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.

April 10, 2007

The Hockey News - Apr-10-07

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012093/8840258-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="766" height="600"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NEW DEAL</b> CBC viewers get to see Don Cherry at his controversial best for another six years.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05471/8840265-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="133" height="139"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>HOCKEY NIGHT EXTENSION</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he tradition of <i>Hockey Night In Canada</i> on CBC got a six-year extension when the Canadian network agreed to a contract renewal with the NHL. The deal is reported to be worth $550 million (U.S.) over six years. The $92-million annual average is a 50 per-cent increase over the previous deal. Prior to the announcement, there was speculation CTV/globemedia, which includes TSN, would try to outbid its rival for the right to the longest-running show on CBC. But CBC announced the deal just before its exclusive negotiating window expired. The new deal runs from 2008-09 through 2013-14. In the new pact, CBC also gets all Internet streaming, video on demand and mobile rights.</p><h2><b>FROST GETS APRIL COURT DATE</b></h2><p>An April court date in Kingston, Ont., was scheduled for former NHL agent David Frost. He&rsquo;s accused of using former NHL player Mike Danton&rsquo;s credit card to purchase gasoline.</p><h2><b>GRANATO JOINS FASTHOCKEY</b></h2><p>The all-time leading scorer of the U.S. national women&rsquo;s team was named director of development of women&rsquo;s hockey for FastHockey, a website for amateur hockey and player recruiting. Cammi Granato will assist in the development of products and services for the women&rsquo;s game. FastHockey&rsquo;s website gives players of all ages and skill levels from the U.S., Canada and Europe the ability to display their resumes for coaches and scouts.</p><h2><b>GROWING THE GAME</b></h2><p>The Sharks/HP High School League is growing in Northern California and the numbers don&rsquo;t lie. In a game between the Bellarmine Bells and Valley Christian Warriors, a league-record crowd of 750 packed the Logitech Ice at San Jose to watch the Warriors defeat the Bells 8-5. This was the first-ever game between two teams consisting of students from their own schools.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

IN THIS ISSUE

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011148/8840763-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Joe Thornton</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03557/8840770-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="122" height="137"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>SMOKIN&rsquo; JOE</b></h2><p>Defending scoring champ <b>Joe Thornton</b> of the Sharks revs up a late challenge to repeat with five goals and 18 points in eight games.</p><h2><b>WINNING WITH CLASS</b></h2><p>The University of New Brunswick defeats the University of Moncton 3-2 in an OT thriller to capture the Canadian university hockey championship.</p><h2><b>MIIKKA&rsquo;S BACK</b></h2><p>Calgary goaltender <b>Miikka Kiprusoff</b> saves some of his best play for the home stretch as the Flames cling to the final playoff spot in the West.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02797/8840756-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="1280" height="968"><figcaption class="caption-body">Naslund & Morrison</figcaption></div><h2><b>WHAT HAPPENED?</b></h2><p>Thumbs up to the Vancouver Canucks, but what the heck happened to fallen first-liners <b>Markus Naslund</b> and <b>Brendan Morrison</b>?</p><h2><b>JUST WHAT NHL NEEDS?</b></h2><p>Somebody named <b>David Koci</b> of the Chicago Blackhawks was 81st in the NHL in penalty minutes with 79 after playing just seven games.</p><h2><b>PLEASE USE YOUR HEAD</b></h2><p>We wish <b>Todd Fe</b><b>doruk</b> the very best, but what the heck was he thinking by fighting after sustaining a serious facial injury earlier this year?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

DEPARTMENTS

Plus/Minus

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK MINDENHALL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011823/8840524-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FRIENDS AND FOES</b> Paul Stastny and Matt Carle are opposites, but were instant buddies in junior. <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY COLORADO AVALANCHE)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span></b>ome players, like San Jose rookie defenseman Matt Carle, grew up casting tall shadows. Others, like Colorado rookie center Paul Stastny, grew accustomed to living in them.</p><p>You can infer how these two made good teammates.</p><p>Stastny has been surprisingly overlooked for much of his hockey life, despite being the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny. Back in the day, when the Stastnys had Pavol Demitra over for supper or when he was getting taught &ldquo;a trick or two&rdquo; by Slava Fetisov, Paul would get to observing behaviors.</p><p>&ldquo;It was so awesome how they all knew and respected my dad,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something you remember, for sure.&rdquo;</p><p>Carle comes from a similar upbringing, only his father, Bob, never played hockey. Rather he is a self-made man, having at one time owned all of the KFCs in the greater Anchorage, Alaska area.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Matt and I get along because we came from very similar value systems,&rdquo; says Stastny. &ldquo;Religion, education and the importance of family.&rdquo;</p><p>Stastny and Carle have been friends since 2002, when they played with the River City Lancers of the United States League.</p><p>Yet, if you spent even a few minutes with the pair, you&rsquo;d assume they were anything but compatible. Carle is the picture of focus and lists working out as one of his favorite hobbies. The way he goes about his job verges on humorless and his dressing room personality is one of quiet intensity.</p><p>Stastny, on the other hand, with his conspicuously missing tooth and hanks of hair spilling off his ears, is a character right out of hockey lore. Some of his current Avalanche teammates beg him to put some oil in his hair before going out. Stastny just laughs it off, the way he laughs off the pressures of the NHL.</p><p>While with the Lancers, Carle garnered most of the attention because, even at 17, he had that big-league economy of stride. After leading the Lancers to the Clark Cup final, Carle had his pick of schools to attend.</p><p>He chose the University of Denver and in the course of winning a championship there his freshman year (as well as winning gold at the 2004 World Junior Championship) he began actively recruiting his friend back in Omaha to come join him the following season.</p><p>Denver went on to win a second consecutive title in 2004-05, with Stastny potting two goals in the championship game against North Dakota. Yet the asterisk on his scouting report was that he was too slow to make an immediate impact on the NHL.</p><p>Last season, after giving each other the gears all year long, Stastny and Carle fittingly ended tied with 53 points. Though Stastny was a second round pick in 2005 (44th overall) by Colorado, it was once again Carle (47th overall in 2004) who stole headlines by winning the program&rsquo;s first ever Hobey Baker Award and a day after Denver failed to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament, Carle made a seamless leap to the NHL. Predictably, his first shot on goal resulted in a score against the Minnesota Wild.</p><p>Meanwhile, Stastny silently joined the off-season exodus of collegiate players leaving school early. Most people considered him a long shot to make the Avs roster, but Carle wasn&rsquo;t one of them.</p><p>&ldquo;You knew if he got the opportunity he was going to excel,&rdquo; Carle said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just the type of player he is. He&rsquo;s a very smart positional player, just a really smart kid.&rdquo;</p><p>Nearing the end of their rookie seasons, both players had made their mark. Carle leads all first-year defensemen with 40 points, while Stastny set a rookie mark for consecutive games with a point (20), passing his dad along the way. If not for the exploits of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Evgeni Malkin and Anze Kopitar of the Kings, he would be a top Calder Trophy candidate. Chances are he&rsquo;s still not bothered by playing in the shadows.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-01

Six pedigrees of separation

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011281/8841091-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div><p><b>SEE PG. 33 FOR INJURIES | TOP TWO PLAYERS ON PP UNIT PLAY THE POINTS</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

NHL Depth Charts

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>HEAP SHOTS, HEAD INJURIES</b> and ugly fighting scenes aside, the NHL&rsquo;s stretch drive has been terrific, especially the amazing race for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>But with a handful of games remaining in the season, the devil couldn&rsquo;t leave well enough alone and started advocating. The pressure point was a contest between the Rangers and Islanders. At the end of regulation the score was tied, the worst possible scenario for Carolina, Tampa, Montreal and Toronto because it meant two of their competitors would be splitting three points.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021691/8840044-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="496" height="496"></div><p>To the logical mind, the math doesn&rsquo;t work. Why are some games worth three points and others only two? We realize the GMs resolutely rejected the notion of tinkering with how points are allocated, but that shouldn&rsquo;t stand in our way of examining and debating the <i>right</i> thing.</p><p>With that in mind, we worked the data and found the following: using a system whereby all games are worth two points (two for the winner, none for the loser) and applying it to the standings through March 26, there were two notable developments: Tampa Bay leapfrogged Atlanta for the Southeast Division crown and Montreal nudged Carolina from the No. 8 seed.</p><p>Then we took it one step further &ndash; three points for a regulation-time win, two for an OT or shootout win, one for an OT or SO loss and zero for a regulation loss. If you believe a regulation win is a greater achievement than an extra-time win, this system honors that notion, while still recognizing what happens in 65-plus minutes.</p><p>And the standings do indeed spin. Unfortunately, so did our brain doing the math. For those keeping score at home, the notable differences are: Ottawa vaulting to the No. 1 seed in the East, Carolina grabbing the Southeast title and both Montreal and Toronto securing playoff berths. The race would remain exciting and tight&hellip;for those able to wrap their heads around the seven columns of standings info.</p><p>For the rest of us, we&rsquo;d resent having to grapple with another set of numbers at tax time. And that&rsquo;s the rub. Adding another layer of complexity to the standings, though it&rsquo;s probably the right thing on paper, would be about as well-received as pink eye. Fans, already bombarded with change, are just getting used to the current format.</p><p>As much as the devil hates to admit it, perhaps the GMs did get it right&hellip;for now.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031382/8840037-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="416" height="224"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-02

Taking a stance on standings

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-041109/8840075-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ess than a week after Colin Campbell surprised us with his &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s time to ask the question&rdquo; statement about fighting&rsquo;s place in the game, Gary Bettman appeared to throw water on the flames. &ldquo;My view on fighting hasn&rsquo;t changed,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve never taken active steps or considered eliminating fighting from the game.&rdquo; What gives? Why the apparent disconnect between the general and one of his lieutenants? We&rsquo;re not 100 per-cent sure, but here are some thoughts: 1. Campbell was floating a trial balloon to gauge reaction. Bettman sensed a backlash and retreated; 2. Bettman and Campbell aren&rsquo;t on the same page on the issue and the commissioner was putting his employee in his place; or, 3. In reality, Bettman didn&rsquo;t stray too far from Campbell&rsquo;s sentiments, playing a shell game with his words. The &ldquo;we&rsquo;ve never taken active steps or considered eliminating fighting&rdquo; phrase refers to past practice. Bettman deftly covered his butt by saying, &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s premature for anybody to reach any conclusions. I think the first (thing) is for us to decide whether or not it&rsquo;s an issue.&rdquo; Coincidentally, that sounds an awful lot like Campbell&rsquo;s &ldquo;it&rsquo;s time to ask the question&rdquo; remark.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-04

FIGHTING WORDS: WHASSUP?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012234/8840137-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="859" height="874"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cammi Granato <span class="photo-credit">(GRANATO: DOUG BENC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>A star at any age</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n the March 13 issue of The Hockey News, I noted Danielle Goyette made the Canadian women&rsquo;s team at the age of 41. Recalling the furor when Cammi Granato was cut from the U.S. women&rsquo;s team last year, I found it hard to believe that Goyette at 41 could contribute what Granato (in her 30s) could not. Perhaps this is just another example of the unfortunate intrusion of politics into American hockey. The Canadians have it correct &ndash; anyone who contributes can be part of the team. We Americans can&rsquo;t just recognize greatness &ndash; we have to be jealous or critical of it. Do we have to wait for Mrs. Ray Ferraro to move to Canada and have daughters who play for the Canadian women&rsquo;s team to give this great hockey player the respect she has earned?</p><p>TODD SIBEN, ROBBINSVILLE, N.J.</p><h2><b>Fight the Power</b></h2><p>It makes me sick to hear Colin Campbell say it&rsquo;s time to take a look at fighting in the NHL.</p><p>If you&rsquo;re going to take fighting out of the NHL, then they might as well take hitting out while their at it. Over the years, I&rsquo;ve seen a lot more guys knocked out by hits along the boards and in the open ice than fights.</p><p>Hockey is a physical game and when you have two big guys hitting each other with their fists or their bodies the outcome is not always going to be good. Fighting is one thing that makes hockey a great game. Not because someone could get hurt, but because it makes everyone on the ice responsible.</p><p>LARRY GRACE, JR., APPLE VALLEY, MINN.</p><h2><b>Keep on fighting</b></h2><p>You have to give the NHL credit. Fighting is OK until some gets hurt. Let the soapbox speeches begin.</p><p>I have been watching hockey for many years and I watch it for the whole package, including fights.</p><p>Colin Campbell now says we have to look at fighting. He uses fights and hits to the head as all one thing. Take fighting out and watch the stick work and illegal hits that will become common. Punish illegal hits. Strengthen the instigator penalties, but let the players police themselves.</p><p>JOE VILANOVA, ASBURY PARK, N.J.</p><h2><b>Grow up, NHL</b></h2><p>I have a handful of friends I invited to a hockey game. They enjoyed it and come back one or two times per season. The games that were &ldquo;great&rdquo; were the ones with fights.</p><p>After five years, these people can&rsquo;t tell you any more about the game other than when the puck goes in, it&rsquo;s a goal and you get to yell, and that there are some great fights. They don&rsquo;t buy merchandise (they buy beer, though) and can&rsquo;t name any of the players.</p><p>If this is the demographic some hockey brass are interested in, it&rsquo;s clear they are more interested in short-term gain than promoting hockey as a major sport. I know other folks with disposable income who specifically name fighting as a reason <i>not</i> to watch hockey. The other major leagues get by just fine without it; surely hockey can stand on its own merits.</p><p>CAROLYN GREENE, ZIONSVILLE, PA.</p><h2><b>Referee blues</b></h2><p>The officials waved off two goals from the St. Louis-Ottawa game March 20.</p><p>I&rsquo;ve seen the officials and league screw up maybe one goal, but two? Come on. Can we please just go back to the one-referee system and punish the officials who make bad calls by sending them down to the minors like the players?</p><p>DEVIN MURASKI, ST. LOUIS</p><h2><b>Game of the weak</b></h2><p>With all the hand-wringing in regards to the miniscule TV ratings on the Versus NHL games of the week, one only has to look at the game scheduled March 20.</p><p>While the season is winding down with all sorts of games with playoff im-plications, (Tampa Bay and the Isles for one), we were treated to the Wild vs. Coy-otes tilt. If you want viewers, show games that have some relevancy.</p><p>LARRY MENTEL, BUFFALO</p><h2><b>Preds revenge</b></h2><p>So Stars president Jim Lites is appalled at the Preds not announcing Modano surpassing Joe Mullen for most goals by a U.S.-born player.</p><p>Does anyone recall a few years back Modano saying teams like Nashville and Carolina should be contracted? Preds fans sure do.</p><p>Excuse us if we don&rsquo;t roll out the red carpet for a guy that doesn&rsquo;t even want our team in the league.</p><p>ROB PRUETT, NASHVILLE</p><p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><h2><b>POLL RESULTS</b></h2><p><b>HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF THE NHL MADE FIGHTING PUNISHABLE BY A GAME-MISCONDUCT?</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021473/8840130-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="392" height="447"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FIGHT: LISA BLUMENFELD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Disappointed, but the NHL wouldn&rsquo;t lose me</b>&nbsp;<b>as a fan 60%</b></p><p><b>Angry&hellip;and I&rsquo;d never watch again 20%</b></p><p><b>Happy. It&rsquo;s about time fighting was banned 13%</b></p><p><b>I wouldn&rsquo;t care 8%</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

