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.

October 14, 2008

The Hockey News - Oct-14-08

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SONYA EWAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012159/9344404-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="885" height="801"><figcaption class="caption-body">Retired goalie Mike Richter is doing his part for the environment. <span class="photo-credit">(RICHTER: AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>ORMER NEW YORK RANGERS GOALIE Mike Richter is set to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame because of the incredible saves he made for his team and country. But even though he hung up his pads in 2003, Richter is still making saves, just of a different kind. In fact, some may argue his current saves are more important than those of his previous career.</p><p>That&rsquo;s because Richter used to save pucks, but now he&rsquo;s out to save the earth.</p><p>Richter grew up in a household where Mom made sure the kids switched off the light when leaving a room &ndash; it&rsquo;s a sin to waste what others don&rsquo;t have, don&rsquo;t you know &ndash; while Dad commonly pointed out the newly blooming flowers of spring.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a powerful message that wasn&rsquo;t drilled, but grew inside me and my brothers and sisters: The environment was to be enjoyed and not wasted,&rdquo; Richter said.</p><p>He&rsquo;s a founding member of Environmental Capital Partners &ndash; a venture capital company dedicated to finding profitable environmental solutions &ndash; and he&rsquo;s recently taken a seat on the board of the Nature Conservancy&rsquo;s Adiron-dack chapter.</p><p>As well, Richter is involved with the Natural Resources Defense Council&rsquo;s efforts to promote ecological practices. The council features a Greensport team of scientists that has collaborated with Major League Baseball and, more recently, the NHL.</p><p>Richter and Greensport are finding willing participants to their cause in NHL players such as the Niedermayer brothers &ndash; Scott and Rob drive hybrid cars to practice &ndash; and Boston&rsquo;s Andrew Ference, who shows up at the rink on his bicycle.</p><p>Richter offered another example: &ldquo;The NHL Players&rsquo; Association offered to work with the (David) Suzuki Foundation. It gave athletes the option to buy environmental credits and make their air travel carbon-neutral. We thought 20 to 30 would participate, but 500 players took it upon themselves.</p><p>&ldquo;If you make it easy for people to do right, they will.&rdquo;</p><p>The fact is, any hockey player who grew up in the North has noticed kids have a lot less time to hone their skills outdoors than they used to.</p><p>&ldquo;The ponds are freezing later and melting earlier,&rdquo; Richter said. &ldquo;Near Philadelphia where I grew up, I used to skate on a pond, but I don&rsquo;t know if I can do that anymore.&rdquo;</p><p>After 14 years in the NHL making clutch saves to keep his team in the game, Richter is working to keep the human population in the game &ndash; and the planet clean enough to play on.</p><p>&ldquo;The environment affects health and health affects performance,&rdquo; Richter said. &ldquo;Athletes are acutely aware of the connection. Those athletes lucky enough to make it to a high level would love to see that opportunity for the next generation.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE STANDARDS

GREEN RANGER

<blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;Thanks to all the NHL officials who do the little things that mean so much to fans&rdquo;</blockquote><h2><b>SKED STILL NEEDS WORK</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>y seven-year-old son is a huge Joe Sakic fan. I was planning to bring him to a game this season so he could see Sakic play before he retires. When I looked at the schedule, I was amazed the Avalanche doesn&rsquo;t play in Ottawa, Toronto, or Montreal this year. The schedule is horrible. It&rsquo;s pretty bad when Canadians in the east will have no chance to see Sakic if he retires after this year.</p><p>ROLAND MIRAULT, HANMER, ONT.</p><h2><b>COUNTIN&rsquo; CUPS</b></h2><p>The Canadiens have won 23 Cups in the NHL; 24 if you include the 1915-16 pre-NHL Cup&hellip;but if you include that one &ndash; as people seem to be doing &ndash; why not include the 10 Stanley Cups the Ottawa Senators have won? Since we are talking about Lord Stanley&rsquo;s Cup, not the NHL Stanley Cup, they deserve to have the recognition.</p><p>RIK GAGNE, MONTREAL</p><h2><b>LINESMEN LOVE</b></h2><p>I had taken my son Nicklas (who was born in September &lsquo;02 and could&rsquo;ve just as easily been named Yzerman Albrecht, had Stevie won the Conn Smythe) to his first Red Wings game, just he and I on a &ldquo;no-rules road trip,&rdquo; proudly venturing into enemy territory with our Wings jerseys on our backs.</p><p>We drove to New Jersey and had seats on the glass, our heroes on the ice, the complete deal. And then there was magic. Sometime during the third period at a stoppage of play, linesman Tony Sericolo picked up the puck &ndash; cold and icy, right off the playing surface &ndash; made eye contact with my son, and just flipped him the puck over the glass.</p><p>The boy about lost it &ndash; his mind, that is, not the puck. That one simple action, likely something Sericolo does countless times a season, made our game, and dare I say, as a fourth generation Red Wings fanatic, easily sealed the fate of a fifth.</p><p>Our whole family would like to send a huge thank you to all the officials of the NHL who often do the little things that can mean so much to us fans.</p><p>PHIL ALBRECHT, DELMAR, N.Y.</p><h2><b>WHALE OF A TALE</b></h2><p>I was extremely disturbed to see once again in the Sept. 30 issue that Roberto Luongo was rated higher than much better goaltenders such as Martin Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist and Evgeni Nabokov.</p><p>Luongo is extremely overrated and never displays the level of play he is portrayed to perform. It usually doesn&rsquo;t bug me that much, but coming off a season where he was tied for the NHL lead in losses, it is ridiculous to put him in the top five, let alone No. 1.</p><p>SEAN GRIFFIN, MARKAM, ONT.</p><h2><b>AT A STAND STILL</b></h2><p>Why can&rsquo;t people just accept things the way they are?</p><p>There is all kinds of talk about expansion in the NHL with teams in Kansas City, Las Vegas, Winni-peg and who knows where else?</p><p>That is not viable right now for a league that is finally starting to do things right growing the game. There are still several teams struggling. Adding more to the mix won&rsquo;t help. That is unrealistic and short-sighted.</p><p>The talent pool is watered down? I disagree, but let&rsquo;s say it is, for argument&rsquo;s sake. The best cure for that is to stay at 30 teams for a long time and the talent will fill in.</p><p>DARREN ROKOS PETERBOROUGH, ONT.</p><h2><b>BURKE BASH</b></h2><p>Why do so many people consider Brian Burke the best GM in the NHL? He didn&rsquo;t lead the Canucks anywhere when he ran them and hasn&rsquo;t done anything spectacular with Anaheim either, unless you consider piggybacking himself to a Cup spectacular.</p><p>The way I see it, there are only two potential choices for best GM and Brian Burke doesn&rsquo;t manage the Wings or Devils.</p><p>KYLE J. BAIRD LONDON, ONT.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

CROWD SHOTS

<p><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p>Alex Ovechkin 54%</p><p>Sidney Crosby 32%</p><p>Vincent Lecavalier 5%</p><p>Joe Thornton 3%</p><p>Other 6%</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-08127/9344096-1-eng-US/f0006-082.jpg" title="f0006-08" width="496" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OVECHKIN: SCOTT AUDETTE/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><i>OR LOG ON</i></p><p><a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">WWW.THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></p><p><i>SEND US SNAIL MAIL</i></p><p>Letters, The Hockey News 25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100 Toronto, ON., M2N 6S7, Canada</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03933/9344089-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="75" height="76"></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>

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POLL RESULTS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02868/9344796-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="300" height="360"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Oilers&rsquo; final 20 games</b></h2><p>2007-08</p><p>.725 (14-5-1)</p><h2><b>Oilers&rsquo; final 20 games</b></h2><p>2006-07</p><p>.125 (2-17-1)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Winning Ways?

<div class="byline">with Jason Kay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012125/9343896-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="565" height="476"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><p>CONFESSION TIME. I&rsquo;ve got a fascination with fans of the Edmonton Oilers.</p><p>Per capita, they may be the most passionate group in hockeydom. The franchise, for many of the zealots, is entwined with their souls and they are particularly sensitive to how the Oil is perceived by outsiders.</p><p>Their vitriol blared through a couple years ago when, after the Oilers made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final, we predicted they&rsquo;d finish out of the playoffs the following season. Thirteenth, in the West, in fact (a guesstimate which actually came true).</p><p>Wow, did we ignite a powder keg. It was as if we launched a personal assault, an act of humiliation that demanded retaliation.</p><p>So it&rsquo;s with some trepidation that we trumpet the current wave of good vibrations surrounding the Oilers in this issue&rsquo;s cover story, written by Ken Campbell. There&rsquo;s a heightened sense of optimism in Northern Alberta, a feeling of electricity in the city, according to observers.</p><p>That&rsquo;s terrific, but also worrisome. Oiler Nation could be setting itself up for a great fall. As exciting and entertaining and refreshing as the Oilers may be, they could also flame out (pun kind of intended).</p><p>Much of the enthusiasm is based on how well the club finished last season. While that could be an indicator of a team on the rise, it&rsquo;s not a given. Just ask fans in Toronto and South Florida. Their teams have made a habit the past few seasons of finishing strongly, when it appeared they were out of the playoff picture, only to settle back to mediocrity the ensuing year.</p><p>The Oilers&rsquo; rookies-turned-sophomores and their No. 1 goalie have to prove their end-of-season ascent was the start of an upwards trend, not a blip. There&rsquo;s also the danger they could experience the old one-step-forward, two-steps-back syndrome.</p><p>For what it&rsquo;s worth, we picked the Oilers to place sixth in the conference in The Hockey News Yearbook. For the sake of an oft-tortured fan base, let&rsquo;s hope we&rsquo;ve nailed it again.</p><p>&lsquo;THE HAT&rsquo; IN THE BACK It&rsquo;s with the excitement and anticipation of an Oilers fan that we welcome Calgary-based veteran Eric Duhatschek as our new back-page columnist. It&rsquo;s not every day you add a Hall-of-Famer to the fold; Duhatschek, the Globe and Mail&rsquo;s lead hockey columnist, won the Hall&rsquo;s Elmer Ferguson Award in 2001. &lsquo;The Hat&rsquo; has a long association with THN &ndash; he was our Flames correspondent from 1980 to 2004, a relationship he ponders in his &ldquo;debut&rdquo; piece on pg. 51.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021802/9343889-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="408" height="218"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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SOME TREPIDATION FOR OILER NATION

<div class="byline">CHRISTIAN GOUTSIS, CALGARY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012112/9343975-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="881" height="1018"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03988/9343982-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="174" height="175"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he comments made by Alex Tanguay in the Team Reports in the Sept. 30 issue made me sick. From what we saw here in Calgary last year, Tanguay was given plenty of opportunity to &ldquo;generate some offence.&rdquo;</p><p>It was nobody&rsquo;s fault but Tanguay&rsquo;s that Kristian Huselius out-played him and was put on the top line. Tanguay&rsquo;s comments sound to me like a way to justify his contract, get Habs fans excited and blame someone else for his play last season.</p><p>Come on Alex, you are a good player who played poorly &ndash; so be a pro and take accountability for your game.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE BLAME GAME

<p><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06330/9344020-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="562" height="581"></div><p>What was your &lsquo;welcome to the NHL moment?&rsquo;</p><p>I was with the Blues and we were playing in Nashville. I&rsquo;m near the end of a shift and we&rsquo;re losing 5-1 with like, 15 seconds left in the game. I get beat on an icing and after the game Mike Sillinger and Keith Tkachuk laid into me for giving up on the play. It was an eye-opener.</p><p>Who is your road roommate and how is he?</p><p>Andrew Ference, he&rsquo;s really good. We&rsquo;re on the same program &ndash; we sleep with the curtains open. We&rsquo;re on the same schedule.</p><p>What was your last job before hockey?</p><p>I worked in a feed mill, cutting up cardboard boxes. They take old candy bars and stuff and smush it up to make pig food, so I cut the boxes as they came in. I&rsquo;d also wash out the tubs with a pressure washer and sometimes it would spray in my face. That was awesome.</p><p>Who has booed you?</p><p>Back in junior, it was Guelph, Windsor, Kitchener, Sault Ste. Marie; pretty much anyone in our (London&rsquo;s) division.</p><p>If you could play on any team in history, which would it be?</p><p>Any team with Wendel Clark on it.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012351/9344013-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="75" height="76"></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>

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2 MINUTES IN THE BOX WITH DENNIS WIDEMAN

<p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>i Adam, I recently heard a rumor that Claude Lemieux is attempting to make come-back to the NHL. Do you think it is possible that someone his age can make the NHL after being away from the game as long as he has?</p><p>Cameron Paul, Winnipeg</p><p>Hi Cameron, The 43-year-old Lemieux came out in late September and announced his intention to play in the NHL again. He&rsquo;s three years younger than Chris Chelios, so that should give him some hope. It will all come down to conditioning &ndash; both in terms of the physical state he has maintained since retiring in 2003, as well as his commitment to training now.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07210/9344058-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="611" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEMIEUX: DOUG BENC/GETTY IMAGES/NHLI)</span></figcaption></div><p>Adam, Is the NHL going to offer Center Ice Online this season? I don&rsquo;t live in a hockey town so my only way to see games is online. I don&rsquo;t have cable and will never get it. If they have stopped CIO I guess this southern hockey fan will just have to start reading books again. Thanks.</p><p>John Sager, Houston</p><p>John, The NHL has announced no plans to discontinue the Centre Ice Online package. Visit <a href="http://nhl.com/nhlhq/centerice_online.html">nhl.com/nhlhq/centerice_online.html</a> to get back on the beat.</p><p>SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS AT <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021584/9344051-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="75" height="76"></div><p>Need more of your questions answered? Read Proteau&rsquo;s &lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo; column every Friday at <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0006-07

ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN WOODLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021703/9344134-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Roberto Luongo <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012246/9344141-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="181" height="206"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>ORGET WAITING UNTIL you see the whites of their eyes, for NHL shooters the league&rsquo;s ongoing battle to shrink its goalies is about seeing more white net between their legs and, hopefully as a result, over their shoulders, too.</p><p>The success of the latest effort will be debated all season &ndash; some have already condemned it &ndash; but final judgments will have to wait even longer.</p><p>That&rsquo;s because changes emanating from this summer&rsquo;s Goalie Equipment Working Group are divided into two parts: smaller tweaking and tightening to be enforced immediately; and plans for a sizing chart for 2009-10, a larger-scale undertaking that includes figuring out maximum sizes for each goalie based directly on physical stature. The second step promises to be more significant, especially for small goalies. But that&rsquo;s not to say the immediate changes won&rsquo;t have an effect, even if some are harder to see.</p><p>&ldquo;People who watch the game probably can&rsquo;t see them,&rdquo; said Kay Whitmore, the NHL&rsquo;s top dog on goalie equipment. &ldquo;But there are a lot of goalies who sure want them back, so obviously it makes a difference to them. They feel they&rsquo;re missing something. So to say there&rsquo;s nothing being done is crazy. But to get everyone looking like Ken Dryden did in the &rsquo;70s is also crazy because of the way the game has changed.&rdquo;</p><p>Among the more discreet nip-and-tuck alternations for this season, the biggest may be an attempt to reign in the kneepads some goalies wear and regulate how they wear them. Targets include Roberto Luongo, Jean-Sebastien Giguere and a handful of other stoppers who use a &ldquo;narrow butterfly,&rdquo; with their legs behind them and their five-hole closed with exposed knees.</p><p>Their &ldquo;wide butterfly&rdquo; counterparts &ndash; the majority of goalies flare their legs out, taking up more area along the ice and closing the five-hole as the top of the pads come together in front of them &ndash; get a year before pad height reductions will make it tougher to seal the gap between their legs.</p><p>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t do one without the other,&rdquo; said Whitmore, a nine-year NHL vet who retired in 2002. &ldquo;Unfortunately, one is done before the other, so if you are one of the guys like Luongo or Giguere using kneepads to close the five-hole of their narrow butterfly, you got hit first before (Henrik) Lundqvist and the other (wide butterfly) guys&hellip;Some guys may have to chop their pads down considerably and we want to give them time to try it out next summer.&rdquo;</p><p>The differences aren&rsquo;t that easy to spot. The kneepads don&rsquo;t look dramatically different as the maximum width remains 10 inches. Despite now needing to be &ldquo;contoured,&rdquo; it&rsquo;s already apparent goalies are building towards the high end of this gray area, just as some 5-foot-10 stoppers will still use longer leg pads than much taller counterparts until next year&rsquo;s sizing chart. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t go 90 percent, you want to be right at the rule,&rdquo; Giguere said.</p><p>Even if kneepads remain similar in width, they can no longer be attached permanently to the pants, rendering a popular Reebok set-up illegal. The inner belts that were part of those pants are also now illegal because the pants pushed up as they dropped. By attaching their upper-body armor to those floating pants in different ways, some goalies effectively pushed everything up even as they went down. &ldquo;The pants were like a barrel hanging out over the hips,&rdquo; said Rangers backup Steve Valiquette. &ldquo;Put the upper body on those pants and we&rsquo;re talking about three times the coverage.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012018/9344127-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="885" height="592"><figcaption class="caption-body">J-S Giguere needs to be a little sharper this year to offset NHL-mandated equipment changes. <span class="photo-credit">(GIGUERE: GLENN JAMES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Additional restrictions in thickness of knee stacks &ndash; the flaps on the inside of the pads the knees land on while going down &ndash; will also reduce height, as will a contoured clavicle protector over the shoulders. There are also new rules for straps around the knees and to ensure calf wraps are contoured. This means it will take a split-second longer to get those parts flush to the ice going down &ndash; and that valuable seal will break sooner as goalies get back up &ndash; which may create some holes.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have to over-compensate to cover the five-hole and that may open up areas in other places,&rdquo; Valiquette said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

