The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

April 29, 2008

The Hockey News - Apr-29-08

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05494/9134017-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Chuck Kobasew, RW.</i> Kobasew ended this season as last year &ndash; injured &ndash; but not before proving he was a gritty forward with some scoring touch. Held to 50 games and only five goals last season, he barely made an impression after arriving from Calgary at the 2006 trade deadline. Healthy to start this year, he scored a career-best 22 goals.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Peter Schaefer, LW.</i> The Bruins waited months for him to find his groove, but after recovering from a shin injury in February, Schaefer was a healthy scratch for eight of 15 games down the stretch. Boston didn&rsquo;t give much (Shean Donovan) to get Schaefer from Ottawa, but at $2.3 million each of the next two seasons, they need more than this year&rsquo;s nine goals and 26 points.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE STANDARDS

BOSTON

<div class="byline">with Jason Kay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012073/9132632-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="713" height="604"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ELCOME TO THE SECOND ANNUAL EDITION of The Fannies, our off-the-beaten-track awards for remarkable/dubious distinction, named for popular musicians and songs.</p><p>Our statues are made from the shattered remains of composite sticks, ideally ones that fell apart mid-shot. For your reading enjoyment, we suggest you hum the tunes, or search the corresponding videos on YouTube, to get the most out of the Fanny experience. Now, without further adieu&hellip;</p><p>The Britney Spears/Oops I Did it Again Award goes to&hellip; Chris Simon for following up his 2006-07, season-ending 25-game suspension with a 30-gamer for stomping on Jarkko Ruutu&rsquo;s leg.</p><p>The Clash/Should I Stay or Should I Go Award goes to&hellip; Mats Sundin for agonizing sooooooo long over the decision to waive his no trade clause.</p><p>The Culture Club/Do You Really Want to Hurt Me Award goes to&hellip; Ryan Kesler for being on the receiving end of two notorious fouls &ndash; the Jesse Boulerice cross-check to the face (25-game suspension) and the Chris Pronger stomp (eight-game suspension).</p><p>The Pat Benatar/Hit Me With Your Best Shot Award goes to&hellip; Mike Komisarek for easily leading the NHL in blocked shots with 227.</p><p>The Electric Light Orchestra/Turn to Stone Award goes to&hellip; Michael Ryder for hands that suddenly, inexplicably, became petrified.</p><p>The Dire Straits/Sultans of Swing Award goes to&hellip; the Calgary Flames, for usurping the Anaheim Ducks as the league leaders in fighting majors with 70.</p><p>The U2/With or Without You Award goes to&hellip; the Penguins, for weathering the storm, quite nicely, that was Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s ankle sprain.</p><p>The Pink Floyd/Wish You Were Here Award goes to&hellip; the Buffalo Sabres for missing Chris Drury and Daniel Briere (and subsequently Brian Campbell) so much more than anyone anticipated.</p><p>The Feist/1 2 3 4 Award goes to&hellip; Marian Gaborik for his amazing five-goal night, the NHL&rsquo;s first since 1996.</p><p>The Oasis/Wonderwall Award goes to&hellip; Martin Brodeur, who at 35 led all goalies in minutes played at 4,635.</p><p>The Don Henley/Last Worthless Evening Award goes to&hellip; fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now they have Steven Stamkos in their line of vision, this franchise should be able to maneuver a nifty turnaround.</p><p>The Beatles/Back in the USSR Award goes to&hellip; Alexei Yashin. Apparently, those Ukraine girls really knock him out.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021752/9132625-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="408" height="218"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

FLAMES BECOME SULTANS OF SWING

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021593/9132594-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Circling Shark San Jose&rsquo;s Ryan Clowe battles Calgary&rsquo;s Dion Phaneuf in first round action.<span class="photo-credit">(COVER: JENNIFER POTTHEISER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES CONTENTS: CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES; OVECHKIN: STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012082/9132587-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="69" height="69"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Check out <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to see photos of the week.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE BIG PICTURE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021370/9132922-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="280" height="249"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03838/9132915-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="407" height="408"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MCGEUGH: JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>BURNS IS BACK</b></h2><p>Pat Burns returns to his rightful place &ndash; back behind a bench &ndash; as an assistant for Team Canada.</p><h2><b>SEASON CAP&rsquo;D</b></h2><p>Late-season run gets Boudreau into the playoffs and practically assures Ovechkin the Hart.</p><h2><b>CLASSY REFEREES</b></h2><p>Rob Shick and Mick McGeough step aside so younger peers can gain playoff experience.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04638/9132908-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="407" height="408"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAROLINA: GREGG FORWERCK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>TWO BAD</b></h2><p>Only two players topped 100 points in &lsquo;07-08, down from seven last year. Where has the offense gone?</p><h2><b>CUP RUNNETH UNDER</b></h2><p>The Carolina Hurricanes  drink from Stanley in 2006 and miss the playoffs the next two years.</p><h2><b>LOTTERY LAMENESS</b></h2><p>The NHL draft lottery offers zero surprises and makes for bad television.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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PLUS/MINUS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012071/9132711-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="911" height="1049"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KIM STALLKNECHT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>As a kid you can hero worship and develop emotional attachment to players. Adults can&rsquo;t do that. Not to the same degree.</p><p>With Trevor Linden&rsquo;s imminent exit I now face being a hockey fan without any strong emotional attachment to any player. I am very aware to observe and appreciate players all around the league for all that they are. But I can never again develop that innocent love of a player or even of the game that kids can.</p><p>I am now left pondering one question. Will hockey be a different experience for me now? Today I just want to say this:</p><p>Goodbye, Trevor Linden. Thank you.</p><p>JOE PELLETIER, TERRACE, B.C.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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HEART OF THE CANUCKS

<blockquote class="pullQuote">The &ldquo;fear and loathing&rdquo; style loses with a whimper in the end</blockquote><h2><b>CHIN UP, ALFIE</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>rgue all you want as to whether Mark Bell&rsquo;s hits were clean. It doesn&rsquo;t get any simpler than this: Daniel Alfredsson would not be seeing stars if his helmet stayed on.</p><p>The players and league want fewer head injuries. Let&rsquo;s start by making it a minor penalty if there is any daylight between a player&rsquo;s chinstrap and his lower jaw. Better yet, mandate chinstraps similar to those on football helmets.</p><p>SCOTT TOMMOLA, RUTLAND, VT.</p><h2><b>CAN&rsquo;T BUY A SAVE</b></h2><p>I strongly agree with Adam Proteau&rsquo;s Feb. 21 column in which he puts forward that argument that the ongoing debate over the size of goalie equipment is really a red herring.</p><p>As I&rsquo;ve been saying to anyone who will listen (or at the very least, smile and nod politely), you only have to look at the goaltending stats of any recreational men&rsquo;s hockey league in Canada. Much to the chagrin of goalie-wives everywhere, my beer league brethren and I wear the same size and quality of equipment as Roberto Luongo and J-S Giguere, yet amazingly, even those of us who come with a junior or Midget AAA goaltending pedigree have a hell of a time keeping our goals-against averages below about 4.52. Same gear as Luongo, twice the goals against. Clearly, $3,000 worth of Kevlar doesn&rsquo;t make the goalie, particularly at an elite level. The sooner the Competition Committee realizes that, the better.</p><p>DAN KOLENICK, CALGARY</p><h2><b>CATS OUT OF THE BAG</b></h2><p>I was shocked at Jacques Martin&rsquo;s comments to the media the other week. Bashing captain Olli Jokinen publicly is the sound of a desperate man trying to salvage his skin by blaming others.</p><p>Hockey is a team sport, and winning teams have <i>positive</i> chemistry. In sports or business, you can&rsquo;t lead a successful organization unless people follow you willingly and with enthusiasm. The &ldquo;fear and loathing&rdquo; leadership style loses with a whimper in the end.</p><p>I thought Martin knew how to grow a team over time, but he&rsquo;s clearly failed with the Panthers. Instead, it looks like he&rsquo;s turning to the Mike Keenan style and let me remind you of the wreckage of that era. Keenan pushed a lot of players out the door who blossomed on other teams, such as Roberto Luongo, Dan Boyle, Matt Cullen and Bret Hedican.</p><p>Looks like the Panthers&rsquo; owners have a choice to make: Trade 20 players, or find a coach who brings their chemistry together to win.</p><p>JEAN LOGAN, NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA.</p><h2><b>BULLSEYE</b></h2><p>Reading through the 2007-08 NHL Yearbook, I was a bit shocked at how accurate you were. Only one team in the West that you had pegged for the playoffs missed the big dance. However, what really got me was the &ldquo;210th most important page.&rdquo;</p><p>Editor Sam McCaig said it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising if the Caps cruised into the playoffs on the back of a 70-goal season by Ovechkin. Major kudos for that and the general accuracy, but here&rsquo;s one Sens fan hoping your Stanley Cup prediction won&rsquo;t come true.</p><p>LEWIS SMITH, OTTAWA</p><h2><b>OUTNUMBERED</b></h2><p>Well, predictably, it happened. Thanks to three-point games, an undeserving team, Washington, made the playoffs, while a deserving team, Carolina, packed up and went home.</p><p>While the Caps ended the season with 94 points, they surrendered 89 to opponents. Carolina finished with 92 points, but gave up just 85 to foes. In other words, the Caps had more points available in their games, but secured a smaller percentage of them (51.4) than the Canes (52).</p><p>This is indefensible and incompetent. Overtime and the shootout are bad enough, even without this open can of worms.</p><p>ROB BONTER, PORT LEYDEN, N.Y.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Letters

<div class="byline">WITH LUBOMIR VISNOVSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012295/9132756-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="518" height="485"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VISNOVSKY: DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021532/9132749-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="85" height="73"></div><p><i>DANNY</i>&nbsp;<i>BADER FROM MITCHELL, ONT., ASKS</i> Who was your favorite team as a kid?</p><p>Growing up under a communist system, we didn&rsquo;t get to see NHL teams, so my favorites were Slovan Bratislava and Dukla Trencin.</p><p><i>ADEN</i>&nbsp;<i>RONGVE FROM SASKA-TOON, SASK., ASKS</i> What do you like to do in L.A. when you have spare time?</p><p>A lot of the guys, myself included, have places near Manhattan Beach, on the ocean, so I like to go there. I&rsquo;ll go walking or biking, get energy from the sun &ndash; sometimes my girlfriend and I will go rollerblading.</p><p><i>DAN RAKUSAN FROM OTTAWA, ASKS</i> Is there any regret among Czech and Slovak players regarding the 1993 split? I&rsquo;m just looking at the talent pools for hockey.</p><p>We (Slovakia) started in Group C, so it was very tough. I have a lot of Czech friends. For hockey it wasn&rsquo;t so good. If we were one team now, maybe we&rsquo;d beat Canada and win more golds.</p><p><i>BROYDON STUFKO FROM PRESCOTT, ONT., ASKS</i> What kind of training do you do in the off-season?</p><p>It depends on whether I play in the World Championship &ndash; then I don&rsquo;t have much time. I have a coach who gives me a two-month program and I try to skate a lot.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05424/9132742-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="69" height="69"></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>

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FAN SHOOTOUT

<p>THN,</p><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith certain problems in the NHL ticking fans off, what are the things that can have the NHL commissioner removed from his post, and what are the official legal steps to find a suitable replacement? Cameron French, Williamsburg, Ont.</p><p>Cameron,</p><p>Commissioner Gary Bettman serves at the will of the NHL board of governors, made up of the league&rsquo;s 30 team ownerships. So unless the owners want him gone (which is not the case right now), there isn&rsquo;t really anything legal that can be done.</p><p>THN,</p><p>I have been a hock ey fan and player for 40 years and I never quite understood why centers get kicked out of the faceoff circle. Could you outline the rules surrounding this for me?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03892/9132794-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="564" height="425"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BETTMAN: RAFAEL SUANES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Joe Goodwine, Burlingame, Calif.</p><p>Joe,</p><p>There are five reasons a center can get kicked out of the faceoff circle. 1) He is not positioned properly - the center should always be squarely facing the opponent&rsquo;s end of the rink. 2) He does not place his stick on the ice - visitor followed immediately by home side. 3) A player on the ice encroaches on the faceoff circle. 4) A player on the ice makes contact with an opponent. 5) Finally, a player on the ice is in an &lsquo;offside&rsquo; position.</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/f0006-06297/9132787-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="69" height="69"></div><p>Need more of your questions answered?</p><p>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>

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ASK THE EXPERTS

<h2><b><i>Which of these coaches should win the Jack Adams Award?</i></b></h2><p>Guy Carbonneau 39 %</p><p>Bruce Boudreau 38 %</p><p>Mike Babcock 8 %</p><p>Michel Therrien 6 %</p><p>Claude Julien 4 %</p><p>Barry Trotz 4 %</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04549/9132832-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="459" height="640"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CARBONNEAU: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SPIT IT OUT!</b></h2><h3><b>GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST</b></h3><p><i>SEND US AN E-MAIL</i></p><p><a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">LETTERS@THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></p><p><i>OR LOG ON</i></p><p><a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">WWW.THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></p><p><i>SEND US SNAIL MAIL</i></p><p>Letters, The Hockey News</p><p>25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100</p><p>Toronto, ON., M2N 6S7, Canada</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07181/9132825-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="69" height="69"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3><b>BONUS!</b></h3><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>

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POLL RESULTS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021655/9132870-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Martin Brodeur <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012195/9132877-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="168" height="186"></div><p>IF THERE WAS A FORMULA for becoming a great playoff goaltender, Brent Sutter would have written it down and locked it away in a vault.</p><p>He was teammates with Billy Smith when the oft-surly and always intense goalie was pivotal in leading the New York Islanders to four consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1980s. Sutter was there for two of those championships.</p><p>&ldquo;The best playoff goalie I&rsquo;ve ever seen? I&rsquo;ll tell you what, it&rsquo;s tough to question Billy Smith,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;He won four Stanley Cups on the Island. That&rsquo;s why everyone said he was a money goalie. Because when money was on the line, he took his game to a different level. He had that mindset. He was a puck-stopper. There was something about Smitty when you got into the middle of February. He became a bear.&rdquo;</p><p>As coach of the New Jersey Devils, Sutter will now get to watch as Martin Brodeur goes for his fourth Cup.</p><p>Brodeur, of course, has a completely different personality than Smith had during his playing days. He is, for the most part, laid back and friendly. &ldquo;Right there are the opposite ends of the spectrum as far as personalities,&rdquo; said Chico Resch, close friends to both goalies. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s as different as it gets. Smitty was superstitious. He didn&rsquo;t want to be touched. He didn&rsquo;t want his pads slapped. Marty, of course, is different. And they&rsquo;ve both won.&rdquo;</p><p>And yet there are similarities.</p><p>&ldquo;One of Marty&rsquo;s strengths is he knows every player&rsquo;s tendencies on the other team and he has that focus,&rdquo; Resch said. &ldquo;I once asked Smitty, &lsquo;How&rsquo;d you get into that mindset?&rsquo; I thought I was going to get to the heart of Smitty and figured, &lsquo;This is going to be deep.&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;He told me, &lsquo;When I sat there before games, I never thought of the game. I was thinking about cutting my grass or driving my car. Never the game. When they dropped the puck I would get cranked. I&rsquo;d get my juices going.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>Only Patrick Roy (247) has played in more playoff games than Brodeur (164). Brodeur (22) has one fewer shutout than Roy on the all-time list, but is still 57 wins shy of Roy&rsquo;s NHL record of 151.</p><p>&ldquo;For me, when you played against Patrick all those years, the guy was just so consistent,&rdquo; Brodeur said. &ldquo;Rarely did he give up a bad goal. In the regular season, a bad goal goes a long way against you. In the playoffs, it&rsquo;s magnified even more. The more bad goals you allow, the more confidence you give to the other team you&rsquo;re going to face four or five or six times. If they want to score nice goals, well, go ahead. Make it happen. It&rsquo;s all good. It&rsquo;s the freebies that kill goalies.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011973/9132863-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="888" height="592"><figcaption class="caption-body">Martin Brodeur may be laid back, but he&rsquo;s also focused once the playoffs kick off. <span class="photo-credit">(BRODEUR: MICHAEL MARTIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Although critics would say Dryden, Fuhr and Smith never let a Cup slip through their fingers, Brodeur doesn&rsquo;t consider it a black mark to have lost the 2001 final to Roy and the Colorado Avalanche.</p><p>On the other hand, Brodeur said his finest playoff moments were a 3-0 shutout in Game 7 of the 2003 final and not letting the 2000 Cup get away.</p><p>&ldquo;When I won in 2000, I lost Game 5 in New Jersey, 1-0, in the third overtime,&rdquo; Brodeur said. &ldquo;After that, I won Game 6 in Dallas in the second overtime. Combine the two games together and they were some of my best efforts as far as contributing to a Cup.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE WINNING INGREDIENTS

