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.

September 16, 2008

The Hockey News - Sep-16-08

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN BIGGANE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0594/9173134-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="233" height="225"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Playing hockey at Dartmouth College afforded Tanner Glass a rare chance at one kind of education. But Glass was afforded an opportunity of a different sort when he visited his girlfriend in eastern Africa, where she was working as a nurse for an HIV/AIDS awareness organization called Project Soccer.</p><p>Glass, who split 2007-08 between Florida and AHL Rochester, told the Americans website he visited several African countries:</p><p>&ldquo;The best part (was probably) the week we spent on the island of Zanzibar, which is off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. I had never seen beaches so beautiful and when you combine the most amazing scenery with some of the nicest people in the world, it makes for a special place.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-05

THE STANDARDS

FLORIDA

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012090/9171660-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Islanders</p><p>prospects were put through the paces at a recent mini camp in Syosset, N.Y.</p><span class="photo-credit">(COVER: MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES CONTENTS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></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>

f0003-01

IN THIS ISSUE

THE BIG PICTURE

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="117" height="132"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>or the second straight year, the NHL season will kick off on a continent some people believe the league will eventually expand to. Whether or not European teams are ever a part of the NHL, fans there can already get a first-hand glimpse of the NHL game.</p><p>Saturday October 4</p><p>Rangers at Lightning</p><p>Prague, Cze. -12:00 p.m.</p><p>Penguins at Senators</p><p>Stockholm Swe. -2:30 p.m.</p><p>Sunday October 5</p><p>Lightning at Rangers</p><p>Prague, Cze. -12:00 p.m.</p><p>Senators at Penguins</p><p>Stockholm Swe. -2:30 p.m.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

common02

EUROPEAN SCHEDULE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JEREMY RUTHERFORD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02194/9173520-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="234" height="219"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Enforcer Cam Janssen enjoys boating, but doesn&rsquo;t own a yacht or even a fancy lake boat.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a 23-foot show runner made of aluminum,&rdquo; Janssen gloated. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not luxurious and it&rsquo;s not expensive, but it&rsquo;s fast and it sounds mean.&rdquo;</p><p>The boat can travel 70 mph in just three inches of water.</p><p>Janssen and his friends take the boat to the Meramec and Mississippi rivers in Missouri. They often go exploring in the woods.</p><p>&ldquo;One time, we found a cave,&rdquo; Janssen said. &ldquo;There was a sleeping bag in there and a fire still burning. We found the guy on the sandbar. He looked like Charles Manson. We asked him if he was all right and he just walked back into the woods.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-02

ST. LOUIS

<div class="byline">with Jason Kay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012082/9171698-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="594" height="503"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HE PHRASE &ldquo;STANLEY CUP HANGOVER&rdquo; has slid into our lexicon in recent years, used to describe the malaise that affects teams the year after winning hockey&rsquo;s ultimate prize.</p><p>Nobody has really proposed an appropriate term for the Stanley Cup loser, however. Th at affliction runs far deeper than a garden variety hangover.</p><p>Consider the past 11 Cup finalists have combined to win one playoff round the year after losing the big one. That&rsquo;s not a typo. The 2001 Dallas Stars managed to beat Edmonton in the opening round of the post-season after succumbing in the final to New Jersey the previous year. The other 10 finalists either failed to qualify for the playoffs or were ousted in Round 1.</p><p>And you have to go back 25 years, to the 1983 Oilers, to find a team that won the Cup after dropping the final the year before.</p><p>Which begs the question: What does it mean for the Pittsburgh Penguins? Can they overcome an established trend?</p><p>We doubt it, but we&rsquo;re not completely ruling it out.</p><p>On paper, the Penguins don&rsquo;t look as strong as the unit that lost the final in six games to Detroit. Gone are forwards Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Jarkko Ruutu, Adam Hall, Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque. Their replacements include Miro Satan, Ruslan Fedetenko and Matt Cooke. In terms of offense, leadership and physicality, that&rsquo;s a downgrade.</p><p>The back end looks much like the middling-to-above average crew that ended last season &ndash; minus an injured Ryan Whitney for the first three months of 2008-09. Goaltending won&rsquo;t be an issue as long as Marc-Andre Fleury continues his ascent to elite status and remains healthy. However, unless GM Ray Shero makes a move, the Pens don&rsquo;t have an experienced backup, an element Ty Conklin supplied last season.</p><p>So why are we leaving the door slightly ajar?</p><p>Two reasons: First, the personnel changes that look worse on paper may emerge as a positive from a psychological perspective. Simply put, there are fewer hangovers to worry about.</p><p>Secondly, the Pens still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, two of the best players in the game who are still in the adolescent stages of their careers. Crosby, in particular, is a talent who elevates those around him and as he matures, the impact he has as a leader will spread.</p><p>The question remains, though, whether that effect will register deeply enough this season, especially if too many &ldquo;hungover&rdquo; Penguins go from waddlers to wobblers.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021761/9171691-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="406" height="218"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-01

CAN PITT STOP CUP LOSER TREND?

<div class="byline">DEAN LAPIERRE, WINDSOR, ONT.</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012078/9171791-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="881" height="1018"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021499/9171784-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="288" height="365"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03964/9171777-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="174" height="175"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>s the president of a minor hockey organization in Canada I could not thank Ken Campbell enough for his article on Patrick Kane (Sept. 2). Th is just reiterates how hard it is for a young boy to make it to the NHL.</p><p>I hope the parents of all AAA kids read this. As president, I always feel pride when one of our boys makes it to the NHL or major junior. I also think that every kid &ndash; and their parents &ndash; who plays AAA hockey should hope to make it to the NHL. They should also remember to have fun along the way because before they know it their minor hockey days will be done.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0005-01

A MINOR TRIUMPH

<blockquote class="pullQuote">The next time the Habs hoist the Cup, it will be way too soon</blockquote><h2><b>M.I.A. FOR A.K.</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> thoroughly enjoyed reading your &lsquo;08-09 Yearbook, in particular the Top 50 players section. I thought it was all well reasoned and correct, but I do have one question: Why was Alex Kovalev left out?</p><p>I read the top 50 list over and over, convinced I must have missed him, but he was not there.</p><p>Last year, Kovalev carried the Habs to a great year, leading them to first place in the East. He also finished 11th in league scoring with 84 points. I find it hard to imagine this guy not being among the top 50 players.</p><p>DAVID FANJOY, BURLINGTON, ONT.</p><h2><b>RANK AMATEUR</b></h2><p>I just received the &lsquo;08-09 Yearbook and again I was amazed by how awesome it is. There was only one thing I could not imagine being in the yearbook this year; Martin Brodeur being 23rd in the top 50.</p><p>Three goaltenders were ranked ahead of Brodeur, one being Evgeni Nabokov, who is the only one who deserves it.</p><p>Roberto Luongo has a bad year and he drops four spots while Brodeur has another superior year and drops 13. Something is not right there. Henrik Lundqvist deserves his spot at 14, Nabokov deserves Luongo&rsquo;s spot at seven or higher and Marty should not have moved an inch.</p><p>Stats speak for themselves and with the terrific job your team did again this year at collecting and publishing the numbers, how did you come to the conclusion Brodeur should drop 13 spots? He only won 44 games (27 of which were one-goal games) and was seventh on your list of &ldquo;Worst goal support&rdquo; while starting 77 games.</p><p>JOSH TAYLOR, UPPER KENT, N.B.</p><h2><b>SIX SHOOTER</b></h2><p>I enjoyed Frank Orr&rsquo;s piece on the &ldquo;hallowed&rdquo; Original Six (July 29). The Canadiens&rsquo; control of Quebecois players during the pre-1967 era led to that franchise&rsquo;s numerous Stanley Cups.</p><p>That&rsquo;s why I think the vaunted reputation of the Canadiens has a murky basis and that the next time the Habs hoist the Cup, it will be way too soon.</p><p>MARK RATKUS, PHILADELPHIA</p><h2><b>A PERFECT &lsquo;FINNISH&rsquo;</b></h2><p>I was 51 in 1994 and had rarely watched hockey. Two of my boys were watching the Stanley Cup final, and yelled &ldquo;hey dad, watch this guy.&rdquo; On the screen for the Rangers was No. 10, giving mock kisses to the Canucks.</p><p>I watched hard and caught his name: Tikkanen. I watched the rest of the final, especially for Esa. I was, and am, hooked. I read up on him and found that he was a pretty good player, especially at playoff time.</p><p>Watching him showed me that hockey can be fun, not just sticks and fists. He is in my hall of fame and from what I&rsquo;ve read, should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, too.</p><p>I could write a whole short story on how much I&rsquo;ve enjoyed the game these past 14 years. I&rsquo;m 65 now and I could die happy if Esa were inducted into the Hall.</p><p>CARL MANN, DAYTON, OHIO</p><h2><b>HALAK OF RESPECT</b></h2><p>Carey Price, Carey Price, Carey Price&hellip;That&rsquo;s all people are saying in Montreal, yet he hasn&rsquo;t proven himself yet&hellip;Jaroslav Halak on the other hand has put up respectable numbers in the games he has played in the NHL.</p><p>Halak in the four full games he played in the 2007-08 regular season put up a 2-1-1 record with a .934 save percentage, 2.11 goals-against average and one shutout.</p><p>I&rsquo;m not saying Halak is the best goalie in the NHL, or even a starting goalie for that matter. All I&rsquo;m saying is I wish the Cana-diens would give him a chance and start him more and give him more ice time because that&rsquo;s what the Canadiens need, <i>two</i> good goalies.</p><p>TY DILELLO, WINNIPEG</p><p>(<b><i>Ty, check out pg. 14 for more on Halak and Price</i></b>.)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

CROWD SHOTS

<div class="byline">WITH DREW STAFFORD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021539/9171829-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="519" height="484"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAFFORD: DAVE ABEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012304/9171836-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="126" height="96"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>What was your &lsquo;welcome to the NHL&rsquo; moment?</p><p>My first game was against the Rangers. Lining up against Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan was pretty surreal.</p><p>If you had your own theme song, what would it be?</p><p>&ldquo;Gloom and How it Gets That Way&rdquo; by Everytime I Die.</p><p>Best album of all-time?</p><p>My band, Invisible Children, has a new album out called &ldquo;The Pralien.&rdquo; Gotta get that in there.</p><p>What was your last job before becoming just a hockey player?</p><p>The grounds crew at Shattuck-St. Mary&rsquo;s, where I played prep hockey. That lasted about two weeks. I didn&rsquo;t like getting up at 5:30 a.m.</p><p>Who was your road roommate and how were they?</p><p>I had quite a few. Clarke MacArthur was great, Dan Paille was great, but Derek Roy? It was all about him.</p><p>If you could play for any team in history, who would it be?</p><p>The 1980s Edmonton Oilers. Their streak was unbelievable.</p><p>Which current NHLer is a lock for the Hall of Fame?</p><p>Joe Sakic.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> for exclusive audio from 2 MINUTES IN THE BOX<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-02

2 MINUTES IN THE BOX

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04556/9171874-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="609" height="451"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COWEN: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03898/9171881-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="174" height="175"></div><p>THN,</p><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> understand if a player plays 400 games, he qualifies for a full pension. So if the backup goalie is in the lineup and does not play is that considered a game played towards his 400 games?</p><p>Derek Knee</p><p>Derek,</p><p>Yes, as long as the goalie dresses for the game, it counts towards his pension.</p><p>THN,</p><p>What makes the red light go off? Is there a censor between the pipes?</p><p>Matt Hawrysh, Winnipeg</p><p>Matt,</p><p>Nothing that technical &ndash; at least not yet. Each rink still employs a goal judge on each end and that judge sets off the red light with a hand buzzer.</p><p>THN,</p><p>Is there any scenario in which you see Jared Cowen from Spokane being drafted in front of John Tavares and Victor Hedman this year? He was a monster in the WHL last season and at 6-foot-5 he&rsquo;s got Pronger-like projection all over him.</p><p>David Michaud, Sudbury</p><p>David,</p><p>The only scenario would be if Tavares and Hedman ran into injuries woes and even then it would be tough for a team to pass on them. Cowen is certainly a fantastic consolation prize.</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="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></div><p>Need more of your questions answered? Read Proteau&rsquo;s &lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo; column every Tuesday and Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0006-04

? ASK THE EXPERTS

<p>Yes 92 %</p><p>No 8 %</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05431/9171926-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="536" height="78"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06302/9171919-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="493" height="693"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LECAVALIER: BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SPIT IT OUT!</b></h2><p>GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST</p><p><i>SEND US AN E-MAIL</i></p><p><a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">LETTERS@THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></p><p>OR LOG ON</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 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100 Toronto, ON., M2N 6S7, Canada</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>BONUS!</b></h2><p>All subscribers get exclusive content on <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> with an ALL-ACCESS PASS!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-05

POLL RESULTS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021664/9171964-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Nash <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="117" height="132"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>ICK NASH IS USED to being judged by his numbers, but he knows having an important letter on his sweater this year signifies an evolution in his responsibilities with the Columbus Blue Jackets.</p><p>And if the number of playoff games Nash and the Columbus franchise have participated in is to grow from zero, the hulking left winger will have to play a big part in making that happen.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of my job (to get us over the hump) being captain, you&rsquo;ve got to be a leader,&rdquo; said Nash, who took over the Jackets captaincy last March following Adam Foote&rsquo;s trade to Colorado. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve got 22 guys on the team and a lot of older guys who&rsquo;ve been in the playoffs and won Stanley Cups, so it should be good, but that&rsquo;s our next step in Columbus.&rdquo;</p><p>Getting there will have a lot to do with the continued development of Nash&rsquo;s game. The first pick in the 2002 draft used to be fixated solely on scoring goals, but he&rsquo;s becoming an all-situations player who contributes at both ends of the ice. A lot of that change is the influence of Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock, who took over the team during the 2006-07 season.</p><p>&ldquo;I came into the league and I really only had one incentive and that was to score goals,&rdquo; said Nash, who found the back of the net 38 times in 80 games last year. &ldquo;Th at was the role I was given. I was playing 12, 13 minutes a game and some use on the power play and that&rsquo;s it.</p><p>&ldquo;Now, I&rsquo;m on in all different situations, I&rsquo;m playing on the penalty-kill, I&rsquo;m on in the last minute of the game. Since Hitch has come in, that kind of changed it.&rdquo;</p><p>Change has definitely been a theme of the summer for Columbus, with new faces up front and on the blueline. Nash in particular will have a pair of new linemates on the Jackets&rsquo; No. 1 unit thanks to the arrival of center R.J. Umberger (trade with Philadelphia) and right winger Kristian Huselius (signed as a free agent from Calgary).</p><p>Nash, who is the coverboy for 2K Sports&rsquo; new hockey video game, <i>NHL 2K9</i>, likes what he has seen from his team&rsquo;s two biggest off-season additions.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011982/9171957-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="763" height="826"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Nash is a video game poster boy, but will his Blue Jackets be playoff-bound this year?</figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;Watching Umberger in the playoffs, he was pretty impressive (10 goals in 17 games for Philadelphia), he put on a pretty good show there,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;With Huselius, we saw him quite a bit with Calgary last year and he was playing with (Jarome) Iginla. It looked like they had some chemistry and success together, so it should be fun to see what happens.&rdquo;</p><p>Columbus programs will feature some other new names this fall.</p><p>Tough right winger Raffi Torres was brought in from Edmonton in a deal for fading prospect Gilbert Brule, who never found his footing in Ohio. Meanwhile, underperforming right winger Nikolai Zherdev was jettisoned in a trade with the Rangers that brought in defenseman Fedor Tyutin. Free agent signee Mike Commodore also joins a blueline that lost Ron Hainsey via free agency.</p><p>The turnover combined with expected growth from within have some fans believing the Jackets&rsquo; eighth season will finally bring a post-season berth. Nash&rsquo;s message for an antsy fan base? We&rsquo;ll get there&hellip; eventually.</p><p>&ldquo;Just be patient, sooner or later we&rsquo;re going to get there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve already been the most patient fans in the league, by far, and they&rsquo;re loyal to us, so you know, stay loyal, stay patient and we&rsquo;ll bring it soon.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

