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Yearbook 1991

The Hockey News Yearbook 1991

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0074-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0074-01136/10236665-1-eng-US/f0074-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Vaive had his worst season statistically in 10 years but could rebound in a big way if he plays with newly-acquired Dale Hawerchuk.</figcaption></div>The Buffalo Sabres feel they are on the brink of a Stanley Cup final appearance. That is, of course, if they can make it out of the first round of the playoffs.Linder first-year coach Rick Dudley, the Sabres accumulated 98 points last season, finished third overall in the regular-season standings and battled the Boston Bruins and the Calgary Flames to the wire for the President&rsquo;s Trophy. It all went for naught as the Sabres bowed out in six games to the Montreal Canadiens in their first-round series. Buffalo hasn&rsquo;t gone beyond the first round since 1983.Sabres&rsquo; general manager Gerry Meehan made a significant off-season deal to help clear the first-round hurdle.At the entry draft in Vancouver, Meehan traded star defenseman Phil Housley and forwards Scott Amiel and Jeff Parker to the Winnipeg Jets for Dale Hawerchuk. The move was designed to compliment Buffalo&rsquo;s newest 100-point man, center Pierre Turgeon.In Hawerchuk and Turgeon the Sabres have two of the most formidable centers in the league. Add that to a good, young group of forwards, a strong and reasonably deep defense and stellar goaltending and the Sabres&rsquo; future looks brighter than at any time since their glory days of the mid-1970s.First, the good news: In just his third season, Turgeon emerged as a 100-point-plus man (106) and he&rsquo;s joined by Hawerchuk, a skilled center who has hit for 100 or more points six times in his career. That&rsquo;s a 1-2 center punch few teams can match. Factor in Christian Ruuttu as a third-line center and Buffalo may have the best center-ice lineup in the NHL this season. Left winger Dave Andreychuk is coming off a career-high 40 goals and is expected to remain on a line with Turgeon while Alexander Mogilny moves to the right side. Hawerchuk, a player capable of lifting anyone&rsquo;s game, will likely have the speedy Benoit Hogue on his left side and either Rick Vaive or Mike Foligno on the right.Now, the bad news: Apart from Andreychuk, Foligno and Vaive, the Sabres are very young and unproven on the wings. Mogilny, 21, Benoit Hogue, 23, Dave Snuggerud, 24, and Darrin Shannon, 20, will be expected to produce more than they did last season.The absence of Housley (a career high 81 points last season) is bound to hurt-Biggest problem: A lack of goal scoring from its wingers was Buffalo&rsquo;s tragic flaw in last season&rsquo;s playoffs. Because of that, there was more pressure on Turgeon to produce.And how to fix it: With Hawerchuk on board, part of the problem is already solved. Because the opposition will be unable to key on both Hawerchuk&rsquo;s and Turgeon&rsquo;s lines, there should be much less pressure on just one line to produce. Turgeon will get more room because other teams have to respect Hawerchuk. That opens the ice for everyone.Arrivals: Dale Hawerchuk, C; John Tucker, C; Greg Brown, D.Departures: Phil Housley, D; Jeff Parker, C; Scott Amiel, RW-LW; Ray Sheppard, RW.Dudley says: &ldquo;With two offensive lines centered by Turgeon and Hawerchuk, it&rsquo;s going to be difficult to decide which line to check. There won&rsquo;t be many teams that have options like that.&rsquo;&rsquo;Something to prove: Defenseman Doug Bodger had another solid year last season (12-36-48 totals in 71 games), but he&rsquo;ll be counted upon to fill the void left by Housley&rsquo;s departure. Housley, who had a career high 81 points in 80 games, keyed Buffalo&rsquo;s transition game from defense to offense and quarterbacked the power play. Those are big shoes for Bodger to fill.Never a dull moment: Mogilny was the source of a great many distractions last season&mdash;bolting the team, showing an apparent fear of flying and making some obvious gestures regarding an unstated desire to play in the New York City area. Though he has enough talent to be among the NHL&rsquo;s very best players, his adjustment to the NHL never fully took hold. Management appreciated his difficulties last season, but is likely to be less tolerant this time around. The Sabres have also yet to successfully resolve the flying problems. Mogilny was car hopping through the NHL at the end of last season. It&rsquo;s anyone&rsquo;s guess what kind of player&mdash;and what kind of problems&mdash;Mogilny will be this season.Projected leaders: Scoring: Turgeon; Fighting: Mike Hartman; Hitting: Hartman; Sweating: Snuggerud.1989-90 log: 45-27-8, 98 points; second in the Adams Division, third overall; lost in six games to Montreal in Adams semifinal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0075-01118/10236658-1-eng-US/f0075-012.jpg" title="f0075-01" width="768" height="1344"></div>Predicted finish: First in the Adams Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0075-0276/10236651-1-eng-US/f0075-022.jpg" title="f0075-02" width="1519" height="1371"><figcaption class="caption-body">Daren Puppa, who inscribed the letters AU for &rsquo;All Universe&rsquo; on the back of his helmet, lived up to his billing with a solid season and playoff.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0075-0345/10236644-1-eng-US/f0075-032.jpg" title="f0075-03" width="772" height="3144"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>14. Brad May, LW, Niagara Falls (OHL).82. Brian McCarthy, C, Pingree H.S. (Mass.).97. Richard Smehlik, D, Vitkovice (Czech.).100. Todd Bojcun, G, Peterborough (OHL).103. Brad Pascal!, D, North Dakota (WCHA).142. Viktor Gordijuk, RW, Krylja Sovetov (USSR).166. Milan Nedoma, D, Zetor Brno (Czech.).187. Jason Winch, LW, Niagara Falls (OHL).208. Sylvain Naud, RW, Laval (QMJHL).229. Kenneth Martin, LW, Belmont Hill H.S. (Mass.).250. Brad Rubachuk, C, Lethbridge (WHL).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0076-01132/10236637-1-eng-US/f0076-012.jpg" title="f0076-01" width="751" height="1204"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Dudley&rsquo;s team did right until it met Montreal in the playoffs.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &rsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Adams1989-90 Record: 45-27-8 (2nd Adams, 3rd overall)GM: Gerry MeehanCoach: Rick DudleyHome: Memorial Auditorium (16,433)&#9724; The Sabres are the only Adams team not to win a divisional crown since the re-alignment in 1982-83.&#9724; Buffalo had a 12-game home winning streak and a six-game losing streak last season.&#9724; The Sabres led the league in penalty killing with an 83.5 per-cent efficiency rating.&#9724; Goaltender Daren Puppa won more games in 1989-90 (31) than his previous four season combined (28).&#9724; Center Pierre Turgeon was the first Sabre to top the 10O-point mark (106) since Gilbert Perreault had 106 in 1979-80.<h2>SABRES 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0076-0274/10236630-1-eng-US/f0076-022.jpg" title="f0076-02" width="2424" height="1735"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

CLEARING THE HURDLE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0160-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0160-0153/10237675-1-eng-US/f0160-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0162-0148/10237668-1-eng-US/f0162-012.jpg" title="f0162-01" width="2393" height="3290"></div> &#9632;

f0160-01

NHL SHEDULE

<div class="byline">BY KEITH GAVE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0067-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-01158/10236502-1-eng-US/f0067-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s production dropped from 155 to 127 points but he continued to establish himself as a member of the NHL&rsquo;s scoring elite.</figcaption></div>At the end of last season, the Detroit Red Wings sat in last place in the Norris Division. But that didn&rsquo;t sit well with the front office, which has become accustomed to success.&ldquo;One thing we&rsquo;ve never done is sat on our a&mdash;,&rdquo; says former general manager Jim Devellano. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve acknowledged that we&rsquo;ve had some weaknesses and we tried to fill them.&rdquo;And how. Devellano elevated himself to the post of senior vice-president July 11 and within two days, the Wings had fired coach Jacques Demers and hired Bryan Murray to take on the dual task of GM-coach. Fired as coach of the Washington Capitals in midseason, Murray compiled a 343-246-83 record with the Caps but was never able to get them out of the Patrick Division playoffs.In his last two deals as GM, Devellano gave up a couple of draft choices to acquire solid, though aging, experience at the blue line. First, he got Brad McCrimmon from the Calgary Flames for a second-round choice in 1990 and later got Rick Green from Montreal for a fifth-round choice in 1991.Actually, the fact that the Red Wings missed the playoffs says more about the rise of the Norris Division than it does the demise of the team. The 70 points the Red Wings earned last season would have been good enough for a Norris playoff spot every season but one (1986-87) since the divisions realigned in 1982.First, the good news: The Wings believe they have a nucleus of talent that is among the best in the NHL with Steve Yzerman, Gerard Gallant, Jimmy Carson, Bob Probert, Shawn Burr, Joe Kocur, Rick Zombo and Tim Cheveldae. Probert is leading a life free of alcohol and drugs but bis deportation status was still uncertain at press time. Carson&rsquo;s bum right knee is stronger than ever. And Cheveldae brings a season&rsquo;s worth of experience into training camp.Now, the bad news: The work ethic disintegrated last season and that cost Demers his job. Murray must command and get the respect that Demers lost. The players must overcome their petty jealousies, set aside their differences and concentrate together on winning, especially in the game&rsquo;s final moments, when the Red Wings blew at least 10 points last season. The goals-against ballooned to 323 and the special teams were among the very worst in the NHL.Biggest problem: The Red Wings&rsquo; special teams were dismal last season. The power play was 20th overall with a 16.4 per-cent success rate (58 goals in 354 advantages). The penalty-killing unit was 17th overall with a 75.3 per-cent success rate (92 goals allowed in 372 opportunities). For a team penalized as much as the Wings&mdash;they were the fourth-most penalized team with 2,140 minutes last season&mdash;the penalty killing has to improve.And how to fix it: Even though they made a host of off-season changes, the Red Wings shouldn&rsquo;t be finished. The cadre of defensive forwards is thin and needs to be replenished. Murray must also concentrate on improving the power play. A healthy Carson should help in that department.Arrivals: Brad McCrimmon, D; Rick Green, D; Keith Primeau, C; Dave Gagnon, G; Scott King, G; Johan Garpenlov, LW; Per Djoos, D; Sergei Fedorov, C; Doug MacLean, assistant coach.Departures: Jacques Demers, coach; Jim Devellano, general manager (takes over as senior vice-president); Bernie Federko, C; Borje Salming, D; Mike O&rsquo;Connell, D.Murray says: &ldquo;My objective is to make strides in becoming a playoff team again and to inject youth into our lineup. It&rsquo;s a great challenge to be in Detroit. This is a city that is hungry for a winner and it looks like we will have the players to make this season an entertaining one and also be competitive in the Norris Division.&rdquo;Something to prove: After demanding a trade from the Edmonton Oilers four games into the season, Carson&rsquo;s dream of coming home turned into a nightmare. Carson missed 32 games with damaged knee ligaments and watched the Oilers win the Stanley Cup. Carson must return to form and prove to the Wings that he was worth trading Adam Graves and Joe Murphy.Never a dull moment: Burr antagonizes opposing forwards on the ice with non-stop chatter and usually doesn&rsquo;t let up when the game isover. Once he quipped, &ldquo;You know what the Alaskan whales and Toronto Maple Leafs have in common? They both get confused when surrounded by ice.&rdquo;Projected leaders: Scoring: Yzerman; Fighting: Kocur; Hitting: Probert; Sweating: Zombo.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-01171/10236495-1-eng-US/f0068-012.jpg" title="f0068-01" width="786" height="1338"></div>1989-90 log: 28-38-14, 70 points; fifth in the Norris Division, 19th overall; did not qualify for playoffs.Predicted finish: Fourth in the Norris Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-0294/10236488-1-eng-US/f0068-022.jpg" title="f0068-02" width="1558" height="1383"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jimmy Carson cost the Red Wings four players and ended up missing 32 games with an injury to his right knee. He&rsquo;ll be looking to rebound.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-0357/10236481-1-eng-US/f0068-032.jpg" title="f0068-03" width="804" height="3158"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>3. Keith Primeau, C, Niagara Falls (OHL).45. Viacheslav Kozlov, C, Khimik (USSR).66. Stewart Malgunas, 0, Seattle (WHL).87. Tony Burns, D, Duluth-Denfeld H.S. (Minn.).108. Claude Barthe, D, Victoriaville (QMJHL).129. Jason York, D, Kitchener (OHL).150. Wes McCauley, D, Michigan State (CCHA).171. Anthony Gruba, RW, Hill-Murray H.S. (Minn.).192. Travis Tucker, D, Avon Old Farms H.S. (Conn.).213. Brett Larson, D, Duluth-Denfeld H.S. (Minn.).234. John Hendry, LW, Lake Superior State (CCHA).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-01146/10236474-1-eng-US/f0069-012.jpg" title="f0069-01" width="756" height="1226"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Red Wings hope Bryan Murray will take them back to the playoffs.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Norris1989-90 Record: 28-38-14 (5th Norris, 19th overall)GM: Bryan MurrayCoach: Bryan MurrayHome: Joe Louis Arena (19,275)&#9724; The Red Wings went from first place in the Norris Division in 198889 to last in &rsquo;89-90 despite finishing with only 10 fewer points.&#9724; Detroit had a 12-game winless streak (0-9-3) last season.&#9724; Not since 1963-1966 has Detroit made the playoffs four years in a row.&#9724; Detroit tied the Vancouver Canucks for the lowest combined special-teams efficiency (92.0 per cent).&#9724; Center Steve Yzerman became the first Red Wing in team history and the sixth in NHL history to have back-to-back 60-goal seasons.<h2>RED WINGS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0069-02102/10236467-1-eng-US/f0069-022.jpg" title="f0069-02" width="2437" height="1759"></div> &#9632;

f0067-01

ON THE REBOUND

<div class="byline">BY JEFF JACOBS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0086-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-01107/10236863-1-eng-US/f0086-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">After being named to the all-rookie season two years ago, Peter Sidorkiewicz had a sub-par second season but he remains the No. 1 goalie.</figcaption></div>The NHL version of the Hartford Whalers is only 11 years old but the age of innocence is over.Gone are the days when one playoff series triumph and one Adams Division regular-season title could increase average attendance nearly 2,000 a game and send the state of Connecticut into a frenzy.The Whalers improved six points to 85 and tied for the seventh-best record (38-33-9) in the NHL last season. Locked between the Big Three and the Quebec Nordiques, the Whalers were the best fourth-place team in hockey and proved to be an excellent road team (21-15-4).But the Whalers also were bad at home (17-18-5) and for the fourth successive spring, they fell in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, general manager Ed Johnston is daring. Yes, coach Rick Ley is demanding. But the Whalers need to do something special this season to propel them from middle of the road and shred a tag as April flops.First, the good news: The Whalers already had been a sound, defensive-oriented club in the Adams Division tradition before Ley&rsquo;s arrival. Under Ley&rsquo;s whip, the Whalers have become grittier physically, but more importantly, they have become tougher mentally. This had a hand in the Whalers becoming only the third team in NHL history to finish above .500 overall with a losing home record.Although Ron Francis and Pat Verbeek did not form the fastest or most exciting combination in the NHL, they did form one of the most effective on both ends of the ice. Francis had 101 points and a franchiserecord 69 assists, while Verbeek had 44 goals. They are particularly effective around the net and along the rear boards.Now, the bad news: The Whalers finished 19th in offense with 275 goals. It doesn&rsquo;t take a mental giant to figure out the Whalers need more production, particularly at home where they scored only 134 goals and a paltry 79 even-strength. The team needs a better transition game with more slick puckhandling defensemen.Biggest problem: The Whalers&rsquo; 3-for-34 power-play disaster against the Boston Bruins in the Adams Division semifinal pointed directly to the club&rsquo;s biggest short-coming: A quarterback on the point. Dave Babych simply doesn&rsquo;t do the job anymore. Even strength, the club needs an improvement in its transition game. That starts with mobile, puck-moving defensemen. The power play is too easily rattled in key situations.And how to fix it: Ley worked his troops hard on improving transition in practices. And a full, healthy season from mobile Sylvain Cote should help. But Johnston spent all summer chasing a guy like Dave Ellett of Winnipeg for a good reason.Arrivals: Bobby Holik, C, Mark Greig, RW; Carey Wilson, C.Departures: Tom Martin, LW; Jody Hull, RW.Ley says: &ldquo;After one season, I know every one of these guys. I know their weaknesses. And I think we still have a lot of babies on our team. When 1 say babies, I mean they&rsquo;ve been spoiled, pampered and they don&rsquo;t know how to come to the ri nk and put all their problems aside. If they think I was tough on them last year, now that I know them&hellip;&rdquo;Something to prove: Dineen answered a 40-goal season in 1986-87, with a 25-goal flop. Then, he answered a 45-goal beauty in 1988-89, with another 25-goal disappointment. Nobody questions Dineen&rsquo;s effort. He hits. He hustles. But he often hustles to his own drummer and doesn&rsquo;t always focus his energy in a proper direction.Never a dull moment: After ripping up his knee jumping back and forth over a rock, Ulf Samuelsson returned from major surgery to finish with a strong playoff against the Bruins. He&rsquo;s a beauty. He once chased after Anton Stastny on an empty-net breakaway, throwing his stick and gloves at the former Nordique. He has thrown a puck 15 feet past a goalie and thrown up his arms in a vain attempt to get the referee to call a goal. He makes terrible car commercials on local Hartford TV. He regularly engages in nasty stick whacks with Ken Linseman and proclaims his &ldquo;love&rdquo; for The Rat. And he bought Whalers&rsquo; advisory board member Ivan Lendl a loud, striped suit and told him, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re a big leaguer now. You&rsquo;ve got to dress like one.&rdquo;Projected leaders: Scoring: Francis; Fighting: Ed Kastelic; Hitting: Dineen; Sweating: Verbeek.1988-89 log: 38-33-9; 85 points; fourth in the Adams, seventh overall; lost in seven games to Boston in Adams Division semifinal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0087-0196/10236856-1-eng-US/f0087-012.jpg" title="f0087-01" width="780" height="1336"></div>Predicted finish: Fourth in the Adams Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0087-0254/10236849-1-eng-US/f0087-022.jpg" title="f0087-02" width="1554" height="1377"><figcaption class="caption-body">When Whalers&rsquo; coach Rick Ley refers to the &rsquo;babies&rsquo; on his team, he isn&rsquo;t talking about Pat Verbeek, who leads the team in grit and determination.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0087-0337/10236842-1-eng-US/f0087-032.jpg" title="f0087-03" width="785" height="3129"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>15. Mark Greig, RW, Lethbridge (WHL).36. Geoff Sanderson, C, Swift Current (WHL).57. Mike Lenarduzzi, G, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).78. Chris Bright, C, Moose Jaw (WHL).120. Cory Keenan, D, Kitchener (OHL).141. Jergus Baca, D, Kosice (Czech.)162. Martin D&rsquo;Orsonnens, D, Clarkson (ECAC).183. Corey Osmak, C, Nipiwan (SJHL).204. Espen Knutsen, C, Valerengen (Nor.).225. Tommie Eriksen, D, Prince Albert (WHL).246. Denis Chalifoux, C, Laval (QMJHL).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0088-01112/10236835-1-eng-US/f0088-012.jpg" title="f0088-01" width="737" height="1200"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Ley was tough last year, but promises to be tougher in &rsquo;90-91.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Adams1989-90 Record: 38-33-9 (4th Adams, 7th overall)GM: Ed JohnstonCoach: Rick LeyHome: Hartford Civic Center (15,223)&#9724; Hartford had seven more points on the road (46) than at home (39) last season, the most of any team in the league.&#9724; The Whalers tied all nine of their overtime games last season.&#9724; The Whalers were 21-11-3 in games following a loss and 17-17-5 in games following a win in 1989-90.&#9724; For the second season in a row, Hartford had the most rookies of any NHL team in its lineup (four) for 40 games or more.&#9724; Center Ron Francis set a team record for most assists in a season (69).<h2>WHALERS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0088-0251/10236828-1-eng-US/f0088-022.jpg" title="f0088-02" width="2385" height="1744"></div> &#9632;

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END OF THE INNOCENCE

<div class="byline">BY MURRAY TOWNSEND</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012173/10235618-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Every good hockey pool player knows the importance of the power play. Al Maclnnis had 54 of his 90 points playing with the man-advantage.</figcaption></div>No NHL general manager would venture into the trade market or the amateur draft without knowing as much as possible about the players he plans to add to his team.By no means is his information fool-proof, but, if the research is done properly, it increases the odds for success in his favor.So it is with hockey pools. Every pick is a risk to some extent, but if the groundwork is laid and the data correctly analyzed, the guesswork involved will greatly decrease.To that end, the following pages are designed to guide the serious pool player through the important preparation steps leading up to draft day. The important factors to consider and pitfalls to safeguard against are identified and various charts are provided as a further aid.<h2>Preparation:</h2>The biggest mistake any pooler can make is to pick up a copy of last year&rsquo;s team-by-team scoring stats and wing-it. Stats, of course, are the basis for selecting players, but if they&rsquo;re analyzed incorrectly the results can be disastrous.For example, two years ago in The Hockey News Yearbook we identified Vincent Damphousse as a player ready to emerge as a star. The Toronto Maple Leaf forward was entering his third NHL season and had been a prolific scorer in junior. We determined most players that had not yet lived up to their credentials, would do so in their third or fourth season, if they were going to at all.Based on his previous season&rsquo;s stats alone, Damphousse did not look like a very attractive pick at the time, as he totalled just 48 points in 75 games. However, with the knowledge that he was a likely candidate to improve, his value to the prepared pooler became much higher. Damphousse finished that season with 68 points, and went on to record a 98-point season in 1989-90.Similarly, if it becomes apparent towards draft time that a player is to be dropped from his team&rsquo;s power play, stay away from him. His value will drop dramatically without the man-advantage ice time.<h2>Draft list:</h2>It&rsquo;s essential to prepare a complete list of players, ranked in order, but you don&rsquo;t have to follow it religiously.Make a note beside the players who are not going to be rated as highly by your competitors; we&rsquo;ll offer our suggestions on that later. What that does is afford you the opportunity to draft good players that you have rated slightly lower before investing in your so-called sleeper.Predicting when you&rsquo;ll be able to snag a player you believe your competitors have underrated, is one of the keys to successful drafting.<h2>Ignore early-season shockers:</h2>If your draft takes place a week or two into the season, don&rsquo;t be fooled by misleading early-season stats.If a player makes a completely unexpected splash a few games into the schedule, and it seems too good to be true, it probably is.For the most part, stick to the proven players, and then watch someone else&rsquo;s team move to the bottom of the standings when the shocker stops playing above his head.The reality is that many players go through hot spells when they can do nothing wrong. Those don&rsquo;t last for a whole season.One of the keys in determining if a player is truly emerging or is just another false messiah, is judging the value of his team.If the early-season sensation plays for one of the league&rsquo;s elite teams, he&rsquo;s less likely to sustain his performance for the entire season. The logic involved here is that good teams have depth and players can be more easily replaced if they begin to falter.Poor teams may not have that option.Also, keep an eye on the player&rsquo;s linemates and power-play ice time. If the player in question is on a line with proven scorers, or is getting regular man-adavantage duty, he just may be worth the pick.<h2>The power play:</h2>If you haven&rsquo;t guessed by now, a player&rsquo;s power-play duty is crucial in determining his value.Bernie Nicholls, for example scores 60 points last season instead of 112 if he dosen&rsquo;t play on the power play; Al Maclnnis 36 instead of 90 Doug Bodger 14 instead of 48&hellip; well, you get the idea.Watch the pre-season stats very carefully, because tearms are more interested in getting their power play in shape than experimenting with different combinations.Power play points are listed in the ranking sections, giving you a good reading on who saw the most man-advantage ice time last season The note" provide additional information for individual teams.<h2>The European factor:</h2>Europeans have proven Io be tremendously sktiled players, and many have had an impact on the NHL However, for hockey pool purpose", they&rsquo;re highly unreliable as a whole.Without delving into the reasons behind their unpredictable play, suffice it to say their point totals fluctuate with alarming consistency. In general, they don&rsquo;t proceed along the same patterns of improvement as their North American counterparts.Often, a European has a solid first NHL season, goes into a rut for the next few year", then re-emerges as a top scorer.Of course, that doesn&rsquo;t apply to all Europeans, but their track record has been cstab lished.<h2>Player rankings:</h2>Our rankings are based on statistical information and subjective reasoning using a number of factors; Consistency, age, team depth, injuries, power play lime and expected levels of improvement for younger players.The points for last season arc pro-rated for each player over 80 games That put* everyone on an even level and eliminates time lost due to injuries.The three year average, which illustrates a player&rsquo;s consistency, is calculated the same way Those whose KO game projected totals from lust season are close to their three year slats, have established a level of consistency and air less likely to move dra matically in either direction.Team depth is important to keep in mind if someone&rsquo;s playing time and, especially power play lime, increased because of an injury to a key player. Also, off season trades or emerging rookies can change the value of a player already with the team and affect how he will be usedAlso included in the rulings are each player&rsquo;s &ldquo;actual&rdquo; best NHL season regardless of the number of games he played.The possible breakthrough section is only a guide It&rsquo;s intended to show which newcomers have the best chance" to make the grade, It is essential ml to pay attention to pre-season news to determine whether a newcomer will slick.Europeans are a risky venture not only because of their volatility, but also because of their availability. If they&rsquo;re here in the pre-season then obviously they&rsquo;re available.As for promising breakthroughs, some of them will make the big time and some won&rsquo;t. Some will make the big time and not live up to their point expectations right away.It pays to be wary of players who have had just one excellent season. Unless it&rsquo;s a young player on the way up, selecting a player based on just last season can be risky.Players who are expected to score a minimum of 30 points are included in the rankings.Of course, in any NHL season, there are those players who are going to be surprises one way or another. There is no way of predicting who they might be, but some possibilities are included in the notes.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012445/10235611-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="1620" height="3163"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012427/10235604-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="1598" height="994"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-012014/10235597-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="2471" height="3320"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012365/10235590-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="2457" height="3354"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-012026/10235583-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="2451" height="3338"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012111/10235576-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="2451" height="3260"></div><h2>PICK A POOL, ANY POOL</h2>Some poolsters like a straight-forward, points-only pool. Others like the challenge of drafting by position, by team and so on. The following is a list of the most common pools, how they work, and some of advantages and disadvantages of each one.<h3>COMMON DRAFT</h3>&#9724; Each poolster selects, in a predetermined order, the player of his choice, from the team of his choice, until a specified number of rounds have been completed.&#9724; Most have at least two supplemental drafts during the season. At that time, competitors drop from and add players to their roster, drafting in the reverse order of the standings to that point.<h4>ATTRACTION:</h4>&#9724; It&rsquo;s simple and easy to follow.&#9724; Less room for chance than in other pools.&#9724; Allows poolster to select best available player rather than have to base selections on other factors.<h4>PROBLEM:</h4>&#9724; Winner can be decided early in the season.<h3>POSITION DRAFT</h3>&#9724; A similar format to that of the common draft, except poolsters are required to complete a roster that includes a specified number of forwards and defenseman. Occasionally, forwards are divided into center, left and right wing.&#9724; Poolsters may also be required to select a team, using their own formula&mdash;that provides for the inclusion of goaltenders (e.g. 10 points for a shutout, three points for a win, etc.).<h4>ATTRACTION:</h4>&#9724; There&rsquo;s more strategy required in the selection process.&#9724; Each competitor has his or her own team.<h4>PROBLEMS:</h4>&#9724; Draft process and figuring out standings more time consuming.&#9724; Can lead to disputes over which positions players play.<h3>DRAFT BY TEAM</h3>&#9724; Using the same draft format, each poolster is required to select one player from each of the 21 NHL teams. No player can be selected twice.<h4>ATTRACTION:</h4>&#9724; Requires a lot of strategy and quick thinking on draft day.&#9724; Each poolster has a stake in every NHL game.<h4>PROBLEMS:</h4>&#9724; Administering the selection process can get complicated.&#9724; Doesn&rsquo;t give the poolster a team to root for.<h3>AUCTION</h3>&#9724; Each player is given a certain amount of &ldquo;fantasy&rdquo; money to spend on buying a team. Competitors can fork out top dollar and load up on a few big-name players, or pay less and get more players of lesser value.&#9724; One method of administering the draft is by having each poolster bid on a player, using a minimum amount as a guideline.For example, poolster No. 1 bids the minimum 10 cents on a player he likes. None of his competitors chooses to spend more, so No. 1 gets his player.Poolster No. 2 then bids 10 cents on a better-than-average player. The other poolsters, feeling the player is worth more, enter the bidding process. The bidding continues until the poolster willing to spend the most gets his man.Once a poolster is out of money, his team is complete.<h4>ATTRACTION:</h4>&#9724; Closest feeling a poolster can get to being a real NHL general manager.&#9724; Draft day invariably takes many twists.&#9724; Poolsters can get the players they like.<h4>PROBLEMS:</h4>&#9724; Bidding can get out of control.&#9724; Poolsters not familiar with the ins and outs of the format can easily mismanage their money and lose the pool before it starts.<h3>LIST</h3>&#9724; Each poolster selects a team of his choice&mdash;no draft is required. So, for example, if the pool calls for 20-rnan rosters, each participant submits a list of his top 20 players.<h4>ATTRACTION:</h4>&#9724; Because there&rsquo;s no draft, poolsters don&rsquo;t have to be together at the same time.&#9724; It&rsquo;s easy to administer.&#9724; More attractive to non-fanatics (i.e. a friendly office pool open to everyone.)<h4>PROBLEMS:</h4>&#9724; Doesn&rsquo;t create as much interest.&#9724; Too many of the same players common to teams.&#9724; No strategy involved. &#9632;

