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.

June 26, 2007

The Hockey News - Jun-26-07

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03591/9016191-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HE&rsquo;S BACK</b> Coach Kevin Constantine left major junior to return to pro hockey with the Houston Aeros, <span class="photo-credit">(FRANK DIENES III)</span></figcaption></div><p>After a five-year hiatus from coaching pro hockey, <b>Kevin Constantine</b> will be behind the bench of the Houston Aeros next season.</p><p>Constantine, 48, earned a reputation for his strict discipline during three different NHL coaching stints, which is something the parent Minnesota Wild certainly won&rsquo;t mind for its development team.</p><p>But his major role will be teaching, something Constantine loves. He spent the past four seasons as coach-GM of the Western League&rsquo;s Everett Silvertips and coached the New Jersey Devils for 31 games in 2001-02.</p><p>The best example of his ability as a teacher is perhaps found in the sports video aisle. <i>Total</i>&nbsp;<i>Hockey</i> is his 12-CD software DVD series.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="85" height="85"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 85px"><b>West</b></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;A development team requires a leader who will teach the players the game, while at the same time instilling the discipline, accountability and hard work required to play in the NHL for this organization,&rdquo; said Wild assistant GM <b>Tom Lynn</b>, who oversees operations in Houston.</p><p><b>AMERK INFIGHTING</b> The minority ownership partner in the Rochester Americans, <b>Randall Latona</b>, is suing to have team president <b>Steve Donner</b> stripped from all decision-making powers.</p><p>In a lawsuit filed in New York Supreme Court, Latona cites fiscal irresponsibility, lists what he claims are numerous outstanding debts and claims the organization&rsquo;s image has been tarnished.</p><p>The Amerks weren&rsquo;t allowed to vote at the annual spring meeting because they hadn&rsquo;t paid annual dues. The voting rights will be restored by the summer meeting.</p><p>Donner said he couldn&rsquo;t comment on specifics in the lawsuit, but said he has been at odds with Latona, who owns 20 per cent of the AHL team.</p><p>&ldquo;We have been looking for an amicable end,&rdquo; Donner said. &ldquo;Obviously we have not found it.&rdquo;</p><p>Donner has been Amerks president and the owner or majority owner since 1995.</p><p><b>MOOSE WANDER</b> European teams plucked right winger <b>Lee Goren</b> and forward <b>Brandon Reid</b> away from the Manitoba Moose.</p><p>Goren signed with Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish League. The seventh-year veteran scored 165 goals and 359 points in 448 AHL games with three teams.</p><p>Reid is going back to Germany, where he played during the lockout season. He scored 70 goals and 181 points in 259 games over four seasons with Manitoba, and two goals and six points in 13 NHL games with Vancouver.</p><p><b>WEST ALIGNMENT</b> The addition of the Rockford franchise (affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks), Lake Erie Monsters (Colorado Avalanche) and shifting of Omaha (Calgary Flames) to Quad City prompted divisional realignment in the Western Conference.</p><p>Cleveland-based Lake Erie joins the North, while Quad City stays in the West Division, which also added Rockford to become the league&rsquo;s only eight-team division.</p><p><b>STILL PARTNERS</b> The Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers will continue to stock Rochester, which now has the AHL&rsquo;s only dual affiliation.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><p>As of June 14, 2007</p><h3><b>AHL TOP 10</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04498/9016177-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="512" height="536"></div><p><b>DROPPED OUT OF TOP 10</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05449/9016170-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="254" height="343"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DARREN HAYDAR</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06397/9016163-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="132" height="127"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07347/9016156-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="240" height="81"></div><h3><b>TOP PLAYOFF GOAL-SCORERS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08273/9016149-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="512" height="501"></div><h3><b>LOWELL DEVILS</b></h3><p><b>1st Season in AHL</b></p><p><b>Best Season</b></p><p>38-30-6-6 in 2006-07</p><p><b>Arena</b></p><p>Paul E. Tsongas Arena</p><p><b>GM</b> Chris Lamoriello</p><p><b>Coach</b></p><p>Kurt Kleinendorst</p><p><b>2006-07 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/f0037-09226/9016142-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="131" height="119"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10191/9016135-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="189" height="253"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11156/9016128-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="342" height="269"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Constant teaching

<p>Have you spotted these two personalities in the same room at the same time? Submitted by The Hockey News reader Chris Lee.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04219/9016819-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="254" height="249"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DREW STAFFORD</b></figcaption></div><p>Rookie played like an offensive hero for injury-plagued Sabres</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05194/9016812-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="240" height="243"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ZACHARY QUINTO</b></figcaption></div><p>Actor plays villainous Sylar, who plagues good guys on <i>Heroes</i></p><p>Submit ideas for Separated at Birth to <a href="mailto:separated@thehockeynews.com">separated@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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SEPARATED AT BIRTH

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><p><b>ONE OF THE FIRST</b> things Mike Keenan said after taking his eighth job was, &ldquo;I would love to stay here and finish my career here.&rdquo;</p><p>History would suggest that isn&rsquo;t going to happen in Calgary, where he was named coach June 14. If one thing has been consistent in Keenan&rsquo;s career, it&rsquo;s that he always, always leaves amid controversy and often with a scorched earth landscape behind him.</p><p>Which is what makes the Flames hiring of Keenan such a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Keenan has a history of getting enormous amounts out of his teams in the short term, but alienating many of those with whom he works and who work for him.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s recap:</p><p>* May, 1988: Keenan is fired by the Philadelphia Flyers as coach after demanding a clause be put in his contract allowing him to leave for a GM job if one is offered.</p><p>*November, 1993: Keenan leaves the Chicago Blackhawks as GM, insisting he was fired.</p><p>* July, 1994: Keenan&rsquo;s abrupt departure from the Cup-champion New York Rangers to join the St. Louis Blues results in a 60-day suspension from the league.</p><p>* December, 1996: The St. Louis Blues fire Keenan after he makes Brett Hull a healthy scratch. The Blues, meanwhile, are in disarray and have the highest payroll in the league.</p><p>&ldquo;We felt it was important that we right the ship as quickly as possible,&rdquo; Blues chairman Jerry Ritter said at the time.</p><p>* January, 1999: Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke fires Keenan as coach and replaces him with Marc Crawford.</p><p>* April, 2001: Despite a winning season, Keenan is fired by the Boston Bruins as coach amid charges he is unpopular with his players.</p><p>* November, 2003: Florida Panthers GM Rick Dudley fires Keenan after a power struggle. In a bizarre twist, Keenan replaces Dudley as GM later that summer.</p><p>* July, 2006: Keenan quits as GM of the Panthers after a reported power struggle with coach Jacques Martin.</p><p>Flames GM Darryl Sutter described Keenan as, &ldquo;the perfect selection to take our team to the next level,&rdquo; but Keenan has not coached in a playoff game in 11 years and has won just one series since winning the Cup with the Rangers in 1994.</p><p>But still, Keenan has a track record of success that keeps bringing teams back. Despite a reputation for not being able to deal with young players, Keenan has been instrumental in the emergence of such stars as Joe Thornton, Olli Jokinen and Chris Pronger.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01662/9016636-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="900" height="1382"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Keenan <span class="photo-credit">(KEENAN: CP IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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The old guy

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM GRAHAM</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> The Sabres hit the off-season with more big deals to hammer out than any other team. Their respected GM, Jack Adams Award-winning coach, two co-captains (one the top scorer, the other the top special teams performer), alternate captain and prominent trade deadline acquisition all were set to become unrestricted free agents. Oh, and leading goal-scorer Thomas Vanek is a restricted free agent looking for big bucks.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06304/9015021-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="144" height="96"></div><p>Fans were wondering for months what the team would do with co-captain centers Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. The front office warned fans it wouldn&rsquo;t spend to the cap for a second straight season.</p><p>Assurances eventually were made that GM Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff would be back, but it was evident Briere and Drury &ndash; along with defenseman Teppo Numminen and center Dainius Zubrus &ndash; were bound for market.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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DEPARTMENTS

Sabres fans braced for Buffalo break-up

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012069/9013518-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COVER & NIEDERMAYERS: JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES; CONTENTS: SHELLY CASTELLANO)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>NOTE TO READERS: PUBLISHING SCHEDULE</b></h2><p>The Cup run is over, but the business of hockey endures. Here&rsquo;s how we plan to give you your fix this summer:</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021592/9013511-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="948" height="302"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Late Night Glory

<div class="byline">with Jason Kay</div><p><b>THERE IS MUCH TO LIKE</b> about the Anaheim Ducks and their crusade to capture the 2007 Stanley Cup.</p><p>For starters, it&rsquo;s refreshing a modern-era team from the West Coast has finally won the big one, hereby eliminating the excuse of travel. If the Ducks can do it, so can the Kings, Canucks and Sharks.</p><p>It&rsquo;s heart-warming to see sniper Teemu Selanne breathe the air at hockey&rsquo;s pinnacle after so many years of climbing. Ditto for GM Brian Burke, a master architect who deserves recognition.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012046/9013556-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="496" height="496"></div><p>We also admire the leadership styles of coach Randy Carlyle and captain Scott Niedermayer, two men who set the tone for a champion. In the face of some adversity, the Ducks generals remained composed and excuse-free, assuming the onus of accountability. Even after Niedermayer understandably, if uncharacteristically, wanted a piece of Daniel Alfredsson during the bizarre Slap Shot incident, he implored his teammates to forget about it and move on. It&rsquo;s what good leaders do.</p><p>From a selfish perspective, we love that last summer we picked Anaheim to win it all and actually got it right. Talk about lucky ducks.</p><p>Still, there remains a gnawing feeling about the way this club conquered and the copycat impact it may produce. The bruising Ducks dominated by squeezing the life out of their opponents. They were almost too perfect without the puck. When virtually all your Conn Smythe Trophy candidates are defense-first players (or defense-only, in Jean-Sebastien Giguere&rsquo;s case), it&rsquo;s telling. When Sami Pahlsson, a wonderful defensive center who is deserving of the Selke Trophy, is a potential MVP, it sets off our distant early warning radar.</p><p>Defense has always won championships, but champions sometimes set trends. It happened in the 1990s with the Devils and while we salute Anaheim for its remarkable achievement, we hope we aren&rsquo;t experiencing <i>deja vu</i> all over again.</p><p><b>BYE-BYE, ELSTON</b> We bid a very warm farewell to cartoonist Dave Elston, who has decided to lay down his markers and go out to pasture&hellip;literally. One of our most popular contributors for more than two decades, Dave has decided to spend more time with horses, working at a local stable in Springbank, Alta. His last &rsquo;toon appears on pg. 9 of this issue, along with a short retrospective. We&rsquo;ll miss his talent, wit, poignancy and professionalism.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021727/9013549-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="407" height="218"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Devilish Ducks new blueprint?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031418/9013587-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="961" height="826"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>2007 DRAFT PROSPECTS</b></p><p><b>(Top L-R) Sam Gagner, Karl Alzner and Keaton Ellerby (Bottom L-R) James van Riemsdyk, Kyle Turris and Patrick Kane</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>ttention Chicago Blackhawks fans: a Stanley Cup contender will be arriving shortly. Book your playoff tickets now. Out of the darkness that is just one playoff series in the past decade, the Hawks have assembled a cornucopia of riches through high selection spots in the entry draft. It&rsquo;s just a matter of time before those assets translate into victories &ndash; and that, we think, is a good thing for an Original Six franchise that had become Original Sick. The next addition to the prospect cupboard will be the first overall pick (via the draft lottery) in the June 23 draft, likely Patrick Kane from London, Ont., or Kyle Turris from Burnaby, B.C. Along with early picks from previous years such as Jonathan Toews, Jack Skille, Michael Blunden, Cam Barker, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Tuomo Ruutu, the future looks bright. Here&rsquo;s one suggestion the Hawks should consider for draft day in Columbus. With this year&rsquo;s talent pool deep and balanced in the top 10, the Hawks could flip the No. 1 overall pick to host Columbus for the No. 7 pick. In exchange, the Hawks get the option to flip picks with Columbus twice in the next five drafts. The Blue Jackets would love the first overall hoopla as draft hosts.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DRAFT BONANZA FOR HAWKS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012047/9013649-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="930" height="946"><figcaption class="caption-body">Keith Tkachuk <span class="photo-credit">(TKACHUK: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Keith Tkachuk: Class act</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> was at a AAA hockey tournament recently with my son&rsquo;s novice team. There were several squads from the U.S., including one from St. Louis that had Keith Tkachuk as an assistant coach. When we finally saw him, he was just sitting in the stands, being a dad and watching a game. I approached Keith on my son&rsquo;s behalf, as my son was too shy, to sign a hockey card.</p><p>Keith was very gracious and more than willing to give out an autograph. I was very impressed since I&rsquo;m sure all he really wanted to do was watch the game. Throughout the weekend, every time I saw Keith he was signing something for someone and never looked perturbed or annoyed. The NHL certainly should be thankful for players such as Tkachuk; he is an excellent ambassador for the game. Thanks, Keith.</p><p>COLIN MORANO, PORT ELGIN, ONT.</p><h2><b>Ryan&rsquo;s choice</b></h2><p>A large portion of Oilers fans are livid at the possibility of Ryan Smyth signing somewhere else and are threatening to call him just another Chris Pronger.</p><p>For a fan &ndash; even for a second &ndash; to label Smyth like Pronger, they need to stop and watch Smyth&rsquo;s news conference when he got traded, then watch Pronger&rsquo;s. Enough said.</p><p>Ryan Smyth <i>is</i> Oilers hockey. We are a proud city with a great hockey tradition and we&rsquo;re still reeling from the departure of all the other star players. The last thing we need to do is lump a player with so much heart and character into the same mold as a selfish superstar such as Pronger. Remember, we still haven&rsquo;t been told why that buffoon left.</p><p>Smyth played his heart out for years in Edmonton; he deserves to go out on the open market and decide where he wants to play.</p><p>KEYEN KLYMOCHKO, EDMONTON</p><h2><b>Your new champs</b></h2><p>Regarding Anaheim&rsquo;s Cup win: Maybe now East Coast hockey fans will pay attention to the West.</p><p>To the 67 per cent of The Hockey News readers who selected Ottawa to win the Cup: Stay up late and get to know us &ndash; we&rsquo;ll be back.</p><p>DONNA THIESSEN, NEWPORT COAST, CALIF.</p><h2><b>Our clean stars</b></h2><p>Rather than worrying about the effect that overtime and shootouts will have on the NHL&rsquo;s record book, fans should take comfort that &ndash; unlike some other sports records which will soon be broken &ndash; the NHL&rsquo;s record book isn&rsquo;t being tainted by something else entirely.</p><p>Sean Hill, who isn&rsquo;t likely to break any records anytime soon, is the only NHLer to have been found in violation of the league&rsquo;s substance-abuse policy. This is a claim that the other major sports leagues cannot make; in fact, steroids continue to plague Major League Baseball as one of its most important records is about to be broken.</p><p>Martin Brodeur may have had a leg up on Bernie Parent in single-season wins because of OT, but at least he isn&rsquo;t rewriting history with a needle in his arm.</p><p>PETER STERN, MARLBORO, N.J.</p><h2><b>Bad call, Moose</b></h2><p>Refusing to shake your opponent&rsquo;s hand after a playoff loss. Whining about every single call the refs make against your team.</p><p>If those are qualities the NHL wants to promote, then Chris Chelios is the perfect choice for the Mark Messier &ldquo;Leader of the Year Award.&rdquo; What a joke.</p><p>JEREMY MAY, DENVER</p><h2><b>Good call, Moose</b></h2><p>The coverage of Chris Chelios&rsquo;s failure to shake hands with the Ducks following the Western Conference semi-final series was overblown. One indiscretion does not a character make.</p><p>The play of Chelios this year was superb; his dedication is never an issue; and, his infinite love of hockey is that of a purist who believes in the simple joys of the game.</p><p>That being said, what the man has dealt with this year in terms of personal loss is profound. He has carried himself with great focus and dignity in spite of a grievous incident (the murder of an employee at his Detroit-based restaurant). I think Chelios represents the puritan ethic in what a great athlete is and should be.</p><p>His acknowledgement of his failure to congratulate the Ducks demonstrates a sense of humility and honesty, traits often lacking in today&rsquo;s culture.</p><p>DR. JOHN WHEELER, NASHVILLE</p><h2><b>All-star booth</b></h2><p>I&rsquo;ve been thinking about playoff broadcasts and if I had my way, I&rsquo;d have a three-man booth with Sam Rosen (Rangers), Mike Lange (Pittsburgh) and Pat Foley (Chicago). The rinkside reporter would be Pierre McGuire of TSN and NBC.</p><p>DAVE ESTLER, CHICAGO</p><p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><h2><b>POLL RESULTS</b></h2><p><b>WHO IS THE TOP 2007 UFA?</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021473/9013642-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="485" height="693"></div><p><b>J-S Giguere 36%</b></p><p><b>Chris Drury 23%</b></p><p><b>Daniel Briere 14%</b></p><p><b>Ryan Smyth 14%</b></p><p><b>Scott Gomez 7%</b></p><p><b>Sheldon Souray 6%</b></p><h2><b>HOW TO REACH US</b></h2><p><b>E-MAIL</b></p><p><a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">letters@thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><b>WEB</b></p><p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><b>CANADA</b></p><p>Letters, The Hockey News, 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7</p><p><b>USA</b></p><p>Letters, The Hockey News,</p><p>P.O. Box 904,</p><p>Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947</p><p><i>Include your name, hometown & province/state.</i></p><p><i>Submissions will be edited.</i></p><h2><b>SUBSCRIBE</b></h2><p><b>GET IT AT</b> <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><b>OR CALL</b> 1.888.361.9768<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0005-01