CAPTAIN COLUMBUS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04644/9172009-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="472" height="472"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SAKIC: MICHAEL MARTIN/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/f0009-021377/9172023-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="131" height="131"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03844/9172016-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="148" height="148"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>STILL SPOKIN&rsquo; Defending Memorial Cup champs from Spokane once again the team to beat in major junior.</p><p>AN EVEN 20 It took a while for him to decide, but Avs legend Joe Sakic is coming back for his 20th NHL season.</p><p>HANG &rsquo;EM UP After 16 sturdy seasons, Stu Barnes retires to become an assistant coach with the Stars.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05481/9172002-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="475" height="472"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TAVARES: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>CREASE CRISIS Atlanta enters the year with NHL&rsquo;s shakiest goaltending according to our number-crunching.</p><p>TOO BAD Unless he gets traded, top prospect John Tavares will be toiling on a very weak Oshawa team.</p><p>CRAZY TALK Summer doldrums lead to hockey chatter that tends to be overly speculation-heavy.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-04

PLUS/MINUS

<p>10 MARK BELL settled past debts to society and aims to effective for the Leafs.</p><p>9 With a heart ailment hopefully behind him, TEPPO NUMMINEN rejoins Buffalo.</p><p>8 After a nightmare scenario in Toronto, ANDREW RAY-CROFT gets a shot with Avs.</p><p>7 After whiffs in L.A. and Florida, can OLLI JOKINEN take &lsquo;Yotes to the playoffs?</p><p>6 JEFF FINGER doesn&rsquo;t need to be flashy to live up to his contract in Toronto.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06397/9172054-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="562" height="431"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHEECHOO: DON SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>5 MIKE SMITH begins his first season as a starter on the D-ficient Lightning.</p><p>4 BRIAN GIONTA isn&rsquo;t happy about drop from 89 points to seasons of 45 and 53.</p><p>3 He didn&rsquo;t want to be the hometown hero, but ALEX TANGUAY is a Hab anyway.</p><p>2 Two seasons removed from the goal title, JONATHAN CHEECHOO has work to do.</p><p>1 A one-year contract in Detroit means MARIAN HOSSA is serious about success.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-06

Starting from 10

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU, WITH A FILE FROM MIKE KNOBLER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012172/9172085-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin likely will be traded to get Chicago under the salary cap. <span class="photo-credit">(KHABIBULIN: BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>S THE CALENDAR TURNED FROM AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER, a handful of NHL teams were flirting with the danger that comes with being either above or below the salary cap.</p><p>According to the <a href="http://nhlnumbers.com">NHLnumbers.com</a> website, the Los Angeles Kings (projected in late August as $13.4 million below the minimum), Atlanta Th rashers ($2.98 million under) and Phoenix Coyotes ($1.6 million under) still had to spend money on players prior to the beginning of the regular season to meet the league&rsquo;s $40.7 million cap floor, while the Philadelphia Flyers ($4.5 million over the cap), Chicago Blackhawks ($2.5 million over), Washington Capitals ($2.25 million over), Calgary Flames, ($1.4 million over), Anaheim Ducks ($1.3 million over) and San Jose Sharks ($0.2 million over) needed to cut payroll to be under the $56.7-million upper limit.</p><p>The Th rashers didn&rsquo;t appear to be overly concerned about incurring the NHL&rsquo;s wrath by not meeting the salary cap minimum. Th rashers GM Don Waddell told the Atlanta <i>Journal-Constitution,</i> &ldquo;Once we get (2008 first round draft pick Zach Bogosian) signed (to an entry-level contract), we&rsquo;ll be fine.&rdquo;</p><p>Likewise, the Kings expected to creep much closer to the cap floor by re-signing restricted free agent forwards Jarret Stoll, Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan and Brad Richardson to new deals.</p><p>If those three pacts aren&rsquo;t enough to get them over the hump, Los Angeles has a couple of other options by which to do so. They could make a trade &ndash; and with Chicago needing to get under the cap, a Nikolai Khabibulin-to-the-Kings swap makes sense for both teams &ndash; or they could dip into what remains of the unrestricted free agent market and ink a veteran such as Yanic Perreault, Mark Parrish, Glen Murray or Mats Sundin (just kidding on that last one).</p><p>The options for teams that have to cut salary are equally limited. If a payroll-cutting trade can&rsquo;t be made, all a team can do is either (a) remove an NHLer&rsquo;s salary from the books by demoting him to the minors, or (b) buy out a sufficient number of player contracts to get under the maximum.</p><p>What would happen if teams simply refused to get their finances in line according to the league&rsquo;s specifications?</p><p>&ldquo;All teams are mandated by the (collective bargaining agreement) to be in compliance with the Payroll Range &ndash; both the floor and the (upper limit) &ndash; by the time the regular season begins,&rdquo; said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly in an email to The Hockey News. He noted that the teams in question are aware of their obligations in this regard, and they intend to be compliant.</p><p>The notion that any team would have the gumption to spend a penny more or a penny less than mandated, Daly added, isn&rsquo;t one that has crossed the minds of NHL management.</p><p>&ldquo;It (is) really not an option to be non-compliant,&rdquo; Daly wrote in his email to THN.</p><p>&ldquo;There would be a wide range of possible actions the league could take in the event of non-compliance, but I&rsquo;m not in a position to be more specific than that at this point because your question posits a hypothetical that we do not expect we will ever have to deal with.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

CAP MOVES TO COME

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="117" height="132"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ITH THE BEIJING Olympics over, the torch can officially start making its way to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Games. You can bet many young NHLers will be trying to make themselves into Olympians with a big performance in the last full season of NHL hockey before the big event.</p><p>IS THE NHL trend of recycling coaches coming to an end? Four bench bosses with no previous NHL head coaching experience were hired this summer to lead teams in the world&rsquo;s best league. With Scott Gordon on Long Island, John Anderson in Atlanta, Todd McLellan in San Jose and Peter DeBoer in Florida, the number of NHL bench bosses currently on their first head coaching gig in the league is 15, making for an even 50-50 split. Included among the guys getting their first crack is Jack Adams winner Bruce Boudreau.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

SNAPSHOTS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03992/9172161-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="254" height="253"></div><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s about five or six guys that have PSPs on the team and we play 3-on-3 the entire trip, no matter how long it is.</p><p>We play Syphon Filter, which is a third-person shooter game. I also have my iPod and my shaving kit.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04688/9172154-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="365" height="361"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05502/9172147-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="367" height="361"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-03

WHAT’S IN YOUR SUITCASE BLAKE COMEAU?

<p class="dropcap"><span>K</span>yle Turris has a slew of young dynamos to play with and there will be no shortage of veteran linemates for Steven Stamkos this season. No wonder the Calder hopefuls were picked in THN&rsquo;s &rsquo;08 Pool Guide to lead the NHL&rsquo;s rookie scoring race this season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011880/9172199-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="997" height="756"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TURRIS: GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>TURRIS VS. STAMKOS</b></h2><p>TALE OF THE TAPE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021362/9172192-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="970" height="663"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03912/9172230-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="266" height="356"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>IGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS are about awkward pictures and trying to get the cool kids to sign your copy. The Hockey News Yearbook is a big-picture look at how signings and trades &ndash; among other factors &ndash; will impact every team in the NHL this season.</p><p>The 2008-09 version of our annual Yearbook contains all our staple elements, including a ranking of the league&rsquo;s top 50 players and bold predictions about where each squad will finish the season. And, of course, we also make our pre-season call on who we see skating off with the Cup next June.</p><p>As always, we expect our projections and assessments will prove to be talking points &ndash; and in some cases, yelling points &ndash; for fans everywhere. There&rsquo;s also an assortment of in-depth features on league personalities, including the still-golden Brett Hull, the gregarious Alex Ovechkin and the surprisingly engaging Pavel Datsyuk.</p><p>In an attempt to cater to our readers&rsquo; region-specific tastes, our design team worked hard to put together 14 different covers.</p><p>The Yearbook is available at newsstands now and via our website, <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-03

ANNUAL SPECIAL

<div class="byline">with Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021652/9172268-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012116/9172275-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="207" height="246"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">Saku Koivu: The longest-serving player in Canadiens history to not win a Stanley Cup</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>NOTHER HOCKEY SEASON IS NIGH. For many who participate in this great game, that means roughly another eight months of bad coffee and good memories, of early-morning practices and games in freezing cold barns that should probably be condemned.</p><p>Then sometime in March or April, after the last goal is scored and the stinky equipment bag is closed for the last time, a good number of young players in North America will receive a shiny personal trophy to display in their bedrooms.</p><p>Will their team have won the league championship? Well, no.</p><p>Will they have made some outstanding individual achievement? Nope.</p><p>Will they have been the most valuable, most improved or most sportsmanlike player on their teams? Nada.</p><p>But they will receive a trophy and all they have to do to qualify for it is to show up at the games. Actually, that&rsquo;s not even the case. All they have to do is have Mom or Dad pay their registration fees at the beginning of the season. And voila, they automatically qualify for the Generation Y-inspired participation trophy. Th at way, everyone can feel as good as Bart Simpson, whose only award ever is inscribed with, &ldquo;Everyone Gets a Trophy Day.&rdquo;</p><p>So what if it&rsquo;s contributing to producing a generation of self-indulgent spoiled kids with an overinflated sense of entitlement? Everybody has a high level of self-esteem and that&rsquo;s what matters.</p><p>Somewhere along the line, somebody decided it wasn&rsquo;t a worthy life lesson to teach our children that winners get the accolades and the others don&rsquo;t. At some point it was decided you get points just for showing up.</p><p>I figure that thinking should extend all the way to all levels of hockey. Not only should every NHLer be entitled to a minimum salary of nearly $500,000, they should all receive a trophy, too. The league would benefit too, since doing that would almost certainly make the NHL Players&rsquo; Association forget how badly it&rsquo;s getting its butt kicked in this collective bargaining agreement and keep the players from terminating it after this season.</p><p>after all, everybody deserves an award for something. So here&rsquo;s to doling out awards to players for slightly-less-than-otherworldly deeds. Such as:</p><p><b>Olli Jokinen</b> For breaking Guy Charron&rsquo;s record for most regular season games played without appearing in the playoffs. Charron&rsquo;s mark stands at 734, while Jokinen enters this season 0-for-723.</p><p><b>Saku Koivu</b> For being the longest-serving player in Montreal Canadiens history, 727 games and counting, to not win a Stanley Cup.</p><p><b>Lou Lamoriello</b> For continuing to find creative new ways to circumvent the CBA by placing players on injured reserve, in the minors and in Europe. First it was Alexander Mogilny, then Richard Matvichuk. Th is season, he&rsquo;s lopped $1.8 million off his salary cap by &ldquo;allowing&rdquo; Vitaly Vishnevski to play in Russia while paying him for the next two seasons.</p><p><b>Todd Bertuzzi</b> For continuing to convince NHL decision-makers that he can still play after committing one of the most heinous on-ice acts in NHL history.</p><p><b>Barry Melrose</b> For realizing, at some point this season, there is no longer a two-line pass in the NHL.</p><p><b>Peter Forsberg</b> For being a warrior. Even if he doesn&rsquo;t play this season, he will undoubtedly be most heroic in not playing.</p><p><b>Vesa Toskala</b> For making an even worse Toronto Maple Leafs team basically what it has been the past three seasons &ndash; not good enough to be taken seriously, not bad enough to get a draft pick of impact.</p><p><b>John Tavares</b> For not dying of boredom in his fourth season of major junior hockey before he&rsquo;s finally draft ed next June.</p><p><b>Mike Sillinger</b> Assuming he doesn&rsquo;t get traded by the New York Islanders this season, for going three straight seasons with the same team for the first time in his career.</p><p><b>Fabian Brunnstrom</b> For not wilting under the pressure of being the most over-hyped player in years. Brunnstrom was not good enough to make a Swedish national team that was bereft of NHL players last season, but somehow is being expected to work miracles at the NHL level.</p><p><b>Rick Nash</b> For taking over the mantle of Captain Canada from Ryan Smyth, which of course assumes Columbus won&rsquo;t be seeing the playoffs anytime soon.</p><p><b>Sidney Crosby</b> For maintaining his status as one of the elite players in the league, despite the fact his regular wingmen are potentially Ruslan Fedotenko and Miroslav Satan.</p><p><b>Daniel Alfredsson</b> For leading the lost Ottawa Senators back to the upper echelon of the NHL.</p><p><b>Michael Ryder</b> For rebounding back to form playing once again for coach Claude Julien. Ryder has always responded positively to Julien (whom he played for in Montreal and in junior) and the Bruins think that will be the case again. If not, they signed one of the all-time greatest boneheaded contracts.</p><p><b>Roberto Luongo</b> For not going postal when the anemic Vancouver Canucks go seven straight games this season without finding the other team&rsquo;s net.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></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>