f0005-01

EVERYONE INTO THE POOL

<div class="byline">BY FRANK BROWN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011729/10235663-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Messier of the Edmonton Oilers won the closest Hart Trophy race in league history. He&rsquo;ll have a difficult time repeating this season.</figcaption></div>Two points. Up in the clouds of hockey superstardom, the war for supremacy last season came down to the two points that made Mark Messier an MVP winner and Ray Bourque an MVP also-ran.The closest election in Hart Trophy history was settled by that virtual hair&rsquo;s breadth; it is getting that crowded in the NHL stratosphere.And don&rsquo;t even imagine the jam will ease in 1990-91.For three seasons, the vote&mdash;conducted by 63 members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association&mdash;has been tightening. Mario Lemieux was a runaway winner by 186 points in 1988, a stunned 80-point loser to Wayne Gretzky in 1989. Then, last June, Messier beat Bourque by those two whiskers, the 227-225 margin that surpassed the 1981 squeaker between Gretzky (242 points) and goalie Mike Liut (237).All those men return for a Hart attack this year, joined by a platoon of contenders.Detroit&rsquo;s Steve Yzerman will make his annual bid, though no Red Wing has won since Gordie Howe in 1963. Montreal&rsquo;s Patrick Roy will be there, though there hasn&rsquo;t been a goaltending MVP since Jacques Plante in 1962. You can&rsquo;t leave out Bourque or Cam Neely in Boston, Pierre Turgeon in Buffalo, Brett Hull in St. Louis or Pat LaFontaine on Long Island.Last season, 735 players appeared in at least one game. There were 657 skaters and 78 goaltenders, and even that subdivision leads to problems for the hockey writers, three from each franchise city, who elect the winner.The goaltenders have their own prize, the Vezina Trophy, which league general managers award to, &ldquo;the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position.&rdquo; The skaters have a bunch of different prizes: Best defensive forward (Selke), best all-around defenseman (Norris), most gentlemanly (Lady Byng).<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011742/10235656-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="2429" height="1812"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins easily won the Norris Trophy. He was left off six Hart ballots by members of the Trophy but lost by only two points in voting for the Hart Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association.</figcaption></div>The difficulty arises when a writer sits down with a trophy ballot that has only three slots and has to decide which player has been &ldquo;most valuable to his team&rdquo; during the regular season. Those five key words are the only guidelines for the voting, which is tabulated on a basis of five points for first place, three points for a second-place choice and one point for third.So there are 735 people to consider, maybe 10 of whom are viable candidates for the prize. And right or wrong, there was no way last year to keep some voter from thinking, &ldquo;Well, Bourque is the Norris winner. No contest. One trophy is better than no trophies, and it&rsquo;s impossible to vote Bourque for Norris and Hart when a Messier and a Hull and a LaFontaine deserve MVP mention for their contributions.&rdquo;Yet the Bruins, especially coach Mike Milbury, bellowed in disbelief six voters could leave Bourque&rsquo;s name off their 1989-90 MVP ballots. Apparently, it seemed incredible the five remaining first-place votes&mdash;Messier and Bourque had 29 each&mdash;could have gone to Hull, a 72-goal scorer who made the Blues credible, and Gretzky, who led NHL scorers with 142 points. Hull was the first choice of four voters, Gretzky the top pick on one ballot. Messier himself was left off two ballots.Those who drew second-and third-place votes were LaFontaine, who carried the Islanders on his back into playoff contention; Roy, who won more games (31) and tied Liut for the league&rsquo;s best goals-against average (2.53); and Yzerman, who scored 62 goals for the Detroit Red Wings.Is that shabby voting by unseeing, unthinking individuals? It wouldn&rsquo;t seem so, Bourque&rsquo;s phenomenal season notwithstanding. If the NHL election system is so flawed, the other pro team sports probably would have found better ways of conducting theirs.In fact, things are about the same in baseball and basketball. Voting for baseball MVP is handled in each league by two writers, who have covered 120 or more games, in each franchise city; but the baseball ballot has 10 slots to hockey&rsquo;s three. To elect its MVP, the National Basketball Association uses a 92-member panel of representatives from the print and broadcast media. There are three voting members from each of the 27 franchise cities, plus 11 members of the &ldquo;national&rdquo; media, from such newspapers as USA Today and broadcast outlets as Turner Broadcasting.Surprisingly, there is no National Football League MVP&mdash;as such. The NFL recognizes the MVP voted in an Associated Press poll, but the Pro Football Writers&rsquo; Association also elects one, as do any number of other publications.So, hey. There are going to be controversies over the outcomes. The ruckus is becoming an annual event, and anyway, the only unanimous Hart winner ever was Gretzky for his 92-goal season in 1981-82. In all likelihood, there will be just as much screaming next June when the 1990-91 winner is named.After all, you&rsquo;ve got all seven of last season&rsquo;s vote-getters back for another try. There could be some newcomers&mdash;maybe Brian Leetch in New York, maybe Jeremy Roenick in Chicago, maybe even Scott Stevens in St. Louis. Who knows? Lemieux will return to all-galaxy form if his back lets him.Lemieux is no stranger to the peculiar process of Hart election. In his six full NHL seasons, he has one memorable MVP triumph&mdash;snapping Gretzky&rsquo;s eight-year run in 1987-88&mdash;and two second-place finishes, one of them almost as memorable as the victory.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;LOOK AT MESSIER. IS HE THE FAVORITE GOING INTO NEXT YEAR?&rsquo;</blockquote>That one came in the 1988-89 campaign. Lemieux amassed 85 goals, added 114 assists and trampled Gretzky in the scoring race. He hoisted the Penguins to second place in the Patrick Division, matching their highest regular-season finish ever. He boosted average attendance to 15,734 and helped generate 34 sellouts at Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Civic Arena.Yet it was Gretzky, in his first season with the Kings, who dominated the election. Lemieux may have had 31 more goals, but Gretzky finished with 22 more first-place votes. A landslide.The night he lost, Lemieux left the Toronto Convention Centre a confused and, seemingly, bitter man saying, &ldquo;Nothing in this league makes sense.&rdquo; He could only wonder what more had to be done to win the trophy donated to the league in 1923 by Dr. David A. Hart.What do you have to do?In some ways, team performance is a factor. Yzerman scored 62 goals and 127 points last season, but the Red Wings were lousy, so their captain never had a prayer in the Hart race. The three third-place votes he received, the three voting points he collected, arguably turned last season&rsquo;s MVP race.And Yzerman, with his 127 points, still was minus-6. Purists insist an MVP must be a &ldquo;plus&rdquo; player.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011398/10235649-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="1556" height="2069"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Yzerman will make his annual bid for the Hart, but the success of the Red Wings will go a long way in deciding whether he wins.</figcaption></div>Then there are those who try to project the team&rsquo;s performance without the MVP candidate: &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s see: Quebec won 12 games with 102 points from Joe Sakic. What would they have done without him?&rdquo;Others think the Hart winner should be the best player on the best team, certainly a difficult criterion to argue. Except Bourque&rsquo;s Bruins finished No. 1 overall in the league last regular season, Bourque unmistakably was their best player, and Bourque did not win. The prior season, Lemieux had a better year than Gretzky and the Kings merely were fourth overall with 91 points.But for Los Angeles, that represented a leap of 14 places in the overall standings plus an increase of 23 points, plus a jump of more than 3,200 paid admissions per home game&mdash;not to mention a massive upturn in NHL credibility on the trend-driven U.S. West Coast. That turned into more millions for Kings&rsquo; owner Bruce McNali, as well as more millions for Gretzky.&ldquo;Gretzky has a much better claim to using MVP as a bargaining chip than anybody else,&rdquo; says agent Rich Winter. &ldquo;You know, the standard comeback (from a GM) always is, &rsquo;Yeah, okay. I&rsquo;ll give you a $300,000 bonus if your client wins it again next year.&rsquo; And you think, well, yeah, what are the chances?&ldquo;Look at Mark Messier,&rdquo; Winter says. &ldquo;Is he the favorite going in next year?&rdquo;He may be nothing more than a face in the crowd, but that was the way Messier was viewed at the start of last season.And look what happened. &#9632;

f0019-01

SHEER HART ATTACK

<div class="byline">BY RAND SIMON AND GARY OLSON </div><div class="byline">&#x2014;Gary Olson</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011386/10235708-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Les Jackson of the North Stars, right, welcomed Doug Zmolek to the organization at the 1989 draft. But Zmolek is likely headed for San Jose.</figcaption></div>Neil Wilkinson was recalled to the NHL from the minors five times last season. The news hardly shook the foundations of the NHL.But if the Minnesota North Star defenseman is recalled from the North Stars&rsquo; International League affiliate in Kalamazoo even once this season, it will be an interesting topic for conversation.That&rsquo;s because Wilkinson will likely be North Star property for only one more season before he&rsquo;s claimed by the expansion California team for the &rsquo;91-92 season. Wilkinson is one of several North Star prospects caught in the middle of the deal worked out between the former Minnesota owners&mdash;George and Gordon Gund&mdash;and Howard Baldwin which enabled the Stars to stay in Minnesota.The deal, which gives the Gunds rights to a &rsquo;91-92 expansion franchise in the Bay Area, also gives the Gunds rights to much of the North Stars&rsquo; future. Minnesota will be allowed to protect 14 skaters and two goalies with at least 50 games of NHL experience as of the end of the &rsquo;89-90 season. Then the Gunds&mdash;and former North Star GM Jack Ferriera who followed the Gunds to California&mdash;will pick the same number (14 and two) from Minnesota&rsquo;s reserve list.And that&rsquo;s where Wilkinson&rsquo;s status for this season becomes relevant. He played 36 games last season&mdash;his first in the NHL. He&rsquo;s considered a top prospect, and at 22 years of age appears ready fora full-time job in the NHL. In the playoffs, he played in all of Minnesota&rsquo;s seven games and was one of the team&rsquo;s best defensemen.But if the Stars keep him in Minnesota this season, they will be using a player they&rsquo;re almost certain to lose. More importantly, they&rsquo;ll be training a player for another NHL team&mdash;a player who could be playing against Minnesota for several more years.New North Stars&rsquo; general manager Bob Clarke, the former Philadelphia Flyer GM, will be faced with tough, choices when it comes to promoting players from Kalamazoo. Will he bring up the player most deserving of a promotion, or one who is not likely to be selected by the Bay Area team?And what about coach Bob Gainey? The former Montreal Canadien star will want to put the best possible team on the ice&mdash;without doing too much to help the California team.But the big losers from the deal appear to be the young players&mdash;at least for this season. For example, why would the Stars give highly-regarded Oshawa General (Ontario League) right winger Mike Craig any shot at making the team when it&rsquo;s virtually certain he&rsquo;ll be snapped up by the Gunds once the season is over? If there&rsquo;s another player with 50 games NHL experience fighting for a job, he&rsquo;ll likely have an advantage.&ldquo;The deal is obviously a concern we&rsquo;ll have to deal with,&rdquo; says Clarke. &ldquo;We have to do what&rsquo;s right for the Minnesota North Stars. The league should have been more concerned with what&rsquo;s best for the players. They&rsquo;re going to be caught in the middle. Would you train players for another NHL team?&rdquo;But Clarke&rsquo;s main priority for the season is to put a winner on the ice and to attract more fans to Met Center. Attendance was an embarrassment last season&mdash;11,354 fans per game and only about 8,000 paid for their tickets.&ldquo;When the deal first came out I was really concerned about them not wanting to develop me because I&rsquo;m going to another team,&rdquo; says Wilkinson. &ldquo;But then I also thought, &rsquo;Hey, this team still has to win, with the new organization, they have to win.&rsquo;&ldquo;If I play to my potential, there&rsquo;s no question that I should be here. They have to get the fans back into the game here. I don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;ll put up with losing much longer.&rdquo;It only took the new North Stars two weeks to sell half as many tickets as were sold all of last year. However, that&rsquo;s half of not very many.&ldquo;Change doesn&rsquo;t happen overnight,&rdquo; says Baldwin, who along with Morris Belzberg bought the team and then sold 51 per cent of it to Norman Green, who was a part owner of the Calgary Flames. &ldquo;The product the last two seasons wasn&rsquo;t bad but there&rsquo;s no way you can flip a switch and suddenly have 14,500 people in Met Center again.&ldquo;The kind of team we put on the ice is 75 per cent of what we have to do to win the people back. While we get the team where we want it, it will be our job to be sure our customers are treated first-class when they do come out.&rdquo;But will the team they see have much of a future? In all, the Stars will lose 30 players (after the first draft of 14 and two, the two teams will alternately pick players from Minnesota&rsquo;s protected list until the Gunds have 30 players) from their not-so-deep talent pool.That means all of the North Stars&rsquo; good, young defensemen&mdash;Wilkinson, Link Gaetz, Rob Zettler, Jayson More and Dean Kolstad&mdash;will likely be headed west, as will most of the team&rsquo;s top draft picks from 1988 and 1989. Players drafted in 1990 can&rsquo;t be claimed by the Gunds.Not only that, but if any of the young players are traded, the Stars will only be able to protect nine skaters and two goalies from Ferreira instead of 14 and two. That would leave several capable Stars&rsquo; veterans available to be taken by Ferriera.In exchange, the North Stars get to share the expansion draft&mdash;10 players to Ferreira, 10 to Clarke&mdash;and Minnesota gets to keep NHL hockey.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011361/10235701-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="744" height="888"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Clarke isn&rsquo;t crazy about grooming players for another team.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02963/10235694-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="743" height="889"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stars&rsquo; GM Jack Ferriera joined the Gunds and the new franchise.</figcaption></div>It may not sound like a good deal, but it was the only deal available.&ldquo;We are allowed to trade (the young players) but it would change the structure of our protected list,&rdquo; Clarke says. &ldquo;If we traded them, Ferriera gets to change the terms of the deal. It&rsquo;s worse for the player than it is for me. Some of these kids who want out&mdash;even if we didn&rsquo;t like him or think he could play&mdash;there&rsquo;s nothing we can do.&rdquo;On the bright side, the players will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make an expansion team in a year. The down side is another year in the minors in a profession that doesn&rsquo;t usually last more than a few years.Wilkinson and his agent, Don Baizley, have tried to figure out what&rsquo;s in store for Wilkinson this season. Normally, there&rsquo;d be almost no doubt about where Wilkinson fits in with the Stars. He&rsquo;s ready for the NHL. He proved that when he played in 10 of the team&rsquo;s final 11 games and again in the playoffs. But this situation is anything but normal.&ldquo;We both agreed that all I have to do is come into training camp in shape, play to my potential and play my game and just go from there,&rdquo; says Wilkinson. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s out of my control. The only thing I can control is what I do.&rdquo;Clarke and Gainey come to Minnesota from sound franchises, both know what it takes to win. The first order of business is co-operation between the coach and general manager.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re already on the same page,&rdquo; Clarke says, &ldquo;and we always will be. We know who&rsquo;s the manager, who&rsquo;s the coach and who the players are. We understand the difference.&rdquo;<h2>ONE-YEAR HIATUS IS FINE WITH FERREIRA</h2>Jack Ferreira has found his perfect job: He&rsquo;s a working NHL general manager without a team, without a worry. But only for a little while.Ferreira left the Minnesota North Stars after two seasons to follow owners George and Gordon Gund to the Bay Area of northern California where they&rsquo;ll get an expansion team for the 1991-92 season. For a year, however, Ferreira&rsquo;s more scout than GM, which suits him fine.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always look at myself as a scout; it&rsquo;s what I enjoy most about professional hockey,&rdquo; Ferreira says. &ldquo;A scout gets to know the players. It&rsquo;s fun to go to the games and watch the kids, evaluate their skills.&ldquo;When I was (a scout) with the Flames and Rangers, I could never keep from thinking about what a player could do for our team and what our coaches could do for him. Then I&rsquo;d go to the next game and I&rsquo;d think about how this kid would fit with the last kid I watched. I was always putting a team together.&rdquo;There are few challenges in professional sports greater than building a successful expansion franchise.Ferreira will begin to work on his puzzle with pieces from the North Stars, pieces from an expansion draft and pieces from the amateur draft. As a condition of the sale of the Minnesota franchise, the Gunds get as many as 30 players from the North Stars&rsquo; reserve list. In exchange, they must share the expansion booty with Minnesota.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to approach next season as if we weren&rsquo;t getting any players from Minnesota,&rdquo; says Ferreira. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll go through each of the pro leagues and each of the amateur leagues and rate all the players. We&rsquo;re in a pretty good draft position (second in the first round and first in each successive round of the 1991 draft) and can&rsquo;t rely solely on what we&rsquo;ll get from the North Stars.&rdquo;But won&rsquo;t Ferreira miss the emotions that accompany a team&rsquo;s wins and losses?&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll miss the wins and the ties,&rdquo; he says with brutal honesty. &ldquo;I never used to get wrapped up in wins and losses, but the game is different when you&rsquo;re up there (as the general manager).&rdquo; &#9632;

f0023-01

FALLING STARS

<div class="byline">BY TOM McMILLAN</div>Bob Johnson has seen the future of U.S. hockey, and it&rsquo;s Jeremy Roenick on a breakaway.&ldquo;You see, what our kids didn&rsquo;t have before was a role model, someone to look up to,&rdquo; says Johnson, the departing executive director of USA Hockey and new coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. &ldquo;I remember when there was only one American playing in the NHL. Tommy Williams. One.&ldquo;Now, there are 100, and these kids can say, &lsquo;Hey, look what Roenick did in his first year. Maybe I can do that, too.&rsquo;&rdquo;What Roenick did, in his first full season in the NHL&mdash;at age 19, no less&mdash;was score 26 goals and 66 points in 78 games, then pop 11 more goals in the playoffs. And he wasn&rsquo;t even the best U.S.-bom rookie.That honor fell to Mike Modano, 19, of the Minnesota North Stars, who rang up 29 goals and 75 points in 80 games, and was named rookie of the year by readers of The Hockey News.In fact, another U.S.-bom rookie, New York Ranger center Darren Turcotte, matched Roenick&rsquo;s point total. The 22-year-old Boston native had 32 goals and 34 assists in 76 games.But that&rsquo;s not all. Calgary Flame left winger Paul Ranheim, a native of St. Louis, had 26 goals and 54 points in 80 games. The 24-year-old is one of the game&rsquo;s fastest skaters.&ldquo;But what it is, really, is a matter of opportunity,&rdquo; says Craig Patrick, general manager of the Penguins. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much hockey being played in the U.S. now. So many more chances for kids.&ldquo;I grew up in Massachusetts (in the 1960s) and I still had to go away to Montreal to find good competition. Now it&rsquo;s different. Kids don&rsquo;t have to go anywhere.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011444/10235746-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="735" height="1108"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Ranheim of the Calgary Flames is one of the NHL&rsquo;s fastest skaters.</figcaption></div>Even if it&rsquo;s not quite a red-white-and-blue hockey boom, youth-level registration is up across the United States. So much so that there are now college club teams in such exotic puck locales as Alabama, Arizona and Alaska. For the young, elite player, off-season development camps abound. Johnson estimates that during one week in July, more than 230 American kids were honing their skills on rinks at or near Colorado Springs.The trickle-down effect began 10 years ago, when a batch of fresh-faced collegians, prodded out of anonymity by a mid-westem taskmaster named Herb Brooks, stunned the world, sacked the Soviets and won the Olympic gold medal. That opened scouts&rsquo; eyes to the cooly-efficient U.S. college game.Johnson even rounded up a team of American pros and led them to a second-place finish in the round-robin portion of the 1984 Canada Cup. But despite those glimmers of success, there was always an accusation: U.S. players can&rsquo;t score.For a long time, the U.S. produced far more top-quality defensemen&mdash;Mark Howe, Rod Langway, Mike Ramsey, Chris Chelios&mdash;than legitimate goal-scorers.It was major news in 1984-85 when a kid from Beverly, Mass., Bobby Carpenter, fired 53 goals for the Washington Capitals, but he&rsquo;s never approached that total since. In the meantime, Joey Mullen, Jimmy Carson and Pat LaFontaine have each posted one 50-goal year.But for much of the 1980s, Mullen, who grew up playing roller hockey in Hell&rsquo;s Kitchen, N.Y., was regarded as the lone pure U.S. scorer.&ldquo;But it wasn&rsquo;t that Americans couldn&rsquo;t score goals,&rdquo; says Patrick, who scored 72 times in 401 NHL games. &ldquo;Obviously, you&rsquo;ve got to score goals to win hockey games, and American kids were scoring. But when you stepped up to the next level, the goals didn&rsquo;t come as easily.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s changing. Betterhigh school competition, better summer leagues, better elite camps and better scouting have all contributed to the flowering of U.S. talent. Granted, there&rsquo;s the case of Brian Lawton, a Rhode Islander who became the first American drafted No. 1 overall in 1983, and has never scored more than 21 goals or 44 points in a season. But he&rsquo;s not the measuring stick.Take LaFontaine. Drafted third overall by the New York Islanders the same year, he&rsquo;s progressed steadily, going from 19 goals in his first full NHL season to 30, 38, 47, 45 and 54 in 1989-90.His 105 points ranked eighth in the NHL last year, and he missed six games with injuries.He&rsquo;ll be the centerpiece of the next U.S. Canada Cup team, a bonafide international shooting star. But he won&rsquo;t be alone.At center, along with LaFontaine, the U.S. can call on Modano and Roenick and Craig Janney, the 23-year-old Boston Bruins&rsquo; whiz, a crafty playmaker who had 24 goals and 62 points in 55 games last year. They&rsquo;ll have to shuffle positions to make room for some other talented centers&mdash;-Carson, Ed Olczyk and veteran Neal Broten, a leftover from the &rsquo;80 Olympians.Beyond them, factor in wingers such as Mullen, who&rsquo;s rifled at least 36 goals in each of the last seven NHL seasons, and Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Kevin Stevens, who got 29 last year, and the Americans might pose a threat.And let&rsquo;s not forget the man sure to be the No. 1 right winger on the 1991 U.S. Canada Cup team&mdash;Belleville, Ont., native Brett Hull. The St. Louis sniper, who has dual citizenship, scored 72 goals and 113 points in 80 games. Since he played for the U.S. team at the 1987 Canada Cup, he can only play for the Americans in international tournaments.Of course, the U.S. can still trot out a sparkling defense with Chelios, Phil Housley. Brian Leetch, Gary Suter, Kevin Hatcher, Al lafrate, Jeff Norton and Ramsey. In goal, there&rsquo;s also star quality: John Vanbiesbrouck, Jon Casey, Tom Barrasso and Mike Richter.&ldquo;And that&rsquo;s an area where we haven&rsquo;t done a great job, developing goaltenders,&rdquo; Johnson says. &ldquo;It seems the college recruiters have gone for the Canadians, who&rsquo;ve played more games. But now our kids are playing more and more.&rdquo;The best young American players participated on four teams at the U.S. Olympic Festival in July. A select-17 team faced off against the Canadians. A select-16 team took on the Soviets.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you what&rsquo;s happening,&rdquo; Johnson says. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s hockey being played every day now in the summer. People say U.S. high school players don&rsquo;t play enough games, but, hey, they&rsquo;re going year-round.&rdquo;Patrick sent his scouts across North America throughout the summer but admitted they spent much of their time in the U.S.&ldquo;There are some really good American players in the NHL, and there are going to be more and more,&rdquo; Patrick says. &ldquo;I think the U.S. is going to develop some supersuperstars, hopefully in the mold of Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s the next plateau: A hockey megatalent. LaFontaine has averaged 49 goaL and 95 points over the past three seasons, but no one born in the USA has ever approached Gretzky or Lemieux-type numbers. No one&rsquo;s been compared to Mark Messier.The top picks in this year&rsquo;s draft, a strong one, were all Canadians or Czechs, and next season&rsquo;s can&rsquo;t-miss franchise-maker is Eric Lindros, already a Canadian legend.But Johnson, Patrick and others know more Americans are on the way.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s truly become an international game,&rdquo; Johnson says. &ldquo;There are Canadians, Soviets, Czechs, Swedes, Finns&mdash;and Americans. We&rsquo;re a big part of it.&ldquo;What we need is an American Gretzky, an American Lemieux. But we&rsquo;re making progress. Scouting has changed. They&rsquo;re not going just to Flin Flon, Man., any more.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011359/10235739-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="1554" height="1676"><figcaption class="caption-body">The U.S. defense department has few worries, thanks in large part to Brian Leetch, who won the Calder Trophy with the Rangers in 1989.</figcaption></div><h2>EVERYBODY&rsquo;S ALL-AMERICANS</h2>Twenty years ago it wasn&rsquo;t that difficult to come up with an American NHL allstar team. Just find a player at each position and you were set.Today, it&rsquo;s a little more complicated. The number of quality U.S.-bom players in the NHL has steadily risen to the point where now there&rsquo;s an abundance of talent from which to choose. And there&rsquo;s also St. Louis right winger Brett Hull, who was born in Canada but has dual citizenship.We&rsquo;ve tried to come up with a team which will make the Americans contenders at next year&rsquo;s Canada Cup. We&rsquo;ve listed the players by position as if it were a depth chart.Because the team is designed to be a &ldquo;Team of the &rsquo;90s", American stalwarts entering the twilight of their careers, such as Washington&rsquo;s Rod Langway and Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mark Howe, have been omitted.Also, because of the abundance of good American centers, some centers have been moved to wings they have played in the past. Some other centers&mdash;for example Joel Otto and Neal Broten&mdash;were left off the team.Center: Pat LaFontaine, Craig Janney, Mike Modano, Ed Olczyk.Left wing: Kevin Stevens, Paul Ranheim, Darren Turcotte, Neal Broten.Right wing: Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Jimmy Carson, Joey Mullen.Defense: Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, Al lafrate, Phil Housley, Kevin Hatcher, Gary Suter, Mike Ramsey, Matt Schneider.Goal: Mike Richter, John Vanbiesbrouck, Jon Casey. &#9632;