Got something to say?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><p><b>FOR THOSE OF YOU SUFFERING</b> from post-playoff hockey withdrawal already, look at the bright side: Training camps open in about 11 weeks.</p><p>Until then, you&rsquo;ll have to be content with getting your fix from off-ice matters such as free agents and trades and figuring out exactly where Patrick Marleau went during the playoffs this spring.</p><p>As always, there is a full summer docket of issues and events for NHL teams to address. Here are the ones that should keep people most busy and talking before we can go on to more pressing matters, such as whether or not Alexei Kaigorodov will make the Phoenix Coyotes appreciably better next season:</p><p><b>1. THE NASHVILLE SITUATION</b> It appeared the NHL&rsquo;s board of governors would deal with Jim Balsillie&rsquo;s purchase of the Predators after the entry draft, with June 30 as the probable target date for final approval. Given the speculation that Balsillie is intent on moving the team &ndash; Ticketmaster was accepting refundable deposits on season tickets for the &ldquo;Hamilton Predators&rdquo; in mid-June &ndash; it should make for an eventful off-season in Nashville.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">A salary cap of $49 million means it will have risen $10 million since the new collective bargaining agreement</blockquote><p>Balsillie reportedly offered between $220 million and nearly $240 million for the Preds, a price that seemed high considering <i>Forbes</i> magazine estimated the franchise&rsquo;s value at $134 million earlier this season. While publicly implying he doesn&rsquo;t plan to move the team to Hamilton, Balsillie&rsquo;s actions &ndash; accepting deposits from fans and negotiating an arena deal with the Southern Ontario city &ndash; suggest otherwise. If the Predators average fewer than 14,000 fans per game next season &ndash; as they did in 2005-06, at 13,815 &ndash; it would open the door for Balsillie to pay an exit fee ($18 million) and relocate the club north.</p><p>&ldquo;Our intentions are to buy the Predators and abide by the lease (in Nashville),&rdquo; Richard Rodier, Balsillie&rsquo;s lawyer, told Canadian Press in mid-June. &ldquo;We have to consider the possibility that the lease may disappear through no fault&hellip;of ours. It&rsquo;s not in our control.&rdquo;</p><p><b>2. UP SHE GOES</b> Flush with all those paying customers &ndash; and the fact the owners have to actually be truthful about their revenues now &ndash; the salary cap is expected to rise to somewhere in the $49-million range, which is $10 million higher than what it was two years ago in the first season after the lockout. If that&rsquo;s the case, the lower limit will be $33 million, meaning that at the very least, nine teams (almost one-third of the league) will be spending more in the fall than they were prior to the lockout.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021503/9013680-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1542" height="1312"><figcaption class="caption-body">Copps Coliseum</figcaption></div><p>What will they do with all this cap room?</p><p><b>3. SPEND IT ON FREE AGENTS</b> As of mid-June, there were a total of 229 potential unrestricted free agents available and there is some real quality at the top end if your team is not looking for a goaltender. The biggest catches are forwards Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Ryan Smyth and netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere if they don&rsquo;t sign with their teams, but there also is some very solid mid-level talent available as well.</p><p><b>4. WHAT TO DO ABOUT HEADSHOTS</b> Despite the fact the GMs want action on this before next season, it will be an almost impossible task for the competition committee and the board of governors to reach a consensus. At the recent GM meetings, NHL director of hockey operations Colin Campbell said he was more confused when he left the meeting than when he went in.</p><p><b>5. LET&rsquo;S MAKE A DEAL</b> Trades still do happen in the NHL and many of the blockbusters occur in the off-season. Will Ottawa deal Wade Redden? Will San Jose trade one of Vesa Toskala or Evgeni Nabokov? Stay tuned&hellip;</p><h2><b>7</b></h2><p><b>Points for Andy McDonald versus the Sens. He had 14 total in the playoffs</b></p><h2><b>3</b></h2><p><b>Points combined for Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley in the final series</b></p><h2><b>+10</b></h2><p><b>Plus-minus for Ducks shutdown center Sami Pahlsson in the playoffs</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

common01

No lazy days of summer in NHL

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012042/9013718-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="766" height="599"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CHU CHOSEN</b> Two-time Olympian Julie Chu is USA Hockey&rsquo;s pick for women&rsquo;s player of the year. <span class="photo-credit">(CHU: AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>REC PLAYERS TAKE ON THE WORLD</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he first-ever World Adult Recreation Championship will take place during the 2008 World Championship in May of 2008, in Quebec City and Halifax. The inaugural tournament will give recreational players from around the world a chance to play in an international event. There are four age categories for teams: 19-35, 36-45, 46-55 and 56-plus. The entry fee is $1,200 per team and includes one ticket per player to a world championship game.</p><h2><b>U.S. CAMP READY FOR BUSINESS</b></h2><p>Forty-five players were invited to the U.S. national junior evaluation camp in Lake Placid N.Y., on Aug. 3-11. Highlighting the list is Patrick Kane, the top-rated player for the June 22-23 NHL draft. Players are candidates for the U.S. national junior team.</p><h2><b>SHOWCASE OF U.S. TALENT</b></h2><p>Julie Chu of Fairfield, Conn., was named the women&rsquo;s player of the year by USA Hockey at its annual congress. A two-time Olympian and senior captain for Harvard, she led the Crimson to a fifth straight NCAA tournament appearance. Other winners were: Des Moines&rsquo; Jeff Petry, junior player of the year; Michigan State&rsquo;s Jeff Lerg, college player of the year; and, Plymouth&rsquo;s Jeremy Smith, goalie of the year.</p><h2><b>SUPER SIX READY FOR SHOWDOWN</b></h2><p>Russia&rsquo;s Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Finland&rsquo;s Karpat Oulu are the top seeds in the European Champions Cup, which will be played Jan. 10-13, 2008. Slovan Bratislava (Slo.), MoDo (Swe.), HC Davos (Switz.) and Sparta Prague (Czech Rep.) round out the draw. The winner of the ECC will compete in the Victoria Cup against an NHL team.</p><h2><b>UNION REP MULTI-TASKING</b></h2><p>Ontario&rsquo;s Progressive Conservative party announced Tyler Currie, the NHLPA&rsquo;s manager of communications, as its candidate in Toronto&rsquo;s Trinity-Spadina riding for the Oct. 10 provincial election.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021377/9013756-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BACK IN</b> Scott Jackson, a Seattle (WHL) defender drafted by St. Louis in 2005, was set to re-enter the &rsquo;07 prospect derby. <span class="photo-credit">(JACKSON: DAVID PITCHER*/SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HIRTY-ONE PLAYERS</b> are re-entering the NHL entry draft after not signing with the teams that selected them in 2005, but top-rated prospect Patrick Kane has nothing to worry about.</p><p>The highest-ranked players re-entering the draft are defenseman Scott Jackson, selected 37th overall by St. Louis in 2005; center Chris Durand, taken 52nd overall by Colorado; and, goalie Pier-Olivier Pelletier, 59th overall by Phoenix. Their development flat-lined in the past two seasons and none of them were expected to be re-drafted in the early rounds June 22 in Columbus.</p><p>Prospects selected in 2005 had two years to sign with the NHL team that drafted them; otherwise, they&rsquo;re eligible again June 22-23. Prospects selected in 2006 who weren&rsquo;t offered a contract within one year also can re-enter the draft. Only three prospects who were picked late in 2006 fall into that category.</p><p>The televised first round of the 2007 entry draft will be held June 22, while Rounds 2 through 7 will be held the following day. Right winger Kane, who skated with the OHL&rsquo;s London Knights this season, is the top-ranked prospect followed by left winger James van Riemsdyk (U.S. national team development program) and center Kyle Turris (Burnaby, B.C. Jr. A).</p><p>Chicago has the first overall pick, followed by Philadelphia and Phoenix. <i>(See pg. 42 for the draft order in the first round.)</i></p><p>Edmonton and St. Louis will be the most active teams in the first round with three picks apiece, while Montreal, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Washington have two each. In the second round, Vancouver and Colorado have three picks apiece.</p><p>Atlanta and the Islanders don&rsquo;t make their first picks until the third round, while Calgary has just one selection in the first four rounds.</p><p>St. Louis and Washington each have 10 picks in the seven-round draft, while the Islanders have the fewest picks with four.</p><p><b>For more on the NHL entry draft, visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com/07draft">thehockeynews.com/07draft</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-02

Discovering Columbus

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03874/9013787-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="701" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KOIVU: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>10 Stu Barnes</b> Arrived in Pittsburgh and Dallas just a few seasons too late.</p><p><b>09 Ryan Smyth</b> Heart-and-soul star can pick his contender this summer.</p><p><b>08 Mike Sillinger</b> You&rsquo;d think the law of averages would kick in after 12 teams.</p><p><b>07 Curtis Joseph</b> Had some great playoff runs, but no magical finishes.</p><p><b>06 Saku Koivu</b> History dictates he&rsquo;ll win one if he stays in Montreal long enough.</p><p><b>05 Olaf Kolzig</b> Washington&rsquo;s elder statesman made the final once, back in 1998.</p><p><b>04 Daniel Alfredsson</b> Got a sniff this year and clearly showed the passion.</p><p><b>03 Mats Sundin</b> Would love to do it with the Maple Leafs, but the window is closing.</p><p><b>02 Teppo Numminen</b> Sabres stalwart snuffed in back-to-back Eastern finals.</p><p><b>01 Trevor Linden</b> Has waited longer than any current player. Can Canucks do it?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-03

Who still needs to win the Stanley Cup?

<div class="byline">WITH Tim Thomas</div><p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012165/9013832-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="254" height="339"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021628/9013825-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="187" height="128"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031142/9013818-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="612" height="764"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(THOMAS: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jen Maxwell from Burlington, Ont., asks At what moment in your life did you realize being a professional goalie was your destiny?</b></p><p><i>It&rsquo;s hard to say, because my goals switched over time. My original goal, when I was five, was to play in the Olympics, because the Miracle on Ice happened around then. In high school, my goal was to play in college and in college my goal was to turn pro. I believe I was the first Michigan high school player to make the NHL. I think Jim Slater (of the Atlanta Thrashers) was second.</i></p><p><b>Kaylyn Olshanoski from Warman, Sask., asks Who was your favorite player growing up?</b></p><p><i>Everyone has a couple. Jim Craig (Miracle on Ice goalie) was my original hero. I grew up in Flint, Mich., and we had an International League team with some pretty good goalies. I liked Steve Penney and Rick Knickle. Penney had that run in the playoffs with the Montreal Canadiens and Knickle played for the Kings &ndash; he was the oldest goalie to make his NHL debut; he was like, 37.</i></p><p><b>Jesse Grisewood from Maple Ridge, B.C., asks What was your favorite save you&rsquo;ve ever made?</b></p><p><i>The one I made on Marty St-Louis this year where I dove across the net and got the puck with my stick. He thought he had a goal for sure. It was a tie game in the third period and we ended up winning in overtime. I played college hockey with Marty as well (at the University of Vermont), so that was fun.</i></p><p><b>Aren Van Volkingburgh from Ottawa, asks What advice do you have for goalies trying to make a save on a breakaway?</b></p><p><i>Try to get the timing right. If you back in too quickly, they have room to shoot. But if you don&rsquo;t back in quick enough, they can deke around you.</i></p><p><b>Joey Cavilla from Lethbridge, Alta., asks Who has the hardest shot in hockey?</b></p><p><i>Based on my experience, Sheldon Souray. You think you have it, then it&rsquo;s past you. That&rsquo;ll happen five or six times &ndash; you try to train your mind to tell yourself that it&rsquo;s going to get there before you think, but it keeps happening. Now, they don&rsquo;t all go in, fortunately. He&rsquo;ll hit the post or miss the net, or it will get blocked, but it&rsquo;s fast.</i></p><p>Visit <b><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b> to ask your questions of NHL stars!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

FAN SHOOTOUT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04625/9013870-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Derek Boogaard <span class="photo-credit">(BOOGAARD: CP IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>GOALIES HAVE GOALIE SCHOOLS,</b> skaters have power skating courses, but where do young fighters go to learn their craft?</p><p>That was the question posed to Minnesota enforcer Derek Boogaard and his brother Aaron, a Penguins prospect, by Puckmasters training facility in Regina, Sask. The answer was to put on a summer fighting clinic for players aged 12-18 with the Boogaards as instructors.</p><p>&ldquo;The point wasn&rsquo;t to go out and hurt somebody,&rdquo; Derek said of the two-hour program. &ldquo;It was to protect themselves if they did get into a fight.&rdquo;</p><p>After showing their pupils a 25-minute video of NHL fights from this season, the Boogaards led the players through a brief warm-up and workout before getting down to the actual fisticuff tutorial.</p><p>&ldquo;We were focusing in on power,&rdquo; Derek Boogaard said. &ldquo;Where to put your feet, how to throw a punch and where to grab on to a guy.&rdquo;</p><p>With fighting being such a controversial pastime, the course received some inevitable outrage on local radio call-in shows.</p><p>&ldquo;There were parents saying the NHL should fine me for doing this,&rdquo; Boogaard said. &ldquo;People have their opinions. I don&rsquo;t care what they say about me. The parents who called in, their kids wouldn&rsquo;t be the ones coming to the camp anyway.&rdquo;</p><p>About 35-40 youth enforcers attended the initial trial version of the camp. Boogaard said the first go-around was so successful, he will be putting on two or three more clinics in the Regina area this summer.</p><p>But is Boogaard concerned about teaching the youngsters <i>too</i> well? After all, one of them may be his dancing partner in a few years.</p><p>&ldquo;You just have to wait and see,&rdquo; he mused. At 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, Boogaard will do just fine.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-04

You wanna go? Be prepared

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05441/9013901-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="572" height="448"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&#9632; Funny guy that <b>Ray Emery</b>. The Ottawa goalie shows up to games in flashy suits that rival <b>Don Cherry&rsquo;s</b> attire and drives around town in a look-at-me white Hummer. But when it was time to meet with the media during the Stanley Cup final, he acted bored and aloof. Make up your mind, Ray. You either want the attention or you don&rsquo;t.</p><p>&#9632; Given Tampa Bay, Carolina and now Anaheim have won Stanley Cups and Toronto hasn&rsquo;t won it since 1967, and, Leafs&rsquo; GM J<b>ohn Ferguson</b> is bringing back the same team that didn&rsquo;t make the playoffs, one wonders if a yet-to-be-named expansion team will win the Cup before the Maple Leafs do?</p><p>&#9632; Web columnist <b>Adam Proteau</b> of <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a> and The Hockey News was chosen winner of best column by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. To read his award winning column about the leadership problems at the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, go to: <a href="http://thn.com/AP">thn.com/AP</a></p><p>&#9632; Tampa Bay&rsquo;s acquisition of <b>Chris Gratton</b> is the first indicator teams will use the Stanley Cup champion Ducks as the model team. Gratton will be a big, quick, tough third-line checking center like Anaheim&rsquo;s Rob Niedermayer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

SNOPSHOTS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021347/9013953-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="479" height="294"></div><p><b>BEING A COLLEGE DROPOUT</b> is no big deal if you can draw cartoons the way Dave Elston can.</p><p>To commemorate our 60th anniversary, The Hockey News is reflecting on the stories and people who have added color to the game. Elston, whose last cartoon for The Hockey News is in this issue, certainly meets the standard.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011948/9013946-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="231" height="319"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Elston</figcaption></div><p>After dropping out of art school in 1980, Elston landed a gig doing sports cartoons for the Calgary <i>Sun</i>, which was still in its infancy at the time.</p><p>The newspaper&rsquo;s sports editor, Al Ruckaber, just happened to be Elston&rsquo;s old high school football coach. After submitting a few samples of work, Elston had a job.</p><p>A few years later, Elston branched out.</p><p>&ldquo;I thought, what the hell, I&rsquo;ll send one off to (then-editor) Bob McKenzie at The Hockey News and surprisingly enough I get this phone call from Bob and he said, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s try a cartoon,&rsquo; &rdquo; says Elston, 48, noting it was a huge thrill to become part of the publication. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how it all started.&rdquo;</p><p>Elston will continue to do some work with the Edmonton <i>Journal</i> and another local small town paper. But after nearly 25 years with The Hockey News (he took a season off in the early 1990s), he says the well has run a bit dry.</p><p>Elston marveled at the people he has met, noting Ducks GM Brian Burke in particular as someone with whom he shares a unique bond.</p><p>The cartoon that stands out most involved former tough guy Tim Hunter, during the height of the Breathe Right nasal strip craze. The gist of the drawing was that the Canucks&rsquo; entire stock of strips had to be used on the pugilist&rsquo;s prominent proboscis. For a while after the cartoon came out, Elston wasn&rsquo;t sure if he&rsquo;d continue breathing right.</p><p>&ldquo;One day I get home and I pick up the phone and hear, &lsquo;Dave, it&rsquo;s Tim Hunter. I just got back from a road trip and my wife has The Hockey News spread out on the table,&rsquo; &rdquo; recalls Elston, who knew Hunter from his time in Calgary. &ldquo;There was just this awkward pause where I thought, &lsquo;Have I gone too far?&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;But then Hunter said he really enjoyed it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03823/9013939-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="1366" height="1845"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

Drawn to hockey

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><p class="dropcap"><span>C</span>oaches, not just players, have to take care of their teeth, too. Officially formed in 2000, the NHL Coaches&rsquo; Association has made strides in obtaining a pension plan and benefits for members of the coaching fraternity.</p><p>&ldquo;We have, with the cooperation of the NHL, achieved the pension plan for the assistant coaches, for head medical trainers and head equipment managers,&rdquo; said NHLCA president George Kingston, who coached San Jose in the Sharks&rsquo; first two seasons in the early 1990s. &ldquo;Now we&rsquo;re working on extending the opportunity for the (NHL&rsquo;s re-constructed) medical/dental plan and we&rsquo;ve had preliminary success.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04626/9013991-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="231" height="317"><figcaption class="caption-body">George Kingston</figcaption></div><p>Another target of the group &ndash; which Kingston stressed is an association rather than a union &ndash; is professional development. Kingston added that the NHL deserves much credit for its role providing the benefits.</p><p>At last year&rsquo;s entry draft in Vancouver, the NHLCA hosted a successful coaching symposium for amateur and professional coaches. The association is planning to do the same thing this year in Columbus on June 21, the day before the draft begins. Coaches in attendance will get the unique opportunity to not only receive tutelage from NHL bench bosses on a variety of topics, but also speak with them in a small-group setting.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-04