A TWO-YEAR PLAN TO MINIMIZE GOALIES

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05490/9344186-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="306" height="271"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03863/9344179-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="450" height="450"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TOEWS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>HAWKIN&rsquo; TICKETS Chicago sets new franchise record for number of season ticket holders.</p><p>OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN Youngsters Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews get the &lsquo;C&rsquo; sewn on their sweaters.</p><p>BERGERON IS BACK Good to see Patrice Bergeron back on the ice after missing most of last season with a concussion.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04655/9344172-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="449" height="449"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JOHNSON: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>ERIK GONE-SON Blues defenseman Erik Johnson out for the season after injuring knee while riding in a golf cart.</p><p>CRAZY 8&rsquo;S Kings opened camp with eight goalies in the crease; can one of them get the job done?.</p><p>POLICE BLOTTER Former Avs coach Joel Quenneville to appear in court over drunk driving charge.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-05

PLUS/MINUS

<h2><b>This week we countdown the top 10 NHL milestones and benchmarks sure to fall at some point this season.</b></h2><p>10 400-GOAL CLUB Bill Guerin, Paul Kariya, Owen Nolan and Jarome Iginla all close.</p><p>9 With 41 assists, MARK REC-CHI will be the 18th NHLer to reach the 900 club.</p><p>8 With 100 penalty minutes, CHRIS CHELIOS will move into NHL&rsquo;s all-time top 10.</p><p>7 With 32 wins, MIKE KEENAN tops Pat Quinn for fourth all-time amongst coaches.</p><p>6 Mr. Assist JOE SAKIC will pass Howe, Dionne and Lemieux in career assists.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021406/9344217-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="519" height="404"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHELIOS: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>5 MIKE MODANO is 17 points shy of becoming the 31st NHLer to hit 1,300 points.</p><p>4 CHRIS CHELIOS will pass Stevens and Andreychuk for fourth in games played.</p><p>3 The 1,000-point club will soon welcome KEITH TKA-CHUK and DOUG WEIGHT.</p><p>2 It&rsquo;ll take eight shutouts for MARTIN BRODEUR to pass Sawchuk&rsquo;s 103.</p><p>1 With his 14th win, MARTIN BRODEUR usurps Patrick Roy for first overall.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

Starting from 10

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012213/9344248-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kurtis Foster broke a leg on this icing play, spurring a crackdown on contact during puck races. <span class="photo-credit">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP PHOTO-MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>T WILL FROM now on be known as the &ldquo;Kurtis Foster Rule&rdquo; or at the very least, the &ldquo;Kurtis Foster Crackdown.&rdquo; In any event, there&rsquo;s little doubt the broken leg sustained by Foster last season while trying to chase down an icing call and the criticism against the NHL that followed were the impetus behind a new rule the league hopes will curtail contact on races for the puck without having to resort to no-touch icing.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year during the playoffs I spoke with both (NHL commissioner) Gary Bettman and (NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director) Paul Kelly,&rdquo; Foster said. &ldquo;I told them whatever they decided to do was fine and I wouldn&rsquo;t change the way I played. Then when I saw Paul Kelly at the NHLPA meetings in Chicago, I told him I was glad they made the changes, but that I hope the referees will stick with it. I wouldn&rsquo;t want anyone to go through the same injury I had.&rdquo;</p><p>Not sticking with it shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem, said Mike Murphy, the NHL&rsquo;s vice-president of hockey operations. Murphy insists officials will be vigilant and aggressive in calling any contact &ndash; whether incidental or not and whether intentional or not. Offenders will be penalized.</p><p>&ldquo;What we&rsquo;re trying to do is make touch icing a much safer play,&rdquo; Murphy said.</p><p>Foster, a Minnesota Wild defenseman, suffered a severely broken femur last March after being hit by San Jose&rsquo;s Torrey Mitchell on an icing call. Foster is expected to be out of the lineup until December. While racing for the puck on an icing with Mitchell, Foster was bumped and lost his balance before falling hard into the boards.</p><p>The league has placed a real emphasis &ndash; some would say it&rsquo;s obsessed &ndash; on continuous flow of the play. No-touch icing, which is used in international and junior hockey and has been called for by many in the industry, would put a serious crimp in that philosophy. And, according to many, it would rob the game of a play that has the potential to create excitement and offense.</p><p>The league is hoping that by cracking down on any contact, it can keep races for the puck alive and cut down on the number of injuries.</p><p>&ldquo;The referees are going to bang these guys with two minutes until it stops,&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;And if the player is hurt, even if it&rsquo;s a minor cut, the guy is going to get banged for five minutes. It used to be no harm, no foul and no penalty, but the referees will call this very aggressively and early and we hope that will make it go away.&rdquo;</p><p>Foster, who began skating again in September, said he would&rsquo;ve preferred no-touch icing, but is grateful something good came from his injury.</p><p>&ldquo;In my opinion, no-touch icing wouldn&rsquo;t make a big difference (in the quality of the game),&rdquo; Foster said. &ldquo;Sure, sometimes a guy wins a race to the puck, but I think no-touch would create more offense because you&rsquo;d have a faceoff in the other end. People talk about how exciting it is, but when a guy goes flying into the boards and breaks his leg like I did, is it really that exciting?&rdquo;</p><p>Another rule alteration when it comes to icing has to do with TV timeouts. The league has TV timeouts after the first stoppage in play at the six-, 10-and 14-minute marks of each period. But since teams can&rsquo;t make a line change after being charged with an icing, they were getting two minutes of rest during TV timeouts, which pretty much negated any disadvantage of being unable to change. Now TV timeouts will not occur after goals or icings or during a power play.</p><p>Also, when a player hits the post or crossbar and the puck goes out of play, the ensuing faceoff will be deep in the offensive zone and not in the neutral zone. And when one team commits an offense that leads to a penalty, the ensuing faceoff will take place deep in the offending team&rsquo;s zone regardless of where the infraction occurred.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

NEW RACING RULES

<h2><b>BEST RECORDS IN OCTOBER</b></h2><p>SINCE 1967-68 EXPANSION</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021608/9344342-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="155" height="139"></div><p>BUFFALO</p><p>2006-07</p><p>10-0-1 .955</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031021/9344335-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="196" height="157"></div><p>TAMPA BAY</p><p>2003-04</p><p> 6-0-1 .929</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-2014/9344328-1-eng-US/f0010-202.jpg" title="f0010-20" width="155" height="139"></div><p>DETROIT</p><p> 2005-06</p><p>11-1-1 .917</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04709/9344321-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="155" height="139"></div><p>TORONTO</p><p>1993-94</p><p>10-1-0 .909</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05519/9344314-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="155" height="138"></div><p>NY ISLANDERS</p><p>2001-02</p><p>9-0-2 .909</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-06388/9344307-1-eng-US/f0010-062.jpg" title="f0010-06" width="155" height="139"></div><p>ATLANTA</p><p> 1978-79</p><p> 8-0-2 .900</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-07273/9344300-1-eng-US/f0010-072.jpg" title="f0010-07" width="196" height="158"></div><p>EDMONTON</p><p>1984-85</p><p>8-0-2 .900</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-08202/9344293-1-eng-US/f0010-082.jpg" title="f0010-08" width="155" height="138"></div><p>OTTAWA</p><p>2007-08</p><p>9-1-0 .900</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-09154/9344286-1-eng-US/f0010-092.jpg" title="f0010-09" width="155" height="139"></div><p>EDMONTON</p><p>1985-86</p><p> 8-1-0 .889</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-10129/9344279-1-eng-US/f0010-102.jpg" title="f0010-10" width="196" height="158"></div><p>ANAHEIM</p><p> 2006-07</p><p>9-0-3 .875</p><h2><b>BEST RECORDS IN OCTOBER</b></h2><p>2007-08</p><p>OTTAWA 9-1-0 .900</p><p>DETROIT 10-2-1 .808</p><p>PHILADELPHIA 7-3-0 .700<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

Hot Starts

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KARA YORIO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011891/9344373-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Acclaimed writer Jack Falla had a long love affair with hockey.</figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HE SKATES AND STICK leaned against a photo display in the Wellesley, Mass., funeral home. They looked lonely. It would have been more appropriate if they somehow joined the stream of mourners. For throughout his life, skates and a stick gave Jack Falla as much comfort and companionship and as many memories as any friend who lined up to say goodbye. Falla, an author, professor and sports-writer, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 64 on Sept. 14.</p><p>He left behind his cherished family &ndash; wife Barbara, children Tracey and Brian and grandchildren Demetre and Ella. And he left behind a hockey world filled with friends, colleagues and former students. Falla was a senior writer at <i>Sports Illustrated</i> in the 1980s, chronicling the rise and reign of Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers. He was a professor at Boston University and author of <i>Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard Rinks and Frozen Ponds</i>; <i>Quest for the Cup</i>; <i>Saved</i>, a novel about a Boston Bruins goalie&rsquo;s life, loves and pursuit of the Cup; and the recently released <i>Open Ice: Reflections and Confessions of a Hockey Lifer</i>. He also contributed to The Hockey News, writing major essays in <i>Century of Hockey</i> and <i>The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time</i> and acclaimed back-page columns for <i>Inside Hockey</i>.</p><p>Falla loved music and movies, good wine and a good meal. And he loved great writing. All styles, from any era. But hockey was his true passion; the thread pulling everything together, connecting generations and linking a lifetime of moments, good and bad. And despite covering it professionally, he remained forever a fan.</p><p>He revered the hockey gods who won five straight Cups for Montreal from 1956-60. He sent highlight tapes of Bobby Orr to people who never saw the great Bruin play &ndash; because no one should be a fan of today&rsquo;s game without actually seeing the man who changed it. He felt compelled to attend Maurice Richard&rsquo;s funeral, found a reason to visit Georges Vezina&rsquo;s grave and created a professional purpose for a pilgrimage to the pond where Hobey Baker learned to skate. He loved the game, its beauty and brutality.</p><p>He built a backyard rink, the Bacon St. Omni, in Natick, Mass., and that ice &ndash; which was to freeze for its 25th year this winter &ndash; provided the page on which he wrote so much of his family history. It was where he passed the puck to his kids and then grandkids. Multiple generations of neighbors and friends signed the rink guest book and were rewarded with a lasting memory.</p><p>In <i>Open Ice</i>, Falla wrote that hockey was important to him &ldquo;for reasons that transcend standings, statistics and scores.&rdquo; He recalled a conversation with a fellow professor: &ldquo;Why do you go to the draft? They don&rsquo;t play hockey,&rdquo; the professor asked. Falla replied, &ldquo;I go to see my friends,&rdquo; adding that the NHL is like a tribal gathering. &ldquo;Hockey is the only tribe I belong to,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>The tribe has lost a treasured member. The game has lost a fan and a friend.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

JACK FALLA 1944-2008

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021692/9344435-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="130" height="131"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>N THE LAST issue of THN, we mentioned Patrick Roy, Trevor Linden and Mike Gartner are having their numbers retired this season. And they&rsquo;re not the only ones. Chicago will retire No. 3 in honor of Pierre Pilote and the late Keith Magnuson,  who was killed in a 2003 car accident. The Rangers are raising No. 3, too, in honor of Harry Howell. Three No. 9s are rafter-bound, with the Rangers paying tribute to Andy Bathgate and Adam Graves and Edmonton honoring Glenn Anderson. In Carolina, No. 2 will be retired for Glen Wesley.</p><p>THE OLD CBC <i>Hockey Night In Canada</i> theme song, now owned by CTV and TSN, was re-recorded by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. It sounds similar to the original except for a touch more percussion. They tried it with more cowbell, but it wasn&rsquo;t working.</p><p>WE COULDN&rsquo;T HELP but notice the <i>NHL Official Guide & Record Book</i> still does not list save percentage statistics in its goaltending register despite the fact it&rsquo;s the most telling goalie stat out there.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0012-02

SNAPSHOTS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04651/9344480-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="240" height="210"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031089/9344487-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="230" height="280"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05458/9344473-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="240" height="210"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06373/9344466-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="256" height="210"></div><p>SONG ARTIST</p><p>Last Kiss Pearl Jam</p><p>SM: I just really like this song.</p><p>The Pretender Foo Fighters</p><p>SM: This is a good one.</p><p>American Boy Estelle</p><p>Having Kanye West on the track always helps.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-04