f0012-02

EVERYONE GETS A TROPHY DAY

<div class="byline">DAN WOOD</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021326/9172306-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Corey Perry will be an integral part of the Ducks&rsquo; offense for years. <span class="photo-credit">(DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011890/9172313-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="207" height="246"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ITH STANDOUT YOUNG FORWARDS Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry set to haul in $26.6 million apiece over the duration of newly signed five-year contracts, the Anaheim Ducks have a good foundation to remain as Stanley Cup contenders for a long time.</p><p>But after Getzlaf and Perry, who will be Anaheim&rsquo;s flagbearers going forward, there is a lot of uncertainty beyond 2008-09. Defenseman Scott Niedermayer, who has been so instrumental in the team&rsquo;s success since arriving from the New Jersey Devils in 2005, will be an unrestricted free agent after the coming season, and there is no guarantee Niedermayer will decide to continue his career.</p><p>As of late August, the Ducks didn&rsquo;t even know whether right winger Teemu Selanne, another fellow future Hall of Famer, would play this season.</p><p>In any case, Selanne will turn 39 next summer, so the end is clearly near for the most popular and prolific player in franchise history. In total, the contracts of 14 players on Anaheim&rsquo;s roster are set to expire after this season. With that in mind, &rsquo;08-09 will mark the final campaign in a window of opportunity for the Ducks to grab a second Cup.</p><p>In Niedermayer, fellow Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Chris Pronger and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Anaheim still boasts many of the key ingredients that carried the team to glory two seasons ago. Unlike last season, Niedermayer will be around from the start of training camp, the Ducks won&rsquo;t be dealing with any Stanley Cup hangover and they won&rsquo;t have the terribly difficult early schedule that included opening with two games in London.</p><p>On the flip side, it remains uncertain whether Anaheim can ice the one key element that has been missing since the 2007 Stanley Cup victory over the Ottawa Senators &ndash; a balanced scoring attack that features a productive second line.</p><p>The offense simply hasn&rsquo;t been the same since the Edmon-ton Oilers poached talented young winger Dustin Penner less than two months after the Ducks won the Cup. With Selanne absent at the start of last season, speedy center Andy McDonald was ineffective and Anaheim eventually sacrificed McDonald in a salary cap-related trade with the St. Louis Blues.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">The offense hasn&rsquo;t been the same since the Oilers poached Dustin Penner</blockquote><p>Veterans Todd Bertuzzi and Doug Weight failed to appreciably add to the team. Both are gone already.</p><p>As they approach training camp, the Ducks aren&rsquo;t quite sure what they have beyond a projected top line of Getzlaf, Perry and left winger Chris Kunitz. In an attempt to find an anchor for a second scoring unit, Anaheim dipped into the free-agent market for former Vancouver Canucks center Brendan Morrison.</p><p>Particularly if Selanne returns, Morrison figures to be a solid fit as long as he can shake the effects of four surgeries over the past two years. The Ducks are also counting heavily on rookie winger Bobby Ryan, the second overall selection in the 2005 draft who showed considerable progress in cameo appearances last season and then enjoyed an outstanding American League playoff run with the Portland Pirates.</p><p>The best-case scenario, then, includes six legitimate top-six forwards, a luxury that would enable coach Randy Carlyle to perform his desired juggling act to keep players sharp and find the most effective combinations depending on various situations.</p><p>Should Selanne retire, or Morrison continue to endure physical problems, or Ryan not come through as expected, Anaheim would be left to sift through less-than-attractive second-line possibilities such as veteran grinder Todd Marchant, journeyman Eric Boguniecki and unproven Joakim Lindstrom, who arrived in a July trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets.</p><p>Given the team&rsquo;s proximity to the $56.7 million salary cap, GM Brian Burke doesn&rsquo;t have a lot of leeway to tweak the roster.</p><p>Like many of the players, Burke&rsquo;s future also remains in limbo, with his contract set to expire after the season. Other than Getzlaf and Perry, the only Ducks veterans signed beyond this season are Giguere, Pronger, Kunitz, backup goalie Jonas Hiller and young center Ryan Carter.</p><p>With a 2009-10 salary-cap commitment of less than $30 million, including the last of the buyout money due to Bertuzzi, Anaheim will have plenty of flexibility to re-make the team. Th at will mean new contracts for key cogs the Ducks are able to retain, or it will signal a significant re-tooling of the roster.</p><p>Whether it is Burke or someone else steering the ship next summer, the uncertainty going forward makes it incumbent upon the Ducks to make the most of the opportunity this season offers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-02

DUCK POND LOOKS MURKY

f0014-01

SOLID AS A ROCK

<div class="byline">By Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011745/9172613-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Lightning owner Oren Koules selects Steven Stamkos at the 2008 NHL draft. <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>SINCE THE DAWN OF MANKIND, well-established old folks always have cast a skeptical eye on the greenhorns who succeed them.</b></p><p><b>Evidence of it is everywhere: Most people raised on The Beatles are guaranteed to scoff at wet-behind-the-ears whippersnappers who (correctly) suggest Radiohead is the rock band to end all rock bands; longtime devotees of <i>The Simpsons</i> cartoon turned up their collective nose at <i>Family Guy</i>, but the latter&rsquo;s success has made the former appear quaint by comparison; and those who believed nothing could be hotter than the famous Farrah Fawcett poster from the 1970s had to eat their words after getting an eye-load of Cindy Crawford, Elle MacPherson and whomever Leonardo DiCaprio dates these days.</b></p><p><b>That old generation/new generation cynicism currently is being directed at the new owners, GM, coach and drastically re-jigged roster of the Tampa Bay Lightning.</b></p><p><b>As the newest kids on the NHL block, new Lightning owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules quickly made a name for themselves this summer with the kind of bold moves rarely associated with the tortoise-like hockey establishment. Thus, there is no shortage of industry-types casting aspersions on the likelihood of their success.</b></p><p><b>However, that doesn&rsquo;t mean the extensively renovated Lightning won&rsquo;t deliver in its quest for a Flyers-like, quick-style reversal of fortune. In fact, if you consider the histories of the men now paying the Bolts&rsquo; bills, it would be foolish to assume they won&rsquo;t prove the doubters wrong.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011506/9172606-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="2176" height="1501"><figcaption class="caption-body">Oren Koules and Len Barrie hired Barry Melrose, center, as coach after 13 years away from the NHL bench. <span class="photo-credit">(CP IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After he ended a 12-year playing career that included 184 NHL games, Barrie earned the bulk of his fortune by running roughshod over opponents of his Bear Mountain resort in British Columbia <i>(see sidebar on pg. 23.)</i> And though Koules&rsquo; riches came as a movie producer and commodities trader, his spirit was forged years before as a major junior player.</p><p>&ldquo;Oren was one of the first Americans playing in the Western Hockey League in the early &rsquo;80s,&rdquo; said Barry Melrose, whom the Lightning lured away from a marquee gig as ESPN&rsquo;s main NHL analyst to become Tampa Bay coach. &ldquo;I can only imagine what an American went through playing there in the &rsquo;80s&hellip;Th at showed he was a pretty brave guy.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;My whole life I was told I could never make the NHL, that the Bear Mountain project was going to fail,&rdquo; added Barrie, 39, who retired from playing in 2001. &ldquo;Maybe (the skepticism) is a little more frustrating for Oren, just because he hasn&rsquo;t been under the microscope as much as I&rsquo;ve been. I&rsquo;m used to it. I&rsquo;m just going to sit back and let our record speak for itself.&rdquo;</p><p>Th at record currently stands at 0-0-0. But Barrie and Koules&rsquo; off-season accomplishments aren&rsquo;t nearly so sparse.</p><p>In addition to completely revamping Tampa Bay&rsquo;s management team &ndash; which now includes new GM Brian Lawton, assistant GM Tom Kurvers, assistant coaches Rick Tocchet, Wes Walz and Cap Raeder, a host of new scouts and Darren Rumble, coach of their American League affiliate in Norfolk &ndash; the Bolts also have a sizeable group of new faces on the ice.</p><p>Gone are veteran forwards Andre Roy and Tim Taylor, key defenseman Dan Boyle, and goalie Marc Denis. In their stead are forwards Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi and Radim Vrbata, D-man Matt Carle, and goaltender Olaf Kolzig.</p><p>Oh, and there&rsquo;s also a 2008 No. 1 draft pick named Steven Stamkos who will figure prominently into their new mix.</p><p>The changes will mean the Bolts won&rsquo;t finish last in the NHL standings for the second straight year and almost assuredly will challenge for a playoff spot. In traditional hockey markets, that might not be major news. But in Tampa Bay, immediate improvement is vital for the franchise&rsquo;s well-being.</p><p>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t be out of the playoffs for too long in Tampa, because the people won&rsquo;t come back,&rdquo; said Jacques Demers, the Lightning&rsquo;s former coach-GM. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got a good group of hardcore fans, but the market there is still very sensitive. These owners understood that, so they&rsquo;ve given Barry and Brian Lawton the same thing I got in Detroit from (owner) Mike Ilitch &ndash; they gave them the talent&ndash;now it&rsquo;s up to them.&rdquo;</p><p>Demers sees similarities between the Bolts and the moribund Detroit team he took over in 1986 and coached to an appearance in the Western Conference final in his rookie year.</p><p>&ldquo;Mike Illitch told us, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re going to put in the money,&rsquo; and he and (then-GM) Jimmy Devellano were 100 percent behind what I wanted to do. Th at&rsquo;s what they&rsquo;ve done in Tampa.&rdquo;</p><p>Melrose, who last coached with the L.A. Kings in 1994-95, always wanted back into the game, but he&rsquo;d stayed on the sidelines despite interest from the New York Rangers and other teams. So why would he leave the comfort and prestige associated with an ESPN job for the rigors and stresses of coaching?</p><p>It all has to do with Koules and Barrie&rsquo;s sales pitch &ndash; one that&rsquo;s convinced more than a few hockey men to join them.</p><p>&ldquo;Oren and Lennie knew me through friends and acquaintances of guys who used to play for me &ndash; Rob Blake, Luc Robitaille &ndash; and as they got closer and closer to buying the team, they started asking guys about me,&rdquo; Melrose said. &ldquo;Those guys were great; they spoke very highly of me.</p><p>&ldquo;Th at got the ball rolling. Then I got a call from (new Norfolk GM) Mike Butters, who was partners with Oren in a team in Helena, Montana, and Mike called and asked if I&rsquo;d be interested in coaching in the NHL again. I said I would love to.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>You can&rsquo;t be out of the playoffs for too long in Tampa, because the people won&rsquo;t come back.</b><br>&ndash; Jacques Demers</blockquote><p>&ldquo;Thirty minutes later, Oren called. The next day, he was in Hartford and we met for the first time; I picked him up from the airport and we talked at a Starbucks in Simsbury, Conn.</p><p>&ldquo;The meeting went great; I loved his energy, I loved his passion, I loved his ideas. Everything he told me at that meeting at a Starbucks in Simsbury, he did. He said they were going to be active in free agency, we talked about who I thought we should go after, they said they would make a splash.&rdquo;</p><p>Th at they did, but it hasn&rsquo;t been all laurels for the new-look Bolts. The biggest downside to their summer was the prolonged, painful departure of former GM Jay Feaster, who twisted in the wind while the team&rsquo;s sale was finalized and resigned in early July.</p><p>In the GM community, Feaster&rsquo;s predicament was not well-received.</p><p>&ldquo;Some of the backlash here is because Jay Feaster was highly respected in our business,&rdquo; said Anaheim GM Brian Burke. &ldquo;He was punted to the curb with very little ceremony, so some of the negativity, is based on that. But Brian Lawton is a solid hockey guy who deserves the chance to show what he can do.&rdquo;</p><p>Lawton &ndash; a No. 1 overall pick of the Minnesota North Stars in 1983 who went on to a successful career as a player agent &ndash; regrets the way Feaster&rsquo;s departure played out, but adds it couldn&rsquo;t have been prevented.</p><p>&ldquo;The reality is, this isn&rsquo;t a hockey story about Jay Feaster, it&rsquo;s a business story,&rdquo; said Lawton, who had to wait until the sale closed before clearing out the franchise&rsquo;s scouting staff. &ldquo;You had a sale that dragged on for a long time and affected a lot more people than Jay. There were just things that (couldn&rsquo;t) be done until a certain time frame.&rdquo;</p><p>For every perceived negative like Feaster&rsquo;s situation, or rumors Koules and Barrie&rsquo;s financing wasn&rsquo;t as stable as it ought to be, there are five positive stories &ndash; either of guys getting their first real shot at big-time roles or the eye-moistening tale of the Bolts selecting David Carle (a top prospect forced to retire due to a heart ailment) with their final pick of the &rsquo;08 draft.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011392/9172599-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="1451" height="1002"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tampa Bay management has brought in a strong supporting cast to help Martin St-Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;The biggest thing people should know about Len and Oren is they&rsquo;re two of the most loyal, compassionate guys you&rsquo;ll ever meet,&rdquo; Lawton said. &ldquo;Some of the swashbuckling (attitude) comes out very easily; Oren has that Hollywood background and Len has always been a shoot-from-the-hip type guy.</p><p>&ldquo;But the things they did with David Carle, the way Len opened up his life, house and family to our prospects in Victoria, B.C. (for a summer camp), the way he and Oren have been so supportive of me &ndash; that&rsquo;s what really defines them.&rdquo;</p><p>What will go a long way toward defining the &rsquo;08-09 Lightning is the same thing hockey observers doubt the most: a defense corps as laden with youth as it is with inexperience. The Bolts claim confidence in their blueliners (that will lean heavily on veterans Filip Kuba and Paul Ranger), but others aren&rsquo;t so sure.</p><p>&ldquo;They may not be lying if they believe that group can do the job, but they&rsquo;re certainly delusional,&rdquo; one veteran GM said of Tampa&rsquo;s defense. &ldquo;If it&rsquo;s not the worst group in the league, it&rsquo;s the second-worst.&rdquo;</p><p>Th at sort of talk gets Lawton&rsquo;s competitive juices flowing.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard a million times about our &lsquo;D&rsquo;, &rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s hogwash. We&rsquo;re very happy with our defense corps. In today&rsquo;s game, some players just need a chance to show what they have. We feel we&rsquo;ve got a really strong group of guys; the only thing they need to get over the hump is an opportunity.&rdquo;</p><p>Melrose accepts the skepticism, but also is optimistic.</p><p>&ldquo;I like those words &ndash; &ldquo;question mark&rdquo; &ndash; about our defense,&rdquo; Melrose said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t foresee it as a weakness and I don&rsquo;t foresee it as a strength right now. The one good thing about our &lsquo;D&rsquo; is we don&rsquo;t have to win a lot of 1-0 games. We&rsquo;re going to score goals&hellip;and I think we&rsquo;re going to have great goaltending behind them with (incumbent starter Mike) Smith and Kolzig.</p><p>&ldquo;We can live with the words &lsquo;question mark&rsquo; right now, but I think by the second part of the season, we&rsquo;re going to be a pretty good defensive team.&rdquo;</p><p>Want to put Koules on the defensive? Get him talking about detractors who&rsquo;ve ripped his team&rsquo;s aggressive actions.</p><p>&ldquo;One of the things that bothers us is people who say Len and I are like kids in a candy store,&rdquo; Koules said. &ldquo;We had a real plan, a very wel-thought-out plan. It wasn&rsquo;t like we just decided to go crazy on free agent day. We had every person we wanted to go after picked out, and we only didn&rsquo;t get one &ndash; Brian Rolston. And we went down to the wire with him.&rdquo;</p><p>Koules is quick to shoot down concerns about his finances.</p><p>&ldquo;In light of everything that&rsquo;s gone on with (disgraced Predators co-owner William) &lsquo;Boots&rsquo; (Del Biaggio) and all the other owners, do you not think they&rsquo;d examine Len and I a thousand times over?&rdquo; Koules said. &ldquo;I can guarantee you with absolute certainty that we were scrutinized, in a good way, more than any ownership group ever. So for anyone to say we&rsquo;re going to implode financially, I don&rsquo;t think the league would let someone come in and implode in six months.&rdquo;</p><p>The determination that led producer Koules to glory with the <i>Saw</i> horror movie series is pushing him in his newest exploit.</p><p>&ldquo;In any business, passion wins a lot of contests,&rdquo; Koules said. &ldquo;We have a passion for the game, a passion to win. Nobody&rsquo;s going to go 82-0. But we&rsquo;ve got a plan and not just for the immediate future.&rdquo;</p><p>Th at plan was sufficient to convince Roberts to leave Pittsburgh &ndash; and the joy that comes with playing alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal &ndash; to join a team that went 31-42-9 last season.</p><p>&ldquo;Tampa ended up trading for my (negotiating) rights and the rights to Ryan Malone, and Len called me and asked if I was interested in playing again,&rdquo; said Roberts, who was an investor in Barrie&rsquo;s Bear Mountain resort prior to signing a two-year deal with the Bolts. &ldquo;They told me, &lsquo;We want to win right away, we know we need to make a splash with some moves, we&rsquo;re trying to make other changes to change the chemistry,&rsquo; and I just really liked what they had to say.</p><p>&ldquo;I looked at them getting Stamkos and already having Lecavalier and St-Louis and the goaltending they now have with Mike Smith and Olie Kolzig and I just really believed they could be a team that can surprise people this year.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>We have a passion for the game, a passion to win. Nobody&rsquo;s going to go 82-0.</b><br>&ndash; Oren Koules</blockquote><p>Imagine that &ndash; we&rsquo;re nearly finished this story and that was the first mention of Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St-Louis.</p><p>Naturally, both stars won&rsquo;t take a backseat to anyone once the season begins. But for the first time in a long time, their supporting cast will be almost as formidable as they are.</p><p>&ldquo;What we had in Tampa before we became owners wasn&rsquo;t broken,&rdquo; Barrie said. &ldquo;Part of the reason we were able to go out and bring in attractive assets like (free-agent signings Vaclav) Prospal and Recchi and Roberts and Vrbata is because we already had attractive assets in Vinny and Martin St-Louis.</p><p>Barrie knows questions surrounding his and Koules&rsquo; stewardship of the Lightning won&rsquo;t end until the team produces a meaningful season. Even at home, the skepticism remains.</p><p>&ldquo;My son Tyson, who&rsquo;s got the chance to be a high NHL draft pick this year, first said we couldn&rsquo;t draft him,&rdquo; Barrie said. &ldquo;Then he attended our (prospects) camp and did quite well, and then he said, &lsquo;OK, maybe it could work.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>Maybe it can. There&rsquo;s also a chance it won&rsquo;t and all the establishment know-it-alls will crow over the Lightning&rsquo;s carcass. But for now, the Bolts deserve the shot to meet or exceed their own expectations. And those expectations are loft y.</p><p>&ldquo;I think the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be the best bang-for-your-buck in the NHL,&rdquo; Melrose said. &ldquo;Th is team is going to be very entertaining. We&rsquo;re going to hit, we&rsquo;re going to play a very aggressive attacking style and we&rsquo;re going to fight.</p><p>&ldquo;When you leave the building after seeing us play, you&rsquo;re going to say, &lsquo;That team plays hard, they play with courage, they play with passion and I want to see them play again.&rsquo; &rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