Bench marks

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012133/9014029-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CASHING IN</b> Thanks to the new CBA, Nashville&rsquo;s Scott Hartnell can become an unrestricted free agent at age 25. <span class="photo-credit">(DON SMITH/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he immediate future for a pending unrestricted free agent is chaotic at the best of times, but for Scott Hartnell, this is getting just a little ridiculous.</p><p>The 25-year-old left winger for Nashville could be the first player to take advantage of the NHL&rsquo;s new liberalized rules governing unrestricted free agency, but he and other Predators free agents are venturing into murky waters that likely won&rsquo;t get much clearer when UFA season opens on July 1.</p><p>All things being equal, Hartnell would love to re-sign with the Preds, but nobody knows where the team will be playing in two or three years. If Hartnell hits the open market, there will be at least a dozen teams bidding for him and, presumably, all of them will be staying put. As a rugged performer who has yet to enter his prime, Hartnell will likely command a long-term deal somewhere in the $4-million range. Should Hartnell re-sign with the Predators, he&rsquo;ll remain with an organization that has a bright on-ice future, but one that couldn&rsquo;t possibly be any more uncertain off the ice.</p><p>The Predators hope to have their sale to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie completed and approved by June 30, one day before free agency begins. But even if the sale goes through as planned, the uncertainty will remain.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great question, but a very overrated question,&rdquo; said Hartnell&rsquo;s agent, Allan Walsh. &ldquo;There seems to be all this speculation that if the franchise does move, all of a sudden everything is going to change. I think this franchise is going to have stability and consistency wherever it goes.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>PREDS&rsquo; FUTURE?</b></h2><p>But Walsh also said there is no denying that the Predators&rsquo; uncertain future will be a factor for Hartnell and other free agents. Don Baizley, who represents Paul Kariya, said it will definitely be a factor for his client.</p><p>&ldquo;Paul is an open question at this point,&rdquo; Baizley said.</p><p>One player who will not test the open market is Kariya&rsquo;s good friend Teemu Selanne. Baizley, who also represents the &lsquo;Finnish Flash,&rsquo; confirmed Selanne will either return to the Anaheim Ducks or retire. Should he retire, Selanne will go down in history as the most productive player ever to hang up his skates. Never before has a player had a year such as Selanne&rsquo;s 48-goal, 94-point campaign and retired before the next season.</p><p>But where does he fit? Selanne signed for $3.75 million last season and earned $2.25 million in performance bonuses, but the Ducks already have $29.2 million committed to 14 players and have to decide on the future of goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Selanne took a hometown discount last season and loaded it with bonuses. Will he be willing to do it again next season to keep a championship team together?</p><p>Baizley said he wasn&rsquo;t sure whether Selanne and the Ducks would come to terms, but was hopeful something could be worked out if Selanne decides to play another season. &ldquo;Teemu is a guy who has done very well, but he has never chased the money and neither has Paul (Kariya),&rdquo; Baizley said. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s that old adage, &lsquo;The people who can&rsquo;t be bought are the most expensive&rsquo;?&rdquo;</p><p><b>For complete free agents listing and tracker, visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com/07FA">thehockeynews.com/07FA</a></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021541/9014022-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="589" height="1429"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-01

Unrestricted madness

<div class="byline">STORY BY MIKE BROPHY </div><div class="byline">PHOTO BY SHELLY CASTELLANO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012076/9014116-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><p>It clearly was a violation of etiquette, but forgivable all the same.</p><p>By all accounts, Anaheim&rsquo;s Scott Niedermayer should&rsquo;ve handed the Stanley Cup off to veteran Teemu Selanne after first accepting it from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and then raising it high in the air to the hockey heavens.</p><p>But Niedermayer had other plans.</p><p>Instead of passing it over to Selanne &ndash; the 36-year-old, 14-year NHL veteran in his second tour of duty with Anaheim &ndash; the Ducks captain and Conn Smythe Trophy winner elected to hand the Cup to his younger brother, Rob, who gracefully accepted, proving once again blood is thicker than age and tenure.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what I was going to do,&rdquo; said Scott Niedermayer when asked if he planned all along to hand the Cup to his brother. &ldquo;You try to concentrate on the game. I wasn&rsquo;t drawing up plans about what I was supposed to do. But I guess (Rob) is one of the (alternate) captains. Maybe he didn&rsquo;t have the seniority, but I figured I could use my rank as captain to make that decision. I thought it would be pretty special to be able to do that.&rdquo;</p><p>For Rob, it was quite a different scene from the last time he played in the final, in 2003. That year, he had to watch as Scott and the New Jersey Devils celebrated their third Cup victory in nine seasons. This time, he was ecstatic to have his brother give him the Cup as the first siblings to play on a NHL championship team since Brent and Duane Sutter with the Islanders in 1983.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll ever have a better feeling than that in my career,&rdquo; said the Ducks&rsquo; checking line stalwart, who also played in the &rsquo;96 final with Florida. &ldquo;I never touched (the Cup) when he won it before. He&rsquo;s won it so much, but he&rsquo;s never been the kind of guy who rubbed it in my face. He has been rooting for me my whole career and I&rsquo;m just lucky to have him for a brother.&rdquo;</p><p>And at the end of the day, does it really matter in which order the Cup was passed around?</p><p>The Ducks were celebrating not only their Stanley Cup championship &ndash; predicted, ahem, by The Hockey News prior to the start of the regular season &ndash; but also the fact they&rsquo;re the NHL&rsquo;s first West Coast winner. Gone forever is the notion that too much travel stands between Pacific teams and the Cup.</p><p>There was no clear-cut obvious choice for the Conn Smythe, unless you consider Ottawa&rsquo;s Daniel Alfredsson and his playoff-high 14 goals, but it&rsquo;s hard to pick a winner from the losing team when the series only went five games. That said, Niedermayer was a solid choice. He had some shaky games early in the playoffs &ndash; by his own lofty standards &ndash; but was strong in the final, particularly in Game 4 when hot-blooded teammate Chris Pronger was serving a one-game suspension.</p><h2><b>A CHAMPION&rsquo;S CHAMPION</b></h2><p>Niedermayer, 33, has now won four Cups, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Norris Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s best defenseman, the Memorial Cup and Memorial Cup MVP. Oh, and he also was the Canadian Hockey League&rsquo;s scholastic player of the year in 1991.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an amazing athlete,&rdquo; said Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an amazing individual. He&rsquo;s so unassuming, you just feel so fortunate to be able to coach players like that. We&rsquo;ve talked about no-maintenance players&hellip;he&rsquo;s at the top of that list.&rdquo;</p><p>This year&rsquo;s Stanley Cup final had all the makings of a classic. Finally, it came down to two teams that dominated in the regular season and identified themselves as potential and deserving champions. In the end, though, it was a dud. A five-game dud. The games, with the exception of the finale, were close; the series, however, was not.</p><p>The Senators simply would not &ndash; or could not &ndash; compete with the more physical Ducks. For all that was written and spoken about the Ducks being undisciplined and self-destructive, they managed to find a balance between setting the tone physically and maintaining a semblance of discipline.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012054/9014109-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="1125" height="843"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>FLOCK ON!</p><p>The Niedermayers arrive bearing trophies.</p> <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/f0014-021549/9014102-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="887" height="635"><figcaption class="caption-body">Travis Moen &lsquo;scores&rsquo; the Cupwinner, with help from Chris Phillips and Ray Emery. <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031065/9014095-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="687" height="466"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rob Niedermayer hits Daniel Alfredsson. <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>But give the Sens their due: they were deserving Eastern Conference champions, systematically sending home the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres in the first three rounds. They entered the final with three of the top post-season scorers and their goalie, Ray Emery, looked rock-solid. Amazingly, Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza all tied for the playoff point lead with 22 apiece, but only Alfredsson was noticeable in the final &ndash; and not always for the right reasons.</p><p>Spezza, a gifted young scorer who just turned 24 and whose game is still emerging, wasn&rsquo;t able to stand up to Anaheim&rsquo;s fierce checking. Heatley was too often caught standing still and rarely made his way to the scoring areas where he is most effective.</p><p>Alfredsson had four goals and five points in the final, but, uncharacteristically, fired a slapshot purposely at Scott Niedermayer near the end of the second period of Game 4.</p><p>It was one of two rather dark moments in the final, the other occurring in Game 3 when Anaheim defenseman Chris Pronger knocked out Ottawa&rsquo;s Dean McAmmond with a forearm shiver to the head, earning him his second one-game suspension of the playoffs. Pronger, who has been suspended seven times in his NHL career, has a reputation for going over the line, but in Alfredsson&rsquo;s case, his indiscretion came out of the blue.</p><p>After the game, Alfredsson pleaded innocent to the charge of poor sportsmanship.</p><p>&ldquo;I looked up at the clock and saw five or six seconds remaining&hellip; I just wanted to shoot the puck at the net,&rdquo; Alfredsson claimed. &ldquo;I braced my stick and the puck kind of stopped sliding. Then it got caught up in my feet so I just wanted to get rid of it. I didn&rsquo;t mean to hit him.&rdquo;</p><p>Needless to say, Niedermayer was not impressed.</p><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t real happy, yeah,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no need to get hit with the puck at that point. I&rsquo;m not going to say any more than that.&rdquo;</p><p>Niedermayer&rsquo;s closest competition for the Conn Smythe came from checking center Samuel Pahlsson, who smothered the likes of the Sedin twins, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg as well as Spezza and Heatley; and, goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, whose career playoff record now stands at 31-13. And if you want to throw a third Duck into the mix, it would be sophomore center Ryan Getzlaf, who was fifth in playoff scoring and led Anaheim with seven goals and 17 points.</p><p>Although the Senators looked like world-beaters entering the final, they were barely competitive. This is a team that is close, but was exposed as still not gritty enough to take a real run at the Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;I think positionally they played better than we did,&rdquo; said Ottawa coach Bryan Murray.</p><p>&ldquo;Defense in particular, that&rsquo;s their agenda, really to be a strong defensive team. We had some guys that didn&rsquo;t play to what they had played earlier in the playoffs. And I think that&rsquo;s most disappointing. I say that in all due respect to Anaheim, which had a big and strong team and made it difficult for us to play at the level we played at earlier.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04736/9014088-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="372" height="400"></div><h2><b>EXPANSION CUPS</b></h2><p>Since the Original Six expansion in 1967-68, success has been a mixed bag for new teams. Anaheim becomes the 11th expansion squad to hoist the Cup, while 13 teams still haven&rsquo;t won it. All six original NHL teams have won the Cup.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05503/9014081-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="553" height="589"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06394/9014074-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="411" height="423"></div><h2><b>CONN SMYTHE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07308/9014067-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="553" height="497"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08253/9014060-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="553" height="197"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

COVER STORY

TOAST OF THE COAST

<div class="byline">BY RICH HAMMOND</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011836/9014147-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>The Honda Center</p><p><b>LOVE NEST</b> The Honda Center in Anaheim was the site of one long, satisfying celebration after Game 5.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SHELLY CASTELLANO)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Los Angeles Rams came to town in 1946 and won an old-school NFL championship five years later.</p><p>Major League Baseball arrived in 1958. The next year, the Dodgers won the World Series.</p><p>The NBA arrived in 1960. It took the Lakers 12 years to win a title.</p><p>Hockey? It&rsquo;s been the black sheep of Southern California&rsquo;s pro sporting family for the past 40 years. The Kings have barely sniffed the Stanley Cup and the Ducks, well, they&rsquo;re just a Walt Disney joke, right?</p><p>Not anymore, and never again. The Ducks became NHL champions with a five-game conquest of the Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup final and afterward threw a party that mixed tradition and flair.</p><p>The celebration involved the obligatory champagne and cigars, of course, but this being Hollywood, it had to have some splash. Enter fireworks, red carpet, a helicopter and an appearance from &lsquo;The Governator.&rsquo;</p><p>Three days after the Cup clincher, 15,000 fans showed up outside Honda Center &ndash; some as early as 4:30 a.m. for a 6:30 p.m. start &ndash; to celebrate the Cup, which arrived via helicopter and was escorted down a red carpet by Ducks players and coaches.</p><h2><b>&lsquo;THE NEW HOCKEYTOWN&rsquo;</b></h2><p>The fans were every bit as rabid as those found in Canada &ndash; if not as numerous &ndash; which might have prompted team owner Henry Samueli to exclaim, &ldquo;Sorry, Canada. Welcome to the new Hockeytown.&rdquo;</p><p>The folks in Detroit no doubt will be surprised to know they&rsquo;ve been moved across the continent, although not as surprised as coach Randy Carlyle, who was called &ldquo;Ryan&rdquo; by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.</p><p>Oh well. The rest of the post-game memories were keepers.</p><p>Once the on-ice formalities finished and each of the Ducks had a chance to lift the Cup, the real party began and the emotions of the moment spilled out. In the hallway outside the dressing room, families began to pour in and players eagerly poked their heads out of the door, searching for loved ones.</p><p>The Cup stayed on the ice, as did many of the players and families. Rob and Scott Niedermayer were inseparable, the smiles on their faces irremovable, but the moment belonged to Jean-Sebastien Giguere.</p><p>These playoffs started with Giguere on the bench. He missed the last three games of the regular season caring for newborn son Maxime, who was born with a vision-threatening eye condition.</p><p>Giguere didn&rsquo;t appear until the fourth game of the first round, but made up for it by stealing several matches along the way.</p><p>Could there have been a more poignant moment after Game 5 than that of Giguere and his wife, Kristen, beaming with pride while posing for a picture with Maxime sitting in the Cup?</p><p>Once the ice cleared, the fans went off into the happy night. At JT Schmid&rsquo;s, the popular restaurant-bar across the street from the arena, fans had been staking out spots since lunchtime. After the game, with the bar crowded three deep, one employee said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how we&rsquo;ll get everyone out.&rdquo;</p><p>Which isn&rsquo;t to say the party inside Honda Center had died down. The Cup eventually made its way inside the dressing room amid flowing alcohol, cigar smoke and a rousing version of <i>Sweet Caroline</i>.</p><p>On top of a makeshift media stage, defenseman Chris Pronger poured beer out of the Cup into the mouths of teammates, team employees and, well, anyone.</p><p>The party raged inside for another three hours, until roughly 3 a.m., with limos provided to transport players and families.</p><p>The local media, which had mostly ignored or ridiculed the Ducks since the franchise arrived in 1993, trumpeted their success. The L.A. <i>Times</i>, which didn&rsquo;t cover road games during some points of the season, followed Game 5 with five days&rsquo; worth of stories about the celebration and the team&rsquo;s prospects for the summer.</p><p>Network TV talking heads, rarely seen at Southern California hockey arenas, adopted the Ducks for a few days and breathlessly reported on the team&rsquo;s conquest and its fans&rsquo; celebrations.</p><p>Will the good times last? Will Anaheim indeed usher in an era of West Coast hockey fandom? Much of it depends on whether the Ducks can sustain their success. A team&rsquo;s work is never done.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-01

STANLEY CUP SPECIAL

WEST SIDE GLORY

<div class="byline">BY KEN WARREN</div><p><b>&ndash; OTTAWA</b></p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen the party finally ended for the Ottawa Senators, three wins shy of the Stanley Cup, the finality of the situation didn&rsquo;t sink in overnight for the team&rsquo;s faithful.</p><p>In the days after the Anaheim Ducks victory, fans continued to wear Senators shirts and baseball caps around Ottawa. The marquees on storefronts remained untouched: &ldquo;Go Sens Go.&rdquo;</p><p>Many didn&rsquo;t bother to remove their Senators car flags, which had sold like beavertails on the Rideau Canal throughout the opening three rounds.</p><p>It was all rather bizarre behavior, at least by the previous standards of the city&rsquo;s fan base.</p><p>Conditioned to watching high playoff expectations fall flat, there was a trepidation for fans to get involved, a fear of throwing both feet into the dream, lest the hope melted away with another early playoff defeat.</p><p>But something entirely different happened this time in Canada&rsquo;s capital, often dismissed by critics as &ldquo;the city that fun forgot.&rdquo;</p><p>As many as 30,000 fans gathered at outdoor venues at the start of the final series. Even with the Sens on the brink of elimination in Game 5, about 3,000 fans gathered to watch video screens along Elgin Street, with a string of restaurants closed to cars during the final. Another 5,000 took in the action on big screens at City Hall.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011831/9014178-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="547" height="964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE DREAM</b> A young Sens fans holds up a homemade Stanley Cup. <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;In the Eastern Conference, we are the top,&rdquo; said Nancy Butler, who was carrying a stuffed duck hung in effigy on a wooden stick. &ldquo;We made it, no questions asked. Obviously, any team that makes it (to the final)&hellip;we had to go three rounds to get where we are.&rdquo;</p><p>Then there was Kevin Hsia, who lugged his reasonable facsimile of the Stanley Cup &ndash; garbage can, bucket, pasta strainer &ndash; around the streets, and said the team&rsquo;s run for the Cup brought out the best in the city.</p><p>&ldquo;Experience and the spirit,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Everyone in Ottawa has the spirit now and we&rsquo;ll go all the way next year.&rdquo;</p><p>If only it was that easy. Neither of the 2006 finalists, the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers, even made it to the post-season this time around. The 2004 finalists, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames, lost in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.</p><p>But coach Bryan Murray, a native of nearby Shawville, Que., hoped the support shown around town gives any Sens free agents pause to reflect this summer.</p><p>&ldquo;To see the city of Ottawa and the fans and the reaction in this community was something.&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;If you didn&rsquo;t want to be back here, you&rsquo;d be foolish.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