Got something to say?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>Y</span>OU NEED NOT</b> tell the Detroit Red Wings what history has told us time and time again &ndash; that teams who enter the playoffs with the most regular season momentum behind them almost never win the Stanley Cup.</p><p>In fact, momentum down the stretch, for the most part, doesn&rsquo;t amount to more than a hill of ice shavings and the Red Wings know that all too well.</p><p>Last season, Detroit was the hottest team in the league down the stretch with 35 points in its final 20 games. That, however, meant diddly-squat when the Red Wings faced Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs. The Oilers were barely over .500 in the final 20 games (actually under it if you count overtime and shootout losses as legitimate losses), yet upset the Red Wings in six games.</p><p>The Wings really should have known better. In 2003-04, they were also the best team in the final 20 games with a 13-5-2 mark, but didn&rsquo;t get past the second round. The year prior to that, they were the best team again in the final 20 games, but their 15-3-1-1 record down the stretch earned them a four-game sweep at the hands of Anaheim. The year before that, Vancouver was tied with New Jersey for the best record in the final 20 games, but were defeated by the Red Wings in the first round en route to the Wings winning the Stanley Cup.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">When the playoffs begin, nothing from the regular season means anything.<br>Ken Holland</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021589/8840175-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="315" height="348"></div><p>&ldquo;My personal feeling is that when the eight playoff series start, I don&rsquo;t think anybody goes into that series feeling good about themselves because they played well in the last 10 or 20 regular season games,&rdquo; said Red Wings GM Ken Holland, who believes the playoffs are more about matchups and injuries than how well a team played down the stretch.</p><p>&ldquo;Everything starts from scratch and we&rsquo;re living proof of that. When the playoffs begin, nothing from the regular season means anything and that&rsquo;s why last year in the West, the No. 5, 6, 7 and 8 seeds eliminated the No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 seeds.&rdquo;</p><p>In fact, history suggests it&rsquo;s probably not a good thing to be too hot going into the playoffs. Since the league went to its four-round playoff format with everyone playing in the first round in 1979-80, just four teams have gone from being the best team in the final 20 games to Stanley Cup champions &ndash; the 1981 and &rsquo;82 Islanders, 1984 Oilers and 2004 Lightning, which was tied with Detroit with 28 points down the stretch.</p><p>In three of the past four playoffs, the top team in the final 20 games has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs and last year&rsquo;s winner, Carolina, was a rather unimpressive 9-8-0-3 in its final 20.</p><p>Since 1979-80, teams that had the best record down the stretch have gone on to play an average of just 1.6 playoff series that spring.</p><p>At the other end of the spectrum, no team that has been the worst in the final 20 games of the season has won the Cup either, but the league could take some lessons from the most successful playoff team in NHL history.</p><p>Four times the Canadiens have had sub-.500 records going into the playoffs and won the Stanley Cup, including 1986 (8-11-1) and 1993 (9-11-0).</p><p>In 2000, the victorious Devils were 9-10-1 down the stretch, while Edmonton was 7-8-5 in 1985.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012124/8840168-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="1520" height="2273"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pavel Datsyuk <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>.976 Save percentage for Minnesota&rsquo;s Josh Harding through five games</b></p><p><b>90 Per cent, Carolina&rsquo;s penalty-kill rate between Feb. 17 and March 27</b></p><p><b>40 points more for Pittsburgh this year versus 2005-06, with five games left</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

Red hot means squat

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04618/8840220-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="725" height="1502"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jack Johnson<span class="photo-credit">(CARTER: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES; JOHNSON: JOSH HOLMBERG)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03811/8840227-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="109" height="114"></div><p><b>AS IT TURNS OUT,</b> Jack Johnson will play for Kings and country this spring, while Erik Johnson will take more time to decide his future.</p><p>Jack, a sophomore defenseman at the University of Michigan, signed with the Los Angeles Kings and is expected to appear in the final five games of the regular season. Erik, a freshman at the University of Minnesota (and no relation to Jack) who was the No. 1 overall pick in the entry draft last June, has all but decided the earliest he will sign with the St. Louis Blues is this summer.</p><p>Jack, instead of heading to the AHL for the playoffs, is expected to be in the lineup for Team USA at the World Championship in Moscow this spring. One source close to the situation said the Americans are expecting to get Jack and still have designs on Erik, despite his decision to return to Minnesota to finish his academic year.</p><p>The Kings&rsquo; AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, are leading their division and are poised for a playoff run, but it&rsquo;s thought Jack Johnson would get invaluable experience playing in the World Championship against NHL-caliber opponents.</p><p>Jack signed the standard three-year rookie deal worth $850,000 in base salary and up to $2 million in performance bonuses. The Kings will not forfeit a year of holding Jack&rsquo;s rights because he will not play the 40 games required to count as a season toward unrestricted free agency. This season will count, however, towards a year on his entry-level contract, meaning he will be a restricted free agent after 2008-09.</p><p>Neither Johnson will be an unrestricted free agent until they&rsquo;re 27, assuming UFA rules remain the same in the next collective bargaining agreement.</p><p>Both are expected to be impact players for their teams. Jack is considered more of a high-risk, high-return player than Erik, who lets the play come to him before reacting to it. Both are expected to have excellent mentors. Rob Blake figures to take Jack under his wing in L.A. and Jay McKee will be there for Erik in St. Louis.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>SNAPSHOTS FROM AROUND THE NHL</h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021329/8840213-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="133" height="146"></div><p>Turmoil and controversies are becoming the norm on Long Island. This season, the Isles have been heckled for their <b>Garth Snow</b> and <b>Rick DiPietro</b> signings, and the <b>Chris Simon/Ryan Hol-</b><b>lweg</b> clubbing. Now comes a cloud of confusion with DiPietro&rsquo;s head injury. A concussion or headaches? Their team doctor, Elliot Pellman, was in the news recently for resigning as head of the NFL&rsquo;s research committee on concussions amid questions from some in the neurological community.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011927/8840206-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="585" height="458"></div><p>Wonder if <b>Anson Carter</b> wishes he had just accepted less money and stayed in Vancouver?</p><p>Hot rumor: <b>Jim Hughson</b> will slide into the No. 1 play-by-play seat for <i>Hockey Night In Canada</i> next season, replacing legend <b>Bob Cole</b>. Hughson and new CBC sports boss <b>Scott Moore</b> have a great relationship that dates way back.</p><p>Another reason to hate the NHL&rsquo;s current schedule: With all kinds of playoff races and implications depending on the outcome of games, there was one game scheduled March 26 and 12 the following night. The March 26 game had only Western Conference implications. Fans in the East were shutout that night, then bom-barded with games the next day.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-04

One Johnson in, other one waits

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021508/8840303-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ISLAND OF MYSTERY</b> The Isles were typically vague when speaking about Rick DiPietro&rsquo;s injury trouble.</figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE NEW YORK ISLANDERS&rsquo;</b> lack of information concerning goalie Rick DiPietro&rsquo;s head injury does not violate the league&rsquo;s new rules regarding injury disclosure, said deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Critics argue that&rsquo;s because the new rules are so lacking bite and so full of loopholes it would be impossible to violate them.</p><p>In late March, the tight-lipped Islanders kept goalie DiPietro out of the lineup with &ldquo;headaches,&rdquo; two weeks after he missed three games as the result of a collision with Montreal&rsquo;s Steve Begin.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03942/8840296-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="246" height="338"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Begin</figcaption></div><p>Despite the fact the league has a new policy regarding injury disclosure, teams continue to provide sketchy information. At the last GM meetings in February, the league agreed to be more forthcoming with injury information, but there was a huge proviso. Teams are now required to disclose &ldquo;the approximate location, nature and severity of an injury as soon as possible, except to the extent that the club determines that such a disclosure may jeopardize the player&rsquo;s physical well-being if and when the player returns to play.&rdquo;</p><p>Unlike the NFL, which has full injury disclosure, hockey has long been guarded about injuries because many feel opponents would target the injured area for abuse. But one executive said he was told by his team&rsquo;s physiologist that doing that is next to impossible.</p><p>&ldquo;The game is too quick for players to process that information that quickly,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;By the time you see a guy and think, &lsquo;left knee,&rsquo; he&rsquo;s by you. I was told the only way that could happen would be after a whistle.&rdquo;</p><p>Daly said the league will monitor how teams deal with the rule, but added it likely won&rsquo;t change soon. &ldquo;We put the safety and well-being of the players at the top of our priority list,&rdquo; Daly said. &ldquo;We are not prepared to establish a policy regarding injury disclosure that could potentially put a player at increased risk of injury.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

Dysfunctional disclosure

<p><b>THIS WEEK WE ASKED OURSELVES</b></p><p>Which NHLers have been injured in fights this year?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04647/8840334-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="701" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHERRY: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES; DIPIETRO: JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES; FEDORUK: MIKE STOBE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>10 Steve</b>&nbsp;<b>Ott</b> Stars plugger had two surgeries after breaking ankle in fight fall.</p><p><b>09 Cam Janssen</b> Apparently, his brawl-fueled separated shoulder is fine now.</p><p><b>08 Jon Sim</b> Atlanta winger learned his face is no match for Mark Bell&rsquo;s fist.</p><p><b>07 Ethan Moreau</b> Oiler threw a punch, separating his shoulder in the process.</p><p><b>06 Ryan Malone</b> Broke his arm defending Crosby. Guess Pens did need Laraque.</p><p><b>05 Matthew Barnaby</b> Blurred vision and a concussion result of too many tilts.</p><p><b>04 Kris Newbury</b> Leafs grinder took grue-some concussion when helmet fell off.</p><p><b>03 Derek Boogaard</b> Heavyweight dishes it out, but Flames&rsquo; Godard knocked him out.</p><p><b>02 Jody Shelley</b> How&rsquo;s this for a nasty-sounding injury: lacerated eyelid.</p><p><b>01 Todd Fedoruk</b> &lsquo;The Fridge&rsquo; has been raided several times this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-04

COUNTDOWN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011836/8840372-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="346" height="490"><figcaption class="caption-body">Serge Savard</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03885/8840379-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="107" height="116"></div><p><b>SERGE SAVARD</b> hasn&rsquo;t changed his tune.</p><p>In an interview with <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">TheHockeyNews.com</a>, the Hall of Famer reiterated a stance he has had since he was a young member of the Montreal Canadiens: fighting has no place in hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s 2007, and when I hear (NHL commissioner Gary) Bettman say fighting is part of the game, that&rsquo;s the way people were thinking 30 years ago,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;I like Bettman, but I&rsquo;m disappointed to hear that. I didn&rsquo;t expect a comment like that after all those rule changes.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>&ldquo;(The league is) going backward. With the new rules, I really thought we were going forward.&rdquo;</p><p>Savard never accepted the philosophy that hockey has as much to do with intimidation and violence as it does speed and skill.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been against violence (in the game), against fighting,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Bettman comes out and says fighting is part of the game. Well, that depends (on) what you want to do with your game. We&rsquo;re the only sport that allows it.&rdquo;</p><p>For Savard, a 17-year NHL veteran and former Habs captain who also served as the team&rsquo;s GM for 12 seasons, violence has been a problem for the league as long as he can remember.</p><p>&ldquo;That was the toughest part of my career as a young player,&rdquo; he said from his home in Montreal. &ldquo;I never wanted to fight, but I was forced to fight. That&rsquo;s not the way I was born and raised and I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s sports.&rdquo;</p><p>Recent ugly incidents such as Chris Simon&rsquo;s two-handed stick to the face of Ryan Hollweg have caught Savard&rsquo;s eye.</p><p>&ldquo;The league says, &lsquo;Well, it&rsquo;s OK, 25 games and you can come back,&rsquo; &rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not right, and when these things happen, it&rsquo;s because the league has been too soft for many, many years. When I hear Bettman say fighting is part of the game, I&rsquo;m seeing our sport going back 20 years.&rdquo;</p><p>Savard isn&rsquo;t shy about taking a stand, even when it&rsquo;s an unpopular one. He reminded the commissioner of that in a recent meeting.</p><p>&ldquo;When I met Bettman six months ago, seven months ago, I told him, &lsquo;Remember what I said in the directors&rsquo; meetings years ago when you asked if there was anything wrong with the game and nobody said a word?&rsquo; &rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;Yeah, there&rsquo;s something wrong with the game, there&rsquo;s hooking and grabbing,&rsquo; and it took (the league) years to get rid of it.</p><p>&lsquo;Well,&rsquo; (Bettman) says, &lsquo;It took me 10 years before they listened to me.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>Savard believes it is impossible to completely eliminate fighting from the sport, but he has never seen a legitimate role for players whose only strength is their punching power.</p><p>&ldquo;You can live with the spontaneous fight,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s something that can happen between brothers, two kids getting into a fight because of an argument. But you don&rsquo;t want the designated hitter. That&rsquo;s my view.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021322/8840365-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="1406" height="1918"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

