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December 28, 2004
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Upshall’s upside on display as long as he stays healthy
Right winger Scottie Upshall has had a quiet season thus far. That’s the good news. A year after knee and hand injuries caused him to miss significant portions of the regular season and playoffs, Upshall was in the lineup for all but one of the Milwaukee Admirals’ 24 games, displaying the versatility and responsibility that led Nashville to make him the sixth overall pick in 2002. He has not scored a ton (five goals, 14 points), but he had two game-winning goals and was tied for third on the team with a plus-8 rating. Because of his slight size (6-foot, 187 pounds), durability always has been a concern with Upshall. He played 32 AHL games in his first full pro campaign (24 in the regular season, eight in the playoffs)…
CROSSWORD
Answers in next issue and @ thehockeynews.com ACROSS 1 The only team to have four straight Conn Smythe Trophy winners 8 Hall of Famer__Joliat 9 Controlling the puck by clever stickhandling 10 Club that hasn’t had a Conn Smythe winner since 1972 11 Vs., all spelled out 12 First name of the 1998 Conn Smythe winner 14 __Drury was top rookie in 1999 17 Sissy 19 Frank__is a Hall of Fame official 20 The second ‘A’ in GAA 21 Bonus 22 Home of the OHL’s Rangers DOWN 2 Phoenix’s__Doan 3 An off-season month 4 Potvin, pictured, in the Hall 5 This club has never had a Conn Smythe winner (or won the Cup) 6 ‘Frosty’ Forristall was one 7 Rattled 11 City with NHL since 1970 13 __boxes are also known as Luxury suites 15 Howie Morenz was dubbed The Stratford 16 Veer 17 Pittsburgh’s building was previously known as__Arena 18 Former Los Angeles Kings goaltender…
Can’t-miss Kari gets even better
Everyone knows Kari Lehtonen will be teaming up with Pasi Nurminen to handle the Atlanta Thrashers’ netminding duties whenever the NHL returns. Lehtonen, currently plying his trade with the American League’s Chicago Wolves like a major league baseball player doing rehab in Class AA, would be thrilled with such an outcome. Lehtonen and Nurminen are good buddies. They chat fairly often - though not much lately, what with Nurminen playing overseas in Sweden. So you’d think they would have chatted about the possibility of being the first long-term all-Finnish tandem in the NHL, smack dab in the heart of Georgia? Ah, well…not much. “The Finnish people are the kind of people, they don’t want to talk about the things that might be ahead,” said Lehtonen, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound 21-year-old. “They want to…
UNITED STATES LEAGUE
The sum of the parts that make up the Des Moines Buccaneers this season has been greater than the whole. Having struggled all season long, coach Bob Ferguson resigned in early December, giving way to assistant Regg Simon - who once played under Ferguson in Des Moines. Despite the change, the Buccaneers remained last in the United States League as of mid-December with a 3-17-4 record. But individually, there are bright spots. Colorado College recruit Chad Rau, with 30 points (14 goals) in 24 games, is near the top of the league’s scoring parade. And, at 17, he’s getting some good looks from NHL scouts along the way. “Small guys (like Martin St-Louis) can be successful in the NHL,” Simon said. “Chad just wants the puck and he always seems to find a way…
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