SENATORS FANS KEEP CHEERING

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021424/9014223-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="386" height="401"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span></b>aniel Alfredsson and the Ot-tawa Senators came up short in their quest for hockey&rsquo;s ultimate prize this spring. Here&rsquo;s hoping that being named the NHL&rsquo;s player of the month for May/June will somewhat ease the pain of losing in the Stanley Cup final for the longtime Sens captain.</p><p>&ldquo;This guy, to me, has been the ultimate captain for our hockey team,&rdquo; said Senators coach Bryan Murray late in the post-season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a hard-working guy, a driving force.&rdquo;</p><p>And a productive player, too. Alfredsson led all NHLers with 14 goals, including four game-winners, in the 2007 post-season. And one of those game-winners was especially sweet: a shorthanded, overtime marker that eliminated the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference final. (Don&rsquo;t forget, it was Buffalo&rsquo;s Jason Pominville that skated around Alfredsson and scored &ndash; a shorthanded OT marker, no less &ndash; to kick the Senators out of the &rsquo;06 post-season.)</p><p>&ldquo;He was by far their best player,&rdquo; said Sabres center Tim Connolly, &ldquo;and definitely the difference in the series.&rdquo;</p><p>Alfredsson&rsquo;s 22 points in 20 games tied with linemates Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley for the springtime scoring lead.</p><p>&ldquo;Alfie&rsquo;s our leader&hellip; He deserves every little bit of praise he&rsquo;s getting,&rdquo; Spezza said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been phenomenal. When he was criticized in the past, it upset us all. It&rsquo;s great to see him score.&rdquo;</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t all about the stats sheet, though: Alfredsson played a determined, opportunistic style throughout the playoffs, pouncing on loose pucks and causing countless turnovers. He was physical &ndash; bowling over Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Gary Roberts in a memorable first round collision &ndash; and led with his actions in virtually every game as the Sens overcame past playoff disappointments to advance to the final for the first time in the team&rsquo;s history.</p><p>&ldquo;I believe you make your own luck, and I believe if you work hard, you&rsquo;re going to get your bounces,&rdquo; said Alfredsson, who averaged 23:19 in ice time per playoff game. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to play to my ability in the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>While disappointed to advance to the final only to come up short, Alfredsson was happy to deliver an exciting and extended playoff run for Ottawa&rsquo;s long-suffering supporters.</p><p>&ldquo;That just shows the great support we have here and how passionate the fans are&rdquo; said Alfredsson, who has played in every one of Ottawa&rsquo;s 99 playoff games since 1997. &ldquo;You imagine what would happen if we won the whole thing and how crazy they would go.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031063/9014216-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="1018" height="1669"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>Alfredsson led all NHLers in the post-season with 14 goals.</i></b> <span class="photo-credit">(Rick Stewart/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>FACTS & STATS</b></h2><p><b>PLAYER:</b> Daniel Alfredsson <b>TEAM:</b> Ottawa Senators <b>POSITION</b>: Right Wing <b>AGE:</b> 34</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04805/9014209-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="1650" height="365"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-02

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011710/9014261-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DUCK HUNTER</b> Ottawa always had to be aware when Chris Pronger was on the ice. <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>&ndash; OTTAWA</b></p><p>Chris Pronger pokes his head outside the Anaheim Ducks dressing room, takes a quick look around, and then says, &ldquo;Come on in.&rdquo;</p><p>Under normal circumstances, the 6-foot-6 star defenseman would be on the ice at Scotiabank Place with his teammates, competing in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final.</p><p>But these are not normal circumstances.</p><p>For the second time in the 2007 playoffs, Pronger is serving a one-game suspension; in this instance, it&rsquo;s for knocking out Ottawa&rsquo;s Dean McAmmond with a forearm shiver to the head in Game 3. Although he said all the right things when the suspension was announced, Pronger clearly is unhappy with the NHL&rsquo;s decision.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>I can&rsquo;t watch the game (on TV). I tried to watch the Detroit game, but it just drove me bonkers.</i><br>&ndash; Chris Pronger</blockquote><p>&ldquo;If he isn&rsquo;t hurt, do I get suspended?&rdquo; he asks. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think so. Now the NHL has established a standard. Every time a guy gets hit in the head, it&rsquo;s a one-game suspension.&rdquo;</p><p>Tucked away in a small room inside the Ducks dressing room, Pronger says sitting out kills him.</p><p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t watch the game (on TV),&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I tried to watch the Detroit game, but it just drove me bonkers.&rdquo;</p><p>Ah, the Detroit game. That was the one in Round 3 when he was suspended for driving the head of the Wings&rsquo; Tomas Holmstrom into the glass from behind. After that suspension, Pronger angrily said the Canadian media was responsible for him getting the boot. Strangely, Pronger was not penalized on either play and, lucky for him, his teammates responded with victories in both games he sat out.</p><p>Pronger is as intense an individual as you&rsquo;ll find in the NHL. When his suspension for Game 4 against Ottawa was announced, I asked him, &ldquo;Given the fact you&rsquo;ve been suspended twice and the NHL is clearly cracking down on head shots, will you have to adjust your game?&rdquo;</p><p>Pronger&rsquo;s response: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I can, for me to be the type of player I can be. Obviously it&rsquo;s a fine line and it&rsquo;s getting finer every year. And we have to make subtle adjustments, but I don&rsquo;t think I can make wholesale changes and still be the type of player I can be.&rdquo;</p><p>So, the Ducks will have to live with a player who is high-risk, high-return.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021308/9014254-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="1123" height="758"><figcaption class="caption-body">some Senators help Dean McAmmond, a Pronger victim. <span class="photo-credit">(PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Wearing navy slacks and a light blue dress shirt, Pronger is anxious as the game plays on the TV above him. Although he swears he doesn&rsquo;t like to watch when he&rsquo;s not playing, at times he can&rsquo;t help himself. Early in the contest Anaheim&rsquo;s Corey Perry bumps into Ottawa goalie Ray Emery.</p><p>&ldquo;Dive!&rdquo; screams Pronger as Emery goes down. &ldquo;That was a (expletive) dive!&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, it looks on the replay as though Emery embellished the nudge from Perry, but no call is made on the goalie.</p><p>&ldquo;If that was us, we&rsquo;d be called,&rdquo; Pronger insists.</p><p>It looks as though the Ducks will survive the first period without their best player, but Ottawa&rsquo;s Daniel Alfredsson scores at 19:59 to give the home side the lead. Pronger misses the goal because, with a few seconds left, he and teammate Shawn Thornton, a healthy scratch, exit the dressing room and go into a smaller laundry room next door.</p><p>&ldquo;(Coach) Randy (Carlyle) doesn&rsquo;t like any players that aren&rsquo;t playing in the room,&rdquo; Pronger says.</p><p>Thornton, an energy player and tough guy who plays sparingly for the Ducks, wasn&rsquo;t told until after the warmups that he wouldn&rsquo;t be dressing for Game 4.</p><p>&ldquo;Damn,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;I wish I would have known. I&rsquo;m wired on coffee. I usually drink four or five cups of coffee before each game to get pumped.&rdquo;</p><p>After the players return to the ice, we hustle back into the dressing room to watch the second period. This time, Pronger is more engrossed in the game. When a teammate nearly scores, he pumps his fist in the air and is audibly excited.</p><p>But the Ducks continue to trail 1-0. Midway through the period, however, Anaheim&rsquo;s fortunes take a turn for the better as No. 1 center Andy McDonald strikes twice in 60 seconds. Pronger and Thornton do a little celebratory dance after each goal.</p><p>A short while later a member of the Ducks is slashed, but there is no penalty. This, again, gets Pronger&rsquo;s dander up and he complains about the number of penalties his team receives compared to Ottawa. He points to the fact the Ducks have been forced to play two men short numerous times in the playoffs.</p><p>Just before we depart the room with the second period coming to a conclusion, Ottawa scores again to tie it up 2-2.</p><p>&ldquo;Give me a break!&rdquo; Pronger says in disgust.</p><p>We leave the dressing room early again and this time we miss Ottawa&rsquo;s Daniel Alfredsson firing the puck at Anaheim&rsquo;s Scott Niedermayer. Clearly, though uncharacteristically, Alfredsson did this on purpose. Upon seeing the replay, Pronger is furious.</p><p>&ldquo;Is that a suspension?&rdquo; he barks.</p><p>&ldquo;Not likely,&rdquo; I say.</p><p>&ldquo;Well, if he hits Niedermayer in the face and breaks his face, is it a suspension?&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Probably.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;OK, so you&rsquo;re telling me no injury, no suspension. This is where I think the league gets it wrong. It should be about the action, not whether or not the player is injured. If it&rsquo;s a suspension when the guy gets hurt, it should be a suspension for the attempt.&rdquo;</p><p>A little while later, a former St. Louis Blues teammate text-messages Pronger, asking, &ldquo;Is shooting the puck at someone&rsquo;s head not a penalty?&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;See?&rdquo; Pronger says.</p><p>Between the second and third periods, Pronger calms himself by reading <i>Maverick Real Estate Financing</i>. He is consumed with the business world and says the teammates with whom he drives to the rink &ndash; Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Rob and Scott Niedermayer &ndash; hate it when he takes control of the radio. They&rsquo;d prefer to listen to music, but Pronger insists on CNBC.</p><p>As the third period begins, Pronger announces, &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t take this.&rdquo; He grabs a chair, turns it around so that it&rsquo;s facing away from the TV and parks himself. Thornton, meanwhile, can&rsquo;t take his eyes off the tube. When he begins to react to the play, Pronger looks up and says, &ldquo;Stop it! I told you, I don&rsquo;t want to know what is happening.&rdquo;</p><p>Of course, Pronger can&rsquo;t help himself, and peeks over his shoulder on occasion. When Anaheim&rsquo;s Francois Beauchemin is sent off for holding early in the third, Pronger shakes his head.</p><p>I ask, &ldquo;Do you think the refs have it in for you because of your team&rsquo;s reputation for being rough?&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Holding is playing rough?&rdquo; he asks.</p><p>Pronger, who is notoriously thin, puts two slices of bread in the toaster and lathers them with peanut butter after they pop up.</p><p>He laughs and says, &ldquo;When I played junior, I could never eat after games. I&rsquo;d eat breakfast on game day and then a pre-game meal and then I wouldn&rsquo;t eat until the next day. It was tough keeping my weight up.&rdquo;</p><p>A few minutes later, Pronger observes, &ldquo;I get more tired watching games than I do playing in them. When you watch, (it feels like) you play every shift, you&rsquo;re in every scrum. It&rsquo;s exhausting.&rdquo;</p><p>Thornton agrees.</p><p>&ldquo;I can usually sleep after games because I&rsquo;m so tired,&rdquo; Thornton says. &ldquo;Tonight I know I&rsquo;ll have trouble sleeping because I&rsquo;m so wired from watching.&rdquo;</p><p>Just as Pronger peeks over his shoulder, Dustin Penner scores what proves to be the game-winner for Anaheim.</p><p>There is still 16 minutes to play and now Pronger is more determined than ever not to watch. Things grow rather quiet as I continue to watch while he stares at the floor.</p><p>&ldquo;How much time is left?&rdquo; Pronger asks.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure. We have the feed that plays on the clock above the ice and there is no time showing.&rdquo;</p><p>He gets up and pokes his head into the dressing room where the game clock is displayed. Pronger smiles and says, &ldquo;Less than a minute.&rdquo;</p><p>When the final buzzer sounds, Pronger leaps into the air, his fist clenched and raised above his head.</p><p>&ldquo;YES! YES!&rdquo; he screams.</p><p>Pronger quickly disappears into the dressing room to congratulate his victorious teammates. They have saved his butt once again.</p><p>About an hour later, my cell phone buzzes indicating I have a text-message:</p><p><i>&ldquo;Good to catch up with you and keep my mind off the game. See u in California. Prongs.&rdquo;</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

IN THE ROOM WITH PRONGER

<h2><b>GAME ONE</b></h2><p>May 28, 2007</p><p>Ottawa 2 at Anaheim 3</p><p>Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle asked his checking line of Samuel Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer and Travis Moen to do their best to shut down Ottawa&rsquo;s top line of Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Dany Heatley.</p><p>And that&rsquo;s exactly what they did. Alfredsson and Spezza each had an assist in Game 1, but that was on the power play. Three cheers for the checkers! Oh, they also scored the winning goal for the Ducks &ndash; Moen stepped up with his fifth goal of the playoffs at 17:09 of the third period as Anaheim rallied from a 2-1 deficit to take the opening game of the final 3-2.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re lucky enough the three guys have molded together,&rdquo; says Carlyle of his superb checking trio. &ldquo;They are big men and they understand their responsibility to our team. We shudder to think where we&rsquo;d be without them.&rdquo;</p><p>Rob Niedermayer, especially, was a force at boThends. He set up Moen&rsquo;s winning goal, had six shots on net and delivered five hits.</p><h3><b>TURNING POINT</b></h3><p>The Senators had a two-man advantage for 1:35 in the second period and failed to score while holding a 2-1 lead.</p><h2><b>GAME TWO</b></h2><p>May 30, 2007</p><p>Ottawa <b>0</b> at Anaheim <b>1</b></p><p>For the second straight game, it was Pahlsson, Rob Niedermayer and Moen who stole the spotlight, providing Anaheim with the only goal of the game, a spectacular individual effort by Pahlsson who struck at 14:16 of the third period.</p><p>Pahlsson took advantage of a turnover near center by Heatley and broke in past Alfredsson &ndash; who made no attempt whatsoever to stop the Anaheim player &ndash; and then shot between defenseman Joe Corvo&rsquo;s legs to beat Ray Emery.</p><p>&ldquo;I tried to shoot it between the defenseman&rsquo;s legs and somehow it went in,&rdquo; said the rather shy Pahlsson, modestly describing his laser-perfect aim. &ldquo;It is always fun to score, but it is more important that we got the win.&rdquo;</p><p>Besides scoring the game&rsquo;s lone goal, Pahlsson also tied for the team lead with four hits, while Rob Niedermayer used his speed and size all night to neutralize Ottawa&rsquo;s offensive stars and finished with two hits and two blocked shots.</p><h3><b>TURNING POINT</b></h3><p>The Senators had a two-man advantage for 1:08 midway through the first period, but despite getting five shots on goal, they were unable to beat Jean-Sebastien Giguere.</p><h2><b>GAME THREE</b></h2><p>June 2, 2007</p><p>Anaheim <b>3</b> at Ottawa <b>5</b></p><p>Hosting its first Stanley Cup final game in more than 80 years, Ottawa was a sea of red and an ocean of desperation, knowing a loss in Game 3 would seal the Senators&rsquo; fate.</p><p>It was a game chock-full of controversy, starting with Alfredsson&rsquo;s power play goal to tie the score 3-3 late in the second period. The goal, which went off Alfredsson&rsquo;s skate, was originally disallowed before being overturned by video review. The 5-3 Senators victory ended with a thud for Dean McAmmond who, after scoring the eventual winner late in the second period, absorbed a forearm shiver from Chris Pronger that knocked him out of the series and earned Pronger a one-game suspension for Game 4. There was no penalty called on the play.</p><p>&ldquo;I was just finishing my check,&rdquo; Pronger said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what happened.&rdquo;</p><p>Ducks GM Brian Burke accepted the suspension, but was incensed there wasn&rsquo;t a hearing into what the Ducks thought was a cheap shot by Chris Neil on Andy McDonald earlier in the game.</p><h3><b>TURNING POINT</b></h3><p>Alfredsson&rsquo;s game-tying goal late in the second period gave the Sens a big boost in confidence.</p><h2><b>GAME FOUR</b></h2><p>June 4, 2007</p><p>Anaheim <b>3</b> at Ottawa <b>2</b></p><p>After watching Anaheim make a bead for the penalty box four times in the first period, one observer asked, &ldquo;How did the Ducks get this far being so (expletive) stupid?&rdquo;</p><p>But for the next 40 minutes, the Ducks were as perfect as they were stupid in the first 20 and, in doing so, put themselves on the cusp of the Stanley Cup.</p><p>After outshooting the Ducks 13-2 in the first period &ndash; and taking a 1-0 lead &ndash; the Sens inexplicably lost their mojo and played their worst period of the post-season.</p><p>The decisive goal, which was scored by Dustin Penner, came off a bizarre play. Ottawa defenseman Chris Phillips, whose skate blade had blown up a few minutes before, lost an edge on his new blade and had to go back to the bench with Teemu Selanne and Penner bearing down. Wade Redden replaced Phillips, but was late joining the play and Penner had an easy tap-in.</p><h3><b>TURNING POINT</b></h3><p>Penner&rsquo;s goal deflated the Sens.</p><h2><b>GAME FIVE</b></h2><p>June 6, 2007</p><p>Ottawa <b>2</b> at Anaheim <b>6</b></p><p>A year after dropping &lsquo;Mighty&rsquo; from their nickname, the Anaheim Ducks live up to the billing.</p><p>The Hockey News&rsquo; pre-season choice to win the Stanley Cup steamrolled the Senators, pounding Ottawa 6-2 to put an exclamation point on their one-sided Stanley Cup victory.</p><p>It was an emotional ending &ndash; Scott Niedermayer handing the Cup to his brother, Rob, and veteran Selanne finally winning a title &ndash; to what was otherwise a disappointing final.</p><p>The Ducks got a bit of a scare early in the game when Antoine Vermette and Neil combined to crush Pronger into the boards behind the net. Pronger separated his shoulder, but missed only a handful of shifts, returning for the second and third periods.</p><h3><b>TURNING POINT</b></h3><p>On a bizarre play behind the net, Phillips lost the puck and it bounced into his team&rsquo;s net off goalie Emery&rsquo;s skate.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Game by Game

