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

April 27, 2009

The Hockey News - Apr-27-09

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02335/9235669-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="252" height="154"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01524/9235676-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="218" height="155"></div><h3><b>ECHL</b></h3><h2><b>Sagging economy claims victims</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>C</span>utbacks, job losses and red numbers sound like economic talk, rather than puck chatter. But the league is feeling the pinch, too. More proof came with the announcement Dayton and Mississippi both suspended operations. Phoenix, meanwhile, will cease operations entirely, joining mid-season casualties Fresno and Augusta. &ldquo;These are tough times and some teams have fared better than others,&rdquo; said commissioner Brian McKenna. On the positive side, the rechristened Toledo Walleye will play at the new Lucas County Arena after two idle seasons, giving the league 19 teams in 2009-10.</p><p>&ndash;MIKE MASTOVICH</p><h3><b>U.S. NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM</b></h3><h2><b>Morin the man at under-18s</b></h2><p>Jeremy Morin is in his second season with the U.S. national team development program in Ann Arbor, Mich., and much of Team USA&rsquo;s success at the World Under-18 Championship falls on his shoulders. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound right winger from Auburn, N.Y., is a natural goal-scorer who isn&rsquo;t afraid to get his nose dirty. As one scout put it: &ldquo;His incredible pursuit of the puck on defense makes him a great two-way player.&rdquo; The 18-year-old led his team with 26 goals and 48 points in 46 games. Property of the Ontario League&rsquo;s Kitchener Rangers, Morin is expected to be in their 2009-10 lineup.</p><p>&ndash;PAUL SHAHEEN</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03280/9235662-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="296" height="148"></div><h3><b>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Rheaume plays to raise money</b></h2><p>Goaltender Manon Rheaume made her first appearance in a men&rsquo;s pro game since 1996-97 when she played 72 seconds for the Flint Generals. Flint promoted the event as &ldquo;Girls Night Out&rdquo; to raise money for Rheaume&rsquo;s foundation. She entered the game with 3:43 left against the Muskegon Lumberjacks with Flint ahead 10-8, but went back to the bench 26 seconds later after allowing a goal. Rheaume returned for the final 46 seconds after an empty-net goal gave Flint an 11-9 lead. &ldquo;It was just a weird game,&rdquo; said Rheaume, 37. &ldquo;The bottom line is I was trying to raise as much money as I could for my foundation.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash;BRENDAN SAVAGE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04248/9235655-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="265" height="155"></div><h3><b>CENTRAL LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Bringing home the hardware</b></h2><p>On the ice, Odessa Jackalopes winger Sebastien Thinel was the best in the league. Off the ice, it was Amarillo Gorillas left winger Austin Sutter. Thinel, 28, was named league MVP after tying for the goal-scoring lead with 38 and capturing the scoring title with 97 points, 12 clear of the competition. Sutter, 23, won the league&rsquo;s man of the year award, presented to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice while contributing to his community. Sutter read to school children, volunteered with a 17-and-under in-line hockey team and taught at youth hockey camps.</p><p>&ndash;DAVID HENRY</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05221/9235648-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="255" height="155"></div><h3><b>SOUTHERN PRO LEAGUE</b></h3><h2><b>Dropping like flies</b></h2><p>Richmond owner Allan B. Harvie shut down the Renegades as expected and began selling off equipment as the playoffs began. The Twin City Cyclones also announced they were suspending operations in Winston-Salem, N.C. after two seasons and will relocate. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s gloom and doom today, but that might change in two weeks,&rdquo; said commissioner Jim Combs, who won&rsquo;t divulge the name of the Cyclones&rsquo; new home until the team signs a lease. Although expansion to Augusta, Ga., or Roanoke, Va., will not happen, a return to Winston-Salem is possible and Combs is optimistic of markets along the I-10 corridor.</p><p>&ndash;NICK GATES</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06191/9235641-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="240" height="155"></div><h3><b>CANADIAN JR. A</b></h3><h2><b>Pilot project flying high</b></h2><p>The Ontario Provincial Junior League may expand its Central Division pilot project focused on developing young players, splitting the 36-team loop in two. Several other teams are interested in joining the eight-team Central, which limits the number of older players on rosters, such as 20-year-olds with major junior experience. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s harder to develop kids on the way up when there&rsquo;s a bunch of kids in the room on the way down,&rdquo; said Central Division executive director Mike McCarron. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s two (2009-eligible) kids ranked by NHL Central Scouting in a 36-team league that&rsquo;s supposed to be a development league.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash;NATHAN WHITE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07171/9235634-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="252" height="155"></div><h3><b>CANADIAN UNIVERSITY</b></h3><h2><b>Unexpected heroics</b></h2><p>Before enrolling at the University of New Brunswick, Lachlan MacIntosh, 23, won a Maritime Jr. A League title with the Woodstock Slammers. But that didn&rsquo;t prepare him for what was ahead. The third-year right winger potted a hat trick in the CIS title game, a 4-2 win over against the Western Mustangs, helping the Varsity Reds to their second national title in three years. MacIntosh, the University Cup MVP, scored just nine goals all season, but tallied five in three Cup games. &ldquo;I had two hat tricks last season, but they weren&rsquo;t on quite as big a stage,&rdquo; said MacIntosh, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound kinesiology major.</p><p>&ndash;JEFF RENAUD</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08106/9235627-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="252" height="154"></div><h3><b>THE WOMEN&rsquo;S GAME</b></h3><h2><b>For love of the game</b></h2><p>She failed in her bid to make Team USA&rsquo;s roster for the World Championship, but blueliner Jamie Hagerman, 27, deserves points for trying. Hagerman took a two-year hiatus from hockey after the 2006 Olympics, rehabbed the torn ACL she played through while winning bronze and scouted for USA Hockey. But it wasn&rsquo;t enough. &ldquo;I was denying the love I still had for the game, for the people I played with,&rdquo; she said. After spending time with the under-18 program as a sports psychologist, Hagerman could no longer deny that love. &ldquo;Saying it was too hard to come back (from injury) was me making excuses,&rdquo; she said.</p><p>&ndash;CASSIE CAMPBELL-PASCALL<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Prospects Unlimited

Hardcore Hockey

<div class="byline">BY RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012110/9234416-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRANT HALVERSON/GETTY IMAGES;)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021580/9234423-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="125" height="125"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>O MANY FACTORS CONVERGE</b> to make the first round of the NHL playoffs a blissful, bruising frenzy for all involved. It&rsquo;s win-or-go-home, blood-and-guts hockey with teeth flying in every direction.</p><p>And, as Martin Biron points out, don&rsquo;t forget the sunshine.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice outside, it&rsquo;s springtime, you&rsquo;re driving to the rink with the window down and your arm out,&rdquo; said the Philadelphia Flyers goalie, who saw his first post-season action last year. &ldquo;You get that sense the playoffs are (here). It makes me flash back to last year&rsquo;s playoffs&hellip;Those seven games against Washington were great.&rdquo;</p><p>Maybe there&rsquo;s a special bond between goalies and the sun, because Carolina Hurricanes stopper Cam Ward also starts to feel Stanley&rsquo;s presence once the temperature climbs.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s huge, especially in a place like Raleigh,&rdquo; Ward said. &ldquo;You start getting the warm weather, you start getting the fans coming early to the game to go tailgate. It&rsquo;s just a whole new experience.&rdquo;</p><p>More to the point, it&rsquo;s a whole new unpredictable, unrelenting, unequaled experience featuring goals, goats, hits, heroes and endless excuses about being late for work following triple-overtime games.</p><p>It&rsquo;s the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers losing Game 1 of their 2006 series with No. 1-ranked Detroit in double-overtime and still finding a way to cobble together a massive six-game upset.</p><p>It&rsquo;s Biron&rsquo;s Flyers blowing a 3-1 series lead to Alex Ovechkin and the Caps last year only to be rescued by Joffrey Lupul&rsquo;s overtime goal in Game 7.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a 22-year-old Ward, an NHL rookie in 2006, getting the tap to replace faltering Martin Gerber from then-Carolina coach Peter Laviolette in Game 2 of the Canes&rsquo; opening round showdown with Montreal. Down 1-0 in the series and 3-0 in Game 2 at home, an untested Ward went into the Carolina&rsquo;s crease to try and salvage the season.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011874/9234409-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="1425" height="1654"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>R.J. Umberger&rsquo;s Blue Jackets make their first foray into the first round.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(UMBERGER: JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Not that he was thinking that way.</p><p>&ldquo;Nothing was really expected of me,&rdquo; Ward said. &ldquo;I just had the mindset of, really, &lsquo;How cool is this?&rsquo; Of course I&rsquo;m nervous, but it&rsquo;s the way you use that nervous energy.&rdquo;</p><p>Ward lost that game in overtime, but redeemed himself by spurring Carolina to the Cup with a Conn Smythe Trophy performance.</p><p>Those are the legendary stories that take root in Round 1. And that&rsquo;s why, for two weeks of double-header, head-spinning action, nobody can look away.</p><p>&ldquo;I know people really look forward to the first round&hellip;The intrigue and the matchups and the potential for upset, the intensity level&rsquo;s going up, the buildings are electrifying,&rdquo; said TV analyst Pierre McGuire. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s an amazing time of year for hockey fans. I love it. You become addicted the more you do it and I&rsquo;ve been in the league since 1990, that&rsquo;s a long time now, but it never gets old. It&rsquo;s like a drug, it&rsquo;s highly addictive.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s addictive because it is, quite simply, the best brand of hockey you&rsquo;ll find anywhere at any time of year. While the drama always rises the deeper a team goes in the Cup derby, so too does the number of walking dead on a team. The first round is unique because players are invigorated by the start of the real season, but still not completely hampered by the physical toll a long playoff run takes.</p><p>&ldquo;I know this isn&rsquo;t probably the right way to say it, but the best hockey almost always is in the first round,&rdquo; said Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;When you get into the third or fourth round, the theater sets the table, not necessarily the hockey. By then, the theater is unbelievable, but the hockey isn&rsquo;t as good, because the players are so banged up.&rdquo;</p><p>Retired NHLer Jamie Baker, who has some very personal experiences of his own with first round lore, got even more specific with regards to where you&rsquo;ll find the absolute sweet spot of springtime puck fare.</p><p>&ldquo;My favorite times in the whole playoffs are Games 2, 3 and 4 in Round 1,&rdquo; said Baker, a color commentator on San Jose Sharks radio broadcasts. &ldquo;And don&rsquo;t get me wrong, I love Game 7s and all that, but (during) Games 2, 3 and 4 of Round 1, it&rsquo;s just flat-out mean out there, teams are still fresh, the feeling-out process is done and it&rsquo;s just old-school hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Baker played a major role in one of those vintage Round 1 underdog moments when his Sharks were battling the heavily favored Wings in a 1994 mismatch. With the game tied 2-2 late, an errant clearing attempt by goalie Chris Osgood found Baker&rsquo;s stick and, ultimately, the back of Detroit&rsquo;s net.</p><p>It&rsquo;s the kind of excruciating, ecstatic moment that defines the NHL playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d say the game is 20 percent faster because every shift is almost a desperation shift,&rdquo; said Baker of Round 1. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s more physical, guys are now hitting to hurt, they&rsquo;re not just finishing their checks. Intimidation becomes a big key. You&rsquo;re going to see the same players over and over and over, so if you have a weakness, they&rsquo;re going to exploit it, make no mistake about it.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>ROUND ONE UPSETS</b></h2><p>There have been 24 first round playoff series since the 2004-05 lockout &ndash; and the lower-seeded team has won 10 of them (41.7 percent)</p><p><b>41.7%</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Total Playoffs

AND SO IT BEGINS

<h2><b>FIVE</b></h2><p>At 79:15 of overtime, <b>Petr Nedved</b> scored for Pittsburgh to beat Washington 3-2 in 1996.</p><h2><b>FOUR</b></h2><p>Anaheim&rsquo;s <b>Petr Sykora</b> broke a deadlock with Dallas at the 80:48 mark of extra time in 2003.</p><h2><b>THREE</b></h2><p>It took the Flyers and <b>Keith Primeau</b> 92:01 of OT to beat the Penguins in a 2000 game.</p><h2><b>TWO</b></h2><p>Toronto defeated Boston 1-0 on <b>Ken Doraty&rsquo;s</b> goal after enduring 104:46 of overtime in 1933.</p><h2><b>ONE</b></h2><p><b>Mud</b>&nbsp;<b>Bruneteau</b> scored for Detroit at the 116:30 mark of OT to beat the Montreal Maroons in 1936.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Starting from 5

<div class="byline">&#x2013; Ryan Kennedy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05110/9235821-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="815" height="744"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ATLANT MYSTICHI</b> 2008-09</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04149/9235828-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="153" height="155"></div><p>It&rsquo;s rare for a team&rsquo;s &ldquo;light&rdquo; uniform to not be white, but it&rsquo;s so much fun when a franchise decides to go another way.</p><p>Atlant Mystichi, which featured mercurial goaltender Ray Emery between the posts this season, made the most of its KHL debut, rocking a prominently yellow jersey with a growling polar bear emblazoned on the stomach.</p><p>The shoulders are almost 1990s-style in their simplicity and the purple looks good.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Spotlights

JERSEY Hound

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012099/9233877-1-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 PLAYOFFS ARE THE NHL&rsquo;S VERSION</b> of a makeover show. Plain Jane, the likeable girl next door, gets a stylish wardrobe, a sexy hairdo, an alluring makeup job and a new dynamic vibe.</p><p>And we get amped up.</p><p>It&rsquo;s the ultimate time of year for hockey fans, a two-month period in which we wouldn&rsquo;t want the league to tweak a single thing. Not right now, anyhow.</p><p>Change, however, is inevitable. Something will transpire this year, next year or five years down the road that will prompt critics and/or &ldquo;people of progress&rdquo; to call for constructive alterations to the post-season.</p><p>Don&rsquo;t take our word for it; just consider history. Over the years, the NHL has introduced multiple format and rule changes that impact the second season. The number of rounds and participants has increased with expansion; there has been tinkering with the number of games per round; and, formats have vacillated between divisionally-focused to conference-focused rounds to league-wide seedings.</p><p>From a rules perspective, Brett Hull&rsquo;s toes and Sean Avery&rsquo;s arms impacted the rulebook in the past decade.</p><p>So what might the future hold? Here are some possibilities:</p><p>&bull; <b>Four-on-four in overtime</b> Right now, this concept has no traction and we&rsquo;re fine with that. But should we get multiple triple- and quadruple-overtime games that impact the quality of play and wreak havoc with TV, the idea of going to 4-on-4 after the first OT session could be tabled again. It went to the competition committee a few years ago, so there&rsquo;s reason to believe it could resurface under the right circumstances.</p><p>&bull; <b>More playoff teams</b> This seemed a given coming out of the lockout, but curiously never materialized. In the search for additional revenue streams, the NHL and players could revisit increasing the post-season pool to 18 or 20 participants. And if/when the league again expands, it would be logical for more teams to get playoff invites.</p><p>&bull; <b>Divisional format</b> It&rsquo;s an accepted theory that the best rivalries grow in the playoffs, when the stakes and familiarity are inflated. The best way to foster these rivalries is to manipulate the format in the hopes teams will see each other more often in the spring.</p><p>&bull; <b>Introduce the shootout</b> Just kidding.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021777/9233870-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="524" height="280"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Post-season always in flux

