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To subscribe/unsubscribe from the LCS Hockey mailing list contact zippy@lcshockey.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- Damn He's Fast ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Jim Iovino Tony Amonte is fast. When he's on the ice, it's best if you don't blink, because you could miss something amazing. Tony Amonte is really fast. If there's a breakaway to be had, Tony Amonte will get it. Tony Amonte is really, really fast. That's why he leads the NHL with 22 goals. Amonte has used his speed and skill to his advantage this season, getting solid scoring chance after scoring chance on a Chicago Blackhawk team that hasn't seen a legitimate scoring sensation since the old-school days of Jeremy Roenick. Sure, the 28-year-old winger has several high-profile centermen to aid him in his quest for 50 goals, but the numbers show that Amonte has had to do most of the work himself. Alexei Zhamnov and Doug Gilmour are the main two centers on the Hawks roster, but both are having sub-par seasons. And without those two guys, Amonte is the lone gun in Chicago. He his scoring around 30 percent of his team's goals, which is an impressive stat in itself. Amonte's speed is his biggest asset. He shows an ability to chase down loose pucks and clearing attempts and turn them into great scoring chances. And once he gets in tight on a goalie, he's pure money. Amonte's favorite move is when he skates in on a goaltender and fakes to his backhand. But instead of going that direction, he practically stops dead in his tracks in the crease and tucks the puck around the sprawling goaltender on his forehand. The move almost never fails. Amonte's quick skating and even quicker hands make the move impossible to defend against. Unless, you know, a goaltender gets all wild and crazy and flings every appendage he has in Amonte's general direction... Although Amonte is leading the league in the race for the new Maurice Richard Trophy, given to the league's top goal scorer, he said the thought of being the first recipient of the award hasn't crossed his mind. He didn't even realize the trophy existed until recently. "It would definitely be a great honor and something you always dream about of scoring goals in the NHL," Amonte said. "And to have the opportunity right now to be in the League lead, it's a great feeling. But for me, I try not to think about scoring goals because when I do, they never happen. So you always try to think about playing good defense and try and let the game come to me. But, it would be a great honor to be considered for an award like that." Amonte is among an odd list of goal-scoring leaders this season. Most of the league leaders are Americans. Amonte, John LeClair, Bill Guerin and Keith Tkachuk are all near the top of the leaderboard. There's a good chance that this will be the year that an American-born player will finally lead the NHL in goal scoring - a feat that has never been done before. "They are all top scorers in the NHL, and I actually didn't even know that there wasn't an U.S. born National Hockey League goal-scoring point champ yet," he said. "But I think that will be coming in the near future, and if it is, I would put my money on probably Keith or John LeClair to be the one to do it." If Mike Keenan had his way, Tony Amonte probably wouldn't be among the list of favorites to take the crown. Keenan, you see, never saw eye to eye with Amonte when he was coach of the New York Rangers and Amonte was an up-and-coming star for the Blueshirts. Amonte scored 35 goals in his rookie season in New York in 1991-92, then 33 more the next season. But then Keenan took over the helm in the Big Apple and Amonte's numbers were reduced to 16 goals in 72 games during the 1993-94 season. Keenan dealt Amonte near the trade deadline to Chicago in exchange for Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. Keenan and the Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, while to this day Amonte continues to fight for his chance to meet Lord Stanley. "(Keenan) definitely didn't like me, and I didn't like him and I don't think I still do," Amonte said of his former coach. "But it was business at the time, and that's what I felt. He didn't feel that I was going to be any help to the (team), and the way I felt at the time, he had me believing that I wasn't going to be any help to the club. So I think it was a good career change for me, and I was thrilled just to get a chance just to come to Chicago. "You know, coming out of New York, you don't know where you're going to go. But getting a chance to come to Chicago, I'm as happy as could be. But I was a little disappointed not staying for the Stanley Cup run, but that's life. And that's what Mike Keenan says: `Life is not fair.' " Life might not be fair, but, like a lot of other players around the NHL, Amonte's doing his damnedest to prove Keenan wrong. Amonte has a lot of talent - enough to push for the league lead in goals. And Amonte also has the guts to overachieve when need be. His overachieving ways will be counted upon heavily in Chicago if the Hawks are to have any chance of hoisting the Stanley Cup in the near future. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CREDITS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Dell........................Editor-in-Chief Zippy..................................Computer Boy Jim Iovino.............................Ace Reporter Matthew Secosky..........................Likes Cats Nicole Agostino.....................Finished Fourth Alex Carswell.................Anaheim Correspondent Matt Brown.....................Boston Correspondent Matt Barr.....................Buffalo Correspondent Simon D. Lewis................Calgary Correspondent Scott Pagel..................Carolina Correspondent Thomas Crawford...............Chicago Correspondent Greg D'Avis..................Colorado Correspondent Jim Panenka....................Dallas Correspondent Dino Cacciola.................Detroit Correspondent Aubrey Chau..................Edmonton Correspondent Vacant........................Florida Correspondent Matt Moore................Los Angeles Correspondent Jacques Robert...............Montreal Correspondent Jeff Middleton..............Nashville Correspondent Eric Witzel................New Jersey Correspondent David Strauss...............Islanders Correspondent Alex Frias....................Rangers Correspondent The Nosebleeders..............Ottawa Correspondents Eric Meyer...............Philadelphia Correspondent Bob Chebat....................Phoenix Correspondent Jerry Fairish..............Pittsburgh Correspondent Tom Cooper..................St. Louis Correspondent Al Swanson...................San Jose Correspondent Seth Lerman.................Tampa Bay Correspondent Jonah Sigel...................Toronto Correspondent Jeff Dubois.................Vancouver Correspondent Jason Sheehan..............Washington Correspondent Tricia McMillan...................AHL Correspondent Brian Wishnow.........................Correspondent ----------------------------------------------------------------- LCS Hockey - Issue 110 - December 23, 1998. All rights reserved because we, like, called ahead and stuff. Email address: info@lcshockey.com Street Address: 406 Sheffield Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601. Web Address: www.lcshockey.com Direct Address: Something from the meat case, Linda? ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Caps Search for Answers in Las Vegas ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Jason Sheehan It seems like it was only yesterday when captain Dale Hunter raised the Prince of Wales trophy above his head last June for all to see at Buffalo's Marine Midland Arena. That was the greatest triumph in Washington Capitals history. No goal had ever meant more than the overtime marker that Joe Juneau deposited past Dominik Hasek in Game Six to propel the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals. Then, the magical slipper fell off. Detroit swept the Capitals, winning the Stanley Cup at MCI Center. Unfortunately for Washington, the tailspin that began in the finals has continued into this month. The once mighty and proud Capitals (9-17-3; 13th in the East) are now ranked with the worst teams in the league. Only Los Angeles and Tampa Bay are worse than the Capitals. Coach Ron Wilson, one of the greatest motivational coaches in the National Hockey League, has used his entire arsenal of tricks in hopes of helping his team return to its winning ways. A few weeks ago, he canceled practice and took his team bowling. That resulted in one win, but then the club record eight-game road trip began with a thud, losing the first four contests. Worst of all, three of those losses were to the Western Conference's inferior teams - Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. So, Wilson pulled another card from his sleeve: a four-day hiatus in Las Vegas. The team spent the first two days away from the ice. Some players attended the rodeo, others went golfing and almost everyone gambled. Players spent the last two days refining their skills in a mini-camp at the Las Vegas Ice Gardens. Yet Wilson thinks it's too early to sweat it, despite the porous record and lack of response from his motivational tactics. "I'm not going to hit the panic button," Wilson said after practice on Dec. 16th. "I don't know what a panic button pushing would do for our team. We've got solutions. We've got to find them and apply them." Wilson has been particularly upset about the opposition taking liberties with his star players. Two elite scorers, Richard Zednik and Peter Bondra, were targeted by grinders in Anaheim and San Jose, respectively. Zednik didn't make much out of the blind-side hit he received in Anaheim, relegating it to being part of the game. However, it remains one of Wilson's major concerns, because not one player retaliated after both incidents occurred. "We've tried to address it," Wilson said. "Now the only thing we can see is if people respond. I've challenged some people to rise to the occasion to protect their teammates, and I've challenged the goal scorers to bear down even harder and take care of the scoring chances they do create." Washington's goal scorers have been hampered by poor production and injuries. The Capitals rank last in the league with 60 goals. In comparison, San Jose is positioned above Washington with 62 goals, while Toronto leads with 98. Washington has been shut out four times in its last 10 games and only has six goals through six games of the eight-game road trip. "We're kind of pressing a little harder than usual," says Bondra, who leads the team with 12 goals. "But when nothing goes well for you, you try to look at your game and try to maybe press harder on your stick or try to squeeze harder. You try to change some things. It doesn't work well. You just have to relax, have fun and play the game. Playing the system is more important than anything else." Said left wing Craig Berube: "We haven't scored many goals lately. This last road trip (Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose), we've scored three goals. So you're not going to win many games [with that output]. So [we need to] start hustling, start scoring some goals, keep playing the way we are defensively and we'll start winning." The Capitals also have put themselves in trouble early in games by allowing the first goal; many of which have come in the first five minutes. Washington has only scored first in one of their last 10 games, and that tally came in a 2-1 loss at San Jose. Entering the third period without a lead also has been a problem the Capitals have been unable to overcome. In this situation, the Capitals are 0-23-0, proving that poor conditioning might be their undoing. The slow starts also can lead to a bruised psyche. Yet, not every player thinks the team folds the tent when the opposition scores the game's first goal. "I think it's a pretty simple answer," defenseman Calle Johansson said, referring to the slow starts. "We just have to work harder and play smarter. We're just not ready to play the first 10 minutes of the game. We've got to come out more ready to play. "I think we're in pretty good spirits. We're not that fragile. I think we're pretty close to turning it around. It's not like we're being outplayed. I think we've been playing pretty decent, but we haven't been scoring goals. If we just take care of our own end first and don't let any goals in like we have been, I think we're going to start scoring pretty soon." Said Berube: "Maybe [we're thinking about it too much]. Last year, we got scored on early all the time, [but] when you're playing with a lead, it's a lot easier to win. We've just got to try to score first a little bit. That'll help." On the injury front, the Capitals are on pace to match last season's staggering 476 man-games lost to injury. Lately, most injuries have staggered the team's forward corps. Left wing Chris Simon is the most seriously injured Capital. He re-injured his shoulder in the first game of the road trip at Philadelphia on Dec. 5. He will go under the knife for the second time in two seasons and miss the rest of the season. Playmaking center Adam Oates has missed the last nine games with a groin strain and isn't expected to return until Dec. 26 when the Capitals conclude the road trip in Nashville. In addition to Simon and Oates, the other injured players are Michal Pivonka (shoulder), Yogi Svejkovsky (ankle), center Jan Bulis (ankle) and left wings Tom Chorske (groin) and Richard Zednik (groin). Of these players, excluding Simon, only Chorske will miss a substantial amount of time. "It's doing a little better," Oates said, referring to his injury. "It's not quite right yet - obviously because I'm not skating - but it's come a long way. I've got a routine I do everyday; exercises. I'm working on it." Before departing Las Vegas for Chicago, Wilson put the team through a rigorous morning practice. The drills included a positioning drill where defensemen played with their stick handles, holding the blades in their hands. Practice concluded with a drill all players loathe - the dreaded 180-feet stop-and-go routine that lasted 20 minutes. After practice, players left the dressing room looking like they had just run a marathon. Only a handful of Capitals - Bondra, Zednik, Hunter, Mark Tinordi and Berube - looked like they had just completed a short walk in the park. Others, such as Andrei Nikolishin and Dmitri Mironov, appeared to be out-of-shape. Mironov also appears to have an injured groin. He had difficulty walking to the bus, but has not missed a game. "[Practice] was tough, but it was good," Johansson said. "You need to practice like that every once in awhile. That's part of hockey. You need to do it if you are going to get any better, so you just put your head down and skate." The trip to Las Vegas paid dividends in Chicago on Dec. 17, where the Capitals snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory. It was the first time in weeks that the Capitals gave a full 60-minute effort. Unfortunately, the celebration didn't last long. In the next game at Pittsburgh on Dec. 19, Washington returned to its inconsistent play, getting shut out, 3-0. The faint smell of optimism in the air is being replaced by a sweaty stench of pessimism as Washington continues to fail in recapturing its magic from last season. "I think we're close [to winning]," Oates observes. "Obviously, it's the same team that went to the finals last year, so we obviously have it in us. We're just in a major funk trying to conquer some issues. Hopefully, we'll get there." At least the team had a good time in Las Vegas - much more fun than it's been having on the ice. "It's been great," goaltender Olie Kolzig said. "It's been relaxing. I played a little golf, just basically relaxed and got away from hockey for a few days. That's what we need, just to get away from the rink for a little bit." Yet, the season to forget continues as the Washington Capitals continue to plummet down a bottomless pit. The light is getting dimmer, and last season's run to the finals now seems like a faint memory whistling in the wind. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Bourque Passes Howe ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Jim Iovino Boston Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque recently passed legend Gordie Howe to move into third place on the all-time assists list. Bourque, who is in his 20th season in the NHL (all of which have been with the Bruins), has seen it all during his time in the league. He's played with and against the likes of Cam Neely, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bryan Trottier, Guy LaFleur and many other great players. He's won the Calder Trophy. He's won the Norris Trophy (five times!). He's played on great teams. He's played on pretty bad teams. The only thing it seems Ray Bourque hasn't done is win the Stanley Cup. Bourque will turn 38 on Dec. 28. Over the past several years people have tried to write off the old man of the league and induce a retirement. But Bourque has played through all the rumors of him slowing down, of him retiring, and of him leaving the Bruins organization. Bourque is a class act all around. Much has been written of the stalwart defenseman over the years. But recently, members of the NHL media took time out from writing and enjoyed an in-depth interview with Bourque, who was willing to talk about his past achievements in the league and what he's looking forward to during the next couple years. Here's a sampling of that interview. Sit back and enjoy... Question: I was wondering if you could reflect over your 20 years and kind of hit the high points of what you thought 20 years of being a Boston Bruin and playing in the National Hockey League has meant for you? Ray Bourque: Well, for me it has been a dream come true. I mean, obviously growing up in Montreal as a kid you dream about playing in the NHL and that dream came true and I think I was very fortunate to come to a place at a young age with an established team and a team with so much history. It has been great. Twenty years have gone by and I couldn't have imagined playing for this long and never thought about putting up the numbers that I have and the fun and the whole experience of the whole thing has been unbelievable. Playing in a great town, it has been very special and important for me to stay here in Boston. For me and my family, it is home for us. And it has been great. I have had a lot of great times here. We have won - gone on to two Finals and done a lot of good things. Through 20 years you have your highs and your lows and you work through your lows and you get by that and find yourself in one place for 20 years later is quite an experience and very special and something that I have wanted and it's worked out great, just the way I have wanted it. Question: I want to ask you, you broke into the NHL at 18. Was it easier to break in at 18, 20 years ago than it is now? It seems so hard or are you just so much better than a lot of these 18-year-old kids trying to break in the NHL now? It is so very difficult for them. RB: I think back then you didn't have the (high) expectations and the money issue wasn't as big. Now they come in, they are making the big bucks right off the bat and they are expected to deliver earlier than some of us did. But I think for any young guy really it is tough. And, for me, I came into a good situation where I was one of two rookies that year that broke in with a very veteran team, so I wasn't asked to go out and, you know, carry the load right off the bat. I was just expected to go out there and do my job and play my game and nothing more. That is a good situation to be in. Question: You were the eighth player picked in your draft year. That was a great draft year. Do you count yourself fortunate you weren't the first player picked? RB: I was very fortunate, I think to be picked a little later. Like I said, you go to a team that lost in the semifinals to Montreal the year before with really a great bunch of veterans. They needed some changes maybe on defense and I came along; a perfect situation where I got plenty of ice time; but not expected to do just more than going out there and doing my job. Question: When you hear something like (breaking Gordie Howe's assist mark), does it really set in for what you have accomplished in your career to hear Gordie Howe's name mentioned alongside yours? RB: It is a very special name and, you know, he is called "Mr. Hockey" for the great years he had as an NHL player and the longevity that he had and playing at the age he did and just putting up the numbers and everything he has done in this league. It is pretty special when you are mentioned along those lines. But then again, you know, you can't just stop on things like that. You got to wake up again the next morning and just go out and do your job again and you are only as good as your last game. You have got to go out and prove it every day. I think once everything is all done and you look back at what you accomplished and the numbers and everything, I think then you are going to be able to enjoy it a lot more and say: Wow, things went pretty well