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.

December 21, 2004

The Hockey News December 21, 2004

<h2>SAVARD OUT OF SHAPE</h2>Bern of the Swiss league terminated the contract of Atlanta center Savard citing poor conditioning, TSN reported. Savard was lured from second-tier Thurgau as a replacement for Dany Heatley, who sustained an eye injury. Savard&rsquo;s less-than-average skating worked against him in the fast-paced Swiss league. Marty Turco and Kim Johnsson also left their European teams. Turco and Djur-garden of Sweden issued a statement saying the Dallas goalie is returning to the U.S. for family reasons. Johnsson signed with Ambri-Piotta of Switzerland, but the Philadelphia defenseman played his last game Dec. 9 and returned to Sweden.<h2>LONGER DEAL WANTED</h2>Some European teams will soon be seeking longer-term deals with no out clauses from locked-out NHLers, the National Post reported. &ldquo;If the season is cancelled, clubs in countries like Russia, Sweden and Switzerland and some other teams will look to ink longer-term deals with no out options in their contracts,&rdquo; said agent Pat Brisson to the Post.<h2>APOLOGY</h2>The Dec. 7 issue of The Hockey News was late in being mailed to a number of Canadian subscribers due to an unforeseen distribution error. We apologize for the delay.<h2>NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER!</h2>NHLers who have gotten older&mdash;technically-during the lockout:Dec. 17S. Pahlsson, Ana, 27 P. Nurminen, Atl, 29 Vince Damphousse, UFA, 37Dec. 18Dan Cleary, Pho, 26Dec. 19E. Weinrich, StL, 38 M. Stajan, Tor, 21 Robert Lang, Det, 34Dec. 20C. Stillman, TB, 31 T. Green, UFA, 34 Andrei Markov, Mtl, 26Dec. 21Steve Montador, Cgy, 25Dec. 22Kirk Maltby, Det, 32Dec. 23A. Kotalik, Buf, 26 S. Gomez, NJ, 25 K. Pilar, Tor, 27 S. Morrisonn, Wsh, 22 Mikael Samuelsson, UFA, 28 &#9632;

IN THIS ISSUE

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021218/8340939-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011581/8340946-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="224" height="146"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03887/8340932-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="449" height="181"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04598/8340925-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="442" height="230"></div> &#9632;

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Selection Camp Roster

<div class="byline">-LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-07152/8341328-1-eng-US/f0021-072.jpg" title="f0021-07" width="218" height="228"></div>For the first time this fall, icemakers at the RBC Center put down a sheet of ice, but not for hockey. The arrival of Disney on Ice for a December stay prompted the Hurricanes to try and make the most of it. The team took the opportunity to host an open skate for season-ticket holders and a holiday skating party for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Raleigh. The team is also taking a day to work at Habitat for Humanity as its normal charitable activities have been restricted by a lack of money. The players are critical to the team&rsquo;s two biggest charity fundraisers-a pre-season golf tournament and mid-season wine tasting and auction&hellip;Two Carolina prospects, left winger Andrew Ladd and goalie Kevin Nastiuk, were invited to Canada&rsquo;s junior development camp. Ladd, the fourth overall pick in June, injured his shoulder during Canada&rsquo;s summer camp, but has recovered to post 10 goals and 23 points in 31 games. Nastiuk was the WHL&rsquo;s leading goalie for most of the fall before cooling off&hellip;Center Eric Staal was minus-6 at the NHL level last year, but he is plus-11 with five goals and 23 points in 19 games with Lowell (AHL) this year. &#9632;

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NHL TEAM REPORTS

Arrival of figure skaters affords Canes opportunities

<div class="byline">-MATT MCHALE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-08189/8341576-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="210" height="265"></div>Despite 20 through 22 games, the L.A. Kings&rsquo; AHL affiliate in Manchester has been hit hard by injuries, similar to the way the big team was last year. Right winger Brad Smyth, a free agent who played with the Kings in 1996 and was in the NHL last season with Ottawa, is expected to be out until mid-January with pneumonia. Right winger Greg Hogeboom, a fifth round pick (152nd overall) in 2002, is out until March with a torn ligament in his right wrist. And left winger Ryan Flinn, who has had back trouble the past few years, has developed an infection in his right foot and is out until January. The Monarchs are already without right winger Scott Barney, who is out until late February after undergoing abdominal surgery. &ldquo;The team is playing very well, but the nature of those injuries is pretty strange,&rdquo; said Kings GM Dave Taylor&hellip;Center Connor James, a member of last year&rsquo;s NCAA championship-winning University of Denver Pioneers, was promoted from Bakersfield (ECHL) to replace Smyth&hellip;Manchester had a 13-game winning streak snapped Dec. 5 in an overtime loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack. &#9632;

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Monarchs’ injury situation very similar to ’03-04 Kings

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011950/8340252-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">LONE WOLF?&nbsp;Chicago Wolves forward J-P Vigier searches for a teammate amidst a trio of defending Grand Rapids Griffins. (CONTENTS: ROSS DETTMAN)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Opening Faceoff

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011905/8340304-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="290" height="324"><figcaption class="caption-body">EDITOR&rsquo;S NOTEBOOK&nbsp;Jason Kay Editor</figcaption></div>Kerry Fraser is digging trenches during the lockout. No, the NHL&rsquo;s senior referee isn&rsquo;t girding himself for the next CBA bomb to drop, he&rsquo;s doing some serious excavating as part of a home improvement deck project. It&rsquo;s also something of a self-preservation plan.After nearly 30 years of following the same routine every fall, Fraser, 52, was faced with a new, harsh reality when the lockout took effect. The world he knew instantly evaporated, leaving him to contend with that &ldquo;now what?&rdquo; feeling.So clawing his way through some not-so-friendly suburban New Jersey terrain turned out to be a pretty good way to exorcise and exercise.&ldquo;The electrician I had says, &lsquo;Listen, we&rsquo;ve got a permit and need 55 feet of trenches dug, three feet deep to get from the house to the coach lamps,&rdquo; says Fraser, who prides himself on his physical condition. &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;OK, fine.&rsquo; And we&rsquo;re in rock and clay. I mean it&rsquo;s hard digging. I said, &lsquo;Tell you what.Come back tomorrow morning and your trench will be dug.&rsquo; I got the pick and the shovel and dug a 55-foot, three-foot deep trench.&ldquo;This would have been my 30th officials&rsquo; training camp. You get into a routine that you get used to. I&rsquo;ve stayed busy so that I didn&rsquo;t go crazy.&rdquo;<h2>CAREER ON HOLD</h2>Fraser is among the scores of people whose livelihoods have been impacted by the labor dispute. Hundreds have already lost their jobs, thousands more have been financially affected and are waiting, helplessly, while the suits play their games.Unlike many others, though, Fraser isn&rsquo;t bitter. He&rsquo;s not collecting a paycheck and has had to &ldquo;adjust&rdquo; his spending, but he&rsquo;s maintaining a positive outlook.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been frustrated, but I haven&rsquo;t been angry,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;There are a lot of people not receiving paychecks. Everybody&rsquo;s affected-game staff, restaurants, bars, the economy. I don&rsquo;t look at it as the Fraser household not receiving a paycheck. It&rsquo;s far-reaching.&rdquo;<h2>POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING</h2>That he remains upbeat during uncertain times should come as no surprise to those who know him. Fraser embraces fife and is extremely passionate about his pursuits. In hockey, you have natural centers, defensemen and goalies. Fraser is a natural referee.&ldquo;I continue to love what I do,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s very important. People go to work and hate their jobs and it shows up. I have fun at what I do. Even in the tough times, there&rsquo;s never anything too tough that would make me not love what I do.&rdquo;If hockey resumes this season with a new obstruction crackdown, as some are anticipating, Fraser will continue to work the games with zeal. But he bristles when he hears players say, &ldquo;All we need to do is call the rules by the book.&rdquo;&ldquo;They say that until we call the rules by the book against them,&rdquo; Fraser says. &ldquo;We have 30 teams and the rules only apply to 29 of them. The one team that you call it against, doesn&rsquo;t want that rule called.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021602/8340297-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="1015" height="1264"><figcaption class="caption-body">52 OR 39?&nbsp;Staying active and keeping fit are part of Kerry Fraser&rsquo;s routine.</figcaption></div>That said, Fraser acknowledges the necessity for everybody to be on the same page when it comes to rules infractions. He believes in the concept that a penalty should be a penalty, regardless of the score or time of game. He feels that the old-school mindset of &ldquo;just let &rsquo;em play&rdquo; needs to change if the game is to move forward.<h2>KEEPING THE WHISTLE ACTIVE</h2>Case in point: last year&rsquo;s Cup final, Game 7. With a minute left in the third period and Calgary trailing Tampa 2-1, Andrew Ference ran Martin St-Louis. &ldquo;He not only charged him,&rdquo; Fraser says, &ldquo;but he brought his stick up and hit him in the face and knocked him kind of goofy for a second. If making that call is avoided because it&rsquo;s 2-1 with a minute left in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, the referee might as well go one row behind the glass, get a popcorn and a beer and sit and watch them beat the hell out of each other.&rdquo;Having worked more games than any referee in NHL history, Fraser feels blessed to still be on top of his game at 52, but takes things one year at a time. He and his wife Kathy both have their real-estate licenses and they&rsquo;ve always wanted to work together, so that may be one avenue he pursues. He has also dabbled in public speaking and has produced and appeared in commercials, so that&rsquo;s a possibility, too.He&rsquo;ll be ready to go when there&rsquo;s a settlement, but in the meantime, he&rsquo;s confident he&rsquo;ll be digging trenches somewhere.&ldquo;I have a variety of interests,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m tooting my own horn, but I have a strong work ethic; I&rsquo;m not afraid to work. So the fact we don&rsquo;t have a paycheck doesn&rsquo;t concern me. I know there&rsquo;s a lot of things out there (for me).&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-041059/8340290-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="406" height="208"></div>14 TEAMS TAXED&nbsp;Reports indicated the NHLPA&rsquo;s proposal included a significant luxury tax. Here&rsquo;s how the 2003-04 team payrolls would have been affected by a luxury surcharge of 75 cents on every dollar spent beyond $40 million (see pg. 8 for more on CBA talks).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031304/8340283-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="928" height="612"></div> &#9632;

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Learning to Kerry on

<div class="byline">-MARK BRENDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011910/8340359-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">THE DRAMA&nbsp;A shootout could mean more publicity for the NHL on U.S. sportscasts. (GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>So long sister-kissers, hello shootout. Whenever the NHL comes back, count on the shootout coming with it.Sources suggest a majority of GMs have come to the conclusion that something significant has to be done to boost hockey&rsquo;s entertainment value-and it has to be done immediately. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is believed to be onside as well. The dual concerns of creating a more appealing product and of winning back a fan base eroded by the lockout have pushed the shootout to the top of the game-improvement to-do list.&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a good chance there&rsquo;ll be something in that area,&rdquo; said Mike Murphy, NHL vice-president of hockey operations. &ldquo;There is a feeling out there that we have to get some finality to the games.&rdquo;The shootout appeal is especially high for GMs seeking to plant deeper roots in developing hockey markets in the United States. Casual fans may not care much about tweaks to the offside rule or goal equipment or goalies playing the puck outside the crease, but everyone can understand the excitement of a 1-on-l showdown with the game on the line.In theory, the shootout drama would help improve TV ratings and get the NHL onto more U.S. sportscasts and ESPN highlight shows.Shootouts would be held after the five-minute, 4-on-4 overtime if neither team scored. The shooting format likely would be similar to the one used in the American League, where each team alternates five shooters, followed by one shooter per side until the game is decided.Points in the standings will be awarded as if the game were decided in overtime. Zambonis would give a dry scrape after the 4-on-4 overtime to smooth out the ice surface. That would leave players the option of shooting or deking; when the ice isn&rsquo;t rescraped (like at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, as Canadian fans remember all too well), players feel shooting is their only option.In 2003-04, roughly one-quarter of all regular season games ended regulation in a tie. Of those games, five minutes of 4-on-4 overtime produced a winner 46 per cent of the time.St. Louis Blues GM and shootout opponent Larry Pleau has been pushing another idea to wipe out ties: five minutes of 3-on-3 OT after the 4-on-4.&ldquo;It keeps it to a team sport,&rdquo; Pleau said, &ldquo;and when you get better players on the ice, I think you&rsquo;ll finish most of your games.&rdquo; &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

Shootout likely in new NHL

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021360/8340404-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="254" height="398"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRENDAN SHANAHAN</figcaption></div><h2>Best of the Hockey World</h2>700 AND COUNTING Boston University&rsquo;s Jack Parker records his 700th career NCAA victory when the Terriers defeat Boston College 3-2.INCREDIBLE TEAM FEAT The amazing London Knights tie a CHL record by making it 29 games (28-0-1) without a loss.SHAN THE MAN Red Wings star Brendan Shanahan hosts a two-day symposium to discuss how the game can be improved.<h2>Worst of the Hockey World</h2>ENOUGH ALREADY Gary Bettman is not the perfect commissioner, but personal attacks on him during the lockout are getting redundant.LEAVE OFFICIALS ALONE I springfield right winger Evgeni Artukhin is suspended 10 AHL games for abusing an official.LEAVE OFFICIALS ALONE II Danbury owner Jim Galante is arrested after allegedly punching a linesman following a UHL game.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03884/8340397-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="254" height="398"><figcaption class="caption-body">EVGENI ARTUKHIN</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04559/8340390-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="906" height="790"><figcaption class="caption-body">NICE TIES&nbsp;Minnesota finished 2003-04 with an NHL-high 20 ties, meaning the Wild would&rsquo;ve had 20 shootouts if that tie-breaking format had been in effect.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-06222/8340435-1-eng-US/f0005-062.jpg" title="f0005-06" width="285" height="446"><figcaption class="caption-body">VINNY LECAVALIER</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05355/8340442-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="172" height="140"></div>From around the NHL&bull; One of the key proposals to come out of Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s two-day hockey summit was improved access for broadcast rights holders. Hockey players are some of the best personalities in the professional sports world, yet the NHL has never fully taken advantage of this. The league needs to do its utmost to sell stars such as Jarome Iginla, Vinny Lecavalier and Sidney Crosby.&bull; Speaking of Crosby, the game&rsquo;s best young talent says if obstruction is called consistently teams will be forced to rid themselves of repeat offenders and replace them with skilled players.&bull; As first predicted in The Hockey News in late October, scoring in the NHL is still at an all-time low.&bull; An anonymous Eastern Conference player will win this year&rsquo;s Chris Chelios Bad Taste Award if we ever uncover his identity. He said: &ldquo;I think if they did impose a (salary) cap and players start coming back to play without a CBA, well those players should probably be concerned for the well being of themselves and their families.&rdquo;&bull; Many longtime hockey fans are opposed to deciding tied games with a shootout. But isn&rsquo;t the NHL&rsquo;s mandate to, a) add excitement to the product; and, b) make the game appealing for new fans? &#9632;

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SNAPSHOTS

The Hockey NewsFROM THE EDITORSAt any other time, it would provide subject matter for beat writers and columnists and sports talk shows for months on end. Did you see Modano&rsquo;s move last night? How about that stop by Theodore? And what was Crawford thinking, shooting Naslund last?Probably the same thing he was thinking by not shooting Gretzky, but we digress.The point is, if the hockey world weren&rsquo;t beaten down by the all-consuming NHL lockout, the apparent coming of the shootout would be huge, huge news.Things being what they are, however, the likelihood that the NHL soon will follow the NBA, Major League Baseball and the NFL (the vast majority of the time) in eliminating tie games from its regular season has gone by almost unnoticed. There has been a tidal shift among the NHL establishment in favor of introducing the shootout to NHL play, after 4-on-4 overtime, yet outside of a few mentions on Canadian sports networks and at Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s recent game panel, there has been virtually no discussion of it at all. (See pg. 20 for more on Shanahan.)That said, the significance of such a dramatic change of thinking by the game&rsquo;s power brokers should not be lost on anyone.It represents, for the first time, a recognition that fine-tuning the rules or tightening up officiating standards or any other nips and tucks to bring offense and excitement back into the game are not enough to win back disillusioned fans. It is a long overdue recognition that fans deserve more. To that we say, bravo.<blockquote class="pullQuote">Introducing the shootout is a long overdue recognition that fans deserve more. To that we say, bravo.</blockquote>So-called traditionalists have long held a tight grip on the NHL product. As goalscoring has plummeted over the past decade, voices from within the game expressing concern have been drowned out by those who maintain everything is fine; they insist players are faster and more skilled than ever (true) and that &ldquo;fighting through the checks&rdquo; and defensive systems have always been part of the sport (not true to the extent we see it today).Too often, being a &ldquo;traditionalist&rdquo; has become a justification for a know-nothing, see-nothing, do-nothing attitude over hockey&rsquo;s declining entertainment value.Sure, it had to take the lockout-and the thousands of screaming, hysterical AHL fans outraged over the audacity of shootouts being used to decide tie games (that&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;re making so much noise, right?)-for the NHL to see the light, but better late than never.It&rsquo;s no coincidence NHL GMs have come around to the idea now; with all the time they&rsquo;re spending in AHL rinks these days, they&rsquo;re getting to see the excitement first-hand.We are under no illusions that when the shootout is introduced-and it is coming, of that there is no doubt-that it is solely an altruistic measure &ldquo;for the fans.&rdquo; The league will approve the shootout because the interest it generates will put more money in owners&rsquo; pockets.So be it. There is a connection between entertainment value and economic value and it&rsquo;s high time the league paid attention. &#9632;

