First came the retirement of Mario Lemieux, an icon in the Steel City, a man who saved ice hockey in Pittsburgh.
A year later, Pittsburgh Penguins fans have to deal with another key loss for their hockey team. Ron Francis, the heart and soul of the Penguin franchise since his arrival from Hartford in 1991, the man used his leadership and skill to power the Pens to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in his first two years on the team, is gone.
For the first, and perhaps last, time in his career, Francis used his leverage as one of the games greatest centermen at the bargaining table. Instead of signing with Pittsburgh for less money, the unrestricted free agent chose to test the free agent waters and ended up in the land of the former Whale -- Carolina.
But no one can fault Francis for brushing aside team loyalty for more money. Francis has been the epitome of team player ever since he joined the league 17 seasons ago. He never complained about a contract. He never held out for more money. He just showed up every season and did what he was supposed to do - play offense, defense and be the best leader that he could be.
Many thought Francis would put loyalty ahead of money once again this year and re-sign with the Pens. But Francis finally realized that his loyalty to the Pens and 50 cents would get him a bag of chips. Had the Penguins really been appreciative of Francis' service, they would have reworked his deal long before he could have possibly left town. Francis didn't get a reasonable offer, so he took his services elsewhere.
The Carolina Hurricanes, who rolled the dice last season in an attempt to sign Sergei Fedorov to an offer sheet but lost out to the Red Wings, made no mistake this time around. The former Hartford franchise signed its long-time captain and leader in all offensive categories to a four-year, $20.8 million deal that will not only make the Hurricanes a stronger team on the ice, but will hopefully fill some seats in the team's new arena, as well.
The addition of Francis was just one of a number of steps the Canes made in an attempt to improve their position in the East. Carolina signed high-flying defenseman Al Iafrate to a contract. Unfortunately, Planet Al was forced to retire due to nagging injuries before he even pulled on a red-and-white jersey. Iafrate would have been a great fit with the Canes, especially on the power play.
Hurricane management also tried to keep the nucleus of the existing team intact by signing defensemen Glen Wesley, Sean Hill and Curtis Leschyshyn to new deals. Combine the addition of Francis, the return of an important core group of players and the promise of young talent like Trevor Kidd and the Hurricanes look like a lock for the playoffs.
Keeping intact a team that didn't make the playoffs the year before doesn't sound like a great move. But despite the postseason shutout, the Hurricanes have a solid foundation to build upon. The first addition on to that foundation was Francis.
Last season the Canes were led offensively by Big Keith Primeau, who kicked his game up a couple notches late in the season in an attempt to make the playoffs. Primeau finally lived up to a lot of the hype given to him in his early years in Detroit, as he scored 63 points in 81 games.
More than statistics, however, Primeau showed how much he has matured in the leadership department. He took control of the Canes during the stretch run and showed the heart and courage that had been missing from the franchise since a guy named Francis during the Whaler era.
The addition of Francis to the center position should only help Primeau develop further into a complete player. Francis has a knack for taking a guy who has plenty of talent but is rough around the edges and turning him into a great player. Jaromir Jagr is the best example of that. Primeau could turn out to be another.
Francis won't just do wonders for Primeau. His addition will help the entire offense. Francis and Primeau give the Canes a great 1-2 punch up the middle, followed by an enigma named Jeff O'Neill who could also benefit from the arrival of Francis.
The trio of centers will have a lot of guys to chose from as linemates, including LCS heroes Sami Kapanen and Gary Roberts, a couple solid goal-scorers in Ray Sheppard and Martin Gelinas and some speedsters like Robert Kron and Nelson Emerson. Francis isn't the fastest player in the league. Instead of using speed, he plays smart and has good positioning. He also relies on his teammates to help him out. Francis can pass with the best of them, so if he finds a streaking winger, that guy better know how to find the back of the net. Roberts has scored 50 in a campaign. The rest of the wingers mentioned above have all scored at least 30 goals in one season. They'll be counted on to do that again this year.
As for Francis, in all likelihood he won't be able to match the numbers (87 points in 81 games) he put up last season in Pittsburgh. He doesn't have Jagr to pass to, he won't get as much playing time because Primeau is another capable center and, at 35 years of age, Francis has slowed down some over the years.
But what he has lost skill-wise, Francis has more than made up for in leadership. And that could be his biggest contribution to the Hurricanes. The Canes need a leader. They need someone to take charge when things aren't going right. Francis is the man to do it.
The people of Pittsburgh know all too well how important Ron Francis was to their franchise. The Penguins were nothing before Francis came to town and they'll be nothing now that he's gone.
Now it will be the fans down south, at least those who show up at the games, who will get to see the valuable presence that Francis can bring to a team.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Hockey 101: Nashville's crash course with the NHL ---------------------------------------------------------------- by Jeff Middleton, Nashville Correspondent A learning experience, that's what we'll call it.
Something like that, anyway.
Mr. Bettman, this is Music City. Music City, this is Mr. Bettman. Oh, and these are his friends, the NHL.
Once you get past the introductions, it's time to get down to business. This is a puck. This is the goal. This is the crease. This is icing. Sure it doesn't look like "Keith Ka-chuk," but the T is silent...really. No, they will not let you drive the Zamboni. Yes, that thing is called the Zamboni. And so on and so on...
Welcome to the world of hockey in Tennessee.
Ever since the New Jersey Devils teased this city with threats of relocation after their Stanley Cup win in 1995, Nashville has been drooling over the idea of an NHL hockey team settling here. Okay, "drooling" may be pushing it, but that courtship did put Nashville on the map of major professional sports. The Tennessee Oilers have since made their way East and are awaiting the completion of a brand new stadium in which to play, but obviously a more significant event was the NHL awarding Nashville its first brand new major professional league sports franchise on June 25, 1997.
The obvious question on everyone's mind was how Nashvillians would respond to this new sport. Professional hockey has actually been played in the city for years, but the Central Hockey League is a far cry from the NHL. Franchises like the Knights, Nighthawks and Ice Flyers have relocated or gone bankrupt trying to find an audience in Nashville, so there was no evidence that a hungry, hockey starved fan base was waiting to scoop up the tickets needed to meet the requirements for final approval of the team.
In order to create a product that would be appealing to fans, owner Craig Leipold needed to find upper management with not only the experience and energy to put together a winning team, but also the desire and drive to sell the South on the sport of hockey. Within six weeks, Leipold had hired Jack Diller (former President of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and VP with the New York Knicks and Rangers), David Poile (former General Manager of the Washington Capitals), and first-year NHL head coach Barry Trotz (former head coach of the AHL champion Portland Pirates).
In the meantime, pressing issues were facing the fans. What will the nickname be? What will the logo look like? What will we do if their colors are blood red and powder blue?
Unlike Bud Adams and his Oilers, Leipold decided that the fans would have the chance to vote on the team's nickname, as long as they didn't pick anything stupid. The Nashville Rednecks and Tennessee Tuxedos were thrown out after little debate, and four names were left in the mix -- the Ice Tigers, the Fury, the Attack and the Predators. To help out a little, the team's colors and logo were revealed. Attempting to appeal to Nashvillians, the team's main colors of blue and yellow are accented with the orange of University of Tennessee and the gold of Vanderbilt University, which is located in Nashville.
Contrary to popular belief, the logo does not show a tiger with some sort of genetic tooth defect, but is actually the extinct saber-toothed tiger, a prehistoric native of Nashville. In 1971, excavation of a site downtown uncovered a nine-inch fang and foreleg dating back to the last ice age that hit Nashville -- 15,000 to 80,000 years ago. Using the slogan "Return to the Ice Age," Nashville's hockey team, officially named the Predators, set off to sell some tickets.
An amazing 14,000 season tickets later, a majority sold to individuals rather than corporations, Predators fans have been through a lot -- the first trip for the Stanley Cup to Nashville, the first Predator (Marian Cisar, for all you trivia buffs), the first franchise player (David Legwand), and the first captain (Tom Fitzgerald).
What remains to be seen is how the city as a whole embraces hockey. It is clearly a feeling out period for both the hockey aficionados as well as the hockey illiterate. So used to spending gobs of time worried about SEC football and whether the Vols would beat the Gators this year (which they did on Saturday), most Nashvillians have still not been exposed to hockey.
The first full team scrimmage was open to the public last week, and over 2,000 people showed up to watch. Rules were announced over the public address system to explain why play had stopped (icing, offsides, etc.) as most of the hesitant crowd reacted slowly to the action. For anyone who is used to the rivalries between the Devils and Rangers or the Avalanche and Red Wings, it would have seemed like the crowd didn't get it, but some of it was probably a little bit of Southern Hospitality...folks didn't want to distract the team, you know! As the game loosened up, however, so did the crowd. A second period fight and some scrumming at the end of the 1-1 tie were more than enough to pick up the energy levels of everyone at the arena.
But was it enough? For the many displaced NHL fans who now live in Nashville it was a relief. No more CHL, it's time for the real thing. But for the folks who travel three hours every other Saturday to Knoxville for college football or the PSL holder at the Oilers' new home, the jury is still out. Local sports talk radio shows and nightly news sports anchors still spend the majority of time talking college football, and have not yet dedicated significant portions of shows to the Predators.
This is a symptom of the fairly universal problem in Nashville's general media -- nobody ever had to learn about hockey, so they didn't! Now that the pros are coming, sportscasters are asked to report on the progress of Krivokrasov and Shtalenkov, as well as interview Bordeleau and Kjellberg. Definitely a learning process. Fans who have never had anything but college sports and NASCAR are trying to understand this foreign game. Definitely a learning process. Even some the players are trying to fit into this country music community, a few even forming a band. DEFINITELY a learning process.
All learning processes take time, and this one will be no different. The test of whether hockey will sell in Nashville has been answered by record season ticket sales. The test of whether new fans in Tennessee will love the sport as much as the folks in Toronto or Montreal or Boston has yet to start. The best way to learn something, it has been said, is to do it. Participation in hockey is skyrocketing among both kids and adults in Nashville, and the Predators have played no small part in creating the interest. But lots of people play slo-pitch softball, while ESPN2 consistently chooses to rebroadcast the World's Strongest Man Competition from 1982.
It has always been said that in order to appreciate hockey you must see it in person. The success of hockey in Nashville now depends on people who have never watched hockey coming out to see the game.
If you build it, they will come. Well, they built it. And when they come, the Predators are hoping that they will never leave.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Blues seeing Stars after Hull signing ---------------------------------------------------------------- by Tom Cooper, St. Louis Correspondent It's the end of an era in the Gateway City.
When the St. Louis Blues lost to the Detroit Red Wings 6-1 in the sixth and final game of their Western Conference semifinal series this past May, many supporters of the Bluenotes feared what eventually was inevitable: that game would be the final one with Brett Hull wearing the St. Louis blue and yellow.
The inevitable happened July 3, when the free agent right winger signed a three-year, $17 million deal with the Dallas Stars.
Gone is a man who scored 527 goals for St. Louis. Gone is the loudest voice from the clubhouse. Gone is a sports icon for an entire city.
Gone is Brett Hull.
But Hull's departure seemed to be written on the walls of the Kiel Center even before the third of July.
September 1997 - Brett Hull and agent Mike Barnett break off
talks with Blues management to concentrate on the upcoming season.
March 18, 1998 - National Hockey League deadline for all
trades. Goaltender Grant Fuhr signs a three-year deal with a
no-trade clause. Brett Hull turns down a three-year, $15 million
contract because of its lack of a no-trade clause.
May 14, 1998 - St. Louis loses Game 4 of its Western
Conference semifinal series against Detroit, 5-2, in the Kiel
Center. Before the game ends, restless fans start to boo Brett
Hull.
May 19, 1998 - St. Louis eliminated from the 1998 Stanley Cup
Playoffs with a 6-1 loss against Detroit (Detroit wins four games to
two).
June 12, 1998 - St. Louis signs free agent-to-be Al MacInnis
to a three-year, $15 million contract. The contract includes a
no-trade clause.
June 30, 1998 - Blues' General Manager Larry Pleau telephones
Brett Hull to tell him that his services are no longer needed with
the Blues.
July 1, 1998 - Brett Hull becomes an unrestricted free agent
at 12:01 a.m.
July 3, 1998 - Brett Hull signs a three-year, $17 million
deal with the Dallas Stars.
Although Hull was the cornerstone of the franchise, his disputes with coaches and management have been well documented over the past four seasons. Over the first two years, Hull and then head coach Mike Keenan butted heads on a regular basis, with more rumors of trades for Hull flying around than moths around a porch light. Once Keenan was canned, Hull's newest nemesis was Blues' management, especially during the 1997-1998 season.
But the kicker came when Al MacInnis signed his multi-year contract, the same exact contract Hull wanted. But what made the situation worse was Pleau's comments on the importance of MacInnis.
"To a man, everyone within our hockey department agrees that Al MacInnis is our most valuable player," Pleau said. "He proved it down the stretch in March and April, and he proved it in the playoffs. Al raises the level of play of his teammates and is a genuine leader.
"Our No. 1 priority was to sign Al MacInnis, so today's (June 12) announcement is a win-win for our organization and Blues fans."
Ouch!
If Hull saw a ray of light between the frame and the door that is his future in St. Louis, it was clearly slammed shut and locked with those words.
"Since the new group has come in," Hull said, "I don't think there has been a whole lot of respect given to me and what I have done for the organization. It didn't surprise me at all."
And that is the reason why Hull won't be in a Blues uniform next year.
So, what's next for the Blues? Well, they need to figure out where their goals will come from. Gone are Hull and his 27 goals from last year, an off- year for the man who once netted 86 goals in a single season. To help get some of that production back, St. Louis acquired Scott Young via free agency, but he will have to improve greatly on his 13-goal season in 1997-98 before he can even begin to fill the shoes of "The Golden Brett."
So, an era has ended. Gone is his raspy voice. Gone is his ability to find the open spot in the opponent's defense. Gone is his quick shot. Gone is No. 16 (It was announced that no other St. Louis Blue player will wear Hull's number again).
But did the Blues' chance to win Lord Stanley's Cup go to Dallas with Brett Hull?
Only time will tell.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Gilmour's contract drives owners crazy ---------------------------------------------------------------- by Jim Iovino, Ace Reporter The Chicago Blackhawks are notorious for being stingy with the checkbook. So are their Original Six counterparts, the Boston Bruins. If there's a way to get out of paying a bill, they'll find it. If there's a way to cut costs, they'll do it. And if there's a way to put a cheap and meager team on the ice without fans getting upset, by God they'll go for it.
So more than a few jaws dropped when news spread around the league early this offseason that the Blackhawks signed unrestricted free agent Doug Gilmour to a three-year, $18 million contract. The astonishment was due not only to the rare attempt of Hawks management to spend some major cash, but because of who they wrote the check out to.
The 35-year-old Gilmour isn't exactly in the prime of his career. He scored 53 points last year in a season filled with injuries that limited him to just 63 games. And over the past couple years it seems New Jersey, his former team, was worried more about what injury was plaguing Gilmour instead of how many points he could contribute.
Giving him a contract worth $6 million per season seemed a bit steep, to say the least. Many team officials were stunned that the Hawks, who seemed to be a staunch supporter of keeping salaries around the league from growing too quickly, would create such a salary explosion by giving Gilmour that much money.
The Gilmour contract will have serious repercussions as far as teams are concerned. Players and their agents are now able to bring up the following point in contract negotiations: "If Doug Gilmour and his 53 points are worth $6 million, what am I/my client worth?"
Gilmour's huge deal doesn't mean contracts are going to suddenly explode around the league - they already have. The average NHL salary has risen an average of 23.4 percent each year for the past seven seasons. Sergei Fedorov signed a front-loaded contract late last season that will pay him $14.5 million this year. Eric Lindros and Paul Kariya will make $8.5 million. Dominik Hasek will rake in $8 million. And next season the number of players making at least $8 million should rise even more.
However, the Gilmour contract did raise the bar for free agents throughout the offseason. Ron Francis got a sweeter deal (four years, $20.8 million) from the Carolina Hurricanes thanks to Gilmour and the Hawks. So did Brett Hull, who cashed in on a three-year, $17 million offer from the Dallas Stars. So did a number of other free agents, who, although not marquee names, were still able to garner more cash because of Gilmour.
But the Hawks can't be blamed for all of the contract increases in the league. Some of the blame has to be accepted by Hull and Gilmour's former team, the St. Louis Blues. The Blues re-signed defenseman Al MacInnis, another unrestricted free agent, to a three-year, $15 million contract, making him the highest- paid defenseman in the league. That deal left other free agent blueliners like Rob Blake and Steve Duchesne licking their lips as they tested the waters. And sure enough, the defensemen cashed in. Big time.
Duchesne left St. Louis for Los Angeles' offer of $10.5 million over three years. Jyrki Lumme signed for $17 million over five years with Phoenix. Uwe Krupp (four years, $16.4 million), Gary Suter (three years, $10 million) and Dmitri Mironov (four years, $11 million) took advantage of the higher salary structure.
And just this week, it was Blake's turn to get the greenbacks. The Norris Trophy winner re-signed with the Kings, and in doing so took the highest-paid defenseman title from MacInnis with a three-year, $15.8 million dollar deal.
But not to be outdone were the goalies. Three top-notched free agents got some cash as well this summer. John Vanbiesbrouck signed with the Flyers, Mike Richter re-signed with the Rangers, but Curtis Joseph made the biggest splash with a four-year, $24 million deal.
The Blackhawks can't be blamed for ruining the entire salary structure in the NHL, but the Gilmour signing sure put a hit on the wallets of a number of teams.
But what about the Bruins? What are the other El Cheapos of the league doing this offseason?
The Bruins are doing what they do every summer - whining and complaining about high-priced free agents.
Bruin GM Harry Sinden contemplated not agreeing to Dimitri Khristich's contract set by an arbitrator, which would have made the team's first-line right winger an unrestricted free agent. But Sinden ultimately decided to keep him.
But Bruin fans might not see Khristich's linemate, Jason Allison, in uniform by the start of the season. Allison, the team's top scorer last season, is a restricted free agent along with teammates Anson Carter and Kyle McLaren. From the sounds of things, Sinden wants nothing to do with giving the three a bigger contract.
"For all intents and purposes, we've quit negotiating with any of them," Sinden said. "We'll have three Nedveds on our hands and we're ready for it."
Tough words from Harry, but do you really think the Bruins are going to go anywhere without Allison on the top line? Please...
So who's left besides Allison to get a sweetheart of a deal, through holdout or free agency? Let's take a quick look.
Sandis Ozolinsh: The wacky Avalanche blueliner is a restricted free agent, but has significant bargaining power thanks to the hefty contracts signed by Blake and MacInnis. He reportedly turned down a three-year deal for $10 million. The already high payroll in Colorado might be at its limits already, so Ozo could be sitting for a while.
Scott Niedermayer: Niedermayer is in the same position as Ozolinsh as a restricted free agent. Niedermayer wants at least four million bucks per year. With the loss of Gilmour and a number of aging forwards, Niedermayer's offense might be sorely missed.
Brian Leetch: Leetch is in the final year of his current contract, which will pay him $3.37 million, but the Rangers are determined to get a new deal in place before this season starts. Leetch could be looking for a new deal starting between $6.5 million and $7 million.
Saku Koivu: The latest rumor has the Finnish center signing a one-year deal for this season and negotiations going on for a longer deal throughout the 1998-99 campaign.
Peter Nedved: Who knows what he wants. The guy is just plain nuts. He's lost one of the peak years of his career and is about to lose another. He could lose a couple more after that because the Penguins own the 26-year-old Nedved's rights until he turns 31. Oops. And by the way, notice what Harry Sinden said above about having three Nedveds on his hands? You see, that's not the kind of situation you want your name to be used in. Come on, Petey, get your butt back in the NHL.
Ziggy Palffy: There are rumors that Palffy could sit out the entire season. Don't count on it. The Isles need Ziggy. It will just take them a while to realize they need him to the tune of the $6 million per year he's asking for.
Keith Tkachuk: Mo' money, mo' problems... Perhaps Tkachuk should listen to that advice from Puff Daddy and play out the last two years of his contract. Maybe then he could sign a brand-new deal that will pay him enough money to help pay for the damage to the Olympic village... Tkachuk has never shown that he can be a true leader of a team, he hasn't been able to take a team past the first round of the playoffs and now he turned down an extension to his existing contract that would pay him $33 million over five years. Fans in Phoenix are starting to get fed up with their captain. A web site run by some serious Coyote fans have christened Tkachuk with a new nickname: GSP. That's short for Gravy Sucking Pig.
Ouch.
Pavel Bure: In another file from the "Wha? Huh?" Department, Bure is refusing to play for the Vancouver Canucks. But this, incredibly, has little or nothing to do with money. Bure is in the final year of his contract which was expected to pay him in the $8-million range. It is somewhere in that "range" because his contract stipulates that he has to be paid the average of the three highest-paid players in the league. That's a pretty sweet deal. But Bure doesn't like the Canucks anymore and he wants out. And he's willing to sit out the whole season if that's what it takes. And yes, he's willing to give up those eight million smackers.
Life just doesn't seem fair sometimes, does it?
---------------------------------------------------------------- Is Beezer the answer in Philly? ---------------------------------------------------------------- by Jim Iovino, Ace Reporter The painful Ron Hextall Era is finally over in Philadelphia. The signing of John Vanbiesbrouck made sure of that. After Flyer goalies, Hextall in particular, stumbled through the playoffs the past couple years, the goaltending situation seems to have finally been corrected.
Or has it?
Is Vanbiesbrouck really the answer to the Flyers' woes? Can he lead the team to the Stanley Cup?
While no one will know for sure if the Beezer was the right choice until the Cup is raised next spring, the question will be looming around the Flyer locker room throughout the year.
The Flyers chose Vanbiesbrouck over several other quality free agent netminders this summer. Philadelphia could have had Curtis Joseph or Mike Richter in goal on opening night instead of Vanbiesbrouck, but general manager Bob Clarke decided on Beezer early in the off-season.
Why Vanbiesbrouck? Consider his splendid resume. The 35-year-old veteran has won a Vezina Trophy, he's led the league in wins and he's taken his team to the Stanley Cup finals.
Now the bad news: His Vezina Trophy and league-leading 31 wins came in 1986, his last finals appearance was in 1996 and he's coming off of his worst season statistically since 1993 when he was left available in the expansion draft.
These facts have left many wondering if Vanbiesbrouck the right choice - especially since young, just-as- talented goalies like Joseph and Richter were available at the right price. Richter re-signed with New York to stay with his little buddy, Brian Leetch. Joseph ended up in Toronto, making another young goalie, Felix Potvin, available for the taking.