<p>10 JOHN STEVENS won the AHL Calder Cup with Philadelphia&rsquo;s Phantoms.</p><p>9 Detroit&rsquo;s got the history, but hasn&rsquo;t won under MIKE BABCOCK yet.</p><p>8 He&rsquo;s always led the Preds, but can BARRY TROTZ lead them all the way?</p><p>7 The Sharks are hungry, which bodes well for RON WILSON&rsquo;S chances.</p><p>6 MICHEL THERRIEN has the troops to compete for a title for many years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05477/9132953-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="518" height="404"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(QUENNEVILLE: DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>5 TOM RENNEY has World Championship and Olympic medals, but no Cup.</p><p>4 Sweet revenge for CLAUDE JULIEN would be passing Jersey along the way.</p><p>3 The Cinderella story would be complete if BRUCE BOU-DREAU and the Caps won.</p><p>2 Stars have done it before, but not with DAVE TIPPETT at the helm yet.</p><p>1 The Avs have the pedigree to get JOEL QUENNEVILLE his first ring.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Starting from 10

<div class="byline">- JORDAN SAMERY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012164/9132984-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">It wasn&rsquo;t just the outdoor game that attracted big crowds this year. <span class="photo-credit">(BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HE NHL IS REPORTING ITS HIGHEST attendance figures in league history after the 2007-08 regular season, with an average home crowd of 17,265.</p><p>And that&rsquo;s with the Outdoor Classic in Buffalo that sold 71,217 tickets being counted only as a regular 18,690 sellout, for you skeptics out there.</p><p>An average of more than 17,000 is a league first and on top of that, every one of its teams sold at more than 80 percent capacity over the course of the entire season. Those numbers are measured, of course, by seats sold, not necessarily how many people enter the building.</p><p>By far, the biggest gains from last year were made by St. Louis and Chicago. The Blues, during the 2006-07 campaign, sold a mere 12,520 tickets on average, for a 59.6 percent capacity. This year those numbers jumped up to 17,610 and 83.9 percent.</p><p>The Blackhawks, fueled by a youthful core of players such as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews &ndash; as well as the team&rsquo;s pledge to get more games on local TV &ndash; jumped from an average ticket number of 12,727 and capacity of 62.1 percent, to 16,814 average tickets sold and 82 percent capacity. Washington and New Jersey also saw significant increases.</p><p>The numbers even compare favorably to the NBA, which many argue is stronger than the NHL.</p><p>The 30 teams in the NBA, as the 2007-08 season was nearing a close, had sold an average of 17,334 tickets. That&rsquo;s just 69 more per game than the NHL, which typically plays in the same-sized arenas, if not the same building. But it&rsquo;s clear those numbers are fueled more by the top-end teams as seven of its 30 squads sold below 80 percent capacity, including two that sold below 70 percent (Indiana: 65.7 percent, Memphis: 68.9 percent).</p><p>Naturally, NHL teams are banking on the healthy crowds to remain for the post-season: All 16 playoff teams raised their &rsquo;07-08 regular season prices for the first round of the playoffs, as per usual.</p><p>The biggest jump in pricing came from the Anaheim Ducks, who saw their lowest ticket price go from $18.50 to $53.50 and the highest ticket go from $303 to $450. The New York Rangers also had significant increases from $40.50 to $104.50 for the lowest prices and from $254.50 to $359.50 on the highest end. Boston was the only team to leave their lowest priced tickets as is, with $10 seats available for the first round versus Montreal, even though their top-end price did increase from $176.50 to $191.50.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

PACKING ‘EM IN

<h2><b>HIGH END</b></h2><h3><b>ANAHEIM</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $53.50-$450</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $18.50-$303</p><h3><b>CALGARY</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $45-$365</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $23.12-$217.35</p><h3><b>MINNESOTA</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $38-$325</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $22-$96</p><h3><b>NEW YORK</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $104.50-$359.50</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $40.50-$254.50</p><h2><b>LOW END</b></h2><h3><b>BOSTON</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $10-$191.50</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $10-$176.50</p><h3><b>DETROIT</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $40-$120</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $9-$85</p><h3><b>SAN JOSE</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $31-$185</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $19-$150</p><h3><b>WASHINGTON</b></h3><p><b>2008 PLAYOFFS</b> $37-$235</p><p><b>2007-08 REGULAR SEASON</b> $10-$225</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021568/9133015-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="69" height="69"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For a full list, go to <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

TICKET SPIKE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011873/9133060-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="511" height="793"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ENSTROM: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021358/9133053-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="172" height="177"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03910/9133046-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="99" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TOBIAS ENSTROM</b></h2><p>ATLANTA THRASHERS, D</p><p>DEBUT Oct. 5, 2007</p><p>VS. Washington (3-1 loss)</p><p>ICE TIME 19:38, 17 shifts</p><p>KEY STAT 3 shots on goal</p><p>&ldquo;MY FIRST GAME came in our season opener, which was also the home opener against rival Washington. It&rsquo;s always exciting to play in a home opener and that night was no exception.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t actually remember that much about my first game, but I know my defensive partner was Steve McCarthy (by the end of the year I mostly played with Niclas Havelid).</p><p>We would always talk on the ice, which helped me a lot early on.</p><p>We have two other Swedish players on the team &ndash; Havelid and goalie Johan Hedberg &ndash; and they helped me pick up on a couple things.</p><p>After the game, I called my parents and a lot of friends back in Sweden.</p><p>I enjoyed my first game, but I don&rsquo;t want to look back &ndash; I always want to look forward.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

FRESH LEGS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04688/9133091-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit&rsquo;s Derek Meech says the Black Aces form a bond. <span class="photo-credit">(MEESH: TOM TURRILL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>OR HOCKEY&rsquo;S BLACK ACES, it can sometimes be more nerve-wracking to watch a tight, pressure-packed playoff game from the press box than to experience it on the ice, as Mark Hartigan discovered last year during Anaheim&rsquo;s Stanley Cup run.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just like fans being in the stands, you&rsquo;re cheering your team on,&rsquo;&rsquo; Hartigan said. &ldquo;If it goes to over-time you&rsquo;re on the edge of your seat and you are bouncing right out of your seat as soon as you score, like when (Scott) Niedermayer scored against (Roberto) Luongo (in Game 5 vs. Vancouver). I almost fell right out of the press box. It is pretty exciting, but at the same time you wish you were out there.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Hartigan, signed by the Wings as a free agent last summer, may get his chance this season. Detroit called him up from Grand Rapids (AHL) late in the season and, with a few regulars injured, he might see playoff action. His experience as a Black Ace &ndash; an &lsquo;extra&rsquo; during the playoffs &ndash; has prepared him well.</p><p>&ldquo;As Black Aces you&rsquo;re out there a lot longer on the ice. Assistant coaches are out there with you, skating you and doing certain drills, just trying to keep you fresh and keep you ready to go,&rsquo;&rsquo; Hartigan said. &ldquo;You always know in the back of your head what you need to do to stay focused and stay on top of your game.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>This will be the second year as a Black Ace for Wings defenseman Derek Meech.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a great experience to be able to come up here and see what playoff life is like in the NHL,&rsquo;&rsquo; Meech said. &ldquo;Especially in this organization, how special it is to be part of a run like that, see the ups and downs a good team goes through and how you battle with adversity in a short period of time.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Meech said the Black Aces form a bond. Many have usually played together in the minors.</p><p>&ldquo;All you do is hang out with each other in the playoffs and work out and do things together because you&rsquo;re not doing quite the same preparations as the rest of the team,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Forward Justin Abdelkader has traded in his textbooks for a Black Ace jersey. Since the Wings signed him at the end of the regular season, the rookie won&rsquo;t be able to finish the semester at Michigan State.</p><p>&ldquo;Hopefully I can still finish,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Abdelkader, a business major. &ldquo;I e-mailed my teachers, they&rsquo;re all real flexible. I would think they understand. Probably have to take a couple of tests on the road.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-04

READY FOR DUTY

<div class="byline">with Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012107/9133136-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SILVA PECOTA / GETTY IMAGES/NHLI)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021644/9133143-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="187" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HE SEASON BEFORE THE Frank J. Selke Trophy was established, NHL teams were averaging 6.64 goals per game. Not long after that, the league would enter an era of offensive excellence and on-ice excitement the likes of which had never been seen.</p><p>That was in 1976-77 and the Montreal Canadiens were establishing themselves as arguably the best team in the history of hockey. Goal-scoring was not ridiculously high, but it was still plentiful. Ken Dryden was the first-team all-star goalie and co-winner of the Vezina Trophy with a save percentage somewhere in the .800s. That was largely because he wasn&rsquo;t bloated with oversized equipment and the goals-per-game figures weren&rsquo;t bloated either. NHL teams didn&rsquo;t have the benefit of overtime or a shootout and were still averaging almost seven goals a night.</p><p>There didn&rsquo;t seem to be much harm in establishing an award and giving it to, &ldquo;the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.&rdquo;</p><p>More than 30 years later, however, an emphasis on defensive hockey has sucked much of the life out of the game. This season, NHL teams averaged just 5.44 goals per game. If all games tied after 60 minutes in 2007-08 had gone into the books as tie games the way they did in 1976-77, that figure would fall to 5.34 goals per game.</p><p>Yet the NHL still has an award predicated more on destroying a masterpiece than creating one. It&rsquo;s time the league diminished the importance of the Selke Trophy and stopped rewarding players for their efforts in trying to shut down players people pay good money to score goals and create entertainment.</p><p>To their credit, the members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association, who choose the winner of the Selke, have taken it upon themselves to make the award one that actually goes to the best two-way forward in recent years, much the way the Hart Trophy has gone from being awarded to the player most valuable to his team to the best player.</p><p>In fact, not one of the past 11 winners has scored fewer than 20 goals and, thankfully, the league is well beyond the days when it embarrassed itself by giving a post-season award for a player (Rick Meagher) who scored eight goals and 25 points in a season.</p><p>In the 28 times the award has been presented dating back to 1977-78, the average goal total for the winner has been 24 and the average points total has been 54. That will likely be enhanced this season when either Pavel Datsyuk (97 points) or Henrik Zetterberg (92 points) of the Detroit Red Wings takes the award.</p><p>But come on. We&rsquo;re giving a major award to a player who, on average, doesn&rsquo;t even score 25 goals or 60 points a year? Ilya Kovalchuk scored 52 goals this season and won&rsquo;t win squat. That&rsquo;s the way it should be. Kovalchuk doesn&rsquo;t deserve an award because he&rsquo;s primarily an offensive player with few other dimensions to his game. That&rsquo;s why he won&rsquo;t win anything.</p><p>So why reward the guy whose job it is to thwart the Kovalchuks of the world while chipping in a few points? Is that more important than scoring 50 goals?</p><p>No, but the hockey world would have you believe that.</p><p>The worst thing about the Selke is it is so loosely defined. Often a player such as Kris Draper spends his entire career as a defensive specialist, then wins the best defensive forward award for basically having a good offensive season. And there&rsquo;s probably no award in hockey, perhaps with the exception of the Lady Byng, that is based more on reputation than this one. In 1991-92, Sergei Fedorov was by far the best defensive player in the league, but finished second to Guy Carbonneau in Selke voting. How many times does former Selke winner Jere Lehtinen get mentioned as a candidate based on his reputation as a stellar defensive player?</p><p>The problem with the Selke is not that it is awarded, but that it receives far more recognition than it deserves. Having a good defensive forward is just one small, albeit important, attribute to have on a team. So are shot-blockers, penalty-killers, players who can score in the shootout, good first passers, players who log a lot of ice time and players who play a physical style of game. Every one of those is just as important as a top-notch defensive player, but none of those is recognized with a post-season award.</p><p>My goodness, only nine years ago did the NHL begin to officially recognize the player who actually scores the most goals in a season with the Rocket Richard Trophy, but that piece of hardware still doesn&rsquo;t get the same esteem as the Selke. In fact, the Selke receives more recognition than the Lester B. Pearson Award, the NHLPA&rsquo;s outstanding player honor.</p><p>To put the Selke Trophy on the same level as the Hart, Art Ross, Vezina, Jack Adams, Conn Smythe, Norris, Calder and Rocket Richard trophies is a travesty. If the NHL feels it must reward players whose job it is to kill offense, fine. But the award should go on the same shelf as hardware such as the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Neither of those is considered in a player&rsquo;s resume to be a major award and neither should the Selke.</p><p>If the league really wants to encourage offense, perhaps it should start by discouraging those who try to kill it. I like Samuel Pahlsson as much as the next guy, but he has no business wearing a tuxedo at the annual NHL awards.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011883/9133129-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="1204" height="1296"><figcaption class="caption-body">Henrik Zetterberg may buck the trend of low-scoring Selke winners. <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031060/9133122-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="69" height="69"></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>