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012090/9233970-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="247" height="203"></div><h2><b>Free Swag!</b></h2><p>Each issue, we&rsquo;ll give a cool THN hat to the top letter.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021511/9233963-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="605" height="679"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03970/9233956-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="179" height="179"></div><p>I&rsquo;d like to thank Flyers assistant Jack McIlhargey for making a spectacular night for my son.</p><p>I have been a Flyers fan for more than 30 years and go to watch them whenever they come out west. I took my son to the Flyers-Canucks game Dec. 30 and was lucky enough to get seats behind the Flyers bench where McIlhargey made my son&rsquo;s experience memorable.</p><p>He gave my son one of the game pucks that came into the bench and during the game he would look over at my son to make faces and smile. My son absolutely loved it.</p><p>Thank you Jack for giving back and making one small Flyers fan feel welcomed by the team.</p><p><b>RICK DROUGHT, MACKENZIE, B.C.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Facing off with Flyers

<blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I&rsquo;d love to see a class act like Johnny Bower presenting the Stanley Cup to a Leafs captain</b></blockquote><h2><b>Goalies fair game</b></h2><p>Over the past couple of games I&rsquo;ve watched with my father, we have come up with an idea.</p><p>It seems everyone is talking about instituting rules that&rsquo;ll make it more of a challenge to get the puck out of the defensive zone because goalies are getting so good at playing the puck. What we should do is eliminate the trapezoid so the goalies can play the puck wherever they want to, but if they do, they can get hit like any other player.</p><p>After all, they have the most protection and it would be fun to see which goalies are risk-takers and wander to the corner.</p><p><b>Parker Beacock, Barrie, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>Prototype commish</b></h2><p>I vote Adam Proteau for new commissioner of the NHL. His Proteau Type (March 30) suggesting the captain of the previous Cup winner present hockey&rsquo;s holy grail to the new winner is fabulous.</p><p>My only suggestion is that should a team win in consecutive years it should be a former great who hands it over. I&rsquo;d love to see a class act like Johnny Bower presenting the Stanley Cup to a Leafs captain.</p><p>Pure genius. Let&rsquo;s start a campaign: Adam for commish now!</p><p><b>Scott Rosts, St. Catharines, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>Prospect playoffs</b></h2><p>With all the speculation of teams intentionally tanking to get a high draft pick, I thought of an idea to help solve this problem of the last-place team getting the first selection.</p><p>After the regular season ends, hold a sudden-death elimination match between all non-playoff teams. The winner of that playoff gets the first overall pick at the draft and the finalist gets the second pick, third place selects third and so on. This way no team could tank to their benefit because you would have to win the playoff to get a good pick.</p><p>It is also much more exciting than the NHL draft lottery, where the teams are just plainly announced.</p><p><b>Jordan Philbert, Sherbrooke, Que.</b></p><h2><b>Ozzie awful good</b></h2><p>Let me start by saying I am a die-hard Leafs fan and not a Chris Osgood fan. That&rsquo;s not to say I don&rsquo;t like the guy, but he&rsquo;s not one of my favorite players.</p><p>With that said, I do have a real problem with how much crap Os-good takes every year. At no time on the calendar is goaltending more important than in the playoffs and let&rsquo;s be honest, the system the Wings play is dynamite, but Osgood has a lot to do with that.</p><p>His puckhandling skills are underrated and last year he did not get enough credit for his role in winning the Cup. In the first round, all the talk was about Nashville&rsquo;s Dan Ellis, but I still thought Osgood held the Wings in that series. Detroit faced tough competition in every series, especially the final.</p><p>Could we give this poor guy a little respect? Just like Patrick Roy, if Osgood doesn&rsquo;t like some of the criticism he&rsquo;s hearing, he can plug both ears with Stanley Cup rings.</p><p><b>Jason Johnston, Etobicoke, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>Holy moly Rollie</b></h2><p>Why isn&rsquo;t Dwayne Roloson a serious Vezina contender?</p><p>He faced nearly 40 shots a game and kept the Oilers&rsquo; playoff chances alive a lot longer than they otherwise would have been by standing on his head every single night.</p><p>His numbers weren&rsquo;t spectacular, but very sturdy in every category &ndash; especially for a guy who started so many consecutive games down the stretch.</p><p>Why not add him to the ballot for the Vezina? I&rsquo;d vote for him&hellip;</p><p><b>Tristan Mcloughlin, Comox, B.C.</b></p><h2><b>Red, White and&hellip;</b></h2><p>When the Canadian hockey teams take to the ice in the 2010 Olympics, it would be nice to see them wear our national colors on their jerseys.</p><p>Last I checked, our flag didn&rsquo;t have any black on it, so why are we using it?</p><p><b>Earl Williams, Moosonee, 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/f0006-012323/9234008-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="562" height="681"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BUDAJ: MARK BUCKNER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES;)</span></figcaption></div><p>MATTHEW ZAIK FROM SPRUCE GROVE, ALTA., ASKS <b>I play goal, but have a hard time pushing off from side to side. Any suggestions?</b></p><p>One side is going to be naturally stronger than the other, but to improve, when you&rsquo;re working out do more sets and reps with your weaker side. And during practice focus on using your weaker side as much as possible.</p><p>SHIVAM GOYAL FROM VANCOUVER ASKS <b>What is your pre-game routine?</b></p><p>I like to get to the dressing room three hours before the game. I&rsquo;ll tape my sticks, watch game tape on the opponent, then stretch and warm up kicking the soccer ball around. Then I get my equipment on and prepare mentally.</p><p>NICHOLAS DUPLESSIS FROM SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT., ASKS <b>Where did the idea of putting Ned Flanders on your mask come from?</b></p><p>During my first NHL season, my equipment manager, Terry Geer, gave me the nickname &lsquo;Ned&rsquo; and we thought it would be cool to put him on my mask.</p><p>ZAC MATTHEWS FROM JORDAN STATION, ONT., ASKS <b>Who is the hardest player to face in a shootout?</b></p><p>There are many, but for me it&rsquo;s Pavel Datsyuk.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021557/9234001-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="66" height="66"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>Visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to ask your questions of NHL stars!</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

Fan Shootout WITH PETER BUDAJ

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04570/9234060-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="659" height="614"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JULIEN: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03912/9234067-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="210" height="210"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hat&rsquo;s keeping you up at night, hockey fans? If you&rsquo;ve got a question about the game, drop Adam an email he&rsquo;ll give you the inside scoop.</p><p>Hey Adam,</p><p>Is Detroit&rsquo;s Tomas Holmstrom Hall of Fame material? Admittedly, he does not have the points to earn a place in the HOF, nor any hardware (other than a fistful of Stanley Cup rings) to show for his hard work. Is there even one hockey fan in the world who doesn&rsquo;t know about Holmstrom and his efficient style? What do you think &ndash; will he get a place among hockey&rsquo;s finest? Thanks for a great column?</p><p><i>Jorgen Linder, Stockholm, Sweden</i></p><p>Hey Jorgen,</p><p>I discussed Holmstrom&rsquo;s HHOF potential with THN Hall of Fame expert Brian Costello and it was a short discussion. Holmstrom certainly is one of the great unsung foot soldiers of the last decade, but worker bees like him rarely amass enough accolades to get anywhere near the top at the induction committee level. Dale Hunter, Guy Carbonneau, Esa Tikkanen, Claude Lemieux are examples of outstanding role players who didn&rsquo;t get a sniff from the Hall. Just enjoy him for the underappreciated treasure he is.</p><p>Adam,</p><p>Who do you think John Tavares will go to?</p><p><i>Ryan McDonald, Chapeau, Que.</i></p><p>Ryan,</p><p>A very bad team.</p><p><b>SUBMIT YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS AT</b> <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/f0006-05445/9234053-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="66" height="66"></div><p>Need more of your questions answered? Read Proteau&rsquo;s <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> column every Friday at the <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>POLL RESULTS</b></h2><p>Who should win NHL coach of the year?</p><p><b>Claude Julien 26%</b></p><p>Ken Hitchcock 18%</p><p>Paul Maurice 12%</p><p>Todd McLellan 11%</p><p>Joel Quenneville 10%</p><p>Barry Trotz 9%</p><p>Bruce Boudreau 8%</p><p>Brent Sutter 6%</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06315/9234046-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="496" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HOLMSTROM: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SPIT IT OUT!</b></h2><p><b>GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST</b></p><p><i><b>SEND US AN E-MAIL</b></i></p><p><a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">letters@thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><i><b>OR LOG ON</b></i></p><p><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><i><b>SEND US SNAIL MAIL</b></i></p><p>Letters, The Hockey News</p><p>25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 10</p><p>Toronto, ON., M2N 6S7, Canada</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07194/9234039-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="66" height="66"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>BONUS!</b></h2><p><b>All subscribers get exclusive access on <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to digital magazine archives!</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-04

ASK Adam

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012082/9234112-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="261" height="260"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021413/9234105-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="2804" height="2371"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES;)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>EXALL PLACE IS ONE OF THE</b> most difficult places in the NHL in which to play. Just ask the Edmonton Oilers. With one home game remaining in a forgettable regular season, the Oilers missed the playoffs largely because of their unimpressive 17-17-6 record on home ice.</p><p>Perhaps they would have had a little more of that Rexall swagger had they known what many of their opponents thought of the place. Just prior to the playoffs, we asked 89 NHL players the following question: What is the most intimidating rink to visit during the playoffs? (Players were not allowed to vote for their own arena.) And while Rexall didn&rsquo;t top the list, it finished a strong third with 11 votes (12.4 percent).</p><p>Too bad there won&rsquo;t be any playoff games there this spring&hellip;for the third consecutive season.</p><p>The Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia finished tied for first with 14 votes each (15.7 percent), but playing in Detroit is intimidating mostly because you&rsquo;re playing against the Red Wings, who tend to have a pretty good team. Even facing the Wings at your home rink is an intimidating prospect.</p><p>Or as Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks said: &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t really care about the crowd (at the Joe)&hellip;It&rsquo;s the team.&rdquo;</p><p>What rink is the most intimidating to visit during the playoffs?</p><p><b>Joe Louis Arena 15.7%</b></p><p>Wachovia Center 15.7%</p><p>Rexall Place 12.4%</p><p>HP Pavilion 12.4%</p><p>Bell Centre 7.9%</p><p>Added veteran Dallas winger Jere Lehtinen: &ldquo;It would be pretty easy to say Detroit, but when you walk out there for that first game in Edmonton, the fans there want to kill you and it&rsquo;s pretty intimidating.&rdquo;</p><p>So there you have it. It&rsquo;s more about the fans than the players. Stars goalie Marty Turco recalled one post-season in which he saw fans in Edmonton take a sledgehammer to a car that had a Stars logo on it.</p><p>&ldquo;I would say the year (2006) we lost to the Oilers in the Western Conference final, that building was insane,&rdquo; said Teemu Selanne of the Anaheim Ducks. &ldquo;When it comes to the energy, it was unbelievable. I&rsquo;ve never faced anything like that in my life. It was sick. You couldn&rsquo;t hear the whistle.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wings and Flyers, according to the majority of players we asked, have a definitive home-ice advantage in the playoffs. In Detroit it&rsquo;s largely because of the team. In Philadelphia, it&rsquo;s tough, but not nearly as scary as the 1970s when players would often come down with the &ldquo;Philly flu&rdquo; rather than face the prospect of playing in the old Spectrum.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not really complicated,&rdquo; said Pascal Dupuis of the Pittsburgh Penguins on his choice of Joe Louis Arena, &ldquo;a pretty good team, a pretty loud building and the fans there are right on top of you. They get it.&rdquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s little doubt the Flyers are still riding on the coattails of the Spectrum, but the fans in the building across the street are just as raucous. Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators said that during one playoff series, the Senators bus needed a police escort to get out of town &ndash; and people were still throwing debris at them.</p><p>&ldquo;The fans are tough and they have no problem letting you know they don&rsquo;t like you all that much,&rdquo; said Florida&rsquo;s Jassen Cullimore of Philadelphia. &ldquo;It seems like for half the game they don&rsquo;t even care what the score is. They just want to see who&rsquo;s fighting whom.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021680/9234098-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="1019" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>On top of everything else, watch out for flying octopi at Joe Louis Arena.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>San Jose finished tied with the Oilers with 11 votes (12.4 percent). Montreal had seven votes (7.9 percent); Buffalo and the Rangers five each (5.6 percent); Calgary four (4.5 percent); Carolina, Dallas and Colorado three each (3.4 percent); Boston, Pittsburgh and Vancouver two each (2.2 percent); and, Anaheim, New Jersey and Toronto one each (1.1 percent). One rink conspicuous by its absence was the United Center in Chicago. Must have something to do with the Hawks not scoring a playoff goal there since the Clinton administration.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

Player Poll*

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012219/9234150-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="877" height="889"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GREEN: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES;)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>GREEN</b>&nbsp;<b>MACHINE Mike Green</b> becomes just the eighth defenseman in league history to hit the 30-goal barrier.</p><p><b>KILLER CAREER</b> Major junior legend Brian Kilrea retires after racking up a record 1,193 wins as coach of the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s.</p><p><b>CANES CRUISE</b> Carolina makes a huge late-season push thanks to Erik Cole pickup and strong play from Cam Ward.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031178/9234143-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="596" height="608"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PHANEUF: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>OIL DROP</b> Young Oilers looked ready to vault forward this season, but it&rsquo;s now no playoffs since making the &rsquo;06 final.</p><p><b>DION DOWN Dion Phaneuf&rsquo;s</b> numbers this year don&rsquo;t quite match the big blueliner&rsquo;s high profile.</p><p><b>FOUR STRAIGHT</b> Rebuilding Leafs miss the playoffs for the fourth season in a row, extending a franchise record.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