Both Richter and Joseph signed for more money than Vanbiesbrouck did. So did the Beezer signing have more to do with money than talent? Maybe, maybe not. But consider this: The Flyers give up very few shots a game in the regular season. That can make any goaltender look good. Hell, it made Hextall's numbers look like those of a Vezina Trophy candidate. But Hextall's problem was that he couldn't even stop those easy 17 or 18 shots a game.
Vanbiesbrouck, on the other hand, faced a plethora of rubber every night in Florida this past season. With a porous defense in front of him, Beezer faltered. Most of the time the goals were not his fault. So even though his numbers slipped, for the most part the Beezer was still the Beezer.
If Vanbiesbrouck had a solid defense in front of him like the Flyers have in Philly, there would be many easy nights marked on his daily planner, ala Eddie Belfour in Dallas.
So perhaps Bob Clarke is right in his decision to sign a cheaper Vanbiesbrouck instead of a more expensive free agent netminder. More money might not equal more wins. Vanbiesbrouck could be just what the Flyers need - a solid netminder who will keep his team in every game and make the forwards and defensemen work hard for their wins, a trait missing from the Flyer squad last season. Perhaps Clarke doesn't want to make his goaltender be a savior. He wants the team to win instead of relying on their goaltender to win for them.
Clarke could be right about Vanbiesbrouck and the Flyers could win the Stanley Cup. But if he's wrong, he'll have a lot of explaining to do after Philadelphia exits the playoffs.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Twenty Questions ---------------------------------------------------------------- by John Alsedek, Correspondent Even though all of us at LCS: Guide To Hockey are rich beyond the wildest imaginings of even a Croesus (it is a little-known fact that Zippy eats his Coco Puffs out of a 24 karat gold bowl), we still feel that we share a certain bond with the common folk. In that spirit, I will be answering exactly twenty of your most commonly-asked questions...
Q: Why does the Canadian Family Lindros feel that Eric Lindros is worth in excess of $10 million per season?
A: Simple. Daddy Carl sees his strapping son on the covers of all the big hockey annuals, and deduces that Eric is the NHL's top player. Of course, if he was to actually read the accompanying articles, he would realize that a cover photo isn't always a good thing. Eric wasn't among the top scorers this season - he was only third on his own team - and he came up majorly short in the leadership department during the Olympics, playoffs, and even in regular season games versus top competition. Nonetheless, Carl Lindros has been pushing for big money for his son, plus a promise not to trade 'the Big E' - which, if Carl knew what he was supposed to know as a player's agent, is a big no-no for any player under age 31, thanks to the CBA. Of course, if Carl Lindros was more skilled as an agent, he'd have more than one client.
Q: Why is it that the Islanders can pay for a nine-man coaching staff, but won't cough up the cash for their only scoring threat, Zigmund Palffy?
A: Well, mostly because the combined salaries of their coaching staff- coach/GM Mike Milbury; assistant coaches Bill Stewart, Stefan Lunner, Wayne Fleming, and Greg Cronin; organizational coaches Steve Stirling and Gilles Gilbert; associate coach Lorne Henning; and strength & conditioning coach Scott Livingston - would only make a modest dent in what it's going to cost them to re-sign the Slovakian sniper. Of course, the Isles have no one to blame but themselves; last year, Milbury had the opportunity to lock Palffy into a multi-year deal in the $3 million per year range. However, Milbs played hardball with him, telling him to go out and prove that he was a consistent 40-50 goal threat. Well, Palffy did, and now he wants the equivalent of what Mats Sundin is getting - which is twice as much as what Palffy asked for one year ago. Palffy basically has them over a barrel, because, if the Isles are going to rely on the likes of Mariusz Czerkawski and Bryan Smolinski to pick up the slack, they could make the Great Gazoo head coach and it wouldn't make a difference.
Q: Now that Disney owns the rights to nationally broadcast the NHL (starting in 1999-200), are we gonna have to watch the Mighty Ducks on TV every night?
A: Nah. I think doing that would violate a passage in the Geneva Convention about having to watch Jamie Pushor and Pavel Trnka quarterback a power play more than once a month. However, I do have a word of warning for those fashion-conscious guys who'll be doing TV work for ABC/ESPN...well, actually, two words and a hyphen: mouse-ears.
Q: Who will be the first coach fired this year?
A: Paul Maurice. Before you ask why, bear in mind that: a) you need an atomic clock to measure the average tenure of an NHL coach; and b) former Flyers coach Terry Murray got fired after leading his team to the Stanley Cup Finals. Maurice's boys haven't even made the playoffs in his three seasons as head coach, despite more cast changes than Melrose Place. If the 'Canes have a start similar to last year's (they went 1-7-2 in their first 10 games), Maurice is history.
Q: Who's gonna be the #1 goalie for the Canucks?
A: Unless they're hot to get Daren Puppa from the 'Bolts - who I think might be persuaded to part with him for, oh, i don't know, perhaps a bag of pucks - their choices are limited. The best solution is to move Pavel Bure...from wing to goal, that is. Then he'll find out just what true unhappiness in Vancouver really is.
Q: Who's going to win the ownership battle in Pittsburgh - Roger Marino or Howard Baldwin?
A: If justice, fair play, and public opinion played any part in the decision, it would be Baldwin in a landslide. Owner of the Pens since 1991, he's well-liked by Pittsburghers, largely because he has always placed the good of the team and its fan base ahead of the bottom line. Unfortunately, it was that sort of thinking that necessitated co-owner Marino, who has managed to alienate the Steel City by stopping payment on Mario Lemieux's contract, demanding a new arena after the city had already gone ahead with plans to do $11 million worth of work to the Civic Arena, not-too-subtly threatening to move the Pens to Kansas City, bringing in a CEO whose specialty is bankruptcy proceedings, and generally doing the kind of things that really cheese the fans off. All that said, Marino is the kind of owner that the NHL really likes: he has lots of money, and...um, that's it, which tells you more about today's NHL than you really want to know.
Q: How many games will it take before 'Bolts coach Jacques Demers is wishing that Craig Janney was still playing for the Coyotes?
A: Um, how many ganes are there in October?
Q: Why is Stan Fischler still writing for major publications like The Hockey News, instead of selling them on street corners?
A: Because of the entertainment value of insights such as these...
"adding a second referee may be the most absurd move of the half-century" (unless, of course, you like to have accurate calls behind the play made)
"the good kid (Eric Lindros) has been unfairly abused - if not misused" (wonder if Terry Murray, Mark Recchi, and all the Flyers who had to take the media heat when Lindros bailed in the '97 Finals would agree)
"the best fighter not in the NHL happens to be Garrett Burnett...who should be a big-leaguer next season" (in the three games I saw Burnett play for the AHL Phantoms last season, he not only lost both fights - and badly - but showed so little overall ability that I'd be amazed to even see him on the Phantoms again)
"Bob Clarke will not trade for a goalie. Nor should he" (this was, believe it or not, written after the '97 playoffs)
"I'll take Scott Thornton over Joe any weekday night and on Sundays as well" (Habs GM Rejean Houle would doubtless give his eyeteeth for Fischler to be the manager of the Bruins for just one day)
...and my personal favorite...
"Alexei Kovalev is the most talented right winger this side of Pavel Bure" (yeah, and Hardy Astrom was the most talented goalie this side of Terry Sawchuk, except for the fact that he, well, sucked)
Q: After making some key trades (Mike Ricci, Bryan Marchment, John MacLean) that helped San Jose make the playoffs for the first time since '95, is Sharks' GM Dean Lombardi a genius?
A: Only in comparison with the guys he was dealing with. Fleecing the likes of Bob Murray and Phil Esposito is nothing to brag about, since it happens fairly often. And, just in case Lombardi ever gets too big for his britches, there's always the name 'Teemu Riihijarvi'.
Q: Will the Boston Bruins ever spend money for free agents such as Doug Gilmour and Ron Francis?
A: No, because ownership and management have a tacit understanding. Owner Jeremy Jacobs says he'll give GM Harry Sinden whatever size payroll he feels he needs, knowing that Harry won't ask for much for two reasons: first, Harry considers any player earning more than the NHL minimum to be overpaid. A prime example of that is Dimitri Khristich, the Bruins' second-highest scorer (29 goals and 66 points); Harry was prepared to let him become an unrestricted free agent rather than pay him his arbitration-awarded $1.95 million. And the other reason? Harry knows that, as long as he doesn't ask for much money, his job is safe.
Q: Who will win the Eastern Conference title?
A: Well, it won't be the Capitals, because they didn't address their need for a big-time scorer. It won't be the Flyers, because they don't have a power play quarterback. It won't be the Devils - no 'go-to' guy. Not the Sabres - not enough offense. Not the Pens - no depth at center. Not the Bruins - lack of scoring. Not the Rangers - too old. Not the Habs - too soft. Not the Sens - no complementary winger for Yashin. Not the 'Canes - they never make the playoffs. Not the 'Bolts - they've got Craig Janney. Not the Leafs - questionable defense. Not the Panthers - no rats. Not the Isles - pick a reason. I guess the well-informed answer is no one.
Q: Is this the year that Barry Melrose returns to the coaching ranks?
A: Not until he gets a haircut - think 'high and tight', Barry. Actually, it's more likely that Darren Pang will make a comeback to the crease...after all, he did play for Mike Keenan, and the Canucks need a goalie...
Q: Does it suck that Pierre Gauthier left his GM job in Ottawa, and then, before the words "I'm not leaving to return to the Anaheim organization" were even dry on the newsprint, he ended up as the club president and manager of the Ducks?
A: Yeah, kinda. But hey, his wife said she was going back to Southern California, with or without him, so at least he has a sense of priority. Besides, isn't managing the Ducks punishment enough?
Q: Okay, if Dean Lombardi isn't a genius, then how about Colorado's Pierre Lacroix?
A: Lessee, over the past twelve months, Lacroix has:
-let Mike Keane and Uwe Krupp go for jack-squat.
-traded a third-round draft pick for unwilling goon Francois Leroux, a
prime example of the maxim 'you can't enforce much from the press box.'
-dealt the team's depth players for draft picks in an effort to
acquire Vincent Lecavalier (he failed).
-hocked up promising winger Mark Parrish and another third-round pick
for a one-month rental on grinder Tom Fitzgerald.
-traded skilled pivot Josef Marha for unskilled punching bag Warren Rychel.
-had to match a monster offer sheet from the Rangers to Joe Sakic
because he didn't sign Sakic quickly enough.
...um, I think that would be a 'no'.
Q: Will Brian Burke be able to do for Vancouver what he helped do for the former Hartford Whalers?
A: Sure. Of course, that begs the question, "Does the name 'New Orleans Canucks' sound okay?"
Q: Will the expansion Nashville Predators perform more like the 33-34-17 Florida Panthers of 1993-94, or the 10-70-4 Ottawa Senators of 1992-93?
A: Split the difference, then add a couple of wins because their logo isn't a rifle-toting bug in a Civil War uniform. Due to rule changes made since 1994, it was a lot tougher to find any scoring amongst the third- and fourth-liners the Predators had to choose from than it was for Bob Clarke and the Panthers. Add to that David Poile's decision to go with youth, and you get a team that will be pushing it to win 25 games. On the bright side...they could use a cardboard cutout of goalie coach Mitch Korn in net and still win more games than the '92-93 Sens.
Q: Could somebody please explain the term 'contract' to Keith Tkachuk?
A: But of course; we at LCS aim to please. Webster's Dictionary defines a contract as 'a bargain; an agreement'; i.e., 'a written statement accepting certain conditions'. What that means is the team and the player (or his agent) come up with financial terms that both sides can agree with, the player signs, and gets paid a specified amount per year for the duration of the agreement.
Then, of course, there's the Tkachuk definition: follow the agreement while it's convenient, in this case 'convenient' being until your $6 million signing bonus is gone, and you're forced to eke out a living on a measly $3 million per.
It's bad enough that Tkachuk's word is worthless; what makes it even worse is his attitude. When asked about his threatened holdout, he replied "It'll probably take all summer, but I'm sure things will get worked out and they'll pay this overpaid player." For some reason, the phrase, 'arrogant, smarmy jackass' comes to mind.
Me, personally, I hope he sits. The Coyotes will miss him a lot less than one would think - especially in the tight games against top competition, where 'Captain America' plays more like 'The Invisible Man'. You just have to wonder, though, what the folks in Manitoba think about this - the children, pensioners, and everyday folk who spent their own money in a futile attempt to keep the Jets in Winnepeg back in '96, only to see their money go towards Tkachuk's bloated signing bonus. Their money was good enough for him then. Not now, though. Jerk.
Q: Will Petr Nedved be back in the NHL this year?
A: He was gone?
Q: Is Ted Nolan going to be coaching again anytime soon?
A: Nope - at least, not in the NHL. General managers are a funny breed; they don't generally go out of their way to hire coaches who'll go behind their backs to ownership and end up getting them fired. Whether Nolan did, in fact, do that to former Sabres GM (and current Rangers coach) John Muckler is beside the point. That's how Nolan is perceived, and until some GM feels like Danger Boy and decides to buck the trend, Nolan will have time aplenty to stay home and polish his Adams Trophy. Is it fair? Darned if I know.
Q: When will the insipid 'Family Circus' finally be cancelled?
A: Unfortunately, never. Bil Keane's inane, so-called 'comic strip', which depicts a saccharine-sweet, Ned Flanders fantasy world inhabited only by Bil (with one 'l'), his house-bound wife (oh, what realism), and a gaggle of brats in desperate need of grammar lessons and SlimFast, will run until the end of the world, as it is the harbinger of the Apocalypse. Don't believe it? Check out Revelations; it's between 'fiery sword' and 'great serpent'. Kinda makes one long for Armageddon, doesn't it? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Musings on the imminent season ---------------------------------------------------------------- by Simon D. Lewis, Calgary Correspondent Here we go. It's the last season of the twentieth century.
(Well, actually that's not the case; but since everyone's thinks the 21st century starts in 2000 and not in 2001, I'll just play along. Think about it. They didn't start counting with the year 0.)
Anyway, there's that pre-millennial season thing. The players are getting bigger. The ice surface remains small. The cranial capacity of some owners seems to be shrinking. Devolution? The crease is changing shape...again. Referees are proliferating. And salaries? Don't get me started. Oh, yeah...Canadians are wondering if they're going to be able to afford to watch their game any more.
The NHL will tell you, I am sure, that things never looked better. They've got teams in places you probably didn't even know existed. The league's "reach" has never been greater. There are some big stars, guys like Jagr, Sakic and Kariya, ready to light up the marquees from Nashville and Phoenix to somewhere in North Carolina. Revenues are good. There's lots of "NHL-abilia" flying off the shelves around the world. Those gangstas look way cool in their black Kings gear. Looks good on the league too.
I say that the NHL is in jeopardy of imploding. It's about to run smack dab into the same problem that slowed down expansion in the 70s. That is, Americans don't really care about hockey. The farther south you go, the less they care. Look at what passes for a hockey game now. The league is drawing people into the rinks with fireworks, flying octopus, vicious ducks, skyboxes, theme restaurants, cranked sound systems and laser light shows. Once the game starts, it's usually an anti-climax to the warm-up, especially of you are lucky enough to witness a fixture in which both teams are so untalented that the coaches are running the trap.
I guess what I am saying is that, once the smoke clears and the lights come up, the novelty wears off. Hell, last year in the playoffs in Dallas, Don Cherry took a cab to the game. The cabby asked him what was going on that night. He didn't know the Stars were in a return grudge series against the Edmonton Oilers and were going to win. When your cabbies don't know you, who does? And they're the Dallas Stars, one of the best teams in the league for the last couple of years.
Gretzky hits L.A. in 1988 and the city goes nuts. Now that he's been gone a few years and the team is not quite the thriller it once was, there are lots of empty seats. Turns out the previous owner wasn't such a straight arrow.
Super Mario quits. The next thing you hear is that the Penguins' franchise may not be as solid as everyone thought. How are they going to pay Mario all that money not to play? Can they afford to keep Jagr? How will they get bums in the seats?
Meanwhile, back in Canada there are only about 30 million of us and our dollar is on life support. We do, however, know our hockey. We would love to keep and support our teams. Looks like we can't. Even the mighty Montreal Canadiens have stated that they don't like the look of the financial picture. A consortium of 20-odd local investors now owns the Edmonton Oilers. The Calgary Flames are so strapped for cash that, Theo Fleury excepted, they're a no-name collection of raw kids and odd journeymen. Winnipeg and Quebec are just bad memories.
Where's it all going to end? I wish I could tell you. It just smells rotten to me. As the game moves south it loses its soul. A friend of mine who once taught in the States nailed it. He said that Americans collectively have the capacity to take anything with great intrinsic worth and suck the quality out of it, tart it up, and market it shamelessly. Witness hockey.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Johnny Cullen scores in first game back ---------------------------------------------------------------- by Jim Iovino, Ace Reporter When Johnny Cullen scored against the Buffalo Sabres on Sept. 18, it was as if a tidal wave of joy spread across the Atlantic Ocean and soaked hockey fans throughout North America with a sense of relief and excitement.
Cully was officially back.
Just 18 months after learning he had a cancerous, softball-sized tumor in his chest, the LCS Hockey idol and hero for all ages 8 to 80 made a triumphant return to the NHL by scoring the game-winning goal for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Sabres in an exhibition game played in Innsbruck, Austria.
Cullen's goal came halfway through the second period when he deflected a slapshot by defenseman Michal Sykora past Dominik Hasek to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead. The Bolts went on to beat the Sabres 3-0 in the International Challenge, a tournament involving the two NHL squads and two Austrian pro teams.
The game was Cullen's first since March 28, 1997. The 34-year-old forward missed all of last season while he battled a form of cancer called non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. After receiving a clean bill of health this summer, Cullen began training for a return to the NHL. He was invited to the Bolts training camp immediately after being diagnosed cancer-free, but didn't sign a contract with the team until Sept. 9.
Throughout the past year, Johnny Cullen proved that he could defeat cancer. This past week he proved he still belonged in the NHL.
But for some reason those of us who are fans of Johnny Cullen knew that already.
Congratulations Cully! We can't wait for opening night!
