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.

February 12, 2008

The Hockey News - Feb-12-08

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021363/9179565-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="254" height="251"></div><p>&ldquo;I carry my CRUISERS &ndash; which is pretty much the long underwear you wear under your equipment, but I have a pair for &lsquo;cruising&rsquo; around my hotel room. Some of the other guys do it now, so it&rsquo;s catching on. I also bring NAIL CLIPPERS because I hate when my toenails rub against the covers and I can&rsquo;t sleep. Sometimes I wear a lucky MOCK TURTLENECK. Even if we&rsquo;re in Phoenix and it&rsquo;s 80 degrees out, I don&rsquo;t care. If I win with it, I wear it. The guys get a chuckle out of it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03913/9179558-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="382" height="361"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04691/9179551-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="361" height="373"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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THE STANDARDS

WHAT’S IN YOUR SUITCASE CHRIS OSGOOD?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021576/9179413-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="334" height="509"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04690/9179420-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="175" height="174"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>f it is true &ndash; and I suspect it is &ndash; that some NHLers opted out of the All-Star Game, then I long for the days when players like Gordie Howe (23 all-star appearances) still considered it an honor.</p><p>After dozing through a Top Prospects&rsquo; Game a few years ago, I vowed I would never watch another. Well, I got sucked in again. How can these kids play with such little intensity?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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WHAT’S IRRITATING BROPHY + CAMPBELL THIS WEEK?

<p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>OME PLAYERS GRIP their stick a little tighter when the game is on the line. Michigan State assistant captain Tim Kennedy is not one of them.</p><p>&ldquo;I just love playing in games that really mean something,&rdquo; Kennedy said. &ldquo;The CCHA championship or the NCAA tournament, it&rsquo;s easy to get up for those kind of games.&rdquo;</p><p>And the Spartans junior left winger has a track record of producing in pressure situations. Last season Kennedy&rsquo;s goal against Notre Dame, at the NCAA Midwest Regional final, sent the Spartans to the Frozen Four. He then scored the tying goal and set up linemate Justin Abdelkader for the game-winner against Boston College for the national title.</p><p>&ldquo;He has a burning desire to win and he scored some important goals down the stretch for us,&rdquo; said Michigan State coach Rick Comley. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big-game player.&rdquo;</p><p>Selected by Washington in the sixth round of the 2005 draft (the Caps then traded his rights to Buffalo), Kennedy is crafty, has great hands, terrific 1-on-1 offensive skills and is dangerous around the net. But he also skates well enough and is strong enough defensively to play on a checking line.</p><p>&ldquo;He can play anywhere,&rdquo; Comley said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s tremendously talented and has a passion for the game. But he&rsquo;s also tough as nails and the other teams hate him. There are only a few players that you put in that category and they just make your team better.&rdquo;</p><p>Still, for all of Kennedy&rsquo;s raw physical skill, it&rsquo;s his uncanny anticipation and the way he thinks the game that sets him apart from other top players.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s all over the ice, but he&rsquo;s going there for a reason and the right thing usually ends up happening,&rdquo; Comley said. &ldquo;My adjustment to him is to give him some freedom and trust him.</p><p>&ldquo;Not everyone can play that way, but he is going to play in the NHL because of his game instincts.&rdquo;</p><p>Kennedy has worked hard to earn that trust and takes pride in being on the ice late in the game when Michigan State needs a defensive stop. He also knows he needs to get stronger and improve his shot to make an impact at the next level.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01782/9180829-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="765" height="1009"></div><p>With the defending national champs within striking distance of the top spot in the league standings, Kennedy is planning for a big second half.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve put ourselves in a good spot,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in a bit of a slump, but it will come. If you press, nothing good happens.&rdquo;</p><p><b>&ndash; PHILIP COLVIN</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08173/9180822-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="149" height="150"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TIM KENNEDY</b></h2><p>Michigan State</p><p>Ht. 5-10</p><p>Wt. 176</p><p>Pos. LW</p><p>Age 21</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06224/9180815-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="356" height="68"></div><h3><b>Draft Status</b></h3><p>Selected 181st by Washington in 2005, traded to Buffalo</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02472/9180808-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="218" height="227"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING 2</b></h2><p>Points in NCAA championship-clinching game last April</p><h2><b>Young Lakers finally Superior</b></h2><p>With 17 freshmen and sophomores and a conference schedule that includes three nationally ranked teams, it took Lake Superior State 14 games to notch its first CCHA win. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been in games in the third period all year long,&rdquo; said Lakers coach Jim Roque. &ldquo;Sometimes we&rsquo;ve looked good and other times we&rsquo;ve shown our youth.&rdquo; The Lakers, especially green on the blueline, rotate freshman Brian Mahoney-Wilson and sophomore Pat Inglis in net. &ldquo;Our young guys have played some big minutes in big situations and hopefully it will pay off,&rdquo; said captain Troy Schwab.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03363/9180801-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="229" height="226"></div><p><b>&ndash; PHILIP COLVIN</b></p><h2><b>Repaired and revved up</b></h2><p>Providence junior defenseman Matt Taormina is fully healthy this season and that&rsquo;s bad news for the rest of the league. The undrafted free agent, whose career had been sidetracked by shoulder surgery following his freshman season, was the top-scoring defenseman in Hockey East with 17 points through 20 games. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve regained the strength in my shoulder and I&rsquo;m more confident now,&rdquo; Taormina said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been a little more patient with the puck.&rdquo; Providence coach Tim Army said Taormina began playing better at the end of last year and has continued to elevate his game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04294/9180794-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="229" height="229"></div><p><b>&ndash; LARRY MAHONEY</b></p><h2><b>Moore bruises around league</b></h2><p>A lot of coaches would be leary of having three freshmen and two sophomores among their regular corps of defensemen. But Princeton coach Guy Gadowsky knows as long as senior Mike Moore is around, his young defense is in good hands. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Moore, an undrafted free agent, has quietly evolved into one of the top blue-liners in the ECAC and is starting to get a lot of attention from NHL scouts. &ldquo;I have to believe he is thought of as one of the hardest hitters in our league,&rdquo; Gadowsky said. &ldquo;He plays his best hockey against the toughest opponents.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05252/9180787-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="229" height="218"></div><p><b>&ndash; TOM BOGGIE</b></p><h2><b>Pioneers share shutout record</b></h2><p>When Denver senior goalie Peter Mannino tied a school record with his 13th career shutout, he didn&rsquo;t just celebrate the accomplishment. He shared it in a classy way. After the Pioneers defeated Sacred Heart 5-0, Mannino took the stick he used to make 26 saves and gave it to Gerry Powers, who set the shutout mark from 1966 to &rsquo;69. Powers lives in the Denver area and comes to watch his alma mater at Magness Arena.&ldquo;I just simply said I&rsquo;d like to share a piece of history as a Denver Pioneer and thanks for the support,&rdquo; Mannino told the Denver <i>Post</i>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07198/9180780-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="225" height="226"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MSU SPORTS INFORMATION)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>&ndash; ANDY BAGGOT</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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PROSPECTS UNLIMITED

KILLER INSTINCTS DRIVE KENNEDY

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04640/9179617-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MCNAB: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021654/9179624-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="207" height="246"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>N CASE YOU HAVEN&rsquo;T HEARD, the Toronto Maple Leafs have quietly begun the process of looking for someone to run their hockey department. Sources maintain they approached a headhunter to help them with the search, but Bob Clarke said he wasn&rsquo;t interested.</p><p>In the coming months, you&rsquo;ll be hearing a lot of prominent names being associated with this gig and the Leafs would not be doing their job if they didn&rsquo;t try their level best to get one of Ken Holland, Brian Burke, Jim Rutherford or Lou Lamoriello out of his current commitment to be president and GM of the team. Of course, it&rsquo;s the Leafs we&rsquo;re talking about here. Anything is possible.</p><p>And should they try to do that, they wouldn&rsquo;t even have to give up any compensation. A couple of years ago, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman grew a little tired of all this compensation hassle and decreed basically that if a team gives another permission to talk to one of its front office people, it will not receive any compensation in return. That way if a team really doesn&rsquo;t want to lose someone it thinks is valuable, it simply denies permission.</p><p>So let&rsquo;s say the Leafs don&rsquo;t get anyone from the NHL&rsquo;s recycling bin. They were burned when they boldly went with John Ferguson almost five years ago, but they shouldn&rsquo;t let that experience rule them this time. There are a number of people out there who have never been a GM who are eminently qualified to run their own teams. The problem is, Ferguson obviously wasn&rsquo;t.</p><p>If the Leafs want to cast a wide net, here are some of the people without GM experience they should be approaching. For that matter, any team looking for qualified people should be all over this list.</p><h2><b>THE</b>&nbsp;<b>A LIST (Ready to take the job, like, yesterday)</b></h2><p>David Conte That Conte has never had a chance to be a GM is one of the enduring mysteries in this game and does nothing to dispel the notion that the league&rsquo;s annals of power are nothing more than an old boys&rsquo; network. The New Jersey Devils director of scouting is one of the best judges of talent in the game. He&rsquo;s well-connected, intelligent and efficient.</p><p>Jim Nill Teams keep calling and the Detroit Red Wings keep turning them down, but Holland is entrenched in Detroit and Nill will ultimately deserve a chance elsewhere. And he&rsquo;ll get it sooner or later. Nobody has hit more home runs with low draft picks than Nill and his experience with the Wings has prepared him well.</p><p>DAVID MCNAB Anaheim&rsquo;s assistant GM was instrumental in wading the Ducks through the salary cap troubles created by the Scott Niedermayer return. He has an extensive background in scouting, contracts and the minors. The Ducks already have Burke and Bob Murray in their front office.</p><p>Steve Yzerman The former Red Wings star made almost $65 million as a player, but has made a firm commitment to doing what it takes to become a top-notch executive. He&rsquo;s learning from the best and he&rsquo;s learning quickly. He would be someone who could grow nicely into a GM job.</p><p>Tom Anastos Tom who? The former Montreal Canadiens minor-leaguer is the commissioner of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Don&rsquo;t forget, that&rsquo;s the post Lamoriello had with Hockey East before the Devils hired him.</p><p>Steve Tambellini He missed out on the Leaf job the last time, due in part to infighting among those doing the hire, but the Vancouver Canucks assistant GM deserves a chance.</p><p>Les Jackson All right, technically he&rsquo;s co-GM of the Dallas Stars, but Jackson has never run his own program. Another guy with great scouting credentials who has rounded out his hockey resume and has been an integral part of a very solid organization.</p><h2><b>THE</b>&nbsp;<b>B LIST (Assistants/heirs apparent)</b></h2><p>Julien BriseBois The 31-year-old left a prestigious Montreal law firm in 2001 to join the Montreal Canadiens legal department as has worked his way up to vice-president, hockey operations. He&rsquo;s developing loads of expertise in contract preparation, arbitration and player personnel decisions.</p><p>BRIAN LAWTON The former NHLer and successful agent has interviewed with several teams and knows the league well.</p><p>Hakan Loob He&rsquo;s running a very solid program with Farjestad in Sweden and has a very good eye for talent.</p><p>Stan Bowman The Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM has great bloodlines and a good scouting background.</p><p>Chris Lamoriello Lou&rsquo;s son is another guy with good family GM stock and is gaining a lot of experience running the Devils farm team.</p><p>Chuck Fletcher Cliff&rsquo;s boy has forged his own path with a number of organizations and is currently Ray Shero&rsquo;s assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins.</p><p>Kevin Cheveldayoff Has done a terrific job with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, but needs to get some big-league work on his resume.</p><p>Jim Benning The Boston Bruins assistant GM was director of player personnel for the Buffalo Sabres when they were producing an endless line of quality prospects.</p><p>Claude Loiselle He has experience as a player and in the NHL&rsquo;s head office and is now working for the Tampa Bay Lightning.</p><p>Jeff Solomon The former player agent is director of hockey operations and legal affairs for the Los Angeles Kings. How many guys are that versatile?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011892/9179610-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="747" height="753"></div><h2><b>THE</b>&nbsp;<b>C LIST (Up-and-comers with potential)</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021327/9179603-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="358" height="374"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LAWTON: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Rand Simon The former THN staffer and current agent at Newport Sports has an encyclopedic knowledge of players, the CBA, contracts and the arbitration system.</p><p>Jason Botterill Concussion problems derailed his career as a player, but he&rsquo;s making his name as the cap guy in Pittsburgh.</p><p>JOE NIEUWENDYK The balanced, measured and rational approach he took to the game as a player are the kinds of qualities that will make him a successful GM someday.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031065/9179596-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="52" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For Ken&rsquo;s web-exclusive Campbell&rsquo;s Cuts column, visit <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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WEEDING OUT THE OLD BOYS’ NETWORK