Introduction of shootout overdue victory for fans

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012122/8340497-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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Elson

<h2>ROSE RIGHT TO DEFEND NEW YORK</h2>Howie Rose&rsquo;s column nailed the true story of the New York-based NHL fan! (THN, Dec. 7)As one of the area&rsquo;s thousands of diehard hockey fans, I&rsquo;m as saddened as anyone by the current state of the NHL. By ignoring the game, the local media has taken an unfair shot at the NHL and its fans by implying that no one in New York cares about hockey.Thanks, Howie, for your integrity and dedication!Donn Gerelli,&nbsp; Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.<h2>FAN-MAN A TRUE SUPERHERO</h2>After reading the &ldquo;Top 10 People of Power & Influence&rdquo; issue, I was amazed you failed to recognize the superpowers of Fan-Man. (THN, Nov. 30)He&rsquo;s the hero who has the uncanny ability to bring the NHL to its knees by not bothering to show up for any more games.But once the lockout gets settled-if it ever gets settled-I&rsquo;m sure the league will be hearing from him soon enough.Christopher Hurley,&nbsp; Malden, Mass.<h2>LETTER OF THE WEEK</h2>When I heard that Atlanta Thrashers superstar Dany Heatley had suffered a serious eye injury during the lockout, I didn&rsquo;t understand how such a thing was possible. After all, visors are mandatory in the Swiss league in which Heatley was playing.However, the pictures in your Nov. 23 issue say it all: Heatley&rsquo;s chin strap was hanging down on his chest, rendering his helmet and visor virtually useless when he got hit.As both a hockey player and a referee, I don&rsquo;t understand why players refuse to fasten their chin straps properly. Has anyone ever seen an NFL player with a loose chin strap? A race car driver? A jockey? I didn&rsquo;t think so.It&rsquo;s sad that the NHLPA not only fails to take a leadership role on this issue, but that it fights safety measures tooth and nail.Actually, more like tooth and eye.Jim Figley,&nbsp; Saskatoon, Sask.<h2>BRING ON REPLACEMENTS</h2>This is a response to Steve Ploughman&rsquo;s letter that stated his disdain for the possibility of replacement players in the NHL. (THN, Dec. 7)I would love to see the league continue, but only with players who love and want to play the game for their heart-not for money. With replacement players, that&rsquo;s exactly what we would get.I&rsquo;d love to hear what NHLers say when they see that hockey can exist without them.Tina Parish, &nbsp;Cold Lake, Alta.<h2>TAKE OFF, REPLACEMENTS</h2>I&rsquo;m sick of hearing people toss around the idea of replacement NHL players. Where do these fans think such players are going to come from?If people want to watch less-skilled players, why aren&rsquo;t there more sellouts in leagues like the AHL?Fans must let the NHL know a band-aid fix isn&rsquo;t going to cut it. I won&rsquo;t pay to watch a bogus NHL.There is only one right thing to do: get the proper players back to playing the game we all love.Matthew Waters,&nbsp; Victoria, B.C.<h2>KUDOS FOR JEANNERET</h2>I&rsquo;d like to thank you for your Great Debates magazine, which was very informative and well-researched.But I have a problem with the &ldquo;Best Play-by-Play Man&rdquo; debate. As an American, I don&rsquo;t get to listen to Canada&rsquo;s great broadcasters, but I was disappointed to see that Rick Jeanneret, the voice of the Buffalo Sabres, wasn&rsquo;t mentioned at all.Jeanneret adds so much to a game. He is Hall of Fame-worthy and deserves more praise than he gets.Jeffrey Spencer,&nbsp; Lakewood, N.Y.<h2>KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE</h2>The letter of the week from Brent, the soldier serving in Iraq, had a big impact on me. (THN, Nov. 30)While NHLers are grubbing for money, there are young men and women risking their lives for their country. As far as I&rsquo;m concerned, no pro athlete is worth more than any of our military personnel.Hockey will always be my favorite sport, but let&rsquo;s remember what is really important these days.Susan Hoffman,&nbsp; Grand Rapids, Mich.<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

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011922/8340566-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAROMIR JAGR AVANGARD OMSK (IHA)</figcaption></div>What do you do when there are pennies from heaven? Few people are strong enough to resist the temptation of filling their pockets. But it would be foolish to change your lifestyle because of a few moments of unexpected gifts from above.This is the situation many teams in Europe&rsquo;s top leagues are experiencing during the NHL lockout. Teams are recruiting players they would never be able to sign under normal circumstances. Davos in Switzerland got Joe Thornton; tiny Mora in Sweden signed Marian Hossa; and, Avangard Omsk in Russia was able to lure Jaromir Jagr. And then you have Ak Bars Kazan signing 11(!) NHLers.If the lockout doesn&rsquo;t show any imminent signs of ending, there will be more than 300 NHLers in Europe by the end of December.It&rsquo;s easy to understand the euphoria shown by European teams and their fans when, on a daily basis in local arenas, they suddenly get to watch players they only have been able to see in blurry NHL highlights. After all, since the migration to the NHL started on a larger scale in the early 1970s, European teams and their fans have lost more than 1,000 players to North American teams. This is payback time.Most Euro leagues have seen a substantial increase in attendance and media coverage. The NHL fans&rsquo; misery has been a blessing for Europe. It&rsquo;s hard to blame a team like Modo in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, for signing players it is responsible for developing, such as Peter Forsberg, Mattias Weinhandl and the Sedin twins, among others. Why would Modo, which invested so much money and resources into these players in their younger years, want to see them play elsewhere?<h2>HIGH SKILL FOR LOW PAY</h2>It&rsquo;s also difficult to criticize teams that signed locked-out NHLers on the cheap&mdash;for room and board, in some cases-and that have a contingency plan for the transition after the end of the lockout. Unfortunately, these teams are in the minority in Europe.Instead, many teams live like there&rsquo;s no tomorrow. They overspend and hope a couple of NHLers will bring a championship and riches. They not only jeopardize their finances, but also their future by sending prospects to junior teams or to farm teams.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021278/8340559-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="292" height="372"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rene Fasel&nbsp;Guest Columnist</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03794/8340552-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="643" height="413"><figcaption class="caption-body">HAVE SKATES, WILL TRAVEL&nbsp;There are about 280 NHLers playing in 12 European leagues, including 70 in Russia.</figcaption></div>Those teams will have a rude awakening once the lockout is over. What if the lockout ends in mid-January and 11 high-end players suddenly leave Ak Bars Kazan? What happens to Djurgarden in Stockholm, which is already struggling in the Swedish league with six NHLers, when almost one-third of its roster packs their bags and leaves?Even if a team buys a league championship thanks to its rent-a-player policy, is it really worth it to have its finances ruined for the next season and have several disappointed prospects sign with other teams?The &ldquo;arms race&rdquo; which is happening in some European cities also leads to an shift in focus, from traditional values-like longterm team building, team chemistry and stability, high-quality training and fiscal responsibility. These are factors upon which sports dynasties are built. Instead, all decisions are based on a quick fix. Europe will have to wait until at least the end of this season for an evaluation on the impact and ramifications of the temporary visit of 300-plus NHL players.<h2>NHLERS LIKE INTERNATIONAL RULES</h2>On a related note: the word around the rinks is that incoming NHLers like the international rules, especially the two-line pass and no-touch icing. I find that gratifying, because it reinforces the view that the red line rule is obsolete in modern hockey. Playing without it simply creates a more open, entertaining game in which the skilled players can excel. It puts emphasis on skating, passing and stickhandling, the fundamentals upon which the game is built. It does not, by any means, take away from the competitive nature of hockey. (And the only thing the no-touch icing rule takes away is the risk of serious injury when two players race mindlessly for the puck.)Apart from that, I think that the NHL should take part in the 2006 Olympics.-RENE FASEL IS PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION &#9632;

f0007-01

What if lockout ends?

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER-Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012010/8340597-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">NOW WHAT? The union tossed the CBA puck in Gary Bettman&rsquo;s end. (GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div>This was far more than anyone expected. In the realm of status quo, above or beyond, this was above beyond.Or at least that&rsquo;s the impression the NHL Players&rsquo; Association wants to leave in the public&rsquo;s mind.Whether it will be enough to save the season is another question. At minimum, it has to leave Gary Bettman squirming. With a proposal like this, for Bettman to hold out for his much-vaunted cost certainty-something on which he has staked his reputation for the better part of three years-would be the gamble of a lifetime.Nobody predicted a 24 per-cent rollback on all existing contracts, a total that would save owners $500 million over the next three years. A mildly punitive luxury tax starting at $45 million, with just a 20 cent penalty, escalating to a 50 cent penalty over $50 million and 60 cents over $60 million is not what the league wanted.So the dance goes on.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman responded to the proposal by pointing out the offer to rollback salaries is a &ldquo;one-time element&rdquo; and the league &ldquo;has to focus on systemic issues.&ldquo;We still believe the right way to go systemically is a partnership between the league and the players where there is a definable relationship between revenues and expenses,&rdquo; Bettman said, &ldquo;and this is something we&rsquo;re going to have look and how it might apply in what has been proposed.&rdquo;Bettman added he was pleased, &ldquo;the union recognizes our economics are out of sync.&rdquo;Bettman said the league would review the NHLPA&rsquo;s proposal and respond Dec. 14.All in all, there were far worse imaginable outcomes when players and owners met in Toronto for what might be termed the first serious negotiations of a lockout that has already cost at least half the NHL season. If the players hadn&rsquo;t made a serious, viable proposal to end the stalemate, evidently going a long way with a significant luxury tax offer that included escalating penalties for repeat high-spenders, Bettman would have had a far easier time throwing up his hands and walking away.But by coming in with a deal clearly more favorable to management than, for example, the last agreement signed by Major League Baseball and its players, Bob Goodenow and the NHLPA put the public relations ball back into the league&rsquo;s hands.The question remains, is the NHL prepared to give up its demands for a linkage between league-wide revenues and salaries? There is no indication yet that has happened.An even better outcome of the Toronto session would have been if the two sides agreed to meet the next day. That they didn&rsquo;t do. But perhaps it only means the offer was good enough that Bettman felt he had to consult the full Board of Governors for direction on how to proceed. There was still a chance he would choose to proceed by a return offer featuring the dreaded linkage.What&rsquo;s interesting is there has also been a significant mood change in these negotiations, sparked by the seriousness of the players&rsquo; offer. Most observers would have said four months ago, even a year ago, if there was to be a season in 2004-05, it would be the players who would have to bend. Players would have to accept the linkage. That is no longer the common assumption.And with the change in thinking has come a shift in perception over right and wrong in this entire debate. Where the public has been overwhelmingly on the owners&rsquo; side, this muddies the water.Could the majority of owners work with the union&rsquo;s proposal? Yes.Could the majority of players thrive with a linkage system that doesn&rsquo;t include a hard salary cap (and that deal is out there to be had as well, as many commentators like to forget). Yes.So there it is-two systems that could work, two philosophically entrenched sides, two iron-will personalities leading them.Still.The only sure thing, still, is if it does all falls down, it will be a long winter and spring and beyond, wondering who in the meeting room in Toronto or New York or wherever, was speaking up for the game.Just remember, if they do find a solution-and it remains a huge, uncertain, hesitant if&mdash;don&rsquo;t clap too hard. They don&rsquo;t deserve it. They&rsquo;ll only be doing their jobs-about four months late. &#9632;

f0008-01

A decent proposal

<h2>GIVE THE GIFT OF THN</h2>I just wanted to let you know how much I loved your Dec. 7 edition.With no NHL to watch on TV, the issue was well received. Kudos on Mark Brender&rsquo;s &ldquo;Unwritten Code&rdquo; article and the rest of the excellent stories. Once again, I read through the whole issue in one sitting.Despite all the negative vibes surrounding the game nowadays. The Hockey News is like a highly anticipated, weekly gift to my mailbox. You guys rock!John Snyder,&nbsp; Naples, Fla.<h2>NEW YORK (HOCKEY) BLACKOUT</h2>As a New Jersey Devils season-ticket holder, I thought Howie Rose&rsquo;s column about how much hockey interest there still is in the greater New York area could not be more incorrect. (THN, Dec. 7) The only people I know of who are even aware of the NHL lockout are fellow season-ticket holders. I agree there is a good number of hockey fans in Manhattan, but as far as New Jersey and other suburbs of the area go, fan interest simply is not there.The only reason there are many NHL fans in the region is because of the sheer number of people who live in the area. But the percentage of hockey fans is comparatively miniscule.Adam Schwartz,&nbsp; Hackensack, N.J.<h2>PERROTT RIGHT ABOUT BULLYING</h2>I&rsquo;m very happy you published the article in which Nathan Perrott speaks out against bullies. (THN, Dec. 7)Last year, in sixth grade, I was bullied throughout the year. Now, one year later, I have made a great group of friends. I think it is important for kids to know why bullying is wrong. And I&rsquo;m glad the NHL has players like Nathan Perrott!Geoff Rosenthal,&nbsp; Richboro, Pa.<h2>UNWRITTEN CODE NOT A LOAD</h2>A smile of recognition crossed my face as I read your article on hockey&rsquo;s unwritten rules. (THN, Dec. 7) Whether you play in the NHL or in an adult rec league as I do, everybody knows these rules and fiercely adheres to them. Indeed, I think we rec-leaguers take them more seriously than NHLers do!Thanks for reminding me of another reason why hockey is the greatest game on earth-and how players at all levels are linked together by their love of the game and respect for its rich traditions.Erik Saltzgaber,&nbsp; Sherman Oaks, Calif.<h2>NHLERS: DICTATORS OR REBELS?</h2>Although I&rsquo;ve since relocated, I enjoyed many years of NHL hockey in Tampa Bay and was lucky enough to see &ldquo;my team&rdquo; win a championship live and in person.As a result, I was particularly discouraged with Lightning players heading to Europe, as well as some of the players&rsquo; comments.Seeing Martin St-Louis describe Gary Bettman as a &ldquo;dictator&rdquo; because he wanted a salary cap was the last straw for me.I&rsquo;d like to offer Martin a reality check: I run a radiology department in a large hospital as well as three outpatient imaging centers. Everyone on my staff has a salary cap. Every job has an entry level rate and a maximum rate. Each year an employee is given an average of a three per-cent pay increase. Once an employee has &ldquo;maxed out&rdquo; in their pay range, they receive a bonus rather than an increase.These are hardly the bonuses players get for simply doing their jobs and making the playoffs. I firmly believe in a capitalist economy and would say to you, Martin, that Bettman isn&rsquo;t the one requiring a cap. It is the market that requires one, just like the market requires me to cap my staff. My staff is needed by society at large to diagnose and treat illness and injury-remember that pesky femur fracture you had a few years back, Martin?The demand just isn&rsquo;t there for what NHLers supply at the rates they are so stubbornly demanding. So who&rsquo;s being the dictator now?John Stansbury,&nbsp; White Hall, Ark. &#9632;

MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY &#x2022; SENIOR WRITER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011842/8340680-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div>RIMOUSKISidney Crosby emerges from an early team meeting on a frigid Saturday morning in Rimouski full of apologies.&ldquo;Too bad you had to come for that game,&rdquo; says Crosby to a visitor the day after his team is upset 3-2 at home by the Shawinigan Cataractes. &ldquo;I was a little too pumped up to play. Being off for so long, I had all this nervous energy built up inside me. That&rsquo;s not the way I usually play. I just wasn&rsquo;t myself.&rdquo;Crosby made his return to action against Shawinigan after sitting out a week with a sprained ankle, an injury that prevented him from playing two games with a QMJHL all-star team against a touring Russian team.His own harshest critic, Crosby does not accept defeat easily and is having a hard time shaking the Shawinigan loss.Nine out of 10 junior hockey players go to bed every night dreaming of playing the way Crosby played against Shawinigan. He didn&rsquo;t score, his team didn&rsquo;t win, but he was unquestionably the most dominant player on the ice. If Crosby&rsquo;s ankle still bothers him, the kid who is sure to be the top pick in the next NHL entry draft&mdash;whenever it&rsquo;s held-certainly doesn&rsquo;t show it.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021432/8340673-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="6492" height="3242"><figcaption class="caption-body">HOCKEY EYES&nbsp;Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s on-ice vision and natural speed make him dangerous at all times.</figcaption></div>Crosby doesn&rsquo;t start the game, but when he finally hits the ice all eyes are on him. He has a little Brett Hull in him in that he has the ability to disappear only to emerge as a scoring threat. The difference is, when Crosby emerges with the puck, he&rsquo;s moving at Mach II speed.That&rsquo;s quite a feat for a guy who has two checkers draped all over him practically every time he&rsquo;s on the ice.There is a high price to be paid for being the best. At one point in the Shawinigan game, Crosby is jockeying for position at the side of the Cataractes net when an opponent puts his stick between his legs and lifts-hard.Crosby reacts by crosschecking the player-once, twice, three times, four times. He gets the only penalty and is visibly upset as he enters the penalty box. Later in the game Crosby is speared by Francis Pare and he responds by cross-checking Pare to the ice.Crosby sets up a goal to add to his league-leading point total and he has numerous chances to score-eight by his own count-that fall just short. In 25 shifts during the game, Crosby plays center and right wing and also mans the point on the power play. Although Rimouski&rsquo;s coach, Doris Labonte, would like to see him shoot the puck more often, Crosby insists he does not have a pass-first mentality. &ldquo;It depends on where I get the puck,&rdquo; Crosby says. &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m i the slot, then I&rsquo;m definitely going to look for the shot first. When I get the puck in other areas, though, I do look for the open man.&rdquo;Two nights later, Crosby scores a goal and sets up two others in a 9-3 home win over the P.E.I. Rocket.If you have not had the pleasure of seeing Crosby play live, you can&rsquo;t possibly have a full appreciation of his explosiveness and vision. Crosby&rsquo;s teammates would be well-advised to have their sticks on the ice and ready to take a pass at all times because-no matter how out of the way you may think you are-Crosby will spot you and the puck will be headed your way. This kid makes passes that would make Adam Oates look on with envy.<h2>CROSBY VS. THE HYPE</h2>Sidney Crosby isn&rsquo;t the first young star with the &lsquo;Next One&rsquo; label; others have had it, too. Here are five such players from the past 20 years, with their stats in their final year of junior. Crosby&rsquo;s performance thus far in 2004-05 is offered as a comparison.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011979/8340666-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="747" height="1228"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011757/8340659-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="2093" height="1262"><figcaption class="caption-body">TWO&rsquo;S COMPANY&nbsp;Crosby is usually double-teamed by opponents, making his production even more remarkable.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021232/8340652-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="1071" height="1259"></div>When Crosby is in the lineup, games in Rimouski-a small town of about 50,000 located on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River four hours northeast of Quebec City-are an event. Though Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards both played in Rimouski before graduating to the NHL, neither generated the interest that Crosby has. Not even close.&ldquo;You ever been to Rimouski before?&rdquo; asks Yannick Dumais, the Oceanic&rsquo;s director of hockey operations.Point taken.Crosby led the QMJHL in scoring last season, netting 54 goals and 135 points in 59 games. He&rsquo;s leading the league in scoring again in 2004-05, despite suffering a couple of nagging injuries-the sprained ankle and a bruised knee-with 23 goals and 69 points in 33 games.<h2>TEAM&rsquo;S STRUGGLES CONFOUND FANS</h2>But despite Crosby&rsquo;s jaw-dropping numbers, it hasn&rsquo;t been the dream season thus far that the Oceanic envisioned. (Through 37 games, Rimouski was sixth in the 16-team league with a 16-15-3-3 mark.) Many thought Crosby&rsquo;s presence alone would be enough for the team to dominate the QMJHL, not quite fully understanding that, in spite of his individual greatness and potential, he is but one player in a team sport-and a 17-year-old player, at that.&ldquo;Maybe the expectations were too high,&rdquo; Labonte says. &ldquo;We were supposed to be alone in the standings and because we haven&rsquo;t been, our fans are a little frustrated.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s par for the course in junior hockey. Of course, there&rsquo;s still more than half a season to go.Coaching a major junior team is a chore at the best of times. Coaching a major junior team with a superstar, well, that&rsquo;s a different kettle of fish.You never see a backup goalie. Opposing team&rsquo;s buildings are always filled to the brim. If you want to see the Oceanic play on the road, it often means buying tickets in a package with four other games-generally against teams you might not want to pay a dime to see.Crosby will miss three QMJHL games while representing Canada at the World Junior Championship in North Dakota. Rimouski originally had another four road games on the schedule, but the host cities expressed concern about Crosby not being in the lineup and the games were rescheduled.&ldquo;Imagine,&rdquo; Labonte says, &ldquo;It is their best opportunity to beat us, without our best scorer, but they want the money first.&rdquo;Even when Rimouski plays at home, the opposition treats a regular season game like it&rsquo;s the Memorial Cup final.Crosby is champing at the bit to play for gold in his second WJC. Last year he became the youngest player ever to score a goal at the highly regarded tournament, but was disappointed when Canada fell short, losing to rival America in the gold medal game.&ldquo;It is the best hockey experience I have ever had,&rdquo; Crosby says. &ldquo;It was unreal. There is no group of players I have ever played with that could compare to that group. They&mdash;were such fun guys. It&rsquo;s just a bunch of guys who love to play hockey and have some fun. Every guy hangs his ego at the door when they join that team. It doesn&rsquo;t matter what your job is anywhere else, when you go on that team you do what you have to do to win the gold.&rdquo;That being the case, with the gold medal on the line last season, coach Mario Durocher played Crosby just three shifts in the third period. It wasn&rsquo;t easy for Crosby to sit there and watch the clock tick down, though he never in a million years would have complained.&ldquo;When you are on the bench you are watching the game and you want to go out there and contribute,&rdquo; Crosby says.&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t like we weren&rsquo;t getting chances, because we were. I accepted that I was basically a third- or fourth-liner. I was 16 and wanted to do as much as I could when I was out there. In the third period it wasn&rsquo;t as though I was sitting there thinking, &lsquo;I want to be out there.&rsquo; I was just making sure I was ready for my next shift when it came. It&rsquo;s not as though I was grumbling to myself because I wasn&rsquo;t playing. My focus was to be sure I was ready if I was asked to go out.&rdquo;Yeah, he was just 16. He was also the Canadian Hockey League&rsquo;s player of the year. Canadians should hope Brent Sutter, coach of this year&rsquo;s WJC entry, doesn&rsquo;t base ice time on the date appearing next to a player&rsquo;s name on his birth certificate.<blockquote class="pullQuote">If you look around, a lot of smaller guys happen to be among the best-skilled guys in the NHL. It&rsquo;s not a fluke. -SIDNEY CROSBY</blockquote>Although Crosby is a practical joker who finds humor in just about anything, he also is ultra-competitive and that side of his personality can show up anywhere at any time.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be throwing a football and all-of-a-sudden he&rsquo;ll make it into a best-of-7 competition to see who drops the ball,&rdquo; says roommate Eric Neilson.Everything Crosby does is just another step toward his goal of playing in the NHL. He is focused and determined beyond his years and when he was invited to skate with Los Angeles Kings rookies last summer at a prospect camp, it gave him an indication of the work that lies ahead before he reaches his ultimate goal.Some wonder about his size-Crosby is listed at 5-foot-ll and 192 pounds-but he says that won&rsquo;t be a factor.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not an issue; it never has been for me,&rdquo; Crosby says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m hurting for size at all. If I don&rsquo;t grow any more, then I have to work on my skill and my leg strength. But if you look around, a lot of smaller guys happen to be among the best-skilled guys in the NHL. It&rsquo;s not a fluke.&rdquo;When you are highly skilled and determined to be the best-as Sidney Crosby is-fluke doesn&rsquo;t even enter the equation. &#9632;

f0009-01

CROSBY: THRILLS, DASH & YOUNG

<div class="byline">BY ALAN ADAMS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011908/8340711-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">BIG MAN&nbsp;Evgeni Malkin will be central to Russia&rsquo;s WJC medal hopes. (BBS/GETTY)</figcaption></div>The 2005 World Junior Championship has the makings of a star-studded event thanks to the NHL lockout. First and foremost on the list of should-be NHLers are Russians Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, who were selected Nos. 1 and 2 overall by Washington and Pittsburgh in the 2004 draft.If there hadn&rsquo;t been a lockout, Patrice Bergeron would be in his second year with the Boston Bruins while Dion Phaneuf would likely be on the blueline for the Calgary Flames. Ryan Suter of the United States is back for his third WJC instead of playing for Nashville, while Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan (Minnesota) and Czech forward Rostislav Olesz (Florida) would probably be in the bigs as well.Here&rsquo;s a look at how the competition stacks up, in order of projected finish:1. CANADACoach Brent Sutter.2004 record 5-1-0, silver medal.Player to watch Scouts invented a word at the 2004 WJC when Phaneuf crushed Olesz, knocking him into another orbit. &ldquo;He was Phaneufed,&rdquo; they said, and Canada hopes people&rsquo;s vocabulary expands again thanks to the tank on the blueline.Outlook The pressure is on to win and anything short of gold will be a huge disappointment. Canada has everything it needs, including a hard-nosed coach who will make the players accountable for their actions. Goaltending has let the Canucks down for the most part over the past handful of years and it&rsquo;s key again. Watch for 17-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby to star on possibly the biggest hockey stage of the season.2. RUSSIACoach Sergei Gersonsky 2004 record 3-2-1, fifth place.Player to watch While Ovechkin and Malkin will be the most watched, look out for forward Roman Voloshenko, the 42nd pick by Minnesota last June. He has developed into a solid scoring threat and had a good showing in the Canada-Russia junior series in the late fall.Outlook The Russians are not as deep as previous years, but they have the best 1-2 punch in the tournament in Ovechkin and Malkin. If the star duo falters, though, the Russians are easy pickings. The goaltending is average.3. CZECH REPUBLICCoach Alois Hadamcik 2004 record 3-4-0, fourth place.Player to watch Goalie Marek Schwarz moved to the Vancouver Giants of the Western League this season and has been tutored by Bill Ranford. How he fares dictates the Czechs&rsquo; chances. Outlook Schwarz wasn&rsquo;t the reason the Czechs bombed last year. The heat is on Olesz (seventh overall in &rsquo;04 draft by Florida) to show he can lead this team because the Czechs don&rsquo;t handle adversity very well.4. SWEDENCoach Tommy Bendelin2004 record 4-3-0, seventh place.Players to watch Loui Eriksson is a speedy and shifty left winger who was drafted in the second round by Dallas in 2003. He was named the Swedish league&rsquo;s rookie of the year in 2004. Robert Nilsson is a treat to watch and the line of David Fredriksson, Carl Soderberg and Linus Videll averages 6-foot-4.Outlook The Swedes won an under-20 tournament in November, beating Russia and Finland, and have the tools to reach the WJC semifinal.5. FINLANDCoach Risto Dufva2004 record 5-2-0, bronze medal.Players to watch The trio of Lauri Tukonen, Petteri Nokelainen and Lauri Korpikoski were picked 11th, 16th and 19th overall in 2004 by Los Angeles, the Islanders and Rangers respectively. They have been playing together for a couple of years and feed off each other very well.Outlook The Finns are called the Canadians of Europe for good reason. They never quit and the harder you push them, the better they play. This team isn&rsquo;t as deep as previous Finnish entries, but the Finns could win a medal. Goalie Tuukka Rask has had lots of work with Ilves of the Finnish league.Another positive is the Finns don&rsquo;t diminish a bronze medal like other countries do.6. UNITED STATESCoach Scott Sandelin2004 record 6-0-0, gold medal.Player to watch Suter is a horse on the blueline and has bloodlines that would make Northern Dancer proud. He&rsquo;ll run the American power play and play 25-30 minutes a game.Outlook Too bad the Americans couldn&rsquo;t have played host to the tournament last year because the &rsquo;04 team had all the ingredients a championship club needs. There&rsquo;s no real pressure on this year&rsquo;s Team USA to repeat because realistically the Americans don&rsquo;t have the horses to make it two-straight WJC crowns. Their best chance at winning a medal of any color is if goalie Al Montoya, who has struggled this season, plays Superman on home turf.7. SLOVAKIACoach Lubomir Lenar2004 record 2-3-1, sixth place.Player to watch Branislav Farby has what you expect from a skilled Slovak: he has great speed, a solid work ethic and a good scoring touch. He&rsquo;s a 2003 Buffalo second-rounder.Outlook Much is made of the Slovak chemistry-probably too much. While it is great to be pulling for each other, it hasn&rsquo;t really produced results. Yes, the Slovaks won bronze in 1999, but they rode a hot goalie all the way. The Slovaks show up, but they just don&rsquo;t have enough to get over the hump.8. SWITZERLANDCoach Jakob Kolliker2004 record 3-4-0, eighth place.Player to watch Defenseman Philippe Seydoux is an Ottawa draft pick with a good upside. He has NHL potential.Outlook Life is great if you&rsquo;re a Swiss player. The Swiss league limits imports, so there&rsquo;s no drive to leave for the NHL. At home, players get paid well, have a free car and apartment and become national heroes. If the Swiss ever played to their potential, they&rsquo;d be worth watching.9. GERMANYCoach Ernst Hofner2004 record 3-2-0, won Div. I, Group A Player to watch Goalie Thomas Greiss is a San Jose pick and has been Germany&rsquo;s top young goalie the past three years.Outlook The big game will be when they play Belarus in the relegation round.10. BELARUSCoach Mikhail Zakharov2004 record 5-0-0, won Div. I, Group B Player to watch Andrei Kostitsyn is a Montreal pick who is having success in Hamilton of the AHL. His younger brother Siarhei is taller, but doesn&rsquo;t have the same drive.Outlook Belarus lost all six games games in its last WJC appearance in 2003, so it can&rsquo;t get worse. &#9632;

f0014-01

Stocked Canada class of field

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN ALLEN</div>When Nashville 2003 first-rounder Ryan Suter was playing for the Milwaukee Admirals in an exhibition game at Nashville&rsquo;s home arena earlier this season, it was his spit more than his polish that pleased Predators management.Suter was in the middle of many of the scrums and he instigated some of them. He showed a level of competitiveness the Predators hope to build their defense around some day.&ldquo;To his opponents, he has a little untrustworthiness,&rdquo; joked Jim Johansson, USA Hockey&rsquo;s senior director of hockey operations.The Americans are counting on defenseman Suter and University of Michigan goaltender Al Montoya to be the backbone of their title defense run at the 2005 World Junior Championship in North Dakota.&ldquo;I would say Ryan is well ahead of the curve,&rdquo; said Admirals GM Phil Wittliff. &ldquo;He has people skills that will serve him well as a leader.&rdquo;Here is an overview of what to expect from the defending world junior champions:<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011740/8340756-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="273" height="100"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021249/8340749-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="245" height="438"></div>STRENGTHS With a handful of returning veterans, there should be some carryover momentum from last year&rsquo;s dramatic triumph against Canada in the gold medal game.&ldquo;It clears the vision,&rdquo; Johansson said. &ldquo;Now it&rsquo;s been done and that&rsquo;s helpful. The good thing is that we now go to these tournaments with some inherent pressure. We expect to succeed. Before we just hoped that we got that chance.&rdquo;The Americans are hoping that playing the tournament in North Dakota might give them a boost at least close to the charge Canada received when the tournament was in Halifax in 2003.One of the American laments of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics was that there were more Canadian flags than American flags. Although North Dakota is close to the Canadian border, Johansson said ticket tracking has shown that the majority of tickets sold have gone to North Dakotans and Minnesotans.Although this year&rsquo;s American team isn&rsquo;t as strong as last season&rsquo;s, the U.S. has skill up front with the likes of returnees Robbie Schremp, Drew Stafford and Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan.Minnesota Wild draft pick A.J. Thelen (12th overall in 2004) also is back on defense.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03878/8340742-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="3242" height="2281"><figcaption class="caption-body">HAIL AL&nbsp;Goalie Al Montoya will star again for the defending champs.(MONTOYA: IHA; STAFFORD: COUTESY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We have a good core of players, but the difference this year is that we go into the tournament with an attitude of &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s take off ourselves,&rsquo; rather than, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s see what the other teams have,&rsquo;&rdquo; Johansson said. &ldquo;We feel if we play well, we will control our destiny.&rdquo;On paper, the Americans should be in a position to be among the tournament&rsquo;s top-scoring teams, up there with the Russians and Canadians.&ldquo;This is a tight group,&rdquo; Montoya said.&ldquo;And last year was a tight group. That was a huge part of why we were successful.&rdquo;VULNERABILITIES The team may not be as skilled defensively as it was a year ago. Also, Zach Parise and Patrick Eaves are gone and they were the core of the American offense last year. The Americans fed off their energy.Last year&rsquo;s team had plenty of success on its resume, having won the world under-18 tournament. This team still will have to find its identity.Some scouts believe Montoya isn&rsquo;t playing as dominantly as he was a year go, but no one is forgetting that he was named the best goalie in last year&rsquo;s WJC. And it has been commonplace to expect some measure of a letdown after a player&rsquo;s draft year (he was picked sixth overall by the Rangers last June). Remember, Montoya has such superior tools that some scouts thought he might turn pro last summer.Gifted center Dan Fritsche of the Columbus Blue Jackets should also return. But it&rsquo;s always a wonder whether the role players will perform as proficiently as last year&rsquo;s stellar group.DON&rsquo;T BE SURPRISED IF O&rsquo; Sullivan finishes among the top three scorers in the tournament. And look for Thelen to be among the most dynamic defensemen at the world junior championship. If he has a good tourney on the power play, the Americans will be very dangerous and may surprise for a silver medal. &#9632;