f0012-01

DON’T REWARD SKILL KILLERS

<div class="byline">DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012083/9133181-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021565/9133188-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="187" height="222"></div><p>THERE SEEMS TO BE A MISCONCEPTION the Lightning is interested in trading the No. 1 overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft.</p><p>That couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth.</p><p>Oh, Tampa Bay GM Jay Feaster will listen to all the offers. He will be professional and polite. He might even take a few moments to think about one or two. But let&rsquo;s be real here, unless someone backs up a truck to the St. Pete Times Forum door with an offer he Feaster can&rsquo;t refuse, that No. 1 pick, which will be Sarnia Sting center Steven Stamkos, isn&rsquo;t going anywhere.</p><p>It is a simple equation, really. The Lightning just finished a season in which, for the most part, it got no scoring from anything but its top line. And a big part of that top unit, Vinny Prospal, was traded at the deadline. So, too, was Brad Richards. Notice a trend?</p><p>The supposedly NHL-ready Stamkos helps fill that need and he does so for a lot less money than the Lightning would have to pay if it dove into the free agent market.</p><p>Then there is this: <b>Hollywood producer and prospective owner Oren Koules wants Stamkos.</b> And considering how involved Koules already has been in some aspects of the team&rsquo;s operation, he is not going to be ignored.</p><p>So, let&rsquo;s start with the premise that Stamkos, 18, will be a member of the Lightning to start next season.</p><p>Even so, Tampa Bay has a long summer ahead of it because Stamkos, good as he&rsquo;s projected to be, is just one part of a rebuilding project the Lightning brass hopes quickly will remake the team into a relevant force.</p><p>The Lightning&rsquo;s fall has been swift. After winning the 2004 Stanley Cup, the team has had two first round playoff defeats and this season finished dead last in the league and missed the post-season for the first time since 2002.</p><p>There are myriad reasons. No team was hurt more by the 2004-05 lockout than Tampa Bay, which did not get to defend its title and then found itself having to deal with free agents Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St-Louis, Nikolai Khabibulin and Dan Boyle. The new collective bargaining agreement permitted Lecavalier and Richards to become unrestricted much sooner than the old labor deal, which forced Tampa into ponying up for their young Cup heroes or risk losing them. The end result was, due to the new salary cap, Tampa parted ways with Khabibulin. Its goal-tending hasn&rsquo;t been the same since.</p><p>The rebuilding began at the deadline when Feaster made two good trades that brought in goaltender Mike Smith and forwards Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen from the Stars, and defenseman Alex Picard from the Flyers. All will be big parts of next season&rsquo;s team.</p><p>But trading Richards to Dallas and Prospal to Philadelphia gutted what already was a limited offense. Getting Stamkos will solidify Tampa Bay at center with Lecavalier, Halpern and, if he can be re-signed, Craig MacDonald. What Tampa Bay needs are scoring wingers. St-Louis is solid, Michel Ouellet turned it on late this season and Jokinen shows promise. But after that, the pickings are slim.</p><p>So is Tampa Bay&rsquo;s organizational depth, which leaves it little to trade, meaning a summer shopping list that includes perhaps two scoring wingers and a steady, veteran defenseman can probably only be filled via free agency.</p><p>That will be expensive. For a team that, as of early April, did not have an operating budget or a payroll budget for next season because of the ongoing sale, being able to lock in Stamkos for less than a $1 million base salary is better than an overpriced free agent pickup any day.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011856/9133174-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="1436" height="1001"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vincent Lecavalier <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>And there is no denying Stamkos&rsquo; skill.</p><p>As former Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk said, &ldquo;We have a kid in the draft who is going to be a superstar.&rdquo;</p><p>As much as Stamkos brings to the ice, it&rsquo;s his intelligence that&rsquo;s most intriguing. A teenager who is not full of hyperbole, the Unionville, Ont., native was smart when he spoke to the St. Petersburg <i>Times</i> after the draft lottery and explained he&rsquo;ll come to camp humble, but confident.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to realize you&rsquo;re a young kid coming into a man&rsquo;s game and it&rsquo;s going to be tough for a bit,&rdquo; Stamkos said. &ldquo;Not a lot of people like a guy who&rsquo;s cocky. On the other hand, you can&rsquo;t be afraid to show your skill.&rdquo;</p><p>This one wasn&rsquo;t bad either, as he explained how hard he worked last summer at his skating.</p><p>&ldquo;That really helped me this year to take defensemen wide, using my speed to help create offensive chances,&rdquo; Stamkos said. &ldquo;I also like to see myself as a pretty complete player. I take a lot of pride in the defensive side of the game. You can&rsquo;t be a liability on defense if you want to be successful at the next level.&rdquo;</p><p>What team would want to trade that kind of sensibility?</p><h2><b>GOAL DROP</b></h2><p>When the Bolts don&rsquo;t score, they drop in the South-east standings.</p><p><b>2007-08</b></p><p><b>223</b> GOALS</p><p>5th in Southeast</p><p><b>2006-07</b></p><p><b>253</b> GOALS</p><p>2nd in Southeast</p><p><b>2005-06</b></p><p><b>252</b> GOALS</p><p>2nd in Southeast</p><p><b>2003-04</b></p><p><b>245</b> GOALS</p><p>1st in Southeast, won Cup<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

SPOTLIGHT

STAMKOS PERFECT FIT FOR BOLTS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011861/9133450-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1773/9133457-1-eng-US/f0017-172.jpg" title="f0017-17" width="169" height="251"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>ERE ARE SOME INTERESTING little historical bits of trivia that Team Canada might want to ignore if it hopes to win its fourth World Championship in six years:</p><p>&bull; The host team has not won a title since 1986 when a country that doesn&rsquo;t even exist anymore &ndash; the Soviet Union &ndash; took the gold medal in Moscow.</p><p>&bull; No team other than those from two countries that don&rsquo;t exist anymore &ndash; the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia &ndash; has ever won it at home and it has never been done outside of Moscow and Prague. (Technically, the exception is 1960 when USA won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. In those days a gold medal doubled as a World Championship in Olympic years.)</p><p>&bull; Not including the Olympics, the tournament has been held 60 times and the host country has won just six of those tournaments, suggesting the home country historically has just a 10 per cent chance of winning. While that is true, the reality is chances are slightly better than that. Of those 60 tournaments, 35 of them have been held in countries of legitimate hockey powers, meaning Canada actually historically has a six in 35, or a 17.1 percent chance of winning the tournament.</p><p>Well, it&rsquo;s too late now to move the tournament that is scheduled for Halifax and Quebec City for May 2-18, the first time it has ever been held in Canada. The big event coincides with the 100th anniversary of the International Ice Hockey Federation and will go a long way toward deciding the seedings of teams for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.</p><h2><b>A POOL</b></h2><h3><b>SWEDEN</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 1</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Bengt-&Aring;ke Gustafsson</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Henrik and Daniel Sedin will be rested up and the Tre Kronor will have Niclas Wallin on the back end. No Mats Sundin, however.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>40 (8 Gold, 18 silver, 14 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Lost to Russia in Bronze medal game</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011641/9133443-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="208" height="484"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021270/9133436-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Sweden is the top-ranked team in the IIHF rankings</b></p><h3><b>SWITZERLAND</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 8</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Ralph Krueger</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Highly rated draft-eligible defenseman Roman Josi would be an intriguing addition if Mark Streit can&rsquo;t go.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>9 (1 silver, 8 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 8th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03920/9133429-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="465" height="296"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04676/9133422-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Switzerland has more outdoor rinks (75) than indoor ones (70)</b></p><h3><b>BELARUS</b></h3><p> IIHF RANKING 9</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Curt Fraser</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>If any team will be hurt by the ascent of Montreal&rsquo;s youngsters, it&rsquo;s Belarus, home of the Kostitsyns and Mikhail Grabovski.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>0</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 11th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05473/9133415-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="375" height="308"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06365/9133408-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Fraser replaced Glen Hanlon as Belarus coach in 2006</b></p><h3><b>FRANCE</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 19</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Dave Henderson</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Ex-NHLer S&eacute;bastien Bordeleau has returned from a three-year national team absence. He led SC Bern (Swi.) in scoring this year.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>None</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Won Division 1, Group A</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07297/9133401-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="366" height="396"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08247/9133394-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>France has a total of 90 referees in the entire country</b></p><h2><b>B POOL</b></h2><h3><b>CANADA</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 2</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Ken Hitchcock</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Rick Nash, Martin St-Louis, Shane Doan and Pascal Leclaire lead a stacked lineup on home ice.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>44 (24 gold, 11 silver, 9 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Beat Finland in Gold medal game</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09207/9133387-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="478" height="330"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-10186/9133380-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Canada won 19 Gold Medals from 1920-1961, then none until 1994</b></p><h3><b>USA</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 7</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>John Tortorella</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Patrick Kane, Peter Mueller and Jason Pominville head a dangerous youth movement. No DiPietro or Ryan Miller hurts in goal, though.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>16 (2 gold, 9 silver, 5 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 5th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-11160/9133373-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="407" height="260"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-12147/9133366-1-eng-US/f0017-122.jpg" title="f0017-12" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>The first 17 players named to Team USA averaged 23.9 years old</b></p><h3><b>LATVIA</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 10</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Olegs Znaroks</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Kings enforcer Raitis Ivanans and ironman Panthers defenseman Karlis Skrastins are available.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>0</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 13th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-13124/9133359-1-eng-US/f0017-132.jpg" title="f0017-13" width="474" height="275"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-14107/9133352-1-eng-US/f0017-142.jpg" title="f0017-14" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Latvian capital Riga hosted the tourney in 2006</b></p><h3><b>SLOVENIA</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 18</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Mats Waltin</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>The depth chart begins and ends with Kings star Anze Kopitar, who willed Slovenia to the top division last year.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>0</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Won Division 1, Group B</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1586/9133345-1-eng-US/f0017-152.jpg" title="f0017-15" width="457" height="310"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-1683/9133338-1-eng-US/f0017-162.jpg" title="f0017-16" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Slovenia has 738 male hockey players and only 62 female</b></p><h2><b>C POOL</b></h2><h3><b>FINLAND</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 3</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Doug Shedden</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Tuomo Ruutu leads the way up front, but goal could be a problem with young Karri Ramo the likely starter.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>9 (1 gold, 6 silver, 2 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Lost to Canada in Gold medal game</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011737/9133331-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="224" height="484"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021322/9133324-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="122" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Finland has only 1 gold medal in 66 WC appearances</b></p><h3><b>SLOVAKIA</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 6</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Julius Supler</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Mezei, Sekera and Marcel Hossa offer NHL depth, but it&rsquo;s mainly of the third- and fourth-line variety.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>3 (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 6th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03957/9133317-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="444" height="226"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04648/9133310-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Hall of Famer Stan Mikita was born in what is now Slovakia</b></p><h3><b>GERMANY</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 11</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Uwe Krupp</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Long on heart, short on top-tier talent. With Jochen Hecht and Dennis Seidenberg out, Germany is missing its two top players.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>4 (2 silver, 2 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 9th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05442/9133303-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="324" height="451"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06348/9133296-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Germany has been a member of the IIHF since 1909</b></p><h3><b>NORWAY</b></h3><p> IIHF RANKING 14</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Roy Johansen</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Patrick Thoresen is in the NHL playoffs and O-K Tollefsen is injured; it&rsquo;ll be a fight just to stay in the A pool.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>0</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 14th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07281/9133289-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="416" height="433"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-08210/9133282-1-eng-US/f0018-082.jpg" title="f0018-08" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Norway&rsquo;s best result in WC play was 4th place in 1951</b></p><h2><b>D POOL</b></h2><h3><b>CZECH REPUBLIC</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 4</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Alois Hadamczik</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Hemsky is injured, but Tomas Kaberle leads an attack that could score goals in bunches.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>9 (5 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 7th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-09170/9133275-1-eng-US/f0018-092.jpg" title="f0018-09" width="486" height="291"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-10144/9133268-1-eng-US/f0018-102.jpg" title="f0018-10" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Czech Republic won three straight gold medals from 1999-2001</b></p><h3><b>RUSSIA</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 5</p><p><b>COACH</b> Vyacheslav Bykov</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Young domestic (Filatov, Cherepanov) and NHL (Kovalchuk) skill. But no Bryzgalov means questions in goal.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>38 (23 gold, 8 silver, 7 bronze)</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Won the Bronze medal game against Sweden</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-11128/9133261-1-eng-US/f0018-112.jpg" title="f0018-11" width="479" height="302"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-12116/9133254-1-eng-US/f0018-122.jpg" title="f0018-12" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>The IIHF lists Russia as only having three outdoor rinks</b></p><h3><b>DENMARK</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 12</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Mike Sirant</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Lars Eller will play, but draft-eligible Mikkel Boedker won&rsquo;t; he&rsquo;s assured a Memorial Cup birth.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>0</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 10th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1394/9133247-1-eng-US/f0018-132.jpg" title="f0018-13" width="356" height="438"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1485/9133240-1-eng-US/f0018-142.jpg" title="f0018-14" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Their biggest win was a 27-4 victory against Belgium in 1977</b></p><h3><b>ITALY</b></h3><p>IIHF RANKING 13</p><p><b>COACH</b></p><p>Michel Goulet</p><p><b>TALENT POOL</b></p><p>Italy will ice its usual contingent of North Americans of Italian descent playing in Italy&rsquo;s Serie A. Expect a tenacious style.</p><p><b>MEDALS WON</b></p><p>0</p><p><b>LAST YEAR&rsquo;S RESULT</b></p><p>Finished in 12th place</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1577/9133233-1-eng-US/f0018-152.jpg" title="f0018-15" width="380" height="461"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1673/9133226-1-eng-US/f0018-162.jpg" title="f0018-16" width="121" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h4><b>DID YOU KNOW</b></h4><p><b>Italy improved its IIHF rankings 4 spots since last year, to 13th</b></p><h2><b>SCHEDULE</b></h2><p>ALL TIMES EASTERN</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011568/9133219-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="745" height="1511"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