Savard fights back

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM DOWDALL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021596/8840410-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="460" height="281"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012039/8840417-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="112" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE 1972 SUMMIT SERIES</b> between Canada and the USSR is often credited as the beginning of a new era in which Canada no longer stood alone atop the hockey world. Somewhat less famous, however, is the 1954 world championship, when the Soviet Union truly emerged as a powerhouse on the international stage by upsetting an injury-depleted Canadian squad to take the gold medal. It was Russia&rsquo;s first world championship title.</p><p>&ldquo;We really expected to win,&rdquo; said Canadian player Maurice Galand, &ldquo;but we knew without our top two defensemen it would be tough.&rdquo;</p><p>Canada was represented by the East York Lyndhursts, a Senior B team that wasn&rsquo;t widely considered the best team in the country at the time.</p><p>The Soviets got off to a quick start in the final by scoring four goals in the first period, before Galand responded with what would be his last goal of the tournament. But by that point, though, it was too late. The Soviets skated away with a convincing 7-2 victory.</p><p>The Hockey News is celebrating our 60th anniversary and looking back at memorable moments in hockey&rsquo;s past.</p><p>According to Galand, the Canadians faced a style of play they had never encountered before.</p><p>&ldquo;The ref would turn his head and one of the Russians would go down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The ref would look back and see the guy laying on the ice and call a penalty. A lot of people don&rsquo;t realize the refereeing was terrible.&rdquo;</p><p>Officiating aside, Galand turned in a brilliant performance in the tournament, emerging as the overall leader with 16 goals in just seven games. Included in his statistics was an astonishing seven-goal performance against an admittedly weak Finnish team.</p><p>&ldquo;We won 20-1 in that game,&rdquo; Galand said. &ldquo;Back then, Finland wasn&rsquo;t the same team they are now.&rdquo;</p><p>Representing Canada in the tournament was a bittersweet occasion for Galand, whose pregnant wife was unable to make the trip to Stockholm, Sweden. His decision to go was made easier by an understanding partner.</p><p>&ldquo;My wife told me I had take this opportunity to go and represent my country,&rdquo; Galand said.</p><p>Being in another country for a tournament was much different in 1954 than it would be today. The only people in Sweden cheering for Canada were those who had travelled with the team.</p><p>&ldquo;I did get to have a beer with (actor) Kirk Douglas, though,&rdquo; said Galand with a laugh. &ldquo;He told me he wished he was playing hockey instead of being in Hollywood.&rdquo;</p><p>Galand&rsquo;s career never took him to the NHL, but he enjoyed playing in the Senior B league and alongside future Hall of Famer George Armstrong with the Toronto Marlboros. Galand also spent 30 years as a firefighter in the Toronto area.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

USSR rises in 1972 preview

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04622/8840455-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>Thornton piled up 5 goals and 18 assists in March.</i></b> <span class="photo-credit">(Don Smith/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span></b>ust like he did last year after joining the San Jose Sharks in a mid-season trade, Joe Thornton is finishing the regular season with a flourish.</p><p>Thornton, the NHL&rsquo;s reigning MVP and scoring champion, was making a late push to reclaim both those titles. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Sharks center piled up five goals and 23 points in 13 games in March to capture player-of-the-month honors and pull into second place in league scoring behind Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Sidney Crosby. A native of London, Ont., Thornton averaged more than 20 minutes per game in March, had a 10-game point streak &ndash; including eight multi-point games &ndash; and went plus-16 in the month.</p><p>Thornton had great success in San Jose after being traded away by Boston last season, teaming up with Jonathan Cheechoo to light up the league. But, the Sharks were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the upstart Edmonton Oilers. This year, it sounds like Thornton&rsquo;s focus is on team success rather than individual honors.</p><p>&ldquo;We roll four lines all night, roll six on defense and have great goaltending,&rdquo; said Thornton in late March. &ldquo;We have so much depth and we&rsquo;re really confident right now. We&rsquo;re playing great hockey right now.&rdquo;</p><p>The Sharks went 9-3-1 in March to secure a playoff position in the highly competitive and tightly bunched Western Conference. And Thornton led the way, again skating with Cheechoo, as well as left winger Milan Michalek.</p><p>&ldquo;Playing defence against Joe Thornton is the toughest job I&rsquo;ve had in the NHL so far,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Chicago winger Patrick Sharp after the Sharks beat the Hawks 4-1 on March 21.</p><p>&ldquo;With Cheechoo and Michalek on the wing, they play so well together. They&rsquo;re so dangerous every time they&rsquo;re out there.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Sharks coach Ron Wilson liked what he saw in his 27-year-old franchise player, too.</p><p>&ldquo;He was a horse,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Wilson after the game against Chicago, in which Thornton collected three assists. &ldquo;He was dominating every shift.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>In fact, the month of March merely continued a hot streak that has seen Thornton collect 20 multipoint games in his past 37 outings. Not that you&rsquo;ll hear him boast about his exploits. As you&rsquo;d expect from the league&rsquo;s assist leader, he&rsquo;s adept at passing off the credit.</p><p>&ldquo;We just worked really hard as a line and we know where each other is going to be,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Thornton of his linemates. &ldquo;Obviously we&rsquo;re playing with a lot of confidence right now. Milan is playing great and Cheechoo is putting it in the back of the net.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><h2><b>FACTS & STATS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05445/8840448-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="1763" height="248"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-04

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

<div class="byline">Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021521/8840486-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>COLIN POWER</b> Colin Campbell has been willing to dole out stricter sentences for recent infractions. <span class="photo-credit">(AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012013/8840493-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="221" height="241"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span></b>hances are, the NHL will be looking for a new hanging judge this summer. After nine years on the job, Colin Campbell has levied 261 suspensions covering 769 games and millions in lost salaries and he&rsquo;s tired. More than that, he wants to feel the rush of competition as a GM, not rush to another competition committee meeting as the league&rsquo;s director of hockey operations.</p><p>Too bad, because he was beginning to get really good at what he was doing. For the first time since most can remember, the NHL handed out two suspensions that were actually longer than many folks predicted.</p><p>And while Campbell&rsquo;s suggestion the NHL examine fighting in light of recent injuries smells an awful lot like a trial balloon, it took courage and common sense for him to put the issue out there.</p><p>Most observers thought Campbell (no relation, by the way) would give Chris Simon of the Islanders the heave-ho for the rest of the regular season for his senseless stick attack on Ryan Hollweg. Campbell went much further, issuing a 25-game suspension. But the intriguing concept was how Campbell dealt with the playoffs.</p><p>Simon will sit out the entire playoff season whether the Islanders play zero games or four seven-game series en route to the Stanley Cup. (In that case, Simon would sit out a total of 43 games.) And any games Simon sits during the playoffs will count only as one game, which goes against the previously unwritten rule that post-season games count for two.</p><p>Campbell&rsquo;s five-game suspension to Jordin Tootoo for cold-cocking Stephane Robidas was also appropriate, given Tootoo&rsquo;s intent was to protect himself. But employing an Uzi to ward off tres-passers was deemed far too severe. Good call, Colie. If we&rsquo;re going to vilify you for suspending Bryan Allen two measly games for two-handing Henrik Zetterberg across the knee and breaking his leg in 2003, we should also be willing to give credit where credit is due.</p><p>Even the suspension to Cam Janssen of the New Jersey Devils was a departure from the norm. It marked the first time ever the NHL has suspended a player for a late hit. According to the league, Janssen steamrolled Kaberle exactly 1.3 seconds after he released the puck, which now sets a very good precedent for lunkheads to follow in the future.</p><p>And don&rsquo;t for a moment trivialize how important this is. There was a time when Janssen&rsquo;s hit would have been considered a &ldquo;good hockey play,&rdquo; whatever the hell that is these days. For the league to suspend him for a late hit now sends the message that anyone who drills another player into the boards more than 1.3 seconds after he lets go of the puck is going to face the same punishment Janssen received. Three games was a tad light, but it&rsquo;s a start.</p><h2><b>WAKE-UP CALL</b></h2><p>Could this mean the NHL is finally coming to grips with violence and is beginning to issue punishments that at least come close to fitting the crime? Is it any coincidence the league has come down particularly hard on miscreant players at a time when the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, which has historically had the interests of the perpetrator rather than the victim in mind (after all, the guy being suspended is the one who&rsquo;s losing money), is in disarray and lacking any sort of leadership?</p><p>Well, yes on No. 1. No on No. 2.</p><p>Everyone close to the scene insists while the NHL&rsquo;s board of governors can&rsquo;t stop high-fiving each other over the way the union has essentially run itself into the ground, there&rsquo;s nothing to suggest the league is trying to put a couple of fast ones by the players at a time when their energies and resources are devoted to sorting out another sordid leadership scandal.</p><p>But when it comes to dealing with violent acts, maybe the NHL is finally beginning to get it. The league will swear up and down that it judges each discipline case on its own, but surely the brass has realized it can&rsquo;t absorb any more public body blows.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">Maybe the NHL is finally beginning to get it</blockquote><p>Whether Campbell is willing to admit it, he had to recognize the league has gone through something of an epidemic of violent behavior lately and light sentences would have given columnists and pundits more fodder to criticize a league that has already received a ton of it.</p><p>And unless you actually buy into the silly notion hockey is played at such a high emotional and physical level the Simon and Tootoo incidents cannot be totally abolished, you have to think the players will get the message, too, and begin to use their heads a little more before clubbing opponents with their sticks.</p><h2><b>HANDS TIED</b></h2><p>Truth be told, Campbell has had a very difficult job for nine years.</p><p>It says right in the collective bargaining agreement the league basically can&rsquo;t staple documents concerning suspensions without getting the NHLPA&rsquo;s consent first. In a perfect world, Campbell would meet with the offending player and his agent, render his judgment and be done with the matter.</p><p>Even though he can&rsquo;t, Campbell has begun to show a sense of fortitude in delivering suspensions and the lunkheads are starting to pay.</p><p>We can only hope Campbell&rsquo;s successor carries on the good work.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

NHL crimes getting due time

<div class="byline">Scott Burnside</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021398/8840555-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="342" height="716"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FINALLY</b> Atlanta trails only Washington in number of games played before their first playoff game. <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011790/8840562-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="220" height="219"></div><p>Don Waddell has given Atlanta the tools to be a playoff contender.</p><p><b>P</b>oor Don Waddell.</p><p>The Atlanta GM gets roasted because his team has never been in the playoffs and, historically, he&rsquo;s been too timid to pull off a deal to get them there.</p><p>Then, when he pulls off two startling deals in a 12-hour period before the trade deadline, he gets roasted for giving up too much.</p><p>Give the guy a break, will you?</p><p>Whether the series of moves Waddell pulled off in anticipation of the Thrashers&rsquo; first-ever visit to the playoffs will pay off remains to be seen. Indeed, who knows what&rsquo;s going to happen in an Eastern Conference so unsettled it makes your dog Bingo&rsquo;s breakfast look appetizing by comparison.</p><p>We do know Waddell has, for the first time, given his team enough tools that if they don&rsquo;t get the job done it&rsquo;ll be about the carpenters, not the contractor.</p><p>Did he pay a heavy price for these tools? You bet. But if the new NHL has taught us anything, it&rsquo;s that cautiousness will get you nowhere. It&rsquo;s why the Canes and Oilers ended up in the big dance last June and not 28 other teams.</p><p>And so it was, Waddell traded a defenseman who was the No. 8 pick in the 2003 draft (Braydon Coburn) for a 34-year-old defenseman with two years left at $3.5 million a season (Alexei Zhitnik) and a basket of future draft selections for an aging forward who&rsquo;s never been to a Stanley Cup final and is minus-16 in 81 career play-off games (Keith Tkachuk).</p><p>Throw in the unheralded arrivals of Eric Belanger and Pascal Dupuis and the Thrashers turned over 20 per cent of their roster in a matter of days.</p><p>That tells you two things.</p><p>First, Waddell didn&rsquo;t believe the original cast could get the job done. And the fact the Thrashers had blown a giant lead in the Southeast Division in the weeks leading up to the deadline bore that out.</p><p>Second, in a conference where mediocrity is king, Waddell wasn&rsquo;t going to spend this off-season playing &ldquo;woulda, coulda, shoulda&rdquo; as he has in the past. Especially given that he might have been doing so in the unemployment line.</p><p>The early returns are good. The Thrashers won eight of 10 after acquiring Tkachuk and Zhitnik.</p><p>Tkachuk had nine points in his first 12 games and was helping to fill a big void down the middle.</p><p>Zhitnik was even more impressive with 12 points in his first 12 games in Atlanta, where he&rsquo;s being counted on to help stabilize a power play that has been surprisingly tepid all year.</p><p>Quietly, Belanger has helped both the power play and the team&rsquo;s woeful penalty-killing unit, as has Dupuis. Both will be more valuable following the idiotic loss of Jon Sim for the balance of the season after his orbital bone was fractured in a fight with San Jose&rsquo;s Mark Bell.</p><p>The thing is, this is a team of dichotomies. The franchise is in uncharted territory, but the team itself is chock full of experience.</p><p>Slava Kozlov has two Stanley Cup rings from his time in Detroit. Greg de Vries won a Cup with coach Bob Hartley in Colorado in 2001. Bobby Holik has two Cup rings from his tenure as a Devil. Zhitnik has been there, having played 94 post-season games. Captain Scott Mellanby has 132 playoff games under his belt.</p><p>Yet the value of that experience is suspect at best.</p><p>Mellanby last scored a post-season goal in 2002. Holik, brought in to be the playoff shutdown guy he was in New Jersey, hasn&rsquo;t seen a playoff game since 2002. Zhitnik&rsquo;s last post-season experience was 2001, same for Kozlov.</p><p>All of these players must prove experience retains its value and doesn&rsquo;t go flat like an open bottle of ginger ale on a hot day.</p><p>They aren&rsquo;t the only ones who have much to prove to the uncertain fans of Atlanta.</p><p>Ilya Kovalchuk has to morph from a regular season dynamo to a big-game performer.</p><p>Likewise Marian Hossa, who was unfairly criticized in Ottawa for the Senators&rsquo; playoff failings. He has to prove he can be the clutch player the Sens felt he was not.</p><p>And then there&rsquo;s netminder Kari Lehtonen. Twice The Hockey News&rsquo; prospect of the year, Lehtonen showed up at training camp in 2005 out of shape, got hurt 20 minutes into the season and then again during the stretch drive as the Thrashers fell two points short of the playoffs.</p><p>This season, Lehtonen has been at turns brilliant and bafflingly ordinary.</p><p>In some ways he is mindful of Buffalo netminder Ryan Miller &ndash; unflappable, thoughtful.</p><p>Miller quieted critics last spring with his play in the post-season. Now Lehtonen must do the same.</p><p>In the end, Waddell has assembled a lot of what-ifs and maybes and hopefuls. But is that really much different than the other 15 team that will vie for the Cup?</p><p><b>&ndash; SCOTT BURNSIDE IS <a href="http://ESPN.com">ESPN.COM</a>&rsquo;S</b></p><p><b>NATIONAL HOCKEY WRITER</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

