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.

March 16, 2009

The Hockey News - Mar-16-09

<div class="byline">BY JEFF SMITH </div><div class="byline">&#x2013; WITH KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011368/9232127-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house just outside of Buffalo. <span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: COURTESY OF PROAM IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>J</span>eff Smith knows he and his family are the luckiest people alive. Because they&rsquo;re alive. The 39-year-old American League referee was booked on Continental Airlines Flight 3407 on Feb. 12 along his wife, Kathleen, and their two sons, Paddon, 7, and Tanner, 4.</i></p><p><i>Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence Center, N.Y., at 10:20 p.m., six minutes from its destination, Buffalo Niagara International Airport. All 49 people on board were killed, as was one person on the ground.</i></p><p><i>A quirk of fate kept the Smith family off that plane as it made its way from Florida to Newark, N.J., and on to Buffalo. They were booked on another airline and arrived in Buffalo about 30 minutes after Flight 3407 crashed.</i></p><p><i>This is Smith&rsquo;s story, in his own words:</i></p><p><b>PEOPLE SAY IT&rsquo;S A MIRACLE</b>. I actually feel quite uncomfortable. If it was a miracle for me, why not a miracle for the other 50 people? Why would they protect me and not the 50 others?</p><p>I don&rsquo;t know why things happened the way they did. It was just a fortunate chain of events for me and my family. If it was any other week, if my kids were not with me, I&rsquo;d have been on that flight. I&rsquo;d have said, &ldquo;What&rsquo;s a little turbulence?&rdquo;</p><p>But this time my family was coming along. We were going up to our cottage. I was born in Hamilton and grew up in Port Elgin, Ont. My wife is from Palm Beach, Fla.</p><p>It was a hectic day at the airport. A lot of flights were delayed and people were being rebooked. People were upset. From what I&rsquo;ve heard, I was being nice to the gate agent, Jackie Papa, and understood the situation, so she thought, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to be nice to him.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02987/9232120-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="614" height="1020"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CRASH: AP PHOTO/SAM MERLO)</span></figcaption></div><p>We were checked in, in the gate area, our luggage was checked, we had our boarding passes. We did everything we could to get on that flight.</p><p>But Ms. Papa saw my kids were with me and she called me back up to the podium. She told me the flight would be very bumpy and it would be difficult for my kids, so she suggested that we rebook. She put us on a U.S. Airways flight, which technically they&rsquo;re not supposed to do because it&rsquo;s another airline.</p><p>I fly several times a week and I can count on one hand how many times in my life I didn&rsquo;t get on the flight I was supposed to be on.</p><p>When we landed in Buffalo, we heard what happened. When we got to our hotel, I called Continental just to make sure they knew we weren&rsquo;t on the flight. I&rsquo;ve heard we were on the manifest, but I don&rsquo;t know. I&rsquo;m assuming we were because when I called the airline, I was transferred several times and they wanted to know a lot of personal information.</p><p>We still have our boarding passes. Row 5, seats A and B, and Row 6, seats A and B. I don&rsquo;t know what we&rsquo;ll do with them, but we still have them. They&rsquo;re a reminder that we were <i>that</i> close.</p><p>You don&rsquo;t necessarily think about it all the time, but it&rsquo;s amazing how many little things make you think about it &ndash; like travelling to Toronto to officiate three days later and driving past the airport and watching a plane land.</p><p>I was driving past the airport in Buffalo en route to work a game in Rochester and a Southwest plane was landing. It was going right over my car and it probably seemed a little lower than it was. I can&rsquo;t say I felt nervous or upset; I don&rsquo;t know what I was feeling, but you&rsquo;re aware of it.</p><p>I haven&rsquo;t really talked about it with my kids. My oldest one knows what happened, but I&rsquo;m not sure he understands everything. My youngest probably doesn&rsquo;t really know.</p><p>But a condition of this trip was that my oldest son write a journal every day (because he missed school). He&rsquo;s in Grade 1. The day after, he drew a picture of a crashed plane. Above it he wrote: &ldquo;My plane crashed today.&rdquo; Underneath, it said, &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t on it.&rdquo;</p><p>What I&rsquo;ve found through all of this is the tremendous sense of community there is in hockey. Hockey is above every other sport in that regard. Hockey is family.</p><p>Players have sent emails, trainers have called me, coaches have called me, GMs have stopped by the officials&rsquo; room before the game.</p><p>Every game I worked, each team sent someone across the ice to tap me on the bum, the shin pads, just to say they were glad to see me. Whether you&rsquo;re the trainer, the radio announcer, the stick boy, the president of the team, the president of the league, everybody puts their shoes on the same way. There is that sense of community that binds people together.</p><p>When we flew home on Feb. 23, the agent who had switched our flights, Ms. Papa, met us at the gate. There were some kind words and a hug. I asked her if she was in trouble for rebooking us and she said: &ldquo;Right about now they&rsquo;re not really mad at me for what I did.&rdquo;</p><p>Getting on the plane, my wife and I really didn&rsquo;t say much. I&rsquo;m sure our thoughts were very similar. But for me, the only way I can get to games is flying. If you get thrown off the horse, you get back on.</p><p>The one thing I can&rsquo;t forget is we&rsquo;re here and 50 other people are not. That&rsquo;s still the tragedy with this. Whatever memories I have, the important thing for me to remember, for everybody to remember, is that a significant number of people passed away.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

A twist of fate

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-08115/9231508-1-eng-US/f0006-082.jpg" title="f0006-08" width="255" height="51"></div><p><b>Yes 74%</b></p><p>No 26%</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06314/9231501-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="496" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PARISE: ANDRE RINGUETTE/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://thehockeynews.com">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/f0006-03911/9231494-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="65" height="65"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>BONUS!</b></h2><p>All subscribers get exclusive access on <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to digital magazine archives!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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POLL RESULTS

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK </div><div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL JANACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01685/9232590-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="969" height="1193"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PEDRO CANCEL)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02427/9232583-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="214" height="214"></div><p><b>Danny Syvret</b></p><p>Philadelphia Phantoms</p><p>Ht. 5-11</p><p>Wt. 200</p><p>Pos. D</p><p>Age 23</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03345/9232576-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="228" height="137"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b> 2</p><p>Syvret&rsquo;s rank in AHL scoring by defensemen.</p><p><b>HE HAS ALREADY MADE FIVE STOPS</b> on his three-and-a-half year tour of the AHL, but none have been like this one for Danny Syvret.</p><p>The slick-skating defenseman has enjoyed a breakthrough season as a Flyers farmhand with the Philadelphia Phantoms.</p><p>Drafted by Edmonton in the third round, 81st overall in 2005, Syvret has already reached pro career offensive highs and has been at or near the top of AHL defensemen scoring all season.</p><p>&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t really changed anything in my play or my off-ice regimen or anything like that,&rdquo; Syvret said. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s just playing with more confidence and having a coaching staff that has a lot of trust in you. I play a lot of tough minutes and I&rsquo;m on the ice a lot, so it&rsquo;s been good.&rdquo;</p><p>Syvret, 23, had nine goals and 45 points through 57 games, which approached his entire offensive output from his first three pro seasons.</p><p>The 5-foot-11, 200-pound native of Millgrove, Ont., had 20 points &ndash; all assists &ndash; in 62 games as a rookie with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2005-06.</p><p>He followed up with four goals and 20 points in 57 games for Grand Rapids in 2006-07. He saw NHL time with Edmonton both seasons, picking up one assist in 26 games.</p><p>Syvret began last season with Edmonton&rsquo;s new affiliate in Springfield, picking up eight points in 37 games before joining Hershey for its stretch run. Syvret contributed 12 points in 27 games, but was scoreless in five post-season contests.</p><p>&ldquo;I was with Edmonton and, the first two years, they didn&rsquo;t have their own team,&rdquo; Syvret said. &ldquo;Obviously, everybody&rsquo;s going to feel obligated to play their prospects first.</p><p>&ldquo;When I got traded last year to Hershey, I got played a lot. Just from there, things started to go fairly well for me.&rdquo;</p><p>Syvret was loaned by the Oilers to Hershey in exchange for Grant Potulny. Ironically, Edmonton then traded Syvret to Philadelphia last June for Potulny&rsquo;s younger brother, 2003 third-rounder Ryan.</p><p>Syvret was a great junior, captaining London to the 2005 Memorial Cup. He had 122 points and was plus-118 in 198 OHL games.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m playing on the top pair in Philly, so we&rsquo;re having to shut down the players we&rsquo;re up against,&rdquo; Syvret said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not as if I&rsquo;m just playing easy minutes and getting power play time. I&rsquo;m sort of having to work for my ice time.</p><p>&ldquo;You want to prove you can play against this league&rsquo;s top players. Hopefully, you can prove yourself able to play against players of a higher caliber in the NHL.&rdquo;</p><h3><b>NOTES FROM THE EAST</b></h3><h2><b>&lsquo;Please God, don&rsquo;t let me die&rsquo;</b></h2><p>Hockey took a backseat to reality following the crash of the Albany River Rats team bus in wintry weather on an overnight trip.</p><p>The 29 people on board were jolted awake and thrown inside the bus as windows shattered and the guardrail split open the underside storage compartment, spewing equipment.</p><p>&ldquo;It was scary as hell,&rdquo; said assistant captain Mike Angelidis. &ldquo;I just remember looking up and saying, &lsquo;Please God, don&rsquo;t let me die.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>With the nose of the bus still in the right-hand lane, everyone scrambled to safety in the center median. Defensemen Casey Borer and Jonathan Paiement, forwards Joe Jensen and Nicolas Blanchard and radio color analyst John Hennessy were hospitalized with injuries.</p><p>All but Blanchard, with deep cuts to his side and stomach, were released the following day. A broken neck ended Borer&rsquo;s season, but is not career threatening. Wearing a neck brace, he has complete body movement.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re all just kind of happy that nothing was too serious and everyone survived,&rdquo; said defenseman Brett Carson. &ldquo;Everyone is counting their blessings.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07206/9232569-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="175" height="175"></div><h2><b>Hey Sean Avery,</b>&nbsp;<b>EXPECT THE CALL</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04298/9232562-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="197" height="103"></div><p>It&rsquo;s assumed Avery will eventually re-join the Rangers from their Hartford affiliate, though another team could nab him on waivers. The left winger has behaved well in his return to hockey.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05269/9232555-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="186" height="272"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06236/9232548-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="313" height="90"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Prospects Unlimited

Finally home as a Phantom

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In Every Issue

NHL Team Reports

<div class="byline">PHOTO: ANDY DEVLIN </div><div class="byline">NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012093/9231249-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"></div><h2><b>Outer Oil Country</b></h2><p>These guys already have two cups, but they&rsquo;re clearly hoping Edmonton will get one more this year.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-1036/9231242-1-eng-US/f0003-102.jpg" title="f0003-10" width="65" height="65"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Check out <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to see photos of the week.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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The Big Picture

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012098/9231287-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="765" height="643"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE PREMISE FOR THIS ISSUE&rsquo;S COVER STORY</b> sounded like a solid one at the time. Mike Green was on a frantic goal-scoring pace, finding the net in a defensemen-record eight consecutive games, accomplishing the feat with a risky jump-in-the-play style that surely would entice imitation.</p><p>Well, as it turns out, not so much. Not yet. Senior writer Ken Campbell couldn&rsquo;t gain much traction in the hockey world with our Green-as-pioneer theme. The often conservative puck fraternity isn&rsquo;t ready to go there.</p><p>That could start to change if Green maintains his scoring prowess and the Caps make a deep run in the playoffs. The NHL is a copycat league and coaches, particularly those who want to keep their jobs, will mirror what is working elsewhere. Eventually.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s hope that transpires, because Green&rsquo;s forays can be electric &ndash; and are attached with an element of risk. If a defenseman gets caught deep against a good transition team, the results can be an odd-man rush against or a covering forward playing out of position. Either way, it increases the chances for more wide-open play.</p><p>Until a time when more teams start rolling the dice, we&rsquo;ll have to be content with this unique shade of Green, one of the good-news stories of 2008-09.</p><p>Another tantalizing storyline that emerged around the time Green was frequently lighting lamps red, was the potential white heat between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Bad blood between the two megastars equals good times for the rest of us.</p><p>In case you missed it, Ovie and &lsquo;The Kid&rsquo; pawed at one another during a February game in Washington, following up with verbal jabs at their rival. &ldquo;He is a good player,&rdquo; Ovechkin said, &ldquo;but he talks too much.&rdquo; And Sid? Turns out he doesn&rsquo;t care for Ovie&rsquo;s exuberance. &ldquo;Some people like it, some people don&rsquo;t. Personally, I don&rsquo;t like it.&rdquo;</p><p>Granted, it&rsquo;s not Ali vs. Frazier or Domi vs. Probert. Maybe it&rsquo;s not even Kramer vs. Kramer. But it could be the beginning of a genuine rivalry between two great players, a feud built on real emotion. While there may be some irony the typically careful Crosby is getting lathered up about displays of passion, at least he&rsquo;s finally deviating from the norm. Kind of like Mike Green.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021776/9231280-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="524" height="280"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Deviant ways welcome