RECHARGED

<div class="byline">with Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02965/9172658-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011341/9172665-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="207" height="246"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>P</span>AUL KELLY CELEBRATES his one-year anniversary Nov. 1 as executive director of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association. In that time, he has brought peace to an organization whose road had been quite rocky prior to his arrival.</p><p>Kelly took an hour at his Toronto office to speak with The Hockey News in August. Here is an edited version of that conversation. (Note: an extended version of the interview can be found at <a href="http://THN.com/screenshots">THN.com/screenshots</a>.)</p><p>The Hockey News: You&rsquo;ve been in your position more or less for a year now. How do you feel about the job?</p><p>Paul Kelly: It&rsquo;s so different from my prior life. I was a trial lawyer for 27 years and I loved being in a courtroom. But this job carries so many dimensions to it; there&rsquo;s the business component, the PR and media component, running an office, dealing with 700 players, dealing with international issues, dealing with labor issues.</p><p>It&rsquo;s been very enjoyable, very challenging. There&rsquo;s been some bumps, but hopefully those make us stronger in the long run.</p><p>THN: The NHLPA has a history of being rife with tumult. How do you feel you&rsquo;ve addressed those issues?</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I think we&rsquo;ve made some real inroads in bringing the group back together</blockquote><p>PK: I view it from two different perspectives. With respect to the membership, the 700-plus players, I think we&rsquo;ve made some real inroads in bringing the group back together, building unity, building solidarity. We&rsquo;ve done that through fall tour meetings, through summer meetings, through visits to various games, through regular communication with the guys.</p><p>So the combination of all those efforts, in addition to a written status report I try and send out to players each month, are all designed to try and send information, build confidence, build trust, and bring the guys together.</p><p>We&rsquo;ve made strides, but we still have a long way to go. We&rsquo;re going to keep working at it, and it&rsquo;s probably my No. 1 priority to keep the players informed and coming together as a group.</p><p>THN: Let&rsquo;s talk Euro expansion. Do you sense the NHL will put teams there anytime soon?</p><p>PK: We&rsquo;re in a better position than any other sport to expand our game globally. There are a number of European cities that would strongly support an NHL team. You could probably name five or six cities right now that would probably sell out every game.</p><p>How long will it take us to reach that point where we put a division of teams over there? Maybe in the 5-10-year range, and probably on the farther end of that scale.</p><p>I think it would be a mistake for the NHL not to seriously explore this. I think they need to, particularly with the emergence of the Konti-nental League. I think it&rsquo;s critical for our future growth, if we want to continue to attract the best players.</p><p>Having teams in Prague, in Stockholm, in Helsinki, in Berlin, is a critical step. And from a business perspective, imagine what a wonderful thing it would be to have a global TV contract and see NHL games anywhere in the world. What a tremendous, positive step that would be.</p><p>THN: An issue that sticks out from our last conversation is coaching style. The coaching community is one group that still, in my mind, doesn&rsquo;t receive a lot of scrutiny in terms of the product it plays a major role in creating.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011200/9172651-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="1255" height="1283"><figcaption class="caption-body">Anaheim&rsquo;s Mathieu Schneider thinks the game still needs tweaking. <span class="photo-credit">(DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>PK: I agree with you. I think, more than anything else, coaching affects the product we see on the ice. I love a coach who coaches a wide-open, offensive style of play.</p><p>Other clubs play a more stifling, trapping style of play some fans may enjoy. I prefer a wide-open style allowing guys to show their skills and talents on the ice surface. The NHL needs to communicate with some of its coaches on these issues, but the competition committee took up this issue in June; I was in the room, and there were a number of creative ideas tossed around.</p><p>Now, we didn&rsquo;t pass any rules and decided to continue studying it, but it was the players who pursued it. In fact, (Ducks defenseman) Mathieu Schneider said we really need to open up the game more, and he threw out a couple of ideas.</p><p>One was, would we ever consider banning skating backwards in the neutral zone? Another was, don&rsquo;t allow the defenseman to stop behind the net when he&rsquo;s got the puck; he might be allowed to stop for a split second, but the idea is to stop players from using the net as a screen.</p><p>(Canadiens GM) Bob Gainey then spoke up and said, why don&rsquo;t we not allow teams to have all five of their players in their own defensive zone? Th at was a little too radical for me. But it shows there&rsquo;s thought being given to how we keep the flow of the game going, how we continue to stop clutching and grabbing.</p><p>Players know what the game needs. They&rsquo;re not looking for radical change. The competition committee talked about no-touch icing and when the topic was raised, not one of the five (playing members) voted for it.</p><p>It was consistent with the notion they want to protect players &ndash; we&rsquo;re not happy with what happened to Kurtis Foster and we&rsquo;d like to see something happen to change that risk &ndash; but they don&rsquo;t like whistles. In international play, no-touch icing means stop, stop, stop; they want the flow.</p><p>THN: There is a sentiment out there that labor problems could be on the horizon in the not-too distant future, with owners going after guaranteed contracts in the next collective bargaining agreement. How worried are you that, before long, the NHL will have potential trouble on its hands again?</p><p>PK: I don&rsquo;t know that I&rsquo;m worried. The players have to look at this question quickly, given that there&rsquo;s an opportunity to re-open the CBA at the end of this season. If the players decide not to terminate the CBA, the agreement will run until the 2010-11 season, or more likely, until 2011-12.</p><p>So you&rsquo;re talking at least another four seasons of hockey. Th is CBA, I think we need two or three more seasons of experience (with it) to find out what works and doesn&rsquo;t work. And I think both sides will have some examples of what they feel needs to be changed for the better.</p><p>When we get to within a year or two from the real end of the CBA, we have to start regular, constructive discussions. We won&rsquo;t put it off until the final couple months and we&rsquo;re not going to engage in public rhetoric. It&rsquo;s not healthy for the owners to say they&rsquo;re going after guaranteed contracts; that should be a discussion that takes place in boardrooms between professional people doing real analysis on the issues.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t want to engage in public battles. I am determined to try and avoid labor unrest, be it in the form of a lockout or strike. But in a labor context, unfortunately, sometimes labor unrest in the form of a lockout or strike is the only option.</p><p>It is not one that will be taken lightly by the players, but if the players have to do it, they will do it. If owners arbitrarily come at the players and try to re-trench critical areas, there&rsquo;s no question hockey players will be a unified and educated group in response.</p><p>As fans of the game, we&rsquo;re not looking to do that. We&rsquo;re going to do everything within our power to avoid that. And as smart businessmen, we should be able to accomplish that. But if owners take unreasonable positions, they&rsquo;ll have to deal with the consequences.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></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>

f0024-02

GETTING THE BOYS TOGETHER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GLENNON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02321/9172703-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="117" height="132"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01499/9172710-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="193" height="164"></div><h2><b>NASHVILLE</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>N THE COURSE OF ONE SUMMER, goalie Dan Ellis managed to start both an IndyCar race and a family. Pretty eventful stuff for a guy whose off-season began in relaxing Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where Ellis, his wife and relatives took a vacation.</p><p>The pace picked up in early July, when the Predators&rsquo; starting goaltender accepted an invitation to serve as the starter for Nashville Superspeedway&rsquo;s Firestone 200. Stationed at the starting line, Ellis issued the command for drivers to start their engines.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">IN THE SPOT LIGHT</blockquote><p>&ldquo;It was awesome,&rdquo; Ellis said. &ldquo;You hear the noise of the engines as soon as you give that command&hellip;and it just echoes around the track and down on you. It&rsquo;s an incredible sound.&rdquo;</p><p>Less than a month later, Ellis was cheering on his wife, Katy, in Nebraska as she gave birth to their first child &ndash; a boy named Kaden.</p><p>Ellis was, quite literally, behind her all the way in the delivery room.</p><p>&ldquo;I was standing behind her and every now and then I worked up the nerve to take a peek at everything,&rdquo; Ellis said. &ldquo;It was a little scary, but I had a chair there if I got woozy. I was a definitely a hands-on dad and it was a great experience.&rdquo;</p><p>The Predators will open the season with their third starting goalie in as many years. Tomas Vokoun was dealt to Florida in 2007 and his replacement Chris Mason was traded to St. Louis this summer. Ellis and backup Pekka Rinne have combined for just 48 games regular season experience.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></div><p>For daily updates on all 30 NHL teams, visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p>JUST THE FACTS</p><p>48</p><p>Nashville goalies Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne combine for 48 games experience. That contrasts with 1,300 games for the New Jersey tandem.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0046-02

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAN WOOD</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="117" height="132"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01471/9172748-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="233" height="228"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Despite Anaheim&rsquo;s disappointing first round playoff loss to the Dallas Stars, Chris Kunitz and Ryan Getzlaf played hockey well past late April, helping Team Canada to a silver medal at the World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City.</p><p>Once he ditched the skates, Kunitz and his longtime girlfriend, Maureen, married July 19 in Chicago, then spent their honeymoon at a resort on the South Pacific island of Bora Bora.</p><p>&ldquo;We have a couple of friends who had gone there on honeymoons and we wanted to go somewhere we&rsquo;d probably never get back to if we started having kids,&rdquo; Kunitz said. &ldquo;It was quiet, peaceful, with really nice sunsets. &ldquo;It definitely lived up to all our expectations and more.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

ANAHEIM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE KNOBLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02316/9172786-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="233" height="222"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Garnet Exelby ate black ink octopus risotto and he&rsquo;s got the photo to prove it.</p><p>&ldquo;It looks like I&rsquo;m eating tar,&rdquo; Exelby said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s got quite a strong fish taste to it.&rdquo;</p><p>Exelby ate it on a dare while in Croatia, one stop on the defenseman&rsquo;s five-week, four-nation summer odyssey.</p><p>The trip started in Dubai, where he skied a 15-story indoor hill, much bigger than that landfill he used to ski in Manitoba. Exelby and girlfriend Kate Hayes also visited Egypt and Italy (&ldquo;the pizza was better in Croatia,&rdquo; Exelby said). They waited in line for hours to see Michelangelo&rsquo;s David.</p><p>&ldquo;Just to see this sculpture was amazing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Even if you&rsquo;re not an art fan, you see something like that and you&rsquo;re like, &lsquo;Wow.&rsquo; &rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-02

ATLANTA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03252/9172817-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="234" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Despite a recent shoulder surgery, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara recovered in time to act as an athletic ambassador with Right To Play, an international organization that uses sport to benefit children in Third World nations.</p><p>Before returning to Slovakia, Chara travelled to Africa this summer, visiting Mozambique before hiking 18,650 feet up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The four-day ascent &ndash; hiking through the darkness of night the final day &ndash; tested even Chara, whose fitness regimen is legendary. When his hike ended at Gilman&rsquo;s Point, a 60-minute trek from the mountain&rsquo;s summit, he called the climb, &ldquo;the most difficult thing I&rsquo;ve ever done.&rdquo;</p><p>Chara donated his gear to local residents after the descent.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-03

BOSTON

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN VOGL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04193/9172848-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="233" height="222"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> It&rsquo;s not uncommon to spend the off-season playing in the sand. Lindy Ruff, however, spent time working in it.</p><p>The Sabres coach got a chance to caddy on the PGA Tour for longtime friend and golf professional Dudley Hart. Ruff quickly learned that spending the week at a picturesque resort isn&rsquo;t easy. He felt the pressure Hart was under with hundreds of thousands of dollars hanging on every shot. And raking the bunkers is an arduous task because the caddy must make sure the sand is immaculate.</p><p>Ruff was up to the job, though the outing was tempered when Hart failed to make the cut.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a great experience and I would think about doing it again some time,&rdquo; Ruff said, &ldquo;but I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s a future in it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-04

