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April 8, 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.
FAN SHOOTOUT
thehockeynews.com JEN PSUTKA FROM KITCHENER, ONT., ASKS Is it hard to focus in Toronto with all the media attention? It makes it interesting and a little more exciting because every day there’s something new to talk about and new challenges. CASEY IPPOLITO FROM TORONTO, ASKS You use a noticeably short stick, which obviously helps your stickhandling. Are there any drawbacks? It has a lot of drawbacks. It’s harder to shoot. It’s actually harder to do almost anything with it except stickhandling in tight and around the net, where it’s a lot better. I’ve thought a lot about going to a longer stick, but haven’t found one that I liked. CHRIS SANZONE JR., FROM ROCHESTER, N.Y., ASKS Who has helped you the most in Toronto so far? Tie Domi was very helpful to me, he kind of…
ADD GAMES WHEN THEY REALLY COUNT
THE ANCIENT GREEKS believed in the axiom “everything in moderation”. Visionary poets from William Shakespeare to Jon Bon Jovi have contemplated the pitfalls of overindulging. Willy Wonka even has us believing it’s possible to consume too much chocolate. Pay heed, NHL: you can get too much of a good thing. At issue is a revised schedule. The league and the union are seriously flirting with the idea of adding two games to the season, bumping the already protracted 82-match docket to a bloated 84. The rationale: one more home date for each franchise equals more revenue. The secondary benefit involves a re-formatted, more balanced schedule, but that’s not integral. Eighty-four is not a magic number when it comes to rotor reform. It’s also out of touch with the desires of the fan base.…
DALLAS STARS
ODDS OF WINNING CUP 20-1 HOW THEY BEAT YOU A smart, puck-possession team that loves to cycle behind the net, the Stars beat you by winning a hundred tiny puck battles. They create a lot of power play opportunities by patiently forcing the opposition to start chasing the puck in the defensive zone. HOW THEY’RE EXPOSED The Stars are not a big nor physical team. They also have some younger players on the blueline. If opponents pressure them and take away time and space – whether it’s on the forecheck or the penalty kill – Dallas sometimes struggles to take their game to a higher level. QUESTION MARK Everyone is curious to see how trade deadline acquisition Brad Richards will work out in the playoffs. The Stars have lost in the first round…
ST. LOUIS
WHAT HAPPENED? This was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Then the club carried a record of 22-14-5 into mid-January. Suddenly there was talk about the playoffs. Take your pick among a laundry list of reasons why the Blues won’t be in the post-season for the third straight year. The mid-season trade of Doug Weight left a leadership void in the dressing room. The power play ranked among the worst in the NHL. The Blues were at the bottom of the league in goals scored. Paul Kariya failed to live up to the hype created with his off-season signing. And the defense wasn’t nearly as good as it projected on paper. So here we are at the end of the season thinking the same we did when the year began: This was a…
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