Atlanta armed and dangerous

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN GLEW</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011593/8840600-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TODD WARSHAW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>ONE COULD HARDLY BLAME</b> Steven Rice if he spent his post-NHL career cursing the hockey gods.</p><p>The Kitchener, Ont., native experienced more than his share of bad luck during eight seasons in the NHL. Instead of playing with his hero (Mark Messier), he was traded for him. Rather than hoist the Stanley Cup, he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers just over a year after they won it. Most unfair, however, were the series of concussions that forced him to retire at age 27.</p><p>But Rice isn&rsquo;t the least bit bitter.</p><p>&ldquo;I never really thought I would make anything out of hockey,&rdquo; said Rice, who, ironically, now provides career-ending disability insurance to NHL and CHL players through his family&rsquo;s insurance business in Kitchener. &ldquo;My career goal was to play for the (Jr. B) Waterloo Siskins when I was a kid.&rdquo;</p><p>But he went well beyond that. In fact, he captained Canada&rsquo;s gold medal-winning team at the 1991 World Junior Championship on Canadian soil in Saskatoon.</p><p>&ldquo;(Coach) Dick Todd called me into his office and said he wanted me to be captain,&rdquo; recalled Rice. &ldquo;I thought for sure it was going to be (Eric) Lindros or somebody else. And I&rsquo;m telling you, I&rsquo;ve never been more excited in my entire life.&rdquo;</p><p>A first-rounder of the New York Rangers in the 1989 draft, Rice was over-whelmed by The Big Apple when he first arrived.</p><p>&ldquo;Imagine going from Waterloo to New York City,&rdquo; said Rice, who lived at home during his junior days in Kitchener. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t even do my own laundry.&rdquo;</p><p>He played 11 games in his first NHL campaign and contributed two goals and three points in two playoff games.</p><p>Prior to the 1991-92 season, he was dealt to the Oilers with Bernie Nicholls for Mark Messier. Rice spent most of the next two seasons in the AHL. He also went through a slew of injuries, including two concussions.</p><p>Rice signed with the Hartford Whalers prior to the 1994-95 campaign. It was in Connecticut that he had a career-high 21-goal season in 1996-97. But he was never able to escape his head troubles. He sustained eight concussions in total and opted to hang up his skates after attending Toronto&rsquo;s training camp in 1998.</p><p>&ldquo;It just got to the point where every time I&rsquo;d hit somebody I&rsquo;d get d&eacute;j&agrave; vu and the ice and the stands and everything would kind of turn yellow,&rdquo; Rice said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;d forget where I was.&rdquo;</p><p>These days, the 36-year-old does what he can to avoid hard contact while still hitting the ice, playing AAA senior men&rsquo;s hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;When I used to play, I just tried to hit everything that moved,&rdquo; he joked. &ldquo;Now, I try not to hit anything that moves.&rdquo;</p><p><b>POSITION</b> RW</p><p><b>HEIGHT</b> 6-0</p><p><b>BORN</b> May 26, 1971</p><p><b>SHOOTS</b> Right</p><p><b>WEIGHT</b> 223</p><p><b>DRAFTED</b> 20th overall by NYR in 1989</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021241/8840593-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="744" height="405"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0017-01

Clear perspective

<div class="byline">BY MURRAY TOWNSEND</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011673/8840673-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="279" height="251"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021285/8840666-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="3469" height="3171"><figcaption class="caption-body">These guys are both good gambles <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>n the verge of another post-season, The Hockey News presents our annual playoff guide. Check the next six pages for all the tips you&rsquo;ll need to win your fantasy playoff pool. For a breakdown of the team-by-team tables, see pg. 21. But to kick things off, let&rsquo;s take a look at under-the-radar sleepers.</b></p><p><b>A &ldquo;sleeper&rdquo;, in fantasy pool terms, is a player who comes alive and scores much more than expected.</b></p><p><b>That doesn&rsquo;t necessarily include players sleep-walking through the regular season, but it could. We also want to look for players who have missed time with injuries; players in new situations; and, those performing well late in the season.</b></p><p><b>The best sleepers, though, are those who replace a key injured teammate. If a top player goes down, somebody has to pick up the slack &ndash; which could mean better linemates and more power play time. That happened with Alyn McCauley of the Maple Leafs when he replaced an injured Mats Sundin in 2002. McCauley scored 15 points in those playoffs; in his other 32 playoff games, he has four points.</b></p><p><b>Is the next Chris Kontos on the list below? Well, no. Players like that come from (way) off the charts. But here are 10 players who should be available in the later rounds &ndash; and might make all the difference.</b></p><p><b>GARY ROBERTS This could be the final curtain call for the 40-year-old Penguin. And, with the determination he has shown in past playoffs, he&rsquo;s a player the coach will want on the ice as much as possible. Late in the regular season, he was earning points on the top power play unit.</b></p><p><b>RYAN GETZLAF Getzlaf plays on Anaheim&rsquo;s strong, young, energetic second line of future big scorers with Corey Perry and Dustin Penner. The top defensive checkers on opposing teams will be focused on the Kunitz-McDonald-Selanne line, leaving Getzlaf & Co. to do some damage of their own.</b></p><p><b>BRENDEN MORROW The Dallas captain is mentioned <i>not</i> because he&rsquo;ll be undervalued, but because he missed so much time (42 games) with injuries.</b></p><p><b>TODD BERTUZZI Bertuzzi, at 32 and coming off a seven-game season, has to prove himself all over again. Playing on the Red Wings with some talented linemates isn&rsquo;t going to hurt.</b></p><p><b>KEVIN BIEKSA It&rsquo;s been a shockingly surprising offensive season for the Canucks D-man &ndash; and there&rsquo;s no reason he shouldn&rsquo;t keep surprising us.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011527/8840659-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="6237" height="3083"></div><p><b>TAYLOR PYATT</b> It all comes down to which player is lined up beside the Sedins. Pyatt has been the man at even strength recently. The danger is he&rsquo;s not always with them on the power play and he can be replaced at any time.</p><p><b>MARCEL HOSSA</b> First, the Rangers have to make the playoffs; second, Hossa has to recover from a knee injury. He was starting to score regularly before the setback.</p><p><b>SHEA WEBER</b> The Preds defenseman is only in his first full NHL season so he&rsquo;s not that well-known &ndash; but he might be after the playoffs. The all-round defenseman makes the big hits and is also a big hit on offense. Not many of those guys around.</p><p><b>DAVID MOSS</b> Although he battled injuries at the end of the regular season, Moss made a surprising impact on Calgary&rsquo;s second line. He played only 37 games, contributing nine goals and 17 points since being called up from the minors. He&rsquo;s definitely under the radar.</p><p><b>ANDREI KOSTITSYN</b> The Canadiens have to make the playoffs first, too. But if they do, look out. The 2003 first-rounder has been playing well since his recent call-up from Hamilton (AHL) and was second behind Tomas Plekanec in March scoring.</p><h2><b>Draft rules never change</b></h2><p><b>IF IT AIN&rsquo;T BROKE,</b> don&rsquo;t fix it.</p><p>Our playoff pool system is simple and effective, so there&rsquo;s no point re-inventing it.</p><p>The top 12 players on each playoff team are listed in the accompanying charts, along with their points per game. The key to playoff pools is to pick teams before players. You want your guys playing as many playoff games as possible. The 10th-highest scorer on Carolina last season, for example, had three more points than the top scorer on Detroit.</p><p>Try to pick all the series winners &ndash; and assign an average of six games per series &ndash; from the first round all the way through to the Stanley Cup final. That will give you the number of games you expect each team to play.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011169/8840652-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="1280" height="848"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TEAM EFFORT</b> If you think the Devils are going far, grab a bunch of them early. <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY MARLIN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Finalists, for example, will play an estimated 24 games, conference finalists 18 games, conference semifinalists 12 games. Then get out your calculator and multiply players&rsquo; points per game by the number of games you expect them to play.</p><p>You can make adjustments based on history, position, lines and late-season play. For such insight, check &lsquo;The Skinny&rsquo; on each player. (Players are listed in order of expected scoring).</p><p>Here are other things to keep in mind at the playoff draft table:</p><p>&bull; Rank offensive defensemen higher. Here&rsquo;s why: the top ones get more ice time; a higher percentage of goals are scored on the power play in the playoffs; and, D-men will take chances when their team needs to score.</p><p>&bull; When picking teams, go with a secondary team so you can get as many of their players as possible. If you had gone with Carolina or Edmonton last year, you would&rsquo;ve won your pool. Top players on the best teams get picked fast.</p><p>&bull; Late-season momentum has proved meaningless; home-ice advantage isn&rsquo;t a big advantage; and, season series shouldn&rsquo;t be used to select teams.</p><p>&bull; Make sure you&rsquo;re not choosing players who face each other in the first round, or potentially in the second round.</p><p>&bull; If you&rsquo;re in a draft format, use your noggin. If five players are selected from a team you like before it&rsquo;s your pick, abandon that team.</p><p>&bull; If you have to select a goalie, go with the team, not the netminder you think will be hot. Every year different goalies stand out and it has little to do with experience.</p><p><b>&ndash; MURRAY TOWNSEND</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011319/8840645-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="2773" height="515"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02982/8840638-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="3161" height="957"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011183/8840631-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="3011" height="3091"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-01

It’s simple: read this, win your playoff pool

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02915/8840718-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BLEED OIL</b> Edmonton has had a nightmare year, but the locals have supported them all the way. <span class="photo-credit">(RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011281/8840725-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="122" height="138"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span></b>espite their woeful campaign, the Oilers sold out all 41 home games this season and will raise ticket prices next year. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know of many cities in the league where you lose 12 in a row and you have a full building,&rdquo; said <b>Marty Reasoner</b>. The Oilers close out the season with a six-game road trip. &ldquo;We just want to make sure we&rsquo;re in every game, competitive,&rdquo; said <b>Raffi Torres</b>. &ldquo;Not just roll over and die.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>NORTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>BOSTON</b> Winger <b>Petr Kalus</b> became the sixth Bruin this season to make his NHL debut, March 24 against the Rangers. His first NHL goal came March 27 at Ottawa&hellip; Boston was shut out three straight times on the road before beating the Senators 3-2 March 27.</p><p><b>BUFFALO</b> Entering late March, Buffalo had won only nine of 22 games on Saturday nights. On no other day of the week did they lose more than three in regulation.</p><p><b>MONTREAL Alex Kovalev</b> recorded his second consecutive two-goal game March 27 against the Rangers. He also scored twice against Washington three nights earlier&hellip;Captain <b>Saku Koivu</b> equalled a career-high with four assists against New York.</p><p><b>OTTAWA</b> Eight players have played on the top line with <b>Jason Spezza</b> and <b>Dany Heatley</b>, but coach <b>Bryan Murray</b> might just go with captain <b>Daniel Alfreds</b>-<b>son</b>. &ldquo;I get a little concerned when other lines don&rsquo;t produce,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got some flexibility depending on who we play in the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p><b>TORONTO</b> Coach <b>Paul Maurice</b> and Carolina GM <b>Jim Rutherford</b> are close friends, but they clammed up with each other as their teams battled for a playoff spot. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t talked in three weeks since (the playoff race) heated up,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;We have the same superstitions.&rdquo;&hellip;After being a healthy scratch in consecutive games, veteran <b>Jeff O&rsquo;Neill</b> said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed, but I&rsquo;m not going to pull a <b>Sergei Samsonov</b> and say the world is falling in on me.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>ATLANTIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>NEW JERSEY</b> After 63 one-goal games in his NHL career, center <b>Jim Dowd</b>&nbsp;registered his first two-goal game at age 38 March 24 against Florida&hellip;<b>Cam Janssen</b> tried to talk to <b>Tomas Kaberle</b> after a March 20 game in Toronto, but the injured defenseman had left during the game. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad he&rsquo;s OK,&rdquo; Janssen said. &ldquo;I hope he doesn&rsquo;t have any hard feelings.&rdquo;</p><p><b>NY ISLANDERS</b> The Isles&rsquo; playoff push suffered a setback when goalie &nbsp;<b>Rick DiPietro</b> had to miss at least their March 27 game against New Jersey with headaches. DiPietro had missed two games earlier in the month after sustaining neck and head injuries in a head-first collision March 13 with Montreal&rsquo;s <b>Steve Begin</b>&hellip;<b>Miroslav Satan</b> had his consecutive games streak snapped at 305 when he missed the March 24 game at Philadelphia for personal reasons.</p><p><b>NY RANGERS</b> When the Rangers beat the Islanders in overtime March 25, it marked the seventh 2-1 game the Blueshirts had played in an 11-game span. &ldquo;I love playing in 2-1 games,&rdquo; said goalie <b>Henrik Lundqvist</b>. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to go out there knowing every save could win a game or every mistake could lose one.&rdquo; The Rangers went 6-0-1 in those seven 2-1 matches.</p><p><b>PHILADELPHIA</b> Goalie <b>Martin Biron</b> signed a two-year, $7-million  contract March 27. &ldquo;This is very big for me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was big that they came and got me at the trade deadline&hellip;That was a big part of my decision.&rdquo;</p><p><b>PITTSBURGH Gary Roberts</b> replaced <b>Mark Recchi</b> on the top power play after a six-game stretch in which the unit scored just two goals. In Roberts&rsquo; first game, the Pens had three power play goals in a win over Boston&hellip;Rookie center <b>Jordan Staal</b> had several chances to become the youngest player to score 30 goals, but couldn&rsquo;t match <b>Brian Bellows</b>, who was 18 years and 196 days when he scored his 30th in 1982-83 with Minnesota.</p><h2><b>SOUTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ATLANTA</b> Center <b>Steve Rucchin</b> suffered a setback when he had to leave the team with a case of shingles.</p><p><b>CAROLINA</b> After missing three games with a lacerated leg, <b>Cam</b>&nbsp;<b>Ward</b> returned in relief of <b>John Grahame</b> with the Canes trailing Washington 3-2 despite outshooting the Capitals 32-6. Ward stopped all four shots he faced in a 4-3 win&hellip;The Canes followed a 1-for-43 power play drought with five PP goals in five games.</p><p><b>FLORIDA</b> The Panthers signed offensive defenseman <b>Cory Mur</b><b>phy</b>, 29, the Finnish League MVP while playing for HIFK Helsinki this season, to a two-year pact March 26.</p><p><b>TAMPA BAY</b> With the Lightning looking to shave payroll to about $40 million, GM <b>Jay Feaster</b>&nbsp;said he likely will not sign any top-end unrestricted free agents this summer. Any major acquisition will be done through trades.</p><p><b>WASHINGTON Alex Ovechkin</b> was goalless in four games this season against Pittsburgh (he had three assists). Last year, Ovechkin had three goals and six points against <b>Sidney Crosby</b> and the Penguins.</p><h2><b>CENTRAL DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CHICAGO</b> The Blackhawks signed 2005 first-rounder <b>Jack Skille</b> (seventh overall) to a threeyear contract&hellip;After less than a month with the team, winger <b>Jason Williams</b> was given an &lsquo;A&rsquo; by coach <b>Denis Savard</b>. &ldquo;He has a lot of leadership ability,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;I like his approach and how he prepares. He&rsquo;s a real pro.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COLUMBUS</b> Defenseman <b>Ole-Kristian Tollefsen</b> went his first 68 NHL games without a goal, then scored in two straight games, both wins&hellip;<b>Aaron Johnson</b>&nbsp;has been moved from defense to fourth line right winger, perhaps permanently&hellip;Defenseman <b>Darcy Campbell</b>, signed as a free agent out of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, will play at least one NHL game this season.</p><p><b>DETROIT Pavel Datsyuk</b>&nbsp;is the first Red Wing to record consecutive seasons of 80 points or more since <b>Steve Yzerman</b> in 1995-96 and &rsquo;96-97&hellip;After <b>Brett Lebda</b> was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher with a concussion from a hit from behind by <b>Ville Nieminen</b> March 24, the Blues winger visited him at the hospital and apologized&hellip; <b>Todd Bertuzzi</b> made his Wings debut March 22, his first game since Oct. 18.</p><p><b>NASHVILLE</b> Coach <b>Barry Trotz</b> and his staff are in the final guaranteed year of their contracts, but GM <b>David Poile</b> won&rsquo;t discuss new deals until after the season.</p><p><b>ST. LOUIS</b> The Blues were officially eliminated from the playoffs on March 25, just the second time in franchise history they&rsquo;ve missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons.</p><h2><b>NORTHWEST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CALGARY</b> Despite being the league&rsquo;s best home team &ndash; winning 30 games at home for the second consecutive season &ndash; it took until their 36th away game for the Flames to win 10 on the road.</p><p><b>COLORADO</b> Rookie <b>Wojtek Wolski</b>, with one goal in a 15-game span, was a healthy scratch March 25 in Vancouver. He has been a healthy scratch twice this year.</p><p><b>EDMONTON</b> Fourteen Oilers, including seven forwards, have a minus total that&rsquo;s higher than their goal total.</p><p><b>MINNESOTA</b> The Wild&rsquo;s teamrecord nine-game winning streak ended with a 1-0 shootout loss to Calgary March 27&hellip;On the Wild&rsquo;s second playoff berth, <b>Brian Rolston</b> said, &ldquo;I feel we have as good a chance as any to win (the Stanley Cup). I truly believe that.&rdquo;</p><p><b>VANCOUVER</b> Winger <b>Taylor Pyatt</b> reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his career.</p><h2><b>PACIFIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ANAHEIM</b> Defenseman <b>Chris Pronger</b> returned to the lineup against Dallas after missing the previous seven games with a broken big toe.</p><p><b>DALLAS Philippe Boucher</b>&nbsp;is the Stars nominee for the Masterton Trophy. Boucher has handled his father&rsquo;s battle with pancreatic cancer, heart surgery for his mother and a hearing issue with his wife while posting career-best totals of 18 goals and 48 points. <b>Jean-Claude Boucher</b> died March 25&hellip;Dallas went 8-0-0 against the Kings this season. It was the first eight-game series sweep in franchise history, though Dallas did go 6-0-2 against Detroit in 1982-83.</p><p><b>LOS ANGELES</b> The Kings signed top defense prospect <b>Jack Johnson</b> to a three-year contract that, with bonuses, could pay him upwards of $2 million per season. Johnson led all NCAA Div. I defensemen with 16 goals this season. He was scheduled to make his NHL debut March 29 against Vancouver.</p><p><b>PHOENIX</b> Associate coach <b>Barry Smith</b> was named associate coach for Team USA at the World Championship&hellip;The franchise was set to add <b>Dale Hawerchuk&rsquo;s</b> No. 10 to its &lsquo;Ring of Honor&rsquo; in a pre-game ceremony April 5. Hawerchuk is the Jets/Coyotes leader in goals (379) and points (929).</p><p><b>SAN JOSE</b> Center <b>Mark Smith</b> has been on injured reserve since sustaining a groin injury Jan. 30, but that didn&rsquo;t prevent him and his band, The Vinyl Trees, from performing as the opening act for The Tragically Hip in San Francisco March 26&hellip;With 40 points, <b>Matt Carle</b> set a team record for points by a rookie defensemen, topping <b>Marcus Ragnarsson</b> (39).</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04377/8840711-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="1061" height="1096"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FINGER: BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/GETTY IMAGES; NIEDERMAYER: SHELLY CASTELLANO; THORNTON: RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES; NASLUND: JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Quick Hits</b></h2><h3><b>SILVER LINING</b></h3><p>The Blues finished the season with a 4-3-1 record against the Red Wings, the first time they had a winning record against Detroit since 1997-98.</p><h3><b>NIED-A-WINNER?</b></h3><p><b>Scott Niedermayer</b>, the all-time leader in overtime goals among defensemen, scored the 10th of his career March 23 to give the Ducks a 3-2 win over Dallas.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05277/8840704-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="480" height="479"></div><h3><b>GIVE HIM A HAND</b></h3><p>Rookie defenseman <b>Jeff Finger</b>, after nearly four seasons in the minors, was plus-10 in 16 games with Colorado.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-02