BUFFALO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05144/9172879-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="233" height="224"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> A trip to Mozambique wasn&rsquo;t exactly a return to Robyn Regehr&rsquo;s roots. But venturing to a Third World country is part of the Flames defenseman&rsquo;s way of life.</p><p>Born in Brazil and having spent a few years in Indonesia while his parents worked to teach farming methods around the world, Regehr has seen hardship just about everywhere.</p><p>&ldquo;It took me back, sleeping on floors with mosquito netting over you,&rdquo; said Regehr, who has set foot on six of the world&rsquo;s seven continents &ndash; Antarctica is the last one. &ldquo;It did remind me of memories growing up in Indonesia.&rdquo;</p><p>Regehr went to Africa with Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara for Right to Play, an international humanitarian organization.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-05

CALGARY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-06119/9172910-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="233" height="224"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Chad LaRose&rsquo;s energetic play has raised his local popularity unusually high for a guy with 18 career NHL goals.</p><p>His contract negotiations earlier this summer were followed closely by fans and he was invited by the class AAA Durham Bulls to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game in August.</p><p>LaRose&rsquo;s fastball cleared the catcher and hit a young musician, waiting at the backstop to play the national anthem, squarely in the back. She wasn&rsquo;t injured, but LaRose&rsquo;s pride was seriously damaged.</p><p>&ldquo;She came up to the seats and got pictures with me and everything,&rdquo; LaRose said. &ldquo;I was the one more hurt by it than her, I think. I&rsquo;m traumatized by the whole situation.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-06

CAROLINA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0794/9172941-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="234" height="227"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Whereas once players couldn&rsquo;t wait to disappear after another miserable season, the Hawks have been front and center in Chicago in the months since they came within three points of making the playoffs.</p><p>The Hawks sold out the NHL&rsquo;s first-ever fan convention in July where Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Brian Campbell were greeted like rock stars.</p><p>Later in July, Toews, Kane, Adam Burish and others were at Wrigley Field promoting the Winter Classic game to be played there on New Year&rsquo;s Day against the Detroit Red Wings.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s another franchise in pro sports that has had a better 12 months than this one,&rdquo; Burish said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-07

CHICAGO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0869/9172972-1-eng-US/f0047-082.jpg" title="f0047-08" width="233" height="221"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Many Avs had their summers taken up with attendance at weddings, including a lavish ceremony in Croatia that saw Marek Svatos tie the knot.</p><p>Joe Sakic and his family showed up in Croatia for Svatos&rsquo; wedding. Sakic&rsquo;s parents are Croatian, so the wedding also gave him reason to trace the roots of ancestors.</p><p>The wedding of ex-Av Dan Hinote, to Amy McCarthy (sister of celebrity Jenny) was a truly extravagant affair attended by many Avs. One of the highlights was an appearance by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Well, not really. It was actually Canadian movie star Jim Carrey in disguise. Carrey, boyfriend of Jenny, had players such as Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg in stitches with his Castro impression.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-08

COLORADO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="117" height="132"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01337/9173003-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="233" height="219"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> After an 82-game season and a two-week run at the World Championship, Rick Nash was ready for a lakeside cabin and a hammock.</p><p>But instead, he headed off to San Francisco to get a start on his modeling career as the cover boy for the NHL 2K9 video game.</p><p>And it&rsquo;s not as easy as it looks.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hot,&rdquo; Nash said of the suit covered in white balls he was forced to wear for hours on end. &ldquo;I have a new appreciation for what goes into these games.&rdquo;</p><p>The suit uses sensors to track Nash&rsquo;s every move so they can be replicated in the game.</p><p>The toughest was &ldquo;the goal&rdquo; Nash scored Jan. 17 in Phoenix.</p><p>&ldquo;It happened so fast in that game,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;It was hard to break it down and do it again.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

COLUMBUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02214/9173041-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="233" height="224"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Sean Avery spent hours pondering the outfit he would wear to his Dallas Stars introduction press conference in August and settled on an unstructured suit of madras plaid with short pants and red leather dress shoes.</p><p>Ridiculous? Not for a guy who spent the summer as an intern at <i>Men&rsquo;s Vogue</i> magazine.</p><p>Avery regularly reads fashion sections and periodicals, and was very keen to find out what went on behind the scenes. As an intern he was able to sit in on high-level meetings and photo shoots. He also selected some shoes that made it into the magazine.</p><p>&ldquo;Being in New York was fantastic, but I&rsquo;m hearing good things about the fashion in Dallas, too,&rdquo; Avery said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-02

DALLAS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03153/9173072-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="234" height="225"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> This summer, Newfoundland finally got its chance to party with the Stanley Cup, courtesy of Dan Cleary.</p><p>After becoming the first player from the island province to win the Cup, Cleary brought the trophy home for two days of festivities. He received a hero&rsquo;s welcome at St. John&rsquo;s International Airport and later took the Cup to Janeway Children&rsquo;s Hospital. Then, on Canada Day, Cleary took the Cup to his hometown of Riverhead, where an estimated 40,000 people turned out for a celebration that included a parade and a concert.</p><p>Cleary, who also established a scholarship fund for a collegebound male or female athlete in Newfoundland, had only 45 minutes of personal time with the Cup, but said it was worth the sacrifice.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-03

DETROIT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04127/9173103-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="233" height="228"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Call it a boot camp, a working holiday or the perfect blend of pain and pleasure.</p><p>However you want to describe it, the Oilers&rsquo; training retreat in Los Angeles &ndash; a compound that attracts as many as 15 current and former players &ndash; has become an annual rite of summer.</p><p>Headed up by strength and conditioning coach Chad Moreau, Ethan&rsquo;s brother, the camp involves dry-land training, weight training and California sunshine.</p><p>&ldquo;It started with four or five guys and it kind of spread by word of mouth,&rdquo; said captain Ethan Moreau. &ldquo;Pretty soon guys started renting places in the same area. We work hard in the mornings, then stay active, play some beach volleyball, go surfing, things like that. It&rsquo;s a great atmosphere to train in.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-04

EDMONTON

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH HAMMOND</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0679/9173165-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="233" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Defenseman Jack Johnson got an extensive onice education during his first NHL season. The curriculum expanded a bit this summer.</p><p>Johnson, who left the University of Michigan after his sophomore year to sign with L.A. in 2007, spent most of the summer in Ann Arbor with family and friends and also took a full load of classes toward a general studies degree.</p><p>Johnson took an upper-level writing class, an American literature class, an American culture class and a psychology class and said he got an &lsquo;A&rsquo; in each.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s actually easier now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no games or practices to worry about and when you&rsquo;re actually paying for (school), it motivates you to go to class a little more.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-06

LOS ANGELES

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0767/9173196-1-eng-US/f0048-072.jpg" title="f0048-07" width="234" height="222"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Kurtis Foster&rsquo;s summer vacation was spent in Minneapolis &ldquo;learning how to walk again.&rdquo;</p><p>Other than a brief return to Peterborough, Ont., to marry Stephanie Bosch &ndash; he was able to limp down the aisle, but she led on the dance floor &ndash; the defenseman spent an excruciating summer rehabbing from the broken femur he suffered last March in a collision with San Jose&rsquo;s Torrey Mitchell.</p><p>In mid-August, he was able to throw away his cane. By Dec. 1, he hopes to be playing again.</p><p>Daily, Foster works out for two hours. He then does two hours of therapy, goes for lunch and returns for an hour of pool therapy.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost been a full-time job trying to rehab this summer,&rdquo; Foster said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-07

MINNESOTA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0846/9173227-1-eng-US/f0048-082.jpg" title="f0048-08" width="233" height="225"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> It has been a long time between championships for Patrice Brisebois.</p><p>The veteran defenseman won a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1993, his first full NHL season. And this summer the 37-year-old, who has long had a passion for racing, captured the Ferrari Challenge on July 20 at Mont Tremblant, Que.</p><p>Brisebois, a UFA who hopes to return to the Habs this year, has spent the past five summers as a part-time competitor on the Ferrari Challenge circuit. He owns a factory-ordered, 500-horsepower 2006 Ferrari F430 that cost nearly $300,000.</p><p>&ldquo;I know when I jump in my car, something can happen,&rdquo; admitted Brisebois, exhaustively schooled in the sport. &ldquo;Any racer is out there because they love it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-08

MONTREAL

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02209/9173258-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brendan Witt felt a stingray&rsquo;s wrath this summer. <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="117" height="132"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01297/9173265-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="233" height="225"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Patrik Elias had some major concerns about his liver when he contracted hepatitis A during the 2004-05 lockout, but the Devils left winger has always had a good heart.</p><p>Since 2006, Elias has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and this summer he continued his work in helping children around the world overcome poverty and disease. His primary mission in the off-season was a September trip to Belize, where UNICEF focused on an HIV outreach program, after-school and daycare plans, as well as sports development for children.</p><p>In the meantime, Elias and his wife, Petra, have been living in Prague the past three off-seasons. Elias also watched some Euro 2008 soccer in Switzerland.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-02

NEW JERSEY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER BOTTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03153/9173303-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="233" height="221"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Brendan Witt is known as a hard-hat defenseman, so construction was an apt way for him to spend his summer.</p><p>The Islanders veteran spent most of his time supervising the building of a dream house in West Palm Beach, Fla. The 12-acre expanse is replete with &ldquo;green&rdquo; environmental features such as solar power as well as a horse paddock where his wife Salima, a former competitive equestrian jumper, and their two daughters can ride.</p><p>Witt&rsquo;s new home also is just seven miles from the Atlantic Ocean, a key point because of his love for surfing. Witt spent two weeks earlier this summer surfing in Nicaragua and claimed to have been stung by a stingray. A few summers ago, Witt encountered a shark while surfing in Hawaii.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-03

NY ISLANDERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04135/9173334-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="233" height="223"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Scott Gomez made the pilgrimage and so did his dad, Carlos. Chris Drury traveled cross-country to the cathedral. Paul Mara made the trip down from Cape Cod.</p><p>They all made the journey this summer to Yankee Stadium for the July 15 All-Star Game, the final one to be contested in baseball&rsquo;s most historic venue, which will close at the end of this baseball season.</p><p>Gomez, a huge baseball fan who made the trek from his home in Alaska, also took a side trip to Chicago to watch his beloved San Diego Padres play the Cubs.</p><p>Drury, who at 12 was the winning pitcher for his Trumbull, Conn., team in the Little League World Series, wears No. 23 in tribute to his idol, one-time Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-04

NY RANGERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0596/9173365-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="233" height="218"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> While GM Bryan Murray was busy worrying about what the roster was going to look like this year, the players went their separate ways.</p><p>One of the busiest was center Chris Kelly. Recovering from a broken foot he sustained at the end of the season, he spent most of May trying to get back in order so he could walk down the aisle.</p><p>After signing a new four-year deal to avoid unrestricted free agency in June, Kelly and many of his teammates travelled to Mexico for a week for his wedding.</p><p>But that wasn&rsquo;t the only destination for the players.</p><p>Captain Daniel Alfredsson went to England with his father, Hasse, to watch the British Open for a few days at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-05

OTTAWA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0668/9173396-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="234" height="224"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Here&rsquo;s another example of the NHL&rsquo;s most curious contradiction: the baddest boys on the ice seem to make the nicest ones off it.</p><p>The Flyers&rsquo; Riley Cote, who spends his winters swinging his fists with the Georges Laraques and Donald Brashears of the world, spent this past summer raising funds for various charities, including multiple sclerosis.</p><p>Cote has a special interest in the MS cause &ndash; his sister, Jaimie, is a survivor of the deadly disease.</p><p>&ldquo;With Jaime having MS,&rdquo; Cote said, &ldquo;I was able to, with the help of the Flyers and many others, host the first annual &lsquo;Cote Carnival,&rsquo; which was a huge success.&rdquo;</p><p>Cote also helped in fundraisers for cancer research and juvenile diabetes.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-06

PHILADELPHIA

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM GINTONIO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0751/9173427-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg" title="f0049-07" width="233" height="221"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> It was Daniel Winnik&rsquo;s summer of the paper chase.</p><p>The Coyotes forward didn&rsquo;t let the rigors of the minors or his first season in the NHL deter him from getting his university degree. He took courses the past three off-seasons and recently graduated with a degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire.</p><p>&ldquo;My theory was, I left after my junior season, and my point in going to school was to get an education, a degree,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Winnik said he liked being back on campus, even though it involved a lot of studying and test-taking. As for putting his political science degree to practical use, Winnik said law school was a possibility, but that&rsquo;s off in the distance.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-07

PHOENIX

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01285/9173489-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="233" height="225"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Defenseman Rob Scuderi wasn&rsquo;t about to accept any invitations to go scuba diving when he and his wife, Courtney, spent some high-quality time in Bermuda this summer.</p><p>&ldquo;I remember Jerry Seinfeld, in one of his old stand-up acts, said scuba diving is one of those activities where you basically think about not dying,&rdquo; Scuderi said.</p><p>Courtney planned the trip during the regular season.</p><p>&ldquo;I said, &lsquo;You have to look at the schedule and watch out for the finals, in case we get there,&rsquo; &rdquo; Scuderi said.</p><p>The high point of the vacation was a surprise encounter with some of the couple&rsquo;s old buddies from Boston College, who were part of a yacht race that ended on the island.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-01

PITTSBURGH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID POLLAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-03124/9173551-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="233" height="225"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> For most players, summer means time out of the spotlight. But not for veteran forward Jeremy Roenick.</p><p>In July, he competed at the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament at Lake Tahoe, finishing ninth among 82 players.</p><p>In August, Roenick bolstered his acting resume with a role in <i>Leverage</i>, a new TNT TV series starring Timothy Hutton.</p><p>&ldquo;I play a security guard that kind of gets duped,&rdquo; Roenick said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the opening scene and I&rsquo;m kind of distracted by a pretty girl in an office building as these guys break in.&rdquo;</p><p>Roenick said he has friends in the industry, one of whom &ldquo;casts me in as many things as he can because he wants me to be an actor when I&rsquo;m done playing hockey.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-03

SAN JOSE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0498/9173582-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="233" height="221"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Vinny Lecavalier usually is a world traveler during the summer. He swam with sharks off the African coast, rode camels in Morocco and dove off high Hawaiian cliffs.</p><p>This summer, though, the superstar center was confined to his native Montreal, working through rehab for his right shoulder after arthroscopic surgery.</p><p>His first time on skates in mid-August was as much of a letdown as his trips are an adrenaline rush. But six ice sessions later, Lecavalier felt so good he said he&rsquo;d be ready for the season opener.</p><p>&ldquo;With shoulders like this, every time you do something for the first time, it feels terrible,&rdquo; Lecavalier said. &ldquo;But the second time, it&rsquo;s way better. You build your shoulder and your confidence.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-04