f0015-01

Quest to repeat won’t be easy

<div class="byline">-MARK BRENDER</div>The excitement of the World Junior Championship on home soil is only beginning to build for most members of Team USA, but University of North Dakota right winger Drew Stafford has been living the hype for months.The ads are up on the dasher boards. The big games are already sold out. And Stafford, 18, has the rare privilege of playing in what may be the most prestigious hockey tournament of the year-without leaving his own backyard.He will, however, have to leave his apartment and join his teammates at a hotel. Fortunately, his parents can head back to the pad for him if he forgets to bring enough socks.&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve always got people asking you questions about how it&rsquo;s going to be, what I expect,&rdquo; Stafford said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the same answers all the time, it&rsquo;s going to be an unbelievable experience&hellip;Coming here and defending (the 2004 WJC title) at home, my home rink, too, it&rsquo;s going to be something else.&rdquo;While the hard-charging, muck-it-up forward isn&rsquo;t about to change his game-the Buffalo Sabres appreciated it enough to select him 13th overall last summer-he would like to step up and fill some of the offensive void left by the departures of 2004 lynchpins Zach Parise and Mike Eaves.One of eight U.S. returnees from 2004, Stafford went goalless in six WJC games, last year, but his solid checking job didn&rsquo;t go unnoticed.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m ready to play any role the coach puts me in,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;m thinking this year of not only providing some sort of experience, but also some scoring, because I&rsquo;m pretty sure we&rsquo;re going to need all the scoring we can get.&rdquo;Count on Stafford, from Fairbault, Minn., getting plenty of local support. He&rsquo;ll have a lot of family in attendance, likely including his uncle Barrie Stafford, equipment manager for the Edmonton Oilers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04646/8340787-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="999" height="949"></div> &#9632;

f0015-04

Stafford pumped for performance on home turf

<div class="byline">BY MARK BRENDER</div>It seems a lifetime ago observers were calling for an overhaul of Canadian hockey after the country&rsquo;s best suffered a crushing quarterfinal loss to the Czech Republic at the 1998 Olympics. Since then, a win at the 2002 Olympics, the 2004 World Cup and back-to-back world championships have resurrected the national swagger.Same story on the women&rsquo;s side, where the national team avenged an Olympic loss in &rsquo;98 by beating the Americans on their home turf four years later. Canada&rsquo;s women still have never lost a world championship.And then there&rsquo;s the World Junior Championship program with its three straight silver medals and six consecutive years on the podium, a run of unmatched consistent competitiveness.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011701/8340832-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="271" height="105"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021332/8340825-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="256" height="472"></div>And what does it get the juniors back home? Ongoing standing as the team that a national hockey revival forgot. These days, seven years and counting without gold stands out like an open-net whiff.Team Canada has turned to the Sutter family tradition of no-nonsense, all-for-one, one-style-for-all hockey to turn things around.With a record 12 returning players, surpassing the previous high of 10 in 2002, Canadian coach Brent Sutter isn&rsquo;t about to make things complicated.Sutter insists the defending gold medallist U.S. has to be the favorite, but that&rsquo;s early mind games at work. Stocked with impressive depth at forward and along the blueline, if Sutter can get his players to buy into the team concept and the family work ethic, experience and talent should get them back to the gold medal game. Getting Sutter to admit as much is another matter.&ldquo;Everyone keeps talking about gold, gold, gold,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;To me it&rsquo;s one day at a time. It&rsquo;s not getting caught up about (the championship game on) Jan. 4. Because if you do that, you won&rsquo;t be there Jan. 4.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031006/8340818-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="3189" height="2206"><figcaption class="caption-body">ICE FORCE&nbsp;Anthony Stewart had his coming-out party at the 2004 WJC. (BOTH BBS/GETTY)</figcaption></div>Twenty-one of the 32 players chosen for training camp-including all four goalies-are from the Western League.STRENGTHS Led by standout Dion Phaneuf and backed up by fellow WHL returnees Shawn Belle, Braydon Coburn and Brent Seabrook, the blueline is so strong that converted defenseman Brent Burns might have been fighting for playing time even if the Minnesota Wild had released him for the tournament.Boston center Patrice Bergeron, now playing in Providence of the American League, is the only NHLer on the team, but others including Phaneuf and possibly center Jeff Carter might have been on NHL rosters if not for the lockout. With the likes of Sidney Crosby, Carter, Nigel Dawes and possibly Ontario League scoring leader Corey Perry, filling up the nets shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem. Sutter wants to use the team&rsquo;s depth to play an up-tempo, roll-the-lines, attacking style.&ldquo;We want to be a speedy, in-your-face, high-pressure type team,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;I believe you have to be on your toes and moving and playing at a top level. And to play that way, you&rsquo;ve got to use your full bench.&rdquo;VULNERABILITIES On paper, goaltending is the only question mark. It may not be fair to Rejean Beauchemin, Devan Dubnyk, Jeff Glass and Kevin Nastiuk, who are all enjoying strong seasons in the WHL, but Canada knows too well the consequence of average goaltending at crunch time.Marc-Andre Fleury was sub-par in the gold medal game last year. Ditto for Pascal Ledaire in 2002. Fleury&rsquo;s performance at the 2003 event was heroic, but Canada lacked the firepower that year to give him much breathing room.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re going to need a guy to stop 50 shots,&rdquo; said Canadian head scout Blair Mackasey. &ldquo;What we&rsquo;re going to need is a guy who&rsquo;s going to (face) maybe 20 or 21 shots.&rdquo;DON&rsquo;T BE SURPRISED IF The next great Canadian center winds up playing the wing.Consider that with Bergeron, Carter and Mike Richards, Canada has three 19-year-old centers who arguably deserve to be ahead of the 17-year-old Crosby on the depth chart. Anticipating the logjam, Sutter and Co. had Crosby spend some time on the wing at the summer evaluation camp.Also, expect to see preparation time spent on fortifying Canada&rsquo;s mental toughness. Experience is an advantage, but there may be some ghosts still lurking. &ldquo;It comes down to your preparation, how mentally strong you are,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;Yeah, your performance on the ice is important, but all those other things are what leads up to how you&rsquo;re going to play on the ice.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0016-01

Canada feeling seven-year itch

<div class="byline">-MARK BRENDER</div>It was the middle of last summer before Mike Richards could bear to relive the heartbreak. He was at home in Kenora, Ont., and had just come back to his parents&rsquo; house after a workout. He turned on the NHL Network. The third period of the 2004 World Junior Championship gold medal game was just starting. His dad was there with him. Canada was up 3-1.&ldquo;I got the same feeling in the summertime as I did after that game,&rdquo; said Richards, the 19-year-old captain of the Kitchener Rangers. &ldquo;Even though you knew what was going to happen, you didn&rsquo;t want to see it. But I kind of battled through it and seeing what happened, it was heartbreaking.&rdquo;And like all returnees on Canada, Richards itches for another WJC chance. He will play an integral role, in every situation and every game. There isn&rsquo;t anything he doesn&rsquo;t do well.A candidate for team captaincy, Richards provides two-way grit on a team that won&rsquo;t have a problem scoring, yet he&rsquo;s also a good enough offensive player to center Canada&rsquo;s top line, with returning wingers Nigel Dawes and Anthony Stewart, who tied for the 2004 WJC scoring lead with 11 points. It&rsquo;d be a surprise if they were broken up.&ldquo;From Day 1, we really played well together,&rdquo; said Richards, chosen 24th overall by Philadelphia in 2003, &ldquo;and our confidence just built and built. Finally we got to a point where we knew where each other was on the ice. The chemistry was there.&rdquo;The Richards line was on the ice last year when goalie Marc-Andre Fleury&rsquo;s ill-advised clearing shot bounced off Braydon Coburn and into Canada&rsquo;s net for USA&rsquo;s gold medal winner.That play may have been when Richards&rsquo;s father turned to his son this summer and shook his head in silent empathy. Six months later, a new and improved father-son moment may be just around the corner.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04761/8340863-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="786" height="1024"></div> &#9632;

f0016-04

Summer rerun reminds Richards of lost gold

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN FEE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011521/8340894-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">WORLD-CLASS FACILITY&nbsp;The Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., was built after the devastating flood of 1997.</figcaption></div>Many great players have come out of Grand Forks, N.D., and the University of North Dakota over the years.But maybe the most famous North Dakota player of all didn&rsquo;t make it to the NHL. In fact, he was a college backup. But without him, the 2005 World Junior Championship would never have come to North Dakota.A former Fighting Sioux goalie and a wealthy entrepreneur, Ralph Engelstad built hockey arenas in Grand Forks, N.D., and Thief River Falls, Minn., before his death in 2002. Both arenas bear his name. Because of his generosity, Grand Forks and Thief River Falls will play host to the WJC from Dec. 25 through Jan. 4.In his business life, Engelstad built and owned the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and in Biloxi, Miss. The arena in Grand Forks cost Engelstad more than $100-million. The Thief River Falls rink cost about $13 million. While Grand Forks&rsquo; Ralph Engelstad Arena (home to the Fighting Sioux) may be the finest college hockey facility in the country, the same can be said of Thief River Falls&rsquo; Ralph Engelstad Arena as the finest high school hockey facility.The Grand Forks 400,000-square foot arena tops most professional facilities. All concourse floors are granite, each seat is constructed of leather and cherrywood and there are 48 luxury suites and the longest freestanding bar in the state. There is a training facility featuring a 10,000-square foot weight room and underwater treadmill and an extra Olympic sheet of ice.Since opening in October, 2001, the Grand Forks Ralph Engelstad Arena has played host to many big attractions including Tim McGraw, Stars on Ice, Dennis Miller and the Minnesota Wild. It has even played host to a tennis exhibition between Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.<h2>MANY SIOUX ALUMNI IN NHL</h2>While Engelstad made his mark through successful business ventures and with his generosity, many North Dakota players have made it big on the ice. More than 60 UND players have played in the NHL, including Ed Belfour, Dave Christian, Dermis Hextall, Troy Murray, Craig Ludwig, James Patrick and Dave Tippett.Grand Forks itself has had some top players throughout the years. Cliff&rsquo;Fido&rsquo; Purpur, is the only Grand Forks-born player to make it to the NHL. Purpur played in the NHL in 1934-35 with the St. Louis Eagles.In St. Louis, Purpur was idolized by the fans because of his gutsy play, great speed and small stature, but also because he always took time out to talk to the fans and sign autographs for the youngsters.People in Grand Forks, which got its name from the fork in the Red Lake and Red River, do more than play sports, though.Grand Forks native George Bull was one of the inventors of Cream of Wheat cereal in the late 1800s. And Andrew Freeman invented the headbolt heater in 1947. The headbolt heater came in handy, as the average winter temperature from December through February is 17.2 degrees Fahrenheit.Grand Forks, which has a population of about 50,000, is part of a two-county metropolitan statistical area of 100,000 in North Dakota and Minnesota. East Grand Forks, which is located across the river in Minnesota, has a population of about 8,000. The city has plenty of restaurants, lounges and movie theaters, but if you need more during the tournament one can drive 311 miles to Minneapolis-St. Paul or 145 miles to Winnipeg.The University of North Dakota, which has an enrollment of about 13,000, is a large employer. And the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is about 15 miles from the city, has more than 4,000 residents.The regional agriculture in Grand Forks County is quite wide and diverse. Located in the Red River Valley, the county possesses some of the richest farmland in the world. Sugar beets, potatoes, soybeans, canola and sunflowers are among the crops grown in the region. &#9632;

f0017-01

WJC showcases Engelstad legacy

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06317/8340977-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05405/8340984-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="226" height="146"></div> &#9632;

f0018-06

Tournament Roster

USA games will be televised on a network to be determined. TSN will televise Canada&rsquo;s games and the following games. All times eastern.Sunday, Dec. 26Russia vs. U.S.A., 2 pm (taped)Wednesday, Dec. 29Czech Rep. vs. Switzerland, 4:30 pmBelarus vs. U.S.A., 8:30 pmThursday, Dec. 30U.S.A, vs. Czech Rep., 8:30 pmSaturday, Jan. 1Quarterfinal, 4:30 pmSaturday, Jan. 1Quarterfinal, 8 pmSunday, Jan. 2Semifinal, 4 pmMonday, Jan. 3Semifinal, 7 pmTuesday, Jan. 4Bronze Medal Game, 4 pmTuesday, Jan. 4Gold Medal Game, 7 pm &#9632;