Edmonton fans ride out losses

f0026-01

Judgement day for each position

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06293/8841171-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CAPTAIN CRUNCH</b> Newcomer Curtis Glencross is providing both offense and Crunch in Syracuse. <span class="photo-credit">(COUTESY SYRACUSE CRUNCH)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02836/8841178-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="88" height="88"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he damage was already done for the Syracuse Crunch early in the season. Six consecutive losses coming out of the gate and a 4-14-0-1 record through the first two months created a crater that was too deep.</p><p>They only wonder in Syracuse what life may have been like if center <b>Zenon Konopka</b> and left winger <b>Curtis Glen-cross</b> had been part of the team from the start, instead of arriving at the end of January in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks.</p><p>&ldquo;Those two certainly bring energy &ndash; in the room and on the ice,&rdquo; said Crunch coach <b>Ross Yates</b>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve changed our team identity.&rdquo;</p><p>While the Crunch had righted the ship shortly after Christmas, Konopka and Glencross turned the tug boat into a Navy destroyer.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07244/8841164-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="268" height="325"></div><p>Syracuse went 14-7-2-2 since they arrived, including an 11-3-1-1 run that kept faint playoff hopes mathematically alive.</p><p>&ldquo;Glencross is one of the top hitters in the league,&rdquo; Yates said. &ldquo;He certainly hits bigger than his size (6-foot-1, 195 pounds). Konopka competes every night and gets guys around him to compete.&rdquo;</p><p>Konopka, 26, has six goals and 14 points in 16 games with the Crunch. Glencross has 11 goals and 22 points in 21 games.</p><p><b>WORTH THE WAIT</b> Because of injury, the Rochester Americans were forced to wait three-and-a-half weeks to see what defenseman <b>Noah Welch</b> could do for them. They like what they see.</p><p>Welch was plus-3 in his first game for the Amerks. He missed 30 days with a concussion, which he suffered while playing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.</p><p>The second-year defenseman was acquired by the Florida Panthers in the Feb. 27 trade that sent Gary Roberts to Pittsburgh.</p><p>&ldquo;My first view of him, I&rsquo;m very impressed,&rdquo; said Amerks coach <b>Randy Cunneyworth</b>. &ldquo;I very much like his mobility and his view of the ice.&rdquo;</p><p><b>NIFTY 50</b> Chicago Wolves left winger <b>Brett Sterling</b>&nbsp;became the first AHL rookie in 16 years &ndash; and just the fifth in league history &ndash; to reach the 50-goal plateau.</p><p>Sterling scored No. 50 in his 65th game.</p><p>The last rookie to hit 50 was <b>Patrick Lebeau</b>&nbsp;in 1990-91 for the Fredericton Canadiens. His brother, <b>Stephan</b>, holds the rookie goals record with 70 in 1988-89 for the Sherbrooke Canadiens.</p><p>The only others: <b>Mitch Lamoureux</b> (57) for the Baltimore Skipjacks in 1982-83 and <b>Brett Hull</b> (50) for the Moncton Golden Flames in &rsquo;86-87.</p><p><b>ROCKFORD FILES</b> The final pieces of the AHL&rsquo;s newest franchise were put in place when the Chicago Blackhawks announced a 10-year affiliation agreement with the Rockford IceHogs.</p><p>The AHL&rsquo;s board of governors officially approved the transfer of the dormant Cincinnati franchise to the Blackhawks. Rockford is leaving the United League, but the IceHogs name will be kept by the AHL team.</p><p><b>HITMAN ENGELHARDT</b> Third-year  right winger <b>Brett Engel-hardt</b> had a team-high four points for the Marlies in a 5-3 win over Grand Rapids March 25, including a beautiful penalty shot goal.</p><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><p>As of March 29, 2007</p><h3><b>AHL TOP 10</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08210/8841157-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="561" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-09174/8841150-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="280" height="377"></div><h3><b>THOMAS GREISS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-10141/8841143-1-eng-US/f0032-102.jpg" title="f0032-10" width="153" height="138"></div><p><b>Attempts Saves</b></p><p>21 19</p><p><b>TOP SHOOTOUT GOALIES</b></p><h3><b>GOALIE SHOOTOUT SP</b></h3><p>Thomas Greiss, Wor .905</p><p>Corey Crawford, Nor .867</p><p>Al Montoya, Har .842</p><p>Josh Tordjman, SA .833</p><p>Karri Rammo, Spr .829</p><p>Curtis McElhinney, Oma .776</p><p>Craig Anderson, Roc .765</p><p>Michael Leighton, Phi .760</p><p>Drew MacIntyre, Mtb .750</p><p>Dan Ellis, Iowa .750</p><h2><b>GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS</b></h2><p><b>6th Season in AHL</b></p><p><b>Best Season</b></p><p>55-20-1-4 in 2005-06</p><p><b>Arena</b></p><p>Van Andal Arena</p><p><b>GM</b> Bob McNamara</p><p><b>Coach</b></p><p>Greg Ireland</p><p><b>Career Leaders</b></p><p>(GP-G-A-Points)</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-11116/8841136-1-eng-US/f0032-112.jpg" title="f0032-11" width="149" height="139"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03609/8841129-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="209" height="284"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-12102/8841122-1-eng-US/f0032-122.jpg" title="f0032-12" width="378" height="288"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0032-06

Crunch culture takes a shift

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05348/8841216-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="280" height="380"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04444/8841209-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="179" height="173"></div><p>Andrei Taratukhin has had two coaches this year, one employed by the Calgary Flames and who is half his age.</p><p>On the ice, as coach of the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, Ryan McGill teaches the X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s to the highly regarded center from Russia.</p><p>Off the ice, Igor Campbell gladly volunteers his time and has helped Taratukhin adapt to life in North America off the ice. He was born in Russia and has helped Taratukhin adjust to a new language and culture.</p><p>Did we mention Campbell is 12 years old and still in middle school?</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a Russian boy who was adopted by a family here and they came to us before the season and said if we ever needed any help, let them know,&rdquo; McGill said. &ldquo;Igor has done a great job with Andrei. Andrei knows he&rsquo;s going to be in this country for a long time and he wants to fit in with the lifestyle.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;ll be here because he is a superior skater and highly skilled playmaker who is adapting quickly to the North American game. Taratukhin, in his first AHL season, leads Omaha with 17 goals and 58 points in 69 games.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s smart and crafty,&rdquo; said McGill of Calgary&rsquo;s second-rounder from 2001. &ldquo;He reads the game well and his passing ability is phenomenal. He&rsquo;s going to be in the NHL a long time.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-05

Two tutors for Russian

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL JANACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02765/8841254-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="280" height="380"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03602/8841247-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="171" height="169"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>olan Schaefer has spent much of this season just trying to fit in. After going back and forth between four teams in five months, the fourth-year goaltender has found a home in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.</p><p>Schaefer, 27, was acquired from San Jose by Pittsburgh for a seventh round draft pick at the NHL trade deadline. Assigned to the Penguins AHL farm team, he immediately made his presence felt.</p><p>In his first eight games for Wilkes-Barre, Schaefer posted a 6-1-0-0 record with a 1.95 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.</p><p>Schaefer picked up his first shutout of the season March 21, stopping all 17 shots in a 4-0 win over Philadelphia.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been awesome,&rdquo; Schaefer said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve really been trying to make me feel comfortable here.&rdquo;</p><p>The first goalie in San Jose history to win each of his first five NHL starts in 2005-06, Schaefer began the season with the Sharks&rsquo; affiliate in Worcester. He was 5-8-0-3 in 16 games before being loaned to Hershey in January.</p><p>From there, he bounced up and down between the Bears and San Jose.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s kind of been all over the place,&rdquo; said Wilkes-Barre coach Todd Richards. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s played real well for us since he&rsquo;s been here.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-02

Schaefer finds home

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04480/8841292-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>IN TODD THEY TRUST</b> A former unsung defenseman, Todd Nelson was honored by the Portland Pirates. <span class="photo-credit">(ROSS DETTMAN)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011133/8841299-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="203" height="90"></div><p><b>P</b>ortland doesn&rsquo;t play Chicago during the regular season, so Wolves assistant coach <b>Todd Nelson</b> made the trip east himself.</p><p>Nelson, 37, was inducted as the 10th member of the Pirates Hall of Fame, chosen by the fans in an online vote.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m truly honored,&rdquo; said the former defenseman. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say enough about my time in Portland.&rdquo;</p><p>Nelson joins former teammates <b>Andrew Bru-</b><b>nette</b>, <b>Olaf Kolzig</b>, <b>Byron Dafoe</b>, <b>Kevin Kaminski</b>, <b>Steve Poapst</b> and <b>Kent Hulst</b> in the hall, established in 1999. Those players were the core of the Pirates 1994 Calder Cup title team, coached by another Portland hall of famer, <b>Barry Trotz</b>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05399/8841285-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="268" height="325"></div><p>&ldquo;Todd played an important role in the initial success of this franchise,&rdquo; said Pirates managing owner and CEO <b>Brian Petrovek</b>. &ldquo;His work ethic and creativity made him a threat at both ends of the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Nelson was a fourth-year pro when he joined the Pirates for their inaugural 1993-94 season. He played 155 games for Portland, scoring 90 points before leaving following the 1994-95 season.</p><p>Goaltender <b>Martin Brochu</b> and forward <b>Ryan Mulhern</b>&nbsp;are the other Pirates Hall of Fame members.</p><p><b>IN THE FOLD Jack Skille</b>, drafted 17th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2005, made his pro debut for Norfolk.</p><p>The 19-year-old right winger, who recently completed his sophomore season with the Wisconsin Badgers, had three shots in the Admirals&rsquo; 4-2 win over Binghamton March 24. Skille was signed to an amateur tryout contract after ending his college career with 21 goals and 38 points in 65 games.</p><p><b>TOP TRIO</b> Each of the AHL&rsquo;s first three playoff teams came not only from the same conference but the same division, as well.</p><p>Norfolk was the first team to formally clinch a post-season berth March 18 and was followed by Hershey March 21 and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton March 23.</p><p>The three teams are not only battling for the East Division lead, but the overall regular season title.</p><p><b>FOUR PLAY</b> Albany will play four &ldquo;home&rdquo; games next season at the Glens Falls Civic Center, home of the AHL&rsquo;s Adirondack Red Wings from 1979-99.</p><p>The River Rats substituted four of their weeknight games for four Saturday dates in Glens Falls, N.Y., which won&rsquo;t be determined until the overall schedule comes out this summer. The two cities are located 45 miles apart.</p><p>The decision allows the Rats to have four more weekend dates, as well as help the Civic Center gauge interest in bringing back an AHL team. The arena recently created a committee to study the matter.</p><p><b>NOTES</b> Hershey defenseman <b>Tim Wedderburn&rsquo;s</b> goal March 16 was his first in the AHL since March 10, 2003, when he played for Utah&hellip;Providence veteran <b>Nathan Dempsey</b>&nbsp;scored his 100th pro goal March 18 vs. Manchester, his first game since suffering four severe facial fractures Feb. 24&hellip; After being shut out a team-record nine times in 2005-06, Philadelphia has been blanked only three times this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-04