here. Question: You mentioned having to get up the next day. At your age, do you tend to feel a little bit older sometimes after games, or has your conditioning helped you along with that? RB: Things are pretty good. When you get busy and you are playing four games in six nights or five in seven, that kind of schedule, I think everybody kind of feels it. But a 37, 38 year old might feel it just a tad bit more, but you know how to play the game. You know how to prepare. You know what you have got to do and that certainly helps. But I don't feel it anymore than, let's say I did three or four years ago. I think you go for a while and all of a sudden you hit a certain age. At one point you might start feeling a little more than did you at others. But it's kind of felt the same way for a while now. Question: Ray, where do you get that fountain of youth and do you look back on this sometimes and just amaze yourself that you are still going strong after 20 years? RB: Yeah, I think sometimes you just know how fortunate and don't take it for granted that I am still able to go out and compete at a high level. But, it is my job. It is what I have been doing all my life and it has been a big part of my life and it has been so good to me and I have enjoyed it so much that I am just going to keep on trucking here and as long as the body holds up and the mind is there I will keep doing it. You kind of get thinking sometimes about when is this going to end, when are things going to start falling apart for you and just hope it doesn't happen. But hopefully I'll be out of this game before I get to that point. I wouldn't want that to happen. I will play at a high level and if I feel things are really sliding here, I won't be around. Question: As you look down the list of that draft year there is an awful large number of guys that have gone into coaching. It seems that particular group, the 1979 draft, has had a large impact in hockey as players and seems to be building one in the coaching fraternity. Do you see yourself in that role at some point and what do you see as your future after your playing days in hockey? RB: Well, I think I definitely see myself in hockey. It is what I know best and what I have been doing my whole life and I think it would be a pretty smooth transition to stay in the game. Exactly what I am going to do, I am not sure yet. But coaching, I am not too sure about that. I think I'd rather be doing something elsewhere, you know, the travel part really gets to you. If anything gets to you at this game, traveling kind of gets old after a while. That is one thing I'd like to slow down with after I am done playing. So I see myself sticking around here with the Bruins in some way. Exactly what yet, we haven't really talked serious about that. But there is definitely something there. Question: Of all the things that have stood out in your career, particularly the number of All-Star Game appearances and first team selections, is there one moment or one particular accomplishment that is very near and dear to Ray Bourque? RB: I hope it is going to come one day, to see myself going around with the Cup would be unbelievable and that would be it. But there are so many good moments. We have gotten to two Finals where we have had to win some big games and just that whole experience of the Playoffs going round to round and getting to the Finals is very special. The All-Star Game here in Boston was a great night where I scored with under-a-minute left and for it to be in Boston was really a great experience. I had so many family and fans and friends there, it was special. I will always remember my first game in the Boston Garden, you know, in 1979, just going through camp and knowing that you made the team and that first game against the Winnipeg Jets, October 11th, was something I will always remember. And there are a lot of memories. The Canada Cup's, that three-game series that we played in 1987 was probably the best hockey I have ever played and playing with that group of guys was great. So you go down, there is a big list there. I can't really pinpoint just one and say that was the one. But to say if I'd ever win a Cup, I'd probably end up saying that that would be the time and hopefully that will happen some day. Question: Ever considered leaving the Bruins? RB: No. No. For me, even through tough times, you have a few things, a few thoughts that go through your head, but I have stuck it out and once I decided that I was going to stick it out I never had any other thoughts and just playing here I'm happy I did because things are going pretty well for us here in terms of the direction that the team has taken. We have got some good young talent and good bunch of guys and I think we are on our way. Question: Never having been traded, never changed teams, knowing what types of things general managers have to go through with player personnel decisions, when you retire, do you consider yourself general manager material in what you might do after the game? RB: I think maybe alongside, not taking that job, but I think I could be there for somebody to lean on and for some help, just helping the GM or somebody, you know, with certain decisions about players, personnel and what we need and how to get it and stuff like that would be kind of fun I think. It might work out for me, but I am not sure on that yet. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Renny Comes Home ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Chuck Michio Well, he's back. After weeks of rumors, Flyers G.M. Bob Clarke finally pulled the trigger and shipped underachieving Chris Gratton back to Tampa Bay in exchange for the key player he was traded for a season and a half ago. Confused? Small wonder. Apparently Bob Clarke is, too. Last week's trade, which brought former Legion of Doomer Mikael Renberg and Daymond Langkow to the Flyers in exchange for Gratton and the similarly struggling Mike Sillinger, was essentially Clarke's admission of guilt that he never should have made the ill-fated decision to bring the squirrelly, fair-haired Gratton north to blue-collar Philly. In fact, Clarke even answered the question, "So does this mean that you were wrong to bring Gratton here in the first place?" with an emphatic, "I would say so, yes." That larger issue aside, does bringing Renberg really help the orange and black, or is this just a move designed to appease the legions of disgruntled fans at the Corestates Center? Well, the move should legitimately help to improve the team's offensive depth, at least in the short run. Although Neilson briefly reunited Renberg with his former Legion of Doom linemates for his first shift back as a Flyer, Renberg has played primarily with Rod Brind'Amour and Valeri Zelepukin since returning to Philly. That's bound to me a move that should please Brind'Amour, who's finally free to play center every night. Gratton's desire to play center and his well-known distaste for playing left wing forced coach Roger Neilson to experiment with Gratton in the middle and Brind'Amour on the wing for much of the past year and a half, an unfair move since Brind'Amour is one of the best two-way centers in hockey and Gratton is only slightly more valuable than the proverbial head of cabbage. To his credit, Brind'Amour took his time on the wing with a grain of salt, shut up, and continued to help the team. Now, with Renberg back and Gratton gone, that configuration problem is history. Look for Brindy in the middle every night, where he plays his best hockey by far. The speedy, shifty Renberg should help Brind'Amour to become even more productive offensively, too. Although Renberg has only one goal and one assist in his first four games back with the Flyers, he obviously has more chemistry with Brind'Amour than Gratton did. The two have already combined for some key goals, notably Brind'Amour's tally in the 2-2 tie with Tampa Bay. Renberg's fantastic neutral-zone backhand pass to Valeri Zelepukin started the rush that led to Brind'Amour's tap-in. The return of Renberg is obviously popular with the Philly fans, as well. Not only did the deal exile their favorite whipping boy, it also brought home an ever-smiling symbol of recent Flyers glory. Who could forget the crucial role Renberg played in the Flyers emergence from the ashes of five consecutive playoff misses or that he was the hardest worker on the storied Legion of Doom line? Or the fact that he constantly refers to John LeClair as "Yon?" Maybe his sheer presence can help remind the Flyers of how close they were to the Stanley Cup just two seasons ago. All that happy talk aside, there are reasons for Flyers fans to be deeply disturbed by Renberg's reacquisition. He's clearly an upgrade from the overpaid and underachieving Gratton, but it's distinctly possible that he is no longer the impact player he once was. Injuries have cost him significant parts of the past two seasons, and he managed only 16 goals and 22 assists last year, a sub-par output even considering the pitiful state of the "team" around him in Tampa Bay. Renny also closed the season at -37, one of the most nausea-inducing plus-minus figures in the league. Renberg's declining effectiveness is one downside of this deal, but what's more disturbing is the fact that it was so obviously a face-saving maneuver by Clarke. Although the Flyers carefully scouted Gratton, he turned out to be a terrible fit with the Flyers, unable or unwilling to adapt to the wing, shoot the puck, or use his size along the boards. And as if the mere acquisition of Gratton wasn't enough of a mistake, Clarke compounded it by completely giving up on him and dealing him for a player whose best days are likely behind him. Gratton's complete regression must have hurt his market value somewhat, but I have to believe that a 23-year-old former 30-goal scorer is worth more than Mikael Renberg and Daymond Langkow. And combined with the Wayne Cashman fiasco a year ago, this latest blunder really calls Clarke's ability to be a decisive, effective decision-maker to task. Not many general managers have the type of job security that allows them to admit blunders of that magnitude, but Clarke's status as Ed Snider's foster son has helped to shield him from the type of accountability that normally comes with such a crucial job in the development of a hockey team. Maybe it's time to put Clarke on the hot seat again. Although the Flyer players certainly deserve their share of the blame for the team's recent playoff self-destructions against Detroit and Buffalo, Clarke's inability to find the right coach to motivate the team or the right players to change its emotionless nature makes him a deserved target of criticism. So does the Renberg acquisition mark a return to the glory days or just more ill-advised tinkering with the Flyer lineup? I'll hedge my bet and say let's wait and see. My hunch is that Renberg will fail to become the impact player he was in his first tour of duty with the team, but only time will tell for certain. It's also possible that the mere exit of Gratton will lead to a happier, closer-knit Flyers squad. It's no secret that the enormous bonus Clarke gave Gratton and his subsequent failure to produce alienated veteran stars such as Lindros, LeClair, and Desjardins, whose own salary negotiations with Clarke have been acrimonious at best. So maybe this deal will prove to be just what the doctor ordered even if Renberg turns out to be a shell of his former self. Regardless of how his second tenure in Philadelphia goes, I'll be rooting for Renberg. Throughout his career, he's been the epitome of the "good soldier," playing hard, playing hurt, and playing for his teams alone. That's more than you can say for many of the Flyers so-called stars, and especially impressive considering the nightmarish run Renberg has suffered in the past couple seasons. From his trade to Tampa Bay, to the wrist injury that hampered his effectiveness there, to the embarrassment of being named captain of the Lightning and then demoted, Renberg has endured some hard knocks. Here's hoping that his story has a happy ending with the Flyers. And this just in, tonight when the Flyers line up against the Bruins, number 19 will take his place alongside Eric and Yon on the Legion of Doom line once more. Who says you can't go home again? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Gretzky Say Good-bye to Gardens ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Michael Dell "Yee-haw! I'm Wayne Gretzky! Yee-haw!" That's a common cry around the offices of LCS Hockey. Whenever the Great One sets up a goal - or god forbid scores one himself - I'm always quick to make sure everyone else knows it. You see, Gretzky isn't real popular around these parts. Good ol' Greensburg is Mario Lemieux country. Always has been, always will be. That just makes it all the more fun to sing the virtues of Gretzky. For example, take this past Saturday, December 19. Gretzky was playing his final game in the storied Maple Leaf Gardens, which will be replaced by a new corporate whore of a barn in February. Anyway, we were all standin' around gettin' liquored up when the highlights were shown on the big screen. "Look out!" I warned, as Gretzky was shown dealing with the puck behind the Toronto cage. "That's his office! He's in his office!" Gretzky then proceeded to slip a perfect pass in front that Adam Graves deposited behind Glenn Healy. Next came a drunken chorus of "Yee-haw! I'm Wayne Gretzky! Yee-haw!" Sure, the Rangers got smoked by the Leafs, 7-4, and the other bar patrons didn't appreciate my vocal support of the Anti-Mario, but who cares? Gretzky had a pair of assists. That meant two more shots for me, my friend. Then I fought every man, woman, and child in the place. I'm still coughing up blood. Aw, that was great, that was fun. Gretzky's final appearance in the hallowed Leaf lair was big news. Hockey's all-time leading scorer grew up in Brantford, Ontario, which is about 60 miles southwest of Maple Leaf Gardens, and always dreamed of starring on its famous stage. "Well, it is hard to say one particular reason that makes Maple Leaf Gardens special," said Gretzky. "But it is really a unique facility in that it is one of the first arenas that we used to help establish a National Hockey League, and is the foundation of making the Toronto Maple Leaf franchise what is it today. "It is a place that people in Ontario call the Church of hockey," continued Gretzky. "So it is a very special place, and every youngster who has ever grown up in that area or had an opportunity to at least visit Maple Leaf Gardens and for those of us who have been lucky enough to play there, can understand why this arena is so special." Gretzky still fondly recalls his first trip to the Gardens. He was a young lad of six years old when he scored two tickets to see the Leafs take on the mighty Oakland Seals. It didn't matter that he and his grandmother were in the last row, little Wayne enjoyed the night to the fullest, even if he was a bit awestruck. "I got there an hour early and I sat there; I don't think I moved the whole time," remembers Gretzky. "I think the first time I got out of my seat was after they announced the three stars for the game." Gretzky's NHL debut at the Gardens came on November 21, 1979. The Leafs and Edmonton Oilers tied 4-4 that night, with Gretzky collecting two goals and two assists. It was just the first of what would prove to be many memorable performances by Gretzky in front of the Toronto faithful. Gretzky is the all-time leading scorer among visitors to the Gardens. Including the two assists he notched this past Saturday, Gretzky has scored 30 goals and 77 points in 30 career regular season games on Maple Leaf ice. Wayne used to go buckwild against the white and blue in his old- school Oiler days. He played 14 contests for the Bubbling Crude at the Gardens, ringing up an astonishing 22 goals and 48 points. Included in the scoring barrage were three four-point games, three five-point showings, and two monumental six-point efforts. Gretzky and those tremendous Oiler teams never had much of a problem getting up for games at the Gardens. "It was real interesting because the players who grew up in Ontario had this feeling of wow, we can't wait to play in Maple Leaf Gardens," recalls Gretzky. "Then we had these European guys who really weren't sure what the hoopla was about. Then, of course, we had a couple of western guys who kind of understood what it meant to play at Maple Leaf Gardens, but quite honestly maybe didn't have the same feeling that we had growing up. "But, believe me, the excitement was always there. We would always play in Maple Leaf Gardens, and Glen (Sather) always made sure that he timed it, that we would play there on a Saturday night and then he would make sure that we could stay over to practice the next day in the Gardens before we would head to the next city. So he knew that it excited all of us. And he knew that all the players really enjoyed playing there." Not every hometown boy has had as much success as Gretzky working in the intense spotlight of Maple Leaf Gardens. "It is a tough situation for a lot of people," said Gretzky. "It is not easy for visiting teams a lot of times to play there because of commitment to friends and relatives, but it is also tough on the -- probably the Toronto players. But I think the one thing I have always made perfectly clear is that first and foremost, it is very easy to get excited for a game in Maple Leaf Gardens." Gretzky attributes his good fortune to three things: preparation, dedication, and cheap wine. Well, I sort of made up the part about the cheap wine, but the other two are true. "I don't think I have ever really swayed from my commitment and that was always to be the best that I could be," explained Gretzky. "And by saying that, I mean I have always in my career realized and believed that you start preparing for a game the day before and the night before, and I always spend that time with my family and get a chance to see friends or family. But once I go to bed the night before that game, the next day my focus and my attention is basically on the game itself and my friends and relatives know that and, quite frankly, leave me alone until after the game. So I am able to combine seeing people and also being ready for the hockey game. "The easiest thing in the world is to get up for a hockey game in Maple Leaf Gardens, and that is why I probably have had most of my success." Of all Gretzky's brilliant showings at the Gardens, one night in particular stands out from the rest. It was May 29, 1993. Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings were battling the Leafs in the Western Conference Finals for the right to play for the Stanley Cup. After scoring the overtime-winner in Game Six to send the series back to the Gardens, Gretzky dominated Game Seven. Number 99 rang up a hat trick and an assist, including the game-winner in the third period, to lead the Royalty to a thrilling 5-4 victory and their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history. "I think, that, when I look at my career - people often say to me what do I think my best game was in the NHL?" said Gretzky. "I was fortunate enough to play with some great players in Edmonton, I'd played on some great teams. Obviously, there are a lot of games that I could kind of point to. But I have got to honestly say that in my mind, maybe the best game I ever played was Game Seven in Maple Leaf Gardens in 1993. "The situation and the circumstances were, obviously, we were an underdog. We were playing on the road. We were playing against not only a team and a city but maybe a country (because) at that time Montreal had already advanced to the Finals. And all of Canada, rightfully, was pulling for a Montreal-Toronto Final. I remember that game with fond memories, and as I said, in a lot of ways, maybe it was the best game that I have ever played in the NHL." With such arenas as Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, and the Montreal Forum already whacked Goodfellas style, Maple Leaf Gardens is one of the few remaining links to the sport's glorious past. In today's world where pieces of green paper are considered more important than tradition and loyalty, the NHL continues to lose its identity. New arenas, new teams, new jerseys... the league isn't what it used to be. What's more important, money or character? It can be damn near impossible to have both. It's just too bad the NHL chose the wrong one. The changing face of the league has not gone unnoticed by the Great One. "I mean, one of the great parts of professional sports are the teams, the names and, of course, the facilities that those teams participate in," said Gretzky. "To sit down and explain to somebody what it was like in the Chicago Stadium to hear the anthem in there, you can't really explain it to them. You can't really show them exactly what it was like unless they were actually there. To play in the Boston Garden and feel like the people in the second balcony or in the balcony section were almost on top of the ice. "Unfortunately time, you know, would change not only people, athletes, but facilities and, over the course of time, the business. I have said this many a times, you don't replace Maple Leaf Gardens. It is a special place and something that I think is sacred. But I also understand the position that the owners, the management and the League, the situation they are in; that we have to grow with the times, and we have to change with the times. Unfortunately, sometimes we don't like change, and unfortunately, sometimes you have to make changes. But we will never recapture the atmosphere that we had in places like the Montreal Forum, Maple Leaf Gardens, Chicago Stadium or Buffalo Auditorium. Those things are not going to happen." On the bright side, tradition has to start somewhere. All the modern arenas are giving a whole new generation of fans a chance to begin their own cherished memories. "But what we have to do is create new history and create new excitement with what guys like Ray Bourque are doing in the new Boston arena, and what Hasek is doing in Buffalo's new arena," said Gretzky. "So those are the things that we have to start leaning on, and yet we can never forget about history and what those players and what those stadiums meant to our game." Wayne Gretzky may have played his final game in Maple Leaf Gardens, but he'll never forget the experience or the honor of skating in the legendary building. And it's unlikely that the Toronto fans will ever forget his unbelievable play, especially that one night in May of '93, no matter how hard they try. Meanwhile, in a related story, New York's Brent Fedyk also played his final game at Maple Leaf Gardens on December 19, but no one really gave a rat's ass. "Nobody likes me," said a friend of mine pretending to be Brent Fedyk. "You know, I used to be a Crazy Eight! I used to have class... I used to be a contender... I used to be somebody!