ROCKIN’ OUT with Shawn Matthias

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011919/9344525-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Would Pittsburgh have been better off by dealing Evgeni Malkin? <span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021345/9344532-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="207" height="246"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t expect the Penguins to be nearly as good as they were last season&rdquo;</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><span>P</span>ITTSBURGH PENGUINS FANS have to come to grips with a couple of things. Here at THN, we see ourselves fulfilling a public service role along with informing and entertaining, so here goes:</p><p>First, get off Marian Hossa&rsquo;s case for simply exercising his rights as an unrestricted free agent. Newsflash: Hossa was a rental player and he owed the Penguins nothing. He did his part to get them to the Stanley Cup final and he moved on. That&rsquo;s what rental players do. Get over it.</p><p>Second, don&rsquo;t expect your team to be anywhere near as good as it was last season. Both recent and long-term history will show the Penguins have as much of a chance of winning the Stanley Cup in 2009 as most ordinary folk do getting hit by lightning on the way to cashing in their winning lottery ticket.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s deal with long-term history first. My esteemed colleague, Jason Kay, recently pointed out the past 11 teams that have lost in the Cup final have combined to win <i>one</i> playoff round the next season and it has been 25 years since a team lost in the final and came back the next year to win the Stanley Cup.</p><p>But that&rsquo;s not why the Penguins will take several steps backward this season. They will falter because they didn&rsquo;t learn the hard lessons endured by the Tampa Bay Lightning and they didn&rsquo;t trade Evgeni Malkin. As a result, the Penguins have an overabundance of quality NHL centers &ndash; so much so that Jordan Staal will likely move to the wing this season &ndash; and not enough depth at other positions.</p><p>I defy anyone to find a single facet of the Penguins roster that was upgraded in the off-season. Heck, the Penguins even downgraded at backup goalie when they lost the reliable Ty Conklin and replaced him with Dany Sabourin. You remember Conklin? He was the guy who carried the Penguins for a long stretch last season.</p><p>In losing Hossa and Ryan Malone, the Penguins lost 56 goals and 117 points and replaced them with Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, who combined last season for 32 goals and 74 points. They lost their grittiest player in Jarkko Ruutu and veteran leadership in Gary Roberts.</p><p>All of which is not uncommon in today&rsquo;s salary-capped NHL. The reality is accomplished teams with elite players will always face difficult decisions when it comes to payroll. As much as Malone carps he didn&rsquo;t feel any &ldquo;love&rdquo; from Pittsburgh when it came to re-signing him, the Pens simply didn&rsquo;t have the cap space to bring him back.</p><p>The reason those losses will hurt the Penguins is that, like the Lightning, they haven&rsquo;t drafted nearly well enough beyond the first round to fill those holes from within with less expensive players who have a higher upside. Beyond the young players already on their roster, the Penguins don&rsquo;t have a particularly impressive array of prospects coming through the system. A few more quality up-and-comers would have negated the need to go out and sign Satan and Fedotenko for a combined $5.75 million. Then, the money saved there could have been spent on keeping Malone, a key cog and a productive winger whose presence will be missed both on and off the ice.</p><p>And it won&rsquo;t get any easier next season when Malkin&rsquo;s four-year extension worth $8.7 million a year kicks in. Had the Penguins traded Malkin, they could have received all kinds of immediate quality help and recouped the first round pick they gave up &ndash; along with their top prospect and two serviceable roster players &ndash; when they dealt for Hossa at the trade deadline. And they still would have been left with Sidney Crosby, Staal and Maxime Talbot as their top three centers.</p><p>Does any of this look vaguely familiar? After Tampa won the Cup in 2004, instead of making the difficult decision to trade one of his top three stars in exchange for a more balanced roster and more cap flexibility, GM Jay Feaster locked up Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St-Louis with big-money, long-term deals. The Bolts went directly into the sinkhole and ended up having to trade Richards anyway.</p><p>It probably won&rsquo;t be that drastic in Pittsburgh, but Ray Shero&rsquo;s insistence on keeping too much of a good thing could come back to haunt him. Even before the season starts, the Penguins have only about $1.5 million in cap room and are faced with long-term injuries to their top two defensemen in Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. They&rsquo;re seriously depleted on both sides of the ice up front and, beyond Crosby and Malkin, have a forward corps that is average at best.</p><p>Certainly doesn&rsquo;t look like a serious Stanley Cup contender from this corner.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03979/9344518-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="53" height="53"></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>

f0013-01

HEY PENS: BEWARE BAD BOLT IN ‘08-09

<div class="byline">BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021604/9344577-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marian Hossa <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES WINGS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012136/9344584-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="207" height="246"></div><p>FOUR STANLEY CUPS in 11 seasons. Four Presidents&rsquo; Trophies in the same span.</p><p>It isn&rsquo;t much of a stretch to anoint the Detroit Red Wings hockey&rsquo;s best team during the past 11 seasons. Just as it isn&rsquo;t going out on a limb to name the defending Stanley Cup champions the favorites to hold another mug-based parade next June.</p><p>But here&rsquo;s the big news &ndash; not only are these Wings the team to beat this season, they&rsquo;re the best Motor City squad since the days of Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Red Kelly.</p><p>&ldquo;This is probably the deepest team we&rsquo;ve ever had,&rdquo; said GM Ken Holland, the man who has been assembling allstar rosters in Detroit for 12 seasons. &ldquo;We won the Stanley Cup and I like our team.&rdquo;</p><p>What&rsquo;s not to like?</p><p>Nicklas Lidstrom, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, is the team captain and the club&rsquo;s best defenseman. Goaltender Chris Osgood won his second Jennings Trophy last season. Pavel Datsyuk, the first-line center, won the Lady Byng and Selke Trophies in 2007-08 and Henrik Zetterberg, the second-line center, captured the Conn Smythe Trophy.</p><p>Added to this elite group was the most coveted free agent of the summer, 29-goal scorer Marian Hossa. He opted to follow the &ldquo;if you can&rsquo;t beat &rsquo;em, join &rsquo;em&rdquo; theory, bolting the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Red Wings after losing to Detroit in last spring&rsquo;s Cup final. Hossa figured the Stanley Cup futures were better in Detroit than in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins can only boast Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, et al.</p><p>&ldquo;My decision was between Pittsburgh and Detroit,&rdquo; Hossa said. &ldquo;Detroit won because the team stayed together. It&rsquo;s a strong hockey team and organization.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to take anything away from Pittsburgh. I had a great time there with unbelievable young players, a great group. I just feel like this is the team to beat. That&rsquo;s why I signed in Detroit. I was just looking for the best possibility to win a Cup.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011891/9344570-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="1444" height="1010"><figcaption class="caption-body">Henrik Zetterberg, and Pavel Datsyuk <span class="photo-credit">(DATSYUK: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY)</span></figcaption></div><p>Detroit has iced a cornucopia of all-star rosters in the past under owner Mike Ilitch. The 2001-02 Cup-winning team, for example, went deeper in terms of individual accomplishments. But the truth of the matter is there weren&rsquo;t many miles left on veterans such as Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Dominik Hasek and Brett Hull.</p><p>This Detroit team is as deep as that club was and the majority of its stars are just entering the prime of their careers. Datsyuk (96 points) and Zetterberg (92 points), the only teammates to finish among the NHL&rsquo;s top six scorers, are 30 and 27. Hossa is 29.</p><p>Johan Franzen, a 27-goal scorer last season, is 28. Niklas Kronwall, who has emerged as a frontline rearguard, is 27. True, Lidstrom is 38, but his game is the most economical in the league and he shows little sign of wear and tear after winning his sixth Norris in seven seasons.</p><p>Still not convinced? Then try the following experiment &ndash; jot down Detroit&rsquo;s likely line combinations and defense pairings. But be aware, doing so might preclude you from having any notions of your favorite team winning the Stanley Cup this season.</p><p>Wings coach Mike Babcock has tried the experiment and, no doubt, saliva formed at the corners of his mouth each time.</p><p>&ldquo;I wrote the line combinations down many times on a napkin this summer and I&rsquo;ve gone through it over and over again,&rdquo; Babcock said. &ldquo;A month in, we&rsquo;ll get it figured out.&rdquo;</p><p>He already has this figured out: Datsyuk and Zetterberg won&rsquo;t be linemates this season.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re not playing together,&rdquo; Babcock said.</p><p>&ldquo;Not maybe, for sure. Franzen&rsquo;s coming into his own and Hossa, the kind of player he is, it would be crazy to play (Zetterberg and Datsyuk) together.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re both happy at center. (Tomas Holmstrom) always plays with Datsyuk, so that will continue. I&rsquo;m going to start Hossa with them and I&rsquo;m going to start with &lsquo;Z&rsquo; (Zetterberg) and the &lsquo;Mule&rsquo; (Franzen) and (Jiri) Hudler and we&rsquo;ll go from there.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021344/9344563-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="1249" height="940"><figcaption class="caption-body">are among the Wings stars in their primes. <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Hossa&rsquo;s arrival has had the domino effect of pushing Valtteri Filppula, who was very effective as thae second-line center for the Wings last season, down in the pecking order. Babcock isn&rsquo;t sure whether Filppula or Kris Draper will center the third line.</p><p>He&rsquo;s also not certain of his defense pairings beyond Lidstrom-Brian Rafalski and Brad Stuart-Kronwall.</p><p>&ldquo;The balance goes deeper now,&rdquo; Babcock said.</p><p>&ldquo;Who&rsquo;s on the third and fourth line? I don&rsquo;t know. I&rsquo;m just going to watch. We got a lot of players battling for jobs. I&rsquo;ve got 10 NHL defensemen. I&rsquo;ve got a whole pile of NHL forwards. I&rsquo;ve got three NHL goalies. I can&rsquo;t have that, so there&rsquo;s going to be some real battles.&rdquo;</p><p>When the Montreal Canadiens were dominating the NHL in the late 1970s, Habs players often remarked they faced their most difficult opponents during practice.</p><p>The same may prove to be the case this season in Detroit.</p><p>These Red Wings are loaded. And as good as recent crops of talent have been in Detroit, 2008-09 is a bumper one. The richest harvest of them all.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

A WINGS TEAM FOR THE AGES

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011909/9344699-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="378" height="450"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>E</span>very year, a handful of players &ndash; who are known only to the true hockey hardcore &ndash; make the jump from being fringe NHLers to central cogs in their franchises&rsquo; futures. Examples from last season include Thrashers blueliner Tobias Enstrom, Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky and Predators goalie Dan Ellis.</p><p>Since there&rsquo;s sure to be another crop of nobodies-turned-some-bodies this season, The Hockey News canvassed its correspondents and NHL scouts in an attempt to identify the breakthrough players of 2008-09.</p><p>Here, in alphabetical order, are the top 10 under-the-radar NHLers you need to know about:</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011679/9344692-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="1592" height="2000"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BIG BOOTH: ELIOT J. SCHECHTER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021291/9344685-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="959" height="825"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMALL BOOTH: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>David Booth</b></h2><h3><b>LW/FLORIDA</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY <b>Last year was Booth&rsquo;s first full NHL season, and he did not disappoint, amassing 22 goals and 40 points in 73 games. Veteran sniper Cory Stillman may replace him on Florida&rsquo;s top line &ndash; at least, in the short term &ndash; but Booth figures into the Panthers&rsquo; future in a big way.</b></p><p>A SCOUT SAYS <b>&ldquo;A fearless kid&hellip;he was a great fit on the (No. 1) line with (Stephen) Weiss and (Nathan) Horton last season&hellip;I think he could easily put up 30 (goals) for them this year.&rdquo;</b></p><h2><b>Derick Brassard</b></h2><h3><b>C/COLUMBUS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011787/9344678-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="994" height="799"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>THE SKINNY R.J. Umberger was slotted in as the Blue Jackets&rsquo; No. 1 center prior to the season, but if that doesn&rsquo;t pan out, the next best option is this 21-year-old playmaking pivot.</p><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;I heard he put on some muscle this summer, which is what he needed to do&hellip;(Blue Jackets coach Ken) Hitchcock apparently loves his tenacity.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021350/9344671-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="965" height="703"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Patric Hornqvist</b></h2><h3><b>LW/NASHVILLE</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY The native of Sweden is famous in his homeland for breaking Peter Forsberg&rsquo;s record for goals scored by a rookie in the Swedish Elite League.</p><p>The Preds are hoping he&rsquo;ll be famous for replacing Alexander Radulov on their second line.</p><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard good and bad things about him&hellip;his (5-foot-11) size may be an issue. However, he&rsquo;s got real good hands and I heard he worked well with (second-line winger J-P) Dumont in training camp.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Nikolai Kulemin</b></h2><h3><b>LW/TORONTO</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY With the Maple Leafs in a rebuilding year, a top-level prospect like the 22-year-old Russian will get every chance to demonstrate he belongs on one of Toronto&rsquo;s top two lines.</p><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;He wants the puck, but unlike some (Russian-born NHLers), he&rsquo;s actually willing to pay the price to get it&hellip;he&rsquo;s not a star in the making, but he certainly has the potential to be in any team&rsquo;s top six (group of forwards).&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04659/9344664-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="965" height="921"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES FOR NHL)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Bryan Little</b></h2><h3><b>C/ATLANTA</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY Little didn&rsquo;t exceed expectations during a 48-game stint with the Thrashers last season, putting up just six goals and 16 points. But new coach John Anderson, who worked with Little in Chicago (AHL), will give him the chance to center Atlanta&rsquo;s second line.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03977/9344657-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="966" height="658"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;Still not a great skater, but he&rsquo;s smart and has got the right attitude. Sometimes a smaller guy like him will be at a disadvantage out (on the ice), but I think his work ethic will make up for it.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Ryan Parent</b></h2><h3><b>D/PHILADELPHIA</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY Acquired in the 2007 Peter Forsberg-to-Nashville trade, Parent made an excellent impression on the Flyers brass in a 22-game NHL stint last season and should spend the entire &rsquo;08-09 campaign in the big leagues.</p><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t do much in the way of stuff that will make the scoreboard or highlight reel, but that&rsquo;s not why he&rsquo;s there&hellip;(he) reminds me of Adam Foote with a slightly less mean mean streak.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05452/9344650-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="1249" height="1421"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011599/9344643-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="966" height="885"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NOAH GRAHAM/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Teddy Purcell</b></h2><h3><b>RW/LOS ANGELES</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY Mike Cammalleri&rsquo;s trade to Calgary in the summer created a hole on the Kings&rsquo; second line and there are those who believe Purcell is just the guy to plug it. The 6-foot-3 native of St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld., wasn&rsquo;t drafted, but the way the University of Maine product dominated with Manchester (AHL) last season &ndash; 25 goals and 83 points in 67 games &ndash; many scouts regret not taking a flyer on him.</p><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;He brings to mind Dustin Penner in some ways, though he&rsquo;s still got to put some bulk on that frame to be as big a force as Penner. Still, this kid opened a lot of eyes last year.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04636/9344636-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="965" height="640"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Pekka Rinne</b></h2><h3><b>G/NASHVILLE</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY The Predators bid farewell to Chris Mason over the summer, giving the 6-foot-5 Rinne &ndash; who led the AHL in wins last season with 36 for Milwaukee &ndash; every chance to grab Nashville&rsquo;s backup role in net. And if starter Dan Ellis falters, Rinne&rsquo;s role could expand significantly.</p><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;First of all, the guy is huge. He doesn&rsquo;t have top-end lateral (quickness) right now, but he&rsquo;s put up pretty amazing numbers without it so far.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021204/9344629-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="705" height="591"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03830/9344622-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="960" height="237"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Andrej Sekera</b></h2><h3><b>D/BUFFALO</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY In 37 games with the Sabres last season, the 22-year-old Sekera showed abov-e-average on-ice maturity and puck-moving skills. Given that each of the Sabres&rsquo; top four defensemen will all be at least 30 years old by season&rsquo;s end, he has an opportunity to establish himself as a cornerstone on Buffalo&rsquo;s blueline for the next decade.</p><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;He&rsquo;s never going to be a bruiser out there, that&rsquo;s for sure&hellip;I think he&rsquo;s still got to work on his positioning game, but the skills he&rsquo;s got with the puck, nobody can teach.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Keith Yandle</b></h2><h3><b>D/PHOENIX</b></h3><p>THE SKINNY One of the reasons the Coyotes felt comfortable dealing high-impact blueliner Keith Ballard to Florida in the Olli Jokinen trade was because of Yandle&rsquo;s upside. The 22-year-old was inconsistent in 43 games with Phoenix last season, but could jump into one of the first or second pairings quite quickly this time around.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05475/9344615-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="966" height="556"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A SCOUT SAYS &ldquo;An above-average  er&hellip;he looked a bit overwhelmed at times in hispuck-movown end, but most young (defensemen) have to deal with nerves at some point in their development. Wouldn&rsquo;t surprise me at all if he turned out to be their top-scoring &lsquo;D&rsquo; this year.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

