how much I love hockey and I think they&rsquo;re enjoying it as much as I am.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0017-02

No rest for Kaiton, voice of Carolina

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03858/8292608-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="470" height="1073"></div>BORN Dec. 28, 1960, Montreal, Que.AGE 43CREDENTIALSCalder Trophy (1980); 5 Norris Trophies; King Clancy Trophy; Lester Patrick Trophy; 1st allstar teams (9); 2nd all-star teams (6); 1 Stanley CupQUOTABLE&ldquo;Now that I look back at all I accomplished, I just say, &ldquo;Wow, what a ride.&rsquo;&ldquo;CURRENT OCCUPATIONOwns and operates several businesses, living in Boston &#9632;

f0017-03

RAY BOURQUE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04630/8292639-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="470" height="1073"></div>BORN June 1, 1961, Weston, Ont.AGE 43CREDENTIALS3 Norris Trophies; 1st all-star teams (4); 2nd all-star teams (4); 4 Stanley CupsQUOTABLE&ldquo;I had a chance to see Grant (Fuhr) get elected to the Hall last year and it&rsquo;s a tremen-dous honor to join all of my Oilers teammates.&rdquo;CURRENT OCCUPATIONOwns car dealership near Toronto &#9632;

f0017-04

PAUL COFFEY

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05439/8292670-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="470" height="1073"><figcaption class="caption-body">LARRY MURPHY</figcaption></div>BORN March 8, 1961, Scarborough, Ont.AGE 43CREDENTIALS2nd all-star teams (3); 4 Stanley Cups (2 with Pittsburgh, 2 with Detroit); 3-time all-star; played in Memorial Cup in 1978-79QUOTABLE&ldquo;This is something that, (for) a player, is the ultimate compliment.&rdquo;CURRENT OCCUPATIONRuns a horse stable with his wife in Clarkson, Mich. &#9632;

f0017-05

LARRY MURPHY

<div class="byline">-RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06338/8292701-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="261" height="518"><figcaption class="caption-body">CLIFF FLETCHER</figcaption></div>BORN Aug. 16, 1935, MontrealCREDENTIALSFlames GM (1970-91); won Cup with Calgary in 1989; Maple Leafs GM (1991-97)QUOTABLE&ldquo;I owe everything I have to this game.&rdquo;CURRENT OCCUPATIONV.P. Hockey Operations, CoyotesCliff Fletcher was more than just a GM for the Calgary Flames. He was a builder, an innovator, a father figure.He had the ability to make his point without resorting to bluster.&ldquo;He has such an aura,&rdquo; said forward Colin Patterson. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always remember Cliff coming on the bus after we lost Game 6 against Vancouver in 1989. He came on the bus and all he said was if we lost Game 7 there was going to be major changes.&ldquo;Nobody said a word until we got to the airport. You could hear your own heartbeat.&ldquo;When we won the Cup that year, it was that pinnacle to show just how good of a job he&rsquo;d done.&rdquo;Now the &lsquo;Silver Fox&rsquo; is a full-fledged member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, inducted Nov. 9 in the builders&rsquo; category.The Flames GM from their inception in Atlanta through the 199091 season, Fletcher saw the club go from a struggling and ignored expansion team in the deep south, to a new home north of the border, to second fiddle to the Edmonton Oilers and finally to Stanley Cup champs.He built a team that twice won the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy. He was ahead of his time by scouring the NCAA ranks for talent and even brought the first Russian player, Sergei Priakin, to the NHL in 198889.His success didn&rsquo;t end after leaving Calgary, either. Turning to Toronto, he transformed the Maple Leafs from laughingstocks to contenders and a pair of conference final berths in the early 1990s.Moreover, he helped the club reconnect to the city and alumni after the destructiveness of the Harold Ballard years.Now, after a short stint in Tampa, he has turned his attention to the Phoenix Coyotes, for whom he&rsquo;s senior executive vice-president of hockey operations.Fletcher has kept a level of humility that has won him admirers.&ldquo;When a player makes it into the Hall of Fame, it&rsquo;s because of his God-given talent, but a builder is there because of a lot of people,&rdquo; Fletcher said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been lucky to be around a lot of great people.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0017-06

‘Silver Fox’ lit Cup-champ Flames

<div class="byline">BY JOHN MANASSO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011571/8292732-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">HEATLEY HIT&nbsp;Dany Heatley&rsquo;s visor rides up on his head, leaving him vulnerable to a shot unleashed by Bern teammate Daniel Briere.</figcaption></div>For good, bad or otherwise, Atlanta right winger Dany Heatley can&rsquo;t seem to stay out of the news.In the latest turn for the 23-year-old, Heatley underwent successful surgery on a broken orbital bone around his left eye Nov. 9 following a Swiss league game three days earlier in which he was struck in the eye by the puck.According to the website of SC Bern, the team Heatley signed with in October, the operation went without complications. The site also said under a best-case scenario Heatley might return to play by mid-December.Doctors at the Bern hospital where the surgery was performed did not find any damage to the eye. As early as one day after the accident Heatley could see shadows, which was a positive sign.Heatley suffered the injury in a game with Geneva-Servette, as he fell to the ice and was struck by a shot by teammate Daniel Briere (of the NHL&rsquo;s Buffalo Sabres). The Swiss league requires players to wear visors and Heatley was wearing one when he was hit, but because he was falling and because of the angle, it didn&rsquo;t protect him from the shot.His parents, Murray and Karin, flew to Bern two days later to be with him. Thrashers GM Don Waddell had been in contact with Murray Heatley and said the family had confidence in the care Heatley was receiving.Heatley&rsquo;s agent, Stacey McAlpine, said the player&rsquo;s &ldquo;spirits (were) as good as can be expected.&rdquo;McAlpine said Heatley had an insurance policy that would provide Heatley with &ldquo;some protection.&rdquo;Meanwhile, Heatley&rsquo;s next date in Fulton County, Ga., Superior Court in connection with the death of teammate Dan Snyder is Nov. 29. Heatley faces charges of first-and second-degree vehicular homicide stemming from the Sept. 29,2003, car crash in Atlanta&rsquo;s Buckhead district.Fulton County district attorney Paul Howard has always maintained that he would be open to a plea from Heatley. However, he has not revealed what would be acceptable to him other than to say Heatley must be &ldquo;responsible&rdquo; for Snyder&rsquo;s death.Snyder&rsquo;s family has spoken publicly about their wish that Howard not prosecute Heatley.It is unclear whether Heatley will attend the Nov. 29 hearing, which will be used for administrative tasks such as setting up a calendar for a possible trial, which could begin in January.Talks between the two sides remain slow, although one of Heatley&rsquo;s attorneys, Manny Arora, told the Associated Press the two sides are in contact &ldquo;almost weekly&rdquo;. &#9632;