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011357/9014323-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DUCK SUPPORT</b> Beauchemin bridges the top and bottom of Anaheim&rsquo;s talented defense corps. <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>ANAHEIM</b></p><p>Trades are part of the game. Nobody needed to tell that to Francois Beauchemin.</p><p>But when he got the call that he had been traded for Sergei Fedorov, he was absolutely taken aback.</p><p>&ldquo;I mean, the guy makes $6 million a year and has won the Stanley Cup,&rdquo; says the native of Sorel, Que., who turned 27 June 4. &ldquo;That one caught me by surprise.&rdquo;</p><p>Until he was traded to Anaheim by Columbus along with Tyler Wright and a draft pick in 2005, Beauchemin was regarded as a good defenseman with the potential to play regularly in the NHL. One year later he is considered a rock-solid defender who nicely compliments two of the game&rsquo;s best defenders, Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. Say what you want about the massive talents of those two, if the Ducks did not have quality depth players on defense like Beauchemin and veteran Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, there is no way they&rsquo;d have won the Stanley Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;To say we would have thought we knew the type of player we were getting would be incorrect,&rdquo; says Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle. &ldquo;Yeah, we thought he would be a good defenseman, but he has turned out to be a player you can rely on for the tough minutes. He has an offensive side, but he doesn&rsquo;t get to show it much because of Pronger and Niedermayer. And he&rsquo;ll fight.&rdquo;</p><p>Drafted in the third round, 75th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1998, Beauchemin played one game with the Habs, but says because of circumstances, he knew his chances of playing full-time in Montreal were long at best.</p><p>&ldquo;They had a couple of players drafted ahead of me also trying to make the team,&rdquo; Beauchemin says. &ldquo;So when Montreal needed a defenseman, Mike Komisarek or Ron Hainsey would get the call.&rdquo;</p><p>Beauchemin insists he always had confidence he&rsquo;d find his way to the NHL. At 6-feet and 214 pounds, the stocky Beauchemin did whatever he needed to in order to be noticed and says he never got discouraged.</p><p>&ldquo;I was getting better every year,&rdquo; he notes. &ldquo;And as I got better I felt I was getting closer to being an NHL player. I knew at some point I would make it.&rdquo;</p><p>Bob Murray, the Ducks assistant GM, insisted Beauchemin be part of the package in the Fedorov trade.</p><p>&ldquo;We saw him play lots with (AHL) Syracuse and every time you&rsquo;d play against him, you&rsquo;d see how hard he competed,&rdquo; Murray says.</p><p>After playing 11 games with the Blue Jackets in 2005-06, during which he registered two assists and was minus-6, Beauchemin did an about-face with Anaheim. It helps, naturally, that he was paired almost right away with Niedermayer. He had eight goals and 34 points in 61 regular season games and then impressed with three goals and nine points in 16 playoff games. It was at that point the Ducks knew they had as strong a No. 3 defenseman playing for them as you&rsquo;ll find in the league. Beauchemin followed up with seven goals and 28 points in 71 games this season.</p><p>&ldquo;When we traded for him last year, I really didn&rsquo;t know a lot about him,&rdquo; Niedermayer says. &ldquo;We sort of hit it off right off the bat. He&rsquo;s got good skills, a good shot and he&rsquo;s a good skater. He&rsquo;s a good hitter and he has dropped the gloves a few times. I was a little surprised we traded for a player I hadn&rsquo;t heard of and all of a sudden he&rsquo;s out there doing all the great things he does for our team.&rdquo;</p><p>With each passing game it become clearer Beauchemin is an impact player. Take Game 1 of the final; Pronger led the Ducks in ice time playing 29 minutes and 17 seconds, but it was Beauchemin, not Niedermayer, who was second at 29:03. That said, he feels he still has plenty to learn.</p><p>&ldquo;I still need to be more careful about not shooting the puck up the middle when I&rsquo;m trying to get it out of our zone,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But I guess it&rsquo;s not all that bad. I kind of expected to be battling it out for the sixth or seventh defenseman&rsquo;s spot.&rdquo;</p><p>Not anymore.</p><h2><b>BETTER THAN AVERAGE</b></h2><p>Depth charts can be deceiving. Anybody will tell you Beauchemin is Anaheim&rsquo;s No. 3 defenseman, but he actually averaged more minutes of ice time per playoff game than blueline studs Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer during the Ducks&rsquo; run to the Stanley Cup</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021008/9014316-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="631" height="594"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0022-01

NO ONE ASKS ‘FRANCOIS WHO?’

<div class="byline">Compiled by Mark Janzen and Graham Perkins</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02877/9014361-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Ducks&rsquo; relentless attack in the Cup final was too much for Ottawa&rsquo;s back end to handle. Anaheim found a chink in Ray Emery&rsquo;s armor and lit him up down low, scoring only three goals up high. The Ducks&rsquo; scoring leaders must have gotten a few pointers from watching tape, because this was exactly how the Sens polished off the Sabres in the Eastern final. One of the biggest surprises for Anaheim was the offensive flair demonstrated by checker Travis Moen, who potted three goals &ndash; second only to McDonald for the team lead &ndash; and was credited with the Cup-winner thanks to a little help from Ottawa&rsquo;s Chris Phillips.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011214/9014354-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="593" height="139"></div><h2><b>THE GOALS</b></h2><p>1. Game 1 McDonald takes Selanne pass and snaps shot top-shelf</p><p>2. Game 1 Getzlaf backhands it on rush</p><p>3. Game 1 Moen knocks bouncing pass</p><p>4. Game 2 Pahlsson whips it in far side after Ottawa turnover</p><p>5. Game 3 McDonald fires Selanne feed past Emery on power play</p><p>6. Game 3 Perry slides it from corner</p><p>7. Game 3 Getzlaf buries big rebound</p><p>8. Game 4 McDonald deflects hard Marchant shot in off Emery&rsquo;s stick</p><p>9. Game 4 McDonald walks in alone, puts it through Emery&rsquo;s five-hole</p><p>10. Game 4 Penner cuts in behind defense and bangs it in gaping net</p><p>11. Game 5 McDonald whips in pass</p><p>12. Game 5 R. Niedermayer backhands it far side off rush</p><p>13. Game 5 Moen dumps it in corner, Phillips and Emery score on own goal</p><p>14. Game 5 Beauchemin blast deflects off Volchenkov&rsquo;s shin pad</p><p>15. Game 5 Moen tips point shot</p><p>16. Game 5 Perry tees up giveaway<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-02

Ducks kept close to ice

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04489/9014399-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>espite a top line that finished 1-2-3 in playoff scoring, the Senators couldn&rsquo;t string enough goals together to slow down the Ducks. Because of Giguere&rsquo;s strong positioning and rebound control, the Sens scored most of their goals on tips and bounces. Five of Ottawa&rsquo;s 11 goals in the series changed direction on the way to the net, while the Ducks only had four. The Sens struggled to maintain a solid presence in front of the goal and failed to get enough pucks through Anaheim&rsquo;s strong defensive front. Facing elimination in Game 5, the Senators only managed 13 shots on goal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03660/9014392-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="386" height="121"></div><h2><b>THE GOALS</b></h2><p>1. Game 1 Fisher bounces puck off Giguere&rsquo;s shoulder, trickles in net</p><p>2. Game 1 Redden slapshot from blueline finds top left corner</p><p>3. Game 3 Neil deflects in quick feed</p><p>4. Game 3 Fisher tips point shot</p><p>5. Game 3 Alfredsson&rsquo;s skate deflects puck off point shot</p><p>6. Game 3 McAmmond centering pass deflects in off Pronger</p><p>7. Game 3 Volchenkov pinches in to score insurance marker</p><p>8. Game 4 Alfredsson snaps onetimer in dying seconds of first period</p><p>9. Game 4 Heatley bangs in short cross-crease pass</p><p>10. Game 5 Alfredsson wrists it over Giguere&rsquo;s shoulder</p><p>11. Game 5 Alfredsson fights through hook and roofs it short side<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-04

Sens struggled mightily

<div class="byline">Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02946/9014430-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LESSONS LEARNED?</b> Is it reasonable to expect Dany Heately and Jason Spezza to grow from their underwhelming Stanley Cup final? <span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011310/9014437-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="229" height="218"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>iven the makeup of their rosters, there are a lot of reasons to believe the Ottawa Senators will once again battle the Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup final next spring.</p><p>And given the results, there&rsquo;s little to suggest things won&rsquo;t turn out the same disastrous way they did for the Senators unless they make some radical changes to their lineup this summer.</p><p>The Senators made some wonderful strides during this year&rsquo;s playoff s, but the organization is at a crossroads. By the time training camp rolls around, they&rsquo;ll likely be the best team in the Eastern Conference and it might not even be close. Winning in the East is not a problem for the Sens, so when they go about adjusting their roster this summer, they have to do so with an eye toward the Ducks, or another team like them in the Western Conference. They need to build a team that will allow them to play their free-flowing style and that means acquiring players who can battle through a stifling, physical team from the West.</p><p>The same Senators everyone mocked for their lack of playoff success largely overcame that obstacle this spring, but some nagging issues remain. Daniel Alfredsson proved he can play at any level at any time in the playoffs, but coach Bryan Murray was so displeased with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley in the final that he all but publicly called them out after the series ended. Mike Fisher was outstanding and even though he had a mediocre final, Ray Emery progressed miles this season and there&rsquo;s no reason to believe his upward trajectory can&rsquo;t continue. The defense corps, for the most part, was solid.</p><p>What the Senators have to decide now is whether they&rsquo;re content to be a perennial contender or whether they&rsquo;re willing to make the bold moves that could make them champions. Perhaps they could simply stick with Spezza and Heatley as the heartbeat of their team and hope they learned their lessons and will be better for it. That route is just as fraught with peril as is making big changes.</p><p>Or they could go out and get some players who have proven they can excel in pressure situations against intimidating competition and move both Spezza and Heatley to less pressure-filled roles. That&rsquo;s exactly what Dallas did with Mike Modano and, because of that, they won a Cup.</p><p>So, how to do it? Well, it will take a combination of creative thinking, bold moves and a willingness to spend, both in terms of cap space and real money. It will require the Senators to make some very difficult decisions that carry no guarantees. But with both Spezza and Heatley entering their last seasons before unrestricted free agency, the Sens must do it now.</p><p>What the Senators have to do is make a pitch for Ryan Smyth or Chris Drury, if either one becomes available. It will likely cost them about $6 million per season on a long-term deal, but the Senators can offer both players a chance at the Stanley Cup that many teams cannot. In return, they&rsquo;ll get a battle-hardened veteran who will take some of the pressure off Heatley and Spezza and will be able to play through the physical adversity that duo were unable to endure.</p><p>But it won&rsquo;t be easy.</p><p>First, let&rsquo;s assume the salary cap will go up to $49 million next season and Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is willing to go to the cap. As it stands now, the Senators have $40.5 million committed to 15 players &ndash; goalie Martin Gerber, defensemen Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Joe Corvo, Andrej Meszaros and Anton Volchenkov and forwards Alfredsson, Fisher, Heatley, Spezza, Peter Schaefer, Antoine Vermette, Chris Neil, Patrick Eaves and Brian McGrattan.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>The next step involves a very, very tough move: trading Wade Redden</i></blockquote><p>Chris Kelly and Emery must be re-signed as restricted free agents and will likely cost about $4 million combined.</p><p>Now, it gets interesting. The first thing the Sens have to do is take a big hit on Gerber because at $3.7 million per year for the next two seasons, it&rsquo;s unlikely they&rsquo;ll be able to deal him. If they buy him out, it will cost about $1.2 million in cap space, but if they send him to the minors, his entire salary comes off the cap &ndash; but the Sens still have to pay him.</p><p>The next step involves a very, very tough move: trading Redden. Perhaps it could be RaffiTorres and Matt Greene &ndash; both restricted free agents &ndash; from Edmonton, a player who would save them about $3 million in cap space and give them some &ldquo;push back&rdquo; to go along with Chris Neil. Redden has a no-trade clause, but could be dealt if the team taking him will extend his contract.</p><p>Then you sign either Drury or SmyThat $6 million, putting you at about $43.8 million for 18 players. Bring Tom Preissing back (or an equivalent talent) at about $1.5 million then you fill out the roster with cheap, efficient players the likes of Dean McAmmond and Oleg Saprykin.</p><p>If they do something like that, the Senators might just be able to start planning that Cup parade.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-02

TIME TO STRIKE FOR SENATORS

<div class="byline">Peter Botte</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02831/9014503-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NO MORE BASHIN&rsquo;</b> Islander fans can finally put their energy into something other than trash-talking Yashin. <span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011176/9014510-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="200" height="206"></div><p>One of Long Island&rsquo;s most timeless love stories returned to the tabloid gossip pages late last month.</p><p>Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco were spotted canoodling in a local restaurant and later discussed reconciling more than a decade after the infamous &ldquo;Long Island Lolita&rdquo; had fired a bullet into the head of the former auto mechanic&rsquo;s wife in 1992.</p><p>The overdue divorce the hockey underbelly of the New York area has been clamoring for finally hit the sports pages June 6, albeit with far less fanfare.</p><p>Alexei Yashin is an Islander no more &ndash; nothing a paltry $17.6-million buyout couldn&rsquo;t cure &ndash; and good riddance in more ways than one. Still, you&rsquo;d think by the over-the-top reaction of fans and media everywhere that the guy had once squeezed off a couple of rounds at Ron Greschner or something.</p><p>A decent and classy man off the ice, Yashin&rsquo;s crimes, of course, are clear-cut no-no&rsquo;s in pro sports and in the eyes of sports fans. He once sat out an entire season to upgrade an existing contract in Ottawa and then was not willing or able to live up to the ridiculously overpriced 10-year deal &ndash; and later, the captaincy &ndash; thrust upon him after he was shipped to the Island.</p><p>So now that he has finally been voted off by Charles Wang&rsquo;s tribal council &ndash; i.e., his crack hockey committee &ndash; the impact has the potential to be massive on all fronts despite the $2.2 annual salary-cap hit the Isles will absorb for the next eight seasons.</p><h2><b>FIRST ORDER: SIGN SMYTH</b></h2><p>First and foremost, no excuses now, re-up Ryan Smyth. Forget, for now, committing a long-term deal for leading scorer Jason Blake, who predictably posted a career year (40 goals), but will be 34 in September.</p><p>The Yashin buyout clears more than $4 million in cap space per season over the next four years. And GM Garth Snow has stated re-signing Smyth will be the priority before and during the start of the free agent signing period.</p><p>If his six-week stay &ndash; including the Isles&rsquo; late charge and first round ouster against Buffalo &ndash; wasn&rsquo;t enough to sell Smyth on Long Island, offer to alter the Captain Canada moniker to Captain Coliseum. Show him the financial love Edmonton couldn&rsquo;t or wouldn&rsquo;t before the trade deadline. Continue to get Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier to sell him on all the history their Isles made against his beloved small-market Oilers in the 1980s.</p><p>If that doesn&rsquo;t work, Wang always can try something new and offer Smyth the first 15-year&hellip;oh, wait, never mind.</p><p>But the Islanders also finally have a coach in place whose teams sport an identity both Smyth and the organization&rsquo;s jaded fan base can totally embrace moving forward. Yashin wasn&rsquo;t particularly a &ldquo;Ted Nolan player&rdquo; despite posting decent numbers before his season was derailed by a December knee injury. But Smyth &ndash; much like gritty teammates Brendan Witt, Trent Hunter, Mike Sillinger and others &ndash; most certainly is.</p><p>As for Yashin, ask me 100 times, and I would redo the original trade again 100 times. Maybe I&rsquo;ve been drinking too many Long Island Iced Teas in the Hamptons sun, but I still believe the Islanders were dead-on in dealing for Yashin in the summer of 2001.</p><p>Getting the one-time Hart Trophy finalist for behemoth defenseman Zdeno Chara, plugging winger Bill Muckalt and the No. 2 overall pick everyone knew would be used on junior center Jason Spezza was a hefty price, but a worthwhile risk by Wang and onetime GM-for-life Mike Milbury.</p><p>The next day, the Isles also traded first-rounders Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt for soon-to-be captain Michael Peca. Those two draft-weekend deals put the woebegone franchise and its quirky new owner back on the map, and lest we forget, they actually have qualified for post-season play in four of the past five seasons.</p><p>But Yashin largely has been an outcast in the home dressing room at Nassau Coliseum ever since and Wang must have regrets in keeping Yashin while jettisoning former coach Peter Laviolette along with lieutenants Peca, Adrian Aucoin, Dave Scatchard and others in recent years.</p><p>Of course, Yashin will likely recoup much of the difference between his remaining contract and buyout package as an unrestricted free agent &ndash; either here or in Russia.</p><p>But if Nolan saw fit to demote his <i>captain</i> to the fourth line during another scoreless playoff showing against the Sabres, that alone justifies making &ldquo;a clean break,&rdquo; as Snow dubbed it.</p><h2><b>MILBURY LEAVES, TOO</b></h2><p>Interestingly enough, Milbury, who last year accepted a VP job on the business side of Wang&rsquo;s operation after 10 tumultuous years calling the shots, also announced his official separation from the organization a few days earlier.</p><p>With Yashin also expunged, this has been a celebratory time for various activist fan groups who have picketed and petitioned for such moves in recent years.</p><p>It also already has been the most productive summer the Isles have had in quite some time.</p><h2><b>INKED UP</b></h2><p>The Isles entered mid-June with just five forwards under contract for next year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03584/9014496-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="184" height="190"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Miroslav Satan</p><p>$4.5 million</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04399/9014489-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="184" height="192"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Mike Sillinger</p><p>$2.2 million</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05294/9014482-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="184" height="189"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Shawn Bates</p><p>$1.2 million</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06237/9014475-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="184" height="192"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Jeff Tambellini</p><p>$883,000</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-07199/9014468-1-eng-US/f0025-072.jpg" title="f0025-07" width="184" height="187"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Richard Park</p><p>$475,000</p></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0025-02

Identity overhaul

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011324/9014541-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="374" height="375"></div><p>The way we see it, Igor Larionov and Adam Oates are poised to join a rather exclusive, but ignominious club this summer.</p><p>It&rsquo;s one that includes Glenn Anderson, Pavel Bure, Doug Gilmour and Lorne Chabot and it&rsquo;s comprised of players who had Hall of Fame careers, but aren&rsquo;t in the Hall of Fame &ndash; yet.</p><p>Here are the four players &ndash; the maximum &ndash; we think will get the nod June 28 and we make the case for each.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

Banner year for Hall

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02952/9014579-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="542" height="926"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03764/9014572-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="192" height="344"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE CASE FOR INDUCTION</b> It&rsquo;s no coincidence that Mark Messier is the leading candidate for induction. With Messier, it&rsquo;s never any other way.</p><p>It could be argued there is not a player in the history of the game who possessed the combination of skill, physicality and leadership that Messier did.</p><p>You want leadership? Messier remains the only player in league history to captain two different teams to Stanley Cup championships.</p><p>You want skill? Messier also is the only player in NHL history to earn first-team all-star berths at two positions &ndash; making it as a left winger in 1982 and &lsquo;83 and as a center in 1990 and &lsquo;92. His No. 2 spot behind Gretzky in both regular season (1,887) and playoff (295) points will be secure for a very long time.</p><p>You want physicality? Messier was one of the most intimidating players of his generation. With 1,910 career penalty minutes, Messier remains the only player with 1,300 or more points who finished his career with more penalty minutes than points.</p><p>Oh yes, and there&rsquo;s the matter of the six Stanley Cups, all of which Messier was an integral part.</p><p>Get the tuxedo ready for Nov. 12.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-02