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012084/9179023-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="578" height="489"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><p>BEING A PASSIONATE SPORTS FAN is both a blessing and a curse, our emotions surrendered to millionaires most of us will never meet.</p><p>The problem is we&rsquo;re on the ignorant side of a stacked deck and we willingly accept it. Sure, the highs of our favorite team winning it all are real and elevated, but the odds are so mountainous we typically spend much more time wallowing, cursing and complaining than celebrating.</p><p>Which is why the non-sadists among us have to feel compassion for the supporters of the Buffalo Sabres, the most consistently burned group in the puck world. You could make a case they ought to know better; that no matter how good their team becomes, they&rsquo;ll find a banana peel to slip on, because they always do. But really, all hardcore sports junkies share a common element &ndash; eternal hope. We&rsquo;re the biggest &ldquo;what iffers&rdquo; on the planet.</p><p>This season&rsquo;s slaying of the Sabres has been prolonged and cruel. It began July 1 when they lost both Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency. The prevailing opinion in the hockey world was they&rsquo;d lose one or the other of their two undisputed best players and leaders. Seeing them both depart was like a kick in the groin, followed by&hellip;another harder kick in the groin.</p><p>While the club and its fans were addressing that sting, they got booted in the backside by Oilers GM Kevin Lowe, who attempted to poach Thomas Vanek. A few weeks later, news surfaced that defense stalwart Teppo Numminen required heart valve surgery.</p><p>Though they tried to put a brave face on the situation and said they were deep and talented enough to overcome, the results have been predictable. The guys promoted to fill the voids left by Briere, Drury and Numminen either aren&rsquo;t ready, aren&rsquo;t good enough, or a combination of the two.</p><p>And now comes word that perhaps the franchise&rsquo;s brightest light, beyond goalie Ryan Miller, may be bolting as an unrestricted free agent at season&rsquo;s end. Defenseman Brian Campbell cut off talks with the team, opting to shift his entire focus to on-ice matters. The problem is on-ice has been so brutally disappointing, mirroring an equally poor stretch of off-ice decisions, and leaving one to wonder if Campbell is counting the days until July. The Sabres, through mid-January, were 26th overall in the NHL and had just one more win than the last-place Los Angeles Kings.</p><p>Of course if Campbell does depart, Sabres Nation will rally, find reasons why it could all be better in the morning, all the while unwittingly prepping themselves for the next anvil to fall on their heads.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021763/9179016-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="330" height="178"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

IT’S HARD NOT TO FEEL FOR BUFFALO

<div class="byline">CAROLYN GREENE, ZIONSVILLE, PA.</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012080/9179109-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="814" height="940"><figcaption class="caption-body">SOUNDING OFF <span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021501/9179102-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="158" height="158"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>uffalo GM Darcy Regier is &ldquo;disappointed&rdquo; that Brian Campbell has broken off negotiations? This would be the same Brian Campbell who has been asking to re-sign since October and, not getting a satisfactory response from the team, is now out of patience?</p><p>Read another way: Regier has played it so that now he must shake his head and complain about being &ldquo;forced to consider a trade&rdquo; and what a shame it is that Campbell is not cooperating. In other words, the Sabres have blown it with another player and Regier thinks he can shift the blame. Not buying it, Mister.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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LIFE WITHOUT BRIAN?

<blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;Why is it Pascal Leclaire was not chosen for the All-Star Game?</blockquote><h2><b>WHERE&rsquo;S LECLAIRE?</b></h2><p>The NHL All-Star Game is supposed to be a reward to players who deserve recognition for their play so far this season.</p><p>Scott Niedermayer is a fantastic defenseman, but he has not played nearly enough to get consideration for the game. At the break he will have played fewer than 20 games. This is disrespectful to players who have worked hard all season and deserve the honor. Brian Rafalski comes to mind. The All-Star Game is hard to take seriously with boneheaded decisions like this being made.</p><p>DARREN ROKOS, PETERBOROUGH, ONT.</p><h2><b>MORE O&rsquo;REE NEEDED</b></h2><p>Without trying to take away from the events in Boston to honor the 50th anniversary of Willie O&rsquo;Ree&rsquo;s first game, I&rsquo;m still disappointed and wished the NHL and the media could have gone another step.</p><p>I think this was an event and game that could have and should have been given more attention and been available to TV viewers, especially to people like myself from Mr. O&rsquo;Ree&rsquo;s hometown.</p><p>No network televised the game and the events were given little attention on the sports channels, so unless you have the Centre Ice package you never saw anything of the events or game. A real missed opportunity in my eyes.</p><p>MARK ATHERTON, FREDRICTON, N.B.</p><h2><b>MAKES NO SENS</b></h2><p>The AHL has the same silly schedule as the NHL and it hurts just as much.</p><p>I live in Winnipeg, but I&rsquo;m a huge Ottawa Senators fan. However, I can&rsquo;t even see the Sens&rsquo; farm team, Binghamton, because they&rsquo;re in a different conference than the Moose and never come to Manitoba.</p><p>If the NHL changes its schedule so every team sees every team, will the AHL follow suit?</p><p>SAM DOYLE, WINNIPEG</p><h2><b>B-DEVILED</b></h2><p>In the Jan. 22 edition of The Hockey News, Al Strachan wrote of the Bruins, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not winning that matters, it&rsquo;s winning with entertainment.&rdquo; Spoken like a true journalist, because if any <i>real</i> Bruins fan were given a choice, I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;d rather have an entertaining team with a losing record.</p><p>Take it from a long-time Devils fan: We don&rsquo;t care what non-fans say about the entertainment value of our team &ndash; winning is the ultimate entertainment.</p><p>JOE CARAMAGNA, MAYWOOD, N.J.</p><h2><b>GOOD CALL</b></h2><p>Sports and hockey in particular lost an icon with the passing of Don Wittman. He was a true pro and let the game dictate how he would call it.</p><p>When it&rsquo;s all said and done, the press box at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg should be named in Wittman&rsquo;s honor.</p><p>BOB OLIVER, SAN LEANDRO, CALIF.</p><h2><b>JACKET LEFT BEHIND</b></h2><p>Why is it that Pascal Leclaire was not chosen for the NHL All-Star Game? This poor kid was second in goals-against average and save percentage and led the league in shutouts.</p><p>All right, his wins are not up there, but it goes to show you that even though he is not playing for a great winning team in Columbus, he can still put up great goaltending numbers.</p><p>KEVIN HILL, MONTREAL</p><h2><b>GOOD WORK, KIRK</b></h2><p>Back in 1993, my son got the puck from a Montreal vs. Buffalo playoff game in which Kirk Muller scored the series winner in overtime.</p><p>My son is now a senior in college and, for his 21st birthday, I took a shot at having Mr. Muller send him a note reminding my son to take good care of the puck. Mr. Muller responded with a great note.</p><p>My hat goes off to Mr. Muller, a class act all the way and another example of why hockey players are true professionals.</p><p>GREG GERVASE, LAGRANGE, OHIO<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

CROWD SHOTS

<p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07184/9179147-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="562" height="576"></div><p><i>MOSES AUPALUKTUQ FROM BAKER LAKE, NUNAVUT, ASKS</i> As a veteran, how do you feel about losing a team game in a shootout?</p><p>It&rsquo;s a chance to get that extra point and that&rsquo;s what is most important. That shootout loss column in the standings doesn&rsquo;t reflect on how you played that night.</p><p><i>JAMES</i>&nbsp;<i>TOURIGNY FROM OTTAWA, ASKS</i> What style of leadership do you use in the room?</p><p>First of all, I like to lead by example. If something needs to be said, I&rsquo;ll say it, but I&rsquo;m not the type of guy who needs to hear my own voice all the time.</p><p><i>KEN SPERO FROM WESTFIELD, N.J., ASKS</i> Would you agree Josef Vasicek has been a pleasant surprise this year?</p><p>Definitely, he&rsquo;s having a great season. He&rsquo;s one of those guys capable of scoring if he&rsquo;s in the right situation and (coach) Ted Nolan has done that. And he has responded.</p><p><i>DENNIS GRANOWICZ FROM MA-COMB, MICH., ASKS</i> Could you explain the advantages/disadvantages of playing on the off-wing?</p><p>You end up receiving almost all your rush passes on the backhand and sometimes playing pucks coming around the boards is difficult, but offensively you&rsquo;re always on the one-timer side, so that helps.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012306/9179140-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="70" height="71"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to ask your questions of NHL stars!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-07

FAN SHOOTOUT WITH BILL GUERIN

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03900/9179185-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="563" height="425"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021541/9179192-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="179" height="179"></div><p>THN,</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hat was it that made the Thrashers select Patrik Stefan No. 1 overall in the 1999 Entry Draft? Stefan didn&rsquo;t even have a 100+ point season like most consensus No. 1 overall picks usually have before they&rsquo;re drafted.</p><p>Patrick Jordan, Winnipeg.</p><p>Patrick,</p><p>At the time, Stefan had everything an NHL GM wanted: Size, strength and a physical presence. In the clutch-and-grab era it didn&rsquo;t matter that his skating wasn&rsquo;t top-notch and he was seen as an NHL-ready prospect, which was intriguing for an expansion team such as Atlanta. Ironically, the Thrashers couldn&rsquo;t have done much better based on projections at the time - most first-rounders that year were busts. Obviously Martin Havlat (26th overall) was a steal.</p><p>THN,</p><p>With the large amount of travel required in big league hockey, I was wondering if NHL teams own their own aircraft or are most of the flights on charters?</p><p>Harvey Street, Saskatoon, Sask.</p><p>Harvey,</p><p>The majority simply charter flights for road dates, but there are exceptions, notably the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, both of which own their own planes.</p><p>SEND YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS TO <a href="mailto:experts@thehockeynews.com">experts@thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04558/9179178-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="70" height="71"></div><p>Need more of your questions answered? Read Proteau&rsquo;s &lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo; column every Tuesday and Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0006-03

ASK THE EXPERTS

<p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><i>Which pending free agent would be the best trade deadline acquisition?</i></p><p>Mats Sundin 39 %</p><p>Marian Hossa 32 %</p><p>Brian Campbell 12 %</p><p>Jaromir Jagr 11 %</p><p>Vaclav Prospal 3 %</p><p>J-P Dumont 3 %</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05433/9179230-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="458" height="640"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUERIN: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES; STEFAN: JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES; SUNDIN: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SPIT IT OUT!</b></h2><p>GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST</p><p><i>SEND US AN E-MAIL</i></p><p><a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">LETTERS@THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a><i>OR LOG ON</i>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">WWW.THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></p><p><i>SEND US SNAIL MAIL</i></p><p>Letters, The Hockey News 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100 Toronto, ON., M2N 6S7, Canada</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06304/9179223-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="70" height="71"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>BONUS!</b></h2><p>All subscribers get exclusive content on <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> with an ALL-ACCESS PASS!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-05