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- More Stuff... ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Michael Dell EL DIABLO EL SCORO The New Jersey Devils have suddenly become an offensive juggernaut. El Diablo sits atop the Eastern Conference with an impressive 18-8-4 record and is third overall in league scoring with 90 goals. Granted, 90 goals in 30 games won't exactly make anyone forget the Pittsburgh Penguins of the early 1990s, but in today's NHL it's downright remarkable... especially coming from the Devils. New Jersey is doing that whole scoring-by-committee thing. Bobby Holik and Petr Sykora lead the way with 25 points each. And Holik (12), Sykora (10), Dave Andreychuk (10), Jason Arnott (9), and Jay Pandolfo (9) make the Devils the only team in the league that can boast having five guys that have scored at least nine goals each. The Devils went on quite the scoring spree recently, ringing up at least five goals in five consecutive games. El Diablo went 4- 0-1 during the stretch, collecting wins over the NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, and Colorado. The string was snapped on December 18 when Calgary came to town and pulled off a 5-2 upset. The NHL record for scoring at least five-or-more goals in consecutive games is held by the 1985-86 Philadelphia Flyers, who turned the trick in 11 straight contests. EL SCORCHO EL SURPRISO Calgary's shocking win over the Devils capped off an impressive five-game road trip for El Scorcho. The Flames went 3-1-1 on the journey, earning wins over the Bolts, Panthers, and Devils, while tying the powerful Philadelphia Flyers. The surge has moved Calgary into the eighth spot in the Western Conference with a meager 12-16-3 record. Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been spectacular. The 21- year-old was thrust into the spotlight when both Ken Wregget and fellow youngster Tyler Moss went down to injury. Giguere was the goaltender of record in all five games of the trip and stopped 75 of 80 shots in the final two games against the Flyers and Devils. Giguere's been able to be heroic despite losing as much as 10 pounds during games. The youngster even got so sick during the win over Florida that he started vomiting right there on the ice. Coach Brian Sutter sent the trainer out to check on him with one simple instruction: "Tell him to suck it up." Sutter wasn't about to let Giguere come out of the game. The kid fought through it and got the Flames the win. Oh, and when Sutter said to "suck it up," he just meant that Giguere had to pull himself together. He didn't mean to literally suck up the vomit. I mean, vomit's not that precious. Hell, give me about five ciders and I could make some now... Another note on Giguere, he's apparently telling people that he'd prefer to be known as just plain old Jean, and not Jean- Sebastien. Which reminds me, I no longer want to be referred to as jackass. Calgary's offense has been paced by Theo Fleury. The little big man had three goals and seven points on the trip and leads the Flames in goals (17), assists (18), points (35), power-play goals (5), and plus-minus (+9). He also cemented his status as one of the coolest players in the NHL during the Flyer game. After missing a chance late, Fleury shouted sunshine to the heavens. As he skated along the boards during the ensuing stoppage in play, Theo stared through the glass at some lucky Philly fan in the first row and shouted sunshine, sunshine, sunshine! Aw, that's just Theo bein' Theo. Combine this incident with Fleury trying to don the jersey given to him by a fan when his game sweater was too bloody to wear, and Theo is moving right up the charts in coolness. In case you're wondering, here are the current standings as of December 22: Coolest Players in the NHL 1. Darius Kasparaitis, Pittsburgh Penguins 2. Theo Fleury, Calgary Flames 3. Darcy Tucker, Tampa Bay Lightning 4. Tony Amonte, Chicago Blackhawks 5. Alexei Kovalev, Pittsburgh Penguins KOVALEV'S INCREDIBLE That's right, Alexei Kovalev has cracked the top five when discussing the coolest players in the NHL. Kovalev has simply been incredible since joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. The super-skilled Russian recorded three goals and nine points in his first nine games with the Birds, but numbers alone don't tell the whole story. He should receive some serious style points. At least once each game Kovalev does something to lift the fans out of their seats. The majority of the time it's with his passing or stickhandling, but all three of his goals have been brilliant. His first was a modern day classic. Kovalev came off the left wing boards, slipped the puck through Al MacInnis' skates, and then piped a wrist shot high short-side on Grant Fuhr that busted the water bottle. Fuhr never moved. Kovalev started his Pittsburgh career skating the right side on a line with Robert Lang and German Titov. But after a few games coach Kevin Constantine decide to align his troops by nationality, moving Lang up to the top unit to center fellow Czechs Martin Straka and Jaromir Jagr, while Kovalev moved to the middle on a Russian line with Titov and Aleksey Morozov. This particular scheme does leave Stu Barnes out of the loop, but on the positive side it creates two extremely talented, exciting scoring lines that aim to entertain. Kovalev has just been devastating with the puck. Once he gets it on his blade the opposition is at his mercy. He can beat them with a deke or simply lower the shoulder and power his way to the net. Kovalev's been so dynamic one on one that Jagr seems to be trying to elevate his game in order to compete. Not wanting to be outdone by the new guy, the Czech Wonder Kid has been trying to match Kovalev move for move. The result has been some extremely creative plays that harken back to the Penguin glory years when Jagr and Lemieux tortured opposing defenders. And not only is Kovalev dazzling with his skill, he's also working both ends of the ice, paying close attention to defense, and even ringing up a few noteworthy checks. So far there have been no signs of the inconsistency or mental breakdowns that plagued him in New York. He's just been a tremendous addition to the team. Nedved who? KASPARAITIS CLIPPED Speaking of cool players, Darius Kasparaitis hurt his right knee in a collision with Mats Sundin during Pittsburgh's 7-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Monday night, December 21. No real word yet on how long he'll be out, but it doesn't look good. Kaspar originally hurt the knee in the preseason against Detroit. At the time he was scheduled to have surgery that would have kept him out for most of the regular season, but Darius elected to go the rehab route instead and only missed the first eight games. Here's hoping we don't have to wait another eight games to see him back on the ice. Because, as we all know, Darius Kasparaitis is the coolest player... in the world! AUDETTE DEALT Donald Audette is finally back playing in the NHL again. The Buffalo Sabres, who couldn't come to contract terms with Audette this off-season, traded the 29-year-old Quebec sniper to the Los Angeles Kings this past week in exchange for a second-round draft pick. This is a great move for the Kings. Audette may not be a superstar, but he's a natural goal-scorer that will add some much needed pop to the Royalty's sagging offense. And he can't help but improve the Los Angeles power play which is currently ranked dead last in the NHL. Audette started his L.A. story like a champ by scoring on his very first shift as a King. And this just in, Audette scored again Tuesday night against the Penguins. BLAKE IS LOS ANGELES LCS Hockey honored Rob Blake as our 1997-98 MVP. Anyone who questioned either our selection or just how valuable Blake is to the Kings only has to check out the club's record without him this season. The Royalty went 3-12-0 when Blake was out of action with a broken foot. In Blake's first game back, the Kings posted a win over the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately, the Norris Trophy winner was given a three-game suspension for slashing Harry York in the third period of the contest. Guess what that meant? Yes, that's right, three more losses for the Kings. Blake returned from the suspension and immediately guided the Kings to two straight victories over the Blackhawks and Penguins. So let's review. Without Blake the Kings are 3-15-0. With Blake they're 7-5-3. Give him the Hart Trophy, damn it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Red Wings Dominating All-Star Voting ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Brian Wishnow It's that special time of the year again. No, I'm not referring to Christmas, Boxing Day, or even the now infamous LCS office Christmas party. It's that time of year when fans at NHL arenas around North America recklessly vote for their favorite All-Stars. This year voting ballots are available at NHL arenas, Wendy's restaurants, and even online at Yahoo. Voting began November 1, and concludes December 28. This is the second year of the international showdown format, pitting North America against the World. Personally, I liked the old inter-conference format. But anything that got rid of those horrendous purple and teal All-Star jerseys got my vote. Unfortunately, Gary Bettman doesn't consider my vote "legitimate." Whatever that means... A few things are wacky about this year's All-Star Game. Number one being that it's in Tampa Bay. The NHL All-Star Game in Tampa Bay. Has a nice ring to it. Sort of like holding the NFL Pro-Bowl at Lambeau Field in February, or the NBA All-Star Game in Vancouver. For that matter, NBA All-Star Game, period. It's all based on the stupid-ass system of awarding an All-Star Game to a city that builds a new arena. The other poor policy change regarding the mid-season classic is the coaching selection. Back in the day, the coaches were selected from the previous season's Stanley Cup finalists. Scotty Bowman and Ron Wilson should be coaching this season's All-Star teams, but that won't happen. Today, the coaches are taken from each of the league's six division leaders. Can we say...lame? The other wackiness stems from the voting results to date. The Detroit Red Wings are currently dominating at the poles. With only two weeks left to vote, the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champs are set to send seven starters to Tampa Bay for the January 24 game. The previous record for starters in an All-Star Game was set by the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers, who started five of the six Campbell Conference spots. Here are the current projected starters: World All-Star Team Position Player Team Country Center Sergei Fedorov Detroit Russia Wing Jaromir Jagr Pittsburgh Czech Republic Wing Teemu Selanne Anaheim Finland Defense Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit Sweden Defense Uwe Krupp Detroit Germany Goaltender Dominik Hasek Buffalo Czech Republic North America All-Star Team Position Player Team Country Center Steve Yzerman Detroit Canada Wing Brendan Shanahan Detroit Canada Wing Paul Kariya Anaheim Canada Defense Larry Murphy Detroit Canada Defense Ray Bourque Boston Canada Goaltender Chris Osgood Detroit Canada Notice any patterns? Besides Detroit occupying seven of 12 starting spots, Canada dominates all six North American slots. I would've thought Mexico would've had at least one representative. Especially with that Taco Bell talking Chihuahua brainwashing all the voters. And how the hell is Uwe Krupp going to be elected as a starter? Granted he has missed eight games due to injury, but he has only five points in 22 games. Come on, Uwe. All-Star starters don't tally only 20 points over an entire year. Who are we looking at for reserves? For goaltenders, the World Team has got to take those two former Soviets, Nikolai Khabibulin and Arturs Irbe. The North American team should take Byron Dafoe and Curtis Joseph. But Ken Hitchcock will probably take Eddie Belfour from his own team. As far as forwards, these World players are putting up big numbers this year and will probably be selected as reserves: Peter Forsberg, Dimitri Khristich, Martin Straka, Mats Sundin and Alexei Yashin. St. Louis' Pavol Demitra and Boston's Sergei Samsonov should be making their first All-Star appearances in Tampa Bay. The World defensive reserves will include the likes of Roman Hamrlik, Boris Mironov, Teppo Numminen, and Mattias Ohlund. For North America, here are probable All-Star forward reserves: Tony Amonte, Theo Fleury, Wayne Gretzky, Bill Guerin, John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Mark Messier, Joe Sakic, and Keith Tkachuk. On the North American defense, there are a slew of possible reserves. Likely representatives include: Brian Leetch, Al MacInnis, and Darryl Sydor. After that it's a toss-up. Might we see Adrian Aucoin in Tampa Bay? He does have nine goals from the point for Mike Keenan's Canucks. It's all speculation, folks. So please, as always, no wagering. ----------------------------------------------------------------- AHL News ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Tricia McMillan Player of the Week (Dec. 13): The Vancouver Canucks thought he needed more seasoning, so they sent top prospect Josh Holden back to Syracuse. Holden started campaigning for a trip back to the Pacific with his performance last week, picking up six points in three games to include a natural hat trick against Lowell. The former first rounder has played decently so far, especially considering he's coming back from a severe wrist injury. Player of the Week (Dec. 20): The resurgent River Rats finally landed a winner, as Jiri Bicek won the award. Bicek, who turned 20 just days ago, scored both a game-tying and a game-winning goal in Albany's two games during the week and added three assists to his totals. Bicek also raised his plus/minus rating to +15, good for fourth in the league. Hear Them Roar: It took a year longer than expected, but the Louisville Panthers have finally officially come into existence. The finalization of the franchise's ten year lease with the 17,000+ seat Freedom Hall was completed Dec. 17 and the team will join the AHL effective next season. They'll have plenty of company, since Scranton/Wilkes-Barre also joins up, Hampton Roads is supposed to come on board, and the Ottawa Senators are making serious sounds of bringing Quebec City in next year too. Wow - four new teams in one year. And a fifth new city - an unnamed team, more than likely Fredericton, intends to move next season. The Louisville team is affiliated with, duh, Florida, and become the eighth AHL team with ownership interest from the parent NHL club. How much do you know about the AHL? Try naming the other seven teams who are owned by the/a parent club. Answer at the end. Don't Believe The Numbers: Because half the time they're attributed to the wrong players. The AHL has long had problems with errors in the box scores and game writeups, primarily mistakes of granting points and/or penalties to players who often weren't playing in the game and sometimes weren't even on the roster. While some of these mistakes are confined to a single game, some have continued for entire seasons. The current running errors involve Albany's Jeff Williams and New Haven's Shane Willis, who sit atop the AHL scoring lists but you wouldn't know it since their points are routinely given to Henry Kuster and Jon Sturgis, both playing in the ECHL. The errors continue despite several complaints made by Willis and New Haven to the league (one assumes Williams has said something as well). Maybe making a mistake in one game could be understood, but making the same mistake over and over for weeks at a time is ridiculous at best, confusing to the fans, and unfair to the players, especially standout players like Williams and Willis. All Star Doings: The captains for the respective All-Star teams were named, with one surprise (to me, anyway) - the captain of the Canadian team will be Philadelphia's Peter White. Did anybody else think the job was going to Mitch Lamoureux? The PlanetUSA team will be captained by Hartford's Ken Gernander, a Minnesotan. The teams will also have honorary captains, with Canada receiving former NHL coach Bill Dineen, who won consecutive Coach of the Year awards during his days in the AHL, and PlanetUSA hosting recently retired Joel Otto, who was actually a scoring threat when he was in the AHL, prior to becoming a premier checking forward. Last but not least, the AHL continues with its day-of-game Hall of Fame Luncheon, this time honoring Phantoms and Canada coach Bill Barber and Flyers owner Ed Snider. Snider is responsible for the Flyers, the Phantoms, a cable network empire and the two sports arenas in Philadelphia, and has been named to the Hall as a 'Builder'. Barber, of course, is in the Hall for his playing exploits with the Flyers. The PlanetUSA coach was to be whichever coach (other than Bill Barber) whose team had the best winning percentage as of Dec. 13. Son of a gun, it came down to the last game. Rochester's Brian McCutcheon and Albany's John Cunniff finished up whiskers apart, but Cunniff took the final nod when Albany defeated Adirondack on Dec. 13. While the teams had the same win-loss record, Rochester had played one more game (a tie) than had Albany, so the job is Cunniff's. And by the way, voting for AHL All-Stars continues. And certain teams/venues are doing a better job of getting out the vote than others. So if you don't like this list of the voting leaders, results as of Dec. 15, don't just stand there, vote. Canadian AHL All-Stars Forwards Bob Wren, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Eric Landry, Saint John Flames Jim Montgomery, Philadelphia Phantoms Shane Willis, Beast of New Haven Jean-Pierre Dumont, Portland Pirates Cameron Mann, Providence Bruins Jeff Williams, Albany River Rats Defense Andy Delmore, Philadelphia Phantoms Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, Rochester Americans Ken Sutton, Albany River Rats Brad Tiley, Springfield Falcons Goalies Martin Biron, Rochester Americans Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Saint John Flames Jean-Francois Labbe, Hartford Wolf Pack PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars Forwards Landon Wilson, Providence Bruins Frederik Lindquist, Hamilton Bulldogs Richard Park, Philadelphia Phantoms Andrej Podkonicky, Worcester IceCats Ladislav Kohn, St. John's Maple Leafs Boris Protsenko, Syracuse Crunch Herbert Vasiljevs, Kentucky Thoroughblades Defense Rich Brennan, Hartford Wolf Pack Chris O'Sullivan, Saint John Flames Zdeno Chara, Lowell Lock Monsters Francis Bouillon, Fredericton Canadiens Goalies Tom Askey, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Jean-Marc Pelletier, Philadelphia Phantoms Jim Carey, Providence Bruins All Those Zeros: The shutout parade continues, as Martin Biron leads the pack with his fourth shutout in 18 games and ninth in barely a year. The record for a season is nine, well within Biron's reach. The shutout count now stands at 36, already better than halfway to the AHL's record for a season of 61. The AHL has already started charting who shutout or was shutout by whom. St. John's is the only team which has not been involved in a shutout in either direction, while Hartford is the only team which has yet to record one. Team SOF SOA Adirondack 1 3 Albany 1 1 Cincinnati 1 4 Fredericton 2 2 Hamilton 2 4 Hartford 0 1 Hershey 3 1 Kentucky 4 0 Lowell 2 2 New Haven 2 4 Philadelphia 2 2 Portland 2 4 Providence 4 0 Rochester 4 1 Saint John 1 1 