+ Plus Minus –

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011995/9234212-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="324" height="687"></div><p><b>THEY SAY INTANGIBLES</b> win Stanley Cups. Leadership, sacrifice, work ethic and savvy coaching are traits common to championship teams.</p><p>But championship teams generally have something else in common: great stats. They&rsquo;re efficient; they kill penalties and capitalize on power plays; they take a lot of shots and don&rsquo;t allow many; they score more goals and give up fewer; and, they do all of this during the regular season as well as during the post-season.</p><p>Below, we&rsquo;ve ranked the past 10 Cup champs in categories both crucial to and indicative of success in the playoffs. You&rsquo;ll notice there aren&rsquo;t many big numbers (out of 30 NHL teams); recent history indicates Cup winners build on strong regular seasons rather than come out of nowhere.</p><p>Exceptions include Carolina in 2006, a team that could score, but was also scored upon quite a bit as well. New Jersey&rsquo;s 2003 team was, not surprisingly, the polar opposite, shutting down opponents at will, but struggling to score, especially on the power play.</p><p>Most significantly, the past 10 Stanley-worthy squads won, and often. None finished worse than fourth overall during the regular season, something to watch for as teams are whittled down during April, May and June.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021389/9234205-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="2464" height="1219"></div><p><b>NHL Rk.</b> &ndash; Overall NHL rank</p><p><b>GPG</b> &ndash; Goals per game</p><p><b>GAA</b> &ndash; Goals-against average</p><p><b>PP%</b> &ndash; Power play pct.</p><p><b>PK%</b> &ndash; Penalty kill pct.</p><p><b>S/G</b> &ndash; Shots per game</p><p><b>SA/G</b> &ndash; Shots against per game</p><p><b>3GG W%</b> &ndash; Winning pct. in 3-goal games</p><p><b>Outshoot</b> &ndash; Outshot opponents (most games)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

NUMBERS GAME

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03854/9234243-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="736" height="896"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04650/9234250-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="125" height="125"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>O MARIAN GABORIK</b> returns after missing most of the year and absolutely tears it up for the Minnesota Wild. <b>Gaborik</b> can become an unrestricted free agent this summer and it&rsquo;s widely assumed he&rsquo;ll sign with a team that isn&rsquo;t Minnesota. Here&rsquo;s an idea: Since Gaborik has missed more than 100 games due to injuries since the lockout, maybe he should give the Wild a year of service free of charge, <i>then</i> go bank his millions.</p><p><b>JAY FEASTER</b> isn&rsquo;t convinced teams are properly rewarded for finishing among the top four seeds in their conference. The former Tampa Bay GM and Cup winner in 2004 thinks starting a series in your own building isn&rsquo;t all it&rsquo;s cracked up to be. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s such a great deal to start at home,&rdquo; Feaster said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re under so much pressure to hold serve at home and the other team, all they&rsquo;re trying to do is steal one.&rdquo; In addition to pressure, Feaster said there are always more distractions at home, like trying to arrange tickets for family and friends. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a tailor-made atmosphere for the visiting team to have some success.&rdquo;</p><p><b>WE HAD ALEX OVECHKIN</b> at No. 2 in our 100 People of Power list back in December, but Jerry Bruckheimer is trying to take Ovie&rsquo;s profile to the next level. When <i>Time</i> magazine asked the Hollywood mogul to nominate a person for its 100 most influential people in the world, Bruckheimer offered Ovechkin&rsquo;s name for his &ldquo;pure, heroic genius on the rink.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-03

Snapshots

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012190/9234295-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>S</b>&nbsp;<b>A HOCKEY PLAYER</b>, every winter you get handed 20 new friends. I usually get along with about 19, genuinely like five and find one to be a gem.</p><p>But what happens when there isn&rsquo;t that one gem? Or even five you genuinely like? What happens when you only get along with 16 of your teammates? Does it affect your performance?</p><p>Talent is what it is; you&rsquo;re either good or you aren&rsquo;t. When you get the puck, you make good plays or you don&rsquo;t. Confidence plays a small part in these decisions, but it comes from successes and failures. False confidence, like your mom&rsquo;s &ldquo;Great game!&rdquo; after playing like a donkey for 60 minutes, means as much as &ldquo;Mission Accomplished&rdquo; from George W. Bush.</p><p>Obviously, that same comment holds more weight from a teammate than a parent, but can that little bit of feel-good translate to better play?</p><p>My first year out of college, I played for the ECHL&rsquo;s Utah Grizzlies, an immensely fun group of average players, led by fan (and team) favorite Travis Rycroft.</p><p>Talk about passion for the game. &lsquo;Ryks&rsquo; lived and breathed this stuff. A Dave Matthews diehard, Rycroft wrote and played his own music at team parties. He was a motivator. He never quit. But most of all, everybody liked him. I mean everybody. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean he liked everybody. In fact, if I had to guess I&rsquo;d say my teamliking figures of 19-5-1 would be a little off for him (he may not have genuinely liked as many guys, but he probably got along with 21 of every 20 guys). He literally says &ldquo;you betcha&rdquo; when he agrees and isn&rsquo;t being the slightest bit facetious.</p><p>So I got to thinking&hellip;how important is team chemistry? Our team in Utah was about an &ldquo;OK&rdquo; out of 10 on the talent scale, but managed to go deep into playoffs as a scrappy, hardworking team. We had a great leader and liked each other.</p><p>There has to be a certain level where talent trumps chemistry. I&rsquo;ve never been a big believer in team chemistry, believing that a talented team with a good coach could hate each other and it wouldn&rsquo;t matter; they&rsquo;d still find success. But the more I think about it, the more skeptical I&rsquo;ve become of this idea.</p><p>Rycroft was Utah&rsquo;s team captain for four years and never got his chance at the next level, but he had to have been close. Character isn&rsquo;t something that can be measured and put on a scouting report, but its value is tangible in the dressing room.</p><p>&lsquo;Ryks&rsquo; missed some playoff games with torn knee ligaments (after being an iron man the previous season, never missing a game) and called the team in for a meeting without coaches to talk about that night&rsquo;s game. He cried. He was so busted up he couldn&rsquo;t play, he cared that much. You don&rsquo;t think that motivates a group of people who like him? Of course it does. Some guys were playing for contracts, but the focus shifts a bit when you see something like that. Something about it just sets you straight.</p><p>The NFL&rsquo;s Dallas Cowboys have been the epitome of the team I had been thinking of; all talent and no chemistry. They were a huge disappointment last season. I&rsquo;m starting to take this theory a little more seriously.</p><p>All I know is when I leave this game, I can take something from &lsquo;Ryks.&rsquo; For one, he&rsquo;s a good friend, but two, that this sort of stuff matters in any job. No matter what it is you do, if you dread seeing your boss or co-worker, it&rsquo;s miserable. But if you&rsquo;re pumped to see them, any day can be decent and your job can be a treat. I know I didn&rsquo;t enjoy everything about being in Utah, but Rycroft made it fun. I know which co-worker I want to be. And for that little tidbit that should have been picked up in grade school, I say thanks to Rycroft.</p><p>So when the NHL analysts spout their genius and lay down their playoff predictions like gospel, don&rsquo;t bet the house on their words; who knows which team has a Rycroft? It&rsquo;s those unmeasurables that create winning teams.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021586/9234288-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="66" height="66"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>Best from the Net</b></h2><p>What we&rsquo;re saying at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">TheHockeyNews.com</a></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031006/9234281-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="187" height="223"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BOURNE: COURTESY OF ALLEN PICARD/IDAHO STEELHEADS)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>Justin Bourne</b></h3><p><i>Justin Bourne spent the &rsquo;08-09 season with Idaho and Reading in the ECHL. He starred for the University of Alaska Anchorage before going on to spend time in the Islanders organization. His father, Bob, won four Stanley Cups with the Isles.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

All about chemistry

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04700/9234333-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="613" height="759"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SALCIDO: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05512/9234326-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="340" height="184"></div><h2><b>BRIAN SALCIDO</b></h2><p><b>Anaheim Ducks, D</b></p><p><b>DEBUT</b> Feb. 20, 2009</p><p><b>VS.</b> Detroit (5-2 loss)</p><p><b>STAT</b> 17 shifts, 11:37 TOI, one shot</p><p><b>MY FIRST GAME</b> was against the defending Stanley Cup-champion Red Wings on a Friday night in Detroit.</p><p>It was good to get some of the nerves out in the morning skate. But they built up again and were pretty high by the time the puck dropped.</p><p>My first shift I went out there and my hands were shaking. I was hoping the puck wouldn&rsquo;t come near me and that Datsyuk or Zetterberg wouldn&rsquo;t come in on a 1-on-1.</p><p>The Wings tried a stretch pass and I cut it off, looked behind me and dished it to a forward as fast as I could, then skated off the ice just as quick.</p><p>I remember still being a little nervous after that first shift, but it was good to get it out of the way and get a feel for things in the NHL. I settled down as much as I could after that and, hopefully, made a good impression.</p><p>It was cool. I even managed a shot on net. Playing my first NHL game in Joe Louis Arena against Detroit is pretty special.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-04

Fresh Legs

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012134/9234371-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021670/9234378-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="125" height="125"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>THE LONG ROAD TO GLORY</b></h2><p>There are many components to playoff success; here&rsquo;s all the perspective you&rsquo;ll need</p><p><b>SIXTEEN WINS.</b> That&rsquo;s not a lot over the course of an 82-game schedule, but come Stanley Cup playoff time, it takes on an entirely new meaning. And there are many aspects to securing those 16 crucial victories.</p><p>In this, our in-depth &lsquo;Total Playoffs&rsquo; section, The Hockey News examines the NHL post-season from a variety of angles.</p><p>Writer Ryan Dixon discusses why the first round brings unparalleled excitement; and, also breaks down the annual emergence of breakout performers every post-season and suggests a few potential candidates you might want to keep an eye on this spring.</p><p>Elsewhere, senior writer Ken Campbell delves into the high-pressure world of playoff officiating, then puts the vaunted playoff &lsquo;code&rsquo; under the microscope.</p><p>As well, columnist Adam Proteau speaks with Penguins right winger Tyler Kennedy and Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock &ndash; as well as former NHLer Kris King and ex-coach Jacques Demers &ndash; regarding the grind of the playoffs; and, speaks with goalie Manny Legace and Carolina bench boss Paul Maurice about the stomach-churning perils of playoff overtime.</p><p>In addition, Ottawa Senators super-pest Jarkko Ruutu chimes in with a glimpse into his world of agitation and aggravation.</p><p>You won&rsquo;t find a better peak into the post-season than the one we&rsquo;ve got right here. Enjoy.</p><h3><b>THE FIRST ROUND: AS GOOD AS IT GETS</b></h3><p>There&rsquo;s nothing else in professional sports quite like the frenzy that is the opening round of the NHL playoffs <b>14</b></p><h3><b>IT&rsquo;S PLAYOFF TIME FOR REFS, TOO</b></h3><p>Only the best referees and linesmen advance through the rounds and whistles are no longer swallowed in overtime <b>16</b></p><h3><b>THE THRILL OF OVERTIME</b></h3><p>How players and coaches deal with the stress and exhaustion created by period after period of do-or-die hockey <b>18</b></p><h3><b>BREAKOUT BOYS BACK IN BUSINESS</b></h3><p>Get ready, because it happens every post-season: A relatively unknown player starts scoring and scoring and scoring&hellip; <b>20</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011903/9234364-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="573" height="942"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Will Nicklas Lidstrom and the Red Wings be able to repeat?</b></figcaption></div><h3><b>HOW TO SURVIVE THE GRIND</b></h3><p>A coach, an ex-coach, a player and an ex-player share their thoughts on the world&rsquo;s most intense hockey tournament <b>22</b></p><h3><b>THE CODE: JUST FOLLOW IT</b></h3><p>There&rsquo;s a reason everybody looks like a grizzly bear and nobody talks about injuries in the spring: It&rsquo;s the playoff code of conduct <b>24</b></p><h3><b>AGITATION 101: RUUTU&rsquo;S RULES</b></h3><p>Ottawa rascal Jarkko Ruutu went to the final with Pittsburgh last year. He did not make very many friends along the way <b>28</b></p><h3><b>STATISTICS & STANLEY</b></h3><p>Where words fail, numbers never lie. Just ask the top 10 active playoff scorers or the past 10 Stanley Cup champions <b>30</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