<div class="byline">JAMIE MCCREA, PENETANGUISHENE, ONT.</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012089/9231380-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="249" height="212"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>Free Swag!</p><p>Each issue, we&rsquo;ll give a cool THN hat to the top letter.</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021510/9231373-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="881" height="989"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICK STEWART/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03969/9231366-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="175" height="175"></div><p>When growing up playing hockey &ndash; or any sport &ndash; you are always told it is just a game and there are more important things in life.</p><p>While this is true, there is no denying a game can be a good distraction during tough times and this was evident in Buffalo on Feb. 13 when the Sabres hosted the San Jose Sharks.</p><p>Not only was the city feeling the pressure of a poor economy, it had to deal with a tragic plane crash from the night before.</p><p>I was proud to be in HSBC Arena to witness 18,000 fans and both teams pay their respects to the victims and their families, while a great game took everyone&rsquo;s mind off of tough times.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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The bigger picture

<blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>At least three times he was told he was the last to board, but he stayed and talked</b></blockquote><h2><b>Holmstrom&rsquo;s office</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen I received the March 2 edition of The Hockey News, I discovered your &lsquo;Starting From 5&rsquo; that counted down the players who are &ldquo;most hated by NHL goalies.&rdquo;</p><p>As a loyal Wings and Tomas Holmstrom fan, I was delighted to see him ranked among the five, because if he is hated by the goaltenders that just means he is doing his job and doing it extremely well.</p><p>Keep up the good work, Mr. Holmstrom.</p><p><b>Jacklyn Adams, Paradise, Nfld.</b></p><h2><b>A moment with 87</b></h2><p>I believe hockey players are by far the most polite and respectful athletes in the world. Even better is the fact that Sidney Crosby, the player some see as the face of the NHL, is this and more.</p><p>About a year ago I got the chance to see a great game between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. As good as it was, I was excited for the post-game festivities because I got the chance to see the Penguins as they boarded their bus for the ride home. Players like Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury came and went and then out came No. 87. I was frozen in awe. It was actually him.</p><p>I asked if he would sign my puck, which he did. Then my father asked if he could take a picture of Crosby and I, and the Penguins star said, &ldquo;Definitely.&rdquo;</p><p>I expected him to leave, but he stayed and asked me questions, like how old I was and things like that. He really cared about what I had to say. At least three times he was told he was the last one to board, but he stayed and talked.</p><p>I gained so much respect for Mr. Crosby that day and I hope he stays in the NHL for a long time.</p><p>Jacob Senchak, Sterling, Va.</p><h2><b>No place like home</b></h2><p>Having grown up watching hockey on Canadian television, but now living in Southern California, there&rsquo;s no question in my mind the Canadian networks do the best job of broadcasting.</p><p>From the play-by-play and analysis to the intermission features, the U.S. product is inferior in every way. Why don&rsquo;t the U.S. networks (such as Versus) do us a favor and broadcast Canadian feeds, like the NHL Network does on Saturday nights?</p><p>It angers me I can&rsquo;t listen to Chris Cuthbert and Pierre McGuire, but instead I&rsquo;m forced to stomach the Versus announcers who, I think, sometimes have a hard time keeping up with the play.</p><p><b>Scott Albert, Irvine, Calif.</b></p><h2><b>Satirizing Sather</b></h2><p>As a 30-year season-ticket holder for the Rangers, I am appalled at the New York fans&rsquo; chants to fire Glen Sather. In these tough economic times, he is the perfect GM.</p><p>This is his ninth year with the team. The Rangers did not make the playoffs in his first five seasons, but they did get in the next three times and won a grand total of two rounds. This year, if they make the playoffs, they will not go far.</p><p>But playoff tickets are expensive, often double or triple regular season prices. Due to the ineptness of Sather&rsquo;s teams, I have not had to buy many playoff seats, which has saved me thousands of dollars. So I, and all other Rangers fans, should thank Sather for allowing us to not waste our money on extravagant items such as NHL playoff tickets in these brutal economic conditions.</p><p>Thanks again, Glen. I know I can keep to my budget and not worry about spending anything on hockey tickets in the spring.</p><p><b>Curt Pader, Eastchester, N.Y.</b></p><h2><b>Best of the best</b></h2><p>As an avid Boston fan, I was highly anticipating the Feb. 10 Bruins-Sharks game &ndash; and Joe Thornton&rsquo;s return &ndash; and the fightless tilt didn&rsquo;t disappoint.</p><p>I do not believe fighting should be banned, but this contest between the two best teams in the NHL was an example of how our great game should be played.</p><p><b>Randy Weiler, Waterloo, Ont.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Crowd Shots

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07193/9231418-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="281" height="306"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PETERS: BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>What was your &lsquo;Welcome to the NHL Moment?&rsquo;</b></p><p>I took a four-minute penalty in Philadelphia and the timekeeper in the penalty box said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m reading here that it&rsquo;s your first NHL game.&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;Yeah.&rsquo; And he said, &lsquo;Well, congratulations and good luck in your career.&rsquo; And I said, &lsquo;Yeah, it might be a short one if they score on this power play.&rsquo;</p><p><b>What&rsquo;s the best trash talk you&rsquo;ve heard?</b></p><p>When I was in junior there was a guy playing on another team who had signed a big bonus and got sent back to junior. I was yelling at him from the bench and he turned to me and yelled, &lsquo;Shut-up Peters. Or I&rsquo;ll beat you with my money clip.&rsquo;</p><p><b>Last job you had before hockey?</b></p><p>I was working in a women&rsquo;s shoe store doing the grunt work &ndash; stock work and cleaning the bathrooms. I was probably 15.</p><p><b>Who is your roommate and how is he?</b></p><p>Pat Kaleta and he&rsquo;s amazing, a good guy. He lets me handle the remote &ndash; that&rsquo;s a good start, he&rsquo;s off to a real good start.</p><p><b>Favorite sport besides hockey?</b></p><p>Squash. I grew up playing and I still play.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012322/9231411-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="65" height="65"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to ask your questions of NHL stars!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-07

2 Minutes in the Box WITH ANDREW PETERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05444/9231456-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="765" height="549"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PARISE: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04569/9231463-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="148" height="148"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Adam,</p><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>s a New Jersey Devils fan, I have a lot of confidence they are the NHL&rsquo;s most hardworking, clutch team. Do you think they are serious competitors for the Stanley Cup like the Red Wings, Sharks and Bruins?</p><p><i>James, New Jersey</i></p><p>James,</p><p>I learned long ago never to count out GM Lou Lamoriello and the Devils. I wouldn&rsquo;t put them in the same class as Detroit, San Jose and Boston, but with Martin Brodeur, Zach Parise and Paul Martin, New Jersey always should be considered a Cup threat.</p><p>Adam,</p><p>I was wondering why hockey players aren&rsquo;t involved with steroids as much as sports such as baseball?</p><p><i>Matthew Macdonald, Winnipeg</i></p><p>Matthew,</p><p>Hockey people say steroids add bulk to the body and the way the game is played (i.e. emphasis on speed), a player adding size only hampers himself. Still, steroids also help athletes train and recover from injuries; that makes it crucial the NHL and NHLPA continue to operate the most stringent performance-enhancing drug test possible. The more lax they are in testing, the more they&rsquo;re vulnerable to scandals like the one that has embarrassed baseball.</p><p>SUBMIT YOUR BURNING 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/f0006-021556/9231449-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="65" height="65"></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>

f0006-05

ASK Adam

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012081/9231553-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="255" height="260"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021412/9231546-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="2804" height="2577"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>TIM CONNOLLY IS LIKELY</b> making a lot of people nervous these days.</p><p>First, there are opposing defensemen, who have to deal with his shifty moves and incredible creativity. The other group that may get queasy when contemplating <b>Connolly&rsquo;s</b> play is NHL GMs eyeing the pending unrestricted free agent status of a guy known for soft hands and brittle bones.</p><p>Connolly has been dynamite for the Buffalo Sabres this year, racking up 26 points through 28 games. Of course, that comes with the standard Connolly proviso that he&rsquo;s been dynamite when healthy enough to be in the lineup. The slick center missed the first month of the season with a back injury, came back to score seven points in six November games, then missed almost two more months with a rib injury before returning to the ice in early January.</p><p>His contributions, particularly his ability to run a power play, have been huge for a team that lost sniper Thomas Vanek to a broken jaw in early February.</p><p>&ldquo;Tim has played well,&rdquo; said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. &ldquo;Coming off the injury, I thought there was a real good connection with him and Thomas and (Drew Stafford). He was able to step in and be productive and score a lot of big goals, he&rsquo;s been a big part of our special teams.</p><p>&ldquo;In the absence of some of the other guys, he&rsquo;s stepped in and played a pretty big role on short notice.&rdquo;</p><p>Connolly&rsquo;s battle with the injury bug could not be any more prominent had it been promoted by Don King. After playing at least 80 games in each of his first four seasons &ndash; split between the Islanders and Sabres &ndash; Connolly missed the entire 2003-04 season with a concussion. His most active post-lockout campaign was 63 games in 2005-06. Concussion-related issues kept him out of all but two games in &rsquo;06-07 and he appeared in just 48 contests last season, with groin and hip injuries holding him back.</p><p>For his part, Connolly said his ice-pack-filled past is not something he dwells on.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gotten to the point now where I&rsquo;ve put all of that behind me,&rdquo; said Connolly, who will turn 28 in May. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not even something I really talk about in any way. The main thing for me now is to keep looking forward and moving on, take it one game at a time. The things I focus on are the positives.&rdquo;</p><p>You can bet GMs won&rsquo;t be so quick to disregard history. And Connolly isn&rsquo;t the only injury-prone player eligible for UFA status come July 1. Star left winger Marian Gaborik, who&rsquo;s played just six games this year, will also carry serious questions with him should he decide to hit the open market. Ditto for right winger Martin Havlat, a potential UFA who&rsquo;s broken with recent precedent by having a very healthy 2008-09 campaign.</p><p>While the old collective bargaining agreement allowed teams to hand out incentive-laden contracts, the current CBA is more restrictive in that sense, especially for players under 35. Gaborik, however, can be offered a one-year performance-based contract because he&rsquo;s played more than 400 career NHL games and spent more than 100 days on injured reserve in the final year of his current deal.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06352/9231539-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="1127" height="887"><figcaption class="caption-body">How much will Marian Gaborik&rsquo;s injury history affect his UFA value? <span class="photo-credit">(GABORIK: BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Former Tampa Bay GM Jay Feaster said any team interested in signing oft-injured players would be wise to request independent medical evaluations before putting pen to paper. He also believes, regardless of their black-and-blue past, that these guys will get their green.</p><p>&ldquo;It becomes a feeding frenzy,&rdquo; said Feaster of the UFA season.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe your horizon is only short term and you&rsquo;re saying, &lsquo;If I swing from my heels and hit the home run here, I&rsquo;ve set the franchise up for a long time.&rsquo; And that&rsquo;s all you see, you don&rsquo;t see the downside risk.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

A healthy dilemma

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04654/9231598-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="543" height="233"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021679/9231591-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="562" height="630"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ARNOTT: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>10 STRAIGHT</b> Preds captain <b>Jason Arnott</b> has hit the 20-goal mark in 10 consecutive seasons.</p><p><b>BRODEUR&rsquo;S BACK</b> Now that he&rsquo;s healthy again, Martin Brodeur can resume chasing the all-time wins mark.</p><p><b>REAL RIVALS</b> OK, so Crosby and Ovechkin officially don&rsquo;t like each other. How fun would a Caps-Pens playoff series be now?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031177/9231584-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="562" height="629"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WARD: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>DENIS, DON&rsquo;T</b> L.A.&rsquo;s Denis Gauthier gets seven games worth of suspension for two separate incidents 19 days apart.</p><p><b>BUFFALOED</b> Sabres lose elite sniper Thomas Vanek and superstar goalie Ryan Miller at a crucial juncture of the season.</p><p><b>CONN JOB?</b> Carolina goalie <b>Cam Ward</b> hasn&rsquo;t been consistently good since winning the &rsquo;06 Conn Smythe.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-04

+ Plus Minus –

<div class="byline">BY MURRAY PAM</div><h2><b>FIVE</b></h2><p><i>Oct. 29, 2005</i></p><p>Scored four consecutive goals in 8-0 Ottawa win over Toronto.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05464/9231629-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="603" height="903"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HEATLEY: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>FOUR</b></h2><p><i>Oct. 5, 2005</i></p><p>Scored the winner versus Toronto in NHL&rsquo;s first-ever shootout.</p><h2><b>THREE</b></h2><p><i>Feb. 2, 2004</i></p><p>Scored four goals to earn All-Star Game MVP honors.</p><h2><b>TWO</b></h2><p><i>Jan. 13, 2003</i></p><p>Recorded first NHL hat trick in 7-4 Atlanta victory over Philadelphia.</p><h2><b>ONE</b></h2><p><i>Oct. 19, 2001</i></p><p>Scored first NHL goal in fifth game, a 4-3 loss to the Rangers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-05