f0018-01

Heatley on road to recovery

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011443/8292763-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOM POTI NEW YORK RANGERS</figcaption></div>Like many NHLers, New York Rangers defenseman Tom Poti is itching to play. But for now he&rsquo;s skating in New England, waiting for the lockout to end.Poti, 27, was born in Worcester, Mass., and spent two seasons at Boston University. He was drafted in the third round (59th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in 1996. After two years of college hockey, he made the jump to the NHL in 1998-99, scoring five goals and 21 points in 73 games-good enough to earn a spot on the NHL&rsquo;s all-rookie team.At the 2002 trade deadline, Poti was dealt along with Rem Murray to the New York Rangers in exchange for Mike York and a draft pick. The following season, 2002-03, he set career highs in games played (80), goals (11), assists (37) and points (48) and played in the NHL All-Star Game. Last season Poti struggled with injuries, missing 15 games with various ailments, but still managed to score 10 goals and 24 points in 67 games.NHL TEAM REPORTS The team stories this week feature expanded notebooks. The Hockey News is doing this so we can dedicate more space for coverage of the minor pros, major junior, U.S. college and Europe.<h2>WINLESS STREAKS</h2>Here is each NHL team&rsquo;s longest all-time winless streak, with record during streak and season the streak was recorded: &#9632;

f0019-01

<div class="byline">-DAN WOOD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021093/8292794-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="215" height="280"></div>Sooner or later, the Mighty Ducks figure, they are going to play hockey again. With that in mind, and the NHL on ice because of the lockout, the Ducks are pouring plenty of time, money and effort into their American League operation in Cincinnati. The hope is Anaheim will eventually reap dividends not only from some of the club&rsquo;s high-round draft choices, but also from free agent acquisitions such as former University of Alaska-Anchorage forward Curtis Glencross and defenseman Aaron Rome, a graduate of the Western League. Early in their rookie AHL campaigns, Glencross had two goals and three points in nine games while Rome had two assists and 45 penalty minutes, third most on the team, in 10 games. &ldquo;If they play in the NHL, players like that supplement your draft,&rdquo; said Ducks GM Al Coates. &ldquo;We could end up with a diamond in the rough.&rdquo;&hellip;Defenseman Ruslan Salei became the sixth Anaheim player in Europe when he hooked on with Ak Bars Kazan in Russia&hellip;Center Steve Rucchin and goalie J-S Giguere represented the Ducks at the Nov. 2 players meeting in Toronto. &#9632;

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Ducks hope minor leaguers have major impact this year

<div class="byline">-MIKE LORDS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03759/8292825-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="216" height="273"></div>Goalie Andrew Raycroft tried the Original Stars Hockey League, but it wasn&rsquo;t for him. Luckily for the NHL&rsquo;s 2003-2004 Calder Trophy winner, a job in Sweden was still waiting for him. &ldquo;Fortunately, it worked out,&rdquo; Raycroft said before leaving the Boston area to play for Djurgarden of the Elite League. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not getting better sitting at home, just skating twice a week. I&rsquo;m going to play some competitive hockey at a high level and hopefully keep improving.&rdquo;&hellip;The Bruins were one of the teams touched by the tragic death of Nashville center Sergei Zholtok. Boston drafted Zholtok 55th overall in 1992; his first coach in North America was current Bruins GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell, then the head coach of the American League&rsquo;s Providence Bruins. Zholtok, a member of Providence&rsquo;s first team in 1992-93, remains the franchise&rsquo;s alltime scoring leader&hellip;Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa, who played for the Jets, traveled to Winnipeg for festivities to mark the closing of the Arena Nov. 6&hellip;The Bruins invited seasonticket holders to a Nov. 8 celebration at a local restaurant to watch the live broadcast of Ray Bourque&rsquo;s Hockey Hall of Fame induction. &#9632;

f0019-03

Raycroft joins major exodus of NHLers playing in Europe

<div class="byline">-JIM KELLEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05430/8292887-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="218" height="280"></div>Left winger Thomas Vanek made his first return trip to the HSBC Arena since he led Minnesota to the 2003 NCAA championship and didn&rsquo;t disappoint. Vanek scored two goals to lead the American League&rsquo;s Rochester Amerks to a win over Cincinnati Nov. 5. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good building for me,&rdquo; Vanek said of the Sabres&rsquo;s home. &ldquo;I try to play every night the same, but this is the building where I definitely want to play for a long time.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Daniel Briere returned to play in Europe after settling personal and insurance issues, but his experience there still isn&rsquo;t going smoothly. Briere, who had his nose broken earlier when he took a puck in the face, cracked the orbital bone of Dany Heatley with a shot that damaged the Atlanta star&rsquo;s eye. Briere expressed remorse, but the injury was clearly an accident&hellip;Further signs the frosty relationship between the Sabres and Pat LaFontaine is thawing: LaFontaine will bring a team to Buffalo to play the Sabres Alumni Dec. 4 in a charity game for LaFontaine&rsquo;s Companions in Courage and Buffalo&rsquo;s Women&rsquo;s and Children&rsquo;s hospital. Some of the proceeds will help build a playroom for sick children at the hospital. &#9632;

f0019-05

Vanek finds comfort zone playing in Sabres’ home

<div class="byline">-RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011341/8292925-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="742" height="1291"><figcaption class="caption-body">A grinder in last season&rsquo;s NHL playoffs, Chuck Kobasew is lighting it up in the AHL this year.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02968/8292918-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="213" height="282"></div>A return to New England has helped right winger Chuck Kobasew regain his goal scoring prowess. Kobasew, who struggled offen-sively for the Flames last season, didn&rsquo;t take long to light it up while playing with the American League&rsquo;s Lowell Lock Monsters during the NHL lockout. After being held off the scoresheet in the first two games, Kobasew scored five times in the next six outings&hellip;Center Byron Ritchie will miss more than a month after suffering a broken ankle in Sweden. Ritchie, who was expected to be Calgary&rsquo;s fourth line center, was in the Swedish Second Division with Rogle and had amassed nine goals and 20 points in 15 games. He joins an injured brigade that includes left winger Ville Nieminen, who suffered a broken wrist in Finland&hellip;Blueliner Jordan Leopold and center Matthew Lombardi both began skating again in the second week of November after suffering serious concussions. Lombardi hadn&rsquo;t skated since being knocked out of the playoffs by a Derian Hatcher elbow in the second round last season; Leopold suffered his injury in an exhibition game just prior to the World Cup. &#9632;

f0020-01

Kobasew finds scoring touch playing for Lock Monsters

<div class="byline">-LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03697/8292956-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="214" height="233"></div>Cam Ward just might be the Hurricanes&rsquo; best goaltending prospect since Jean-Sebastien Giguere, but he&rsquo;s playing his first pro season without his own goaltending coach. The Hurricanes do not have a goalie coach in their organization and have entrusted the 20-year-old Ward to Calgary&rsquo;s David Marcoux while Ward plays for Lowell (AHL), which Carolina and Calgary share. Carolina has not had a goalie coach or consultant since Don Edwards was fired, along with coach Paul Maurice, in December 2003. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not that urgency for it,&rdquo; said GM Jim Rutherford said. &ldquo;We still continue to look and consider who we may hire when we start to play again. For right now, we don&rsquo;t have that urgency.&rdquo;&hellip;The news that the NHL canceled the 2005 All-Star Game in Atlanta was bad news for Hurricanes fans who bought season tickets in 2001 because commissioner Gary Bettman promised them an All-Star Game within five years. With Phoenix already awarded 2006, Dallas in line for 2007 and Atlanta expected to slide to 2008, the earliest the game could come to Raleigh may be 2009. &#9632;