The Chase Begins

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021453/9234454-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICK STEWART/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04813/9234468-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="125" height="125"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011886/9234461-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="209" height="244"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE BEST GAMES FROM</b> the standpoint of an NHL official are the ones where you have to go all the way down to the bottom of the summary &ndash; yes, it&rsquo;s a summary, not a box score &ndash; to find out who worked that night.</p><p>If only it could be that way through the two-month marathon known as the NHL playoffs. But for some reason, officiating almost always becomes a major issue in the post-season, either for the calls the referees make or the ones they miss. Of course it doesn&rsquo;t help that maniacal GMs and coaches often pull reporters into video rooms and show them a litany of missed calls or use their post-game or off-day briefings to work over the officials.</p><p>In a rambling and almost incoherent post-series tirade in 1999, Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider suggested that because Terry Gregson was from a Toronto suburb, he called a penalty against the Flyers that allowed the Maple Leafs to score a power play goal to win the series. Legend has it Pat Quinn developed his career-long hate-on for officials when, as coach of the Flyers, a linesman missed an offside against New York that led to Bob Nystrom&rsquo;s overtime goal and the Islanders&rsquo; first Stanley Cup.</p><p>And, of course, NHL security for officials has been better since New Jersey Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld suggested Don Koharski enjoy a certain post-game pastry back in 1988.</p><p>As is the case with those who play for the Stanley Cup, officials also face an enormous amount of pressure in the post-season. It&rsquo;s magnified by the fact that whether or not an official moves on to the next round of the playoffs is solely based on his performance in the previous round. And with referees making anywhere from $10,000 to $14,000 per round depending on experience, that means a referee can pad his bank account by about $50,000 if he works through to the Stanley Cup final.</p><p>The competition for spots in the playoffs is even more heated than it is for the teams. The NHL employs 33 fulltime referees and 34 linesmen and only 10 of each are selected for the playoffs. That number goes down to six refs and six linesmen for the second round, four and four for the third round and two referees and two linesmen for the Stanley Cup final.</p><p>In fact, that pressure is now magnified by the fact the culture of hockey, not to mention the NHL head office, demands referees make calls in overtime rather than just allow players to get away with anything short of manslaughter. But the officials also walk a fine line in that scenario because phantom calls are worse than missed calls.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy, I can tell you it&rsquo;s not easy,&rdquo; said NHL director of officiating Stephen Walkom, a former ref himself. &ldquo;I think one of the GMs said it best when he said, &lsquo;Call what you see, not what you think you see.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>To be sure, the standard has changed radically since prior to the lockout, when teams played more than 247 minutes of overtime hockey in the 2004 playoffs &ndash; the equivalent of four full games &ndash; with just two power plays. That rose to 22 power plays in almost 224 minutes in 2006 and 29 power plays in almost 353 minutes of overtime in 2007. Last year, there were just eight power plays in 214 minutes of overtime.</p><p>&ldquo;I always thought the culture of, &lsquo;Let it go,&rsquo; actually meant, &lsquo;Let them cheat,&rsquo; &rdquo; said veteran referee Don Van Massenhoven. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s be honest, everything was just accepted out there. But the culture change has made the game better. I think it is better now than it has been in the 17 years I&rsquo;ve been officiating. It&rsquo;s incredible now to see the skill on display. The guys are just motoring out there.&rdquo;</p><p>And so are the officials. Or at least their minds are. Consider that what we see on television in slow-motion countless times, officials have a split-second to make a decision that could ultimately have serious effects on a team&rsquo;s Stanley Cup hopes and dreams. Of course, that&rsquo;s their job, but that doesn&rsquo;t make it any easier.</p><p>&ldquo;The way I always looked at a play was which side I could best defend,&rdquo; said Rob Shick, who retired as an NHL referee just prior to this year&rsquo;s playoffs, &ldquo;making the call or not making the call.&rdquo;</p><p>Seems simple enough, just as Shick&rsquo;s mental approach to overtime was when he worked as one of the most respected officials in the league. It&rsquo;s almost impossible for a referee to approach an overtime the same way he does the first three periods of a game and it would probably be too much for officials to do just that. They try as best they can, but even they know that the longer the game goes, the more potential impact they have on it by making or ignoring a call.</p><p>&ldquo;I used to get mocked by guys because before we&rsquo;d go out for the third period, I would stand up and say, &lsquo;Those first two periods don&rsquo;t mean nothing&rsquo; and if we were going into overtime, I&rsquo;d say, &lsquo;Those first three don&rsquo;t mean nothing,&rsquo; &rdquo; Shick said.</p><p>Now when there is criticism, most of it is directed to the series manager, who meets with the officials the morning of every game and goes over the approach the officials will take to that game. Most referees avoid reading local newspapers when they&rsquo;re covering a series and are challenged to block out all the distractions that come with the playoffs.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not always possible, though. In 2000, Shick was certain he saw John LeClair of the Flyers score a legitimate goal on Buffalo&rsquo;s Dominik Hasek in Game 2 of their first round series. If it were any other coach than Lindy Ruff of the Sabres, he would have ignored the coach&rsquo;s claims that the puck actually went in through a hole in the side of the net.</p><p>&ldquo;We dropped the puck and they played for eight or nine minutes,&rdquo; Shick said. &ldquo;When Ruff said, &lsquo;Shicker, it went in through the side,&rsquo; I told him, &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be sh---ing me.&rsquo; And we found out later that&rsquo;s what happened. That&rsquo;s why now, every goal that is scored is reviewed and we don&rsquo;t drop the puck until we get the thumbs up from the penalty timekeeper.&rdquo;</p><p>At some point in the next two months, one or more of the men who wear the stripes will almost certainly be embroiled in a controversy of some description. One of them might even make a grievous error, but there is no doubt that, like the level of play, the level of officiating has never been higher in the game&rsquo;s history.</p><p>That doesn&rsquo;t make them perfect, but neither are those who play.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

BLACK & WHITE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011663/9234534-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Four Sharks, including Patrick Marleau, had at least 10 power play goals.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DON SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Sharks scored 35 more power play goals than they gave up to easily lead all NHL playoff clubs in special teams plus-minus.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021282/9234527-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="334" height="183"></div><p><b>+35</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03924/9234520-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="330" height="184"></div><p><b>+21</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04680/9234513-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="349" height="183"></div><p><b>+20</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05477/9234506-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="317" height="183"></div><p><b>+19</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06368/9234499-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="345" height="183"></div><p><b>+16</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0017-01

PLUS-MINUS: POWER PLAY VS. PENALTY KILL

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011764/9234572-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Manny Legace witnessed playoff overtime at its most grueling in Detroit.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07286/9234579-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="125" height="125"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>S</b>&nbsp;<b>THIS POST-SEASON UNFOLDS,</b> it&rsquo;s very likely a little-known NHLer will come out of nowhere to score a big game-winning goal and a goaltender will win an entire series almost entirely on the strength of his own astounding play.</p><p>There&rsquo;s no guarantee these things will happen, of course. But one thing is 99.9-percent certain in the NHL playoffs: There will be overtime. Lots of overtime.</p><p>Sometimes, all in the same game.</p><p>Most hockey fans can&rsquo;t wait for that kind of late-night event; that&rsquo;s why even the most strident fans of the shootout are loathe to accept any solution other than the team way in the post-season.</p><p>For a lot of reasons, unlimited overtime can&rsquo;t work during the regular season. But one of the main reasons to stick with the shootout through the first 82 games is because the prospect of two or three periods of playoff overtime in a single contest now seems like even more of a juicy spectacle for fans to enjoy.</p><p>Goodness knows, those NHL types who&rsquo;ve experienced overtime marathons first-hand will never forget it. Even if they were on the wrong side of the win/loss ledger.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always remember the triple-overtime game in the playoffs that we lost,&rdquo; said Carolina Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice, who was in his first tour with the Canes when it was dumped by Detroit in six periods during the 2002 final. &ldquo;I think our fourth line saw the ice in between periods and that was about it.&rdquo;</p><p>Another NHLer also has vivid memories of that game.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to forget that one,&rdquo; said goalie Manny Legace, who was backing up Dominik Hasek with Detroit at the time. &ldquo;I was just praying for someone to score. I just watched two straight hockey games and I was like, &lsquo;Oh, please, just let somebody score.&rsquo; My feet were killing me and my back was killing me. I was stiff as a board.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Maurice, who has earned coach-of-the-year consideration after he returned to the Canes bench this season, admits he coaches playoff overtime periods differently than he does during the five minutes of 4-on-4 play that follows tied games in the regular season.</p><p>&ldquo;In the regular season, you clearly know the maximum time of games, so you run your top (lines) as hard as you need to down the stretch, either to get the win, or if you&rsquo;re in a little trouble, to hold the tie,&rdquo; said Maurice on The Hockey News Radio Show in early April. &ldquo;You hope that by the time you get to the playoffs, you&rsquo;ve got a fourth line you can rotate in on a regular basis.</p><p>&ldquo;If you have a fourth line you can trust, what you really watch for are where the timeouts are. And if you get into a roll of shifts where you&rsquo;re not getting a lot of whistles, your fourth line is going to have to play between that 15-minute mark and five-minute mark of each period.</p><p>&ldquo;At the same time, your big guys have to get it done for you and you should be a fit enough team that if you keep your shifts short, you&rsquo;ll be alright.&rdquo;</p><p>And what do teams and coaches do while the Zamboni comes out for its fifth or sixth flood of the night? According to Maurice, not much.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011589/9234565-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1002" height="1588"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Maurice <span class="photo-credit">(MAURICE: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;The only thing I thought was a danger was trying to wind your team up in between overtime periods,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;By that time, (players have) spent so much energy, they really do need to conserve.</p><p>&ldquo;Most of it is knowing your team. Sometimes your team doesn&rsquo;t need more than a minute or two of technical stuff and out they go&hellip;sometimes you do have to bark a little to get them going, but you have to be very careful of spending too much (energy) too early in that overtime.&rdquo;</p><p>Legace remembers the intermissions of that triple-overtime game as being devoid of rah-rah talks from the coaches.</p><p>&ldquo;Actually it was very quiet,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Eerily quiet. Guys were just trying to get food and liquid into them and there was a lot of (body) icing going on. Guys were just trying not to cramp&hellip;everyone&rsquo;s face was totally drained, you could see guys&rsquo; eyes were starting to droop and guys were drinking Red Bull to keep everything going.&rdquo;</p><p>Though the Wings won the game and the series, Legace said they all paid a price.</p><p>&ldquo;Guys were just so dead after that game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;At the meal after the bus ride back to the hotel, they were just taking two bites of their food and going right to bed. They were zombies.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

Paying the PRICE

<div class="byline">BY RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011523/9234624-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Joe Pavelski isn&rsquo;t always in the spotlight, which makes him dangerous.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JED JACOBSOHN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-07231/9234631-1-eng-US/f0020-072.jpg" title="f0020-07" width="125" height="125"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>WITH DEFENSES</b> keying on the Joe you know, the one you&rsquo;re less aware of might be primed to thrive.</p><p>Unheralded playoff heroes, by definition, seem to come out of nowhere. In truth, there are tell-tale signs that can tip you off to their emergence. When one Western Conference scout followed the tracks, it led him directly to San Jose.</p><p>&ldquo;If was going to pick anybody, I&rsquo;d pick Joe Pavelski,&rdquo; said the scout when asked who might be this year&rsquo;s bust-out post-season performer. &ldquo;I think Joe Pavelski is underrated and he&rsquo;s so smart. He plays power play and penalty kill&hellip;and he&rsquo;s not the guy other teams are worried about.&rdquo;</p><p>The key elements in the equation are special teams time and coming over the boards when the opposition&rsquo;s top defenders are catching their breath from trying to thwart, oh, say Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi &ndash; otherwise known as one of the best lines in hockey.</p><p>The scout identified another Western forward who has the talent to really exploit secondary coverage.</p><p>&ldquo;You look at a guy like (Calgary&rsquo;s) David Moss,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A guy who can score, but probably doesn&rsquo;t get a ton of ice time &ndash; not as much as he should get during the year &ndash; and he&rsquo;s probably not going to get the attention checking-wise because the heavy checking is going to be against (Jarome) Iginla and those guys.&rdquo;</p><p>Former Tampa Bay GM Jay Feaster has seen first-hand the kind of push a team can receive from a surprising springtime performance.</p><p>When the Lightning squad he helped build captured the Stanley Cup in 2004, it was in large part due to Ruslan Fedotenko&rsquo;s 12 playoff goals &ndash; an impressive total, especially considering Fedotenko had tallied just 17 times during the regular season.</p><p>Feaster has his eye on a couple of Eastern Conference players who have the potential to factor heavily into this year&rsquo;s playoff equation, including Boston bruiser Milan Lucic.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011239/9234617-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="1206" height="1641"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Calgary&rsquo;s David Moss has breakout potential for the post-season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy who in a post-season situation could really step up in a big way,&rdquo; Feaster said. &ldquo;There are also a couple guys in Washington, Dave Steckel and Eric Fehr. The kind of guys who are going to step up for you and have that kind of a post-season are guys who are brave enough to go and play in the traffic areas: They&rsquo;re willing to pay a price and stand in front of the net.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;ll be used not so much all the time in shorthanded situations or on the power play, but they&rsquo;ll get a little time on one or both.&rdquo;</p><p>They also ride the wave of do-ordie adrenaline. That was the case last spring when R.J. Umberger, then a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, followed up a 13-goal regular season with 10 tallies at the most important time of year.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the playoffs, you get so excited to play,&rdquo; the Blue Jackets center told <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a>.</p><p>&ldquo;You get your game elevated and if you get in the zone and get things going for you, the confidence builds, it&rsquo;s contagious, it just keeps going. I was in the right frame of mind and just having fun, really.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>PLAYOFF</b></h2><p><b>BREAKOUTS</b></p><p>Five recent spring splurges: Goals per game in the regular season versus the post-season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021104/9234610-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="734" height="242"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0020-01

OUT OF THE BLUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011410/9234676-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock has a few playoff tricks to teach.</b><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE SABAU/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/f0022-07300/9234690-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="125" height="125"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021042/9234683-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="206" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN YOU TALK TO MEMBERS</b> of the NHL community about the toll the playoffs take on the mind, body and soul of a team and all its members, the word &ldquo;grind&rdquo; inevitably gets used.</p><p>That&rsquo;s as it should be, because no league demands its athletes submit to two months of mental and physical duress the way the NHL does. No sport puts its chosen ones through the wringer as often as hockey does to those who are craving an engraving on the Stanley Cup.</p><p>As with most concepts, the playoff grind means different things to different people. Here are some meditations from a player and coach currently in the NHL&rsquo;s playoff trenches, as well as from a former player and coach who have had a few years to gain perspective on their time in the post-season:</p><h2><b>KEN HITCHCOCK</b></h2><p><b><i>Coach, Columbus Blue Jackets; Stanley Cup-winning skip of the 1998-99 Dallas Stars</i></b></p><p><b>THE PLAYOFFS DON&rsquo;T</b> feel like a grind when you&rsquo;re in them. It feels like a grind when you finish. And the other thing is, everything in your life becomes simple; you become very routine-oriented. I think that&rsquo;s why hockey players play so well in the playoffs; it goes back to a very simple routine, where they&rsquo;re almost in middle school or elementary school. You exist just for the chance to play hockey.</p><p>I think there are three things you need to win a playoff series: You have to win your overtime games; somewhere along the line, your goalie has to steal a game for you; and, you have to have a &ldquo;back to basics&rdquo; meeting with your team.</p><p>Usually at some point in every seven-game series, there&rsquo;s something really bizarre that happens; the game gets out of control and it gets really wild, then the team that usually wins the series is the first team that draws back in and goes back to its foundation.</p><p>It gets so crazy out there and you can&rsquo;t win it all on emotion. You have to win it on execution and good play.</p><p>I&rsquo;ve always found the meeting with players&rsquo; families is as critical as the meetings with the players. There are some sacrifices the families have to make; you appreciate them so much because of their support all year, but then they&rsquo;ve got to make an even bigger sacrifice come playoffs so their husband or significant other can focus and perform.</p><p>And the one thing I&rsquo;ve found is that at a certain period of time, you have to skate as a group. Some teams do it differently, but I know successful teams, whether it&rsquo;s the day between games or the morning of a game, will bring the group back together and feel like a team again. That helps a lot.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011248/9234669-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="765" height="1357"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DEMERS: B BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES;)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>JACQUES DEMERS</b></h2><p><b><i>Stanley Cup-winning coach of the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens and former bench boss in Detroit, Quebec City, St. Louis and Tampa Bay</i></b></p><p><b>IN THE PLAYOFFS</b> you&rsquo;re just not as patient. You get there after 82 games and then you start dreaming. Sixteen wins, you can win a Stanley Cup. And you always have to have the attitude you might never get back there.</p><p>In the playoffs, you need everybody to contribute. But it&rsquo;s important your key players have that attitude everybody can see, no matter what kind of attitude that is.</p><p>In Detroit, I had Steve Yzerman &ndash; Mr. Cool, Mr. Calm. He brought that to all his teammates. In Montreal, I had Patrick Roy; he wasn&rsquo;t as calm, but he brought the attitude and confidence. He acted like, &lsquo;Hey, I could win every game for you.&rsquo; To me, that was important. In St. Louis, I had Doug Gilmour, who always had that look, that intensity in his eyes. And I also had Bernie Federko, who always seemed to be in control and gave his teammates the impression everything would be OK.</p><p>Sometimes the world around you gets crazy in the playoffs. When coached against the Maple Leafs in Toronto one year, we were woken up by a fire alarm at 3 a.m. &ndash; not once, but twice. We had to change hotels.</p><p>And even then, a few players went into their rooms that year, and around three in the morning, their alarm radio would kick in full blast. Somebody had set it to that time and that volume before they&rsquo;d even checked in. I thought it was cheap of some cocky fans to do that, but we still beat the Leafs anyway.</p><h2><b>KRIS KING</b></h2><p><b><i>14-year NHL veteran and the league&rsquo;s current senior manager of hockey operations</i></b></p><p><b>WHEN I PLAYED IN</b> Toronto in the late &rsquo;90s, it was almost like we were in the playoffs for the last month. You slept hockey, you ate hockey, you thought hockey. And you just prepared yourself emotionally and mentally for that next game.</p><p>I found that, although people talk about the grind as a marathon, by the end of your playoff run, you think to yourself, &lsquo;Man, did that ever go by fast!&rsquo; That&rsquo;s not true while you&rsquo;re in the midst of it. When you&rsquo;re going through it, you&rsquo;re thinking it&rsquo;s tough stuff.</p><p>I&rsquo;ve seen leaders emerge come playoff time who don&rsquo;t necessarily act that way in the regular season. In Toronto, Mats Sundin was our leader, but he was in his infancy as far as being a captain, and we had some pretty good people &ndash; I&rsquo;m talking Glenn Healy and Curtis Joseph, Derek King and Stevie Thomas &ndash; around Mats who helped him do his job.</p><p>But when we had players we were counting on to do the bulk of our scoring and the little things, and we didn&rsquo;t get those things from them, there were guys in our dressing room giving it to guys &ndash; not standing up and being negative and sticking a finger in their face, but you&rsquo;d just say, &lsquo;We need you to bring your piece to the puzzle.&rsquo;</p><p>Sometimes I think players don&rsquo;t need to be coached in the semifinal and final. You need a coach to play you against the right people, but motivation-wise, I don&rsquo;t think you need to be coached. You almost coach each other as players, and generally the ones who do that are the ones who carry the Cup.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02905/9234662-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="1126" height="1331"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KENNEDY: DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>TYLER KENNEDY</b></h2><p><b><i>Right winger, Pittsburgh Penguins</i></b></p><p><b>EVERY GAME IN</b> the playoffs is do or die. It builds rivalries, that&rsquo;s for sure. You usually play against the same guys each game of a series and when that happens, you know what the opposition tends to do and they know what you might tend to do. I think it&rsquo;s great.</p><p>By the end of the year, you usually have a lot of bumps and bruises, but you battle through. I had a bad elbow and wrist for a good two months at the end of last season and it took me almost the whole summer last year to feel healthy again.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