Starting from 5

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03853/9231660-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mikkel Boedker won&rsquo;t get an Olympic shot in 2010. <span class="photo-credit">(BOEDKER: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>ANADA MANAGED TO WIN</b> its fifth straight gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Championship despite being without eight of its best players, all of whom were in the NHL. The depth of Canada&rsquo;s talent pool made the pro clubs&rsquo; refusal to release the teens a non-issue.</p><p>However, that luxury was not the same for Denmark, where officials are suggesting the NHL and IIHF indirectly decided the final three participants for the 2010 Olympics by not having an agreement in place compelling clubs to release players for major international events.</p><p>Three of the best Danish players (Phoenix&rsquo;s Mikkel Boedker, Vancouver&rsquo;s Jannik Hansen and the Isles&rsquo; Frans Nielsen) are NHL regulars, while Peter Regin, property of Ottawa, and Minnesota prospect Morten Madsen are in the AHL.</p><p>None were released for the qualifying tournament in Norway Feb. 5-8 and the Danes lost 5-3 to the host country in a game which could have punched their ticket to Vancouver. European leagues shut down from Feb. 3-11 and Norway was able to use its best players. Germany and Latvia won the other two qualifying spots.</p><p>Kim Pedersen, GM of the Danish Ice Hockey Association, said there is a lot of resentment in his country. Denmark has never qualified for the Olympics and this was its best chance.</p><p>&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t fault the NHL clubs,&rdquo; Pedersen said. &ldquo;We do, however, wish an agreement existed between the NHL and the IIHF so that our best team was available to play in the qualification.&rdquo;</p><p>A Senators spokesman said the team ran into a rash of injuries and couldn&rsquo;t afford to let Regin go. But in fact, he didn&rsquo;t even play in either of the Ottawa games he would have missed. The Wild said Madsen was injured at the time and wouldn&rsquo;t have been able to play. In Hansen&rsquo;s case, he would&rsquo;ve missed only one game.</p><p>Denmark suggested future Olympic qualification tournaments be held in September, or perhaps coincide with the NHL&rsquo;s all-star weekend.</p><p>Kazakhstan also had to go without six of its best players as they decided not to leave their Kontinental League clubs. A KHL spokesman said when Kazak players sign transfer cards to go to the KHL, the federation can insist on a clause making it mandatory for players to be released, but it didn&rsquo;t. Florida and Boston released AHL farmhands Janis Sprukts and Martins Karsums and they finished 1-2 in Latvian team scoring.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-03

Danes done

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021388/9231698-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="255" height="260"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04649/9231691-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="626" height="716"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WHITE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE BEST WAY</b> to provide a team with an immediate jolt is to fire the coach and get a new voice in the dressing room, right? Well, it depends on your definition of immediate. Not one of the coaches who made in-season debuts this year won their first game behind the bench. That&rsquo;s 0-for-6 if you&rsquo;re counting. Another strange trend: All four of the coaches who started the season in Europe &ndash; Tom Renney, Craig Hartsburg, Barry Melrose and Michel Therrien &ndash; had their year end prematurely with the words, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re fired.&rdquo;</p><p><b>IAN</b>&nbsp;<b>WHITE ISN&rsquo;T</b> picking on the Euro scorers, they just keep provoking him. The undersized, but sturdy Leafs blue-liner has had a pair of unlikely sparring partners this season in Rangers winger Markus Naslund and Thrashers sniper Ilya Kovalchuk. The fight with Naslund occurred after White received an elbow from the Swede. The scrap with Koval-chuk also resulted from the Russian delivering a hit White felt was cheap. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little embarrassing actually,&rdquo; said White of his fight card. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. If a guy is going to elbow you in the face, something is going to happen.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

Snapshots

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021585/9231729-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Matt Gilroy is hoping to strike it rich with an NHL contract this summer. <span class="photo-credit">(GILROY: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012189/9231736-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="156" height="155"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT BIG</b>&nbsp;thing is never-ending in the NHL and occasionally a prospect emerges after his draft eligibility expires. This year, a number of NCAA players have become sought-after commodities who are free agents this summer.</p><p>Here&rsquo;s a quick look at three prospects poised to have very financially successful years.</p><h2><b>MATT GILROY, D, 24 BOSTON UNIVERSITY (HE)</b></h2><p>The best known of the lot, Gilroy is a converted forward who has taken off as a rearguard for the Terriers. At 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, Gilroy is a two-time all-American who has NHL size.</p><p>&ldquo;From a physical standpoint, he&rsquo;s getting attention because of his NHL tools&hellip;his skating, hands and size,&rdquo; said one scout.</p><p>Added another scout: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a puck-moving defenseman who fits the new mold. Smart kid, smart player and he knows how to get the puck up the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Working against Gilroy is the fact he turns 25 this summer, leaving him a short window to develop into a bona fide NHLer. His hockey sense as a defenseman is also a work in progress.</p><h2><b>TYLER BOZAK, C, 22 UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (WCHA)</b></h2><p>Another high-profile prospect, Bozak was just 5-foot-9 in his draft year, but has sprouted up to a more NHL-friendly 6-foot-1.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Bozak is the best college player in the nation,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;His anticipation and hockey sense are off the charts. He has an exceptional mind.&rdquo;</p><p>The center, who turns 23 March 19, has been sidelined for the rest of the season with a knee injury, but put up 21 points in 18 games this year.</p><p>&ldquo;He makes people around him better,&rdquo; said another scout. &ldquo;Denver is a great team, but clearly a better team with him in the lineup.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite his growth spurt, the durability of Bozak&rsquo;s 180-pound frame is still a question and he&rsquo;s not overly physical.</p><h2><b>CHRISTIAN HANSON, C, 23 NOTRE DAME (CCHA)</b></h2><p>Just because the Fighting Irish pivot is actually the son of <i>Slap Shot</i> favorite Dave Hanson, it doesn&rsquo;t mean he&rsquo;s a rough-and-tumble&hellip;well, come to think of it, Hanson is a lot to handle. A beastly 6-foot-4, 228 pounds, he wreaks havoc in opposing creases.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great size and strength and combativeness around the net,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;That certainly grabs people&rsquo;s attention.&rdquo;</p><p>Hanson, a 23-year-old senior, owes his recent hype to good ol&rsquo; fashioned moxy.</p><p>&ldquo;He came in as a checker and turned into an all-around player,&rdquo; said another scout. &ldquo;He has done a tremendous job developing.&rdquo;</p><p>Although his net play is fantastic, skating is not a strong suit for Hanson, who also missed time recently with a concussion.</p><p>Other NCAA players on scouts&rsquo; minds these days include Cam MacIntyre, an oft-injured but prototypical NHL power forward from Princeton with an &ldquo;old school&rdquo; game scouts rave about, along with goaltenders Ben Scrivens from Cornell and Brad Thiessen of Northeastern.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

Free agency 101

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05511/9231774-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BERGLUND: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04699/9231781-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="130" height="130"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031005/9231767-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="331" height="184"></div><p><b>PATRIK BERGLUND</b></p><p><b>St. Louis Blues, C</b></p><p><b>DEBUT</b> Oct. 10, 2008</p><p><b>VS.</b> Nashville (5-2 win)</p><p><b>STATS</b> One assist, plus-1, 12:04 TOI</p><p><b>MY</b>&nbsp;<b>FIRST GAME</b> was against the Nashville Predators and what I remember most is just being nervous. The big leagues, the experience of being a part of the St. Louis Blues&hellip;I was trying to not think about everything too much and just play hockey. I was just trying to get through it. All I can really remember about it is the atmosphere in the Scottrade Center, which was&hellip;Wow.</p><p>The whole game went by quickly. The beginning of my first shift I really had to try to focus, really try to force myself to skate as hard as possible.</p><p>It was really high-tempo, really high-speed and trying to become part of that myself is how I got into the game. I just tried to skate hard and work hard.</p><p>I was surprised by the intensity of the game. I had played a couple of pre-season games, but they were nothing like my first NHL regular season game. It was higher intensity, it was more physical and everything kind of happened two steps faster. I had to focus on keeping my feet moving because if you let yourself stand still or start skating slowly it&rsquo;s not going to be a very good first game for you.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-05

Fresh Legs

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012133/9231819-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glen Sather&rsquo;s teams haven&rsquo;t had any playoff success since the Oilers&rsquo; run in the 1980s.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021669/9231826-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="207" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>ERE&rsquo;S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW</b> about Glen Sather&rsquo;s performance as a GM over the past 15 seasons: since 1992-93, his teams have won a total of four playoff rounds. That&rsquo;s how many they used to win in one year when his Edmonton Oilers teams were making a habit of winning the Stanley Cup.</p><p>It&rsquo;s enough to make you wonder how the guy continues to hang onto his job. Sather has been resting on his past laurels for so long that they&rsquo;re beginning to wear out like an old mattress. You know how some players are so bad at the end of their careers that it begins to mitigate all the great things they did before? Well, that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s beginning to happen with Sather, who allowed Tom Renney to take the fall for his incompetence when he fired him as coach of the New York Rangers in late February.</p><p>Which brings us to the Hockey Hall of Fame and Sather&rsquo;s place in it. It has long been the opinion of this corner the selection process for the Hall is severely flawed, that the call on who gets in and who doesn&rsquo;t is far too subjective and a disproportionate amount of the decision-making power is in the hands of too few men with too many old-boy connections.</p><p>Look, we like Jim Gregory just as much as anyone else. We realize he is certainly worthy of Hall of Fame induction and that he had nothing to do with his own selection to the builders&rsquo; category, but for the chairman of the selection committee to gain induction while still serving as chairman of the selection committee &ndash; albeit while on sick leave &ndash; is just plain wrong.</p><p>And so is the Hall&rsquo;s habit of inducting people into the builders&rsquo; category before their careers are finished. Sather was named a Hall of Fame builder in 1997. He was just 54 years old at the time and was five years removed from the glory years of the Edmonton Oilers. What exactly was the rush?</p><p>In the 12 years since then, Sather has done absolutely nothing that would be considered Hall of Fame-worthy and if voters had to cast their ballots all over again, you can bet there would be some serious rumination over whether Sather deserved to be inducted.</p><p>Both Clarence Campbell and John Ziegler were installed as honored members in the midst of their tenures as NHL presidents. How ridiculous is that? History tells us Ziegler is a borderline Hall of Famer at best.</p><p>Of course, the Hall of Fame could have learned its lesson from the Alan Eagleson fiasco, but it has not. Eagleson became the first players&rsquo; union leader to gain entry into his sport&rsquo;s Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 1989, right around the same time serious rumors began to circulate that Eagleson had been abusing his position for years. He then became the first member of a Hall of Fame to ever be removed, something that could have been avoided had the Hall had more stringent guidelines when it comes to the builders&rsquo; category.</p><p>There is no reason why the Hall of Fame can&rsquo;t establish a provision that in order for a person to be inducted as a builder he either has to be retired from any executive position in the game for a period of three years or be 75 years old. Players must be retired for three years before they can gain entry into the Hall of Fame, so why not administrators and GMs?</p><p>That&rsquo;s the way it is, for the most part, in other sports. For a manager or umpire to be enshrined in Coopers-town, he must be retired from organized baseball for five years, but if the candidate is 65 years old, the retirement period is reduced to six months. Executives or pioneers must be retired for five years or be 65 or older. In order to get into the Basketball Hall of Fame, a coach has to either be retired for five years or have a minimum of 25 years of experience. The Pro Football Hall of Fame requires its Hall of Fame coaches to be retired for five years. There are no rules governing contributors, but election to that Hall of Fame is a much more rigorous process.</p><p>If the Hockey Hall of Fame were to look at Sather&rsquo;s entire body of work, it would be able to break down his career into three distinct parts. In his first 12 years as Oilers GM, most of which he was also the coach, Sather was a daring, innovative and shrewd executive, winning five Stanley Cups, 29 playoff series and compiling a .614 winning percentage. He drafted well and traded better. He was sharp and cutting edge and knew all the angles.</p><p>The second portion would be his last seven years with the Oilers in which Sather spent much of his time whining about Edmonton&rsquo;s small-market status. It was a period in which he lost his touch as a dealer and judge of talent and his Oiler teams won just two playoff series and played at a .445 clip.</p><p>The third segment would be his days with the Rangers, which have produced just two playoff round victories and a winning percentage just barely above .500. Including himself, he has gone through four coaches with the Blueshirts and in the 10 drafts he ran with the Oilers and Rangers from 1995 through 2004, just one of his first-rounders &ndash; journeyman Boyd Devereaux &ndash; has played more than 200 NHL career games.</p><p>The free agent signings and blockbuster trades have been largely disastrous, from Bobby Holik to Eric Lindros to Scott Gomez. Over the past 15 years &ndash; but not including this season &ndash; Sather&rsquo;s teams have produced just five winning seasons and nothing close to a Stanley Cup. In his last five years in Edmonton, he railed against big contracts, then handed them out indiscriminately to almost any star who was available when he got to New York. In a salary cap world, he decided to commit $14.4 million in cap space per season for long-term deals to two second-line centers.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Sather has been resting on his past laurels</b></blockquote><p>Chances are Sather would have been inducted into the Hall of Fame regardless of what he did after winning five Stanley Cups in seven years with the Oilers. But it would have been nice to see the people who determine that make their selection based on everything he did, not just the good stuff.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011902/9231812-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="906" height="1257"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Gomez</figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