Full Nelson treatment

<div class="byline">BY MIKE MASTOVICH</div><p>As one of the ECHL&rsquo;s highest-rated prospects, NHL first-rounder Devan Dubnyk is enjoying the ride with the Stockton Thunder.</p><p>Dubnyk had 20 wins through March 26, as playoff-bound Stockton had a six-game winning streak.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06349/8841330-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="168" height="164"></div><p>Under different circumstances, Dubnyk, 20, might be a regular in the AHL. A panel of scouts voted the 6-foot-5 netminder the No. 74 prospect in The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch and placed him 15th among goalies. But because the Oilers didn&rsquo;t have an AHL affiliate entering this season, the Regina, Sask., native landed in ECHL.</p><p>&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t have their own AHL team,&rdquo; Dubnyk said of the Oilers, who did recently agree to a three-year affiliation with the AHL&rsquo;s Springfield Falcons beginning next year. &ldquo;They probably could have found me a place to be a backup. But at my age, they want me playing a lot of games. They&rsquo;d rather have me playing in the ECHL than being a backup in the AHL.&rdquo;</p><p>In Stockton, Dubnyk works with Edmonton goalie coach Pete Peeters.</p><p>&ldquo;He started coming to see me right after I got drafted when I was 18 in Kamloops,&rdquo; said Dubnyk, who sports a .918 save percentage. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a huge influence on me both mentally and on the ice. I like how he works with what I have. He doesn&rsquo;t try to make me change.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>ROADRUNNER RESIGNS</b></h2><p>Phoenix coach Ron Filion resigned and was replaced by assistant coach Brad Church.</p><p>Phoenix was 25-34-5 this season and 45-81-10 in two years under Filion.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-06

Rubber quota

<div class="byline">BY RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02859/8841403-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="817" height="1560"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FINN MIGRATION</b> Finns like Frolunda&rsquo;s Antti-Jussi Niemi, right, are on the rise in the Swedish League. <span class="photo-credit">(IHA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>ANY EUROPEAN LEAGUES</b> have claimed to be the &ldquo;next-best league in the world,&rdquo; but few can make the declaration as straight-faced as the Swedes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011273/8841410-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="190" height="115"></div><p>While the Russian League boasts some of the best players outside the NHL, few non-Russians venture east.</p><p>&ldquo;The Russian League is still too unstable and the cultural shock scares away many players,&rdquo; said an agent who requested anonymity.</p><p>But Sweden sounds much better to them.</p><p>Traditionally, the Finnish and Swedish leagues have been considered the best in Europe. But, as the number of Finns playing in Sweden increases, the gap widens, the agent said.</p><p>&ldquo;There were close to 50 Finns in the Swedish Elite League this season and that number is going to go up for next season, maybe up to 60&rdquo;.</p><p>The agent added about a dozen players have already signed with Swedish teams for next season. According to Swedish media reports, more than 20 top Finnish players are rumored to make the move this summer.</p><p>The average salary in Finland is about $80,000 a year, whereas in Sweden, the average is about $120,000.</p><p>&ldquo;Almost everything is better in Sweden,&rdquo; said Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen, CEO of the Finnish League. &ldquo;The arenas, the salaries, the pension funds. We need to get financially better to be able to hold on to players.&rdquo;</p><p>Also, the more open style of play attracts players.</p><p>&ldquo;The Finnish League would be smart to establish itself as a genuine development league for the NHL and carve a niche there,&rdquo; the agent said.</p><p>Farjestad GM Hakan Loob said players are coming to Sweden to continue their development.</p><p>&ldquo;The players coming over are just getting better and that&rsquo;s great,&rdquo; Loob said. &ldquo;We want the best players in Sweden, but not role players in the third or fourth line.&rdquo;</p><h3><b>Canadian University</b></h3><h2><b>Sinclair&rsquo;s &lsquo;stache does the trick again</b></h2><p>Colin Sinclair has a habit of growing a Magnum P.I.-style moustache every time he is on a championship drive. And who can argue when the 25-year-old winger keeps winning big games. The Brooks, Alta., native added a national university championship to the Memorial Cup he captured in 2002 with the Kamloops Blazers when the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds knocked off host team Moncton Aigles Blues in the 2007 title game. &ldquo;It is just a tradition I have had since junior hockey,&rdquo; said Sinclair of the soup strainer on display for those watching the nationally televised game. &ldquo;It keeps making me win so I keep doing it.&rdquo; Prior to the championship, Sinclair, who is completing his MBA, was named the Dr. Randy Gregg Award winner as the nation&rsquo;s outstanding student-athlete. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I am ready for the real world yet,&rdquo; Sin-clair said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to pursue hockey a little more.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03680/8841396-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="165" height="111"></div><p><b>&ndash; JEFF RENAUD</b></p><h3><b>United League</b></h3><h2><b>Sims gets the axe late in season</b></h2><p>Al Sims was looking forward to seeing the team he built take the ice in the playoffs. Unfortunately for Sims, he&rsquo;ll have to watch the Flint Generals from afar after being fired as vice-president of hockey operations with only eight games left in the season. &ldquo;I thought the team was doing well,&rdquo; said Sims, who coached the San Jose Sharks in 1996-97. &ldquo;Hopefully, they will do well in the playoffs.&rdquo; Generals owner Khaled M. Shukairy cited the team&rsquo;s less-than-stellar 28-31-9 record and average attendance of 2,165 as reasons he fired Sims&hellip;The Genesee County prosecutor did not file charges against Elmira defenseman Chris Mann, who was arrested after a brawl outside the Grand Blanc Inn while in Michigan for a game against Flint.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04539/8841389-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="187" height="83"></div><p><b>&ndash; BRENDAN SAVAGE</b></p><h3><b>Central League</b></h3><h2><b>Hockey translates to new audience</b></h2><p>Habla espanol? Si, they speak Spanish, at least in the Central League. As part of a Lubbock Cotton Kings promotion called &ldquo;Hispanic Night,&rdquo; a local cable television affiliate broadcasted a Cotton Kings game against the New Mexico Scorpions in Spanish, the first of its kind locally. &ldquo;We just want to get our hockey product out to as many people as we can,&rdquo; Cotton Kings GM Todd Chisnell told the Lubbock <i>Avalanche-Journal</i>. According to the team, about 35 per cent of the Cotton Kings&rsquo; season ticket holders are Hispanic&hellip;Arizona Sundogs goalie Mike Wall scored his first pro goal, flipping in an empty-netter in a 5-2 win over the Corpus Christi Rayz. Despite past opportunities, it was the first time Wall had attempted a goal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05442/8841382-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="176" height="125"></div><p><b>&ndash; DAVID HENRY</b></p><h3><b>Southern Pro League</b></h3><h2><b>FireAntz heating up at the perfect time</b></h2><p>The Columbus Cottonmouths are regular season champions, but could be without leading scorer Tim Green for the playoffs because of a nagging ankle injury. That leaves the red-hot Fayetteville FireAntz, who won 13 of their final 14 games, as the team nobody wants to play. &ldquo;I would think so,&rdquo; said Columbus coach Jerome Bechard. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got a well-rounded team.&rdquo; Said Fayetteville coach John Marks: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s certainly a nice compliment, but I think it&rsquo;s up in the air. As far as our skating ability, I think we can skate with anybody.&rdquo; The addition of Rob Sich (league-best 46 goals), who was picked up from Florida after the Seals folded, defenseman Mike Clarke and rugged winger Chad Wilcox (126 penalty minutes in 19 games) solidified the FireAntz.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06397/8841375-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="169" height="133"></div><p><b>&ndash; NICK GATES</b></p><h3><b>United States League</b></h3><h2><b>USHL Fall Classic to replace Buc Bowl</b></h2><p>Starting next September, the United States League&rsquo;s pre-season tournament will have a new home. Known as the Buc Bowl &ndash; and having been played in Des Moines for the last 17 years &ndash; next year&rsquo;s event will be held in Sioux City and be renamed the USHL Fall Classic. The plan is to rotate the event every few years to a different USHL town. &ldquo;This event is extremely important from a league and scouting standpoint,&rdquo; said USHL president Gino Gasparini. &ldquo;We had a number of teams that wanted to host events in the pre-season. Rather than have too many and burden teams to play in more than one, the board decided it was in the best interest of the league to open up the event to everyone and allow it to change venues every couple of years.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07351/8841368-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="189" height="61"></div><p><b>&ndash; PAUL SHAHEEN</b></p><h3><b>The Women&rsquo;s Game</b></h3><h2><b>Bauer leads Badgers to second NCAA title</b></h2><p>Competing with two broken ribs might prevent a lot of players from performing. But not for Wisconsin Badger Sara Bauer, who was injured prior to the playoffs when she collided with a goal post. At 5-foot-3 and roughly 110 pounds, the small but mighty Bauer led the Badgers to a second straight national title and was named the Frozen Four&rsquo;s most outstanding player for the second consecutive season. The senior forward had one goal and six points in two games at the event. &ldquo;There is something special about playing hockey,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;You might have an injury, but once you&rsquo;re out there you don&rsquo;t feel it.&rdquo; The St. Catharines, Ont., native was WCHA player of the year and league scoring champ with 24 goals and 72 points in 41 games.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-08312/8841361-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="139" height="139"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>&ndash; ELIZABETH ETUE</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

Scandinavian divide forms

<div class="byline">BY ROB VANSTONE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02829/8841469-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVID PITCHER/SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>AARON GAGNON</b> is one of the Western League&rsquo;s fastest players, but he has been slow in one regard.</p><p>It took him some time to warm to the no-tion of returning for a fifth season with the Seattle Thunderbirds.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011190/8841476-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="153" height="116"></div><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t very happy at first, but you have to deal with the card you&rsquo;re dealt,&rdquo; Gagnon said. &ldquo;I made the best of it and I&rsquo;m happy with how things have gone.&rdquo;</p><p>The only regrets are harbored by opposing goalies, who were repeatedly scorched by Gagnon.</p><p>The 20-year-old center scored 42 goals &ndash; which placed him second to Brandon&rsquo;s Mark Derlago, who tallied 46 &ndash; despite playing only 59 games. Gagnon&rsquo;s goal total, projected over a full schedule of 72 games, computes to 51.</p><p>The Dallas Stars took notice of Gagnon&rsquo;s excellence, signing him to an NHL contract in February. Gagnon had attended the Stars&rsquo; 2006 training camp as a free agent invitee after the Phoenix Coyotes, who made him an eighth round selection in 2004, opted against signing him.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely an exciting time,&rdquo; said Gagnon, who missed 11 games this season with a separated shoulder.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what you play hockey for &ndash; a career. It gives me a place to play next year and for the years to come. I&rsquo;m extremely happy about that and hope to make the best of it and not change the way I&rsquo;ve been playing.&rdquo;</p><p>Why change? Gagnon&rsquo;s speed is already of NHL-caliber, according to Thunderbirds GM Russ Farwell.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a good skater,&rdquo; Farwell said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a necessary piece now and he does that. You could throw him out in an NHL game tomorrow and there might be some other things, but he wouldn&rsquo;t stand out as someone who doesn&rsquo;t belong because he&rsquo;s a real good skater and a strong guy and he has got a real good understanding of the game.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not building a case that he&rsquo;s ready to step immediately into the NHL full time, but there&rsquo;s nothing in his game that would tell you he can&rsquo;t become a player.&rdquo;</p><p>Gagnon is equally quick to volunteer in the community. He is particularly active with Seattle&rsquo;s Ronald McDonald House.</p><p>&ldquo;Going down there and seeing what these kids with cancer have to deal with is just amazing,&rdquo; said the Armstrong, B.C., native. &ldquo;It warms your heart. You pretty much act like a kid yourself, playing games with them.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Spotlight</b></h2><h3><b>AARON GAGNON</b></h3><p><b>Height:</b> 5-11 <b>Weight:</b> 189</p><p><b>GP</b> 59 <b>G</b> 42 <b>A</b> 38 <b>Pts</b> 80</p><p><b>NHL Rights:</b> Signed as a free agent by the Dallas Stars in February, 2007</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03681/8841462-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="215" height="148"></div><h3><b>Western League</b></h3><h2><b>Bittersweet success story for scoring whiz Boychuk</b></h2><p><b>BY ROB VANSTONE</b></p><p><b>Zach Boychuk</b> has a long off-season to reflect on his best season.</p><p>The Lethbridge center (eligible for the 2008 draft) registered 91 points &ndash; tying him for second in league scoring with Kootenay&rsquo;s <b>Steve DaSilva</b>. But insufficient points in the standings prevented the Hurricanes from getting a post-season invite.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04551/8841455-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="153" height="116"></div><p>&ldquo;It was definitely a disappointment, especially with the team we have,&rdquo; said Boychuk, 17, who scored eight points in his last game. &ldquo;We have a really skilled team and a lot of guys had career years.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed we couldn&rsquo;t figure out the defensive part of the game. We were in the top five in goals, but we weren&rsquo;t as good at the other end of the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Lethbridge (33-34-2-3) was fourth in goals scored (254), but fourth-worst in goals against (265).</p><p><b>NOTES</b> Everett&rsquo;s <b>Zach Hamill</b> won the scoring race with 93 points, the lowest ever by a WHL scoring champion. The 46 goals scored by Brandon&rsquo;s <b>Mark Derlago</b> also represented a low for a goal-scoring champion. However, league goal-scoring spiked five per cent to 6.12 goals per game, up from 5.83 last season and 5.43 the year before. The WHL adopted the NHL&rsquo;s standard of rule enforcement this year.</p><h3><b>Ontario League</b></h3><h2><b>Kingston getting new home, but lose Memorial Cup bid</b></h2><p><b>BY JIM CRESSMAN</b></p><p>The Kingston Frontenacs will have their new home.</p><p>City council voted to proceed with the $41-million project, now already $4.3 million over budget. Construction was halted in February when a councillor introduced a motion the arena be scrapped, despite the city facing a $13.5-million penalty to the contractor.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05466/8841448-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="190" height="65"></div><p>&ldquo;They were already millions of dollars into it,&rdquo; said Frontenacs owner <b>Doug Springer</b>, who has a 20-year deal with the city, plus four, five-year options. &ldquo;It really became ugly. There was a lot of outrage. Council got thousands  of e-mails in support of the project.&rdquo;</p><p>The OHL&rsquo;s Memorial Cup site selection committee dropped Kingston from its short list for 2008.</p><p><b>NOTES</b> Two Saginaw Spirit players, <b>Ryan McDonough</b>, 19, and <b>Chris Chappell</b>, 18, and former Spirit players <b>Scott Fletcher</b>, 19, and <b>Matt Corrente</b>, 18, who now play with Mississauga, and <b>Zack Torquato</b>, 17, now with Erie, were each sentenced to two years probation, 250 hours community service, fined $1,095 and must continue with counselling after pleading guilty in Saginaw County court to misdemeanor assault and battery following &ldquo;improper conduct&rdquo; with a 15-year-old girl last October.</p><h3><b>Quebec League</b></h3><h2><b>MacDonald makes impact, may play for Nolan again</b></h2><p><b>BY NEIL HODGE</b></p><p>New York Islanders coach <b>Ted Nolan</b> convinced the team to draft Moncton Wild-cats defenseman <b>Andrew MacDonald</b> in the sixth round in 2006. You can bet he was smiling from afar when the 20-year-old was named to the QMJHL first all-star team this season.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06423/8841441-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="148" height="136"></div><p>Nolan brought in MacDonald as a free agent when he coached Moncton last year. He was a key figure in helping the team win the league championship and advance to the Memorial Cup final.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve really worked on my defensive game this season,&rdquo; said MacDonald, who&rsquo;s 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. &ldquo;I learned a lot from our coaches doing countless hours of video and reviewing plays. I&rsquo;ve improved my overall game.&rdquo;</p><p>MacDonald had 14 goals and 58 points in 65 games.</p><p>&ldquo;The biggest thing he needs at this stage is to fill out with some weight and upper-body muscle,&rdquo; said Nolan during Islanders training camp.</p><p><b>NOTES</b> Other NHL picks on the QMJHL first all-star team are: Cape Breton goalie <b>Ondrej Pavelec</b> (Atlanta), Val d&rsquo;Or defenseman <b>Kristopher Letang</b> (Pittsburgh), Gatineau left winger <b>Viatcheslav Trukhno</b> (Edmonton) and Acadie-Bathurst center <b>Ma</b><b>thieu Perreault</b> (Washington).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0035-02