POLL RESULTS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012205/9179268-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrice Bergeron <span class="photo-credit">(ELSA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021666/9179275-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="182" height="206"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HE NHL IS ON PACE to have fewer concussions and lose fewer man-games due to concussions this season, but what isn&rsquo;t known is whether the current trend is an aberration or reflective of the league&rsquo;s new, stricter policy on headshots.</p><p>According to statistics compiled by The Hockey News, when the NHL broke for the All-Star Game in late January, there were a total of 35 concussions this season, resulting in 305 man-games lost. At that rate, there will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 57 by the end of the season.</p><p>That&rsquo;s a slight decline on the average number of concussions in the past few seasons. According to the Orange County <i>Register</i>, there has been an average of 64 concussions per season over the past six NHL campaigns.</p><p>According to the newspaper, those injuries have resulted in an average of 639 man-games lost per season. But, in 2007-08, that projected number drops to 580, including the 82 games Steve Rucchin of the Atlanta Thrashers is expected to miss because of a concussion he received last season.</p><p>Without the Rucchin number factored in, the NHL is on pace to lose 498 man-games to concussion injuries this season.</p><p>While encouraging, it doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean concussions are becoming less of a problem in the NHL these days. Before the season started, Steve Downie&rsquo;s vicious hit on Dean McAmmond resulted in a concussion and a shoulder injury that caused the Ottawa center to miss 10 games; as well, Randy Jones&rsquo; hit on Patrice Bergeron is expected to sideline the Boston pivot for the rest of the season. If that&rsquo;s the case, it&rsquo;s reasonable to assume Bergeron&rsquo;s long-term future might be in jeopardy.</p><p>&ldquo;You could jump all over that stat and say (the headshot policy) has everything to do with it,&rdquo; said Colin Campbell, the NHL&rsquo;s director of hockey operations. &ldquo;On the other hand, one could jump all over us for last year or next year if it goes up.&rdquo;</p><p>Campbell has a valid point. According to the <i>Register</i>, the NHL lost 760 man-games due to concussions last season and there were a total of 15 instances in February alone. But at the very least, the league is sending a message that it intends to take blows to the head more seriously.</p><p>&ldquo;I think our awareness program &ndash; sending the tape out to all the players and having them involved in it &ndash; has helped,&rdquo; Campbell said. &ldquo;And whether you like it or not, the Downie hit brought attention to it. I think the combination of those things has helped the awareness of hitting from behind and head blows so a guy like Colby Armstrong knows there are a number of things you can&rsquo;t do.&rdquo;</p><p>Armstrong, a rough-and-tumble winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins, became a focal point in the headshot debate last season after devastating &ndash; and injury-inducing &ndash; hits on Trevor Letowski of the Carolina Hurricanes and Patrick Eaves of the Ottawa Senators.</p><p>Both players received concussions because of the hits but Armstrong was not penalized or suspended, largely because Armstong&rsquo;s hits were viewed simply as a player finishing his check. According to the criteria the league established this season, however, those hits might have been seen as headshots and warranted supplementary discipline.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011984/9179261-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="888" height="592"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dean McAmmond missed 10 games after a Steve Downie headshot in the pre-season.</figcaption></div><p>One of the problems now is in reporting concussions. Teams are loathe to jump to an early conclusion on a concussion because once they do that, the player must go on the injured-reserve list and be symptom-free for seven days before he&rsquo;s eligible to return.</p><p>Instead, teams say the player has an &ldquo;upper-body injury,&rdquo; or &ldquo;dizziness&rdquo; or &ldquo;an illness&rdquo; to avoid stumbling on the concussion vernacular.</p><p>That&rsquo;s what happened earlier this season with Philadelphia&rsquo;s Simon Gagne, who sustained a head injury and missed four games with &ldquo;dizziness&rdquo; before coming back for two games. He then went on to miss the next 26 with a concussion.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

FEWER CONCUSSIONS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021379/9179320-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="306" height="272"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03846/9179313-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="449" height="449"></div><p>ON THE MARC Slick passer Marc Savard is finally rewarded with his first selection to an NHL All-Star Game.</p><p>BACK IN BLACK(HAWK) Patrick Lalime kicked off 2008 by playing as if it was still 1997.</p><p>CAPITAL FEAT Nicklas Backstrom&rsquo;s back-to-back four-assist games are an NHL first by a rookie.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04646/9179306-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="449" height="449"></div><p>OVERLOOKED How Brian Rafalski (43 points, plus-17) didn&rsquo;t get an all-star invite is downright baffling.</p><p>GROW UP Patrick Roy sets poor precedent for teenagers on his team by showing up QMJHL referees.</p><p>DANGEROUS KOVIE Ilya Kovalchuk&rsquo;s hit from behind on Michal Rozsival worth more than a one-game suspension.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

PLUS/MINUS

<p>10 CORY MURPHY meant a good power play in Florida. Without him? Not so much.</p><p>9 Admit it, BRYAN MCCABE was playing better for the Leafs before going down.</p><p>8 After losing DANY HEATLEY, the Senators lost five of their next six games.</p><p>7 SHEA WEBER&rsquo;S breakout year in Nashville was a broken-leg year early on.</p><p>6 Capital MICHAEL NYLANDER will have to tutor Nicklas Backstrom off-ice now.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05483/9179351-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="571" height="477"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MCAMMOND: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; SAVARD: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY; ROY: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES; MURPHY: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>5 MIKKO KOIVU was tearing it up in Minnesota before the infamous Ohlund slash.</p><p>4 Without JONATHAN TOEWS, the Hawks aren&rsquo;t humming like they were early on.</p><p>3 It started with JOE SAKIC in Colorado and went downhill from there.</p><p>2 How different would Tampa&rsquo;s season be with DAN BOYLE in the lineup?</p><p>1 Seems like SIDNEY CROSBY is first on every hockey list going, even an injury poll.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-05

Starting from 10

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012174/9179382-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="889" height="883"><figcaption class="caption-body">Boston goalie Tim Thomas strikes a warrior pose with yoga instructor Dana Edison.</figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;THE FIRST THING you learn in yoga is your weak spots,&rdquo; said Bruins goalie Tim Thomas.</p><p>If this season has been any indication, the veteran netminder is a quick study.</p><p>Through 32 games, Thomas had an NHL-best .927 save percentage and received an invitation to play in his first-ever All-Star Game.</p><p>Did his summer activity play a role in that?</p><p>Thomas, at the suggestion of ex-Bruins goalie Cleon Daskalakis, trained with yoga specialist Dana Edison, who has also worked with a number of Tampa Bay Rays and New England Patriots.</p><p>Edison works with athletes 1-on-1, teaching them how to improve their strength and flexibility, not to mention the all-important &ldquo;core&rdquo; muscles &ndash; where the dreaded hockey injuries to groins and hip flexors originate.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s more of a functional training,&rdquo; said Edison of her yoga regiment. &ldquo;All the stabilizing muscles are at work.&rdquo;</p><p>The key benefits of the yoga come from the relationships between different muscles that are established; Edison calls them &ldquo;superhighways.&rdquo; Having a pro such as Thomas build awareness and control over his body enables him to maximize what he can do with a lesser chance of strain.</p><p>&ldquo;Athletes tell their biggest muscles to do the work,&rdquo; Edison said. &ldquo;Even if that isn&rsquo;t the most efficient.&rdquo;</p><p>While the stereotypical yoga class looks more suited to a hockey wife than a player, both Edison and Thomas know differently.</p><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t skeptical going in,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;But what I thought yoga was and what it actually is are two different things. It&rsquo;s hard.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, while most yoga is low-impact, the total body focus and repetition can wear you down. And with Edison recommending that poses be held for 30 seconds, she&rsquo;s had more than one pro client sweating buckets.</p><p>&ldquo;I had two football players who didn&rsquo;t even bring towels,&rdquo; Edison said. &ldquo;After 10 minutes, they were sweating, so I went and grabbed some for them. When I came back, I asked what they talked about while I was gone and one said, &lsquo;How is this little blonde kicking my ass with this?&rsquo; &rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

UPWARD BRUIN

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05503/9179458-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="608" height="872"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HENSINK: DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES; HOWE: HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03994/9179451-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="130" height="130"></div><p>T.J. HENSICK</p><p>COLORADO AVALANCHE, C</p><p>DEBUT Nov. 30, 2007</p><p> VS. San Jose (3-2 loss)</p><p> ICE TIME 16:38, 19 shifts</p><p> KEY STAT 2-for-5 on faceoffs</p><p>&ldquo;MY FIRST GAME came in San Jose against the Sharks and it was great because my parents were able to make it out from Michigan to see my debut. Having them there was very special. During the warm-ups, I couldn&rsquo;t believe I was passing the puck around with guys like Joe Sakic, Milan Hedjuk and Ryan Smyth &ndash; I had just been called up from Lake Erie (AHL) the day before. The rink (HP Pavilion) is so big and you look across the ice and see Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo. I played on a line with Smyth and we talked shift to shift as he helped me learn. Facing off against Thornton was something else. He&rsquo;s so big and strong, it was tough getting down against him. You know these guys are good, but you don&rsquo;t know how good until you&rsquo;re out there.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0010-05

FRESH LEGS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; THN STAFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011881/9179489-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="788" height="799"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sheldon Souray inked a big UFA deal last summer, but things haven&rsquo;t gone according to plan. <span class="photo-credit">(SOURAY: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HE NEW YORK RANGERS GOT BACK to their spending roots last summer, inking high-profile unrestricted free agents Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to lavish, long-term deals.</p><p>But with a fizzling offense that has the Rangers on the playoff bubble, do the Blueshirts feel they&rsquo;re getting full value? After all, Gomez signed a seven-year, $51.5-million deal while Drury was inked for five years at $35.25 million.</p><p>&ldquo;I think they were both great signings,&rdquo; said Rangers coach Tom Renney. &ldquo;Scott and Chris are going to be leaders here for a very long time.&rdquo;</p><p>Gomez, plucked from the rival New Jersey Devils, is scoring consistently after a slow start. With a strong finish, he could post his second 80-point season in three years. &ldquo;Gomer is very passionate,&rdquo; Renney said. &ldquo;He loves the attack game. He loves to play hockey&hellip;The sky&rsquo;s the limit for him and what he&rsquo;s all about.&rdquo;</p><p>Drury, treasured for his crunch-time production and win-at-all-costs attitude, is in danger of recording his lowest point total since 2001-02 in Colorado, when he had 46. He had 69 points last year with Buffalo. &ldquo;Nobody works harder or cares more deeply than Chris,&rdquo; Renney said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a great Ranger.&rdquo;</p><p>Here&rsquo;s an update on high-profile UFAs who landed big deals in the summer:</p><p><b>Jason Blake, RW, Toronto (five years, $20 million)</b> Leafs paid former Isle like a guy who always scores 40 goals, not like the one-time 40-goal man he is. With nine goals in 50 games, he&rsquo;ll likely fall short of 20 this year.</p><p><b>Daniel Briere, C, Philadelphia (eight years, $52 million)</b> Bolted Buffalo along with Drury. He&rsquo;s not on place to surpass 90 points like last year &ndash; Simon Gagne&rsquo;s concussion was costly, indeed &ndash; but has created his share of offense.</p><p><b>Paul Kariya, LW, St. Louis (three years, $18 million)</b> On pace for about the same 76 points he had last year (in Nashville) for offense-starved Blues.</p><p><b>Michael Nylander, C, Washington (four years, $19.5 million)</b> Oilers should be happy he spurned them at last moment because, despite early production, he was lost to season-ending surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff.</p><p><b>Brian Rafalski, D, Detroit (five years, $30 million)</b> On the top pairing with Nicklas Lidstrom and on pace for 69 points (his previous best is 55).</p><p><b>Mathieu Schneider, D, Anaheim (two years, $11.25 million)</b> Missed 13 games at the start of the year with an ankle injury, but has been a solid contributor to a stacked blueline since coming back.</p><p><b>Ryan Smyth, LW, Colorado (five years, $31.25 million)</b> Fractured ankle will keep him out until early March, when Avs hope he resumes his puck-tipping, rebound-swatting ways at the same clip as before he was injured.</p><p><b>Sheldon Souray, D, Edmonton (five years, $27 million)</b> Shoulder injury killed any chance of repeating last year&rsquo;s 26-goal output as a Hab. Still, Edmonton didn&rsquo;t envision a power play that ranks near the bottom of the league. Ironically, Souray&rsquo;s replacement in Montreal, Roman Hamrlik, has been a pleasant surprise.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERING?

