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Chimp Bytes General NHL News and Notes by Zippy the Wonder Chimp and Friends
No More Pumper-Nicholls For Broadway Bernie Bernie Nicholls was apparantly forced to retire on November 23, 1998. You get the feeling he didn't really want to though. "I don't know what to say," Nicholls told the San Francisco Chronicle. "They've announced I'm done playing here. ... I don't know what I should do. It doesn't make any sense. I don't know how to answer any questions. I never expected it to be this way -- you kind of want to go out on your terms." The San Jose Sharks was pressured into retirement by San Jose Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi as he made it clear to Nicholls that there was no room for him on the team. "I don't like having to trade players, or deal with contract holdouts. But for me to tell a future Hall of Famer that you recommend this ... I spent the last 48 hours agonizing over it," Lombardi told the San Jose Mercury News. One would assume Lombardi made every attempt to find Nicholls a home somewhere in the NHL, but there were apparantly no takers. Bernie Nicholls retires with 475 goals and 734 assists for 1,209 points in 1,127 games with Los Angeles, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.. At the time of his retirement, Nicholls ranked 32nd on both the all-time goals and assists lists, is 26th all-time in points. The three time all star was one of the NHL's best kept secrets for much of the 1980s as he played in relative anonymity in Los Angeles until Wayne Gretzky's arrival. After 5 consecutive 30+ goal seasons, Bernie, who celebrated goals with his patented arm-pumping "Pumper-Nicholl," teamed with the Great One to score 70 goals in 1988-89, as well as 150 points. He is one of just eight players in league history to score 70 goals in a season. He was on a torrid pace the following season as well but the Kings felt it was necessary to trade their long time playboy to add more depth now that Gretzky had arrived. He was sent to New York in exchange for Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato on January 20, 1990. Though he had over a point a game in New York and became popular with the fans (they nicknamed him Broadway Bernie), he was quickly sacrificed in one of the NHL's biggest and most influential trades. The Rangers sent Broadway Bernie along with youngsters Steven Rice and Louie Debrusk to Edmonton in exchange for their Messiah - Mark Messier. After one exciting playoff with Edmonton, Nicholls had lost a step in his game and become more of a playmaker relying on his reputation of past glories. Nicholls was soon moved to New Jersey for Kevin Todd and Zdeno Ciger. Nicholls unfortunately didn't fit into coach Jacques Lemaire's defensive trap system, so they let Nicholls sign with Chicago as a free agent. After two years he move to San Jose via free agency, signing a one year contract. Nicholls re-signed with Sharks in the summer of 1998 but by November they told him he was not in their plans any longer. If you enjoy to read about past and present NHL Stars, be sure to visit Joe's LCS Hockey area title "Hockey Over Time"... where hockey memories never die. HULL SUES FOR MISQUOTED COMMENTS Former hockey star Bobby Hull has filed a lawsuit against a Moscow newspaper and the Toronto Sun for stories that quoted Hull making racial slurs and praising Adolf Hitler. The suit was filed Friday in Hull's hometown. On Aug. 25, the English-language Moscow Times quoted Hull as saying "Hitler had some good ideas, he just went a little bit too far." The story also said Hull made remarks about the black population in the United States and suggested the Nazis' plan to build a master race was not entirely flawed. The Toronto Sun picked up on the story the following day with the headline "Hockey Legend Shoots Off Mouth." "He's suing for libel and slander, he's suing for malicious and injurious falsehood. He's also claiming for punitive damages," Hull's lawyer, Tim Danson, said Friday in