f0020-03

Hurricanes in no hurry to hire new goalie coach

<div class="byline">-TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04481/8292987-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="215" height="278"></div>Defenseman Steve Poapst is one of those players who could lose his career if the lockout lasts a full season or more. But you won&rsquo;t hear the 36-year-old Poapst, a career minor leaguer until only recently, speak out against what the union is trying to do as other players have. &ldquo;Yeah, I have a lot to lose,&rdquo; Poapst said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in the league 3 1/2, not making the big bucks, although some people would say, &lsquo;What are you complaining about?&rsquo; But I&rsquo;m fortunate for what I have made and it&rsquo;s because of the guys that went through this in &lsquo;94. You&rsquo;ve got to look at the whole picture. There were guys in this situation that I&rsquo;m in back in &lsquo;94 that ended their careers or maybe gave up their last chance to play that season. They sacrificed for the greater good and it&rsquo;s the same situation I&rsquo;m in. I&rsquo;m willing to accept that for the guys down the road.&rdquo;&hellip;Craig Anderson was seizing the No. 1 goalie job at Norfolk in the AHL in his battle with Michael Leighton. Anderson was off to a 5-0-1 start with a 1.29 goals-against average and.957 save percentage. &ldquo;As of right now, he&rsquo;s the guy,&rdquo; coach Trent Yawney told the Virginian-Pilot. &#9632;

f0020-04

Poapst understands sacrifice is big part of NHL lockout

<div class="byline">-ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05283/8293018-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="215" height="269"></div>The NHL lockout is arguably making one man go crazy like no other: Avs GM Pierre Lacroix. One of the league&rsquo;s consummate dealmakers and a man who admits he has trouble driving past a house with a &ldquo;for sale&rdquo; sign in the yard without wanting to stop, Lacroix is having a hard time staying silent through all the inaction. But Lacroix is heeding Gary Bettman&rsquo;s directive that team executives keep quiet through it all, albeit it with great difficulty. Lacroix just shook his head in dismay when asked about it at the recent Hall of Fame inductions in Toronto. &ldquo;Last time I tried to get involved (in resolving the situation), I got my (butt) kicked,&rdquo; Lacroix said&hellip;Lacroix was on hand in Toronto to see Ray Bourque be inducted. Colorado&rsquo;s overall record after Lacroix got Bourque from Boston in 2000 was 91-31-15. Lacroix called Bourque a man of &ldquo;ultimate class.&rdquo;&hellip;Avalanche executive Michel Goulet has a son, Vince, playing for the Providence Friars of Hockey East. Vince Goulet, a left winger, is a 6-foot-1,185-pound freshman&hellip;In place of Avalanche games, the Altitude Sports Network started recently by Avs and Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke is showing &ldquo;classic&rdquo; Avs games&hellip;Center Peter Forsberg continued his sterling play for MoDo of the Swedish Elite League, posting three assists and four points in a Nov. 6 game. After that game, Forsberg led the league in scoring, with 18 assists and 25 points in 17 games. &#9632;

f0020-05

Lacroix heeds Bettman’s warning to stay silent during labor war

<div class="byline">-AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-06227/8293049-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="216" height="276"></div>If the NHL season started tomorrow-yes, we know, but play along-the Blue Jackets would likely have defenseman Francois Beauchemin in their opening night lineup. &ldquo;The way he&rsquo;s playing (with Syracuse of the American League), I&rsquo;d have to think he&rsquo;d be one of our top six right now,&rdquo; said Blue Jackets GM-president Doug MacLean. &ldquo;Every time I talk to (Syracuse Crunch coach) Gary Agnew, he raves about (Beauchemin), how well he moves the puck for his size, how physical he is back there in the comers.&rdquo; Columbus claimed Beauchemin, a 6-foot-1, 225-pounder, off waivers from Montreal in September. The Habs tried to sneak him through to the minors so he wouldn&rsquo;t be sitting or playing in Europe during the lockout. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a typical time to be claiming guys,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;But, as a staff, we thought this was different.&rdquo; In other words, Beauchemin, 24, was too good to let pass&hellip;The Blue Jackets hoped defenseman Rostislav Klesla would gain some confidence by going back home to play in his native Czech Republic during the lockout. He&rsquo;s certainly gaining playing time. Blue Jackets director of amateur scouting Don Boyd reports that Klesla, playing for Novy Jicin in the Czech league, played more than 40 minutes in a recent game&hellip;Center Dan Fritsche has been cleared for contact and should begin playing for Sarnia of the Ontario League by late November. In December, he&rsquo;ll represent the U.S. at the world junior championship. &#9632;

f0020-06

Beauchemin’s fortunes on the rise after moving from Habs to Jackets

<div class="byline">-MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01974/8293080-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="210" height="241"></div>Goalie Marty Turco is marching to Victoria. OK, he&rsquo;ll likely take a plane, but the sentiment is right. The Stars goalie saw his lockout exercise program end when the Original Stars League ceased play. Now, he is headed for Brad May&rsquo;s charity hockey exhibitions in British Columbia-in part, because he has no place else to go. &ldquo;Right now, there aren&rsquo;t a whole lot of options,&rdquo; Turco said. He inquired about the charity tournaments in Quebec, but found they had an overabundance of netminders (no surprise there). He&rsquo;s not ready to head to Europe, so he&rsquo;s forced to find pickup games around Dallas and look west. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited about British Columbia,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I love to just get out there and play with something on the line.&rdquo;&hellip;NHL VP Bill Daly faced a contingent of about 250 Stars fans Nov. 3 and found most of them hostile to both sides of the lockout. Daly&rsquo;s biggest bit of news was that the league won&rsquo;t set a deadline for canceling the season. He said the league will only start talking about a truncated season once a deal is completed&hellip;Left winger Niko Kapanen, playing for Zug in the Swiss league, has six goals and 24 points in 20 games. &#9632;

f0039-01

With few options to consider, Turco travels to B.C. to play

<div class="byline">-MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03489/8293111-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="736" height="1288"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit&rsquo;s Kris Draper may head to Switzerland in January if the NHL lockout is still in effect.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02633/8293118-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="214" height="279"></div>Jamie McLennan hasn&rsquo;t met his teammates yet, but when team rep Darcy Hordichuk couldn&rsquo;t attend the NHLPA&rsquo;s solidarity gathering in Toronto, the Panthers&rsquo;s backup goalie was happy to represent his new team. McLennan, who signed with Florida in July as a free agent, had been concerned with players publicly saying they&rsquo;d be willing to accept a salary cap. &ldquo;Coming in, everyone was real apprehensive about what was going on,&rdquo; McLennan said of the early November meeting. &ldquo;But I can tell you, every one left the meeting very positive, very unified and very informed&rdquo;&hellip;Panthers goalie coach Clint Malarchuk traveled to Beaumont, Texas, to work with the Panthers&rsquo; goalies at their ECHL affiliate. McLennan owns the Texas Wildcatters and he was training there at the time. &ldquo;It was kind of weird,&rdquo; Malarchuk said, laughing. &ldquo;Here I am, his coach in Florida, yet he owns the team I was going to help. I asked him, &lsquo;Who&rsquo;s the boss, you or me?&rsquo; &ldquo;&hellip;Defenseman Eric Cairns left the ill-fated Original Stars League for the London Racers in Britain&hellip;As of Nov. 8, center Stephen Weiss was leading San Antonio (AHL) with eight assists and 11 points in 12 games. &#9632;