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-10312/9179520-1-eng-US/f0011-102.jpg" title="f0011-10" width="131" height="133"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ET&rsquo;S SEE, the Toronto Maple Leafs are targeting an established hockey executive as their next GM-president and the names Brian Burke, Ken Holland and Jim Rutherford, among others, have surfaced as obvious candidates. So what is to stop, say, Burke or Holland, from trading high draft picks and young prospects to Toronto in exchange for Mats Sundin, thereby helping their current club and potential future team?</p><p>MATHIEU GARON has seemingly snatched away the No. 1 goaltending job from Dwayne Roloson in Edmonton and is a big reason why the young Oilers are on the edges of the playoff hunt. Eleven of Edmonton&rsquo;s 22 wins came via the shootout, where Garon was a perfect 7-0, allowing just two goals on 25 shots.</p><p>GREAT LINE from Pittsburgh <i>Tribune-Review</i> columnist Mike Prisuta after a goal in a Penguins-Capitals game was reviewed: &ldquo;They had to go to Canada to see if an American deflected the shot by a Russian past a German.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0011-10

SNAPSHOTS FROM AROUND THE NHL

<div class="byline">JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021572/9179690-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="765" height="780"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dany Sabourin</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012094/9179697-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="207" height="246"></div><p>PENS CAN&rsquo;T JUST HAND REINS BACK TO FLEURY</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031075/9179683-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="765" height="780"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marc-Andre Fleury</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04743/9179676-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="765" height="780"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ty Conklin<span class="photo-credit">(SABOURIN: DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; FLEURY: MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; CONKLIN: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>FROM ALL INDICATIONS, Marc-Andre Fleury remains the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; long-term answer in goal.</p><p>That doesn&rsquo;t mean he has to be their short-term answer.</p><p>If Ty Conklin &ndash; make that &ldquo;Win&rdquo; Conklin &ndash; maintains his pace as of Jan. 23, he should be the Penguins&rsquo; playoff goaltender, assuming they withstand Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s high-ankle sprain and make it that far.</p><p>Check that.</p><p>Conklin cannot possibly maintain that pace, because if he did, the Hockey Hall of Fame would be terribly inconvenienced by having to induct him in early April. Through 14 games this season, Conklin was 10-1-2 with a 1.82 goalsagainst average and a .946 save percentage. That can&rsquo;t last.</p><p>But if he merely continues to give his team a chance to win every night, why change?</p><p>To save Fleury&rsquo;s psyche?</p><p>To honor Fleury&rsquo;s pedigree as the No. 1 overall pick in 2003?</p><p>Those aren&rsquo;t good enough reasons.</p><p>Now, if the 31-year-old Conklin falters and the 23-year-old Fleury heats up whenever he returns &ndash; he still wasn&rsquo;t close as of late January &ndash; then by all means go with Fleury. But don&rsquo;t just hand him the job back.</p><p>As for Fleury&rsquo;s psyche, well, if he hasn&rsquo;t gone batty by now, he never will. The kid practically had his own shuttle bus from Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton during his first few professional seasons. One time, he made 45 saves in a 3-2 win over the Flyers and was demoted the next day, as the then-cash-strapped Penguins tried to cut costs. Fleury also has been benched at the AHL and NHL levels by Penguins coach Michel Therrien, including at least once in the AHL playoffs.</p><p>Therrien&rsquo;s treatment of Fleury hasn&rsquo;t always seemed sensible &ndash; earlier this season he labeled the youngster as &ldquo;fragile,&rdquo; but the coach insists he&rsquo;s a big fan.</p><p>&ldquo;I snapped his finger once (a public criticism of Fleury&rsquo;s play last season), and people made a big deal of it,&rdquo; Therrien said before this season. &ldquo;I like the kid a lot and I have a lot of confidence in him. He&rsquo;s our guy.&rdquo;</p><p>He wasn&rsquo;t the Penguins&rsquo; guy for long. Fleury&rsquo;s rotten start was a big reason the Penguins found themselves in an early hole. Backup Dany Sabourin outplayed Fleury, who finally started to find a groove before he was injured against Calgary on Dec. 6.</p><p>Then along came Conklin, who became the latest in a series of strange-but-true Penguins goaltending stories. He ripped off nine victories in a row, not only stopping the puck, but moving it deftly. That saved his defensemen &ldquo;three or four hits a game&rdquo; by Ryan Whitney&rsquo;s estimation, and ignited the Penguins&rsquo; transition game.</p><p>Conklin&rsquo;s rags-to-riches predecessors in Pittsburgh&rsquo;s goal crease include:</p><p>Patrick Lalime, who was recalled from the minors in November of 1996 and proceeded to run off a record-setting 14-0-2 streak to start his NHL career.</p><p>Ron Tugnutt, who arrived as veteran insurance in a deadline deal with Ottawa in 2000 and proceeded to stage a miraculous 11-game playoff run (.945 save percentage).</p><p>Johan Hedberg, a 27-year-old minor-leaguer who arrived as part of an obscure deadline deal in 2001 and proceeded to outduel Olaf Kolzig and Dominik Hasek in the playoffs before falling to Martin Brodeur.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011866/9179669-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="1684" height="2491"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>WHICH GOALIE?</b></h2><p>Fleury has the pedigree, but he&rsquo;s hurt &ndash; and Conklin and Sabourin have outplayed him.</p><p><b>MARC-ANDRE FLEURY</b></p><p>Age <b>23</b></p><p>NHL GP <b>156</b></p><p>07-08 win. pct.: <b>.528</b> (9-8-1)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021328/9179662-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="245" height="216"></div><p><b>TY CONKLIN</b></p><p>Age <b>31</b></p><p>NHL GP <b>90</b></p><p>07-08 win. pct.: <b>.846</b> (10-1-2)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03929/9179655-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="242" height="225"></div><p><b>DANY SABOURIN</b></p><p>Age <b>27</b></p><p>NHL GP <b>33</b></p><p>07-08 win. pct.: <b>.500</b> (8-8-1)</p><p>Last summer, Penguins assistant GM Chuck Fletcher recommended to his boss, Ray Shero, that the Penguins sign Conklin, who was coming off a poor season.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;d seen him play over time, both well and not so well,&rdquo; Fletcher said. &ldquo;None of us saw Fleury being hurt and out for an extended period of time. We wanted to make sure we had three quality goaltenders.&rdquo;</p><p>Truth be told, Fleury has been the Penguins&rsquo; third-best goalie this season. Even Sabourin, with a 2.69 GAA and .905 save percentage in 20 games, has better numbers than Fleury (2.90 GAA, .902 save percentage in 21 games).</p><p>Fleury also began the year as the youngest starting goalie in the NHL. He is a wondrous talent who isn&rsquo;t near his prime. But if he wants to be great, he must achieve a higher level of consistency, control rebounds and add the puckhandling dimension. That particular skill &ndash; an acquired one &ndash; cannot be overestimated. Anyone who watched last year&rsquo;s playoff loss to Ottawa saw the Pens defense pounded into submission, absorbing unnecessary hits because of a goalie who couldn&rsquo;t, or wouldn&rsquo;t play the puck. (If I&rsquo;m not mistaken, an imprint of Sergei Gonchar remains on the Scotiabank Place end boards.)</p><p>Fleury&rsquo;s a good enough skater to get to pucks; it&rsquo;s a matter of putting in the time to learn how to handle them better.</p><p>It will be interesting to monitor the situation this summer. Fleury, making $1.6 million, will be a restricted free agent. He could have pushed harder for a long-term deal last summer, but obviously felt another big season would raise his stock. Conklin, signed for one year at $500,000, is a potential unrestricted free agent who has definitely raised his stock.</p><p>But those are problems for another day. Therrien&rsquo;s mandate is to win now, and it may very well be that Conklin gives him the best opportunity.</p><p>Stay &lsquo;Tyned.&rsquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