‘Slats’ falling

<div class="byline">David J. Neal</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012109/9231864-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021579/9231871-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="206" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE NHL&rsquo;S U.S. BROADCAST</b> television future &ndash; stay NBC&rsquo;s free Sunday brunch or be someone else&rsquo;s paid date? &ndash; stands at its usual state of uncertainty. In fact, the only certainties lay in what should and shouldn&rsquo;t be done by whoever winds up beaming the NHL across 50 states, a district and a few territories.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s start with scheduling. Junk the Saturday and Sunday afternoon games, at least during the playoffs. Go prime time, especially on Saturday.</p><p>These days, English-language U.S. networks give up on Saturday nights even more than the 1983-84 Penguins did on the regular season. While Spanish-language network Univision puts on powerhouse <i>Sabado Gigante</i>, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox serve leftovers: reruns of other nights&rsquo; shows or Hollywood movies edited for political correctness and chopped up by commercials. That&rsquo;s TV for those too old or technologically inept to master a DVD player or cable; people whom advertisers generally don&rsquo;t care about reaching anyway.</p><p>So, no broadcast network should worry about a few affiliates in Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma dumping Caps-versus-Pens for Saturday night infomercials. If advertisers cared about them, ratings juggernaut <i>The Beverly Hillbillies</i> never would&rsquo;ve been canceled. Offer something brand new and unpredictable &ndash; live sports &ndash; to the markets that matter to sponsors. That&rsquo;s what ABC does with college football in the fall.</p><p>Weather kneecaps weekend afternoons, particularly during the playoffs. Nobody wants to watch sports inside on a sunny spring Saturday or Sunday, even in the Sun Belt where we don&rsquo;t get winter cabin fever.</p><p>Besides, it would build some goodwill with Canadians who feel the big nasty U.S. has jacked with <i>Hockey Night in Canada</i>&rsquo;s traditions. Remember the Ottawa-Buffalo 2007 Eastern Conference final fiasco, when NBC had to cut away for pre-Preakness Stakes coverage as the game went into overtime? (Yes, they had to &ndash; if they hadn&rsquo;t, they&rsquo;d be doing &ldquo;make goods&rdquo; to those Preakness pre-race advertisers from here until Angelo Esposito blossoms).</p><p>Doesn&rsquo;t happen with a Saturday night game.</p><p>Also, save the groaning if the NHL gets back together with Fox. At least that&rsquo;s a network with a greater stake in the NHL&rsquo;s success &ndash; the various Fox Sports Net branches handle many U.S. teams&rsquo; local broadcasts &ndash; and it&rsquo;s a network usually willing to take risks in sports coverage.</p><p>While I never liked Fox&rsquo;s glowing puck &ndash; I called it the DotCom, the &ldquo;Sing Along With Mitch&rdquo; dot that turned into a comet when fired &ndash; the enmity toward the Fox Bots that popped up with each goal mystified me. Some of the howling came from folks raised on the early-to-mid 1970s NBC broadcasts that featured the nostalgically remembered Peter Puck.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Any network that broadcasts hockey should embrace it, intricacies and all</b></blockquote><p>(Speaking of which, if NBC keeps the rights, they need to go back to the 1970s theme music.)</p><p>The proliferation of high-definition televisions makes glowing pucks and the like unnecessary, but opens up other avenues to improve broadcasts. NHL fans are known as sports&rsquo; most wired fandom. Whether it&rsquo;s Fox or NBC, the network needs to take advantage of that. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to innovate.</p><p>Yet, also, don&rsquo;t be afraid of the game. When Northerners (of which I was one once) grumble about the NHL in the Sun Belt, I often find myself thinking, &ldquo;Have a little faith in your game.&rdquo;</p><p>In other words, if you&rsquo;re so sure of hockey&rsquo;s appeal, why believe someone can&rsquo;t feel the same attraction as you just because they have to skate on the same kind of artificial rinks most Northerners do these days?</p><p>Similarly, any network that broadcasts hockey should embrace it wholly, intricacies and all, and cover it in a manner that satisfies the hardcore fan. In doing so, the coverage will enhance the potential new fan&rsquo;s appreciation of the game.</p><p>A friend loved it when I pointed out how a bad Pittsburgh line change led to a Detroit goal during last year&rsquo;s Stanley Cup final because an exhausted Penguins defense couldn&rsquo;t get off the ice. To their credit, NBC does a better job of this than ABC or Fox ever did.</p><p>And a Canadian cameraman nailed it in 2000, after the first year of the NHL&rsquo;s ABC deal, when he said ABC did an &ldquo;American job&rdquo; on the playoffs.</p><p>He meant that they threw a lot of volume at it, both in star power and number of voices. They had one of the best groups of analysts, booth and studio combined, in televised hockey history. Then, ABC told this group to keep it simple. Don&rsquo;t get too technical and go over the heads of potential new viewers.</p><p>It was like getting the late Roger Neilson to coach the high-flying Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s. There&rsquo;s no rhyme or reason to it; it&rsquo;s a media philosophy that has never made sense to me, in print or electronically. As the games get bigger and bigger, general media outlets use more and more people &ndash; yet, often give less incisive coverage for fear of alienating the unwashed.</p><p>Have a little faith in the fans&hellip;and the game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011873/9231857-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="512" height="1260"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-01

U.S. of eh

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011885/9231916-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T WAS AROUND THE TIME</b> he became a Peach King &ndash; now there&rsquo;s a handle that must strike the fear of God into its opponents &ndash; that Steve Mason began to realize he might have something special going on.</p><p>Others, well, let&rsquo;s say they needed a little bit of convincing.</p><p>You have to realize Mason grew up in Oakville, Ont., about a half-hour drive from The Center of the Hockey Universe&trade; and, four years ago, he was an ex-midget backup goalie looking for a junior team that might be willing to give him a shot. Now, you couldn&rsquo;t swing a dead cat from his driveway without hitting a Jr. A club in what was then a bloated 35-team Ontario Provincial Junior League, but Mason could find only one team that was interested in him &ndash; from nearby Burlington &ndash; and it cut the goaltender at the end of training camp.</p><p>So here he was, an 11th round pick of the London Knights, the 16th goalie taken in the 2004 OHL draft, looking way up from the bowels of the depth chart on what would become a Memorial Cup-winning team. Grimsby Peach Kings Jr. C team, here we come. (Exactly 200 players were taken before Mason in that &rsquo;04 OHL draft, but the only other ones who are currently full-time NHLers are Patrick Kane and Jordan Staal.)</p><p>&ldquo;I remember talking to a scout who said he&rsquo;d never be anything more than a church goalie and he&rsquo;d always get beat high,&rdquo; said Lyle Killins, then the GM and owner of the Peach Kings. &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;A church goalie, what do you mean by that?&rsquo; and he said, &lsquo;He spends all his time on his knees.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011662/9231909-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="1755" height="2256"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Mason has gone from Jr. C hockey to the NHL in four short years. <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011763/9231902-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="2705" height="1621"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mason&rsquo;s size, positioning and unflappability are his biggest strengths. <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE ABEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Ouch. But what that scout didn&rsquo;t realize is when you&rsquo;re 6-foot-4 with the wingspan of a wandering albatross, maybe you don&rsquo;t have to stand up all the time. Perhaps it&rsquo;s good enough to just have an incredible mind for the game. When you have lightning-quick pads and feet; throw shooters off by catching with your right hand; and, possess the mental makeup of a player 10 years your senior, maybe it doesn&rsquo;t matter you go down a little too often.</p><p>To be sure, nobody could see then that just four years later, Mason would go from being a Jr. C Peach King to putting together an NHL season that could see him become just the fourth goalie since GMs began voting on the Vezina Trophy in 1982 to win both the Calder Trophy as top rookie and the Vezina as the league&rsquo;s best goalie. There&rsquo;s even talk of the Hart Trophy as league MVP &ndash; which is probably a bit of a stretch, but if the guy can get the Columbus Blue Jackets into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, you&rsquo;d have to think he&rsquo;ll get some consideration.</p><p>&ldquo;The group of guys we had on that team was unbelievable,&rdquo; said Mason of his Jr. C days. &ldquo;Halfway through the year, Burlington came back calling and I said, &lsquo;No thanks, not interested.&rsquo; Every day I went to the rink, I knew it was going to be a fun time. It was probably some of the most fun I&rsquo;ve ever had playing hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;s probably having just as much fun this season, but it&rsquo;s not quite so innocent these days. In case you haven&rsquo;t noticed, the Blue Jackets are not exactly the Montreal Canadiens circa 1977 when it comes to producing offense. They&rsquo;ve staked their organizational reputation on making the playoffs this season and nothing will re-ignite the passion of a fan base that grew tired of supporting a bad, boring team like a playoff run. When the Jackets desperately reached into their farm system for Mason after starter Pascal Leclaire went down with a serious ankle injury in the pre-season, it had the potential for disaster.</p><p>But it&rsquo;s entirely fair to say Mason, the 20-year-old who looks like a 12-year-old and plays like a 35-year-old, has saved Columbus&rsquo; season. In a conference where a team can go 6-3-1 and make up one point in the standings, the Blue Jackets have come to rely heavily on their goaltending. It helps they give up the third-fewest shots in the league, but it helps even more that Mason has been so unflappable and impenetrable.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a hard-working, honest club, but he has given us the hope that when we have a lead in the third period, he&rsquo;ll shut it down,&rdquo; said Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock.</p><p>&ldquo;There have been games that could have been devastating to us, but we walked out feeling good about ourselves because of him. We&rsquo;ve got a really good foundation, but he has been the difference between us being in the 50s (in points as of mid-February) and being in the 60s. We&rsquo;re in the middle of it rather than chasing teams and he&rsquo;s the major reason.&rdquo;</p><p>Mason is much like the team he backstops, quietly efficient and rather unspectacular. He rarely makes the kind of flashy saves that have become Tim Thomas&rsquo; stock-in-trade, largely because it&rsquo;s difficult to make eye-popping stops when the puck is hitting you in the middle of the chest. Mason follows the play with an uncanny sense of puck radar and slides across his crease without giving the shooter any open space.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a fluke that he&rsquo;s in the right place at the right time,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;To me, he&rsquo;s a good goalie because he has hockey sense. He has the ability to not be surprised by the movement of the puck. He&rsquo;s ahead of the movement or he&rsquo;s on time with the movement. It&rsquo;s not like there&rsquo;s a back-door play and he&rsquo;s surprised there&rsquo;s a guy standing there.&rdquo;</p><p>Mason attributes almost all of his technical success to the work of former Knights goaltending coach Dave Rook. He played just 12 games in his first OHL season, but then-Jackets scout Rick Walmsley got some tape of him playing &ndash; from Mason&rsquo;s billet in London &ndash; and the staff was blown away by a youngster who seemed to always be in the right place to face the puck.</p><p>&ldquo;From the shoulders up, he was one of the best goalies I&rsquo;ve ever worked with,&rdquo; Rook said.</p><p>Think Ed Belfour without the scowl. In fact, Mason has such a baby face that if he weren&rsquo;t so big he&rsquo;d probably be mistaken for the team&rsquo;s stick boy.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s ever going to get one of those full beards like (teammate Michael) Peca,&rdquo; said Mason&rsquo;s mother, Donna.</p><p>Mason has a beyond-his-years ability not to get flummoxed by flurries in front of his net or by a bad game. At the World Junior Championship in 2008, Mason found out he had been traded from the Knights to the Kitchener Rangers the day before the gold medal game, then backstopped Canada to the title in overtime, inspiring a new rule in junior hockey that prevents players participating in the WJC to be traded during the tournament. In January, Mason earned one of his league-leading seven shutouts by stopping 12 shots off the stick of Alex Ovechkin.</p><p>Mason&rsquo;s mettle was tested last spring when a knee injury in mid-April derailed his chance to play in the Memorial Cup. But two months later, his world was turned upside down when his 50-year-old father, Bill, developed pneumonia, which resulted in blood clots on his lungs that were so bad he needed life support. The steely resolve that helped Steve Mason become one of the best young goalies in the world abandoned him when he saw tubes coming out of his father&rsquo;s nose. But soon enough, it returned.</p><p>&ldquo;I think it was the only time I ever saw him say, &lsquo;Oh my God, I don&rsquo;t know if I can handle this,&rsquo;&rdquo; Donna said. &ldquo;At first he didn&rsquo;t even want to come home to face it. But he did and he grew up pretty fast. He&rsquo;s a lot older than his age.&rdquo;</p><p>There have been, and will be, bumps along the way. In Mason&rsquo;s fifth game back after recovering from mononucleosis, the Blue Jackets set a franchise record by allowing just 13 shots in a game against Anaheim. Mason, however, was lit up for five goals. Still, the green Jacket believes he&rsquo;s adequately prepared for the NHL&rsquo;s inevitable ups and downs.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of experiences I&rsquo;ve been through and overcome and it definitely makes you stronger,&rdquo; Mason said. &ldquo;It makes you realize how fortunate you are in to be in a situation like playing in the NHL.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

Spotlights

Believe in Steve

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011588/9231982-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="281" height="538"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021200/9231975-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="199" height="431"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03829/9231968-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="164" height="205"></div><h2><b>ED BELFOUR, CHICAGO 1990-91</b></h2><p>43-19-7 | 2.47 GAA | 4 SHUTOUTS</p><p><i>74 games played and 43 wins in rookie season were both career highs for 16-year NHLer.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04635/9231961-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="164" height="205"></div><h2><b>TOM BARRASSO, BUFFALO 1983-84</b></h2><p>26-12-3 | 2.84 GAA | 2 SHUTOUTS</p><p><i>NHL&rsquo;s first and only goalie to make it to the big leagues straight out of high school.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05474/9231954-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="164" height="205"></div><h2><b>TONY ESPOSITO, CHICAGO 1969-70</b></h2><p>38-17-8 | 2.17 GAA | 15 SHUTOUTS</p><p><i>Hawks never missed the playoffs during Esposito&rsquo;s 15 seasons in net.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06358/9231947-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="157" height="205"></div><h2><b>FRANK BRIMSEK, BOSTON 1938-39</b></h2><p>33-9-1 | 1.56 GAA | 10 SHUTOUTS</p><p>Posted two separate shutout streaks of more than 200 minutes during rookie campaign.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0019-01