f0039-03

McLennan ‘very positive about direction of NHLPA

<div class="byline">-NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04402/8293149-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="212" height="263"></div>Defensemen Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy played minor hockey together in Toronto, won a Stanley Cup together in Pittsburgh and entered the Hall of Fame together. They have a Detroit connection, too, even though they never played for the Red Wings together. Coffey was traded as the 1996-97 season opened and, needing an offensive defenseman, the Wings picked up Murphy at the trade deadline. Despite that, Coffey looks back on Detroit with fondness. It&rsquo;s where he won the last of his three Norris Trophies, in 1995. &ldquo;It was just an incredible, incredible place to play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there is a better owner in the league than (Mike) Hitch. It was just a real privilege for me to play there.&rdquo; Murphy won his third and fourth Cups in Detroit and has retired on a horse farm north of the city. &ldquo;We really enjoy living in the area,&rdquo; he said&hellip;Center Kris Draper decided riot to go to Switzerland so he could spend the holidays at home with his family. But he left the door open to go after New Year&rsquo;s&hellip;Coach Dave Lewis, associate coach Barry Smith and assistant coach Joe Kocur are running clinics for Hitch&rsquo;s Little Caesars program. &#9632;

f0039-04

Careers of Coffey, Murphy included Red Wings stints

<div class="byline">-ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07262/8293180-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="203" height="281"></div>If Oilers teammates Raffi Torres and Jarret Stoll had forgotten how good NHLers have it compared to their minor league counterparts, there&rsquo;s nothing like a 14-hour travel day to from Newfoundland to San Jose to refresh their memories. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot of miles, but that&rsquo;s the AHL for you,&rdquo; said Stoll, who&rsquo;s spending the lockout with the American League&rsquo;s Edmonton Road Runners. The ocean to ocean flight was part of a marathon 15-day road trip during which the Runners fly across North America four times: From Edmonton to St. John&rsquo;s for two games, across five time zones to San Jose, then Utah and Houston, then back east for one game in Hamilton, then back across the country to Edmonton. All of it on commercial flights, enduring the same lineups, security checks and luggage claims they avoided by flying charter in the NHL&hellip;Edmonton signed center Jesse Niinimaki, their first pick in the 2003 entry draft to an AHL contract&hellip;Left winger Torres scored a goal in his second game with the Road Runners. Torres enjoyed a breakout year with the Oilers last season scoring 20 goals and 34 points in 80 games. &#9632;

f0039-07

Life in minor pro league major pain when traveling

<div class="byline">-MAH MCHALE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05339/8293211-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="198" height="271"></div>With the lockout now in its third month, Kings GM Dave Taylor finally got to smile when he visited the University of Michigan and top prospect Jeff Tambellini. Selected 27th overall by the Kings in 2003, Tambellini had five goals and six points in the Wolverines&rsquo;s two-game sweep of Miami of Ohio. Tambellini, son of former NHL player Steve Tambellini, is coming off a down year where he scored just 27 points in 39 games. During one stretch he went 12 games without a goal, prompting some scouts to speculate the left winger was bored with the college game and might turn pro. But the Kings don&rsquo;t seem concerned. &ldquo;(Tambellini) has given no indication he wants to leave college,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;We were just very excited about what we saw. His game is developing nicely.&rdquo;&hellip;Defenseman Mattias Norstrom has stayed in Los Angeles and is working out with a group that includes Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake. Norstrom attended union meetings in Toronto in early November and isn&rsquo;t worried by comments that hint at player discord. &ldquo;When there is no movement, people get worried,&rdquo; Norstrom said. &ldquo;That meeting got everyone on the same page.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0039-05

Visit to see Tambellini play puts smile on Taylor’s face

<div class="byline">-BRIAN MURPHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06288/8293242-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="215" height="255"></div>Defenseman Willie Mitchell is rehabilitating a neck injury that could put him at odds with the Wild over who should pay for the therapy. Mitchell is forking over his own money for treatment of a displaced disk, but plans to seek reimbursement from the team, perhaps through a union grievance, when the lockout ends. The injury surfaced Aug. 19, when Mitchell woke up in pain. This summer, Mitchell rehabilitated an undisclosed shoulder injury he suffered in May playing for Team Canada at the world championship. He revisited Wild head trainer Don Fidler for more therapy on his neck before the lockout shut down everything Sept. 15&hellip;GM Doug Risebrough, team physician Dr. Sheldon Bums and left winger Matt Johnson attended the Nov. 8 funeral for Sergei Zholtok in his native Latvia. Zholtok, who played two-plus seasons for the Wild before being traded to Nashville in March, died suddenly of heart failure after playing a game in Belarus. &ldquo;Two wonderful kids lost their father,&rdquo; said defenseman Brad Bombadir, who was traded along with Zholtok to the Predators. &ldquo;A wife lost a great husband. You don&rsquo;t want to believe it&rdquo; &#9632;

f0039-06

Mitchell’s injured neck could be bone of contention

<div class="byline">-HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08227/8293273-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="212" height="245"></div>He can&rsquo;t speak for every NHL player earning an income overseas, but Canadiens defenseman Sheldon Souray feels justified to have signed with a Swedish team. &ldquo;I (don&rsquo;t) think (NHL) players who are coming over here are doing it to steal a guy&rsquo;s job and make money,&rdquo; Souray said. Souray and others like him were criticized by Swiss-based goalie Corey Hirsch as &ldquo;scabs&rdquo; and &ldquo;replacement players&rdquo;, while Oilers left winger Georges Laraque said NHLers should remain together in North America. &ldquo;These guys might be a little misinformed,&rdquo; said Souray, who is with Farjestad BK. &ldquo;In Sweden, owners can sign import players, but the (European) guys still have their contracts, even if they&rsquo;re not playing with the big team&rdquo;&hellip;Right winger Alex Kovalev, an unrestricted free agent who finished last season with Montreal, signed with AK Bars Kazan in Russia. Kovalev is one of 11 NHLers with the team. &ldquo;There doesn&rsquo;t seem to be any reason to believe the lockout will end, so he just decided he wanted to play some hockey,&rdquo; said Kovalev&rsquo;s agent, Scott Greenspun. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a unique opportunity for him to go play in his native Russia at the peak of his career.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0039-08

