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Yearbook 2004-05
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Unrestricted, but not unwanted
Labor uncertainty this off-season created a larger than usual talent pool of unsigned players. Listed below are the most significant unrestricted free agents who were looking for work as of late July. Included is each player’s 2003-04 team, hometown, birthdate, height and weight.
It’s the Rangers! They’re rebuilding!
Welcome to the Extreme Makeover Edition of The Team Formerly Known as the New York Rangers. The glamour is gone. So is the glitz. And so is all that jazz. After seven straight years of failing to make the playoffs with an aggregate investment of more than $500 million in payroll, the Rangers are starting over. The dismantling process that began with the unprecedented trade deadline purge of veterans will continue this season with the presentation of a lineup filled with youngsters. There will be no more quick fixes, no more shortcuts. “We’re going to be an enthusiastic, youthful organization,” says Glen Sather, who has managed to keep his two-headed job as GM-president despite going 0-for-4 in attempts to qualify for the post-season. “We’re building a nucleus of hard-working, true Rangers.” The new,…
Search for identity Blues’ big mission
As their payroll climbed and pressure to perform mounted, as their franchise’s winningest coach was fired and yet another early post-season exit came to pass, the Blues became something they never expected: stale. In many ways the 2003-04 season was a washout for the Blues. Captain Al Maclnnis missed all but three games because of injury. The team went through its worst losing stretch in decades, costing longtime coach Joel Quenneville his job. The Blues inched into the post-season - their 25th consecutive playoff berth - and celebrated with a hasty, first-round retreat. The regressing franchise was clearly frayed. “We have to re-establish our identity,” said coach Mike Kitchen. “We had always been known as a hard-working team that was always hard to play against. That’s something we lost and that’s something…
Penguins younger; are they better?
The race is on as Penguins fans wait eagerly to see which new ground is broken first, that of a new arena or a winning team. A new arena depends on Mario Lemieux’s bid for a downtown slots parlor. Contending depends mostly on Lemieux’s repaired hips and the maturation of a stable of promising youngsters. Late last season, some wondered if the Penguins would ever win again. They hit rock bottom with a franchise-record 18-game losing streak that included an NHLrecord 14 consecutive home defeats. But like two decades earlier, before Lemieux arrived, darkness begat light. The Penguins rebounded swiftly and dramatically to finish on a 12-5-3-0 run. It was the second-best 20-game ending in franchise history. “We’ve laid the foundation,” said sophomore coach Eddie Olczyk.“Now, we’ve got to take the next step.” GM Craig…