GREAT GOALIE DEBUTS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011522/9232027-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>E</span>VER SINCE MIKE GREEN</b> turned pro four years ago, he has been teaching himself how to play the guitar. Tried the drums. He&rsquo;s brutal. Gave it up. But when it comes to the six-string, like Ferris Bueller, he never had one lesson. Just picked it up and started learning chords.</p><p>&ldquo;I like the old stuff like Staind or Goo Goo Dolls or the Foo Fighters,&rdquo; Green says. &ldquo;If somebody asked me to play the whole song for them, it&rsquo;s tough, but I could probably play half or three-quarters of the song. I just pick it up and play for an hour a day if I&rsquo;m home.&rdquo;</p><p>All right, we&rsquo;re going to go out on a limb and assume Bruce Springsteen is not soiling himself as he reads this.</p><p>But Paul Coffey? Now he might have something to be worried about, because if any defenseman is ever going to break Coffey&rsquo;s NHL record for goals in a season, it&rsquo;s going to be Green, the Washington Capitals scoring machine from the blueline. Last year, Green led NHL defensemen in scoring with 18 goals and, despite missing 13 games this season with a shoulder injury, he had 23 to lead all defensemen again through late February. That&rsquo;s a long way off the 48 Coffey scored in 1985-86, but the kid is just 23 and doesn&rsquo;t figure to hit his prime for another couple of years.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011409/9232020-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="2542" height="1639"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Green shoots high because NHL goalies &ldquo;are so good down low.&rdquo; <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Even if he doesn&rsquo;t do it, Green has the skill set to spend a lot of years putting up point-per-game seasons and a 40-goal campaign is certainly within his grasp. To give you an idea of how productive he has been this season, consider that as of late February, Green was outscoring the entire defense corps of 12 teams and tied with three others.</p><p>And while Green isn&rsquo;t exactly revolutionizing the defense position, he and Dan Boyle of the San Jose Sharks are doing their part to redefine it. Green has a unique skill set, but where he gives his opponents fits is in his unpredictability. Teams have such a hard time stopping him because they don&rsquo;t know where he&rsquo;s going to be &ndash; high slot, on the lip of the crease, at the hashmarks, coming in from the faceoff dot. From the top of the faceoff circle to the hashmarks, there might be only one player in the league who&rsquo;s more dangerous than Green and that&rsquo;s Alex Ovechkin, who freelances on the other point for the Capitals on the power play.</p><p>Green has an uncanny ability to find seams in the offensive zone, get to them, get the puck on his stick and get a shot off in a hurry. And he&rsquo;s not the least bit shy about going high glove either.</p><p>&ldquo;Just imagine how tough that is for the other teams,&rdquo; says Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, who deserves a healthy amount of credit for Green&rsquo;s metamorphosis into a sniper. &ldquo;Your head is on a swivel when he&rsquo;s out there and that&rsquo;s the time he picks to go. Not only that, you have to look after two guys who do that.&rdquo;</p><p>It is Green&rsquo;s shot, which comes off the blade of a Easton Stealth with a custom toe curve to help cradle the puck, that has made him so dangerous &ndash; to opponents and to teammates courageous enough to stand in front of the net. Green says he has never had his shot clocked because the Caps don&rsquo;t hold a team skills competition. (A cynic would suggest that until a couple of years ago, a Capitals skills competition would have been a contradiction of terms.) But even though his release is what makes Green&rsquo;s shot so lethal, he figures his slapshot is somewhere in the 100 mile-per-hour range.</p><p>Most defensemen try to keep their shots low and hard and put them through a maze of players and nobody does that better than Chris Pronger. But Green goes high almost all the time when he shoots and he does so with deadly accuracy. He dares goalies to get their glove up in time and they rarely do.</p><p>Capitals forwards parked in front of the net on the power play have to keep their heads up or they may lose them. It&rsquo;s an occupational hazard when playing with Green.</p><p>&ldquo;I always shoot up top, I don&rsquo;t want to give that away, but I guess I just did,&rdquo; Green says. &ldquo;I find I have a better opportunity of scoring in close, or at least from the top of the circles, if I go high on a goalie. The goalies are so good down low with their feet that a lot of times, the only option is to go high.&rdquo;</p><p>It hasn&rsquo;t always been this way, you know. In four seasons with the WHL&rsquo;s Saskatoon Blades, Green never scored more than 14 goals in a season. But Boudreau, who was coaching the Capitals&rsquo; farm team in Hershey when Green broke in as a pro in 2005, did a lot to change Green&rsquo;s game. Not only did he prompt Green to use his shot more, the biggest adjustment Boudreau made was to encourage him to be more proactive, particularly when his team is on the attack.</p><p>&ldquo;He used to do a lot of standing still and watching the play instead of creating the play,&rdquo; Boudreau says. &ldquo;He would get the puck and stop and watch what other guys were doing.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s no coincidence then, that Green emerged as the top-scoring defenseman in the NHL when Boudreau took over the Capitals early last season. Green still doesn&rsquo;t make the best decisions in his own zone and plays a high-risk, high-reward game at times, but there is little doubt he has found more of a balance in his game.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a tug of war with which Green has always struggled, but his plus/minus this season suggests it&rsquo;s becoming less of a problem. Considering 15 of his 23 goals came on the power play, his much improved plus/minus is a legitimate barometer to measure how much his game has matured.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so much better this year than he was last year,&rdquo; Boudreau says, &ldquo;and he was a lot better last year than he was the year before.&rdquo;</p><p>Soooo, it&rsquo;s not an enormous leap of logic to suggest there is still room for Green&rsquo;s game to grow even more in the coming seasons. Defensemen typically don&rsquo;t peak until their late 20s, which gives Green another five or more years of untapped potential. After all, look how far he has advanced the past couple of years. In 2004, the Capitals had three first round picks and used the third on Green at No. 29 overall.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011357/9232013-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="2347" height="1514"><figcaption class="caption-body">Green&rsquo;s defense isn&rsquo;t on par with his offensive skills, but he&rsquo;s improving. <span class="photo-credit">(MITCHELL LAYTON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I have old tapes of him and the stuff you see makes you say &lsquo;Oh my God&rsquo;</b></blockquote><p>Twenty-three other teams, seven of which took defensemen, could have had Green. The Caps chose Ovechkin first overall that year, which has turned out to be a pretty decent selection. But if both Green and Washington ultimately realize their full potential, that draft day in 2004 will be remembered as the day the Capitals laid the foundation for their dynasty.</p><p>To be sure, their No. 1 and No. 29 selections have the potential to rival the Canadiens, who picked Guy Lafleur No. 1 and Larry Robinson at No. 20 in 1971, and the New York Islanders, who took Clark Gillies fourth and Bryan Trottier 22nd three years later.</p><p>One year after being drafted, Green was the last cut of the 2005 Canadian national junior team that had a defense corps featuring Dion Phaneuf, Cam Barker, Braydon Coburn, Brent Seabrook and Shea Weber. Green was devastated he didn&rsquo;t make it and promises he&rsquo;ll take a much different approach when he auditions for the 2010 Olympic team, which he will be a shoo-in to make this time.</p><p>&ldquo;I learned from that camp that you&rsquo;re not going to just walk onto a team and you have to make sure you have a good camp,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;If I ever get a chance to go to a camp again, I don&rsquo;t ever want to be in that situation again. I was OK, but I thought I could&rsquo;ve been better.&rdquo;</p><p>Canada ultimately won the gold medal that year, so it&rsquo;s difficult to argue with the choices coach Brent Sutter made for the team. But looking at Green&rsquo;s game now, it seems unfathomable that Danny Syvret and Shawn Belle cracked that lineup and Green did not.</p><p>TSN analyst Pierre McGuire remembers the 2005 tournament well and was mystified Green didn&rsquo;t make the team.</p><p>&ldquo;I kept saying to (play-by-play man) Gord (Miller), &lsquo;I think they made a mistake,&rsquo;&rdquo; McGuire says. &ldquo;He has such a great skill level. In my mind, he has more offensive upside than Scott Niedermayer, even if he doesn&rsquo;t skate as well. His peripheral vision puts him on another level. He&rsquo;s a super high-end guy in my opinion.&rdquo;</p><p>And he&rsquo;s one who seems to have a good balance of humility and grounding. To understand why that is the case, you have to turn your attention to the blue-collar area of northeast Calgary where Dave and Kate Green raised their three children. Dave has been a laborer for the City of Calgary for the past 35 years and Kate held down two jobs &ndash; selling insurance by day and stocking local drug stores with greeting cards by night. She did that so her children could play sports at a high level.</p><p>Dave Green said his son has learned his lessons from observing his parents and the other hardworking people around him while he was growing up.</p><p>&ldquo;He got a lot of his work ethic from watching working-class people,&rdquo; Dave says.</p><p>&ldquo;They get up in the morning, they go to work. They come home and do what they have to do at home, you take care of what needs to be done around the house. He paid attention to that.&rdquo;</p><p>We&rsquo;ll let Kate give you the play-by-play of a typical day.</p><p>&ldquo;I would take the kids to school in the morning, go to the office and pick the kids up and bring them home, feed them lunch, go back there for a few more hours in the afternoon, come home and we&rsquo;d do the dinner thing, then we would go out and do the sports at night and then I would go and do the cards. I would go and do the stores after the kids went to bed. The Shoppers&rsquo; Drug Mart stores were open until midnight so I would work from 8 p.m. until 12. I usually got up at about six in the morning and went to bed at one in the morning.&rdquo;</p><p>Kate Green kept going at that frenetic pace, even after her son began to live his dream of playing in the NHL. But just days before Mike signed a four-year deal worth $21 million last June, Kate suffered a massive heart attack. She had actually had five minor heart attacks throughout the day before suffering a near-fatal one that night. She needed immediate surgery to put metal stints in her veins and install a pump in her heart. The front ventricle of her heart was not working and needed to be regenerated with the surgically installed pump.</p><p>Mike was devastated by the news, his mother says. He spent much of the rest of the summer doting on her and ensuring she was all right. It was only about a week before he had to report to training camp that his mother began to get healthy, although she still has a couple of good days followed by a couple of terrible days and remains on disability</p><p>&ldquo;Not very well,&rdquo; Kate says when asked how her son first handled the situation. &ldquo;He was very protective and very worried. It wasn&rsquo;t that he didn&rsquo;t cope with it because he coped with it on the exterior very well. He was very protective and wanting to take care of me. He kind of wanted to shield me, maybe a little bit too much. I&rsquo;ve had to say to him, &lsquo;Michael, I have to continue living.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>Kate Green still hasn&rsquo;t traveled to watch her son play this season, although fortuitously, Dave was on the team&rsquo;s annual dads&rsquo; trip when his son broke the NHL record by scoring goals in eight straight games. Kate can&rsquo;t even watch the games on television. She has to get Dave to make a DVD of the game and needs to know the result before she can watch. Some of that is because of her heart troubles, but also because watching her son and his style of risk-reward play has always made her nervous.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s pretty wild to watch,&rdquo; Kate says. &ldquo;I have old videotapes of him and the stuff you see on those tapes makes you say, &lsquo;Oh my God.&rsquo; He has always made us bite our nails. I&rsquo;m very much like Mrs. Ovechkin, even when I&rsquo;m fine. I&rsquo;m wandering the hallways or sitting by myself because I&rsquo;m playing the game myself. I think all hockey moms are like that, at least from the ones I know.&rdquo;</p><p>Mike Green might be mature beyond his years, but he&rsquo;s still just 23. He collects skateboards with elaborate artwork and has them all over the walls of his condo in Arlington, Va. Like most young males, he loves MMA and UFC, which is a little strange considering his fight &ndash; if you can call it that &ndash; with Scottie Upshall in the playoffs last year is the only time he has dropped the gloves as an NHLer. Just recently, Green went to an MMA card in Washington with Ovechkin, Donald Brashear and Nicklas Backstrom.</p><p>&ldquo;We were sitting right up at the cage,&rdquo; Green says. &ldquo;It was my first fight up close. I have so much respect for that sport. To go through the training they do for one fight and then to go into the ring, a cage, with somebody who wants to knock you out, that takes a lot of courage.&rdquo;</p><p>Last year during the playoffs, Green got a mohawk haircut, which is a pretty young-guy thing to do. The fans took so much to it that Green now sports a &ldquo;faux-hawk&rdquo; with his hair trimmed tight on the sides and longer on top. He loves skateboards and wakeboards and drives a Lamborghini that is so low to the ground that his father just rolls out of it. He and Ovechkin are talking about how they&rsquo;re going to do their hair for this year&rsquo;s playoffs, a conversation they can have now because they know for sure they&rsquo;re going to be there this season. And they might just stick around for a while.</p><p>There is talk of getting their hair dyed red, but Green says nothing has been finalized yet.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to do something for sure,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll surprise everyone.&rdquo;</p><p>Or maybe not.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