Springfield 1 1 St. John's 0 0 Syracuse 1 4 Worcester 3 1 Tough Call:Saint John has had more than its share of problems on the blue line, with Steve Bancroft wanting out and neither David Cooper nor Eric Charron playing up to par. But nobody could have predicted the latest strike - team scoring leader Chris O'Sullivan briefly walked off the team after one of his best friends was murdered. The Flames had granted O'Sullivan personal time for family and the funeral, but he was due back to the team for its Dec. 11 game and he didn't show or call. The Flames were finally able to reach him later in the weekend and talked him into returning to the team the following week. Tough Weekend Upstate: Things weren't any better in upstate New York on Dec. 19. New Haven's Dwayne Hay fell into the boards headfirst during a game with Syracuse, leading many to think he'd broken his neck. Hay suffered a sprained neck and back and should be back in the lineup after the holidays. Meanwhile Rochester tried to go home after a game in Albany, but didn't quite make it back to the arena after a car ran a red light and slammed into their bus. Head coach Brian McCutcheon broke a couple ribs and damaged a lung, but otherwise the Amerks were unscathed. The car's occupants, who according to reports were underaged and quite intoxicated, were injured, at least one seriously, and also face criminal charges. Sound Bites: Kentucky won consecutive games on the road for the first time in franchise history Dec. 8, edging Adirondack 2-1... The Hartford Wolfpack threw 56 shots at Fredericton's Phillippe Derouville Dec. 8, but only three got through, including Vladimir Vorobiev's game-tying goal with 4.7 seconds left in regulation. The game finished in a 3-3 tie.... 12 teams in the AHL have a winning record at home. The River Rats, on the other hand, are much better on the road, and the Phantoms and IceCats also have winning road records... You might not have noticed - Providence rookie Andre Savage is averaging just under a point a game for the Bruins and leads all rookies in +/-... Syracuse's Boris Protsenko leads the rookies in goalscoring, New Haven's Shane Willis is tops in assists and overall scoring for newcomers... The Beast of New Haven scored at least one power play goal in 11 straight games, then failed to score one in two of three games. Both games were shutouts... The Providence Bruins were the first AHL team to compile 100 goals this season. They sent a thank-you note to Syracuse... By the way, the P-Bruins are a perfect 8-0 on Friday nights... The Phantoms have lost four games this season. They lost two of them to the Springfield Falcons, but won't face them again this season. Robert Esche beat Jean-Marc Pelletier in both games - the two shared goaltending duties for the U.S. World Junior team... Brent Johnson set a franchise record when he started his 13th straight game for the IceCats. Worcester really didn't have a second goalie for the first 12 of those games... The AHL's leading goalscorer for defensemen is Fredericton's Francis Bouillon, with eight. He has joined Chris O'Sullivan as the only blueliners leading their teams in scoring... Lowell is having their problems lately. Not only are they getting outshot, they're getting outshot by double digits in almost every game... The Phantoms lead the AHL in shorthanded goals with 11. Saint John is second, but they only have six... St. John's has appeared in five overtime games, most in the league, and haven't lost one yet. Surprising - they've lost pretty much every other game... Cincinnati's Mike Leclerc had four goals against Albany Dec. 4... The Bears don't score for Marc Denis, but they do for David Aebischer who picked up his second shutout Dec. 6 over New Haven, stopping 32 shots... Big surprise here - the Phantoms reached the one million mark in attendance earlier than any team in league history, reaching the number Dec. 6... Albany's Jeff Williams surpassed his career high in goals (13) by the time he got to December. He now has 18, tied for the AHL lead with Providence's Landon Wilson... Rochester managed to get as far as Dec. 5 before they lost a game at home. Hamilton did the honors... Tim Keyes played for just the third time this season Dec. 5 against Hershey, shutting out the Bears for 50 minutes and picking up the first Crunch win without Craig Hillier in net... Jeff Williams extended his goal-scoring streak to six games as Albany trounced Syracuse, 7-2, Dec. 9... After losing four games at home all season, the Phantoms lost two in a row. Rochester took the first meeting of the divisional leaders 3-1 as Dean Sylvester scored two and set up the third Amerk goal. Martin Biron made 30 saves as the Amerks were outshot 31- 16... Lots of first when Hershey and Cincinnati hooked up Dec. 9. Hershey's Brian Willsie scored his first professional goal, and newcomers Lindsay Vallis and Brent Gretzky scored their first AHL goals in years as the Bears won 5-3 for their first win in division all season... Adirondack's Jon Coleman scored 27 seconds into overtime to give the Wings a 6-5 win over Saint John Dec. 10. It was Coleman's second goal and fifth point of the night. Phil Audet also had a four point night, while the Flames' Martin St. Louis had three points in his first night back... Portland and Fredericton appeared headed for overtime when Steve Tardif scored the game-winner with just 12 seconds left in regulation time to give the Pirates a 3-2 win Dec. 10... Hamilton's Jim Dowd tied the game with 15 seconds left, then Hartford completed their collapse by allowing Jeff Daw to score the OT winner for a 4-3 Bulldogs win Dec.11. The goal was Daw's third point of the game... Brian Willsie liked scoring his first pro goal so much he scored two more. But Kentucky still beat Hershey 3-2, with Andrei Zyuzin setting up all three T-Blade goals Dec. 11. The T-Blades also had numerous charity promotions going on, some pretty morbid (selling eyes?)... The game was the first at Kentucky since the now-infamous brawl between the two teams. Kentucky gave out Garrett Burnett masks (countering Hershey's Scott Parker masks) but Burnett wasn't in the game - he'd been suspended for three games due to antics in a fight against Hamilton. Parker was in the NHL... Rochester hadn't lost at home all season, then lost for the second time in a week to fellow division leaders Lowell Dec. 11... Philadelphia lost an in-division game for the first time this season, dropping a 3-2 game to Cincinnati on Dec. 11... Shane Willis scored two more goals (credited to Sturgis) and Mike Fountain took over fifth place in all-time AHL wins as the Beast knocked over Portland, 3-1. Marcus Nilson scored the game-winner, his first North American goal... The next night, Dwayne Hay scored a pair and had an assist as the Beast topped Worcester, 5-3. Steve Washburn, on a conditioning assignment, also scored two... When Hartford and Springfield tied Dec. 12, it was the Wolfpack's third straight overtime game, and their fourth trip to OT in five games... Syracuse's Josh Holden had a hat trick against Lowell Dec. 12, while Peter Schaefer set up four goals... Brian Willsie still likes this scoring thing, tying the Bears' Dec. 12 tilt with Cincinnati late in the third period. The game stayed at 2-2... Providence's Jim Carey took on his former team, Portland, and got pasted 5-1. Kent Hulst and Jean-Pierre Dumont had a pair of goals each... Martin Biron recorded yet another shutout Dec. 12 against Hamilton. The Bulldogs have faced Biron four times this year, and have been blanked in three of those games... The Amerks' team GAA is 2.04, while the league average is 3.07. No team is even close to the Amerks' number... St. John's Greg Smyth won't play again until Dec. 29 because of his ten game suspension. It was his fourteenth suspension, by far the most of any player who ever played in the AHL. Smyth has sat for 56 games in those suspensions... Whose stupid idea was it to give the refs ejection power over the off-ice officials? Referee Scott Zelkin tossed Rochester coach Brian McCutcheon from the Amerks' Dec. 11 game, then informed the PA announcer he'd also be canned if he announced the penalty to McCutcheon... Hamilton's Sergei Yerkovich scored his first AHL goal against Lowell Dec. 13, but the teams settled for a 2-2 tie, as did Cincinnati and Hershey, for the second night in a row.... Providence is stumbling, as evidenced by Fredericton's 7-5 win over the P-Bruins. Eric Houde and Stephane Robidas had two goals each, while Francis Boullion had a four point night. Landon Wilson and Cameron Mann also had two goals each, to no avail... Kentucky and Philadelphia had a rough game Dec. 13, with both teams losing their captains. T-Blade Jarrett Deuling's face was carved up by Phantom Ryan Bast, who was suspended two games for his stick work. Phantom captain John Stevens was hit in the face by a puck and was still in the hospital four days later. He won't play for at least two months and may retire... New Haven's Mike Fountain celebrated moving up on the AHL win column with a shutout against Hartford Dec. 13... Jeff Williams continues to go nuts, racking up two goals and two assists against Adirondack Dec. 13 to take the AHL lead in goals with 18. Frederic Henry stopped 41 shots and was less than eight minutes from a shutout, but settled for a 6-1 win... The Hershey Bears offered Brent Gretzky a contract for the rest of the season...and he turned it down to stay in the United Hockey League. Go figure... The Providence Bruins were the lowest scoring team in the league last year, but are leading the pack by a large margin this season. If they finish as the highest scoring team, they would be only the fourth team to go worst to first and the first one to do it since 1956... Hartford's J.F. Labbe has double digit wins, but isn't even in the top 20 goaltenders for GAA... Providence's Cameron Mann ran up a 12 game consecutive point streak... Springfield, Portland and Cincinnati all have yet to score shorthanded... Is Fredericton having trouble scoring? Not only are they led in scoring by a defenseman, but Eric Houde is second on the team in scoring and he's missed 11 games while in the NHL... Portland got their defensive mojo working and haven't allowed more than three goals in a game for 12 straight games... How about that Martin St. Louis? He has 19 points...in ten games... St. John's is nowhere near the top in goal scoring, but they have the top two players in shots taken - Lonny Bohonos and Jason Podollan... Of the seven OT games played by Hershey this season, all seven stayed tied... The Philadelphia Phantoms lost three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history... Albany is pretty good in division, having lost once in 11 games... Rochester need not bother playing the third period. The Amerks are 16-0 with a lead after two periods and 0-5 when trailing after two... This season has not been one Mike Gaul wants to remember. And Ted Crowley was turning into a Hershey goat. So Colorado and the Islanders swapped them for each other, bringing Gaul back to Hershey where he earned All-Star honors last season and sending Crowley to Lowell... And Gaul didn't wait to make an impression, picking up three assists as the Bears beat Cincinnati 5-2 Dec. 16. Nick Bootland scored his first pro goal and Christian Matte picked up a pair in his return from the NHL... Kentucky's Sean Gauthier recorded 23 saves for his first shutout in the AHL, and picked a good team to do it against, as Kentucky defeated Philadelphia for the first time this season Dec. 16, 6-0. Mark Smith and Matt Bradley had three points each, but the T-Blades lost Christian Gosselin for the season with a torn ACL... Hamilton's Steve Passmore also recorded a zero that night, stopping 29 shots from the Adirondack Red Wings while the Bulldogs scored five... St. John's put out a call for reinforcements and found two retired NHLers for their lineup - Jeff Reese, who won't join the team until after Christmas, and Yuri Khymylev... Khymylev scored the game-winning goal in his first game for the Leafs, a win over Worcester on Dec. 16 which also saw Brad Chartrand score his first professional goal, shorthanded... Yikes. The Battle of New Brunswick Dec. 17 was a romp for Fredericton, as Mathieu Garon picked up his second shutout and the Canadiens generally went nuts on Saint John, 8-0. Flames' blueliner David Cooper was a whopping -7 for the game... Hartford's Alexei Vasiliev scored his first goal this side of the Atlantic and it was an OT game-winner, giving the Wolfpack the edge over St. John's Dec. 18... Hamilton's Jeff Daw picked up his second goal of the game against Providence Dec. 18 at an opportune time - with one second left in overtime. The Bulldogs thus won 3-2... Ken Sutton had a four point game for Albany, but Springfield's Tavis Hansen scored in overtime for a Falcons 6-5 win... Do I sound like a repeating record? Igor Nikulin scored in overtime giving Cincinnati a 4-3 win over Syracuse Dec. 18. All in all, four games went into overtime that night and all four were decided. Note to the NHL - try it the AHL's (tiebreaking) way for a while... Worcester decided to give Syracuse a run for its inexperienced money, icing a lineup Dec. 18 against New Haven in which Kevin Sawyer, at 24, was the oldest player on the team. It was the first game in IceCats history in which no veteran dressed for the game... Fredericton did it to Saint John again, 6-3, Dec. 18, Francis Bouillon, Miroslav Guren and Eric Houde all with two goals... Kentucky's Matt Bradley has scored two game-winning goals in his pro career - both in 2-1 wins over Hershey. This time it was in OT... The game was sold out - as in 8,103 - in Hershey. The building's capacity is only about 7,400. The extras stood on the concourse... Adirondack defeated Cincinnati, 4-2, on Dec. 19 for their first consecutive wins since the first two games of the season... Shane Willis picked up two more goals and an assist, and Mike Fountain had a 25 save shutout against Syracuse... Rochester and Albany were tied for first place in the Empire Division, until Albany won 4-3 Dec. 19. Jiri Bicek scored the game-winner... Lowell borrowed ECHL POTW Bret Meyers from Columbus just in time for him to score the game-winner against Hamilton... Matt Herr was sent back to Portland, but couldn't report - his wallet was stolen during the Capitals' Las Vegas junket and he had no ID to get on a plane... Fredericton tossed only 16 shots at Hartford in a Dec. 20 visit to Molson Centre and wasted an appearance by Jose Theodore in a 4-1 loss... Springfield's Trevor Letowski had a three point night, including the game-winning goal, against New Haven Dec. 20... When Falcon Barry Nieckar scored against Mike Fountain in that game, it was the first goal given up by Fountain in 144 minutes, 22 seconds. Fountain was coming off of consecutive shutouts... A day after a spectacular performance against Hershey, Kentucky's John Nabokov recorded a 22 save shutout against Rochester for his third zero of the year. Nabokov stopped 50 of 51 shots in two games... Philadelphia's Richard Park and Peter White had two goals each and Mark Greig had a four point night as the Phantoms squelched Cincinnati 8-2 on Dec. 20... Answer: The other teams owned by parent NHL clubs are Adirondack, Fredericton, Hamilton, Hartford, Philadelphia, St. John's, and Wilkes-Barre Scranton. ================================================================ 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, Sergei Brylin, Brendan Morrison. LW - Dave Andreychuk, Brian Rolston, Scott Daniels, Jay Pandolfo, Sasha Lakovic. RW - Patrik Elias, Randy McKay, Vadim Sharifijanov, Krzysztof Oliwa. D - Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Lyle Odelein, Kevin Dean, Sheldon Souray, Brad Bombardir, Ken Sutton. G - Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri Injuries: Kevin Dean, d (groin, Injured Reserve); Bob Carpenter, c (elbow, day-to-day). Transactions: Recalled Ken Sutton, d, from Albany (AHL); Recalled Colin White, d, from Albany (December 10); Assigned Colin White, d, to Albany (December 12). Game Results: 12/08 Philadelphia T 5-5 12/10 at Philadelphia W 5-4 OT 12/12 Colorado W 5-3 12/16 NY Rangers W 6-3 12/18 Calgary L 5-2 12/19 at Montreal T 1-1 TEAM NEWS by Eric Witzel The Devils are taking that old saying "It is better to give than receive during the holiday season" to a whole new level. The men in red and black have been giving losses to just about everyone who gets in their way. They are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games, and will glide into the two-day Christmas break with no less than a five-point lead in the Atlantic Division. The Devils held a four-point lead over the second place Philadelphia Flyers, until the home-on-home series the clubs had about two weeks ago. The first game, in the Meadowlands, ended up in a 5-5 tie. The good guys blew a lead late in the game, culminated by Martin Brodeur inadvertently swatted a loose puck out of the air and into his own net. The second game of the two-game series was the complete opposite. The Flyers had a 4-1 lead, but the Devils fought back to win 5-4 in overtime. A short-handed goal by Brian Rolston followed by a goal from Randy McKay 90 seconds later shifted the momentum in the Devils' favor. Bobby Holik took a pass from McKay late in the third to knot the game at 4-4. The overtime goal was one of the bizarre sort. The Flyers had several chances to clear the puck down the ice, but the Devils maintained good pressure. Defenseman Lyle Odelein had a point-blank shot at an empty net, but rang a shot off the post. The puck eventually found its way to the stick of Dave Andreychuk, who made no mistake and buried the game-winner. In the first game against Philly, Ken Daneyko broke ex-Devil John MacLean's team record for games played, appearing in his 935th game in a Devils uniform. The winning continued against a banged-up Colorado Avalanche squad. Bobby Holik must have received a Superman outfit for Christmas, because he put it on for this game. Holik picked up his game a notch, both mentally and physically. He looked faster and stronger than everyone else on the ice - especially in the third period. Holik netted the game-winning goal on a pretty play. He won an offensive zone faceoff cleanly back to Sheldon Souray, fought his way to the front of the net, and tipped the puck past Av's backup goalie Craig Billington. The New York Rangers were the next victims, as they were spanked once again by Ftorek's Boys. Today's Trivia: When was the last time the Rangers beat the Devils? The Devils suffered their first loss in nine games at the hands of the Calgary Flames, 5-2, on December 18. The game marked backup goaltender Chris Terreri's first loss since his return to New Jersey. Two different leads were blown in this game - Scott Stevens' goal 57 seconds into the game made it 1-0, and a goal from Bobby Holik improved the score to 2-1. But both leads were short-lived, and the Devils couldn't get it going again. Five Alive Five is a significant number if you are a New Jersey Devil. Five is the amount of points they lead the second place Flyers in the Atlantic Division. Five is the number of games in a row they scored five or more goals (which is the most in team history). And five is the number of players on the team who are projected to score 30 plus goals this season (Bobby Holik, Petr Sykora, Dave Andreychuk, Jason Arnott, Jay Pandolfo - which would also be a team record). What Does Jacques Think? When asked about the Devils' new, open style of play, ex-head coach Jacques Lemaire gave his opinion. Much to the surprise of many, he responded positively to the "new system" - stating that, "This particular group of guys make this system work - well." He pointed out that Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora, in particular, are really adapting to it. Another thing that Lemaire pointed out was that he liked the idea of the defense becoming such a big component of the offensive rush. The Devils of old are history, and the Devils of new are here to stay. They are in first place in the Eastern Conference, second in the NHL. They are third in the league in goals scored (90), trailing only Toronto (98) and Detroit (94). They are the hottest team in the league, going 6-1-3 in their last 10 games. The scariest part about it is that, besides their goalie and a defenseman or two, they don't have a household name on their roster (except, of course in some Northern Jersey households). Watch out! ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK ISLANDERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mike Milbury Roster: C - Robert Reichel, Trevor Linden, Bryan Smolinski, Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Mike Watt, Ted Donato, Gino Odjick. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Joe Sacco, Mariusz Czerkawski, Kevin Miller, Mark Lawrence, Steve Webb. D - Kenny Jonsson, Bryan Berard, Scott Lachance, Richard Pilon, Eric Brewer, David Harlock, Barry Richter, Zdeno Chara, Eric Cairns. G - Tommy Salo, Wade Flaherty, Marcel Cousineau. Injuries: Bryan Berard, d (groin, 1-2 weeks); Gino Odjick, lw (abdominal strain, at least a month); Tommy Salo, g (broken finger, 2 weeks); Sergei Nemchinov, c (hip pointer, day to day). Transactions: 12-22-98 Claimed Eric Cairns, d, off waivers from the Rangers. 