TAMPA BAY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE ZEISBERGER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0564/9173613-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="233" height="221"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER VACATION</b> Imagine spending the summer picking prickly weeds and stinky garbage as cars whizzed by on a nearby highway. Imagine doing all this while surrounded by drug addicts and wife beaters. Mark Bell doesn&rsquo;t have to imagine it. He lived it.</p><p>&ldquo;It humbles you,&rdquo; Bell said.</p><p>For 11 weeks, Bell was part of a work crew composed of convicted felons paying their debts to society. In Bell&rsquo;s case, it was for a felony drunk driving with injury and hit-and-run in San Jose.</p><p>Every morning he reported to a California correctional facility for an assignment, which ranged from scooping up litter to landscaping.</p><p>&ldquo;I would go out, do the work and keep my head down,&rdquo; said Bell, 28. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t the ideal summer, believe me.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-05

TORONTO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0654/9173644-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="234" height="221"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Defenseman Willie Mitchell can safely say he did something in the summer of 2008 not duplicated by any other NHLer.</p><p>Mitchell and his wife, Megan, were the personal guests of Justin Morneau at Yankee Stadium for baseball&rsquo;s home run derby in July.</p><p>Morneau and Mitchell, both from British Columbia, became pals when Mitchell was a member of the Minnesota Wild. Morneau plays for the Twins.</p><p>&ldquo;The atmosphere at Yankee Stadium was just incredible and it gave me goosebumps,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;When Josh Hamilton was hitting all those home runs in the first round, his bat made a sound like nobody else&rsquo;s. Every time he hit the ball, it was just gone, gone. Then Justin got in the final round and Josh tired and Justin won it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-06

VANCOUVER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER KERZEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0740/9173675-1-eng-US/f0050-072.jpg" title="f0050-07" width="233" height="224"></div><p><b>SUMMER VACATION</b> Captain Chris Clark spent the off-season zigzagging between his upstate New York home and Vancouver.</p><p>Clark worked with physiologist Rick Celebrini to help strengthen his core to repair a nagging groin injury that limited him to 18 games last year.</p><p>When he wasn&rsquo;t airborne on seven excursions west, Clark and wife Kim were immersed in an effort to construct a new playground in Henderson Harbor, N.Y.</p><p>&ldquo;The one they already have is kind of run down,&rdquo; said Clark, who has three young children.</p><p>Kim has been busy organizing fundraising raffles. The biggest prize: a two-night stay at a suburban Washington hotel with tickets to a Capitals game and a postgame meet-and-greet with players.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-07

WASHINGTON

f0051-01

WESTERN CONFERENCE

f0052-01

EASTERN CONFERENCE

<div class="byline">BY JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02149/9173803-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg" title="f0054-02" width="241" height="130"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01253/9173796-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="1606" height="2135"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Tavares</figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>E IS THE FACE of major junior hockey. Unfortunately, the scouts have already seen that face for three seasons and are now exposing its blemishes.</p><p>John Tavares is experiencing what Jason Spezza was forced to endure through no fault of his own, other than a skill level advanced way beyond his years that allowed him to play in the Ontario League at 15. Tavares was just 14 when the league created an exception to its own rules to permit him an early entry through its draft in May, 2005.</p><p>Tavares will turn 18 on Sept. 20. He missed being eligible for the 2008 NHL draft by five days. Again, through no fault of his own. Th at can be blamed on his mother Barbara, but little did she suspect back in 1990 that she was about to give hockey its next superstar. The next Wayne Gretzky. The next Sidney Crosby. The sure-fire No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft. All those accolades came his way prior to last season, after scoring 72 goals during his second year with the Oshawa Generals, which broke Gretzky&rsquo;s record for goals by a 16-year-old.</p><p>But then it happened, what scouts like to call the Jason Spezza Disease. And Tavares contracted it good last season. One scout says it&rsquo;s the only way to explain why the same scouts who a year ago were singing his praises, are now expressing second thoughts. One scout recently told Sun Media he would have no hesitation telling his team to take 6-foot-5 Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman ahead of Tavares with next June&rsquo;s No. 1 pick. Th at agreed with a 2009 draft assessment in Draft Preview 2008 that had Hedman No. 1 and Tavares No. 2.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01256/9173789-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="1185" height="1501"><figcaption class="caption-body">Some scouts think Tavares has simply become bored of playing in the OHL. <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Spezza was under the microscope for three years before being draft ed. Tavares, the lucky kid, will have to undergo a fourth season of scrutiny before his name is called. To some degree, he&rsquo;s simply a victim of the numbers game.</p><p>&ldquo;When we say a guy has the Jason Spezza Disease, it means he&rsquo;s been exposed for so long that we&rsquo;re just tired of watching him and because they&rsquo;re not being constantly challenged we don&rsquo;t see a lot of growth in their game, so we pick them apart,&rdquo; said a scout who is in Tavares&rsquo; corner. &ldquo;Tavares has already played three years before his draft year, which is unprecedented, so we&rsquo;ve seen him play 10 times a year just by default because there are other prospects on his team, so you&rsquo;ve seen him play 30 times and you&rsquo;re probably going to see him play half-a-dozen games that are not as good as his others. So all of a sudden those games stand out.&rdquo;</p><p>In the case of Tavares, the scout said it&rsquo;s important to recall why he was initially placed on such a pedestal.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to remember what his best assets are and why you liked him in the first place,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The guy got 72 goals (in 2006-07) and was the major junior player of the year as a 16-year-old. I think he&rsquo;s got to be a little bored at this level and I think the same thing happened with Spezza, who was criticized in his draft year, and now Jason Spezza is an elite player in the league.&rdquo;</p><p>The scout is anxiously awaiting the 2009 World Junior Championship, which will be played in Ottawa. While Tavares already has one world juniors gold to his credit, the scout believes wearing the maple leaf on native soil and squaring off head-to-head with the player he&rsquo;s vying for the No. 1 spot with will be a tremendous litmus test.</p><p>&ldquo;Th at&rsquo;s going to be a great evaluation for him,&rdquo; the scout said. &ldquo;Canada playing at home and with him being one of the leaders on the team, if not the leader, and playing against Victor Hedman, his biggest challenge for the No. 1 spot, that&rsquo;s going to be great theatre for anyone who follows the draft and junior hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Many scouts questioned the fact that Tavares&rsquo; output dropped from 72 to 40 goals last season, although he did register 118 points. And off the ice, he dumped London-based Siskinds Sports Management to go with the higher-profile Creative Artists Agency based in California. The scout said that will all be forgotten when the &rsquo;09 draft happens in Montreal.</p><p>&ldquo;In the case of Jason Spezza, it&rsquo;s hard for a young guy to be consistent over a three-year period and now we&rsquo;ve got a guy who has to do that over a four-year period,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We started picking Tavares apart last year and now some scouts are saying he might not even be top two. We tend to kind of get tired and bored with these guys and start pointing out their flaws instead of remembering all the things that impressed us so much the first few times we saw them play. But being cynical hockey scouts, we will find problems with everybody and playing three and four years gives us ample time.</p><p>&ldquo;In Tavares we saw unbelievable improvement in his game from a 15-year-old to a 16-year-old, so last year we were expecting 80 goals, which is impossible.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we need to stop picking on him.&rdquo;</p><p>So how does Tavares handle all the positives suddenly turning into a bunch of negatives?</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had to deal with pressure for a while now, so I think I&rsquo;ve handled this pretty good,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just want to be myself and have fun.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>TOP 10 RANKINGS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0396/9173782-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="192" height="218"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Hodge</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0473/9173775-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="197" height="220"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Cressman</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0555/9173768-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="197" height="219"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Vanston</b></figcaption></div><p>Neil Hodge of the <i>Moncton Times & Transcript,</i> Jim Cressman of the <i>London Free Press</i> and Rob Vanstone of the <i>Regina Leader-Post</i> make up our major junior panel in determining the top 10 CHL teams.</p><p><b>01</b>&nbsp;<b>Spokane Chiefs</b></p><p>Last Year: Won Memorial Cup</p><p><b>02</b>&nbsp;<b>Belleville Bulls</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost in OHL final</p><p><b>03</b>&nbsp;<b>Kelowna Rockets</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 1</p><p><b>04</b>&nbsp;<b>Shawinigan Cataractes</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 1</p><p><b>05</b>&nbsp;<b>Saint John Sea Dogs</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 3</p><p><b>06</b>&nbsp;<b>Windsor Spitfires</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 1</p><p><b>07</b>&nbsp;<b>Quebec Remparts</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 2</p><p><b>08</b>&nbsp;<b>Rimouski Oceanic</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 2</p><p><b>09</b>&nbsp;<b>Brandon Wheat Kings</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 1</p><p><b>10</b>&nbsp;<b>London Knights</b></p><p>Last Year: Lost Round 1<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-02

PROSPECTS UNLIMITED

TIME NO FRIEND TO YOUNG TAVARES

<div class="byline">BY ROB VANSTONE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0055-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-02152/9173834-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tyler Ennis <span class="photo-credit">(MARISSA BAECKER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01229/9173841-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="193" height="147"></div><p>TYLER ENNIS has some goals in mind &ndash; 50, in fact.</p><p>The Medicine Hat Tigers speedster would love to hit the 50-goal plateau, which would make him the first Western Leaguer to accomplish that feat since 2005-06. But that&rsquo;s just one of his several objectives this season.</p><p>&ldquo;Mainly winning the Memorial Cup,&rsquo;&rsquo; Ennis listed as his top priority. He still laments the Tigers&rsquo; 3-1 loss to Vancouver in the 2007 Cup final.</p><p>&ldquo;I want to obviously make the (Canadian national) junior team. Th at was a goal of mine last year, but it didn&rsquo;t happen, so definitely this year I want to do that.&rdquo;</p><p>And if Ennis can score 50 goals, he&rsquo;ll be a top contender for WHL most valuable player honors.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of a bonus after a good season,&rsquo;&rsquo; Ennis said when asked about the significance of such awards. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honor to receive them. Guys never really talk about it beforehand, but it&rsquo;s pretty special.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>So is Ennis&rsquo;s talent, evidenced by his 43 goals and 91 points for Medicine Hat last season despite being 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds. His modest stature didn&rsquo;t deter the Buff alo Sabres from choosing Ennis 26th overall in the &rsquo;08 draft .</p><p>&ldquo;A while back, little guys didn&rsquo;t have as great an opportunity as I have,&rsquo;&rsquo; Ennis said.</p><p>Watch for Ennis and the Tigers to ice another competitive team in 2008-09. Here is how we think the WHL&rsquo;s standings will shape up:</p><p>1. SPOKANE CHIEFS The defending Memorial Cup champions are largely intact, save for the graduated 20-year-olds. The Chiefs are unrivalled in terms of tenacity and laden with skill. Spokane&rsquo;s speed is an asset in the transition game, where 42-goal man Drayson Bowman and smooth center Mitch Wahl are especially lethal. Behind the blueline, towering rearguard Jared Cowen and goalie Dustin Tokarski &ndash; the 2008 Memorial Cup MVP &ndash; are among the notables.</p><p>2. KELOWNA ROCKETS The Rockets are led by returning 100-point man Colin Long. Jamie Benn, who had 33 goals in 51 games last season, is poised for a breakout season. Surprisingly, Kelowna&rsquo;s strongest suit is its defensive corps, led by 2008 NHL first-rounders Luke Schenn and Tyler Myers, and followed by the dynamic Tyson Barrie and top prospect Collin Bowman.</p><p>3. BRANDON WHEAT KINGS Brandon coach-GM-owner Kelly McCrimmon is renowned as a master recruiter, exemplified by his team&rsquo;s performance in 2007-08. Last season&rsquo;s Wheat Kings graduated six of their top seven scorers, but the off ense was barely affected. Ten Wheat Kings hit double figures in goals, led by an all-rookie line of Brayden Schenn, Scott Glennie and Matt Calvert. Colby Robak and Keith Aulie led a solid defensive corps.</p><p>4. LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES Lethbridge is much like Spokane &ndash; a team that arrived earlier than projected last season. The Hurricanes boast an impressive array of returnees, led by 2008 first round pick Zach Boychuk, power forward Dwight King and the underrated Colton Sceviour. Boychuk is expected to be out until October with a fractured left wrist, but even without him, there is off ense aplenty.</p><p>5. VANCOUVER GIANTS Don Hay&rsquo;s crew will win a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 games.</p><p>6. MEDICINE HAT TIGERS Willie Desjardins-coached teams are always strong.</p><p>7. SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS The key question is whether Th omas Hickey returns from L.A.</p><p>8. REGINA PATS Coach Dale Derkatch, the Pats&rsquo; all-time leading scorer, will preach off ense.</p><p>9. SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS Smooth-skating Broncos have grown together.</p><p>10. CALGARY HITMEN Scouting always keeps Calgary in the top half of the league.</p><p>11. KOOTENAY ICE The Ice tends to finish higher than predicted every season.</p><p>12. TRI-CITY AMERICANS Elite goalie in Chet Pickard, but firepower is lacking.</p><p>13. SASKATOON BLADES Poised for a step up if Colton Gillies returns from Minnesota.</p><p>14. PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS Goaltender Kevin Armstrong will make the Cougars competitive.</p><p>15. EVERETT SILVERTIPS Coach John Becanic looks to escape Kevin Constantine&rsquo;s shadow.</p><p>16. PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS Progressing under second-year coach Bruno Campese.</p><p>17. RED DEER REBELS Still developing after icing a glorified midget team in 2007-08.</p><p>18. MOOSE JAW WARRIORS The Warriors lose a lot of pieces, especially on offense.</p><p>19. KAMLOOPS BLAZERS Once-formidable Blazers are in the midst of culture change.</p><p>20. EDMONTON OIL KINGS Sophomore team boasts a major talent in Tomas Vincour.</p><p>21. CHILLIWACK BRUINS Oscar Moller alone is worth the price of admission.</p><p>22. PORTLAND WINTER HAWKS With the first pick in the 2009 bantam draft, Portland is proud to select&hellip;</p><h2><b>2009 DRAFT PROSPECTS</b></h2><p><b>1. Jared Cowen, D, Spokane</b> A rangy, stud rearguard who plays in all situations.</p><p><b>2. Brayden Schenn, LW, Brandon</b> Powerful skater had 71 points as a 16-year-old.</p><p><b>3. Landon Ferraro, C, Red Deer</b> Ray Ferraro&rsquo;s son has skill, grit and intangibles.</p><p><b>4. Tomas Vincour, RW, Edmonton</b> Czech winger isn&rsquo;t shy on talent or in traffic.</p><p><b>5. Carter Ashton, LW, Lethbridge</b> Brent Ashton&rsquo;s son is a promising power forward.</p><p><b>6. Evander Kane, RW, Vancouver</b> Skating ability and competitiveness are pluses.</p><p><b>7. Stefan Elliott, D, Saskatoon</b> Gifted skater who played a ton as a rookie last winter.</p><p><b>8. Ryan Howse, LW, Chilliwack</b> Touted as a natural goal-scorer.</p><p><b>9. Jimmy Bubnick, C, Kamloops</b> Skill will come to the fore with more playing time.</p><p><b>10. Tyson Barrie, D, Kelowna</b> Great skating ability compensates for modest size.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-02