WORLDS COME TO CANADA

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011498/9133488-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Shane Doan led Canada to a world title last year and is back for another. <span class="photo-credit">(JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021093/9133495-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="169" height="251"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>OR A NUMBER OF YEARS when he was an Edmonton Oiler, Avalanche winger Ryan Smyth took a lot of pride in the &lsquo;Captain Canada&rsquo; label that came along with representing his homeland nearly every spring.</p><p>The guy many believe has replaced Smyth as the new Captain Canada also is proud of the nickname. But all things considered, right winger Shane Doan would prefer to be playing post-season NHL games in a Phoenix Coyotes jersey, and not for Team Canada at the World Championship.</p><p>&ldquo;(The World Championship) is probably the last place he&rsquo;d want to be,&rdquo; said Ken Hitchcock, Team Canada&rsquo;s coach. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a competitive person and for most of his life, all he&rsquo;s known is winning. I&rsquo;m sure (not making the playoffs) is killing him.</p><p>&ldquo;Knowing him, the challenge of being so patient (in his NHL career) must be extremely hard. So I know that&rsquo;s probably how he thinks of playing for Canada &ndash; he&rsquo;s making the best of a tough situation.&rdquo;</p><p>Doan has been doing that for a while now, suiting up four times for Team Canada since 1999 and winning a gold medal twice, including last season&rsquo;s tournament in Moscow. And the chance to claim a third gold in front of a home crowd has him as excited as he can be &ndash; at least, without hoisting a Stanley Cup over his head.</p><p>&ldquo;(Team Canada GM) Steve (Yzerman) has talked to Shane a lot this year and he&rsquo;s really thrilled to have the opportunity,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s like the rest of us &ndash; really excited and looking forward to going at this thing in Canada.&rdquo;</p><p>Team Canada&rsquo;s 2007 win had particular meaning for the 31-year-old, after he unwittingly became the focal point of a media firestorm that was set off when a Quebec-based national politician accused Doan of uttering a slur during a December, 2005 NHL game, and called Hockey Canada on the carpet for naming him team captain.</p><p>The allegation was never proven. Team Canada executive Bob Nicholson vigorously defended Doan before a parliamentary commission and the brouhaha petered out as it deserved to. According to Hitchcock, Doan quickly let bygones be bygones.</p><p>&ldquo;The only time I talked to him about it was last summer and he just rises above all that stuff,&rdquo; Hitchcock said of Doan, who finished the 2007-08 NHL campaign with a career-best 50 assists and 78 points in 80 games. &ldquo;He was so happy for the guys (that the team won the tournament), so happy for everyone connected to Team Canada last year, that he&rsquo;s completely beyond that stuff. He understands it comes with the territory.&rdquo;</p><p>Doan, who just completed his 12th NHL season, was again a model citizen in Phoenix, which dramatically improved as a team yet still missed the post-season for the fourth consecutive year. Players of equal skill, but lesser character, might&rsquo;ve demanded a trade, but not the Eston, Sask., native, who won a Memorial Cup with the Western League&rsquo;s Kamloops Blazers. Hitchcock, who coached in Kamloops a few years prior to Doan&rsquo;s arrival, spoke glowingly of the player&rsquo;s character.</p><p>&ldquo;He has a tremendous sense of loyalty,&rdquo; he said of Doan, who lives in Kamloops in the off-season and is a member of a group of NHLers who recently purchased the Blazers franchise. &ldquo;Loyalty is everything to him. And it&rsquo;s not just loyalty to the Coyotes; it&rsquo;s loyalty to the coach, loyalty to the city, to his teammates. Look at the loyalty he has to the team in Kamloops. That&rsquo;s who Shane is.&rdquo;</p><p>Once again, Team Canada and Hitchcock will lean heavily on Doan at the World Championship. That&rsquo;s because, though he&rsquo;s hidden away in Phoenix, the hockey world knows exactly how he can alter the course of a contest.</p><p>&ldquo;He has the same impact in the game as Jarome (Iginla) does,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;Once he starts going forward to the net, there&rsquo;s not much you can do. And if he decides he&rsquo;s going to bring the puck off the wall, there&rsquo;s very little you can do.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

DOAN BACK TO DEFEND TITLE

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011223/9133526-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrick Kane wants to help Team USA make an impact at the worlds. <span class="photo-credit">(BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02800/9133533-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="169" height="251"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HERE ISN&rsquo;T A PLAYER ON THE ROSTER for the World Championship who embodies the new attitude of USA Hockey more than Patrick Kane. He&rsquo;s young, he&rsquo;s talented, he&rsquo;s competitive and he hates losing.</p><p>The 19-year-old Chicago Blackhawks rookie also represents a new breed of American player, one the beleaguered organization hopes will produce something tangible in the way of medals and championships. The U.S. National Team Development Program, which has hothoused the country&rsquo;s best teen players for a decade, has had middling results at best. The Americans have produced some championship under-18 teams, but have just one World Junior Championship gold medal to show for their efforts and a rather dismal record at the World Championship.</p><p>In fact, if you don&rsquo;t count 1960 when Team USA won the Olympic gold medal (which was also considered the World Championship for that year), the Americans have not finished first in the tournament since 1933.</p><p>&ldquo;I think guys like myself and Peter Mueller and some of the other young guys coming up have to blossom,&rdquo; Kane said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really important for us to take advantage of the opportunity and show what we can do.&rdquo;</p><p>Kane was the youngest of the 17 players USA Hockey named to its preliminary roster, one whose motto should be, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t trust anyone over 30.&rdquo; All right, maybe not anyone, but the only player among the first wave who fell into that category was Jeff Halpern, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday the day after the tournament begins.</p><p>Two of the biggest criticisms of USA Hockey &ndash; and there have been many &ndash; is that they stuck far too long with the old guard of players and that internal politics too often ruled over player selections for major tournaments.</p><p>Well, this time they went right off the board with a couple of their selections, including taking players such as Buffalo&rsquo;s Paul Gaustad and Chicago&rsquo;s Dustin Byfuglien, who had never been part of the USA program, and the Sabres&rsquo; Jason Pominville, a Canadian-born player who qualifies for the U.S. team because of his dual citizenship.</p><p>The team also hired the incendiary John Tortorella to coach the team, indicating a clear emphasis on improving results that have seen the U.S. finish fifth, seventh, sixth, third, 13th and 7th in the past six tournaments. When he spoke to USA Hockey about the job, Tortorella made it clear he wouldn&rsquo;t coach the team unless it was young and hungry.</p><p>&ldquo;It used to be guys would mix a little hockey in while you&rsquo;re out there vacationing,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;I think it needs to be the other way around. Let&rsquo;s go try to win. I look forward to bringing some structure and some hunger to try and win. I&rsquo;m not sure if we&rsquo;re going to, but we&rsquo;re certainly going to approach it in a structured way.&rdquo;</p><p>And Kane is the kind of player Tortorella will undoubtedly lean heavily upon in the tournament. The rookie scoring leader in the NHL this season, Kane was second among U.S. players in points and despite his age, has extensive international experience. He has played for USA in under-17 and under-18 tournaments, winning the under-18 World Championship in 2006, and was brilliant for Team USA in the 2007 World Junior Championship. He displayed a rather competitive streak this season in the NHL and has been an elite player at every level he has played at in the past five years.</p><p>&ldquo;He can come in and make a stand as one of the leaders here,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to make this a bigger thing in the U.S. and I think he needs to be one of those pillars to start to develop that type of attitude.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-01

KANE PART OF NEW BREED FOR TEAM USA

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011384/9133578-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jason Pominville <span class="photo-credit">(BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03778/9133585-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="169" height="251"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>HORTLY AFTER THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD medal is awarded May 18, a bunch of guys with pocket protectors and calculators will sit down and compile the International Ice Hockey Federation&rsquo;s world rankings.</p><p>How teams do in the World Championship will go a long way toward determining those rankings and, in turn, those rankings will be the basis for the seedings for the 2010 Winter Olympic tournament in Vancouver. For example, if Sweden maintains its No. 1 world ranking, it will draw the sixth, seventh and 12th seeds in its pool for the Olympics.</p><p>Hardly the Group of Death.</p><p>But that won&rsquo;t be the only thing for which this year&rsquo;s World Championship will provide a portent. For players such as Duncan Keith and Derek Roy of Canada and Jason Pominville and Dustin Brown of USA, it will also be an audition stage for the next Olympic Games.</p><p>The Americans, in particular, have made it clear by their player selections that this year&rsquo;s tournament has as much, or maybe more, to do with identifying talent for Vancouver in 2010 as it does competing for a gold medal in 2008.</p><p>&ldquo;What I told J.J. (USA Hockey director of operations Jim Johannson) and Don (GM Don Waddell) was, &lsquo;Ask the players to play and let them know we&rsquo;re trying to build to 2010,&rsquo; and if they don&rsquo;t want to play, to hell with them, move on,&rdquo; said USA coach John Tortorella. &ldquo;You put that uniform on and you&rsquo;re trying to win, but there&rsquo;s also a big picture at the end of it in terms of what 2010 is going to look like.&rdquo;</p><p>The Olympics were undoubtedly in Pominville&rsquo;s thought process as he considered his options for this year&rsquo;s World Championship. The native of Montreal could have played for Canada and undoubtedly would have been asked, but took advantage of his dual citizenship to play for the Americans. Since Pominville has represented neither Canada nor USA in an IIHF-sanctioned competition, he could have played for either country, but obviously stands a far better chance of playing in the Olympics with USA rather than Canada.</p><p>Pominville, whose mother was born in Green Bay, Wisc., alerted USA Hockey of his situation and his desire to play for the Americans. His father, Jean-Marie, played minor pro hockey throughout the United States in the 1970s and met Pominville&rsquo;s mother, Deborah, while playing for the Green Bay Bobcats of the United States League.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a little bit of everything,&rdquo; Pominville said, &ldquo;but 2010 was part of it.&rdquo;</p><p>Any country involved in the Olympics will still take the best players available in the Olympic year. So it probably won&rsquo;t matter that Ryan Miller turned USA down if he is indeed one of the top three goalies in 2010. But all things being equal, there&rsquo;s no doubt countries will tend to have an allegiance to those who have served them in the past.</p><p>&ldquo;Some of the players in our lineup are guys who will be assumed to be on the Olympic team and there are going to be players who, through this experience, are going to come into the picture more so,&rdquo; said Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman. &ldquo;Players are becoming familiar with international hockey, but also they&rsquo;re building a relationship with Hockey Canada, which is important. I look at a guy like Ryan Smyth who played a lot of international hockey and eventually, it led to him playing for the Olympic team. Those opportunities got him there.&rdquo;</p><p>So for players such as Roy and Keith and Pominville and Brown, this event will be one in which they are watched closely, probably more than they even realize.</p><p>&ldquo;I think the most important thing is having the right attitude,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;Hockey Canada, right from the national junior program all the way up, is big on guys who have good attitudes and fit in. All the guys who come want to play well, but maybe the most important thing is getting to know their characters and personality.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>CRYSTAL-BALLIN&rsquo;</b></h2><p>Below is how the lineups for Canada and the U.S. might look at the 2010 Olympics.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021027/9133571-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="103" height="61"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3><b>CANADA</b></h3><h4><b>GOALIES</b></h4><p>Martin Brodeur</p><p>Roberto Luongo</p><p>Carey Price</p><h4><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h4><p>Jay Bouwmeester</p><p>Brian Campbell</p><p>Mike Green</p><p>Duncan Keith*</p><p>Dion Phaneuf</p><p>Chris Pronger</p><p>Shea Weber</p><h4><b>FORWARDS</b></h4><p>Sidney Crosby</p><p>Shane Doan*</p><p>Ryan Getzlaf</p><p>Dany Heatley</p><p>Jarome Iginla</p><p>Vincent Lecavalier</p><p>Brenden Morrow</p><p>Rick Nash*</p><p>Corey Perry</p><p>Mike Richards</p><p>Jason Spezza</p><p>Eric Staal*</p><p>Joe Thornton</p><p>Jonathan Toews*</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04577/9133564-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="124" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3><b>USA</b></h3><h4><b>GOALIES</b></h4><p>Rick DiPietro</p><p>Ryan Miller</p><p>Tim Thomas</p><h4><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></h4><p>Keith Ballard*</p><p>Erik Johnson</p><p>Mike Komisarek</p><p>Matt Niskanen</p><p>Brian Rafalski</p><p>Ryan Suter</p><p>Ryan Whitney</p><h4><b>FORWARDS</b></h4><p>Dustin Brown*</p><p>Chris Drury</p><p>Brian Gionta</p><p>Scott Gomez</p><p>Christopher Higgins</p><p>Patrick Kane*</p><p>Jamie Langenbrunner</p><p>Peter Mueller*</p><p>Ryan Kesler</p><p>Zach Parise</p><p>Jason Pominville*</p><p>Brian Rolston</p><p>Paul Stastny</p><p><i>* initially named to 2008 World Championship roster</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

OLYMPIC AUDITIONS PART OF THE SHOW

<div class="byline">BY RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02893/9133616-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="889" height="717"><figcaption class="caption-body">Finland will play this year&rsquo;s world tourney without Kari Lehtonen. <span class="photo-credit">(YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04499/9133623-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="169" height="251"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>OR MANY EUROPEAN HOCKEY FANS, the World Championship is, and has always been, the true end of the season. Fans in hockey nations such as Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic put their internal rivalries away and focus on cheering for the national team.</p><p>That&rsquo;s the way it is, and that&rsquo;s the way it&rsquo;s always been.</p><p>The spring tournament, that has been pushed from early March to the current early May slot to ensure as many NHL players as possible are available, is a chance for the stars to give back to the federations that helped them reach their career goal. For example, of the 40 Finns who have played in the NHL this year, only Nashville&rsquo;s Pekka Rinne has never played for Team Finland, even at the junior level.</p><p>For those still on their way to the NHL, the tournament is a great showcase. It also gives fans in European countries a chance to not only see NHL stars without waking up extremely early or staying up to an ungodly hour, but see them wearing their national colors. Of course, TV viewing will be a little tricker with the tourney in Canada this year.</p><p>Players still attend the event, even if financial issues are an increasingly big concern. For example, Finnish goalie Kari Lehtonen turned down an invitation to this year&rsquo;s tournament because he didn&rsquo;t want to risk getting injured on the eve of his contract expiring with the Atlanta Thrashers. On the other hand, a TV company paid for a private jet to get Mats Sundin to the semifinal game in 2001.</p><p>While the NHL&rsquo;s profile in Europe has grown in past decades, it&rsquo;s still easier for a Swedish fan to cheer for a Swede, say Henrik Lundqvist, than to root for the Rangers.</p><p>And don&rsquo;t forget, every May the World Championship gives thousands of hockey fans a nice excuse to travel around the world, mostly in Europe, see some great hockey, paint their faces in their national colors and enjoy life.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-02

WORLDS CARVE OUT A SPECIAL NICHE

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011333/9133654-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat Burns is headed back to one of his favorite spots: behind a bench. <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03688/9133661-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="169" height="251"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>T THIS STAGE OF HIS LIFE, the last thing Pat Burns needs is to be a charity case. And with so much on the line at this World Championship, the last thing Hockey Canada can afford to do is be charitable.</p><p>So it&rsquo;s probably best to dispel any notion Burns will be on Canada&rsquo;s coaching staff for the tournament as the result of any noble gesture to a man who has confronted and, so far at least, conquered one of the most serious health issue a person can face.</p><p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t have accepted if it would have been that way,&rdquo; said the 56-year-old Burns, whose battle with cancer has prevented him from being behind an NHL bench for the past four years. &ldquo;If they would have wanted me just to speak to the French media, I would have said, &lsquo;Forget it.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>Canadian coach Ken Hitchcock and Burns go back a long way, in fact way back to their junior days when Burns was an ex-cop coaching the Hull Olympiques and Hitchcock was 400-plus pound guy who used to work in a bicycle shop and was coaching the Kamloops Blazers. Hitchcock doesn&rsquo;t play anything without the intention of winning and wouldn&rsquo;t have agreed to have Burns on his staff if he didn&rsquo;t think Burns could make a meaningful contribution.</p><p>And since the results from this year&rsquo;s tournament will go a long way toward determining the seeding for the 2010 Olympics &ndash; not to mention the worlds are in Canada for the first time ever &ndash; Hockey Canada has too much too lose by not naming the best staff it possibly could.</p><p>In fact, Hitchcock said sentiment for Burns and his situation had nothing to do with his accepting the former New Jersey Devils coach on his staff.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t look at that,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;I look at a background of knowledge and competitiveness. Pat is the ultimate competitor and that&rsquo;s why his teams were so hard to play against.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the master at being able to adjust during a game or a tournament and from a selfish standpoint, I get a guy who can make changes on the fly.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">There were times I thought I might not be around when I was first diagnosed</blockquote><p>Still, it would likely be impossible for Canadian players not to draw inspiration from Burns.</p><p>It all started for the three-time Jack Adams winner in the spring of 2004, when he was diagnosed with colon cancer during the playoffs. An operation and chemotherapy during the lockout had Burns feeling optimistic about being behind the Devils bench, but the disease was rediscovered in his liver in July, 2005 and he had to have a section of the organ removed.</p><p>The Devils had to move on and finally appear to have their coaching situation set with Brent Sutter, who isn&rsquo;t going anywhere, even under the trigger-happy GM Lou Lamoriello. Burns is a career coach with unbridled passion for the profession, but his prospects of coaching in the NHL again weren&rsquo;t exactly uppermost in his mind.</p><p>&ldquo;There were times when I thought I wouldn&rsquo;t be around when I first got diagnosed,&rdquo; Burns said, &ldquo;that I might not be here in two years.&rdquo;</p><p>Burns has had a clean bill of health for about two years, which doesn&rsquo;t provide him any guarantees, but has him feeling good enough to move on with his life. The man who guided New Jersey to the &rsquo;03 Cup said he scouted about 70 games for the Devils from his Florida home base this season. In fact, when Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman approached him about the job, Burns said he thought Yzerman simply wanted to talk about potential players for the red and white.</p><p>So now Burns has come to something of a crossroads in his life. It&rsquo;s clear the desire to step behind an NHL bench is still there, but there are health considerations and the fact in order to coach again, Burns would almost certainly have to leave a Devils organization that has paid his medical bills, kept him active and in Burns words, &ldquo;saved my life.&rdquo;</p><p>But it&rsquo;s not something he&rsquo;s concerned about going into the World Championship.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want anybody to think I took this job to promote myself for a job in the National Hockey League,&rdquo; Burns said. &ldquo;If that opportunity comes up, I&rsquo;ll think about it, but I&rsquo;m not in the hunt for a job. I like what I do for the Devils and it&rsquo;s a new life for me now.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