THE GRIND

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011358/9234735-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Pavel Datsyuk and Chris Pronger have both been through the playoff wars.</b><span class="photo-credit">(DATSYUK: DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES;)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-07247/9234742-1-eng-US/f0024-072.jpg" title="f0024-07" width="125" height="125"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b><i>&ldquo;ALL RIGHT EVERYBODY, LISTEN UP HERE!</i></b></p><p><i>&ldquo;For the next two months you&rsquo;re going to have to work late pretty much every other night. Lots of overtime. You&rsquo;ll be asked to sacrifice your bodies and do things that are way out of your comfort zones. You&rsquo;ll be bruised and battered and weak by the end of all of this and you can pretty much say goodbye to your families for the next little while. How you perform over the next couple of months will have a long-term impact on this organization and will probably determine how many of you are still here a year from now. Oh yeah, and you won&rsquo;t be paid for it.&rdquo;</i></p><p>Sounds a lot like the kind of happy talk most of us are hearing in corporate Canada and America these days, doesn&rsquo;t it? But it also applies to the NHL playoffs, which are a little like the 1992 classic movie <i>Glengarry Glen Ross</i>. In the film, first prize in a sales contest is a Cadillac Eldorado, second prize is a set of steak knives &ndash; and third prize is you&rsquo;re fired.</p><p>Well, maybe it&rsquo;s not quite that harsh, but when you see teams accept the trophies for winning the Eastern and Western Conferences, they might as well be accepting a set of steak knives. And really, who remembers or cares which team was third-best in the NHL last season?</p><p>The playoffs are the most intense, frustrating, exhilarating and special time of the year for everyone involved in the game. It is a brief period of time in which legends are made, heroes and goats are born and the extraordinary often happens. It requires a special group of athletes to be left standing after it is all over and it requires them to adhere to The Playoff Code.</p><p>&ldquo;Code is a good word, but it&rsquo;s more that you want to be part of what has always been done,&rdquo; said Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson, who coached the Washington Capitals to the Stanley Cup final in 1998. &ldquo;More than anything, you want to do it for the guy sitting next to you.&rdquo;</p><p>Here it is:</p><h2><b>*YOU SHALL PLAY HURT.</b></h2><p><b>E</b>ver since 1964, when Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Bob Baun limped off the ice after taking a slapshot in the foot, only to come back out in overtime and score the winner and then play Game 7 on a fractured ankle, the playoffs have been rife with players who have played through intolerable pain.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty much understood that you have to be on your deathbed not to play in the playoffs,&rdquo; said Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Mike Commodore, who won the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and went to the final with the Calgary Flames in 2004. &ldquo;When I was in Carolina, Doug Weight wanted to play in Games 6 and 7 and he couldn&rsquo;t even lift up his arm. He&rsquo;s taking the warmups and I&rsquo;m thinking, &lsquo;Is this guy serious?&rsquo; That year I had a bad shoulder, too, and I got it shot-up before a game and we lost, so I never got it shot-up again.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;Some of the buildings are always on (in both the playoffs and regular season). Whether you go to Montreal or Ottawa or Vancouver or New York or Detroit, those buildings are always electric. But in the playoffs, they get amped even more. Where I really notice it is in the pregame skate. During the regular season, when I&rsquo;m down between the players&rsquo; benches, guys will skate by, they&rsquo;ll joke around, they&rsquo;ll blow snow, they&rsquo;ll ask &lsquo;How&rsquo;s your family?&rsquo; and just some small talk. You don&rsquo;t have any of that during the playoffs. And as a broadcaster you don&rsquo;t even go there, for me to have the privilege of calling the games between the benches, you don&rsquo;t even go there. Having been through the NHL playoffs before (as a coach) and having been fortunate enough to have won Stanley Cups (with Pittsburgh in the early &rsquo;90s), you don&rsquo;t even tread in that field, you just let them go. If they want to talk to you, that&rsquo;s fine, but you never address them.&rdquo;</i><br>- TV ANALYST AND FORMER NHL COACH<br><b>PIERRE MCGUIRE</b></blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011214/9234728-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="404" height="546"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CANUCKS FAN: JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011369/9234721-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="1100" height="1333"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Todd Marchant has been a playoff hero, but knows the cost involved.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARCHANT: DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Steve Yzerman played the playoffs on one leg. Joe Thornton played an entire series with broken ribs. The stories are endless. It&rsquo;s often a wonder how some players have the strength to lift the Stanley Cup by the time the playoffs are over.</p><p>Brad May of the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and he played much of the playoffs with a broken hand. He needed shoulder surgery the day after the playoffs one year in Buffalo, but he marveled at the resilience of Ducks defenseman Francois Beachemin, who suffered a broken jaw in Round 1 of the &rsquo;07 post-season.</p><p>&ldquo;He got hit with the puck and had surgery in Minnesota the day before Game 4 and actually wanted to play,&rdquo; May said. &ldquo;They literally put a plate in his face and he wanted to play the next day. He didn&rsquo;t, but we won Game 5 and he played. It was unbelievable. I&rsquo;ve never seen anything like it.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>*YOU SHALL PLAY HURT & KEEP YOUR CAKEHOLE SHUT.</b></h2><p>Coaches and players are hyper-sensitive about injuries during the dog days of the season, but their need to be secret goes into absolute overdrive during the playoffs. And it&rsquo;s usually not until the conclusion of the playoffs that we hear about how half the roster was playing with the hockey equivalent of the bubonic plague.</p><p>&ldquo;The code is you never tell,&rdquo; May said.</p><p>And with good reason, if you really think about it. The National Football League only discloses its injuries because of gambling, but since people aren&rsquo;t rushing to their sports books to lay serious money on NHL hockey, there&rsquo;s absolutely no upside and all downside to being honest and forthright about injuries.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much going on behind the play that you can really put people in danger if you discuss the true nature of their injuries,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;And really, who cares? Everybody laughs and I do, too, at &lsquo;upper body&rsquo; and &lsquo;lower body&rsquo; and you get ridiculed for it, but people have no idea what some players would do if they actually know exactly what&rsquo;s wrong. If you know somebody has a bad hand, all it takes is an extra slash. If a guy has a bad shoulder, it&rsquo;s your obligation to play that guy harder because he&rsquo;s going to protect himself and it&rsquo;s going to hurt. So you&rsquo;re going to dump it into his corner more often.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>*YOU SHALL SPROUT SOME OF THE MOST UNGODLY FACIAL HAIR EVER KNOWN TO MANKIND.</b></h2><p>Since the New York Islanders began growing beards in the early &rsquo;80s and the Montreal Canadiens revived the tradition in 1993, players have sported the grizzled look during the post-season. In fact, playoff beards have become so well documented that a website, <a href="http://playoffbeard.com">playoffbeard.com</a>, is devoted exclusively to them. According to the site, there are five stages of the playoff beard from The Kristofferson to The Chewbacca, while The Friesen is to be avoided at all costs.</p><p>(Just so you know, Kris Draper of the Detroit Red Wings was the Chuck Norris winner for 2008, while Scott Niedermayer picked up the award in 2007 and Carolina&rsquo;s Bret Hedican in 2006.)</p><p>Does growing beards actually make a difference? Probably not, but as the playoffs go on, they become a tangible reminder of how far a team has progressed through the post-season.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just another little something to bring the team together,&rdquo; said Commodore, who looked more like a mountain man than a hockey player by the end of the playoffs in 2004 and &rsquo;06. &ldquo;You laugh at the guys who look terrible. I don&rsquo;t think any other sport really does anything like that.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>*YOU SHALL BLOCK SHOTS.</b></h2><p>During the Ottawa Senators&rsquo; run to the Stanley Cup final in 2007, Jason Spezza&rsquo;s teammates got to calling him &lsquo;Nessy,&rsquo; an obscure reference to the Loch Ness Monster, who is seen more often than Spezza is seen blocking shots. But, there was Spezza in the playoffs, standing in front of some of the hardest shooters in the league.</p><p>&ldquo;I think guys that don&rsquo;t block shots throughout the season are your skill players and they don&rsquo;t want to break an ankle or break a foot,&rdquo; said Buffalo Sabres captain Craig Rivet. &ldquo;But in the playoffs the biggest difference is it&rsquo;s &lsquo;now&rsquo; hockey. It&rsquo;s not thinking about a couple of weeks down the line, it&rsquo;s about winning that game and guys are prepared to do whatever it takes, even if it&rsquo;s out of their element. If you get hurt, you freeze it up for a couple of hours and forget about it&hellip;and then pay for it the next day.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>*YOU SHALL NEVER, EVER TOUCH THE PRINCE OF WALES TROPHY OR CLARENCE CAMPBELL BOWL.</b></h2><p>This one is a little difficult to figure out because no matter what happens, one team that wins a conference final is going to win the Cup and the other is going to lose, which makes this strategy a 50-50 proposition at best.</p><p>But don&rsquo;t tell that to the players, who consistently want to distance themselves from those trophies as quickly as possible. Unless, of course, you&rsquo;re Scott Stevens, who won four Prince of Wales Trophies with the New Jersey Devils, and three times went on to win the Stanley Cup.</p><p>Each time the Devils won the Prince of Wales Trophy, Stevens proudly held it high for all to see.</p><p>&ldquo;Why wouldn&rsquo;t I?&rdquo; he said when asked why he broke with convention. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really nice trophy.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

THE CODE

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02988/9234773-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="779" height="605"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ROBYN REGEHR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(REGEHR: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN THE CALGARY FLAMES</b> lost defensemen Robyn Regehr, Adrian Aucoin and Cory Sarich in a two-game span prior to the playoffs, and with Mark Giordano already sidelined, it prompted them to recall prospects Matt Pelech and John Negrin.</p><p>It also prompted the obvious question, how long are they going to have to do without four regular blueliners?</p><p>There is no answer to that question in the NHL&rsquo;s world of injury (non-)disclosure. The team knows, but it&rsquo;s not sharing that information for a variety of reasons.</p><p>&ldquo;Some teams don&rsquo;t want to tip their hands in terms of which players are hurting and how long they&rsquo;re going to be out for,&rdquo; said one club&rsquo;s media relations representative. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t want their players to be targets when they return. And they certainly don&rsquo;t want that player&rsquo;s (recovering) body part to be a target zone.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s the reason behind the &ldquo;upper body&rdquo; and &ldquo;lower body&rdquo; injury reports in recent seasons. There&rsquo;s no sense in giving the opposition team information it can use to its advantage.</p><p>The NHL instituted a regulation in 2006-07 that called for teams to be more forthright with injury information. This led to virtually every team using the &ldquo;upper/lower body&rdquo; model. This season, however, the NHL, under the direction of the GMs, made injury disclosure optional for all teams.</p><p>&ldquo;If it&rsquo;s something obvious like a broken leg and the player is walking around with crutches, we&rsquo;ll release the information,&rdquo; the media rep said. &ldquo;If it&rsquo;s not obvious, we might just say he has an undisclosed injury.&rdquo;</p><p>Many hockey fans and media members take umbrage with this lack of disclosure, especially in an era of instant information. Other pro leagues such as the NFL and NBA are more forthright with injuries, mainly for gambling purposes.</p><p>Hockey journalist Eric Duhatschek said he doesn&rsquo;t object to the NHL&rsquo;s passive stance on injury disclosure as long as players and teams remain accountable.</p><p>&ldquo;My job as a journalist is to critically evaluate performance on the best available information,&rdquo; Duhatschek said. &ldquo;So if a player, returning from an injury, makes a critical giveaway and we find out after the fact he&rsquo;s playing with a bad hand, well, too bad. I assume everyone is fully ready to play when they&rsquo;re in the lineup&hellip;If I knew more about the nature of an injury, it might change or soften my analysis if I said a player made an error that could be traced to playing hurt.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-02