---------------------------------------------------------------- WORLD DOMINATION UPDATE ---------------------------------------------------------------- by Zippy the Wonder Chimp World Domination ain't easy, it takes time. Welcome to a new season of LCS Hockey. This year we have big plans to advance our plight of world domination. Hopefully, next month we'll be able to announce Phase 1 of Operation Crack Pipe. Important Note: Issues of LCS Hockey will be published on Wednesdays from this day forward. No longer will Tuesday be the day of LCS Hockey. We will now be coming at you mid-week for the upcoming season. That's all for now. See ya' in three weeks. Coming Soon! Next Issue: New design. New content. Healed bones. World Domination. ------------------------------------------------------------ C R E D I T S ------------------------------------------------------------ Michael Dell........................Editor-in-Chief Zippy the Wonder Chimp....................Webmaster Michael Secosky............................Producer Jim Iovino.............................Ace Reporter Matthew Secosky.....................Just Kickin' It Marc Boucher..............................Publisher Simon D. Lewis................Calgary Correspondent Jeff Middleton..............Nashville Correspondent Tom Cooper..................St. Louis Correspondent Jason Sheehan..............Washington Correspondent Tricia McMillan...................AHL Correspondent John Alsedek..........................Correspondent Delly's Right Thumb..........................Busted LCS Hockey - Issue 104; September 23, 1998 E-mail address: info@lcshockey.com Good ol' postal address: 406 Sheffield Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601. Web Site: http://www.lcshockey.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------- 1998-99 Season Preview Lead -------------------------------------------------------------- by Michael Dell The annual season preview issue is normally a highlight of the LCS Hockey calendar. Packed solid with obscure references and degrading insults, the season preview routinely delivers laughs and lawsuits by the bushel. Unfortunately, this year's edition has been hampered by circumstances beyond our control... namely a broken right thumb to yours truly. What can I say? Bookies ain't no joke. When they say they want their money now, they want their money now. The injury rendered me a one-handed typist at just the wrong time. Composing 27 in-depth team reports in limited time without the use of my right hand made the prospects of this issue ever making anything close to the deadline extremely slim. With no other options at my disposal, I was forced to construct extremely frail reports - aided by the typing my good pal Matt Secosky - that only touch on the factor's influencing each team's upcoming season. Is it good? No. Is it done? Yes. Here's how LCS Hockey sees the 1998-99 results shaping up. And remember, this is only an exhibition. This is not a competition. So please, as always, no wagering. The * denotes playoff teams. EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division 1. Philadelphia Flyers * 2. New Jersey Devils * 3. New York Rangers * 4. New York Islanders 5. Pittsburgh Penguins Northeastern Division 1. Buffalo Sabres * 2. Boston Bruins * 3. Montreal Canadiens * 4. Ottawa Senators 5. Toronto Maple Leafs Southeastern Division 1. Carolina Hurricanes * 2. Washington Capitals * 3. Tampa Bay Lightning 4. Florida Panthers WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division 1. Detroit Red Wings * 2. Chicago Blackhawks * 3. St. Louis Blues * 4. Nashville Predators Northwestern Division 1. Colorado Avalanche * 2. Vancouver Canucks 3. Edmonton Oilers 4. Calgary Flames Pacific Division 1. Dallas Stars * 2. Los Angeles Kings * 3. Anaheim Mighty Ducks * 4. Phoenix Coyotes * 5. San Jose Sharks When looking at those projections, keep one thing in mind: pretty much every team in the NHL sucks. The only clubs with true Cup aspirations are Dallas, Colorado, Detroit, and Philadelphia. You can also expect Carolina and Anaheim to be vastly improved, while Pittsburgh and St. Louis take serious dives. I'd usually write more stuff here, but my thumb really hurts. So just pretend I wrote something funny, laugh hysterically, and then move on to the rest of the issue. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================ TEAM REPORTS ================================================================ EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW JERSEY DEVILS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Rob Ftorek Roster: C - Bobby Holik, Bob Carpenter, Denis Pederson, Petr Sykora, Jason Arnott, Brendan Morrison. LW - Dave Andreychuk, Brian Rolston, Patrik Elias, Jay Pandolfo. RW - Randy McKay, Krzysztof Oliwa. D - Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Lyle Odelein, Kevin Dean, Sheldon Souray, Brad Bombardir, Ken Sutton. G - Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri. 1997-98 STATS Record...........48-23-11, 107 PTS, 1st Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....225 Goals Against....166 Power Play.......18.9% (2nd) Penalty Killing..86.7% (4th) Gonesville: Doug Gilmour (Chicago), Steve Thomas (Toronto), Doug Bodger (Los Angeles), Mike Dunham (Nashville). Charlie New Guys: Ken Sutton, Chris Terreri. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Martin Brodeur could be the best goaltender in the game. * New coach Rob Ftorek might open up the offense a bit. * Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer lead a steady, dependable group of defensemen. * Brendan Morrison and Petr Sykora could be ready to contribute to the offense. * Devil's goaltending and defensive play will keep them competitive no matter what. * Slava Fetisov was brought in as an assistant coach, filling the void left by Larry Robinson. GRIEF * Loss of Doug Gilmour will hurt the offense and power play. * Not many proven scorers up front. * Niedermayer still needs signed. * Jason Arnott sliced tendon in left hand while fishing and may not be ready for opening night. But he did catch a big ass blue gill. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: The Devils remain one of the strongest teams in the NHL. Any problems on offense should be more than made up for by their superior team defense and the presence of Martin Brodeur. But the loss of Gilmour will likely mean finishing behind Philly. PREDICTION: Second in Atlantic Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK ISLANDERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mike Milbury Roster: C - Robert Reichel, Trevor Linden, Bryan Smolinski, Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Dmitri Nabakov, Mike Hough, Ken Belanger, Tom Chorske, Gino Odjick. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Jason Dawe, Joe Sacco, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dan Plante, Steve Webb, Vladimir Orszagh. D - Scott Lachance, Bryan Berard, Richard Pilon, Kenny Jonsson, Zdeno Chara, Ray Schultz. G - Tommy Salo, Wade Flaherty. 1997-98 STATS Record...........30-41-11, 71 PTS, 11th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....212 Goals Against....225 Power Play.......16.8% (10th) Penalty Killing..85.9% (10th) Gonesville: J.J. Daigneault (Nashville), Dennis Vaske (Boston), Eric Fichaud (Edmonton). Charlie New Guys: Dmitri Nabakov. ISLANDERS COULD BE HOMELESS The New York Islanders may not have a home game in 1998-99. Citing that the arena is unsafe, the club broke its lease agreement with Nassau County Coliseum and may be forced to play at a number of nearby cities, including Hartford, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. This would obviously create quite the problem for Islander season ticket holders. A judge has ruled that the Islanders may not play any games outside of Nassau Coliseum, but the team has appealed the decision, leaving the eventual outcome in doubt. Aside from the prospect of having to play 82 road games, the Islanders still face the challenge of signing Zigmund Palffy and Trevor Linden. Palffy is seeking a three-year deal worth $6.8 million a season, while the club has offered $4.3 million a year. If the Isles don't sign Palffy, they're done. As for Linden, the former Canuck captain is requesting between $3.5 and $4 million per year. This seems kind of high for someone coming off two disappointing, injury-plagued seasons. With negotiations stalled, rumors have surfaced that Linden might be on his way to Toronto in exchange for Felix Potvin. Even with Palffy and Linden, the Islander offense is hardly overpowering. The only other scorer of note is Robert Reichel, and he's fresh off a 65-point effort that left many wondering if he's a legitimate number one center. The rest of the roster is filled out with stiffs like Bryan Smolinski, Jason Dawe, and Mariusz Czerkawski. After 26 goals in 64 games during the 1996-97 season, Smolinski was expected to break out last year and responded with just 13 goals. Yeah, that's about right. Dawe and Czerkawski are two other guys with lots of talent that never seem to score as much as they should. While the offense is somewhat anemic, New York does have two of the league's best young defensemen in Bryan Berard and Kenny Jonsson. Berard had a brutal second half last season, but still finished third on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 46 points. He has the potential to one day be a point-per-game defenseman, if such a thing could possibly still exist in today's NHL. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Palffy is one of the best goal scorers in the league. * The team has switched back to old school uniforms. A link to tradition has been restored. * Berard and Jonsson are two great young defensemen. * New nine-man coaching staff will dramatically increase attendance at home games. GRIEF * 82 road games would suck. * Palffy and Linden remain unsigned. * Not much quality depth on either offense or defense. * Tommy Salo may not be a real number one goaltender. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: How long is this rebuilding process supposed to take, anyway? The Islanders haven't made the playoffs in four seasons, and this year looks to be no different. If Palffy doesn't get signed and the arena situation fails to get resolved, the Islanders will be destined to sink to the bottom of the Atlantic. Even if everything turns out peachy, the best the Isles could hope for is to finish ahead of the stumbling Penguins. PREDICTION: Fourth in the Atlantic and out of the playoffs. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK RANGERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: John Muckler Rosters: C - Wayne Gretzky, Harry York, Esa Tikkanen, Marc Savard, P.J. Stock. LW - Adam Graves, Niklas Sundstrom, Kevin Stevens, Bill Berg, Darren Langdon, Bob Errey, Tim Sweeney. RW - Alexei Kovalev, John MacLean, Scott Fraser, Todd Harvey, Johan Witehall, Shane Churla. D - Brian Leetch, Jeff Beukeboom, Ulf Samuelsson, Alexander Karpovtsev, Peter Popovic, Zarley Zalapski, Doug Lidster, Eric Cairns, Jeff Finley. G - Mike Richter, Dan Cloutier. 1997-98 STATS Record...........25-39-18, 68 PTS, 11th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....197 Goals Against....231 Power Play.......17.7% (5th) Penalty Killing..85.4% (11th) Gonesville: Johan Lindbom (Sweden), Bruce Driver (retired). Charlie New Guys: Esa Tikkanen, John MacLean, Scott Fraser, Peter Popovic, Zarley Zalapski. BLUESHIRTS BOUND FOR MEDIOCRITY Now that the shock of Mark Messier's sell out is starting to wear off, the New York Rangers are hoping for a much improved effort in 1998-99. The atmosphere surrounding the club is said to be significantly different than last season, when a confused group of Blueshirts staggered to a 25-39-18 record. That's sick. The team's attitude better be improved, because the roster isn't. OFFENSE: Center? Anybody? Please? The big flaw in New York's offense is in the middle, where Wayne Gretzky is the club's only scoring threat in the middle. Pat LaFontaine's well-deserved retirement has left a gaping hole on the second line. Adam Graves usually filled in for Laffy last season, but he belongs on the left wing. So far at training camp, coach John Muckler has been experimenting with Niklas Sundstrom and Alexei Kovalev at center. But if either of those guys are used in the middle it would break up the only bright spot of last season, namely the Gretzky line that carried the offense over the second half. So what are the Rangers going to do? Well, to start they've invited Esa Tikkanen back to the Big Apple for a tryout. Seeing how he's good buddies with Muckler and Gretzky, the term "tryout" is really just a formality. He should have the team made. GM Neil Smith's only concern is that he doesn't want to hinder a young player's development by handing Tikkanen a job he doesn't rightly deserve. The only catch with that reasoning is what young players do the Rangers have that are capable of centering the second line? Tikkanen could be just a stopgap until a deal is worked out to acquire a big name talent. Rumors are circulating that the Rangers might decide to make a run at restricted free agents Doug Weight or Petr Nedved, both of whom, incidentally, were Ranger property in the past. Speaking of rumors, recent talk has Smith making a bid to Pittsburgh for Jaromir Jagr. The deal would include cash and not much else. Even if Jagr doesn't get landed, New York remains a possible destination for holdouts Pavel Bure and Keith Tkachuk. But getting back to the situation at center, the only other candidates on the roster at the moment are Harry York, Marc Savard, and P.J. Stock. York is a gutty kid that hits and works hard every shift. He should be a good fit on the third line. Stock is a scrappy brawler that would provide a spark as the fourth center. That leaves Savard. The 21-year-old is probably the young player Smith was eluding to when discussing Tikkanen's role with the club. Savard is a quick skater with terrific puck skills but, at 5'10" and around 175 pounds, he may be too small and defensively-impaired to handle second line duty, especially with Gretzky already on the number one unit. A center tandem of Gretzky and Savard won't exactly match up well against many teams. Todd Harvey, who was acquired late last season from Dallas and never played a game with the Rangers due to a knee injury, could also be in the picture at center. Of course, he first has to sign a contract. Muckler didn't hide his disappointment when Harvey failed to show at training camp. So even if he shows up he's going to work his way out of the dog house. Oh yeah, then there's that whole thing about him being a stiff, too. John MacLean and Scott Fraser were signed over the summer to try and add some scoring pop. MacLean is no stranger to Ranger fans, having spent most of his 14-year career with the arch-rival New Jersey Devils. Not the offensive force he once was, MacLean remains a natural shooter capable of contributing 25 goals. He's also an intense competitor that doesn't mind playing chippy. Just ask Sundstrom, who had his arm busted by a MacLean slash in the '97 postseason. Fraser was inked on the strength of the 23 points he had in 29 games with Edmonton last year. A somewhat choppy skater with good hands, Fraser should be able to provide some points and maybe help out on the second power-play unit, but counting on him to deliver on a consistent basis might be strong. One guy not returning this season is Johan Lindbom. The winger decided to bolt back to his homeland and signed a five-year deal with a Swedish club team. But never fear, the Rangers have another Johan in stock. Johan Witehall, selected in the eighth round of this June's Entry Draft, has a shot at cracking the lineup. The 26-year-old Swede has excellent speed and has displayed some aggressiveness. The combination might win him a spot on the fourth line. Looking at the big picture, the Rangers will have a solid top scoring unit with Gretzky, Sundstrom, and Kovalev. If they can find a legitimate number two center to go along with Graves and MacLean, the second line won't be too shabby, either... extremely slow, but not too shabby. That leaves York, Harvey, Stock, Kevin Stevens, Bob Errey, and Tim Sweeney to round things out. It's not great, but things could be worse. See Calgary. DEFENSE: Two Habs Added The top four spots along the blue line have been pretty consistent over the past two or three years in New York. Brian Leetch and Jeff Beukeboom have been together longer than cheap wine and brown paper bags. Both men had rather forgettable seasons a year ago and will be looking to make amends. Leetch is also entering the final year of his contract and is hoping to get a lucrative extension. Guys tend to have big efforts when searching for new contracts. Expect Leetch to rebound. The second pair will likely feature Ulf Samuelsson and Alexander Karpovtsev. Ulf isn't the hitter he once was, but he still knows all the tricks in the defensive zone and will do what it takes to win. He's not in hockey to make friends. Karpovtsev is a big rangy defender that never gets the respect he deserves. Not only is he competent in his own zone, Karpovtsev has the skills to contribute at the other end and is usually a fixture at the point on the second power-play unit. There will be some new blood among the final three or four spots. Peter Popovic and Zarley Zalapski were both signed away from Montreal over the summer. Popovic is similar in style to Kjell Samuelsson. The 6'6" Swede is a pure defensive defenseman. Despite his size, Popovic isn't known as a banger. If he were more of a physical force he could really be an impact player. As it is, he's still a steady presence that uses his reach to disrupt flow and tangle up opposing forwards. He should be a nice addition. As for Zalapski, why's he still playing? I mean, what's the point? He's like so 1989. Zalapski is an excellent skater and can move the puck, but what has he ever done to warrant staying in the NHL? He's never played on a winning team... and there just might be a correlation there. It's the Curse of Zalapski. Run for your lives! Apparently Doug Lidster is still around to add some mobility, but fellow veteran Bruce Driver decided to hang up the skates after 15 years in the trenches. Driver's absence opens the door for Zalapski to anchor the power play with Leetch. Run for your lives! Big ol' Eric Cairns could add some toughness if he ever agrees to a new contract. All in all, the Ranger blue line isn't that terrible. A top six of Leetch, Beukeboom, Samuelsson, Karpovtsev, Popovic, and Zalapski is somewhat respectable... a bit old and cumbersome, but respectable nonetheless. Provided, of course, the Curse of Zalapski doesn't strike! Run for your lives! GOALTENDING: Aunt Jemima Returns After a somewhat turbulent off-season, Mike Richter will be returning to the New York goal crease. The man with Aunt Jemima on his helmet considered some offers but just couldn't turn his back on his Ranger teammates. In a related story, Mark Messier returned to New York over the summer to personally kick Ranger fans in the groin. Richter's a workhorse in net. He'll play 70 if needed. He was somewhat inconsistent last season, but it's tough to play your best every night when the team in front of you sucked as bad as the Rangers did. Richter should have a strong year. Goaltending won't be a concern. Sophomore Dan Cloutier will be serving as Richter's apprentice. Smith and the Rangers are high on Cloutier so he'll probably see about 25 starts. Come to think of it, the last time I was high on the Cloutier I saw about 25 of things my damn self. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Gretzky provides inspiration to senior citizens all over the world. * Leetch is due for a big year. * Richter will provide solid goaltending. GRIEF * Not much scoring depth after the top line of Gretzky, Sundstrom, and Kovalev. * Center is a glaring weakness. * Curse of Zalapski. 1997-98 OUTLOOK: All good teams are strong up the middle. New York's lack of depth at center will kill them over an 82-game slate unless something's done to address the situation. But even if they get another center, they still don't have much talent on the wings to fill out three quality lines. The defense isn't bad and goaltending shouldn't be a problem, but it's going to be brutal watching the offense try and produce goals. With that said, Gretzky, Leetch, and Richter still might be enough to keep the Rangers ahead of the Islanders and Penguins. But 1998-99 will just be another wasted year on Broadway. This team is as close to winning a Cup as the Nashville Predators. Bringing in veterans like Tikkanen and MacLean isn't the answer. Yet until Gretzky retires, Smith will continue to lean on veteran players and forsake a complete rebuilding process in favor of trying to surround the Great One with a somewhat competitive squad. That's nice and all, but it's not the way to win a championship. PREDICTION: Third in the Atlantic and in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the East. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Roger Neilson ROSTER: C - Eric Lindros, Chris Gratton, Joel Otto, Dan Lacroix, Marc Bureau. LW - John LeClair, Rod Brind'Amour, Mike Sillinger, Shjon Podein, Colin Forbes, Dan Kordic. RW - Alexandre Daigle, Trent Klatt, Dainius Zubrus, Jody Hull. D - Eric Desjardins, Dan McGillis, Luke Richardson, Petr Svoboda, Chris Therien, Dave Babych, Chris Joseph. G - John Vanbiesbrouck, Ron Hextall. 1997-98 STATS Record...........42-29-11, 95 PTS, 3rd Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....242 Goals Against....193 Power Play.......17.8% (4th) Penalty Killing..86.6% (5th) Gonesville: Kjell Samuelsson (misplaced), Sean Burke (Florida). Charlie New Guys: Marc Bureau, Jody Hull, John Vanbiesbrouck. IS THIS THE YEAR? Flyers GM Bobby Clarke had a busy off-season. First, he acquired free agent John Vanbiesbrouck to solve Philly's goaltending problems. Then, after much negotiating, he finally agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension with Eric Lindros. And last but not least, Clarke discovered a snack sensation when his chocolate bar fell into an open jar of peanut butter. By Clarke's own admission, it was yummy. OFFENSE: Not Much Right on Right Wing Philly remains overloaded at center. Eric Lindros, Rod Brind'Amour, Chris Gratton, Mike Sillinger, Joel Otto, and Dan Lacroix all like to call the middle home. Brind'Amour was forced to play left wing last season, but is more comfortable at center and hopes to be back anchoring the second line this year. This means Chris Gratton, who will be switching back to number 77, will be tested out once again at left wing. Coach Roger Neilson would like to use Gratton on the wing in order to take advantage of his size along the boards. If Gratton can't make the transition, Brind'Amour will have no choice but to play the left side again or otherwise he wouldn't receive enough playing time as a third line center. Assuming Brind'Amour and Gratton can co-exist on the second line, Philly's main problem will be trying to find right wingers to play on either of the top two units. Another season of Trent Klatt playing the right side for Lindros and LeClair just won't cut it. Alexandre Daigle and Dainius "Joey" Zubrus are the two leading candidates, but neither one has impressed at camp. Zubrus continues to rely too heavily on finesse, while the Flyer brass would like to see him develop into a power forward. Meanwhile, Daigle's questionable attitude and inconsistent nature makes his future role with the team uncertain. After spending the entire off-season in Hollywood, Daigle seems more concerned with his personal life than becoming an NHL star. But Pamela Lee... c'mon, can you blame him? I mean, did you see that video? If Daigle and Zubrus can't get the job done, it might open up a spot for AHL scoring ace Mike Maneluk. The 25-year-old winger has impressed at camp with his speed and natural goal-scoring touch. He has also learned to whittle and swim... Once the top two lines get situated, the Flyers should have their best checking line reunited with Otto centering Klatt and Shjon Podein. At least that would be the perfect scenario. But if Gratton and Brind'Amour get split among the second and third lines, or if Klatt is forced into duty on the right side for one of the top two units, then the Otto line won't assemble. But even if the top three lines go as planned, the Flyers would still have to make a decision on how to use Mike Sillinger. Last season, Sillinger came over from Vancouver and scored 22 points in 27 games playing the left side for Gratton and Daigle. If he returns to his left wing spot alongside Gratton this season, it would likely mean that Brind'Amour would be stuck centering the third line with Podein and Klatt. Thus, Otto would be rendered expendable, since Lacroix is still around to center the fourth line. How the Flyers handle all these varying line combinations will go a long way to determining the amount of success they have this coming season. DEFENSE: Mobility Needed The Flyers used to have a well-balanced defensive corps, mixing speed and skill with size and toughness. The key words there are "used to." Take away Paul Coffey and Janne Niinimaa, and the Flyer blue line is a rather plodding, one-dimensional group. The depth chart reads as follows: Eric Desjardins, Chris Therien, Petr Svoboda, Luke Richardson, Dan McGillis, Dave Babych, and Chris Joseph. The average age of this bunch is 30, even though Therien and McGillis are each only 26. The best man here is Desjardins. A true craftsman, Desjardins is one of the game's elite defensive defensemen. He can also account for his share of points, although last year's sliding total of 33 could be a sign of things to come. McGillis has the most offensive skills, but he's a mid-level guy at best among the game's notable offensive defensemen. Even though he has better size, he'll struggle trying to fill the skates of Niinimaa. Svoboda's the best skater, but he's hardly a dependable resource, having missed 41 games over the past two seasons. Therien and Richardson bring toughness to the mix. Both are physical, abrasive defenders that clear the front of the net and punish the opposition in the corners. However, both are strictly defensive guys that contribute next to nothing offensively. And Dave Babych is like really, really old. A lot of people don't realize this, but he used to appear in movies back in the 40's. He was good buddies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. In fact, he was the talking camel in "Road to Morocco." Sadly, Babych just doesn't have much left. But his mustache should be good for another three or four years. The Flyers could use a serious boost of skill along the blue line. This group won't help the transition game much and there isn't a power-play quarterback among the lot. It's tough to win a championship without a legitimate point-producing defenseman. GOALTENDING; Is Vanbiesbrouck the Answer? Bobby Clarke finally made a move to address Philadelphia's weakness in goal by signing free agent John Vanbiesbrouck away from Florida. Unfortunately, not only was the gesture itself about two years late, the chosen solution may be past its prime, as well. At 35, Vanbiesbrouck is not the goaltender he once was. He looked extremely sluggish last season, doing little to slow Florida's downward spiral. He's still better than anything Philly's had for the past, oh, forever. Hextall will still be around as the backup, with Sean Burke departing for Florida. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Lindros and LeClair are two of the best forwards in the NHL. * Vanbiesbrouck is a definite improvement in net. * Have bitchin' Cheese Steaks. GRIEF * Too many centers. * No proven right wingers. * No scoring on defense. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: With Lindros and LeClair up front and Vanbiesbrouck in net, the Flyers should be able to win the Atlantic. But unless they find a proven right winger and a quarterback for the power play, it might be another year without a Stanley Cup. PREDICTION: First in Atlantic. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Kevin Constantine Roster: C - Stu Barnes, Robert Lang, Martin Straka, Tyler Wright, Sean Pronger. LW - German Titov, Ian Moran, Todd Hlushko, Steve Maltais. RW - Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Morozov, Robby Brown, Robert Dome. D - Darius Kasparaitis, Kevin Hatcher, Brad Werenka, Jiri Slegr, Chris Tamer, Bobby Dollas, Neil Wilkinson, Tuomas Gronman. G - Tom Barrasso, Peter Skudra. 