2005 Television Schedule

<h2>ROUND ROBIN</h2>Saturday, Dec. 251. Slovakia vs. Canada 3:30 pm. Grand Forks2. Belarus vs. Czech Rep. 4 pm, Thief River Falls3. Russia vs. United States 7:30 pm. Grand Forks4. Germany vs. Finland 7:30 pm, Thief River FallsSunday, Dec. 265. Switzerland vs. Belarus 6 pm. Grand Forks6. Sweden vs. Germany 6 pm, Thief River FallsMonday, Dec. 277. Canada vs. Sweden 3:30 pm. Grand Forks8. Czech Rep. vs. Russia 4 pm. Thief River Falls9. U.S.A vs. Switzerland 8 pm, Grand Forks10. Finland vs. Slovakia 7:30 pm, Thief River FallsTuesday, Dec. 2811. Germany vs. Canada 7 pm. Grand Forks12. Russia vs. Belarus 7 pm. Thief River FallsWednesday, Dec. 2913. Czech Rep. vs. Switzerland 3:30 pm, Grand Forks14. Finland vs. Sweden 4 pm, Thief River Falls15. Belarus vs. United States 7:30 pm, Grand Forks16. Slovakia vs. Germany 7:30 pm. Thief River FallsThursday, Dec. 3017. Canada vs. Finland 3:30 pm, Grand Forks18. Switzerland vs. Russia 4 pm. Thief River Falls19. U.S.A, vs. Czech Republic 7:30 pm, Grand Forks20. Sweden vs. Slovakia 7:30 pm, Thief River Falls<h2>PLAYOFFS & RELEGATION</h2>Saturday, Jan. 1Relegation21. A4 vs. B5 12 pm. Grand Forks Quarterfinal22. A2 vs. B3 3:30 pm, Grand Forks Quarterfinal23. B2 vs A3 7:30 pm, Grand ForksSunday, Jan. 2Relegation24. B4 vs. A5 12 pm. Grand Forks Semifinal25. Bl vs. Winner Gm. 22 3:30 pm, Grand ForksSemifinal26. Al vs. Winner Gm. 23 7:30 pm, Grand ForksMonday, Jan. 3Relegation27. A5 vs. B5 12 pm, Grand Forks Relegation28. A4 vs. B4 3:30 pm, Grand Forks Fifth Place29. L22 vs. L23 7:30 pm, Grand ForksTuesday, Jan. 4Bronze Medal Game30. L25 vs L26 3 pm, Grand Forks Gold Medal Game31. W25 vs. W26 7 pm, Grand Forks*All times Central<h2>BELARUS</h2>GOALTENDERS Stepan Goryachevskikh (85) Minsk Jr.; Dmitry Milchakou (86) Dynamo Minsk; Igor Shlykov (85) HC Brest.DEFENSEMEN Sergei Giro (85) Minsk Jr.; Yauhen Haranin (86) Dynamo Minsk; Andrei Karev (85) Minsk Jr.; Sergei Kolasau (86) Dynamo Minsk; Aleksey Shahau (86) Metalurg Liepaia; Viachaslav Shypila (86) HC Gomel; Vadim Sushko (86) Dynamo Minsk; Dmitry Yadeshka (85) HC Gomel.FORWARDS Pavel Asmalouski (85) Dynamo Minsk; Raman Blokh (86) HC Gomel&rsquo; Alexei Efimenko (85) Minsk Jr.; Ole Frolov (85) Dynamo Minsk; Viacheslav Husau (85) Dynamo Minsk; Vadim Karaha (85) Khimik-SKA; Andrei Kastsitsyn (85) Hamilton (AHL); Sergei Kastsitsyn (87) HC Gomel&rsquo; Sergei Kukushkin (85) Indiana Ice (USHL); Vitali Labionak (86) Khimik-SKA; Dmitry Pantsyrau (86) Neman Grodno; Aleksey Pilnou (86) Khimik-SKA; Sergei Rylkou (86) Minsk Jr.; Alexei Savin (86) Minsk Jr.; Alexei Ugarov (85) Minsk Jr.; Artim Volkau (85) Minsk Jr.; Konstantin Zakharov (85) Worchester (AHL).<h2>CZECH REPUBLIC</h2>GOALTENDERS Jakub Cech (85) Sault Ste. Marie (OHL); Vladislav Koutsky (85) Pardubice; Marek Schwarz (86) Vancover (WHL); Tomas Sturala (85) Zlin; Lukas Bolf (85) Barrie (OHL).DEFENSEMEN Michal Gulasi (86) Lethbridge (WHL); Petr Horava (85) Kladno; Jakub Kindi (87) Kitchener (OHL); Martin Lojek (85) Brampton (OHL); Roman Polak (86) Kootenay (WHL); Ondrej Smach (86) Znojmo; Ladislav Smid (86) Liberec; Jakub Sulc (85) Slavia Praha; Martin Tuma (85) Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).FORWARDS Zdenek Bahensky (86) Saskatoon (WHL); Roman Cervenka (85) Slavia Praha; Michael Frolik (88) Kladno; Milan Hluchy (85) Kladno; Zbynek Hrdel (85) Rimouski (QMJHL); Karel Hromas (86) Everett (WHL); Lukas Kaspar (85) Ottawa (OHL); Bedrich Kohler (85) Vitkovice; David Krejci (86) Gatineau (QMJHL); Marek Kvapil (85) Saginaw (OHL); Rostislav Olesz (85) Sparta Praha; Jakub Petruzalek (85) Ottawa (OHL); Vojtech Polak (85) Karlovy Vary; Michal Polak (85) Plzen; Radek Smolenak (86) Kingston (OHL); Jan Steber (85) Halifax (QMJHL); Petr Vrana (85) Halifax (QMJHL).<h2>FINLAND</h2>GOALTENDERS Joonas Hallikainen (85) Jokerit Helsinki; Tuukka Rask (87) Ilves Tampere.DEFENSEMEN Juuso Hietanen (85) HPK Hameenlinna; Otto Honkaheimo (85) Lukko Rauma; Risto Korhonen (86) Karpat Oulu; Mikko Kuukka (85) Red Deer (WHL); Teemu Laakso (87) IFK Helsinki; Ville Mantymaa (85) Tappara Tampere; Anssi Tieranta (85) Ilves Tampere.FORWARDS Livo Hokkanen (85) Jukurit Mikkeli; Jesse Joensuu (87) Assat Pori; Lauri Korpikoski (86) TPS Turku; Jussi Makkonen (85) Tuto Turku; Masi Marjamaki (85) Moose Jaw (WHL); Kim Nabb (85) Sport Vaasa; Petteri Nokelainen (86) SaiPa Lappenranta; Teemu Nurmi (85) Tappara Tampere; Arsi Piispanen (85) JYP Jyvaskyla; Filip Riska (85) JYP Jyvaskyla; Aki Seitsonen (86) Prince Albert (WHL); Valtteri Tenkanen (85) JYP Jyvaskyla; Lauri Tukonen (86) Blues Espoo.<h2>GERMANY</h2>GOALTENDERS Thomas Greiss (86) Kober Haie; Lukas Lang (86) Numberg; Youri Ziffzer (86) Berlin.DEFENSEMEN Jens Baxmann (85) Berlin; Robert Dietrich (86) Crimmitschau; Tobias Draxinger (85) Berlin; Frank Hordler (85) Berlin; Raphael Kapzan (85) Landshut; Markus Koch (85) Schwenningen; Moritz Muller (86) Kolner Haie; Benedikt Schopper (85) Hannover; Marco Schutz (85) Heilbronner; Steffen Tolzer (85) Peiting.FORWARDS Danny Albrecht (85) Bremerhaven; Sachar Blank (85) Mannheim; Florian Busch (85) Berlin; Fabio Carciola (85) Mannheim; Alexander Feistl (85) Landshut; Herbert Geisberger (85) Rosenheim; Kai Hospelt (85) Kolner Haie; Alexander Janzen (85) Bremerhaven; Marcus Kink (85) Mannheim; Ulrich Maurer (85) Numberg; Andre Rankel (85) Berlin; Andre Reiss (86) Bremerhaven; Thomas Schenkel (85) Berlin; Markus Schmidt (85) Bremerhaven; Felix Schutz (87) Landshut<h2>RUSSIA</h2>GOALTENDERS Vladislav Fokin (86) Traktor; Anton Khudobin (86) Metallurg; Andrei Kuznetsov (85) Ufa.DEFENSEMEN Alexander Axenenko (86) Sibir; Anton Belov (86) Central Army; Alexei Emelin (86) Lada; Kirill Lyamin (86) Central Army; Dmitri Megalinsky (85) Lokomotiv; Georgi Misharin (85) Neftekhimik; Grigori Panin (85) Lada; Andrei Pervyshin (85) Ak Bars; Yakov Rylov (85) Dynamo; Dmitri Vorobiev (85) Lada.FORWARDS Denis Ezhov (85) Central Army; Alexander Galimov (85) Lokomotiv; Konstantin Glazachev (85) Lokomotiv; Nikolai Kulemin (86) Metallurg; Enver Lisin (86) Ak Bars; Evgeni Malkin (86) Metallurg; Alexander Nikulin (85) Central Army; Sergei Ogorodnikov (86) Central Army; Alexander Ovechkin (85) Dynamo; Denis Parshin (86) Central Army; Dmitri Pestunov (85) Metallurg; Konstantin Romanov (85) Dynamo; Sergei Salnikov (86) Salavat Yulaev; Grigori Shafigulin (85) Lokomotiv; Sergei Shirokov (86) Central Army; Roman Voloshenko (86) Soviet Wings; Mikhail Yunkov (86) Soviet Wings.<h2>SLOVAKIA</h2>GOALTENDERS Jaroslav Halak, Lewiston (QMJHL); Marek Novotny, Dukla Trencin; Michal Valent Sparta Praha.SKATERS Ivan Baranka, Everett (WHL); Slavomir Bodnar, Kosice; Tomas Bulik; Vladimir Dravecky; Branislav Fabry, Bratislava; Juraj Gracik, Tri-City (WHL); Marek Hascak, Dukla Trencin; Milan Hruska, Topolcany; Richard Jencik; Vladimir Kutny, Val-d&rsquo;Or (QMJHL); Stanislav Lascek, Chicoutimi (QMJHL); Juraj Liska; Andrej Meszaros, Vancouver (WHL); Peter Mikus; Peter Olvecky; Stefan Ruzicka, Owen Sound (OHL); Ladislav Scurko, Seattle; Martin Segla, Presov; Andrej Sekera, Owen Sound (OHL); Michal Sersen, Rimouski; Boris Valabik, Kitchener (OHL); Marek Zagrapan, Chicoutimi (QMJHL).<h2>SWITZERLAND</h2>GOALTENDERS Reto Berra (87) Dubendorf; Michael Brugger (85) Visp; Leonardo Genoni (87) ZSC Lions; Michael Tobler (85) Rapperswil-Jona.DEFENSEMEN Alain Birbaum (85) Fribourg-Gotteron; Rafael Diaz (86) Zug; Philippe Furrer (85) Bern; Christian Haldimann (85) Fribourg-Gotteron; Clarence Kparghai (85) Bern; Jonathan Mercier (86) Geneve-Servette; Daniel Schnyder (85) GCK Lions; Marc Schulthess (86) Kloten; Philippe Seydoux (85) Kloten; Patrick Von Gunten (85) BaiLFORWARDS Yvan Benoit (85) Geneve-Servette; Matthias Bieber (86) GCK Lions; Cedric Botter (85) Bern; Franco Collenberg (85) Davos; Fabian Debrunner (85) Lions; Gianni Ehrensperger (85) Kloten; Peter Guggisberg (85) Davos; Stefan Hurtimann (85) Rapperswil-Jona; Kevin Romy (85) Geneve-Servette; Fabian Schnyder (85) Zug; Beat Schuler (85) Zug; Julien Sprunger (86) Fribourg-Gotteron; Victor Stancescu (85) Kloten; Janick Steinmann (87) Zug; Julian Walker (86) Bern;; Roman Wick (85) Red Deer (WHL).<h2>SWEDEN</h2>GOALTENDERS Christopher Heino-Lindberg (85) Hammarby; David Rautio (85) Lulea.DEFENSEMEN Stefan Erkgards (85) Farjestad; Johan Fransson (85) Lulea; Elias Granath (85) Leksand; Nicklas Grossman (85) Sodertalje; Oscar Hedman (86) MoDo; Per Savilahti-Nagander (85) Lulea; Anton Stralman (86) Skovde; Ola Svanberg (85) HV-71.FORWARDS Daniel Ahsberg (85) Frolunda; Nicklas Bergfors (87) Sodertalje; Loui Eriksson (85) Frolunda HC; David Fredriksson (85) HV-71; Mattias Hellstrom (86) MoDo; Sebastian Karlsson (86) Frolunda; Robert Nilsson (85) Djurgarden; Kalle Olsson (85) Frolunda; Linus Persson (85) Hammarby; Johannes Salmonsson (86) Djurgarden; Cart Soderberg (85) Malmo; Bjorn Svensson (86) Saskatoon (WHL); Linus Videll (85) Sodertalje.Rosters are preliminary and subject to change. Numbers in parentheses indicate players&rsquo; year of birth. &#9632;

2005 WJC Schedule

<div class="byline">BY MATTHEW WUEST</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011452/8341063-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAKUB KINDL KITCHENER RANGERS (COURTESY KITCHENER RANGERS)</figcaption></div>The bar is not set terribly high for draft prospects at the World Junior Championship.Because the tournament is typically dominated by 19-year-old players, draft-eligible prospects lucky enough to represent their country aren&rsquo;t often expected to make a significant impact. But if they do manage to have a big tournament, their draft ratings soar exponentially.&ldquo;You have to be careful to cut the younger guys a bit of slack, because it is a 19-year-old&rsquo;s tournament and there&rsquo;s a lot of pressure,&rdquo; said one NHL scout. &ldquo;But sometimes, a guy steps up and does a lot to boost his stock.&rdquo;There are a number of draft prospects with a shot at this year&rsquo;s world juniors.They are listed below in order of International Scouting Service&rsquo;s December ranking (in parentheses). Included are country, position, height, weight, current team and statistics (GP-G-A-PTS-PIM).SIDNEY CROSBY (1)&nbsp;Canada, C, 5-11, 192, Rimouski (QMJHL), 31-19-45-64-30. Crosby will be a go-to offensive player for Canada. That said, nothing he does (or doesn&rsquo;t do) will change his status as the consensus top prospect for the 2005 entry draft. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s obviously going to go No. 1,&rdquo; stated one NHL scout. &ldquo;There are no two ways about it.&rdquo;TUUKKA RASK (2G)&nbsp;Finland, G, 6-1, 163, Ilves Tampere (Fin-2), 12 GP, 2.07 GAA, .928 SP. A calm, cool and collected netminder, Rask can establish himself as the top draft-eligible goalie with a big showing at the WJC. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s tremendously quick,&rdquo; a scout said of Rask. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s more aggressive than most European goalies.&rdquo;MAREK ZAGRAPAN (4)&nbsp;Slovakia, C, 6-1, 185, Chicoutimi (QMJHL), 29-15-25-40-20. The crafty Zagrapan has adjusted quickly to playing hockey in North America and can make the puck dance. &ldquo;He has created quite a buzz,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not one-dimensional. He&rsquo;s smart, creative, and handles himself physically.&rdquo;JAKUR KINDL (5)&nbsp;Czech Republic, D, 6-3, 197, Kitchener (OHL), 25-2-6-8-32. Kindl, who is likely to be a top-10 draft pick, has fantastic size, mobility and offensive skill. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s dynamic and has great tools,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;He has been concentrating on playing a two-way, North American game.&rdquo;NICKLAS BERGFORS (9)&nbsp;Sweden, RW, 5-11, 192, Sodertalje (Swe), 20-1-0-1-2. A very complete player, Bergfors is a first-round candidate despite his small stature. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s small, but fast and strong,&rdquo; noted a European scout. &ldquo;He makes things happen with his speed and surprising moves.&rdquo;RISTO KORHONEN (23)&nbsp;Finland, D, 6-2, 185, Karpat (Fin-2), 21-4-3-7-61. A solid and reliable defender, Korhonen would likely be a Finnish Elite League regular were it not for the NHL lockout. &ldquo;He plays a mature game,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;He stands up at the line and hands out the odd check.&rdquo;TEEMU LAAKSO (21)&nbsp;Finland, D, 6-1, 187, IFK Helsinki (Fin-2), 19-5-4-9-14. Laakso isn&rsquo;t big, nor is he particularly speedy. But he&rsquo;s a defensive rock and can move the puck. &ldquo;He plays a safe game,&rdquo; said a European scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s at his best in the defensive zone.&rdquo;BRIAN LEE (51)&nbsp;United States, D, 6-3, 202, Moorhead (U.S. High), 2-4-4-8-n/a. A surprising Team USA selection ahead of Jack Johnson, Lee is a big puck-rushing blueliner with fabulous skating ability. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a first-rounder,&rdquo; said an American scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very talented and makes great moves with the puck.&rdquo;SIARHEI KASTSITSYN (131)&nbsp;Belarus, LW, 510, 179, Gomel (Bel.), Stats not available. With slick skills similar to older brother Andrei, a Montreal first-rounder in 2003, Kastsitsyn will be in the spotlight for Belarus. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not as talented as his brother, but they have the same finesse style of play,&rdquo; a European scout said.OTHERS Defenseman Nate Hagemo will see time on the American blueline and forwards Vladimir Sobotka (Czech Republic), Sebastian Karlsson (Sweden) and Janick Stienmann (Switzerland) also are expected to play&hellip;Overage players Daniel Ahsberg, a left winger from Sweden, and Dmitry Megalinsky, a Russian defenseman, will be aiming to show scouts what they missed in the 2004 entry draft. Both players are 19 years old.<h2>EARLY JUMP ON 2006</h2>Three high-end 2006 draft prospects could make an impact in North Dakota. They are:Phil Kessel, U.S. A star for the U.S. national under-18 team, Kessel is a gifted offensive player pegged as a top-five pick. &ldquo;(He) has outstanding speed,&rdquo; said a scoutJesse Joensuu, Fin. At 17, Joensuu is an incredibly mature 6-foot-3, 194-pound package. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a playmaker with good hands and he plays a physical game,&rdquo; a scout said.Michael Frolik, Cze. The 6-foot-l, 183-pound center has huge offensive upside. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big, strong talent with excellent hockey sense and high skill level&rdquo; said a scout. &#9632;

f0019-01

Draft eligibles shake it at WJC

<div class="byline">BY THN STAFF</div>Years from now, hockey historians may refer to the turning point in the game&rsquo;s evolution as the brainchild of The Shanahan Clan.Or maybe Shanahan&rsquo;s recommendations will fall on deaf ears.During a two-day think tank in Toronto, a group of 21 players, coaches, GMs, referees and broadcasters&mdash;led by Detroit left winger Brendan Shanahan-came up with 10 recommendations to improve the standard of play in the NHL.Among the most notable suggestions are a shootout after five minutes of overtime and making the standards of obstruction clearer.&ldquo;Our intention is not to rewrite the rulebook,&rdquo; said Shanahan to The Globe and Mail. &ldquo;We feel the NHL is an excellent product. There were just certain ways we wanted to make suggestions and nudge it a certain way.&rdquo;Many suggestions have been mentioned before or experimented with in the American League. Others are more refined.Obstruction, for example, had some red flags, including a) increased education and enforcement; b) body-on-body, stick-on-stick contact is legal; c) body-on-stick, stick-on-body contact is illegal between the tops of the faceoff circles in either end of the rink; and, d) flagrant diving is a two-minute minor and a 10-minute misconduct.Participants realize obstruction is the source of many bad things in the NHL. &ldquo;They wanted to nail this down,&rdquo; said retired referee Terry Gregson. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to find a more black-and-white (definition) so that from the top of the circle, we have speed. Below the tops of the circles, we&rsquo;re in agreement, that&rsquo;s hockey, there&rsquo;s going to be body contact, you&rsquo;re going to have to fight your way to the net.&rdquo;Of new rules being experimented on in the AHL, four were highlighted: a) tag-up offside rule; b) wider bluelines and center red line; c) restricted goalie zone; and, d) push the goal line back two feet.People in attendance included Andy Brickley, Brian Burke, Sean Burke, Marc Crawford, John Davidson, Sam Flood, Bob Gainey, Terry Gregson, Glenn Healy, Curtis Joseph, Al Maclnnis, Ron MacLean, Jim McKenzie, Tom McNeeley, Alexander Mogilny, James Patrick, John Shannon, Mats Sundin, Dave Tippett and John Tortorella.As for the controversial issue of the shootout, the concept of giving the fans a resolution proved paramount. (See pgs. 5, 6 for more on shootout).&ldquo;There were obviously some things we felt strongly about,&rdquo; said Shanahan to the Globe and Mail. &ldquo;The group felt with the price of tickets these days, the fans deserve to see a winner.&rdquo; The committee also addressed making the game more fan-friendly by putting microphones on coaches and players during games and increasing media access.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something we realize now, that other sports are being sold better than we are, people are getting to know other athletes,&rdquo; said Shanahan to the National Post. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time that we got to know our players a bit better.&rdquo; The proposals were forwarded to the NHL and the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, which both endorsed Shanahan&rsquo;s meeting.<h2>10 RECOMMENDATIONS</h2>1. Create competition committee.2. Refine standards for obstruction.3. Five minutes of overtime, then shootout to decide winner.4. One-minute penalties in overtime rather than two minutes.5. Streamline goaltending equipment.6. Adopt AHL experimental rules.7. Automatic icing. For intentional icing, defending team should not make tine change.8. Two-minute minor penalty for players shooting the puck into the stands in defensive zone.9. Improve access for broadcast rights-holders.10. Improve communication and partnership at all levels of game. &#9632;