DISCLOSURE

<div class="byline">BY BRAD COCCIMIGLIO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011292/9234804-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="687" height="533"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MATHIEU DANDENAULT</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>HEALTHY SCRATCHES. BENCHWARMERS.</b> Practice players. Call them whatever you want, they&rsquo;re still an important part of any hockey team.</p><p>Every NHL playoff team has a stable of &ldquo;black aces&rdquo; &ndash; players who get inserted into the lineup when injuries hit or if the coach wants to shake things up.</p><p>Veteran Habs winger/defenseman Mathieu Dandenault knows all about the fine line between intensity and inactivity. As a young member of the Red Wings during Detroit&rsquo;s back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and &rsquo;98, Dandenault played in just three playoff games, all in &rsquo;98. Despite playing 65 regular season games as an NHL sophomore in 1996-97, he didn&rsquo;t get a sniff in the playoffs.</p><p>But Dandenault had to be ready to play regardless of whether or not he got the call. Being prepared physically and mentally in the face of uncertainty, he said, is the key.</p><p>&ldquo;You try to focus on how you were when you played well and you try to follow that mindset,&rdquo; said Dandenault, 33, on the eve of the 2009 post-season. &ldquo; &lsquo;What was I thinking? How was I approaching the game?&rsquo; With experience, it&rsquo;s easy to get to that level.&rdquo;</p><p>The versatile native of Sherbrooke, Que., had to bide his time before getting a chance to dress regularly in the playoffs. He earned a third Cup ring with the Wings in 2002, playing 23 playoff games.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a process for me,&rdquo; Dandenault said. &ldquo;It was a situation I knew I wasn&rsquo;t going to get in all the time, but to be around the guys and practice with them made me a better player. I learned a lot and sometimes when you sit out it gives you a different perspective about the game.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

BLACK ACES

<div class="byline">BY JARKKO RUUTU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011350/9234842-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-07303/9234849-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="125" height="125"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>ALL ME A PEST,</b> call me an agitator. But when the playoffs come around, role players become more important because it&rsquo;s our job to make sure your best players don&rsquo;t play their best.</p><p>There is a balance to our style of game, especially in the post-season. If my team is ahead on the scoreboard, I have to be careful. There&rsquo;s no sense taking a needless penalty and I know the refs are watching me. There&rsquo;s a fine line to what I do out there and I don&rsquo;t want to be stupid.</p><p>The most important thing I can do to throw off another team&rsquo;s star is to play physically, finish all my checks hard and take away my opponent&rsquo;s space in order to keep him off the puck. For top scorers in this league, there&rsquo;s nothing more frustrating than when they can&rsquo;t get going offensively, so I love taking their space away.</p><p>Not only that, but keeping a star in check has a trickle-down effect. It rattles the rest of the team when their big gun is stifled.</p><p>The playoffs are intense, so it&rsquo;s important to pay attention to how opponents are affected. It doesn&rsquo;t take much to add fuel to the fire when a team is down on the scoreboard and that&rsquo;s when I try to frustrate them physically and mentally. When emotions are involved, it&rsquo;s easier to push a guy over the edge.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Of course, it works the other way around, too. If my team is down, I have to let things go, like when someone tries to goad me into taking a bad penalty. You <i>always</i> have to be in control.</p><p>There may not be a lot of fighting in the playoffs, but there will always be scrums in front of goalies after the whistle has blown. If we&rsquo;re down, I don&rsquo;t mind causing trouble, because maybe we can get a 4-on-4 situation out of it. It&rsquo;s much easier to score that equalizer with two fewer players on the ice. Last year, as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins team that went all the way to the Stanley Cup final, my teammates included high-end talents such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar. Giving any of those guys extra space on the ice is going to create a dangerous situation for the opposing goaltender.</p><p>Injuries to opponents are always a big factor in the playoffs, but I don&rsquo;t pay too much attention to them. Sometimes, even though the team will only say &ldquo;upper body&rdquo; or &ldquo;lower body&rdquo; injury, we know what&rsquo;s wrong with a guy. That doesn&rsquo;t matter too much, though. You&rsquo;re still going to play physically and finish checks like before. Although personally, I would never try to target specific body parts.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011198/9234835-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="862" height="1548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jarkko Ruutu played his part in getting the Pens to the Cup final last year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>I love the playoffs. It&rsquo;s the best time of the year, when the best hockey is played. It&rsquo;s my kind of hockey, tough and physical. I think the referees are even better in the post-season; they&rsquo;re sharper, just like the players. It&rsquo;s also tougher to score, which means opportunities are at a premium. If I can get my team a power play by rattling one of the other team&rsquo;s players, it gives us one more chance to score.</p><p>Steve Ott in Dallas, Alexander Burrows in Vancouver &ndash; we all know that opposing fans and players hate us. But the hometown crowd and our teammates know that if we stay out of the penalty box ourselves, we can have a very positive impact on the game. If your star player has a rough series this year, it&rsquo;s probably because of someone who doesn&rsquo;t show up on the scoresheet much, but plays a very important role in the big picture.</p><h2><b>THE OTHER SIDE</b></h2><p>Buffalo winger Drew Stafford knows what playing against agitators is like in the playoffs: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what they try to do, draw penalties,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You have to be extra focused, extra disciplined. Special teams matter so much.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

HOW TO WIN GAMES AND AGITATE PEOPLE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011358/9234880-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Brad Stuart&rsquo;s Red Wings fire more shots than they absorb.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-07254/9234887-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="125" height="125"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HAT&rsquo;S IN A NUMBER?</b> A cynic would say &ldquo;numb&rdquo;, a stats freak would say, &ldquo;did you know each of the past 10 Stanley Cup winners fired more shots on their opponents during the regular season than they surrendered?&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s true. We looked it up.</p><p>In this two-page spread, we highlight some of the data we hope all hockey fans will find intriguing, if not useful, as they settle in for the two-month drive to the Stanley Cup.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>SHOT DIFFERENTIAL</b></h2><h3><b>STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS (1998-08)</b></h3><p>The ability to consistently outshoot opponents is a traditional calling card of strong teams. Here&rsquo;s the regular season shot differential for the past 10 Cup champs (shots for minus shots against) &ndash; and the top five NHL teams this year.</p><h3><b>POST-SEASON PRODUCERS</b></h3><p>Colorado&rsquo;s Joe Sakic won&rsquo;t add to his playoff point total this spring, but the Avalanche captain leads all active NHLers in post-season production. (All-time ranking among playoff scorers is in parentheses.)</p><h3><b>HOME-ICE DISADVANTAGE?</b></h3><p>Home teams have had a .558 winning percentage over the past three post-seasons. In the regular season, though, host clubs have been much better, winning at a .611 clip since 2005-06.</p><p><b>.558</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

STATS CRUNCH

f0032-01

NHL Team Reports

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011199/9235187-1-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/f0039-011105/9235180-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="2550" height="3225"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0038-01

NHL Depth Charts

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01797/9235232-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="889" height="1092"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRANDON TAYLOR-PRO AM IMAGES/HAMILTON BULLDOGS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>F THE HOME IN BERN, SWITZERLAND</b>, where Yannick Weber was raised ever goes up for sale, prospective buyers should have the garage walls inspected for structural damage.</p><p>The end brick wall took quite a beating when Weber was a kid. That&rsquo;s where he practiced his slap shot. And he wasn&rsquo;t hammering tennis balls or plastic pucks; Weber fired the real thing.</p><p>&ldquo;I was allowed to use pucks because it was a brick wall, so I couldn&rsquo;t do much damage,&rdquo; Weber said. &ldquo;I was practicing a lot in the garage. I did a lot of shooting.&rdquo;</p><p>The rookie still does. Only now it&rsquo;s on the ice with the Hamilton Bulldogs. And some day in the not-too-distant future, he&rsquo;ll be firing from the point for the Montreal Canadiens.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the big shot,&rdquo; said Bulldogs coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;When he joins the rush and is coming down the wing, he scares a few goalies.&rdquo;</p><p>When the Bulldogs entered the final week of the regular season, Weber had 16 goals and 44 points in 68 games. He was seventh in scoring among AHL defensemen and second in goals.</p><p>At the Ontario League&rsquo;s All-Star Game last season, Weber won the hardest-shot competition with a blast of 99.2 mph. He has surely topped 100 mph along the way this year. That is why opponents try to prevent him from uncorking his slapshot on the power play, but few penalty killers look forward to getting in the way.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s had a few guys limping off,&rdquo; Wilson said.</p><p>Added the 20-year-old Weber: &ldquo;Sometimes you have to make guys feel the shot. You make them hurt a little bit so next time maybe they won&rsquo;t step in front of you.&rdquo;</p><p>But there&rsquo;s a whole lot more to playing defense in the NHL than just being able to shoot the puck and Weber has used this season for defense-zone development.</p><p>&ldquo;In junior (with the Kitchener Rangers) I&rsquo;m not so sure he was counted on to kill penalties and for D-zone coverage,&rdquo; Wilson said.</p><p>Weber admitted he wasn&rsquo;t. So he has spent his first pro season learning how to best use his 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame to defend.</p><p>&ldquo;He can battle, he&rsquo;s a strong little bugger,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;But he can&rsquo;t get on the wrong side of guys (and) going into the corner, he can&rsquo;t get lazy. He has to be on the proper side and make guys go through him.&rdquo;</p><p>In January, Weber had an NHL taste. He was with Montreal for about a week, playing one game.</p><p>&ldquo;Being on a road trip, being in practice, seeing how the lifestyle is, that was good to experience,&rdquo; Weber said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02484/9235225-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="214" height="214"></div><h2><b>Yannick Weber</b></h2><p>Hamilton Bulldogs</p><p>Ht. 5-10</p><p>Wt. 195</p><p>Pos. D</p><p>Age 20</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03373/9235218-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="165" height="103"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b></p><p><b>96</b></p><p>Weber&rsquo;s point total in 110 OHL games with the Kitchener Rangers<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-01

Big shooter not a big shot

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07204/9235263-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="308" height="90"></div><p>From the start of the season right through to the end, Cory Schneider was the American League&rsquo;s top netminder.</p><p>To prove it, he was given the Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL&rsquo;s best goaltender.</p><p>&ldquo;He has been determined to be the best,&rdquo; said Manitoba Moose coach Scott Arniel. &ldquo;He gives us a chance to win every single night, whether it&rsquo;s our third game in three nights, our fourth in five or we&rsquo;re just plain crappy. He has been outstanding.&rdquo;</p><p>But now it&rsquo;s playoff time, when great goalies shine.</p><p>&ldquo;This is his next big challenge,&rdquo; Arniel said, &ldquo;to step it up and carry us.&rdquo;</p><p>Heading into the final week of the regular season, the second-year goalie was 28-8-1 with a 1.90 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. In five of his losses, he allowed two goals.</p><p>But the 23-year-old Schneider hasn&rsquo;t forgotten last spring, when the Moose lost a seven-game opening round playoff series to Syracuse.</p><p>&ldquo;He played really, really well; he was one of our best players,&rdquo; Arniel said. &ldquo;But we didn&rsquo;t win the series, Syracuse did. Great goaltenders find a way to help their team win. I&rsquo;m hoping he learned a lot from last year.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04304/9235284-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="174" height="175"></div><h3><b>Hey Jason Krog,</b></h3><h2><b>EXPECT THE CALL</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05261/9235277-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="197" height="113"></div><p>Nearing the twilight of his career at 35 &ndash; at least in North America &ndash; Krog is still great on faceoffs, crafty with the puck and reliable in every zone. Just the kind of veteran player NHL teams need during the playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06230/9235270-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="186" height="270"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0040-07

Goaltender of the year

<div class="byline">BY PHIL JANACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01686/9235329-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="969" height="1193"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF WORCESTER SHARKS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>IT DIDN&rsquo;T TAKE</b> Mike Moore long to develop a reputation.</p><p>In his first full pro season with the Worcester Sharks, the rookie defenseman has evolved into one of the league&rsquo;s best &ndash; and biggest &ndash; hitters.</p><p>&ldquo;He smashes guys in the neutral zone,&rdquo; said assistant coach David Cunniff, who works with San Jose&rsquo;s defense prospects. &ldquo;He just clobbers guys.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great timing. You hate to compare him to a Scotty Stevens, but that&rsquo;s the type of hitter he is. People coming across the blueline with their head down, as the weak-side defenseman, he&rsquo;s crushed a few guys this year.&rdquo;</p><p>San Jose signed the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Moore as an undrafted free agent late last season after four years at Princeton University.</p><p>&ldquo;The college game is a little bit different, but the physical side of the game is something I&rsquo;ve enjoyed since I was a kid,&rdquo; Moore said. &ldquo;It does become kind of a skill for a defenseman to be able to read rushes and step-up on guys and be a physical-impact player in the game. That&rsquo;s something scouts look for and gets you an opportunity to play in the big league.&rdquo;</p><p>For Moore, that chance is closer than ever. On a team with veterans such as Kyle McLaren, Patrick Traverse and Brendan Buckley, and another rising star in Derek Joslin, Moore has been one of Worcester&rsquo;s best defenseman all season.</p><p>He had five goals and 18 points in 75 games, was tied for the team lead with a plus-14 rating and ranked third with 130 penalty minutes. Moore has also worn an &lsquo;A&rsquo; as alternate captain. And his play helped Worcester earn a trip to the playoffs after the Sharks missed out last season.</p><p>&ldquo;You kind of find your role within the team and try to play within yourself and play to your skill set,&rdquo; Moore said.</p><p>Cunniff outlined what a vital role Moore&rsquo;s has been: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a stud. He&rsquo;s going to have a long, bright career. Some college guys seem like they hit the wall for months at a time, but for Mike, there&rsquo;s been no wall. He plays a ton of minutes. He&rsquo;s been on the power play for more than half the year. He&rsquo;s our No. 1 penalty killer and our No. 1 shutdown guy, as a rookie.&rdquo;</p><p>Considering Moore has an Ivy League degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering, his mental makeup is not in question.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a kid who&rsquo;s going to will himself to the NHL,&rdquo; Cunniff said. &ldquo;He wins every battle he&rsquo;s in; not because he&rsquo;s the biggest specimen or he&rsquo;s the most gifted athlete. It&rsquo;s because of his mind.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02428/9235322-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="214" height="214"></div><h2><b>Mike Moore</b></h2><p>Worcester Sharks</p><p>Ht. 6-1</p><p>Wt. 190</p><p>Pos. D</p><p>Age 24</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03346/9235315-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="197" height="103"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b></p><p><b>+14</b></p><p>Moore was tied for the team plus/minus lead as a rookie<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