SPOTLIGHT

The BREAKOUT BUNCH

<div class="byline">by ken campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011543/9344765-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Gilbert and Sam Gagner are two reasons for Oiler optimism. <span class="photo-credit">(Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>YOU USUALLY KNOW WHEN YOU&rsquo;RE IN OIL COUNTRY</b>.</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>irst of all, Rexall Place is plastered with signs informing you that &ldquo;YOU&rsquo;RE IN OIL COUNTRY!&rdquo; But, despite the dead giveaway, there&rsquo;s something more to it than that. It goes beyond the collective hate for anything eastern. There&rsquo;s a certain small-town, comfortable feel to Edmonton and the Oilers. In Toronto, the team gets the largest beverage company in the world to help underwrite a free game. In Edmonton, the annual intrasquad game is dubbed the Joey Moss Cup, named after the longtime Oilers equipment man who has Down syndrome and whose sister used to date Wayne Gretzky. Before the game, the guest of honor sings the national anthem.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to put my finger on it,&rdquo; said new-comer Erik Cole, &ldquo;but maybe it goes back to the days when this team was a dynasty. Everybody in the room, they&rsquo;re like brothers. They all have their little digs at each other and it&rsquo;s almost like a sibling rivalry. It&rsquo;s a pretty special mix.&rdquo;</p><p>Don&rsquo;t look now, but the Oilers might just be shedding their folksy image. They are big players now, paying at least $2 million into revenue sharing each season since the lockout. Not a single seat for a single game has gone unsold and former GM Kevin Lowe has made headlines &ndash; and a few enemies &ndash; for throwing Rangersesque money at Thomas Vanek, Dustin Penner, Marian Hossa and Jaromir Jagr. Last year, the team was bought by local billionaire Darryl Katz for $200 million and there are plans in the works for a new arena and project development, which will, in the true spirit of sports capitalism, likely be largely paid for by the hardworking people of Edmonton.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011433/9344758-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="3000" height="1959"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021057/9344751-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="698" height="550"><figcaption class="caption-body">GM Steve Tambellini has a deep defense led by Souray and Visnovsky. <span class="photo-credit">(Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p>Optimism abounds in the City of Champions and for good reason. Despite not making the playoffs the past two seasons, the Oilers are finally producing some star quality in their homegrown talent and a 14-5-1 run down the stretch last season has fans over-the-top excited. Add in two very astute trades for Cole from Carolina and top defenseman Lubomir Visnovksy from Los Angeles &ndash; and a wide-open Northwest Division there for the taking &ndash; and the possibility is there for a perfect storm.</p><p>&ldquo;Mac T (coach Craig MacTavish) was saying the other day, &lsquo;I usually stand up here at the start of training camp and try to build enthusiasm in the media,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Oilers president and CEO Patrick LaForge, &ldquo; &lsquo;and here today I&rsquo;m trying to contain it.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>That might be difficult to do, given the fact the short-term optimism carries with it &ndash; for the first time in over a decade &ndash; a feeling of long-term stability for the franchise. On the ice, the Oilers are one of the youngest teams in the league and have the potential to be a very exciting club to watch. And unlike previous seasons when the Oilers would hitch their hope wagons to stiffs such as Jason Bonsignore, Michel Reisen, Steve Kelly and Jani Rita, there is clear evidence that Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano are for real, that Robert Nilsson has turned the corner and that Tom Gilbert and Denis Grebeshkov can play a little, too.</p><p>&ldquo;Most people would rather see young teams get better than old teams get worse,&rdquo; LaForge said. &ldquo;And I think you&rsquo;re going to see a young team get better and we have the financial where-withal to make it happen. A new owner, a good economy and hopefully a new building in three to five years, so all of that smells good.&rdquo;</p><p>Armed with cost certainty and a more level playing field, the Oilers have been one of the league&rsquo;s biggest spenders since the lockout. They vow to spend to the upper limit of the $56.7-million cap (they have about $2 million in space for this season). The same franchise that had cash calls from its ownership group early this decade and was forced to trade away its dynasty and other players such as Doug Weight and Bill Guerin because of money, now finds itself among the upper crust of the NHL&rsquo;s financial elite.</p><p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have to trade players anymore,&rdquo; said Lowe, now the team&rsquo;s president of hockey operations. &ldquo;Like a lot of teams, we won&rsquo;t be able to keep all our players, the cap will prevent that, but we will never have to trade a player for dollar reasons.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to equate us with (baseball&rsquo;s Montreal) Expos, but people always thought, &lsquo;Yeah, they&rsquo;re good and they make the playoffs, but they&rsquo;re always playing Dallas and Detroit and Colorado and getting knocked out. It was always entertaining, but they could never win because they never had the payroll.&rsquo; That was hurtful to the organization and it made it a challenge in the old CBA, but now it&rsquo;s not even a concern.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011261/9344744-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="2398" height="1256"><figcaption class="caption-body">YOUNG GUNS Average age of Oilers&rsquo; top 12 forwards 25.9 <span class="photo-credit">(Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p>To that end, the Oilers have much of the core of the team locked up to long-term deals. Gilbert, Visnovsky and Shawn Horcoff are under contract through 2012-13; Sheldon Souray, Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky are committed through 2011-12; and, Steve Staios and Nilsson have another three seasons on their contracts.</p><p>But let&rsquo;s deal with the here and now.</p><p>Certainly, the organization is buoyed by its furious finish last season and the significant upgrades it made to its roster over the summer. Getting Visnovsky was a home run, particularly since the Oilers vow to play an up-tempo game and Visnovsky gives them a defenseman who can move the puck up to their speedy, talented forwards. Acquiring power forward Cole for the underachieving Joni Pitkanen was another steal and helped right a Chris Pronger trade that went terribly wrong.</p><p>When the Oilers were forced to deal Pronger to the Anaheim Ducks in the summer of 2006, they originally received Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid and draft picks. Lupul begat Pitkanen, who begat Cole and one of the Anaheim picks turned out to be talented junior prospect Jordan Eberle. Cole, Smid and Eberle certainly looks a lot better for the Oilers these days.</p><p>There is much to like about this Oilers team that is playing in a Northwest Division that hasn&rsquo;t been this wide open since, like, ever. Minnesota lost Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra, Colorado is a shell of its former self, Vancouver can&rsquo;t score and Calgary is wildly inconsistent and lacking in depth.</p><p>That leaves the Oilers, a team that lost a team-record 346 man-games to injury last season, but returns with a healthy Souray, Horcoff and Ethan Moreau to complement a roster of players that continues to get better. Souray trained in the summer with T.R. Goodman, the man who receives much of the credit for Chris Chelios&rsquo; freakish body. Cole gives the Oilers more top-six scoring and Visnovsky can tee things up for Souray on the power play. And after years of being begged to shoot more, Hemsky appears to have gotten the message. He let loose a career-high 184 times last season and led the Oilers with 71 points.</p><p>&ldquo;(Hemsky) is just 25 years old, so he&rsquo;s still a young guy, but he&rsquo;s bigger and stronger, too, so he&rsquo;s just coming into his prime,&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d like to see him get 90-plus points and we think that would be fitting for his ability. As (Joe) Sakic said last year, he thought (Hemsky) was the most talented guy in the league.&rdquo;</p><p>How deep are the Oilers? Well, it looks as though they&rsquo;ll be willing to pay Penner $4.25 million to play on their third line. In all likelihood, the Oilers will start the season with Horcoff between Cole and Hemsky on the top unit, followed with the &lsquo;Kid Line&rsquo; of Cogliano between Nilsson and Gagner. Kyle Brodziak will center Fernando Pisani and Penner on the third line. Marc-Andre Pouliot will anchor the fourth line between Zach Stortini and Ethan Moreau, leaving Rob Schremp and Gilbert Brule to battle for the 13th forward spot.</p><p>On defense, the Oilers have a solid core of Souray, Visnovsky, Gilbert, Grebeshkov, Staios and Smid with talented prospect Tyler Chorney pushing those ahead of him.</p><p>Goaltending is where the Oilers have their biggest concern. Mathieu Garon enjoyed a career year and won all 10 of his shootouts, but there are real questions as to whether a 30-year-old who had never established himself as a No. 1 can repeat what he did last season. If not, Dwayne Roloson needs to be better and since Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers would need to clear waivers in order to be sent down, the Oilers appeared set to begin the season with a three-headed goaltending monster, which can be awkward.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">As Sakic said last year, he thought Hemsky was the most talented guy in the league</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011380/9344737-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="4424" height="2984"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JIMMY JEONG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>And there are a couple of other caveats at play here as well. First, after opening the season at home Oct. 12, the Oilers face a brutal stretch with 14 of their next 16 games on the road. That will give them a nice run of home games at the end of the season when they might need them, but a disastrous road start could put them out of the race before it even begins.</p><p>How will Gilbert respond to going from an unknown rookie to a $4 million-a-year player? Can Cogliano and Gagner continue their upward trajectory? The goaltending still has much to prove and is it realistic for the Oilers to compile the 15-4 record in shootouts again this season?</p><p>And really, what good are late-season runs anyway? Many of the games the Oilers played down the stretch, when they won 15 of their last 20 games, were relatively pressure-free because they were out of the playoffs. In fact, the Oilers played only six of 82 games in a playoff position last year. This season, with a long road trip and elevated expectations for the team, the Oilers will have to be good right out of the hopper.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">It just feels like this organization is on such an UPSWING, it&rsquo;s hard not to get caught up in all of it.<br>&ndash; Erik Cole</blockquote><p>Even Lowe acknowledges such questions.</p><p>&ldquo;Is Garon what we saw last year and will the young guys bounce back?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That will be the question. Not even we really know. We&rsquo;re a young team that&rsquo;s developing and heading in the right direction and I think we&rsquo;re legitimately going to challenge for the division.&rdquo;</p><p>At the very least, the Oilers are counting on sending their fans home happy this season. They finished third in the Western Conference with 235 goals in 2007-08, but are hopeful they&rsquo;ve added another 30, a total which would&rsquo;ve made them the top-scoring team in the NHL last season. The Oilers will likely be involved in a few more 5-4 games this season and might be on the losing end of a lot of them. But for a fan base that was weaned on the greatest offensive juggernaut in NHL history, it&rsquo;s all about goals.</p><p>And that fan base is coming back, in a big way. They&rsquo;ve been lured to the team both by the potential created by the exciting young players and the notion that, unlike the late 1990s and early 2000s, they&rsquo;re not presiding over the franchise&rsquo;s death watch. No team&rsquo;s off-ice fortunes have turned around more dramatically than those of the Oilers since the lockout. They went into the work stoppage on fumes and have since built a robust momentum that led to passionate hockey fan Katz paying almost three times as much for the team as the previous ownership group did.</p><p>Certainly, the Oilers and the rest of the Canadian teams are riding the wave of a much healthier Canadian dollar and a maniacal obsession with hockey since the lockout. In the past three years, the Ottawa Senators are the only Canadian team in the NHL that has not sold out every one of its regular season and playoff games. Since the lockout, there have been 792 regular season and playoff games played in Canadian rinks. Of the 15,033,697 seats that have been available, just 14,828 have gone unsold, all of them in Ottawa. All six Canadian teams play to capacities exceeding 100 percent &ndash; Ottawa had more games where it exceeded capacity than it failed to sell out &ndash; and interest in the game in Canada has never been higher.</p><p>The Oilers, meanwhile, are experiencing an oil-fueled boom in the economy and the city of Edmonton recently topped the one-million mark in population. Between 2005 and 2011, the expectation is the population will grow by 83,000. The team&rsquo;s fans are young, upwardly mobile and have money to spend. The average age of an Oilers customer is 27.5, a fact the team&rsquo;s marketing people occasionally bring up when they try to sell corporate sponsorships.</p><p>The Oilers could sell out the building on season tickets alone and there&rsquo;s a waiting list for private boxes. When the Oilers recently made single-game seats available, they sold out in a matter of minutes.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011227/9344730-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="1750" height="1424"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mathieu Garon won the No. 1 job last year, but can he keep it? <span class="photo-credit">(Jimmy Jeong/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;We had a pre-season game the other night, a nothing game, and it was sold out and people paid full price to be there,&rdquo; LaForge said. &ldquo;I was walking into this pre-season game and there were scalpers in front of our building. I mean, come on. That&rsquo;s almost silly, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;</p><p>And then there&rsquo;s Katz, whom the Oilers probably would have invented if he didn&rsquo;t actually exist. A season-ticket holder since 1979, Katz is a self-made billionaire who graduated from the University of Alberta and chooses to remain in Edmonton. According to <i>Forbes</i> magazine, which ranks him as Billionaire No. 538 on its list, Katz is the son of a pharmacist who &ldquo;cobbled together 2,000 pharmacies to create one of the biggest pharmacy chains in North America.&rdquo;</p><p>How exactly does someone &ldquo;cobble together&rdquo; 2,000 pharmacies? Starting in the 1990s, Katz began buying up distressed pharmacy chains and managed to turn them around under the umbrella of the Rexall Group. Katz and his net worth of more than $2 billion has energized a franchise that was already experiencing an upswing in momentum.</p><p>Shortly after being approved as owner, Katz set about to trying to sign Hossa. The star winger eventually opted for Detroit, but the point was made and Katz gained a ton of credibility with his players for offering Hossa $9 million per season over a long term.</p><p>&ldquo;(Katz) brings an energy and a commitment and he&rsquo;s the face we haven&rsquo;t had for the franchise,&rdquo; LaForge said. &ldquo;The players in the room are giggly happy and they&rsquo;re a pretty tough group to impress. The players are the guys who look around and know what they&rsquo;ve really got. They know when it&rsquo;s good and they know when it&rsquo;s not so good.&rdquo;</p><p> And right now they think it&rsquo;s good. The way many observers see it, the Oilers have above-average forwards, a very good defense and a questionable group of goaltenders. Most teams in today&rsquo;s NHL would be pleased to have above-average depth and talent in two of the three components of the game.</p><p>It has certainly energized Cole, who is looking forward to seeing what the Oilers can accomplish this season. And while there is no guarantee the Oilers will be able to sign Cole beyond this season, don&rsquo;t look for his wife, Emily, to demand that he leave the northern Alberta clime because her lips are getting chapped. Cole has moved his family to Edmonton and has the children in school. Emily grew up in Potsdam, N.Y., which is not far from Cornwall, Ont., and often experienced bitterly cold winters. Cole, originally from Oswego in upstate New York, said he recalls &ldquo;buckets and buckets&rdquo; of snow growing up.</p><p>&ldquo;To be honest, I&rsquo;d be surprised if anyone let the weather dictate where they would play and who they would play with,&rdquo; said Cole, who is apparently unfamiliar with Chris Pronger, Michael Peca, Michael Nylander and a number of other players who have either left or spurned the Oilers over the years. Or the other members of the league who, a couple of years ago in a THN survey, ranked Edmonton and Buffalo as the two least-desirable destinations in the NHL.</p><p>That&rsquo;s why Cole indicated he is entirely open to the possibility of re-signing with the Oilers if the two sides can agree on money and term. Heck, he might even take a hometown discount. Who knows?</p><p>&ldquo;It just feels like this organization is on such an upswing,&rdquo; Cole said, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s hard not to get caught up in all of it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