Blessing in disguise

<div class="byline">BY LARRY MAHONEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02759/8841542-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>LAST YEAR</b> was an eye-opener for Boston College right winger Brock Bradford.</p><p>The sophomore had been a prolific goal-scorer in Coquitlam of the British Columbia League and Omaha of the United States League, but the adjustment to Hockey East proved a challenging task.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011163/8841549-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="149" height="149"></div><p>He had just six goals and 18 points in 42 games.</p><p>&ldquo;After the season, I looked back and realized I needed to work pretty hard to compete,&rdquo; Bradford said. &ldquo;I learned quite a bit. The biggest thing was the players were a lot older. So I had to get stronger.&rdquo;</p><p>The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Bradford, a seventh round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2005, altered his off-season workouts to better suit his needs. Rather than playing games in a summer league, Bradford preferred to work on individual skills.</p><p>The decision paid off.</p><p>The Burnaby, B.C., native had 19 goals and 43 points in 40 games as the Eagles sewed up a Frozen Four berth. His five game-winning goals were second on the team and he added six power play goals.</p><p>&ldquo;He has taken a quantum leap,&rdquo; said BC coach Jerry York. &ldquo;He feels more comfortable in the league. He has terrific hockey sense and skill.&rdquo;</p><p>His production hasn&rsquo;t come as a complete surprise to Bradford.</p><p>&ldquo;I expected to score goals,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been getting in better scoring position and getting better shots. I&rsquo;ve been bearing down more.&rdquo;</p><p>Providence coach Tim Army said Bradford is a fast, skilled player. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a quick-strike kind of player,&rdquo; Army said. &ldquo;He can make something happen very quickly off a broken play.&rdquo;</p><p>Bradford has taken on a more prominent role. In addition to taking a regular shift on one of the top lines and playing on the power play, he also kills penalties.</p><p>Bradford credited BC coaches and teammates for his development. He said the increased ice time heightened his confidence level because it demonstrated the staff believed in him.</p><p>If he&rsquo;s to play at the pro level, Bradford will need to make some adjustments.</p><p>&ldquo;He will have to play to his strengths on a nightto-night basis,&rdquo; Army said. &ldquo;When you look at an 80-game schedule, it&rsquo;s demanding physically and mentally and it&rsquo;s an even bigger challenge for a small player. He&rsquo;ll have to get used to the physicality.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>Spotlight</b></h2><h3><b>BROCK BRADFORD</b></h3><p><b>Height:</b> 5-10 <b>Weight:</b> 165</p><p><b>GP</b> 19</p><p><b>G A</b> 24 <b>Pts</b> 43</p><p><b>Draft Status:</b> Selected 217th overall by Boston in 2005 NHL draft</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03629/8841535-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="208" height="192"></div><h3><b>Central Collegiate</b></h3><h2><b>Superior brand of play bodes well for future</b></h2><p><b>BY PHILIP COLVIN</b></p><p>Lake Superior State&rsquo;s season included the usual illnesses, injuries and obstacles, but it ended with a trip to Detroit&rsquo;s Joe Louis Arena for the Mason Cup playoffs. The Lakers, who finished eighth in the 12-team league standings, knocked off Ferris State and Miami in the CCHA playoffs to make it the semifinal, before losing to top-ranked Notre Dame. &ldquo;I am so proud of our guys, especially the seniors,&rdquo; said Lake Superior State coach <b>Jim Roque</b>. &ldquo;They paid the price to make it this far and the run has added some more to the program and we can build upon that.&rdquo; Senior forward <b>Trent Campbell</b> led the Lakers in scoring and a pair of second team all-CCHA members &ndash; senior goalie <b>Jeff Jakaitis</b> and junior defenseman <b>Derek A. Smith</b> &ndash; were outstanding all year. &ldquo;We spent a lot of time this season with our backs against the wall,&rdquo; said senior captain <b>Barnabas Birkeland</b>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04488/8841528-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="193" height="72"></div><h3><b>Hockey East</b></h3><h2><b>Schneider shines in the playoff crunch</b></h2><p><b>BY LARRY MAHONEY</b></p><p>Goalies&rsquo; reputations are carved out when the pressure is on. Boston College junior stopper <b>Cory Schneider</b> is becoming a playoff legend. Entering the Frozen Four, the Vancouver Canucks first-rounder had compiled a 12-2 record, 1.39 goals-against average and .956 save percentage during post-season play over the past two years. He also had four shutouts. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s calm in the net,&rdquo; said Maine senior left winger <b>Josh Soares</b>. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very good positionally, he&rsquo;s got pretty good size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) and he doesn&rsquo;t overexert himself. You never see him really flop around. He has great mobility and he always squares up to the puck.&rdquo; Maine senior center <b>Mike Hamilton</b> added: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s so consistent. He doesn&rsquo;t give up a lot of rebounds. He has played almost 40 games this year and he&rsquo;s definitely been the backbone of their team. He&rsquo;s a big reason they&rsquo;ve been so successful.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05412/8841521-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="197" height="89"></div><h3><b>Eastern College</b></h3><h2><b>Decorated Bobcat cashes in with Leafs</b></h2><p><b>BY TOM BOGGIE</b></p><p><b>Reid Cashman</b> honored his commitment and then was gone. Just two days after the Quinnipiac Bobcats saw their season come to an end with a loss to Clarkson in the ECAC championship game, their all-America defenseman signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Red Wing, Minn., left Quinnipiac as the most celebrated player in the program&rsquo;s history. A two-time all-America and two-time Hobey Baker finalist, he leaves as the Bobcats&rsquo; all-time leader in games played (151) and assists (125). He also ranks seventh all-time with 148 points. &ldquo;Offensively, his two best assets are his vision &ndash; he has an uncanny sense of understanding how the play will develop &ndash; and his ability to get pucks to the net,&rdquo; said Quinnipiac coach <b>Rand Pecknold</b>. Cashman had an assist in his pro hockey debut with the American League&rsquo;s Toronto Marlies.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06360/8841514-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="208" height="77"></div><h3><b>Western Collegiate</b></h3><h2><b>Gophers going home, Sioux still fighting</b></h2><p><b>BY ANDY BAGGOT</b></p><p>Minnesota won the league regular season and playoff titles, but finished agonizingly short of its ultimate goal. The Gophers dropped a 3-2 overtime verdict to WCHA rival North Dakota in the NCAA West Regional championship game March 26. The decision came a week after Minnesota knocked off the Fighting Sioux in the WCHA Final Five by the identical score in overtime. &ldquo;The last two weekends we went toe-to-toe,&rdquo; said Gophers coach <b>Don Lucia</b>. &ldquo;It was a split decision. Unfortunately we don&rsquo;t get to play them again.&rdquo; Minnesota was trying to reach the NCAA Frozen Four and win its first national title since 2003, but a wrap-around goal by Fighting Sioux winger <b>Chris Porter</b> finished off a duel that was decided in part by how the Gophers were put on their heels early in regulation and overtime. North Dakota advanced to its third straight Frozen Four under third-year coach <b>Dave Hakstol</b>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07320/8841507-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="212" height="47"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-02

Quantum leap forward

f0037-01

2006-07 Statistics

<div class="byline">BY NATHAN WHITE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01637/8841632-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>IMPORTANT NUMBERS</b> As a diabetic, Alexi Pianosi must monitor his blood-sugar level closely.</figcaption></div><p>When Alexi Pianosi falls asleep on the team bus, he has a lot more to fear than pranks from the veterans.</p><p>That&rsquo;s because the 17-year-old Moncton Wildcats defenseman is diabetic and has to keep a close eye on his blood sugar.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be really careful, especially when you fall off to sleep because it&rsquo;s really precarious and delicate on the bus,&rdquo; says Pianosi, who risks having a seizure or even going unconscious if his sugar gets too low.</p><p>Making the jump to the Quebec League from midget hockey, Pianosi has enough to worry about without the constant monitoring and six daily insulin injections that keep his body functioning properly. He&rsquo;s living away from his Halifax home, competing with older players for ice time and trying to get some homework done while adjusting to a grueling schedule.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">His favorite snack? Skit-tles, which he often has to pop on the bench to balance his blood sugar</blockquote><p>But Pianosi, who was diagnosed three years ago, looks on the bright side and says dealing with his diabetes has helped make him mature for his age.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to be much more responsible in taking care of yourself,&rdquo; says the 5-foot-9, 190-pound rearguard, who always carries supplies to boost his sugar in case of an emergency.</p><p>His favorite snack when he&rsquo;s feeling a little low? Skittles, which he often has to pop on the bench because the physical activity can drain his sugar in a hurry.</p><p>&ldquo;The fast pace and the adrenaline that you get playing really brings your blood sugar down,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You have to be careful and often I&rsquo;ll ask my trainer for some Skittles or a granola bar to help bring my blood sugar back up to keep me level for the rest of the game.&rdquo;</p><p>Pianosi, who&rsquo;s known as a big eater, says some people who don&rsquo;t understand the disease are surprised at how he chows down.</p><p>&ldquo;People often act as though you can&rsquo;t have sugar and you can&rsquo;t have this and that, but I can eat whatever I want as long as I give enough insulin for it and manage myself properly,&rdquo; he says.</p><p>Another misconception about diabetics is that they can&rsquo;t play sports at a high level, but Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke has already disproved that myth in the 1970s. Phoenix Coyotes blueliner Nick Boynton, who shares Pianosi&rsquo;s No. 44 (it&rsquo;s a coincidence), also deals has diabetes.</p><p>Pianosi, who missed nine games this year with a cracked vertebra, was a high-scoring defenseman in midget, picking up the MVP award in his Nova Scotia league last year and playing in the world under-17 challenge. But Wildcats coach John Torchetti asked him to concentrate on his defensive game for much of the 2006-07 season.</p><p>Although Pianosi didn&rsquo;t crack the NHL Central Scouting&rsquo;s mid-season rankings for the 2007 draft, Torchetti believes scouts will see continued improvement as Pianosi expands his offensive game.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a strong kid, he&rsquo;s one of our smartest defensemen and at 17 years old that&rsquo;s a compliment,&rdquo; says Torchetti, who has coached the Florida Panthers and L.A. Kings. &ldquo;When somebody drafts him they&rsquo;re going to be very happy with this kid. For a 17-year-old defenseman, if you&rsquo;re looking for a real smart, makes-the-right-plays type of guy and a student of the game, this is the kid.&rdquo;</p><p>Torchetti added diabetes has helped Pianosi develop discipline and he sees him as a future leader on the team, which has 12 rookies.</p><p>&ldquo;That is tough to be able to do (deal with diabetes),&rdquo; says Torchetti. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s a fantastic student in school, he&rsquo;s the type of kid who cares, he&rsquo;s a great kid.</p><p>&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t act 17, I can tell you that.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02420/8841625-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="954" height="1516"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DANIEL ST.LOUIS)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0043-01