f0027-01

MADE IN THE USA

<div class="byline">BY BOB MCKENZIE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011412/10235784-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The St. Louis Blues&rsquo; foray into the free agent market produced Scott Stevens, left. They then traded to get Geoff Courtnail, right, from Washington.</figcaption></div>Technically, the 1990-91 National Hockey League season represents the end of an era.When this season expires, so will the days of a 21-team league.And so, too, will the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement between management and the NHL Players&rsquo; Association.Ditto for the heavily-criticized U.S. television contract between the league and SportsChannel America.On the surface, 1990-91 holds the security and comfort of the status quo. But it&rsquo;s a mirage.So many forces, on and off the ice, are already working on the game that this season is like a bridge to new but uncharted and turbulent waters.The league faces some critical decisions on where it will go in the &rsquo;90s and how it will get there. The players face a similar challenge.For management, expansion will be a dominant theme.The league has already awarded (conditionally) a franchise to the Gund brothers for the California Bay Area. The new club, which was the major part of the solution to keep the North Stars in Minnesota, begins play in the fall of 1991.As part of the complex arrangement, the Bay Area team will literally raid the North Stars&rsquo; organizational depth chart. It&rsquo;s just one example of how next year&rsquo;s expansion is already making waves this season.The NHL board of governors is expected this season to lay the groundwork for two more expansion franchises that would begin play in the fall of 1992.Current NHL clubs will be building their organizations with an eye to losing players in two expansion drafts over the course of two years.The players, meanwhile, will familiarize themselves with the field of labor relations.Volatile market conditions and the presence of Bob Goodenow, the new executive director of the NHLPA, lead to the conclusion that next summer&rsquo;s negotiations will be the stormiest ever.It&rsquo;s too early to mention strike or lockout, but the NHL&rsquo;s economy is in a major state of flux.Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux started it with $2 million-plus contracts and the rest of the players have been looking to close the gap.When the St. Louis Blues signed Brett Hull in June to a contract worth more than $7 million (approximately $1.8 million per season), convention went out the window.Hull, with one superstar season to his credit, went from $125,000 a season to $1.8 million. Overnight, it blew apart the NHL salary structure.The Blues created more waves by signing defenseman Scott Stevens from the Washington Capitals in a free-agency system that is supposedly so restrictive that no club will test it.Then, there&rsquo;s the future of hockey on television in the U.S.The three-year deal with SCA has been a failure insofar as penetration of markets is concerned.(Only 12 of the 21 NHL markets were able to access SCA last season.)Many of those who could complained that the NHL, even during the playoffs, was being pre-empted by early-season baseball games.The league will spend much time this year re-assessing its television future in the U.S.Of course, there&rsquo;s bound to be a little action on the ice, too.The Edmonton Oilers skate out as defending Stanley Cup champions, having won their fifth Cup in a seven-year span.The Oilers&rsquo; victory, combined with the Flames&rsquo; first-round exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings, prompted Calgary to re-tool for the future.The Flames traded high-scoring right winger Joey Mullen to Pittsburgh and defenseman Brad McCrimmon to Detroit in exchange for draft choices.The Montreal Canadiens traded Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Chris Chelios to the Chicago Blackhawks for star center Denis Savard. The Winnipeg Jets dealt star center Dale Hawerchuk to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Phil Housley and utility forwards Scott Arniel and Jeff Parker.Never before have so many big names been moved in the off-season.In the executive suites, there were major upheavals that are becoming more and more commonplace.Quebec cleaned house, moving Maurice Filion and Michel Bergeron out and Pierre Page and Dave Chambers in. Minnesota, due to the Bay Area shuffle, installed Bobby Clarke as GM and Bob Gainey as coach. Philadelphia replaced Clarke as GM with Russ Farwell and Chicago promoted coach Mike Keenan to the dual role of GM-coach.Detroit shuffled Jimmy Devellano upstairs and fired Jacques Demers to make room for Bryan Murray, who became GM and coach. Calgary fired Terry Crisp as coach and replaced him with Doug Risebrough. Pittsburgh hired Bob Johnson as coach.This year&rsquo;s rookie race will be a wide-open affair. There is no leading contender as there was a year ago when Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Makarov were arriving on the scene.This year&rsquo;s big names include Quebec&rsquo;s Owen Nolan, Vancouver&rsquo;s Petr Nedved, Detroit&rsquo;s Keith Primeau, Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mike Ricci and Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Jaromir Jagr&mdash;the top five players taken in this year&rsquo;s entry draft. But it&rsquo;s difficult to tell who among that group will make their respective NHL clubs, never mind dominate the freshman class. Other top rookie prospects include Hartford&rsquo;s Bobby Holik and Winnipeg&rsquo;s Stu Barnes.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011356/10235777-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="752" height="1188"><figcaption class="caption-body">Owen Nolan of Quebec will likely contend for rookie of the year.</figcaption></div>The race for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP is another open affair (see page 19). In the past two years, six different players have been among the finalists. The biggest questions concern the health of superstars Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Gretzky finished last spring&rsquo;s playoffs on the sidelines with a bad back. Lemieux underwent surgery in July for a more serious back ailment.The look of the game will be changed this year because the nets will moved one foot further out from the boards. That will decrease the neutral area between bluelines by two feet and give behind-the-net wizards such as Gretzky and Boston&rsquo;s Craig Janney more room to manoeuvre.Notable rule changes include:&bull; One that allows linesmen to call a penalty shot if a player deliberately throws his stick in a defensive zone.&bull; A double minor penalty will be assessed for accidental high sticks.&bull; Also, a double minor penalty will be charged to a player if he &ldquo;pokes, jabs or attempts to spear an opponent.&rsquo;&rsquo; If the injury from the high stick is considered accidental, the officials will call a double minor penalty. When a major penalty is imposed under this rule, all players except goaltenders will receive an automatic game misconduct.&bull; If a player kicks an opponent he&rsquo;ll receive a match penalty and will be suspended until a league ruling.&bull; There was also an addition to the rules governing players eligible for the Calder Trophy. A player must not have turned 26 by September 15 of the season in which he is eligible.Here is an NHL calendar of events for the 1990-91 season:Sept. 4-19&mdash;Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; five-game tour of Sweden and the Soviet Union. Sept. 6-17&mdash;Dusseldorf EG, Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues compete in three-team tournament in West Germany. Sept. 9-20&mdash;Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; four-game tour of the Soviet Union. Sept. 7&mdash;Regular NHL training camps open. Sept. 24&mdash;Hockey Hall of Fame inductions, Toronto. Oct. 1&mdash;Waiver draft. Oct. 4&mdash;Regular season starts. Dec. 3-Jan. 15&mdash;Central Red Army, Dynamo Moscow and Khimik Voskresensk vs. NHL teams. Jan. 18-20&mdash;All-Star weekend, Chicago. Jan. 19&mdash;All-Star Game, Chicago. March 5&mdash;Trade deadline. March 31&mdash;Regular season ends. April 3&mdash;Playoffs begin. June&mdash;Annual meetings, Buffalo. June&mdash;Entry draft, Buffalo.More dates you should know:Dec. 16-23&mdash;Izvestia tournament, Moscow. Dec. 26-Jan. 4&mdash;World Junior Championships, Saskatoon. January&mdash;Spengler Cup, Davos, Switz. March 28-30&mdash;NCAA Final Four, St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, Minn. April 2&mdash;American League playoffs begin. April 10&mdash;International League playoffs begin. May&mdash;Memorial Cup, dates and site in Quebec to be determined. April 19-May 4&mdash;World Championships, Finland.<h2>KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS</h2><h3>LEAGUES AND ASSOCIATIONS</h3>AUAA&mdash;Atlantic Universities Athletic Association. BCJHL&mdash;British Columbia Jr. Hockey League. CCHA&mdash;Central Collegiate Hockey Association. CIAU&mdash;Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union. COJHL&mdash;Central Ontario Jr. Hockey League. CWUAA&mdash;Canada West Universities Athletic Association. ECAC&mdash;Eastern College Athletic Association. HE&mdash;Hockey East. Ind. Div. I&mdash;Independent Division I U.S. College. MTJHL&mdash;Metro Toronto Jr. B Hockey League. MOJHL&mdash;Midwestern Ontario Jr. B Hockey League. NAJHL&mdash;North American Jr. Hockey League. NCAA&mdash;National Collegiate Athletic Association. OHL&mdash;Ontario Hockey League. OUAA&mdash;Ontario Universities Athletic Association. QMJHL&mdash;Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League.SJHL&mdash;Saskatchewan Jr. Hockey League. USJHL&mdash;United States Jr. Hockey League. WCHA&mdash;Western Collegiate Hockey Association. WHL&mdash;Western Hockey League.<h2>STATISTICS, NUMBERS, ROSTER DATA</h2>GP&mdash;Games played. G&mdash;Goals. A&mdash;Assists. P/PTS&mdash;Points. PP&mdash;Power-play goals. +/-Plus-minus rating (difference between number of even-strength and shorthanded goals scored for and against while player on the ice). PM/PIM&mdash;Penalty minutes. MN/MINS.&mdash;Minutes played by goaltender. GA&mdash;Goals against. GAA/AVG&mdash;Goals-against average. W&mdash;Wins. L&mdash;Losses. T&mdash;Ties. EN&mdash;Empty-net goals allowed. SO&mdash;Shutouts. SA&mdash;Shots Against. PCT&mdash;Save percentage. POS&mdash;Position played. NO.&mdash;Jersey number. HT.&mdash;Height. WT.&mdash;Weight. &#9632;

f0031-01

END OF AN ERA

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011542/10235815-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

THE $24.95 SEASON TICKET

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011565/10235846-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0034-01

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div>It&rsquo;s been three years since they last met in the playoffs for the Battle of Alberta, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames have ceased hostilities.Just the opposite, in fact.In recent years, the pattern has been that no matter where the NHL season started, it would end in Alberta.Over the last eight seasons, either Calgary or Edmonton qualified for the Stanley Cup final. Edmonton made it six times and won five. Calgary made it twice and won once.The two organizations have been trying to one-up each other ever since 1980 and that highly-energized competition pushed both teams to impressive heights.In 1989, after the Oilers won their third crown, the Flames responded with a 117-point season and a Stanley Cup to call their own.In 1990, after the Flames won a third consecutive Smythe regular-season title, the Oilers knocked off the Los Angeles Kings and everybody else en route to title No. 5.Strides have been made elsewhere in the division, but the Flames and Oilers remain head and shoulders above the rest of the Smythe, statistically the NHL&rsquo;s strongest division in each of the past two seasons.Once again, the Oilers will try to overcome the loss of a core player, right winger Jari Kurri, who was expected to spend the year in Italy and then play for Finland in the 1991 World Championships.Without Kurri, the Oilers will need to find more scoring. Perhaps it will come from their &ldquo;Kid Line"&mdash;Adam Graves, Joe Murphy and Martin Gelinas. Gelinas was poised to blossom into a star, but what they really need is for defenseman Chris Joseph to achieve some of the potential he showed in 1988 when he was an integral part of the Paul Coffey deal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011433/10235877-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="755" height="1424"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Gretzky continues to pay dividends but the Kings are no better.</figcaption></div>In Calgary, there were signs the Flames&rsquo; Murderer&rsquo;s Row lineup was starting to decline just a little. The Flames lost their answer to Kurri, Joey Mullen, in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Flames&rsquo; general manager Cliff Fletcher, figuring two scoring right wingers in the twilights of their career&mdash;Mullen and Sergei Makarov&mdash;was too risky for the long-term health of the team, dumped the former.The Winnipeg Jets did it with mirrors last year, right? Logically, that&rsquo;s the only way to explain how they produced 85 points.The Jets&rsquo; biggest question: Is there life after Dale Hawerchuk? Until slipping to 81 points last year, Hawerchuk never scored fewer than 91 in a season. Still, Bob Murdoch employs a no-star system and the Jets survived Hawerchuk&rsquo;s 40-game pout from October to January without any apppreciable dropoff. Then they traded him to Buffalo on draft day.Phil Housley adds one more skilled rearguard to a defense corps that already boasted Frederik Olausson, Dave Ellett and Teppo Numminen.Perhaps the key may be for underrated goaltender Bob Essensa to avoid the sophomore jinx. Essensa didn&rsquo;t get much Calder Trophy consideration, in part because of geography, but he gave the Jets consistent goaltending.The Vancouver Canucks were the most disappointing team in the league last season. Coming off a highly-competitive 1989 playoff series with the Flames, nothing went right for Vancouver last year.Shrewd moves around the edges gave the Canucks some youth and promise, but above all else, they need more scoring. They finished the year with 245 goals, 20th in the league and only five more than Quebec.Los Angeles is another year older and deeper in debt to Edmonton, which exacted a Kings&rsquo; ransom for Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky continues to pay handsome dividends&mdash;142 points, his umpteenth scoring title&mdash;but the supporting cast keeps changing and not getting any better.There are signs Tony Granato and Tomas Sandstrom, if they stay healthy, could give Gretzky some wings to take flight with and there&rsquo;s a decent second line if center Todd Elik keeps improving. Luc Robitaille&rsquo;s name keeps coming up in trade rumors and Lucky answers them by scoring goals more consistently than any other left winger in the game. Defensively, it&rsquo;s a disaster after Steve Duchesne, although rookie Rob Blake may be part of the answer.<h2>FIRST TO LAST</h2>1. Calgary Flames2. Edmonton Oilers3. Winnipeg Jets4. Vancouver Canucks5. Los Angeles Kings &#9632;

f0035-01

HOME OF THE CUP

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011468/10235943-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">He spent much of last season on the trade block, but Gary Suter rebounded from an injury-riddled season by averaging a point per game.</figcaption></div>In every category, the Calgary Flames slipped back last year from the season before&mdash;in points, goals for, goals against, Stanley Cups won&hellip;Despite this measurable, statistical decline, the Flames still managed 99 points, second-best in the league; 348 goals, tops in the league; and, only 265 goals against, fourth in the league.The conclusion? Last season, the Flames were a good team that had a bad playoff, a disastrous first-round loss to the Los Angeles Kings that ultimately cost coach Terry Crisp his job.His replacement, Doug Risebrough, possesses the same single-minded will to win that Crisp did, so there were no guarantees this would be a kinder, gentler season for the players who rebelled against Crisp&rsquo;s heavy-handed tactics.On the upside, the players may want to prove they were right.In the aftermath of Crisp&rsquo;s dismissal, there was a ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead merriment in Calgary. Accordingly, the players may be disposed to prove their 1989 Stanley Cup win was no fluke; that they really do belong in the league&rsquo;s upper echelons.First, the good news: Center Joe Nieuwendyk&rsquo;s knee injury, which was supposed to keep him out of the lineup for the first six months, responded to therapy and he was able to put off major surgery. Nieuwendyk damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing for Canada at the World Championships in April.Nieuwendyk&rsquo;s loss would have been a blow, since he&rsquo;s averaged 49 goals a season in his first three years. His linemate, Gary Roberts, blossomed into a scorer last year, chipping in 39 despite limited time on the power play.Up front, the Flames possess as good a starting nine as anybody in the league.Now the bad news: Off-season trades that cost the team Joe Mullen and Brad McCrimmon may pay dividends down the road&mdash;both were swapped for high second-round draft choices&mdash;but in September, the team was demonstrably weaker on paper than a year ago.Mullen scored 87 goals over the past two years and was a first-team all-star in 1989. McCrimmon made the second all-star team in 1988 and provided the Flames with a steady, defensive presence.Biggest problem: Absence of leadership. The team went through three captains in 12 months&mdash;Lanny McDonald and Jim Peplinski retired and McCrimmon was traded&mdash;and there were signs that Nieuwendyk would inherit the job, even though he is only 24.The lack of leadership was one thing many of the critics pointed to when analyzing the demise of the Flames last season.And how to fix it: There&rsquo;s no quick fix, but Nieuwendyk, Roberts, Maclnnis and Joel Otto must realize this is their team now.Arrivals: Doug Risebrough, coach; Guy Charron, assistant coach; Stephane Matteau, LW; Brian Glynn, D; Robert Reichel, C.Departures: Terry Crisp, coach; Tom Watt, assistant coach; Joe Mullen, RW; Brad McCrimmon, D.Risebrough says: &ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a delicate balance between the present and the future. We had put some of the players in our system on hold and stayed with older players. Now, there&rsquo;s opportunities for them.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re creating openings and we expect people to step through them. I think there is depth in the organization to allow that.&rdquo;Something to prove: Mark Hunter missed all but 10 games last season because of major reconstructive knee surgery. His last three years with the St. Louis Blues, Hunter averaged 37 goals. His first two years in Calgary, he totalled 24.Never a dull moment: Not with Gary Suter around. Suter learned from the master Neil Sheehy, nicknamed MD (for media darling). In three season, Suter went from the worst interview on the team to the best.Two years ago, after he broke his jaw in the first playoff round only weeks after an emergency appendectomy, Suter commented: &ldquo;It started as a dream season that turned into a nightmare. And in that nightmare, I keep hearing Mr. Injury say, &rsquo;I&rsquo;m ba-aaa-ck.&rdquo;Later in September, during the Flames&rsquo; trip to the Soviet Union, Suter wasn&rsquo;t impressed with the quality of the cuisine. &ldquo;I ate more with my jaw wired shut.&rdquo;Projected leaders: Scoring: Nieuwendyk; Fighting: Tim Hunter; Hitting: Theoren Fleury; Sweating: Suter.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011292/10235936-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="802" height="1340"></div>1989-90 log: 42-23-15, 99 points, first in the Smythe, second overall, lost in six games to Los Angeles in Smythe semifinal.Predicted finish: First in the Smythe Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02917/10235929-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="1548" height="1363"><figcaption class="caption-body">In his first full season, the diminutive Theoren Fleury provided inspired play and despite his size, continues to deliver punishing checks.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03733/10235922-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="791" height="3134"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>11. Trevor Kidd, G, Brandon (WHL).26. Nicolas Perreault, D, Hawkes bury (COJHL).32. Vesa Viitakoski, LW, Saipa (Fin.).41. Etienne Belzile, D, Cornell (ECAC).62. Glen Mears, D, Rochester (NAJHL).83. Paul Kruse, LW, Kamloops (WHL).125. Chris Tschupp, C, Trinity-Pawling H.S. (Mass.).146. Dimitri Frolov, D, Moscow Dynamo (USSR).167. Shawn Murray, G, Hill-Murray H.S. (Minn.).188. Mike Murray, RW, Cushing Academy H.S. (Mass.).209. Rob Sumner, D, Victoria (WHL).251. Leo Gudas, D, Sparta Praha (Czech.)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011421/10235915-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="749" height="1216"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug Risebrough inherits a talented but leaderless team in the Flames.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Smythe1989-90 Record: 42-23-15 (1st Smythe, 2nd overall)GM: Cliff FletcherCoach: Doug RisebroughHome: Olympic Saddledome (19,626)&#9724; The Flames outshot their opponents in 67 of 80 games.&#9724; The Flames&rsquo; power-play (27.7 per cent) and penalty-killing (79.2 per cent) efficiency combined for the highest total in the NHL.&#9724; The Flames tied an NHL record by scoring two goals in four seconds and became the first NHL team to do it while shorthanded.&#9724; Four players on the Flames topped the 80-point plateau in 1989-90 and nine had more than 20 goals.&#9724; Left winger Gary Roberts scored 39 goals last season, surpassing his previous career high by 17.<h2>FLAMES 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02987/10235908-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="2394" height="1762"></div> &#9632;

f0036-01

LOOKING FOR LEADERS

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-011021/10236009-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Kid Line&mdash;Joe Murphy, Adam Graves and Martin Gelinas&mdash;exploded during the playoffs and more of the same will be expected this year.</figcaption></div>For the first time since The Trade in August, 1988, there is no talk in Edmonton about life after Wayne Gretzky.Aside from a huge statue of the former Edmonton Oiler that stands outside the team&rsquo;s home rink, the Northlands Coliseum, remnants of No. 99 have vanished completely. Led by the powers of Mark Messier, the Oilers took only one year to get over the mourning. Then they got back to the joy that comes with winning a Stanley Cup.After finally dispelling the ghost of Gretzky, the Oilers will now have to come to grips with losing another superstar, Jan Kurri, who was expected to sign a contract with Milan of the Italian League.First, the good news: The emergence of the Kid Line&mdash;Adam Graves between Joe Murphy and Martin Gelinas&mdash;as a threat during the playoffs has left the Oilers with a well-balanced attack. Hart Trophy-winning Messier, Edmonton&rsquo;s undisputed leader, can look fondly upon the trio, all products or by-products of the Gretzky trade.Bill Ranford stepped into a pressure situation during the playoffs, played miserably in his first playoff game, then performed spectacularly to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs&rsquo; most valuable player. Assuming Grant Fuhr comes back healthy next season, the Oilers could have the most formidable goaltending tandem in the league.The Oilers&rsquo; coaching staff&mdash;John Muckier, Ted Green and first-year assistant Ron Low&mdash;passed its first year together with flying colors. &ldquo;Muckier and Green are two of the best coaches in hockey,&rdquo; says Oilers&rsquo; defenseman Kevin Lowe. &ldquo;If 1 can get them more money by anything I say, they should get more money. They did a great job.&rdquo;Now, the bad news: The Oilers&rsquo; defense corps has played admirably over the years but is beginning to show its age. Randy Gregg is 34 and Lowe and Charlie Huddy are both 31. Reijo Ruotsalainen, who performed well in the playoffs in both 1988 and 1990, has headed back to Europe. Youngsters like Geoff Smith, Chris Joseph and Francois Leroux, long on promise but short on experience, are going to have to pick up the torch over the next few seasons.The loss of Kurri could be potentially devastating for the Oilers. The Flying Finn had 93 points last season and is the leading playoff goal-scorer of all-time. After Glenn Anderson and Joe Murphy, the Oilers are very weak on the right side.Biggest problem: Aside from Messier, who had a career year, none of the Oiler forwards had that great a regular season. For all his improvement, Anderson had only eight more points than 1988-89 and Craig Simpson struggled. The Kid Line only caught fire during the playoffs and earned only 71 regular-season points among themselves.And how to fix it: Czechoslovakian center Vladimir Ruzicka and Soviet center Anatoli Semenov may help provide more scoring punch but both are considered defensive liabilities&mdash;Ruzicka was minus-21 in 25 games last season&mdash;and it would be difficult for the Oilers to justify breaking up a Stanley Cup winner by inserting them into the lineup.Arrivals: Anatoli Semenov, C.Departures: Reijo Ruotsalainen, D; Jan Kurri, RW.Muckier says: &ldquo;We won the Stanley Cup on a good team concept and a lot of hard work. Also a lot of people developed before we thought they were going to develop. That speaks well for this team&rsquo;s future.&rdquo;Something to prove: After the Oilers won the Stanley Cup, Messier pronounced that no one on the team has anything to prove. Well, a couple do. Fuhr must show he&rsquo;s able to come back from his major reconstructive shoulder surgery of Dec. 27 and Petr Klima must prove he can fit in with the Oilers.Never a dull moment: Klima may not contribute as much as he would like on the ice, but the free-spirited Czechoslovakian is never short on wise words. While going through customs during the Oilers&rsquo; playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks, Klima commented on his lack of ice time by asking: &ldquo;What do I put down, business or pleasure?&rdquo;Projected Leaders: Scoring: Messier; Fighting: Dave Brown; Hitting: Craig Muni. Sweating: Craig MacTavish.1989-90 log: 38-28-14, 90 points; second in the Smythe Division, fifth overall; beat Winnipeg in seven games in Smythe semifinal, beat Los Angeles in four games in Smythe final, beat Chicago in seven games in Campbell Conference final, beat Boston in five games in Stanley Cup final.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01884/10236002-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="783" height="1335"></div>Predicted finish: Second in the Smythe Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02592/10235995-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="1545" height="1373"><figcaption class="caption-body">Perhaps the most complete player in all of hockey, Mark Messier led the Oilers with a career season that culminated in winning the Hart Trophy.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03478/10235988-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="786" height="3164"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>17. Scott Allison, C, Prince Albert (WHL).38. Alexandre Legault, RW, Boston University (HE).59. Joe Crowley, LW, Lawrence Academy H.S. (Mass.).67. Joel Blain, LW, Hull (QMJHL). 101. Greg Louder, G, Cushing Academy H.S. (Mass.).122. Keijo Sailynoja, LW, Jokerit (Fin.).143. Mike Power, G, Western Michigan (CCHA).164. Roman Mejzlik, LW, Dukla Jihlava (Czech.).185. Richard Zemlicka, LW, Sparta Praha (Czech.).206. Petr Korinek, C, Skoda Plzen (Czech.).248. Sami Nuutinen, D, K-Espoo (Fin.)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01950/10235981-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="730" height="1188"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Muckier won the Stanley Cup in his first season as head coach.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Smythe1989-90 Record: 38-28-14 (2nd Smythe, 5th overall)GM: Glen SatherCoach: John MuckierHome: Northlands Coliseum (17,312)&#9724; The Oilers had the best overtime record in the NHL last season (5-1-14, .600).&#9724; Edmonton scored the first goal in a game 48 times last season (60.0 per cent), the most of any team in the league.&#9724; As a team, Edmonton had the fewest shots on goal last season (2,253), but had the second-best shooting percentage in the NHL (14.0 per cent).&#9724; The Oilers&rsquo; five 30-goal scorers were the most among NHL teams.&#9724; Edmonton led the NHL with 22 shorthanded goals.<h2>OILERS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02621/10235974-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="2376" height="1712"></div> &#9632;

f0040-01

MOURNING HAS BROKEN

<div class="byline">BY GRANT McGINNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01830/10236075-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Injuries limited Thomas Steen to 53 games last season but he managed to earn 66 points. He&rsquo;ll be needed even more now that Dale Hawerchuk is gone.</figcaption></div>Two seasons ago, the Winnipeg Jets were one of the worst teams in the NHL. They weren&rsquo;t very high on anyone&rsquo;s best-dressed list either.Last season they took care of the former by finishing tied for seventh overall in the NHL standings and giving the Edmonton Oilers their biggest scare of the playoffs. This year they hope to improve the latter by adopting new uniforms.But the duds are only a small part of the new-look Jets. Dale Hawerchuk, the Jets&rsquo; franchise player and leading scorer the past nine seasons, also changes uniforms by moving on to the Buffalo Sabres.The Jets hope to build on last season&rsquo;s improvement and think they still have enough talent to move up in the standings for the second straight season, which would constitute a franchise first.First, the good news: The Jets boast the deepest corps of offensive defensemen in hockey. Phil Housley, off an 81-point season, comes over from Buffalo in the Hawerchuk deal and will anchor the blue line. Dave Ellett has scored 39 times in the past two seasons. Fredrik Olausson has been the Jets&rsquo; leading point-getter from the blue line over the past two seasons with 117. Teppo Numminen blossomed in his sophomore season with 43 points and has barely scratched the surface. Randy Carlyle, the 1981 Norris Trophy winner, can still dazzle on occasion. And oft-travelled Moe Mantha played the finest hockey of his 10-year career in the post-season.Throw in the play of Thomas Steen, the improvement of Pat Elynuik and the club&rsquo;s rejuvenation under general manager Mike Smith and coach Bob Murdoch, and things are definitely looking up.Now, the bad news: The Jets have an annoying history of fizzling after flashing. Like Murdoch, Tom Watt, Barry Long and Dan Maloney had great first seasons with the Jets, only to see the team falter the next season.Biggest problem: The Jets have too many players cut from the same cloth. Exactly how many puckhandling, offense-first defensemen does one team need? Only Peter Taglianetti and Shawn Cronin offer muscle behind the blue line and with a healthy crop of Bobby Orr&rsquo;s disciples in front, how much ice time will they command? That could be costly for the Jets.And how to fix it: Two options. Either trade Dave Ellett or revolutionize the game of hockey. Ellett&rsquo;s market value is extremely high and with the arrival of Housley, he&rsquo;s expendable. Ellett, 26, is coming into the prime of his career and is exactly the type of player a number of teams are looking for to put them over the top.Arrivals: Phil Housley, D; Scott Amiel, LW; Jeff Parker, C; Stu Barnes, C; Terry Simpson, assistant coach.Departures: Dale Hawerchuk, C; Alpo Suhonen, assistant coach.Murdoch says: &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t affect what&rsquo;s happened in the past. We can only control what&rsquo;s happening now. I don&rsquo;t know what they&rsquo;ve done in the past here but one of our goals will be improvement.Last year was kind of a measuring stick. We wanted to find out what the players could do and we&rsquo;ve done that. Based on what we did this year and the type of practices we had and what we accomplished, we&rsquo;ve done that. It was only the beginning.&rdquo;Something to prove: Paul Fenton has spent his whole life proving people wrong and this season will be no different for the 30-year-old left winger. In three years, he&rsquo;s gone from a career minor-leaguer to Winnipeg&rsquo;s leading goal scorer&mdash;he had 32 last season. Fenton&rsquo;s on the cover of the season ticket brochure, too, but that won&rsquo;t guarantee him another stellar season.Never a dull moment: Randy Carlyle may not be the same razzle-dazzle defenseman who lit the league on fire back in 1981 but his wit remains all-star material.Despite missing 27 games because of injury and the death of his parents just days apart, Carlyle played some outstanding hockey last winter. The 33-year-old Jets&rsquo; captain, dispenser of all knowledge and wisdom in the Winnipeg dressing room on topics ranging from stocks to frocks, hasn&rsquo;t let the departure of Hawerchuk and subsequent arrival of Housley dampen his spirits, either.&ldquo;There goes my scoring bonus,&rdquo; he deadpanned.Projected leaders: Scoring: Steen; Fighting: Cronin; Hitting: Paul MacDermid; Sweating: Fenton.1988-89 log: 37-32-11,85 points; third in Smythe, tied for seventh overall, lost in seven games to Edmonton in Smythe semifinal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01723/10236068-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="780" height="1342"></div>Predicted finish: Third in the Smythe Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02493/10236061-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="1558" height="1386"><figcaption class="caption-body">Defenseman Phil Housley, sporting the Jets&rsquo; new uniform, is coming off a career-high 81-point season with the Buffalo Sabres.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03410/10236054-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="796" height="3160"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>19. Keith Tkachuk, LW, Malden Catholic H.S. (Mass.).35. Mike Muller, D, Wayzata H.S. (Minn.).74. Roman Meluzin, RW, Zetor Brno (Czech.).75. Scott Levins, RW, Tri-City (WHL).77. Alexei Zhamnov, C, Moscow Dynamo (USSR).98. Craig Martin, RW, Hull (QMJHL).119. Daniel Jardemyr, D, Uppsala (Swe.).140. John Lilley, C, Cushing Academy H.S. (Mass.).161. Henrik Andersson, D, Vasteras (Swe.).182. Rauli Raitanen, C, Assat (Fin.).203. Mika Alatalo, LW, Kooko (Fin.).224. Sergei Selyanin, D, Khimik (USSR).245. Keith Morris, C, Alaska-Anchorage (Ind. Div. I).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01743/10236047-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="740" height="1201"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Murdoch&rsquo;s Jets were the NHL&rsquo;s most surprising team last season.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Smythe1989-90 Record: 37-32-11 (4th Smythe, 8th overall)GM: Mike SmithCoach: Bob MurdochHome: Winnipeg Arena (15,401)&#9724; The Jets led the NHL with a .708 winning percentage (17-7-0) in one-goal games last season.&#9724; Winnipeg got just one goal from a rookie last season (Danton Cole), but had 61 games played by first-year goalies.&#9724; The Jets were the only team in the NHL last season that did not have a player score a hat trick.&#9724; Winnipeg&rsquo;s 21 point-improvement last season over 1988-89 was the second-highest in the NHL.&#9724; Fourth-place finishers in the Smythe Division last season with 85 points, Winnipeg would have finished first in the Patrick Division.<h2>JETS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02495/10236040-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="2389" height="1734"></div> &#9632;