Toronto. NHL ALL-STAR VOTING The following are the players listed on the World All-Star ballot for the NHL All-Star Game that will be played against the North American All-Star team on January 24th in Tampa Bay: Centers Player Country NHL Club Sergei Fedorov Russia Detroit Peter Forsberg Sweden Colorado Bobby Holik Czech Rep. New Jersey Saku Koivu Finland Montreal Viktor Kozlov Russia Florida Igor Larionov Russia Detroit Robert Reichel Czech Rep. NY Islanders Martin Straka Czech Rep. Pittsburgh Jozef Stumpel Slovakia Los Angeles Marco Sturm Germany San Jose Mats Sundin Sweden Toronto Petr Sykora Czech Rep. New Jersey Alexei Yashin Russia Ottawa Alexei Zhamnov Russia Chicago Wingers Player Country NHL Club Daniel Alfredsson Sweden Ottawa Peter Bondra Slovakia Washington Pavel Bure Russia Vancouver Valeri Bure Russia Calgary Jaromir Jagr Czech Rep. Pittsburgh Valeri Kamensky Russia Colorado Sami Kapanen Finland Carolina Dimitri Khristich Ukraine Boston Alexei Kovalev Russia NY Rangers Sergei Krivokrasov Russia Nashville Jere Lehtinen Finland Dallas Alexander Mogilny Russia Vancouver Zigmund Palffy Slovakia NY Islanders Mikael Renberg Sweden Tampa Bay Martin Rucinsky Czech Rep. Montreal Sergei Samsonov Russia Boston Teemu Selanne Finland Anaheim Niklas Sundstrom Sweden NY Rangers Defensemen Player Country NHL Club Sergei Gonchar Russia Washington Roman Hamrlik Czech Rep. Edmonton Kenny Jonsson Sweden NY Islanders Darius Kasparaitis Russia Pittsburgh Uwe Krupp Germany Detroit Nicklas Lidstrom Sweden Detroit Boris Mironov Russia Edmonton Teppo Numminen Finland Phoenix Mattias Ohlund Sweden Vancouver Sandis Ozolinsh Latvia Colorado Robert Svehla Slovakia Florida Oleg Tverdovsky Russia Phoenix Alexei Zhitnik Russia Buffalo Sergei Zubov Russia Dallas Goaltenders Player Country NHL Club Dominik Hasek Czech Rep. Buffalo Arturs Irbe Latvia Carolina Nikolai Khabibulin Russia Phoenix Olaf Kolzig Germany Washington Tommy Salo Sweden NY Islanders Mikhail Shtalenkov Russia Edmonton The following are the players listed on the North American All-Star ballot for the NHL All-Star Game that will be played against the World All-Star team on January 24th in Tampa Bay: Centers Player Country NHL Club Jason Allison Canada Boston Ron Francis Canada Carolina Doug Gilmour Canada Chicago Wayne Gretzky Canada NY Rangers Eric Lindros Canada Philadelphia Mark Messier Canada Vancouver Mike Modano U.S. Dallas Joe Nieuwendyk Canada Dallas Adam Oates Canada Washington Michael Peca Canada Buffalo Keith Primeau Canada Carolina Jeremy Roenick U.S. Phoenix Joe Sakic Canada Colorado Pierre Turgeon Canada St. Louis Doug Weight U.S. Edmonton Steve Yzerman Canada Detroit Wingers Player Country NHL Club Tony Amonte U.S. Chicago Rod Brind'Amour Canada Philadelphia Shayne Corson Canada Montreal Adam Deadmarsh U.S. Colorado Theoren Fleury Canada Calgary Jeff Friesen Canada San Jose Bill Guerin U.S. Edmonton Brett Hull U.S. Dallas Paul Kariya Canada Anaheim John LeClair U.S. Philadelphia Owen Nolan Canada San Jose Mark Recchi Canada Montreal Brendan Shanahan Canada Detroit Keith Tkachuk U.S. Phoenix Pat Verbeek Canada Dallas Ray Whitney Canada Florida Rob Zamuner Canada Tampa Bay Defensemen Player Country NHL Club Rob Blake Canada Los Angeles Ray Bourque Canada Boston Chris Chelios U.S. Chicago Eric Desjardins Canada Philadelphia Steve Duchesne Canada Los Angeles Derian Hatcher U.S. Dallas Kevin Hatcher U.S. Pittsburgh Brian Leetch U.S. NY Rangers Al MacInnis Canada St. Louis Larry Murphy Canada Detroit Scott Niedermayer Canada New Jersey Chris Pronger Canada St. Louis Scott Stevens Canada New Jersey Darryl Sydor Canada Dallas Goaltenders Player Country NHL Club Tom Barrasso U.S. Pittsburgh Ed Belfour Canada Dallas Martin Brodeur Canada New Jersey Curtis Joseph Canada Toronto Chris Osgood Canada Detroit Mike Richter U.S. NY Rangers Patrick Roy Canada Colorado John Vanbiesbrouck U.S. Philadelphia Vote for your favorite All-Stars at your local NHL arena or at www.nhl.com.
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