12-21-98 Recalled Marcel Cousineau, g, from Lowell (AHL). 12-15-98 Recalled Mark Lawrence, rw, from Lowell (AHL). 12-14-98 Waived Mike Hough, lw, and assigned him to Lowell (AHL). Waived Jason Dawe, lw, who was taken by the Montreal Canadiens. 12-1-98 Recalled Steve Webb, rw, and Zdeno Chara, d, from Lowell (AHL). Game Results 12/12 Tampa Bay L 2-1 OT 12/15 at San Jose W 1-0 12/17 at Los Angeles W 5-4 OT 12/18 at Anaheim T 2-2 12/20 at Phoenix L 2-4 12/22 St. Louis T 3-3 TEAM NEWS by David Strauss Ziggy's back! Ziggy's back! Okay, so the months-long holdout that Ziggy Palffy engineered was at best interesting, and more frequently acrimonious. But it did produce one of the best lines in Mike Milbury's quote-ridden life, and contained one of the best cover-your-butt retractions of recent years as well. More importantly, though, it's come to an end. After a long standoff, Islanders restricted free-agent holdout Zigmund Palffy agreed to terms with the team on a five-year, $24.83-million deal. Ziggy wanted $6.8 million. The Islanders began by offering him $4.2. They ended up paying him an average of $5.1 million per. They're also hoping that Palffy's presence could enable them to earn their first postseason berth since 1994. The news was exactly what the Isles needed to hear. Though they got off to an 8-8 start that put them right in the thick of the playoff pack, they recently slid to a seven-game losing streak that put their postseason hopes in jeopardy. They've have had continual trouble scoring goals. Palffy, 26, not only is a three-time 40-goal scorer, he also led the league last season with 17 power-play goals and is a valued penalty killer. "Obviously, this is a big step for everybody. This is something we wanted to get done at the beginning of the summer, but it takes time," said Islanders co-owner Steven Gluckstern. "It was clear to everybody this was a player who needed to play for this team. It was critical. He's a first-class player. To really be competitive, we need him on our team." "I absolutely feel we can still make the playoffs at this stage," Gluckstern said. "You're going to have to play better than .500. But this team is capable of that - and with Ziggy, is more than capable of that." "I'm very happy," said center Robert Reichel, a close friend of Palffy. "He was a big part of our team last year. He's a great player." "I think the first night that he plays, he'll help us," Islanders coach and general manager Mike Milbury said. "The statistics clearly point him toward the upper echelons of forwards in this league and, when you spend more time around him, you come to appreciate his defense, you come to appreciate his penalty-killing ability and you come to appreciate his ability to make people around him better players. He's a top 10 forward in the league." Gluckstern said: "[We] really wanted to get our star signed to a long-term commitment and show our fans we're really serious about building a winning team. I think we ended up with a transaction fair for both sides." Captain Trevor Linden said: "It's surprising what one player will do for the outlook of your team and the depth of your team. Everyone knows what he's meant to this organization the last few years, and that hasn't changed. Certainly, it bodes well for the commitment. It's 30 games later than everyone wanted. But it's a step in the right direction." An Islanders spokesperson said Friday the sales staff was busy from the moment the office opened, with former season ticket holders who had canceled at the start of the season calling to reinstate their tickets. There was an instant increase in sales of partial season ticket plans, and in sales of individual tickets for Tuesday's home game vs. the St. Louis Blues, which became the team's second sellout of the season. Islanders scout Kevin Maxwell said that when Milbury informed his team of Palffy's signing, the players actually jumped for joy. The signing came just as the Isles were in the midst of a dizzying array of injuries, trade rumors, arena announcements, and name-calling. In other words, a normal week in the life of the Isles. On the injury front, the Isles got some good news when standout defenseman Kenny Jonsson learned he had not suffered yet another concussion, the sixth of his career and second in 31 days. Jonsson was checked by former teammate Travis Green in a 2-2 tie against the Mighty Ducks late Friday night. Islanders coach and general manager Mike Milbury called Green's hit a cheap shot. "He's a gutless puke," Milbury said. "That's what Travis Green is. It's why he doesn't wear an Islanders uniform anymore." C'mon, Mike, don't hold it in. Tell us how you really feel. Other injured Isles weren't so lucky. Defenseman Bryan Berard is out for at least a week with a sore groin. Enforcer Gino Odjick is out at least a month with an abdominal strain that could require surgery. Tommy Salo broke a finger in the loss to Phoenix and could be out for two to three weeks. And checking forward Sergei Nemchinov is day to day with a hip pointer. As for trade rumors, nothing will get done until after the eight-day holiday trade moratorium ends. The strongest rumors involve Bryan Berard being dealt, perhaps to the Florida Panthers in a deal for 6-5 rookie forward Oleg Kvasha and either Rhett Warrener, Robert Svehla or Ed Jovanovski. There were also rumors about goalie Tommy Salo being traded in a multi-team deal that could land Felix Potvin, but those rumors will likely cool until Salo returns. The Isles also unveiled their brand new gazillion dollar scoreboard (you know, the one that wasn't safe to put up in preseason) in a special ceremony before their game against St. Louis. But all eyes were on the return of Ziggy, who had two assists in the team's 3-3 tie. He received a warm, if not overwhelming, response from the capacity crowd. Palffy was asked after the game whether the Isles could make the playoffs. "Fifty games [left] is a hundred [possible] points," said Ziggy. "I'm here right now and I'm going to do everything for the team . . . I'm going to play the same game and not change." Told Coliseum crowds have chanted his name during losses, Palffy said, "They've got me now, so they can come and watch the games." During the recent contract talks, Palffy had reportedly blasted Islanders president David Seldin for being new to hockey, said he did not want to play for the Islanders anymore, demanded a trade and said he would enjoy playing for the Rangers. Yesterday, he apologized, saying, "You can say something wrong. I'm only a human being . . . I always wanted to be an Islander. I never wanted to change jerseys. I think five years is a good deal for them and for me. I love [Long Island] . . . We have to stop talking about money. Let's talk about hockey. It's done for me and the Islanders. We're happy. They're happy." He also said "I never said I wanted to be a Ranger. I said I wanted to beat the Rangers," proving that Ziggy has remarkable bull skills despite his limited English. Milbury said, "He wants to get [the dispute] behind him. He's pleased with the deal. We're pleased with the deal and we all win - especially the fans." And in the "waited too long and is now screwed" category, Vancouver GM Brian Burke said Palffy's signing should help him finally nail down a deal for Pavel Bure. "There are several players in this sweepstakes, including Palffy and (Theo) Fleury as well as Bure," Burke said. "So it doesn't bother me that one of them is out of it. It just crystallizes everyone else's options. The fact they signed him and intend to keep him, that's not all bad. Up until now it's muddied the waters a little bit because of the number of guys out there." ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK RANGERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: John Muckler Rosters: C - Wayne Gretzky, Manny Malhotra, Petr Nedved, Sean Pronger, Marc Savard. LW - Brent Fedyk, Adam Graves, Darren Langdon, Kevin Stevens, Esa Tikkanen. RW - Todd Harvey, Mike Knuble, John MacLean, Niklas Sundstrom. D - Jeff Beukeboom, Brian Leetch, Stan Neckar, Peter Popovic, Ulf Samuelsson, Mathieu Schneider, Geoff Smith, Chris Tamer. G - Mike Richter, Dan Cloutier. Injuries: None. Transactions: Claimed Rumun Ndur, D, from Buffalo. Game Results: 12/09 Colorado L 2-1 12/11 at Buffalo L 2-0 12/14 Calgary W 5-2 12/16 at New Jersey L 6-3 12/19 at Toronto L 7-4 TEAM NEWS by Alex Frias Seems like only yesterday that the Rangers were riding high on what seemed like a franchise-record five-game winning streak, but then again just yesterday Bill Clinton was impeached. Looks like the Blueshirts are truly feeling Wild Bill's pain or at least that's the way they're playing. After a demolishing 7-4 loss at the hands of Toronto, the Rangers had rung up four losses in five games, with only the ever-dangerous Calgary Flames conquered in that stretch. The trouble lies in the defense. The third pairing of newcomers Stan Neckar and Chris Tamer has been nothing short of horrendous. In the loss in Toronto, three shifts, three goals against. Tamer totaled five shifts for the game and gave up four goals. Neckar had nine shifts for the same outcome. Now you know why Pittsburgh was so willing to throw in Tamer in the Petr Nedved-Alexei Kovalev deal. And the forwards aren't helping out either. Todd Harvey has been hampered by a severely bruised thumb, but other than Adam Graves and Mike Knuble, there hasn't been much forechecking or backchecking. Together with the fact that Mike Richter, understandably and inevitably, succumbed to the weight of having to erase so many mistakes in front of him, and you can see why they've lost four out of five. Coach John Muckler has screamed, yelled, and drilled them in practice but has yet to see results. The day after the big loss in Toronto he made them do sprints for 45 minutes without pucks. "I just about died," Harvey said. "I think it was a little wake- up call. We didn't talk about it much. We knew what was coming." And dropping in the standings a mere two weeks after you were climbing them. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Roger Neilson Roster: C - Rod Brind'Amour, Marc Bureau, , Daymond Langkow, Eric Lindros. LW - Colin Forbes, Dan Kordic, John LeClair, Roman Vopat, Valeri Zelepukin. RW - Alexandre Daigle, Jody Hull, Keith Jones, Mikael Renberg, Dainius Zubrus. D - Dave Babych, Ryan Bast, Andy Delmore, Eric Desjardins, Dan McGillis, Luke Richardson, Petr Svoboda, Chris Therien, Dmitri Tertyshny. G - Ron Hextall, John Vanbiesbrouck. Injuries: Jody Hull, rw (concussion, day to day),Petr Svoboda, d (neck, day to day), Chris Therien, d (thigh bruise, day to day). Transactions: Obtained Mikael Renberg, rw, and Daymond Langkow, c, from Tampa Bay in exchange for Chris Gratton, lw, and Mike Sillinger, c. Game results: 12/08 at New Jersey T 5-5 12/10 New Jersey L 5-4 OT 12/12 at Toronto W 3-0 12/13 Edmonton T 2-2 12/17 Calgary T 3-3 12/19 Chicago W 3-1 12/20 Tampa Bay T 2-2 TEAM NEWS by Chuck Michio THOSE DAMN DEVILS! Well, the Flyers-Devils home-and-home results are in, and while one Flyers point out of four is about par for the course, there are reasons to be encouraged. For one, Philly finally proved they can score against their ugly, mutated cousins from North Jersey. The nine goals they produced in the series were more than enough for a pair of victories, but shoddy goaltending, particularly by John Vanbiesbrouck in the first game, doomed the Flyers to a tie and a loss. The Flyers can also take heart from the way they rallied after inserting Ron Hextall in Vanbiesbrouck's place in the first game. In the past, third-period Devil leads seemed more insurmountable than the Viet Cong, but some plucky play by the Flyers helped turn a certain game one loss into a "good" tie. Of course, there are also reasons to believe that nothing much has changed. For starters, it's possible that the Flyers sudden offensive explosion against New Jersey was a mirage. Many of their goals were the result of horrific play by Devils goalie Martin Brodeur. For whatever reason, Brodeur has looked more like Martin Short against Philly this season, displaying more holes than Al Pacino's character at the end of "Scarface." The Flyers scrambly play in the third period of the second game is another cause for concern. Not only did the boys in orange and black fritter away a victory by allowing an uncontested tap-in rebound goal in the final minutes of regulation, they compounded the offense by allowing the OT game-winner on a flurry of shots that forced Ron Hextall to face more rubber than a Saigon hooker. With those types of breakdowns becoming more and more frequent, Roger Neilson's "defensive genius" status is definitely in jeopardy. THIRD-PERIOD WOES Speaking of third periods, the Flyers late meltdown in the second New Jersey game marked the first time all season they blew a lead in the final stanza of a game. Prior to that ugly mishap, they were a perfect 8-0 in that situation. But the New Jersey goof may have marked the opening of Pandora's box. Since that game, they've yacked three more third-period leads, turning potential wins against Edmonton and pitiful Calgary and Tampa Bay teams into ugly ties. The Tampa Bay tie was particularly galling since the tying goal featured an assist by none-other than the just-deposed king of the Flyers underachievers Chris Gratton himself. Talk about adding insult to injury. MORE TRADE RUMORS Obviously, Bobby Clarke has been changing players the way most people change their underwear lately. By the way, that's most people I'm talking about. At LCS, we don't embrace the conventional wisdom regarding underwear. We generally wear it once, turn it inside out, wear it again, and then repeat as necessary, depending on the size of the laundry pile of course. But I digress. The latest name from the rumor mill is that of Sandis Ozolinsh, Colorado Avalanche malcontent extraordinaire. And for once, we have a rumor that makes sense. Ozolinsh could finally give the Flyers a top-notch pointman for the power play, a role that Eric Desjardins, Paul Coffey, Janne Niinimaa, and now Ryan McGillis have tried to play without much success. Obviously, the asking price for Ozolinsh is probably pretty high, meaning that any Ozolinsh deal would probably include multiple players, most likely Dainius Zubrus, Luke Richardson, and possibly one of the Flyers prized goaltending prospects. If that doesn't seem like all that much to give up, consider this. Ozolinsh would only add one more unsteady hand to a defense that already manages to self-destruct with alarming regularity. Then again, at least he can skate backwards. That's more than you can say about Richardson, who recently cost the Flyers a tie with Edmonton when he fell down trying to retrieve the puck behind the net in the game's final minute. That's enough for me. Do it, Clarkie! SUPER RODDY He's the one constant on an inconsistent Flyers team, scoring goals and points, killing penalties, and forechecking like a man playing against boys. And now he's the NHL's active leader in consecutive games played, too. Rod Brind'Amour became the NHL's new iron man last week when Montreal's Mark Recchi succumbed to pneumonia and ended a streak of 570 consecutive games. Brind'Amour has now played 433 consecutive contests. The iron man mark is just one more feather in Brind'Amour's cap -- and perhaps the most important reason that he's far too valuable to EVER trade. Still, it's no wonder that rumors constantly surround his name. How many superstars combine Brind'Amour's rugged style with that type of durability? None. Let's hope Bob Clarke's recent insanity doesn't extend to exiling Brind'Amour, which, yep, is a rumor that's making the rounds again. Surprise, surprise. TO THE ROAD The Flyers next six games will take place away from home, not such a bad thing for a team that's rapidly incurring the wrath of its fans. And since the trip includes games against doormats such as Chicago, San Jose, Calgary, and Vancouver, it should be the perfect Christmas present for a team in need of some confidence. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Kevin Constantine Roster: C - Robert Lang, Alexei Kovalev, Jan Hrdina, Tyler Wright. LW - Martin Straka, German Titov, Stu Barnes, Kip Miller, Patrick Lebeau, Ian Moran, Dan Kesa. RW - Jaromir Jagr, Aleksey Morozov, Robby Brown. D - Darius Kasparaitis, Kevin Hatcher, Brad Werenka, Jiri Slegr, Bobby Dollas, Neil Wilkinson, Jeff Serowik, Victor Ignatjev, Maxim Galanov. G - Tom Barrasso, Peter Skudra, Craig Hillier. Injuries: Tom Barrasso, g (hip, day-to-day); Darius Kasparaitis, d (knee, day-to-day); Aleksey Morozov, rw (achy all over, day-to- day); Victor Ignatjev, d (shoulder, indefinite); Patrick Lebeau, lw (shoulder, indefinite). Transactions: Lost Harry York, c, to the Vancouver Canucks off waivers. Recalled Dan Kesa, lw, and Craig Hillier, g. Game Results 12/12 at St. Louis W 4-3 12/15 Tampa Bay W 3-2 OT 12/16 at Florida L 4-1 12/19 Washington W 3-0 12/21 at Toronto L 7-1 TEAM NEWS by Jerry Fairish Okay, so I can admit that even I, sometimes, may be wrong. I strongly stress the sometimes part. Anyway, a few issues back after the Penguins made a deal for Petr Nedved, I referred to Alexei Kovalev as "underachieving." I mean big deal, I was wrong once in my life. It's not as ridiculous as thinking that Chris Benoit has been a bigger asset to wrestling than Hollywood Hogan, but it was still a misjudgment on my part. Since joining the Pens, Kovalev has nine points in nine games. One of which was an absolute laser he blew past Grant Fuhr December 12th, helping the Pens to a 4-3 victory over the Blues. When I asked my little niece what she thought of the goal, she used words like "cool" and even "awesome", so you know something's happening. I feel now, although I didn't at the time, that the trade will benefit both teams. Nedved has been enjoying success playing with Gretzky in New York and now Kovalev is showing promise here in the 'Burgh. WHEN I'M RIGHT, I'M RIGHT Several issues ago I commented on how awesome Marty Straka has been playing this season. Straka has 15 goals, which ties him for 6th in the NHL. He also has 32 points, which puts him in the top ten in points. I also noted that Mankind was gay. Well, he is gay, so I was right about that too. ALSO OF NOTE Tom Barrasso recorded his second shutout of the season Saturday night, as the Pens blanked the Caps 3-0. Why do I care you ask? That's five bonus points for me in fantasy hockey, that's why, Chester. Oh yeah, Mankind's gay! LASTLY We, the devoted writers of LCS, are taking a reader's poll, in honor of the holiday season. As everyone knows when the Christmas season approaches there is only one thought on everybody's mind...SOUP! That's right, soup. Delicious, hot, hearty, Christmas soup. So drop us a line at LCS at tell us your favorite holiday soup story. Send it to Micheal Dell. Note that it's Micheal, not Michael. Merry Christmas! ================================================================= ================================================================ TEAM REPORTS ================================================================ EASTERN CONFERENCE NORTHEASTERN DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON BRUINS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Pat Burns Roster: C - Jason Allison, Anson Carter, Joe Thornton, Tim Taylor, Chris Taylor. LW - Sergei Samsonov, Ken Baumgartner, Rob Dimaio, Peter Ferraro, Ken Belanger. RW - Dimitri Khristich, Steve Heinze, Per Johan Axelsson, Peter Nordstrom. D - Ray Bourque, Don Sweeney, Dave Ellett, Kyle McLaren, Hal Gill, Darren Van Impe, Grant Ledyard, Dennis Vaske, Jonathan Girard. G - Byron Dafoe, Rob Tallas. Injuries: Peter Ferraro, lw (chest sprain, indefinite); Tim Taylor, c (ankle, day-to-day). Transactions: None. Game Results 12/10 at Carolina W 3-2 12/12 Buffalo L 4-1 12/16 at Detroit L 5-3 12/17 Ottawa W 5-2 12/19 Detroit W 4-1 12/21 Tampa Bay W 3-2 TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown This was Ray Bourque week around the NHL. Ray was named player of the week for the period ending 12/20/98, and the reason was a mixture of past and present, looking toward the future. Ray had five assists in three games that week, showing that he still brings a strong game to the rink after 20 years in a Bruins uniform. Ray has 20 points in 30 games, and is always among the league leaders in minutes logged per game. He looks likely to be voted in as a starting defenseman for North America in the NHL All-Star game. But most of all, this week he moved into third place on the list of all-time assist leaders, with 1,049. And in doing so, he bypasses one of the game's immortals, Gordie Howe, as if Ray needed further credentials to ensure his entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Even having a friend like Linda Tripp probably wouldn't stop him, because Ray has been as scandal-free as a public person can be. Ray is also well within range of second place because Paul Coffey has been laid up with a cranky back, and Bourque has been sneaking up on him. Ray accomplished this feat by tallying three assists in a Bruin comeback victory over the Detroit Red Wings, where both Howe and Coffey logged some years and points. No one in the