Willing and drilling

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL JANACK</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he capital letter on the upper left corner of his sweater is an outward sign of the respect alternate captain Alexandre Giroux has among his Hershey Bears teammates.</p><p>It could also easily stand for the kind of season the 27-year-old center/winger has enjoyed, capped by winning the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL&rsquo;s most valuable player.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing,&rdquo; said Keith Aucoin, Giroux&rsquo;s linemate and fellow MVP candidate. &ldquo;Alex is a great player. It couldn&rsquo;t have happened to a nicer guy.&rdquo;</p><p>With one week left in the season, Giroux had already established a franchise single-season record with 57 goals, a total that led AHL goal-scorers.</p><p>Giroux was also tops with 21 power play goals and 326 shots, and ranked second with nine first goals and eight game-winners, to go with a plus-24 rating.</p><p>The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder registered at least a point in 53 of 66 games; Hershey was 5-7-0-1 when he was kept off the scoresheet.</p><p>Earlier this season, Giroux broke Brett Hull&rsquo;s 22-year-old AHL standard by scoring at least one goal in 15 consecutive games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04299/9235367-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="201" height="278"></div><h2><b>ON TOP</b></h2><h3><b>TOP SCORERS</b></h3><p><b>Alexandre Giroux</b></p><p>Hershey Bears</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05270/9235360-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="190" height="103"></div><p><b>94 POINTS</b></p><p><b>Keith Aucoin, Her 94</b></p><p>Jason Krog, Mtb 84</p><p>Artem Anisimov, Hfd 79</p><p>Darren Haydar, GR 78</p><p>Janne Pesonen, WB/Scr 78</p><p>P-A Parenteau, Hfd 78<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-04

Bears’ Giroux comes through

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01720/9235405-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Nikita Klyukin starred at the WJC, but plays less than 10 minutes per game in the KHL.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KLYUKIN: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE BACKBONE OF CANADA&rsquo;S SUCCESS</b> at the World Junior Championship has always been its major junior leagues. Now Russia is trying to develop a similar foundation.</p><p>Beginning in September 2009, Russia will have its first official junior league. The country&rsquo;s best juniors have, historically, played with Russian first-division teams, while lesser or younger prospects skate in lower divisions.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02447/9235398-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="251" height="274"></div><p>But players such as Lokomotiv Yarolslav center Nikita Klyukin, 19, who starred with Russia&rsquo;s bronze medal-winning team at the 2009 World Junior Championship, scoring seven points and going plus-7 in seven games, routinely get less than 10 minutes of ice time per game in the KHL.</p><p>Former national team coach Vladimir Yurzinov, who has been responsible for developing some of Russia&rsquo;s &ndash; and Europe&rsquo;s &ndash; best talent has been tabbed to lead the new league.</p><p>The new Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (Youth Hockey League) will have 20 teams in three divisions, 16 of which will make the playoffs. Players will range in age from 17 to 21, with some exceptional 16-year-olds allowed to play.</p><p>Moscow-area teams will play in the Western Division, while the Central Division will incorporate cities such as Yaroslavl, Kazan and St. Petersburg, with Omsk, Ufa and Magnitogorsk playing in the Eastern Division. There will be no limit on KHL call-ups from junior clubs and it is hoped the best juniors will play in Russia, rather than North America.</p><p>Teams will compete for the Kharlamov Cup, named for the late Russian star Valery Kharlamov, who was also the target of Bobby Clarke&rsquo;s famous slash in the 1972 Summit Series.</p><p>KHL president Alexander Medvedev wants to establish the league&rsquo;s brand with Russian youngsters and encourage them to follow the players.</p><p>&ldquo;The MHL is a very important step in the growth of our hockey,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>The inaugural KHL draft will be held in July. Over five rounds, teams will select Russian, European and North American players. Each KHL team will be able to protect as many as three of its own junior-aged players and sign two junior imports.</p><p>KHL teams losing players in the draft will be compensated according to the round in which the player is drafted, starting with $90,000 for a first-rounder.</p><p>Goran Stubb, NHL Central Scouting&rsquo;s European director, can&rsquo;t see many juniors from outside Russia moving there. He also said he tried to convince the Russians they don&rsquo;t need a draft.</p><p>&ldquo;NHL clubs don&rsquo;t have their own junior system, but in Russia all KHL clubs already have their own junior school,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s the use of drafting players from each other? It doesn&rsquo;t make any sense. The only reason they want to have a draft is because the NHL has one.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-01

Junior loop ready to go

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03348/9235443-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="562" height="700"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OULU KARPAT: ANDREY SEREBRYAKOV/BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04277/9235436-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="226" height="134"></div><p>Modern-day dynasties are alive and well across Europe, as domestic league powerhouses successfully fend off challengers with regularity.</p><p>In Finland, <b>Oulu Karpat</b> were 13th in the 14-team SM-liiga in late October. But by March, the team had climbed to fifth, only three points behind the Espoo Blues, who Karpat beat in the final last season to win its fourth championship in five years. In this year&rsquo;s playoffs, Karpat steamrolled over Jokerit, Helsinki and the Blues to reach the final &ndash; the club&rsquo;s sixth in seven years &ndash; against JYP.</p><p>Like Karpat, the Swedish giant Farjestad rose in the standings after New Year&rsquo;s, finishing on top of the Elitserien. During the past 13 seasons, Farjestad has finished in the top four 12 times and has played in the final eight times since 1997, including six consecutive appearances from 2001 to 2006, winning in &rsquo;02 and &rsquo;06. This year, the team went 8-0 during quarterfinal and semifinal play, reaching the final against HV71.</p><p>In the Czech Republic, the final was a rematch from last season with Slavia Prague facing-off against Karlovy Vary. For Slavia Prague and coach Vladimir Ruzicka, the Extraliga final is the fifth in the past seven years.</p><p>And in Germany, Eisb&auml;ren Berlin prepared for its fifth final in six years. The former East German team has won three of the past four German League titles.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-03

Dynasties thriving

<p><b>NO, HE&rsquo;S NOT RELATED</b> to Patrick Roy.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been asked that question a lot,&rdquo; said Cape Breton Screaming Eagles goaltender Olivier Roy. &ldquo;But it doesn&rsquo;t happen as much now as when I first came into the league.&rdquo;</p><p>Roy is making a name for himself; witness International Scouting Services ranking him the No. 2 goalie for the 2009 draft. He was named Quebec League rookie of the year in 2008 after posting a 2.87 goals-against average, four shutouts and winning 27 games, a league record for 16-year-olds.</p><p>The Amqui, Que., native actually notched two shutouts in his first six QMJHL games. He had a shutout streak of 167:51 last season &ndash; the fourth longest in league history &ndash; and was also named defensive rookie of the year.</p><p>Roy&rsquo;s star continued to rise this season when he played for Team QMJHL in the 2008 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge, an evaluation tool for Canada&rsquo;s national junior team.</p><p>&ldquo;People obviously had high expectations for him coming into this season after all he did as a rookie,&rdquo; said Cape Breton coach Mario Durocher. &ldquo;He put too much pressure on himself at the start. I just asked him to relax a bit.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got many of the same qualities as Marc-Andre Fleury; good legs, he&rsquo;s fast and likes to challenge opponents. He&rsquo;s always near the top in fitness testing. He needs to work on the mental aspect of the game, but he&rsquo;s only 17.&rdquo;</p><p>Fleury is a former Cape Breton goaltender who was selected first overall by Pittsburgh in 2003.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve met him a couple of times,&rdquo; Roy said of Fleury. &ldquo;Hopefully if I keep improving, I can have as successful a career.&rdquo;</p><p>Roy made 69 saves in a 3-2 quadruple-overtime win over the Quebec Remparts in this year&rsquo;s playoffs, the fourth-longest game in league history. He was also among the four goalies at Canada&rsquo;s national under-18 team camp last summer.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s super quick,&rdquo; said Frantz Bergevin-Jean, an instructor at the camp. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a huge competitor and wins big games. He&rsquo;s a good puck tracker, his athleticism is definitely a big asset.</p><p>&ldquo;He needs to control his game a little more when the play is down low, the short passing plays and short rebound situations. I think it&rsquo;s just a question of gaining experience.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s something Roy can expect in the coming years.</p><p>&ndash; NEIL HODGE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03397/9235516-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="765" height="1009"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MIKE SULLIVAN)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05256/9235509-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="354" height="191"></div><h2><b>Olivier Roy</b></h2><p>Cape Breton</p><p>Screaming Eagles</p><p>Ht. 6-0</p><p>Wt. 167</p><p>Pos. G</p><p>Age 17</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06211/9235502-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="363" height="79"></div><h2><b>Draft Status</b></h2><p>Ranked as the No. 2</p><p>goaltender for the 2009 draft by ISS.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07181/9235495-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="135" height="103"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b></p><p><b>7</b></p><p>Roy&rsquo;s regular season shutout total in two years with Cape Breton</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01710/9235488-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="276" height="155"></div><h2><b>Broncos will buck a trend</b></h2><p>Dean Chynoweth will not be among the league&rsquo;s coaching casualties this year. Swift Current&rsquo;s board of directors decided after their team&rsquo;s first round playoff exit to pick up the one-year option on Chynoweth&rsquo;s contract, meaning he&rsquo;ll be back for a sixth season. &ldquo;Everybody would like long-term security, but the reality is that doesn&rsquo;t always happen,&rdquo; said Chynoweth, 40, who is also the team&rsquo;s GM. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a sport where you&rsquo;re judged by your successes or failures.&rdquo; The East&rsquo;s fourth seed, the Broncos won 42 regular season games before losing to the fifth-seeded Medicine Hat Tigers in seven games. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy to be able to continue what we&rsquo;re doing here,&rdquo; Chynoweth said.</p><p>&ndash;ROB VANSTONE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02480/9235481-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="332" height="103"></div><h2><b>MacQueen now king of Sting</b></h2><p>Sarnia coach Dave MacQueen didn&rsquo;t realize the friends he has in the league until he was also named GM of the Sting. The first call offering advice came from fellow GM Jeff Twohey in Peterborough, where MacQueen began his coaching career in 1993. But it was a long conversation with London assistant GM Jim McKellar that really impressed MacQueen; the Knights and Sting are the Hatfields and McCoys of the OHL. &ldquo;There are a lot of good people in our league,&rdquo; said MacQueen, who also received a three-year contract extension. &ldquo;The trades will be the easy part, because I know the players. The day-to-day things, like filing the 35-man protected list (will be new).&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash;JIM CRESSMAN</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04298/9235474-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="262" height="155"></div><h2><b>Parlaying picks a possibility</b></h2><p>Despite finishing in a tie for last overall, there&rsquo;s hope in Val d&rsquo;Or. The Foreurs won the draft lottery and now have the first, second and 13th picks in this June&rsquo;s draft. &ldquo;The draft is paramount to our success,&rdquo; said head scout Jacques Carriere. &ldquo;People say it&rsquo;s not a great draft this year, but at some point the best players in this group will be the top players in the league.&rdquo; With four players suiting up in the 2009 World Under-17 Championship, the Foreurs have a good young talent base, so trades are possible. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not etched in stone we&rsquo;re going to use all three first round picks,&rdquo; Carriere said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll listen to all trade offers. I&rsquo;m sure there will be clubs interested in these picks.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash;NEIL HODGE<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-03

Emergence of Olivier

<p><b>PATRICK WIERCIOCH</b> took an unusual route to being one of the top rookies in college hockey during the 2008-09 campaign.</p><p>He was all set to play a second year of Jr. A with Omaha of the United States League. Instead, the lanky 18-year-old defenseman from Maple Ridge, B.C., jumped levels.</p><p>He was also supposed to skate for Wisconsin, having committed to play there starting in 2009-10. Instead, he emerged as a star for another WCHA powerhouse, Denver, which finished as runner-up in the regular season and playoffs.</p><p>Despite the changes in plans, Wiercioch thrived. He finished second nationally in points per game for defensemen at 0.97 (12 goals and 35 points in 36 games) and was a WCHA all-rookie team member.</p><p>It&rsquo;s unusual to see a defenseman so young come to the college level and score double-figures in goals. Ironically, Wiercioch averaged two points per game in five outings against Wisconsin (4-6-10).</p><p>He also got better defensively as the season progressed, using his long reach and big body to his advantage. What stood out most was his decision-making with the puck and a heavy, accurate shot on the power play.</p><p>Wiercioch&rsquo;s plans began to change right around the time he was chosen 42nd overall by Ottawa in the 2008 draft. Senators officials had seen enough of Wiercioch in the USHL and wanted him playing at the next level as soon as possible.</p><p>&ldquo;They felt I might hamper my development,&rdquo; Wiercioch said.</p><p>That led to a call to Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves about accelerating the process for college, but with three freshmen defensemen already signed for this season, there were no roster spots or scholarship dollars available with the Badgers.</p><p>Wiercioch, listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, said he was prepared to pursue major junior options, but then something unusual happened. Denver, which also recruited Wiercioch, suddenly lost one of its incoming defensemen when David Carle was diagnosed with a heart condition and forced to give up playing. So Wiercioch contacted Denver coach George Gwozdecky and signed a letter of intent.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never been in a situation like what happened with David Carle and Patrick,&rdquo; Gwozdecky said. &ldquo;You go from feeling so bad for David and in almost the same breath (Wiercioch) surfaces.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash; ANDY BAGGOT</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03278/9235596-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="765" height="1009"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICH CLARKSON & ASSOCIATES/NCAA PHOTOS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05191/9235589-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="282" height="282"></div><h2><b>Patrick Wiercioch</b></h2><p>Denver Pioneers</p><p>Ht. 6-4</p><p>Wt. 185</p><p>Pos. D</p><p>Age 18</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06167/9235582-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="367" height="85"></div><h2><b>Draft Status</b></h2><p>Selected 42nd overall by Ottawa in 2008</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07150/9235575-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="172" height="97"></div><p><b>AND COUNTING</b></p><p><b>12</b></p><p>Wiercioch led all WCHA defensemen in goals as a freshman</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01612/9235568-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="288" height="107"></div><h2><b>Making amends for early ouster</b></h2><p>Knocked out in Round 2 of the CCHA playoffs, Miami (Ohio) was such an underdog at the NCAA West Regional no reporters attended the team&rsquo;s press conference before its first game. But the RedHawks shocked top-seeded Denver 4-2 and then nipped Minnesota-Duluth 2-1 to make the first Frozen Four in their 31-year history. &ldquo;Nobody &ndash; and I mean nobody &ndash; gave us a chance to even be close to being in the national tournament with four freshmen defensemen and two freshmen goalies,&rdquo; said Miami coach Enrico Blasi. &ldquo;This is a special time for our school.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash;PHILIP COLVIN</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02376/9235561-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="318" height="143"></div><h2><b>Catamount a catalyst</b></h2><p>Junior Viktor Stalberg led the University of Vermont in scoring with 24 goals and 45 points in 38 games, as the team made its first trip to the Frozen Four since 1996. A sixth round choice of Toronto in 2006, the 6-foot-3, 206-pound left winger was one of 10 Hobey Baker Award finalists this season. He got stronger this year without losing his speed, which has &ldquo;allowed him to play in tight areas as well as be a threat at top speed in the open ice,&rdquo; said coach Kevin Sneddon. Added Stalberg: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m more poised with the puck. I&rsquo;m not waiting for the perfect shot.&rdquo;</p><p>&ndash;LARRY MAHONEY</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04222/9235554-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="324" height="101"></div><h2><b>A milestone to forget</b></h2><p>The ECAC hasn&rsquo;t produced a Hobey Baker Award winner since 1989, the last being Harvard center Lane MacDonald. That was also the league&rsquo;s last national-title year; MacDonald&rsquo;s Crimson bested Minnesota 4-3 in overtime. Since the Hobey Baker was first awarded in 1981, the ECAC has had three winners, all from Harvard: MacDonald and the brothers Fusco &ndash; Scott in 1983 and Mark in 1986. This season, the league had two players among the 10 finalists &ndash; Colgate junior center David McIntyre and Princeton junior goalie Zane Kalemba.</p><p>&ndash;TOM BOGGIE</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-08112/9235547-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="389" height="85"></div><h2><b>Bulldogs bullish at tournament</b></h2><p>The WCHA&rsquo;s 36 national championships since 1952 are more than any other league, but it didn&rsquo;t have a team in the Frozen Four for the first time in 10 years. Regular season champion North Dakota and playoff winner Minnesota-Duluth failed to advance out of regional play along with Denver, but Duluth became the first team since the WCHA Final Five was created to win three games in three days to claim the playoff title. Behind the work of standout junior goaltender Alex Stalock, the Bulldogs knocked off Minnesota, North Dakota and Denver.</p><p>&ndash;ANDY BAGGOT<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-03