f0044-01

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BEAMISH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01664/10236141-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Acquired late in the season from Montreal, Jyrki Lumme is the puckhandling defenseman the Canucks need but he&rsquo;s not very physical.</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s hard to lose more games than you win for 14 straight seasons. The Vancouver Canucks, though, have done it. It has been a doormat dynasty since 1975-76, the longest current record of continual losing seasons in North American pro sports.The problem goes beyond coach Bob McCammon and general manager Pat Quinn, who only came onto the scene in 1987. It has a lot to do with the lean draft years from 1982-86, which should have produced the nucleus of the current team, and some unconscionable blunders in the front office. A case in point is the Big Goof of &rsquo;86&mdash;the trading of right winger Cam Neely and a first-round draft pick (who turned out to be defenseman Glen Wesley) to Boston for Barry Pederson.At least the Canucks have stopped trading No. 1 picks away. The 1988 top pick, Trevor Linden, has the look of a champion and the 1990 draft could be the kind that draft champions look back on three or four years from now and say, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what made us what we are today.&rdquo;No. 1 pick Petr Nedved could develop into the gamebreaker the Canucks have never had and linebacker-sized left winger Shawn Antoski, No. 18 overall in the June draft, could help to change the team&rsquo;s feeble, wimpy image. Defenseman Jiri Slegr, Vancouver&rsquo;s third pick in the draft, is another solid prospect.First, the good news: You could count on one finger (Greg Adams) the number of Canucks who had better seasons last year than they did in 1988-89, when the team reached the playoffs and almost knocked the Calgary Flames out in the first round. So the feeling is that most Canucks should be due to rebound. The Soviet Experiment put a few noses out of joint, notably Petri Skriko&rsquo;s, who had his ice time reduced and dropped to 15 from 30 goals. Now Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov are to be given no special favors.Now, the bad news: For all the attention given to improving their offense last season, the Canucks scored only 245 goals, the second lowest total in the league behind Quebec. Special teams were terrible: The Canucks were last in the league at home in both penalty killing and on the power play. Kirk McLean is one of the league&rsquo;s best young goalies but his veteran backup, Steve Weeks, couldn&rsquo;t be counted on and turned 32 over the summer. All of the Canuck centers are good puck handlers, yet lightweight and easily pushed around. Elsewhere, the Canucks don&rsquo;t have a lot of muscle to back them up.Biggest problem: The Canucks are one of the league&rsquo;s weakest teams, playing in the NHL&rsquo;s strongest division. Vancouver won only six of 32 games against Smythe Division opponents. However, the Canucks were a semi-respectable 19-23-6 against other divisions in &rsquo;89-90.And how to fix it: With Jari Kurri gone to Italy, Dale Hawerchuk to Buffalo, Brad McCrimmon and Joe Mullen out of Calgary and the L.A. Kings succumbing to the inevitable glitches of an aging lineup, division opponents shouldn&rsquo;t strike as much fear.Arrivals: Petr Nedved, C; Shawn Antoski, LW; Troy Gamble, G; Robert Kron, RW; Ron Wilson, assistant coach.Departures: Jim Benning, D.McCammon says: &ldquo;I hope we have multi-personnel changes. I&rsquo;d like to have a different type of team next year. It&rsquo;s up to the players from (the Canucks&rsquo; International League affiliate in) Milwaukee to come in and take jobs.&rdquo;Something to prove: Krutov has to prove he can lay off the pizza and hot dogs and show he is serious about re-establishing himself as one of the world&rsquo;s best left wingers. The Canucks have threatened to suspend him without pay if the Tank shows up out of shape at training camp again. While Larionov made a smoother transition to the North American game, his offensive production was disappointing.Never a dull moment: Controversy seems to follow Brian Burke, the Canucks&rsquo; director of hockey operations, like fleas to a hound. Burke is either the most confident hockey executive in the world, or his studies at Harvard Law School didn&rsquo;t include a course in diplomacy. On the eve on his interview with president Jay Snider for the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; vacant general manager&rsquo;s job, Burke publicly scolded the Flyers for firing Bob Clarke, the man Burke was seeking to replace. Needless to say, Burke didn&rsquo;t get the job. But he added to his reputation as a man who speaks his mind.Projected leaders: Scoring: Dan Quinn; Fighting: Ronnie Stern; Hitting: Stern; Sweating: Linden.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01529/10236134-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="766" height="1330"></div>1989-90 log: 25-41-14, 64 points; fifth in the Smythe, 20th overall; did not qualify for the playoffs.Projected finish: Fourth in the Smythe Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02337/10236127-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="1531" height="1349"><figcaption class="caption-body">Igor Larionov contributed 44 points in 74 games, not exactly the kind of numbers the Canucks envisioned when he came over from the Soviet Union.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03234/10236120-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="778" height="3130"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>2. Petr Nedved, C, Seattle (WHL).18. Shawn Antoski, LW, North Bay (OHL).23. Jiri Slegr, D, Litvinov (Czech.).65. Darin Bader, LW, Saskatoon (WHL).86. Gino Odjick, LW, Laval (QMJHL).128. Daryl Filipek, D, Ferris State (CCHA).149. Paul O&rsquo;Hagan, D, Oshawa (OHL).170. Mark Cipriano, RW, Victoria (WHL).191. Troy Neumier, D, Prince Albert (WHL).212. Tyler Ertel, C, North Bay (OHL).233. Karri Kivi, D, Ilves (Fin.).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01517/10236113-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="752" height="1212"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McCammon will show no favoritism to the Soviets this season.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Smythe1989-90 Record: 25-41-14 (5th Smythe, 20th overall)GM: Pat QuinnCoach: Bob McCammonHome: Pacific Coliseum (16,553)&#9724; The Canucks can set an NHL record this season by finishing below .500 for the 15th consecutive year.&#9724; Vancouver pulled its goalie in favor of an extra attacker on 22 occasions last season, and scored once.&#9724; Vancouver&rsquo;s 13 home wins in 1989-90 equalled a team low.&#9724; Goaltender Kirk McLean led NHL goalies in games played (63) and minutes played (3,739) last season.&#9724; Soviet rookies Igor Larionov and Vladimir Krutov combined for 78 points in 1989-90.<h2>CANUCKS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02387/10236106-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="2405" height="1738"></div> &#9632;

f0047-01

DOORMAT DYNASTY

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01388/10236207-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Luc Robitaille continues to answer critics by dominating his position. He was named a first-team all-star at left wing for the third straight year.</figcaption></div>History tells us that the Los Angeles Kings have made a habit of following a decent season with a poor one. They did that last season when they finished fourth in the Smythe Division after placing fourth overall in 1988-89.After finally reaching the .500 mark in early February, the Kings won just 10 of their final 26 regular-season games to finish 34-39-7 under first-year coach Tom Webster, a far cry from their 42-31-7 record of the previous season and well below the preseason expectations placed upon them.The Kings salvaged some respectability by upsetting the defending Stanley Cupchampion Calgary Flames in the first round of the playoffs, but they were swept in the division finals for the second year in a row&mdash;this time by Edmonton&mdash;when they were unable to overcome several injuries, the major one being Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s hyperextended back.The Kings failed to play with any consistency over 80 games and they must be concerned about an aging roster that might have contributed to the second-half swoon. Owner Bruce McNall has spent heavily in the free-agent market to build a Stanley Cup contender, so it is a little ironic that the success or failure of the team this season will hinge in large part on the development of young players like center Todd Elik and defenseman Rob Blake.First, the good news: It would be foolish to completely rule out a club that has Gretzky, who spearheads an attack that produced 338 goals, second-best in the league behind the Flames (348). Gretzky, who needs 21 points for 2,000 in his career, is convinced he can reach the 200-point mark for the first time in five years if he and speedy linemates Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato remain healthy.All-star left winger Luc Robitaille and emerging star Elik, who came to the forefront following the mid-season trade of Bernie Nicholls, form the nucleus of a potent No. 2 line. Rushing defenseman Steve Duchesne supplies more punch.Now, the bad news: The Kings, who finished fourth-worst in the league in goals against with 337, have given up over 300 goals in nine consecutive seasons. The forwards don&rsquo;t pay enough attention to their defensive duties. They gamble in the offensive zone trying to score goals and often are caught up ice.The defense corps is slow and doesn&rsquo;t cover the front of the net as well as it should.Many of its giveaways are forced because the forwards don&rsquo;t come back to accept clearing passes.You have to wonder if the long season will take a toll on Larry Robinson (39), Dave Taylor (34), John Tonelli (33), Tom Laidlaw (32) and Tim Watters (31).Biggest problem: Too many players think it&rsquo;s acceptable when the team allows five or six goals as long as it scores six or seven. Changing this mentality may be Webster&rsquo;s toughest assignment.And how to fix it: The forwards have to make a commitment to backcheck and to win their individual one-on-one battles, which include making the extra effort for loose pucks along the boards and in the comers. They need to realize that it&rsquo;s possible to maintain decent defensive position without sacrificing much offense. The Kings could use another skating defenseman or two. Petr Prajsler, a disappointment up to now, may provide them with that.Arrivals: Rob Blake, D.Departures: None.Webster says: &ldquo;We need to get consistent goaltending, and in order to help our goaltender, we have to play better fundamental hockey as a team. We need to cut our goals against by 50. If we can do that, we&rsquo;ll be better prepared to overcome our biggest obstacle, which is getting out of our division.&rdquo;Something to prove: Mikko Makela must find the touch that made him a 36-goal scorer in 1987-88 with the New York Islanders. Makela had nine goals in 65 games last year, seven goals in 45 games after his Nov. 29 acquisition from New York.Never a dull moment: He loses his temper from time to time on the ice, but Marty McSorley is never at a loss for a good quote in the dressing room. He described last year&rsquo;s 386-penalty minute marathon with Edmonton as a &ldquo;spiritual game.&rdquo; When asked about Gretzky&rsquo;s impact on the team, he said, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the big guy and we&rsquo;re the apostles. We all follow him.&rdquo;Projected leaders: Scoring: Gretzky; Fighting: McSorley; Hitting: McSorley; Sweating: Tonelli.1989-90 log: 34-39-7, 75 points; fourth in the Smythe, 15th overall; beat Calgary in six games in Smythe semifinal, lost in four games to Edmonton in Smythe final.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01397/10236200-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="786" height="1350"></div>Predicted finish: Fifth in the Smythe Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02257/10236193-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg" title="f0052-02" width="1576" height="1381"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Krushelnyski, who became a member of the Kings&rsquo; 30-and-over club this year, posted the lowest scoring totals of his career last season.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-03179/10236186-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="805" height="3146"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>7. Darryl Sydor, D, Kamloops (WHL).28. Brandy Semchuk, RW, Canadian National.49. Bob Berg, LW, Belleville (OHL).91. David Goverde, G, Sudbury (OHL).112. Erik Andersson, LW, Danderyd (Swe.).133. Robert Lang, C, Litvinov (Czech.).154. Dean Hulett, RW, Lake Superior State (CCHA).175. Denis LeBlanc, C, St-Hyacinthe (QMJHL).196. Patrik Ross, RW, HV-71 (Swe.).217. K.J. White, C, Windsor (OHL).238. Troy Mohns, D, Colgate (ECAC).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01384/10236179-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="733" height="1217"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Webster wants to see the Kings cut their goals-against by 50.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Smythe1989-90 Record: 34-39-7 (4th Smythe, 15th overall)GM: Rogie VachonCoach: Tom WebsterHome: The Forum (16,005)&#9724; The Kings had 13 fewer points in the second half (31) of the 1989-90 season than the first (44). It was the greatest decrease in the league.&#9724; The Kings scored 38 fewer goals in 1989-90 (338) than in 1988-89 (376).&#9724; Three Kings had hat tricks in their 12-4 win over Calgary in Game 4 of the Smythe semifinal. Prior to that, the Kings had only three hat tricks in franchise playoff history.&#9724; Wayne Gretzky recorded his seventh straight 40-goal season and his 10th consecutive 100-assist season.&#9724; Steve Duchesne had his second straight 20-goal season.<h2>KINGS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02232/10236172-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg" title="f0054-02" width="2351" height="1749"></div> &#9632;

f0051-01

AGE-OLD PROBLEMS

<div class="byline">BY SCOTT MORRISON</div>Once upon a time it was fashionable, nevermind socially acceptable, to laugh at the Norris Division, where mediocrity was redifined. The bore-us Norris. The Chuck Norris Division. The snore-us Division.Those days, though, passed quietly last season, the mantle of mediocrity passed on to the Pathetic, er, Patrick Division.There exists in the Norris some of the brightest, young talent in the game, such as Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Gary Leeman, Jeremy Roenick and Mike Modano. In large part, the five Norris teams, while hardly powers in recent years, have obviously kept a close eye on their neighbors in the Smythe, where success was bom of size and speed.It figures that this season there should be continued improvement in the Norris Division, where respectability hasn&rsquo;t necessarily translated into job security.If the bold and brash are to be rewarded, the Chicago Blackhawks should win a third division title. Though playoff champions the last two seasons, the Blackhawks made a blockbuster trade and sent minor shockwaves through the dressing room.Chicago traded star center Denis Savard to Montreal for star defenseman Chris Chelios and a second-round draft pick in 1991. The Hawks obviously figured they could cope without Savard, especially with Roenick maturing into a top-flight center, and could use a defenseman of Chelios&rsquo; calibre to bolster an aging blue line.Perhaps even more significant is that Savard and coach Mike Keenan never got along. And when Keenan was given the second portfolio of general manager, the trade simply reaffirmed the authority he has been given.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01339/10236238-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="759" height="1409"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Modano is one player helping to shed the Norris&rsquo; bad reputation.</figcaption></div>Though arguably the most talented team, the Blackhawks are anything but a lock to repeat as division champions. The St. Louis Blues are a young, building team led by the superstar Hull. Even the Blues gave the unmistakable impression they are committed to winning by signing Hull to a multiyear, multi-million-dollar contract. In years past, of course, he would have been traded&mdash;back to Calgary. Then they signed free-agent defenseman Scott Stevens to a four-year deal. Someone obviously happened upon the combination to the vault.The times are finally changing, too, in Toronto, where they appear aware of the year and the century and are threatening to emerge from the Dark Ages. The passing of antiquated owner Harold Ballard has signalled the beginning of a bold, brave new era in the history of the Maple Leafs, the new ownership promising to restore a tradition that once included winning.Coming off their best season in a dozen years, finishing with a .500 record, the Leafs naturally expect improvement this season, but that largely hinges on the development of youth and solving a goaltending crisis. But there is significant talent and revived hope within the organization to believe the Leafs are capable of improving. There were no significant off-season moves though the addition of rugged wingers Greg Johnston and Kevin Maguire will help.Despite coming off their worst season in four years, the Detroit Red Wings should be better this season with the addition of defensemen Brad McCrimmon and Rick Green and goaltender Alain Chevrier. As well, having big, reformed winger Bob Probert to start the season will make the Red Wings just a little bigger&mdash;and braver. First-round draft pick Keith Primeau will help in those areas, too.A healthy Jimmy Carson for a full season would be welcome as the Wings need him to anchor a second scoring line. Several prospects from the farm team in Adirondack, including Joey Kocur&rsquo;s cousin, Kory, may also be ready to contribute.Finally, there are the new Minnesota North Stars. Oh, they have the same name, the same colors, and they will play in the same building, but they again have new ownership (Norman Green, Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg), a new general manager (Bob Clarke) and a new coach (Bob Gainey). Now if only the changes would translate into something new on the ice&mdash;such as consistent winning.But then, maybe it will happen this season, for as the division as a whole proved last year, nothing is forever. Not even losing.<h2>FIRST TO LAST</h2>1. Chicago Blackhawks2. St. Louis Blues3. Toronto Maple Leafs4. Detroit Red Wings5. Minnesota North Stars &#9632;

f0055-01

BLEEDING HAS STOPPED

<div class="byline">BY TIM SASSONE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01316/10236304-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">With the addition of Chris Chelios, the Blackhawks now have a pair of Norris Trophy-winning defenseman. Doug Wilson won the Norris in 1981-82.</figcaption></div>It has been two years of gradual improvement for the Chicago Blackhawks under head coach Mike Keenan, who now also doubles as the club&rsquo;s general manager.Last season the Hawks moved into the league&rsquo;s upper echelon, finishing sixth overall with 88 points&mdash;a league-best improvement of 22 points from the previous year. They also won the Norris Division title and advanced to the Campbell Conference finals for the second straight year before losing to Edmonton.The Hawks are looking to take that next step into the Stanley Cup finals and think they took a giant step in that direction by acquiring defenseman Chris Chelios from Montreal, even though it cost them star center Denis Savard.Despite the addition of Chelios, who won the Norris Trophy in 1989, the Hawks need several things to break right for them to go further in the playoffs. For starters, a No. 1 goaltender must emerge. The Hawks also need a big year out of 33-year-old defenseman Doug Wilson, who won&rsquo;t have to play nearly as much as he has in the past. In addition, with Savard gone, centers Jeremy Roenick and Adam Creighton must be even better offensively than they were last year.First, the good news: The defense was given a huge lift with the addition of Chelios, whose leadership and spunk will add a lot to a club that needed both. In Chelios and Wilson, the Hawks now have a matching set of Norris Trophy-winning defensemen. The thought of Chelios and Wilson playing the points on the power play has Keenan drooling and the rest of the league fretting.Despite the loss of Savard, the Hawks have a balanced scoring attack with Steve Larmer (31-59-90 in 80 games), Steve Thomas (40-30-70 in 76 games), Roenick (26-40-66 in 78 games) and Creighton (34-36-70 in 80 games). Dirk Graham and Michel Goulet should also contribute in that department.Now, the bad news: The Hawks haven&rsquo;t had a definite, no-questions-asked No. I goaltender since Tony Esposito retired. In each of the last two seasons, the Hawks used five goalies during the course of the 80-game regular season and the playoffs and Keenan pulled his goalies a league-high 12 times last season. They planned to start training camp with six goalies on the roster: Greg Millen, Jacques Cloutier, Ed Belfour, Jimmy Waite, Darren Pang and Dominek Hasek.Biggest problem: Lack of a No. 1 goalie The Hawks have a potentially very good offense, a better-than-average defense, they work hard and they forecheck as well or better than any team in the league. Give them a legitimate No. 1 goalie and talk of a Stanley Cup might not be that far-fetched.And how to fix it: Give the job to the 21-year-old Waite, who dominated the International League last season in leading Indianapolis to the Turner Cup. The Hawks have been calling Waite their goaltender of the future. The future is now.Arrivals: Darryl Sutter, associate head coach; Chris Chelios, D; Dominek Hasek, G; Frantisek Kucera, D.Departures: Jacques Martin, assistant coach; Denis Savard, C; Duane Sutter, RW; Al Secord, LW; Bob Murray, D.Keenan says: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re moving in the right direction. We&rsquo;ve made a considerable improvement in our goals against, and if you want to win in this league you&rsquo;ve got to be strong defensively. We&rsquo;ve shown a tremendous amount of growth in the last two seasons. Last year we were the most-improved team in the league.&rdquo;Something to prove: Dave Manson played in the All-Star Game in 1989 but last year he was all mixed up. Not only was he suspended three times for a total of 19 games, when he was on the ice it was a constant struggle for the four-year veteran at both ends. Manson dropped to five goals and 23 assists in 59 games after getting 18 goals and 54 points the year before.Never a dull moment: You can always depend on an honest answer from left winger Wayne Van Dorp, especially when he&rsquo;s talking about his battles with old nemesis Shane Churla of the North Stars. &ldquo;We just don&rsquo;t like each other, that&rsquo;s all,&rdquo; Van Dorp says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an idiot.&rdquo; Van Dorp, remember, is the guy who once walked away from a man holding a gun on him during an apparent robbery attempt in Detroit. &ldquo;It (the gun) didn&rsquo;t look real,&rdquo; Van Dorp said.Projected leaders: Scoring: Larmer; Fighting: Van Dorp; Hitting: Jocelyn Lemieux; Sweating: Keith Brown.1988-89 log: 41-33-6, 88 points; first in the Norris, sixth overall; beat Minnesota in seven games in Norris semifinal, beat St. Louis in seven games in Norris final, lost in six games to Edmonton in Campbell Conference final.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01293/10236297-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="790" height="1338"></div>Predicted finish: First in the Norris Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02208/10236290-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="1570" height="1370"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dirk Graham can contribute offensively&mdash;he had 54 points last season&mdash;but the Blackhawks look more to him for inspirational play and leadership.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-03153/10236283-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="812" height="3154"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>16. Karl Dykhuis, D, Hull (QMJHL).37. Ivan Droppa, D, L. Mikulas (Czech.).79. Chris Tucker, C, Jefferson H.S. (Minn.).121. Brett Stickney, C, St. Paul&rsquo;s H.S. (Minn.).124. Derek Edgerly, C, Stoneham H.S. (Mass.).163. Hugo Belanger, LW, Clarkson (ECAC).184. Owen Lessard, LW, Owen Sound (OHL).205. Erik Peterson, C, Brockton H.S. (Mass.).226. Steve Dubinsky, C, Clarkson (ECAC).247. Dino Grossi, RW, Northeastern (HE).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01319/10236276-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="753" height="1226"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Keenan added the title of general manager during the off-season.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Norris1989-90 Record: 41-33-6 (1st Norris, 6th overall)GM: Mike KeenanCoach: Mike KeenanHome: Chicago Stadium (17,317)&#9724; The Blackhawks led the NHL with an average of 30.3 PIM per game.&#9724; Chicago&rsquo;s 22-point improvement over the previous season was tops in the league.&#9724; The Blackhawks led the NHL with 30 PIM in bench minors last season.&#9724; Right winger Steve Larmer had played in 640 consecutive games at season&rsquo;s end, the fourth-longest ironman streak in NHL history.&#9724; The Blackhawks had the best overtime percentage at home (.750) and the worst overtime percentage on the road (.333).<h2>BLACKHAWKS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02213/10236269-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="2420" height="1762"></div> &#9632;