Mark Messier

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04570/9014617-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="533" height="917"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05434/9014610-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="263" height="336"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE CASE FOR INDUCTION</b> Members of the Hall of Fame selection committee will induct Scott Stevens, if for no other reason than they&rsquo;re afraid Stevens will come and hunt them down if they don&rsquo;t.</p><p>And if you consult with anyone who has been on the receiving end of one of Stevens&rsquo;s hits, you&rsquo;ll find out it is something you don&rsquo;t want to have to endure.</p><p>But to place a one-dimensional physical label on Stevens just because he has produced some of the most devastating bodychecks in NHL history would not be giving him his due as an all-around player.</p><p>Hugely underrated for his puck-moving and offensive skills, Stevens tamed the beast that was in him early in his career and managed to score 908 points, which makes him the 10th-highest scoring defenseman of all-time.</p><p>He was the pile-driving force and the rudder behind three Stanley Cups for the New Jersey Devils and his playoff contribution was recognized with the Conn Smythe Trophy as post-season MVP in 2000.</p><p>He never won a Norris Trophy, but Stevens was a first-team all-star in 1988 and &lsquo;94 and a second-teamer in 1992, &lsquo;97 and 2001.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-04

Scott Stevens

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06362/9014655-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="533" height="917"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07309/9014648-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="210" height="359"></div><p><b>THE CASE FOR INDUCTION</b> Mark Messier and Scott Stevens both intimidated with their bodies. Al MacInnis intimidated with his shot.</p><p>But it was MacInnis&rsquo;s willingness to develop his all-around defensive game that paved his way to the Hall of Fame. MacInnis could have been content to possess a ridiculously lethal shot &ndash; sometimes even to his own teammates &ndash; early in his career and might have developed quite nicely as an offensive specialist and power play quarterback.</p><p>But it was his attention to his defensive game that allowed him to earn a regular job and later play upwards of 30 minutes a game. His enduring excellence was no more apparent than in 1998-99, when he became the oldest first-time Norris Trophy winner at almost 36.</p><p>Even though MacInnis declared, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m forever a St. Louis Blue,&rdquo; when his No. 2 was retired by the team in 2006, there&rsquo;s little doubt much more of his personal and team success came in Calgary. Of his 340 goals, 218 were scored with the Flames and 841 of his 1,274 points were recorded with the Flames. MacInnis also won his only Stanley Cup in Calgary in 1989 &ndash; also capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy &ndash; and had his only 100-point season there.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-06

Al MacInnis

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-08245/9014693-1-eng-US/f0026-082.jpg" title="f0026-08" width="533" height="917"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-09207/9014686-1-eng-US/f0026-092.jpg" title="f0026-09" width="191" height="361"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ALL: GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE CASE FOR INDUCTION</b> Bylaw No. 19 of the Hall of Fame&rsquo;s constitution spells out the attributes for player induction this way: <i>&ldquo;Playing ability, sportsmanship, character and their (sic) contribution to the team and to the game of hockey in general.&rdquo;</i></p><p>As far as Ron Francis is concerned: check, check, check and check.</p><p>Playing ability? Francis is recognized as one of the best two-way players of his generation and a player who could deliver in the clutch. He&rsquo;s second all-time in assists with 1,249, behind only Wayne Gretzky.</p><p>Sportsmanship? Only Gretzky, Frank Boucher and Red Kelly have won the Lady Byng Trophy more times than Francis, who has three.</p><p>Character? Francis was the captain and face of the Hartford Whalers and later, the Carolina Hurricanes, and is renowned as one of the game&rsquo;s truly gracious and classy players.</p><p>Contribution? In 2002, Francis received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which goes &ldquo;to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.&rdquo;</p><p>That about covers it.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-08

Ron Francis

<div class="byline">Brian Costello</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02884/9014724-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NEXT YEAR?</b> Turned down in 2006, Doug Gilmour will have to wait until at least 2008 to get his Hall pass. <span class="photo-credit">(GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011263/9014731-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="200" height="204"></div><p>There&rsquo;s no drama leading up to the Hockey Hall of Fame&rsquo;s induction announcement later this month.</p><p>There are four spots available and four retired greats are first-timers on the ballot &ndash; Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis and Scott Stevens. Even if the Hall&rsquo;s 18-member selection committee got really twisted and demented, they&rsquo;d have a tough time messing this one up.</p><h2><b>NO SURPRISES THIS YEAR</b></h2><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know about that, I heard Jimmy Pappin had a pretty good year,&rdquo; quipped a staff member at The Hockey News headquarters.</p><p>That&rsquo;s in reference to last season when the selection committee shocked the hockey world by inducting Dick Duff 34 years after he retired.</p><p>While speculators were busy handicapping last year&rsquo;s field &ndash; which included first-year favorites Patrick Roy, Pavel Bure, Doug Gilmour, Phil Housley, Mike Richter and Tom Barrasso &ndash; the committee was busy deciding the previous 31 judging panels since 1975 were wrong about Duff. He wasn&rsquo;t good enough to be a Hall of Famer in the years after he retired, but now he is, they determined. Roy, the winningest goalie in the game, was an automatic. Those other guys? Not good enough. Bure and Gilmour were pretty special for a lot of years, but they were no Dick Duff.</p><p>So why should anyone feel this year&rsquo;s Fab Four are no-brainers?</p><p>It could be because the Hall&rsquo;s selection committee has undergone a fairly serious transformation in the past year or two. Call it a youth movement. Five of the 18 committee members are new and the average age is less than 60; they include former players Peter Stastny and Lanny McDonald, journalist Michael Farber and executives Bill Torrey and Jan-Ake Edvinsson. They replace Stan Mikita, Al Arbour, Marty Pavelich, Frank Selke Jr. and Richard M. Patrick, a group whose average age was more than 70.</p><p>Maybe the new blood will help the committee regain credibility lost during a streak in which borderline candidates Clarke Gillies, Bernie Federko and Duff were ushered in &ndash; and standouts such as Bure and Gilmour were left out.</p><p>The Hockey Hall of Fame should consider taking a page from the Baseball Hall of Fame and announce the results of the induction voting. That would make the selection committee more accountable for its actions. As it stands now, the public only hears about who made it in, while Hall of Fame bylaws restrict committee members from commenting on why a long-retired player was worthy while electrifying players from our own generation were not.</p><p>There are a couple of reasons why this year&rsquo;s Fab Four might be a little different from the group you see on the previous page.</p><p>First of all, they&rsquo;re all Hall of Famers. The only question is when. Igor Larionov is also firsttime eligible and he was a special player for more than a decade each on two continents. His inclusion might make a guy like Ron Francis wait a year, even if Francis is second all-time in NHL assists.</p><p>Another reason is two of the new members on the committee. Stastny and Edvinsson are naturally strong advocates of the international game and can appreciate what a dominating presence Larionov was in the Soviet Union before arriving in the NHL at age 29</p><p>The Hall of Fame can play catch-up &ndash; or make up for mistakes made by previous panels &ndash; in 2008 when there will be no first-year candidates.</p><p>Because of the lockout, no players technically retired after 2004-05, so you would think after the mandatory three-year wait, 2008 would be a wash year.</p><p>Quite the contrary. The list of qualified candidates who have been previously passed over include Larionov, Bure, Gilmour, Housley, Richter, Barrasso, Glenn Anderson, Adam Oates, Claude Lemieux and Lorne Chabot, to name a handful.</p><p>The induction class of 2009 will be extremely competitive, led by prime-time players Steve Yzerman and Brett Hull and buffeted by a group that includes Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille, Dave Andreychuk, Eric Desjardins and Keith Primeau. As always, a maximum of four get in per year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-02

Star-studded cast a judge’s dream

<h2><b>Dave Fay</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen Dave Fay looked around the sports department at the Washington <i>Times</i> for a hockey writer in 1982, pretty well everybody took a step backward.</p><p>The newspaper had just been established and Fay ended up on the beat himself.</p><p>&ldquo;Nobody had ever seen a hockey game before,&rdquo; Fay said. &ldquo;So I did it. My hockey experience until then was mostly college. I saw (Ken) Dryden play his first game at Cornell and his last game at Cornell.&rdquo;</p><p>Twenty-five years of chronicling the NHL later, Fay will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award. Fay is also a longtime correspondent for THN.</p><h2><b>Bill Hewitt</b></h2><p>More than 10 years after Bill Hewitt&rsquo;s death, the Hewitt family circle in the Hall of Fame is complete.</p><p>Bill Hewitt will not adorn a plaque in the builders&rsquo; category, the way his father and grandfather do, but he will posthumously receive the prestigious award named in honor of his father, the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.</p><p>Like his father, Bill Hewitt was a broadcasting icon. In the late 1950s, Hewitt followed in the footsteps of his father as <i>Hockey Night in Canada&rsquo;s</i> voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He retired in 1982.</p><p>His grandfather, William A. Hewitt, also is in the Hall of Fame as a builder.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Honored

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><p>Turgeon calling it a career?</p><p>Preissing feels snubbed by Sens</p><p>Hasek coming back to Motown</p><p>Colorado center <b>Pierre Turgeon</b>, the NHL&rsquo;s 27th all-time leading scorer, reportedly was set to announce his retirement. Injuries and diminished production convinced the 1987 No. 1 overall draft pick (by Buffalo) to hang up his skates. He finished with 515 goals and 1,327 points in 1,294 games; his best season was a 58-goal, 132-point effort with the Islanders in 1992-93.</p><h2><b>NORTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>BOSTON Nate Greenberg</b>, the Bruins&rsquo; publicity chief, announced his retirement after 34 years with the Bruins. Greenberg recently had also served as the top assistant to ex-team president <b>Harry Sinden</b>, who is now an advisor to owner <b>Jeremy Jacobs</b>.</p><p><b>BUFFALO</b> Hockey&rsquo;s longest-running affiliation will continue for at least one more year. Buffalo agreed to an extension with Rochester (AHL) for a 29th season.</p><p><b>MONTREAL</b> One day after signing <b>Andrei Markov</b>, the Canadiens made an offer to another defenseman, <b>Sheldon Souray</b>, eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Souray&rsquo;s 19 power play goals set an NHL record for defensemen.</p><p><b>OTTAWA</b> Defenseman <b>Tom Preissing</b>, who played only 8:21 in Game 5 against Anaheim, indicated he likely won&rsquo;t be back next year. &ldquo;The season ended on a sour note for me,&rdquo; Preissing said. He&rsquo;s a UFA on July 1 and set to get a hefty raise from the $600,000 he made this season&hellip;There was speculation <b>Wade Redden</b>, who has one year remaining on his contract at $6.5 million, could be dealt to the Oilers. He has a no-movement clause in his contract.</p><p><b>TORONTO</b> Left winger <b>Darcy Tucker</b> acknowledged Toronto can be a difficult city to perform in, given the constant spotlight. But he believes the upside outweighs the negative. &ldquo;There is a lot of rhetoric around the league that it is a tough place to play,&rdquo; Tucker said. &ldquo;But once you see how much fun it is here, there&rsquo;s nothing better.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>ATLANTIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>NEW JERSEY</b> Although there was no announcement, defenseman <b>Andy Greene</b> reportedly signed a two-year, $1.2-million contract. That&rsquo;s a $250,000 pay cut per year for a one-way deal&hellip;The Devils picked up the $1.52-million option on winger <b>Sergei Brylin</b>.</p><p><b>NY ISLANDERS</b> GM <b>Garth Snow</b> said the Islanders were &ldquo;extremely supportive&rdquo; of the decision by two-way center <b>Kyle Okposo</b>, the team&rsquo;s first round pick in the 2006 draft(seventh overall), to remain at the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011311/9014800-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="1888" height="1217"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AU REVOIR</b> Pierre Turgeon is expected to announce his retirement after a stirling NHL career. <span class="photo-credit">(DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>NY RANGERS</b> In Anaheim for the final as a guest analyst for Versus, <b>Mark Messier</b> announced he had canceled a golf date with Rangers GM <b>Glen Sather</b> so as not to create a stir in the wake of assistant GM <b>Don Maloney&rsquo;s</b> departure to take over as GM of the Coyotes.</p><p><b>PHILADELPHIA</b> The Flyers re-arranged their coaching staff, hiring veterans <b>Jack McIlhargey</b> and <b>Joey Mullen</b> as assistants for coach <b>John Stevens</b>. Craig Berube, who served as an assistant this season, returns to coach the AHL&rsquo;s Phantoms.</p><p><b>PITTSBURGH</b> GM <b>Ray Shero</b> was discussing a contract extension with coach <b>Michel Therrien</b>, who has one year left on his deal&hellip;It&rsquo;s possible the team&rsquo;s new arena won&rsquo;t be ready until 2010-11.</p><h2><b>SOUTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ATLANTA</b> The Thrashers are counting on <b>Tobias Enstrom</b> to be part of their revamped defense after signing the 22-year-old away from Swedish league-champion MoDo. The 239th draft pick in 2003 has the puck-moving skills the Th rashers need&hellip;Goalie <b>Ondrej Pavelec</b> was given a lucrative deal to prevent the 2005 second-rounder (41st overall) from going back into the draft. The 19-year-old led the QMJHL with a 2.52 goals-against average this season.</p><p><b>CAROLINA</b> Defenseman <b>Glen Wesley</b> will be back for his 20th NHL season after signing a one-year deal worth $1.4 million. He&rsquo;ll be 39 on opening night.</p><p><b>FLORIDA</b> Coach-GM <b>Jacques Martin</b> said he expects 2006 first-rounder <b>Michael Frolik</b> (10th overall) to spend the 2007-08 season with Rimouski (QMJHL)&hellip; Defenseman <b>Bryan Allen</b> re-upped with the Cats, signing a five-year contract. Allen had a career-high 21 assists last year.</p><p><b>TAMPA BAY</b> Longtime associate coach <b>Craig Ramsay</b> was fired May 24. A week later, former Bruins coach <b>Mike Sullivan</b> was hired as an assistant. The relationship between Ramsay and coach <b>John Tortorella</b> had gone sour. &ldquo;What happened is not a disrespect in the x&rsquo;s and o&rsquo;s of the game,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;But the gap has gotten wider as far as how you teach players. We just can&rsquo;t bridge that.&rdquo;&hellip;Center <b>Chris Gratton</b> joins the Bolts for a third tour. He was traded from Florida for a conditional draft pick. Gratton was drafted third overall by Tampa in 1993.</p><p><b>WASHINGTON</b> Center <b>Nicklas Backstrom</b> pledged to participate in the Capitals&rsquo; rookie camp in mid-July&hellip;Prospect left winger <b>Eric Fehr&rsquo;s</b> back injury, sustained in February, has been re-classified as a hip malady. The problem has been slow to respond to treatment.</p><h2><b>CENTRAL DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CHICAGO</b> When rookie center <b>Jonathan Toews</b> asked to wear No. 19, the Hawks gave it to him. That&rsquo;s the number fellow pivot <b>Denis Arkhipov</b> wore this season in Chicago. Soon after, Arkhipov signed with Ak Bars Kazan (Rus).</p><p><b>COLUMBUS</b> The Blue Jackets will unveil their new uniforms at the NHL entry draft, which was being held in Columbus.</p><p><b>DETROIT Chris Chelios</b> was named the first recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award for performance, charity work and leadership&hellip;Chelios responded to criticism for not participating in the post-series handshakes vs. Anaheim, saying he was too emotionally distraught and felt like vomiting&hellip;<b>Dominik Hasek</b> will return for another year in net, re-signing a one-year deal.</p><p><b>NASHVILLE</b> Fans and local businesses came up with a variety of ways to boost ticket sales for next season. Chamber of Commerce chairman <b>Ron Samuels</b> is heading Our Team, which has a goal to recruit businesses to buy 3,000 season tickets&hellip;The Preds signed prospect winger <b>Patric Hornqvist</b>, who scored 23 goals in 49 Swedish league games this season.</p><p><b>ST. LOUIS</b> The Blues told No. 1 pick <b>Erik Johnson</b> not to skate this summer to let some minor injuries heal&hellip;The Blues signed <b>Martin</b>&nbsp;<b>Kariya</b>, the younger brother of <b>Paul</b>. He had been playing in Finland.</p><h2><b>NORTHWEST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CALGARY Marcus Nilson</b>, who was set to become a UFA, signed a two-year, $2-million deal&hellip;The Flames were in the early stages of looking into building a new home. They&rsquo;ve studied the feasibility of retrofitting the Saddledome and were leaning toward a new home most likely on the Stampede grounds nearby.</p><p><b>COLORADO</b> GM <b>Francois Giguere</b> said he had yet to decide whether to buy out the last year of <b>Jose Theodore&rsquo;s</b> contract, but the betting line is the beleaguered goalie will be back for the final year of his deal, valued at $6 million.</p><p><b>EDMONTON</b> Former Oilers defenseman <b>Dick Tarnstrom</b> said he&rsquo;s ready to come back to the NHL after a year in Europe and expressed interest in returning to Edmonton&hellip;Prospect defenseman <b>Jeff Petry</b> was named 2007 USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year.</p><p><b>MINNESOTA</b> The Wild didn&rsquo;t offer 2004 first round pick <b>A.J. Thelen</b> a contract by the June 1 deadline, instead opting to take a 42nd overall compensatory pick. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t end up being the player we envisioned,&rdquo; said assistant GM <b>Tom Lynn</b>.</p><p><b>VANCOUVER</b> Three Canucks underwent sports hernia surgery following the team&rsquo;s playoff loss to Anaheim; defenseman <b>Mattias Ohlund</b> and forwards <b>Matt Cooke</b> and <b>Brendan Morrison</b>.</p><h2><b>PACIFIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ANAHEIM</b> The Ducks signed highly regarded Swiss goalie <b>Jonas Hiller</b> to a one-year contract May 25. Hiller, 25, is believed to be ready for at least NHL backup duty and gives Anaheim insurance in case pending UFA <b>Jean-Sebastien Giguere</b> signs elsewhere.</p><p><b>DALLAS</b> Right winger <b>Stu Barnes</b>, 36, re-signed for one year and $900,000 on June 7. Barnes, who earned $1.14 million last season, had 13 goals and 25 points in 82 games this season.</p><p><b>LOS ANGELES</b> The Kings named <b>Luc Robitaille</b> president of business operations May 25. Robitaille, after retiring from playing, had previously served as an assistant to team governor <b>Tim Leiweke</b>&hellip;The Kings signed goalie <b>Erik Ersberg</b> to a one-year contract. Ersberg, 25, earned goaltender-of-the-year honors with HV71 (Swe).</p><p><b>PHOENIX</b> Coach <b>Wayne Gretzky</b> had yet to replace associate coach <b>Barry Smith</b>, who resigned in April. That&rsquo;s probably because Gretzky is hoping NHL commissioner <b>Gary Bettman</b> will eventually reinstate <b>Rick Tocchet</b>.</p><p><b>SAN JOSE</b> The Sharks plan to increase most ticket prices by double-digit percentages. Team president <b>Greg Jamison</b> said the team lost approximately $5 million in 2006-07, about the same amount that was lost in &rsquo;03-04 when ticket prices rose six to eight per cent. Prices have increased in all but two seasons since the Sharks began playing downtown in 1993.</p><h2><b>Quick Hits</b></h2><h3><b>IGLOO MELTDOWN</b></h3><p>After all the controversy over the Penguins&rsquo; arena woes, their new rink may not be ready until 2010-11, though ground clearance is underway.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011161/9014793-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="839" height="935"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WARD: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>GOOD COMPANY</b></h3><p>The Canes signed restricted free agent <b>Cam Ward</b> to a three-year, $8-million contract, identical to the one <b>Ryan Miller</b> signed with Buffalo last summer.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02797/9014786-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="443" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUERIN: DON SMITH/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>TIGHT SPOT</b></h3><p>The Stars have 16 players under contract for next season with financial commitments of almost $39 million. That includes $2.2 million for the buyout of <b>Bill Guerin</b>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Lowdown