NO TIME FOR NET LOSSES IN PITT

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011872/9179756-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The rebirth of NHL hockey in Minnesota started with two seeds &ndash; GM Doug Risebrough and coach Jacques Lemaire.</p><p>But even the most promising seeds need fertile soil in which to grow. And when Risebrough and Lemaire arrived on the scene, it could be argued they were planted in cement.</p><p>See, the NHL skipped town on a bit of a sour note in 1993 when owner Norm Green bolted for Dallas, leaving North Stars fans high and dry. So when the league returned to Minnesota with an expansion team in 2000, it was anybody&rsquo;s guess whether or not the locals would warm up to the Wild.</p><p>Three hundred consecutive sellouts later, you have your answer. Minnesotans have not only taken to the Wild, they have helped establish their state as the No. 1 hockey market in America.</p><p>&ldquo;From a business perspective things are going extremely well,&rdquo; says Bill Robertson, the Wild&rsquo;s vice-president of communications and broadcasting. &ldquo;This is a vibrant, electric hockey community that has embraced the sport since the club&rsquo;s inception. The overwhelming fan support from Year 1 has been phenomenal and only continues to get better.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wild came in with a game plan of uniting all the splintered hockey factions in the state and building a team mainly through the draft that, when it became good, would be good for a long time.</p><p>When the North Stars left for Dallas, hockey was popular in Minnesota, but the NHL, college and high school programs were at odds with one another. Now they are aligned, working for the greater good of the sport. But there were other potential factors working against the Wild, too, like the rising popularity of basketball.</p><p>&ldquo;There was a fracturing of the hockey community here,&rdquo; Risebrough says. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t feel that way now.</p><p>&ldquo;I also think a little of that has to do with the competition hockey here faces from basketball. Before, basketball (the NBA) wasn&rsquo;t really a serious contender, but then KG (Kevin Garnett) gets here and the building is full and kids are enrolling in basketball and they&rsquo;re not enrolling in hockey. I think that startled everybody in hockey and there is a co-operative spirit amongst the hockey community now that probably wasn&rsquo;t there before. Back then you&rsquo;d have high school guys knocking the NHL or college guys knocking the NHL or the NHL knocking college.&rdquo;</p><p>Some may have viewed Risebrough as a risky choice when the Wild organization hired him as executive vice-president and GM in 1999, but it soon became clear any mistakes he made as GM of the Calgary Flames from 1991-95 were learning experiences. And when it came time to pick his team&rsquo;s first coach, Risebrough spared no expense in hiring Jacques Lemaire, an 11-time Stanley Cup winner as a player and coach.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011747/9179749-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="1579" height="1214"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Both were products of the hockey machine that is (was?) the Montreal Canadiens, and they have proven themselves to be the perfect duo to re-establish big-league hockey in the Minnesota market. Some felt it would be a hard sell.</p><p>Current Canadiens GM and former Minnesota North Stars coach Bob Gainey once deadpanned, &ldquo;They love hockey in Minnesota, they just don&rsquo;t like the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s no longer the case. The Wild has become one of the NHL&rsquo;s prime business models, with 16,500 season-ticket holders (plus another 7,000 who put down a $100 deposit to be put on a waiting list). All suites at the Xcel Energy Center are sold and, again, there&rsquo;s a waiting list.</p><p>Robertson says TV ratings continue to get better and the Wild has the largest radio network among American-based NHL teams (with 31 affiliates) in places ranging from North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and even in Canada.</p><p>The NHL was out of Minnesota for seven years, but clearly it was not forgotten.</p><p>Risebrough, for one, isn&rsquo;t convinced NHL hockey in Minnesota was ever a losing proposition. Fans may have soured on Norm Green, but their passion for big-league hockey never waned.</p><p>&ldquo;If you remember, two years before the North Stars left they were in the Stanley Cup final and this place was just rocking,&rdquo; Risebrough says. &ldquo;People in the media tell me they have had the NCAA Final Four in basketball here and baseball&rsquo;s World Series here and nothing was wilder than the Stanley Cup final. Two years later, the team was gone.&rdquo;</p><p>Getting Lemaire on board meant Risebrough knew, if nothing else, his team would be strong defensively. Although he was an above-average scorer as a player with the Montreal Canadiens &ndash; in 12 seasons he scored 366 goals and 835 points in 853 games, and added another 61 goals and 139 points in 145 playoff games &ndash; Lemaire earned a reputation as a defense-first coach with Montreal and New Jersey before joining the Wild.</p><p>While some teams look at coaching as an area where they can save money in their budget, Risebrough decided Lemaire was worth every penny of the reported $1 million a season he pays the coach to groom the team&rsquo;s young talent in the formative years of their careers.</p><p>Thus far, the Wild has stuck to its plan of drafting and developing players. In six years, the Wild has made the playoffs twice, going all the way to the Western Conference final in 2002-03.</p><p>This season, they are among a second tier of teams behind Anaheim, Detroit and Ottawa that all have a chance at making some noise in the playoffs &ndash; if they make it in, that is.</p><p>The Western Conference was very tight heading into the all-star break, with only the Los Angeles Kings out of the race.</p><p>A quick scan of the Wild&rsquo;s roster shows 10 members of the team were chosen in the draft; nine were signed as free agents; four were acquired by trade; and one was picked up on waivers. Among the draft picks are leading scorer Marian Gaborik, an offensive dynamo who occasionally gets into his coach&rsquo;s bad books because he doesn&rsquo;t pay enough attention to detail; second-leading scorer Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who is emerging as a consistent offensive threat; and Mikko Koivu, one of the most improved players in the league.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011574/9179742-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1049" height="1316"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Rolston has played his best hockey since joining the Wild in 2005. <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Risebrough has been very selective in terms of signing free agents, bringing in quality people such as Brian Rolston, Mark Parrish, Kim Johnsson, Keith Carney and Sean Hill. And the GM has traded for Pavol Demitra and Martin Skoula, among others.</p><p>To watch the Wild play immediately brings to mind the old Habs teams that Risebrough, a four-time Cup winner, and Lemaire played on. There&rsquo;s a tremendous emphasis on speed and defense. No member of the Wild has ever finished among the NHL&rsquo;s top 10 scorers &ndash; Rolston holds the team mark for most points in a season, with 79 in 2005-06 &ndash; but Niklas Backstrom and Manny Fernandez shared the William Jennings Trophy last season for fewest goals allowed.</p><p>&ldquo;There was no doubt for Jacques, speed was not only going to be a component for our team being successful, but in the eyes of Minnesotans, guys who know the game, they would notice that (speed) right away,&rdquo; Risebrough says. &ldquo;We were trying to gain some credibility&hellip;If we weren&rsquo;t good enough to score right away, people at least were going to be entertained by the fact we could skate.&rdquo;</p><p>This season the Wild has actually struggled a bit defensively. Before Minnesota beat Anaheim on Jan. 18, in fact, it had given up more goals than it had scored. This led some observers to wonder, given he has so much scoring potential at his fingertips, whether Lemaire underwent a change in philosophy?</p><p>&ldquo;I think for a while early in the year there was more of an emphasis on offense,&rdquo; the coach says, &ldquo;but during that period we were making a lot of individual mistakes that were costly. And at that time our goalies were not as good as they should have been. Some years it will be like that.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011508/9179735-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="2595" height="872"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021097/9179728-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="815" height="642"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Lemaire&rsquo;s players, however, have not seen a change.</p><p>&ldquo;No way,&rdquo; Rolston says. &ldquo;Jacques has his way of doing things and the way he wants us to play. When we transition he wants goals, but I&rsquo;d say we&rsquo;re still a defense-first team.&rdquo;</p><p>In fact, when Gaborik established team records by scoring five goals and six points against the Rangers Dec. 20, his playing time was reduced a few games later because of his defensive play.</p><p>&ldquo;I hate playing against Minnesota,&rdquo; says one opponent. &ldquo;They bore you to death with their 1-4 attack. They suck the life out of the game. What&rsquo;s wrong with trying to be a little entertaining?&rdquo;</p><p>The Wild is a good hockey team, no doubt about that. Good enough to win the Cup? As solid as Minnesota is, it would not be included among the NHL&rsquo;s elite teams, a smallish group that counts the Ducks, Red Wings and Senators.</p><p>In recent years, some clubs have gone crazy at the trade deadline, either trying to win the Cup or sneak into the playoffs. It can be a risky proposition, though, making deals for today that cost you dearly tomorrow.</p><p>Risebrough is cognizant of this as he ponders becoming a buyer this year. The New York Islanders and Atlanta Thrashers made huge moves at last year&rsquo;s deadline, but the final results were underwhelming: Atlanta won its division, but was swept in the first round and the Islanders won one playoff game.</p><p>&ldquo;When your team is in a position where it can do something, and you feel pretty good about it, a few augments aren&rsquo;t a problem,&rdquo; Risebrough says. &ldquo;But thinking you&rsquo;re going to bail yourself out, I don&rsquo;t think is a solution.&rdquo;</p><p>That said, if the Wild doesn&rsquo;t go deep into the playoffs this season, with Rolston and Demitra slated for unrestricted free agency this summer, you can expect suggestions this particular group has gone about as far as it can. It is one thing to be successful at the box office, but if on-ice success doesn&rsquo;t follow, frustration will set in. Risebrough says as a GM, you walk a fine line trying to win now while trying to protect your future.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to manage expectations because there is only one winner each year,&rdquo; Risebrough says. &ldquo;How you manage expectations is by saying we want to be competitive for a long period of time and there&rsquo;s only a certain way you can do that.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s getting harder because players are freer at a younger age and they have more options. We&rsquo;re at the point where we&rsquo;re going to lose good players because there are options for them. Of all the (major league) sports, we&rsquo;re the last ones going through that. I look at our market and KG, arguably the best player in the NBA, is gone&hellip;There was a lot of talk (pitcher) Johan Santana of the Twins might be leaving, (former Minnesota Vikings Dante) Culpepper and (Randy) Moss were both here and they&rsquo;re gone. It&rsquo;s not a reflection of this community, but in the other sports they are way more used to losing players and having players move on than we are.&rdquo;</p><p>For now, the Wild appear to be on track to accomplish their goal of being good, if not great, for a long time.</p><p>Rolston believes the team will be able to continue improving without tremendous pressure from its loyal fans.</p><p>&ldquo;I think when it comes down to the nitty-gritty portion of the season, we&rsquo;ll be more scrutinized,&rdquo; Rolston says, &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s not a Montreal or a Toronto. That said, I think Minnesota is the best hockey market in the States. You can&rsquo;t find a better, more enthusiastic group of fans than those who come to our games on a nightly basis. It&rsquo;s special every night when you play at the &lsquo;X&rsquo;. &rdquo;</p><p>And, who knows, the next time you go looking for the Stanley Cup, &lsquo;X&rsquo; just might well mark the spot.</p><h2><b>NHL&rsquo;S FINAL FOUR EXPANSION TEAMS</b></h2><h3><b>REGULAR SEASON</b></h3><p>The Wild has the highest winning percentage among the NHL&rsquo;s four recent expansion teams.</p><p>TEAM ALL-TIME WIN. PCT.</p><p>Minnesota .521 (236-213-92)</p><p>Nashville .507 (306-296-101)</p><p>Atlanta .433 (227-311-87)</p><p>Columbus .425 (196-278-68)</p><h3><b>PLAYOFFS</b></h3><p>The Wild is the only recent expansion team to win a playoff series. Minnesota has won two rounds, both in 2003 when the franchise advanced to the Western Conference final.</p><p>TEAM ALL-TIME PLAYOFF RECORD</p><p>Minnesota 9-14</p><p>Nashville 4-12</p><p>Atlanta 0-4</p><p>Columbus 0-0</p><h2><b>THE GABORIK FACTOR</b></h2><p>Minnesota&rsquo;s record with and without Marian Gaborik in the lineup illustrates the Slovakian star&rsquo;s impact.</p><p>WITH</p><p>90-51-16</p><p>WITHOUT</p><p>23-30-3<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

IT’S A wild WORLD

f0022-02

LET’S MAKE A DEAL

<div class="byline">with Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02944/9180168-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Heidi Androl is part of the Kings fresh marketing approach. <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY LOS ANGELES KINGS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011338/9180175-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="207" height="246"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>EIDI ANDROL WASN&rsquo;T victorious in her attempt to win a job with Donald Trump on <i>The Apprentice</i> last year. But the Michigan girl with hockey in her blood came out of her reality TV experience with a much better gig &ndash; covering the NHL for the L.A. Kings&rsquo; revamped website.</p><p>And as she settles into her role &ndash; officially, she&rsquo;s the team&rsquo;s special events host, although her job duties include far more than just appearing in front of the camera &ndash; Androl has become a significant part of the Kings&rsquo; cutting edge approach to off-ice, online promotion.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been a hockey fan since I was three,&rdquo; said the 27-year-old Androl, a former model who made it into the final six contestants on <i>The Apprentice</i> before hearing Trump&rsquo;s patented &ldquo;You&rsquo;re fired&rdquo; line.</p><p>&ldquo;When I started talking to the Kings about the position, they said it was something they&rsquo;d never done before, but wanted to try. And I thought, &lsquo;What better opportunity to get into hockey, something I&rsquo;ve always loved, and get back into the entertainment field after I&rsquo;d taken a break from it.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>Given the history of the league&rsquo;s conservative approach to marketing in the past, the fact Androl refers to the team as an entertainment entity is tribute enough to Kings vice-president of business operations and former NHL star Luc Robitaille, one of the visionaries behind the franchise&rsquo;s expanded web presence.</p><p>However, Robitaille is far from finished re-imagining the role of the Internet in promoting and enhancing players&rsquo; personalities.</p><p>&ldquo;Our team hasn&rsquo;t performed on the ice as well as we would have liked to, but we&rsquo;ve done the right things off the ice to keep people interested and curious about what we&rsquo;re doing,&rdquo; Robitaille said. &ldquo;We think of our website as a mini-network with not just one show, but as many shows as we can produce. We&rsquo;ve gone through every (team&rsquo;s website), and everybody&rsquo;s doing the same thing &ndash; going behind-the-scenes, in the locker room, things like that.</p><p>&ldquo;We wanted to go a little bit further than that and we&rsquo;re still in the infancy stage, but at least we&rsquo;ve taken steps forward.&rdquo;</p><p>Robitaille is impressed with Androl&rsquo;s work (which can be seen at <a href="http://www.lakings.com/kingsvision">www.lakings.com/kingsvision</a>) thus far.</p><p>&ldquo;The biggest thing about Heidi is she didn&rsquo;t come in and say she just wanted to do a few interviews,&rdquo; Robitaille added. &ldquo;She got down and dirty &ndash; producing, editing, attending all our marketing meetings.</p><p>&ldquo;She&rsquo;s self-sufficient, she&rsquo;s not a prima donna, and she fits our world with her commitment to hard work. She&rsquo;s constantly pushing to improve the website and I think it&rsquo;s helped us tremendously.&rdquo;</p><p>Androl also has helped build the four-person crew dedicated to the team&rsquo;s website. At her suggestion, Robitaille and Kings chief marketing officer Chris McGowan brought aboard Bryan Stratte &ndash; a former producer/director for the Country Music Television series <i>Trick My Truck</i> &ndash; to work alongside Androl and the results are as good or better than anyone associated with the team hoped for.</p><p>Together, Androl and Stratte write, produce and edit all of the Kings&rsquo; web video segments and have helped increase the team&rsquo;s total number of web hits by nearly 40 percent. Their site has already began to turn a profit, which, according to Robitaille, &ldquo;was something we never thought would happen this quick.&rdquo;</p><p>The overall goal, Robitaille said, is to create and cultivate new media opportunities that not only delve deeper into player personas, but also pull in new fans via celebrity endorsement of the sport.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the one thing the game of hockey has never really done,&rdquo; Robitaille said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve always just assumed people will come and watch our game. I look at it a bit of a different way; we&rsquo;ve got 20 great, interesting players and we&rsquo;re trying to show, through our website and other areas, the personality of these guys.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to come up with new ideas to help sell the game and I think every team needs to do that. It&rsquo;s going to take time, but through little things like hiring the right person &ndash; in our case, a person like Heidi, who adds celebrity and class to our website &ndash; it can make a big difference.&rdquo;</p><p>For her part, Androl is thrilled with the experience thus far. And although the Kings haven&rsquo;t won nearly enough this season, she&rsquo;s already come away with a boatload of great memories.</p><p>&ldquo;Getting to go to Salzburg (Austria) and London (England) with the team this year and being part of that history of the first NHL game played in Europe, was pretty exciting,&rdquo; Androl said. &ldquo;The team not winning as much as we hope does make the job a little more difficult, but when I look at how much fun we&rsquo;re having right now, it&rsquo;s even better to imagine how it will be when the team is winning more consistently.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03712/9180161-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="53" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For Adam&rsquo;s web-exclusive Screen Shots column, visit <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-02

