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Yearbook 2008-09
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.
New kids
J.P. PARISE TOLD his son, Zach, that if he was going to be a star, not to act like one. “He played with some guys who didn’t always give off a positive image of themselves and their team,” the younger Parise said. “He always told me to be a good guy away from the rink. “He also remembered getting kicked out of the 1972 Summit Series (for threatening to club referee Josef Kompalla during Game 8) and the lesson taught him to keep control of your emotions.” Hockey fans in New York and environs – whether supporters of the Devils, Rangers or Islanders – had been losing it for years in an unfulfilled wait for dynamic young players. But that’s changing now. Among the Rangers’ five contributing first- and second-year players last season was…
Bears breathing
FEW SAW IT COMING, but since it happened, more will be expected in 2008-09. After burning through most of the roster – coaching and front office staffs included – in the first two seasons after the lockout, the 2007-08 Boston Bruins beat significant odds to earn their first playoff berth since 2004. They got there without No. 2 center Patrice Bergeron, whose season only lasted 10 games because of a concussion. They got there with little help from their primary off-season additions – goalie Manny Fernandez, limited by injuries to a mere four games, and winger Peter Schaefer, so ineffective he was scratched for several games down the stretch. And they got there despite scoring only 212 goals – fewer than any Eastern Conference team except the New York Islanders. Boston jumped…
Strike a match
IN THE END, the changes before the 2007-08 season were nothing but cosmetic. Despite another new coach – this time, Mike Keenan – and enough high-end talent to provide plenty of offense, the veteran-laden Flames started slowly, went on a hot run in the middle of the season and squeaked into the playoffs only to be booted in the first round. Just like the year before. At least the disappointment has prompted a legitimate switching up at the Saddledome. The Flames still have their core of top-end standouts in Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Robyn Regehr, Dion Phaneuf and Daymond Langkow, but the supporting cast has seen a major makeover. Gone are talented-but-hardly-grinding left wingers Kristian Huselius and Alex Tanguay. The depth players – especially on the bottom two lines – will finally be infused with…
Welcome back
WHEN IT CAME TO RUNNING his beloved Chicago Blackhawks, late owner Bill Wirtz had a maddening blind spot that not even family members understood. Television. Wirtz, old-school through and through, refused to believe TV was the 20th-century way to market his product. Either that or he simply chose to ignore its impact, even as he watched the Hawks slip into irrelevance in a town that was once a giant of a hockey market. Wirtz’s refusal to put home games on TV helped damage the franchise nearly to the point of no return. He believed it protected season-ticket holders, but as more and more fans stayed away with the team in decline over the past decade, the TV policy became increasingly difficult for the fans and media to understand. Trade Jeremy Roenick and Ed Belfour…
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