Denver D-man by default

<div class="byline">by Nicolas Chabot</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01515/9235714-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRIERE: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>It ain&rsquo;t over until it&rsquo;s over</b></h2><p><b>THERE&rsquo;S ONLY ONE STATISTIC</b> that counts in the playoffs: wins. But there are other interesting ones often overlooked.</p><p>Only two teams have won a series coming back from a 0-3 deficit in games &ndash; Toronto in the 1942 Stanley Cup final against Detroit and the New York Islanders in a 1975 quarterfinal against Pittsburgh &ndash; but 20 squads have come back after falling behind 1-3 in a series, proving there&rsquo;s always hope.</p><p>Columbus is making its first-ever playoff appearance, but Chicago has the most players making their playoff debuts.</p><p>And if you think uber-experienced Detroit (the leader by 500-plus man-games played in the post-season) is destined for the second round, don&rsquo;t be so sure. Since 1994, second seeds have just a .500 record in opening round series, proving anything can happen once the puck drops.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01485/9235707-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="2312" height="845"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Can&rsquo;t get enough numbers? Visit our online &lsquo;Stats&rsquo; section every day at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

Inside the Numbers

<div class="byline">BY GUY FLAMING</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01351/9235745-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ELIOT J. SCHECHTER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>CHALLENGES ARE LIFE&rsquo;S WAY of forcing people to become better. Kenndal McArdle knows that.</p><p>The native of Burnaby, B.C., had a successful WHL career that included a Memorial Cup in 2007 after he was traded from the Moose Jaw Warriors to the Vancouver Giants. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the World Junior Championship that same season. In his draft year, McArdle played in the CHL Top Prospects Game in Vancouver and responded with a pair of goals in front of friends and family.</p><p>The Florida Panthers liked what they saw and added him to their organization by using the 20th overall pick in the 2005 draft. While he&rsquo;s had some struggles making &lsquo;The Show,&rsquo; McArdle did see his first three games of NHL action in 2008-09.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>How I talk has nothing to do with what goes on in my mind</b></blockquote><p>Life away from the rink, however, hasn&rsquo;t always been so fun. His parents split up when he was just four and McArdle moved with his mom, Leilani, from Toronto to Vancouver. Covering hockey expenses as a single parent was tough, so equipment was often second-hand or borrowed. McArdle also is from a diverse ethnic background, though he said it wasn&rsquo;t much of an issue growing up in a multicultural center such as Vancouver.</p><p>&ldquo;I am of mixed race, I&rsquo;m half Caucasian and half black,&rdquo; McArdle said. &ldquo;Other than a few very scarce comments here and there, I&rsquo;ve actually been very fortunate not to have (experienced racism). I&rsquo;ve never really been the one who anyone has really tried it on. I think I grew up in the right environment in Vancouver and I&rsquo;ve been pretty fortunate throughout my life, especially as a hockey player.&rdquo;</p><p>What has been a hurdle for McArdle, however, is overcoming a speech impediment.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had my stutter ever since I can remember, it&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve just had to learn how to deal with,&rdquo; McArdle said. &ldquo;People have been really respectful in the hockey community and throughout my life.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s not to say he doesn&rsquo;t deal with misconceptions.</p><p>&ldquo;When people first meet me their impression changes&hellip;they might think maybe I&rsquo;m not as intelligent,&rdquo; McArdle said. &ldquo;Obviously the way I talk has nothing to do with what goes on in my mind or how I view the world.&rdquo;</p><p>Calgary Flames center Dustin Boyd spent three seasons as McArdle&rsquo;s road roommate with the Warriors.</p><p>&ldquo;When I first met him I didn&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; Boyd said. &ldquo;He tries really hard sometimes to spit the words out, but you just have to be patient when you talk to him, sometimes fill in the words here and there, but you know exactly what he&rsquo;s talking about. After playing with him for four or five years it becomes second nature and you know what he&rsquo;s thinking.&rdquo;</p><p>Gilbert Brule was the sixth overall pick in the same 2005 draft in which Florida nabbed McArdle. The two have been friends since they met as 10-year-olds in Burnaby and still often train together during summers.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough for him to deal with at times in different situations,&rdquo; said Brule, now part of the Oilers organization after being drafted by Columbus. &ldquo;When he gets nervous it gets (more noticeable), but I think he&rsquo;s getting a lot better because when he was younger it was a lot worse than it is now.&rdquo;</p><p>McArdle said he&rsquo;s tried to master the impediment in the past, but now accepts it as just another one of life&rsquo;s challenges.</p><p>&ldquo;I took some classes when I was a young kid,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think confidence has a lot to do with it, you can&rsquo;t let it control you and if you&rsquo;re less nervous the less you&rsquo;re going to stutter. I try to relax and basically let people know me for who I am. It&rsquo;s not something I dwell on that much.&rdquo;</p><p>Dealing with the media can trigger it, but McArdle the player and the leader aren&rsquo;t affected at all.</p><p>&ldquo;The more comfortable I am with someone the less it will happen, with my mom or with my girlfriend I would very rarely stutter, if at all,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In the room with a team I do talk a lot more because I&rsquo;m around guys who I&rsquo;m more comfortable with and so the pressure is a lot less.&rdquo;</p><p>In the big picture, McArdle believes his speech disorder presented him with more trials than being of mixed race.</p><p>&ldquo;Yeah, I probably have had more problems with that than my race, but it&rsquo;s not that people have really made fun of me or things like that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Obviously as a kid you get teased here and there, but it hasn&rsquo;t been something that I&rsquo;ve let hinder me and I&rsquo;ve learned to cope with it. I&rsquo;ve been very fortunate that everyone has gotten to know me for who I am and not see me as black or that I&rsquo;m only a black hockey player or only someone who has a speech impediment. I&rsquo;m just me, I&rsquo;m Kenndal McArdle.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

McArdle’s hurdle

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02225/9235783-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01314/9235790-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="155" height="155"></div><p>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 A natural hat ___ is three goals in succession by a player</p><p>8 State that got NHL hockey in 1995</p><p>9 Tally</p><p>10 He&rsquo;s on defense in San Jose, pictured</p><p>11 Joint susceptible to injury</p><p>14 Engaging in physical play, ___ the body</p><p>15 Wayne Gretzky used this make of stick</p><p>20 Hits with one&rsquo;s stick</p><p>21 Igor ___ entered the Hall in 2008</p><p>22 Ottawa&rsquo;s Heatley and namesakes</p><p>23 Goalie drafted first overall in 2000</p><p>24 One who shows you to your seat</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>2 He was picked first in 2002</p><p>3 Where Cam Ward tends net</p><p>4 A defunct Toronto team (in the old WHA)</p><p>5 One of the Hulls</p><p>6 Jaroslav ___ is backup goalie in Montreal</p><p>7 Paul Kariya was a ___ Baker Award winner</p><p>12 He&rsquo;s still the most penalized player in NHL history</p><p>13 He won a Cup with Tampa, is now a Shark</p><p>16 Metal runner of a skate</p><p>17 Sends sprawling</p><p>18 Legendary Leafs netminder Johnny ___</p><p>19 Dickie or Dominic ___</p><p>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS 1. STAAL, 8. SYRACUSE, 9. SMITH, 10. OLYMPICS, 11. MATCH, 14. BAKER, 15. MARUK, 20. MINOR, 21. ORIGINAL, 22. HOMER, 23. CAM NEELY, 24. WAYNE DOWN 2. TAMPA BAY, 3. ATTACKER, 4. CYCLE, 5. FARMS, 6. MUSIC, 7. NEWSY, 12. MANITOBA, 13. EUROPEAN, 16. COACH, 17. JIMMY, 18. RIVET, 19. FALLS</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03166/9235776-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="1737" height="841"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0049-02

CROSSWORD

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02204/9235859-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Goalies Kelly Hrudey and John Vanbiesbrouck knew all about the Isles-Rangers rivalry.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01297/9235866-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="103" height="122"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HIS WAS THE SCENE</b> in the San Jose Sharks&rsquo; dressing room in late March: Jeremy Roenick, that lovable chatterbox, was at his stall, reporters congregating around him as usual. Before a question could be tossed his way, J.R. began a soliloquy, unsolicited &ndash; always a good thing for members of the Fourth Estate. It had to do with a fight that his teammate Brad Staubitz had with the Nashville&rsquo;s Jordin Tootoo, in which the Predators were so upset at the pummeling of Tootoo that they contacted the NHL to complain alleging Staubitz used a mixed martial arts technique in the beating.</p><p>Roenick was in usual fine form: &ldquo;Staubitz is as clean a fighter as there is. If you would have seen his knuckles after that fight, you would have known that his elbows weren&rsquo;t up. Just because Tootoo got a beating from Staubitz, don&rsquo;t try to take it away from the kid. I can&rsquo;t believe that conversation is going on &ndash; that he&rsquo;s throwing elbows in an NHL fight. It&rsquo;s ridiculous.&rdquo;</p><p>Roenick stopped, smiled, looked up and then added: &ldquo;Anything else?&rdquo;</p><p>Yes, lots, but let&rsquo;s begin by dissecting Roenick&rsquo;s rant and the reason for it. At the time he spoke, the Sharks were holding down top spot in the Western Conference and looked as if they could face the Predators in the opening round for the third time in four years &ndash; a mostly unprecedented development under the current playoff format.</p><p>Nominally, there would be little real passion in a rivalry between two teams that a) play in different divisions and b) are separated geographically by two time zones and thousands of miles. The fact there is something between them can only be explained one way: the familiarity of playoffs past has bred a delicious contempt between the two teams.</p><p>Not many people lament the passage of the Original 21 era, but it did have one thing to recommend itself. For most of a decade and a half, the league adhered to a divisional playoff system.</p><p>Every year, it seemed, the Rangers faced the Islanders or Boston played Montreal. Chicago ran into St. Louis and Calgary would tangle with Edmonton. These were wars, pure and simple, and everyone could get caught up in a series of legitimate rivalries that began in the respective dressing rooms and radiated heat outward.</p><p>&ldquo;At the time I played for the Rangers, we were the two best teams in the division so we knew we were going to meet the Islanders every year,&rdquo; said former NHLer Mike Rogers, a Blueshirt for the first half of the &rsquo;80s. &ldquo;That was your Stanley Cup. That was what you looked at. It wasn&rsquo;t, &lsquo;Who do you play in the first round?&rsquo; it was, &lsquo;OK, when do we play the Islanders &ndash; and how are we going to beat them?&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t just the players, either. It was how the cities got involved and the fans. I remember one game, in Madison Square Garden, the Islanders beat us there in a sixth game when we were up 3-2 and we were asked, as players, to go out to their bus and tell our fans to stop rocking it as they were leaving. The police couldn&rsquo;t get them under control; it took the players to do it. That was just completely scary, but that was how intense the rivalry was.</p><p>&ldquo;I know the Battle of Alberta was like that then, too. There was actual hatred between the teams. It&rsquo;s just not like that anymore.&rdquo;</p><p>What the NHL tried to do out of the lockout to accentuate rivalries &ndash; increase divisional play from six games to eight &ndash; doesn&rsquo;t have the same effect as a best-of-seven playoff series.</p><p>&ldquo;My first playoff game for the Rangers, before and after, sitting in that dressing room, I couldn&rsquo;t believe something could be that intense,&rdquo; Rogers said. &ldquo;We were a loosey-goosey team for the most part, but there was just dead silence in the room, almost as if there was a level of fear there.&rdquo;</p><p>But that intensity can be muted, even among rivals like Calgary and Edmonton, who have now gone 18 years without a post-season scrap.</p><p>In the end, there is lots to like about the new NHL, but if they could turn the clock back on one rule change, that should be it. Scrap the six divisions; go back to four, and oblige each team, every year, to play their way out of their own division before crossing over for conference championships and then the Stanley Cup final.</p><p>As good as the playoffs are now, imagine what they&rsquo;d be like if you merged today&rsquo;s talent with yesterday&rsquo;s intensity levels. Ivan Lendl, the former tennis star, once told me the greatest hockey he&rsquo;d ever seen, beyond Canada Cups, was a mid-1980s Smythe Division final between Calgary and Edmonton. He was watching in Greenwich, Conn., glued to his TV in the wee hours of the morning.</p><p>For NHL growth to occur in the foreseeable future, it&rsquo;s an option that should be considered &ndash; an idea whose time has come and gone and now, maybe needs to return once again.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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April 27, 2009

Hardcore Hockey

AND SO IT BEGINS

Starting from 5

JERSEY Hound