KINGS TO ANDROL: YOU’RE HIRED

f0029-01

TRADE BUZZ

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011333/9180489-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"></div><h2><b>WESTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><h2><b>EASTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011249/9180482-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="2270" height="3017"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-01

DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02814/9180541-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="968" height="1193"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03671/9180534-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="214" height="214"></div><h2><b>JORDAN LAVALLEE</b></h2><p>Chicago Wolves</p><p>Ht. 6-2</p><p>Wt. 224</p><p>Pos. LW</p><p>Age 21</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04529/9180527-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="228" height="217"></div><p>AND COUNTING 7Points shy of exceeding last season&rsquo;s total</p><p>WHEN THE ATLANTA THRASHERS drafted Jordan LaVallee, they never envisioned him becoming a flashy, high-scoring winger.</p><p>They don&rsquo;t want him to try being one, either. He&rsquo;ll never become the next Ilya Kovalchuk.</p><p>Which is fine. LaVallee&rsquo;s banging, in-your-face style makes him a very effective left winger for the Chicago Wolves.</p><p>&ldquo;When I play a mean, physical game, I think it makes me a better player,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-2, 224-pound LaVallee. &ldquo;It gets me into the game and it creates more space for myself and my linemates.&rdquo;</p><p>A little more space gives him a chance to use what are actually pretty good hands. He scored 12 goals and 28 points in the first half of this season. A year ago, he produced 16 goals and 34 points in 79 games, and was clutch in the postseason with seven goals in 14 games.</p><p>But on occasion, the second-year forward has had a tendency to stray from his game. Like when the Wolves used LaVallee on a line with offensive wizards Jason Krog and Brett Sterling.</p><p>&ldquo;You play with players like that and you want to play that more offensive, scoring role,&rdquo; LaVallee said. &ldquo;You kinda want to follow what they&rsquo;re doing. But that&rsquo;s not my game. It actually hurt my game when I stepped away from being a straight-line winger.&rdquo;</p><p>As always, experience is the best teacher, something LaVallee learned. What he&rsquo;s now trying to achieve is consistency; bringing the same style to the ice game after game, shift after shift.</p><p>&ldquo;I have to be more consistent, that&rsquo;s what they want to see,&rdquo; LaVallee said. &ldquo;Last year and at the beginning of this year, from game to game I could play a completely different game.&rdquo;</p><p>The Thrashers drafted LaVallee in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2005 draft, after his third of four QMJHL seasons with the Quebec Remparts. Born in Corvallis, Ore., his family moved to Binghamton when he was two years old (where he cheered for the AHL&rsquo;s Rangers) and then to Boston when he was 12.</p><p>It was at 15 with the Walpole Jr. Stars in the Eastern Junior League that LaVallee decided he might have a future in hockey. He considered the U.S. college route, but decided the QMJHL would accelerate his development.</p><p>&ldquo;What it came down to was getting better as a player quicker,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I spent four wonderful years up there and I miss it occasionally. Your junior days are some of the best of your life. I was right in Quebec City and it was like a small European vacation every day.&rdquo;</p><p>Halfway through his second AHL season, LaVallee knows there are no vacations now that he&rsquo;s in pro hockey.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011228/9180520-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="76" height="77"></div><p>For more on hockey&rsquo;s best prospects, check out Ryan Kennedy&rsquo;s Hot List in the feature section on <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0036-02

CRASH COURSE IS THE BEST PATH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08292/9180572-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="292" height="68"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROSS DETTMAN)</span></figcaption></div><p>The San Antonio Rampage have made a hockey fan for life.</p><p>Looking for a way to help the community, the Rampage players and wives raised $5,000 to make a down payment on a house for San Antonio resident Martina Villarreal, a 47-year-old single mother who&rsquo;s working two jobs.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a great feeling for all the guys to see her walk up to the front door, get the keys and take control of the house,&rdquo; said Rampage captain Bryan Helmer. &ldquo;We made her dream come true and it was great to be able to give back.&rdquo;</p><p>Most of the cash came when the players passed the hat in the dressing room.</p><p>ON/OFF One of the best nicknames in the AHL belongs to Rockford IceHogs defenseman Prestin Ryan.</p><p>His teammates call him &lsquo;Switch.&rsquo;</p><p>Calm and mellow off the ice, there&rsquo;s a switch he flicks to become belligerent on the ice. At mid-season he was leading the IceHogs in penalty minutes with 115.</p><p>GALVIN-IZED Defenseman Tom Galvin did enough during a pair of tryout stints with the Grand Rapids Griffins to earn a two-year AHL contract.</p><p>Galvin, 28, is a fourth-year pro who&rsquo;s playing full time in the AHL for the first time in his career.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05448/9180593-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="175" height="175"></div><p>HEY BRANDON NOLAN, EXPECT THE CALL</p><p>The son of Isles coach Ted Nolan, the left winger has exceeded Carolina&rsquo;s expectations. He combines size, grit and finesse into one package and is showing excellent touch with Albany.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06394/9180586-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="218" height="208"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07343/9180579-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="202" height="283"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-08

Rampage raise a roof

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011097/9180638-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="924" height="1193"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02756/9180631-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="214" height="214"></div><h2><b>ERIC FEHR</b></h2><p>Hershey Bears</p><p>Ht. 6-4</p><p>Wt. 210</p><p>Pos. RW</p><p>Age 22</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03606/9180624-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="228" height="229"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JUSTSPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING</b>&nbsp;<b>1.02</b></h2><p>Points per game before his injury last season.</p><p>IN THREE SEASONS since turning pro amid some lofty expectations, Eric Fehr has endured his fair share of adversity.</p><p>The 18th overall pick in 2003, a year before Washington took Alex Ovechkin first overall, Fehr&rsquo;s talent and work ethic landed him a regular role with the Capitals early in his second season.</p><p>As quickly as he rose to the NHL, the 22-year-old Fehr fell out of sight. With one nagging, mysterious injury, he had gone from can&rsquo;t miss to can&rsquo;t play.</p><p>&ldquo;It was just one of those things that started out as a little bit of pain and snowballed out of control,&rdquo; Fehr said. &ldquo;It got to the point where I couldn&rsquo;t play anymore and I had to take some time off.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough. It&rsquo;s always hard just to get a foot in the door in the NHL and I felt I was up there and starting to feel more comfortable. When something like that happens, you&rsquo;ve got to start all over again.&rdquo;</p><p>Diagnosed with a compressed disc that caused considerable discomfort in his back and hip, Fehr went 11 months between games, returning to the Hershey Bears in mid-January.</p><p>The 6-foot-4, 210-pound power forward from Winkler, Man., picked up an assist in his season debut and had two in his first five games to go along with a plus-1 rating for the Bears.</p><p>&ldquo;I know he&rsquo;s excited to be back playing again and we&rsquo;re excited to have him,&rdquo; said Hershey coach Bob Woods. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a huge plus to our hockey team. Once he gets his feet back under him, he&rsquo;ll be a force to be reckoned with.&rdquo;</p><p>Fehr showed that with backto-back 50-goal seasons in junior and had a solid rookie year with 25 goals and 53 points in 70 games for the 2005-06 Bears.</p><p>As a sophomore, he was averaging more than a point a game through the season&rsquo;s first half when the Caps called. Fehr played 14 games, with two goals and an assist, before his career was put on hold.</p><p>&ldquo;My life was totally changed for a few months, where walking was tough and sleeping, just everyday things where I wasn&rsquo;t even worried about hockey,&rdquo; Fehr said. &ldquo;I was just trying to get better for everyday things. It really puts hockey in perspective and that&rsquo;s maybe something I&rsquo;ve gained out of it, realizing that it is just a game and you&rsquo;ve got to take life for other things.&rdquo;</p><p>While returning to Washington is the ultimate goal, Fehr will take measured steps to get there.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to take it one step at a time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I realize right now I&rsquo;ve got to play really well at this level if I want to advance. I&rsquo;m focused on the Bears and our playoff push and that&rsquo;s exciting for me.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

PUTTING FEHR BACK IN CAPS GAME

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL JANACK</div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>mid uncertainty regarding the building&rsquo;s future, the Philadelphia Phantoms welcomed the four millionth fan in franchise history to the Wachovia Spectrum.</p><p>The Phantoms reached the mark in their 462nd regularseason home game, as they hosted Lowell. The winning fan received several milestone-related prizes, including free tickets to all home games through March 11 (four million seconds from being chosen), tickets to a game in Manchester (four million feet round trip) and a four megapixel digital camera (four million pixels).</p><p>Starting in 1996-97, the Phantoms led the AHL in attendance in each of their first six seasons and hold the single-season record for both total (480,106) and average (12,002) attendance, set in 1998-99. They hit the one million mark in 1998 in their 95th home game, the fastest in AHL history.</p><p>To reach the four million plateau, Philadelphia recorded 19 sellouts of the 17,380-seat Spectrum and five sellouts of more than 18,000 at the Wachovia Center, home of the parent Flyers. Three of the AHL&rsquo;s four largest regular season crowds have been in Philadelphia, as well as the second-largest overall in AHL history (20,103) for Game 6 of the 2005 Calder Cup final.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04512/9180676-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="202" height="276"></div><h2><b>SHOOTOUT GOALS</b></h2><p>DAVID KREJCI</p><p>Providence Bruins</p><p>ON TOP</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05462/9180669-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="165" height="162"></div><p>6-6 GOALS &ndash; ATTEMPTS</p><p>Jack Skille, Rkd 5-7</p><p>Tomi Maki, QC 5-7</p><p>Mike Iggulden, Wor 5-7</p><p>David Jones, LE 5-7<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-04