Souray’s stint in Europe doesn’t weigh nn conscience

<div class="byline">-DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01673/8293304-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="220" height="242"></div>A pair of Predators who were third-liners last season were playing well on teams in Europe during the lockout. Right winger Adam Hall had eight goals and 13 points in his first 10 games for KalPa Kuopio in Finland, while left winger Scott Hartnell had an assist in his first three games in Norway with Valerenga&hellip;Center Sergei Zholtok was the second player with ties to Nashville who died tragically at a young age. Zholtok, 31, passed away, Nov. 2 when he collapsed in the dressing room during a game at Minsk, Belarus (see pg. 6 for more on Zholtok). Right winger Alexander Krevsun, a fourth round pick (124th overall) in 1999, died July 3, 2002, one month after his 22nd birthday, without ever having played a game for the Predators&hellip;Exactly half the players on the roster of the American League&rsquo;s Milwaukee Admirals, who opened defense of their Calder Cup with an 8-0-1-0 record, were drafted by Nashville. &ldquo;They seem to be a very good team,&rdquo; said Predators GM David Poile&hellip;Poile, on why he has had little to no contact with Predators players during the lockout: &ldquo;After &lsquo;Hi&rsquo; and &ldquo;How are you?&rsquo; what do you really have to say?&rdquo; &#9632;

f0040-01

Hall, Hartnell playing well for teams in Finland, Norway

<div class="byline">-LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03309/8293335-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="740" height="1287"><figcaption class="caption-body">Krzysztof Oliwa returns to the Devils after four years away with five other NHL organizations.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02412/8293342-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="212" height="267"></div>Hours before sustaining a season-ending right ankle injury in a game against Princeton, Hugh Jessiman, the Dartmouth junior selected 12th overall by the Rangers in the 2003 entry draft, pondered a question. Should the NHL attempt to run a replacement league next season, would he consider crossing a picket line? &ldquo;The lockout isn&rsquo;t my focus at this time, but I wouldn&rsquo;t want to cross the union line if that&rsquo;s the situation with the NHL next year,&rdquo; Jessiman told the New York Post. &ldquo;The players in the union are the guys I&rsquo;ll be working with and having as my teammates for my whole career, so I certainly don&rsquo;t think it would be the right move for me to start out as a replacement player. I wouldn&rsquo;t want to do that. I don&rsquo;t think that would be the right thing for me to do.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Bobby Holik refuted reports he would join a team in Russia upon the new year, citing concerns over insurance protection of the approximately $25 million he had remaining on his contract. &ldquo;That would be a considerable risk,&rdquo; Holik said&hellip;Ranger president and GM Glen Sather returned to his home in Banff in late October. &#9632;

f0040-03

Injured prospect Jessiman wouldn’t join replacements

<div class="byline">-RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04249/8293373-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="194" height="268"></div>Memories of his former life in Poland came flooding back to Krzysztof Oliwa when the New Jersey left winger returned to his hometown to skate with GKS Tychy. Oliwa, who has also worked out with the Polish national team, couldn&rsquo;t help but recall the days he worked in a coal mine before coming to North America in 1992. &ldquo;While driving to practice for the Polish national team every day I drove by the Piast coal mine, where I used to work three times a week for three years,&rdquo; Oliwa said. A Devils&rsquo; draft pick in 1993, Oliwa returned to the Devils as a free agent this past summer after four years away. He&rsquo;s hoping to help Poland qualify for the 2006 Olympics&hellip;Marc Cooper, a former part-owner of the Devils, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for stealing $78 million from clients of his bill-processing firm. Cooper used $10 million to purchase a seven per-cent share in the Devils&hellip;Three-time Stanley Cup champion Ken Daneyko joined with former New York Giants center Bart Oates and ex-Yankees catcher Rick Cerrone to form a real estate company in New Jersey called Stellar Realty Group. &#9632;

f0040-04

Oliwa’s trip home to Poland brings back memories

<div class="byline">-PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07175/8293404-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="218" height="281"></div>Pat LaFontaine endured a lot during his 15year NHL career, but the Hall of Fame center recently went the proverbial extra mile&mdash;several extra miles, actually-to complete the 2004 Ironman Florida Triathlon. LaFontaine, whose Hall of Fame NHL career ended after a series of concussions in 1998, completed what is considered one of the most grueling events in sports-a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike race and a full marathon (26.2 miles)-in 13 hours, six minutes and 49 seconds. By completing the event, LaFontaine, who also starred for Buffalo and the Rangers, helped raise awareness and more than $33,000 for his Companions in Courage charitable foundation. &ldquo;Working out for 12 or 14 hours, you know, you&rsquo;re really so lucky do be able to do that when you think about kids who are in hospitals,&rdquo; LaFontaine said. &ldquo;This is the least I could do.&rdquo;&hellip;Goalie Rick DiPietro and left winger Jason Blake were among those named to the 22-man U.S. roster for the Deutschland Cup in November&hellip;Left winger Sean Bergenheim was tied for the team scoring lead with Bridgeport of American League, with three goals and nine points in his first 11 games. &#9632;

f0040-07

LaFontaine sees triathlon as ‘the least I could do’

<div class="byline">-BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05216/8293435-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="218" height="268"></div>Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is going to play during the NHL lockout, but he is waiting to see if the season gets cancelled. Alfredsson has agreed to a deal with Vastra Frolunda in his hometown of Goteborg, Sweden, however, he&rsquo;s not playing for tax reasons. He already has spent 110 days in Sweden this year and will be charged a wealth tax if he stays more than six months. For that reason, he has been vacationing with his family in Spain and will return to playing in January if the NHL doesn&rsquo;t resume play&hellip;Don&rsquo;t be surprised if defenseman Wade Redden decides to join Alfredsson with Vastra Frolunda. The two players have discussed the possibility&hellip;Center Mike Fisher signed with EV Zug of the Swiss league when the Original Stars League was cancelled. &ldquo;I just thought this was a good opportunity for me to get some playing time,&rdquo; Fisher said&hellip;Defenseman Zdeno Chara made a big impression in his first game in Sweden. The 6-foot-9 blueliner was given a mis-conduct and suspended for his second game when he was charged with hitting Phoenix center Dan Cleary from behind. &ldquo;It was an accident,&rdquo; Chara said. &#9632;

f0040-05

Alfredsson has deal to play, but will wait a while longer

<div class="byline">-WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06191/8293466-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="230" height="258"></div>There&rsquo;s bad luck, lousy luck and then there&rsquo;s what happened to Todd Fedoruk. After waiting 10 days to work through some issues with the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, the Flyers left winger finally signed an American League contract with the Phantoms. So what happens? In his first game, while sitting on the bench, Fedoruk gets hit with an errant puck and suffers a broken orbital bone around his eye. He will be sidelined at least a month. Meanwhile, the little group of Flyers which skates Tuesdays and Thursdays at a South Jersey rink says there&rsquo;s still solidarity among the players. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been preparing for five years for this point in time,&rdquo; said captain Keith Primeau. &ldquo;This is a real conflict of opinions. I don&rsquo;t believe it&rsquo;s going to get solved in the near term.&rdquo;&hellip;Flyer player rep Robert Esche&rsquo;s reference to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as a &ldquo;madman&rdquo; drew a rebuke from Flyers GM Bob Clarke&hellip;Clarke was trying to set up a meeting with Jeremy Roenick to discuss the results of the player&rsquo;s examination by Flyers&rsquo; doctors. Roenick is seeking &ldquo;unable to play&rdquo; status (post-concussion symptoms) and wants to be paid during the lockout. &#9632;