PAT EARNS POSITION WITH CANADA

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02966/9133734-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>ust about everybody agreed Alex Ovechkin was the best player in the NHL this season, but many wondered if a member of a non-playoff team could also be the league&rsquo;s most valuable player.</b></p><p><b>The case against him was really quite fundamental: If the Washington Capitals couldn&rsquo;t make it to the post-season with him, they certainly wouldn&rsquo;t have made it without him. And remember, the Hart Trophy is supposed to be presented to the player that is adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02896/9133727-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="2443" height="1624"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>WAYNE BRETZKY AWARD MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</p><p>MARIO LEMIEUX AWARD BEST PLAYER</p><p>Alex Ovechkin</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>All of this became moot when Ovechkin pumped in 65 goals and 112 points in 82 games, to win both the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s leading scorer and the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league&rsquo;s top goal-scorer &ndash; and at the same time got his team to the dance. As the NHL&rsquo;s mission to induce more scoring and scoring chances by cracking down on obstruction continued to wane, Ovechkin still managed to become the league&rsquo;s first 60-goal scorer since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96.</p><p>That is why the 22-year-old left winger is The Hockey News&rsquo; choice as both MVP and best player.</p><p>Upon hearing of our selection, Ovechkin modestly deflected the double honor away from himself.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not about me; it&rsquo;s all about my team and my teammates,&rdquo; Ovechkin said. &ldquo;But when people say nice things about me, I like that, too. Thanks for picking me.&rdquo;</p><p>Actually Ovie, it <i>is</i> all about you. In an era where offense continues to take a back seat to defense, Ovechkin makes scoring look simple. And if goal-scoring celebrations were an Olympic sport, he&rsquo;d win the gold medal. When Ovechkin scores he not only lights up an arena, he illuminates an entire league.</p><p>Ovechkin is one of those players who on one hand can kill a team, but on the other hand earn its respect and admiration. His passion for the game is infectious. In seven meetings with Carolina this season, Ovechkin lit up the Hurricanes for four goals and 11 points, a big reason why Washington made the playoffs and Carolina didn&rsquo;t. Oh, and the Hurricanes weren&rsquo;t the only team Ovechkin humbled; he had six goals and 12 points in eight games against Atlanta and six and 10 in four meetings with Ottawa.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a superstar in every sense of the word,&rdquo; said Carolina coach Peter Laviolette. &ldquo;He beats you with his speed, his determination, his physical play and his shot. And he plays hard at both ends of the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>The only Cap in team history to record two 100-point seasons, Ovechkin saved some of his best hockey for the stretch run, helping Washington become the first team to rise from 14th place in its conference at the midpoint of the season to make the playoffs. He had 10 multiple-point games in his final 16 starts, accumulating 17 goals and 29 points in that span. Fifty-one of his 65 goals came in the 60 games he played under coach Bruce Boudreau, who replaced Glen Hanlon Nov. 22. The Caps were 6-14-1 at the time and well on their way to missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Ovechkin says the coaching change had a drastic affect on his game.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>When Ovechkin scores he not only lights up an arena, he illuminates an entire league.</i></blockquote><p>&ldquo;I play whatever style the coach wants us to play,&rdquo; Ovechkin noted. &ldquo;But we played more of an offensive style under Boudreau and I like that. He gives us more of a chance to go on offense and by doing that we have more chances to score goals.&rdquo;</p><p>The coaching change was just one of a handful of moves that helped mold the Caps from pretenders into contenders. GM George McPhee, whose job appeared to be in jeopardy, scores high marks for acquiring Cristobal Huet, Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke at the trade deadline. In getting those three players, McPhee addressed three areas of concern: goaltending, leadership and grit.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011180/9133720-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="1252" height="807"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MITCHELL LAYTON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2>27 Percent of Caps goals scored by &lsquo;Ovie&rsquo; <i>(65 total)</i></h2><p>For Ovechkin, the arrival of Fedorov, the only Russian to ever claim the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, was a godsend.</p><p>&ldquo;He is a great guy inside the room and one of the best players, too&rdquo; Ovechkin said. &ldquo;We hang out together a lot away from the rink.&rdquo;</p><p>Last year, Sidney Crosby was a runaway winner of our best player and MVP awards. While no rational observer could quibble with Ovechkin&rsquo;s stats as the league&rsquo;s premier player this season, there were a number of candidates for MVP status before the Caps clinched a playoff berth.</p><p>San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov was a wall of strength while his teammates struggled to find their game early on and wound up leading the NHL in wins with a career-best 46. Another goalie, New Jersey Devils veteran Martin Brodeur, had a shaky start, but by the end of the year ranked second in wins and first in &ndash; surprise, surprise &ndash; minutes played with 4,635. (It really sucks to be Brodeur&rsquo;s backup.) Also, Pittsburgh Penguins sophomore center Evgeni Malkin tossed his hat into the ring, playing superbly when Crosby went down with a high ankle sprain by scoring 20 goals and 46 points in 29 games.</p><p>There are also some who suggest defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, whose Detroit Red Wings won the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy, is a bona fide candidate having led all defensemen in scoring for the first time in his career. Guess he&rsquo;ll have to settle for a sixth Norris Trophy.</p><p>So exactly how does a team prepare to face the guy who bettered all these great players and skated off with our high-end hardware? Laviolette says the only advice he gives his players is to be physical with Ovechkin.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to hit him,&rdquo; Laviolette noted. &ldquo;Not because he&rsquo;s one of those players that, if you hit them, they back down. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you don&rsquo;t hit him, he&rsquo;ll hit you. His physical play is what sets him apart from some of the league&rsquo;s other superstars.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011338/9133713-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="886" height="1385"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>SAKU KOIVU AWARD COMEBACK PLAYER</p><p>Alex Kovalev</p> <span class="photo-credit">(KOVALEV: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>37 More points than last year (84 vs. 47)</b></h2><p>WELCOME BACK, Alex. We missed you.</p><p>There have been times throughout his career when one wasn&rsquo;t quite certain if Alex Kovalev was playing hockey because he loved the game or simply because it allowed him to take home a big paycheck.</p><p>This season, however, there is no denying his passion for the game.</p><p>A year after feuding with coach Guy Carbonneau and finishing with just 18 goals and 47 points in 73 games, Kovalev was totally engaged and drove the Montreal Canadiens to top spot in the Eastern Conference with 35 goals and 84 points in 82 games. He went from minus-19 last season to plus-18 this year and led all NHLers with 47 power play points. It was no surprise when, with captain Saku Koivu injured late in the season, the Habs slapped the &lsquo;C&rsquo; on Kovalev.</p><p>For all of that, he is our comeback player of the year.</p><p>With a little nudge from GM Bob Gainey last summer, Kovalev says he put a lot of thought into this year.</p><p>&ldquo;You can never predict how you are going to do, but one thing I did was study my game real well and I tried to get back to doing the things I did well when I was successful in the past,&rdquo; Kovalev said. &ldquo;Little by little I put my game together and I prepared myself better physically for this year. I worked a lot harder in the off-season than I did before.&rdquo;</p><p>The Canadiens have done a superb job building through the draft and Kovalev says the kids have helped inspire him:</p><p>&ldquo;Playing with young guys is always a great thing because you see the young guys with speed trying all kinds of new things and you want to try to be better than they are and show you can stay with them. It forces you to stay on top of your game.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02908/9133706-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="882" height="1334"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>BOBBY ORR AWARD BEST DEFENSEMAN</p><p>Nicklas Lidstrom</p> <span class="photo-credit">(LIDSTROM: DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+40 Best among defense, 2nd in NHL</b></h2><p>THERE WAS a time when it looked like Nicklas Lidstrom would never win the Norris Trophy.</p><p>That was back in the days, from 1998 through 2000, when he was runner-up to Rob Blake, Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger.</p><p>But the quiet and proficient Swede finally came through in 2001 and now, having won the Norris five of the past six seasons, it looks as though he&rsquo;ll never play another year and not win the coveted award for being the NHL&rsquo;s best defenseman.</p><p>Without question the gifted blueliner, who turns 38 April 28, is The Hockey News&rsquo; choice as best defenseman in the NHL. This season, for the first time in his 16-year NHL career he led all blueliners in scoring with 10 goals and 70 points in 76 games. And if that doesn&rsquo;t impress you, then perhaps his plus-40 will. That was second best in the league behind teammate Pavel Datsyuk&rsquo;s plus-41.</p><p>&ldquo;What you saw this year was vintage Nick Lidstrom,&rdquo; said Detroit GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re talking about a guy who plays 28 minutes a night and he&rsquo;s matched up against the other team&rsquo;s top players in critical situations. We don&rsquo;t try to hide him. We were No. 1 in points, No. 1 in goals against, No. 1 in shots allowed, top five in power play, top eight in penalty killing, he&rsquo;s No. 1 in the league in points for defensemen and No. 2 in the league in plus-minus. He does it all for us.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>46 Wins this season, best in NHL</b></h2><p>FOR THE first half of the season there were more questions than answers when it came to the San Jose Sharks.</p><p>Could Joe Thornton be the man to lead them to glory? Could Jonathan Cheechoo bounce back from off-season double-hernia surgery? Was Ron Wilson the right man to be coaching this team? The answer to those questions &ndash; through 82 regular season games, anyway &ndash; were yes, yes and yes. The one thing nobody questioned was Evgeni Nabokov&rsquo;s goaltending.</p><p>That&rsquo;s because Nabokov was the model of consistency throughout the year, racking up a league-leading 46 wins, nine more than his previous single-season high of 37 in 2001-02. Given the fact Nabokov was so instrumental in his team&rsquo;s wins, it should come as no surprise he led the NHL in one-goal victories with 26. He was second in minutes played (4,560), tied for third in shutouts (six) and tied for third in goals-against average (2.14).</p><p>Thus, Nabokov is our choice as best goaltender for 2007-08. Even though he put up monumental numbers, the choice was no slam dunk. All-world goalie Martin Brodeur continued his ascent to becoming the best goalie ever with 44 more wins.</p><p>San Jose GM Doug Wilson makes no bones about the fact he feels Nabokov was his team&rsquo;s most important player throughout the season.</p><p>&ldquo;At one point this season we were on pace to score 50 fewer goals than we scored last season,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;And when you look back, the guy who really carried us was Nabber. I am biased a little bit, but in my mind he has been as good as any goalie in the NHL this season.&rdquo;</p><p>In our books, he was better.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011232/9133699-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="1515" height="1257"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>PATRICK ROY AWARD BEST DOBLE</p><p>Evgeni Nabokov</p> <span class="photo-credit">(NABOKOV: JED JACOBSOHN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02823/9133692-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="837" height="1001"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>TEEMU SELANNE AWARD BEST FIRST-YEAR PLAYER</p><p>Jonathan Toews</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TOEWS: BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>0.38 Goals per game (rookie best 24 in 64 GP)</b></h2><p>CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS GM Dale Tallon sums up rookie Jonathan Toews&rsquo; contribution this season with one sentence: &ldquo;If he doesn&rsquo;t get hurt, I think we make the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>Toews missed 16 games after injuring his knee in L.A. Jan. 1 (he also missed the first two games of the year with a broken finger), but still managed to finish third in rookie scoring with 54 points in 64 games. His 24 goals led all freshmen. On top of that, the Hawks also boast the top rookie scorer in Patrick Kane, who finished with 72 points in 82 games.</p><p>It is Toews, however, who is The Hockey News&rsquo; choice as best rookie. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound center served notice last spring he was ready to play with the big boys when he helped Canada win a gold medal at the World Championship.</p><p>&ldquo;He has that natural intensity,&rdquo; Tallon said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very dedicated. He&rsquo;s relentless in his training. He&rsquo;s relentless in his pursuit of the puck. There&rsquo;s just an aura about him. When he walks into the locker room and when he steps on the ice, everybody just takes notice of him. There&rsquo;s a good chance he&rsquo;ll be our next captain.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-02

Phenomenal

<h2><b>&#9679; ROD LANGWAY AWARD</b></h2><p>BEST DEFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN</p><p><b>Zdeno Chara, Boston</b></p><p>Trying to beat him is like trying to scale a 100-foot cactus</p><h2><b>&#9679; JOHN FERGUSON AWARD</b></h2><p>TOUGHEST PLAYER</p><p><b>Dion Phaneuf, Calgary</b></p><p>Fifth in blueliner scoring, he also served 182 PIM</p><h2><b>&#9679; CAM NEELY AWARD</b></h2><p>BREAKOUT PLAYER</p><p><b>Patrick Sharp, Chicago</b></p><p>Went from 20 goals and obscurity to 36 goals and stardom</p><h2><b>&#9679; GUY CARBONNEAU AWARD</b></h2><p>TOP PENALTY-KILLER</p><p><b>Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa</b></p><p>Mr. Everything for the Sens shot seven shorthanded goals</p><h2><b>&#9679; PAVEL BURE AWARD</b></h2><p>BEST SHOOTOUT SHOOTER</p><p><b>Patrick Kane, Chicago</b></p><p>Connected on seven of nine chances for 77.8 success rate</p><h2><b>&#9679; GILLES VILLEMURE AWARD</b></h2><p>BEST SHOOTOUT GOALIE</p><p><b>Mathieu Garon, Edmonton</b></p><p>The stingy Oiler was 10-0 in the shootout allowing two goals on 32 shots<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