Shanahan Clan makes its pitch

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011091/8341142-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="816" height="2741"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ed Belfour trails only Patrick Roy (551), Terry Sawchuk (447) and Jacques Plante (437) in wins.</figcaption></div>Here are the projected starting goalies for each NHL team, listed in order of career wins. Toronto&rsquo;s Ed Belfour is the active wins leader with 435. &#9632;

f0021-01

NO. 1 GOALIES

<div class="byline">-DAN WOOD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02701/8341173-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="222" height="279"></div>The Mighty Ducks figure to be keeping close tabs on the final evaluation camp for Team Canada&rsquo;s entry in this year&rsquo;s World Junior Championship. Prize Ducks forward prospects Ryan Getzlaf of the Calgary Hitmen and Corey Perry of the London Knights stood good chances to be among the final 22-man roster. One of 12 returnees from last year&rsquo;s squad, Getzlaf ranked eighth in Western League scoring with a team-high 34 points, including 19 goals, in 31 games when Hockey Canada selected the 32 players for the final camp. Perry led the Ontario League with 22 goals and 61 points in 28 games for London. The Ducks drafted Getzlaf 19th and Perry 28th in the first round of the 2003 NHL entry draft. Each signed a three-year, entry level contract Sept. 15, just before the league&rsquo;s lockout began&hellip;The AHL&rsquo;s Cincinnati Mighty Ducks will play their second and third games of the season at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim Dec. 17-18, against the Edmonton Road Runners&hellip;Left winger Casey Hankinson, who became a Group VI, unrestricted free agent after last season, re-signed with Cincinnati Dec. 3. &#9632;

f0021-02

Two Mighty Ducks prospects in line to help Team Canada

<div class="byline">-JIM KELLEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03451/8341204-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="218" height="276"></div>Hockey players are often-and often erroneously-referred to as warriors in the media, but a real one showed up at the Buffalo Legends of Hockey game recently and got the game&rsquo;s only standing ovation. Rein Butterworth, a 20-year-old soldier home on leave from the U.S. war in Iraq got to play alongside some of his hometown heroes in the game at HSBC Arena. He scored two goals and got an ovation when he accepted a Team USA sweater worn by former U.S. Olympic goalie Jim Craig, who also played in the game&hellip;Mike Eruzione, Craig&rsquo;s teammate and captain of the 1980 Olympic gold medal-winning team, said he was saddened by the state of the NHL and added the game&rsquo;s lack of entertainment, coupled with the lockout, could kill interest in the United States&hellip;Defenseman Alexei Zhitink had been holding out hope the lockout would be resolved by now, which is why he hadn&rsquo;t been playing in Europe. But in early December, he signed a deal with AK Bars Kazan of the Russian League, the team that employs 11 other NHLers including Alexander Ovechkin, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Ilya Kovalchuk. &#9632;

f0021-03

U.S. soldier realizes dream by playing in charity game

<div class="byline">-JOHN MANASSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04338/8341235-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="222" height="271"></div>Slava Kozlov is at home in one way, but in unfamiliar territory in another. The Thrashers left winger has been moved to the right side while playing on a line with center German Titov and left winger Valeri Kamensky in his hometown of Voskresensk, some 70 miles from Moscow. Between the three of them, they have nearly 600 NHL goals and 30 NHL seasons. The trio all came up with Khimik and during the lockout all are playing in their hometown. &ldquo;I spoke with Kamensky and Titov and we talked about playing together,&rdquo; said Kozlov, whose parents and sister live in the city. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t spend so much money like (AK Bars) Kazan, but we&rsquo;re playing together for each other.&rdquo; Kozlov showed no effects of playing out of position Dec. 2, assisting on a goal to give Khimik a 3-2 victory over Kazan, the team with the league&rsquo;s highest payroll, after entering the third period down 2-0&hellip;Center Patrik Stefan joined the European migration recently, as the Czech signed with Tampere in the Finnish league. Stefan signed a two-year, $2.7 million contract over the summer with the Thrashers, who expect him to be their No. 2 pivot. &#9632;

f0021-04

Kozlov’s game loses little by switching to other wing

<div class="byline">-RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-05233/8341266-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="216" height="276"></div>It hasn&rsquo;t exactly been a dream season for center Dustin Boyd, but he is trying to work toward a respite from the nightmare. Boyd, a center drafted in 2003 by the Flames, is going through a tough campaign with the cellar-dwelling Moose Jaw Warriors. The team, which won its first East Division title last year, is off to a franchise-worst start and posted only its second victory of the season Dec. 3. However, Boyd was given a much needed boost when he was chosen to attend Canada&rsquo;s world junior team camp. Although it will be a tall order for the Winnipeg native to make the squad, just receiving the invite is a big deal to the shifty skater, who was chosen to attend the summer evaluation camp because of an injury to Carolina prospect Andrew Ladd&hellip;Pegged to be a linchpin defenseman for the Flames, Dion Phaneuf, Calgary&rsquo;s top prospect, plans to make amends for losing in the WJC final last year. He knows there will be increased attention on the tournament&mdash;especially in Canada, which hasn&rsquo;t won gold since 1997. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t look at it as pressure,&rdquo; Phaneuf said. &ldquo;I look at as a challenge.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0021-05

Boyd sees silver lining during difficult season

<div class="byline">-MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-06179/8341297-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="222" height="272"></div>Goalie Hannu Toivonen has progressed enough over a little more than one season that it was noteworthy when he took consecutive games off. Toivonen played 19 of the Providence Bruins&rsquo; first 22 games this season, including 12 straight at one point, before missing games Dec. 4-5. A year after making 36 American League appearances, the 2002 first round draft pick (29th overall) was thriving in his No. 1 assignment. He&rsquo;d posted a 2.13 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and two shutouts through Dec. 5. &ldquo;I think every goalie wants to play as much as they can,&rdquo; Toivonen said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m fortunate to be in a situation where I&rsquo;ve been allowed to play a lot.&rdquo;&hellip; Providence&rsquo;s offense was destined to take a hit after the Dec. 10-12 weekend, when center Patrice Bergeron left for Canada&rsquo;s world junior championship camp. One of last season&rsquo;s top NHL rookies, Bergeron was tied for Providence&rsquo;s scoring lead, with nine goals and 24 points in 21 games&hellip;Right winger Colton Orr, another locked-out Bruin in Providence, returned Dec. 5 after missing six games with a finger injury. One of the AHL&rsquo;s top fighters, Orr had two assists and 76 penalty minutes in 18 games. &#9632;

f0021-06

Toivonen toiling in minors, but he’s making most of it

<div class="byline">-TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011231/8341359-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="216" height="277"></div>When Igor Radulov was recalled from the minors to finish the 2002-03 season, he scored five goals in seven games and caused the Blackhawks to believe he was a top prospect. Now they aren&rsquo;t so sure. After going pointless through 16 AHL games for Norfolk, the Hawks had seen enough. They planned to find a team for Radulov to play for in his native Russia in hopes of straightening out his game. GM Bob Pulford said Norfolk coach Trent Yawney tried one thing after another to light a fire under the right winger. &ldquo;Trent has done everything,&rdquo; Pulford said. &ldquo;He has kissed up to him, kicked him, played him on the power play and nothing has worked.&rdquo;&hellip;Pulford denied the team warned blueliner Steve McCarthy not to sign with the cross-town Wolves during the lockout. McCarthy appeared close to signing an AHL deal with the team in late November when talks broke off. &ldquo;I told Stevie myself it would be good if he can go play someplace,&rdquo; Pulford said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not telling him he can&rsquo;t sign with the Wolves or any other team. We can&rsquo;t stop them from signing with anybody and we wouldn&rsquo;t go out and say they can&rsquo;t sign with somebody.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0022-01

Radulov’s skills regressing during time with Norfolk

<div class="byline">-NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02906/8341390-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="219" height="257"></div>If the NHL lockout lasts all season, we might have seen the last of Red Wings center Steve Yzerman. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; said the team&rsquo;s captain. &ldquo;I can just sit back and wait, but I&rsquo;d say, in all probability, that I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;m looking to play beyond this year.&rdquo; Yzerman has made similar statements before, but perhaps never in such strong terms. The comments came after a Detroit-area charity event, in which he wore a tinted visor. It was his first game since May 1, when a puck struck his left eye in the playoffs against Calgary&hellip;Some Red Wings have harsh words for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. &ldquo;They claim they lost over $200 million,&rdquo; said center Kris Draper. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not a very good track record.&rdquo; Defenseman Chris Chelios wished the players could bypass Bettman. &ldquo;I trust the owners a lot more than I would trust his word,&rdquo; he said&hellip;Detroit-area musician Kid Rock &ldquo;coached&rdquo; in that charity event. How does Rock compare to Scotty Bowman or Dave Lewis? &ldquo;He&rsquo;s pretty quiet back there,&rdquo; said defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom of the rap-rocker. &ldquo;But every now and then, he&rsquo;ll throw a joke out there. He was cracking us up.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0022-02

Yzerman suits up with visor in first game since accident

<div class="byline">-ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03686/8341421-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="214" height="264"></div>The newly founded Rocky Mountain Classic game felt like an NHLPA meeting when it was held in Aspen, Col., in early December. Dozens of current and former NHL players got together for the Dec. 4 game, which was organized by Avalanche players Adam Foote, Dan Hinote and John-Michael Liles, to raise funds for various charities. It also provided a chance for players to see each other and play again. On the minds of everybody, of course, was the ongoing lockout. With a new proposal from the NHLPA on the verge of being delivered to the league, the prevailing sentiment could be summed up by what one star player said: &ldquo;If they don&rsquo;t agree to this new proposal, it&rsquo;s obvious what they want-to break the union.&rdquo;&hellip;Foote said the players were more unified than ever as the lockout dragged on. &ldquo;Everyone is hanging tough,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and we&rsquo;re just trying to do things like these great events.&rdquo;&hellip;Surprisingly, goalie David Aebischer hasn&rsquo;t played very often for Lugano of the Swiss league. Aebischer is not injured, but played only 10 of 27 games, posting a 3.40 goals-against average. &#9632;

f0022-03

Trio of Avalanche players make charity tilt a success

<div class="byline">-ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04498/8341452-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="213" height="278"></div>Left winger Marty Reasoner endured two knee operations and worked his butt off in solitude for 13 months to get himself back into game shape. Now that he&rsquo;s there, he can reap the &ldquo;rewards&rdquo;: he stops getting paid and there is no NHL to return to. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m probably one of the few players the lockout has been good for,&rdquo; quipped Reasoner, who missed 65 games last year after crushing his knee cartilage and breaking his left ankle when he slammed into the end boards in Toronto. &ldquo;After all this it&rsquo;s good to finally be healthy enough to be considered ready to play.&rdquo; The pay cut, he said, doesn&rsquo;t matter: &ldquo;I&rsquo;d have given it all back to be healthy.&rdquo;&hellip;Both of the Oilers&rsquo; 2004 first round picks, Canadian goalie Devan Dubnyk (14th overall) and U.S. center Robbie Schremp (25th overall) were named to their national junior teams&hellip;The $13 million the Oilers expected to lose this season has been reduced to $10 million with the success of the AHL&rsquo;s Road Runners, who are averaging 6,000 a game at Rexall Place&hellip;Georges Laraque, Ryan Smyth, Fernando Pisani, Steve Staios and Eric Brewer will play in B.C. in a series of charity games organized by Vancouver&rsquo;s Brad May. &#9632;

f0022-04

Reasoner’s long road back ends in NHL lockout limbo

<div class="byline">-AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05370/8341483-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="230" height="272"></div>Two games after returning from the third shoulder surgery of his career, Columbus Blue Jackets top prospect Dan Fritsche fell during a faceoff in a late November game with the Sarnia Sting (OHL) and injured a shoulder again. This time, though, he probably won&rsquo;t need surgery. &ldquo;The belief is it&rsquo;s just a hyperextension,&rdquo; said Blue Jackets president and GM Doug MacLean. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no damage. He&rsquo;s skating as we speak and he could be cleared to come back and play (with the Sting) very soon.&rdquo; Fritsche is planning to represent the U.S. in the World Junior Championship, MacLean said. If not for the shoulder problems-Fritsche had corrective surgery on one in 2001 and the other in 2002-Fritsche likely would have been a first round pick. Instead, the Blue Jackets were able to select him in the second round&hellip;Goaltender Karl Goehring, playing for Syracuse (AHL), lost his first four starts of the season, but then went on a five-game winning streak, posting a 1.27 goals-against average and a .951 save percentage&hellip;Goehring became the Syracuse starter when Pascal Leclaire went down with a groin injury. &#9632;

f0022-05

Maclean not overly worried about key prospect’s injury

<div class="byline">-MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06290/8341514-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="225" height="279"></div>Knowing Team Canada wasn&rsquo;t going to include Panthers right winger Nathan Horton on a list of 32 invitees to its selection camp for the World Junior Championship, GM Mike Keenan went on the offensive by putting out a press release before the national team&rsquo;s roster was announced. The headline of the release? &ldquo;Panthers Make Horton Available for World Junior Tournament.&rdquo; But Canada made it clear Horton wouldn&rsquo;t be invited unless he attended camp, which begins Dec. 12. Keenan wouldn&rsquo;t release Horton from San Antonio (AHL) until Dec. 20. &ldquo;By getting him there Dec. 20, it would give Nathan the opportunity to play two exhibition games and compete right through the whole tournament,&rdquo; said Jack Birch, Florida&rsquo;s director of hockey operations. &ldquo;Mike felt that was justifiable and made sense from both our perspective and Team Canada&rsquo;s perspective.&rdquo; This could all be moot, after Horton hyperextended his right shoulder Dec. 5 and was sidelined until late December&hellip;Center Serge Payer, currently playing for San Antonio, underwent hip surgery and is expected to be until February. &#9632;

f0022-06

Panthers hold on to Horton, much to Canada’s chagrin

<div class="byline">-MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-07239/8341545-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="219" height="235"></div>Mike Smith slumped into his stall at the Toyota Center. The Houston Aeros goalie and Stars prospect had just allowed a rebound goal in overtime in a 2-1 loss to San Antonio in early December. It was the second night in a row he couldn&rsquo;t get the big save. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough, it&rsquo;s frustrating,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I mean, the guys are going out and making things happen and I have to step it up.&rdquo; Smith&rsquo;s numbers-a 7-5-0 record, 2.86 goals-against average and .897 save percentage-aren&rsquo;t horrible, but they aren&rsquo;t what he expects, either. Not only is his AHL team in need, the Stars also could be knocking on his door if a CBA agreement is reached to save a 2004-05 season. Dallas has Smith and Dan Ellis to fight for the backup spot behind Marty Turco. &ldquo;I definitely am aware of it,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re playing for, a chance to play in the NHL.&rdquo;&hellip;Defenseman John Erskine has been the Stars&rsquo; most consistent prospect in November. Erskine has a goal and five points and is a plus-2 in 24 games with Houston (AHL)&hellip;Goalie Marty Turco is 3-3-0 with a 2.02 GAA and a .932 save percentage for Djurgarden of the Swedish league. &#9632;

f0022-07

Goaltending prospect Smith not happy with performance

<div class="byline">-BRIAN MURPHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011111/8341607-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="224" height="255"></div>After allowing Brent Burns to play for Canada&rsquo;s world junior team last year, the Wild will continue educating their newest defense prospect in Houston of the AHL. The Wild declined to release Nick Schultz and Pierre-Marc Bouchard when they were eligible for their second WJC tours and will do the same with Burns, who led all Aeros defensemen in scoring. &ldquo;It was a tough call, but he is playing very well in Houston and (Canada) appears to have a strong defense,&rdquo; said Wild assistant GM Tom Thompson&hellip;Left winger Andrew Brunette helped organize a Dec. 19 charity game at the University of Minnesota slated to pit local pro players against Gov. Tim Pawlenty and a team from the Minnesota National Guard and St. Paul police. Proceeds will support families of locally deployed soldiers, the Herb Brooks Foundation and and the Shjon Podein Children&rsquo;s Foundation for disadvantaged kids. &#9632;

f0023-01

Keeping Burns in AHL follows Wild precedent

<div class="byline">-HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02778/8341638-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="216" height="248"></div>Montreal Canadiens president Pierre Boivin said team owner George Gillett won&rsquo;t be affected financially by the ongoing NHL lockout. &ldquo;Our company is in good shape these days,&rdquo; Boivin said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s true that we&rsquo;re not one of those teams that are losing less money by not playing hockey. But we&rsquo;re fortunate that we have a very healthy entertainment business.&rdquo; The Bell Centre remains the cornerstone of the Gillett Entertainment Group, which promotes music concerts. For the first eight months of 2004, the Bell Centre was second in attendance worldwide for concerts and other family entertainment&hellip;Injured defenseman Mike Komisarek, scheduled to play for Hamilton of the AHL, has undergone surgery to repair a torn ligament in his hip. Because the injury was suffered last season while he was with the Habs, Komisarek continues to collect his full NHL salary even though he is on a two-way contract. &#9632;

f0023-02

Music soothes Habs’ savage bottom line

<div class="byline">-DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03574/8341669-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="221" height="242"></div>The lockout afforded goalie coach Mitch Korn his first chance for extensive in-season travel to check on the progress of several prospects. He recently was in Finland with Pekka Rinne (258th overall, 2004) and Teemu Lassila (117th, 2003) as well as in the Czech Republic, where he saw Miroslav Hanuljak (213th, 2003). After returning to North America, Korn went to the WHL and visited Kyle Moir (139th, 2004). Nashville has taken seven goalies in the past three drafts. Given that Tomas Vokoun is the only one in the organization with as many as 25 career NHL appearances, the development of the up-and-coming group is critical. Minor league journeyman Chris Mason and Brian Finley (sixth overall, 1999) are Nos. 2 and 3 on the depth chart&hellip;Defenseman Shane Hnidy became the second Pred in a week to sign in the ECHL. Hnidy will play for Florida, where he&rsquo;ll team up with former Preds prospects Ed Hill and Matt Hendricks. Hill (61st, 1999) is the highest draft pick in franchise history who was never signed to a contract. Winger Jeremy Stevenson earlier signed with ECHL South Carolina&hellip;Minor league defenseman Mike Matteucci&rsquo;s retirement cleared the way for 2003 second-rounder Kevin Klein to return to Milwaukee (AHL) from Rockford (UHL). &#9632;