Cover Story

GREEN MEANS GO!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011247/9232058-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ALLSPORT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>1. <b>PAUL COFFEY</b>, Edm (&rsquo;85-86) 48</p><p>2. <b>BOBBY ORR</b>, Bos (&rsquo;74-75) 46</p><p>3. <b>PAUL COFFEY</b>, Edm (&rsquo;83-84) 40</p><p>4. <b>DOUG WILSON</b>, Chi (&rsquo;81-82) 39</p><p>5. <b>BOBBY ORR</b>, Bos (&rsquo;70-71, &rsquo;71-72) 37</p><p><b>PAUL COFFEY,</b> Edm (&rsquo;84-85)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-01

NHL Defensemen Single-Season Goal Leaders

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011213/9232089-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="637" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><p>18 (&rsquo;07-08)</p><p><b>MIKE GREEN</b>, Wsh</p><p>26 (&rsquo;06-07)</p><p><b>SHELDON SOURAY</b>, Mtl</p><p>21 (&rsquo;05-06)</p><p><b>MATHIEU SCHNEIDER</b>, Det</p><p>17 (&rsquo;03-04)</p><p><b>WADE REDDEN</b>, Ott</p><p><b>PAVEL KUBINA</b>, TB</p><p>18 (&rsquo;02-03)</p><p><b>SERGEI GONCHAR</b>, Wsh</p><p><b>NICKLAS LIDSTROM</b>, Det</p><p><b>ANDY DELMORE</b>, Nsh<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

Defensemen Goal Leaders: Past 5 Years

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02890/9232158-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011331/9232165-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="206" height="245"></div><p><b>IN</b>&nbsp;<b>A FEW CRUCIAL WAYS</b>, this year&rsquo;s edition of the Montreal Canadiens remind me of last year&rsquo;s edition of the New York Rangers.</p><p>Not that that&rsquo;s a good thing.</p><p>First and foremost, this year&rsquo;s Canadiens have 11 players &ndash; including forwards Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and defensemen Francis Bouillon and <b>Mike Komisarek</b> &ndash; set to become unrestricted free agents this summer.</p><p>Similarly, last year&rsquo;s Rangers had nine players &ndash; Sean Avery, Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Marek Malik, Michal Roszival and Martin Straka chief among them &ndash; in the final season of their contracts.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&lsquo;You have to see cap space now as an asset in and of itself&rsquo;</b></blockquote><p>As well, both teams continually operate under an Original Six franchise&rsquo;s worth of pressure. And both had/will have a crapload of salary cap room with which to play at the conclusion of their season.</p><p>The situational similarities between the Habs and Blueshirts have some observers wondering if any team with so many potential UFAs can meet or exceed expectations when those players (consciously or otherwise) may be looking out for themselves.</p><p>&ldquo;How are guys supposed to band together and leave it all on the ice for their team when they don&rsquo;t know how the organization&rsquo;s management and ownership feels about them?&rdquo; asked one longtime player agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I wasn&rsquo;t surprised at all to see Montreal struggle as this season continued on. It was the same way with the Rangers last season.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, the Rangers followed up a torrid start to 2007-08 &ndash; they won 11 of 14 games in November &ndash; by limping into the playoffs with just nine victories in their final 17 games.</p><p>This year&rsquo;s Canadiens also looked impressive out of the gate, winning 15 of 25 games. Since then, they&rsquo;ve been in free-fall, causing all kinds of controversy and speculation GM Bob Gainey would drastically remake the roster prior to the March 4 trade deadline.</p><p>Much of the blame for that has to fall at Gainey&rsquo;s feet, the same way Rangers supremo Glen &lsquo;Teflon&rsquo; Sather deserves debasement for his Manhattan Project&rsquo;s abject failures.</p><p>Still, that&rsquo;s not to say either went off the grid to devise such a game plan.</p><p>&ldquo;It is easy to see why Bob and Slats went that route,&rdquo; said the agent. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s better to have cap room than to be up against the ceiling with no chance to manoeuvre. But sometimes the pendulum swings too far the other way &ndash; and what you wind up with is a transient team that (a) isn&rsquo;t aware of its long-term identity, and (b) has no clue how long many key members are going to be around. It&rsquo;s tough to find a happy medium between the two extremes, but if you can, I think that&rsquo;s a clear key to success in today&rsquo;s NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>Another danger facing Gainey and the Canadiens is the free agent period itself. With upwards of $30 million in anticipated available cap space, the Habs are sure to face all kinds of pressure from fans and media to spend most, if not all of their payroll money on a UFA class that thrills only the agents of the employment-seeking players.</p><p>The same thing happened to the Rangers last summer. And do you know how they dealt with it?</p><p>Why, by throwing around money like a government bailout program and signing blueliner Wade Redden to a six-year, $39 million contract that almost instantly became a thousand-pound millstone around the franchise&rsquo;s collective neck.</p><p>The same fate easily could befall Montreal. Even worse, if Komisarek can&rsquo;t come to terms on a contract extension prior to July 1, the asking price for the league&rsquo;s premier available shutdown defenseman will assuredly skyrocket to the $6 million per season rate and beyond.</p><p>Just something else for Gainey to develop an ulcer over.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d always be concerned about the mindset of (an unsigned) player after the trade deadline,&rdquo; said former Tampa Bay Lightning GM &ndash; and current <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> blogger &ndash; Jay Feaster. &ldquo;Almost invariably, the player&rsquo;s mindset becomes, &lsquo;Why wouldn&rsquo;t I test the (UFA) market?&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I couldn&rsquo;t imagine going into a season with a star player who was entering the last year of his contract and who hadn&rsquo;t agreed to an extension.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why to me, the time to trade a star player like Ilya Kovalchuk is this (trade) deadline, not next year&rsquo;s.&rdquo;</p><p>Feaster, who knows about the downside of tying up big money in a few key players, understands the challenge Gainey is dealing with.</p><p>&ldquo;It comes down to how many players/assets you can let go for nothing, while creating nothing more than cap space,&rdquo; Feaster said. &ldquo;You have to see cap space now as an asset in and of itself&hellip;and if you can&rsquo;t find a good balance between cap space and your signed players, (free agency) starts to wreak havoc with your organizational depth.&rdquo;</p><p>So good luck, Habs fans.</p><p>Judging by the state of the Rangers, you&rsquo;re going to need it.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-02

Habs hurtin’

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011198/9232458-1-eng-US/f0038-012.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/f0039-011104/9232451-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="2610" height="3543"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0038-01

NHL Depth Charts

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA </div><div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01796/9232517-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="969" height="1193"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02483/9232510-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="214" height="214"></div><p><b>Tim Stapleton</b></p><p>Toronto Marlies</p><p>Ht. 5-9</p><p>Wt. 175</p><p>Pos. C</p><p>Age 26</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03372/9232503-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="205" height="119"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b> 38</p><p>Stapleton was tied for sixth in the AHL with 38 assists.</p><p><b>IN SOME WAYS</b>, Tim Stapleton&rsquo;s career is going in reverse.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a direction he chose, too.</p><p>Instead of trying to climb up from the American League to the NHL right out of college, then going to Europe if it didn&rsquo;t work out &ndash; the traditional path &ndash; Stapleton did just the opposite.</p><p>He went to Finland after his four-year career at Minnesota-Duluth, then returned to North America this season in hopes of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.</p><p>But despite some good numbers, Stapleton wasn&rsquo;t called up to the Leafs until late February.</p><p>When his chance finally came, the crafty center took full advantage by scoring the decisive shootout goal in his first NHL game.</p><p>A center generously listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds, the 26-year-old ranked 11th in AHL scoring with 16 goals and 54 points through 51 games. That included 10 goals and 25 points during a 17-game stretch in January and February.</p><p>&ldquo;I see a lot of small players getting chances,&rdquo; said Stapleton of his most obvious hurdle. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been my problem my entire career, but I really feel I can play.&rdquo;</p><p>So, too, does Marlies coach Greg Gilbert. That&rsquo;s because Stapleton is more than just a guy who can score goals and set up his linemates.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just such a smart player, he can think the game at (the NHL level),&rdquo; Gilbert said. &ldquo;The biggest thing about him is he works just as hard without the puck as he does with it. When he doesn&rsquo;t have the puck, he&rsquo;s working just as hard to get it back.&rdquo;</p><p>Stapleton was all set to play in Finland again this year, but decided to give himself a full season in North America.</p><p>&ldquo;I actually signed in Finland in May, but they gave me the NHL buyout clause and I figured, &lsquo;Why not give myself a full year here,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said.</p><p>While he&rsquo;d obviously love to catch on with an NHL club, Stapleton certainly hasn&rsquo;t ruled out a return to Europe.</p><p>&ldquo;Hopefully what I&rsquo;ve done this year shows what I can do,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to stay another year here, I really want to if there&rsquo;s a team that wants me.</p><p>&ldquo;Part of me says yes, part of me says no. Nothing against the American League, but Europe is kind of my out. You play a lot less games, you can travel a lot. I really like playing there.&rdquo;</p><p>Oh, and the money is good, too.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say money is an issue,&rdquo; Stapleton said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;d like to come out of the game ahead in life.&rdquo;</p><h3><b>NOTES FROM THE WEST</b></h3><h2><b>Rapids ascent</b></h2><p>When the season began, rookie center Francis Pare couldn&rsquo;t even crack the Grand Rapids Griffins&rsquo; lineup.</p><p>He was so on the fringe &ndash; playing in just 16 of the first 31 games &ndash; that he wasn&rsquo;t even allowed to find permanent housing in Grand Rapids until December.</p><p>Signing a lease was his early Christmas present. And his early birthday present could be an NHL contract.</p><p>Pare, who turns 22 in June, is playing on an AHL deal this season, but has proven he&rsquo;s NHL-bound.</p><p>As of late February, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound center was fifth in team scoring with 17 goals and 35 points in 43 games. His plus-13 rating led the Griffins.</p><p>While he&rsquo;s certainly not big, some of his best work comes in front of the net and at the top of the crease.</p><p>Pare was the 2008 Quebec League MVP with Chicoutimi, but was never drafted.</p><p><b>SOLID PROGRESS</b> Third-year pro Philippe Dupuis is showing some surprising upside.</p><p>Dupuis has essentially been a point-a-game player for the not-so-offensive Lake Erie Monsters since early December. The 23-year-old was acquired by Colorado from Columbus last season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04303/9232496-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="185" height="267"></div><h2><b>BETTER THAN AVERAGE</b></h2><h3><b>Cory</b>&nbsp;<b>Schneider</b></h3><p>Manitoba Moose</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05260/9232489-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="197" height="103"></div><p>1.76 &rarr; <b>GOALS-AGAINST AVERAGE</b></p><p><b>Nathan Lawson, Bri 1.80</b></p><p>Mike Brodeur, Roc 2.27</p><p>Brian Elliott, Bin 2.31</p><p>Leland Irving, QC 2.35</p><p>Antti Niemi, Rfd 2.41</p><p>Ondrej Pavelec, Chi 2.41</p><p>ON TOP<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-01

Tiny Tim earns a shot

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01719/9232628-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vadim Zhelobnyuk led Russia to a 2009 WJC bronze medal, but is now out of the KHL. <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE KONTINENTAL LEAGUE IS ERRING ON THE SIDE</b> of caution by barring three young players from playing after electrocardiograms showed they have heart abnormalities.</p><p>Defenseman Dmitry Vorobiev, 23, a fifth-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2004, is sidelined, as is Vadim Zhelobnyuk, 19, the goaltender for Russia&rsquo;s bronze medal-winning team at the 2009 World Junior Championship and Moscow Spartak defenseman Dmitry Vishnevsky, another 19-year-old.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02446/9232621-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="251" height="274"></div><p>Testing of all young players was mandated by the league after New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov collapsed on the bench and died in October while playing for Avangard Omsk.</p><p>After receiving the results, Vorobiev immediately sought another opinion at a cardiology center in the city of Samara. Curiously, the second round of tests revealed no problems.</p><p>Vorobiev told the Russian website <a href="http://sports.ru">sports.ru</a> that doctors uncovered a slight abnormality in his heart 10-plus years ago while he was playing youth hockey. But none of the tests he has taken since have indicated the condition is worsening.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see any reason why I should quit hockey,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Vorobiev&rsquo;s father, Sergei, said it&rsquo;s not fair that his son&rsquo;s team, Salavat Yulaev, is accusing the family of hiding the problem. Salavat&rsquo;s coach, Sergei Mikhalev, said if Vorobiev can&rsquo;t play in the KHL he might consider heading to North America.</p><p>Although he has always fought weight problems, Vorobiev did make Russia&rsquo;s 23-man roster for its gold medal-winning team at the 2008 World Championship. He also earned a silver medal at the 2005 World Junior Championship, leading all Russian defensemen in scoring.</p><p>Vorobiev&rsquo;s 16 goals for Lada Togliatti in 2007-08 ranked second in the Russian Superleague and THN had him as Toronto&rsquo;s 10th-best prospect in <i>Future Watch 2007</i>. But he was lost in the shuffle and isn&rsquo;t a priority for the Leafs.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the first I&rsquo;ve heard of it, frankly,&rdquo; said Toronto GM Brian Burke when asked about Vorobiev&rsquo;s condition. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll ask our guys. But, no, it&rsquo;s certainly not on my radar.&rdquo;</p><p>Zhelobnyuk was third in both save percentage (.925) and goals-against average (2.26) at the &rsquo;09 WJC and won gold at the &rsquo;07 World Under-18 Championship. He played eight games for Moscow Dynamo this year, but has spent most of the season with the Soviet Wings, a level below the KHL.</p><p>The suspensions came shortly after the league announced plans to launch a junior loop next year for players aged 17 to 20, with a few exceptional 16-year-olds, too. Most KHL clubs will have an affiliate, with no limit on movement between junior and senior teams. Russia has never had an official junior league. It&rsquo;s hoped it will both develop players for KHL clubs and strengthen the national junior team.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-01