2007-08 WINNERS

<div class="byline">with Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03637/9133796-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Evgeni Malkin is in the mix with a slew of Euros for year-end NHL awards <span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011315/9133803-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="187" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>IKE MILLIONS OF OTHERS in the know, I see the NHL playoffs for exactly what it is: the greatest sports tournament on the planet. But there&rsquo;s one aspect of the Stanley Cup chase that grows more embarrassing with every year.</p><p>I refer to the &ldquo;Bring-the-Cup-back-to-Canada-because-it&rsquo;s-our-game-and-no-body-else&rsquo;s-especially-the-soft-Europeans-and-frigid-Russians-and-easily-pleased-Swedes-and-largely-disinterested-Americans&rdquo; routine. That&rsquo;s right &ndash; the same act that has the preposterous &ldquo;No-team-with-a-European-captain-will-ever-win-the-Cup&rdquo; corollary.</p><p>It is bloated, blinded, bleating hyper-nationalism &ndash; and frankly, it&rsquo;s gotten <i>sooooo old</i> to me.</p><p>Honestly, I just don&rsquo;t get it. The game is a global phenomenon, played by men and women from all walks of life. Why isn&rsquo;t that sufficient progress for some Canadians? Which of Canada&rsquo;s countless national insecurities dictates that allowing other nations into our oh-so exclusive club will somehow cheapen the experience?</p><p>Besides, don&rsquo;t Canadians take great pleasure in pointing out the downside of the type of King-Kong-style, ain&rsquo;t-we-great, chest thumping normally found in America? Isn&rsquo;t it enough every other country on Earth would have to turn into hockey factories and pump out elite-level NHLers for decades before they could come close to matching Canada&rsquo;s impact on the game?</p><p>Apparently not. Apparently, too many Canucks have been brainwashed into believing the big lies perpetrated every Saturday night, during every first intermission on Hockey Night In Canada.</p><p>Those poor souls have been convinced the game is a divider, not a uniter; that the &ldquo;Them&rdquo; in &ldquo;Us vs. Them&rdquo; are to be incessantly mocked, derided and sissified; that Canadians were, are, and will forever be, the straw that stirs the sport.</p><p>Pompous and delusional in the extreme, I know. Luckily, those falsehoods can be laid to rest once and for all simply by taking a brief look at the favorites to win the NHL&rsquo;s individual player awards this season.</p><p>Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin is the overwhelming favorite for the Hart Trophy this year (if he doesn&rsquo;t take home MVP honors, rest assured I won&rsquo;t sleep until those responsible are smoked from their holes and brought to justice).</p><p>However, Ovechkin wasn&rsquo;t the only non-Canadian who warranted consideration for the honor; two other Russians, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Evgeni Malkin and Montreal&rsquo;s Alex Kovalev, also will receive votes from the Professional Writers&rsquo; Association, and deservedly so.</p><p>Devils netminder Martin Brodeur may be the popular choice to claim this year&rsquo;s Vezina Trophy, but he&rsquo;ll get heavy competition from San Jose&rsquo;s Evgeni Nabokov (a native of Kazakhstan) and Rangers backstopper (and Swede) Henrik Lundqvist.</p><p>The Norris Trophy likely will be won by another Swede, future Hall-of-Famer Nicklas Lidstrom. But Boston&rsquo;s Zdeno Chara (a Slovak) and Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Sergei Gonchar (also a Russian) weren&rsquo;t far behind the Red Wings blueliner.</p><p>As well, you can make a good argument for Washington&rsquo;s Nicklas Backstrom as this year&rsquo;s Calder Trophy winner and for Detroit&rsquo;s Pavel Datsyuk as this season&rsquo;s Selke Trophy and Lady Byng recipient.</p><p>The Jack Adams Award for best coach may be the last Canadian-only award (with a nod to John Tortorella, the only non-Canuck to win it), thanks to the old boys&rsquo; network that has welcomed just two Europeans in history as NHL bench bosses. But that too will change, as the league runs out of flimsy attempts to explain the coaching fraternity&rsquo;s troubling lack of diversity.</p><p>One of these years, every major award will be won by someone born and raised outside of Canada. When that happens, I&rsquo;d love nothing more than to see my country&rsquo;s remaining true-believers surrender their prejudice and begin to comprehend what the hockey community has become &ndash; a worldwide, interdependent collective that should be expanded and promoted, rather than guarded and hidden away.</p><p>I&rsquo;m not confident such a transformation will happen, but there&rsquo;s no doubt those Hosers in question need to let it go.</p><p>The game is not Canada&rsquo;s; never was, never will be. Annually saluting ourselves for what&rsquo;s obvious only turns Canadians into the braggarts and individualists the game&rsquo;s conservative culture so deplores.</p><p>We&rsquo;re better than that and so is hockey.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02875/9133789-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="69" height="69"></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>

f0032-03

HEY CANADA, JUST LET IT GO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02903/9133855-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="334" height="379"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04574/9133848-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="183" height="175"></div><h2><b>CALGARY</b></h2><p>OWEN NOLAN LOST one season of his career because of the lockout. He lost another needing more time to recover from major knee surgeries.</p><p>The journey back was long and arduous, but the Calgary Flames right winger never worried he wouldn&rsquo;t make it back to the NHL and contribute.</p><p>A lot of ice and even more determination helped him score 16 goals this past season and help put the Flames into the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I knew if I could get back somewhat reasonable to be able to play, I could help some team out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That desire to play and compete was always there and drove me.&rdquo;</p><p>Nolan is no longer the front-line star he was, but this season saw him play in his 1,000th regular season game and collect his first hat trick since the fall of 1999, all while playing through the usual bumps and bruises his style of play creates.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b> Looking back, maybe the Flames should have just cut-and-run with Kristian Huselius at the trade deadline and taken the draft choices.</p><p>Huselius possesses the incredible offensive talent any and all teams need, but the falling out between himself and coach Mike Keenan was an ill-timed spat down the stretch.</p><p>Due to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, Huselius won&rsquo;t be back in Calgary. It became obvious he can&rsquo;t play the in-your-face game demanded of him and Keenan isn&rsquo;t willing to tolerate his defensive miscues.</p><p>Huselius didn&rsquo;t react well to benchings and being scratched in the final regular season games.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05470/9133841-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="69" height="69"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For daily updates on all 30 NHL teams, visit <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011326/9133834-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="1970" height="2784"><figcaption class="caption-body">Owen Nolan <span class="photo-credit">(GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>JUST THE FACTS</b></h2><h3><b>.727</b></h3><p>Calgary&rsquo;s winning percentage this season for games in which veteran right winger logged more than 19 minutes of ice time.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

COMEBACK AND ‘GO AWAY’ PLAYER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAN WOOD</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09298/9133893-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="63" height="71"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011243/9133886-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="213" height="203"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Todd Bertuzzi, RW.</i> After back surgery limited him to 15 regular-season games with Florida and Detroit in 2006-07, Bertuzzi bounced back with 14 goals and 40 points for the Ducks this season. Though an early season concussion shelved him for 14 games, Bertuzzi became a huge presence in front of the net, often contributing to goals without getting credit for points.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Doug Weight,</i>&nbsp;<i>C.</i> While his professionalism and dressing room presence were typically outstanding, the veteran center struggled offensively, managing only six goals and 14 points in 38 games after being acquired mid-season from St. Louis. At 37 and making $3.5 million in the final year of his contract, Anaheim does not appear likely to re-sign Weight.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

ANAHEIM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02873/9133924-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="213" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Sergei Samsonov, LW.</i> In the 86 games before he joined the Hurricanes, Samsonov scored nine goals and had 21 assists. In 38 games with Carolina, he had 14 goals and 18 assists. A January re-entry waiver claim, Samsonov resurrected his career and may have found a home with the Canes, after playing his best hockey since 2001-02.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jeff Ham</i><i>ilton, C.</i> The Canes put Hamilton through waivers once they decided they&rsquo;d rather spend his salary elsewhere next season. A free-agent signing, he got off to a hot start (15 points in 22 games), but his production and playing time diminished and he found himself in the AHL by February. Hamilton played well in a late-season call-up, but the Canes will try to move him.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-02

CAROLINA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; CRAIG CUSTANCE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03720/9133955-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Niclas Havelid, D.</i> Havelid didn&rsquo;t have a horrible year last season, but he wasn&rsquo;t his usual consistent self. This year, he was back in a big way. The Thrashers gave up the most goals in the NHL, yet Havelid was a plus-2, the only regular to finish on the positive side. His 184 blocked shots were sixth best in the league and he helped rookie Tobias Enstrom make the adjustment to the NHL.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Alexei Zhitnik, D.</i> Zhitnik&rsquo;s under-achieving season ended a lot earlier than the rest of his teammates. He was banished to the press box as a healthy scratch after a loss to Carolina March 5. He didn&rsquo;t travel with the team on their final road trips. He&rsquo;s due $3.5 million next season, which is a salary GM Don Waddell will try to move this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-03

ATLANTA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04584/9133986-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Patrick Lalime, G</i>. With No. 1 goalie Nikolai Khabibulin battling injuries, Lalime stepped in and went 7-4-1 from the middle of February through mid-March to put the Hawks back in the playoff race in the West. Finally fully healthy after battling knee and back problems, Lalime looked a lot of times like he did in Ottawa when he was one of the top goaltenders in the NHL in terms of wins.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Andrei Zyuzin, D.</i> On the Hawks&rsquo; up-and-coming young defense, Zyuzin never really stood a chance of playing regularly. When Zyuzin wasn&rsquo;t fighting off nagging injuries and did get a chance to play, his minus-11 was the worst on the Hawks&rsquo; defense. Chicago had no plans of re-signing Zyuzin as an unrestricted free agent.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-04

CHICAGO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06449/9134048-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jose Theodore, G.</i> If the NHL had an official award for such a player, the Avalanche goalie would be a leading contender. The former Hart Trophy winner had a great second half, leading the Avs back to the playoffs after a one-year absence. Thanks to a lot of hard work, much of it with goalie coach Jeff Hackett, Theodore regained not only his form, but his confidence after his career appeared done last year.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Tyler Arnason, C.</i> Arnason&rsquo;s statistics regressed this season, as a third-line center. Although he played 12 fewer games, his points dropped from 47 to 31 and his goals from 16 to 10. Arnason is signed through next season, doesn&rsquo;t complain and shows up every night to play, so he could stick around another year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-06

COLORADO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN VOGL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07392/9134079-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jaroslav Spacek, D</i>. Even though the coaching staff benched their new addition, Spacek, during the playoffs last year, the defenseman knew he could play and had his number called often this season while earning everyone&rsquo;s trust. Spacek became a key member of the power play, penalty kill and was part of the No. 1 pairing for a while.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Maxim Afinogenov, RW</i>. He missed nearly two months with a groin tear and no one said, &ldquo;Boy, the Sabres miss him.&rdquo; The right winger, a point-per-game player the previous two years, was a mess from Game 1 as he finished with just 10 goals and 18 assists in 56 games. The 29-year-old has one year left at $3.5 million, and someone should be intrigued by his speed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-07

BUFFALO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08342/9134110-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Nikolai Zherdev, RW.</i> After scoring 26 goals and 61 points, Zherdev has re-emerged as a budding elite talent for the Jackets. But his dramatic turnaround from a brutal 2006-07 season &ndash; 10 goals, 32 points &ndash; went beyond the ice. Zherdev, once the most detached player in the room, took giant steps toward fitting in this season, playing cards on plane trips and hanging out in the dressing room after some practices.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>David Vy</i><i>borny, RW.</i> This is a tad harsh, as Vyborny was a very good player on some very bad teams this decade. But he has clearly lost a step and his NHL days appear finished. Once a sublime playmaker and a lock to score 60 points a year, Vyborny had only 26 this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-08

COLUMBUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09255/9134148-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="63" height="71"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011221/9134141-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="213" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Brenden Mor</i><i>row, LW.</i> Morrow admitted there were mental and physical hurdles to overcome after getting his wrist sliced open last season by a skate &ndash; an injury that forced him to miss 42 games. But he dealt with it perfectly, playing all 82 games while setting career highs in goals (32) and points (74). The fact that he talked to co-GM Brett Hull about finding scoring areas on the ice didn&rsquo;t hurt the cause.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Antti Miet</i><i>tinen, RW.</i> Miettinen continues to work hard and try hard, but he simply can&rsquo;t find a niche on the Stars. Miettinen had 15 goals among 34 points, but was a healthy scratch in the playoffs last season and appears to again be a spare part. He should walk as an unrestricted free agent this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

DALLAS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH HAMMOND</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02809/9134179-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="213" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Michal Handzus, C.</i> Anything Handzus did this season would be an improvement, considering he played only eight games last season due to a torn ACL. So the fact Handzus played all 82 games was a major accomplishment, even if he didn&rsquo;t live up to the four-year, $16-million contract he signed last summer. Handzus had only seven goals and 14 assists.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Dan Cloutier,</i>&nbsp;<i>G.</i> Before Cloutier played even one game for the Kings &ndash; coming off a major injury &ndash; he was anointed their No. 1 goalie and signed to a two-year, $6.2-million contract extension before the 2006-07 season. Since then Cloutier appeared in only 33 games. His contract has one year left, but it is likely to be bought out this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-02

LOS ANGELES

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03666/9134210-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Chris Osgood, G.</i> Osgood&rsquo;s career appeared to be on decline when he returned to Detroit after the lockout, as he battled through a series of injuries in 2005-06. But he has reinvented himself, adopting a better, tighter, butterfly style. He started the All-Star Game, posted a 27-9-4 record and led the NHL in goals-against average (2.09).</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Mikael Samu</i><i>elsson, RW.</i> He scored 16 goals in his first 37 games after joining the Red Wings in 2005-06. But he has cooled off dramatically since then, with only 32 goals in his last 162 games. He was third on the club with 249 shots this season, but &ndash; for a forward &ndash; had a poor shooting percentage (4.4 percent), unloading too many shots from the perimeter.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-03

DETROIT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04524/9134241-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Kim Johnsson, D.</i> Expectations were high when Johnsson signed a four-year, $19.4-million contract July 1, 2006, so he was considered a severe disappointment when he only scored 22 points last season. While he almost had identical stats this season, he had a much better year defensively and did a solid job leading the Wild&rsquo;s attack out of its own zone.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Pavol Demi</i><i>tra, C.</i> With a horde of unrestricted free agents, there&rsquo;s a chance Demitra, 33, will be a casualty as the Wild looks to re-sign Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Brian Rolston and put together an extension offer for Marian Gaborik. This year, Demitra had the lowest goal (15) and point (54) total of any full season of his career.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-04

MINNESOTA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05444/9134272-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Mathieu Garon, G.</i> When the Kings let Garon go and he signed with the Oilers last summer it was under the assumption he&rsquo;d be Dwayne Roloson&rsquo;s caddy. But he went 26-18-1 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .913 save percentage, wrestld away the starting job and emerged as a candidate for team MVP. His remarkable shootout totals &ndash; 10-0, stopping 30 of 32 shots &ndash; were best in the NHL.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jarret Stoll,</i>&nbsp;<i>C.</i> In one season, Stoll went from untouchable to unwatchable. In what was supposed to be a breakout season, he scored four even-strength goals, had a minus-23 rating and played with very little edge. The Oilers attribute his off year to the effects of a concussion that ended his 2006-07 season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-05