f0040-06

Fedoruk hit in eye by puck, suffers broken orbital bone

<div class="byline">-JERRY BROWN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08157/8293497-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="199" height="277"></div>While the Coyotes are standing still in Phoenix during the lockout, their new American League affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, hadn&rsquo;t gotten very far either. After going winless in their first eight games of the season, the Grizzlies finally beat Manitoba 2-1 Nov. 6. It was the final game ever played at Winnipeg Arena, where the Jets played before moving to Phoenix in 1996. Coyotes management beefed up Utah during the offseason, adding NHL-experienced veterans such as defenseman Rick Berry, left wingers Jon Sim and Martin Sonnenberg and right winger Doug Doull. The veterans were off to slow starts as Utah has managed just nine goals in its first nine games (1-7-01)&hellip;Hockey will return to Glendale Arena for one week in late November when the Coyotes host &ldquo;99 Hours of Hockey,&rdquo; a week-long event featuring games played by local high schools, youth hockey associations, Arizona State men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s teams and numerous other adult leagues. Almost 100 teams and more than 2,500 players are scheduled to take part&hellip;The Coyotes are bringing the Stanley Cup to town during the &ldquo;99 hours&rdquo; promotion. &#9632;

f0040-08

Veteran signees fail to help Coyotes’ affiliate Grizzlies

<div class="byline">-JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01569/8293528-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="221" height="285"></div>The Pittsburgh Penguins were hoping right winger Colby Armstrong would add a little offense to his game this season. After a slow start, Armstrong, selected 21st overall in 2001, took a big step in that direction Nov. 7 at Norfolk (AHL) with a career-high four points, including his first two goals of the season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been getting some chances with an increased role,&rdquo; said assistant coach Mike Yeo. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s on the power play, killing penalties, playing the top two lines. He&rsquo;s played strong defensively. We need him to do that and a little bit more.&rdquo; Through 12 games, Armstrong was fifth on the team in scoring with two goals and eight points&hellip;Willie O&rsquo;Ree, the first black player in NHL history and current director of youth development for NHL Diversity, visited Pittsburgh Nov. 10 to join Penguins assistant coach Joe Mullen in conducting two youth hockey clinics&hellip;Center Ryan Stone, a second-round pick (32nd overall) of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s in 2003, was tied for the Western League&rsquo;s lead in scoring after amassing 12 goals and 27 points through his first 17 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings. &#9632;

f0041-01

Armstrong responding big to increased offensive role

<div class="byline">-TOM JONES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02350/8293559-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="731" height="1292"><figcaption class="caption-body">Blues center Ryan Johnson attended teammate Mike Danton&rsquo;s sentencing in early November.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05216/8293566-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="215" height="272"></div>Martin St-Louis is a quiet sort. The 200304 Hart Trophy winner says little off the ice and saves most of his emotion for on the ice. But the NHL lockout has St-Louis seeing red and the subject of his ire is Gary Bettman. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s trying to be a dictator,&rdquo; said St-Louis of the NHL commissioner. &ldquo;He won&rsquo;t negotiate anything else but a salary cap and that, to me, is a dictator. I mean, if somebody doesn&rsquo;t want to do anything else but what he thinks is right, that&rsquo;s like negotiating with a dictator.&rdquo;&hellip;The nucleus of the Tampa Bay&rsquo;s championship team is headed to Europe. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards and World Cup MVP Vinny Lecavalier have all agreed to play for Ak Bars Kazan of the Russian league. St-Louis agreed to a deal to play for Lausanne of the Swiss league (See pg. 6 for more on Ak Bars Kazan.)&hellip;Lecavalier was once hopeful an agreement on a new CBA could be done this year, but now thinks it won&rsquo;t happen. &ldquo;As long as the owners keep pushing a salary cap, no, I can&rsquo;t see us playing this season,&rdquo; he said&hellip;Right winger Tim Taylor is mulling over contract offers to play in France and Switzerland. &#9632;

f0041-02

St-Louis vents on Bettman; calls commish ‘a dictator’

<div class="byline">-DERRICK GOOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03279/8293597-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="213" height="266"></div>A consistent presence at the hearings of former teammate (and roommate) Mike Danton, Blues center Ryan Johnson flew into St. Louis to attend Danton&rsquo;s sentencing. Danton was sentenced Nov. 8 to 7-1/2 years in prison as a result of his failed murder-for-hire plot. The judge called it the most &ldquo;bizarre&rdquo; case he&rsquo;d seen in 18 years on the bench and said the motive remains &ldquo;a mystery.&rdquo; Afterward, Johnson said: &ldquo;Regardless of what happened, we&rsquo;re not concerned with why it happened or what led to it happening. We&rsquo;re friends of his and that will never change.&rdquo; Danton&rsquo;s contract with the Blues expired this summer, although he does still have a shoulder injury that was sustained while with the Blues. It will require surgery, his attorney said&hellip;The Blues sold their American League affiliate-the Worcester IceCats-to the owners of their ECHL affiliate in Peoria, prompting a shuffling of the team&rsquo;s minor league feeder structure and alleviating some financial strain on the franchise. The owners of Peoria (ECHL) purchased the AHL franchise and will move it to Peoria, the previous home of the Blues&rsquo; primary affiliate (from 1989-94). &#9632;

f0041-03

Johnson stands by Danton; says that’s what friends do

<div class="byline">-ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04239/8293628-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="215" height="283"></div>Make no mistake about it, Alyn McCauley wishes he could be playing hockey like he is used to this time of the year. But because that&rsquo;s not happening, the San Jose Sharks center is taking advantage of his time as best he can with an eye toward a possible post-hockey career future. McCauley is taking accounting classes with Athabasca University, a distance-education institution based in Alberta. &ldquo;They have a good program and I can do a lot online,&rdquo; McCauley said. &ldquo;Accounting is something I&rsquo;m interested in learning more about and maybe something I would pursue after hockey.&rdquo;&hellip;Defenseman Mike Rathje saw his blossoming young family double in terms of offspring when his wife, Shayna, recently gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The couple now have four children, two girls and two boys&hellip;Back from a recent trip to the northeast to evaluate the progress of several Sharks prospects, GM Doug Wilson said that Moncton (QMJHL) right winger Steve Bernier, Quebec (QMJHL) center Joshua Hennessy and Northeastern (HE) right winger Mike Morris all are progressing well. &#9632;