THE PIPE LINE

<div class="byline">with Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021005/9344834-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Europe glimpsed NHLers such as Jose Theodore during the lockout. <span class="photo-credit">(BOBBO LAUHAGE/AOPS VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03798/9344841-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="94" height="111"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;You&rsquo;ll see teams move before the NHL expands&hellip;It&rsquo;s less of a risk to move&rdquo;</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>S MUCH AS SOME PEOPLE who work in the NHL and its auxiliary businesses like to pretend the hockey world operates in a burst-proof bubble, every so often the real world rears its head to provide a painful reminder of the truth.</p><p>Sometimes, that reminder takes the shape of a work stoppage. Sometimes, it comes by way of a tragic death. And once in a most unfortunate while, it is delivered by a firm backhand from economic forces beyond even the most talented player agent&rsquo;s control.</p><p>With financial markets across the globe struggling to survive some of the most turbulent times in recent memory, that third scenario may be thrust upon the hockey industry again. But it may not just be another recession of the 1987 variety &ndash; it could be a full-on, sandwich-board-as-business-suit situation with consequences that stretch far beyond the concepts of disposable income and season tickets.</p><p>If such a disaster came to pass, what could hockey fans expect the NHL to look like in the wake of dire and widespread economic downturns? Would the league fold one or more of its franchises? Might all the chatter of expansion &ndash; to Europe, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Southern Ontario, Winnipeg or elsewhere &ndash; be consigned to history&rsquo;s trash folder for a very long time? Would we see teams relocated by the half-dozen?</p><p>Depends who you talk to, really.</p><p>According to Rodney Fort, a professor of sport management at the University of Michigan, European expansion, first and foremost, is much easier said than done.</p><p>&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t see how they can make it work,&rdquo; Fort said. &ldquo;Between fuel costs, time changes and other logistic nightmares, I don&rsquo;t know how European teams would mesh with the rest of the league.&rdquo;</p><p>Fort also believes the economic hardship that may be ahead won&rsquo;t result in the contraction of any teams.</p><p>&ldquo;Franchise values are paramount to NHL owners,&rdquo; Fort said. &ldquo;One of the easiest ways to devalue franchises is to operate them in a league that is receding in size. So I think that&rsquo;s something that would be a last resort for the NHL&hellip;I don&rsquo;t see them being at that point now or at any point in the near future.&rdquo;</p><p>Rumblings of expansion to a 32-team NHL have been around for a few years now &ndash; and if you look at what the league did after the &rsquo;87 &ldquo;Black Monday&rdquo; financial crash, it&rsquo;s more difficult to discount such a process from taking place, even in the face of financial disarray.</p><p>In 1987, the NHL had 21 teams. In 1991, the league had its 22nd franchise in the San Jose Sharks. Two years after that, Ottawa and Tampa Bay arrived; the next year, Anaheim and Florida became teams No. 25 and 26. That&rsquo;s five new teams in six years &ndash; and five teams that have since withstood market fluctuations to remain where they began.</p><p>Take that into account, as well as the fact legendary TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer has had designs for a while on putting a team in Las Vegas, and many believe it is all but a <i>fait accompli</i> the NHL will give him and a team a shot in Nevada.</p><p>The only real remaining question is, how will the league enter that and other markets &ndash; with an existing organization that couldn&rsquo;t sell tickets prior to calling in the moving vans, or with an expansion group that has to start from scratch?</p><p>Fort thinks the nature of current market woes will result in relocation before expansion.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to ask, &lsquo;Where is (the current mortgage-based) crisis going to have its greatest effect?&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Certainly, there will be corporate  fallout, as financial institutions merge and the ensuing ripple effect cuts down on the number of entities able to purchase luxury boxes for games or corporate sponsorships.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I think you&rsquo;ll see teams move before the NHL expands&hellip;It&rsquo;s less of a risk to move an existing franchise into a market they believe will work than it is to keep teams in non-responsive markets and expand on top of that.&rdquo;</p><p>Some disagree with Fort and believe the windfall that expansion fees bring will be too tempting for NHL owners to ignore. Indeed, one highlevel league insider who spoke on condition of anonymity has heard staggering numbers tossed around.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard owners would want in the area of $150 million (for a team),&rdquo; the source said. &ldquo;You multiply that by two for a 32-team league, and you&rsquo;re talking $10 million per team in franchise fees&hellip;I think it&rsquo;ll be awfully difficult for owners to reject that kind of money.&rdquo;</p><p>Bottom line, it&rsquo;s fair to say the NHL&rsquo;s future is in many ways as uncertain as the economies in which it functions. Nothing stays the same &ndash; not the stock market, not pro athletes, and surely, not the presentday structure of the NHL.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011391/9344827-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="75" height="76"></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>

f0026-02

TOUGH TIMES, BUT DON’T FRET – YET

f0028-01

START IT UP: WHO’S UNDER PRESSURE?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02901/9345155-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg"></div><h2><b>WESTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><h2><b>EASTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011279/9345148-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="2804" height="3543"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0035-02

DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p>LAST SPRING, MARK Hartigan joked that he was the Stanley Cup charm. But in the AHL, he has nothing on Darren Haydar.</p><p>In January of 2007, Hartigan was playing for the Syracuse Crunch when he was traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Anaheim Ducks. In June, the Ducks were hoisting the first Stanley Cup in franchise history and Hartigan played in one game during the championship journey.</p><p>That summer, Hartigan signed as a free agent with the Detroit Red Wings and last spring he played in four playoff games during the Wings&rsquo; jaunt to the Cup.</p><p>Haydar is the reigning Calder Cup charm. Except he&rsquo;s much more than just good luck. He&rsquo;s a reason teams win and the Grand Rapids Griffins hope the seventh-year right winger can continue to work his on-ice magic.</p><p>With Hartigan bolting to the Kontinetal Hockey League (and blogging for <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a>), Haydar has taken his place as the critical point-producing depth forward in the Red Wings organization.</p><p>While his skating has prevented him from full-time NHL duty, Haydar is a scoring machine in the AHL. In six seasons, he has 170 goals and 456 points in 417 regular season games. He&rsquo;s even better in the playoffs, with 55 goals and 124 points in 95 games.</p><p>Most importantly, he has won two Calder Cups: with the Chicago Wolves last season and the Milwaukee Admirals in 2003-04. In 2005-06, Haydar and the Admirals lost in the final to the Hershey Bears.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02847/9345193-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="400" height="170"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011268/9345186-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="1066" height="1021"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cory Schneider <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF MANITOBA MOOSE)</span></figcaption></div><p>Here&rsquo;s a team-by-team Western Conference ranking.</p><p>1. MANITOBA MOOSE The Moose will still look to left winger Jason Jaffray for goals and ageless right winger Mike Keane (for the record he&rsquo;s 41) for leadership, but the supporting cast is strong.</p><p>Second-year right wingers Michael Grabner and Yannik Hansen will be dynamite.</p><p>Goaltending is a major strength, with youngster Cory Schneider and veteran Karl Goehring, and if Jason Krog isn&rsquo;t in Vancouver, the Moose will have the AHL&rsquo;s best center.</p><p>2. GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS Haydar will be the focal point of the offense and second-year center Darren Helm is a tireless worker who uses his speed to endlessly hound the puck.</p><p>Jimmy Howard will be back for Year 4 in goal, which will baffle Buffalo prospect Clarke MacArthur.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what he&rsquo;s doing in this league,&rdquo; MacArthur said last season after a great Howard outing. Now&rsquo;s the time for Howard to prove he has the consistency to play in the NHL.</p><p>3. HOUSTON AEROS No team has a better 1-2 goalie tandem than Nolan Schaefer and Barry Brust, and the Aeros play to the strength, especially with Clayton Stoner and Erik Reitz on the blueline.</p><p>The addition of Corey Locke and Bryan Lundbohm will complement left winger Ryan Hamilton. Cal Clutterbuck adds grit, but how high they climb in the West Division will depend on whether center Krys Kolanos can build on his breakout 30-goal season of 2007-08.</p><p>4. ROCKFORD ICEHOGS Right winger Troy Brouwer is an elite goal-scorer, Kris Versteeg continues to improve and a bolstered blueline will make a big difference for goalie Corey Crawford.</p><p>5. IOWA CHOPS Smallish center Andrew Ebbett puts up big numbers and is an MVP candidate for Anaheim&rsquo;s new farm team.</p><p>6. TORONTO MARLIES Third-year goalie Justin Pogge finally has his chance to be the Marlies&rsquo; 60-game starter, while up front sprinter-like winger Robbie Earl, center John Mitchell and Niagara University free agent signee Kyle Rogers want to prove they&rsquo;re NHLers.</p><p>7. SYRACUSE CRUNCH Rookie goalie Steve Mason was rated 13th in THN Future Watch &rsquo;08, but great young goalies sometimes struggle their first AHL year. If nothing else, a talented defensive corps will make the adjustment easier.</p><p>8. MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS The defensive trio of Cody Franson, Alexander Sulzer and Teemu Laakso give forwards Cal O&rsquo;Reilly and Antti Pihlstrom more freedom.</p><p>9. CHICAGO WOLVES Rookie forwards Angelo Esposito, Riley Holzapfel and Spencer Machacek must contribute.</p><p>10. HAMILTON BULLDOGS Right winger Mike Glumac is one of the AHL&rsquo;s best power forwards and right winger Matt D&rsquo;Agostini is a proven goal-scorer. Look for rookie Max Pacioretty to turn heads.</p><p>11. PEORIA RIVERMEN Winger Charles Linglet and Matt Foy and center Julian Talbot and Trent Whitfield provide a solid nucleus in front of rookie goalie Ben Bishop.</p><p>12. SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE There will be great first-year talent on display with center Kevin Porter, left wingers Brett MacLean and Viktor Tikhonov, and defenseman Jonas Ahnelov.</p><p>13. QUAD CITY FLAMES Defenseman Matt Pelech and wingers Brandon Prust and Marcus Nilson are on Calgary&rsquo;s radar while goalie Leland Irving must show he&rsquo;s indeed the future replacement for Miikka Kiprusoff.</p><p>14. ROCHESTER AMERICANS Florida is the sole parent and has quality rookies in forwards Shawn Matthias, Michael Frolik and Michal Repik, as well as defenseman Keaton Ellerby.</p><p>15. LAKE ERIE MONSTERS Second-year right wingers Chris Stewart and David Jones are in the fine-tuning stage, while blueliner Nigel Williams will learn the pro game.</p><h2><b>AHL WEST COACHES</b></h2><p>Coaches are listed with their team, age and the number of seasons they&rsquo;ve been with their current club</p><h3><b>NORTH DIVISION</b></h3><p>Grand Rapids &ndash; Curt Fraser, 50, 1st</p><p>Hamilton &ndash; Don Lever, 55, 4th</p><p>Lake Erie &ndash; Joe Sacco, 39, 2nd</p><p>Manitoba &ndash; Scott Arniel, 46, 3rd</p><p>Rochester &ndash; Benoit Groulx, 40, 1st</p><p>Syracuse &ndash; Ross Yates, 49, 3rd</p><p>Toronto &ndash; Greg Gilbert, 46, 3rd</p><h3><b>WEST DIVISION</b></h3><p>Chicago &ndash; Don Granato, 41, 1st</p><p>Houston &ndash; Kevin Constantine, 49, 2nd</p><p>Iowa &ndash; Shawn Dineen, 50, 1st</p><p>Milwaukee &ndash; Lane Lambert, 43, 2nd</p><p>Peoria &ndash; Davis Payne, 37, 1st</p><p>Quad City &ndash; Ryan McGill, 39, 4th</p><p>Rockford &ndash; Bill Peters, 43, 1st</p><p>San Antonio &ndash; Greg Ireland, 42, 2nd<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-02

PROSPECTS UNLIMITED

GRIFFINS TITLE ON THE HAYDAR?

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK</div><p>FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, the AHL&rsquo;s Eastern Conference champion has come out of the same division, a trend expected to continue in 2008-09.</p><p>The East has been represented in the final by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey twice each and Philadelphia once since the league realigned to four divisions in 2003-04.</p><p>The Phantoms (2005) and Bears (2006) both came away with Calder Cup titles.</p><p>Last season, no division had a tighter race than the East, whose top-four teams finished within nine points of each other, with the top two separated by a single victory.</p><p>&ldquo;Our division is going to be tough again,&rdquo; said Tom Mitchell, part owner and executive vice-president of the Binghamton Senators.</p><p>&ldquo;Depending on who winds up at the American League level, there will be some solid, solid teams.&rdquo;</p><p>Six teams have new coaches this season, but not Portland. Instead, the Pirates have an entirely new roster of prospects.</p><p>After three years as Anaheim&rsquo;s affiliate, the Pirates are entering their first season as Buffalo&rsquo;s top farm team. The Sabres ended a 23-year marriage with Rochester, which is now the sole affiliate for the Florida Panthers.</p><p>Here&rsquo;s a look at the East, with teams listed in predicted order of conference finish:</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02787/9345231-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="375" height="170"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011131/9345224-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="1067" height="988"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Minard <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF AFC MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p>1. W-B/SCRANTON PENGUINS Former assistant Dan Bylsma takes over as coach, but is without top scorers Tim Brent and Kurtis McLean, defensemen Ryan Lannon and Alain Nasreddine and retired penalty-minute king Dennis Bonvie.</p><p>Goalie John Curry will be asked to reprise an AHL all-rookie season &ndash; 24 wins, three shutouts, 2.23 goals-against average and .915 save percentage &ndash; that carried the Pens to the final, where they lost to Chicago.</p><p>Veteran forwards Chris Minard, Jonathan Filewich, Ryan Stone, Connor James and David Gove mix with newcomer Adam Henrich, junior scoring stars Luca Caputi and Dustin Jeffrey and Finnish sniper Janne Pesonen. Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland are solid on a blueline that adds Joey Mormina, T.J. Kemp and Danny Richmond.</p><p>2. HERSHEY BEARS The AHL&rsquo;s oldest and most storied franchise is a real contender again this season.</p><p>The biggest question mark is in goal, where Daren Machesney takes over the No. 1 job. He won 22 of 38 games with a 2.55 GAA and .917 save percentage last season.</p><p>Sami Lepesto, whose plus-29 rating ranked third overall last season, anchors a defense that adds journeyman Bryan Helmer and 2007 fifth-overall pick Karl Alzner.</p><p>High-scoring newcomer Keith Aucoin figures to center top returning scorer Alexandre Giroux on what could be one of the league&rsquo;s most potent lines. Graham Mink is another newcomer who joins holdovers Chris Bourque, Kyle Wilson, Andrew Gordon and Jay Beagle.</p><p>3. HARTFORD WOLF PACK Bringing back four of its top-five scorers, the Pack figures to have plenty of bite again this season.</p><p>Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (34 goals, 81 points), Greg Moore (26 goals, plus-27), Lauri Korpikoski and Dane Byers (23 goals apiece) lead an offense that scored the AHL&rsquo;s third-most goals last season.</p><p>Tomas Pock and Corey Potter return on defense for a team that allowed just 198 goals last season. Brian Fahey, a free-agent signee from the Chicago Wolves and top rookie candidate Bobby Sanguinetti also figure prominently.</p><p>Miika Wiikman will have to improve on his rookie totals of 21 wins, 2.30 GAA and .919 save percentage.</p><p>4. NORFOLK ADMIRALS With a streak of 19-straight post-season berths (eight AHL, 11 ECHL) snapped last season, the Admirals are poised to return in 2008-09.</p><p>After losing Kyle Wanvig and Norm Milley, parent club Tampa Bay brought in forwards Brandon Bochenski, Zenon Konopka, Pete Zingoni and David Koci to make up the difference.</p><p>Top defense prospect Ty Wishart was also acquired in the off-season, along with Andrew Hutchinson, the AHL&rsquo;s top defenseman last season with Hartford. Vladimir Mihalik had a team-high plus-9 rating, Jay Rosehill was tops with 198 PIMs, and 6-foot-5 Matt Smaby will also have an impact.</p><p>Karri Ramo gives Norfolk a solid presence in goal.</p><p>5. PROVIDENCE BRUINS Martin St. Pierre brings his high-scoring act over from Rockford.</p><p>6. WORCESTER SHARKS Thirdyear pro goalie Thomas Greiss is poised for a breakout season.</p><p>7. LOWELL DEVILS Will this be the year New Jersey&rsquo;s farm team ends its eight-year playoff drought?</p><p>8. MANCHESTER MONARCHS</p><p>Veteran Marty Murray returns after playing last season in Switzerland.</p><p>9. ALBANY RIVER RATS Offensively challenged team will miss AHL&rsquo;s top goalie Michael Leighton.</p><p>10. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS</p><p>There&rsquo;s lots to replace up front; goaltending is a question mark.</p><p>11. SPRINGFIELD FALCONS Progress of second-year pros Ryan O&rsquo;Marra and Liam Reddox is key to ending five-year playoff drought.</p><p>12. PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS Mostly young team will have wise leader in five-time Calder Cup-winner John Paddock.</p><p>13. PORTLAND PIRATES Undersized, but overly talented Nathan Gerbe and company are the conference&rsquo;s wild card.</p><p>14. BINGHAMTON SENATORS Captain Denis Hamel will carry the load and fill the seats.</p><h2><b>AHL EAST COACHES</b></h2><p>Coaches are listed with their team, age and the number of seasons they&rsquo;ve been with their current club</p><h3><b>EAST DIVISION</b></h3><p>Albany &ndash; Jeff Daniels, 40, 1st</p><p>Binghamton &ndash; Cory Clouston, 38, 2nd</p><p>Bridgeport &ndash; Jack Capuano, 42, 2nd</p><p>Hershey &ndash; Bob Woods, 40, 2nd</p><p>Norfolk &ndash; Darren Rumble, 39, 1st</p><p>Philadelphia &ndash; John Paddock, 54, 1st</p><p>Wilkes-Barre &ndash; Dan Bylsma, 38, 1st</p><h3><b>ATLANTIC DIVISION</b></h3><p>Hartford &ndash; Ken Gernander, 39, 2nd</p><p>Lowell &ndash; Kurt Kleinendorst, 47, 3rd</p><p>Manchester &ndash; Mark Morris, 50, 3rd</p><p>Portland &ndash; Kevin Dineen, 44, 4th</p><p>Providence &ndash; Rob Murray, 41, 1st</p><p>Springfield &ndash; Jeff Truitt, 43, 1st</p><p>Worcester &ndash; Roy Sommer, 51, 3rd<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-02