Heart matters

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03347/9232659-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="634" height="703"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Swiss League A&rsquo;s regular season ended in late February with a repeat win by SC Bern over the Champions League-winning Zurich Lions. The title guaranteed Bern a spot in the second qualification round of the 2009-10 Champions League.</p><p>In the first round of the playoffs, coach John van Boxmeer&rsquo;s Bern squared-off against eighth-placed EV Zug, coached by fellow Canadian Doug Shedden. Sean Simpson&rsquo;s Lions met seventh-place Fribourg-Gotteron, coached by Serge Pelletier, while Chris McSorley&rsquo;s Geneve-Servette HC took on Swede Anders Eldebrink&rsquo;s Kloten Flyers. The fourth playoff pairing was Davos vs. Lugano, coached by Finnish Hannu Virta. Of the eight playoff teams&rsquo; coaches, only Davos&rsquo; Arno Del Curto is Swiss-born.</p><p>Geneve&rsquo;s Juraj Kolnik won the scoring title with 25 goals and 72 points in 49 games. Kloten&rsquo;s Kimmo Rintanen (23 goals, 67 points) and Lugano&rsquo;s Patrick Thoresen (22 goals, 63 points) finished second and third.</p><p>Bern also topped the list for European average attendance for the eighth consecutive year with a record-breaking 16,172.</p><p>While the top eight teams make the playoffs, the remaining four participate in a &ldquo;play-out&rdquo; tournament, hoping to avoid relegation. Best-of-7 series determine winners, with the last-place &lsquo;A&rsquo; team meeting the winner of the National League B in a series for the final spot in the top division.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-03

The Swiss get going

<p><b>GUY BOUCHER</b> was admiring Russian blueliner Dmitri Kulikov before the season even began.</p><p>&ldquo;He wanted to get accustomed to the Canadian culture and language,&rdquo; said the Drummondville Voltigeurs coach. &ldquo;He read newspapers, circled words to ask what they mean and it&rsquo;s incredible how fast he learned (English). He really worked hard at it and showed he&rsquo;s a high achiever. It&rsquo;s exactly what he is in hockey, too.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Kulikov sat second in the Quebec League&rsquo;s rookie scoring race with 10 goals and 56 points in 51 games.</p><p>The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder was the second overall pick in the 2008 Canadian Hockey League import draft. Now a top prospect and surefire first-rounder for the 2009 NHL draft, he has become Drummondville&rsquo;s go-to guy in all situations, anchoring the blueline on a top contender.</p><p>&ldquo;I like the style of North American hockey better,&rsquo;&rsquo; Kulikov said. &ldquo;It helps me learn the NHL style by coming here to play junior. People say I play like Andrei Markov, but I don&rsquo;t try to copy him or anyone. I just want to be myself.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s plenty to like about Kulikov, a top-four defenseman with Russia at this year&rsquo;s world juniors. He&rsquo;s a good skater, gifted offensively and solid defensively.</p><p>Boucher can&rsquo;t find glaring faults in his game and said the 18-year-old is the best defenseman he&rsquo;s seen in 11 seasons as a QMJHL coach.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very gritty,&rsquo;&rsquo; Boucher said. &ldquo;He loves the physical game, especially open-ice checks. He&rsquo;s a good skater with great mobility. He&rsquo;s outstanding defensively, but sometimes he restrains himself (offensively) to be reliable defensively.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great offensive tools and we push him to go on the attack. He makes good hits, controls the power play and has a big presence. He makes things happen offensively, but he can also play against top lines and shut them down.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Kulikov is well-rounded and one NHL scout believes it&rsquo;s just a matter of polishing his overall game.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pretty complete package &ndash; decent size, excellent skater, moves the puck extremely well and reads the play well,&rsquo;&rsquo; the scout said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the tools, no doubt about that. He&rsquo;s going to be a firstrounder.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s good defensively, but offense is the strongest part of his game. He needs to keep improving defensively and be a little more physical.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>&ndash; NEIL HODGE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01709/9232732-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="765" height="1009"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PERFOTO/GHYSLAIN BERGERON)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02479/9232725-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="354" height="191"></div><p><b>Dmitri Kulikov</b></p><p>Drummondville Voltigeurs</p><p>Ht. 6-1</p><p>Wt. 195</p><p>Pos. D</p><p>Age 18</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03396/9232718-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="377" height="90"></div><h3><b>Draft Status</b></h3><p>Ranked 14th by ISS for the 2009 NHL draft.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04297/9232711-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="196" height="102"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b> +28</p><p>Kulikov&rsquo;s plus/minus rating, second-best among QMJHL rookies.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05255/9232704-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="276" height="155"></div><h2><b>A Fehr comparison</b></h2><p>Brandon Wheat Kings center Jay Fehr and former Wheat Kings sniper Eric Fehr have plenty in common, but lineage appears to be an exception. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re related,&rdquo; said Jay, 19. &ldquo;He might be a far cousin, but I don&rsquo;t think so.&rdquo; Even so, the Fehrs are not far apart. Eric grew up in Winkler, Man., Jay in nearby Morden. Both played midget for the Pembina Valley Hawks before joining the Wheat Kings. Eric, now a 23-year-old Washington Capital, had two 50-goal seasons with the Wheaties. Jay is enjoying his best season, with 27 goals and 74 points after 58 games. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely a great thing to be here, especially growing up watching the Wheat Kings,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>&ndash; ROB VANSTONE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06210/9232697-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="332" height="103"></div><h2><b>Spitfires flying high</b></h2><p>The Windsor Spitfires clinched first overall early this year, their first regular season title in 21 years. Retired NHLers Bob Boughner (president and coach) and Warren Rychel (vice-president and GM) bought the club in 2006, saving it from sale to a group that would have moved it after 31 years in Windsor. The team clinched top spot the same night it honored former captain Mickey Renaud, who died a year earlier of a rare heart condition. &ldquo;Mickey will always be with us in spirit and we&rsquo;re just thrilled to have wrapped up the regular season title when we were remembering him,&rdquo; said Greg Nemisz, a 2008 Calgary first-rounder who scored three goals in the 8-2 win over Erie.</p><p>&ndash; JIM CRESSMAN</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07180/9232690-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="262" height="155"></div><h2><b>Lou likes Cormier&rsquo;s game</b></h2><p>Rimouski Oceanic center Patrice Cormier has continued to improve his stock since New Jersey drafted him 54th overall in 2008. &ldquo;He did extremely well in our summer prospects camp,&rdquo; said Devils GM Lou Lamoriello. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no questioning his abilities. He&rsquo;s a power forward and he&rsquo;s just going to get better.&rdquo; Cormier, 18, is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and the third-year veteran is enjoying a solid season with 20 goals and 45 points in 47 games. He also helped Canada strike gold at the world juniors. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the drive, the discipline, loves the game and he&rsquo;s got the physical capabilities to do a lot of different things,&rdquo; Lamoriello said. &ldquo;Our scouts loved his competitiveness.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash; NEIL HODGE<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

Russian D-man total package

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>LTHOUGH THE RECESSION</b>&nbsp;has slowed the stock market, Colgate Raiders junior center David McIntyre has been a hot commodity on the trading floor.</p><p>Colgate&rsquo;s leading scorer has had his rights dealt twice this winter. Selected by Dallas in the fifth round of the 2006 draft, McIntyre was traded to Anaheim for center Brian Sutherby in December, then flipped to New Jersey for defenseman Sheldon Brookbank in February.</p><p>&ldquo;When it first happens, you wonder how teams feel about you, if it&rsquo;s good or bad,&rdquo; said the Pefferlaw, Ont., native. &ldquo;But then I looked at it like I was getting traded for NHL roster players, it became a positive.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite playing in the shadows of Tyler Burton and Jesse Winchester last year, the 6-foot, 190-pound McIntyre has transitioned into the Raiders&rsquo; go-to guy offensively. Through 32 games, he had 19 goals and 38 points, both career highs.</p><p>&ldquo;We were very confident David could step into the role he now has on our team,&rdquo; said coach Don Vaughan. &ldquo;The best part is he has embraced the responsibility and is doing a great job of dealing with the attention that comes with it.&rdquo;</p><p>With a smooth stride, great acceleration and good hands, the 22-year-old McIntyre is tough to stop when he&rsquo;s got the puck.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot of my goals are scored on the rush,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And when I&rsquo;m around the net and the puck is on my stick, I can usually find the back of the net. The shots from 30-feet out, picking the corners, that&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve got to work on.&rdquo;</p><p>McIntyre also admits he needs to work on his strength to become a scorer at the next level.</p><p>&ldquo;I have to be tougher in the corners and stronger on the puck,&rdquo; he said. Had it not been for the strength issue, McIntyre might have bypassed college to play in the Ontario League, as he was drafted by Belleville.</p><p>&ldquo;I was a late bloomer,&rdquo; McIntyre said. &ldquo;(I) felt the speed of NCAA hockey fit my game the best. It&rsquo;s a tough decision. One of the things you have to figure out is if you&rsquo;re going to be an effective (OHL) player immediately, or if you have some growing to do.&rdquo;</p><p>The Raiders expect McIntyre back for his senior season even with the trend for top college players to turn pro prior to the full four-year term. That means a young and improving Colgate lineup will be all the more dangerous.</p><p>&ndash; TOM BOGGIE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01611/9232812-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="765" height="989"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF COLGATE ATHLETICS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02375/9232805-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="282" height="282"></div><p><b>David McIntyre</b></p><p>Colgate Raiders</p><p>Ht. 6-0</p><p>Wt. 190</p><p>Pos. C</p><p>Age 22</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03277/9232798-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="377" height="90"></div><h3><b>Draft Status</b></h3><p>Selected 138th overall by Dallas in 2006</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04221/9232791-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="197" height="103"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b> 5</p><p>McIntyre&rsquo;s 19 goals tied him for fifth among all NCAA goal-scorers.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05190/9232784-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="288" height="107"></div><h2><b>Wildcats on a roll</b></h2><p>The league&rsquo;s two most disappointing teams this season had been Michigan State and Northern Michigan. But while the Spartans wallowed at the bottom of the standings, the Wildcats turned their season around with a seven-game unbeaten streak to start the second half, propelling Northern Michigan into sixth place. &ldquo;Everyone has really come together and we&rsquo;ve just been playing so much better since Christmas,&rdquo; said junior Mark Olver. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking to win the CCHA (playoff) championship and get a spot in the NCAA tournament.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash; PHILIP COLVIN</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06166/9232777-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="318" height="143"></div><h2><b>D-men driving surging Hawks</b></h2><p>Massachusetts Lowell has surprised this season. Picked to finish seventh out of 10 teams in the pre-season coaches&rsquo; poll, the River Hawks were in the hunt for a top-four finish thanks to a deep, talented defense corps. &ldquo;Their defense is the most mobile group in the league,&rdquo; said UMass-Amherst coach Don Cahoon. Entering the last four games of the season, three of UML&rsquo;s top eight scorers were defensemen. &ldquo;This is the best group of defensemen I&rsquo;ve ever had, without question; it&rsquo;s not even close,&rdquo; said eighth-year coach Blaise MacDonald.</p><p>&ndash; LARRY MAHONEY</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07149/9232770-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="324" height="101"></div><h2><b>More goals was the goal</b></h2><p>Quinnipiac senior left winger Bryan Leitch, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound undrafted free agent, admitted he had been a pass-first, shoot-second player, but was going to look for his own opportunities more this season. The result? Not so much. But it&rsquo;s still been a great season. Heading into March, Leitch led the nation in assists (39) and points (49) and was on the Hobey Baker watch list. The 24-year-old is tough in the corners, has good hands and great vision. &ldquo;When he battles, he&rsquo;s the best player on the ice,&rdquo; said Bobcats coach Rand Pecknold.</p><p>&ndash; TOM BOGGIE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-08111/9232763-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="389" height="85"></div><h2><b>Part of the CLASS</b></h2><p>Minnesota-Duluth winger Andrew Carroll is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe&rsquo;s Senior CLASS Award. The honor (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) acknowledges the complete studentathlete at the NCAA Division I level. The seniors-only hockey award focuses on four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. Carroll has been a captain or alternate captain since his sophomore year and is a two-time member of the WCHA all-academic team. In 142 career games, he had 28 goals and 55 points.</p><p>&ndash; ANDY BAGGOT<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-01

