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February 12, 2008
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.
ASK THE EXPERTS
THN, What was it that made the Thrashers select Patrik Stefan No. 1 overall in the 1999 Entry Draft? Stefan didn’t even have a 100+ point season like most consensus No. 1 overall picks usually have before they’re drafted. Patrick Jordan, Winnipeg. Patrick, At the time, Stefan had everything an NHL GM wanted: Size, strength and a physical presence. In the clutch-and-grab era it didn’t matter that his skating wasn’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’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. THN, With the large amount of travel required in big league hockey, I was wondering if NHL teams…
UPWARD BRUIN
“THE FIRST THING you learn in yoga is your weak spots,” said Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. If this season has been any indication, the veteran netminder is a quick study. Through 32 games, Thomas had an NHL-best .927 save percentage and received an invitation to play in his first-ever All-Star Game. Did his summer activity play a role in that? 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. Edison works with athletes 1-on-1, teaching them how to improve their strength and flexibility, not to mention the all-important “core” muscles – where the dreaded hockey injuries to groins and hip flexors originate. “It’s more of a functional training,” said Edison of her yoga regiment. “All…
IT’S A wild WORLD
The rebirth of NHL hockey in Minnesota started with two seeds – GM Doug Risebrough and coach Jacques Lemaire. 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. 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’s guess whether or not the locals would warm up to the Wild. 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…
FEWER CONCUSSIONS: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
THE NHL IS ON PACE to have fewer concussions and lose fewer man-games due to concussions this season, but what isn’t known is whether the current trend is an aberration or reflective of the league’s new, stricter policy on headshots. 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. That’s a slight decline on the average number of concussions in the past few seasons. According to the Orange County Register, there has been an average of 64 concussions per season over the past six NHL campaigns. According to the newspaper, those…
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