THE EAST’S BEASTS WILL RULE AGAIN

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK</div><p>THERE ARE SEVERAL French translations for the word hammer, depending on its usage. In Binghamton, there&rsquo;s only one.</p><p>It&rsquo;s pronounced &lsquo;hamel&rsquo;, as in Denis Hamel, the &lsquo;Hammer&rsquo; nickname given to the Quebec-born sniper who has endeared himself in New York state&rsquo;s southern tier for his success on and off the ice.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s meant a lot,&rdquo; said Tom Mitchell, executive vice-president and part-owner of the AHL&rsquo;s Binghamton Senators. &ldquo;You see signs all over the place, &lsquo;Hamel for Mayor.&rsquo; If he&rsquo;d ever run, I&rsquo;m sure he&rsquo;d win. He likes this community and they sure as hell like him.&rdquo;</p><p>For good reason. A well-respected ambassador for his team and his sport, the 31-year-old Hamel remains one of the league&rsquo;s premiere players.</p><p>Though his footspeed diminished following a serious knee injury in 2000, Hamel&rsquo;s natural scoring ability has not. He has 243 goals in 574 career AHL games, averaging 30.4 a season.</p><p>Over his last six AHL seasons, four of them spent in Binghamton, Hamel has scored 217 goals, an average of 36.2.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s definitely a sniper,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;He can shoot the puck as well as anybody I&rsquo;ve ever seen. He gets it away quick and he doesn&rsquo;t need a lot of room to do it. He&rsquo;s a pure goal-scorer.&rdquo;</p><p>Hamel set a career high and a Senators franchise record with 56 goals in 2005-06, tying for the AHL lead. Last season, he netted 32 in 67 games, good for eighth overall. His 267 shots on goal ranked fourth, and were second-most in the Eastern Conference.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02833/9345269-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="346" height="170"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011224/9345262-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="1355" height="1383"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denis Hamel <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;When you score, it&rsquo;s always impressive,&rdquo; Hamel said. &ldquo;Sometimes, I surprise myself when I score. Whenever I&rsquo;m on the ice, my goal is to get the most shots I can. The more shots you get, the more chance you have to score.&rdquo;</p><p>The 6-foot-2, 197-pound Hamel, a sixth round draft pick of St. Louis in 1995, scored 105 goals in 201 junior games before turning pro with the Rochester Americans in 1997. His breakthrough season came in 1999-2000, when he had 34 goals in 76 games and made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres, scoring on his first shift.</p><p>&ldquo;One thing I&rsquo;ll always remember is my first NHL game,&rdquo; Hamel said. &ldquo;I think every hockey player, their dream is to play in the NHL and I was lucky enough to get a goal my first game. That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ll never forget.&rdquo;</p><p>Hamel joined Ottawa&rsquo;s organization in 2003 and became an instant hit in Binghamton, where he had seasons of 29 and 39 goals before topping the half-century mark. That same season, he matched an AHL record with 27 power play goals.</p><p>In 2006-07, Hamel bounced between Ottawa, Philadelphia and Atlanta, bringing his total number of NHL games to 192 (just 19 goals.) That summer, after giving serious consideration to playing overseas, he signed a three-year AHL deal with Binghamton.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot of people ask me, &lsquo;Why three years and why there?&rsquo;&rdquo; Hamel said. &ldquo;I always say that I&rsquo;m really happy. It feels like home to play in Binghamton. It&rsquo;s not a big town and it&rsquo;s a great place to play. The people are very nice and they&rsquo;re really special. When you&rsquo;re happy to play in one city, it&rsquo;s always easier to play and perform at that level.&rdquo;</p><p>Hamel, whose first point of last season was his 400th in the AHL, is 46 away from reaching 500. Binghamton&rsquo;s team captain, he holds franchise single-season record for goals, as well as career marks for goals (156) and points (291).</p><p>A three-time AHL all-star, earning  first-team status in 2004, Hamel was chosen by league president Dave Andrews to serve as playing captain at the annual All-Star Game in 2008, hosted by Binghamton.</p><p>He earned the 2008 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as the AHL&rsquo;s man of the year for his charitable and community efforts.</p><p>&ldquo;One of the things the fans respect about him and like about him a lot isn&rsquo;t just his contribution on the ice,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re a local owner, you need a player or two or three like him that people can identify with.</p><p>&ldquo;As good as he&rsquo;s been for us, he can still be considered a depth player for Ottawa. If they need some scoring, everybody knows he can put the puck in the net. He&rsquo;s a competitor, and, character-wise, you couldn&rsquo;t meet a more solid guy.&rdquo;</p><p>Hamel missed 13 games last season with a broken bone in his foot. He missed only five games for Binghamton from 2003-06, most of those on recall to Ottawa.</p><p>&ldquo;I see guys that sign contracts at 40, 41, 42 years old,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just 31, so hopefully I can play until I&rsquo;m that age. I want to play the most I can, until I&rsquo;m not able to skate almost. Right now, I&rsquo;m just looking to the two years I have left and after that, I&rsquo;ll decide what I want to do.&rdquo;</p><p>Even if Hamel winds up overseas, his heart will stay in Binghamton.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great place to play,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>&ldquo;I love the city and the fans are really great. They are always behind me and support me and support the team. Even with the two tough seasons we&rsquo;ve had the last couple years, they still come and support us.</p><p>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;ve got the fans behind you, it&rsquo;s great.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>BEST OF THE BEST</b></h2><p>Here&rsquo;s a quick look at some of the teams and players expected to make a big impact in North America&rsquo;s second-best league this season.</p><h3><b>CALDER CUP FAVORITES</b></h3><p>1. Manitoba Moose</p><p>2. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton</p><p>3. Hershey Bears</p><h3><b>MVP CANDIDATES</b></h3><p>1. Denis Hamel, LW, 31, Binghamton</p><p>2. Darren Haydar, RW, 28, G. Rapids</p><p>3. Teddy Purcell, C, 23, Manchester</p><h3><b>TOP GOALTENDERS</b></h3><p>1. Nolan Schaefer, 28, Houston</p><p>2. Tuukka Rask, 21, Providence</p><p>3. Thomas Greiss, 22, Worcester</p><h3><b>TOP DEFENSEMEN</b></h3><p>1. Erik Reitz, 26, Houston Aeros</p><p>2. Alex Goligoski, 23, Wilkes-Barre</p><p>3. Casey Borer, 23, Albany<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

HAMMER COCKED FOR BIG SEASON

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>ATHAN GERBE WAS no longer officially a member of the Boston College Eagles when the NCAA champions were invited to Washington, D.C., to meet president George Bush at the White House in July.</p><p>Rather than return to school for his senior season, Gerbe &ndash; selected 142nd overall in 2005 &ndash; ended his collegiate career in May, when he signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Buffalo Sabres.</p><p>But he wasn&rsquo;t going to miss one last chance to create memories with his BC teammates and meet the president of the United States at the same time.</p><p>A visit to the White House can have quite an impact and Gerbe did indeed leave Washington with a new appreciation for the role hockey plays in his life.</p><p>But it wasn&rsquo;t the ceremonial gathering with President Bush that touched Gerbe the most, it was a tour of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.</p><p>&ldquo;You meet guys who were fighting for our country,&rdquo; said Gerbe, a 21-year-old native of Oxford, Mich. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re there, you&rsquo;re sort of in shock. You hear stories of guys going to war and bad things happen. But when you&rsquo;re actually in the hospital, it makes you think.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re really thankful for them fighting for our freedom, our country. You realize hockey&rsquo;s just a game.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02733/9345307-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="512" height="171"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011125/9345300-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="1066" height="1267"><figcaption class="caption-body">Nathan Gerbe <span class="photo-credit">(DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s a game Gerbe plays very well. And at some point, perhaps much sooner than later, he&rsquo;ll be skating full time at center or left wing for the Sabres.</p><p>Forget that he stands just 5-foot-5 and weighs 160 pounds. In Gerbe, the Sabres have a player with amazing skills, great quickness, a sixth sense with regards to the puck and a willingness to battle for space against anyone.</p><p>Gerbe, regardless of where he starts the season, is likely to spend a big chunk of time with the Portland Pirates this year. Buffalo GM Darcy Regier doesn&rsquo;t like to hurry his prospects along.</p><p>That eye-opening visit to Walter Reed hospital will lessen pain of a minor league apprenticeship for sure. But Gerbe admits he analyzed the organizational depth chart, trying to see where he fits in.</p><p>&ldquo;I think everyone does that, but that&rsquo;s stuff you can&rsquo;t worry about,&rdquo; Gerbe said. &ldquo;My main goal is to work hard (at Sabres camp) and try to turn some heads.&rdquo;</p><p>He did that during Buffalo&rsquo;s prospect camp in July. Rochester Americans assistant coach Jason Cipolla was still employed by the Sabres at the time; he&rsquo;s now under contract with Rochester&rsquo;s new parent team, the Florida Panthers.</p><p>The prospect camp was Cipolla&rsquo;s first look at Gerbe. The youngster certainly made an impression.</p><p>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t believe how good he is,&rdquo; Cipolla raved.</p><p>At Boston College, Gerbe scored 71 goals and 133 points in 123 games over three seasons. More than half of his points came last season, when his 35 goals and 68 points in 43 games made him a Hobey Baker Award finalist.</p><p>If Gerbe, or third-year left winger Clarke MacArthur, shows he should start the season in the NHL, then Regier and coach Lindy Ruff will have some difficult decisions on their hands.</p><p>The Sabres have few waiver options with players on the NHL roster, so trading an extra veteran will be the way to go. Pending unrestricted free agent Maxim Afinogenov is a prime candidate.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we have a lot of good forwards,&rdquo; Regier said. &ldquo;People are pushing for jobs and there are positions that aren&rsquo;t a given. You might have to move somebody.&rdquo;</p><p>As a rookie, Gerbe isn&rsquo;t subject to waiver requirements &ndash; rookies are exempt for three years. Yet while unrestricted movement to the AHL would alleviate the need for a trade, the Sabres GM says it&rsquo;s not a longterm solution he likes.</p><p>&ldquo;A guy might have to go to the minors for a while,&rdquo; Regier said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s very short term. If you&rsquo;ve got a guy who can play (in the NHL), you want him playing.&rdquo;</p><p>Portland certainly wouldn&rsquo;t mind having Gerbe. Hockey fans in New England know him well.</p><p>When the Pirates began posting a series of &ldquo;prospect profiles&rdquo; on their website, they went up in alphabetical order: Chris Butler, Mike Card, Adam Dennis and down the line. Except in Gerbe&rsquo;s case. He was posted first. Hardly a coincidence.</p><p>Gerbe has never been the big kid so he has bucked the odds all along, right from youth hockey up through USA Hockey&rsquo;s national team development program.</p><p>But as he outplayed kids his age at every level and saw where their careers took them, he knew the NHL wasn&rsquo;t a far-fetched dream.</p><p>&ldquo;When you play with guys who start to make it, you start to have that goal in your mind,&rdquo; Gerbe said.</p><p>Other mighty mites, such as centers Daniel Briere of the Philadelphia Flyers and Derek Roy of the Sabres, became Gerbe&rsquo;s inspiration. So, too, did New Jersey Devils right winger Brian Gionta, a Boston College alum.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy I&rsquo;ve watched for a while,&rdquo; Gerbe said. &ldquo;It gives you hope, it gives you motivation.&rdquo;</p><p>Soon Gerbe will be the inspirational figure for others.</p><h2><b>IMPACT ROOKIES</b></h2><p>Listed below is a new wave of AHL freshmen to keep an eye on</p><p>1. <b>Nathan Gerbe</b>, LW, Portland, 21, Buffao, Rd. 5 in 2005</p><p>2. <b>Claude Giroux</b>, RW, Phantoms, 20, Philadelphia, Rd. 1 in 2006</p><p>3. <b>Michael Frolik</b>, C, Rochester, 20, Florida, Rd. 1 in 2006</p><p>4. <b>Kevin Porter</b>, C, San Antonio, 22, Phoenix, Rd. 4 in 2004</p><p>5. <b>Max Pacioretty</b>, LW, Hamilton, 19, Montreal Rd. 1 in 2007</p><p>6. <b>Steve Mason</b>, G, Syracuse, 20, Columbus, Rd. 3 in 2006</p><p>7. <b>Andreas Nodl</b>, RW, Phantoms, 21, Philadelphia, Rd. 2 in 2006</p><p>8. <b>Karl Alzner</b>, D, Hershey, 20, Washington, Rd. 1 in 2007</p><p>9. <b>Leland Irving</b>, G, Quad City, 20, Calgary, Rd. 1 in 2006</p><p>10. <b>Brett MacLean</b>, LW, S. Antonio, 19, Phoenix, Rd. 2 in 2007<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-02

‘YOU CAN’T BELIEVE HOW GOOD HE IS’