f0056-01

NEXT STOP: THE FINALS

<div class="byline">BY DAVE LUECKING</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0060-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-01267/10236370-1-eng-US/f0060-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Adam Oates almost doubled his production from 1988-89&mdash;scoring 102 points last season&mdash;and made the Detroit Red Wings look like fools for trading him.</figcaption></div>The St. Louis Blues finished above the .500 mark for the first time in four years last season and showed marked improvement, but it cost them a bundle.Thanks to his 72-goal performance, right winger Brett Hull became the $7-million man. Then, during the summer, they lured free-agent defenseman Scott Stevens from the Washington Capitals with a $5.1-million (U.S.) contract over four years.Center Adam Oates, left winger Sergio Momesso and defenseman Paul Cavallini also had career seasons. The trade that brought Paul MacLean and Oates to St. Louis from Detroit for Bernie Federko and Tony McKegney vindicated Blues&rsquo; general manager Ron Caron and put the team closer to the NHL&rsquo;s elite.The Blues are a team on the rise, with a young nucleus of players that also includes defenseman Jeff Brown, winger Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour and goalie Curtis Joseph. The Blues also have shown steady improvement in two seasons under hard-driving coach Brian Sutter.Sutter got the most out of the Baby Blues last season&mdash;he had one of the league&rsquo;s youngest teams&mdash;battling the Chicago Blackhawks for first place in the Norris Division until a 1-7-0 slump in the final two weeks of the season.Still, the Blues rebounded by blasting Toronto in five games in the Norris semifinal and taking Chicago to the seventh game before losing in the Norris final.Sutter expected a lot from the Blues last season, and he&rsquo;ll expect more this season. So will the fans, who have visions of a Stanley Cup contender after so many years of patiently putting up with mediocre teams.First, the good news: The Blues didn&rsquo;t let Hull get away, signing their star right winger three weeks before he would have become a free agent. Hull led the NHL last season and set a record for right wingers with 72 goals. He also led the league with 27 power-play goals and tied Cam Neely for the league-lead with 12 game-winning goals. He set a Blues&rsquo; record with 113 points and was on the ice for 154 of the Blues&rsquo; 295 goals.Now, the bad news: Because of the signing of Hull and Stevens, the Blues&rsquo; modest payroll went from a league-low $3.5 million to $6 million. Paul Cavallini and MacLean are going into their option years and will no doubt want more money thrown their way.Biggest problem: Although the Blues allowed fewer goals last season (279) than 1988-89 (285), they still have a suspect defense that tends to cave in under persistent forechecking like that employed by Chicago in the Norris final. Brown. Stevens and Paul Cavallini clearly are the top defensemen and youngsters Glen Featherstone and Robert Dirk showed vast improvement, but they&rsquo;re in the same mold as veteran Harold Snepsts&mdash;large, immobile and not adept puckhandlers.And how to fix it: The Blues may have got what they needed in Stevens, who is as complete a rearguard as you&rsquo;re going to find. Stevens gives the Blues the two-way defenseman they need and adds toughness.Arrivals: Scott Stevens, D; Cliff Ronning, C; Geoff Courtnall, LW.Departures: Peter Zezel, C; Mike Lalor, D.Sutter says: &ldquo;If people thought I was hard on them last year, I&rsquo;ll be harder on them this year. We accomplished a lot, but we expect more. We were one of the last five teams playing. This year, we want to be one of the last four, but it&rsquo;s not going to be easy.&rdquo;Something to prove: Although he had a career year with 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points, Momesso had only three goals and six assists in the last 26 games of the season. His struggles continued through the playoffs, and the Blues offered him in their failed bid for Dale Hawerchuk.Never a dull moment: Caron is a joy to be around when he&rsquo;s in one of his philosophical professorial moods, the times when he says things like, &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t be going north if you&rsquo;re going south, that is an eternal truth.&rdquo; But other times, when he&rsquo;s ranting and raving in the press box, it&rsquo;s best to avoid him lest one suffer verbal or physical abuse. If he throws a chair, duck. Hockey fans in St. Louis no longer complain about how Caron gave the Calgary Flames a Stanley Cup. Instead, they marvel at how he stole Hull from Calgary.Projected leaders: Scoring: Hull; Fighting: Tony Twist; Hitting: Brind&rsquo;Amour; Sweating: Gino Cavallini.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-01237/10236363-1-eng-US/f0061-012.jpg" title="f0061-01" width="802" height="1344"></div>1988-89 log: 37-34-9, 83 points; second in the Norris; tied for 10th overall; beat Toronto in five games in the Norris semifinal, lost in seven games to Chicago in the Norris final.Predicted finish: Second in the Norris Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-02163/10236356-1-eng-US/f0061-022.jpg" title="f0061-02" width="1552" height="1365"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeff Brown is a rare commodity for the the St. Louis Blues&mdash;a mobile defenseman with a flair for offense and good skating ability.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-03114/10236349-1-eng-US/f0061-032.jpg" title="f0061-03" width="802" height="3140"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>33. Craig Johnson, LW, Hill-Murray H.S. (Minn.).54. Patrice Tardif, C, Lennoxville (Que. CEGEP).96. Jason Ruff, LW, Lethbridge.117. Kurtis Miller, LW, Rochester (USJHL).138. Wayne Conlan, C, TrinityPawling H.S. (N.Y.).180. Parris Duffus, G, Melfort (SJHL).201. Steve Widmeyer, RW, Maine (HE).222. Joe Hawley, RW, Peterborough (OHL).243. Joe Fleming, D, XaverianH. S. (Mass.).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-01260/10236342-1-eng-US/f0062-012.jpg" title="f0062-01" width="747" height="1208"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Sutter promises to be even harder on the Blues this season.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Norris1989-90 Record: 37-34-9 (2nd Norris, 10th overall)GM: Ron CaronCoach: Brian SutterHome: St. Louis Arena (17,188)&#9724; The Blues outscored their opponents 108-76 in the first period of their games last season.&#9724; St. Louis&rsquo; top 10 non-rookie scorers were obtained by the Blues from other NHL teams.&#9724; The Blues lost seven of eight games to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1989-90 regular season, then took four of five from the Leafs in their Norris Division semifinal series.&#9724; Brett Hull (113 points) and Adam Oates (102) became the first pair of Blues&rsquo; players to reach the 100-point mark in the same season.&#9724; St. Louis has finished second in the Norris three years in a row.<h2>BLUES 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-02149/10236335-1-eng-US/f0062-022.jpg" title="f0062-02" width="2403" height="1733"></div> &#9632;

f0060-01

TEAM ON THE RISE

<div class="byline">BY DAMIEN COX</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0063-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-01202/10236436-1-eng-US/f0063-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vincent Damphousse established a team record for scoring by a left winger with 94 points and emerged as one of the league&rsquo;s top playmakers.</figcaption></div>Playing .500 hockey, a major accomplishment for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, won&rsquo;t be good enough this time around.This time last season. Leaf fans were bracing themselves for another year of disaster. This year, they&rsquo;re expecting exactly the opposite. After seeing the Leafs&rsquo; 38-384 season, its first .500 year in 11 seasons, many will be expecting to see significant improvements.That won&rsquo;t be easy. The Leafs play in the suddenly tough Norris Division, where the other teams are expected to be as good or better this season. As well, last spring&rsquo;s humbling playoff loss to the St. Louis Blues unearthed many troubling questions about the level of desire in the Leaf camp.Much rests on the shoulders of defenseman Al lafrate, who is recovering nicely from a serious knee injury in the last week of the season. Without the talented lafrate at full speed, the Leafs won&rsquo;t have the horses to improve.First, the good news: Youth and offensive talent are two commodities the Leafs have in abundance. Forwards Gary Leeman, Ed Olczyk, Vince Damphousse and Daniel Marois average just over 23 years of age among them and combined for 155 goals and 353 points between them last year.In the 24-year-old lafrate (21-42-63), the Leafs have a potential future Norris Trophy winner. If he can return healthy, the Leafs will have loads of offense from both their forwards and defense.Now, the bad news: The Leafs can score, but allowed 358 opposition goals, third-worst in the NHL. It was their sixth straight season allowing more than 300 goals. Last year was supposed to be Allan Bester&rsquo;s year in the spotlight, but his play was inconsistent. What made matters worse was that none of Mark Laforest, Jeff Reese or Peter Ing were able to steal his job.The Leafs&rsquo; defense allowed almost 35 shots per game and key veterans Rob Ramage and Brad Marsh wore down as the season progressed. Because of these defensive problems, the Leafs only won 14 of 40 games on the road and struggled badly (3-71) down the stretch.Biggest problem: No one seemed to care about the large number of goals the Leafs surrendered when they won and it caught up to them when they lost. The Leafs got away with their offense-only style early in the season but as exciting as it was, it came back to haunt them in the second half of the season.And how to fix it: The forwards have to start thinking about both ends of the rink. With Dan Daoust gone&mdash;he signed with a team in Switzerland&mdash;John McIntyre will likely be called upon to fill the role of checking center along with Dave Hannan. Coach Doug Carpenter should stop playing mind games with his goaltenders so one of them can gain confidence.Arrivals: Don Giffin, president; Tom Watt, assistant coach; Kevin Maguire, RW; Greg Johnston, RW; Rob Pearson, RW; Scott Thornton, C; Joe Sacco, C.Departures: Harold Ballard, owner; Garry Lariviere, assistant coach; Dan Daoust, C; Peter Ihnacak, C-RW; Mark Laforest, G.Carpenter says: &ldquo;We want to build on the improvement and progress we made last season. That&rsquo;ll be our objective of divisional play. We want to make the Toronto Maple Leafs a playoff and Stanley Cup contender.&rdquo;Something to prove: With the decision by Leaf general manager Floyd Smith not to trade for an experienced goaltender, the onus is on Bester to bounce back from his horrible 1989-90 season (20-16-0, 4.49 goals-against average, .873 save percentage). Despite his much-publicized five-hole problems, Bester is a better goalie than he showed. And no run-and-gun style team like the Leafs can survive long with sub-par goalkeeping.Never a dull moment: Unfortunately for the Leafs, John Kordic&rsquo;s moments in the spotlight were rarely positive. But he was sure interesting copy. Whether it was over remarks about &ldquo;payback&rdquo; against opposition players, his murky off-ice life or his penchant to sit around the dressing room reading fan mail from teenage girls, Johnny K was a troubled but intriguing character all year. Who else could make derisive comments about female characters on The Flintstones while riding an exercise bike?Projected leaders: Scoring: Damphousse; Fighting: Kordic; Hitting: McIntyre; Sweating; Marsh.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-01216/10236429-1-eng-US/f0064-012.jpg" title="f0064-01" width="770" height="1334"></div>1989-90 log: 38-38-4, 80 points; third in the Norris, 12th overall; lost in five games to St. Louis in Norris semifinal.Predicted finish: Third in the Norris Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-02133/10236422-1-eng-US/f0064-022.jpg" title="f0064-02" width="1525" height="1381"><figcaption class="caption-body">Luke Richardson is seen as one of the best hitters in the league and may get a chance to play more regularly with the Leafs this season.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0374/10236415-1-eng-US/f0064-032.jpg" title="f0064-03" width="781" height="3164"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>10. Drake Berehowsky, D, Kingston (OHL).31. Felix Potvin, G, Chicoutimi (QMJHL).73. Darby Hendrickson, C, Richfield H.S. (Minn.).80. Greg Walters, C, Ottawa (OHL).115. Alexander Godynyuk, D, Sokol Kiev (USSR).136. Eric Lacroix, LW, Governor Dummer H.S. (N.H.).157. Dan Stiver, RW, Michigan (CCHA).178. Robert Horyna, G, Dukla Jihlava (Czech.).199. Bob Chebator, D, Arlington H.S. (Mass.).220. Scott Malone, D, Northfield-Mt. Hermon H.S. (Mass.).241. Nick Vachon, C, Governor Dummer H.S. (N.H.).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-01221/10236408-1-eng-US/f0066-012.jpg" title="f0066-01" width="740" height="1204"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug Carpenter led the Leafs to their first .500 season in 11 years.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Norris1989-90 Record: 38-38-4 (3rd Norris, 12th overall)GM: Floyd SmithCoach: Doug CarpenterHome: Maple Leaf Gardens (16,182)&#9724; Toronto&rsquo;s goal increase of 78 over the previous season (337 from 259) was more than three times greater than any other team in the NHL.&#9724; The Maple Leafs&rsquo; average of 35 shots against was the highest in the league in 1989-90.&#9724; Toronto went from last in powerplay percentage in 1988-89 (16.8) to fourth last season (23.3).&#9724; Vincent Damphousse set a team record for most points in a season by a left winger (94).&#9724; Defenseman Al lafrate finished first in the slapshot competition at the 1990 All-Star Game with a 96 mph blast.<h2>MAPLE LEAFS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-02138/10236401-1-eng-US/f0066-022.jpg" title="f0066-02" width="2404" height="1722"></div> &#9632;

f0063-01

HERE’S A SWITCH

<div class="byline">BY GARY OLSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0070-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0070-01152/10236568-1-eng-US/f0070-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Gagner proved he wasn&rsquo;t a one-year wonder by scoring 40 goals last year and also provided the North Stars with solid two-way play.</figcaption></div>The Minnesota North Stars have an owner from the Calgary Flames, a general manager from the Philadelphia Flyers and a coach from the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately for the fans, they didn&rsquo;t get the players from those cities.Team instability&mdash;six coaches since November, 1984 and three owners since spring 1990-&mdash;outdid itself during the offseason. George and Gordon Gund, owners since the 1978 merger with Cleveland, sold the team and took general manager Jack Ferreira to the Bay Area of northern California to await expansion in 1991.Last year&rsquo;s coach, Pierre Page, looked at the deal and bolted for a job as general manager of the Quebec Nordiques.New owners Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg, pledging stability, sold majority interest to newer owner Norman Green when they couldn&rsquo;t secure financing for the deal. The 18 per cent of the Flames that he was forced to sell was worth almost as much as 51 per cent of the North Stars, which speaks volumes about the worth of 3,000 season tickets and 7,500 paid admissions.Before Bob Clarke and Bob Gainey, hired as general manager and coach, can begin to build a tradition here, this team needs to break some old habits.First, the good news: With Brian Bellows, Mike Modano and Dave Gagner, the North Stars have a solid core up front. After scoring 50 points in 60 games in 1988-89, Bellows registered the highest increase in the league when he scored 55 goals and earned 99 points last season. In the process, he challenged Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; Luc Robitaille for the spot at left wing on the first all-star team.Modano, voted the NHL&rsquo;s rookie of the year by readers of The Hockey News, had an excellent rookie season with 29-46-75 totals in 80 games. Gagner backed up his 35 goals from two seasons ago with 40 last year to prove his merit as a first-round pick by the New York Rangers in 1983. He&rsquo;s also every bit as good defensively as Guy Carbonneau and Rick Meagher.Now, the bad news: Except for Bellows, the wingers are more offensive than offensive, if you get the drift, and except for Jon Casey, the goaltending is weak.Ulf Dahlen (20 goals&mdash;two for the North Stars) and Aaron Broten (19 goals&mdash;nine for the North Stars) hardly strike fear in the hearts of opponents.Casey was great last season&mdash;31-22-4, 3.22 goals-against average with an .896 save percentage&mdash;but the team&rsquo;s fallback position is scary. Inactivity has shaken Kari Takko&rsquo;s confidence and Jarmo Myllys has been just plain shaky.Biggest problem: The defense is slow and aging and all of the promising prospects are on the way to California in the crosspollination draft that was a condition of the team&rsquo;s sale. Curt Giles, 31, was voted the team&rsquo;s best defensman for the fifth time last season and Larry Murphy, 29, was the only defenseman with at least 10 goals or 20 assists last season.And how to fix it: Clarke needs to work a deal with Ferreira that will leave at least a couple young defensemen&mdash;Neil Wilkinson and Link Gaetz perhaps&mdash;behind.Arrivals: Norman Green, majority owner; Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg, minority owners; Bob Clarke, general manager; Bob Gainey, coach; llkka Sinisalo, RW; Brian Propp, LW.Departures: George and Gordon Gund, owners; Jack Ferreira, general manager; Pierre Page, coach; Dave Chambers, assistant coach; Ville Siren, D;Gainey says: &ldquo;Asa player, my impression of the North Stars was that they were a group of talented players who weren&rsquo;t well-controlled. The inmates seemed to be running the prison. The improvements the last couple years are because Pierre Page and his staff took control and took responsibility.&rdquo;Something to prove: Dahlen came to the North Stars last spring in the trade that sent 45-goal scorer Mike Gartner to the Rangers. He was a first-round pick in 1985 and needs a solid season.Never a dull moment: Basil McRae will do anything to help the team and if a dull game suddenly gets exciting, it can usually be traced back to something McRae did to stir the pot. During one game in Toronto, he and John Kordic had a spirited bout and on the way to the penalty box Kordic asked him if they had to go again later in the game. &ldquo;If you want to,&rdquo; was McRae&rsquo;s reply, &ldquo;but I have a lot of family here.&rdquo;Projected leaders: Scoring: Bellows; Fighting: McRae; Hitting: Mark Tinordi; Sweating: Gagner.1989-90 log: 36-40-4, 76 points; fourth in the Norris, 14th overall; lost in seven games to the Chicago Blackhawks in Norris semifinal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-01144/10236561-1-eng-US/f0071-012.jpg" title="f0071-01" width="775" height="1322"></div>Predicted finish: Fifth in the Norris Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-0285/10236554-1-eng-US/f0071-022.jpg" title="f0071-02" width="1540" height="1370"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jon Casey had better continue his winning ways or the North Stars are in trouble. They have no other NHL-calibre goalies in their organization.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-0351/10236547-1-eng-US/f0071-032.jpg" title="f0071-03" width="788" height="3123"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>8. Derian Hatcher, D, North Bay (OHL).50. Laurie Billeck, D, Prince Albert (WHL).70. Cal McGowan, C, Kamloops (WHL).71. Frank Kovacs, LW, Regina (WHL).92. Enrico Ciccone, D, Trois Rivieres (QMJHL).113. Roman Turek, G, Plzen (Czech.).134. Jeff Levy, G, Rochester (NAJHL).155. Doug Barrault, RW, Lethbridge (WHL).176. Joe Biondi, C, Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA).197. Troy Binnie, RW, Ottawa (OHL).218. Ole Dahlstrom, C, Furuset (Nor.).239. John McKersie, G, West High H.S. (Wise.).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-01145/10236540-1-eng-US/f0072-012.jpg" title="f0072-01" width="723" height="1200"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Gainey should provide a stabilizing influence for the North Stars.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: CampbellDivision: Norris1989-90 Record: 36-40-4 (4th Norris, 14th overall)GM: Bob ClarkeCoach: Bob GaineyHome: Met Center (14,989)&#9724; The North Stars won only two of 13 games (15.4 per cent) in which they entered the third period tied last season. It was the worst percentage of any team in the league.&#9724; Minnesota&rsquo;s disparity of 32 more points at home (54) than on the road (22), was the highest in the NHL.&#9724; Brian Bellows set a team record last season for most points by a left winger (99).&#9724; Jon Casey established a new franchise mark for most wins by a goaltender in a season (31).&#9724; The North Stars&rsquo; 9-0 loss to Detroit Jan. 9,1990 tied a club record for the largest margin of defeat.<h2>NORTH STARS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-0279/10236533-1-eng-US/f0072-022.jpg" title="f0072-02" width="2366" height="1726"></div> &#9632;

f0070-01

STARTING ALL OVER

<div class="byline">BY JEFF JACOBS</div>To the Buffalo Sabres and Hartford Whalers, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens are more than successful hockey franchises and bitter rivals.To the Sabres and Whalers, they are dynasties to be feared and respected.Although there is no evidence the hockey gods have deemed the Bruins and Canadiens shall rule over Buffalo and Hartford by divine right, it sure has come down that way in the Adams Division over the years.No matter how much the Sabres or Whalers improve, and there is considerable evidence Buffalo should finish first in the Adams this season, it always seems the two serfs fail when the time comes for the commoners to challenge royalty each spring.Boston (101 points), Buffalo (98), Montreal (93) and Hartford (85) were first, third, fourth and seventh overall in the NHL last season.But the Adams Division power structure should be viewed as a two-tier feudal system: The first tier is what happens in the regular season. And the second is what happens when it really matters in the playoffs.The Sabres, who finished 45-27-8 last season, lost to the Canadiens when it mattered most. In fact, they haven&rsquo;t won a playoff round since 1983.The Whalers, who were 38-33-9 and had the second-best NHL road record (21-15-4), extended an injury-battered Bruin team to seven games. But the Whalers are not unlike the Sabres. They have lost five series in a row.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d say Buffalo&rsquo;s talent is definitely as good as anybody&rsquo;s in the division,&rdquo; says Whalers&rsquo; general manager Ed Johnston. &ldquo;But you&rsquo;ve really got to respect what Boston has done.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0073-01136/10236599-1-eng-US/f0073-012.jpg" title="f0073-01" width="752" height="1414"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Turgeon represents half of a lethal 1-2 punch for the Sabres.</figcaption></div>The Bruins have not missed the playoffs or finished below .500 since 1967. Ray Bourque, who enjoyed perhaps the best season of a splendid career, remains the anchor who virtually assures the Bruins from slipping too much.&ldquo;I felt we were a very good team last year that did an excellent job under Mike Milbury,&rdquo; says Boston general manager Harry Sinden. &ldquo;Not a great team, but a very good team. Once it became evident we had a shot at something special, we went out and added Dave Poulin and Brian Propp. But the base&mdash;Bourque, Cam Neely, Craig Janney, Andy Moog&mdash;already was there.&rdquo;In other words, the Bruins are in position to make another run at the Stanley Cup. But the Sabres should be hungrier, particularly in the regular season, to finish with 100 points and in first place.Which brings us to The Trades. Buffalo sent defenseman Phil Housley, center Jeff Parker and left winger Scott Amiel to Winnipeg for star center Dale Hawerchuk at the entry draft. A little more than two weeks later, Montreal sent former Norris Trophywinning defenseman Chris Chelios and a second-round draft pick to Chicago for flashy center Denis Savard.With Greg Brown and Kevin Haller eventually moving onto a defense with standouts Doug Bodger and Mike Ramsey, the Sabres will be okay on the backline through the early 1990s. Up front, they suddenly have a 1-2 center punch of Pierre Turgeon and Hawerchuk. It should be scary.How well Matt Schneider and some of the other young defensemen develop next to Petr Svoboda and Craig Ludwig will determine how far Montreal will go.Hartford is counting on 1989&rsquo;s top draft pick, Czechoslovakia&rsquo;s Bobby Holik, for some offensive punch. The Whalers, who lost out in the Dale Hawerchuk sweepstakes, will need another big season from center Ron Francis.The Whalers also searched all summer for a quarterback-defenseman of the Chelios or Housley ilk. Brad Shaw looks like the man on the spot to direct the Whalers&rsquo; power play. He can&rsquo;t afford to fall victim to the sophomore jinx.And Quebec? Well, they&rsquo;ll be last in the Adams again. But with Joe Sakic, Owen Nolan. Mats Sundin, Stephane Fiset and the rest, the Nordiques should rocket by 1993. And Eric Lindros, if the Nordiques finish last overall again, probably will be there, too.For 1990-91, however, it looks like another rock-bottom year. The Nordiques should be a little more competitive than they were last season when they finished 54 points out of a playoff berth.<h2>FIRST TO LAST</h2>1. Buffalo Sabres2. Boston Bruins3. Montreal Canadiens4. Hartford Whalers5. Quebec Nordiques &#9632;

f0073-01

A BUFFALO STAMPEDE

<div class="byline">BY STEPHEN HARRIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0078-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0078-01126/10236731-1-eng-US/f0078-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">With his linemate Craig Janney shadowed and ineffective, sniper Cam Neely registered only four assists against Edmonton in the Stanley Cup final.</figcaption></div>A year ago, there was no logical reason to expect big things from the Boston Bruins. Another respectably solid, winning season seemed likely, but nothing like the campaign the team turned in.In compiling the top regular-season record and advancing to the Stanley Cup final, Boston was the surprise club of the NHL in 1989-90. But life may not be quite so pleasant this season for the Bruins.While Montreal, Buffalo, Quebec and Hartford all made off-season additions, Bruins&rsquo; general manager Harry Sinden was unable to trade for the established goalscoring help his club sorely needs.There&rsquo;s plenty to like about the Bruins, starting with goaltending and defense. But there are also obvious deficiencies in size up front, physical play on defense, team speed and scoring touch.As usual in the ever-tough Adams Division. the Bruins can&rsquo;t assume anything. Making it back to the final will be very difficult. Merely making it out of the division will hardly be easy.First, the good news: The Andy Moog-Reggie Lemelin goaltending tendem&mdash;with Norm Foster and Mike Parson waiting in the wings&mdash;remains one of the league&rsquo;s best. The Bruins will bid again for the Jennings Trophy.On defense Ray Bourque is the best, as evidenced by his Norris Trophy win. And his supporting cast of Glen Wesley, Garry Galley, Al Pedersen, Bob Beers and Don Sweeney is capable, and could be great if Michael Thelven and/or Gord Kluzak make if back from knee injuries.Up front, right winger Cam Neely is a star, Craig Janney should be, and Bobby Carpenter, Dave Poulin, Randy Burridge, Dave Christian, Andy Brickley and John Carter are part of an effective corps of veterans.Now, the bad news: When your second-leading goal scorer last season. Carpenter, put in only 25, you&rsquo;ve got a problem. After Neely and his 55 goals, the Bruins simply don&rsquo;t have consistent threats up front.Sweeney, Galley and Greg Hawgood are all undersized blueliners, and even some of the larger members of the defense corps did not play a particularly physical style. It remains to be seen when rookie Bob Beers can make it back from a broken leg suffered against Washington in the semifinals.Biggest problem: Playmaking magician Janney was rendered useless in the final thanks to the close checking supplied by Esa Tikkanen. Neely, in turn, did not get his customary set-ups and failed to score a goal.This highly-effective strategy, it&rsquo;s safe to say, did not go unnoticed by the other 19 NHL teams, who can be expected to try to neutralize the Janney-Neely threat in similar fashion.And how to fix it: The Bruins&rsquo; played all season with admirable discipline&mdash;turning the other cheek to avoid foolish and unnecessary penalties. Even coach Mike Milbury jokingly called his team a bunch of nerds. The Bruins will have to stage their own version of Revenge of the Nerds.Arrivals: Chris Nilan, RW; Shayne Stevenson, LW; John Byce, C.Departures: Greg Johnston, RW; Greg Hawgood, C-D.Milbury says: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no sense of panic, but we can&rsquo;t allow a feeling of complacency, either. As good a year as we had, it wasn&rsquo;t good enough. We didn&rsquo;t win the Cup.&rdquo;Something to prove: Janney&rsquo;s physical conditioning and work ethic haven&rsquo;t matched his considerable talent. In each of his first two seasons, he missed long stretches with injuries.Never a dull moment: Injured most of the past three seasons, pesky winger Nevin Markwart hopes to go to camp 100 per cent healthy. Boston&rsquo;s fans and media hope so: The Kamikazee Kid has a reckless style both on the ice and in interviews.After missing most of the 1987-88 season with an abdominal injury, Markwart worked hard to make it back and proclaimed himself ready to play in Game 4 of the &rsquo;88 Stanley Cup final. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to play so well,&rdquo; said Mark wart, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to force Harry (Sinden) to fork over the big cabbage.&rdquo;Projected leaders: Scoring: Janney; Fighting: Nilan; Hitting: Neely; Sweating: Poulin.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-01111/10236724-1-eng-US/f0079-012.jpg" title="f0079-01" width="766" height="1348"></div>1989-90 Log: 46-25-9, 101 points; first in the Adams, first overall; beat Hartford in seven games in Adams semifinal, beat Montreal in five games in Adams final; beat Washington in four games in Wales Conference final, lost to Edmonton in five games in Stanley Cup final.Predicted Finish: Second in the Adams Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-0263/10236717-1-eng-US/f0079-022.jpg" title="f0079-02" width="1538" height="1354"><figcaption class="caption-body">With 56 points, Bob Carpenter posted his highest scoring totals in five seasons. His 25 goals were second-highest on the Bruins behind Cam Neely.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-0338/10236710-1-eng-US/f0079-032.jpg" title="f0079-03" width="804" height="3144"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>21. Bryan Smolinski, C, Michigan State (CCHA).63. Cameron Stewart, C, Elmira (MOJHL).84. Jerome Buckley, RW, Northwood Prep H.S. (N.Y.).105. Mike Bales. G, Ohio State (CCHA).126. Mark Woolf, RW, Spokane (WHL).147. Jim Mackey, D, Hotchkiss H.S. (N.Y.).168. John Gruden, D, Waterloo (MOJHL).189. Darren Wetherill, D, Minot (SJHL).210. Dean Capuano, D, Mount St. Charles H.S. (R.I.).231. Andy Bezeau, LW, Niagara Falls (OHL).252. Ted Miskolczi, RW, Belleville (OHL).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-01111/10236703-1-eng-US/f0080-012.jpg" title="f0080-01" width="726" height="1221"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Milbury says the Bruins&rsquo; biggest task is to avoid complacency.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Adams1989-90 Record: 46-25-9 (1st Adams, 1st overall)GM: Harry SindenCoach: Mike MilburyHome: Boston Garden (14,451)&#9724; The Bruins used more players than any other NHL team during the 1989-90 season (43).&#9724; For the second consecutive season, and for the second time in franchise history, the Bruins had more points on the road (51) than at home (50).&#9724; Boston&rsquo;s 411 man-games lost to injury was the most in the league.&#9724; The Bruins have had 23 consecutive winning seasons, the longest current streak in the NHL.&#9724; Boston&rsquo;s special teams allowed the fewest power-play (53) and the-fewest shorthanded goals against (three) in the NHL last season.<h2>BRUINS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-0260/10236696-1-eng-US/f0080-022.jpg" title="f0080-02" width="2365" height="1744"></div> &#9632;