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03567/9014845-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="1058" height="799"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dustin Penner, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry <span class="photo-credit">(PENNER: JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>DUCKS PACK PUNCH</b></h2><p>The Anaheim Ducks scrap their way to their first Stanley Cup championship, physically manhandling the Ottawa Senators along the way.</p><h2><b>GREAT SCOTT</b></h2><p>Veteran Anaheim defenseman <b>Scott Niedermayer</b> is a deserving winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs.</p><h2><b>&hellip;AND THE OTHER VETS</b></h2><p>It was nice to see veterans such as <b>Teemu Selanne</b>, <b>J-S Giguere</b>, <b>Todd Marchant</b>, <b>Sean O&rsquo;Donnell</b> and <b>Chris Pronger</b> raise the Cup.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04420/9014838-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="1058" height="801"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Niedermayer & Daniel Alfredsson <span class="photo-credit">(ALFREDSSON: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>NICE TRY</b></h2><p>We greatly admire <b>Daniel Alfredsson&rsquo;s</b> solid playoff, but we&rsquo;re not buying the &ldquo;it was an accident&rdquo; explanation on his slapshot at <b>Scott Niedermayer</b>.</p><h2><b>SORRY SENS</b></h2><p>After a wonderful three rounds, it was alarming how little resistance Ottawa offered in Anaheim&rsquo;s five-game Stanley Cup final series victory.</p><h2><b>DOUBLE WHAMMY</b></h2><p>Anaheim&rsquo;s <b>Chris Pronger</b> is suspended for a second time in the 2007 playoffs, this time for knocking out <b>Dean McAmmond</b> with a hit to the head.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Plus/Minus

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011317/9014890-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="2291" height="1383"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RESTRICTIVE FREE AGENT</b> Checker Eric Belanger is just one key Atlanta player who needs a new contract. <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> Regardless of whether they reached the top of the mountain like the Ducks, or had another also-ran season like the Blue Jackets, every NHL team is asking itself the same question: Now what?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><p>The team stories touch on a key theme for each club as they embark on a summer season that, in recent years, has become almost as busy as the winter months.</p><p>In Chicago, there&rsquo;s hope that highly touted center Jonathan Toews, possibly alongside the No. 1 pick from this year&rsquo;s draft, can step in and cause a storm of excitement in the Windy City.</p><p>The Habs believe they locked up their best defenseman by inking Andrei Markov, but what about potential unrestricted free agent Sheldon Souray?</p><p>And Pittsburgh is now officially Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s team after he was named the youngest captain in league history.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NHL team tales, happy or otherwise

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAN WOOD</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> On the heels of Anaheim winning its first Stanley Cup, GM Brian Burke immediately turned his attention to his unrestricted free agent No. 1 goaltender.</p><p>&ldquo;Our top priority now becomes to re-sign J-S Giguere, to sit down with him and see if we can do something that makes sense,&rdquo; Burke said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03654/9014928-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="258" height="62"></div><p>After giving way to backup Ilya Bryzgalov in the first four playoff games because of a medical condition involving his newborn son, Maxime, Giguere sparkled over the final 17 post-season games.</p><p>Anaheim&rsquo;s list of nine potential UFAs also includes right winger Teemu Selanne, who was contemplating retirement; defensemen Sean O&rsquo;Donnell and Joe DiPenta; and wingers Brad May and Shawn Thornton. Rookie wingers Dustin Penner and Ryan Shannon and defenseman Kent Huskins are among five pending restricted free agents.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-03

Prominent Ducks could flee the flock

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GUY CURTRIGHT</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> GM Don Waddell won&rsquo;t offer a contract to Keith Tkachuk before the veteran center becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, but there&rsquo;s still a chance Tkachuk will be back.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04483/9014959-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="144" height="121"></div><p>&ldquo;I won&rsquo;t rule out anything,&rdquo; Waddell said.</p><p>Tkachuk is one of 12 potential UFAs on the Thrashers and the level of Waddell&rsquo;s post-July 1 activity depends on what he can get done before then. Key players to re-sign include center Eric Belanger and wingers Slava Kozlov and Pascal Dupuis.</p><p>The Thrashers are especially short on centers and Belanger played well after being acquired around the trade deadline. He and Dupuis are likely in the Thrashers&rsquo; price range, but Kozlov may not be.</p><p>Kozlov has said he wants to stay in Atlanta, but will likely test the open market and is rumored to be on Detroit&rsquo;s wish list. Defenseman Andy Sutton is likely departing.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0030-04

Kozlov coveted by Red Wings?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> When the Bruins traded defenseman Brad Stuart and center Wayne Primeau to Calgary in February and then signed left winger Marco Sturm to a four-year extension, they resolved any issues with their major potential unrestricted free agents.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05370/9014990-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="132" height="132"></div><p>Already facing a possible salary cap problem with so many players under contract, the B&rsquo;s need to do some fancy footwork to add proven players. Sitting on solid blueline prospects (Mark Stuart, Matt Lashoff) and with blue-chip goalie Tuukka Rask signed to an entry-level deal, one theory had Boston trading a goalie (Hannu Toivonen or Tim Thomas), plus an early pick or prospect, although that wouldn&rsquo;t create much cap relief. Trading a higher-salaried veteran (right winger Glen Murray&rsquo;s name comes up most often) is also an option.</p><p>Boston wants a physical, scoring winger or a veteran to shore up its goaltending while Rask develops.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0030-05

With little cap space, B’s looking to deal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><p><b>THE STORY</b> The Flames are set in goal with starter Miikka Kiprusoff and have plenty of experience on their top three forward lines.</p><p>The big question is, who will be manning the blueline? More importantly, who&rsquo;ll be among those heavily counted on to do the job?</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-07245/9015052-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="132" height="112"></div><p>With Roman Hamrlik and Brad Stuart both unrestricted free agents, Calgary&rsquo;s defense corps potentially has two gaping holes. Conventional thinking is the club can&rsquo;t keep both in the fold. Reality states the Flames may have trouble re-signing either.</p><p>Both Stuart and Hamrlik will be eyeing substantial raises, and will be able to pick and choose their next location with a bidding war to up the price.</p><p>Calgary&rsquo;s top priority is likely re-signing Stuart. At age 27, he has several good years ahead of him, and after coming to the Flames via a trade with Boston made up a strong top pairing with Robyn Regehr.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0030-07

Vaunted Flames ‘D’ about to take hit

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> When July 1 dawns, the Hurricanes have some big holes to fill. And for the first time in a long time, they have the money to do it.</p><p>The Canes cut Josef Vasicek loose and had their contract offer turned down by Scott Walker, so they&rsquo;ll be searching for a third-line center and right winger to fill out their top nine, with about $5 million available in the budget. Trevor Letowski, Eric Belanger and Vasicek all failed to fill the hole left by Matt Cullen&rsquo;s free agency departure last summer, depriving Carolina of the scoring depth that proved so crucial in 2005-06.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011211/9015083-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="144" height="86"></div><p>On defense, the Canes are waiting to hear whether Bret Hedican intends to retire. If he does so by July 1, the Canes would use his $2.4-million salary to pursue blueline help as well. Hedican met with a hip specialist in early June, but is under no contractual obligation to make a decision before camp.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

Canes have cash, need scoring depth

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL RUSSO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> Less than two months after finishing his breakthrough &ldquo;rookie&rdquo; campaign with a league-leading 1.97 goals-against average and .929 save percentage, Niklas Backstrom, 29, likely pushed Manny Fernandez closer to the exit by signing a two-year, $6.2-million contract with a no-trade clause.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-10146/9015121-1-eng-US/f0031-102.jpg" title="f0031-10" width="144" height="92"></div><p>&ldquo;I have to pinch myself,&rdquo; Backstrom said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like living a dream.&rdquo;</p><p>Backstrom took over for Fernandez when the latter sprained his knee in late January and guided the Wild to its second playoff berth in franchise history.</p><p>With a cap hit of $4.33 million, Fernandez knows his days with the Wild may be numbered.</p><p>&ldquo;At this point, I&rsquo;m sure they&rsquo;ll look to move me,&rdquo; Fernandez said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to take anybody for a fool and say they&rsquo;ll still have two goalies here making this kind of money. I&rsquo;ll just see where I land and be prepared for camp.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-10

Backstrom re-signs, Fernandez out?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> Last summer, the Blackhawks obtained an impact player when they traded for winger Martin Havlat. Now, they&rsquo;re hoping they&rsquo;ve added another one in center Jonathan Toews.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02810/9015152-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="144" height="126"></div><p>While the Hawks don&rsquo;t expect Toews to step in and be another Sidney Crosby, they&rsquo;re crossing their fingers he can have a considerable impact in turning around the team&rsquo;s woeful offense.</p><p>&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t ask him to be the go-to guy, but he&rsquo;s going to be a big part of it,&rdquo; said coach Denis Savard of Toews, the team&rsquo;s No. 3 overall draft pick in 2006. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just the will he has. He has lots of will and that will reflect on a lot of the players in our room. He&rsquo;s just a winner, that&rsquo;s what he is. He makes the players on the ice with him better.&rdquo;</p><p>In addition to his playmaking skills, Toews is also a tenacious defender. He certainly figures to be the Hawks&rsquo; No. 1 center &ndash; if not to start the season, then very soon.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-02

Toews the center of Hawks’ future

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> The Avs said they&rsquo;ll be aggressive in spending, but which free agents will they go after most heavily? Chris Drury? Ryan Smyth? Scott Hannan? What about Peter Forsberg? All of the above?</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03614/9015183-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="132" height="107"></div><p>Colorado doesn&rsquo;t have the cap space to do the latter, but it has considerably more cash to throw around than the previous two years &ndash; even with the cumbersome final year of goalie Jose Theodore&rsquo;s contract still on the books. The Avs have enough dough to afford a prime free agent, at a $5-to $7-million salary.</p><p>Sources around the Avs, who missed the playoffs for the first time since moving to Colorado in 1995, believe GM Francois Giguere wants to upgrade the defense, but without any studs available he might go hard after a Drury or Smyth if they&rsquo;re available. Getting Drury back may be tough after the Avs banished him to Calgary in 2002 in what proved to be an ill-fated move.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-03

Rocky season could spell spree

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> Scott Howson, Edmonton&rsquo;s ex-assistant GM, won&rsquo;t be wading into his new job as GM of the Blue Jackets. Howson was hired June 15 after Doug MacLean was fired in April on the heels of six straight losing seasons.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04472/9015214-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="144" height="125"></div><p>There were two immediate concerns for Howson: What to do with malcontent right winger Nikolai Zherdev, and how healthy was goalie Pascal Leclaire?</p><p>Zherdev&rsquo;s camp has suggested a trade might be in the best interest of both parties. The Jackets, including coach Ken Hitchcock, may agree, but they can&rsquo;t find a suitor. The Oilers said no earlier this summer to a trade that would&rsquo;ve sent Zherdev to Edmonton for Joffrey Lupul. (Wonder if Howson regrets that now?)</p><p>Meanwhile, Leclaire was in town to finish his rehab and prove his surgically repaired left knee was fully healed. If it isn&rsquo;t, the Jackets will sign a veteran goalie as insurance. <i>(See pg. 43 for more on Howson.)</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-04

Unhappy Zherdev weighs on Jackets

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><p><b>THE STORY</b> The Stars gauge their trajectory based on the regular season, not the playoffs.</p><p>Dallas has exited in the first round three straight seasons, but GM Doug Armstrong said the organization believes it&rsquo;s building the team the right way.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05374/9015245-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="144" height="91"></div><p>&ldquo;You have to look at the injuries we had this year and what we were able to accomplish in spite of that,&rdquo; said Armstrong of missing Mike Modano and captain Brenden Morrow for long stretches. &ldquo;We had 107 points and put together a good season.&rdquo;</p><p>The Stars weren&rsquo;t expected to re-sign unrestricted free agents Ladislav Nagy, Eric Lindros, Jon Klemm, Patrik Stefan or Matthew Barnaby and they might also lose Darryl Sydor. Beyond that, Dallas, which believes it&rsquo;s still in the window to win a championship, should have the same core of players back and could supplement with a cheap free agent or two.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-05

Dallas is sticking with its Stars

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> After pondering his future following the Red Wings&rsquo; loss to Anaheim in the Western Conference final, Dominik Hasek has decided to return to Detroit.</p><p>&ldquo;He wants to play for the Red Wings, we want him back,&rdquo; said GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a matter of negotiating a contract that&rsquo;s fair for both sides. I don&rsquo;t anticipate any problems.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06312/9015276-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="144" height="107"></div><p>It&rsquo;ll take more than the $750,000 base salary the Wings signed Hasek for last summer, when concerns over his groin limited his bargaining power. (Hasek earned an extra $900,000 for winning two playoff rounds.) But if the 42-year-old has another stellar, injury-free season like he had in 2006-07, he&rsquo;ll be worth every penny.</p><p>Hasek was bitterly disappointed after the loss to the Ducks.</p><p>&ldquo;I believe Dom wants to be here because it&rsquo;s all about winning,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;He wants as strong a team around him as possible.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-06

Hasek wants shot at another Cup run

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> Edmonton&rsquo;s off-season will be spent on a dramatic rebuilding effort. Desperate to recover from a dismal 2006-07 season, the club is pulling out all the stops in an effort to claw back to respectability.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07263/9015307-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="126" height="132"></div><p>&ldquo;We have to get better, and we have to get better now,&rdquo; said director of hockey operations Kevin Prendergast. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not going to be easy, but we have to find teams that are willing to move people. If not, we have to move into the free agent market as quick as we can and attract people here.&rdquo;</p><p>With three picks in the first round this season and two in 2008, plus several young bargaining chips and lots of budget room, GM Kevin Lowe is in a good position to make moves.</p><p>&ldquo;Would we as an organization make a bold move to bring in a player or two that are very high quality?&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;Absolutely. We&rsquo;re going to spend money. We&rsquo;re going to be pretty darn close to the cap, if not right at the cap.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-07

Oilers look to spend in rebuilding effort

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN BIGGANE</div><p><b>THE STORY</b> The biggest questions facing the Panthers this summer involve their netminders.</p><p>Ed Belfour was the team&rsquo;s biggest surprise in 2006-07, going 27-17-10 with a respectable 2.77 goals-against average. But Belfour, 42, has a history of back problems and was involved in two disconcerting off-ice incidents this season.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-08212/9015338-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="144" height="139"></div><p>Alex Auld, acquired to be the starter, imploded and didn&rsquo;t win a game after Dec. 7. Questions abound whether he can regain his confidence and be a No. 1 goalie.</p><p>The team has promising prospects in Craig Anderson, David Shantz and Tyler Plante, but none appear NHL-ready.</p><p>Resolving this issue is a priority for coach-GM Jacques Martin, but he had not tipped his hand. If Martin decides to look elsewhere for help in goal, rumors suggest he&rsquo;ll pursue Manny Fernandez, J-S Giguere, Jussi Markkanen or Mathieu Garon.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-08

Cats scratch head over net problem

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH HAMMOND</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> As part of his rebuilding process with the Kings, GM Dean Lombardi has acquired defensemen to move the puck up the ice and forwards to put it in the net.</p><p>But who&rsquo;s going to stop the thing?</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-09177/9015369-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="132" height="113"></div><p>Roughly a year after the Kings traded for Dan Cloutier and made the ill-fated decision to give him a two-year deal, they once again face the prospect of finding an answer in goal.</p><p>Cloutier, coming off an awful season and hip surgery, will not enter training camp as the No. 1 goalie. The job is up for grabs, likely between Cloutier, Jason LaBarbera and Swedish import Erik Ersberg.</p><p>In May, Lombardi said he would consider carrying three goalies until the situation shakes itself out.</p><p>Trades or free agency are not the solution. Cloutier&rsquo;s $3.1-million salary is an anchor, LaBarbera was the top goalie in the AHL last year and the Kings have a stable of young goalies waiting to break out.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0031-09