Philly’s 4 million Phantom fans

<p>PLAYING AGAINST KYLE BEACH is no day at the beach.</p><p>The Everett Silvertips right winger is equally capable of creating or irritating. Quick wrists and fists make him one of the WHL&rsquo;s most intriguing players &ndash; and a top prospect for the 2008 NHL draft.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a special player,&rdquo; said Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt about it. He has had a little bit of a reputation ever since he was 14, playing in Kelowna. When you&rsquo;re the biggest, the strongest, the meanest kid on the block, people just don&rsquo;t like playing against him.&rdquo;</p><p>Beach dominated minor hockey in his hometown of Kelowna, B.C. before ascending to major junior last season. He made an immediate impact with 29 goals, 61 points and 196 penalty minutes, while netting rookie-of-the-year honors.</p><p>Despite earning those accolades at 16, concerns arose. His abrasive on-ice comportment rankled opponents and, occasionally, teammates.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year I took a lot of dumb penalties, so I&rsquo;m really trying to get those out of my game,&rdquo; Beach said.</p><p>Beach is among the penalty-minute leaders this year, but according to Soetaert, has also been Everett&rsquo;s best and most consistent player. Soetaert applauds Beach and his maturation. Yet, the messages Beach hears aren&rsquo;t always positive.</p><p>&ldquo;I think in a way that I am unfairly judged,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Stories get twisted and things start to sound worse than they really are. At the same time, I&rsquo;ve got to avoid that and stay out of trouble so they don&rsquo;t get a chance to twist things.&rdquo;</p><p>In conversation, Beach hardly sounds like someone who is capable of incurring the wrath of opponents. He is polite and well-spoken.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m a pretty easygoing guy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get along with pretty much everyone. I think if people give me a chance, they&rsquo;ll see I&rsquo;m a good guy off the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>On the ice, Beach strives to become a power forward in the Jarome Iginla mold. Fittingly, he has had a few summer workouts with the Flames star in Kelowna.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s awesome,&rdquo; Beach said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s always encouraging.&rdquo;</p><p>With the objective of emulating Iginla, Beach has taken steps to temper his combustibility and upgrade his skating. He wants to improve his first few strides, though that did not deter International Scouting Services from projecting Beach as the No. 7 pick in its December rankings.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011091/9180749-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="765" height="1009"></div><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s the odd night when he gets a little bit hairy,&rdquo; Soetaert said. &ldquo;But all in all he&rsquo;s going to be a very good pro.&rdquo;</p><p><b>&ndash; ROB VANSTONE</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02708/9180742-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="278" height="151"></div><h2><b>KYLE BEACH</b></h2><p>Everett Silvertips</p><p>Ht. 6-3</p><p>Wt. 203</p><p>Pos. RW</p><p>Age 18</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03550/9180735-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="356" height="68"></div><h3><b>Draft Status</b></h3><p>Ranked seventh overall by ISS for 2008 NHL draft</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04457/9180728-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="215" height="227"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING 1.18</b></h2><p>Points per game for the draft eligible Beach this year.</p><h2><b>Ice are cool with quiet life</b></h2><p>Steve DaSilva receives constant attention from opposing checkers, if not the media. DaSilva and his Kootenay Ice teammates generally thrive in near-anonymity, being that they are based in Cranbrook, B.C. &ndash; one of the league&rsquo;s smaller communities. &ldquo;We kind of like it that way,&rdquo; said the 20-year-old center. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not really a team that needs all the accolades that come with winning. Flying under the radar is always a good thing. We can catch teams off guard.&rdquo; DaSilva has followed up on his 91 points of last season by again being one of the WHL&rsquo;s top scorers, albeit in quiet fashion. &ldquo;Growing up, I&rsquo;ve never really had the spotlight on me or anything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of nice just to have no pressure and go out and play and have fun every night.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05381/9180721-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="222" height="243"></div><p><b>&ndash; ROB VANSTONE</b></p><h2><b>Two-team town embraces junior</b></h2><p>When Jeff Hunt bought the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s in 1998, he said the NHL team in town wasn&rsquo;t going to be the death of the OHL squad, as had been the case in other major junior cities. Just the opposite. With the Sens on the front page everyday, but most fans unable to afford tickets, Hunt offered his 67&rsquo;s as the alternative. Crowds went from barely 2,000 a game to sellouts of 10,000 in only four years. The Sens and their owner Eugene Melnyk were again Hunt&rsquo;s ally when he bid for the 2009 World Junior Championship and won. They guaranteed Hockey Canada a record $12.5-million profit, which now could top $14 million, and record attendance, now assured as all packages (more than 440,000 tickets) are sold for the event.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06318/9180714-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="228" height="229"></div><p><b>&ndash; JIM CRESSMAN</b></p><h2><b>Longest tenure at goalie factory</b></h2><p>The QMJHL has long been known for its goalies. Ryan Mior of the Gatineau Olympiques doesn&rsquo;t have the fame of Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur and many others who came before him, but he does have distinction after setting a league record in mid January for most career regular season games by a goalie with 223. He surpassed Jacques Cloutier&rsquo;s old mark of 222 games with the Trois Rivieres Draveurs in the late 1970s. &ldquo;I never believed anything like this would happen,&rdquo; said Mior, a fifthyear veteran from Newfoundland. &ldquo;Year after year, game after game, I just kept reaching different stages.&rdquo; Mior, 20, was never picked in the NHL draft. He plans to play university hockey next season, but he&rsquo;s not sure where yet.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07284/9180707-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="223" height="229"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARISSA BAECKER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>&ndash; NEIL HODGE</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

BEACH REELS IN SANDPAPER STYLE

<h3><b>ECHL</b></h3><h2><b>Verbeek back in Stock</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span> technicality kept Tim Verbeek on the Stockton payroll even after coach Chris Cichocki waived him. Three months later, the right winger is back on the ice. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad it worked out this way and all that matters now is that I get on the ice and play again,&rdquo; Verbeek told The Stockton <i>Record</i>. The 28-year-old had six penalty minutes in his first two games. Verbeek tallied 19 goals and 33 points for Stockton last season, but was waived after camp. However, hernia surgery kept Verbeek on the payroll because rules prohibit teams from releasing injured players. When call-ups and injuries hit Stockton, Cichocki called on Verbeek.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01670/9180909-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="228" height="222"></div><p><b>&ndash; MIKE MASTOVICH</b></p><h3><b>UNITED STATES LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Texas native on to big things</b></h2><p>Defenseman JP Maley is another example of hockey&rsquo;s changing demographic. From Austin, Texas, the 18-year-old Maley, nurtured in the Lone Star State his entire life, is now skating for the Des Moines Buccaneers. The Bucs have helped Maley hone his game in preparation for playing at Northeastern beginning next fall. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s really starting to play well,&rdquo; said Bucs coach Regg Simon. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a mobile, puck-moving defenseman who is an excellent skater, can jump on a rush and make good decisions.&rdquo; Though not selected at the 2007 NHL draft, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Maley is representative of the growth spurt in Texas hockey.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02414/9180902-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="227" height="224"></div><p><b>&ndash; PAUL SHAHEEN</b></p><h3><b>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Reiter fires three blanks</b></h2><p>Goalie Kevin Reiter did something nobody in the 55-year history of the Fort Wayne Komets had accomplished when he posted back-to-back-to-back shutouts Jan. 11-13. Reiter made a total of 66 saves in beating Muskegon 3-0, Kalamazoo 4-0 and Port Huron 3-0. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not really a goalie accomplishment, it&rsquo;s a team thing,&rdquo; Reiter told the Fort Wayne <i>News-Sentinel</i>. &ldquo;Everyone has been clearing lanes and letting me see the shots. If you can see the shot, you should able to stop it in this league.&rdquo; Reiter&rsquo;s streak was snapped 1:41 into game four, leaving his 181:41 scoreless streak just 16:43 short of matching Mike O&rsquo;Neill&rsquo;s 1991 franchise record.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03333/9180895-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="226" height="227"></div><p>&ndash; <b>BRENDAN SAVAGE</b></p><h3><b>CENTRAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Player-poet from Africa</b></h2><p>Arthur Kiyaga, 22, is the only Ugandan-born player in the Central League, but that&rsquo;s not all that makes him unique. The Tulsa Oilers defenseman is also the only known CHL author. <i>Kiyaga-ism</i> is a 38-page collection of prose he described as &ldquo;poetry with a lil&rsquo; twist,&rdquo; that goes far beyond the ice: &ldquo;<i>Friends half his complexion question his direction. They say he&rsquo;s white, though the mirror shows a black refl ection</i>.&rdquo; Kiyaga plans on publishing additional works of poetry. &ldquo;Being born in Africa and now spending my life in the hockey world, this is my way to sort of bring those two parts of my life and parts of the world together.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04287/9180888-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="223" height="225"></div><p><b>&ndash; DAVID HENRY</b></p><h3><b>SOUTHERN PRO LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>New team on the horizon?</b></h2><p>A year after slicing four games off the league&rsquo;s 56-game regular season, the board of governors voted at the annual winter meetings to play 60 games in 2008-09, while keeping the season 22 weeks long. That&rsquo;s indication the $5,600 per week salary cap will rise and the seventeam league will expand by at least one team next season. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the question everyone wants to know,&rdquo; said commissioner Jim Combs. The Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup, emblematic of regular season superiority, was renamed the William B. Coffey Trophy after the league&rsquo;s director of hockey operations. Coffey was one of the founders of the East Coast Hockey League.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05260/9180881-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="229" height="225"></div><p><b>&ndash; NICK GATES</b></p><h3><b>EYE ON EUROPE</b></h3><h2><b>Suhonen home, but not sweet</b></h2><p>Alpo Suhonen, the first European NHL coach, is home again. Back in 1971, he won the Finnish title with Assat Pori as a player. Now he&rsquo;s their coach and he&rsquo;s not happy with the way things are. &ldquo;The players are poorly trained, athleticism has disappeared,&rdquo; Suhonen said. &ldquo;We need to build the whole organization back up again, from top to bottom. People tout the Finnish League as one of the best in the world, when it&rsquo;s probably the sixth or seventh best. How could it be a top league when we have 200 of our best players playing in other leagues?&rdquo; Suhonen&rsquo;s mood likely didn&rsquo;t improve when Assat won just three of his first 18 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06231/9180874-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="228" height="228"></div><p><b>&ndash; RISTO PAKARINEN</b></p><h3><b>CANADIAN UNIVERSITY</b></h3><h2><b>Who will stay, who will go?</b></h2><p>In January, NCAA Division II opened its doors to Canadian universities by approving a 10-year pilot program allowing CIS schools to apply for membership as soon as the 2008-2009 academic year. While two universities have already expressed interest, CIS chief executive officer, Marg McGregor, said according to feedback from CIS members, a very small number will actually accept the invitation. &ldquo;CIS membership has grown in recent years and indications are it will continue to do so,&rdquo; McGregor said. &ldquo;So from a simple number of members perspective, the potential loss of one or two members is offset by the recent expansion.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07202/9180867-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="229" height="224"></div><p><b>&ndash; JEFF RENAUD</b></p><h3><b>THE WOMEN&rsquo;S GAME</b></h3><h2><b>Goyette stays close to game</b></h2><p>&ldquo;It was a pretty amazing ride,&rdquo; marvelled Danielle Goyette as she announced her retirement. &ldquo;I saw the evolution of the game from when hockey was nothing, where &lsquo;girls don&rsquo;t play,&rsquo; to the Olympics.&rdquo; Goyette started playing hockey in the early 1980s at the age of 15. &ldquo;I played once a week until I was 30, maybe that is why I lasted so long,&rdquo; said the 42-year-old, who played 16 seasons for Canada. Goyette is second on Team Canada&rsquo;s all-time scoring list with 114 goals and 219 points in 172 games. The St-Nazaire, Que., native now coaches with the University of Calgary Dinos. &ldquo;I love what I do every day,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It was the right decision to retire.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08163/9180860-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="227" height="228"></div><p><b>&ndash; ELIZABETH ETUE</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

BEST OF THE REST

<div class="byline">by Nicolas Chabot</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01703/9180961-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01596/9180954-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="4895" height="3099"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01501/9180947-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="2252" height="3124"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01473/9180940-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="2233" height="1578"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0042-01