f0078-01

NO GOAL RUSH HERE

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0082-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-01112/10236797-1-eng-US/f0082-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stephane Richer, who scored a career-high 51 goals last season, will likely have a lot of offensive pressure taken off him by Denis Savard.</figcaption></div>Ten years ago, the Montreal Canadiens could have had Denis Savard when they had the first overall choice in the draft.They finally got their man in a blockbuster deal this summer at the expense of a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman.While watching his team get eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Bruins in five games in the Adams Division final, Canadiens&rsquo; managing director Serge Savard realized that changes needed to be made. In that series, the Canadiens scored a grand total of 12 goals, lost two one-goal games and were suffocated by the defense-minded Bruins. In the playoffs, the Canadiens followed up their 21st place finish in powerplay efficiency by scoring all of two goals on 51 opportunities for a dismal 3.9 per-cent success rate.Not only that, but the Canadiens had developed into one of the dullest&mdash;if not the dullest&mdash;teams in the NHL. Normally not one to bow to pressure from the media or fans, Serge Savard gave up Chris Chelios, thought to be an untouchable, for Denis Savard, who is known for his touch around the net. Savard brings with him 1,013 career points to Montreal and the hope that he will be able to bring the Canadiens&rsquo; offense out of the doldrums.First, the good news: By acquiring Savard from the Chicago Blackhawks, the Canadiens have as much strength up the middle as any team in the league. Savard joins Brian Skrudland, Guy Carbonneau, Stephan Lebeau, Bobby Smith and Brent Gilchrist at center and will likely see duty on a line with Shayne Corson and Stephane Richer to form a lethal combination. Savard&rsquo;s play making skills are bound to improve the Canadiens&rsquo; power play, which can&rsquo;t get much worse anyway.Goalie Patrick Roy, already recognized as the best in the business, is entering the option year on his contract and may not have peaked yet.Now, the bad news: When Larry Robinson, Rick Green and Bob Gainey left the team before last season, the Canadiens lost a huge chunk of leadership and lost even more when they traded Chelios. A leader by example, Chelios had his moments off the ice but was always the Canadiens&rsquo; centerpiece player on it. In Savard, the Canadiens get a player who fell out of favor with his coach and now a leader will have to emerge to take control of the team.Chelios was also the team&rsquo;s best two-way defenseman and now it will be up to Petr Svoboda and Craig Ludwig to anchor the defense and help the youngsters develop.Biggest problem: Surprisingly, the Canadiens finished second in goals scored in the defense-first Adams Division with 288, but their inability to score at crucial times was a large factor in their demise. The problem was that during times when Patrick Roy did not play well&mdash;which was the case against the Bruins&mdash;the Canadiens didn&rsquo;t have near enough firepower to make up for it.And how to fix it: Savard&rsquo;s playmaking abilities will go a long way to resolving the problem, especially if he can hit it off with Richer and Corson. The Canadiens may also have an emerging offensive threat in Lebeau, who was the main reason why they were able to take one game against the Bruins.Left winger Mark Pederson, who scored 53 goals for the Canadiens&rsquo; American League affiliate in Sherbrooke, has accomplished all he can at the minor pro level and should be ready for prime time.Arrivals: Denis Savard. C; Mark Pederson, LW.Departures: Chris Chelios, D; Mats Naslund, LW.Bums says: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be a more exciting hockey club with the acquisition of Denis Savard. He better be in shape because he&rsquo;s going to get a lot of ice time.&rdquo;Something to prove: Svoboda has done some complaining about his situation in Montreal and is entering the option year of his contract. Svoboda will have to assume the role vacated by Chelios and has a huge responsibility in consolidating the Habs&rsquo; defense corps.Never a dull moment: Carbonneau is not afraid to speak his mind on any topic, at any time, providing the local media with plenty of material.Last season Carbonneau got into hot water with management when he declared the Canadiens wouldn&rsquo;t be good enough to win the Stanley Cup unless changes were made.Projected leaders: Scoring: Richer; Fighting: Todd Ewen; Hitting: Ludwig; Sweating: Skrudland.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-01100/10236790-1-eng-US/f0083-012.jpg" title="f0083-01" width="796" height="1352"></div>1989-90 log: 41-28-11,93 points; third in the Adams, fourth overall; beat Buffalo in six games in Adams semifinal, lost in five games to Boston in Adams final.Predicted finish: Third in the Adams Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-0265/10236783-1-eng-US/f0083-022.jpg" title="f0083-02" width="1534" height="1373"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denis Savard, left, brings more than 1,000 career points with him to the Canadiens, a welcome addition for Serge Savard, center, and Pat Burns.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-0345/10236776-1-eng-US/f0083-032.jpg" title="f0083-03" width="806" height="3141"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>12. Turner Stevenson, RW, Seattle (WHL).39. Ryan Kuwabara, RW, Ottawa (OHL).58. Charles Poulin, C, St-Hyacinthe (QMJHL).60. Robert Guillet, RW, College Francais (QMJHL).81. Gilbert Dionne, LW, Kitchener (OHL).102. Paul DiPietro, C, Sudbury (OHL).123. Craig Conroy, C, Northwood Prep H.S. (N.Y.).144. Stephen Rohr, RW, Culver Military Academy H.S. (Ind.).165. Brent Fleetwood, LW, Portland (WHL).186. Derek Maguire, D, Delbarton H.S. (N.J.).207. Mark Kettelhut, D, Duluth East H.S. (Minn.).228. John Uniac, D, Kitchener (OHL).249. Sergei Martinyuk, LW, Torpedo Yarslavl (USSR).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-01103/10236769-1-eng-US/f0084-012.jpg" title="f0084-01" width="740" height="1199"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat Burns has a .650 winning percentage in two years with Montreal.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Adams1989-90 Record: 41-28-11 (3rdAdams, 4th overall)GM: Serge SavardCoach: Pat BurnsHome: Montreal Forum (16,074)&#9724; The Canadiens&rsquo; decrease of 22 points last season (93) from 1988-89 (115) was the second biggest dropoff in the league.&#9724; Montreal was 6-0-1 in games played on Sunday last season.&#9724; The Canadiens scored only two power-play goals in 51 chances (3.9 per cent) in last season&rsquo;s playoffs.&#9724; Montreal had the best home record of the five Adams Division teams last season (26-8-6).&#9724; Center Bobby Smith became the 28th player in NHL history to reach the 600-assist plateau.<h2>CANADIENS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-0250/10236762-1-eng-US/f0084-022.jpg" title="f0084-02" width="2383" height="1726"></div> &#9632;

f0082-01

MAJOR OVERHAUL

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0090-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0090-01107/10236929-1-eng-US/f0090-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Joe Sakic was the lone bright star for the Nordiques, becoming the first player in league history to post 100 points on a team that finished last overall.</figcaption></div>Like the province of Quebec, the Nordiques are taking a new direction.They aren&rsquo;t threatening to separate from the NHL and start a new league but after their performance the last two seasons, one has to wonder if they shouldn&rsquo;t do just that. After two straight seasons of finishing last overall, the Nordiques are trying to prove they belong.To illustrate the Nordiques ineptitude, consider this: They were so far back last year that if they would have doubled their 31 points, they still would have finished 21st overall.The only thing different about this season is there is some reason for hope. Interim general manager Maurice Filion, who replaced Martin Madden in mid-season, was replaced during the off-season by former Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; coach Pierre Page. Page then fired Michel Bergeron and hired the learned Dave Chambers to coach the team. Chambers, the Nords&rsquo; first anglophone coach, brings with him a wealth of experience.But the task of moulding the Nords into even a decent team is a daunting one. Finishing last overall for three straight years isn&rsquo;t easy, but don&rsquo;t bet against the Nordiques. Then they&rsquo;ll be able to add Eric Lindros to a group of promising young players.First, the good news: In Page, Chambers and Jacques Martin, the Nordiques have one of the most progressive front-office teams in the NHL. Chambers has a reputation of being able to communicate with young players and has a solid base in fundamentals&mdash;two things that were lacking under the reign of the fiery Bergeron.News of Chambers&rsquo; hiring was not accepted with great glee in Quebec but the new coach has committed himself to learning the French language and is eager to move his family to Quebec.The Nordiques are also the youngest team in the league and have players loaded with potential. Defenseman Bryan Fogarty, right winger Owen Nolan and goalie Stephane Fiset should figure into their immediate plans.Now, the bad news: As promising as the future looks, the Nordiques still, unfortunately, have to deal with the present. Joe Sakic scored 102 points last season, tops on the team, and Michel Petit finished second with 36. Guy Lafleur, who will be 39 when the season begins, missed 41 games, had only 34 points and emerged as the team&rsquo;s best right winger. The Nordiques used seven different goalies, none of whom were very effective.Biggest problem: Take your pick. With 407 goals against, the Nordiques finished 21st overall in the league, a whopping 48 goals worse than the next worse team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.And how to fix it: With the Nordiques&rsquo; lack of scoring, Chambers will have to immediately teach the team to play at both ends of the ice. He&rsquo;ll have to focus on the fundamentals with his young defensemen and show confidence in them even when they make mistakes. He&rsquo;ll also have to impress upon the forwards the importance of playing defensively.Arrivals: Pierre Page, general manager; Dave Chambers, coach; Jacques Martin, assistant coach; Owen Nolan. RW; Kip Miller, C; Stephane Fiset, G.Departures: Maurice Filion, interim general manager; Michel Bergeron, coach; Alain Chainey, assistant coach; Simon Nolet, pro scout; Sergei Mylnikov, G.Chambers says: &ldquo;This is a double chal-lenge for me. Not only am I taking charge of a last-place team, but I also have to learn a new language. We have to be realistic in our goals. What we&rsquo;re looking for is improve-ment from each player and this will make us a better team. I want the players to work hard. And give our fans a good effort, and exciting hockey team.&rsquo;&rsquo;Something to prove: Two seasons ago, Fogarty finished his final junior season at plus-91. Last season, he posted a league-worst minus-47 in 45 games and finished the year with the Nords&rsquo; American League farm team in Halifax. Finally with some decent coaching, Fogarty will have to prove he can capably play defense and still produce offense from that position.Never a dull moment: Lafleur never hesitates to speak his mind. An ardent skier, Lafleur once responded to a question about his winter pastime by saying: &ldquo;What do you expect them to do to me, throw me off the team?&rdquo;Projected leaders: Scoring: Sakic; Fighting: Darin Kimble; Hitting: Petit; Sweating: Mike Hough.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0091-0189/10236922-1-eng-US/f0091-012.jpg" title="f0091-01" width="795" height="1360"></div>1989-1990 log: 12-61-7, 31 points; fifth in the Adams, 21st overall; did not qualify for the playoffs.Projected finish: Fifth in the Adams Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0091-0254/10236915-1-eng-US/f0091-022.jpg" title="f0091-02" width="1580" height="1376"><figcaption class="caption-body">Claude Loiselle&rsquo;s first season in Quebec was one he would rather forget. The problem is, this season promises to be a forgetful one as well.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0091-0336/10236908-1-eng-US/f0091-032.jpg" title="f0091-03" width="816" height="3161"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>1. Owen Nolan, RW, Cornwall (OHL).22. Ryan Hughes, C, Cornell (ECAC).43. Brad Zavisha, LW, Seattle (WHL).106. Jeff Parrot, D, Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA).127. Dwayne Norris, RW, Michigan State (CCHA).148. Andrei Kovalenko, RW, Red Army (USSR).158. Alexander Karpovstev D, Moscow Dynamo (USSR).169. Pat Mazzoli, G, Humboldt (SJHL).190. Scott Davis, D, Manitoba (CWUAA).211. Mika Stromberg, D, Jokerit (Fin.).232. Wade Klippenstein, LW, Alaska-Fairbanks. (Ind. Div. I).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0092-01109/10236901-1-eng-US/f0092-012.jpg" title="f0092-01" width="750" height="1212"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Chambers is the Nordiques&rsquo; first-ever anglophone head coach.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Adams1989-90 Record: 12-61-7 (5th Adams, 21st overall)GM: Pierre PageCoach: Dave ChambersHome: Le Colisee (15,399)&#9724; Quebec&rsquo;s 31 points last season were the second fewest since the NHL went to an 80-game schedule in 1974-75.&#9724; Thirty-nine of the Nordiques&rsquo; 60 losses last season (63.9 per cent) were by three goals or more.&#9724; Quebec used seven goaltenders in 1989-90, the most in the NHL.&#9724; The Nordiques had an 0-59-2 record in games in which they were trailing after two periods last season.&#9724; Defenseman Michel Petit finished second in team scoring last season with 36 points.<h2>NORDIQUES 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0092-0258/10236894-1-eng-US/f0092-022.jpg" title="f0092-02" width="2409" height="1746"></div> &#9632;

f0090-01

THREE TIMES UNLUCKY

<div class="byline">BY FRANK BROWN</div>Times have changed, terms have changed in the Patrick Division. What used to be referred to as the toughest division in the NHL now is referred to as the &ldquo;most competitive.&rdquo;Which, technically, may be correct. Last season&rsquo;s 14-point gap from first place to last, the smallest such spread in the league, would support the contention. Further, the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders missed the playoffs two seasons ago, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers missed the Stanley Cup tournament last season. So this season, if the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals fail to qualify, the entire section will have missed post-season competition within three years.And you want to say to yourself, &ldquo;The Rangers? Miss the playoffs? Can&rsquo;t happen. They finished first last season.&rdquo; You want to say to yourself, &ldquo;The Capitals always find their way into the playoffs. Can&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;Except it can happen. And you would only say those things to yourself about the Rangers and Washington if you were utterly ignorant of what the Patrick Division has become.It has become nothing special. The best teams seem to be in the Smythe now. The up-and-coming division seems to be the Norris. And there must be something in the fact that the Hartford Whalers finished fourth in the Adams Division with the same 85 points that won the Patrick for the Rangers.So the &ldquo;most competitive&rdquo; tag isn&rsquo;t the proudest sign for a division to wear. The Patrick Division graph has declined now to a place where &ldquo;most competitive&rdquo; mostly means &ldquo;most mediocre.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0093-0191/10236960-1-eng-US/f0093-012.jpg" title="f0093-01" width="749" height="1407"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kirk Muller is part of a talented cast with the New Jersey Devils.</figcaption></div>Still, the Rangers could win it again. They finished the season without Brian Leetch and got only 22 games from their most under-rated defenseman, David Shaw. That&rsquo;s one very valuable defense pair&mdash;the more they play, the less coach Roger Neilson has to resort to Lindy Ruff or Jeff Bloemberg. They have the division&rsquo;s best young goalie in Mike Richter, who will get John Vanbiesbrouck traded one of these days. They have a solid power play with Bernie Nicholls and Mike Gartner, even if both pulled no-shows in the second round against the Capitals.Should success be too much for the Rangers to handle, the Devils may be ready to step up. Big things were forecast for them last September, but they spent the first 60 games getting to know each other&mdash;Soviets and Swedes, Czechoslovakians and Canadians and Finns&mdash;and the last 20-plus ironing out wrinkles. They improved a divisionbest 17 points over the prior campaign, but were completely unprepared for the ruthlessness the Capitals used to harry them from the playoffs.Yet there is lots of talent&mdash;Sean Burke, Viacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov, Kirk Muller, John MacLean, Patrik Sund-strom, Peter Stastny&mdash;just to name some. For a move ahead, however, the power play must improve.Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s health must return if new coach Bob Johnson can even hope to get his Penguins in the playoffs. Let&rsquo;s face it, given the team&rsquo;s basic refusal to play defense, Lemieux has to be at his absolute best just to keep the Penguins in playoff contention.After all those playoff underachievements, the Capitals finally reached the semifinals, then slinked off in the shadows of an off-ice scandal. Then Scott Stevens signed a contract in St. Louis. And five points of extra credit if you can figure out what they&rsquo;re going to do for offense.It is impossible to forecast what the Islanders will get this season with their crew of LaFontaine and not much else. Yet they still might end up ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers, who have an excellent chance of being truly awful.The Flyers&rsquo; most significant off-season decision may have been to keep Paul Holmgren behind the bench. It wasn&rsquo;t his fault that Ron Hextail was hurt so much, or Mark Howe or Tim Kerr or a half-dozen others. Those people coming back this season, and playing as they can, could be enough to get Philadelphia back into the playoffs. After all, the Flyers ended up last at 71 points; the Islander juggernaut took the last playoff spot with 73.<h2>FIRST TO LAST</h2>1. New York Rangers2. New Jersey Devils3. Pittsburgh Penguins4. Washington Capitals5. New York Islanders6. Philadelphia Flyers &#9632;

f0093-01

NOTHING SPECIAL

<div class="byline">BY WALT MacPEEK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0094-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0094-0199/10237026-1-eng-US/f0094-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bernie Nicholls will have a full season to prove to Kings&rsquo; general manager Rogie Vachon that he got the &rsquo;raw end of the deal&rsquo; by trading him.</figcaption></div>This time last year, almost everyone who knew anything about hockey was predicting the demise of the New York Rangers. As it turns out, reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated.Not only did the Rangers prove wrong most of the prognosticators who predicted they would miss the playoffs, they finished first in the Patrick Division and won their first regular-season division title since 1942. On the down side of history, the Rangers marked their 50th straight season without a Stanley Cup.General manager Neil Smith, who wasn&rsquo;t hired until July 17, put together a credible front-office team, headed by coach Roger Neilson. Under Neilson, the Rangers had their annua] battle against injuries and finished 36-31-13, good enough for first place in the weakened Patrick but ninth overall.Smith then sacrificed some youth (Tony Granato, Tomas Sandstrom and Ulf Dahlen) in order to trade for Bemie Nicholls and Mike Gartner. How Nicholls and Gartner fare in New York over an 80-game season will have a lot to do with whether or not the Rangers can stay atop the Patrick.Without budding superstar Brian Leetch on defense in the playoffs, the Rangers struggled and how he comes back from a fractured ankle will be another huge factor.First, the good news: Leetch progressed nicely through his summer rehabilitation program and if he is healthy again, the Rangers appear to have one of the most mobile defense corps in the league, including James Patrick, David Shaw, Randy Moller, Normand Rochefort and Mark Hardy.The Rangers not only have two good, young goalies in Mike Richter and John Vanbiesbrouck but they also have enough veteran depth (Bob Froese, plus newly-acquired Sam St. Laurent and Mark Laforest) to make an interesting deal.Now, the bad news: The Rangers never seem to be able to shake the injury bug. Leetch, Shaw (shoulder surgery), Darren Turcotte (fractured foot), Moller (shoulder), Hardy (ankle), Jan Erixon (back surgery) and rookie center Mark Janssens (shoulder) all were sidelined, or should have been, when the playoffs ended.In addition, captain Kelly Kisio was bothered by a bad back all season and Rochefort missed the first 42 games.Biggest problem: The Rangers are not only brittle, they&rsquo;re not getting any younger and there is a concern where the replace ments will come from. Turcotte, Janssens and Troy Mallette filled in admirably but there don&rsquo;t seem to be many up-and-comers in the organization.And how to fix it: Neilson showed plenty of patience last year with the rookies and he says he&rsquo;ll give bruising Providence College winger Ric Bennett the same kind of an opportunity this year. The Rangers aren&rsquo;t a particularly big team and so Behnett (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) could be extremely important.Arrivals: Tie Domi, RW; Sam St. Laurent, G; Mark Laforest, G; Jody Hull, RW; Ray Sheppard, RW.Departures: Ron Greschner, D; Chris Nilan, RW; Gord Stellick, assistant general manager; Carey Wilson, C.Neilson says: &ldquo;With so many of our young players getting a year of NHL experience under their belt, I don&rsquo;t see any reason why we shouldn&rsquo;t be an improved team. Remember, Neil and I were both new and we weren&rsquo;t even sure about some of the players we had.&rdquo;Something to prove: A former coach with four other NHL teams&mdash;Toronto, Buffalo, Vancouver and Los Angeles&mdash;Neilson has gained a reputation for working miracles the first season and faltering the next. He did the former last season, now it&rsquo;s up to him and the Rangers not to do the latter this season.Never a dull moment: Nicholls was quickly dubbed Broadway Bernie after his trade from the Los Angeles Kings to the Rangers and was an instant hit with the New York media. Shortly after his trade, Nicholls told Kings&rsquo; general manager Rogie Vachon that he, &ldquo;got the raw end of the deal.&rdquo;Getting Nicholls settled into a New York frame of mind will be a significant project since one of his first loves in Los Angeles was winter golf. He says he hopes to play hockey until age 35, practise for 15 years and then join the seniors golf tour.Projected leaders: Scoring: Nicholls; Fighting: Kris King; Hitting: Rochefort; Sweating: Kisio.1989-90 log: 36-31-13, 85 points; first in the Patrick, ninth overall; beat New YorkIslanders in five games in Patrick semifinal, lost in five games to Washington in Patrick final.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0095-0195/10237019-1-eng-US/f0095-012.jpg" title="f0095-01" width="773" height="1342"></div>Predicted finish: First in the Patrick Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0095-0251/10237012-1-eng-US/f0095-022.jpg" title="f0095-02" width="1538" height="1378"><figcaption class="caption-body">The New York Rangers may be short on toughness but don&rsquo;t blame that on Randy Moller. Moller had 139 PIM to go with his 13 points in 60 games.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0095-0335/10237005-1-eng-US/f0095-032.jpg" title="f0095-03" width="780" height="3144"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>13. Michael Stewart, D, Michigan State (CCHA).34. Doug Weight, C, Lake Superior State (CCHA).55. John Vary, D, North Bay (OHL).69. Jeff Nielsen, RW, Grand Rapids H.S. (Minn.).76. Rick Willis, RW, Pingree H.S. (Mass.).85. Sergei Zubov, D, Red Army (USSR).99. Lubos Rob, C, Budejovice (Czech.).118. Jason Weinrich, D, Springfield (NAJHL).139. Bryan Lonsinger, D, Choate H.S. (Conn.).160. Todd Hedlund, RW, Roseau H.S. (Minn.).181. Andrew Silverman, D, Beverly H.S. (Mass.).202. Jon Hillebrandt, G, Monona Grove H.S. (Wise.).223. Brett Lievers, C, Wayzata H.S. (Minn.).224. Sergei Nemchinov, C, Krlja Sovetov (USSR).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0096-01110/10236998-1-eng-US/f0096-012.jpg" title="f0096-01" width="739" height="1198"><figcaption class="caption-body">Roger Neilson needs his team to play physically this season.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Patrick1989-90 Record: 36-31-13 (1st Patrick, 9th overall)GM: Neil SmithCoach: Roger NeilsonHome: Madison Square Garden (17,500)&#9724; The Rangers had 80 more powerplay opportunities than shorthanded situations in 1989-90, the greatest difference in the NHL.&#9724; New York was involved in five penalty shots during the 1989-90 season&mdash;two for and three against.&#9724; The Rangers&rsquo; power-play percentage improved from 19th in 1988-89, to fifth last season.&#9724; The Rangers&rsquo; Patrick crown was their first division title since 1942.&#9724; New York scored 31 fewer goals in 1989-90 (279) than it did in 1988-89 (310), but it also allowed 40 fewer (267 last season; 307 in &rsquo;88-89).<h2>RANGERS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0096-0252/10236991-1-eng-US/f0096-022.jpg" title="f0096-02" width="2395" height="1714"></div> &#9632;

f0094-01

BEST OF A BAD BUNCH

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0098-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0098-01125/10237092-1-eng-US/f0098-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brendan Shanahan is more than a pretty face and a good quote. He proved that much last season by scoring 30 goals to go along with his 137 PIM.</figcaption></div>New Jersey Devils&rsquo; coach John Cunniff will have one advantage as he begins his first full season behind the bench: The Russians aren&rsquo;t coming. They&rsquo;re already here.Viacheslav Fetisov, Alexei Kasatonov and Sergei Starikov all spent the summer in New Jersey working out at the team&rsquo;s training facility to avoid a repeat of last year when the latter two reported in poor physical condition and spent weeks catching up.Without the circus-like atmosphere of a year ago, Cunniff will try to bring together a team which was good enough to finish second in the Patrick Division and make the Stanley Cup playoffs but didn&rsquo;t have the formula for advancing past the first round.First, the good news: The Devils have never had more depth, with youngsters such as center Jon Morris, defenseman Eric Weinrich and center Janne Ojanen competing for jobs with the veterans.&ldquo;Our overall balance is our strength,&rdquo; says general manager Lou Lamoriello. &ldquo;Our ability to play any style, to match an offensive team or a defensive team, is our greatest strength.&rdquo;The dominant defenseman, for which the Devils have waited so long, may very well be Kasatonov, not Fetisov.Now, the bad news: Ever since they traded Pat Verbeek for Sylvain Turgeon in 1989, the Devils have lacked the tenacious type of player that seems to elevate the team with his play. They also lack a chippy, aggressive forward. Dave Maley, Brendan Shanahan and Ken Daneyko are potential heavyweights, one of whom will have to develop into a disturber.There is also concern about Patrik Sund-strom, who struggled during the playoffs, but the front office isn&rsquo;t sure if his problems are with his chronic back ailment or with his psyche. Sundstrom may see his role diminished even more.Biggest problem: On paper, the goaltending tandem of Sean Burke and Chris Terreri appears strong, but Burke finished last season a very unhappy man playing far below his capabilities. Unless Cunniff finds a better way to use his goalies, the Devils are in for a long season of discontent.And how to fix it: Cunniff must play Burke regularly early in the season and reestablish his status as the No. 1 goalie. Although he runs the risk of wearing Burke out. Cunniff has to repair his relationship with the big netminder-&ldquo;No question. Sean Burke will be our mainstay goaltender,&rdquo; says Lamoriello, &ldquo;and Chris Terreri, with the season he had, proved he can play here. He can complement. I won&rsquo;t distinguish No. 1 or 2, but if you have to look at a goaltender in our organization you have to look at Sean.&rdquo;Arrivals: Zdeno Ciger, LW.Departures: Mark Johnson, C; Peter Sundstrom, LW.Cunniff says: &ldquo;You can see how much depth we have in this organization. We&rsquo;re starting at a much higher point than we started at last year. Training camp will be competitive. Morris and Weinrich still don&rsquo;t have jobs. They have to show last year was no fluke. What they did was buy some time for themselves. There will also be some competition between Sean (Burke) and Chris (Terreri).&rdquo;Something to prove: Walt Poddubny has to show whether he can return to his 40-goal form after an injury-plagued 1989-90 season in which he scored four goals and 14 points in 33 games. &ldquo;He really had a tough year right from training camp on,&rdquo; Cunniff says. &ldquo;He came to camp not in the greatest shape and he started to come on in training camp and then hurt his hand. Once his back went, that was it.&ldquo;He still has the skills. It&rsquo;ll depend how he comes back. As you get older you have to lose weight. He played at 210 and we recommend 200.&rdquo;Never a dull moment: When former coach Jim Schoenfeld said Brendan Shanahan reported to training camp last year, &ldquo;looking like a Greek god,&rdquo; Shanahan earned the nickname Zeus. A former roommate took it one step further: &ldquo;Greek god? Having Brendan on the team is like traveling with Tom Cruise. The girls love him.&rdquo; So do New Jersey fans, who have seen him develop into a 30-goal right winger. Easily the most quotable player on the team, Shanahan once had a handmade sign at his stall that read: &ldquo;Better quotes.&rdquo;Just 21 and the team&rsquo;s most eligible bachelor, Shanahan has inherited the role of clubhouse mischief-maker since last season&rsquo;s departure of Aaron Broten.Projected leaders: Scoring: Kirk Muller; Fighting: Troy Crowder; Hitting: Daneyko; Sweating: Muller.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0099-0189/10237085-1-eng-US/f0099-012.jpg" title="f0099-01" width="768" height="1328"></div>1989-90 log: 37-34-9, 83 points; second in the Patrick, 11th overall; lost in six games to Washington in Patrick semifinal.Predicted finish: Second in the Patrick Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0099-0244/10237078-1-eng-US/f0099-022.jpg" title="f0099-02" width="1524" height="1368"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sean Burke finished last season an unhappy man after being benched during the Devils&rsquo; first-round loss to the Washington Capitals in the playoffs.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0099-0335/10237071-1-eng-US/f0099-032.jpg" title="f0099-03" width="782" height="3132"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>20. Martin Brodeur, G, St-Hyacinthe (QMJHL).24. David Harlock, D, Michigan (CCHA).29. Chris Gotziaman, RW, Roseau H.S. (Minn.).53. Mike Dunham, G, Canterbury H.S. (Conn.).56. Brad Bombardir, D, Powell River (BCJHL).64. Mike Bodnarchuk, RW, Kingston (OHL).95. Dean Malkoc, D, Kamloops (WHL).104. Peter Kuchyna, D, Dukla Jihlava (Czech).116. Lubomir Kolmik, RW, Dukla Trencin (Czech.).137. Chris McAlpine, D, Roseville H.S. (Minn.).179. Jaroslav Modry, D, Bude-jovice (Czech.).200. Corey Schwab, G, Seattle (WHL).221. Valeri Zelepukin, RW, Khimik (USSR).242. Todd Reirden, D, Tabor Academy H.S. (Mass.).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0100-0198/10237064-1-eng-US/f0100-012.jpg" title="f0100-01" width="735" height="1203"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Cunniff posted a 31-28-7 record after taking over as head coach.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Patrick1989-90 Record: 37-34-9 (2nd Patrick, 11 th overall)GM: Lou LamorielloCoach: John CunniffHome: Byrne Meadowlands Arena (19,040)&#9724; New Jersey had the fewest mangames lost to injury in the NHL last season (91).&#9724; The Devils&rsquo; nine goals in a 9-3 win over Quebec March 10,1990, matched the franchise record.&#9724; New Jersey had more goals for (295) than against (288) in 1989-90 for the first time in team history.&#9724; New Jersey had the best record against divisional opponents among Patrick teams last season (18-12-5).&#9724; Its second-place finish in the Patrick Division last season was New Jersey&rsquo;s highest-ever placing.<h2>DEVILS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0100-0250/10237057-1-eng-US/f0100-022.jpg" title="f0100-02" width="2363" height="1719"></div> &#9632;