f0041-04

McCauley works on numbers for online accounting class

<div class="byline">-KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06195/8293659-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="226" height="286"></div>Wade Belak joined the exodus of NHLers to Europe in mid-November, but the Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer did so with a guilty conscience. The way Belak figures, he did everything he could to avoid taking another player&rsquo;s job before he joined the Coventry Blaze in Great Britain. He was willing to play in the Original Stars League, but the outfit folded. &ldquo;I was one of the guys right from the beginning who said I didn&rsquo;t agree with players going to Europe,&rdquo; said the left winger. &ldquo;I have a lot of buddies playing over there. They weren&rsquo;t good enough for the NHL and that is their NHL. But I would be hurting myself if I took the whole season off. With my role, there are guys in junior and the minors who want your job.&rdquo;&hellip;St. John&rsquo;s goalie Mikael Tellqvist sustained a minor concussion when he was bowled over by Oilers center Jarrett Stoll in an American League game Nov. 5. Tellqvist was expected to be sidelined for a week&hellip;Left winger Nathan Perrott, who has never scored more than 11 goals in a year at the AHL level, already had five in 10 games with St. John&rsquo;s this season and was fourth in the league with 74 penalty minutes. &#9632;

f0041-06

Belak inks deal in Europe despite guilty conscience

<div class="byline">-ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07177/8293690-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="195" height="277"></div>Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell, a former coroner, doesn&rsquo;t want to see the NHL season die, so he wrote a letter to both Canucks owner John McCaw and NHLPA president Trevor Linden urging them to find a solution to the lockout. &ldquo;When these disputes have repercussions far beyond those directly involved, it&rsquo;s appropriate for others to step forward and speak out,&rdquo; Campbell wrote. &ldquo;I urge you to consider the consequences, both for the city and the game of hockey, if the season is lost.&rdquo;&hellip;Left winger Markus Naslund, who is working out in Vancouver, will likely head back to Sweden in January to play for his hometown team, MoDo. Naslund had intended to spend the entire lockout at home until Swedish tax issues forced him back to Vancouver for the remainder of the 2004 calendar year&hellip;As of early November, defenseman Ed Jovanovski had not been medically cleared and was still receiving a paycheck. Jovanovski sustained a sprained knee and fractured rib during the World Cup, when he crashed into the goalpost. His salary ($4.75 million) is being paid by insurance and is not coming out of the Canucks&rsquo; coffers. &#9632;

f0041-07

Vancouver mayor pens letter to urge on labor agreement

<div class="byline">-DAVE FAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08145/8293721-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="213" height="278"></div>The Capitals are planning to start construction in early 2005 on a $30 million practice facility in the Virginia suburbs. The facility, about 20,000 square feet and almost three times larger than the current practice site, will be government-owned, but leased by the Caps for some 25 years. &ldquo;This is a major commitment and investment in the future of the franchise,&rdquo; said George Parr, team director of operations&hellip;Center Brian Sutherby returned to the lineup Nov. 5 with Portland (AHL), marking the end of lengthy problems with his groin that date back to the middle of last season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be careful with him, but he looks great and he said it feels great,&rdquo; said coach Tim Army. The team hopes defenseman Nolan Yonkman, coming off of knee surgery, is next to return to action&hellip;Ixft winger Alexander Semin is not letting problems with the Caps interfere with his duties with Lada Togliatti in the Russian league. He is among the league leaders in goals, with 11 in 18 games. He was suspended by the Caps in September for failing to report to the team&rsquo;s AHL affiliate in Portland. Semin&rsquo;s agent claims the player has been told to report for military duty. &#9632;

f0041-08

Caps to start construction on new practice facility

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>He came to the San Antonio Rampage training camp with no contract, no guarantees and, because of the NHL lockout, no real shot of earning a job in the American League.So what is center Greg Jacina doing with the Rampage? Playing good hockey, that&rsquo;s what.Jacina proved if you work hard-and have coach Steve Ludzik in your corner-it&rsquo;s possible to sway popular opinion. Jacina, 22, not only earned a contract with the Rampage, he was San Antonio&rsquo;s leading goal-scorer through 12 games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been the guy at the bottom of the chain without a contract, so that was no big deal,&rdquo; said the native of Guelph, Ont. &ldquo;I knew the first 10 games would really make or break my season as far as where I played.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01581/8293752-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="221" height="349"><figcaption class="caption-body">GREG JACINA</figcaption></div>Jacina&rsquo;s five goals and eight points were the most among AHL rookies.Ludzik learned what Jacina could do two years ago, when he was coaching the Mississauga IceDogs of the Ontario League. Jacina helped the perennial doormat Dogs earn a playoff berth, then refused to let them roll over against the powerful Ottawa 67&rsquo;s, scoring six goals and 11 points in five playoff games.Undrafted, Jacina signed an AHL/ECHL contract with the Rampage last season.He had four assists in 13 AHL games and 15 goals and 38 points in 58 games with the ECHL&rsquo;s Augusta Lynx.While the Rampage feature young Florida Panthers prospects such as defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and forwards Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss and Juraj Kolnik, the unsung Jacina has earned his keep. In early November he was told to find permanent housing.&ldquo;It was nice living in the hotel because I did not have to pay rent,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t mind paying rent now.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0042-01

Jacina earns spot on team the hard way

<div class="byline">BY MIKE MASTOVICH</div>Wheeling goalie Dany Sabourin is playing so well that opponents needed an open net and some unexpected help from Sabourin&rsquo;s own team to finally score against his Nailers.Sabourin hadn&rsquo;t allowed a goal in a 210:02 span through Nov. 10, with a league-leading four wins, two shutouts and 0.91 goals-against average. The ECHL record is 236:03, set by Hampton Roads&rsquo; Darryl Paquette in 1997.&ldquo;I think he gave us a huge confidence boost,&rdquo; said Wheeling coach Pat Bingham to The Intelligencer. &ldquo;We needed somebody to be a game-breaker and Dany was the guy. We knew he had that kind of ability. He is the kind of guy you want to have back there when you need to win.&rdquo;<h2>NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07158/8293842-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="218" height="208"></div>Sabourin&rsquo;s shutout stretch includes a bizarre bad bounce.On Halloween night against Atlantic City, Sabourin headed to the bench after a delayed penalty was called against the Boardwalk Bullies. With Sabourin off the ice, a Wheeling player inadvertently knocked the puck into the empty net, allowing the Bullies to pull into a 1-1 tie and force overtime.Sabourin finished that game with 33 saves and stopped all five attempts in an overtime shootout for the 2-1 victory.Under contract with Wilkes-Barre of the American League, Sabourin followed up with a 34-save shutout over Dayton and a 30-save blanking of Reading.NOTEBOOK In 11 ECHL seasons since 1991, Gwinnett left winger Cam Brown has spent the equivalent of a day-and-a-half in league penalty boxes. Brown collected his 2,258th penalty minute to pass former Hampton Roads tough guy Brian Goudie (2,253 PIM) as the ECHL&rsquo;s all-time PIM leader&hellip;Pee Dee overcame not one, but two four-goal deficits in a 7-6 win at Greenville Nov. 6. The Grrrowl led 4-0 after one period and 5-1 in the second. The Pride used a pair of shorthanded goals and two power play tallies to make up ground in the unlikely win. &#9632;