1997-98 STATS Record...........40-24-18, 98 PTS, 2nd Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....228 Goals Against....188 Power Play.......16.5% (11th) Penalty Killing..86.4% (8th) Gonesville: Ron Francis (Carolina), Andreas Johansson (Ottawa), Alex Hicks (San Jose), Garry Valk (Toronto), Ed Olczyk (Chicago), Peter Ferraro (Edmonton), Fredrik Olausson (Anaheim), Ken Wregget (Calgary). Charlie New Guys: German Titov, Todd Hlushko, Steve Maltais, Bobby Dollas. WHAT'S WRONG WITH LAST PLACE? The Pittsburgh Penguins went above and beyond expectations last season, winning the Northeast Division and finishing with the second best record in the Eastern Conference. But a lot can change in the course of one summer. Not only have the Arctic Birds switched divisions, moving to the Atlantic to join their old Patrick rivals, but they've also lost their captain and leader, Ron Francis. Throw in a messy ownership squabble between Howard Baldwin and Roger Marino, a possible lawsuit by Mario Lemieux, and trade rumors involving Jaromir Jagr, and things look grim. Will Kevin Constantine be able to rally the troops to another surprising effort? Not likely. OFFENSE: Youngsters Are Key The biggest news to come out of the off-season was Francis leaving town to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes. While LCS Hockey usually rips on guys that bail on their team for scratch, Francis is the exception. Even though he never made more than $1.8 million a season during his seven-and-a-half-year tenure with the Penguins, Francis never complained about his contract. He simply went out night after night and gave it his all on the ice. He's the definition of the word professional. If the Penguins would have made an honest effort to retain his services, Francis would still be in the Burgh. But the cash-strapped Pens didn't even bother to make an attempt. And at 35, this was Ronnie's last chance to cash in. He earned his pay day. Without his veteran mentor around, Jaromir Jagr is now left all by his lonesome in the Steel City. That's not good. Francis was the most influential force on Jagr's career. Not having number 10 around could be a shock to his system. How Jagr deals with his friend's absence will have an enormous impact on Pittsburgh's season. He's going to have to elevate his game on the ice and take up a greater leadership role in the room. While most don't think Jagr is captain material, he has stated that he'd like to wear the C and have a chance to prove the critics wrong. So at least that's encouraging. But will Jagr even have the chance to lead the team? Recently there have been rumors that he could be traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for a huge pile of cash and maybe Niklas Lidstrom or Alexei Kovalev. While Roger Marino has denied the reports, word on the street is that Howard Baldwin is the man trying to orchestrate the deal. The plan is for Baldwin to trade Jagr to the Blueshirts then use the stacks and stacks of folding green to buy out Marino and take back complete control of the team. Losing Marino would probably be a good thing, since that guy has weasel written all over him, but giving up Jagr for little more than cash would cripple the organization. Then again, life ain't no boat ride. Sadly, a Jagr trade seems inevitable. First, he's scheduled to make about $10 million in 1999-2000. The Penguins claim they've lost around $40 million the past two seasons. Jagr's contract could be his ticket out of town. Second, without Francis around to moderate, it's doubtful Jagr will be mature enough to coexist with coach Constantine. Third, the huge cash infusion of any deal could be the only way to save the franchise from ruin. This could be a whole Wayne Gretzky-Edmonton thing all over again. The only question that remains is when Jagr will get traded, not if. It's unlikely the team will do anything before the season starts, since tickets still have to be sold. But Jagr should be in a different sweater by the time the trade deadline rolls around. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Francis' departure creates a gaping hole in the middle. Who's going to be the top center? It doesn't look like Petr Nedved will be the answer. GM Craig Patrick seems quite content to allow the talented Czech to sit out another year, refusing to budge on contract talks and maintaining that no other clubs have made any valid trade offers. While the two sides have all but broken off talks, there was a ray of light recently when it was rumored that Nedved was going to switch agents. Maybe that would be the first step to a resolution. Patrick's determination is admirable, but he can't allow this situation to go on much longer. Either sign Nedved or trade him. The Penguins can't afford to play another season with one of their most valuable assets sitting at home. For the time being, Nedved has signed to play with the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL until he can make his return to the big show. Although, the Penguins own Nedved's rights until he turns 31, so the wait could be just beginning. Stu Barnes would seem to be the next logical candidate to be the number one center. A natural pivot, Barnes skated left wing last season with Francis and Jaromir Jagr. While he's already the club's best face-off man, Barnes' small stature makes it hard to believe he'll be able to match up against the Conference's other top centers, including the likes of Eric Lindros, Alexei Yashin, Jason Allison, and Bobby Holik. At best he's a second line center. Robert Lang was tremendous last season in a defensive role, often anchoring the checking line and doing quite the fine job. Late in the year he also got the opportunity to move to the second line and produced some points with Martin Straka and Alexei Morozov on his wings. But he's not ready for front line duty. He also needs to be re-signed as of this writing. While the top two center spots are in question, Sean Pronger should be able to fill the third slot while the scrappy Tyler Wright returns to create trouble on the fourth line. You gotta like the Tyler Wright. So, really, if Lang gets signed, the Pens should be pretty solid up the middle on the bottom three lines. But that top spot is still a problem. One solution could come in the form of Alexei Morozov. The Russian phenom dazzled in his rookie season with his unparalleled offensive skills and instincts. Although he played right wing last year, Morozov is an amazing stickhandler and passer that's destined to find success at center. He has the size and grit to compete, but he may not be ready to handle the defensive responsibilities that come along with the gig. It's only a matter of time, tho'. Morozov is something special. Another potential young star in the making is 1997's first-round pick Robert Dome. The Czech winger saw spot duty last year but displayed a powerful skating stride and a nose for the net that should serve him well. He also has an absolute cannon snap shot. The promise of Morozov and Dome make that impending Jagr trade a bit easier to take. The only other returning forwards from last season, not counting utility man Ian Moran, are Marty Straka and Robby Brown. Both players enjoyed a renaissance last season in their second stints with the team, displaying a work ethic and defensive awareness that was seldom seen during their first tours of duty. Straka has exceptional speed and established himself as one of the club's top penalty killers, dismissing the notion that he was nothing more than a talented one-way European. Likewise, Brown completely reinvented himself as a checking winger. Despite being slower than wood, "Downtown" led all Pittsburgh forwards in hits last season and never took a shift off. Brown's new substance-over-style attitude exemplifies Constantine's Penguins. Forwards that won't return this season are Ed Olczyk, Andreas Johansson, Garry Valk, and Alex Hicks. Of the four, Hicks will be missed the most. He couldn't score to save his life, but Hicks was the type of role player the Penguins haven't had since the days of Troy Loney. It's positively stunning that Patrick didn't make the unrestricted free agent a contract offer. It's a move that could come back to haunt him, much like his now infamous Glen Murray for Olczyk deal. Patrick can live forever off the glory of the Francis and Rick Tocchet trades, but he's definitely made his share of mistakes. Anyone remember Scott Young for Bryan Fogarty? Or Bob Errey for Mike Ramsey? Add Hicks to the list. The only new blood guaranteed of a roster spot is German Titov, who was acquired over the summer from Calgary in exchange for Ken Wregget. Titov is a solid all-around guy that can play either center or wing and chip in 20 to 25 goals. Considering the team's overall lack of depth, Titov could really fit in anywhere but will likely be used as the top left winger. While Titov is the lone major new name, Patrick has invited Steve Maltais to camp. Maltais, 29, hasn't played in the NHL in many a year but has been tearing up the IHL the past four seasons with the Chicago Wolves, totaling 219 goals. Maltais used to play on a line with Robby Brown in Chicago and is using his former teammate's successful return to the NHL as inspiration for his own comeback venture. DEFENSE: Rookies Could Get a Shot Pittsburgh's blue line also took a hit this summer when "Ever Steady" Freddy Olausson returned to Anaheim. Olausson may not have been Norris material, but he was a quality defender that was instrumental in sparking the transition game. He'll be missed. Olausson's spot in the rotation will likely be filled by veteran Bobby Dollas, who was picked up from Edmonton over the off- season. Dollas is a hard-nosed competitor that will take one for the team in order to win. He doesn't have anywhere near Olausson's offensive skills, but he should be a decent addition. Kevin Hatcher will be back for another go. The only question is why? Hatcher has done little to impress in his two years as a Penguin. He did have 19 goals and 48 points last season, but those numbers should have been much higher. His sporadic scoring is only matched by his inconsistent physical play. With a contract in the millions, Hatcher should be the first guy out the door in any cost-cutting measures. The true gem of the Pittsburgh defense remains Darius Kasparaitis. The coolest player in the NHL, Kasparaitis is the most fearless hitter in the game and reached folk hero status around Pittsburgh with his open-ice devastation of Eric Lindros. He'll hit anybody, anytime. And once they get up he'll hit 'em again. That's just the kind of guy he is. God bless Darius. Kaspar's regular partner last season was Brad Werenka. Another minor-league find for Patrick, Werenka led all Pittsburgh defensemen with a +15. As long as he plays within himself and doesn't try to do too much with the puck, Werenka can be a serviceable stay-at-home defender. Jiri Slegr and Chris Tamer are the team's third pair and each bring something unique to the table. Tamer is the squad's lone fighter capable of throwing with the league's heavyweights. For his part, Slegr is extremely strong and will drop the gloves when provoked, but his best assets are his mighty skating stride and hefty slap shot. He's capable of taking on a bigger offensive role, and might have to with Olausson no longer around. The only other vet competing for a spot is the oft-injured Neil Wilkinson. Limited to just 34 games last season because of a recurring abdominal injury, Wilkinson can provide the club with grit and toughness when healthy. But his overall skill level isn't the greatest and could make him the victim of a numbers game if the next generation of Penguin defensemen are ready to shine. Rookies Andrew Ferrence (5-10, 180), Michal Rozsival (6-, 195), and Pavel Skrbek (6-3, 191) are all serious candidates to make the club. I haven't seen any of them play, so I can't tell you much about 'em. But I for one just think it would be cool to have a guy named Pavel Skrbek on the team. But that's not all. Tuomas Gronman and Sven Butenschon also remain possibilities, with Gronman a potential point man on the power play. That's a lot of names for only seven spots. It would seem that the top six slots will be filled by Hatcher, Kasparaitis, Werenka, Slegr, Tamer, and Dollas. That leaves just one opening for the rest to fight over. Should be interesting. GOALTENDING: Barrasso's Backup a Concern Tommy Barrasso returned to his old self last season, carrying the team on his back for much of the campaign and earning a Vezina nomination for his stellar goaltending. A similar effort will be needed in 1998-99 if the Penguins hope to enjoy any success at all. With the lack of scoring up front, Barrasso is going to be called on to win games by himself. If he can stay healthy, which hasn't always been the case in the past, Barrasso should be up to the challenge. If he goes down, there's trouble. Not wanting to pay starting goaltender money to a backup, the Pens shipped Wregget to Calgary during the off-season. This was a tremendous show of faith in second-year man Peter Skudra, who came from nowhere last season to solidify the goaltending picture. Skudra has remarkable reflexes and can do a split like a champ, but he has a lot of work to do on his angles. If he played any deeper in net he'd need a periscope. Patrick seems to think he can handle the gig, tho', so we'll see what happens. Unfortunately, Skudra separated his shoulder early in training camp and could miss the first few weeks of the regular season. This would mean that rookies Jean Sebastian Aubin or Craig Hillier would have to be the number two goaltender come opening night. Pittsburgh better pray Barrasso stays healthy. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Jagr is a dominating offensive force. * Morozov and Dome could be future stars. * Kasparaitis is cool as hell. GRIEF * Scoring up front is scarce. * If Barrasso gets hurt, goaltending could be a problem. * Ownership situation a complete mess and could lead to financial collapse. * This just in, Kasparaitis injured his knee in an exhibition game and could be out several months. Yeah, that'll suck. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: This season is going to be an ugly one in the Burgh. The Penguins were scrap before Ron Francis arrived and they'll be scrap now that he's gone. Outside of Jagr, there's just no scoring up front at all. Their only hope is for Morozov and Dome to become stars this season, but that likely won't happen. Barrasso will keep them in games, but even he won't be enough to save a playoff spot. The franchise could use an overhaul, starting at the top. Until the ownership situation gets resolved, the Penguins will be doomed to failure. PREDICTION: Fifth in the Atlantic and out of the playoffs. ================================================================= ================================================================ TEAM REPORTS ================================================================ EASTERN CONFERENCE NORTHEASTERN DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON BRUINS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Pat Burns Roster: C - Jason Allison, Anson Carter, Joe Thornton, Ted Donato, Tim Taylor. LW - Sergei Samsonov, Ken Baumgartner, Rob Dimaio. RW - Dimitri Khristich, Steve Heinze, Landon Wilson, Per Johan Axelsson, Jean-Yves Roy. D - Ray Bourque, Don Sweeney, Dave Ellett, Kyle McLaren, Dean Chynoweth, Mattias Timander, Hal Gill, Darren Van Impe, Grant Ledyard, Dennis Vaske. G - Byron Dafoe, Rob Tallas. 1997-98 STATS Record...........39-30-13, 91 PTS, 5th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....221 Goals Against....194 Power Play.......17.3% (8th) Penalty Killing..84.6% (15th) Gonesville: Mike Sullivan (Phoenix). Charlie New Guys: Dennis Vaske. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * If Jason Allison gets signed, the Bruins have an excellent top line of Allison, Sergei Samsonov, and Dimitri Khristich. * Ray Bourque is still a great defenseman. * Byron Dafoe is a pretty good goaltender. * Coach Pat Burns will always make the Bruins competitive. GRIEF * If Allison doesn't get signed, Boston shouldn't even bother having a team. * Along with Allison, Anson Carter and Kyle McLaren also need signed. * Don Sweeney had shoulder surgery in June and is recovering slowly. * GM Harry Sinden did nothing over the summer to improve the team. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: As incredible as it may sound, Harry Sinden says he is done negotiating with Allison, Carter, and McLaren. How Sinden could not make an honest effort to sign Allison, the man who carried the team last season, is beyond belief. Without Allison the Bruins are scrap. But we're guessing he'll get signed. If not, Sinden should be beaten severely about the head and shoulders with a sack of door knobs. PREDICTION: Second in the Northeast Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- BUFFALO SABRES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Lindy Ruff Roster: C - Mike Peca, Derek Plante, Brian Holzinger, Wayne Primeau. LW - Geoff Sanderson, Miroslav Satan, Michal Grosek, Paul Kruse, Randy Cunneyworth. RW - Donald Audette, Matthew Barnaby, Dixon Ward, Rob Ray, Vaclav Varada. D - Alexei Zhitnik, Richard Smehlik, Darryl Shannon, Jay McKee, Mike Wilson, Jason Woolley. G - Dominik Hasek, Dwayne Roloson. 1997-98 STATS Record...........36-29-17, 89 PTS, 6th in Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....211 Goals Against....187 Power Play.......12.9% (19th) Penalty Killing..84.3% (18th) Gonesville: Bob Boughner (Nashville), Steve Shields (San Jose). Charlie New Guys: Randy Cunneyworth, Dwayne Roloson. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Dominik Hasek gives the Sabres a chance to win every night. * Michael Peca is the best defensive center in hockey. * Alexei Zhitnik should be a Norris candidate. * While there are no superstars, the Sabres can fill out four pretty good lines. * Geoff Sanderson can't play any worse than he did last year. GRIEF * No go-to guy on offense. * Zhitnik, Donald Audette, Mike Wilson, and Miroslav Satan all need contracts. * Depth on defense has been hurt by the departure of Bob Boughner. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Even though they still lack the superstar scorer on offense, the Sabres get plenty of scoring by committee from the likes of Audette, Satan, Holzinger, Grosek, etc. But how many goals do you need with Hasek in net? PREDICTION: First in Northeast Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- MONTREAL CANADIENS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Alain Vigneault ROSTER: C - Saku Koivu, Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Patrick Poulin. RW - Mark Recchi, Brian Savage, Turner Stevenson, Jonas Hoglund, Mick Vukota. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Craig Rivet, Igor Ulanov. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore. 1997-98 STATS Record...........37-32-13, 87 PTS, 7th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....235 Goals Against....208 Power Play.......18.3% (3rd) Penalty Killing..84.5% (16th) Gonesville: Sebastian Bordeleau (Nashville), Marc Bureau (Philadelphia), Peter Popovic (NY Rangers), Zarley Zalapski (NY Rangers), Andy Moog (retired). Charlie New Guys: Nobody. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Assuming everyone gets signed, the Canadiens have two solid scoring lines with Saku Koivu centering Mark Recchi and Shayne Corson, and Vincent Damphousse centering Martin Rucinsky and Brian Savage. * Overall, Montreal has excellent team speed. * Still have the famed Montreal mystique on their side. GRIEF * Koivu, Rucinsky, Savage, and Vladimir Malakhov all need to be re-signed. Corson is adding to the problem by demanding that his contract be renegotiated. * Montreal doesn't have much depth on defense after losing Peter Popovic and Zarley Zalapski to free agency. * Team could also use more toughness up front. * Andy Moog's retirement leaves the goaltending duties to the unproven combo of Jocelyn Thibault and Jose Theodore. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Obviously, Montreal has to get its players signed and in camp. But after giving massive contracts to Recchi and Damphousse, the club reportedly only has two million dollars in its budget to get all these other guys signed. Koivu, who made only $750,000 last season, could be particularly difficult since he's seeking in the neighborhood of $4 million a season. It's tough to make an accurate assessment of the Canadiens without knowing the status of the unsigned players, so we decided to consult Winkles the Bible Monkey for guidance. After plying him with cheap wine and Ring Dings, Winkles assures us that Montreal will open up the bank... eventually. PREDICTION: Third in Northeast Division and barely in the playoffs. ----------------------------------------------------------------- OTTAWA SENATORS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jacques Martin Roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Vaclav Prospal, Radek Bonk, Shaun Van Allen. LW - Shawn McEachern, Magnus Arvedson, Yves Sarault, Andreas Johansson, Steve Leach, Alek Stojanov. RW - Daniel Alfredsson, Andreas Dackell, Bruce Gardiner, Chris Murray, David Oliver. D - Igor Kravchuk, Lance Pitlick, Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Stan Neckar, Jason York, Janne Laukkanen. G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt. 1997-98 STATS Record...........34-33-15, 83 PTS, 8th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....193 Goals Against....200 Power Play.......12.8% (22nd) Penalty Killing..84.5% (17th) Gonesville: Randy Cunneyworth (Buffalo), Pat Falloon (Edmonton), Sergei Zholtok (parts unknown), Denny Lambert (Nashville). Charlie New Guys: Andreas Johansson, Steve Leach, Yves Sarault, Alek Stojanov, David Oliver. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Alexei Yashin and Daniel Alfredsson are two brilliant young stars. * Vaclav Prospal could become a nifty second line center. * Youngsters Chris Phillips and Wade Redden highlight a vastly underrated group of defensemen. * Pat Falloon got the boot. * Two straight playoff appearances have given the club a winning attitude. GRIEF * Alfredsson suffered a knee injury during training camp and will be out 8-10 weeks. * Janne Laukkanen will be out three months after undergoing groin surgery. * Ronnie Tugnutt broke some ribs in an off-season boat accident and may not be good to go by opening night. * GM Pierre Gauthier, the architect of Ottawa's recent success, has bolted to Anaheim. Rick Dudley has some big shoes to fill. * Team could miss the emotion provided by Randy Cunneyworth and Denny Lambert. * Scoring goals is going to be a problem. After Yashin and Alfredsson, there isn't much to get excited about on offense. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: With all their injuries, Ottawa may have trouble getting out of the gate. How the club survives the first few months without Alfredsson will go a long way to determining whether or not a third consecutive playoff appearance is in the cards. Of course, if Boston and Montreal don't get their key players signed, the Senators should be able to keep within shouting distance and make things interesting down the stretch. It still may not be enough. PREDICTION: Fourth in Northeast and out of the playoffs. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Pat Quinn Roster: C - Mats Sundin, Darby Hendrickson, Steve Sullivan, Alyn McCauley. LW - Fredrik Modin, Steve Thomas, Todd Warriner, Derek King, Kris King, Igor Korolev, Garry Valk. RW - Sergei Berezin, Tie Domi, Mike Johnson, Martin Prochazka, Steve Rice, Nikolai Borschevsky, Lonny Bohonos. D - Sylvain Cote, Dimitri Yushkevich, Mathieu Schneider, Jason Smith, Daniil Markov, Dallas Eakins. G - Curtis Joseph, Felix Potvin, Glenn Healy. 1997-98 STATS Record...........30-43-9, 69 PTS, 10th Western Conference Goals Scored.....194 Goals Against....237 Power Play.......11.4% (25th) Penalty Killing..86.6% (6th) Gonesville: Rob Zettler (Nashville). Charlie New Guys: Garry Valk, Steve Rice, Steve Thomas, Dallas Eakins, Curtis Joseph. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Mats Sundin is one of them superstar guys. * Mike Johnson is a potential star, as long as he avoids the dreaded sophomore slump. * "The Chef", Nikolai Borschevsky, is attempting a comeback. You the man, Chef... * Steve Thomas is way past his prime, but Stumpy's still a good character guy that should lead the young Leafs by example. * Curtis Joseph is fun to watch in net. * Club should get a boost from whatever arrives in return for Felix Potvin. GRIEF * The ongoing Potvin situation could serve as a distraction. * Team desperately needs a second line center to play behind Sundin. * Steve Sullivan, Alyn McCauley, Fredrik Modin, Darby Hendrickson, Todd Warriner, and Sergei Berezin all have great talent, but have to learn how to do more with it. They need to step up and prove that they're capable of shouldering some of the scoring load. * Mathieu Schneider still needs signed. * Changing conferences could take quite the adjustment, especially for a roster loaded with so many inexperienced players. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: The Leafs have plenty of young talent, but it's still a year or two from maturing into anything significant. Rebuilding is never easy. It's going to take time. The process could be accelerated, though, by a timely windfall in the pending Potvin trade. PREDICTION: Fifth in the Northeast. ================================================================ ================================================================ TEAM REPORTS ================================================================ EASTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- CAROLINA HURRICANES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Paul Maurice Roster: C - Ron Francis, Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Kent Manderville, Bates Battaglia. RW - Ray Sheppard, Sami Kapanen, Nelson Emerson, Kevin Dineen, Paul Ranheim. LW - Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Robert Kron. D - Steve Chiasson, Glen Wesley, Adam Burt, Curtis Leschyshyn, Sean Hill, Dave Karpa, Nolan Pratt, Steve Halko. G - Trevor Kidd, Arturs Irbe, Mike Fountain. 1997-98 STATS Record...........33-41-8, 74 PTS, 9th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....200 Goals Against....219 Power Play.......13.2% (18th) Penalty Killing..85.2% (12th) Gonesville: Stu Grimson (Anaheim), Steve Leach (Ottawa), Steve Rice (Toronto), Kevin Haller (Anaheim). Charlie New Guys: Ron Francis, Dave Karpa, Arturs Irbe. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * The addition of Ron Francis is huge. * Francis and Keith Primeau give the Hurricanes one of the best one-two center combinations in hockey. * Gary Roberts, Sami Kapanen, Ray Sheppard, and Martin Gelinas are four quality wingers, making Carolina one of the few teams capable of boasting two solid scoring lines. * Trevor Kidd is on the verge of superstardom. * Dave Karpa will bring feistiness to the blue line. * The team should be more comfortable in its surroundings this year. GRIEF * Still have pesky bus ride to all home games. * Roberts' health is always a question mark. * Defense lacks a scoring threat from the point. * Karmanos is still a jack ass. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Ron Francis will turn the Hurricanes into a playoff contender. His leadership and professional demeanor will have an enormous impact on his teammates, especially Keith Primeau. And aside from the lack of scoring on defense, Carolina doesn't have too many weaknesses. Prediction: First in the Southeastern Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FLORIDA PANTHERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Bryan Murray Roster: C - Kirk Muller, Rob Niedermayer, Radek Dvorak, Dave Gagner, Chris Wells, Steve Washburn. LW - Ray Whitney, Johan Garpenlov, Viktor Kozlov, Bill Lindsay, Peter Worrell. RW - Scott Mellanby, Dino Ciccarelli, David Nemirovsky. D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Paul Laus, Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Jeff Norton. G - Kirk McLean, Sean Burke. 1997-98 STATS Record...........24-43-15, 63 PTS, 12th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....203 Goals Against....256 Power Play.......13.4% (17th) Penalty Killing..79.7% (26th) Gonesville: John Vanbiesbrouck (Philadelphia). Charlie New Guys: Sean Burke. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Robert Svehla is really cool. * The Florida weather is rather pleasant. * Team got a new arena this year. * Viktor Kozlov has the potential to be a dynamic scorer. * Kirk McLean and Sean Burke should be a decent goaltending tandem. * Paul Laus fights a lot. GRIEF * They're the Florida Panthers. * Doubtful Ray Whitney will score 33 goals again. * All those Rob Niedermayer for Felix Potvin trade rumors could have a harmful effect on the team. * Niedermayer still may not be recovered from post-concussion syndrome. * Muller, Ciccarelli, Gagner, Carkner, and Mellanby aren't getting any younger. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Bleak. Prediction: Fourth in the Southeastern Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jacques Demers Roster: C - John Cullen, Craig Janney, Vincent Lecavalier, Benoit Hogue, Jason Bonsignore, Brian Bradley, Darcy Tucker. RW - Alexander Selivanov, Mikael Renberg, Stephane Richer, Mikael Andersson, Sandy McCarthy, Andrei Nazarov. LW - Paul Ysebaert, Rob Zamuner, Wendel Clark, Vladimir Vujtek, Corey Spring. D - Cory Cross, Karl Dykhuis, Yves Racine, David Wilkie, Michal Sykora, Mike McBain, Jassen Cullimore, Enrico Ciccone, Pavel Kubina. G - Bill Ranford, Daren Puppa. 1997-98 STATS Record...........17-55-10, 44 PTS, 13th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....151 Goals Against....269 Power Play.......9.3% (26th) Penalty Killing..82.4% (23rd) Gonesville: Louie DeBrusk (Phoenix), Mark Fitzpatrick (Chicago). Charlie New Guys: Craig Janney, Benoit Hogue, Wendel Clark, Bill Ranford. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Johnny Cullen, LCS hero and the idol of millions from eight to eighty, has returned! * Number one draft pick Vincent Lecavalier could make an impact. * The additions of Craig Janney, Wendel Clark, and Benoit Hogue give the Bolts much improved depth on offense. * Daren Puppa should be healthy, but even if he isn't, Billy Ranford will be around to do the job. * Darcy Tucker is cool as hell. * Toughness won't be a problem with Sandy McCarthy, Enrico Ciccone, and Andrei Nazarov around. GRIEF * Defense isn't too great. * Alexander "Knuckles" Selivanov will be out until November with torn ligaments in his right thumb. * Still not much talent throughout their lineup. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Even though he's a stiff, Janney could dramatically improve the Tampa power play while acting as the setup man for Mikael Renberg. The club's goaltending concerns should also be put to rest with a healthy Puppa and Ranford. And don't overlook the emotional lift the team will receive from Cullen's return. But it still won't be enough to make the playoffs. PREDICTION: Third in Southeastern Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON CAPITALS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ron Wilson Roster: C - Adam Oates, Andrei Nikolishin, Michal Pivonka, Dale Hunter. LW - Joe Juneau, Richard Zednik, Steve Konowalchuk, Chris Simon, Jeff Toms, Todd Krygier. RW - Peter Bondra, Brian Bellows, Craig Berube, Kelly Miller, Mike Eagles. D - Calle Johansson, Mark Tinordi, Sergei Gonchar, Joe Reekie, Brendan Witt, Dmitri Mironov. G - Olaf Kolzig, Rick Tabaracci. 1997-98 STATS Record...........40-30-12, 92 PTS, 4th Eastern Conference Goals Scored.....219 Goals Against....202 Power Play.......15.7% (13th) Penalty Killing..89.2% (1st) Gonesville: Esa Tikkanen (NY Rangers), Phil Housley (Calgary), Bill Ranford (Tampa Bay). Charlie New Guys: Dmitri Mironov, Rick Tabaracci. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Peter Bondra is one of the game's premier goal scorers. * Adam Oates is a great guy. * Richard Zednik and Jaroslav "Yogi" Svejkovsky are potential stars. * Chris Simon might be healthy for a full season. * Washington's defense, led by Mark Tinordi and Calle Johansson, is extremely solid. * Olaf Kolzig is the real deal in net. * Phil Housley is now in Calgary. GRIEF * Team is kind of old and slow. * Dmitri Mironov will pick up where Housley left off. * Could still be hung over from last year's postseason run. * Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Nikolishin remain unsigned. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Washington is still a solid team, with plenty of experienced veterans on the roster. The Caps could use some more speed, but it's hardly a deal breaker. Bondra and Kolzig will be enough to get the Caps into the playoffs. PREDICTION: Second in Southeastern Division. ================================================================ ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Dirk Graham Roster: C - Doug Gilmour, Alexei Zhamnov, Chad Kilger, Steve Dubinsky, Jeff Shantz, Brent Sutter, Ed Olczyk. LW - Eric Daze, Ethan Moreau, Bob Probert, James Black, Jean-Yves Leroux, Reid Simpson. RW - Tony Amonte, Kevin Miller, Ryan VandenBussche. D - Chris Chelios, Paul Coffey, Christian LaFlamme, Cam Russell, Eric Weinrich, Trent Yawney, Doug Zmolek. G - Jeff Hackett, Mark Fitzpatrick. 1997-98 STATS Record...........30-39-13, 73 PTS, 9th Western Conference Goals Scored.....192 Goals Against....199 Power Play.......12.9% (20th) Penalty Killing..84.8% (14th) Gonesville: Sergei Krivokrasov (Nashville), Gary Suter (San Jose), Chris Terreri (New Jersey). Charlie New Guys: Doug Gilmour, Ed Olczyk, Paul Coffey, Doug Zmolek, Mark Fitzpatrick. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * The arrival of Doug Gilmour improves Chicago's depth at center and gives the club an emotional leader. * Tony Amonte is a tremendous all-around player with exceptional speed. * Chris Chelios is still the team's heart and soul. * Jeff Hackett has quietly become a dependable number one goaltender. * Paul Coffey should help quarterback the power play. GRIEF * Paying $6 million to Doug Gilmour is just plain silly. * Team still needs more scoring, especially on the wing. * Losing Gary Suter hurts. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Chicago still isn't a great team, but Gilmour should make a large enough impact to get the Hawks back into the playoffs. PREDICTION: Second in the Central Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DETROIT RED WINGS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Scotty Bowman Roster: C - Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Kris Draper. LW - Brendan Shanahan, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Martin Lapointe, Tomas Holmstrom, Kirk Maltby, Brent Gilchrist. RW - Darren McCarty, Doug Brown, Joey Kocur, Mathieu Dandenault. D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Larry Murphy, Uwe Krupp, Jamie Macoun, Aaron Ward, Anders Eriksson. G - Chris Osgood, Kevin Hodson. 1997-98 STATS Record...........44-23-15, 103 PTS, 3rd Western Conference Goals Scored.....250 Goals Against....196 Power Play.......17.6% (6th) Penalty Killing..86.4% (9th) Gonesville: Bob Rouse (San Jose), Slava Fetisov (retired), Dmitri Mironov (Washington). Charlie New Guys: Uwe Krupp. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov give Detroit the second best center combination in hockey. * Red Wings have great depth on offense, with enough talent to fill out four quality lines. * Nicklas Lidstrom is one of the game's best defenseman. * Dmitri Mironov left town and Uwe Krupp moved in. * Brendan Shanahan is healthy and says he's in the best shape of his career. * Club knows how to win. GRIEF * Coach Scotty Bowman had knee replacement surgery in August and will likely be out until late October. Assistant coaches Barry Smith and Dave Lewis will run the show until he returns. * The defense took a hit when Slava Fetisov retired and Bob Rouse left for San Jose. This leaves more of a burden on youngsters Aaron Ward and Anders Eriksson. * Chris Osgood's a dork. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Detroit won't be as strong as in the past. The defense could use some help. Not only did they lose Fetisov and Rouse, but Larry Murphy and Jamie Macoun are up for parts in "Cocoon 3: The Search for Rice Pudding." But the blue line can afford to be weak with the team's talent up front and overall commitment to defense. PREDICTION: First in Central Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NASHVILLE PREDATORS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Barry Trotz Roster: C - David Legwand, Sebastien Bordeleau, Darren Turcotte, Scott Walker. LW - Patric Kjellberg, Paul Brousseau, Greg Johnson, Jim Dowd, Doug Friedman, Patrick Cote. RW - Tom Fitzgerald, Sergei Krivokrasov, Vitali Yachmenev, Blair Atcheynum, Brad Smyth. D - Joel Bouchard, Bob Boughner, J.J. Daigneault, John Slaney, Rob Zettler, Jay More, Jan Vopat. G - Mike Dunham, Mikhail Shtalenkov. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * The team's got real swank jerseys. The logo's lame, but they're like silky and whatnot. * Sometimes it's fun just to participate. GRIEF * Umm, everything... 1998-99 OUTLOOK: If Nashville wins more than 15 games this year there should be a Grand Jury investigation. And then the tape should be released to the public, chockful of sexual references and ambiguous denials. PREDICTION: Last in the Central. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ST. LOUIS BLUES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Joel Quenneville Roster: C - Pierre Turgeon, Craig Conroy, Mike Eastwood. LW - Geoff Courtnall, Pavol Demitra, Scott Pellerin, Pascal Rheaume, Tony Twist. RW - Jim Campbell, Scott Young, Kelly Chase, Terry Yake. D - Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Marc Bergevin, Chris McAlpine, Jamie Rivers, Todd Gill, Rudy Poeschek, Kevin Dahl. G - Grant Fuhr, Jamie McLennan. 1997-98 STATS Record...........45-29-8, 98 PTS, 4th Western Conference Goals Scored.....256 Goals Against....204 Power Play.......16.8% (9th) Penalty Killing..86.6% (7th) Gonesville: Brett Hull (Dallas), Blair Atcheynum (Nashville), Steve Duchesne (Los Angeles). Charlie New Guys: Scott Young, Kevin Dahl. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis will give the Blues a strong defense. * Craig Conroy has emerged as an excellent defensive center. * St. Louis is so giddy about Mark McGwire, no one will notice when the Blues suck. GRIEF * Life without Brett Hull won't be easy. * Losing Steve Duchesne will hurt the power play. * How much longer can Grant Fuhr keep truckin'? * Now that he has his new contract, Geoff Courtnall will go back to being a worthless punk. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Not having Hull will prove devastating. People won't realize how much he meant to the organization until they experience a full season without him. Pronger and MacInnis by themselves won't be enough to carry the team. PREDICTION: Third in Central Division. ================================================================= ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE NORTHWEST DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- CALGARY FLAMES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Brian Sutter Roster: C - Andrew Cassels, Michael Nylander, Cory Stillman, Bob Bassen. RW - Theoren Fleury, Valeri Bure, Jarome Iginla, Eric Andersson. LW - Hnat Domenichelli, Marty McInnis, Jason Wiemer, Chris Dingman, Ed Ward. D - Todd Simpson, Steve Smith, Phil Housley, Tommy Albelin, Jamie Allison, Denis Gauthier, Cale Hulse, Derek Morris, Eric Charron, David Cooper. G - Ken Wregget, Jean-Sebastian Giguere, Tyler Moss. 1997-98 STATS Record...........26-41-15, 67 PTS, 11th Western Conference Goals Scored.....217 Goals Against....252 Power Play.......12.1% (23rd) Penalty Killing..84.0% (20th) Gonesville: Aaron Gavey (Dallas), Joel Bouchard (Nashville), Rick Tabaracci (Washington). Charlie New Guys: Bob Bassen, Phil Housley, Steve Smith, Eric Charron, David Cooper, Ken Wregget. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Theo Fleury has defined Calgary hockey for years. * Calgary's uniforms are pleasing to the eye, reminding one of harvest time and all the joy it brings. Unless, you know, you're a farmer, then harvest time pretty much sucks... * Calgary is the home of Bret "The Hitman" Hart. GRIEF * Fleury is the only scorer on offense, and he's involved in a contract hassle that might see him get traded before year's end. * Phil Housley and Steve Smith really don't fit in with the Flames' youth movement. * Captain Todd Simpson is coming off shoulder surgery. * Denis Gauthier is suffering from nerve damage in his neck and may not be able to play for a while. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: The Flames are destined for another disappointing season. Even Brian Sutter won't be able to whip this group into playoff contention. There just isn't enough scoring to make the team competitive. Only time will help the young Flames develop into a playoff squad. PREDICTION: Fourth in Northwest Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- COLORADO AVALANCHE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Bob Hartley Roster: C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Chris Drury. LW - Valeri Kamensky, Keith Jones, Rene Corbet, Eric Lacroix. RW - Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Milan Hejduk, Jeff Odgers, Shean Donovan, Warren Rychel, Scott Parker. D - Sandis Ozolinsh, Adam Foote, Sylvain Lefebvre, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Aaron Miller, Eric Messier, Wade Belak, Pascal Trepanier, Francois Leroux. G - Patrick Roy, Craig Billington. 1997-98 STATS Record...........39-26-17, 95 PTS, 2nd Western Conference Goals Scored.....231 Goals Against....205 Power Play.......17.4% (7th) Penalty Killing..87.1% (3rd) Gonesville: Tom Fitzgerald (Nashville), Jari Kurri (retired), Uwe Krupp (Detroit). Charlie New Guys: Nobody. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Peter Forsberg is the game's best all-around player. * Forsberg and Joe Sakic combine to form hockey's best one-two center combination. * Sandis Ozolinsh is a dangerous scoring threat from the blue line. * Adam Foote is one of the NHL's best defensive defenseman. * Patrick Roy is Patrick Roy. * New coach Bob Hartley should light a fire under the team. * Rookie Scott Parker might be able to replace the toughness lost when Chris Simon got traded. * Young defensemen Aaron Miller, Eric Messier, Pascal Trepanier, and Wade Belak should more than make up for the loss of Uwe Krupp. GRIEF * Ozolinsh still needs signed. * Not much scoring on the wing. Team desperately needs a scorer to play with Sakic. * Claude Lemieux could be slowing down. * Colorado still misses the emotional leadership provided by Mike Keane and Mike Ricci. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Assuming the Ozolinsh gets signed, the Avalanche will once again be a serious power in the West. A new coach could be just what the doctor ordered. A core group of Forsberg, Sakic, Ozolinsh, Foote, and Roy will always make Colorado a Stanley Cup contender. PREDICTION: First in Northwest Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- EDMONTON OILERS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ron Low Roster: C - Doug Weight, Rem Murray, Mats Lindgren, Chris Ferraro. LW - Ryan Smyth, Dean McAmmond, Todd Marchant, Valeri Zelepukin, Bill Huard, Josef Beranek. RW - Bill Guerin, Mike Grier, Andrei Kovalenko, Kelly Buchberger, Georges Laraque, Dennis Bonvie, Pat Falloon. D - Boris Mironov, Janne Niinimaa, Roman Hamrlik, Sean Brown, Greg deVries, Drake Berehowsky, Frank Musil. G - Eric Fichaud, Bob Essensa. 1997-98 STATS Record...........35-37-10, 80 PTS, 7th Western Conference Goals Scored.....215 Goals Against....224 Power Play.......15.9% (12th) Penalty Killing..83.7% (22nd) Gonesville: Tony Hrkac (Dallas), Scott Fraser (NY Rangers), Bobby Dollas (Pittsburgh), Kevin Lowe (retired), Curtis Joseph (Toronto). Charlie New Guys: Pat Falloon, Chris Ferraro, Josef Beranek, Eric Fichaud. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Team has excellent overall speed. * Doug Weight and Billy Guerin could become a lethal scoring duo. * Oilers have three tremendous offensive defensemen in Boris Mironov, Roman Hamrlik, and Janne Niinimaa. GRIEF * Weight and Niinimaa still need contracts. * Curtis Joseph's departure creates a big hole in net. Eric Fichaud may not be ready to carry the load. * Not much reliable scoring up front. * Edmonton now has Pat "I have potential" Falloon. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: The season hinges on whether or not the club is able to sign Weight, who is seeking at least a one-year deal worth $4.5 million. The Oiler offense would be crippled without their number one center. But even if he gets signed, goaltending will keep the Oilers from being a serious threat. PREDICTION: Third in Northwest Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- VANCOUVER CANUCKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mike Keenan Roster: C - Mark Messier, Peter Zezel, Dave Scatchard, Brandon Convery. LW - Todd Bertuzzi, Markus Naslund, Brad May, Donald Brashear, Larry Courville. RW - Alex Mogilny, Pavel Bure, Brian Noonan, Steve Staios. D - Mattias Ohlund, Bryan McCabe, Dana Murzyn, Bret Hedican, Murray Baron, Adrian Aucoin, Jamie Huscroft, Chris McAllister, Bert Robertsson, Jason Strudwick. G - Garth Snow, Corey Hirsch. 1997-98 STATS Record...........25-43-14, 64 PTS, 13th Western Conference Goals Scored.....224 Goals Against....273 Power Play.......12.9% (21st) Penalty Killing..82.2% (24th) Gonesville: Jyrki Lumme (Phoenix), Arturs Irbe (Carolina). Charlie New Guys: Murray Baron. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Mark Messier has to have a better performance than he did last year. * Alexander Mogilny will pick up the slack left behind by Pavel Bure. * Todd Bertuzzi could be ready for a breakthrough season. * Mattias Ohlund and Bryan McCabe are two young, solid defenders. * Mike Keenan rarely has two losing seasons in a row. GRIEF * Bure's trade demand will be a distraction if allowed to linger. * Goaltending remains a huge weakness, with Garth Snow set to be the number one. * Not much talent on offense, especially at center behind Messier. * Club could miss the emotion of Scott Walker. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Vancouver won't be too bad if the Bure trade yields a number one goaltender and a second line center. Otherwise, the Canucks could be in for another long season. PREDICTION: Second in Northwest Division. ================================================================= ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE PACIFIC DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Craig Hartsburg ROSTER: C - Steve Rucchin, Travis Green, Josef Marha, Matt Cullen. LW - Paul Kariya, Jeremy Stevenson, Tomas Sandstrom, Shawn Antoski, Ted Drury, Stu Grimson, Jim McKenzie. RW - Teemu Selanne, Frank Banham, Jeff Nielsen. D - Fredrik Olausson, Ruslan Salei, Drew Bannister, Kevin Haller, Doug Houda, Jason Marshall, Jamie Pushor, Pavel Trnka, Terran Sandwith. G - Guy Hebert, Patrick Lalime, Tom Askey. 1997-98 STATS Record...........26-43-13, 65 PTS, 12th Western Conference Goals Scored.....205 Goals Against....261 Power Play.......11.7% (24th) Penalty Killing..81.8% (25th) Gonesville: Scott Young (St. Louis), Brent Severyn (Dallas), Dave Karpa (Carolina), Mikhail Shtalenkov (Nashville). Charlie New Guys: Jim McKenzie, Stu Grimson, Fredrik Olausson, Kevin Haller, Terran Sandwith. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya are the game's best scoring duo, capable of carrying the Anaheim offense by themselves. * A healthy Kariya will greatly improve the special teams. * Freddy Olausson will help the power play. * Stu Grimson and Jim McKenzie are around to protect Kariya. * Having Josef Marha and Travis Green for a full season will improve the situation at center. * GM Pierre Gauthier has returned from Ottawa and will get the Ducks flying in the right direction. * Patrick Lalime could be a surprise in net. GRIEF * Kariya and Selanne will be marked men. * The defense is rather pathetic. * The offense could use some more weapons. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: If Kariya can stay healthy for a full season, the Ducks should be playoff contenders. However, the team needs a significant upgrade on defense before it can dream of venturing deep into the postseason. PREDICTION: Third in Pacific Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DALLAS STARS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head coach: Ken Hitchcock Roster: C - Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland, Tony Hrkac, Aaron Gavey. LW - Jamie Langenbrunner, Dave Reid, Brent Severyn. RW - Brett Hull, Jere Lehtinen, Pat Verbeek, Mike Keane, Mike Kennedy, Grant Marshall. D - Derian Hatcher, Sergei Zubov, Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Shawn Chambers, Richard Matvichuk, Craig Muni. G - Ed Belfour, Roman Turek. 1997-98 STATS Record...........49-22-11, 109 PTS, 1st Western Conference Goals Scored.....242 Goals Against....167 Power Play.......20.0% (1st) Penalty Killing..88.0% (2nd) Gonesville: Bob Bassen (Calgary), Greg Adams (Phoenix), Juha Lind (Finland). Charlie New Guys: Brett Hull, Brent Severyn, Aaron Gavey, Tony Hrkac. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk make the Stars strong up the middle. * The addition of Brett Hull gives Dallas a big time scorer on the wing. * Jere Lehtinen is a wonderful two-way player. * Dallas has the best group of defensemen in the NHL, featuring a great mix of size and skill. * The Stars have a superstar goaltender in Ed Belfour. GRIEF * Nieuwendyk is trying to return from serious knee injuries. * The team is weak on the left side, with Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue, and Juha Lind now on other squads. * Belfour's bad back is always a concern. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: As long as Nieuwendyk makes a healthy return, the Dallas Stars will be Stanley Cup favorites. Hull should provide the scoring punch they lacked in the past, while Derian Hatcher and crew keep the opposition quiet. PREDICTION: First in Pacific Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- LOS ANGELES KINGS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Larry Robinson Roster: C - Jozef Stumpel, Yanic Perreault, Jason Morgan, Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Nathan Lafayette, Roman Vopat. LW - Luc Robitaille, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Craig Johnson, Matt Johnson, Steve McKenna, Dan Bylsma. RW - Glen Murray, Sandy Moger, Russ Courtnall. D - Rob Blake, Steve Duchesne, Mattias Norstrom, Garry Galley, Doug Bodger, Phillipe Boucher, Sean O'Donnell. G - Jamie Storr, Stephane Fiset. 1997-98 STATS Record...........38-33-11, 87 PTS, 5th Western Conference Goals Scored.....227 Goals Against....225 Power Play.......14.2% (15th) Penalty Killing..84.2% (19th) Gonesville: Doug Zmolek (Chicago), Aki Berg (Finland), Jan Vopat (Nashville). Charlie New Guys: Steve Duchesne, Doug Bodger. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Rob Blake's a Norris Trophy winner. * Steve Duchesne and Doug Bodger further solidify the blue line. * Having Blake and Duchesne at the points should improve the power play. * Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray are two up-and-coming fellas. * Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr should make goaltending a strength, with Storr possibly becoming a star. * Team should continue to improve under Larry Robinson. GRIEF * More scoring is still needed on offense. * New uniforms look like a can of worms. I haven't seen anything that ugly since someone stuck a firecracker up my Uncle Emilio's parrot. * Did we mention they need more scoring? 1998-99 OUTLOOK: While the Kings still need more guns on offense, their defense and goaltending should keep them in the playoff picture. PREDICTION: Second in Pacific Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PHOENIX COYOTES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld Roster: C - Jeremy Roenick, Cliff Ronning, Bob Corkum, Mike Stapleton, Juha Ylonen. LW - Keith Tkachuk, Greg Adams, Darrin Shannon, Mike Sullivan, Louie DeBrusk. RW - Rick Tocchet, Dallas Drake, Brad Isbister, Jocelyn Lemieux. D - Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky, Jyrki Lumme, Norm Maciver, Deron Quint, Jason Doig, Michel Petit, Sean Gagnon. G - Nikolai Khabibulin, Jimmy Waite, Scott Langkow. 1997-98 STATS Record...........35-35-12, 82 PTS, 6th Western Conference Goals Scored.....224 Goals Against....227 Power Play.......14.8% (14th) Penalty Killing..83.8% (21st) Gonesville: Craig Janney (Tampa Bay), Mike Gartner (retired), Murray Baron (Vancouver). Charlie New Guys: Mike Sullivan, Louie DeBrusk, Greg Adams, Jyrki Lumme. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Jeremy Roenick and Rick Tocchet seem rejuvenated. * Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky, and Jyrki Lumme help give the Coyotes a respectable defense. * Nikolai Khabibulin is capable of stealing games by himself. * If he can stay healthy, Greg Adams should help the offense. GRIEF * Keith Tkachuk's an ass. * No real depth at center, left wing, or right wing. * Coach Jim Schoenfeld may not be the right man for the job. * Team still trying to get over humiliation of trading Teemu Selanne. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: It all depends on what happens with Keith Tkachuk. If he holds out for a long time, the Coyotes will suck. If he signs, they'll still suck at crunch time...he's just not as big an impact player as he thinks he is. PREDICTION: Fourth in Pacific Division. ----------------------------------------------------------------- SAN JOSE SHARKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Darryl Sutter Roster: C - Bernie Nicholls, Mike Ricci, Patrick Marleau, Ron Sutter, Marco Sturm, Alex Korolyuk. LW - Jeff Friesen, Shawn Burr, Murray Craven, Stephane Matteau, Dave Lowry, Alex Hicks. RW - Tony Granato, Owen Nolan, Joe Murphy, Ronnie Stern. D - Gary Suter, Bob Rouse, Bryan Marchment, Bill Houlder, Marty McSorley, Marcus Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje, Andrei Zyuzin. G - Mike Vernon, Steve Shields. 