Kings searching for answer in goal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> With one motion of pen to paper, Andrei Markov went from being the fourth highest-paid defenseman on the Canadiens to the highest-paid player in team history.</p><p>The 28-year-old Russian, eligible for unrestricted free agency July 1, instead inked a four-year, $23-million contract.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011294/9015400-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="144" height="97"></div><p>Markov&rsquo;s agent said his client wasn&rsquo;t interested in testing the market.</p><p>&ldquo;He was certain he wanted to stay here,&rdquo; Don Meehan said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve learned if someone is happy in one place, it&rsquo;s not a good idea to talk him out of it.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t have the most points or the most blocked shots,&rdquo; said coach Guy Carbonneau. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s the guy who makes things come together.&rdquo;</p><p>Sheldon Souray, who led all defensemen with 26 goals this year, is also eligible to become a UFA and could fetch a very hefty salary on the open market.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

Markov not moving, inks lucrative deal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GLENNON</div><p><b>THE STORY</b> There are all kinds of questions surrounding the Predators as the summer unfolds.</p><p>Current owner Craig Leipold is expected to tell the city of Nashville he plans to invoke a &ldquo;cure&rdquo; clause in the team&rsquo;s lease that would allow the Preds to move following the 2007-08 season, assuming the following conditions are met: the team fails to average 14,000 paid fans; the city fails to make up the difference in lost revenue; and, if ownership pays an $18-million exit fee.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02861/9015438-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="144" height="83"></div><p>And there&rsquo;s the question of ownership itself, as Leipold was in the process of selling the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie. Both sides wanted the deal completed by June 30, but were hoping it might be approved at the NHL&rsquo;s board of governors meeting on June 20.</p><p>Balsillie has promised a big payroll once he takes over, but that may not come in time to keep key free agents from bolting July 1.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-02

Ownership issue hangs over Preds

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03625/9015476-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GO, GO, GOMEZ</b> Scott Gomez could be gone, gone, gone from New Jersey. <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> GM Lou Lamoriello was in no rush to name a new coach. Although he felt his choice of Claude Julien one year ago was a misstep, Lamoriello was certain he could find the right man this time around.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04459/9015469-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="126" height="126"></div><p>He could not be so sure about his prospects of keeping one key player. Center Scott Gomez said he would definitely test the market as an unrestricted free agent and insiders believe he will sign with another club.</p><p>&ldquo;To have come this far, every hockey player wants to see what&rsquo;s out there,&rdquo; Gomez said. &ldquo;It wouldn&rsquo;t make any sense not to go all the way now. There haven&rsquo;t been any negotiations (with the Devils). None at all. I&rsquo;m sure they have stuff to do.&rdquo;</p><p>Lamoriello said he respected Gomez&rsquo;s opportunity to shop himself, but the GM indicated he&rsquo;d like to bring the two-time Cup-winner back.</p><p>Gomez earned $5 million this season and could command in excess of $6 million per year now.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-03

Free agent Gomez center of attention

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER BOTTE</div><p><b>THE STORY</b> Now if they only can do something about Nassau Coliseum.</p><p>In a span of six days in early June, the Islanders officially rid themselves of two longtime lightning rods &ndash; albatross center Alexei Yashin and former GM Mike Milbury.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05359/9015507-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="126" height="122"></div><p>Yashin&rsquo;s long-discussed buyout finally was completed on June 6, with owner Charles Wang admitting &ldquo;the hardest decision I&rsquo;ve ever had to make&rdquo; was swallowing hard and paying Yashin $17.63-million to escape the final four years of the center&rsquo;s original 10-year deal.</p><p>With a $2.2-million annual cap hit spread out over the next eight seasons, the buyout will help the Isles fill several holes, and they hope it keeps them in the running to re-sign unrestricted free agents Ryan Smyth and Jason Blake.</p><p>Milbury&rsquo;s departure was more low-key; he&rsquo;ll remain an advisor for a few of Wang&rsquo;s philanthropic endeavors.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-05

Isles cut their ties with Yashin, Milbury

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY BROOKS</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> The Rangers&rsquo; hope of receiving a hometown discount from impending unrestricted free agent Michael Nylander took a severe hit when the No. 1 center dismissed Paul Theofanous upon learning his agent independently had reached an agreement with GM Glen Sather for a three-year deal worth approximately $3.75 million per season.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06304/9015538-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="126" height="121"></div><p>Although Nylander, who finished second on the team in scoring (83 points, including 26 goals) during the regular season and paced the team in points in the playoffs (13), has indicated a desire to remain on Broadway, Jaromir Jagr&rsquo;s pivot was conducting a search for an agent who can get him a deal commensurate with the $4.25-$5 million he believes he&rsquo;s worth on the open market.</p><p>If the Rangers can&rsquo;t sign Nylander by July 1, the Blueshirts are expected to bid on both Scott Gomez and Chris Drury.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-06

Encore in question for Nylander

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> Will coach Bryan Murray stay or will he go? Owner Eugene Melnyk needs to let people know. After making the Stanley Cup final and having their most successful post-season in club history, there shouldn&rsquo;t be any questions surrounding the Sens this summer.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07255/9015569-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="141" height="112"></div><p>With Murray&rsquo;s contract expiring July 1, Sens president Roy Mlakar and GM John Muckler made a proposal to Melnyk that included an extension for Murray. It would be difficult to imagine a change at the top with Mlakar because his No. 1 responsibility is season tickets and they&rsquo;ve never been better with more than 12,000 already signed up for next year. Muckler, 73, has a clause in his deal to become a consultant at the end of next season, but there&rsquo;s speculation Murray will eventually become GM.</p><p>All this has made for conjecture that Melnyk needs to clear up. There is business to be done, but the off-ice picture is hardly clear.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-07

Front office picture needs to be clarified

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> If the Flyers are to make a deal, there appears to be a &ldquo;Not for Sale&rdquo; sign posted on young forwards Jeff Carter, Scottie Upshall, Mike Richards and R.J. Umberger. Does enigmatic defenseman Joni Pitkanen enjoy the same status?</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08220/9015600-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="138" height="96"></div><p>GM Paul Holmgren insists he does, even though there has been talk the 23-year-old Finn wouldn&rsquo;t be upset with a change of address. After a promising 2005-06 campaign, Pitkanen faltered this season.</p><p>The No. 4 overall pick in 2002 didn&rsquo;t seem to handle the public scrutiny very well. But Holmgren said that&rsquo;s not a big deal.</p><p>&ldquo;In my meeting with him at the end of the year, he was very upset,&rdquo; Holmgren said. &ldquo;I think he took the year very hard, both in terms of how the team did overall and how he did personally. He had a bad year and hopefully he&rsquo;ll have a better one next year&hellip;Joni is still a big part of our future.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-08

Pitkanen planted, Holmgren insists

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID VEST</div><p><b>THE STORY</b> The Coyotes have turned to Don Maloney to guide them back to the post-season for the first time since 2002.</p><p>Maloney was hired as GM in late May, just a few weeks before the team was set to make its highest selection (third overall) in the NHL draft since moving to Arizona in 1996.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-09181/9015631-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="126" height="126"></div><p>Maloney had three years remaining on his contract as the assistant GM of the New York Rangers, but the Blueshirts released him from that commitment.</p><p>At his introductory press conference, Maloney echoed what coach Wayne Gretzky has been saying since the trade deadline; the Coyotes have no choice but to rebuild from within using prospects and draft choices. And, like Gretzky, Maloney preached patience.</p><p>He also said bringing in a goalie via trade or free agency was a top priority, meaning 40-year-old Curtis Joseph likely won&rsquo;t be back.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-09

Another tear-down for Desert Dogs

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="286" height="315"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> Sidney Crosby could&rsquo;ve been named Pittsburgh&rsquo;s captain immediately after the all-star break, but declined management&rsquo;s offer because he felt he wasn&rsquo;t ready.</p><p>He&rsquo;s ready now.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011156/9015669-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="138" height="129"></div><p>At 19 years and 297 days old, he became the youngest captain in NHL history May 31. That beat Vincent Lecavalier, who was named Tampa&rsquo;s captain at 19 years and 324 days old.</p><p>GM Ray Shero appreciated Crosby&rsquo;s honesty in turning down the captaincy in January. The team was doing well at the time and Crosby didn&rsquo;t want to change anything.</p><p>&ldquo;He told us, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t think the time&rsquo;s right,&rsquo; &rdquo; Shero said. &ldquo;That says a lot about him.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;It feels comfortable,&rdquo; Crosby said. &ldquo;I know that to accept something like this you have to be in it all the way. I&rsquo;m ready to take this responsibility.&rdquo;</p><p>Crosby also became the youngest Art Ross Trophy winner this season.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02783/9015662-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="1708" height="1342"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ART CLASS</b> Canadiens legend Henri Richard poses with Sidney Crosby, the youngest-ever Art Ross Trophy winner. <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

Teenaged Crosby takes over captaincy

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TOM TIMMERMANN</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> The Blues have begun to re-assemble the pieces of a team that two seasons ago descended to the depths of the NHL. But the progress made under new coach Andy Murray created optimism not seen in St. Louis since the lockout. Still, the Blues can&rsquo;t be taken too seriously until they find a scorer.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03617/9015707-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="138" height="111"></div><p>While the team&rsquo;s system has produced some consistent forwards, none are big scorers who can create goals when they&rsquo;re hard to find. Although the salary cap will rise, St. Louis has set its budget at $40 million, meaning it will have only $5 million to spend on that goal-scorer. That&rsquo;s not likely enough to attract an elite free agent.</p><p>The Blues may be forced to gamble on a player coming off a bad year, as they did with Bill Guerin last season, and hope someone in the organization suddenly becomes a scorer, or deal a defenseman &ndash; an area of strength &ndash; for a forward.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0033-03

Goal-scorer needed, but won’t be bought

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROSS MCKEON</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> GM Doug Wilson held everyone in suspense before announcing three weeks after getting eliminated from the playoffs that he didn&rsquo;t plan any changes to the coaching staff</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04493/9015738-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="132" height="127"></div><p>The Sharks&rsquo; second straight post-season fall didn&rsquo;t pass without a hint of getting the job done next season or else.</p><p>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re winning, everything is great,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;When you lose, I don&rsquo;t expect anyone to be happy. If something breaks down, everyone is responsible to find a reason for it.&rdquo;</p><p>Coach Ron Wilson didn&rsquo;t hide his displeasure with Patrick Marleau during the team&rsquo;s six-game loss to Detroit. The captain was held scoreless and was guilty of defensive gaffes that proved costly.</p><p>&ldquo;Patty&rsquo;s real honest,&rdquo; said the GM. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll tell you he didn&rsquo;t like his game in the Detroit series. I believe in Patty, but we still have to challenge every player to get better.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0033-04

Crucial year ahead for choking Sharks

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> What is the Lightning going to do with Marc Denis? The goaltender is coming off a terrible season in which he lost the starting job to Johan Holmqvist and didn&rsquo;t even dress for the playoff series against the Devils.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05411/9015769-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="130" height="128"></div><p>Tampa Bay could trade him (perhaps as part of a package to acquire a scoring winger for Brad Richards&rsquo; line), but his $2.8-million salary for each of the next two years might make that difficult. Tampa could buy him out, but the cap hit would have to be spread over four years. Or, Denis could end up back with the Bolts and battle it out at camp with Holmqvist and highly regarded 21-year-old Karri Ramo.</p><p>It&rsquo;s an intriguing situation that could play out at the draft. GM Jay Feaster has some breathing room as owner Bill Davidson said payroll will be $44 million next season, the same as 2006-07 and sparing the team a feared $4-million cut.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0033-05

Lightning struck out with Denis deal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE ZEISBERGER</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> While Toronto would ideally like to add some new faces up front and a backup goalie to push Andrew Raycroft, GM John Ferguson has concentrated on bringing back the core of the team by re-signing forwards Mats Sundin (one year, $5.5 million), Alexei Ponikarovsky (three years, $6.3 million), Nik Antropov (two years, $4.1 million) and defenseman Ian White (three years, $2.55 million).</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06359/9015800-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="122" height="130"></div><p>It was Sundin who decided a one-year deal worked best</p><p>&ldquo;I think it gives me more incentive to concentrate on this season,&rdquo; said the center. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s no secret I&rsquo;m at the end of my career and this allows me to evaluate where I&rsquo;m at the conclusion of the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Maintaining his longtime claim that he wishes to retire as a Leaf, Sundin, 36, said his wonky hip (which does not require surgery) has not been giving him any problems during off-season training.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0033-06

Leafs captain back for one more year

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ELLIOTT PAP</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> At age 25, Taylor Pyatt stood to become one of the youngest unrestricted free agents in NHL history. The native of Thunder Bay, Ont., played both left and right wing for the Canucks in 2006-07 and scored a career-high 23 goals &ndash; plus two more in the playoffs, including an overtime winner.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07309/9015831-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="132" height="127"></div><p>Pyatt decided not to test the free agent waters, and signed a two-year, $3.15-million deal with Vancouver. He made $700,000 last season.</p><p>&ldquo;To me, at this point in my career, it made sense for me to remain in Vancouver,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder. &ldquo;This is where I want to be. I&rsquo;m happy to be back. I was able to play on the power play, I got more ice time and playing on a line with Daniel and Henrik (Sedin) was tremendous for me.&rdquo;</p><p>With Pyatt under contract, the Canucks are approaching $40 million in committed salaries for next season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0033-07

Taylor made for Vancouver

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETE KERZEL</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> The Caps have said they&rsquo;ll loosen their purse strings to make a splash in free agency and are willing to part with depth to acquire key components in trades.</p><p>Washington&rsquo;s priority is to land a top-flight center, someone to set up franchise cornerstone Alex Ovechkin on the first line and is capable of making the power play unit more than a one-man show. The Caps would be happy to take whatever pivot doesn&rsquo;t re-up with Buffalo &ndash; Daniel Briere or Chris Drury. As well, a bruising winger would complement sniper Alexander Semin and rookie center Nicklas Backstrom.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-08252/9015862-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="132" height="123"></div><p>A puck-moving defenseman is another summer goal.</p><p>Defenseman Bryan Muir is the lone unrestricted free agent, and the Caps are lukewarm about his return. Signing blueliner Milan Jurcina is a focus, while Washington may have run out of patience with defender Steve Eminger, 22.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0033-08

D.C. spending spree targets top names

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011308/9015893-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Corey Locke <span class="photo-credit">(PRO AM IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>For the Hamilton Bulldogs, the biggest dressing-room speech of the season didn&rsquo;t come before the Calder Cup playoffs began.</p><p>Nor was it made before Game 6 against the Manitoba Moose, who had brought the second round series back to Winnipeg and were poised to overcome a 3-2 deficit.</p><p>If there was a Knute Rockne impersonation before the start of either overtime period in the conference final against the Chicago Wolves, it wasn&rsquo;t that critical.</p><p>And whatever coach Don Lever said before the puck dropped in the Calder Cup final against the Hershey Bears also wasn&rsquo;t nearly as important as what he told his team leaders back in mid-March.</p><p>On that March morning, Lever gathered alternate captains Ajay Baines, Jonathan Ferland and Dan Jancevski, and veteran center Eric Manlow in his office and relinquished power to them.</p><p>&ldquo;I told them it was their team now,&rdquo; said Lever, who 20 years earlier won a Calder Cup with Rochester in his final season as a player. &ldquo;I told them, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m going to keep the hammer down on you guys and you have to back me. You guys need to take control of the dressing room and put the pressure on the young kids.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>His leadership group fully understood the message and gladly did just what their veteran coach asked. Three months later, the Bulldogs were rewarded with the first Calder Cup championship in the franchise&rsquo;s 11-year history.</p><p>&ldquo;The young guys were so willing to learn,&rdquo; Baines said. &ldquo;They took criticism well and responded to anything. The veterans were hungry and had something to prove.&rdquo;</p><p>A group of players that had gone unrewarded throughout their junior and pro careers &ndash; a team seeded third in the North Division after a 43-28-3-6 regular season &ndash; played passionate, inspired, overachieving hockey from Day 1 of the playoffs to Day 50.</p><p>In goal, fresh-out-of-junior sensation Carey Price played like a vet. Joining the Bulldogs after Tri-City was bounced out of the Western League playoffs, the 19-year-old Price went 15-6 in the playoffs with a 2.06 goals-against average and .936 save percentage.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a totally different bird,&rdquo; Lever said. &ldquo;He has the work ethic of (Dominik) Hasek and the composure of (Martin) Brodeur. He&rsquo;s one calm, relaxed dude.&rdquo;</p><p>Then there were the unsung heroes.</p><p>Defensemen Danny Groulx and Ryan O&rsquo;Byrne didn&rsquo;t score in the regular season, but found the net in the post-season. Groulx scored six goals, O&rsquo;Byrne two. Manlow was always known as a scorer, but became Lever&rsquo;s go-to faceoff man as well as a checker.</p><p>Defenseman Mathieu Biron had never played a playoff game in his previous six pro seasons, but was the AHL&rsquo;s version of Anaheim&rsquo;s Sean O&rsquo;Donnell. Youngsters Maxim Lapierre and Kyle Chipchura boosted their stock even further in the Montreal organization.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot of us waited a long time for this,&rdquo; Baines said. &ldquo;Nobody on the team had sipped from the Calder Cup before.&rdquo;</p><p>In fact, only two players had ever won a Memorial Cup &ndash; winger Duncan Milroy with the Kootenay Ice (2002) and defense-man Andre Benoit with the Kitchener Rangers (2003).</p><p>But at no time did this group ever show panic. They defeated Rochester and Manitoba 4-2, used overtime wins in Games 1 and 2 to bounce Chicago 4-1 in the Western Conference final and then methodically ousted Hershey, the defending champs, 4-1.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure after every series ended, the other team was saying, &lsquo;What just happened?&rsquo; &rdquo; Lever said. &ldquo;This is really special because of where we came from and the teams we beat.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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June 26, 2007

Constant teaching

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

The old guy

Sabres fans braced for Buffalo break-up