f0098-01

READY TO CHALLENGE

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0102-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0102-0195/10237158-1-eng-US/f0102-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">How Mario Lemieux responds to off-season back surgery will almost singlehandedly determine how well&mdash;or how badly&mdash;the Penguins do this season.</figcaption></div>A year ago, some people figured the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; greatest challenge was determining what to do with all the championship banners the club was about to earn.The team had gone through an arduous building process for most of the 1980s and appeared to be on the cusp of greatness. At the very least, the Penguins were widely expected to contend for their first-ever Patrick Division championship.But that was before center Mario Lemieux, who had won the previous two NHL scoring titles, was tormented by back trouble and had to miss 21 of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s final 22 games. Before goalie Tom Barrasso missed most of February and March because of his daughter&rsquo;s illness. Before some of the players revolted against then-coach Gene Ubriaco.Before the Penguins lost a playoff berth in overtime of their final regular-season game and sat out the post-season for the seventh time in eight years.Much has changed in Pittsburgh since last winter, but the optimism remains largely intact, even if it&rsquo;s somewhat guarded now. General manager Craig Patrick hired Bob Johnson as coach and Scott Bowman as director of player development, giving Pittsburgh one of the most formidable management teams in hockey.The worst of Lemieux&rsquo;s back problems looked to be history after he underwent offseason surgery and Ashley Barrasso appeared to be making steady progress in her struggle against cancer.First, the good news: When Lemieux is healthy, he can be the most dominating offensive player in hockey. His skills are enhanced by the presence of Paul Coffey, who is about to put himself on top of every scoring list for defensemen. Pittsburgh has one of the most prolific offenses in the NHL and, with the addition of right winger Joe Mullen, has the potential for a power play without peer. Bryan Trottier, upset after being cut adrift by the New York Islanders, will be out to prove his former club wrong and, more importantly, will bring a winning attitude to Pittsburgh.Now, the bad news: Despite the optimistic prognosis offered after Lemieux underwent back surgery in July, there can be no certainty he will play at his customary level until he actually does it. Plus, there is no assurance back problems will not flare up from time to time for the rest of his career. Without him, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s scoring potential plummets from awesome to little more than average.Then there is the matter of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s woeful defensive play. Strong as the Penguins&rsquo; offense is, the puck often ends up in their end and that almost invariably means trouble.Biggest problem: It&rsquo;s almost impossible to decide which is more suspect&mdash;Lemieux&rsquo;s back or the Penguins&rsquo; team defense.And how to fix it: Johnson says shoring up the Penguins&rsquo; defensive play is his top priority, and that might require all the knowledge and experience he has acquired during his many decades in hockey. Convincing many of the forwards they don&rsquo;t need a formal invitation to go behind their blue line will be a good start, but adding some size and muscle to the defense corps wouldn&rsquo;t hurt.Arrivals: Bob Johnson, coach; Scott Bowman, director of player development, Joey Mullen, RW; Jaromir Jagr, RW-LW; Bryan Trottier, C.Departures: Alain Chevrier, G; Doug Smith, C.Johnson says: &ldquo;(Defense) is where it all starts, and that&rsquo;s where Bob Johnson is going to start with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Offense is more (based on) skill and imagination and some nights you&rsquo;re not going to be there offensively. But you can play defense every night.&rdquo;Something to prove: Right winger Rob Brown, who dropped from 49 goals two years ago to 33 last season, must show he can score&mdash;and work&mdash;to management&rsquo;s expectations.Never a dull moment: He can be a nightmare for management and has a knack for annoying both opponents and teammates, but Brown unquestionably adds a splash of color to this team. His windmill celebration of goals and relentless yapping infuriates opponents&mdash;Brown has to be among the league leaders in stick assaults received&mdash;and some teammates are bothered by his seemingly lackadaisical attitude.Projected leaders: Scoring: Lemieux; Fighting: Jay Caufield; Hitting: Gilbert Delorme; Sweating: Bob Errey.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0103-0184/10237151-1-eng-US/f0103-012.jpg" title="f0103-01" width="771" height="1311"></div>1989-90 log: 32-40-8, 72 points; fifth in the Patrick, 17th overall; did not qualify for the playoffs.Projected finish: Third in the Patrick Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0103-0244/10237144-1-eng-US/f0103-022.jpg" title="f0103-02" width="1516" height="1362"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Coffey recorded the fifth 100-point season of his career but posted a plus-minus mark of minus-25, the worst ranking on the team.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0103-0330/10237137-1-eng-US/f0103-032.jpg" title="f0103-03" width="772" height="3104"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>5. Jaromir Jagr, LW, Poldi Klad-no (Czech.).61. Joe Dziedzic, LW, Edison H.S. (Minn.).68. Chris Tamer, D, Michigan (CCHA).89. Brian Farrell, C, Avon Old Farms H.S. (Conn.).107. Ian Moran, D, Belmont Hill H.S. (Mass.).110. Denis Casey, G, Colorado College (WCHA).130. Mika Valila, C, Tappara (Fin.).131. Ken Plaquin, D, Michigan (CCHA).145. Pat Neaton, D, Michigan (CCHA).152. Petteri Koskimaki, C, Boston University (HE).173. Ladislav Karabin, LW, Bratislava (Czech.).194. Timothy Fingerhut, LW, Canterbury H.S. (Conn.).215. Michael Thompson, RW, Michigan State (CCHA).236. Brian Bruininks, D, Colorado College (WCHA).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0104-0196/10237130-1-eng-US/f0104-012.jpg" title="f0104-01" width="729" height="1199"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Johnson hopes to shore up the Penguins&rsquo; woeful team defense.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Patrick1989-90 Record: 32-40-8 (5th Patrick, 17th overall)GM: Craig PatrickCoach: Bob JohnsonHome: Civic Arena (16,168)&#9724; The Penguins surrendered 21 shorthanded goals in 1989-90, the most in the NHL.&#9724; Only two rookies saw action for the Penguins last season&mdash;right wingers Mark Recchi and Jamie Leach&mdash;the fewest number in the league.&#9724; The Penguins set a home attendance record with an average crowd of 16,018.&#9724; The Penguins had a .557 winning percentage within their division (18-14-3) and a .367 mark outside their division (14-26-5), the largest difference of any NHL team last season.&#9724; Mario Lemieux had a 46-game point scoring streak last season.<h2>PENGUINS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0104-0251/10237123-1-eng-US/f0104-022.jpg" title="f0104-02" width="2371" height="1733"></div> &#9632;

f0102-01

A BANNER SEASON?

<div class="byline">BY DAVE SELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0106-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0106-0193/10237224-1-eng-US/f0106-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Right winger John Druce will be under pressure to repeat his playoff heroics, when he finished second in post-season goal-scoring with 14.</figcaption></div>The Washington Capitals have never been a team to live up to expectations&hellip;good or bad.After the Caps stumbled to a 36-38-6 record last season, their worst in eight seasons, few expected them to make it out of their own division. So, of course, that&rsquo;s exactly what they went out and did. It shouldn&rsquo;t have been a big surprise since they never were able to do it when everyone expected them to.Then again, last spring was like no other in the 16-year existence of the franchise. Not only did the Capitals play a game in the month of May for the first time in franchise history, they discovered a scoring star in John Druce, a minor-leaguer who finished second in playoff goal-scoring with 14 goals in 15 games.The tumultuous season saw a coaching change&mdash;Bryan Murray was replaced by his brother Terry&mdash;and a sex scandal that marred the gains that were made in the playoffs. The Capitals are hoping this season is just as successful but not so eventful.First, the good news: In the last season, the Capitals went from one of the league&rsquo;s oldest teams to one of the youngest. In theory, the young players will get better.The Capitals traded both Bob Gould and Dave Christian to Boston and Terry Murray gave several young players who spent time with the Capitals&rsquo; American League affiliate in Baltimore a fair amount of ice time. Druce and Tim Bergland spent the first half of the season in the minors but by the end of the playoffs, they were regulars, and in the case of Druce, a hero.Goalie Mike Liut finished the season tied with Patrick Roy for the best goals-against average in the league (2.53) and Don Beaupre re-established himself a solid NHL stopper, but he was over-worked by necessity early in the season.Kevin Hatcher came to the forefront on the Capitals&rsquo; defense corps, earning 54 points, and will have to show even more leadership now that Scott Stevens has signed a three-year deal with the St. Louis Blues.Now, the bad news: The trouble was off the ice. The Capitals&rsquo; inspired drive for the playoffs was stained when Dino Ciccarelli, Neil Sheehy and Geoff Courtnall were accused of being involved in a sexual assault. However, a grand jury decided not to indict any of them.Back to hockey, the loss of Stevens on defense takes away a huge physical presence and leaves the Capitals short a talented offensive rearguard. Stevens, whose injury last season exposed a huge flaw in the Caps&rsquo; defense corps, is considered by many to be the best hitter in the league.Only once in the nine previous seasons had the Capitals scored fewer goals than the 284 they had last season. And the 275 goals allowed in 1989-90 were more than they had given up in five of the previous six seasons.Biggest problem: The power play. The Capitals had 412 power-play chances, second-highest total in the NHL behind only the New York Rangers. But with just 70 goals&mdash;a success rate of 17 per cent&mdash;they ranked ahead of only Detroit and Montreal.And how to fix it: The Capitals saw what Craig Janney did to them in the playoffs and knew that they needed a playmaking center. To that end, they acquired Peter Zezel from the St. Louis Blues whom they hope will help create scoring chances that don&rsquo;t involve a loose puck in front of the net.Arrivals: Peter Zezel, C; Mike Lalor, D; Steve Maltais, LW; John Perpich, assistant coach.Departures: Scott Stevens, D; Scot Kleinendorst, D; John Tucker, RW-C; Robbie Laird, assistant coach (takes over as head coach in Baltimore); Barry Trotz, scout (takes over as assistant in Baltimore); Bob Mason, G.Murray says: &ldquo;One of our strengths as an organization is that we have real good depth, with some prospects that can fill in for a dozen or 20 games, if necessary.&rdquo;Something to prove: John Druce has to show that his spectacular playoff performance was not a fluke and that he can be a consistent scorerNever a dull moment: Sheehy is rarely at a loss for words, both on and off the ice. With his Harvard degree, he is one of the NHL&rsquo;s best-educated yappers.Projected leaders: Scoring: Ciccarelli; Fighting: Alan May; Hitting: Bergland; Sweating: Kelly Miller.1989-90 log: 36-38-6, 78 points; third in the Patrick, 13th overall; beat New Jersey in six games in Patrick semifinal, beat New York Rangers in five games in Patrick final, lost in four games to Boston in the Wales Conference final.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0107-0183/10237217-1-eng-US/f0107-012.jpg" title="f0107-01" width="772" height="1330"></div>Predicted finish: Fourth in the Patrick Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0107-0247/10237210-1-eng-US/f0107-022.jpg" title="f0107-02" width="1583" height="1371"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dino Ciccarelli had 11 points in eight playoff games before a knee injury ended his season. He led the team in scoring with 79 points in 80 games.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0107-0330/10237203-1-eng-US/f0107-032.jpg" title="f0107-03" width="810" height="3132"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>9. John Slaney, D, Cornwall (OHL).30. Rod Pasma, D, Cornwall (OHL).51. Chris Longo, RW, Peterborough (OHL).72. Randy Pearce, LW, Kitchener (OHL).93. Brian Sakic. C, Tri-City (WHL).94. Mark Ouimet, C, Michigan (CCHA).114. Andrei Kovalev, RW, Moscow Dynamo (USSR).135. Roman Kontsek, RW, Dukla Trencin (Czech).156. Peter Bondra, C, Kosice (Czech.).159. Steve Martell, RW, London (OHL).177. Ken Klee, D, Bowling Green (CCHA).198. Michael Boback, C, Providence (HE).219. Alan Brown, D, Colgate (ECAC).240. Todd Hlushko, LW, London (OHL).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0108-01100/10237196-1-eng-US/f0108-012.jpg" title="f0108-01" width="733" height="1202"><figcaption class="caption-body">Terry Murray begins his first full season behind the Caps&rsquo; bench.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Patrick1989-90 Record: 36-38-6 (3rd Patrick, 13th overall)GM: David PoileCoach: Terry MurrayHome: Capital Centre (18,130)&#9724; The Capitals set a team record with 12 goals in a game last season (Feb. 6, 1990, against Quebec).&#9724; Sixteen rookies saw action for the Capitals last season, tied for most in the NHL.&#9724; Washington posted the Patrick Division&rsquo;s best road record in 1989-90 (17-20-3).&#9724; The Capitals used five goaltenders in 1989-90, tying them for the second most in the NHL.&#9724; Washington made its eighth straight post-season appearance in 1989-90, but won just its first Patrick Division playoff title.<h2>CAPITALS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0108-0246/10237189-1-eng-US/f0108-022.jpg" title="f0108-02" width="2406" height="1718"></div> &#9632;

f0106-01

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

<div class="byline">BY MARK HERRMANN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0109-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0109-0189/10237290-1-eng-US/f0109-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Fitzpatrick entrenched himself as the Islanders&rsquo; goalie of the future by posting an impressive 19-19-5 record and a 3.39 goals-against average.</figcaption></div>The New York Islanders were longshots to make the playoffs last season. With only two games left in the season, the odds were 242:1.According to actuary Eric Hornick, a statistician on Islander telecasts, those were the odds of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers losing their last two games of the season and the Islanders winning their last two. But that&rsquo;s exactly what happened and they made the playoffs before losing to the New York Rangers in five games in the Patrick Division semifinals.Those with a penchant for gambling would be inclined to put money against the Islanders making the playoffs this season, too. The problem with the Islanders is they even don&rsquo;t know how good or how bad they really are.Many questions were left unresolved by a season that included a 23-6-3 burst sandwiched between a 5-18-3 opening and 3-145 finish. Coach Al Arbour called it, &ldquo;Up and down, like Wall Street.&rdquo;Should they continue to improve this season, players and management should conclude that their mid-year rise to first place last season was a positive omen. Yet if they falter again, they will have no defense against suggestions that their hot streak was just a blip on the screen.First, the good news: The combination of factors that stirred the team last year was no fluke. The ingredients were traditional: Solid defensive play, disciplined coaching, good goaltending and the emergence of a star scorer in Pat LaFontaine. LaFontaine&rsquo;s 105 points vaulted him into the NHL&rsquo;s elite and made him a legitimate candidate for the Hart Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player.The team is happy about its surplus of goalies&mdash;Mark Fitzpatrick and Glenn Healy are joined by American League playoff MVP Jeff Hackett. Also, several young defensemen from the Calder Cup champion Springfield Indians are expected to seriously challenge for jobs at training camp.Now, the bad news: Their winning chemistry was fragile. The Islanders were in big trouble whenever any one of their key players was injured. They were particularly damaged when center LaFontaine was out with a chipped bone in his left hand or when he was manhandled by opponents. Perhaps no player in the league was more important to his team than LaFontaine.The Islanders also struggled when they had to play without captain Brent Sutter, the No. 2 scorer and top penalty killer. Their record was remarkably poor (2-13-3) in games missed by Patrick Flatley, who sets the tempo by controlling play in the comers and along the boards. And their power play was ineffective whenever defenseman Jeff Norton was not on it.Biggest problem: The Islanders scored only 281 goals, the fourth-lowest total in the league. Aside from LaFontaine, they had only three 20-goal scorers and three 50-point players.And how to fix it: Aside from signing a free agent or trading for a player just ready to blossom&mdash;as they did with Hubie McDonough last season&mdash;the Islanders must give some of their younger players such as Dave Chyzowski, Tom Fitzgerald, Derek Laxdal and Wayne McBean a chance.Arrivals: Brad Dalgarno, RW; Kevin Cheveldayoff, D.Departures: Bryan Trottier, C.Arbour says: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s certainly some restructuring that has to be done. We can&rsquo;t stand pat. It takes time and we know the direction we want to take.&rdquo;Something to prove: A team that struggles so much to score goals cannot afford another dormant season from a skilled offensive player like David Volek. The right winger, who defected from Czechoslovakia before the 1988-89 season, made the all-rookie team with 25-34-69 totals in 77 games. But last season, he slipped to 17-22-39 in 80 games. Maybe a creditable playoff showing and off-season tutoring from his father, Pavel, a noted coach in Europe, will help him regain his touch.Never a dull moment: Whether he&rsquo;s playing defense or left wing, working as an enforcer or forechecker, or cutting a record in Los Angeles or appearing on the gossip columns of the New York tabloids, Ken Baumgartner has become an essential player for the team and an immensely popular figure in the dressing room. Imagine the reception he will receive when he scores his first goal as an Islander.Projected leaders: Scoring: LaFontaine; Fighting: Baumgartner; Hitting: Gary Nylund; Sweating: Sutter.1989-90 log: 31-38-11, 73 points; fourth in the Patrick, 16th overall; lost in five games to the New York Rangers in Patrick semifinal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0110-0193/10237283-1-eng-US/f0110-012.jpg" title="f0110-01" width="754" height="1350"></div>Predicted finish: Fifth in the Patrick Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0110-0253/10237276-1-eng-US/f0110-022.jpg" title="f0110-02" width="1506" height="1379"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat LaFontaine had his first 50-goal season and established himself as an MVP candidate. Only problem was, the Islanders were lost without him.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0110-0334/10237269-1-eng-US/f0110-032.jpg" title="f0110-03" width="776" height="3184"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>6. Scott Scissons, C, Saskatoon (WHL).27. Chris Taylor, C, London (OHL).48. Dan Plante, RW, Edina H.S. (Minn.).90. Chris Marinucci, C, Grand Rapids H.S. (Minn.).111. Joni Lehto, D, Ottawa (OHL).132. Michael Guilbert, D, Governor Dummer H.S. (N.H.).153. Sylvain Fleury, LW, College Francais (QMJHL).174. John Joyce, C, Avon Old Farms H.S. (Conn.).195. Richard Enga, C, Culver Military Academy H.S. (Ind.).216. Martin Lacroix, RW, St. Lawrence (ECAC).237. Andy Shier, C, Detroit (USJHL).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0112-01103/10237262-1-eng-US/f0112-012.jpg" title="f0112-01" width="748" height="1212"><figcaption class="caption-body">Al Arbour compared his Islanders&rsquo; up-and-down season to Wall Street.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &rsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Patrick1989-90 Record: 31-38-11 (4th Patrick, 16th overall)GM: Bill Torrey Coach: Al ArbourHome: Nassau Coliseum (16,297)&#9724; The Islanders had a total of 22 points in their first 20 and last 20 games, but had 49 points in their middle 40 games.&#9724; New York&rsquo;s 330 man-advantage opportunities was the lowest total in the NHL last season.&#9724; The Islanders spent at least one day in each of first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth place in the Patrick Division in 1989-90.&#9724; Pat LaFontaine became the first Islander to score 50 goals in a season since Mike Bossy in 1985-86.&#9724; Thirty-four of Jeff Norton&rsquo;s 53 points last season were scored on the power play.<h2>ISLANDERS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0112-0245/10237255-1-eng-US/f0112-022.jpg" title="f0112-02" width="2433" height="1749"></div> &#9632;

f0109-01

SEASON OF RECKONING

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE FISH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0113-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0113-0186/10237356-1-eng-US/f0113-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Mellanby did his part to help the Flyers break a team record for man-games lost to injury. He missed a total of 23 games last season.</figcaption></div>Missing the Stanley Cup playoffs might not be a big deal in some National Hockey League cities. It is in Philadelphia. Just ask former general manager Bob Clarke.The Flyers enjoyed a streak of 17 straight years of post-season play, second only to the Boston Bruins (23). That joyride came to a halt last year when the Flyers crashed to the bottom of the Patrick Division. It was the first time the Flyers finished last in any division since their entrance into the NHL in 1967.The frustration of a franchise-high 39 los-ses (to go with just 30 wins and 11 ties) was matched only by that of a team-record 388 man-games lost to injury. Mainstays such as Ron Hextail, Tim Kerr and Mark Howe missed large portions of the season due to injury. Other veterans such as Dave Poulin and Brian Propp were traded away.Although team management insisted the Flyers&rsquo; record was not a direct cause for Clarke&rsquo;s firing as general manager, it is apparent from the hiring of 34-year-oId Russ Farwell as the new GM that the Flyers are attempting to embark in a new direction.First, the good news: Coach Paul Holmgren, popular among his players, will be back and gets a chance to work with some promising prospects.Six hopeful forwards already in the system&mdash;Len Barrie, Claude Boivin, Craig Fisher, Mark Freer, Tony Horacek and Jukka Seppo&mdash;will be joined by first-round draft pick Mike Ricci in the September battle for roster spots.The Flyers had eight picks in the first three rounds of the draft and hope to transform their American League farm team in Hershey into a legitimate developmental squad for NHL talent.Hextali is participating in a personalized conditioning program to help cure the groin and hamstring muscle problems that limited him to eight appearances.Now, the bad news: Hextall still wants to renegotiate his contract and is asking in the neighborhood of $ 1 million (U.S.) per year, a 100 per-cent raise. The Flyers have some hard negotiating to do. Trade rumors involving Hextall surfaced at the NHL Entry Draft in June but nothing came of them.Howe, the Flyers&rsquo; top defenseman, is 35 and missed the second half of last season with a back injury. Although Howe is not a candidate for back surgery, the Flyers have to be wondering about his condition.Age has been creeping up on the Flyers. At one point last season the Flyers had 10 players 30 or older on their roster.Biggest problem: The Flyers have had the same nucleus of players (Howe, Kerr, Propp, Poulin, Hextall. Ron Sutter, Kjell Samuelsson) for the past five years. The dismantling process began last year. This year&rsquo;s concern might be how many more changes have to be made to get the team back into contention.And how to fix it: The new-look process might begin by taking a hard look at veterans such as Ken Linseman, Keith Acton, Pete Peeters and Scott Mellanby. A young defense corps, centered around Gord Murphy, Jeff Chychrun, Jiri Latal and Terry Carkner. must continue to make progress.Arrivals: Russ Farwell, general manager; Mike Ricci, C.Departures: Bob Clarke, general manager; Mike Bullard, RW-C; Ilkka Sinisalo, RW.Holmgren says: &ldquo;Our No. 1 trouble was our inconsistency at home. No. 2 was the division, in our building and away. We played the (New York) Rangers, (New Jersey) Devils and (Washington) Capitals 11 times at home and had two points to show for it. You can&rsquo;t expect to be in the high echelon of your own division when you can&rsquo;t win games at home.&rdquo;Something to prove: Hextali has to show he can stay healthy for a full season. Ken Wregget filled in adequately last year but the Flyers base both their defense and their offense around Hextall&rsquo;s puckhandling skills on the ice, along with his fiery leadership. After playing in more than 60 games in each of his first three seasons, Hextail spent most of last year in the press box.Never a dull moment: Craig Berube emerged as a big favorite with the fans, media and Flyer teammates. Perhaps it&rsquo;s because he plays the same reckless-abandon style that brought the Flyers a pair of Stanley Cups in the mid-&rsquo;70s. The Flyers have always been a team whose members stand up for each other. Berube is fast with his fists and last year was nearly as fast with a post-game quote.Projected leaders: Scoring: Rick Tocchet. Fighting: Berube. Hitting: Tocchet. Sweating: Sutter.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0114-0196/10237349-1-eng-US/f0114-012.jpg" title="f0114-01" width="764" height="1323"></div>1989-90 log: 30-39-11, 71 points, sixth in the Patrick, 18th overall; did not qualify for the playoffs.Projected finish: Sixth in the Patrick Division.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0114-0243/10237342-1-eng-US/f0114-022.jpg" title="f0114-02" width="1504" height="1364"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Wregget filled in admirably for the injured Ron Hextail last season but may find himself in a back-up role if Hextail returns healthy.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0114-0329/10237335-1-eng-US/f0114-032.jpg" title="f0114-03" width="765" height="3106"></div><h2>DRAFT CHOICES</h2>4. Mike Ricci, C, Peterborough (OHL).25. Chris Simon, LW, Ottawa (OHL).40. Mikael Renberg, LW, Pitea (Swe.).42. Terran Sandwith, D, Tri-City (WHL).44. Kimbi Daniels, C, Swift Current (WHL).46. Bill Armstrong, D, Oshawa (OHL).47. Chris Therien, D, Northwood Prep H.S. (N.Y.).52. Al Kinisky, LW, Seattle (WHL).88. Dan Kordic, D, Medicine Hat (WHL).109. Viacheslav Butsayev, C, Red Army (USSR).151. Patrik Englund, LW, AIK (Swe.).172. Toni Porkka, D, Lukko (Fin.).193. Greg Hanson, D, Bloomington-Kennedy H.S. (Minn.).214. Tommy Soderstrom, G, Djurgarden (Swe.).235. William Lund, C, Roseau H.S. (Minn.)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0116-0197/10237328-1-eng-US/f0116-012.jpg" title="f0116-01" width="731" height="1208"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Holmgren survived the uncertain off-season and returns as coach.</figcaption></div><h2>FACTS &lsquo;N&rsquo; FIGURES</h2>Conference: WalesDivision: Patrick1989-90 Record: 30-39-11 (6th Patrick, 18th overall)GM: Russ FarwellCoach: Paul HolmgrenHome: The Spectrum (17,423)&#9724; For the fifth consecutive season, the Flyers had a decrease in points&mdash;an NHL record.&#9724; Their last-place Patrick finish in 1989-90 was the first time in team history the Flyers had finished in the basement.&#9724; The Flyers lost 20 games by one goal in 1989-90. It was the most one-goal defeats in the league.&#9724; Philadelphia&rsquo;s sub-.500 1989-90 season was its first since 1971-72.&#9724; Last season marked only the third time in franchise history the Flyers failed to make the playoffs.<h2>FLYERS 1990-91 ROSTER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0116-0253/10237321-1-eng-US/f0116-022.jpg" title="f0116-02" width="2376" height="1738"></div> &#9632;