game represents what is best in hockey more than Ray Bourque. Unfortunately, Ray is so humble and quiet and clean that he doesn't garner the attention that Coffey and Brian Leech and Eric Lindros and others get. That is just fine with Ray, who always lets his hockey playing speak for itself. When Ray does signal his retirement, you can bet that there will be some very serious final tour events around the league, and fans of all NHL teams will have a chance to give Ray the recognition he deserves. Think of it this way: what NHL fan would not wish that the next defenseman his team drafts is the next Ray Bourque, or something similar? What could be more entertaining for a hardcore Bruins fan than watching Hab-agony, as the Montreal Canadiens have gone 0-for December - the entire month of December without a win. Their stretch of five losses and five ties didn't include a loss to the Bruins (that loss was their Thanksgiving turkey - the Bruins scored five third-period goals on 11/27 to humiliate the Habs). One has to grant that the Montreal December schedule has been horrendous, with games against all the league's achievers (New Jersey twice, Toronto, Phoenix twice, Dallas twice, Buffalo) and over-achievers (Carolina and Nashville, both doing better on the ice than expected). The problems have been many: injuries, a defense dismembered by boneheaded trades, and sub-Roy goaltending. Well, that and the sorriest overall collection of losers to drop the torch since the Original Seven non-playoff 1938-39 through 41-42 seasons (everyone conveniently overlooks the New York Americans of those years, who shared the league cellar with the Habs). The Habs have four games remaining in December (Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, and Calgary) to redeem their month, but all four games are away and Montreal is 1-9-4 on the road. So coach Alain Vigneault could be getting coal for Christmas, and a case of skunky Molson for New Year's. By contrast, the Bruins' December record has been most encouraging. Granted, the Bruins lost back-to-back games against Detroit and Buffalo, but they came back to beat the Red Wings in Boston 4-1 a few days later. The Bruins have been 5-2-1 in December, with five games packed into the upcoming holidays. Granted, all the games have not been against the elite teams, but the Bruins have done the job: split with the winners and ace the losers. The Bs finish the year with four games in six days, all on the road. If they decide to take a holiday, Boston still could end up a loser for December. That is pretty unlikely with Pat Burns at the helm, because he won't let a bad period go by without speaking his mind, let alone a few games. Overall, the Bruins are healthy except for Peter Ferraro and Tim Taylor. Tim's ankle is still hurtin' and though he has managed to play in several games, every time he does, the ankle gets tweaked again. At this point, the Bruins are saying Tim will be home for Christmas. Meanwhile, his brother Chris is filling in and doing pretty well, but he hasn't found his brother's offensive touch, chiseling out only two goals and five assists in 28 games. Peter Ferraro has managed to play in 20 out of the first 22 games, but he has been out since the Montreal game, wherein he took a thumpin' along the boards and ended up with a deep chest bruise that has kept him out of the last eight games. Speaking of missing eight games, goalie Rob Tallas has keeping the coaches company on the bench during a nine-game stretch of great goaltending by Byron Dafoe. Tallas returned to the ice Monday night against the lowly Lightning and earned his first win since November 24, when he beat, you guessed it, the Lightning. Now, in baseball there are relief pitchers who specialize in pitching that final inning, and hitters who bat against only certain pitchers. In football, there are third down specialists. But in hockey, does anybody need a goalie who specializes in beating the Lightning? Then again, that makes for a better career record than being held in reserve to always play against the Sabres and be on the wrong end of every Dominik Hasek whitewash, doesn't it. Pat Burns should give Rob Tallas a start against a decent team or two in this holiday blitz, just for insurance. We won't breathe the "I" word, but even healthy, Dafoe needs more than one game in ten off. Sergei Samsonov continues to amaze. When he gets the puck in the opponent's zone during an away game, you can hear the murmur in the crowd as he stickhandles, ducks, circles and weaves past the hometown heroes. Sergei has 11 goals, and five of them are game- winners. With one game-tying goal, that means that more than half of his goals mean points in the standings. It is no wonder opposing players are starting to back off a step, even on the power play, lest he leave them bodychecking thin air. It is also no surprise that he is in the running for a spot on the NHL All-Star Game World team roster. Samsonov is currently sixth in the voting for wingers. Now, surely the fact that Pavel Bure, Mikael Renberg, Ziggy Palffy, and Alex Mogilny have been conspicuously absent from the ice this season has helped Sergei. Still, he is at worst likely to be a coach's selection. Unfortunately, the guy who should be getting more credit, Dimitri Khristich, isn't getting the votes. Dimitri has had a phenomenal season thus far, leading the Bruins with 14 goals and 21 assists in 29 games. Khristich currently ranks sixth overall in NHL scoring, only three points behind leading vote-getter Jaromir Jagr, but he ranks 16th in the All-Star voting for wingers, behind a pack of no-show overpaid Euro-whiners, never mind in overall votes. What a travesty. The Bruins are currently ranked third in the NHL in power-play efficiency, and fourth in penalty killing. Both of those stats are a reflection of the hard work of Dimitri Khristich, who spends a chunk of ice time on both these special teams. Dimitri came to the Bruins with a little bit of a rap against his attitude and work ethic from certain detractors. Under Pat Burns, that certainly hasn't been the case this season. If anyone ever tries to tell you that coaching doesn't matter, pull out that snapshot of Pat Burns. No coach can take an on-ice traveling disaster area to the Stanley Cup, but it sure is rewarding to watch Burns teach/inspire/berate a team until it is his team, heart and soul. None of the public humiliation and sniping you see with some coaches, just straight talk and consistent expectations. If Ray Bourque has any hope of lifting the Stanley Cup before he retires, that hope is in the hands of Pat Burns. Speaking of Pat Burns, his number one project, Joe Thornton, has been playing well lately, though he is still about an inch or two away on every puck from making great plays. He will make a great steal, but not get a clear shot, or he'll receive a tough pass and be just this much short of a good wood one-timer. It is fascinating to watch Jason Allison one shift, followed by a Joe Thornton shift, because the similarities, a few years removed, are easy to see. Both are strong on their skates, have a great stride and lateral mobility. Both will never be considered speedsters, yet they are hard to catch and harder to contain. Both have a very long reach, and both can dish a hit and take a hit. Thornton might grow up just a tad meaner, to be honest. Both were great in junior, and it looks like Thornton could follow Allison as a "late" bloomer, as opposed to an instant All-Star like Samsonov. The elements are there, but the polish that Allison has developed hasn't yet come to Joe. Meanwhile, Burns is showing new confidence in Joe, inserting him more in the power play, and leaving him on the ice late into games. It is just a matter of time. ----------------------------------------------------------------- BUFFALO SABRES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Lindy Ruff Roster: C - Michael Peca, Brian Holzinger, Curtis Brown, Wayne Primeau, Erik Rasmussen, Derek Plante. LW - Dixon Ward, Geoff Sanderson, Michal Grosek, Paul Kruse. RW - Vaclav Varada, Miroslav Satan, Matthew Barnaby, Rob Ray. D - Darryl Shannon, Alexei Zhitnik, Jason Woolley, Jay McKee, Richard Smehlik, James Patrick, Mike Wilson. G - Dominik Hasek, Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron. Injuries: Paul Kruse, lw (hip flexor, day-to-day). Transactions: December 18: traded Donald Audette, rw, to the Los Angeles Kings for a second-round pick in the 1999 entry draft. NY Rangers claimed Rumun Ndur, d, off waivers. December 16: recalled Martin Biron, g, from Rochester of the AHL. Reassigned Randy Cunneyworth, lw, and Domenic Pittis, c, to Rochester. December 10: recalled Domenic Pittis, c, from Rochester. December 7: reassigned Mike Hurlbut, d, to Rochester. Game Results 12/08 at St. Louis T 2-2 12/11 NY Rangers W 2-0 12/12 at Boston W 4-1 12/18 Montreal W 4-2 12/19 Carolina L 3-2 12/21 at Carolina W 4-1 TEAM NEWS by Matt Barr We apologize for the level of our attention to detail and minutiae the last two weeks, as we've spent most of it welcoming Kathryn Rene Barr, born December 14, onto this planet. Those late-night replays of games that Empire airs are going to come in awfully handy the rest of the season... Audette Shipped to L.A. On December 18 the team fulfilled disgruntled winger Donald Audette's request for a trade by sending him to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a second-round pick in the 1999 entry draft. Buffalo-based rumors that the deal was to be Audette for one or both of highly regarded Kings prospects Olli Jokinen or Aki Berg were met with the derision they deserved by serious analysts. Darcy Reiger wouldn't take Jokinen and Berg for Audette, a legitimate second- or third-line 25-goal scorer, unless his L.A. counterpart Dave Taylor threw in Charlie Simmer and former GM Rogie Vachon's BMW 7-series, so to sew things up before the weekend they settled on the pick and called it a night. The NHL prohibits transaction activity such as three time zone trades between December 20 and 27. Audette's former teammates expressed regret and serene acceptance of the business side of hockey and confidence Audette would be a fine addition to the Kings and pretty much all the other party-line stuff the organization told them to say. While an early second round pick is probably good value for a smallish 25-goal scorer who wants two million a year, the trade is interesting less for what was received than for what was not. Obviously, the Kings aren't going to part with Jokinen or Berg unless it's in a Pavel Bure trade, but Audette is prime fodder to be packaged with a defenseman and a prospect, say, for a Theo Fleury-type or a top three defenseman later in the season. Fleury is unlikely to be re-signed by the Flames in the off- season and will be an unrestricted free agent. Either Reiger and the organization are softies who wanted to accommodate Audette as quickly as they could -- Reiger claimed to have held out hope until only shortly before pulling the trigger that Audette would come back -- or they're satisfied with the team they've got. Something to mull over during the Christmas season. Ndur a Beginning? To make room on the roster for the second-round pick in 1999 they received in the Audette trade, the Sabres placed Rumun Ndur on waivers, where he was claimed by the New York Rangers. Just kidding. The Sabres wanted to assign Ndur to Rochester, and under league rules all three-year pros must clear waivers before such a reassignment. Twelve teams passed on Ndur before the Rangers, coached by the man who drafted the big Nigerian, John Muckler, snatched him up. Should the Rangers attempt to assign Ndur to their minor league affiliate, the Pittsburgh Penguins, any time this year, Buffalo will be first in priority to reclaim him at the discounted price of $30,000, half what the Rangers paid. Home and Home For Christmas Following one of their worst efforts of the season against the reeling Habs December 18, the team went head to head with the Southeast Division leading Carolina Hurricanes on December 19 and 21, which tells you everything you need to know about the state of expansion, franchise relocation and division realignment in the game today. The Sabres were outplayed for 45 minutes of the Montreal game, but the death of Bunny Laroque and the disappearance of Steve Penney from the pro hockey scene have left Montreal without legitimate goaltending, allowing the Sabres to escape with a 4-2 win. The game followed the team's third five-day layoff, and was Dominik Hasek's first action in practice or otherwise in three days. Hasek's wife underwent back surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota during the break. Lindy Ruff had his players supremely prepared the following night in Buffalo against the Hurricanes, and the team unloaded 40 shots at Trevor Kidd, quite a few on odd-man situations. Kidd was Hasekesque for a game, and the 'Canes survived a third period played with only three regular defensemen and winger Paul Ranheim playing back after Adam Burt, Steve Chiasson, Curtis Leschyshyn and Torrie Robertson all went down with injuries. Kidd earned the start two nights later in Greensboro, but the Sabres pounced on him early, scoring two power-play goals after an 0-for-13 drought. Miroslav Satan and Peca did the honors, assisted by Jason Woolley, who added a second-period goal for a three-point night. Satan added an empty-net goal late in the third, his third goal of the home-and-home. Hasek Named Player of the Fortnight Dominik Hasek was named NHL player of the week on both December 7 and December 14, his first week in December was that damn good. Going into the December 21 rematch against the Hurricanes, Hasek's vitals for December were 6-1-1, 1.74 GAA, .943 Sv%, two shutouts. One of those shutouts was against the Rangers, whom he'd shut out three straight times prior to a pedestrian 4-2 win earlier in the season, on December 11. Hasek Rules the World In addition to talent, Hasek has a substantial lead on Olaf Kolzig in all-star votes, 154,107 to 37,177 through December 15. Hasek leads in votes for the "World" team by a mile. Alexei Zhitnik is fourth among defenseman, making us miss Borje Salming. Cap'n Crunch, Michael Peca, is sixth in voting among centers for the North American team. Hasek Discovers All-Natural, Herbal Remedy for Chlamydia Actually, just a note that five Sabres junior-age prospects will be representing their countries at the World Junior Championships in Winnipeg in 1999: Brian Campbell, D, Ottawa 67s (Canada) Mike Pandolfo, F, Boston University (U.S.) Mika Noronen, G, Tappara (Finland) Maxim Afinogenov, F, Dynamo Moscow (Russia) Hendrik Tallinder, D, AIK Stockholm (Sweden) Campbell leads the 67s in scoring and the Ontario League in assists and scoring by defensemen. Afinogenov is tied for the lead in the Sabres organization in syllables. It's All Fun Till Someone Gets Hurt Matthew Barnaby missed the December 19 game against Carolina after he sprained his ankle screwing around with Rob Ray in the dressing room before the game. This is one of those synergic moments when you realize no smart- ass remark could draw more attention to the absurdity of life than the facts themselves. Todd Harvey... Good Day If you're wondering on March 19 when the Rangers come to town next why Rob Ray or Dale Hunter or whoever is in charge of Manly Retribution for the Sabres by then is pounding the living crap out of some baby-faced kid in a blue shirt, it's because he deserves it. When Vaclav Varada beat Todd Harvey to score an empty-net goal on the 11th, Harvey ran him into the boards while Varada celebrated. Now, you can say that anyone who celebrates an empty-net goal deserves to get mooshed, and you may be right, but the fact remains that a player is hardly expecting or bracing for a forearm to the face after he's scored a goal. Didn't the league used to suspend people 21 games for that? Harvey was suspended for one game and fined $1,000, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for the incident. Messrs. Ray and Barnaby were asked to leave in the waning seconds of the game for getting all ornery about it. Comings and Goings Derek Plante, Wayne Primeau and Richard Smehlik all returned from injuries the last two weeks. In Smehlik's case, it's a good thing, otherwise Mike Wilson would have to play, and Lindy Ruff clearly would like to avoid that if at all possible. Wilson was a healthy scratch in three out of the last five games and saw such limited time against Montreal that I originally typed "four straight games" before I double-checked my boxscores. I told you, I've got a newborn, cut me a break. Hot, Hot, Hot Beyond Hasek (stats through December 21): Curtis Brown is scoring consistently and making his presence felt in both ends. He's 4-4-8 and plus-7 in his last seven games. Miroslav Satan has five goals and three assists in his last six. Michal Grosek has five assists and is plus-four in his last four games, and a four-game assist streak. Each of the three share team scoring leadership with nine goals apiece and 22 or 21 points. Others Receiving Votes We reported last issue that Erik Rasmussen was establishing himself as a regular and seeing some time opposite Peca and Varada. Well, he still is. Rasmussen is seeing as much ice time as any other forward as the month goes on and his physical presence up front is a great match with Peca and Varada. He also centers the third or fourth line particularly when Derek Plante is flu-ridden or ineffective and Wayne Primeau is ouchie. The large Minneapolis native is unlikely to relinquish his spot in the lineup, which is just exactly what Plante and Primeau did not want for Christmas. We only hope that if the Sabres are playing .500 hockey in the month leading up to the trade deadline in March that Rasmussen isn't the guy the organization feels it has to part with to add some oomph. He and Rochester rookie defenseman Cory Sarich are going to be the guys everyone is asking for. Not, Not, Not We'd avoided this heading in previous issues because no one who got a regular shift really seemed to fit for a while there, but here goes: where's Geoff Sanderson, Mr. 40-goal Man from earlier in the season? Sandy is pointless in his last seven through December 21. And will Brian Holzinger, who can wow you every few games, ever develop more consistency than butterscotch pudding? And what is Mike Wilson's problem, for God's sake? Chalk it up to Christmas angst and postpartum letdown. The Last Word "Fortunately for us the bus was a little bigger than the car." -- Rochester defenseman Mike Hurlbut after a car struck the Amerks' team bus on December 20. ----------------------------------------------------------------- MONTREAL CANADIENS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Alain Vigneault Roster: C - Saku Koivu, Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton, Matt Higgins, Trent McLeary, Sergei Zholtok. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Terry Ryan, Brian Savage, Andrei Bashkirov, Dave Morissette, Patrick Poulin. RW - Mark Recchi, Turner Stevenson, Jonas Hoglund, Jason Dawe. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Brett Clark, Miloslav Guren, Stephane Robidas, Craig Rivet, Igor Ulanov, Eric Weinrich, Alain Nasreddine. G Jose Theodore, Jeff Hackett. Injuries: Vladimir Malakhov, d (back spasms, day-to-day); Mark Recchi, rw (pneumonia, day-to-day); Brian Savage, rw (strained groin, day-to-day); Scott Thornton, c (torn abdominal wall muscle, approximately 2-3 weeks). Transactions: 12/15 - acquired right winger Jason Dawe from the New York Islanders. 