f0023-03

Korn travels globe to get grip on Predators goalies

<div class="byline">-RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011186/8341700-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="197" height="270"></div>A decade ago Lou Lamoriello took a prominent role in the league&rsquo;s labor negotiations with the players&rsquo; union. The New Jersey Devils GM is ready to do it again if called upon. Lamoriello said he wasn&rsquo;t sure how much of a role he would play if talks became serious, but he has long been regarded as someone whose opinions are valued. &ldquo;I think there are a lot of people who would have a lot to add,&rdquo; Lamoriello said. &ldquo;Whatever the commissioner feels I can add to the process, that&rsquo;s all I want to do.&rdquo; Lamoriello, who was a significant voice on Gary Bettman&rsquo;s team in 1994, refused to take credit for playing a big role in the last settlement. &ldquo;A lot of people played big roles at different times,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A lot of people can contribute this time around. There has been no discussion on who will be involved (in future talks).&rdquo;&hellip;Development continued on plans for the Devils&rsquo; new arena in Newark. Lamoriello said the team was moving closer to choosing a design&hellip;In an effort to minimize the effects of the lockout on community affairs, the Devils were told to hold their 23rd annual holiday toy drive at Continental Airlines Arena. &#9632;

f0024-01

Lamoriello’s role in talks could be Influential again

<div class="byline">-PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02845/8341731-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="221" height="279"></div>Islanders agitator Steve Webb has traded in black eyes for black ties. The unrestricted free agent winger is using his free time during the lockout to start up a company with a few investors on Long Island called Cartridge Solutions International, which distributes laser-jet toner cartridges. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been trying to think of things over the past few years to be prepared for, not just when the lockout happened, but even after I&rsquo;m done playing,&rdquo; Webb said. &ldquo;Believe me, it&rsquo;s a huge, huge learning curve. But that&rsquo;s the best part-I&rsquo;m out there with the people. I&rsquo;m not sitting in an office all day.&rdquo; Webb, 29, spent virtually all of last season in the minors with the Pittsburgh and Isles organizations, technically making him ineligible for the NHL players&rsquo; association&rsquo;s lockout pay of about $10,000 per month. But starting his own business is something Webb has talked about for years; he even took business classes at Long Island-based Hofstra University last fall&hellip;Winger Justin Papineau, assigned to the minors to rediscover his scoring touch, had only five goals and nine points in through 22 games for Bridgeport (AHL). &#9632;

f0024-02

Webb back in business, but this time in boardroom

<div class="byline">-LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03599/8341762-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="217" height="271"></div>For the first time since 2000, the New York Rangers will be represented by more than one draft pick on the U.S. national junior squad. Michigan goalie Al Montoya, taken sixth overall by the team in last June&rsquo;s draft, will be making a reprise in the U.S. net after leading the team to its first-ever World Junior Championship gold a year ago, while Guelph Storm left winger Ryan Callahan, chosen 127th overall by the Rangers in June, will make his first appearance for the U.S. The Rangers last had two draft selections on Team USA four years ago, when defenseman Pat Aufiero and center David Inman made the team&hellip;Center Jamie Lundmark, playing for the American League&rsquo;s Hartford Wolf Pack during the lockout, was scratched in two consecutive games by coach Ryan McGill after a lackluster performance. So, too, was right winger Jozef Balej, who&rsquo;d been penciled in as a top-six Rangers forward over the summer following his acquisition from Montreal in the Alexei Kovalev trade&hellip;GM-president Glen Sather was scheduled to embark on an early December scouting mission to Russia, Sweden and Finland. &#9632;

f0024-03

Rangers well-represented on U.S. national junior team

<div class="byline">-BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05285/8341793-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Philadelphia winger Tony Amonte is still holding out hope for an NHL season. (GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04415/8341800-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="215" height="271"></div>Ottawa Senators GM John Muckler isn&rsquo;t happy with the play of the team&rsquo;s American League affiliate in Binghamton&mdash;and goalie Ray Emery in particular. Emery has struggled with his consistency with an all-star group-including forwards Jason Spezza and Antoine Vermette and blueliner Anton Volchenkov-in front of him. Muckler said Emery has to get his head back in the game. &ldquo;His mental attitude isn&rsquo;t very good,&rdquo; Muckler said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not focused. There are a lot of things going through this young man&rsquo;s mind right now and everybody else is going through it in the hockey world right now. It&rsquo;s called a lockout There are a lot of concerns going through a lockout and there&rsquo;s a lot of pressure&hellip;(but) everybody has to learn to handle it&rdquo;&hellip;Enforcer Chris Neil has been skating with a senior league team in Durham, Ont. and if a new CBA isn&rsquo;t settled after Christmas he is set to play there&hellip;Left winger Daniel Alfredsson will join the IMG World Stars during their stopover in Sweden in late December&hellip;The Ottawa Sun reported the Binghamton Senators and St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs will play a late January game at the Corel Centre. (See pg. 27 for more on AHL game at the Corel Centre.) &#9632;

f0024-05

Muckler admonishes Emery for poor ‘mental attitude’

<div class="byline">-WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-06223/8341831-1-eng-US/f0024-062.jpg" title="f0024-06" width="221" height="252"></div>Tony Amonte has been down this lockout road before, so he&rsquo;s not ruling out anything until the fat lady begins to warm up her vocal chords. &ldquo;I just remember the last time (199495) around,&rdquo; said the Flyers winger as he prepared to join the IMG World Stars tour in Europe. &ldquo;They were going to call it off, there were deadlines and things didn&rsquo;t look good. I think you just have to take it day by day and see what happens. I don&rsquo;t think you can believe everything you read in the papers. You just have to keep an even keel about the whole thing.&rdquo;&hellip;Marcus Ragnarsson is the latest Flyer to decide to play in Europe. Ragnarsson said he plans to play for Djur-garden in the Swedish league&hellip;At the start of the lockout, left winger John LeClair was working out with a small group of Flyers at a South Jersey rink, but he&rsquo;s discontinued the sessions because of back problems. &#9632;

f0024-06

Amonte plays It cool as lockout lingers

<div class="byline">-JERRY BROWN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-07183/8341862-1-eng-US/f0024-072.jpg" title="f0024-07" width="211" height="273"></div>The Phoenix Coyotes wanted the core of their American League affiliate in Utah to be made up of prospects-some who have already been in the NHL, others who are pegged as future regulars in the league. But the Grizzlies, who had four wins through 21 games and sat dead last in the AHL, forced GM Laurence Gilman to shift to Plan B-a series of transactions injecting proven, veteran leadership at the AHL level into the team. His latest move was signing center Aaron Gavey, who has more than 300 games of NHL experience and who had 22 goals and 67 points in 75 games for St. John&rsquo;s (AHL) last year, to a free agent deal. The move follows the recent acquisitions of centers Peter White and Jarrod Skalde and defenseman Terry Virtue&hellip;Center Martin Podlesak is expected to of action until February following shoulder surgery in early December. &#9632;

f0024-07

Phoenix affiliate Utah brings in veteran help

<div class="byline">-JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-08146/8341893-1-eng-US/f0024-082.jpg" title="f0024-08" width="220" height="279"></div>Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the NHL&rsquo;s first-overall pick in 2003, has regained his touch. The 20-year-old reeled off a 6-0-2 streak with Wilkes-Barre, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s AHL affiliate and promptly seized the top job there from Andy Chiodo, who was briefly dispatched to the ECHL. During his streak, Fleury had a 1.46 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing so much more under control right now than he was early in the season,&rdquo; said Wilkes-Barre coach Michel Therrien. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great news for us, because we want to make sure we pay really close attention to how he&rsquo;s going to progress this year.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Ben Eaves was set to make his pro debut in early December at Wilkes-Barre after recuperating from a knee injury. Eaves, drafted 131st overall by the Penguins in 2001, had a stellar collegiate career at i Boston College. &#9632;

f0024-08

Fleury’s re-emergence has Penguins smiling

<div class="byline">-DERRICK GOOLD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011068/8341924-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="218" height="265"></div>Although a return to the ice remains unlikely, 41-year-old defenseman Al Maclnnis, who missed all but three games last season because of an eye injury, is not eager to make anything official. Any word on his potential retirement is complicated by the lockout. For now, the Blues are limited in the way they could recognize a retirement, since a game-day celebration would require there actually being a game. Yet the longer the lockout goes, the less likely Maclnnis&rsquo;s return becomes. Technically an unrestricted free agent, Maclnnis spent the offseason mulling his future. He lacks peripheral vision in his damaged left eye and must wear a contact lens&mdash;one that could be surgically attached, but not well enough to withstand a contact sport, he said. &ldquo;The biggest thing, honestly, is you have to find something to do that you enjoy as much as playing,&rdquo; he said of life in (and possibly, after) the lockout. &ldquo;Very seldom does that happen.&rdquo;&hellip;Forwards David Fredriksson and Carl Soderberg, two Blues 2004 draft picks, were named to Sweden&rsquo;s World Junior Championship team. They could play on the same line. &#9632;

f0025-01

Maclnnis’s hockey future still clouded by eye injury

<div class="byline">-ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02730/8341955-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="216" height="279"></div>Following in the footsteps of fellow countryman Milan Michalek, Czech right winger Lukas Kaspar immediately embarked on a career in North America and is earning early raves for his assimilation. Kaspar, 18, is seeing first line ice time with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Ottawa 67&rsquo;s, the same junior team for which Sharks GM Doug Wilson skated. &ldquo;We are very pleased with Lukas&rsquo; progress,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We see him as an important part of our future.&rdquo; Kaspar, drafted 28th overall in 2004, figures to take a break from OHL play when the World Junior Championship takes place. &ldquo;It would be a great opportunity for him to play against his peer group,&rdquo; Wilson said of Kaspar, who played for the Czech team in the WJC last year&hellip;When the NHL resumes, the sounds of the game will be different in HP Pavilion. That&rsquo;s because the Sharks have cut free their organist, James Day, and no longer plan to supply live organ music during games. The Sharks said Day&rsquo;s dismissal was based solely on economics. Each department was asked to cut back to meet revised budgets during the work stoppage, and Day became a casualty. &#9632;

f0025-02

Wilson, Sharks impressed by play of Czech prospect

<div class="byline">-TOM JONES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03500/8341986-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="218" height="269"></div>Lightning coach John Tortorella, like all NHL coaches, is in a pickle. On one side, he is technically a part of management. On the other side, he lives with his players during the season, spending more time with them than his own family. So when it comes to the lockout, Tortorella remains neutral. He can&rsquo;t come out and rip the players, then turn around and ask them to give him their all when play resumes. Which is why he sent a letter to each player before the lockout. &ldquo;I said the coaches are not against them, the organization isn&rsquo;t against them,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;I told them, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re going to be a team again some day and that&rsquo;s what our thinking is every day we go into work.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Brad Richards, playing in Russia for Ak Bars Kazan, had no reservations about going to Eastern Europe during a tumultuous time in world history. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not nervous,&rdquo; Richards said. &ldquo;There are dangers anywhere in the world.&rdquo;&hellip;Lightning fans will get a hockey fix in Tampa Dec. 15 when the Springfield Falcons, the Lightning&rsquo;s American League affiliate, take on the Philadelphia Phantoms at the St. Pete Times Forum. &#9632;

f0025-03

Tortorella’s ‘Dear John’ letter meant to keep team focused

<div class="byline">-KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04329/8342017-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="215" height="280"></div>Left winger Nathan Perrott is regarded as one of the NHL&rsquo;s toughest players, but for much of his adult life, he had an opponent he could not beat. That changed two years ago when he entered the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Program, jointly run by the NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association. Perrott went into the program to escape the grips of alcoholism and got that, plus a legitimate NHL career. &ldquo;I think, &lsquo;I quit drinking and the next year I&rsquo;m in the NHL,&rsquo;&rdquo; Perrott told The Toronto Sun. &ldquo;Is that why? I like to think that is why.&rdquo; Perrott said the hockey culture makes staying sober difficult, but he knows he can&rsquo;t go back to his former ways. &ldquo;You have to think where that first drink would lead you,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I still go out with the guys and hang out, but I&rsquo;ll drink cranberry juice or a tonic water.&rdquo;&hellip;An announced crowd of 17,422, the largest ever in Canada to attend an American League game, watched the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs beat Binghamton 3-2 at Air Canada Centre Dec. 3.&hellip;Leafs tough guy Tie Domi said he may join teammate Mats Sundin in Djurgarden of the Swedish league if the NHL season is cancelled. &#9632;

f0025-04

Perrott deals with drinking with help of league program

<div class="byline">-ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05235/8342048-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="200" height="273"></div>Canucks GM DaveNonis and assistant GM Steve Tambellini went on a European mission to scout two of their draft picks, Swedish defenseman Alexander Edler and Danish forward Jannick Hansen. Edler was taken in the third round (91st overall) last June, while Hansen was a ninth-rounder (287th overall). &ldquo;They both showed things that, I think, give them some hope,&rdquo; Nonis said. Hansen is still playing in the Danish league and Nonis expects he will move to a better league next season, either in Sweden or in North America. Edler is playing for MoDo Juniors in Omskoldsvik&hellip;Left winger Markus Naslund, whose contract expires July 1,2005, said he is uncertain what he will do next season if the NHL is back playing. He stands to become an unrestricted free agent. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to shut any doors,&rdquo; Naslund said. &ldquo;I still enjoy this team and this city.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0025-05

Nonis takes Euro trip to check on prospects

<div class="byline">-DAVE FAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06189/8342079-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="215" height="277"></div>Washington Capitals GM George McPhee wanted to get a look at second round draft pick Chris Bourque and decided the cross-town match between Bourque&rsquo;s Boston University and Boston College was a good opportunity. BU upset the Eagles 3-2 and McPhee got an eye full. &ldquo;Chris has very good hockey sense, he&rsquo;s very competitive and it looks like he&rsquo;s adjusting to the pace of college hockey,&rdquo; McPhee said. &ldquo;It looks like (coach) Jack Parker is doing an excellent job with Chris; we&rsquo;ll just sit back and watch, take our time and allow them to develop him.&rdquo; The game &ldquo;was very competitive, very intense, a fun game to watch.&rdquo;&hellip;The Capitals are hoping their defense in Portland (American League) finally gets healthy this month. Four regulars (Nolan Yonkman, Dwayne Zinger, Steve Eminger and Jakub Cutta) have been sidelined with various injuries. &#9632;

f0025-06

GM McPhee pleased with Bourque’s play

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>When the lockout became reality, Raffi Torres wasn&rsquo;t sure what to do. He waited for offers from Europe, but no one wanted the newest member of the NHL&rsquo;s 20-goal club.But having played just three pro seasons, Torres knew sitting around wasn&rsquo;t a good idea. To say in shape, he skated with his hometown York University team in Toronto.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t really get any looks from Europe and if anything I thought I was going backwards,&rdquo; Torres said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to knock the guys at York, but I wasn&rsquo;t progressing.&rdquo;The Edmonton Oilers felt the same way, which is why they asked him to play for the Edmonton Road Runners.&ldquo;It took me all of like five minutes to say yes,&rdquo; said the 6-foot, 218-pound left winger, who joined the Oilers&rsquo; American League affiliate to start November.It took Torres one game plus 4:41 of his second game to find the net. A month later, he hadn&rsquo;t stopped scoring. Through 10 games, Torres had nine goals and 13 points. Apparently he did not go backwards very far.While Torres is coming off a breakout 2003-04 season with 20 goals and 34 points in 80 games for the Oilers-in his first full year in the NHL-he isn&rsquo;t playing the role of big wheel. &ldquo;I want to work on my skills and defensively you can never be perfect,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I want to get the puck deep and get the puck out of our zone, areas I look to be good at every night.&rdquo;He&rsquo;s not looking at what might have been, but what might be, with center Jarret Stoll and winger Tony Salmalainen as his linemates.&ldquo;It stinks that there&rsquo;s no NHL, but if I think about it every day, I&rsquo;d drive myself crazy,&rdquo; Torres said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m playing with two very skilled players and a few people have said it could be a line of the future (in the NHL).&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011200/8342110-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="227" height="350"><figcaption class="caption-body">RAFFI TORRES</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0026-01