f0042-07

Own goal nearly ruins Sabourin’s donut

<div class="byline">BY ROBIN SHORT</div>The St. Louis Blues&rsquo; track record of giving farmhands a chance at cracking the lineup was enough encouragement for defenseman Mike Mottau to sign an American League contract with the Blues&rsquo; affiliate in Worcester.The Blues are the fourth organization Mottau has played for since he graduated from Boston College in 2000.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m 26, but I feel confident I can play in the NHL,&rdquo; said the 2000 Hobey Baker Award winner. &ldquo;All along I&rsquo;ve been on the bubble, kind of a fringe player. I just need to get a foot in the door and take advantage of the opportunity when it comes.&ldquo;And I&rsquo;m still optimistic that it can happen. A lot of it comes down to getting a break.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01579/8293873-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="218" height="350"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE MOTTAU</figcaption></div>Mottau refers to Eric Boguniecki and Eric Nickulas, who both were given breaks by the Blues while &ldquo;in the middle of their careers and could have gone either way.&rdquo;Mottau has appeared in 23 NHL games with the Rangers and Flames since the Blueshirts drafted him 182nd overall in 1997. He played with Cincinnati, Anaheim&rsquo;s AHL affiliate, last year.It was Blues GM Larry Pleau who drafted Mottau while he was the Rangers assistant GM and VP of player personnel.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s a great, great guy,&rdquo; said Mottau of Pleau. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a straightforward, no-nonsense type of guy. He&rsquo;s going to tell you exactly what you need to do to have a chance at making it.&rdquo;A product of Avon, Mass., Mottau was influenced by the Bruins teams of the late &lsquo;80s and early &lsquo;90s, especially Hall of Famer Ray Bourque. &ldquo;As I got older, I appreciated Brian Leetch and the way he played the game,&rdquo; Mottau said. &ldquo;But Ray Bourque was the guy for me growing up.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0043-01

D-man Mottau says Blues his best bet

<div class="byline">BY ROBIN SHORT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03319/8293904-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="982" height="1436"><figcaption class="caption-body">Binghamton defenseman Jesse Fibiger and the rest of the Senators are off to a slow start this season, going 4-6-1-1 through 12 games.</figcaption></div>For the past couple of years from the start of training camp to summer&rsquo;s doorstep, Jack and Anna Moore of Thornhill, Ont., were busy mapping out a route that would take them through U.S. cities as they watched their three hockey-playing boys.Until this season.While Dominic Moore, the youngest of the three, helped the Hartford Wolf Pack become the American League&rsquo;s last unbeaten team, serious injuries have kept Steve and Mark Moore on the sidelines. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the first time only one of us is playing since we started at two or three years old,&rdquo; said Dominic Moore to the Hartford Courant. &ldquo;My parents are used to scrambling around, picking weekends and planning them around us.&rdquo;Steve Moore hasn&rsquo;t skated since last winter after sustaining broken vertebrae in his neck and a concussion following an attack by Vancouver&rsquo;s Todd Bertuzzi. It&rsquo;s not certain whether Moore, who was with Colorado, will ever play again.<h2>AHL EAST NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02382/8293911-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="239" height="233"></div>Meanwhile, Mark Moore hasn&rsquo;t skated in over a year-and-a-half because of post-concussion syndrome. The eldest, Mark last played for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL in 2002-03.All three Moore brothers attended Harvard.&ldquo;(Our parents) don&rsquo;t say anything about (the injuries),&rdquo; said Dominic to the Toronto Sun. &ldquo;They know we&rsquo;re grown men and make our own decisions. I think if you love the game and you like to play the game, then it&rsquo;s up to you.&rdquo;TOUGH BREAK Following a three-week delay, Todd Fedoruk finally signed with the Philadelphia Phantoms.Fedoruk, who has been with the parent Flyers the past three years, agreed to play with the Phantoms in October, but asked the AHL team for more time as he explored European employment. After electing to remain in North America, Fedoruk was hit in the. face by the puck while sitting on the Phantoms bench in the first game this season. The tough winger sustained a broken orbital bone which required reconstructive facial surgery and will be out until December. (See pg. 40 for more.)NOTEBOOK The St. Louis Blues have entered an agreement to sell the Worcester Ice Cats to Peoria Rivermen co-owners Bruce Saurs and Anne Griffiths, who plan to move the team to Peoria, Ill., for the 2005-06 season. The team would continue to be the Blues&rsquo; primary affiliate, pending the approval of the AHL&rsquo;s board of governors&hellip;The Providence Bruins signed NHL left winger Dan LaCouture, a native of nearby Hyannis, Mass. &#9632;

f0043-03

Moore clan on sidelines as sons heal

<div class="byline">-PAVEL BARTA</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04233/8293942-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="93" height="97"></div>Future and former NHLers are playing in Europe this season. Here are four such players with NHL rights in parentheses:&bull; Peter Forsberg, 31, C (Colorado). Forsberg, who will stay with MoDo even if the NHL and NHLPA agree on a new CBA, Leads all Swedish league scorers with six goals and 21 points in 16 games.&bull; Pascal Trepanier, 31, D (free agent). Trepanier played 229 NHL games with Colorado, Anaheim and Nashville. He is the leading scorer among German league blueliners with 18 points in 15 games for Nurnberg.&bull; Aleksey Morozov, 27, RW (Pittsburgh). Morozov leads Ak Bars Kazan in scoring and is third overall in the Russian league with eight goals and 19 points in 23 games.&bull; Krys Kolanos, 23, C (Phoenix). Kolanos, who played 100 NHL games in three seasons, has adapted well to the European game, scoring three goals and eight points in four games with the Finnish League&rsquo;s Espoo Blues. &#9632;</div>

f0043-04

EYE ON EUROPE

<div class="byline">-BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05200/8293973-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="189" height="99"></div>All signs point toward the United League putting an expansion team in Roanoke, Va. The UHL has been exploring the possibility since the pre-season, when Richmond hosted Missouri in an exhibition game that drew 3,163 at the Roanoke Civic Center. The UHL challenged Roanoke fans to purchase 1,000 season tickets for 2005-06 and when they responded by putting down deposits for more than 500 at the start of November, the league scheduled two regular season games for the Civic Center. Richmond will host Motor City April 8-9 in Roanoke and will wear jerseys with &ldquo;Roanoke&rdquo; on the sleeves in the two games. Roanoke was home to an ECHL franchise before the league revoked its membership last summer because of problems with the ownership group. &#9632;

f0043-05

NOTEBOOK

<div class="byline">-DAVID HENRY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06163/8294004-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="163" height="89"></div>According to Bossier-Shreveport coach Scott Muscutt, there is about a 10 per-cent difference in the talent Level between the Central League and NHL. Muscutt told the Shreveport Times that was the extent of the gap in things such as size, speed and how hard players shoot. Tampa Bay blueliner Brad Lukowich, playing during the NHL Lockout with Fort Worth, is doing his best to prove Muscutt&rsquo;s assessment. Lukowich, one of two NHLers in the CHL, had three goals on 14 shots and an assist in four games. On Halloween, Lukowich had an assist on a game-tying shorthanded goal against the Mudbugs and added the game-winning shootout goal in a 2-1 victory. The CHL&rsquo;s other NHL refugee, Dallas left winger Brenden Morrow, had five assists in three games with Oklahoma City. &#9632;

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November 23, 2004

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