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01339/9180992-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Two severe car accidents haven&rsquo;t kept Mnatsakanov out of hockey. <span class="photo-credit">(JHAAS DESIGNS)</span></figcaption></div><p>YOU HAVE TO GO down the hockey food chain to find Art Mnatsakanov these days. Way down.</p><p>But all in all, life is good. Mnatsakanov is, as they say, in Jules Verne territory, about 20,000 leagues away from the Detroit Red Wings dressing room he hung around when he was growing up. But he&rsquo;s playing hockey for a living and making about $450 a week doing it, his apartment is paid for and sometimes he has enough per diem left over to put a little money away.</p><p>And to top it off, he recently became the highest-scoring defenseman in the history of the Southern Professional League, a seven-team loop that has been around for four years and snakes through minor hockey backwaters in Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida.</p><p>But sometimes Mnatsakanov can&rsquo;t help but wonder what effect two random car accidents, four years apart in the suburbs of Detroit and both with catastrophic consequences, had on his hockey career.</p><p>In both accidents, a car traveling more than 70 miles per hour slams into a tree. In both cases, Art Mnatsakanov and his father Sergei are innocent passengers who must bear lifetime scars because of another person&rsquo;s carelessness.</p><p>Art&rsquo;s story starts in Moscow with the Dynamo youth program. Among his teammates as a child were Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Frolov and Stanislav Chistov and Mnatsakanov recalls he &ldquo;did just as good as they did.&rdquo; Artem was 11 when his father began working as a masseur for the Red Wings and it wasn&rsquo;t long before he was playing for the Detroit Little Caesars hockey factory in tournaments against the likes of Jason Spezza and Kyle Wellwood.</p><p>The first accident, you probably remember. It involved Mnatsakanov&rsquo;s father Sergei, whose life changed forever six days after the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997. Coming home from a celebration, the limo carrying Sergei Mnatsakanov and Red Wings defensemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Viacheslav Fetisov left the road and crashed into a tree, leaving Mnatsakanov without the use of his legs and his left arm. The accident ended Konstantinov&rsquo;s NHL career and has left him permanently disabled. Fetisov was able to play the next season and won another Cup with Detroit.</p><p>Four years later, it was the summer of 2001 and Art was 17 years old, had just graduated high school and was weighing major junior tryout offers with the OHL&rsquo;s Barrie Colts and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. After a night of graduation parties, a car Mnatsakanov was a passenger in slid off a slick road and, in a cruel twist of fate, straight into a tree. Mnatsakanov was thrown from the vehicle and when he stumbled over to the scene discovered that both his best friend and his girlfriend were dead, along with another passenger. In the distance, he could see the driver running from the scene.</p><p>&ldquo;I found them myself and they were all dead,&rdquo; Mnatsakanov said.</p><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t wearing a seatbelt and I got shot-putted out of the back about 60 yards. I found my friends dead and I woke up in a hospital and ended up staying there for a month.&rdquo;</p><p>He missed a year of hockey recovering from injuries that doctors originally told him would prevent him from ever playing again. Since turning pro at the age of 20, Mnatsakanov has played for five teams in three leagues, the highest being the Motor City Mechanics of the United League.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I could have had a great chance to play in the American Hockey League and I would have done my best to get to the NHL,&rdquo; Mnatsakanov said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying I would have made it there, but I would have been up there. I was pretty bitter there for a while, but this is the life I&rsquo;ve been dealt and you can&rsquo;t live in bitterness.&rdquo;</p><p>But you can count your blessings and make the best of your situation. You can play hockey at the highest level possible and be a vocal leader and a great guy in the dressing room. You can use your offensive talent and heavy shot to become a power play specialist. According to Knoxville Ice Bears coach Scott Hillman, Mnatsakanov is all those things.</p><p>&ldquo;Is he good enough to play at a higher level? Yeah, he is,&rdquo; Hillman said. &ldquo;Will he ever get that chance? Probably not at his age.&rdquo;</p><p>But Mnatsakanov, 24, won&rsquo;t let tragedy define him. He wants to someday get into coaching in hopes it could be his ticket to a higher level. As for his father, the Wings continued to pay Sergei Mnatsakanov for five years after his accident and have a foundation that helps out both him and Konstantinov. Sergei spends most of his winters in Boca Raton, Fla., but was invited by former Wing Slava Kozlov to attend the NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta.</p><p>&ldquo;I just enjoy the game of hockey and I take pride in being able to lace up my skates and do something I love and be pretty good at it,&rdquo; Art said. &ldquo;And my dad is doing great. He&rsquo;s just like a normal dad, he just can&rsquo;t walk and use his left arm. He&rsquo;s in great spirits and he lives every day like it&rsquo;s his last.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

BOUNCING BACK FROM TRAGEDIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02211/9181044-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01299/9181051-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="125" height="124"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CROSSWORD</b></h2><p>By Larry Humber</p><p>Answers available in next issue</p><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1 Dallas&rsquo;s top farm team</p><p>8 Incensed</p><p>9 &lsquo;Cash&rsquo; was with Team Canada in 1972</p><p>10 Flyers netminder ___ Niittymaki, pictured</p><p>11 Five-minute penalties</p><p>12 Stephane ___ was with Colorado for both its Cups</p><p>14 The Prince of ___ Trophy goes to the Eastern Conference champs</p><p>17 Nashville&rsquo;s Jordin ___</p><p>19 Frank ___ was an &lsquo;Original Six&rsquo; referee</p><p>20 Friendly</p><p>21 Former goalie ___ Wakely</p><p>22 The last team to win four consecutive Cups</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>2 Where Gordie Howe spent a season as a youngster</p><p>3 Brent ___ played in nine cities in his 14 NHL seasons</p><p>4 Rips</p><p>5 Scoring sensation ___ Crosby</p><p>6 Kneecap</p><p>7 The Isles&rsquo; Ruslan ___</p><p>11 Home of the AHL&rsquo;s Admirals</p><p>13 Catching</p><p>15 1994 Hart winner ___ Fedorov</p><p>16 Mr. Cherry</p><p>17 There&rsquo;s a Forum in this Florida city</p><p>18 Ryan Smyth was an ___ for a decade</p><p>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</p><p>ACROSS 1. GARTH SNOW, 8. ARENA, 9. ALL-STAR, 10. STITCH, 11. ANDERS, 12. RICCI, 14. OWNER, 17. PIERRE, 19. AVENGE, 20.ANTONIO, 21. TRADE, 22. ROCHESTER. DOWN 2. ALLAN, 3. TOSSED, 4. STARS, 5. WALTER, 6. CELTICS, 7. NASHVILLE, 11. ARGONAUTS, 13. KNEECAP, 15. REGIER, 16. DECOYS, 17. PUNCH, 18. RAISE.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03155/9181037-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="1693" height="823"></div><p>by Ryan Kennedy</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04137/9181030-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="156" height="153"></div><h2><b>HOMETOWN HOCKEY</b></h2><p>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.</p><p>The Bay Area boasted several San Francisco start-ups in the late 1920s and early &rsquo;30s as part of the California Pro League. The Blackhawks and Tigers represented San Francisco, as did the Shamrocks (Pacific Coast League in the &rsquo;40s) and the Seals (Western League in the &rsquo;60s). And while the San Jose Sharks are just down the road, technically the NHL has another Bay-related team. The San Francisco Sharks of the World Hockey Association were purchased and moved to Quebec in 1972, where they became the Nordiques, who now, of course, are the Colorado Avalanche.</p><h2><b>TIPS FROM THE POINT</b></h2><p>WITH DANY HEATLEY</p><p>GETTING IN SCORING POSITION Finding a soft spot in the offensive zone is key to positioning &ndash; go somewhere between the defenseman down low and the winger up top; neither wants to stray far from their post. Sometimes I&rsquo;ll skate around the top of the circle to the slot, other times I&rsquo;ll go in the back door. It&rsquo;s all about finding lanes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0598/9181023-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="248" height="455"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>OTTAWA SENATORS</p><p><b>AGE:</b> 27</p><p><b>POS:</b> LW</p><p><b>NUMBER:</b> 15</p></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0049-02

LAST MINUTE OF PLAY

<div class="byline">with Mike Brophy</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="C0004-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-03119/9181089-1-eng-US/c0004-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Hartnell <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/c0004-01317/9181096-1-eng-US/c0004-012.jpg" title="C0004-01" width="207" height="246"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">We want to win for the fans at home and have that Philadelphia attitude</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>HEN THE PHILADELPHIA Flyers lost Simon Gagne and Joffrey Lupul to injury, it was suggested to a few players, Scott Hartnell amongst them, that they needed to do more on offense to offset the departure of two key scorers.</p><p>If it was that simple to motivate a player to score more, perhaps the Flyers should have cornered Hartnell earlier. Challenged to score more goals, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound power forward responded with 10 (including two hat tricks) in a seven-game span.</p><p>&ldquo;You obviously want to score goals in this league, it&rsquo;s the best thing in the world when you put one in,&rdquo; says the enthusiastic 25-year-old Regina native, playing in his seventh NHL season. &ldquo;It has been a good few weeks here and hopefully it will continue.&rdquo;</p><p>Scott Hartnell is one of those players who, in a perfect world, should have played his entire career with one team. The Nashville Predators&rsquo; first pick in the 2000 draft, sixth overall, he cracked the lineup as an 18-year-old and has done everything in his power to justify his high selection and early entry into the league. He has developed into a very competent two-way performer whose contributions don&rsquo;t just show up on the ice. In fact, his coach in Nashville, Barry Trotz, thought so highly of Hartnell that he once told The Hockey News: &ldquo;Scott is the type of young man you hope your daughter brings home.&rdquo;</p><p>So it should have come as no surprise that the Flyers, who were in a state of flux last season finishing dead last, were interested in acquiring Hartnell as one of their rebuilding blocks. The team had a 48-hour window to negotiate with the impending unrestricted free agent &ndash; the dismantling Predators intended to let Hartnell walk &ndash; and signed him to a six-year, $25.2-million contract. Along with Hartnell, Philadelphia acquired defenseman Kimmo Timonen from Nashville in exchange for a first round draft pick.</p><p>The Flyers knew what they were getting &ndash; a gritty, dependable player who scored 47 goals over the past two seasons, was a combined plus-27 and didn&rsquo;t mind dropping the gloves to fight.</p><p>While Hartnell didn&rsquo;t exactly have a dream start when he joined his new team, going goalless in his first 15 games, it didn&rsquo;t worry coach John Stevens.</p><p>&ldquo;Scott has been a good player for us all year, he was getting his opportunities to score, but wasn&rsquo;t cashing in on them,&rdquo; Stevens says. &ldquo;To his credit, he never quit working and now he has gained confidence. It seems like the puck is following him around now.</p><p>&ldquo;When he wasn&rsquo;t scoring, I really wasn&rsquo;t that concerned. He does a lot of others things well. He establishes our team game, gets the forecheck going and creates a net presence. He creates room in the offensive zone because he&rsquo;s at the net all the time so he draws a defender to the net.&rdquo;</p><p>The Predators appeared to be poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup last season, finishing third in the NHL with 110 points, but the organization was coming unglued. A lack of corporate support convinced owner Craig Leipold to put the team up for sale; and, after potential owner Jim Balsillie failed in his bid to purchase the club &ndash; he had wanted to move the Preds to Canada &ndash; the potential contender was ripped apart in an effort to reduce payroll.</p><p>&ldquo;I loved Nashville,&rdquo; Hartnell says. &ldquo;But I know how this business works and you have to move on. I looked at the Flyers and they seemed to be a team on the rise.</p><p>&ldquo;They couldn&rsquo;t get any worse than they were last year and they were making moves to be better. When you look at the trades they made, combined with the personnel they already had here, they really looked like and up-and-coming team.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed they are. Through 47 games, the Flyers had the NHL&rsquo;s fourth-best winning percentage. And, with the Ottawa Senators slumping, Philadelphia was establishing itself as a contender in the East. Hartnell plays on a line with leading scorer Mike Richards and rookie Steve Downie, and also sees time on the second power play unit with Jeff Carter and R.J. Umberger. He&rsquo;s even killing penalties.</p><p>When it comes down to handing out credit for the team&rsquo;s rise this season, Hartnell tips his hat to the team&rsquo;s seventh player &ndash; the fans.</p><p>&ldquo;They definitely want a winning team here, you can tell that,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;If we get down a goal early they can be pretty hard on us and it makes us that much stronger. We want to win for them at home and have that Philadelphia attitude when we&rsquo;re playing. We don&rsquo;t want to get booed. When we&rsquo;re playing well and hitting and fighting, they&rsquo;re the best fans in the league.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-02203/9181082-1-eng-US/c0004-022.jpg" title="C0004-02" width="52" height="53"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For Mike&rsquo;s web-exclusive Double OT column, visit <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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February 12, 2008

WHAT’S IN YOUR SUITCASE CHRIS OSGOOD?

WHAT’S IRRITATING BROPHY + CAMPBELL THIS WEEK?

KILLER INSTINCTS DRIVE KENNEDY

WEEDING OUT THE OLD BOYS’ NETWORK