CHIEFS REMAIN CLASS OF THE DUB

<div class="byline">BY JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01195/9173879-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="241" height="82"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-02131/9173872-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg" title="f0056-02" width="1272" height="1034"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Murphy <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>HILE JOHN TAVARES is clearly the OHL&rsquo;s projected MVP, Belleville Bulls goalie Mike Murphy will play a major role as his team chases the championship that eluded it last season.</p><p>The Carolina Hurricanes, despite being headed by a former NHL netminder, had not draft ed a goalie since 2004. So it spoke volumes about Murphy&rsquo;s talent when GM Jim Rutherford used his sixth round pick to select the OHL goalie of the year last June.</p><p>Rutherford and Hurricanes amateur scouting director Tony MacDonald compared Murphy&rsquo;s style to former Cane Arturs Irbe, a stop-the-puck-any-way-he-can type of goalie.</p><p>&ldquo;Very unorthodox, but he stops the puck,&rdquo; MacDonald said of Murphy.</p><p>And stop the puck he did last season, registering a franchise-record 37 wins along with a league-best 2.24 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. It was his acrobatic and emotional performance during the OHL final that enabled the Bulls to rally from a 3-0 series deficit before eventually losing Game 7 to the Kitchener Rangers.</p><p>While there were constant critics of his 5-foot-11, 161-pound size, it was Bulls coach-GM George Burnett who instilled the confidence in that small frame.</p><p>&ldquo;I have a general manager and a coach who believed in me,&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;I never had much of an opportunity to play before last year.&rdquo;</p><p>With the long championship run and Memorial Cup appearance last season, Murphy&rsquo;s Bulls are primed to do damage again this year.</p><p>Here&rsquo;s how the OHL&rsquo;s teams stack up.</p><p>1. BELLEVILLE BULLS If the old adage &ldquo;You have to learn how to lose before you can win&rdquo; holds true, then the Bulls are the team to beat. What sets them apart is they have the goalie of the year in Murphy returning when there&rsquo;s a lack of quality netminding in the league. Despite losing some stars, a number of quality forwards return, headlined by Bryan Cameron, Eric Tangradi and Cory Tanaka. On defense, they&rsquo;re anchored by charismatic P.K. Subban and Chicago draft pick Shawn Lalonde.</p><p>2. WINDSOR SPITFIRES A few years ago the Spitfires were laughing stocks, but after being bought by ex-NHLers Warren Rychel and Bob Boughner, they&rsquo;ll have the last laugh. They have one of the most potent offenses in the CHL, led by Taylor Hall, Josh Bailey and Greg Nemisz. Toronto pick Dale Mitchell will be a bonus if he regains his form. Goaltending is an issue.</p><p>3. LONDON KNIGHTS Only in London would a 38-win season be considered a poor year. And given the expectations GM Mark Hunter and coach Dale Hunter have, they&rsquo;ll be looking to improve that total. Mark laid the groundwork by trading &rsquo;08 world juniors MVP Steve Mason to Kitchener in January. In return for the goalie, he got top prospect and hometown boy Nazem Kadri. He pulled off another big deal when he picked up Washington first-rounder John Carlson, a defenseman in the USHL.</p><p>4. KITCHENER RANGERS The Steve Spott era begins in earnest with former coach Peter DeBoer joining the Florida Panthers. Although they&rsquo;ve been hit by graduation, the defending OHL champs will be solid on the blueline. And while losing Mason in net stings, it can be argued Josh Unice was just as good last year. Up front, the Rangers will rely on scoring by committee.</p><p>5. BRAMPTON BATTALION A great 1-2 punch at center in Cody Hodgson and Matt Duchene.</p><p>6. MISSISSAUGA ST. MICHAEL&rsquo;S MAJORS Coach-GM Dave Cameron will get the most out of this year&rsquo;s potential darkhorse.</p><p>7. GUELPH STORM New coach Jason Brooks must make plans without stud Drew Doughty.</p><p>8. BARRIE COLTS Goalie Michael Hutchinson looks to carry his strong playoff into this season.</p><p>9. PLYMOUTH WHALERS Center Chris Terry and defenseman Beau Schmitz will lead the way.</p><p>10. NIAGARA ICEDOGS If Alex Pietrangelo returns, the Dogs will climb in the standings.</p><p>11. OTTAWA 67&rsquo;S The 67&rsquo;s are still rebuilding after their Memorial Cup drive in 2005.</p><p>12. KINGSTON FRONTENACS The future looks bright, but the present is dim.</p><p>13. SAULT STE. MARIE GREYHOUNDS Hounds will struggle to get into the playoffs.</p><p>14. SUDBURY WOLVES If Nikita Filatov reports, the Wolves will challenge for the division.</p><p>15. PETERBOROUGH PETES Goalie Trevor Cann needs to bounce back from a subpar year.</p><p>16. OWEN SOUND ATTACK Aft er a tough year, the Attack are beginning to move forward.</p><p>17. SARNIA STING Overage goalie Andrew Perugini will be crucial to success.</p><p>18. SAGINAW SPIRIT Underrated coach Todd Watson doesn&rsquo;t have much to work with.</p><p>19. ERIE OTTERS Losing defenseman Mitch Gaulton to injury hurts their chances.</p><p>20. OSHAWA GENERALS Even Tavares will be hard-pressed to get this team to the playoffs.</p><h2><b>2009 DRAFT PROSPECTS</b></h2><p><b>1. John Tavares, C, Oshawa</b> Probable No. 1 overall pick in 2009 draft.</p><p><b>2. Matt Duchene, C, Brampton</b> Captained Canada&rsquo;s gold medal team at the Ivan Hlinka.</p><p><b>3. Nazem Kadri, C, London</b> Sure to be a hometown favorite.</p><p><b>4. Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly, C, Erie</b> Credits his parents for making him a team player.</p><p><b>5. Casey Cizikas, C, Mississauga</b> A fan of the dying art of the wraparound.</p><p><b>6. Zack Kassian, RW, Peterborough</b> Track and field helped develop rock-solid body.</p><p><b>7. Michael Latta, C, Ottawa</b> Tough style drawing comparisons to Steve Downie.</p><p><b>8. Taylor Doherty, D, Kingston</b> Tough, character guy reads to elementary school kids.</p><p><b>9. Beau Schmitz, D, Plymouth</b> Controversially opted for OHL over U.S. U-17 program.</p><p><b>10. Ryan Ellis, D, Windsor</b> Mixes education with hockey as OHL&rsquo;s top scholastic player.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0056-01

OHL’S BEST HOPE TO RUN WITH THE BULLS

<div class="byline">BY NEIL HODGE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0057-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02129/9173910-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris DiDomenico</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01181/9173917-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="173" height="159"></div><p>CHRIS DIDOMENICO never dreamed it would open these doors when he joined the Saint John Sea Dogs as a free agent.</p><p>The 19-year-old center is entering his third QMJHL season and much has changed since he was passed over in the OHL draft.</p><p>He&rsquo;s now a solid pro prospect who was draft ed 164th overall by Toronto in 2007. He&rsquo;s also a candidate for Canada&rsquo;s national junior team after a strong showing at this summer&rsquo;s camp.</p><p>DiDomenico finished sixth in QMJHL scoring last season with 95 points, including 39 goals, in 70 games.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what it was going to be like when I came to the Quebec League,&rsquo;&rsquo; said the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder. &ldquo;I just knew I had something to prove after being passed over in the OHL.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>DiDomenico is a definite MVP candidate.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a highly skilled player who&rsquo;s tough to contain,&rdquo; said Cape Breton Screaming Eagles coach Mario Durocher. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s oft en the guy that kills you.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>DiDomenico has 64 goals and 170 points in 140 career QMJHL games. He&rsquo;s a go-to guy for a team that&rsquo;s among the top contenders.</p><p>Here&rsquo;s a look at how we see the standings playing out for the 2008-09 QMJHL season:</p><p>1. SHAWINIGAN CATARACTES Shawinigan is the only franchise that has existed since the QMJHL was founded in 1969-70 and it still hasn&rsquo;t won a championship. The Cataractes believe this will be their season.</p><p>Goalie Timo Pielmeier and top scorers Matthew Pistilli and Michael Dubuc are key trade acquisitions. They join a solid returning cast that includes defensemen Adam Bourque-Leblanc, Simon Lacroix and Charles-Olivier Roussel and forwards Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll and Pierre-Alexandre Vandall.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re one piece from what we need,&rdquo; said GM Martin Mondou.</p><p>2. SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS Saint John made its first playoff appearance last season and advanced to the league semifinal. The fourth-year team was built to peak this season, led by the best blueline in the league with Alex Grant, Yann Sauve, Simon Despres, Pascal Amyot and David Stich.</p><p>There&rsquo;s lots of offense with a deep group of forwards that includes DiDomenico, Ryan Sparling, Payton Liske, Alexandre Leduc, Francois Gauthier and Keven Guerette-Charland. Robert Mayer will have to show the promise that made him the No. 3 pick in the 2007 import draft .</p><p>3. QUEBEC REMPARTS Quebec captured the Memorial Cup the last time it was staged in QMJHL territory in 2006. Coach-GM-owner Patrick Roy has built another contender.</p><p>The Remparts will be among the highest scoring teams in the league, even without Angelo Esposito. The team has solid forward depth with Benjamin Breault, Jean-Simon Allard, Kelsey Tessier, Mikhail Stefanovich, Marc-Olivier Vallerand and David Gilbert.</p><p>Veteran Kevin Marshall solidifies a young defense corps, but goaltending is a question mark.</p><p>4. RIMOUSKI OCEANIC Rimouski is a team to watch as it prepares to host the 2009 Memorial Cup. It was sub .500 last season largely because of injuries, but it showed potential by upsetting Baie-Comeau in the first playoff round.</p><p>The team&rsquo;s strength is scoring, led by forwards Keven Veilleux, Philippe Cornet, Olivier Fortier, Jordan Caron and Patrice Cormier.</p><p>The defense corps is led by Sebastien Piche and Alexandre Neron, but after that it lacks proven veterans. Coach Clement Jodoin guided Lewiston to the league title in 2006-07.</p><p>5. CAPE BRETON SCREAMING EAGLES Th ree scoring lines and a top goalie in Olivier Roy.</p><p>6. MONTREAL JUNIORS With Angelo Esposito, the relocated franchise is poised to make noise.</p><p>7. VAL D&rsquo;OR FOREURS Great goaltending and several off-season moves give them a shot.</p><p>8. GATINEAU OLYMPIQUES Losing coach Benoit Groulx and elite center Claude Giroux hurts.</p><p>9. CHICOUTIMI SAGUENEENS League MVP Francis Pare is gone, but still a solid cast.</p><p>10. ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES Last season&rsquo;s league finalist has lost several key players.</p><p>11. MONCTON WILDCATS Team welcomes No. 1 overall pick, defenseman Brandon Gormley.</p><p>12. P.E.I. ROCKET New coach Guy Chouinard has won the most games in QMJHL history.</p><p>13. DRUMMONDVILLE VOLTIGEURS Had No. 2 pick in 2008 QMJHL and CHL import draft s.</p><p>14. VICTORIAVILLE TIGRES Big expectations for top import right winger Andrej Nestrasil.</p><p>15. ACADIE-BATHURST TITAN Scoring champion Mathieu Perreault among several key losses.</p><p>16. LEWISTON MAINEIACS Lots of young talent in the system, question mark is offense.</p><p>17. HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS If Columbus sends back Jakub Voracek, things look better.</p><p>18. BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR Mortgaged the future to build a contender last season.</p><h2><b>2009 DRAFT PROSPECTS</b></h2><p><b>1. Olivier Roy, G, Cape Breton</b> Set a QMJHL record for wins by a 16-year-old goalie.</p><p><b>2. Jordan Caron, C, Rimouski</b> Big, skilled power forward has a nose for the net.</p><p><b>3. Simon Despres, D, Saint John</b> Young blueliner is big, mobile, poised and talented.</p><p><b>4. Andrej Nestrasil, RW, Victoriaville</b> No. 8 overall pick in the 2008 CHL import draft.</p><p><b>5. David Gilbert, C, Quebec</b> Highly skilled playmaker needs to add weight.</p><p><b>6. Matt Brown, LW, Moncton</b> Solid two-way guy has been compared to Mike Richards.</p><p><b>7. Philippe Paradis, C, Shawinigan</b> Good skater and good agility for a big kid.</p><p><b>8. Hubert Labrie, D, Gatineau</b> Top-four blueliner for QMJHL champion at 16.</p><p><b>9. David Savard, D, Moncton</b> A solid, two-way blueliner who makes smart, safe plays.</p><p><b>10. Travis Randell, C, Halifax</b> Smart, solid player attended Canada&rsquo;s under-18 camp.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-02

0-FOR-39, ANOTHER SHOT TO WIN IT ALL

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01192/9173962-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="961" height="1192"></div><p>FOR COACH BENOIT GROULX, the upcoming Quebec League season was going to be so intriguing, so exciting, so special.</p><p>Not only would his Gatineau Olympiques be looking to defend the QMJHL title, Groulx would be at the helm for Canada at the World Junior Championship across the river in Ottawa.</p><p>It would be a dream come true to coach on the world stage in his own backyard.</p><p>But then along came the NHL&rsquo;s Florida Panthers to jar him out of his dream &ndash; and to make him an offer he couldn&rsquo;t refuse.</p><p>During the junior team development camp in Ottawa, Panthers GM Jacques Martin asked Groulx to join his organization as coach of the American League&rsquo;s Rochester Americans.</p><p>&ldquo;I really felt the opportunity with Florida was something I could not turn down,&rdquo; said the 40-year-old Groulx, who guided the Olympiques to QMJHL titles in &rsquo;03, &rsquo;04 and &rsquo;08.</p><p>The Panthers were flooded with applications from young coaches and veterans alike. Martin preferred an on-the-rise coach to teach his prospects, someone who could relate with the blue-chip prospects coming out of junior and also with a hunger to reach the NHL himself.</p><p>Groulx met both requisites.</p><p>&ldquo;What I really like is his ability to communicate, to bring out the best of his players,&rdquo; Martin said.</p><p>A pro as a player for 10 seasons in Europe, Groulx always knew his future would include coaching. It was hereditary.</p><p>His father, Gilles, coached youth hockey in the Gatineau area for years.</p><p>&ldquo;When I went to games as a kid, I was always excited about watching the coaches,&rdquo; Groulx said.</p><p>One of Gilles&rsquo; coaching associates with the youth teams was Pat Burns. One of his players was Alain Vigneault. Ironically, Burns and Vigneault also coached the Olympiques.</p><p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t only make players, we make coaches, too,&rdquo; Olympiques coowner Andre Chaput said. &ldquo;(Benoit) did some great things for us.&rdquo;</p><p>The Panthers now want the same. Center Shawn Matthias (ranked No. 12 overall in Future Watch 2008) could start the season with the Amerks, depending on how he and players such as Anthony Stewart, Tanner Glass and Stefan Meyer perform in training camp.</p><p>Center Michael Frolik (29th in Future Watch), right winger Michal Repik and defenseman Keaton Ellerby (70th) will be in Rochester.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been hired because they expect me to set the tone,&rdquo; Groulx said. &ldquo;As a coach, you&rsquo;re like a player, you always have to prove yourself.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02127/9173955-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="214" height="214"></div><h2><b>BENOIT GROULX</b></h2><p>Rochester Coach</p><p>Championships: 3</p><p>Teams: 1</p><p>Age 40</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0378/9173948-1-eng-US/f0058-032.jpg" title="f0058-03" width="220" height="197"></div><p>AND COUNTING 40.7</p><p>Average wins per year in six full QMJHL seasons<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0058-01