Torres active in Edmonton, albeit in AHL

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>When the Atlanta Thrashers selected Simon Gamache with the 290th- and fourth-last-pick of the 2000 draft, not too many people were saying, &ldquo;Wow, what a steal.&rdquo;They might be now.Gamache has blossomed into a star in the American League as the Milwaukee Admirals&rsquo; top scorer. His 10 goals and 27 points in 20 games ranked seventh in AHL scoring in early December.&ldquo;He looks like one of the top players in the league,&rdquo; said Admirals coach Claude Noel of the 5-foot-10, 190-pound right winger. &ldquo;He plays against the top defensive pairings and the top goalie every night and he succeeds.&rdquo;Gamache is in his fourth pro season. He has played 11 NHL games, including seven last season for Nashville when he collected his first goal and assist. Last spring he scored six goals and 24 points in 22 playoff games as Milwaukee won the Calder Cup.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a special player,&rdquo; Noel said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an offensive player who has made a bigger commitment to defense, but what I like is he is really driven to succeed.&rdquo;SEASONED DUCK With the addition of seventh-year pro Casey Hankinson, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks coach Brad Shaw finally can check the &ldquo;veteran&rdquo; square on the official AHL game-night lineup.The youthful Ducks signed Hankinson in early December. The 6-foot-1,202-pound left winger was Cincinnati&rsquo;s captain last season and has 101 goals and 216 points in 369 career AHL games. He&rsquo;s the only player on the Ducks&rsquo; roster who fits the AHL definition of a veteran-he has played more than 260 regular season games in the NHL, AHL or a European elite league.AH, NOW I GET IT Defenseman Brian Sipotz played his entire four-year, 119-game collegiate career at the University of Miami at Ohio without ever scoring, but he finally found the net with the Chicago Wolves.Promoted earlier this season from Gwinnett of the ECHL, Sipotz scored in his 15th game. The 6-foot-6,213-pounder is an Atlanta prospect.NOTEBOOK Cleveland and Utah took part in the shootout that wouldn&rsquo;t end, going an AHL-record 16 rounds before Garrett Stafford beat Utah&rsquo;s David LeNeveu for a 3-2 win&hellip;With his father in poor health, Grand Rapids center Jiri Hudler returned to the Czech Republic and is playing for his old team, Vsetin HC&hellip;The largest crowd to watch a regular season AHL game in Canada&mdash;17,422-piled into the Air Canada Center to see St. John&rsquo;s defeat Binghamton 3-2 Dec. 3.<h2>AHL WEST NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02854/8342148-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="246" height="235"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03693/8342141-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="1008" height="1427"><figcaption class="caption-body">San Antonio goalie Patrick DesRochers, a six-year AHL veteran, has three wins and a 2.43 GAA in nine games for the Rampage. (GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0026-02

Gamache more than goal-scorer

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05375/8342186-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="543" height="259"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04504/8342193-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="151" height="141"></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.<h2>GREAT BRITAIN</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06307/8342179-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="496" height="652"></div> &#9632;

f0026-05

HOCKEY NATION AT A GLANCE

<div class="byline">BY MIKE MASTOVICH</div>Jeff Longo traded a business suit for goaltender gear, a No. 39 jersey and the unceremonious, anonymous status as the Charlotte Checkers emergency backup goaltender.The Checkers president, who usually oversees off-ice activities on game nights, was pressed into duty after goalie Kelly Guard was injured and Charlotte had only Alex Westlund available for a game against Pee Dee.The 29-year-old Longo wasn&rsquo;t entirely out of his element. He tended goal at Rutgers University, but admitted to the Charlotte Observer &ldquo;that was eight years and about 35 pounds ago.&rdquo;Checkers coach Derek Wilkinson walked down the hall from his office to sign his president, although Longo&rsquo;s tenure lasted only one game. He was released two days later.Emergency backups may only play if the starter is injured and cannot return to the ice. Longo didn&rsquo;t play.&ldquo;I was glad to do it,&rdquo; said Longo to the Observer. &ldquo;The guys were good about it and it was fun to see Derek and the players in the heat of the game.&rdquo;<h2>NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07264/8342224-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="221" height="209"></div>EARLY BIRDS The Bakersfield Condors and Fresno Falcons followed the &ldquo;early bird gets the worm&rdquo; principle in meeting for a 10:30 a.m. contest. More than 2,100 students attended the game, which also offered a businessman special Dec. 2. Brett Lutes scored the &ldquo;earliest&rdquo; goal ever, 52 seconds into a 3-2 win in front of 4,761 fans.&ldquo;The 10:30 a.m. game is a little different, but it&rsquo;s the same for both teams,&rdquo; said Bakersfield coach Marty Raymond to The Californian.&ldquo;Instead of practicing we&rsquo;ll be playing a game.&rdquo;MISSING LISK After three seasons as GM-president, Rich Lisk resigned from the Trenton Titans to become senior director of an event-marketing firm.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a bittersweet day for me,&rdquo; said Lisk, who spent seven seasons in Trenton and was ECHL marketing director of the year in 2001. &ldquo;A piece of my heart will always be with the Titans.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-07

Team president willing to block pucks

<div class="byline">BY ROBIN SHORT</div>Finally healthy following a pair of arthroscopic knee surgeries on his left knee, Lowell Lock Monsters netminder Brent Krahn is regaining the form that prompted Calgary to make him the ninth overall selection in 2000.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been pretty much up and down since I was drafted,&rdquo; Krahn said. &ldquo;To be drafted by an NHL team that plays in the same city as your junior team is pretty special. I was very excited, but you soon realize it&rsquo;s a job and you have to perform.&ldquo;And it&rsquo;s hard performing when your hurt. You play OK for a while, and then you get injured. You come back, play OK, and you&rsquo;re hurt again. It&rsquo;s tough.&rdquo;A graduate of the Western League, Krahn spent time in Las Vegas (ECHL) last season, his first as a pro. Not a bad city in which to play, but not the league a high draft pick making his pro debut had in mind.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011147/8342255-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="227" height="352"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRENT KRAHN</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Sure, I would have liked to start in the AHL, but it was beneficial being (in the ECHL),&rdquo; said the 22-year-old Winkler, Man., native. &ldquo;I saw a lot of pucks there and that helped my development. I gained a lot of confidence from that.&rdquo;Krahn also saw duty in Lowell and San Antonio last season, but this year has been a staple in the Monsters net. He was named the AHL&rsquo;s top goalie for November after going 5-1-0 with a 1.65 GAA and .944 save percentage. During one two-week period, he had four shutouts in five starts.Krahn gives a lot of credit to Flames coach David Marcoux.&ldquo;He breaks down my game bit by bit,&rdquo; Krahn said, &ldquo;showing me what I need to work on. And he&rsquo;s really helped me on the mental part of my game. It&rsquo;s great to have a goalie coach. They see things from a different perspective.&rdquo;(See pg. 38 for more on Krahn.) &#9632;

f0027-01

Goalie Krahn playing with Monster mojo

<div class="byline">BY ROBIN SHORT</div>Prompted by the whir of the Air Canada Centre&rsquo;s turnstiles and the anticipated large gate receipts, the Ottawa Senators were working on bringing an AHL game to the Corel Centre.Binghamton and St. John&rsquo;s played before an AHL season-high 17,422 Dec. 3 at Toronto&rsquo;s Air Canada Centre, home of the NHL&rsquo;s Maple Leafs.The Sens are planning to stage their Jan. 22 meeting with the Baby Leafs at Ottawa&rsquo;s Corel Centre. The two teams played a game in the Kanata, Ont., arena in 2002-03.According to the Ottawa Sun, the Sens only need the league&rsquo;s approval.Ottawa, through its agreement with Binghamton, has the option to switch one game to the Corel Centre.DEAL WITH IT Senators goalie Ray Emery, yanked in the first meeting against the Leafs and relegated to the bench for the second game of a two-game set against St. John&rsquo;s, was criticized by Ottawa GM John Muckier.&ldquo;His mental attitude isn&rsquo;t very good,&rdquo; said Muckier to the Toronto Sun. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not focused.&ldquo;There are a lot of things going through this young man&rsquo;s mind right now, (but) everybody else is going through it in the hockey world. It&rsquo;s called a lockout. There are a lot of concerns (during) a lockout and there&rsquo;s a lot of pressure. Everybody has to learn to handle it.&rdquo;PARTY POOPERS Hartford ended Manchester&rsquo;s franchise-record 13-game win streak in early December with a 4-3 overtime victory.Wolf Pack goalie Mathieu Garon lost for just the second time in 15 games. The Monarchs were 20-1-0-1 through Dec. 6.<h2>AHL EAST NOTEBOOK</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02778/8342293-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="244" height="234"></div>IT&rsquo;S ALL UPSTAIRS The Monarchs&rsquo; Mike Cammalleri became the first player in the AHL to hit the 20-goal plateau. Half of those came on the power play.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve really done a lot with him,&rdquo; said coach Bruce Boudreau to the Manchester Union Leader. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all his own skill. He&rsquo;s very smart. Has great vision and knows what to do when he has the puck. A real hockey sense.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK Philadelphia Phantoms center RJ. Umberger was rookie of the month for November with eight goals and 14 points in 14 games&hellip;Center Patrice Bergeron had two of Providence&rsquo;s five power play goals in a 6-2 win over Hershey Dec. 5. With nine goals in 21 games, the 19-year-old is on pace to better the 16 goals in 71 NHL games he had with Boston last season&hellip;Springfield had the league&rsquo;s lowest attendance entering December, averaging just under 3,300 a game.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03556/8342286-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="1006" height="1438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Speedy right winger Chuck Kobasew is burning up AHL scoresheets with 14 goals and 22 points in 21 games with Lowell. (GETTY IMAGES)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0027-02

Sens hoping to bring AHL to the Corel

<div class="byline">-PAVEL BARTA</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04389/8342324-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="94" height="97"></div>Future and former NHLers are playing in Europe this season. Here are four such players with NHL rights in parentheses:&bull; Steve Kariya, 26, LW (free agent) A veteran of 65 NHL games and Paul Kariya&rsquo;s younger brother, he is the top scorer on Ilves Tampere in the Finnish league with 10 goals and 23 points in 27 games.&bull; Mattias Weinhandl, 24, C (Islanders). Weinhandl, who scored 14 goals and 43 points in 102 NHL games the past two seasons, is the Swedish league&rsquo;s leading goal-scorer, with 16 in 25 games for MoDo.&bull; Pavol Demitra, 30, LW (St. Louis). Veteran NHLer is tearing up the Slovakian league, with 12 goals and 39 points in 28 games with Dukla Trencin, the team he played for as a youngster.&bull; Jimmy Waite, 35, G (free agent). He never won a top job in 10 NHL seasons, but he is one of the top goalies in the German league with five shutouts and a .940 save percentage in 23 games with Ingolstadt. &#9632;</div>

f0027-04

EYE ON EUROPE

<div class="byline">-BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05257/8342355-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="188" height="95"></div>Jim Galante, owner of the expansion Danbury Trashers, was arrested after allegedly punching linesman Jim Harper following a 5-3 win over the visiting Kalamazoo Wings. According to the Danbury NewsTimes, Harper told police he wanted to press charges after claiming Galante &ldquo;threw a punch over the shoulder of another official, striking me in the mouth&rdquo; Dec. 1. Galante, in the visitor&rsquo;s penalty box at the time, was charged with third-degree assault. The incident followed a rough game in which Danbury winger Brad Wingfield, who was leading the UHL with 176 PIMs, broke his leg after being 3 tripped by defenseman Josh Elzinga&hellip;Former NHL blueliner Zarley Zalapski played 10 games for Kalamazoo before Leaving the club to pursue other interests. He had two goals and four points. &#9632;

f0027-05

NOTEBOOK

<div class="byline">-DAVID HENRY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-06184/8342386-1-eng-US/f0027-062.jpg" title="f0027-06" width="167" height="88"></div>Memphis RiverKings defenseman Ted Crowley probably wouldn&rsquo;t be the ideal dinner companion for a Tulsa Oiler, but he&rsquo;s still on the menu for RiverKings fans. Memphis fan Bonnie Drobeck, winner of a team promotion called &lsquo;Dinner Fit for a &lsquo;King,&rdquo; selected Crowley as her dinner companion for a complimentary dinner for two at a local restaurant. Drobeck had her pick of the RiverKings roster. She chose Crowley for his &ldquo;aggressive playing style,&rdquo; according to a team press release. Crowley&rsquo;s dinner date comes during his 25-game suspension for a pair of stick infractions in an Oct. 27 game against the Oilers. The Central League suspended Crowley for using his stick &ldquo;in a deliberate attempt to injure&rdquo; and &ldquo;in a reckless manner&rdquo; against two Tulsa players. &#9632;

f0027-06

<div class="byline">-NICK GATES</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-07150/8342417-1-eng-US/f0027-072.jpg" title="f0027-07" width="148" height="112"></div>Diabetes hasn&rsquo;t prevented Knoxville&rsquo;s Marcus Forsberg from playing pro. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had diabetes since I was 13,&rdquo; said the 23-year-old Swede, who is not related to NHL superstar Peter Forsberg. The Ice Bears left winger takes insulin before each meal and at bedtime and closely monitors his blood sugar. &ldquo;I check it two or three times before the game and at every intermission,&rdquo; he said. The 5-foot-6, 180-pound Forsberg takes care of himself. &ldquo;I pay attention to what I eat,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like going to the gym every day. It makes me feel good to see other guys getting tired and I&rsquo;m not.&rdquo; Five of Forsberg&rsquo;s six goals have come on the road. &lsquo;The biggest thing about Marcus is his consistency,&rdquo; said Bears coach Jim Bermingham said. &ldquo;He plays the same on the road as he does at home.&rdquo; &#9632;</div>

f0027-07

<div class="byline">BY NEIL HODGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011188/8342455-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="264" height="267"></div>The two expansion franchises that begin play next season in the Quebec League are anxious to create their identities.Derm Dobbin, the owner in St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld., hopes to have a nickname and team colors established by the end of December.&ldquo;Local media have already had their name-the-team contests, but we&rsquo;ll hold an official one,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m quite open about it. We just want to make sure the team name will be something the fan base can embellish and something that will be a good merchandising product.&rdquo;The St. John&rsquo;s Legends was the winning name in a contest held by the Telegram. Rounding out the top four names submitted to the city&rsquo;s newspaper were IceCaps, Rock and Icebergs.Here&rsquo;s a sampling of some other name suggestions: Ocean Rangers, Fighting Soldiers, Seals, IceCats, Oil Cats, Roughnecks, Harbour Dogs, Whitecaps, Chill, Evolution, Wave, Fog Devils, Fog Dogs, Cabots, Ice Augers and Granite.The other expansion franchise in Saint John, N.B., hopes to have a nickname and colors determined by March at the latest. It&rsquo;s planning a name-the-team contest.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be very strategic because you never get a second chance to make a first impression,&rdquo; said Wayne Long, president of the ownership group. &ldquo;Our first priority is to get a GM and coach hired and we would like to have that done by late December or early January.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02828/8342448-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="282" height="678"></div>LEAGUE DISAPPOINTMENTS Rimouski and Rouyn-Noranda, both widely predicted to be among the league&rsquo;s top powers, are clearly the two biggest underachievers.Through two and a half months, the Oceanic was third in the East Division at 16-15-3-3 while the Huskies were fourth in the West Division at 10-9-8-2.They could be two teams to watch during the QMJHL trade period, which runs from Dec. 20 until Jan. 8.&ldquo;This is obviously not where we want to be,&rdquo; said Rouyn-Noranda coach-GM Andre Tourigny. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking to make trades to improve our depth offensively. I would like to add some size and physical presence among our forwards.&ldquo;Definitely, I would say that Quebec, Moncton, Chicoutimi and Halifax are the top contenders entering the trade period. They&rsquo;re the four best clubs in the league right now.&rdquo;MILESTDNE Rimouski&rsquo;s Sidney Crosby, in just his second major junior season, reached 200 career points in his 91st game. &#9632;

f0028-01

New teams search for monikers, colors

<div class="byline">BY JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03610/8342493-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="273" height="212"></div>Stretched shoulder ligaments won&rsquo;t keep Sarnia Sting center Danny Fritsche from joining Team USA for the World Junior Championship.The injury occurred during what was only his second game of the season Nov. 27. Fritsche had missed the first two months while recovering from shoulder surgery in September.The injury was expected to keep him out of several early December games, but he was scheduled to join Team USA Dec. 16 for its training camp and exhibition games in preparation for the tournament that opens Christmas Day in Grand Forks, N.D.Fritsche&rsquo;s OHL career has been dotted by shoulder trouble and he has had surgery on both, limiting him to just 17 games in his rookie year. He scored 32 goals and 71 points in 61 games in his second season, resulting in his selection 46th overall by Columbus in 2003. Last season, he played just 27 games with the Sting after suiting up for 19 games with the Blue Jackets, then playing for the gold-medal-winning U.S. juniors.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04423/8342486-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="280" height="678"></div>Fritsche will be joined on Team USA by fellow OHL forwards Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan (Mississauga), Rob Schremp (London) and Ryan Callahan (Guelph).DIVORCE COURT Erie dealt overage center Rob Hisey to Barrie after Hisey walked out on the team in early DecemberThe 20-year-old had 34 points in 25 games this year after scoring 38 goals and 96 points last season. He had returned to Erie this season rather than sign with the San Jose Sharks and go to the ECHL. But he didn&rsquo;t endear himself to teammates.&ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t acting like a true leader,&rdquo; said center Ryan O&rsquo;Marra to the Erie Times-News. &ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t following up on what the &lsquo;A&rsquo; on (his) jersey meant. He was more selfish than we would have liked.&rdquo;WISH GRANTED Ottawa traded third-year center Peter Tsimikalis to Oshawa in early December, two weeks after he left the team over being demoted from the first line to the third.He had six goals and 18 points in 21 games this season after 61 points in 60 games last season.RECORD NUMBERS The two Canada-Russia Challenge Series games played in Ontario helped with record viewership numbers on Rogers Sportsnet. The CHL said the six games drew an average audience of 110,000 with a CHL-record 186,000 tuning in to the series finale in Lethbridge, Alta., Dec. 2. &#9632;

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December 21, 2004

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

Selection Camp Roster

Arrival of figure skaters affords Canes opportunities

Monarchs’ injury situation very similar to ’03-04 Kings