f0113-01

STILL NO KIDDIE CORPS

<div class="byline">BY RAND SIMON</div>Subtraction by addition. It&rsquo;s what the International League experienced during a hectic year off-the-ice which saw the league add three teams and lose one.There will be more teams, but there will be the same number of teams affiliated with NHL clubs in 1990-91. Last season, seven of nine teams were affiliated with NHL teams. This season the numbers are seven of 11. So while the league added prestige by adding the big cities of Kansas City, San Diego and Albany, it may have taken two steps forward and three steps back.Last season the IHL surpassed the American League in attendance. It may have surpassed the AHL in quality of play as well. Three IHL teams&mdash;the Indianapolis Ice, the Muskegon Lumberjacks and the Kalamazoo Wings&mdash;were as good as any team in the AHL.But the IHL will have a difficult time this season in matching the AHL on the ice. With four independent teams&mdash;San Diego, Fort Wayne Komets, Kansas City Blades and Albany Choppers&mdash;the free-agent talent used to stock the teams will be thinly spread. Theoretically, the seven affiliated clubs should feast on their weaker opponents.Phoenix and Fort Wayne, last season&rsquo;s independents, were competitive. But they did finish last in their respective divisions. Phoenix, which will join the AHL&rsquo;s New Haven Nighthawks as co-affiliates of the Los Angeles Kings this season, was the only team not to make the playoffs.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re faced with the dilemma of being either a six-city league or bringing a great sport to a lot more interested cities,&rdquo; says IHL commissioner Tom Berry. &ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s no question there&rsquo;s a good possibility of very competitive teams.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0117-0180/10237387-1-eng-US/f0117-012.jpg" title="f0117-01" width="756" height="928"><figcaption class="caption-body">An exception: Michel Mongeau made it big as a minor-pro free agent.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see manpower being a problem. There are so many young men signed to contracts at 22 or 23 who don&rsquo;t have a place on any roster. Now they can go out and find a spot to play. We have young men who developed enough to be signed by other teams to NHL contracts. That&rsquo;s the key to our success.&rdquo;Last season&rsquo;s most valuable player was center Michel Mongeau of the Peoria Rivermen. Mongeau played two seasons with the then-independent Flint Spirits before the St. Louis Blues signed him prior to last season. Mongeau played nine games for the Blues and may make the team this season.But Mongeau is the exception, not the rule. Generally, players on independent teams are of little interest to NHL clubs. Some think five non-affiliated teams are too many. Some think it&rsquo;s five too many.&ldquo;My own thought is that it&rsquo;s gotten out of hand in our league and in the American League,&rdquo; says Muskegon Lumberjacks&rsquo; president-general manager Larry Gordon. &ldquo;We have to amalgamate the American and International League by having one staff and one commissioner. That would allow some control over the number of franchises.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s healthy to have more minor pro teams than NHL teams. The independent teams are usually the weaker sisters. Our job is to be developing players for the NHL and we&rsquo;re not doing it properly. The best situation is where everyone is affiliated and that way the players go against the best young players.&rdquo;Gordon chairs the AHL-IHL Relations Committee which is responsible for exploring the possibility of a merger between the two leagues.He not only wants to control the number of teams, but the number of older players. He says there should be a limit on the number of players&mdash;he says perhaps six&mdash;over 25.&ldquo;Too much emphasis has been placed on the need to win and the need to make money at the minor pro level,&rdquo; says Gordon.San Diego gained approval as an IHL expansion franchise at the league meetings in June in Vancouver. At the same time, the league also made a move it didn&rsquo;t want to when renegade owner David Welker was given permission to move from Fort Wayne to Albany. Shortly after, the Flint Spirits were sold to a group of Fort Wayne businessmen.Twice the league turned down expansion applicants from Albany because Berry said the IHL didn&rsquo;t want to expand east into AHL territory.&ldquo;The idea of what has happened with Al Davis and the NFL (when Davis moved his football team from Oakland to Los Angeles) hit home, that restraint of trade just doesn&rsquo;t work,&rdquo; says Berry. &ldquo;The NFL lost after spending millions on legal fees. We simply can&rsquo;t afford that.&rdquo;But Gordon couldn&rsquo;t bring himself to vote in favor of the franchise shift, so he abstained.&ldquo;I was against it, but legally we were on very thin ground,&rdquo; says Gordon. &ldquo;I was vocal in the past about my opposition to Albany so I didn&rsquo;t vote.&rdquo;The franchise shifts and expansion have led to divisional realignment. Indianapolis, West Division champs last season, joins Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Fort Wayne and Albany in the East. Kansas City and San Diego will join the three teams with the poorest records in the league last season&mdash;Phoenix, Peoria and the Milwaukee Admirals&mdash;in the West. &#9632;

f0117-01

MINOR PROBLEMS

<div class="byline">BY RAND SIMON</div>Shortly after the death of Toronto Maple Leaf owner Harold Ballard, the club made several moves to modernize the organization. One of them was to hire a college coach to lead their American League farm team in Newmarket.But the hiring of controversial former Lake Superior State (located in Sault, Mich.) coach Frank Anzalone may make several Saints&rsquo; players wish the Leafs had stayed in the hockey Dark Ages. Anzalone, who replaces Paul Gardner, is a proven winner but he makes Mike Keenan seem like a nice guy.&ldquo;A player has to love hockey to play hockey. I always told the guys at Lake Superior, &rsquo;You must love the game to put up with what I put you through.&rdquo; Anzalone says.Anzalone&rsquo;s philosophy in his eight seasons at Lake Superior was simple. Hard work gets results. He led the Lakers to a 191-108-22 record and a national championship in 1987-88. He demands total commitment from a player. If he gets it, the player has Anzalone&rsquo;s respect. If he doesn&rsquo;t get it, that&rsquo;s where problems start.&ldquo;In college you had to toe the line with him,&rsquo;&rsquo; says Pete Stauber, who ended his four years at Lake Superior last season and signed a four-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings in the off-season. &ldquo;He was a disciplinarian but he wasn&rsquo;t so strict that you didn&rsquo;t have fun winning.&rdquo;Winning is not something the Newmarket Saints know much about. In four seasons, they made the playoffs once, losing in five games to Adirondack in the 1988-89 quarter-finals.Anzalone&rsquo;s main priority won&rsquo;t be so much to mold a winner as to prepare young players for the NHL. The Saints will be a much younger team this season&mdash;several veterans including goaltender Tim Bernhardt and right wingers Peter Ihnacak and Sean McKenna won&rsquo;t be back in Newmarket&mdash;and will likely go through some rough times in an effort to build for the future.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0118-0191/10237418-1-eng-US/f0118-012.jpg" title="f0118-01" width="744" height="848"><figcaption class="caption-body">Frank Anzalone makes Mike Keenan seem like a nice guy.</figcaption></div>The minor-pro level is generally considered the most difficult level for a coach. He can&rsquo;t choose his own players, he can&rsquo;t trade players and he often loses his best players to the NHL. Anzalone says he&rsquo;s ready for the challenge.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I could be any more ready,&rdquo; says Anzalone. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I could learn anything more in the college game as to how to handle the pro. I think you have to get right in, jump in the pool, and I think if I have a good base&mdash;which I do&mdash;I&rsquo;ll be able to survive all the tough moments.&ldquo;I would expect that every player who comes here wants to play hockey, whether that be for the Leafs or the Saints. And I would expect they would all be willing to follow what the coach says.&rdquo;But he probably won&rsquo;t have any moments as tough as those he experienced at the end of his stay at Lake Superior. The administration&mdash;mainly athletic director Jim Fallis&mdash;decided they had enough of Anzalone. Fallis said Anzalone was repeatedly complaining about the university to outsiders and that if he wasn&rsquo;t happy, he shouldn&rsquo;t be there. Anzalone said he was only trying to get more for the hockey program.The dispute&mdash;-Anzalone calls it a &ldquo;personality conflict with the athletic director"&mdash;couldn&rsquo;t be resolved and Anzalone was fired.So Anzalone, 35, finds himself in Newmarket, which he hopes will lead to a job in the NHL.In addition to Anzalone, seven other AHL clubs head into the 1990-91 season with new coaches.One of the new faces is in Baltimore where Robbie Laird takes over from Doug McLean. Laird was twice named The Hockey News minor pro coach of the year while with Fort Wayne (International League) before taking an assistant coaching job with Washington before last season. McLean did not have his contract renewed in Baltimore and was replaced by Laird.Jim Roberts, who guided the New York Islanders&rsquo; affiliate, the Springfield Indians, to the Calder Cup, is staying in Springfield even though the Islanders left for Troy, N.Y.Roberts will coach the Hartford Whalers&rsquo; affiliate, taking over from Doug McKay, who coached the team last season in Binghamton.In Halifax, Clement Jodoin takes over from Paulin Bordeleau.Four AHL teams&mdash;Troy, Fredericton, Hershey and Binghamton&mdash;were without coaches as of late July.Meanwhile, six new coaches will be on hand when the International League season opens.Mike Murphy, an assistant in Vancouver last season, replaces Ron Lapointe with the Canucks&rsquo; farm team in Milwaukee.The expansion Kansas City Blades hired former NHL goaltender Doug Soetaert to coach their unaffiliated team.David Welker, who moved his Fort Wayne franchise to Albany, hired Dave Allison as head coach.Flint&rsquo;s director of operations from last season, Don Waddell, became GM of the expansion San Diego franchise and named former NHL defenseman Mike O&rsquo;Connell as head coach.Two other teams, defending Turner Cup champion Indianapolis and Phoenix, hadn&rsquo;t named coaches as of late July. &#9632;

f0118-01

FRANKLY SPEAKING

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0119-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0119-0181/10237456-1-eng-US/f0119-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Oshawa goalie Fred Braithwaite stops Kitchener&rsquo;s Jason Firth during overtime of the Memorial Cup. He&rsquo;s one reason the Generals are optimistic.</figcaption></div>The thought of repeating as Memorial Cup champion has crossed the mind of Oshawa Generals&rsquo; coach Rick Comacchia.But most of the time when Comacchia thinks of next season, he gets scared. Really scared. The crown the Generals won over the Kitchener Rangers in a dramatic final last May will be one the Generals wear lightly this season.On one hand, the Generals have one of the world&rsquo;s best juniors in Eric Lindros, a strong cast of returnees and strength at every position. On the other hand, they&rsquo;re in the unforgiving Leyden Division, which all of a sudden has turned into the most competitive in junior hockey.Last season, the Ontario League champions finished with 88 points, one ahead of second-place Kingston and 10 ahead of fourth-place Ottawa. With Sudbury and North Bay joining the Leyden to make way for the expansion Detroit Ambassadors in the Emms Division, things won&rsquo;t get any easier&mdash;or looser&mdash;this season.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a matter of us thinking about getting out of our division,&rdquo; says Comacchia, &ldquo;we have to think of getting in the top three.&rdquo;The Generals&rsquo; most serious competition should come from the Belleville Bulls, Peterborough Petes, Sudbury Wolves and Ottawa 67&rsquo;s, any one of which could win the Leyden&hellip;or finish fifth.In the OHL, the Ambassadors become the first U.S.-based franchise in the league and will play in the Emms Division. The Beauport Harfangs (pronounced Ar-fa) will be the Quebec League&rsquo;s newest entry this season, bringing the QMJHL to 12 teams.Reach for the top: Listed below are 10 teams that should pose a serious challenge for the Memorial Cup next season.1. Oshawa (OHL): Much of the Generals&rsquo; success this season will depend on whether or not center Jarrod Skalde and right winger Mike Craig return. With Skalde, Lindros and Dale Craigwell, the Generals are probably the strongest team in the country at center and in Fred Braithwaite, they are set in goal. The Generals are poised for a serious run at defending their Memorial Cup.2. Prince Albert (WHL): The Raiders are a big, surly bunch who came within one game of winning the WHL&rsquo;s East Division last season. If they get a proven stopper, they&rsquo;ll be very difficult to contain.&ldquo;Right now, they&rsquo;d have to be favored to finish first in the East,&rdquo; says an East Division coach. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re big and strong and they&rsquo;re only going to get better. If they get a goaltender and a goalscorer, they&rsquo;re going to go far.&rdquo;3. Ottawa (OHL): The 67&rsquo;s, who were beseiged with injuries during last year&rsquo;s playoffs, have one of the league&rsquo;s most talented defensemen in Chris Snell and the league&rsquo;s best playmaker in Brett Seguin. Goaltenders Peter McGlynn and George Dourian should play a significant role in the 67&rsquo;s success.4. Spokane (WHL): Bolstered by new ownership, the Chiefs are ready to make a run at their first West Division championship. In center Pat Falloon (60-64-124 in 71 games), the Chiefs have a superstar and sure first-round choice in 1991.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got some great talent there,&rdquo; says a WHL coach. &ldquo;Falloon and (Ray) Whitney each had 100 points for them last year and they did that as 17-year-olds. (Mark) Woolf will probably get 100 points there next year, too.&rdquo;5. College Francais (QMJHL): The Longueuil-based team improved immensely during the second half of the season and lose only Paul Willett and Sylvain Fleury, their two top scorers. This team will live or die by its ability to play defensively.6. Belleville (OHL): Suspensions and team dissension kept the Bulls from making a serious run last season. Should Scott Thomton and Rob Pearson not stick with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bulls will likely challenge for top spot in the league. The return of general manager-coach Larry Mavety after two years in Kingston will translate into a return to the discipline that was so sorely lacking last season.&ldquo;Mav knows most of these kids and they know him,&rdquo; says a Leyden coach. &ldquo;And they know that what he says goes.&rdquo;7. Swift Current (WHL): The Memorial Cup champions of 1989 were forced to rebuild last season and the moves should bear fruit this season. They made a valiant run for the playoffs and lose only goalie Stan (Smokey) Reddick and defenseman Dan Lambert.8. St-Hyacinthe (QMJHL): The Laser&rsquo;s first year in St-Hyacinthe (they were formerly the lowly Verdun Junior Canadiens) was a success on and off the ice and they should be able to bring it one notch higher this year. In Pierre Sevigny, the Laser has a pro-style winger and in Martin Brodeur, an outstanding goalie.9. Kamloops (WHL): In the last six seasons, the Blazers have finished first in the Western League&rsquo;s West Division five times. Losing head coach Ken Hitchcock, along with veterans Len Barrie, Dave Chyzowski, Phil Huber and Mike Needham will hurt but the Blazers have enough to challenge the Chiefs for first.10. London (OHL): The Knights, under first-year coach Gary Agnew, should be able to take the severely weakened Emms Division but will likely be challenged by the Owen Sound Platers. Chris Taylor, who scored 45 goals last year, should get 50 this season.The Big 10: Listed below are 10 players&mdash;excluding potential overagers&mdash;who should make a large impact on the CHL this season.1. Petr Nedved, C, Seattle (WHL): Nedved, who scored 145 points as a rookie with the Thunderbirds last year, will probably be returned to junior by the Vancouver Canucks for another year of experience. He&rsquo;ll likely parlay that into a nomination for CHL player of the year.2. Eric Lindros, C, Oshawa (OHL): Greatness awaits the 6-foot-4 boy-man, who came to the Generals in mid-season and helped lead them to the Memorial Cup last season. As a 16-year-old he had 36 points in 17 playoff games and added nine assists during the Memorial Cup. The consensus No. 1 selection in the 1991 draft will dominate the OHL this year.3. Steve Larouche, C, Chicoutimi (QMJHL): Larouche, who couldn&rsquo;t get along with Trois-Rivieres Draveurs&rsquo; coach Dany Dube, got 145 points last season and was traded in the off-season to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Look for Larouche to lead the league in scoring.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0120-0192/10237449-1-eng-US/f0120-012.jpg" title="f0120-01" width="736" height="1100"><figcaption class="caption-body">Trevor Kidd is one bright spot for the lowly Brandon Wheat Kings.</figcaption></div>4. Trevor Kidd, G, Brandon (WHL): Recognized as the best young goalie in junior hockey, Kidd will likely win the starting job with Canada&rsquo;s national junior team this year. Kidd has the ability to turn a decent team&mdash;something the Wheat Kings aren&rsquo;t&mdash;into a Memorial Cup contender.5. Mike Torchia, G, Kitchener (OHL): The portly goaltender singlehandedly led the Rangers to the Memorial Cup final and almost won it for them&mdash;he stopped 50 shots in the final&mdash;only to be passed over in the NHL draft.6. Mike Craig, RW, Oshawa (OHL): Craig is likely on his way to San Jose after this season so the North Stars probably won&rsquo;t bother developing him for another team. One of the most highly-skilled players in the league, Craig had 36-40-76 totals in 43 games.7. Brian Sakic, LW, Tri-City (WHL): The power-play specialist had 152 points for the Americans last season, including a league-high 55 assists with the manadvantage. The younger brother of Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; star Joe, Sakic is one of the best playmakers in the West Division.8. John Slaney, D, Cornwall (OHL): A first-round choice of the Washington Capitals, Slaney is the best passer in the OHL. Without right winger Owen Nolan&mdash;who will probably stick with Quebec&mdash;Slaney will have to bear even more of the offensive burden. He had 99 points last season.9. Pat Falloon, C, Spokane (WHL): A certain first-round choice in 1991, Falloon is expected to improve on the 60-goal mark he established last season.10. Denis Chalifoux, C, Laval (QMJHL): After a slow start last season, Chalifoux led the Titan to its berth in the Memorial Cup and should top 50 goals this season.Fab Freshmen: Listed below are 10 rookies who should make their presence known this season.1. Mike Mathers, RW, Kamloops (WHL): The 17-year-old had 86 points in 33 games for the St. Albert (Alta.) midgets and was named the best forward at the Air Canada midget championships last season.2. Rene Corbet, RW, Drummondville (QMJHL): The slick Corbet, the QMJHL&rsquo;s first overall choice, led the Quebec AAA midget league last season with 53 goals and 63 assists in 42 games.3. Mike Peca, C, Sudbury (OHL): Peca, who stands at 5-foot-11 and weighs 160 pounds, is regarded as the next Mike Ricci by Peterborough scout Norm Bryan, the man who discovered the Petes&rsquo; star. Peca had 145 points for the Toronto Red Wing bantams last season and played for the Red Wing midgets in the Air Canada Cup.4. Pat Peake, C, Detroit (OHL): The first overall pick of the draft, Peake has exceptional playmaking skills and provides an excellent foundation for the Ambassadors.5. Phillipe Boucher, D, Granby (QMJHL): The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder was drafted by the Hull Olympiques in 1989 but it was ruled Boucher was ineligible for that draft. Some say Boucher has more potential than Karl Dykhuis, the Olympiques&rsquo; defenseman who was an NHL first-round choice in 1990.6. Lance Burns, C, Lethbridge (WHL): With 36 points in 35 games with the Leduc (Alta.) midgets, Bums has good offensive skills for a big man (6-foot-3, 200 pounds). Burns has drawn comparisons to Cam Neely.7. Stacey Roest, C, Medicine Hat (WHL): Listed as a 12-year-old three years ago, Roest posted 39-36-75 totals in 35 games with the Lethbridge midgets last season. But at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, there&rsquo;s concern about his ability to excell in heavy traffic.8. Stephane St-Amour, RW, St-Jean (QMJHL): St-Amour led the Air Canada Cup-champion Ste-Foy Gouveneurs with 87 points in 42 games.9. Todd Warriner, C, Windsor (OHL): Regarded as the best 16-year-old player in Ontario, Warriner should help the sagging Spitfires immediately.10. Donovan Hextali, LW, Prince Albert (WHL): A desire not to play with the Raiders limited the 18-year-old to seven WHL games last season&mdash;in which he had a goal and two assists. He should play in the WHL this season, if not with the Raiders, with another WHL team. &#9632;

f0119-01

LIFE OF THE PARITY

<div class="byline">BY JASON KAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0121-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0121-0186/10237494-1-eng-US/f0121-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">David Emma of Boston College, a Hobey Baker finalist last season, should repeat as a candidate this year. He led Hockey East in scoring in &rsquo;89-90.</figcaption></div>In the volatile world of college hockey, the secret behind predicting a winner is focusing not so much on the incoming talent, but rather examining what each team has lost.Nobody is more aware of that than Jeff Sauer.Having guided the Wisconsin Badgers to two national titles in the last decade, including one this past April, Sauer knows what it takes to build a winner. He&rsquo;s not so sure he&rsquo;ll have one this season.&ldquo;Losing seven seniors it&rsquo;s going to be real easy to repeat,&rdquo; says Sauer, with more than a hint of sarcasm. &ldquo;We have eight freshmen coming in, and they may have more talent than the players we lost, but it&rsquo;s hard to replace the experience.&rdquo;Last year&rsquo;s other finalist, the Colgate Red Raiders, are in a similar position, losing eight seniors to graduation and standout junior goalie Dave Gagnon to the NHL.So. with the national championship finalists seemingly out of the picture, the battle for collegiate supremacy&mdash;the NCAA final game will be played March 30 in St. Paul, Minn.&mdash;figures to be an open race.Shooting for St. Paul: Below are the 10 teams with the best chance of winning it all next season.1. Boston University (HE): Semifinalists in last season&rsquo;s NCAA tournament, the Terriers have all the necessary ingredients to make the next step.Returning are the team&rsquo;s two leading scorers&mdash;sophomore right winger Tony Amonte and junior center Shawn McEachern. In sophomore Scott Cashman, the Terriers have one of the premier netminders in college hockey.2. Cornell (ECAC): &ldquo;Mature&rdquo; is how coach Brian McCutcheon likes to describe his 1990-91 Big Red squad.&ldquo;This whole team is starting to mature now and they&rsquo;re learing how to win,&rdquo; says McCutcheon. &ldquo;And we only lost two seniors (forwards Ross Lemon and Casey Jones).&rdquo;McCutcheon sees defense as the team&rsquo;s greatest strength&mdash;its top six blueliners have been drafted by NHL teams&mdash;with junior standout Dan Ratushny leading the way.3. Maine (HE): Scoring goals shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem for the powerful Black Bears this season, but keeping them out may be.Maine has its top eight scorers from 1989-90 returning, including 39 goal-scorer Jean-Yves Roy. Leading a defense which lost three seniors is junior Keith Carney. The Bears are also looking for big things from the goaltending tandem of senior Matt DelGuidice and freshman Mike Dunham.4. Northern Michigan (WCHA): The Wildcats are pinning their 1990-91 hopes on a couple of players returning to form. First and foremost is netminder Bill Pye, who played well below expectations last season (4.39 goals-against average, .860 save percentage). Red-shirted senior defenseman Brad Werenka, who missed all but the first five games of &rsquo;89-90 because of a stomachmuscle pull, is a potential all-America candidate.5. Michigan State (CCHA): Coach Ron Mason&rsquo;s Spartans lost Hobey Baker winner Kip Miller and team captain Don Gibson, but the team still has a ton of talent.The CCHA&rsquo;s top netminder, Jason Muzzatti, returns for his senior year. Defenseman Michael Stewart and winger Bryan Smolinski, both sophomores, were 1990 first-round NHL draft choices; and forwards Pat Murray, Peter White and Shawn Heaphy provide the necessary experience.6. Boston College (HE): The Eagles know they can&rsquo;t replace defenseman Greg Brown, who has decided to forgo his senior year. How they respond to his absence will be their biggest test in the upcoming season. Offensively, BC is set with its potent HEM line (right winger Steve Heinze, center David Emma and left winger Marty McInnis) intact. Defensively, the Eagles are young and still maturing, but by no means incapable. But their best defensive weapon may be sophomore goalie Scott LaGrand.7. Minnesota (WCHA): Although they&rsquo;ve lost their two leading scorers (Peter Hankinson and Scott Bloom), the Golden Gophers have a set of forwards capable of making up the difference. Leading the way will be senior Ken Gemander and junior Tom Pederson.8. Clarkson (ECAC): The Golden Knights enter the 1990-91 season in good shape, returning five of their top six scorers including senior forwards Mike Casselman and Dave Trombley, and sophomores Hugo Belanger and Scott Thomas. If the Golden Knights have an achilles heel, it&rsquo;s in goal. Sophomores Phil Comtois and Chris Rogles, and freshman netminder Dan Currie have a combined 11 games collegiate experience.9. Michigan (CCHA): Having lost nine seniors, coach Red Berenson knows his Wolverines are in tough. Still it&rsquo;s felt Michigan has enough depth to challenge in the CCHA.Back for another year are forwards David Roberts (CCHA rookie of the year) and Denny Felsner.10. North Dakota (WCHA): Junior defenseman Jason Herter is on the verge of showing why he was a first-round NHL draft pick (eighth overall by Vancouver in 1989), and hopes to make Fighting Sioux fans forget about graduate Russ Parent. Meanwhile, forwards Dixon Ward and Greg Johnson are both serious threats to win the WCHA scoring title.Ten Most Wanted: The following are 10 players any coach would love to have.1. David Emma, C, Boston College (HE): By no means the best NHL prospect in the nation, Emma is a dynamic collegiate player. The senior, who led Hockey East in scoring last season (38-34-72 in 41 games overall), is a gifted playmaker and scorer, and possesses excellent speed.2. Jim Dowd, C, Lake Superior (CCHA): Ex-Laker coach Frank Anzalone was livid when Dowd wasn&rsquo;t named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last March. But that shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem this time around. It&rsquo;s highly unlikely Dowd will be overlooked again. In 46 games as a junior, Dowd had 25-67-92 totals.3. Joey Juneau, C, RP1 (ECAC): As gifted a playmaker as exists in college hockey, Juneau was second in the nation last season in points-per-game-average (2.06 to Kip Miller&rsquo;s 2.24).4. Tony Amonte, RW. Boston University (HE): As a freshman for the Terriers last season (25-33-58, 41 games), Amonte opened a lot of scouts&rsquo; eyes with his raw ability. This year he should be that much better.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0122-0190/10237487-1-eng-US/f0122-012.jpg" title="f0122-01" width="723" height="992"><figcaption class="caption-body">Harvard will be looking for big things from freshman Brian Farrell.</figcaption></div>5. Chad Erickson, G, Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA): Because his Bulldog team likely won&rsquo;t be among the nation&rsquo;s elite, the talented Erickson probably won&rsquo;t rate much consideration for the Hobey. But many college coaches feel the junior from Warroad, Minn., is the premier netminder in Division I.6. Dan Ratushny, D, Cornell (ECAC): Said to be the strongest player in the ECAC, if not all of college hockey, the 6-foot-l, 195-pound junior is a physical force on the ice. His work in the corners and in front of the net doesn&rsquo;t go unnoticed by opposition coaches.7. Rob Cowie, D, Northeastern (HE): A member of the Hockey East first all-star team last season, Cowie is a gifted and underrated offensive-defenseman. Like Erickson, Cowie may be overlooked come Hobey time because the Huskies don&rsquo;t figure to be among the top teams.8. Steve Heinze, RW, Boston College (HE): David Emma&rsquo;s right winger, Heinze should continue to rack up the points this season. He finished second to Emma in the Hockey East scoring derby last season, finishing with 27-36-63 totals in 40 games overall.9. Bill Pye, G, Northern Michigan (CCHA): Pye didn&rsquo;t exactly have the kind of season people were predicting last year as he posted a respectable 20-14-1 record, but had a 4.39 GAA and an .860 save percentage. He did, however, gain invaluable experience for the U.S. team at the World Championships in April and should have a strong senior year.10. Shawn McEachern, C, Boston University (HE): The junior center with blinding speed clicked well with Amonte on BU&rsquo;s Commonwealth line last season, amassing 25-31-56 totals in 43 games.Class of &rsquo;94: Below are 10 freshman who should have an immediate impact.1. Mike Dunhatn, G, Maine (HE): Because he figures to split the chores with senior DelGuidice, Dunham has the potential to make the greatest impact of the incoming class. And according to the scouts, he has all the tools to be one of the best collegiate netminders.2. Nicolas Perreault, D, Michigan State, (CCHA): A highly-skilled defenseman who plays with a lot of emotion, Perreault was a second-round pick in the 1990 NHL entry draft (26th overall by Calgary).3. Scott LaChance, D, Boston University, (HE): Still a year away from the NHL draft, LaChance is being projected by many as a top-five pick in 1991.4. Jason Zent, LW, Wisconsin (WCHA): The 5-foot-ll, 190-pounder plays a very tough and aggressive game. He&rsquo;s also gained acclaim for having a tremendous wrist shot.5. Chris Gotziamann, RW, North Dakota, (WCHA): A second-round pick by the New Jersey Devils in 1990, Gotziamann is a strong, hard-working right winger.6. Brian Farrell, C, Harvard (ECAC): A 6-foot center out of Avon, Conn., Farrell is said to be as far along as any of the incoming freshman. His greatest asset is his skating ability.7. Keith Tkachuk, LW, Boston University (HE): Tkachuk would likely rate higher were it not for an assortment of injuries he&rsquo;s suffered over the past couple of seasons. If he stays healthy, the 6-foot-2, 212-pound left winger should have an immediate impact.8. Mike Muller, D, Minnesota (WCHA): Winnipeg&rsquo;s second pick in 1990 (35th overall), Muller has all the attributes tobe a great player. He&rsquo;s big (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) and strong, possesses quick feet and has quick hands.9. Patrice Tardif, C, Maine (HE): If last season is any indication, Tardif could be the sleeper among the first-year players. The Lennoxville, Que., native broke all of Jean-Yves Roy&rsquo;s records in the Quebec junior college league in &rsquo;89-90.10. Cam Stewart, C, Michigan (CCHA): A hard-working, physical player, Stewart appears ready to make a smooth transition to the college ranks. &#9632;

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Yearbook 1991

CLEARING THE HURDLE

NHL SHEDULE

ON THE REBOUND

END OF THE INNOCENCE