Market is big for this junior

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03279/9232878-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="296" height="148"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01523/9232892-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="218" height="155"></div><h3><b>ECHL</b></h3><h2><b>Love in the air and on the ice</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>t Stockton Arena during the Thunder&rsquo;s Great American Wedding Rink event, 103 couples tied the knot. The Valentine&rsquo;s Day promotion, held in conjunction with a country radio station, had hockey-loving couples marry or renew their vows during the first intermission of a game against Bakersfield. D.J. Walker of KAT Country 103, an ordained minister in California, presided. Thunder fans also loved their team&rsquo;s on-ice performance. Since former Fresno coach Matt Thomas took over Dec. 29 after his Falcons folded, Stockton won 10 of 14 games and earned at least a point in 15 of 23 contests.</p><p>&ndash; MIKE MASTOVICH</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02334/9232885-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="203" height="155"></div><h3><b>NORTH AMERICAN LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Merriman truly a merry man</b></h2><p>The Topeka RoadRunners are happy to have four-year veteran Bryce Merriman between the pipes. The 21-year-old Pittsburgh native was a stunning 14-3-3 with a 1.94 goals-against average in 25 games, leading Topeka to first overall. For his efforts, Merriman earned himself plenty of NCAA interest and in mid-February chose to attend Rensselaer (RPI) starting in the fall. &ldquo;This eliminates the only distraction I was currently faced with in pursuit of winning the Robertson Cup,&rdquo; Merriam said. &ldquo;With this out of the way, I can put all of my focus into raising that Cup and another banner in our rink.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash; PAUL SHAHEEN</p><h3><b>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Thunder rolls a little too late</b></h2><p>A franchise-record 11-game unbeaten streak moved the Bloomington Prairie Thunder out of last place, but still couldn&rsquo;t push the team into a playoff spot. The Prairie Thunder was 12 points ahead of last-place Flint in late February, but 12 points behind Fort Wayne with 24 games remaining &ndash; only three of which are against the Komets &ndash; in its bid for the fourth and final playoff berth. &ldquo;This team just has gutsy players,&rdquo; Prairie Thunder coach Jarrod Skalde told the Bloomington <i>Pantagraph</i> during the streak. &ldquo;From top to bottom, this whole lineup has a great deal of energy; it&rsquo;s exciting to be around.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash; BRENDAN SAVAGE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04247/9232871-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="265" height="155"></div><h3><b>CENTRAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Best. Gift. Ever.</b></h2><p>When his son, Cassidy, graduated high school last year, Tim Lange presented him with quite a gift &ndash; the Corpus Christi IceRays. Lange is credited with saving the IceRays after it appeared the franchise was history in June. Cassidy, 19, was born with cerebral palsy and now works for the team as a game operations/account executive. He has missed only a handful of IceRays games in more than a decade and has been a favorite of players since he was a kid. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t missed a game since I bought the team, but I bought if for Cass,&rdquo; Lange said. &ldquo;He can name every player in the CHL and the NHL. He loves it.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash; DAVID HENRY</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05220/9232864-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="255" height="155"></div><h3><b>SOUTHERN PRO LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Renegades in trouble</b></h2><p>Richmond owner Allan Harvie Jr. announced he will ask the league to shut the Renegades down for a year if he can&rsquo;t find a major investor or sell the team. &ldquo;This is a sad day for hockey in Richmond, but it&rsquo;s not a death knell,&rdquo; Harvie said. Tough economic times led to a decline in attendance and sponsors have indicated they may not be able to return. Advance sale of playoff tickets hasn&rsquo;t been good, either. Commissioner Jim Combs insists it will be business as usual if the Renegades suspend operations. He said several former ECHL cities along the southern corridor are eager to join. None were named.</p><p>&ndash; NICK GATES</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06190/9232857-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="240" height="155"></div><h3><b>CANADIAN JR. A</b></h3><h2><b>Very hard to be Humboldt</b></h2><p>In three Saskatchewan Jr. A League seasons, 20-year-old Humboldt Broncos defenseman Brady Wacker lost just 38 regular season games, won two league titles and a national championship, then entered the 2009 post-season with the topranked team in Canada. He was also named player of the year and top defenseman in the SJHL this season. &ldquo;I grew up playing with and against a lot of (my teammates),&rdquo; said the 5-foot-7, 155-pounder. &ldquo;To reunite and do all that is great.&rdquo; With a scholarship to Bemidji State University, things couldn&rsquo;t get better. &ldquo;(But) another title would be another dream come true,&rdquo; Wacker said.</p><p>&ndash; TIM SWITZER</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07170/9232850-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="252" height="155"></div><h3><b>CANADIAN UNIVERSITY</b></h3><h2><b>Golden Bear praises Senator</b></h2><p>Cory Clouston was not on everyone&rsquo;s radar when he replaced Craig Hartsburg as coach of the Ottawa Senators. But Alberta Golden Bears associate coach Serge Lajoie, a teammate of Clouston&rsquo;s on Alberta&rsquo;s 1992 national championship squad, felt he was a good choice. &ldquo;While it&rsquo;s always difficult to predict who the good coaches will be, Cory was always a no-nonsense, hard-working player,&rdquo; Lajoie said. &ldquo;He had a team-first mentality, he was very trustworthy and always demonstrated leadership on and off the ice.&rdquo; Clouston, 39, tallied 33 goals and 66 points in 115 CIS games with the Golden Bears.</p><p>&ndash; JEFF RENAUD</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08105/9232843-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="246" height="155"></div><h3><b>THE WOMEN&rsquo;S GAME</b></h3><h2><b>Study in Sweden</b></h2><p>With just 100 spots available, competition is tight for a women&rsquo;s international elite camp being held in Sweden. The 10-day event, hosted by the Swedish International School of Hockey, is in mid-July and gives top players a chance to train with Swedish national team members. &ldquo;This must be the greatest international experience a player can get in women&rsquo;s hockey,&rdquo; said Swedish national team coach Peter Elander, who leads the camp. The high-caliber curriculum addresses mental and physical aspects of the game &ndash; both on and off the ice &ndash; and attracts players from around the world.</p><p>&ndash; CASSIE CAMPBELL-PASCALL<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-03

BEST OF THE REST

<div class="byline">by Nicolas Chabot</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01514/9232923-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Capital schedule for Washington</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH</b>&nbsp;<b>LESS THAN</b> one-quarter of the season to play, the race for the playoffs has entered the home stretch. As of Feb. 26, the Washington Capitals had the easiest remaining schedule. Their remaining opponents have a combined average of earning .501 points per game. But if we do the same calculation after accounting for the opponent&rsquo;s points percentage at home and on the road, the adjusted value becomes .506, which still gives the Caps the easiest run.</p><p>It seems a cruel twist of fate that power-house teams such as Boston, Detroit and San Jose get to coast into the post-season on easy schedules while struggling teams such as L.A., Pittsburgh and the Isles have a tough final segment in their schedule.</p><p>Florida is facing a schedule that could ensure a playoff spot, while Vancouver could ride their schedule into the Northwest title.</p><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>

f0046-01

Inside the Numbers

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03165/9232954-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04148/9232961-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="107" height="108"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CROSSWORD</b></h2><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1 Vesa ___ tends net in Toronto, pictured</p><p>4 Two-minute penalty</p><p>7 Tied</p><p>8 Unsettles</p><p>10 He tends goal in Colorado</p><p>12 Where the Canadiens once finished in their division eight years running</p><p>13 Shoot the puck hard</p><p>14 Beating very badly</p><p>18 Bernie Geoffrion&rsquo;s nickname</p><p>19 ___ State is home of college hockey&rsquo;s Buckeyes</p><p>20 Tension</p><p>21 Maple Leafs blueliner Tomas ___</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>1 Mark an opponent closely: two words</p><p>2 Jerseys</p><p>3 Goodbye in Gatineau or Baie-Comeau</p><p>4 Netminder Fleury, and namesakes</p><p>5 Defeats narrowly</p><p>6 Kris ___ plays defense in Columbus</p><p>9 Red Wings blueliner born in Buffalo Grove</p><p>11 One who completes a play by scoring</p><p>12 Mishandled (a puck, say)</p><p>15 Get in the way of a shot</p><p>16 Protection for the hand</p><p>17 There&rsquo;s also QMJHL hockey in ___ Scotia</p><p>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</b>&nbsp;ACROSS 1. BETTMAN, 4. STARS, 7. EVEN, 8. MIROSLAV, 10. THREADS THE, 12. MIAMI, 13. READY, 14. BUTT-ENDING, 18. TROTTIER, 19. CAHA, 20. NEALE, 21. SNEPSTS DOWN 1. BRETT, 2. THE GREAT, 3. NAILS, 4. SMOTHERING, 5. AULD, 6. SEVENTY, 9. VALIQUETTE, 11. CAPITALS, 12. MONCTON, 15. TIERS, 16. GOALS, 17. ROTA<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-03

Last Minute of Play

<div class="byline">bycharlieteljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02224/9232992-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0049-02

hockeysockpuppettheatre

<div class="byline">&#x2013; Ryan Kennedy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01313/9233023-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="809" height="740"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NIAGARA ICEDOGS</b></p><p>2008-09</p> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF NIAGARA ICEDOGS/RICK DENHAM)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05109/9233030-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="107" height="108"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s been an up-and-down tenure for the OHL team now known as the Niagara IceDogs, but stability seems to have settled in and the club&rsquo;s current jersey reflects that.</p><p>When the franchise was born in Mississauga, the first logo was literally drawn by a fan who won a contest; a redesign years later was slightly more professional, but still not too catchy. But this latest incarnation wins points for a fun-looking pit bull, not to mention the crossbones shoulder logo.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></div>

f0049-01

JERSEY Hound

<div class="image-hero"><img title="C0004-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-02209/9233061-1-eng-US/c0004-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-01322/9233068-1-eng-US/c0004-012.jpg" title="C0004-01" width="207" height="245"></div><p><b>EXPECTATIONS ARE FUNNY</b> in the way they color perception.</p><p>For example, when Ray Shero joined the Penguins as their new GM in the spring of 2006, he inherited a coach &ndash; Michel Therrien &ndash; with whom he&rsquo;d had no previous association, and a team coming off a 58-point season that was blessed with two intriguing young stars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.</p><p>Pretty much everybody knew the Pens were on the rise. The only thing they couldn&rsquo;t predict was the timing, which was almost instantaneous.</p><p>They were a 105-point team in Shero&rsquo;s first year on the job and when they lost in the opening round to eventual Stanley Cup finalist Ottawa, the Senators graciously predicted better days ahead for an emerging Penguins team. And when Pittsburgh made it to the Stanley Cup final last year, expectations grew exponentially. After all, the only step remaining was to win it all.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>The Oilers really truly believed that this could be their year</b></blockquote><p>The only problem was, when the new season began, the Pens dealt with important player defections (Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone), key injuries (Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney) and the newest cross that NHL teams bear &ndash; starting the year in Europe. Even with all that uncertainty clouding the horizon, it didn&rsquo;t change the expectations.</p><p>Two years ago, Therrien might have been safe as the team muddled through an up-and-down year. This year, he was out on his ear, after the Penguins hovered just below the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference longer than Shero could comfortably wait.</p><p>A similar scenario was unfolding in far less dramatic fashion out west, with the Edmonton Oilers.</p><p>For many years, the expectations for the Oilers have been relatively modest. They missed the playoffs in four of the past six seasons and apart from a disastrous finish to the 2007 campaign, in which they pretty much went 0-for-the-final quarter, they&rsquo;ve been the same team every season &ndash; right on the cusp of playoff contention, some years in, some years out, with no more than 95 points and no fewer than 88. Their best season came in &rsquo;06, when all 95 points gave you was the eighth seed in the Western Conference. That was the year of the miracle upset of the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round and a run that didn&rsquo;t end until a Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup final.</p><p>Still, no one was ready to put the Oilers on the fast track to greatness because there were no Sidney Crosbys or Alex Ovechkins on the horizon. A team that used to feature the NHL&rsquo;s greatest stars of all-time &ndash; Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey &ndash; had a lot of good, but no great players.</p><p>But then the future appeared to arrive in a hurry last year, when Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson all made the team as NHL rookies and, especially in the final one-third of the season, showed signs of belonging. With Sheldon Souray and Shawn Horcoff back healthy; two interesting additions in Erik Cole and Lubomir Visnovsky; Mathieu Garon looking established as the No. 1 goalie; and, continued growth expected from the kids, the Oilers really truly believed this could be their year. They saw it as a chance to challenge for top spot in the Northwest Division and not engage in the annual tooth-and-nail fight just to make the playoffs &ndash; which, of course, is how it&rsquo;s unfolding again for the Oilers.</p><p>The difference is, it was supposed to be better.</p><p>No one in Edmonton has moved to the fore and become an elite-level  player. <b>Ales Hemsky</b> is the closest and he&rsquo;s the only one on the team close to being a point-a-game player. Gagner and Nilsson have had their share of difficulties and Cole had a dreadfully slow start. Garon was inconsistent and for the longest time, they carried three goaltenders. Ultimately, they gave the job back to 38-year-old Dwayne Roloson and one could convincingly argue he is the team&rsquo;s MVP &ndash; good, in the sense that the position has been stabilized in the short term, but not so good when you think how hard it will be to turn the corner as an organization if they&rsquo;re relying on a player edging towards the end of his career.</p><p>The Oilers have been a model of organizational stability for years &ndash; team president Kevin Lowe and coach Craig MacTavish were both instrumental figures in the team&rsquo;s dynasty days.</p><p>MacTavish has survived more than one call for his scalp over the years because sacrificing coaches is just not the M.O. in Edmonton. But this year, if the Oilers falter down the stretch and miss the playoffs, the possibility of a coaching change looms large &ndash; even if it&rsquo;s hard to fault MacTavish for the fact not one of his players had hit the 20-goal mark by the last week of February. Or that it&rsquo;ll be up to Lowe and GM Steve Tambellini to land scoring reinforcements at the deadline.</p><p>You see, expectations are funny that way. Even if they are shown to be a touch unrealistic, at some point in the what-have-you-done-for-melately world of pro hockey, they can eventually trump even loyalty and longevity.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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March 16, 2009

A twist of fate

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