1997-98 STATS Record...........34-38-10, 78 PTS, 8th Western Conference Goals Scored.....210 Goals Against....216 Power Play.......13.5% (16th) Penalty Killing..85.2% (13th) Gonesville: John MacLean (NY Rangers), Al Iafrate (retired), Kelly Hrudey (retired). Charlie New Guys: Alex Hicks, Ronnie Stern, Bob Rouse, Gary Suter, Steve Shields. GEE, THAT'S SWELL * Gary Suter and Bob Rouse will strengthen the blue line. * Jeff Friesen is a young star on left wing. * Broadway Bernie Nicholls is an LCS hero. * Owen Nolan is due for a big year. * Bryan Marchment keeps the opposition honest. GRIEF * Nolan, Friesen, Nicholls, Mike Ricci, and Mike Rathje all need contracts. * Losing John MacLean could hurt the chemistry that helped the Sharks into the playoffs last year. * Not much scoring throughout the lineup. * Mike Vernon is getting pretty old. * As a whole, the Sharks are rather slow. 1998-99 OUTLOOK: Unless Patrick Marleau becomes a scoring threat at center and Friesen and Nolan have career years, the San Jose offense is going to struggle. The defense is improved and the goaltending is decent, but the Sharks need more scoring for a return ticket to the playoffs. PREDICTION: Fifth in Pacific Division. ================================================================ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Twenty Questions ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Will Pavel stay? Will Eric go? Will Keith shut up?...and other riveting questions about the 1998-99 NHL season by John Alsedek Even though all of us at LCS: Guide To Hockey are rich beyond the wildest imaginings of even a Croesus (it is a little-known fact that Zippy eats his Coco Puffs out of a 24 karat gold bowl), we still feel that we share a certain bond with the common folk. In that spirit, I will be answering exactly twenty of your most commonly-asked questions... Q: Why does the Canadian Family Lindros feel that Eric Lindros is worth in excess of $10 million per season? A: Simple. Daddy Carl sees his strapping son on the covers of all the big hockey annuals, and deduces that Eric is the NHL's top player. Of course, if he was to actually read the accompanying articles, he would realize that a cover photo isn't always a good thing. Eric wasn't among the top scorers this season - he was only third on his own team - and he came up majorly short in the leadership department during the Olympics, playoffs, and even in regular season games versus top competition. Nonetheless, Carl Lindros has been pushing for big money for his son, plus a promise not to trade 'the Big E' - which, if Carl knew what he was supposed to know as a player's agent, is a big no-no for any player under age 31, thanks to the CBA. Of course, if Carl Lindros was more skilled as an agent, he'd have more than one client. Q: Why is it that the Islanders can pay for a nine-man coaching staff, but won't cough up the cash for their only scoring threat, Zigmund Palffy? A: Well, mostly because the combined salaries of their coaching staff- coach/GM Mike Milbury; assistant coaches Bill Stewart, Stefan Lunner, Wayne Fleming, and Greg Cronin; organizational coaches Steve Stirling and Gilles Gilbert; associate coach Lorne Henning; and strength & conditioning coach Scott Livingston - would only make a modest dent in what it's going to cost them to re-sign the Slovakian sniper. Of course, the Isles have no one to blame but themselves; last year, Milbury had the opportunity to lock Palffy into a multi-year deal in the $3 million per year range. However, Milbs played hardball with him, telling him to go out and prove that he was a consistent 40-50 goal threat. Well, Palffy did, and now he wants the equivalent of what Mats Sundin is getting - which is twice as much as what Palffy asked for one year ago. Palffy basically has them over a barrel, because, if the Isles are going to rely on the likes of Mariusz Czerkawski and Bryan Smolinski to pick up the slack, they could make the Great Gazoo head coach and it wouldn't make a difference. Q: Now that Disney owns the rights to nationally broadcast the NHL (starting in 1999-200), are we gonna have to watch the Mighty Ducks on TV every night? A: Nah. I think doing that would violate a passage in the Geneva Convention about having to watch Jamie Pushor and Pavel Trnka quarterback a power play more than once a month. However, I do have a word of warning for those fashion-conscious guys who'll be doing TV work for ABC/ESPN...well, actually, two words and a hyphen: mouse-ears. Q: Who will be the first coach fired this year? A: Paul Maurice. Before you ask why, bear in mind that: a) you need an atomic clock to measure the average tenure of an NHL coach; and b) former Flyers coach Terry Murray got fired after leading his team to the Stanley Cup Finals. Maurice's boys haven't even made the playoffs in his three seasons as head coach, despite more cast changes than Melrose Place. If the 'Canes have a start similar to last year's (they went 1-7-2 in their first 10 games), Maurice is history. Q: Who's gonna be the #1 goalie for the Canucks? A: Unless they're hot to get Daren Puppa from the 'Bolts - who I think might be persuaded to part with him for, oh, i don't know, perhaps a bag of pucks - their choices are limited. The best solution is to move Pavel Bure...from wing to goal, that is. Then he'll find out just what true unhappiness in Vancouver really is. Q: Who's going to win the ownership battle in Pittsburgh - Roger Marino or Howard Baldwin? A: If justice, fair play, and public opinion played any part in the decision, it would be Baldwin in a landslide. Owner of the Pens since 1991, he's well-liked by Pittsburghers, largely because he has always placed the good of the team and its fan base ahead of the bottom line. Unfortunately, it was that sort of thinking that necessitated co-owner Marino, who has managed to alienate the Steel City by stopping payment on Mario Lemieux's contract, demanding a new arena after the city had already gone ahead with plans to do $11 million worth of work to the Civic Arena, not-too-subtly threatening to move the Pens to Kansas City, bringing in a CEO whose specialty is bankruptcy proceedings, and generally doing the kind of things that really cheese the fans off. All that said, Marino is the kind of owner that the NHL really likes: he has lots of money, and...um, that's it, which tells you more about today's NHL than you really want to know. Q: How many games will it take before 'Bolts coach Jacques Demers is wishing that Craig Janney was still playing for the Coyotes? A: Um, how many ganes are there in October? Q: Why is Stan Fischler still writing for major publications like The Hockey News, instead of selling them on street corners? A: Because of the entertainment value of insights such as these... "adding a second referee may be the most absurd move of the half-century" (unless, of course, you like to have accurate calls behind the play made) "the good kid (Eric Lindros) has been unfairly abused - if not misused" (wonder if Terry Murray, Mark Recchi, and all the Flyers who had to take the media heat when Lindros bailed in the '97 Finals would agree) "the best fighter not in the NHL happens to be Garrett Burnett...who should be a big-leaguer next season" (in the three games I saw Burnett play for the AHL Phantoms last season, he not only lost both fights - and badly - but showed so little overall ability that I'd be amazed to even see him on the Phantoms again) "Bob Clarke will not trade for a goalie. Nor should he" (this was, believe it or not, written after the '97 playoffs) "I'll take Scott Thornton over Joe any weekday night and on Sundays as well" (Habs GM Rejean Houle would doubtless give his eyeteeth for Fischler to be the manager of the Bruins for just one day) ...and my personal favorite... "Alexei Kovalev is the most talented right winger this side of Pavel Bure" (yeah, and Hardy Astrom was the most talented goalie this side of Terry Sawchuk, except for the fact that he, well, sucked) Q: After making some key trades (Mike Ricci, Bryan Marchment, John MacLean) that helped San Jose make the playoffs for the first time since '95, is Sharks' GM Dean Lombardi a genius? A: Only in comparison with the guys he was dealing with. Fleecing the likes of Bob Murray and Phil Esposito is nothing to brag about, since it happens fairly often. And, just in case Lombardi ever gets too big for his britches, there's always the name 'Teemu Riihijarvi'. Q: Will the Boston Bruins ever spend money for free agents such as Doug Gilmour and Ron Francis? A: No, because ownership and management have a tacit understanding. Owner Jeremy Jacobs says he'll give GM Harry Sinden whatever size payroll he feels he needs, knowing that Harry won't ask for much for two reasons: first, Harry considers any player earning more than the NHL minimum to be overpaid. A prime example of that is Dimitri Khristich, the Bruins' second-highest scorer (29 goals and 66 points); Harry was prepared to let him become an unrestricted free agent rather than pay him his arbitration-awarded $1.95 million. And the other reason? Harry knows that, as long as he doesn't ask for much money, his job is safe. Q: Who will win the Eastern Conference title? A: Well, it won't be the Capitals, because they didn't address their need for a big-time scorer. It won't be the Flyers, because they don't have a power play quarterback. It won't be the Devils - no 'go-to' guy. Not the Sabres - not enough offense. Not the Pens - no depth at center. Not the Bruins - lack of scoring. Not the Rangers - too old. Not the Habs - too soft. Not the Sens - no complementary winger for Yashin. Not the 'Canes - they never make the playoffs. Not the 'Bolts - they've got Craig Janney. Not the Leafs - questionable defense. Not the Panthers - no rats. Not the Isles - pick a reason. I guess the well-informed answer is no one. Q: Is this the year that Barry Melrose returns to the coaching ranks? A: Not until he gets a haircut - think 'high and tight', Barry. Actually, it's more likely that Darren Pang will make a comeback to the crease...after all, he did play for Mike Keenan, and the Canucks need a goalie... Q: Does it suck that Pierre Gauthier left his GM job in Ottawa, and then, before the words "I'm not leaving to return to the Anaheim organization" were even dry on the newsprint, he ended up as the club president and manager of the Ducks? A: Yeah, kinda. But hey, his wife said she was going back to Southern California, with or without him, so at least he has a sense of priority. Besides, isn't managing the Ducks punishment enough? Q: Okay, if Dean Lombardi isn't a genius, then how about Colorado's Pierre Lacroix? A: Lessee, over the past twelve months, Lacroix has: -let Mike Keane and Uwe Krupp go for jack-squat. -traded a third-round draft pick for unwilling goon Francois Leroux, a prime example of the maxim 'you can't enforce much from the press box.' -dealt the team's depth players for draft picks in an effort to acquire Vincent Lecavalier (he failed). -hocked up promising winger Mark Parrish and another third-round pick for a one-month rental on grinder Tom Fitzgerald. -traded skilled pivot Josef Marha for unskilled punching bag Warren Rychel. -had to match a monster offer sheet from the Rangers to Joe Sakic because he didn't sign Sakic quickly enough. ...um, I think that would be a 'no'. Q: Will Brian Burke be able to do for Vancouver what he helped do for the former Hartford Whalers? A: Sure. Of course, that begs the question, "Does the name 'New Orleans Canucks' sound okay?" Q: Will the expansion Nashville Predators perform more like the 33-34-17 Florida Panthers of 1993-94, or the 10-70-4 Ottawa Senators of 1992-93? A: Split the difference, then add a couple of wins because their logo isn't a rifle-toting bug in a Civil War uniform. Due to rule changes made since 1994, it was a lot tougher to find any scoring amongst the third- and fourth-liners the Predators had to choose from than it was for Bob Clarke and the Panthers. Add to that David Poile's decision to go with youth, and you get a team that will be pushing it to win 25 games. On the bright side...they could use a cardboard cutout of goalie coach Mitch Korn in net and still win more games than the '92-93 Sens. Q: Could somebody please explain the term 'contract' to Keith Tkachuk? A: But of course; we at LCS aim to please. Webster's Dictionary defines a contract as 'a bargain; an agreement'; i.e., 'a written statement accepting certain conditions'. What that means is the team and the player (or his agent) come up with financial terms that both sides can agree with, the player signs, and gets paid a specified amount per year for the duration of the agreement. Then, of course, there's the Tkachuk definition: follow the agreement while it's convenient, in this case 'convenient' being until your $6 million signing bonus is gone, and you're forced to eke out a living on a measly $3 million per. It's bad enough that Tkachuk's word is worthless; what makes it even worse is his attitude. When asked about his threatened holdout, he replied "It'll probably take all summer, but I'm sure things will get worked out and they'll pay this overpaid player." For some reason, the phrase, 'arrogant, smarmy jackass' comes to mind. Me, personally, I hope he sits. The Coyotes will miss him a lot less than one would think - especially in the tight games against top competition, where 'Captain America' plays more like 'The Invisible Man'. You just have to wonder, though, what the folks in Manitoba think about this - the children, pensioners, and everyday folk who spent their own money in a futile attempt to keep the Jets in Winnepeg back in '96, only to see their money go towards Tkachuk's bloated signing bonus. Their money was good enough for him then. Not now, though. Jerk. Q: Will Petr Nedved be back in the NHL this year? A: He was gone? Q: Is Ted Nolan going to be coaching again anytime soon? A: Nope - at least, not in the NHL. General managers are a funny breed; they don't generally go out of their way to hire coaches who'll go behind their backs to ownership and end up getting them fired. Whether Nolan did, in fact, do that to former Sabres GM (and current Rangers coach) John Muckler is beside the point. That's how Nolan is perceived, and until some GM feels like Danger Boy and decides to buck the trend, Nolan will have time aplenty to stay home and polish his Adams Trophy. Is it fair? Darned if I know. Q: When will the insipid 'Family Circus' finally be cancelled? A: Unfortunately, never. Bil Keane's inane, so-called 'comic strip', which depicts a saccharine-sweet, Ned Flanders fantasy world inhabited only by Bil (with one 'l'), his house-bound wife (oh, what realism), and a gaggle of brats in desperate need of grammar lessons and SlimFast, will run until the end of the world, as it is the harbinger of the Apocalypse. Don't believe it? Check out Revelations; it's between 'fiery sword' and 'great serpent'. Kinda makes one long for Armageddon, doesn't it? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kings and Avalanche Battle in Las Vegas ------------------------------------------------------------------------ by Jason Sheehan If you thought the Mall connected to the Hartford Civic Center was something, you ain't seen nothing yet. Both the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche played Saturday and Sunday in a building connected to the biggest hotel/casino/theme park in the world — the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas. However, for these teams, it wasn't a vacation. Instead, each player had to treat his trip to Vegas as training camp on location. The Avalanche didn't arrive until just before the morning skate, which began at 10:30. That didn't give the players any time to partake in the bright lights of Sin City. But those lucky few not dressed for the nightly game were already making plans for a night on the town. "A lot of our guys come here in the off-season and do a little gambling," said forward Keith Jones, who missed most of last season with a knee injury. "It's nice to come in and have a reason to come here besides betting. "Hopefully, tonight [we can gamble.] Because I'm not playing [in the game], we'll probably have dinner and play cards." Like the players, I was on a mission at the MGM — that mission being to place LCS: Guide To Hockey on the map. Numerous times during the two-day trot, the phrase www.lcshockey.com sprung from my lips. The MGM public relations staff as well as several players now know of our existence. By the end of each day, I found myself just saying, "lcshockey.com with three w's in the front." I never knew world domination could be so tiring. Having a venue to advertise our web site and interview NHL players is quite a change from when LCS founder Michael Dell was shunned at the 1994 NHL Draft in Hartford by league representative Susan Aglietti. Apparently, she thought we were a "mistake." Yet, over time, the only thing we've proven is that she made the ultimate mistake by delaying our venture into the world of journalism. Now, with Aglietti a distant memory, LCS is flying high with no one in sight to call us a joke. This fact was proven last weekend when almost everyone I talked to seemed genuinely interested in exploring the web site. Cool stuff. Best of all, however, players and coaches treated me with the same respect given to established news sources such as the L.A. Times and Associated Press. We belong, baby. After the morning skate, in which I interviewed Jones and Kings coach Larry Robinson for upcoming feature stories, I went home and attempted to move my clock ahead five hours. When I realized just because my digital clock read 6:30 p.m. didn't really mean it was time to leave, I had to re-tune my body clock to 2 p.m. Don't try this at home, kids. All kidding aside, it eventually did come time to leave for the MGM Grand. After sprinting through the casino with a laptop on my shoulder, which I never got to use, I finally arrived at the arena. But unfortunately there were no seats available at the press table with my name on it. So, as the MGM advised, I found an empty seat about two rows above the press section, which was located at center ice in the front portion of the upper deck. The MGM Grand Garden seats about 12,000 for hockey. During the game, I had the privilege of sitting next to a hockey guru from the Czech Republic named Mickey. Like me, he had press credentials. But unfortunately, only half of what he said could be understood. Basically, his words translated to "I...lunch...Hasek," meaning he ate lunch with Hasek. Mickey, who has resided in Denver for 15 years, was both a joy and a challenge. His vast recollection of how many games Patrick Roy blew last season due to his inept puck-handling skills was impressive every time the famed goaltender botched a pass. And Roy caused havoc around his net almost every time he tried to make a play. Fortunately, a goal was never scored due to his inept play with the puck. Besides dissecting Roy's game, he also has a love for Avalanche rookie and Czech Republic Gold Medal winner, Milan Hejduk, who scored his first NHL goal Saturday. Strange stuff, indeed. The biggest surprise Saturday came when both teams were deadlocked at two apiece at the end of 60 minutes of play. Instead of playing a five minute overtime session, the players and referees (there were two zebras with orange bands) opted for a shootout because of chippy ice. The shootout was eventually won in unbelievable fashion when Los Angeles' 10th shooter, Sandy Moger, deposited a shot past a sprawling Roy. The crowd, which occupied three-fourths of the arena, roared each time a goal was scored or a save was made. Based on this reaction, the shootout may have credibility in settling regular season ties. I've always been a fan of the shootout," said Luc Robitaille, "especially during the season. I think that there should be a point for a tie after overtime and then there should be a shootout. You saw it tonight (Saturday). The fans love it." Jones, however, doesn't think he would benefit much if this tie-breaking system were adopted by the NHL. But that didn't stop him from giving the best one-liner of the weekend. "I've never scored on a breakaway in my life," he said, "and I don't plan on it. I need someone to take the goalie out for me first." Of note: Robitaille was seen after the game chatting with actor Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), who was looking for recruits to go partying with at Studio 54, a club inside the MGM Grand. Robitaille, well aware of the party animal raging inside of Bakula's soul, warned him against getting an unnamed player drunk. But overall, they seem like two buddies with a long, happy past. On Sunday, I watched the action unfold below with four hockey nuts — three of which were from Los Angeles and one, named Ray, from Denver. These guys, especially the ones from L.A., treated the pre-season game like it was an epic battle for the Stanley Cup. They were the loudest bunch in the half-empty arena. "What do you call two Avalanche players who collide at center ice," asked the creative L.A. man with a goatee. "An Avalsandwich." After awhile, it was hard to decipher whether it was the man talking or the double marguerites he kept raising to his lips. Yet, despite consuming a massive amount of alcohol, he was funny, funny, funny. And he ended every joke with, "And you can quote me on that," knowing full well that I am a reporter. When Robitaille scored his first of two goals, he said, "That's spelt Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuc and you can quote me on that!" Now, that's the demo audience LCS thrives to reach. Oh yeah. The game? I almost forgot. The Avalanche battled back to beat the Kings, 5-4, after trailing throughout most of the contest. The game-winner was scored midway through the third period by Jones, who in typical style picked up a loose puck from the slot and buried it past Frederic Chabot. "I think I still have a ways to go yet," said Jones, "but it was a nice feeling to finally get a goal after a long time. If I continue to work hard the next month, by the time the season starts I'll feel a little bit better." The aforementioned Kings fans? They lost a bet and had to buy a round of drinks for Ray. They'll never learn. Best line of the night: Adam Foote walked past our group and said, "You guys are baaaahd." Now that's hockey! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two-Referee System Causes Debate ------------------------------------------------------------------------ by Jason Sheehan Coming soon to an NHL arena near you are four zebras, including two referees and two linesmen. The league, which has begun using two referees in pre-season games, plans to use two referees in 20 games this season. The remaining 62 games will be officiated by one referee. The NHL hopes having two referees on the ice will help free space for elite players. Besides a likely increase in penalties early in the season, this system of officiating will help reduce the amount each referee skates per game from nine miles to 5.7 miles, according to Bryan Lewis, the NHL's director of officiating. The mileage is reduced, because one official will now only be responsible for covering half the ice, while his partner patrols the other zone. Yet, both referees can call penalties at their discretion. Having two referees on the ice simultaneously does have its pros and cons. The pros? Cheap shop artists will now think twice before leveling an opponent behind the play and more goals will be scored. The cons? Get used to three-hour games due to the increased amount of penalties that will be called. And the added body on the ice is prone to getting in the way. Both Saturday and Sunday's pre-season games between the Avalanche and the Kings at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas took three hours to complete. And that's pre-season. Imagine how long playoff games would last with two referees constantly blowing the play dead. The system, however, does have its supporters. "I think it's a good idea," Colorado's Peter Forsberg said. "They read the play really well. I think they're not going to be in the way that much. Hockey is so quick nowadays, and it might be good for them to try it and see if it's working or not." Los Angeles' Luc Robitaille agrees: "I like that. It's harder for guys to cheat now. They're (referees) are going to be able to see what's going on behind the play. I personally like that. I don't know if it's going to [remain] that way but I hope it does." After asked if four zebras are one too many, Robitaille grinned, saying, "It looks like a zoo out there." Although players generally like the new system since it frees space for them to maneuver, Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix thinks otherwise. He has a different solution to help the state of the game. "I think we should have a two referee system where the second referee should be up in the press box," he said. "[Two referees on the ice] is not something we should keep." Kings coach Larry Robinson is siding with his players. He thinks having two referees on the ice encourages a free-flowing game. "It forces the guys to play the game and to play the game hard with no retaliation," he said. However, what happens if a game is refereed by two men with conflicting styles? "The rules are there to be called," Robinson said. "Everybody should have the same interpretation of the rules. I don't think it's a question of one guy seeing the rules any differently than anybody else. There's supposed to be straightforward rules that everybody understands." Other changes to the NHL rulebook include two extra feet behind each net, four feet taken from the neutral zone and a goal crease that ends at each marsh peg. "I'm not too crazy about changes," Lacroix said, "but as far as I'm concerned — as far as the goal crease — everything was done in order to help and help the fan understand the game better and also help the players that aren't even in the crease or are facing the goalie. It was done in the right fashion, definitely." Forsberg, one of the elite NHL snipers, is hoping the extra two feet translates into more goals and a change of focus from goaltending to scoring. "If you look at the goal [totals] from last year, it's ridiculous," he said. "It's good that they made a change." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AHL NEWS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ by Tricia McMillan Sifting Through the Remains: The biggest news/mess of the off-season was easily the travails of the financially distraught Albany River Rats, who came within 24 hours of having the franchise suspended and the AHL moving on without them. For reasons as yet unclear, the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee repeatedly stalled efforts by area businessman and minority Rats owner Charles Robb to buy out majority owner Albert Lawrence in favor of trying to get a higher price for Lawrence's shares. What was that about taking what you can get? At any rate, with the Rats already in arrears to three different NHL teams (New Jersey, Detroit, and Boston) the AHL didn't want the River Rats functioning until there was a payoff or sufficient commitment to same from ownership to the NHL teams. Without an owner, no payoff. So the AHL devised two separate schedules, one with and one without Albany, and held up the release of either schedule until the Court assured the league there would be an owner and he would pay up to the NHL teams. And, finally, the Court conceded only Robb was going to make a financially sound offer and sold the team to him outright. The AHL approved the sale a month later. Robb has made good on the team's debts to date and announced he wants the Rats to stay in Albany. End of story? Maybe not. Businessman Joseph O'Hara attempted to buy the team as well but his offer was turned down. O'Hara has announced he intends to sue the Bankruptcy Court and possibly Robb as well. This one won't end any time soon. At Least They're Owned: The sale of the Portland Pirates also became a point of contention when the intended new owner, John Hathaway, showed up at the formal announcement ceremony and announced he'd changed his mind. No details given, just 'see ya'. (It later developed Hathaway could not finalize the finances of the deal). The Pirates wound up being sold to Mentmore Holdings Corporation, a New York company which has promised a practice rink for the Pirates and other local teams, and would like to build a new arena for AHL games. The subsidiary which will run the Pirates, Family Ice Enterprises, is run by Rick Dudley of NHL Enterprises fame. Running the Pirates themselves will be John Eisenberg, formerly president of the Buffalo Blizzard soccer team, who opened his tenure by signing the Pirates to a three- year lease with the Civic Center with two extension options, guaranteeing the Pirates will remain in Portland for at least three years. Staying and Coming: One of the AHL's more endangered franchises can be taken off the protected list for at least six years. The Toronto Maple Leafs agreed to keep the baby Leafs in St. John's through the 2004-05 season while Newfoundland works on plans for a $36-million, 6,000-seat arena and convention center to be built hopefully by 2000. The present arena is smaller than the current standards and didn't seat enough people to offset the exceptional travel costs associated with flying to the Rock. The new arena will be managed by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the same guys handling the job in Toronto. One more thing - the new deal includes a stipulation that the parent Leafs get extra money when attendance rises, plus better attendance assists the province government in getting funding. Translation - the Maple Leafs are going to make a point of putting a good team in St. John's this year. Maybe better than the one in Toronto. Coming...maybe...sort of is Hampton Roads. After many years of begging, haggling and extortion, the AHL approved Hampton Roads to become the league's 22nd franchise in the year 2000. This finally came about when the ownership of the Scope, home of the Admirals, worked a provision into the Admirals' lease requiring them to join a higher level league by the year 2000 or be evicted. That'll motivate you. There remain an assortment of ownership and affiliation questions (Los Angeles is very interested in an arrangement), and much may occur between now and the team taking the ice in 2000. What In The...: It was bad enough that for two seasons in a row, the Calder Cup finalists had never seen each other before. But at least the AHL was bright enough to have Hershey and Hamilton open the next season against each other. Not only will Saint John and Philadelphia not open against each other, they won't play each other period. Not unless they both go to the finals again. All the odder considering Fredericton and St. John's will wander south to face off against Philadelphia and Hershey a few times. What were they thinking in West Springfield...or are they even thinking? Ride The Carousel: All buckled up and ready to go? Here are the coaching and affiliation changes which occurred late last season or during the off-season, by division. Atlantic Unlike other AHL teams, who merely changed coaches, Saint John's coaching situation got really weird. As you may recall, last season the Mighty Ducks wanted Calgary assistant coach Pierre Page to coach in Anaheim (apparently not as much as they said they did, but that's another story). Calgary initially insisted on a compensation package of draft picks and cash that was considered more than a little high. Flash forward to this year. Saint John head man Bill Stewart, who also happened to be the Coach of the Year in the AHL, was interviewed by several NHL teams to be their new head coach and apparently at least one (the Islanders?) was extremely interested in hiring him. But Stewart was still under contract to Calgary, and rather than release him from the second year of his contract to take a positional promotion, a standard act in professional sports, Calgary was rumored to have demanded a third-round pick and a half-million cash to release Stewart. Yikes, said the formerly interested NHL team, and