<div class="byline">BY MIKE MASTOVICH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01820/9345338-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kenny MacAulay <span class="photo-credit">(HERMAN EVARISTO/HEPHOTOWEB.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p>THE CITY AND TEAM WILL be different, but the same lofty expectations will follow coach Malcolm Cameron to the Florida Everblades.</p><p>Just like a year ago, Cameron will lead a team picked by The Hockey News to finish first in the ECHL.</p><p>Cameron only can hope he finds similar regular season success. Last season&rsquo;s Texas Wildcatters were 52-9-11 and tied for the league lead with 115 points. But the Wildcatters were stunned by Columbia in the second round of the playoffs and ended up leaving for Ontario, Calif. &ndash; where the Reign will reside. And Cameron headed to Florida.</p><p>&ldquo;When I took over (the Everblades), I was a little torn between revamping the roster totally or keeping guys around,&rdquo; Cameron said. &ldquo;After making the trade for Yannick Tifu (from Dayton), there are only two returning players from last year. That&rsquo;s not necessarily a bad thing. It&rsquo;s a new coach and a new era. Everywhere I&rsquo;ve coached, from Cincinnati to Long Beach to Texas, I&rsquo;ve brought in my own guys. The bar has been set pretty high here.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02503/9345345-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="213" height="209"></div><p>Here&rsquo;s how the teams stack up this season:</p><p>1. FLORIDA EVERBLADES Three of Cameron&rsquo;s top players from last season followed him to Florida &ndash; Kevin Baker, Danick Bouchard and Ross Carlson. Acquiring the talented Tifu was huge.</p><p>2. LAS VEGAS WRANGLERS Much of the team that made it to the Kelly Cup final is back, which means the winning tradition stays.</p><p>3. IDAHO STEELHEADS Darrell Hay and Marty Flichel are two returnees with championship rings. Forwards Mark Bomersback and Garrett Bembridge also return.</p><p>4. SOUTH CAROLINA STINGRAYS They have a strong duo in goalies Bobby Goepfert and Josh Johnson.</p><p>5. CINCINNATI CYCLONES Defending champs look strong again.</p><p>6. READING ROYALS Will get plenty of help from dual parent clubs in Los Angeles and Toronto.</p><p>7. ELMIRA JACKALS Will have even more bite in Year 2 of coach Steve Martinson era.</p><p>8. FRESNO FALCONS All-star trio of Oren Eizenman, Igor Gongalsky and Kenny MacAulay return.</p><p>9. GWINNETT GLADIATORS Five players bolted for Europe, putting the Gladiators in reload mode.</p><p>10. ALASKA ACES Scott Burt brings two Kelly Cup rings to the Aces, who also return 30-goal scorer Bo Cheesman.</p><p>11. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS Signed free agents Maxime Boisclair, Michel Leveille, Marty Guerin, and Julien Brouillette.</p><p>12. STOCKTON THUNDER Alltime leading scorer Mike Lalonde is back with goalie Tim Boron.</p><p>13. MISSISSIPPI SEA WOLVES Upgrades include 30-goal scorer Mathieu Melanson.</p><p>14. JOHNSTOWN CHIEFS League&rsquo;s only charter member must replace all-star Alexandre Imbeault and goalie Ryan Nie.</p><p>15. VICTORIA SALMON KINGS Fishing for new look after losing seven of top eight scoring forwards.</p><p>16. UTAH GRIZZLIES Won&rsquo;t repeat trip to conference final.</p><p>17. PHOENIX ROADRUNNERS Added 450 points and 838 PIM in Kimbi Daniels.</p><p>18. TRENTON DEVILS Veteran Jim Henkel anchors a team loaded with young talent still in the development stage.</p><p>19. BAKERSFIELD CONDORS New affiliate in Anaheim will play key role.</p><p>20. AUGUSTA LYNX Will count on another above-par performance from goalie Joel Martin.</p><p>21. WHEELING NAILERS Trying to halt two-year playoff drought.</p><p>22. ONTARIO REIGN Learning curve for team in new town.</p><p>23. DAYTON BOMBERS Roster took some hits after 2008 post-season appearance.</p><h2><b>UP AND COMERS</b></h2><p>Here&rsquo;s a list of 23-and-under ECHLers looking to make an impression</p><h3><b>FIRST TEAM</b></h3><p><b>Bryan Pitton</b>, G, 20, Stockton, Edmonton Oilers, fifth round 2006</p><p><b>Sasha Pokulok</b>, D, 22, South Carolina, Washington Capitals, first round 2005</p><p><b>Mike Gauthie</b>r, D, 21, Elmira, St. Louis Blues, sixth round 2005</p><p><b>Dany Roussin</b>, LW, 23, Bakersfield, Los Angeles Kings, second round 2005</p><p><b>Bruce Graham</b>, C, 23, Gwinnett, New York Rangers, second round 2004</p><p><b>M-A Bernier</b>, RW, 23, Stockton, Vancouver, second round 2003</p><h3><b>SECOND TEAM</b></h3><p><b>Kevin Lalande</b>, G, 21, Las Vegas, Calgary Flames, fifth round 2005</p><p><b>Nick Tuzzolino</b>, D, 22, Alaska, New York Rangers, seventh round 2005</p><p><b>David Schulz</b>, D, 22, Johnstown, Vancouver Canucks, eighth round 2004</p><p><b>Patrick Bordeleau</b>, LW, 22, Augusta, Minnesota Wild, fourth round 2004</p><p><b>Ryan White</b>, C, 20, Cincinnati, Montreal Canadiens, third round 2006</p><p><b>Ryan Maki</b>, RW, 23, Cincinnati, Nashville Predators, sixth round 2005<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-01

SUNNY DAYS COMING TO FLORIDA

<div class="byline">- DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01708/9345383-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Even with Jaromir Jagr on board, Avangard stumbled out of the gate. <span class="photo-credit">(IHA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HE KONTINENTAL HOCKEY League&rsquo;s inaugural season was less than three weeks old when Avangard Omsk, off to an embarrassing 2-4 start, fired coach Sergei Gersonsky and replaced him with Canadian Wayne Fleming, who left his position as an assistant with the Calgary Flames. Bob Hartley and Dave King, who has previously coached in Russia, also were in the running for the job.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02447/9345376-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="251" height="274"></div><p>Avangard owner and billionaire Roman Abramovich, who also has the Chelsea Football Club in his stable, has spent a bundle of money in an effort to win the title, including prying Jaromir Jagr away from the New York Rangers. Jagr said the deal will pay him $5 million a year, although it is believed it&rsquo;s for two years plus an option for a third and will pay Jagr about $7 million tax free, the equivalent of making about $11 million a season in the NHL.</p><p>Besides Fleming, former Detroit assistant Barry Smith is coaching the SKA club in St. Petersburg and former NHL player Paul Gardner is at the helm of the Dynamo Minsk entry. Niko Kapanen (Kazan Ak Bars), Alexei Zhitnik (Moscow Dynamo), Ladislav Nagy (Cherepovets Severstal), Sergei Brylin (SKA St. Petersburg) and Ray Emery (Mytischi Atlant) are among other NHLers who have jumped to the new league.</p><p>Alexander Radulov had a year remaining on his contract with the Nashville Predators when he signed this summer with Ufa Salavat Yulaev, which won the Russian Superleague championship last season. Radulov is playing in Ufa, but the NHL and KHL have agreed to a binding arbitration hearing to determine who has the young Russian&rsquo;s rights. However, all the details of the hearing are far from worked out.</p><p>Gazprom, a company with a market value of $304 billion, is backing the new league with Alexander Medvedev, deputy-chairman of the company&rsquo;s board, as president.</p><p>But before the season even opened on Sept. 2, one club fell victim to financial troubles. The Avtomobilist club from Ekaterinburg was expelled from the league and replaced by Khimik Voskresensk. The regional government in Ekaterinburg wasn&rsquo;t able to secure funds for the team.</p><p>The new league is divided into four divisions of six teams and each team plays a 56-game schedule. The top 16 teams qualify for the playoffs in pursuit of the Yuri Gagarin Cup, named after the country&rsquo;s first astronaut. The salary cap for each team in the league is 620 million rubles (about $25.4 million) and 10 to 12 clubs are expected to reach the maximum.</p><p>The first draft of junior players is planned for July of 2009. Twenty of the Russian clubs have relatively new arenas with seating capacities ranging from 7,000 to 14,000.</p><p>Wanting to enhance its image, the league has established a dress code for coaches. Slava Bykov, who guides the Central Army Sports Club in Moscow, will no longer be allowed to wear jeans.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

NO JEANS, NO JOB FOR KHL COACHES

<div class="byline">- RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03363/9345414-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="615" height="611"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After a few leaner years, Sweden is cranking out young stars again.</p><p>Of players born in the 1990s, 14 were spread over nine teams when the Elitserien kicked off. Several of them are expected to make breakthroughs this season.</p><p>Victor Hedman, 17, already has 39 elite league games under his belt after averaging 10 minutes per contest last season with Modo. This year, he plays almost 20 minutes a game.</p><p>Djurgarden, Stockholm, started the season with a teen line. Their fourth line had an average age of 17.7 when Jacob Josefson, 17, centered Henrik Eriksson, 18, and Carl Gustafsson, another 18-year-old &ndash; who had already played 34 games last season.</p><p>Goalie Jacob Markstrom, 18, saved Brynas from being relegated last season, with a 1.78 goals-against average &ndash; and two shutouts &ndash; in nine qualification round games. This year he&rsquo;s the starter.</p><p>HV71 has high hopes for Mattias Tedenby, 18, a speedy winger who played 23 games in the Elitserien last season, collecting six points.</p><p>Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, 17, plays on a line with another 17-year-old, Anton Lander, in Timra. Last season, Paajarvi became the youngest Swede ever to play in the World Junior Championship.</p><p>The youngest Swede to play in the World Championship is Washington&rsquo;s Nicklas Backstrom, who won the gold in Latvia in 2006 when he was 18 years and six months. Hedman will be 18 years and four months when the puck drops in Switzerland next April and he played two exhibition games with Team Sweden last season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-03

YOUNG AND SWEDE

<h2><b>TRAIL IS BLAZED FOR MACMILLAN</b></h2><p>LOGAN MACMILLAN NEVER watched his father or uncle play during their NHL careers in the 1970s and early 1980s.</p><p>&ldquo;Only on a few ESPN Classic tapes,&rdquo; said the Halifax Mooseheads center. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve heard more than a few of their stories from back in the old days. They say there&rsquo;s nothing like playing hockey for a living.&rdquo;</p><p>His father, Bob, won the 1979 Lady Byng Trophy and played 11 NHL seasons for the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Atlanta/Calgary Flames, Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks. His uncle, Bill, spent seven NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta.</p><p>MacMillan, 19, enters his fourth QMJHL season hoping to follow in their NHL footsteps. The Charlottetown, P.E.I. native was drafted 19th overall in 2007 by Anaheim and signed with the Ducks this summer.</p><p>&ldquo;I grew up on a farm and we had a big barn that we made into a rink each winter,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I always had a backyard rink growing up. I played hockey with my father out there.&rdquo;</p><p>MacMillan, 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, is Anaheim&rsquo;s No. 8 prospect in THN Future Watch. The versatile forward was plagued by injuries last season, but still had 15 goals and 41 points in 46 games.</p><p>MacMillan is known as a twoway player with offensive skill. Two years ago he was named Halifax&rsquo;s top defensive player. He acknowledges the need to get stronger and work on his skating, especially his pick-up speed.</p><p>&ldquo;I had a concussion early last season and I was having reoccurring effects so I missed a lot of time,&rdquo; MacMillan said. &ldquo;It was frustrating. My overall play wasn&rsquo;t up to the level that I wanted.</p><p>&ldquo;Definitely, I want to bounce back strong this season and get back on the right track. I&rsquo;m at full health again so I&rsquo;m looking to start a fresh page.&rdquo;</p><p>MacMillan played in the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game and the &rsquo;07 Canada-Russia Challenge.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a power forward,&rdquo; said Halifax coach Cam Russell. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a smart player and a responsible player. He&rsquo;s the kind of guy you would put on the ice in the last minute of a period whether you&rsquo;re up one goal or down one goal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01744/9345487-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="765" height="1009"></div><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great penalty killer and great power play guy and he brings a physical edge to his game. He&rsquo;s also got great leadership qualities. He&rsquo;s an all-around player who does a little of everything and does it well. That&rsquo;s what makes him valuable.&rdquo;</p><p><b>&ndash; NEIL HODGE</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02469/9345480-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="278" height="151"></div><h2><b>LOGAN MACMILLAN</b></h2><p>Halifax Mooseheads</p><p>Ht. 6-1</p><p>Wt. 205</p><p>Pos. C</p><p>Age 19</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07192/9345473-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="377" height="89"></div><h3><b>Draft Status</b></h3><p>Selected 19th overally by Anaheim at 2007 NHL draft</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03366/9345466-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="230" height="228"></div><p>AND COUNTING</p><p>13</p><p>MacMillan had 13 points in 15 playoff games last spring</p><h2><b>New coach leads champs</b></h2><p>Hardy Sauter is pinching himself after being promoted to a head-coaching role with the defending Memorial Cup-champion Spokane Chiefs. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t describe how happy I am that I get the opportunity to be a head coach in the Western League,&rdquo; said Sauter, 37. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a couple of guys come back from NHL camps and to see how excited they are to make that step in their career, I can relate simply because I think I&rsquo;m just as happy to be in this position.&rdquo; Sauter, a former defenseman with Spokane and Brandon, was promoted from assistant coach after Bill Peters was named coach of the AHL&rsquo;s Rockford Ice-Hogs. &ldquo;The trick here is going to be having the team continue to grow after such a successful year,&rdquo; Sauter said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04295/9345459-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="228" height="228"></div><p><b>&ndash; ROB VANSTONE</b></p><h2><b>&lsquo;That old guy&rsquo; stepping down</b></h2><p>Brian Kilrea says his farewell tour won&rsquo;t last as long as Cher&rsquo;s. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve already been lucky to stay here as long as I have,&rdquo; he said after announcing this will be his 32nd and final season behind the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s bench. It will be the second time he has retired from coaching following a one-season hiatus in 1994-95. But, as Kilrea said, &ldquo;this is it.&rdquo; He will stay on as GM. Kilrea, already in the Hockey Hall of Fame, has coached the 67&rsquo;s to two Memorial Cups and entered the season with major junior records for games (2,088) and wins (1,153). He turns 74 on Oct. 21 and said his age is the reason he&rsquo;s stepping down. &ldquo;Being around the kids made me feel young, but it&rsquo;s time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be known as &lsquo;that old guy&rsquo; on the bench.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05254/9345452-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="226" height="229"></div><p><b>&ndash; JIM CRESSMAN</b></p><h2><b>Lafleur falls off P.E.I map</b></h2><p>Antoine Lafleur has gone from being the only QMJHL goalie taken in the 2007 NHL draft to a career in limbo. A second round pick of the New York Rangers, the 20-year-old wasn&rsquo;t even invited to P.E.I Rocket camp this year. &ldquo;We hope he lands somewhere,&rdquo; said P.E.I coach Guy Chouinard. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good kid.&rdquo; Lafleur struggled last season with a 4.21 goals-against average and .877 save percentage, prompting P.E.I to acquire goalie Bobby Nadeau from Chicoutimi this summer. Lafleur got invited to the Rangers&rsquo; camp this year, but it&rsquo;s unclear where he will play the season. &ldquo;Nothing personal against Antoine, but we felt it was time to cut ties and move on,&rdquo; said P.E.I. president Serge Savard Jr., adding the team hasn&rsquo;t been able to trade him.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06226/9345445-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="228" height="229"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>&ndash; NEIL HODGE</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-01

PROSPECTS UNLIMITED MAJOR JR.