PASSING ON GLORY FOR SHOT AT PROS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p>Simply by being himself, Adam Keefe has a tendency to grow on people.</p><p>He grows on the team he plays for because of his grit and tenacity. He grows on the oppositions&rsquo; nerves for the same reasons, which is why the Phoenix Coyotes are welcoming Keefe back to the San Antonio Rampage. The fourth-year right winger signed a one-year American League contract.</p><p>Last season, in a combined 66 games with Grand Rapids and San Antonio, Keefe scored two goals and piled up 245 penalty minutes, the AHL&rsquo;s seventh-highest total. He came to the Rampage in a January trade.</p><p>BYE, BYE BROTHER The Anaheim Ducks hired Gord Dineen, 45, as coach of the Iowa Chops. Dineen is leaving his post as an assistant coach in Portland, where his younger brother, Kevin, will stay on as coach. After serving as the Ducks&rsquo; affiliate, Portland is now Buffalo&rsquo;s farm team.</p><p>WELCOME BACK Center Dan Ryder, who quit hockey six games into the season a year ago, has returned to the Quad City Flames.</p><p>Ryder, 21, was Calgary&rsquo;s third round pick (74th overall) in 2005. He told Flames management he needed to be away from hockey when he returned to his home in Newfoundland in October of 2007.</p><h2><b>ON</b>&nbsp;TOP</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0461/9174007-1-eng-US/f0058-042.jpg" title="f0058-04" width="180" height="283"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>GAA</b></h3><p>NOLAN SCHAEFER</p><p>Houston Aeros</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0538/9174000-1-eng-US/f0058-052.jpg" title="f0058-05" width="176" height="154"></div><p>2.06 GAA</p><p>Jaroslav Halak, Ham 2.10</p><p>Michael Leighton, Alb 2.10</p><p>Karl Goehring, Syr 2.20</p><p>John Curry, WB 2.23</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="76" height="77"></div><p>For more on hockey&rsquo;s best prospects, check out Ryan Kennedy&rsquo;s Hot List in the feature section on <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0058-04

Keefe back in Rampage fold

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-01170/9174052-1-eng-US/f0059-012.jpg" title="f0059-01" width="967" height="1186"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>PASCAL RHEAUME HAD fully intended to spend another season overseas, perhaps his last, before moving on to a new phase in his career.</p><p>With that in mind, he called an old friend, New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, to inquire about job opportunities for the future. Instead, he found one for the present that was too good to turn down.</p><p>Lamoriello signed the 35-year-old Rheaume to a minor league contract to play this season in Lowell, Rheaume&rsquo;s fifth AHL stop in a 16-year playing career.</p><p>Rheaume played last season in Austria.</p><p>&ldquo;At first, I didn&rsquo;t want to come back to the AHL at all,&rdquo; Rheaume said. &ldquo;I had two offers in Europe, but both of them had no English school for my kids.&rdquo;</p><p>Enter Lamoriello.</p><p>He first signed Rheaume, a two-way center, as an undraft ed free agent out of major junior back in 1993.</p><p>Th is will be the fourth stint with the Devils for Rheaume, who played from 1993-97 with the Albany River Rats, getting into two NHL games before signing with St. Louis.</p><p>He came back to the Devils at the trade deadline in 2003 and played a valuable role as a checking center on Jersey&rsquo;s last Stanley Cup-winning team.</p><p>&ldquo;I called Lou and told him I&rsquo;m about to retire soon, probably in a year or two years,&rdquo; Rheaume said. &ldquo;As long as I can play, I&rsquo;m going to play, but what I&rsquo;d like to do in the future is be an assistant coach or a coach or a scout, something in the hockey business.</p><p>&ldquo;I just wanted to let him know I was interested and if something opened, to let me know. He called me back later and said they&rsquo;d like to offer me a contract in the minors if I was interested to go there. At first I said no, because I have nothing to prove there anymore, but after thinking about it, I think it was a smart choice for me.&rdquo;</p><p>Rheaume talked with Lowell assistant coach Kevin Dean, his captain on the 1995 Calder Cup champion River Rats, as well as former Rats teammates Scott Clemmensen, who signed a two-way deal with the Devils this summer, and Ryan Murphy.</p><p>It is not unlike the 2004-05 season, when Rheaume signed to play in Albany during the NHL lockout. He spent the entire season there, but got a dozen NHL games in 2005-06 before being dealt to Phoenix, his sixth NHL organization.</p><p>&ldquo;The first GM I called was Lou,&rdquo; Rheaume said. &ldquo;He was the one who gave me a chance when I was a free agent at the beginning and who came back to get me for the Stanley Cup, so I feel like I owe him that.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-02111/9174045-1-eng-US/f0059-022.jpg" title="f0059-02" width="214" height="214"></div><h2><b>PASCAL RHEAUME</b></h2><p>Lowell Devils</p><p>Ht. 6-1</p><p>Wt. 210</p><p>Pos. C</p><p>Age 35</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0381/9174038-1-eng-US/f0059-032.jpg" title="f0059-03" width="228" height="202"></div><p>AND COUNTING 377</p><p>Rheaume&rsquo;s total points in 531 career AHL games<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0059-01

LOYALTY LEADS BACK TO LOU

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL JANACK</div><p>It has been 14 years since they left the AHL, but the Moncton Hawks&rsquo; legacy lives on in the league&rsquo;s current landscape.</p><p>The Hawks played their seventh and last AHL season in 1993-94, finishing third in the Atlantic Division, but reached the Calder Cup final before losing to Portland in six games.</p><p>With a team whose top scorer had 50 fewer points than the league leader, Moncton found success that season with hard work and team play, the same fundamentals taught by coaches at every level.</p><p>It&rsquo;s no surprise, then, that some of those students now do the teaching. In late August, the Boston Bruins promoted assistant Rob Murray to take over as coach in Providence after Scott Gordon was hired by the New York Islanders.</p><p>Murray is the second ex-Hawk to land his first AHL head coaching job this season and the third in two years. Like Murray, former assistant Dan Bylsma was hired as coach in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while Ken Gernander is set to begin his second season in Hartford. Gernander went 50-20-2-8 as a rookie coach with the Wolf Pack, before losing in Round 1 of the playoffs.</p><p>Kevin McClelland, another member of that final Hawks team, was an assistant coach with St. John&rsquo;s from 2000-05.</p><h2><b>ON</b>&nbsp;TOP</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0466/9174090-1-eng-US/f0059-042.jpg" title="f0059-04" width="183" height="272"></div><h3><b>WINS</b></h3><p>PEKKA RINNE</p><p>Milwaukee Admirals</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0544/9174083-1-eng-US/f0059-052.jpg" title="f0059-05" width="153" height="150"></div><p>36 WINS</p><p>Ondrej Pavelec, Chi 33</p><p>Corey Crawford, Rfd 29</p><p>Michael Leighton, Alb 28</p><p>Tuukka Rask, Pro 27<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0059-04

Former Hawks make their mark

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB VANSTONE</div><p>BACK IN 2005, the Regina Pats were Jordan Eberle&rsquo;s first pick &ndash; although the team did not reciprocate.</p><p>Eberle lasted until the seventh round of that year&rsquo;s Western League bantam draft before the Pats selected him 126th overall.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a lifelong dream to play for them,&rdquo; said the Regina-born center, whose family moved to Calgary when he was 14. &ldquo;I think if I would have had any other option to go to another WHL team, I probably would have second-guessed it or not even played in the WHL.</p><p>&ldquo;Since I got draft ed by the Pats, the first reaction was, &lsquo;Oh yeah. Some day I want to play there.&rsquo; Now playing there and playing a significant role is really special.&rdquo;</p><p>Eberle was 5-foot-6 when he was draft ed. He grew four inches within the next year. By the fall of 2006, he was on the Pats&rsquo; power play as a 16-year-old.</p><p>Seasons of 28 and 42 goals ensued &ndash; after which the Edmonton Oilers claimed him 22nd overall in the 2008 NHL draft. Just like that, Eberle was again property of his favorite team.</p><p>&ldquo;I was a big fan of Dougie Weight and I loved watching Ryan Smyth,&rdquo; the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder marvelled. &ldquo;I always liked the Oilers.&rdquo;</p><p>Pats GM Brent Parker was delighted to see Eberle become a first-rounder, but is not completely enthralled with the NHL talk.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not an Oiler yet. Don&rsquo;t have him leaving me too soon,&rdquo; Parker said with a laugh. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll have me on a gurney some place, getting paddles on my chest, if you keep that up. We&rsquo;re anxious for him to return and he can be an Oiler in a couple of years. When that time comes, it will be fun to watch him.&rdquo;</p><p>As exciting as he is to watch, Eberle understands improvements are required.</p><p>&ldquo;The biggest thing for me is I&rsquo;ve got to get stronger,&rdquo; said the 18-year-old, adding he needs to improve his speed, too.</p><p>Even so, the Pats will take Eberle exactly as he is.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a great release,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;He thinks the game differently. You&rsquo;ll see him standing off to the side and the puck will go off two skates and a stick and land flat, right on his tape.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-01159/9174142-1-eng-US/f0060-012.jpg" title="f0060-01" width="756" height="1009"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GREG JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-02100/9174135-1-eng-US/f0060-022.jpg" title="f0060-02" width="278" height="151"></div><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a knack. It&rsquo;s an understanding of the game. I said to one of our young guys last year, &lsquo;If you&rsquo;re not sure what to do, do what Jordan&rsquo;s doing. That&rsquo;s on-ice, off-ice &ndash; everything &ndash; because you&rsquo;ll be right 99 percent of the time.&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s about as high a compliment as I can pay.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>JORDAN EBERLE</b></h2><p>Regina Pats</p><p>Ht. 5-10</p><p>Wt. 180</p><p>Pos. C</p><p>Age 18</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0367/9174128-1-eng-US/f0060-032.jpg" title="f0060-03" width="376" height="94"></div><p>Draft Status</p><p>Selected 22nd overall by Edmonton in 2008.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0450/9174121-1-eng-US/f0060-042.jpg" title="f0060-04" width="172" height="136"></div><p>AND COUNTING 13</p><p>Number of points Eberle has in 11 post-season games<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0060-01

EBERLE’S PERFECT PATH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB VANSTONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0536/9174173-1-eng-US/f0060-052.jpg" title="f0060-05" width="215" height="229"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>arry Smith, like his players, aspires to ascend to the NHL. Unlike the Kamloops Blazers&rsquo; skaters, Smith has already been there. The Blazers&rsquo; first-year coach is a Western League rookie after spending six seasons as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks. &ldquo;My goal is to coach in the National Hockey League some day,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I think the Western Hockey League is the best development league for coaches as well as players.&rdquo; The developmental aspect appeals to Smith. &ldquo;I think the biggest difference (from the NHL) is that you&rsquo;ve got to teach from the grass roots up and the bottom up,&rdquo; said Smith, 47. &ldquo;From a coaching standpoint, it&rsquo;s a lot more exciting because you have to do more coaching.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0060-05

Bench boss sets high target

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0632/9174204-1-eng-US/f0060-062.jpg" title="f0060-06" width="223" height="235"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>ow that the Russians have fully embraced the Canada-Russia Challenge, it has become a highlight on the CHL calendar and another tool Hockey Canada uses in putting together its national junior team. Inaugurated in 2003, the event was envisioned as a tuneup for the WJC, but the Russians sent inferior teams until it reached a point where CHL president David Branch threatened to invite another European nation. But with the Russians taking home a tidy sum of cash from the six-game series against all-star teams, the threat worked and many players seen in the series now also play in the WJC. For the OHL portion, Guelph will host Game 3 Nov. 20 and the Niagara IceDogs stage Game 4 in St. Catharines Nov. 24.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0060-06

Russians warm to annual event

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NEIL HODGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0723/9174235-1-eng-US/f0060-072.jpg" title="f0060-07" width="225" height="231"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Shawinigan Cataractes will celebrate their 40th anniversary by moving into a yet-to-be-named new home Dec. 17. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have lots of celebrations in the new rink,&rdquo; said GM Martin Mondou. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s 4,200 seats, 15 luxury boxes and two extreme luxury boxes that have 71 seats each. It&rsquo;s very nice. There&rsquo;s a big gym and a school in the rink. Everything is set up perfectly for major junior hockey there. It&rsquo;s good news for us. We deserve it.&rdquo; The Cataractes currently play at the Jacques Plante Arena, which is the oldest rink in the QMJHL and second oldest in the CHL. Built in 1937, it has an ancient feel and a capacity of 3,700. The Windsor Arena, built in 1924, is the CHL&rsquo;s oldest rink and home of the OHL&rsquo;s Spitfires.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0060-07

Shawinigan moving on up

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE MASTOVICH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-01156/9174266-1-eng-US/f0061-012.jpg" title="f0061-01" width="223" height="239"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span> summer blockbuster trade sent former Dayton Bombers center Yannick Tifu to Florida for three players. New Everblades coach Malcolm Cameron gave up a lot to get Tifu, who led the league in assists for much of last season despite multiple call-ups and a wrist injury. Tifu had 57 points in 39 games last year. Dayton received blueliner Steve Czech, center Jarret Lukin, left winger Mike McLean and future considerations. It was reported Tifu, 23, wanted a trade. Cameron is aware acquiring a likely call-up candidate comes with risks. &ldquo;When a strong point-producer like that becomes available, you&rsquo;ve got to take that gamble,&rdquo; he said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0061-01

Florida lands star forward

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NICK GATES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0552/9174297-1-eng-US/f0061-052.jpg" title="f0061-05" width="226" height="229"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>cott Brand, USA Hockey&rsquo;s officiating development coordinator, has been named SPHL director of officiating, allowing commissioner Jim Combs to devote more time to other issues. &ldquo;We are all very happy to strengthen the bond with USA Hockey and to have Scott Brand serve as our director of officiating,&rdquo; Combs said. Several SPHL officials have moved up. Eugene Binda, Jarrod Ragusin and Joe Sullivan will be joining the ECHL. The Central League hired Mike Mc-Creary and Tom Steinel. &ldquo;This was a great season for our guys and seeing them develop into higher level leagues just reinforces our success,&rdquo; Brand said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Search for your favorite player or team

September 16, 2008

FLORIDA

THE BIG PICTURE

EUROPEAN SCHEDULE

ST. LOUIS