EDMONTON

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06390/9134303-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Alex Kovalev, RW.</i> Upset that people were writing him off at age 35 and likely miffed after not being invited to play for Russia at last year&rsquo;s World Championship, the right winger rebounded to enjoy one of his finest seasons. He led the Canadiens in all offensive categories (35 goals and 84 points in 82 games). It was a vast improvement on the 18 goals and 47 points last season.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Michael Ry</i><i>der, RW.</i> Ryder was one of the few bright spots the past two seasons, scoring 30 goals in each. Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent, and earning $2.95 million, he is unlikely to command that figure again on the open market, after 14 goals and 31 assists in 70 games this year. He was a healthy scratch on several occasions.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-06

MONTREAL

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN BIGGANE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07340/9134334-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="214" height="202"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jassen Cullimore, D.</i> Traded by Chicago to Montreal last June and released by the Canadiens, Cullimore was cut by Detroit in training camp and out of the game when the season began. But Florida called in late October and he became a top-four defenseman with the Panthers, averaging 18:04 of ice time and finishing a team-best plus-21 to go with three goals and 13 points.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jozef Stumpel, C.</i> Stumpel is a prime candidate for a buyout of his $2.25 million contract this summer. Injuries limited him to 52 games, seven goals and 20 points and he was minus-11 despite averaging more than 17:00 of ice time. Stumpel&rsquo;s lack of intensity is forgiveable when he&rsquo;s playing well, but when he&rsquo;s not it&rsquo;s all too noticeable.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-07

FLORIDA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GLENNON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08290/9134365-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jordin Tootoo, RW</i>. At the end of last season, the Preds were wondering if Tootoo&rsquo;s progress had stalled. He still had the big hits and the ability to instigate, but there were questions regarding his all-round improvement after a nine-point season. He stepped things up this year, posting career highs of 11 goals and 18 points. Tootoo still hits hard, but has also been used at times on the team&rsquo;s top lines.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Radek Bonk,</i>&nbsp;<i>C.</i> When the Preds signed Bonk in the off-season, they envisioned a shutdown center that could also contribute offensively. He got off to a good start, but wound up minus-31, the worst in the NHL. Bonk did come through with some clutch goals, but scored just three times in the last 47 games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-08

NASHVILLE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03603/9134396-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Expect to see Jason Smith on the free agent market. <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08279/9134410-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="63" height="71"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011092/9134403-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="213" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Colin White,</i>&nbsp;<i>D.</i> Seven months after he was hit by a deflected puck during training camp, Colin White still cannot see clearly out of his right eye. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t watch TV or read with my right eye,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I close it to watch TV or look at letters. That&rsquo;s when I notice the huge difference.&rdquo; But White remains a steady, physical presence and never considered quitting. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my job. It&rsquo;s all I know.&rdquo;</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Karel Rac</i><i>hunek, D.</i> Rachunek was signed to a one-year, $1.4-million contract last summer to give the Devils a big shot at the point on the power play. Although he was used in that capacity at various times, his overall play did not impress coach Brent Sutter enough and he played only 47 games. Inconsistent, he will probably not be re-signed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-03

NEW JERSEY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06406/9134441-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Sean Bergenheim, LW.</i> Pretty much left for dead with the Isles after spending last season in Europe in a contract dispute, 2002 first-round pick Sean Bergenheim finally established himself as an NHLer at 24. The pinball winger scored only 10 goals in 78 games, but eight came in his final 34 appearances. Coach Ted Nolan grew to love the speedster&rsquo;s tenacity on the forecheck and ability to draw penalties.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Miroslav Satan, RW.</i> Six goals in his last 46 games &ndash; and a 12-year career low of 16 overall &ndash; were not exactly what the Isles had in mind when they banked on big production in Satan&rsquo;s free agency walk year. Vacating Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko&rsquo;s cap hits would free up cash for a No. 1 center this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-06

NY ISLANDERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02752/9134472-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Nigel Dawes, LW.</i> Dawes was the Rangers&rsquo; literal comeback player of the year, coming back as he did twice from assignments to AHL Hartford to establish himself as a fixture both on Chris Drury&rsquo;s left wing and as an integral component of the team&rsquo;s shootout squad. The 23-year-old recorded 14 goals and 29 points with a team-leading plus-11, while also going 5-for-9 in shootouts.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Marek Malik, D.</i> He was operating on the final year of his contract, so 32-year-old defenseman Malik will in fact be going away this summer after a season in which he slid from the first pair to part-time status, and not at all gracefully. Malik, who appeared in only 42 games, was a healthy scratch 18 times.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-02

NY RANGERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04509/9134503-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Martin Gerber, G.</i> He was banished to the bench during the club&rsquo;s run to the Stanley Cup final after not living up to his $3.7 million contract. But, when the Senators began 15-2 this season, there was Gerber playing the leading role as Ray Emery wasn&rsquo;t fully recovered from wrist surgery. Gerber hasn&rsquo;t been perfect, but many wondered if he&rsquo;d even be in the NHL this season.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Ray Emery,</i>&nbsp;<i>G.</i> Not only has Emery not lived up to expectations, he has been a major pain on and off the ice. There are two recorded incidents where he showed up late for practice and was told by former coach John Paddock not to bother going on the ice. He&rsquo;s expected to be bought out at one-third of his contract this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-04

OTTAWA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05459/9134534-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>R.J. Um</i><i>berger, RW</i>. After going down from a vicious hit by Buffalo&rsquo;s Brian Campbell in the 2006 playoffs, Umberger needed about half the next season to get up. Umberger&rsquo;s minus-32 was higher than his point total (28). &ldquo;That was embarrassing,&rsquo;&rsquo; he admits. But this year been a different story. His points out-numbered his plus-minus, 50-0. Coach John Stevens rewarded him with a consistent first line spot.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jason Smith, D</i>. He was brought in as Joni Pitkanen&rsquo;s replacement, but hasn&rsquo;t done much better. Smith logged the fewest minutes of any defense regular. An unrestricted free agent, Smith probably won&rsquo;t get an offer to re-sign, although he was a popular choice as captain this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-05

PHILADELPHIA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM GINTONIO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07355/9134565-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Ed Jova</i><i>novski, D.</i> A year ago, Jovanovski arrived from Vancouver as a free agent. He missed 34 games with injuries, including the final 22 and still led all Dogs D-men in scoring. But he knew he could do more &ndash; and this year he did. He was one of the veterans who helped a predominately young team almost reach the playoffs. Jovo played in 80 games, tallying a career-high 53 points and six power play goals.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Mike York, LW.</i> It was a tough go for free agent York. He ended the season as a multiple-game healthy scratch and finished with only six goals and 14 points in 63 games. With the emergence of rookies this season, plus more youngsters expected to challenge for roster spots in 2008-09, his return is unlikely.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-07

PHOENIX

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-09221/9134603-1-eng-US/f0038-092.jpg" title="f0038-09" width="63" height="71"></div><p>COLORADO 5</p><p>BUFFALO, DETROIT 4</p><p>PHILADELPHIA, NEW JERSEY, DALLAS, ANAHEIM 4</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-10185/9134596-1-eng-US/f0038-102.jpg" title="f0038-10" width="69" height="69"></div><p>Miss the game?</p><p><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> has video highlights.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

CONSISTENT COMPETITORS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04514/9134634-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Vaclav Pro</i><i>spal, LW.</i> That Prospal ended the year with the Flyers is as much a testament to his fine season as the 29 goals he scored in 62 games with Tampa. He had a miserable 2006-07 with 14 goals (his fewest since 2000-01) and 55 points (25 fewer than 2005-06). But the left-winger showed the vision, passing skills and opportunism that defined most of his career.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Andre Roy, RW.</i> He is one of the team&rsquo;s most popular players and an effective enforcer. But Roy and coach John Tortorella could not get on the same page. Tortorella believes Roy allows his emotions to get the best of him and disrupt his focus. Roy, scratched from the final 15 games, says he wouldn&rsquo;t be doing his job if he wasn&rsquo;t so passionate.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-04

TAMPA BAY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011177/9134665-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Ryan Malone, LW.</i> Ryan Malone scored a career-low 16 goals and 31 points in 64 games last season, a disappointment that left team brass wondering if the Pittsburgh native was the kind of player it wanted. Now, there is no doubt. Though Malone can be an unrestricted free agent this summer, he&rsquo;ll have leverage after posting career highs in goals (27), assists (24) and points (51).</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Mark Rec</i><i>chi, RW.</i> The Pens made their &lsquo;go away&rsquo; player go away when they released Recchi in December. The team&rsquo;s record improved exponentially after the veteran left. If any player didn&rsquo;t live up to his contract, blueliner Ryan Whitney admittedly would be the guy, but he got off to a good start in the playoffs and is still a cornerstone for the future.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-01

PITTSBURGH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE ZEISBERGER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05411/9134696-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Pavel Kubina,</i>&nbsp;<i>D.</i> He is not a $5-million per season defenseman. Having said that, Kubina, who spent his first season in a Leafs jersey fighting both the injury bug and the Air Canada Centre boo birds, rebounded in 2007-08 and impressed management and critics alike. Kubina tied Mats Sundin for second on the team in game-winning goals (four) and had the best plus-minus among the team&rsquo;s regular blueliners at plus-5.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Bryan Mc-Cabe, D.</i> Forwards Darcy Tucker, Jason Blake and goalie Andrew Raycroft are also candidates; interim GM Cliff Fletcher would love those four fat contracts off the books. Word is, Leaf ownership has already been approached about the concept of buyouts for McCabe and Tucker.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-05

TORONTO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JEREMY RUTHERFORD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02795/9134727-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Ryan John</i><i>son, C.</i> When Johnson&rsquo;s brother, Greg, was forced to retire from the NHL in 2006 because of a heart condition, the Blues center was told initially that his career might also be in jeopardy. A year after his big scare, Johnson had the most blocked shots of any forward in the NHL (105), which will likely lead to a raise for the unrestricted free agent.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Martin Rucinsky, LW.</i> Two seasons ago, club president John Davidson decided to reward his old friend, Martin Rucinsky, with a two-year, $4.75 million contract. But Rucinsky paid back little in return. The left winger played a total of 92 games and scored 17 goals. The club will gladly let him walk away as an unrestricted free agent this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

ST. LOUIS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06349/9134758-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Ryan Kesler, C.</i> The Canucks&rsquo; first round pick in 2003 was close to breaking through last season before major hip surgery took him out for the final 34 games. This year, he became the team&rsquo;s premier faceoff man, penalty-killer and shutdown center and still managed to score a career-high 21 goals. Kesler was one of the few shining lights in a disappointing season.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Markus Naslund, LW.</i> The long-time Canucks captain turns 35 in July. His $6 million a season contract is up and it appears he will be moving on. Naslund&rsquo;s production has declined dramatically under coach Alain Vigneault &mdash; he went from 79 points pre-Vigneault to 60 last season to 55 this year &mdash; so it looks like a mutual parting of ways.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-06

VANCOUVER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID POLLAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03641/9134789-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="214" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jeremy Roe</i><i>nick, RW.</i> Maybe not by the numbers &ndash; his 14 goals and 33 points were only incrementally better than the previous season &ndash; but the veteran restored the luster to an all-star career that had gone south. He led by example on the ice &ndash; 10 of his goals were game-winners &ndash; and was exactly the kind of positive dressing-room presence the Sharks gambled he would be.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Sandis Ozolinsh, D.</i> The Sharks invited Ozolinsh to camp as a tryout, then signed him in late October. His veteran presence was welcomed in the room, but the move didn&rsquo;t pay off on the ice. Ozolinsh played in 39 games, none after Feb. 14 except for the final game of the season. He had three goals and 16 points, but was also minus-11.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-03

SAN JOSE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER KERZEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07305/9134820-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="213" height="213"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMEBACK</b>&nbsp;<b>PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Jeff Schultz, D.</i> His uneven 2006-07 wasn&rsquo;t a bust, but the rookie was usually good for a bad mistake each game. Demoted to Hershey this October, he returned and flourished alongside Tom Poti, whose steadying presence allowed Schultz to focus on defense. His plus-12 led Caps blueliners and he&rsquo;s gradually asserting himself offensively.</p><p><b>GO AWAY PLAYER</b>&nbsp;<i>Steve Em</i><i>inger, D.</i> Eminger played in only 20 games and Washington refused to trade its insurance policy. The likely departing RFA never blossomed into the defenseman Washington envisioned when he was picked 12th in 2002. Eminger didn&rsquo;t complain. He stayed prepared and ready whenever he was needed. With Karl Alzner and Sami Lepisto in the wings, he&rsquo;s expendable.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-07

WASHINGTON

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011085/9134879-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="336" height="242"></div><h2><b>EASTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02702/9134872-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="630" height="909"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03545/9134865-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="357" height="252"></div><h2><b>WESTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04452/9134858-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="630" height="914"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05376/9134851-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="1370" height="2806"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0039-01

DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01774/9134924-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="888" height="1092"></div><p>WHEN JASON KROG came back from Europe to chase the NHL dream, he was hoping for one more chance to compete against hockey&rsquo;s best.</p><p>He wanted one more opportunity to deny scoring chances, to kill penalties, score goals and win big faceoffs. One more chance to win the Stanley Cup.</p><p>When that opportunity evaporated this season and Krog realized he&rsquo;d be spending the entire year with the Chicago Wolves instead of playing for the Atlanta Thrashers, the realization set in that his chase, at 33, was probably over.</p><p>So Krog spent the season doing whatever he could to get Atlanta prospects ready for the NHL. There was no period of pouting, no what&rsquo;s-the-point attitude.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not really one to think like that,&rdquo; said Krog, who knew Atlanta &ndash; at best &ndash; had one spot available. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been up and down so much (300 AHL games, 198 NHL over eight pro seasons). You have to take advantage of where you&rsquo;re at.&rdquo;</p><p>Krog did that by running away with the league scoring title. Entering the final week of the season, he had 36 goals and 104 points.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s called being a professional,&rdquo; said Wolves GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. &ldquo;This guy comes to play all the time and that is the definition of a professional.</p><p>&ldquo;Lesser people would have said, &lsquo;Why am I doing this?&rsquo; But he enjoys this game.&rdquo;</p><p>He provided Chicago fans much enjoyment and at the same time showed Atlanta&rsquo;s kids what it takes to succeed.</p><p>&ldquo;He takes such good care of his body,&rdquo; Cheveldayoff said. &ldquo;The young guys see his level of fitness, his commitment. Those are things people don&rsquo;t get to see. They get to see the nice passes, the nice plays.&rdquo;</p><p>That has been a staple of his career, starting at the University of New Hampshire when he led the NCAA in goals as a junior and senior. He scored 184 points in 120 games with the Wolves since joining them for the 2006-07 campaign.</p><p>That&rsquo;s why he ended up in the NHL last season. Krog played 23 NHL games, 14 with Atlanta and nine with the Rangers after New York claimed him off waivers.</p><p>This year, it was zero games. Which is why he&rsquo;ll likely head back to Europe, where he played two seasons previously.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m definitely looking into going back, unless a real, legitimate NHL offer comes along,&rdquo; Krog said.</p><p>But right now, the Calder Cup is his main focus.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been to the NCAA final, he&rsquo;s been to the Stanley Cup final,&rdquo; Cheveldayoff said. &ldquo;I was talking to him at the All-Star Game and he said, &lsquo;I really want to win a championship.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><h2><b>JASON KROG</b></h2><p>Chicago Wolves</p><p>Ht. 5-11</p><p>Wt. 185</p><p>Pos. C</p><p>Age 33</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02464/9134917-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="210" height="210"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING</b>&nbsp;<b>1.53</b></h2><p>Krog&rsquo;s points per game over two years with Wolves</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-2044/9134910-1-eng-US/f0040-202.jpg" title="f0040-20" width="69" height="69"></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>

f0040-01

PROSPECTS UNLIMITED

KEY KROG IN CHICAGO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p>An NBA team is doing what an NHL team couldn&rsquo;t do in Cleveland: Sell hockey.</p><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA own the American League&rsquo;s Lake Erie Monsters and they are proving hockey can work in the city.</p><p>The Crusaders of the World Hockey Association folded in 1976, the Barons of the NHL failed in 1978 and then the Barons of the AHL played five years (2001-02 through &rsquo;05-06) in a virtually empty arena.</p><p>While the San Jose Sharks couldn&rsquo;t make the AHL work in Cleveland, the Cavs hired 25 people to sell Monsters hockey.</p><p>They&rsquo;re doing it, too. They averaged around 6,000 fans and drew two of the league&rsquo;s top three crowds this season: 15,132 on opening night and 14,343 for a Friday in March.</p><p>Cross-marketing of the Monsters with the Cavs is one reason hockey is selling. Televising 20 games on FSN Ohio has also helped.</p><p>WE MISS YOU For nearly two decades, Diana Stimpert watched the Peoria Rivermen and called the players &ldquo;my boys.&rdquo;</p><p>When Stimpert, who had Down Syndrome, died suddenly in early April at age 41, the Rivermen players and coaches shuffled their practice and travel schedule so they could all attend her funeral.</p><h2><b>ON TOP</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03355/9134962-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="182" height="248"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROSS DETTMAN)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>PENALTY MINUTES</b></h3><p>LOUIS ROBITAILLE</p><p>Hershey Bears</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04287/9134955-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="210" height="210"></div><p>350 PIMS</p><p>Peter Vandermeer, SA 300</p><p>Derek Dorsett, Syr 262</p><p>Kip Brennan, Bri 247</p><p>Brandon Prust, QC 246<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-03

Cavaliers help Lake Erie

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01662/9135000-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="890" height="1092"></div><p>IT&rsquo;S FAIR TO SAY Michael Leighton has responded to his chance to play. Big time.</p><p>The 26-year-old, eight-season journeyman rediscovered his all-star form and has been the AHL&rsquo;s best goalie.</p><p>&ldquo;I told him at the beginning of the year, &lsquo;We expect you to be the best goalie in the league, not just on our team,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Albany coach-GM Tom Rowe. &ldquo;It was a challenge to him and he exceeded it by a large margin, for sure.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pretty cool customer. He handles the pressure extremely well. He never, ever gets down and he never quits. He&rsquo;s got a fire to him, but it&rsquo;s a real quiet fire. Some guys are animated; he&rsquo;s not. He walks into the room and just has a presence about him.&rdquo;</p><p>Leighton played a total of 26 games last season. He was waived and claimed three times by different NHL teams, spending the majority of his time as a major-league spectator/insurance policy. Carolina acquired him from Montreal for a seventh-rounder last summer and he has responded by posting career-best numbers in Albany. He had a league-high .932 save percentage as the season wound down and his stellar play led an injury-ravaged Rats team to the playoffs.</p><p>Voted by coaches, players and media to a first-team all-star spot, Leighton was also selected by fans as the starting goalie for Canada in the AHL All-Star Game.</p><p>&ldquo;Tom told me right at the beginning of the year that I was going to play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was definitely looking forward to that because last year, I got shorted on playing time. I sat on the bench a lot.</p><p>&ldquo;This is what I needed &ndash; I needed to play a lot of games. I haven&rsquo;t played this many games since my first year in Norfolk. It seems the more games I play, the more comfortable I get. I seem to get better the more I play.&rdquo;</p><p>His teammates agree.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s unbelievable,&rdquo; said Rats center Jamie Johnson. &ldquo;He really should not be in this league. You say that about a lot of guys, but he&rsquo;s probably the one guy in his league who absolutely has no business being here.&rdquo;</p><p>Leighton traces much of his success back to good practice habits he learned from goalie guru Francois Allaire during a short stint with Anaheim last season.</p><p>&ldquo;He said to try and stop everything you can,&rdquo; Leighton said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re in practice to get better and the more shots you stop in practice, the more you&rsquo;re going to stop in a game. That&rsquo;s one thing I wish I would have done my first couple years. I was just there to stop pucks. I try to practise with a purpose now. Since then, I feel my game has gotten better.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>MICHAEL LEIGHTON</b></h2><p>Albany River Rats</p><p>Ht. 6-3</p><p>Wt. 186</p><p>Pos. G</p><p>Age 26</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02407/9134993-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="210" height="210"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING 7</b></h2><p>League-leading number of shutouts in 57 games<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

BETTER LEIGHTON THAN NEVER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL JANACK</div><p>Brian Salcido&rsquo;s breakout season has put him in the Portland Pirates record books.</p><p>Salcido, 23, set the franchise record for single-season points by a defenseman, notching 53 through 68 games. The old mark of 50 was set by Nick Naumenko in 2000-01.</p><p>A native of Hermosa Beach, Calif., Salcido was drafted 141st overall by Anaheim in 2005. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds, he had seven goals and 27 points in 76 games for the Pirates last season as a rookie out of Colorado College.</p><p>Named a second-team all-star who also had a goal for PlanetUSA in the AHL All-Star Game, Salcido quarterbacks Portland&rsquo;s power play, which ranks among the league&rsquo;s elite. Eight of his 11 goals and 19 of his 42 assists came with the man advantage. He also boasts a plus-13 rating.</p><p>DAILY DOUBLE They&rsquo;re two Brandons with more than a name in common. When Brandon Sutter joined the Albany River Rats following the conclusion of his major junior season, he became the second player on the roster with an NHL coach for a dad. Sutter is the son of Devils bench boss Brent Sutter. Rats center Brandon Nolan, who has been out since Feb. 22 with a concussion, is the eldest son of New York Islanders coach Ted Nolan.</p><h2><b>ON</b>&nbsp;<b>TOP</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03326/9135038-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="182" height="257"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHRISTOPHER PASATIERI/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>D-MEN SCORING</b></h3><p>ANDREW HUTCHINSON</p><p>Hartford Wolf Pack</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04280/9135031-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="175" height="200"></div><p>66 POINTS</p><p>Brian Salcido, Por 53</p><p>Lawrence Nycholat, Bing 49</p><p>Derrick Walser, Tor 45</p><p>Micki DuPont, Peoria 45<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-03

Streaking defenseman

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM CRESSMAN</div><p>JUSTIN SORYAL IS A GREAT poster boy for over-agers.</p><p>And the left winger is a fantastic poster boy for late-round picks and an example of achievement via determination &ndash; such as signing for three years with the New York Rangers as a 20-year-old free agent.</p><p>Soryal entered the OHL in 2004 as a 10th round pick of the Peterborough Petes a year earlier. At 17, the odds were stacked against him, but he showed a willingness to drop the gloves, so he was kept around. Even at that, ice time was scarce his first two years.</p><p>Then came his breakout season in 2006-07, when he scored 26 goals playing with Daniel Ryder and Steve Downie. Soryal returned for a fourth year to score 17.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s arguably one of the toughest players in the league, but at the same time he&rsquo;s got hockey sense and the proven ability to play with good players,&rdquo; said Rangers scout Rich Brown. &ldquo;Most important, he&rsquo;s got the desire and ambition to be a player.&rdquo;</p><p>Soryal admitted to discouraging moments, but his self-belief never fully waned.</p><p>Neither did his intensity; he racked up 455 penalty minutes over his four years, earning every one.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the easy hooking and tripping ones,&rdquo; Soryal said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s blood, sweat and tears in those.&rdquo;</p><p>But Soryal&rsquo;s smart enough &ndash; studying accounting and psychology at Trent University &ndash; to know there&rsquo;s no place in today&rsquo;s NHL for a one-dimensional player.</p><p>&ldquo;People thought the toughness was going to come out of hockey, but Anaheim definitely showed last year you need the toughness,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But at the same time they&rsquo;re realizing they can&rsquo;t have guys that are just fighters, because come playoff time they&rsquo;re a liability.</p><p>&ldquo;But if they actually have skill, they can contribute.&rdquo;</p><p>Petes GM Jeff Twohey takes his hat off to Soryal.</p><p>&ldquo;He established himself early as being a very tough winger, but credit him with rounding his game out and there&rsquo;s more to him than that now,&rdquo; Twohey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy who&rsquo;s had no red-carpet treatment and he had to find his way.&rdquo;</p><p>Now it&rsquo;s time for Soryal&rsquo;s work to begin all over again.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01694/9135090-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="703" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to have to go to the AHL and prove he can improve in the same role,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;His skating is going to have to improve, but there&rsquo;s a great place to start with his hockey sense, his character, his size and toughness. And with his desire and ambition, he&rsquo;s got a chance to play.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02427/9135083-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="254" height="136"></div><h2><b>JUSTIN SORYAL</b></h2><p>Peterborough Petes</p><p>Ht. 6-2</p><p>Wt. 200</p><p>Pos. LW</p><p>Age 20</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04264/9135076-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="343" height="82"></div><h3><b>Draft Status</b></h3><p>Signed as a free agent by the New York Rangers</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03332/9135069-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="210" height="210"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING 455</b></h2><p>Total penalty minutes in four Ontario League seasons<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-01

EARNING EVERY MINUTE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB VANSTONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05229/9135121-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="209" height="209"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he WHL&rsquo;s best player does not boast gaudy stats. His regular season totals consisted of seven goals and 36 points in 60 games, but Karl Alzner&rsquo;s varied contributions cannot be ignored. The 19-year-old&rsquo;s efforts helped the Calgary Hitmen finish atop the Eastern Conference standings. Alzner chips in on offense, provides airtight defense and offers exemplary leadership. There are nights when the Hitmen captain seldom leaves the ice, not even for infractions; he was assessed only 15 penalty minutes this year. Alzner&rsquo;s attributes were also enjoyed by Canada&rsquo;s golden World Junior Championship team (which he captained in 2008) and the Washington Capitals, who drafted the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder fifth overall in 2007.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-05

Doing it Alz for the Hitmen

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06207/9135152-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="210" height="211"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>oing proper justice to what Steven Stamkos has given the Sarnia Sting this year is a difficult task. The projected first pick in the June NHL draft put the Sting at the forefront of the hockey world and helped them to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. With 42 goals his rookie season, then a franchise-record 58 this year, he has garnered all the attention, stealing the spotlight from John Tavares as the league&rsquo;s most outstanding player. But through it, Stamkos, who won gold with Canada at the world juniors in January, remained a well-grounded 18-year-old. &ldquo;I get up at 7:30 every morning for school,&rdquo; said the guy who attended school last summer to ensure he graduates. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not as glamorous as everyone thinks.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-06

Sting felt Stamp of a superstar

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NEIL HODGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07176/9135183-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="210" height="210"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>n undrafted 20-year-old deserves recognition as the QMJHL&rsquo;s player of the year. The Chicoutimi Sagueneens&rsquo; Francis Pare finished third in scoring with 102 points in 69 games and was the league&rsquo;s only 50-goal man, tallying 54. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound center tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (seven), best plus/minus (plus-41) and was sixth in faceoff percentage (57.8). Pare, named league MVP, surely opened the eyes of pro scouts while leading Chicoutimi to a higher-than-expected eighth overall finish. His stats are even more impressive considering the Sagueneens were in the bottom half of the league offensively, with just two other 50-point producers and no one else with 70 points.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-07

Pare pushes team higher

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL COLVIN</div><p>A SELF-DESCRIBED &ldquo;late bloomer,&rdquo; Miami junior defenseman Alec Martinez has turned out pretty well so far.</p><p>Barely on the radar when he joined the RedHawks as a true freshman in 2005, Martinez made first team all-CCHA and was voted the league&rsquo;s best defensive defenseman this season.</p><p>&ldquo;Everybody develops at a different rate and growing up I wasn&rsquo;t always the best defenseman on the team or the one who got all the accolades,&rdquo; Martinez said. &ldquo;Being like that taught me to keep a good head on my shoulders and helped me develop a good work ethic.&rdquo;</p><p>Martinez took a regular shift as a freshman, added power play time last season and played in every situation this year.</p><p>&ldquo;The more you give Alec, the better he gets,&rdquo; said Miami coach Enrico Blasi. &ldquo;The tools were always there, it was just a matter of him bringing them out. He was given a lot of responsibility right away and he did a great job with it and it took off from there.&rdquo;</p><p>A smart, stay-at-home defender with a good shot from the point, Martinez has steadily improved his mobility, defensive coverage and puckhandling skills.</p><p>&ldquo;Confidence is a huge part of it and if you&rsquo;re put in those situations &ndash; power play, penalty-kill or any crucial game time &ndash; it&rsquo;s good for your confidence,&rdquo; Martinez said. &ldquo;And having that confidence with the puck is what sets guys apart from other players.&rdquo;</p><p>A fourth round pick of Los Angeles in the 2007 NHL draft, Martinez has worked hard in the weight room to increase his strength and also benefited from a week spent at the Kings rookie camp last summer.</p><p>&ldquo;We skated twice a day, went over video and worked out a lot off the ice,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was valuable because I learned a lot from a hockey standpoint and how professional hockey works.&rdquo;</p><p>The experience also helped Martinez realize he still has plenty to work on, including cutting down on turnovers and getting even better defensively 1-on-1.</p><p>&ldquo;There are a lot of guys who have a lot of talent, but the really good guys are good because they do the little things right,&rdquo; he said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01687/9135235-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="704" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MIAMI UNIVERSITY)</span></figcaption></div><p>That kind of talk makes his coach grin.</p><p>&ldquo;He had a great year and there is still a lot more room for improvement, but it&rsquo;s scary how good he could be when he&rsquo;s done developing,&rdquo; Blasi said. &ldquo;When he&rsquo;s ready he could be a guy who could play at the next level for a long time.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02460/9135228-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="135" height="135"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>ALEC MARTINEZ</b></h2><p>Miami RedHawks</p><p>Ht. 6-1</p><p>Wt. 207</p><p>Pos. D</p><p>Age 20</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03379/9135221-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="343" height="82"></div><h3><b>Draft Status</b></h3><p>Selected 95th over-all by Los Angeles in 2007</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04279/9135214-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="200" height="210"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING 21</b></h2><p>Increase in points between freshman and junior years<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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April 29, 2008

BOSTON

FLAMES BECOME SULTANS OF SWING

THE BIG PICTURE

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