<h3><b>ECHL</b></h3><h2><b>Inferno coach off to Checkers</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>roy Mann found himself without a hockey home this season. As the Columbia Inferno&rsquo;s coach, Mann led the team to the South Division final last season. But the Inferno suspended operations until 2009-10 while awaiting the construction of its new arena. So Mann migrated to Charlotte and will serve as a volunteer assistant coach for the Checkers. &ldquo;The Checkers are putting together a solid team and I am excited to help them reach their goal of the Kelly Cup,&rdquo; Mann, who coached Columbia the past two seasons, told The Charlotte <i>Ob server</i>. &ldquo;I look forward to returning as head coach of the Inferno in the near future.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01733/9345567-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="229" height="229"></div><p><b>&ndash; MIKE MASTOVICH</b></p><h3><b>UNITED STATES LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Sticking with the Stars</b></h2><p>Lincoln Stars rookie Garrett Peterson had a choice to make this season. The 5-foot-11, 184-pounder, a 2010 Notre Dame recruit, scored 72 points in 73 triple-A midget games for Team Illinois last season, earning him an invitation to play for the U.S. national team development program this season. Though flattered, Garrett declined, stating his commitment to skating with the Stars. Eligible for the 2010 NHL draft, the 17-year-old Illinois native and one-time center is now playing on the wing. &ldquo;Center is fine, but I like going into the corners and playing physical,&rdquo; Peterson said, &rdquo;but I do need to improve my balance and leg strength.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02499/9345560-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="228" height="229"></div><p><b>&ndash; PAUL SHAHEEN</b></p><h3><b>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>New owners are old fans</b></h2><p>The Muskegon Fury won four championships between 1999 and 2005. But after fi nancial problems plagued the team last season, principal owner Tony Lisman sold the team to brothers Stacey and Jeff Patulskey, who changed the club&rsquo;s nickname back to Lumberjacks, the team&rsquo;s name from 1984-92 in the original IHL. The Patulskeys are from nearby Free Soil and Stacey has been a season-ticket holder for 12 seasons. &ldquo;The economy hasn&rsquo;t made this an easy decision,&rdquo; team president Jeff Patulskey told the Muskegon <i>Chronicle</i>. &ldquo;We have to do a better job of getting the fans back in the arena. Things had been lacking here a little bit.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03415/9345553-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="229" height="229"></div><p><b>&ndash; BRENDAN SAVAGE</b></p><h3><b>CENTRAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Some relief for Baird</b></h2><p>The Youngstown SteelHounds franchise was terminated in June, but for 28-year-old left winger Jason Baird, a team to play for was the least of his worries. In July, Baird was burned on more than 60 percent of his body in a lawnmower accident. He is expected to be at an Ohio burn center until October. A total of $34,000 was raised for Baird&rsquo;s medical expenses from a charity exhibition game at the Chevrolet Centre. The game drew nearly 1,000 fans, featured several former SteelHounds players, former coach Kevin Kaminski, former Pittsburgh Penguins Phil Bourque, Troy Loney and Mark Kachowski and Mike Rupp of the New Jersey Devils.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04316/9345546-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="228" height="229"></div><p><b>&ndash; DAVID HENRY</b></p><h3><b>SOUTHERN PRO LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Dynamic duo will be handy</b></h2><p>Sixty games in 22 weeks means every team better have two quality goalies. And no coach will have a better duo than the Columbus Cottonmouths&rsquo; Jerome Bechard. Ian Vigier made the all-rookie team last season and returns, along with the unretired Chad Rycroft. Rycroft hung up his pads last year after three seasons in Columbus, but Bechard said he kept in touch and wanted to return. &ldquo;I know they are both going to want to play and they are going to push each other,&rdquo; Bechard said. For his part, Viger welcomes the competition. &ldquo;I know he is an allstar caliber goalie,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think between the two of us, we&rsquo;ll win a lot of games.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05272/9345539-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="229" height="228"></div><p><b>&ndash; NICK GATES</b></p><h3><b>CANADIAN JUNIOR-A</b></h3><h2><b>Going Commandos</b></h2><p>Moncton&rsquo;s Maritime junior-A franchise will celebrate its 50th anniversary by hosting the first Fred Page Cup ever played in New Brunswick. But they&rsquo;ll do it with a new name after moving to the suburbs and becoming the Dieppe Commandos. Coach and director of operations Troy Dumville said the team wanted to stand out in a market with QMJHL, university and midget teams. The Maritime League, Central Junior A and Quebec Junior AAA champions will battle the Commandos for a spot at the 2009 Royal Bank Cup national championship in Victoria, B.C. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not just looking to be a good host,&rdquo; Dumville said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking to win and be in Victoria.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06223/9345532-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="222" height="228"></div><p><b>&ndash; NATHAN WHITE</b></p><h3><b>CANADIAN UNIVERSITY</b></h3><h2><b>Late hire at York one from within</b></h2><p>When Bill Maguire stepped down as coach of the York Lions Aug. 24, the university was left with little time to find a successor. Luckily, the Lions liked someone already on the bench and named assistant Kevin Forrest interim coach on Sept. 22, just two days before York&rsquo;s first pre-season game. Forrest&rsquo;s first experience as a coach was in 2003-04 with the junior-A North York Rangers and he was also an assistant at Ryerson. He skated for the Windsor Lancers before playing pro in the U.K.&rsquo;s Elite Ice Hockey League. York has announced a national search for a full-time coach will begin after the 2008-09 season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07192/9345525-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="229" height="227"></div><p><b>&ndash; JEFF RENAUD</b></p><h3><b>THE WOMEN&rsquo;S GAME</b></h3><h2><b>Can Syracuse raise the bar?</b></h2><p>Paul Flanagan&rsquo;s new job is a good news story for both the game and the players. The former coach at St. Lawrence University is now the coach of the new women&rsquo;s program at Syracuse University. Flanagan describes SU as &ldquo;a top-50 school,&rdquo; believes it offers name recognition for the women&rsquo;s game and is hoping other schools will start to see the value of women&rsquo;s hockey. At SU, Flanagan will have some new luxuries. &ldquo;I have a full-time equipment manager and an academic coordinator,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There are a lot of little things big schools can provide that don&rsquo;t take coaches away from coaching, allowing us to work 1-on-1 with the players.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08148/9345518-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="228" height="228"></div><p><b>&ndash; ELIZABETH ETUE</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

BEST OF THE REST HARDCORE HOCKEY

<div class="byline">by Nicolas Chabot</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01543/9345605-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01540/9345598-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="5608" height="3543"></div><p>Can&rsquo;t get enough numbers? Visit our online &lsquo;Stats&rsquo; section every day at <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-01

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

<div class="byline">BY JOHN GRIGG</div><p>TIM SCHMALZ is an artist, a hockey fan and a patriot.</p><p>During a visit to Canada&rsquo;s capital city of Ottawa, Schmalz made a point of searching out the national hockey monument. But he ran into a problem. There wasn&rsquo;t one.</p><p>Schmalz was flabbergasted. It never occurred to him there wouldn&rsquo;t be a monument to Canada&rsquo;s game in Canada. So he decided there was only one thing to do: Create one himself.</p><p>Schmalz has built a reputation as one of Canada&rsquo;s preeminent Christian sculptors, his crowning achievement being a visit to the Vatican, where he presented the late Pope John Paul II with a sculpture of the Holy Family.</p><p>But he&rsquo;s made secular pieces as well. And with his latest endeavor, Schmalz is tackling what he considers a cultural phenomenon, a metaphor for Canadian life, even.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an artist who looks for positive things to depict,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Some of my peers would look at hockey and say, &lsquo;Hockey? That&rsquo;s white-trash (stuff). That&rsquo;s not real artwork.&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;What I hope this will do is acknowledge in a way never done before the benefit and importance of hockey as a cultural force in our society. I want to encourage the mythology of Canadian hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>And he wants to do it on a grand scale.</p><p>In his mind&rsquo;s eye, Schmalz sees a bronze, winter landscape rising 40-50 feet and appearing on the horizon as travelers round a bend in a road. At the top, frozen trees in the shape of a maple leaf; below, hockey players in a variety of game-play poses becoming larger, more lifelike and more prominent closer to the ground until, finally, at eye-level, life-sized figures &ldquo;jump out of the sculpture.&rdquo;</p><p>To support a piece so large, Schmalz needs a large base. He plans an NHL-sized &ldquo;ice&rdquo; rink made of white marble that visitors can walk on, thereby becoming part of the piece themselves. Black granite pucks will dot the surface, commemorating contributions to Canada&rsquo;s game from people around the world.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01375/9345650-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="956" height="1354"></div><p>&ldquo;The bronze part of the monument generally recognizes hockey as a cultural part of Canada,&rdquo; Schmalz said. &ldquo;And then the base is the details&hellip; where someone can spend an afternoon looking at the different people honored, an eternal shrine to anyone who has accomplished something in hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>To finance the project, Schmalz is going on the road with a 10-foot wooden model of the monument, which has already made appearances at the Canadian Hockey League&rsquo;s 2008 Memorial Cup tournament in May, the Dan Snyder Banquet in July and the International Hockey Hall of Fame in August.</p><p>The official cross-country tour began on Sept. 21 at Signal Hill, a National Historic Site of Canada, which is just outside St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld. After a whirlwind tour of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, the model is at the Birthplace of Hockey Windsor Heritage Centre in Windsor, N.S., where it is scheduled to stay until the end of October.</p><p>Schmalz wants the monument to be built for and by Canadians. The tour will take him across Canada from east to west. Along the way he&rsquo;ll be asking for a loonie (Canada&rsquo;s one-dollar coin) from everyone who comes to see the model. Those who make a donation will receive a hockey card recognizing their contribution to the monument.</p><p>Schmalz plans to stop in as many small towns and cities as possible.</p><p>&ldquo;Instead of sitting here working on the model in my studio, I want to work on it in every province,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So it&rsquo;s truly made in Canada.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02237/9345643-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="458" height="586"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03164/9345636-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="669" height="818"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tim Schmalz is taking a model of his concept on a cross-Canada tour. <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF TIM SCHMALZ)</span></figcaption></div><p>As for how much the project will cost, Schmalz said that&rsquo;s really up to individual Canadians. Most of the money will go towards preparing the still-undecided-upon site for the finished product.</p><p>&ldquo;What I don&rsquo;t know right now is how much money I can raise,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The more people who donate a loonie, the bigger the piece will be. The piece can grow.&rdquo;</p><p>Schmalz is wary of government and corporate funding. He doesn&rsquo;t want to tarnish the spirit of the entire project &ndash; namely, &lsquo;Made For and By Canadians (who wanted to)&rsquo; &ndash; with a &ldquo;tax cloud.&rdquo; Nor does he want it to become The (corporation name here) National Hockey Monument.</p><p>&ldquo;I want people to feel that ownership (over the monument) and I think they would lose that if one corporation just wrote a check for the whole thing,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>But Schmalz also recognizes corporate support could be crucial to the project. So he has talked with Canadian companies about finding a way to help get his message to people he can&rsquo;t get it to himself.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s my problem,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m only one man and it&rsquo;s only one model. Right now it&rsquo;s just me and my truck.&rdquo;</p><p>For more information, visit <a href="http://hockeymonument.com">hockeymonument.com</a>.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

ONE MAN’S DREAM, A NATION’S LEGACY

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05128/9345702-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03186/9345709-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="155" height="155"></div><h2><b>CROSSWORD</b></h2><p>By Larry Humber</p><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1 He was the second player to get 50 goals in a season</p><p>8 Where Gordie Howe played his first pro season</p><p>9 The first month of the regular season</p><p>10 He was chosen Hart Trophy winner in 2007, pictured</p><p>11 Declare</p><p>12 Ted ___ coached the Rangers in the mid-1980s</p><p>14 The last FULL month of the regular season</p><p>17 He was named Maple Leaf captain in 1997</p><p>19 Nickname of Erie&rsquo;s OHL team</p><p>20 Home of the Quebec League&rsquo;s &lsquo;Mooseheads&rsquo;</p><p>21 He was Dallas&rsquo;s busiest goalie last season</p><p>22 Bob ___ heads Hockey Canada</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>2 Stand out</p><p>3 Guy Lafleur was dubbed &lsquo;The ___&rsquo;</p><p>4 Jeff ___ spent 11 seasons between the pipes</p><p>5 Trophy won three times by Paul Coffey</p><p>6 John ___ became part owner of the Leafs in 1961 (and his son later owned the Toros)</p><p>7 He was just 26 when named coach of the Caps in 1979</p><p>11 He was with Colorado for both its Cups</p><p>13 Ken Campbell and Adam Proteau are two</p><p>15 Legendary defenseman with a chain of coffee shops</p><p>16 Jeff ___ got 41 goals in 2000-01</p><p>17 Strike with one&rsquo;s stick</p><p>18 Home of the East Coast League&rsquo;s &lsquo;Steelheads&rsquo;</p><p>Answers available in the next issue and at <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></p><p>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</p><p>ACROSS 1. BARRY, 8. CHEECHOO, 9. LEAFS, 10. FORSBERG, 11. BILLY, 14. TACKS, 15. RIVER, 20. WINGS, 21. LIDSTROM, 22. STRIP, 23. GENERALS, 24. BOSSY. DOWN 2. AMERICAN, 3. RAFALSKI, 4. SHOOK, 5. NEWSY, 6. THREE, 7. HODGE, 12. DIPIETRO, 13. PENGUINS, 16. PLUGS, 17. ZDENO, 18. STARS, 19. GOALS.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01339/9345695-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="1565" height="768"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04168/9345688-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="156" height="155"></div><h2><b>JERSEY HOUND</b></h2><p>Putting numbers on the fronts of jerseys is a recent trend that Jersey Hound firmly endorses. As an identifier, the extra number &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s on the pectoral (Sabres and Islanders) or the tummy (Dallas&rsquo; home sweater) &ndash; is a godsend.</p><p>The OHL&rsquo;s Sarnia Sting has been creative with the number on the abdomen, but doesn&rsquo;t stop there. The beehive shoulder logo is excellent and worthy of its own hat, while the full-on mascot crest is a winner, too.</p><p>The Sting might not sell as many jerseys with No. 91 gone this season, but it won&rsquo;t be because of the design.</p><p>&ndash; Ryan Kennedy</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02246/9345681-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="749" height="684"><figcaption class="caption-body">SARNIA STING <b>2008</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0049-05

LAST MINUTE OF PLAY

<div class="byline">with Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="c0004-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-02211/9345740-1-eng-US/c0004-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Reinhart <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-01325/9345747-1-eng-US/c0004-012.jpg" title="c0004-01" width="207" height="246"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been part of the THN family for going on 30 years now&rdquo;</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HERE WAS A MOMENT, early in my hockey-writing career, which may explain my affinity for The Hockey News and why I&rsquo;ve been part of the THN family for going on 30 years. It happened in my first year covering the NHL. I was 24. The Atlanta Flames had just moved to Calgary and early in that 1980-81 season, as I was still trying to figure out how to do my job, THN&rsquo;s editor-in-chief Tom Murray called and asked for a cover story on the Flames.</p><p>It would focus on Paul Reinhart, the Flames&rsquo; emerging young defenseman. The next day at practice, I approached Reinhart, told him the plan, and wondered if he had time for an interview. His response was instantaneous. His eyes lit up. He repeated: &ldquo;On the cover? On the cover of The Hockey News?&rdquo; Then he began shuffling around the dressing room, to the tune of that old Dr. Hook song, <i>The Cover Of The Rolling Stone</i>. Except, in Reinhart&rsquo;s case, he substituted &lsquo;The Hockey News&rsquo; for &lsquo;Rolling Stone&rsquo; and yes, he knew all the words&hellip; &ldquo;going to see my picture on the cover/going to buy five copies for my mother/going to see my smiling face/on the cover of The Hockey News.&rdquo;</p><p>Well, you get the picture. He was positively delighted. The Hockey News was the bible, then as now. It mattered &ndash; in an iconic sort of way, to everyone in the industry. It came up in <i>Slap Shot</i>. It was required reading on airplanes (although most players would wait for one guy &ndash; usually me &ndash; to buy and then pass it from row to row). Even if athletes weren&rsquo;t as jaded then as they are now, Reinhart&rsquo;s reaction told you everything you needed to know about the importance of the publication.</p><p>In all, I wrote the weekly Flames story for 24 years &ndash; from my first team file for the August, 1980, issue, to my last team file on May 4, 2004. In time, as my experience level grew, I also started to write columns for THN and have continued to do so on a semi-regular basis ever since.</p><p>One of my first offerings was a screed on why metropolitan Toronto needed two NHL teams. Some 17 years later, the issue about a second team in Toronto, or at least Southern Ontario is still percolating. My feelings about it haven&rsquo;t changed either; and, when I did a fresh riff on it for my current employers at the <i>Globe and Mail</i>, someone in the comments section of the newspaper&rsquo;s website remembered that I&rsquo;d been on this soapbox practically forever &ndash; and cited that long-ago column in The Hockey News as proof.</p><p>It frightens you sometimes what people remember. For me, I particularly recall a column I wrote in 1991, in preparation for the final Canada Cup ever played. I was in Saskatoon, watching Team USA play an exhibition and filed a column on Bob Johnson, the American coach. Johnson had won the Stanley Cup the previous spring with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In all the years I knew him, &lsquo;Badger&rsquo; Bob always compared the quest for the Stanley Cup to &ldquo;climbing a mountain.&rdquo; That summer, after the Penguins won it, his wife Martha&rsquo;s voice was on their answering machine: &ldquo;Sorry the Johnsons cannot take your call. They finally scaled the mountain and the view from up top was pretty good.&rdquo;</p><p>On that day in Saskatoon, I interviewed Johnson while he was lying flat on the massage table. It was the usual stream of consciousness from him &ndash; about all the good American kids coming up; on where the U.S. program was heading; and, his view that they had a legitimate chance to contend for the Canada Cup. A few days later, I got a call at home from Jason Kay, asking me to amend the Johnson column. No, I hadn&rsquo;t heard the news: Johnson had suffered a brain aneurysm the night before and could no longer coach the team. Two months later, he passed away of brain cancer. I never talked to Bob again; but after all these years, I still have the tape of our interview, which may be the last one he ever gave.</p><p>Johnson was a major influence on me, and there have been so many others along the way. Example: When Kay and I first talked about using my column on the back page, I said I would aim to do it in the style of Jack Falla, who wrote brilliant back-of-the-book pieces for <i>Inside Hockey</i>, a magazine published by The Hockey News&rsquo; sister publication from more than a decade ago. A few days after that conversation, Jack passed away from a heart attack. He was just 62. Jack&rsquo;s writing was so effective because he was in touch with the present, honored the past and looked to the future. In his memory, it&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ll try to accomplish here.</p><p>And who knows what the future may bring? Perhaps I&rsquo;ll even get to see that second team in Toronto before they finally pry the pen and notepad from my hands.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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October 14, 2008

GREEN RANGER

CROWD SHOTS

POLL RESULTS

Winning Ways?