backed off. Stewart was quite livid and refused to work for the Flames this season. THEN the Flames willingly released him for a seventh-round pick, and Stewart joined the Islanders as an associate coach. Stewart and the Flames evidently were less than enthralled with each other prior to this incident, largely over Calgary's failure to keep a full roster in Saint John last year, and thus the Flames hired what they hope will be a yes-man in Rick Vaive to coach Saint John this season. Assistant Jeff Perry had an additional year remaining on his contract and will stay on for at least this season. Meanwhile, back in the less politically active areas of the division, Portland head coach Bryan Trottier vamoosed to become an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche and was replaced by Mark Kumpel, most recently of the ECHL's Dayton Bombers. Kumpel has considerable playing experience in the AHL and NHL and was the Capitals' first choice for the job. Assistant Jay Wells followed Trottier to the Avalanche organization and was replaced by Neil Belland. The Pirates also added something else - a partial affiliation with the Chicago Blackhawks that will net the Pirates up to seven Hawks prospects. Fredericton will not be home to any Los Angeles prospects this season, and for that reason assistant coach John Perpich, a member of the Kings organization, will not be back. He is replaced by Gerry Fleming...yes, THAT Gerry Fleming. Fleming retired over the summer and was rewarded for his tenure with the team with the assistant's job - all the more interesting considering Fleming and head coach Michel Therrien didn't see eye-to-eye much last season. Last but not least, St. John's opted to stay the course and Al MacAdam will head the helm again, aided and abetted by Rich Brown. New England New guys all around in Lowell, as the expansion team sets up shop as an Islanders affiliate and taps Roanoke Express head man Frank Anzalone to head up the first year team. Big surprise too, Lowell's ECHL affiliate will be - Roanoke. Wonder how that happened. The LA Kings abandoned Fredericton in favor of their other AHL affiliate, Springfield. The Falcons will have 8-10 Kings prospects on the roster and John Perpich comes over from Fredericton to be an assistant coach. The Worcester IceCats fired longtime assistant coach Paul Pickard and replaced him with local boy Steve Pleau. Last season the Providence Bruins were enough to make a strong man cry and, in this case, to get Tom McVie and Rod Langway fired, not that they had anything to work with. Replacing McVie is longtime P-Bruin Peter Laviolette, who holds the franchise record for games played and is coming off a strong rookie coaching season with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers...where he replaced McVie as head coach. A pattern developing here. As with Fredericton, one of last year's P-Bruins will move to a playing/coaching position and assist Laviolette - Bill Armstrong will tackle the job. Hartford and New Haven both stay put with EJ Maguire and Kevin McCarthy, respectively. In fact, the Hurricanes extended McCarthy's contract by a few years. Empire Hamilton head man Lorne Molleken was tapped by the Islanders to be an assistant in Nassau; he was replaced by recently dismissed Anaheim assistant coach Walt Kyle, last seen in the AHL with the ill-fated Baltimore Bandits. Kyle, who has also coached the WHL Seattle Thunderbirds, the IHL San Diego Gulls and the U.S. World Junior Team, has signed on for at least two years with the Bulldogs. Rochester and Albany made no changes, although Randy Cunneyworth may become a player/assistant coach for Rochester should he be assigned there. Adirondack assistant coach Murray Eaves skipped down the ladder to become the head man for ECHL affiliate Toledo; taking his place is former Wing and longtime tough guy Marc Potvin, who just recently retired from playing. Adirondack also welcomes a new GM in Detroit's Jim Nill, who replaces Don Waddell, who will be the GM for the expansion Atlanta Thrashers team. The Red Wings are exclusively that this year, having deep-sixed the Lightning as an affiliate. In Syracuse, Mike Keenan hasn't had his usual hissy fit and Jack McIlhargey retains his job. Mid-Atlantic Hershey head coach Bob Hartley moved up to Colorado as the new head dude for the Avalanche; moving down from behind the Avalanche bench to take Hartley's spot is Mike Foligno. Assistant coach Bob McGill went south to head the ECHL's Baton Rouge Kingfish, so to replace him Hershey will see Portland assistant Jay Wells move south. Hershey also adopts a few Ottawa prospects this season to bolster the roster. Kentucky head coach Jim Wiley was kicked upstairs after a fashion, to be replaced by Sharks assistant coach Roy Sommer. Wiley's assistant, Mark Kaufman, was kicked both up and down as he was sent down to new affiliate Richmond to be their head coach. Kentucky replaces secondary affiliate New York Islanders with the Florida Panthers to boot, although Florida will not have as many players or as much say on the team as did the Islanders. Cincinnati, utter disaster that they are, and Philadelphia, with championship in tow, made no changes. Just to keep everything in perspective, a list of all conferences, divisions, teams, affiliates, coaches and ECHL affiliates as known or assumed. If it's new, it's in bold. EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Fredericton Canadiens (Montreal) - Michel Therrien, Gerry Fleming - New Orleans. Portland Pirates (Washington/Chicago) - Mark Kumpel, Neil Belland - Hampton Roads. Saint John Flames (Calgary) - Rick Vaive, Jeff Perry - Johnstown. St. John's Maple Leafs (Toronto) - Al MacAdam, Rich Brown - Peoria. New England Division Hartford Wolf Pack (NY Rangers) - EJ Maguire, Mike Busniuk - Charlotte. Lowell Lock Monsters (NY Islanders) - Frank Anzalone - Roanoke. Beast of New Haven (Carolina/Florida) - Kevin McCarthy, Joe Paterson - Miami, Tallahassee. Providence Bruins (Boston) - Peter Laviolette, Bill Armstrong - Charlotte. Springfield Falcons (Phoenix/Los Angeles) - Dave Farrish, Ron Wilson - Mississippi. Worcester IceCats (St. Louis) - Greg Gilbert, Steve Pleau - Baton Rouge. WESTERN CONFERENCE Empire Division Adirondack Red Wings (Detroit) - Glenn Merkosky, Marc Potvin - Toledo. Albany River Rats (New Jersey) - John Cunniff, Red Gendron - Augusta. Hamilton Bulldogs (Edmonton) - Walt Kyle - New Orleans. Rochester Americans (Buffalo) - Brian McCutcheon, Randy Cunneyworth? - South Carolina. Syracuse Crunch (Vancouver/Pittsburgh) - Jack McIlhargey, Chris Patrick - Augusta. Mid-Atlantic Division Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (Anaheim) - Moe Mantha, Eddie Johnstone - Huntington. Hershey Bears (Colorado/Ottawa) - Mike Foligno, Jay Wells - Chesapeake. Kentucky Thoroughblades (San Jose/Florida) - Roy Sommer - Richmond, Miami. Philadelphia Phantoms (Philadelphia) - Bill Barber, Mike Stothers - none. Justice Is Trying: The AHL may not have considered Philadelphia Phantom Jesse Boulerice's OHL playoff attack on New Haven Beast Andrew Long as serious as the OHL did, suspending him for a quarter of the season rather than the whole thing, but the Michigan courts are taking it seriously. Long filed criminal assault charges against Boulerice in Michigan and after an investigation, the police and states attorney concurred with Long and filed assault charges against Boulerice. Boulerice is expected to go to trial on October 10 and could receive up to ten years in prison, although probation and community service seem more likely. No Longer Cordial: Last season, relations between the Rochester Americans and New York Islanders were sufficiently pleasant that the Islanders agreed to let Dane Jackson continue playing for the Amerks despite being on the Islanders roster. It ain't gonna happen again. The Islanders signed Amerk Craig Charron to an NHL contract although he had another year left on his contract with Rochester; this was okey-dokey with Rochester as they had agreed to an NHL escape clause in Charron's contract. Problem was the Islanders had no intention of actually having Charron play in the NHL; they wanted him to play in Lowell. Having an AHL contract in Rochester would appear to preclude Charron playing for another AHL team, and the league sided with the Amerks on that one. The Islanders, in a snit, yanked Jackson off the Amerks team and frankly I doubt Jody Gage and Mike Milbury are talking right now. Heading East: Some of those full-time or part-time AHL players who took off for Europe this season are: Germany Augsburg: Francois Groleau (Fredericton) Cologne: Ricard Persson (Worcester) Hannover: Scott Metcalfe (Rochester) Ratingen: Burke Murphy (Saint John) Landshut: Greg Bullock (St. John s), Mike Casselman (Rochester) Frankfurt: Victor Gervais (Portland) Bietigheim/Bissingen (Bundesliga): Patrick Labrecque (Hershey) Austria Villach: Jean-Yves Roy (Providence), Mike O`Neill (Portland), Marty Murray (Saint John) Czech Republic Sparta Prague: Ladislav Benysek (Hamilton) Finland Jan Benda (Portland) Sweden Djurgarden Stockholm: Per-Erik Eklund (Adirondack), Espen Knutsen (Cincinnati) Thanks to Bernd Freimueller in Germany for keeping track of everybody jumping to Europe. And congratulations to him on becoming the head European scout for the Atlanta Thrashers. Look Ma! We're on TV!: You didn't have to be eagle-eyed to see a lot of the Hartford Wolfpack this summer. The team appeared in a pair of commercials for Norelco shavers which were prominently shown during all manner of sports telecasts as well as other programming aimed at the 18-30 set. And if you missed them, one, buy a television and two, they're a real hoot. Norelco sent the shavers to the team incognito and then asked for players' reactions. They who had the best answers appeared in the commercials - Derek Armstrong, Brent Thompson, PJ Stock, Adam Smith and Chris Winnes. Armstrong is also appearing in a print version of the ad. Awards: Just because the season ended didn't mean the awards did. The AHL saves the front office and media awards for the off-season and they were distributed as follows: The James H. Ellery Award for media coverage normally goes to one person each in print, radio and television. But this year voters couldn't make up their minds and the print award is shared by Brendan McCarthy of the St. John's Telegram and Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. The television award was given to Rich Coppola of WTIC-TV in Hartford and the radio award went to Lance McAllister of WBOB-AM; no city/team was noted for McAllister. The Ken McKenzie Award is given to the marketing director adjudged by the AHL to have done the best promotional job in the past season and Rochester Americans' Vice President of Marketing Chris Palin picked it up in his second season working for the Amerks, largely due to increasing advertising by almost two/thirds and running gametime entertainments. The Thomas Ebright Award was created last season after the death of the Portland Pirates owner to recognize overall contributions to the league, so the first award went to the AHL Chairman of the Board, Jack Butterfield. Butterfield also served as AHL President for 28 years before taking over the chair in 1993. Butterfield is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and recipient of two Hendy awards, and won the 1985 Lester Patrick Award. Oh yeah, the James C. Hendy Award as outstanding executive - this year it was given to the Philadelphia Phantoms' Chief Operating Officer, Frank Miceli. In addition to his resemblance to Mike Keenan, Miceli served as general manager for the Phantoms as they broke attendance records on all sides en route to the Calder Cup Championships. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NEXT ISSUE: Wednesday, October 14. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1998 NHL PRESEASON SCHEDULE AND RESULTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK -- The 1998-99 NHL preseason schedule and results, with starting times Eastern (T in parentheses are games using two-referee system; R in parentheses are games without center red line in use): Tuesday, Sept. 15 Tampa Bay 4, VEU Feldkirch 1 Wednesday, Sept. 16 Buffalo 5,. EC Klagenfurter AC 1 Friday, Sept. 18 Tampa Bay 3, Buffalo 1 San Jose 4, Calgary 2 Saturday, Sept. 19 Montreal 5, Boston 3 N.Y. Rangers 2, Carolina 1 Chicago 9, St. Louis 4 Philadelphia 6, Washington 3 Edmonton 2, Toronto 2 Detroit 4, Pittsburgh 4 Nashville 4, Florida 2 Phoenix 4, Anaheim 2 Los Angeles 3, Colorado 2 (SO) Sunday, Sept. 20 Ottawa 4, Edmonton 1 Vancouver 4, Phoenix 1 Washington 4, N.Y. Islanders 2 Nashville 4, Florida 4 New Jersey 4, Montreal 3 Dallas 5, Tampa Bay 1 Toronto 5, Buffalo 2 Pittsburgh 6, Detroit 4 Carolina 4, N.Y. Rangers 2 Colorado 5, Los Angeles 4 Boston 4, Chicago 2 Anaheim 4, Calgary 2 Monday, Sept. 21 St. Louis 4, Dallas 2 Calgary 1,Vancouver 0 Colorado 7, San Jose 3 Tuesday, Sept. 22 Carolina 5, Detroit 4 Ottawa 3, Buffalo 0 Pittsburgh 2, Philadelphia 2 Dallas 2, Nashville 2 Los Angeles 8, Anaheim 3 San Jose 2, Edmonton 1 Wednesday, Sept. 23 Philadelphia at Montreal (T), 7 p.m. Boston at Pittsburgh (T), 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Rangers (T), 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Ottawa (T), 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders vs. Tampa Bay at Fayetteville, N.C., 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Phoenix at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Colorado at Anaheim (T), 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 St. Louis at Colorado (T), 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 Detroit at Carolina, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Washington (R), 7 p.m. Montreal vs. Boston at Providence, R.I. (R), 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Toronto (R), 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders (R), 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Chicago (R), 8:30 p.m. Nashville at Dallas (T), 8:30 p.m. San Jose at Calgary (R), 9 p.m. Vancouver at Edmonton (R), 9 p.m. Phoenix at Los Angeles (R), 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 Toronto at Montreal (T), 7 p.m. Florida vs. Boston at Greenville, S.C., 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey (T), 7:30 p.m. Buffalo vs. Washington at Norfolk, Va., 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh at Hershey, Pa. (R), 7:30 p.m. St. Louis vs. Nashville at Kansas City, Mo. (R), 8:30 p.m. Ottawa at Calgary (T), 8 p.m. Tampa Bay at Dallas (R), 8:30 p.m. Anaheim at Colorado (R), 9 p.m. Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Los Angeles at Phoenix (T), 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 Boston at Florida (T), 6 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Detroit (T), 7 p.m. Montreal at Chicago (T), 8 p.m. Ottawa at Edmonton (T), 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28 Chicago at St. Louis (T), 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Anaheim (T), 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29 Carolina at Tampa Bay (T), 7 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30 Pittsburgh vs. Boston, Worcester, Mass., 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at N.Y. Rangers (R), 7:30 p.m. Dallas vs. Phoenix at Minneapolis, 8 p.m. Colorado vs. St. Louis at Lafayette, La., 8 p.m. Calgary at Vancouver (T), 10 p.m. Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 N.Y. Rangers at Montreal (T), 7 p.m. Carolina at Florida (R), 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Ottawa (T), 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Detroit (T), 7:30 p.m. Nashville vs. Washington at Richmond, Va., 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary (T), 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 Nashville vs. Anaheim at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. Carolina vs. Toronto at Hamilton, Ontario (T), 7:30 p.m. Florida vs. Tampa Bay at Jacksonville, Fla., 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Pittsburgh (T), 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey (T) 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas (T), 8:30 p.m. Calgary at Edmonton (T), 9 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver (T), 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 Detroit at Philadelphia, 3 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Boston (T), 7 p.m. Florida at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh vs. Colorado at Hershey, Pa., 7 p.m. Carolina at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Ottawa (T), 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim vs. Nashville at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. St. Louis at Dallas (T), 8 p.m. San Jose vs. Los Angeles at Salt Lake City, 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 Boston vs. N.Y. Rangers at Hartford, Conn., 5 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Islanders (T), 7 p.m. New Jersey at Philadelphia (T), 7 p.m. Chicago at Toronto (T), 7:30 p.m. Vancouver vs. Los Angeles at Bakersfield, Calif., 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 Chicago at Montreal (T), 7 p.m. Washington at Detroit (T), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6 Florida vs. Buffalo at Binghamton, N.Y., 7:30 p.m. Nashville at St. Louis (T), 8 p.m. Anaheim at Phoenix, 10 p.m. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1998-99 NHL SCHEDULE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, Oct. 9 Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m. San Jose vs. Calgary in Tokyo, 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 St. Louis at Boston, 7 p.m. Detroit at Toronto, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Montreal, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Anaheim at Washington, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Carolina, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Chicago, 8 p.m. Florida at Nashville, 8 p.m. Buffalo at Dallas, 8 p.m. Ottawa at Colorado, 9 p.m. Los Angeles at Edmonton, 10 p.m. Calgary vs. San Jose in Tokyo, 11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 Anaheim at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12 N.Y. Islanders at Boston, 1:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Vancouver, 5 p.m. St. Louis at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Colorado, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13 Anaheim at Montreal, 7 p.m. Detroit at Washington, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Carolina at Nashville, 8 p.m. Chicago at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Toronto at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 Pittsburgh at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Colorado, 9 p.m. Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 Dallas at Carolina, 7 p.m. Anaheim at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Colorado at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 Montreal at Washington, 7 p.m. Florida at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Detroit, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Toronto at Calgary, 9 p.m. Boston at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Carolina, 7 p.m. Nashville at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Chicago, 8 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Toronto at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18 Calgary at Detroit, 3 p.m. Washington at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Boston at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 Chicago at Montreal, 7 p.m. Nashville at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 Vancouver at Carolina, 7 p.m. Edmonton at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21 Vancouver at Washington, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m. Edmonton at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 St. Louis at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 Washington at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Los Angeles at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Nashville, 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Detroit at Montreal, 7 p.m. Buffalo at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Toronto at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Florida at Washington, 7 p.m. Calgary at St. Louis, 7 p.m. Carolina at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Boston at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Chicago, 8 p.m. San Jose at Dallas, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Colorado, 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 Los Angeles at Carolina, 5 p.m. Vancouver at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Anaheim, 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 Pittsburgh at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Colorado, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 Los Angeles at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) St. Louis at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Nashville, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 Boston at Montreal, 7 p.m. Chicago at Carolina, 7 p.m. Washington at Edmonton, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Calgary, 9 p.m. Tampa Bay at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Phoenix at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 Montreal at Boston, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at St. Louis, 8 p.m. San Jose at Colorado, 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 Toronto at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Anaheim at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Washington at Calgary, 9 p.m. Pittsburgh at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Tampa Bay at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 Carolina at Boston, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Florida at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Colorado at Nashville, 8 p.m. Detroit at Dallas, 8 p.m. Pittsburgh at Edmonton, 10 p.m. Tampa Bay at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. NOVEMBER Sunday, Nov. 1 Ottawa at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Calgary at Chicago, 8 p.m. Phoenix at Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Washington at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2 Colorado at Carolina, 7 p.m. Florida at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3 Boston at Buffalo, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4 Tampa Bay at Washington, 7 p.m. Colorado at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Edmonton, 9 p.m. St. Louis at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Dallas at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 Carolina at Washington, 7 p.m. Chicago at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Calgary, 9 p.m. Colorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Detroit at Phoenix, 9 p.m. San Jose at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 Buffalo at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. New Jersey at Florida, 5 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Montreal, 7 p.m. Washington at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Boston at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m. Nashville at Vancouver, 10 p.m. St. Louis at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8 New Jersey at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m. Boston at Carolina, 5 p.m. Colorado at Calgary, 6 p.m. Detroit at Anaheim, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Chicago, 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9 Philadelphia at Montreal, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 Chicago at St. Louis, 6:30 p.m. Ottawa at Buffalo, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Phoenix, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Los Angeles at Calgary, 9 p.m. Nashville at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11 Edmonton at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Florida, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Anaheim, 8 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12 Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m. Edmonton at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m. Nashville at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Carolina at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 Pittsburgh at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Boston at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Colorado, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 Dallas at Boston, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m. Edmonton at Montreal, 7 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Chicago at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Tampa Bay at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Calgary, 10 p.m. Carolina at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 Ottawa at Chicago, 8 p.m. Colorado at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16 Detroit at Calgary, 9 p.m. Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 Montreal at Carolina, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Chicago at Nashville, 8 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Colorado, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 Toronto at Washington, 7 p.m. Detroit at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Vancouver at Phoenix, 9 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 Florida at Boston, 7 p.m. Calgary at Montreal, 7 p.m. Carolina at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Nashville, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Colorado, 9 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 Ottawa at Washington, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Carolina, 7 p.m. Toronto at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Edmonton at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Phoenix at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 Florida at New Jersey, 1 p.m. Washington at Boston, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m. Colorado at Montreal, 7 p.m. Calgary at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Nashville, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Detroit at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Chicago at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22 New Jersey at Carolina, 1:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Florida, 5 p.m. Chicago at Anaheim, 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 Calgary at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24 Boston at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Chicago at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Washington, 7 p.m. San Jose at Carolina, 7 p.m. Vancouver at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Nashville, 8 p.m. New Jersey at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Colorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 26 N.Y. Islanders at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27 Montreal at Boston, Noon Toronto at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. San Jose at St. Louis, 2 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) Florida at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Nashville, 8 p.m. Washington at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28 Carolina at N.Y. Islanders, 1 p.m. Ottawa at Toronto, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7 p.m. Washington at St. Louis, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Florida, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Colorado, 9 p.m. Chicago at Calgary, 10 p.m. Phoenix at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29 Nashville at N.Y. Rangers, 1:30 p.m. San Jose at Detroit, 3 p.m. Anaheim at Carolina, 5 p.m. Vancouver at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Edmonton, 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30 Los Angeles at Montreal, 7 p.m. DECEMBER Tuesday, Dec. 1 Vancouver at Boston, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Washington, 7 p.m. Florida at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Nashville, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 Florida at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Montreal at Carolina, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Colorado, 9 p.m. Phoenix at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Dallas at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3 Los Angeles at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Calgary, 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 N.Y. Islanders at Washington, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Colorado, 9 p.m. Tampa Bay at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Dallas at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Detroit at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 Pittsburgh at Boston, 7 p.m. Toronto at Montreal, 7 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Buffalo at Nashville, 8 p.m. Phoenix at Calgary, 10 p.m. Detroit at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 Tampa Bay at Chicago, 8 p.m. Dallas at Edmonton, 8 p.m. Phoenix at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7 Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Calgary, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8 Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Nashville, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 Colorado at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. San Jose at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Montreal at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Vancouver at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Washington at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 Boston at Carolina, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Nashville, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 N.Y. Rangers at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Montreal at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Washington at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Colorado at New Jersey, 1 p.m. Buffalo at Boston, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Toronto, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Detroit at Carolina, 7 p.m. Montreal at Nashville, 7 p.m. Phoenix at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. Washington at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13 Edmonton at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Dallas at Chicago, 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Anaheim, 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14 Phoenix at Montreal, 7 p.m. Calgary at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Colorado, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15 Edmonton at Carolina, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Dallas, 8 p.m. (ESPN) N.Y. Islanders at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16 Phoenix at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17 Ottawa at Boston, 7 p.m. Calgary at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Washington at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Colorado at Vancouver, 10 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Nashville at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 Montreal at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) N.Y. Islanders at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 Chicago at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Detroit at Boston, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Montreal, 7 p.m. Carolina at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Nashville at Vancouver, 9 p.m. Colorado at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20 Dallas at Ottawa, 2 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Phoenix, 3 p.m. Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at Chicago, 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21 Tampa Bay at Boston, 7 p.m. Dallas at Montreal, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Carolina, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22 St. Louis at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Colorado, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23 Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7 p.m. (ESPN) Philadelphia at Boston, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Nashville, 8 p.m. Phoenix at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. San Jose at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24 No games scheduled Friday, Dec. 25 No games scheduled Saturday, Dec. 26 Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m. Boston at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, 7 p.m. Buffalo at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Chicago, 8 p.m. Detroit at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Washington at Nashville, 8 p.m. Dallas at Colorado, 9 p.m. Vancouver at San Jose, 10 p.m. Phoenix at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 27 Vancouver at Edmonton, 8 p.m. Colorado at Calgary, 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28 New Jersey at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Anaheim at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Boston at Washington, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Florida, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Philadelphia at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29 N.Y. Islanders at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Calgary, 9 p.m. Montreal at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Colorado at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30 New Jersey at Washington, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Carolina, 7 p.m. Anaheim at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Nashville, 8 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Phoenix, 9 p.m. San Jose at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31 Toronto at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Boston at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Montreal at Calgary, 9 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Colorado, 9 p.m. Philadelphia at Vancouver, 10 p.m. JANUARY Friday, Jan. 1 Carolina at Florida, Noon St. Louis at Nashville, 2:30 p.m. Anaheim at Buffalo, 3 p.m. Ottawa at Washington, 7 p.m. Dallas at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 2 San Jose at N.Y. Islanders, 1 p.m. Anaheim at Boston, 7 p.m. Washington at Toronto, 7 p.m. Nashville at Carolina, 7 p.m. Calgary at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Montreal at Vancouver, 9 p.m. Colorado at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 3 Philadelphia at Edmonton, 4 p.m. Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Jan. 4 Calgary at Boston, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Carolina, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Nashville, 8 p.m. Vancouver at St. Louis, 9 p.m. Montreal at Colorado, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5 San Jose at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Florida at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6 New Jersey at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Florida at Colorado, 9 p.m. Buffalo at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7 Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Washington, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m. San Jose at Nashville, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Buffalo at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8 Tampa Bay at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Calgary, 9 p.m. Florida at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Phoenix at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9 Colorado at Detroit, 1 p.m. Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Montreal, 7 p.m. Washington at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Nashville, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. Buffalo at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10 Tampa Bay at N.Y. Rangers, 1:30 p.m. Detroit at Ottawa, 2 p.m. Florida at Calgary, 6 p.m. Colorado at Chicago, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Anaheim, 8 p.m. Dallas at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 St. Louis at Montreal, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Washington, 7 p.m. Ottawa at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Colorado, 9 p.m. Dallas at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13 St. Louis at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Calgary at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Dallas at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Calgary at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15 Montreal at Washington, 7 p.m. Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Nashville, 8 p.m. Dallas at Anaheim, 9:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16 St. Louis at Colorado, 3 p.m. Tampa Bay at Boston, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Montreal, 7 p.m. Toronto at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. Washington at Carolina, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Calgary at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17 Phoenix at Chicago, 8 p.m. Detroit at Edmonton, 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18 Nashville at Boston, 1:30 p.m. Washington at Montreal, 7 p.m. Toronto at Carolina, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. New Jersey at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 Ottawa at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Nashville, 8 p.m. Detroit at Calgary, 9 p.m. St. Louis at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Colorado at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20 Florida at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. New Jersey at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 Ottawa at Boston, 7 p.m. Florida at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Tampa Bay at Nashville, 8 p.m. Montreal at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Calgary at Colorado, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Phoenix, 9 p.m. New Jersey at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Edmonton at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. ALL-STAR BREAK Friday, Jan. 22 No games scheduled Saturday, Jan. 23 No games scheduled Sunday, Jan. 24 NHL All-Star game at Tampa, Fla., 4 p.m. (FOX) Monday, Jan. 25 No games scheduled JANUARY (CONTINUED) Tuesday, Jan. 26 Phoenix at Buffalo, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Washington, 7 p.m. Ottawa at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Boston at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Nashville, 8 p.m. St. Louis at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27 Montreal at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Chicago at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Colorado at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 New Jersey at Boston, 7 p.m. Nashville at Buffalo, 7 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Carolina, 7 p.m. Phoenix at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Calgary, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Colorado, 9 p.m. St. Louis at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 Los Angeles at Washington, 7 p.m. Phoenix at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 Nashville at New Jersey, 1 p.m. Boston at Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m. Carolina at Montreal, 2 p.m. Washington at Toronto, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Los Angeles at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Florida, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Edmonton, 8 p.m. St. Louis at Calgary, 9 p.m. San Jose at Colorado, 9 p.m. Chicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31 Carolina at Boston, 1:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Montreal, 2 p.m. Phoenix at Nashville, 2:30 p.m. FEBRUARY Monday, Feb. 1 Detroit at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. St. Louis at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Ottawa at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Chicago at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2 Colorado at Boston, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3 Colorado at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Vancouver at Montreal, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Washington, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Carolina, 7 p.m. Toronto at Florida, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Chicago at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4 N.Y. Islanders at Boston, 7 p.m. Vancouver at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Nashville at Calgary, 9 p.m. San Jose at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Chicago at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 Carolina at Washington, 7 p.m. Florida at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) Nashville at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 Boston at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Chicago at Phoenix, 3 p.m. Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m. Toronto at New Jersey, 7 p.m. Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m. Anaheim at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Ottawa at Calgary, 10 p.m. San Jose at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7 Vancouver at N.Y. Islanders, 2 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Boston, 3 p.m. Detroit at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m. Colorado at Dallas, 3 p.m. Buffalo at Washington, 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8 Ottawa at Buffalo, 7 p.m. St. Louis at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m. San Jose at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9 Vancouver at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Nashville, 8 p.m. Calgary at Colorado, 9 p.m. Boston at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10 Carolina at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Philadelphia at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11 Montreal at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Philadelphia at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12 Washington at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Boston at Calgary, 9 p.m. Dallas at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13 Phoenix at Colorado, 3 p.m. Chicago at Toronto, 6:30 p.m. Florida at Montreal, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Pittsburgh at Nashville, 8 p.m. Dallas at Los Angeles, 9:30 p.m. Boston at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14 Detroit at N.Y. Rangers, 3 p.m. (FOX) Philadelphia at Colorado, 3 p.m. (FOX) Anaheim at Phoenix, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Feb. 15 Tampa Bay at N.Y. Islanders, 1 p.m. Vancouver at St. Louis, 3 p.m. Carolina at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Chicago at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Florida, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Nashville, 8 p.m. Anaheim at Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16 Philadelphia at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17 Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Florida at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Edmonton at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18 Washington at Carolina, 7 p.m. Boston at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Florida at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19 Phoenix at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. San Jose at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) New Jersey at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Nashville, 8 p.m. Chicago at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Anaheim at Calgary, 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20 Carolina at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m. Montreal at Toronto, 7 p.m. San Jose at Washington, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Calgary, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 Detroit at Buffalo, 3 p.m. (FOX) Boston at Chicago, 3 p.m. (FOX) Colorado at Dallas, 3 p.m. (FOX) N.Y. Islanders at Carolina, 5 p.m. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Edmonton, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, Feb. 22 Toronto at Washington, 7 p.m. Phoenix at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis, 8 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Calgary, 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 Ottawa at Boston, 7 p.m. Dallas at Nashville, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Colorado, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24 Phoenix at Washington, 7 p.m. Carolina at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Nashville at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Buffalo at Calgary, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Vancouver at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25 New Jersey at Boston, 7 p.m. Montreal at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Colorado, 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26 Phoenix at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Florida at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Edmonton, 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. St. Louis at Calgary, 9 p.m. Carolina at Vancouver, 10 p.m. San Jose at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 Washington at Boston, 1:30 p.m. Florida at Toronto, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal, 7 p.m. Detroit at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Nashville at Colorado, 9 p.m. Carolina at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28 Phoenix at New Jersey, 1 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Rangers, 3 p.m. (FOX) Pittsburgh at Washington, 3 p.m. (FOX) Los Angeles at Dallas, 3 p.m. (FOX) St. Louis at Chicago, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Buffalo at Vancouver, 10 p.m. MARCH Monday, March 1 San Jose at Calgary, 9 p.m. Edmonton at Colorado, 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 Phoenix at Boston, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Montreal, 7 p.m. Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. St. Louis at Nashville, 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 3 Edmonton at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Boston at Carolina, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Florida, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Los Angeles at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 4 N.Y. Rangers at Washington, 7 p.m. Dallas at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Nashville at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 5 Dallas at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Boston at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Nashville at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, March 6 N.Y. Islanders at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Tampa Bay at Montreal, 7 p.m. Toronto at Ottawa, 7 p.m. Edmonton at Washington, 7 p.m. Carolina at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. Sunday, March 7 New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders, Noon N.Y. Rangers at Boston, 3 p.m. (FOX) Colorado at Pittsburgh, 3 p.m. (FOX) St. Louis at Dallas, 3 p.m. (FOX) Philadelphia at Buffalo, 6:30 p.m. Detroit at Anaheim, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Nashville at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Chicago at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Monday, March 8 Florida at Montreal, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Carolina, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 9 Colorado at Washington, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Detroit at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Phoenix at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10 Florida at Boston, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7 p.m. Ottawa at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Edmonton at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Vancouver at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11 Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Florida at Washington, 7 p.m. Toronto at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Friday, March 12 Calgary at Carolina, 7 p.m. Boston at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Nashville, 8 p.m. Anaheim at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Detroit at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13 Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m. Edmonton at St. Louis, 3 p.m. Toronto at Montreal, 7 p.m. Calgary at Washington, 7 p.m. Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10 p.m. Ottawa at San Jose, 10 p.m. Sunday, March 14 Edmonton at Nashville, 2:30 p.m. Detroit at Colorado, 3 p.m. (FOX) N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 3 p.m. (FOX) St. Louis at Chicago, 3 p.m. (FOX) Dallas at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Monday, March 15 N.Y. Islanders at Buffalo, 7 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Phoenix, 9 p.m. New Jersey at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Ottawa at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 16 Dallas at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Philadelphia at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Calgary at Nashville, 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 17 Dallas at Washington, 7 p.m. Boston at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. New Jersey at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Ottawa at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Florida at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 18 Nashville at Montreal, 7 p.m. Phoenix at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Carolina at Colorado, 9 p.m. Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 19 Buffalo at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Saturday, March 20 San Jose at Boston, 1:30 p.m. Nashville at Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m. Chicago at Colorado, 3 p.m. New Jersey at Toronto, 7 p.m. Washington at Montreal, 7 p.m. Ottawa at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Edmonton, 10 p.m. Florida at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, March 21 N.Y. Islanders at Calgary, 2 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers, 3 p.m. (FOX) Detroit at Philadelphia, 3 p.m. (FOX) Colorado at Chicago, 3 p.m. (FOX) Boston at Washington, 7 p.m. Carolina at Dallas, 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Phoenix, 8 p.m. (ESPN) Florida at Anaheim, 8 p.m. Monday, March 22 San Jose at Montreal, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 23 Buffalo at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 24 N.Y. Islanders at Carolina, 7 p.m. San Jose at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Colorado, 9 p.m. Montreal at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Thursday, March 25 Chicago at Boston, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Calgary, 9 p.m. Washington at Phoenix, 9 p.m. St. Louis at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Dallas at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, March 26 Toronto at Carolina, 7 p.m. San Jose at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Colorado, 9 p.m. St. Louis at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Dallas at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27 Buffalo at Pittsburgh, Noon Chicago at New Jersey, 1 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m. Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Montreal at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Calgary at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Sunday, March 28 Pittsburgh at Buffalo, Noon Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1:30 p.m. San Jose at Edmonton, 2 p.m. Dallas at Nashville, 2:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Detroit, 3 p.m. (FOX) St. Louis at Chicago, 3 p.m. (FOX) Los Angeles at Colorado, 3 p.m. (FOX) New Jersey at Florida, 5 p.m. Calgary at Anaheim, 10 p.m. Monday, March 29 N.Y. Islanders at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Tuesday, March 30 Los Angeles at Boston, 7 p.m. Nashville at Washington, 7 p.m. Carolina at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Colorado, 9 p.m. Phoenix at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 31 Anaheim at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Toronto at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Colorado at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. APRIL Thursday, April 1 Boston at Montreal, 7 p.m. Florida at Washington, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Philadelphia at Nashville, 8 p.m. Phoenix at Calgary, 9 p.m. Toronto at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Friday, April 2 Anaheim at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Saturday, April 3 Philadelphia at Boston, 1:30 p.m. New Jersey at Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m. Dallas at St. Louis, 3 p.m. Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m. Toronto at Calgary, 7 p.m. Anaheim at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Washington at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Chicago, 8 p.m. Los Angeles at Nashville, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Colorado, 9 p.m. Vancouver at San Jose, 10 p.m. Sunday, April 4 N.Y. Rangers at New Jersey, 3 p.m. (FOX) Detroit at Dallas, 3 p.m. (FOX) Monday, April 5 Montreal at Boston, 7 p.m. Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7 p.m. St. Louis at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Colorado, 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 6 New Jersey at Carolina, 7 p.m. Buffalo at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. San Jose at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 7 Carolina at Montreal, 7 p.m. St. Louis at Washington, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Vancouver at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Nashville at Colorado, 9 p.m. Calgary at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Thursday, April 8 Toronto at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Washington at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. San Jose at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 9 Florida at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at St. Louis, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 9 p.m. Nashville at Phoenix, 10 p.m. San Jose at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10 Tampa Bay at Boston, 1:30 p.m. Florida at Toronto, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Montreal, 7 p.m. Carolina at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Washington, 7 p.m. Buffalo at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Edmonton at Vancouver, 10 p.m. Sunday, April 11 Pittsburgh at Detroit, 3 p.m. (FOX) Colorado at St. Louis, 3 p.m. (FOX) Los Angeles at Dallas, 3 p.m. (FOX) Phoenix at Anaheim, 8 p.m. Monday, April 12 Chicago at Washington, 7 p.m. Florida at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Nashville, 8 p.m. Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m. Edmonton at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13 Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 Washington at Carolina, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Buffalo, 7 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. Montreal at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Phoenix at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m. St. Louis at Anaheim, 10:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15 Pittsburgh at Boston, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Nashville at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. Colorado at Calgary, 9 p.m. St. Louis at Phoenix, 10 p.m. Anaheim at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 16 Philadelphia at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m. Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. Colorado at Edmonton, 9 p.m. Los Angeles at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 17 Buffalo at Boston, 1:30 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 1:30 p.m. Dallas at Phoenix, 4 p.m. Toronto at Montreal, 7 p.m. Ottawa at Carolina, 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Detroit at Chicago, 7:30 p.m. New Jersey at Nashville, 8 p.m. Calgary at Edmonton, 10 p.m. Anaheim at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Sunday, April 18 Washington at Buffalo, 3 p.m. (FOX) Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers, 3 p.m. (FOX) Boston at Philadelphia, 3 p.m. (FOX) Dallas at Colorado, 3 p.m. (FOX) St. Louis at Los Angeles, 3 p.m. (FOX) ====================================================================== lcshockeylcshockeylcshockeylcshockeylcshockeyjerryiscominglcshockeylcs ======================================================================