Blood battle being won

<div class="byline">Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02305/8841663-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE ONE</b> And most likely, only 50-goal scorer this year, Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Vincent Lecavalier. <span class="photo-credit">(PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01528/8841670-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="221" height="233"></div><p>Read Adam&rsquo;s blog daily on <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p>Seldom is the Unlikely Hero celebrated as much as in the National Hockey League playoffs.</p><p>Chris Kontos came out of nowhere (OK, he came out of the Swiss League) in 1989 to score nine goals in 11 games for the L.A. Kings. John Druce had 14 goals in 15 games with Washington in 1990 to lead the Capitals to their first-ever appearance in the conference final. Dave Lowry spent 10 years in the NHL and never amassed more than two goals in a single post-season &ndash; that is, before he netted 10 in 22 games with Florida in 1996.</p><p>There are dozens of other examples to marvel at, but to be honest, I hope the U.H. list doesn&rsquo;t get too much of a lengthening this spring.</p><p>If ever a league needed its stars to be its stars, it&rsquo;s the NHL circa 2007.</p><p>I&rsquo;d prefer the stepping up to be done by Marian Hossa in Atlanta, Marian Gaborik in Minnesota, or Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh. I&rsquo;d like the starring roles to be filled by players paid a star&rsquo;s salary, such as Calgary&rsquo;s Jarome Iginla, Nashville&rsquo;s Peter Forsberg, or Detroit&rsquo;s Nicklas Lidstrom.</p><p>It doesn&rsquo;t even have to be a forward to make me happy. For all I care, it could be any or all of the Isles&rsquo; Rick DiPietro, the Canucks&rsquo; Roberto Luongo and the Devils&rsquo; Martin Brodeur making headlines. So long as the spotlight shines on someone who&rsquo;s a household name in more households than his own, the game&rsquo;s on-ice product will keep in line with its off-ice marketing &ndash; and that&rsquo;s crucial.</p><h2><b>EMBRACE THE OFFENSE</b></h2><p>Unfortunately, I&rsquo;m not feeling all that optimistic about the chances of a star-spangled finish to the season. That&rsquo;s because, though the NHL has made notable strides into the modern era of sports-as-entertainment, it remains hesitant to value scoring chances over that of effective-yet-dull defensive tactics.</p><p>Disagree? Explain, then, how league scoring is somehow down to 5.8 goals-per-game this season from an average of 6.1 in 2005-06. And after you&rsquo;re done, explain why there will likely only be one 50-goal scorer (Vincent Lecavalier), when there were five last year.</p><p>League disciplinarian Colin Campbell has said the reason for the offensive slowdown is due to teams&rsquo; adjustments to the new interpretation of the rulebook. If that&rsquo;s true, shouldn&rsquo;t we have seen a portion of overall scoring merely shift from the power play to 5-on-5? If the players are following the rules, doesn&rsquo;t that mean full-strength matchups should be more exciting, not less so?</p><p>To me, there are a couple of reasons why offense is on the wane: First, if there hasn&rsquo;t been an outright relaxation of the crackdown on obstruction that began last season, there have certainly been as many, if not more inconsistencies this year. And while I realize the officials&rsquo; learning process takes more than a year or two to implement, there&rsquo;s no denying the imbalance in the interim.</p><p>Then, there&rsquo;s the time-tested fact NHL coaches favor a system of lowest common denominator-dom (emphasis on the last syllable), rather than one that caters to the game&rsquo;s top scoring talents.</p><p>If hockey coaches were charged with the task of writing operas, they&rsquo;d design them with the choir forever at the fore while leaving the tenors and sopranos to wander the wings without aim. If they were instructed to reinterpret <i>Hamlet</i>, they&rsquo;d make Rosencrantz and Guildenstern the sole focus.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">In hockey, the game drives the stars &ndash; far too often head-first into the boards</blockquote><p>Ask them to teach you to fish, and they&rsquo;d show you how to sink the other boats.</p><p>Funny how none of the other big leagues do it the NHL&rsquo;s way. Strange how the NFL permits its quarterbacks a modicum of time and protection to work their magic for the paying customer. Odd how baseball is a stickler over not allowing catchers to mess with a batter&rsquo;s swing.</p><p>And say what you will about the NBA&rsquo;s, ahem, curious officiating standards, but they clearly comprehend whom fans have shelled out to see. They know which players move posters and jerseys, and their rules reflect those realities.</p><h2><b>STAR SEARCH</b></h2><p>In pro basketball, baseball and football, the stars drive the game; in hockey, the game drives the stars &ndash; far too often, headfirst into the boards. When it spites the side its bread is buttered on and dives toothlong into the boring part of the bun, is it any wonder the NHL can&rsquo;t catch on in any deep, far-reaching way?</p><p>This is why the degree to which NHL stars succeed this year will be my biggest gauge of the league&rsquo;s long-term health. There&rsquo;s room for another Unlikely Hero or two on the road to Stanley Cup glory, but it&rsquo;s in the interest of all hockey fans that a fairly familiar, aptly-advertised soul serve as the biggest story.</p><p>For the &lsquo;me&rsquo; generation, &lsquo;we&rsquo; &ndash; or &lsquo;who&rsquo;s he?&rsquo; &ndash; just won&rsquo;t cut it anymore.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

We need a hero this post-season

<h2><b>2 MINUTES IN THE BOX WITH</b>&nbsp;<b>Tuomo Ruutu</b></h2><p>Chicago Blackhawks</p><p>PosC Age24</p><p>Birthplace Vantaa, Fin.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01449/8841736-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="280" height="375"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02276/8841729-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="187" height="163"></div><h2><b>START THE CLOCK</b></h2><p><b>What was your &ldquo;welcome to the NHL&rdquo; moment?</b></p><p>In my second game, against the Avs, I was on a 2-on-2 with Rob Blake in front of me. He nailed me. I think it was a good wake-up call &ndash; you gotta keep your head up.</p><p><b>If you had your own theme song, what would it be?</b></p><p>Either <i>Kickstart my Heart</i> by Motley Crue or <i>Welcome to the Jungle</i> by Guns &lsquo;N&rsquo; Roses. Those get me pumped.</p><p><b>Strangest encounter with a fan?</b></p><p>A friend tried to introduce himself as me to a girl at a party. The next day my buddies called me and said &lsquo;Hey, we heard you were at that party last night.&rsquo; I had no idea what was happening. He kept pretending to be me for, like, a year until we figured out who it was.</p><p><b>Best vacation you&rsquo;ve ever been on?</b></p><p>Iceland. Those people are from some-where else. Get ready to party.</p><p><b>Favorite junk food?</b></p><p>Pizza, burgers&hellip;everything&rsquo;s good.</p><p><b>What do you do on team flights?</b></p><p>I do a lot of crossword puzzles. Martin Lapointe always teases me that I never finish them, but he&rsquo;ll see.</p><p><b>Favorite jersey of all-time?</b></p><p>It&rsquo;s not just because I play for them, but Chicago. I used to try to draw the logo all the time when I was a kid.</p><p>TIME&rsquo;S UP!</p><p>&ndash; RYAN KENNEDY</p><h2><b>CROSSWORD</b></h2><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1 Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s nickname: 3 words</p><p>8 The playoffs begin early this month</p><p>9 He&rsquo;s in the record books with a 10-point game</p><p>10 Run at an opponent</p><p>11 They represent players at contract time</p><p>12 &lsquo;Chico&rsquo; was with the Isles for their first Cup</p><p>14 There&rsquo;s AHL hockey in ___ Island (in Providence)</p><p>17 Purchased</p><p>19 The Maple Leafs play at the Air ___ Centre</p><p>20 Joe Sakic hails from ___, B.C.</p><p>21 He&rsquo;s the Islanders coach, pictured</p><p>22 They represent their teams at league meetings</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>2 Sending the puck the length of the rink</p><p>3 One of the nicknames of Laval&rsquo;s former Quebec League team</p><p>4 Ties</p><p>5 The ledge at the top of the boards</p><p>6 Trophy won by Joe Thornton in 2006</p><p>7 Mark Messier was a &lsquo;Broadway ___&rsquo;</p><p>11 Rochester is home to the AHL&rsquo;s ___</p><p>13 An Eastern Collegiate university (or, former TV host Ward ___)</p><p>15 Finish</p><p>16 Accelerate, ___ ___ the jets</p><p>17 Former referee ___ Hood</p><p>18 German-born Willie ___ was an NHLer for a decade</p><p><b>By Larry Humber</b></p><p>Answers in next issue & online @thehockeynews.com</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03226/8841722-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="1025" height="1025"></div><p>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION <b>ACROSS</b> 1. MIIKKA, 4. SAVARD, 9. SHIELDS, 10. RUINS, 11. EGG ON, 12. DELMORE, 13. RYAN, 15. SEAN, 18. EJECTED, 21. LILJA, 23. SIMON, 24. CANUCKS, 25. YANKED, 26. JENSEN. <b>DOWN</b> 1. MASKED, 2. ICING, 3. KALININ, 5. APRIL, 6. ARIZONA, 7. DASHER, 8. USED, 14. YZERMAN, 15. SELANNE, 16. JERSEY, 17. DAWSON, 19. TENSE, 20. DICK, 22. LACES.</p><h2><b>SEPARATED AT BIRTH</b></h2><p>Have you spotted these two personalities in the same room at the same time? Submitted by Blair Sherman of Peterborough, Ont.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04196/8841715-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="280" height="266"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THOMAS VANEK</b></figcaption></div><p>First Austrian to play in the NHL is a rising star in Buffalo</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05173/8841708-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="280" height="266"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HAYLEY WICKENHEISER</b></figcaption></div><p>First woman to play in Finnish men&rsquo;s league is a legend</p><p>Submit ideas for Separated at Birth to <a href="mailto:separated@thehockeynews.com">separated@thehockeynews.com</a></p><h2><b>JERSEY HOUND</b></h2><h3><b>Notre Dame (CCHA)</b></h3><p>The Fighting Irish are an institution in college football and a dangerous foe in basketball, but it&rsquo;s the skatin&rsquo; Irish who claimed a No. 1 ranking this season.</p><p>With so much tradition and iconography at their school (the shamrock, the dukes-up mascot, the interlocked &lsquo;ND&rsquo;), it&rsquo;s cool to see the hockey team with its own distinct lettering instead of relying on designs associated with other sports.</p><p>Even though the traditional logos are still used, it&rsquo;s in a subtle way and the crispness of the white jerseys makes the Irish look golden.</p><p>&ndash; Ryan Kennedy</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06148/8841701-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="415" height="823"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: MATT CASHORE)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0045-01

Last Minute of Play

<div class="byline">bycharlieteljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07133/8841767-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0045-07

hockeysockpuppettheatre

<div class="byline">Mike Brophy</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02270/8841798-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ivanans vs. Gratton <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01439/8841805-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="221" height="237"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b> think I have the solution that will satisfy those who think fighting should continue to be a part of the game and those who are disturbed by the number of players whose only job is to fight: Keep fighting in the game, but eject any player that fights if he plays less than an average of 10 minutes a night.</p><p>Make players earn the right to fight. It would be a huge step toward ridding the game of fighting specialists &ndash; players who cannot play and are only there to beat up players on the other team. Teams can continue to carry players of that ilk, but do so knowing if they don&rsquo;t get their ice time up to 10 minutes a game, they will be ejected each time they fight. And if the NHL wants to take it a step further, make the suspension longer with each ensuing fight. Players are subject to suspension for repeat ejections.</p><p>New players entering the NHL could have three games grace where their average ice time is set at 10 minutes. In Game 4, however, their actual average ice time through the first three games is used. So if a kid like David Koci is called up by Chicago, he can fight all he wants in his first three games, but in Game 4, he had better have averaged 10 minutes playing time in the first three games or he&rsquo;ll be ejected if he fights. In six NHL games this season, Koci had six fights and averaged 3:36 playing time.</p><p>&ldquo;I think there is validity to your idea,&rdquo; says Colin Campbell, the NHL&rsquo;s vice-president of hockey operations. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t mind the tough guys who go out and play. What I hate is bullies, guys that just go out to intimidate.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FIGHTING&rsquo;S EVOLUTION</b></h2><p>I don&rsquo;t think it is fighting itself that has people up in arms. Nobody used to care when players such as John Ferguson, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard dropped the gloves, because they could play the game, too. Players hit for themselves and fought their own battles. Even Dave Keon, who was the Mr. Clean of his era, dropped his gloves to fight (once). But fighting has evolved to the point where many teams carry a player or two whose only purpose is to fight.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">Nobody had a <b>problem</b> when <b>Jarome Iginla</b> and <b>Vinny Lecavalier</b>&nbsp;<i>dropped the mitts.</i></blockquote><p>Nobody had a problem when Jarome Iginla and Vinny Lecavalier dropped the mitts for a lively bout during the 2004 Stanley Cup final. Iginla and Lecavalier are superstars whose fight was pure spontaneous combustion, not staged. But when Georges Laraque, wearing a microphone for TV, leans over at a faceoff and asks L.A.&rsquo;s Raitis Ivanans, &ldquo;Wanna go?&rdquo; for absolutely no reason other than to justify his existence &ndash; and then says, &ldquo;Good luck&rdquo; &ndash; that is what gives fighting in hockey a bad name.</p><p>What seems to trouble people the most is when a 6-foot-7, 250-pound Derek Boogaard or a 6-foot-3, 225-pound Colton Orr &ndash; neither of whom can play a lick &ndash; lays a horrific beating on an opponent. These guys, and many others, are fighting machines so we should not be shocked on any level when they crush Todd Fedoruk in a fight and he is carried off the ice on a stretcher.</p><p>That is not to suggest there isn&rsquo;t room in the NHL for the big man who can play and occasionally fight. Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara, at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, is both a great player and great fighter.</p><p>Ottawa&rsquo;s Chris Neil is the perfect example of a player who fights, but can also take a shift when the game is on the line. And unlike many of the goons that only fight, he will dress and play in the playoffs. In 76 games this season, Neil had 12 goals and 27 points with 157 penalty minutes. He had eight fights, but also netted three power play goals and three game-winners.</p><p>Consider: George Parros, Brian McGrattan, Andrew Peters, Jody Shelley, Boogaard and Orr had just three goals and eight points among them in a combined 290 games. Of that group of skilled and finesse players, only Orr, at 5:05, was averaging more than five minutes of ice time per game.</p><h2><b>COACH&rsquo;S CALL</b></h2><p>If coaches want to carry players who have no value other than their ability to fight, so be it. But they had better find a way to get them 10 minutes of playing time per game because if they can&rsquo;t, those players will be taking up valuable salary cap space and will be suspended more often than not.</p><p>&ldquo;There is no doubt we need to target one-dimensional players,&rdquo; says one NHL GM. &ldquo;If you can&rsquo;t play a regular shift and you&rsquo;re just around to scare the crap out of guys who know how to play hockey, I think our society and sport have gone beyond that.&rdquo;</p><p>There is a place in the game for fighting, but no place for players who only fight.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Search for your favorite player or team

April 10, 2007

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

Plus/Minus

Six pedigrees of separation

NHL Depth Charts