12/19 - Theodore was assigned to the Baby Habs for the day, along with Matt Higgins, Sergei Zholtok and Alain Nasreddine. Game Results: 12/09 at Phoenix L 4-2 12/11 at Dallas L 3-2 12/12 Nashville T 2-2 12/14 Phoenix T 2-2 12/18 at Buffalo L 4-2 12/19 New Jersey T 1-1 12/21 Dallas T 2-2 TEAM NEWS Jacques Robert "Believe in Victory" "Be brave, you'll win." Those words were on a sign held by a 10- year-old boy at the game in Montreal against New Jersey. That child's analysis might just be right: the Habs haven't won in so long that they don't know what victory feels like. And perhaps, they had to face the devil's eye to start believing in themselves and to know what they're really made of, and guess what? They're not that bad! They might not have defeated the Devils on December 19, but they could have broken a curse: for once they scored in the third to tie the game 1-1 in the 14th minute when Stevenson lifted a short shot beyond Martin Brodeur. Although very encouraging, this one-point game left the right-winger skeptical about the future, "It's like kissing your sister. Those games are not sufficient to catch up, we need to win." Winless since Nov. 30, the Habs have made a habit of giving up goals in the last minutes of a game. On Dec. 9 against Dallas, they had managed to come back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game in the second period. But, with 2:49 minutes remaining in the third, Jamie Langenbrunner scored against Theodore, who has not posted a win since Nov. 9. The Habs blew another lead against Phoenix when Teppo Numminen scored with 1:53 in the third as Montreal was leading 2-1. And let's not forget Buffalo's Vaclav Varada's fluke goal late in the second period that threw off the Habs for the remainder of the game which they lost 4-2. It seems that the high the team (and the fans) gained from the tie against New Jersey lasted only for about two periods against Dallas on Dec. 21. After they took the lead 2-0 in the second, the Habs were on their way to victory in the third, but as faith would have it... Dallas scored at 13:54 of the second to take control of the rest of the game with 16 shots on goal in the second (Habs, 11) and 11 in the third (Habs, 6). Darryl Sydor scored while Malakhov was blocking Hackett's view with 6:06 left in the third. With this tie, the Stars, first overall at 19-5-6, kept alive a nine-game unbeaten streak and the Habs posted their fourth tie in five games. It's no wonder that Dave King said, "The Habs are not a very happy team." The chemistry is still good but it's disappointing to post only two wins in 19 games. And also think about all of the tied games (five of the last 10), including the last two against New Jersey and Phoenix. It makes one think about the necessity to impose a shootout if an overtime period is not sufficient to determine a real winner. At least two names come out of all this shining: Brunet and Hackett. The first has been giving his all and scoring important goals, and the second makes good saves to keep his team in a game. Hackett made 41 saves out of 43 shots on goal against Nashville while his teammates made 27 shots. The goalie seems very hopeful. "We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We have a good team. When our injured players come back, we will be playing at full speed. We've been playing well for the last two week," said Hackett. We will soon see if Hackett is right and if the Habs should take the 10-year-old boy with his sign along for the long stretch of road games. The team that is posting the worst road record might just need that inspiration when it faces Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Colorado. The outcome could decide if the Habs get a playoff spot or a good draft choice. And please, Santa, no tie for Christmas... ----------------------------------------------------------------- OTTAWA SENATORS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jacques Martin Roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Vaclav Prospal, Radek Bonk, Shaun Van Allen, Bruce Gardiner, Steve Martins. LW - Shawn McEachern, Marian Hossa, Magnus Arvedson, Andreas Johansson. RW - Daniel Alfredsson, Andreas Dackell, Chris Murray, Bill Berg. D - Lance Pitlick, Patrick Traverse, Chris Phillips, Sami Salo, Wade Redden, Jason York, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk. G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt. Injuries: Dec 17 - D Lance Pitlick returned from bruised hip suffered; Dec 12 Nov 28 - D Sami Salo, groin injury, day-to-day; Oct. 29 - LW Yves Sarault, sprained wrist, out 4-6 weeks; D Janne Laukkanen, off-season abdominal surgery, day-to-day. Transactions: Dec 8 - David Oliver Assigned to Houston (IHL). Game Results 12/08 at Tampa Bay W 4-2 12/09 at Florida L 6-5 12/12 Phoenix L 2-0 12/17 as Boston L 5-2 12/18 Carolina W 5-1 12/20 Dallas L 3-2 TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders After putting together a strong ending to November and a solid December beginning, the Senators were supposed to be a team that was going somewhere. Two weeks ago they sat just back of the division leading Leafs and were starting to surge. Today they sit in fourth place, seven points back of the Leafs, and barely holding on to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. We know that it's not even Christmas - there is a way to go before the second season (playoffs) starts - but this is not a team that has achieved consistency. Winners of one of their last five games, they have proven themselves to be solid but are still lacking the killer punch both in scoring and in defending themselves. GM Dudley seems to be too busy worried about the size of the net than worried about the size of the goons opponents are throwing out against the toothless Senators. Florida Trip The Senators were looking like a shooting star after outshooting (44-19) and outscoring Tampa Bay 4-2. After the game and over their last 10 games, their record then stood at 7-2-1. Every once in a while a team then plays in a strange game which can lead to a skid. This is what seemed to happened to the Senators as they continued their Florida trip with a game against the Panthers. The game started out somewhat normally back and forth until the Senators Vaclav Prospal received a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking Paul Laus. Five shots later and it was 4-0 Panthers. Finally the Prospal penalty ended and the game resumed. York and McEachern power-play goals added to an unassisted tally by Arvedson and suddenly it was 4-3. The Senators tied the game at 5-5 midway through the third period but lost with Hossa in the box when Whitney netted his eighth of the year. Despite giving up four first-period goals, this was a game the Senators should have won. They had enough to come back and tie but not enough to win. * Against Tampa, Shawn McEachern had two goals and an assist. His last goal was November 23rd. * Against Tampa, Ottawa's Ron Tugnutt made 17 saves, improving to 5-0-1 in his last six starts and 6-1-1 overall. * The Panthers' five power-play goals in the game tied a team record. * Hossa picked up a pair of assists against Panthers. * David Oliver was assigned to Houston of the IHL and quickly picked up four points in his first game. He had two goals and five assists with the Senators in 17 games. Public Service Announcement The new Panthers arena is the National Car Rental Arena. It's in a place called Sunrise which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. 42 Saves Despite a solid Senator effort the Senators faced a hot hand in Phoenix goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. He made 42 saves for his third shutout of the season. Phoenix's early second-period goal stood up until a late third-period empty-netter iced it. * Phoenix avenged a season-opening 4-1 home loss to the Senators, one of only two games in which it has allowed more than three goals. * After the game a downcast Chris Phillips, in his first real slump, decided a good idea would be for the team to bench him against Boston. "Maybe this will wake me up and give me a chance to regroup". FleetCenter The Bruins soundly defeated a jumpless Senator team 5-2. The Bruins' two power-play goals (on three attempts) were no match for the 0-for-4 Senators' power-play unit. * Ray Bourque had a pair of assists to move into a third place tie with the legendary Gordie Howe on the all-time assist list at 1,049. The odd game or two each decade notwithstanding, Bourque's first year in the league was Howe's last. Bourque turns 38 later this month. * Vaclav Prospal played in his 100th NHL game. When asked to contrast that with the 1400 that Ray Bourque has played in over his 20 season, Prospal responded, "That means I have just 17 more seasons to catch him." * As he predicted, Chris Phillips was benched for the game. Coach Martin was trying to send him a message that he simply needs to perform better. With Phillips and Lance Pitlick (bruised hip) both out, Patrick Traverse and Sami Salo got the call. Maybe Friday Is a Lucky Day for the Team - Yeah, a Win! Snapping their three-game losing streak, the Senators soundly beat Carolina 5-1 in a rare Friday night game. Goalie Arturs Irbe was coming off consecutive shutouts but surrendered five goals on 30 shots before being pulled in favor of Trevor Kidd with 11:36 remaining in the third period. * Alexei Yashin scored twice and added three assists. His four- point second period eclipsed his own mark for most points in a period. * Carolina coach Paul Maurice was quoted as describing the game as his team's worst of the year. "In fact it was so bad, we're not going to spend a lot of time worrying about it." * Hassa Alfredsson, father of Senators forward Daniel and Ottawa 67's Henric, had a tough choice to make when his sons were both playing in town on the same night. Hassa decided to watch little Alfie (hey, it was also name the mascot night) but his team could only muster a 1-1 tie. Senior Hassa Alfie is set to return to Sweden early in the new year. Easy One Fan mail has been kinda slow lately so we thought an easy quiz would maybe allow you the opportunity to write us to tell us what a stupidly easy quiz we gave this issue. Here goes - Alexei Yashin is now generally recognized as one of the top 25 stars of the NHL. What is his career high one-game point total? Name that Line The line of Shawn McEachern, Alexei Yashin, and Andreas Dackell - the MC-YA-DACK line? - has been on quite a tear of late. Overall through 28 games, the line has 71 points. Dallas A rare day game for the Senators when the Pacific Division leading Dallas Stars paid a visit to the Kanata Cow Palace. The Stars lead the Pacific Division because of players such as Modano, Sydor, Nieuwendyk, Hull, Verbeek, Zubov and character winners from good-Hab days past such as Carbonneau, Keane, Skrudland, and Ludwig. The Stars' power play is number two in the league and their penalty killing unit ranks fourth. This brings up a quick "hum - wonder if" the Stars have more ex-Habs then any other team in the league and "another hum - wonder if" that's why they are winning. On this date goalie Roman Turek (playing in place of usual number one Ed Belfour) may have something to do with it as he stopped 27 shots including third-period takeaways from Yashin with six minutes to go, and Johansson with just under three minutes. * Dallas is 6-0-2 in its last eight games. * Mike Keane netted his first goal since April 12th of last season - a short-handed goal on a play where the puck came loose from a bad bounce and a worse Senator offensive press. Quiz Answer Alexei's five points against the Carolina Hurricanes tied his career high point mark. The Sens record for most points in a game belongs to Dan Quinn with six, which he accomplished in 1995. The Nosebleeders wish to share some cheer and extend a Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to one and all - have a great holiday season! ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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, Adam Mair, Lonny Bohonos. D - Sylvain Cote, Dimitri Yushkevich, Alexander Karpovtsev, Jason Smith, Daniil Markov, Glen Featherstone, Tomas Kaberle, Yanick Tremblay, Francis Larivee. G - Curtis Joseph, Felix Potvin, Glenn Healy. Injuries: Daniil Markov, d (separated shoulder, 4-6 weeks). Transactions: 12/18/98 - Kevin Dahl sent to minors (Chicago of the IHL); 12/16/98 - Alexander Karpovtsev no longer on IR. Game Results 12/11 at Chicago W 3-2 12/12 Philadelphia L 3-0 12/16 Phoenix W 5-2 12/19 NY Rangers W 7-4 12/21 Pittsburgh W 7-1 TEAM NEWS by Jonah A. Sigel Something in the Water Number one! Number one! When was the last time Leaf fans could claim that in any category with the exception of team least likely to qualify for the playoffs? With 19 goals in their last three games (Hello, Mike Murphy), the Leafs have vaulted or at the very least remained at the top of several categories as leaders, co-leaders, or contenders in areas they have not led, well, perhaps in my lifetime. The Leafs have not had back-to-back seven-goal games since, dare I say his name, Coach Carpenter was at the helm. That was a team that was all offense, no defense. Here things are different. The leader of this team is the goaltending. Quite frankly, the real reason the former number one goalie bolted was that he was sick of hearing his teammates claim how much more confidence they had with Curtis Joseph in net. Perhaps most surprising is the rise of certain players to the forefront. Quinn seems to be able to get production from guys who Murph couldn't. Berezin is playing well, so is McCauley. In my humble opinion, the addition of Cote is paramount. He is, on most nights their best player, as well as the leading player in ice time. He has brought a confidence to the blue line that certainly has not been there since Sylvain Lefebvre was shipped out. With no apologies to Macoun and L. Murphy, Cote is the real deal. Speaking of real deals, some scribes certainly are eating crow of late. I'm sure you all recall the dailies crucifying Mike Smith for dealing holdout Schneider to the Rangers for Alexander Karpovtsev. What a horrible deal, one wrote. The worst scribe of them all claimed this nothing more than Smith getting another Soviet on the squad and that he should be fired for it. Well, suffice it to say, Smith has been saved by the play of Potsie to say the least. While few have come to like Smith, it is difficult to not respect him. So many verbal darts, or should I say missiles, have been fired at him he certainly would not be blamed for taking some credit for the success of the team. He has been totally professional. He has not said a word, not complained about the treatment, or anything for that matter. All the while he has been spending the bulk of his time at his ailing wife's side as she battles cancer. So the team is going well. They are 3-1 on a current seven-game home streak. The holiday trade freeze is currently in effect and should the Leafs continue on such a pace, Smith's phone will keep on ringing. The former number one goalie continues to sit at home and not collect a pay check. Smith on the other hand has all the power and leverage. I'm sure the Leaf brass is only sorry that the former number one goalie did not pull this earlier, it would have saved them some cash. So Smith has the ability to sit and wait for the right deal. Actually, he MUST wait for the right deal. He has passed up, missed, or failed to complete trades for some good players, such as Linden, Renberg and maybe, depending on how you see things, Niedermayer. In waiting this long Smith has in one way hurt himself. Whatever they end up getting will be measured against these deals, and he MUST do better than that, or at the very least something comparable. The team has started to dribble out news of the big move to Air Canada center. There will be some huge going-ons in the new year starting in early February. The last game on the 13th will be a huge event, followed by a parade to the new building. It certainly will be a fun time and ESPN 2 will carry it for those living south of the border. Happy Holidays to all! ================================================================ ================================================================ TEAM REPORTS ================================================================ EASTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- CAROLINA HURRICANES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Paul Maurice Roster: C - Ron Francis, Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Kent Manderville. RW - Ray Sheppard, Sami Kapanen, Nelson Emerson, Kevin Dineen, Robert Kron. LW - Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Paul Ranheim, Bates Battaglia, Byron Ritchie. D - Steve Chiasson, Glen Wesley, Adam Burt, Curtis Leschyshyn, Sean Hill, Dave Karpa, Nolan Pratt, Mike Rucinski, Marek Malik. G - Trevor Kidd, Arturs Irbe. Injuries: Adam Burt, d (shoulder, day-to-day); Steve Chiasson, d (shoulder, day-to-day); Curtis Leschyshyn, d (bruised sternum, day-to-day). Transactions: recalled Marek Malik, d, and Byron Ritchie, f, from New Haven. Game Results: 12/10 Boston L 3-2 12/12 Detroit W 3-0 12/15 Edmonton W 3-0 12/18 at Ottawa L 5-1 12/19 at Buffalo W 3-2 TEAM NEWS by Scott W. Pagel Not only are the Carolina Hurricanes one of the hottest teams in the NHL, but they're earning some respect by beating some top quality squads around the league. Perhaps one of the biggest wins of the year came on December 12 when the Canes blanked the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings, 3-0. To put the win against Detroit in perspective, it marked the first time the Wings have been shut out on the road in seven years. The win also set some new standards for the Carolina franchise. It was the first time the Whalers/Canes held Detroit to no goals since November 14 1989! The winning goaltender that night was Mike Liut. Not Stopping There After coming off the emotional win against Detroit, the Canes didn't let down one bit as three days later they blanked the Edmonton Oilers 3-0. Three days after that, though, they were downright awful, getting blown out by Ottawa 5-1. What could have been disaster the following night, turned into one of the most gutsiest wins a team could ask for when Carolina edged Buffalo 3-2. Not only did Trevor Kidd outperform some guy named Dominik Hasek, but the Hurricanes played much of the third period with only three defensemen. After Curtis Leschyshyn went out with a bruised sternum and both Adam Burt and Steve Chiasson left with shoulder injuries, forward Paul Ranheim was moved back to at least give Carolina two shifts of blueliners. "I'm pumped, I've got to be bitterly honest with you," Carolina coach Paul Maurice told the press after the contest said. "That's the most I've been excited for a hockey game all year. I think obviously Trevor played very well to win that game. The story, really, I think is that we lose three defensemen and then Ranheim has to go back and play defense. But I think we got a little better as this game went on." While it was far from dominating, it was a victory against another outstanding team. The Hurricanes were holding on for dear life, being outshot 40-20 for game. Goalie Carousel It sure is nice to have two good goalies, isn't it? For the most part Maurice has been going with the hot hand. It was Arturs Irbe who blanked Detroit, making 35 saves for the game, including 16 alone in the third period. The following game Irbe was again between the pipes to pick up his fourth shutout of the year. But, it was Kidd who stopped 38 shots in beating Buffalo. The win improved Kidd to 4-1-1 in his last six starts... ...so, what's the problem? Well, right now there isn't one. I must admit, I'm not exactly a Carolina fan, but I have been following the team a lot more closely in order to be able to write about them. I am, however, a Philadelphia Flyer fan, so I know a little bit about goalie controversies come playoff time. It's pretty safe to say, the Hurricanes will be making a trip to the playoffs (knock on wood). I realize it's not even officially winter yet, but I can't help but to compare this situation to that of the Flyers two years ago. First it was Garth Snow, then it was Ron Hextall and finally Garth Snow...again. Terry Murray turned what should have been a successful playoff run into a media mess. It goes to show, you need to have a number one goalie by the time late in the season rolls around. Obviously, there is plenty of time to decide, and, anything can happen in a four month span. But, if you had to pick right now... Quite a Show The December 12 game against Detroit was filled with many side notes that could be talked about endlessly. One of those is the fact that it marked the first time the Greensboro Coliseum was sold out for a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. On that night 11,059 showed up to see what was an impressive win by the locals. It couldn't have come at a better time, either. If hockey is going to succeed in the Carolina area, this could be starting point. It was safe to say by the 3000+ empty seats for most home games that hockey wasn't quite officially there. But, rather then getting blown out by a Detroit team that clearly had more talent, the Canes gave every fan their money's worth. Hopefully, it's a sign of things to come. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FLORIDA PANTHERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Terry Murray Roster: C - Viktor Kozlov, Rob Niedermayer, Dave Gagner, Chris Wells, Steve Washburn. LW - Ray Whitney, Johan Garpenlov, Oleg Kvasha, Kirk Muller, Bill Lindsay, Peter Worrell. RW - Scott Mellanby, Dino Ciccarelli, Radek Dvorak, Mark Parrish. D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Paul Laus, Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Jaroslav Spacek. G - Kirk McLean, Sean Burke. Injuries: Dino Ciccarelli, rw (back, 2-4 weeks); Chris Wells, c (hernia, indefinite). Transactions: December 15th - Assigned defenseman Jaroslav Spacek to New Haven of the AHL. December 18th - Named Costa Papista general manager for Louisville of the AHL. Game Results 12/09 Ottawa W 6-5 12/12 Calgary L 4-2 12/16 Pittsburgh W 4-1 12/19 Edmonton W 3-1 TEAM NEWS by Matthew Secosky The Panthers have just finished off a successful five-game homestand, compiling a 3-1-1 record along the way. This recent success has improved their overall record to 11-11-6 and keeps them in excellent position for a playoff run. Florida has been playing with a new sense of confidence and desire over the past three weeks and players such as Kozlov, Whitney and Niedermayer have led the way offensively for the Panthers. In the past four games, Kozlov has six points (3G-3A), Whitney five (3G-2A), and Niedermayer also five (2G-3A). Sean Burke has been solid in net with a 3-0-1 record in his last four starts while allowing only seven goals. For the record, Burke had given up 24 goals in his six starts before the current 'goodtimes.' When questioned about the Panthers recent up-swing, Sean Burke had this to say. "The margin in games is so small, a little more emotion can make all the difference." Burke also commented on his current goaltending adventures. "The last couple of times I've gone out with the idea of being very aggressive. If I get beat, so be it. I didn't want to beat myself. I wanted to play at the top of the crease, and be as aggressive as I could." Random Notes A Pain in the @$$ Dino Ciccarelli has been a spark for the Panthers ever since he returned five games ago, but unfortunately his battered body hasn't had a chance to completely heal. "I'm sure I aggravated the (back) injury," Ciccarelli remarked. "I don't want to go through the whole season like this. Away from the rink, it's pretty painful." In the five games he played, Dino tallied five goals and one assist. He is expected to be out 2-4 weeks. Chris Wells Well Chris Wells, C, skated with the team Monday for the first time since March 25th. He is recovering from surgery he had eight weeks ago to repair a hernia and expects to return to game action in two to three weeks. After participating in half of a 65-minute practice, he took the time to express himself in words. "It felt good, but I didn't want to overdo it. It's just a matter of getting back in shape and getting a feel for the game again. I haven't played in nine or 10 months and it's almost like learning the game over again.'' Out of Touch, Out of Time Robert Svehla was suspended for Saturday's game after showing up six minutes late to practice Friday. He was also fined a small amount of money. Rhett Warrener played for Svehla, but Svehla should be back in the lineup Wednesday. Unless, of course, he's late. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jacques Demers Roster: C - Darcy Tucker, Chris Gratton, Mike Sillinger, Craig Janney, Vincent Lecavalier. RW - Stephane Richer, Benoit Hogue, Rob Zamuner, Mikael Andersson, Andrei Nazarov. LW - Wendel Clark, Alexander Selivanov, Sandy McCarthy, Steve Kelly, Brent Peterson. D - Cory Cross, Karl Dykhuis, David Wilkie, Jassen Cullimore, Pavel Kubina, Mike McBain, Kjell Samuelsson, Andrei Skopintsev. G - Bill Ranford, Daren Puppa, Corey Schwab. Injuries: Daren Puppa, g (groin injury, indefinite); Rob Zamuner, lw (groin injury, day-to-day). Transactions: Trade Mikael Renberg, rw, and Daymond Langkow, c, to the Philadelphia Flyers for Chris Gratton, c, and Mike Sillinger, c; assigned Enrico Ciccone, d, and Zac Bierk, g, to Cleveland (IHL). Game Results 12/11 Calgary L 2-1 12/12 Islanders W 2-1 OT 12/15 Pittsburgh L 3-2 12/18 Edmonton L 4-1 12/20 Philadelphia T 2-2 12/21 Boston L 3-2 TEAM NEWS by Seth Lerman The holiday season is supposed to be a time of happiness and good cheer, but for the Tampa Bay Lightning it is a time of sorrow. Winners of just two of the last 18 games, the Lightning are on track to be out of the playoff race by New Year's Day, a feat which will match last year's ineptitude. In an effort to shake up the club, general manager/coach Jacques Demers corrected a mistake made by his predecessor, Phil Esposito, by requiring Chris Gratton, a former first-round draft pick from the Philadelphia Flyers along with Mike Sillinger. In return, Demers surrendered Mikael Renberg and Daymond Langkow. "It's been an unbelievable day. I am a little tired, but it was fun," Gratton said following a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. "A good win for our team. It hasn't sunk in yet. It's unbelievable tonight looking at blue shirts and not orange ones. "Anytime you play in a particular spot for four years, you get to know the area," he added. "Yes, it's like being back home. We got some up and coming young players here, and tonight was very emotional." "It hurts to lose Renberg and Langkow, but I think the Flyers are looking toward the Cup while we are trying to build a team," said coach Jacques Demers. "Maybe Gratton was meant to be a Lightning, and maybe Renberg was meant to be a Flyer. Being the big fish in the bowl, it fits Gratton perfectly." The trade will make the Lightning a better team in the long run, but for now the losses keep on mounting. Following a 4-1 setback to the Edmonton Oilers on December 18, a team which skated circles around the Lightning, Demers said: "I'm fed up with losing hockey games." He should be. The loss to the Oilers was the Lightning's eighth straight home loss which tied a franchise record. In that span, Tampa Bay has been outscored, 38-12. In an ironic twist of fate, one of the Lightning's two victories during their recent slump came at Edmonton on December 4th, a 2-1 decision. Tampa Bay's last home win was a 3-1 decision on November 18th against New Jersey. They are 0-17-1 when allowing at least three goals. Against Edmonton, the Lightning were outshot 38-23, which is the fifth time this year Tampa Bay has given up at least that many shots. There are many areas to place blame, but Demers refuses to allow his young players to be the focus of his anger. Instead, he puts the focus on several veteran players, Benoit Hogue, Bill Ranford, Karl Dykhuis, Sandy McCarthy, and Alexander Selivanov. "The veterans on this team are making too much money," he hollered. "No one wants them in trade, and this is not like football; I just can't release them." One player who Demers praised is Wendel Clark. "Wendel Clark is the ultimate professional, probably wishes he signed with Dallas, where he could of gone, but he chose Tampa instead." As the season moves along, expect Demers to make a few more changes. Refusing to surrender any of his younger players in trades for a quick fix, Demers might be forced to bite the bullet for the rest of the season or buy out the contracts of some players. "We have the highest payroll at Cleveland," he said. "I have guys there making a lot of money. They're not doing us any good." In the meantime, expect the Lightning to struggle along, win an odd game here and there, and keep an eye on next season. After all, what else is there to do? ----------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON CAPITALS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ron Wilson Roster: C - Adam Oates, Andrei Nikolishin, Matt Herr, Dale Hunter. LW - Joe Juneau, Brian Bellows, Richard Zednik, Steve Konowalchuk, Patrice Lefebvre, Benoit Gratton. RW - Peter Bondra, Craig Berube, Kelly Miller, Mike Eagles, James Black. D - Calle Johansson, Mark Tinordi, Sergei Gonchar, Brendan Witt, Joe Reekie, Dmitri Mironov, Ken Klee. G - Olaf Kolzig, Rick Tabaracci. Injuries: Michal Pivonka, c (shoulder, day-to-day); Yogi Svejkovsky, lw (sprained ankle, 1-2 weeks); Jan Bulis, c (ankle, 1-2 weeks); Adam Oates, c (groin strain, day-to-day); Tom Chorske, lw (abdomen/groin, 10 weeks); Chris Simon, lw (shoulder surgery, out for season); Richard Zednik, lw (groin, day-to-day). Transactions: Patrik Augusta, lw, signed to a one-year contract; Matt Herr, c, sent to Portland (AHL); Augusta sent to Portland; Benoit Gratton, lw, recalled from Portland; Patrice Lefebvre, lw, signed to a one-year contract. Game Results: 12/09 at Los Angeles L 2-1 12/11 at Anaheim L 1-0 12/12 at San Jose L 2-1 12/17 at Chicago W 3-1 12/19 at Pittsburgh W 3-0 TEAM NEWS by Jason Sheehan Hunter's Ironman Streak Ends Nothing has been more consistent for the Washington Capitals than Dale Hunter putting his No. 32 jersey on his shoulders before the start of every game. He was the only Capital to play in each game for the last three years. But age has caught up to the 38-year-old captain, so coach Ron Wilson decided to give Hunter a rest Dec. 12 at San Jose, ending the ironman streak at 306 games. "It was the third game in four nights," Wilson told The Washington Post. "It's not a reflection on Dale Hunter. We had to get a little more youth in the lineup, a little more jump, and we were looking for a chance to get him a well-deserved rest. Without an injury or something, you don't like to pull a guy like that out, but Hunts, even by his own admission, has struggled a little bit recently." Hunter struggling? He is in the midst of his worst season in his 19-year career. In 27 games, Hunter has no goals, while collecting only one assist. Since he isn't scoring, Hunter is being relied on for his defensive ability. But even that aspect of his game is lacking, which is evident with a plus/minus of -7. The rugged captain has lost a few steps with age, and unfortunately, it's beginning to show. Hunter's most successful trait is his leadership. Even when he was a healthy scratch in San Jose, Wilson still found a way to use him during the game. Hunter spent the night behind the bench as an assistant coach for the first time in his career, losing his debut, 2-1. He returned to the coaching ranks two games later in Pittsburgh, where he was again a healthy scratch. The team lost, 3-0, dropping Hunter's coaching record to 0-2-0. Caps Look for Offense in IHL With the troops depleted (seven injured forwards), the Capitals' offense has plummeted to last in the National Hockey League. Washington has only lit the lamp 60 times. Right wing Peter Bondra leads the team with 12 goals, but from there, scoring is hard to find. Center/left wing Joe Juneau and center Adam Oates, who has missed the last nine games, each have six goals. From there, the scoring list reads like a game of polo - few and far between. Since goals from Washington have not been plentiful - the Capitals have been shut out in four of their last 10 games - general manager George McPhee tapped into a talent pool that other teams have ignored throughout the years: The International Hockey League. The players? Long Beach's Patrik Augusta and Las Vegas' Patrice Lefebvre. Both players had no experience at the NHL level. Augusta played two games against Anaheim and San Jose before being assigned to Washington's farm club in Portland, Maine (AHL). The Capitals, however, expect more from Lefebvre, who was scouted by George McPhee last week when the team held a mini-camp in Las Vegas. Lefebvre was signed before the Pittsburgh game. Lefebvre, 31, stands at five-foot-five and is the shortest player in the NHL. Even Calgary's Theoren Fleury towers above Lefebvre. But don't let Lefebvre's size fool you. He has the tools needed to succeed in the NHL. He proved that last season by winning the IHL's MVP award as a member of the Las Vegas Thunder. Now, he's ecstatic to finally get a chance to prove his wares with the Capitals. "I can't tell you what this means to me because I'm in a complete state of shock and I can barely talk," Lefebvre told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I am amazed, I'm thrilled, I'm shocked, I'm baffled. I'm so happy, I could cry. I've dreamed of playing in the NHL my whole life. I used to think about it so much, and to think I'm finally going to get a chance, at my age and after all these years, it's overwhelming." No Pressure for Kolzig Goaltender Olie Kolzig realizes he cannot win games all by himself. His play will plummet if he thinks he needs a shutout to give his team a chance to win every game. These thoughts crept into his head last month after signing a new four-year, $12 million contract. As a result of this self-given pressure, he struggled. Fortunately, the Capitals playoff hero has worked his way out of a slump and is back to playing good hockey. He has kept each game close, making him one of the few Capitals who cannot be blamed for the team's pitiful season. "To play at that kind of level like I did in the playoffs is tough to maintain over 82 games," Kolzig said in Las Vegas. "I just want to play - right now - a consistent game. The last few weeks, I've been doing that. "My job is to just give the guys a chance to win. You're not gonna get a shutout every game. As long as you keep it close and you make the big save for the guys to give them a boost, that's all you can do. The guys in front have to score. You win as a team and lose as a team, so I've learned in the last couple of weeks not to put too much pressure on myself - just to play hockey." ================================================================ ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Dirk Graham roster: C - Doug Gilmour, Mark Janssens, Chad Kilger, Alexei Zhamnov. LW - Eric Daze, Jean-Yves Leroux, Ethan Moreau, Bob Probert, Reid Simpson. RW - Tony Amonte, Mike Maneluk, Craig Mills, Ed Olczyk. D - Jamie Allison, Brad Brown, Chris Chelios, Paul Coffey, Andy Johnson, Dave Manson, Bryan Muir, Trent Yawney, Doug Zmolek. G - Mark Fitzpatrick, Jocelyn Thibault. injuries: Jamie Allison, d (wrist, indefinite); Paul Coffey, d (back, day-to-day); Jean-Yves Leroux, lw (groin, indefinite). transactions: Assigned Dan Cleary, lw, and Christian Laflamme, d, to Portland (AHL) and recalled Jean-Pierre Dumont, rw, from Portland, December 14; assigned Jean-Pierre Dumont, rw, to Portland and recalled Craig Mills, rw, from Portland, December 20. game results: 12/08 at Detroit L 3-2 12/09 Edmonton W 3-1 12/11 Toronto L 3-2 12/13 Dallas T 2-2 12/17 Washington L 3-1 12/19 at Philadelphia L 3-1 12/20 Los Angeles L 4-1 team news by Tom Crawford Happy Holidays, Hawkers! Well, Christmas is just around the corner, and as a gesture of goodwill I'm going to say only nice things about our hometown heroes, the Chicago Blackhawks. Hmm . . . . Let's see . . . . I guess there's . . . . Hell, the uniforms are still damned spiffy! Aw, screw it, we all know the Hawks suck. Sorry that was such a lousy effort at Christmas cheer, but nothing spoils a festive mood like watching your team lose to the Kings (or listening to them lose if your team happens to be owned by Bill Wirtz). The Hawks don't just lose to the Kings, either. L.A. looks like Cup contenders when they play the Hawks, dominating them physically, outskating them, and winning every loose puck. Against the rest of the league, they've managed 17 points in 30 games; against the Hawks they're 2-0, outscoring them by a 9-1 margin. Any Blackhawk player, coach, or executive who claims the Hawks are a team on the rise should be immediately bludgeoned by game film of those two contests. Tony Amonte opined after their tie against the Dallas Stars that the Hawks "are starting to show we can play with the best teams in the league". OK, Tony, but that don't mean squat if you can't beat L.A. Or San Jose. Or Calgary. Don't fall into the same trap the Chicago Bears did this year, thinking that losing a close game to very good team means you're kinda good. All it means is that, when a good team overlooks you on their schedule and gives a half-assed effort while you play your hearts out, you're still not good enough to beat them. News from the Heavyweight Division At practice on Monday (a session full of wind sprints and shuttle races, rewarding the team for their all-out effort against the Kings), two teammates reportedly dropped the gloves and went at it. And the combatants were? You guessed it, Tony Amonte and Ed Olczyk. Was this, as Eddie O. explained, just some rough-housing among "family." Could it have something to do with the lazy penalty Olczyk took with five minutes left in last night's game and the Hawks down two goals? Or did Eddie just point out to Tony one too many times that if he grew a mustache he'd look just like John Oates? Do We Miss Belfour Yet? The goalie situation is still a cause for concern on this team. Jocelyn Thibault is being treated like a No.1 goalie but hasn't played like it. As an example, he played his best game as a Blackhawk against Edmonton, allowing only one goal, and that came when he tried to dump the puck out of the defensive zone and bounced it off Brad Brown into his own net. But in his next effort he let in a soft wrister from the point that turned into the game winner. Overall, his goals-against is over 3.00, and his save percentage is below .900, neither of which is acceptable in this era of the NHL. Meanwhile, Mark Fitzpatrick has been very good for short periods of time (20 minutes or so) and mediocre otherwise. This is very bad news for a team that has always depended on solid defense and goaltending to make up for a conservative and undertalented offensive attack. News and Notes Paul Coffey has begun skating a fairly regular shift with the expected results: some pretty plays on offense and some plays that are pretty offensive (like his giveaway to Glen Murray resulting in the Kings' first goal last Sunday) . . . . Christian Laflamme has been shipped to Portland in an effort to shake him from a long sophomore slump. As a rookie Laflamme was the Hawks' steadiest blueliner, but has struggled mightily in his own end this year. His Dec. 9 hit on Oiler Mike Grier was pretty nice, though . . . . Dirk Graham's commitment to the youth movement may be weakening somewhat. Graham recently sent offensive prospects Dan Cleary and J.P. Dumont to the minors in favor of grinder Craig Mills. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DETROIT RED WINGS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Scotty Bowman Roster: C - Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Kris Draper, Sergei Fedorov. LW - Brendan Shanahan, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Doug Brown, Tomas Holmstrom, Kirk Maltby, Brent Gilchrist. RW - Darren McCarty, Joey Kocur, Martin Lapointe, Mathieu Dandenault, Stacey Roest D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Larry Murphy, Jamie Macoun, Aaron Ward, Uwe Krupp, Anders Eriksson. G - Chris Osgood, Kevin Hodson, Norm Maracle. Injuries: Brent Gilchrist, lw (hernia, indefinite); Kurt Maltby, lw (lower back strain, two weeks). Transactions: None. GAME RESULTS 12/8 Chicago W 3-2 12/11 Edmonton W 3-2 12/12 at Carolina L 3-0 12/16 Boston W 5-3 12/18 Dallas L 3-1 12/19 at Boston L 4-1 TEAM NEWS by Dino Cacciola DETROIT 3, CHICAGO 2 Stevie Yzerman had two assists to lead the Red Wings to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Nicklas Lidstrom, rookie Stacy Roest and Brendan Shanahan scored the goals. There were 78 shots in the wide open game, 45 by the Red Wings. Both goalies had their work cut out for them on this night. Just 27 seconds into the game, Nicklas Lidstrom converted a sweet pass from Yzerman and snapped a shot from the left circle past Chicago goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick for his fourth goal of the season. Chris Osgood was in net for the Wings. Osgood was making his second start since missing six games with a hip flexor injury. Stacey Roest capitalized on a rebound for his second NHL goal. The Red Wings took a 3- 1 lead on Shanahan's 14th goal. The game almost went into overtime as Chicago's Ethan Moreau appeared to score with 17.6 seconds remaining in the second, but it was waved off when replays showed the puck hadn't completely crossed the line before Osgood gloved it. Whew! DETROIT 3, EDMONTON 2 Centermen Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman both had a goal and an assist as the Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2. Former Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov is still inspiring the Red Wings. He was in attendance watching the game. "Vladdie is so special to all of us," said Doug Brown, who had a big assist in Friday's win. "We know all the memories. We want him around even more." Konstantinov was given a standing ovation by the capacity crowd in Joe Louis Arena when he was shown on the scoreboard video screens during the second period. "It's good for us and it's good for him, too," Brown said. "It makes us realize how lucky we are to do what we're doing, and it makes us work that much harder." Slava Kozlov scored the other goal for the Red Wings, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. Fedorov broke a 1-1 tie by scoring his eighth goal with only 11 seconds left in the second period. Kozlov scored in the third, converting a perfect pass from Yzerman for just his fourth goal of the season. Konstantinov will soon move to Florida for the winter, where his rehab work will include sound stimuli designed to rekindle memories. His short-term memory is poor, a result of brain trauma suffered in the June 13, 1997 limo accident. Doctors hope sounds from his past will jog Konstantinov's memory, and the Red Wings are contributing to that effort. During Thursday's practice at Joe Louis Arena, microphones were set on the ice to record voices and skating sounds so familiar to Konstantinov during his playing days. The tapes will be played to him in hopes of bringing back those memories. CAROLINA 3, DETROIT 0 Former Red Wing Keith Primeau, who was basically ran out of town by the pressure of the fans, scored the winning goal against his old team as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Red Wings 3-0. It was the first time the Red Wings have been shut out on the road since January of 1991. Ray Sheppard, another former Red Wing added a goal and an assist to end the Red Wings four-game unbeaten string. "Primeau played a lot of good hockey," Steve Yzerman said. "He had great scoring chances. Their whole team played well." Not a pretty game for the Red Wings. Coach Scotty Bowman had nothing to say to the media after the embarrassing showing. DETROIT 5, BOSTON 3 Goalie Chris Osgood made 23 saves, improving his career record against Boston to 6-1. It also extended the Wings home unbeaten streak to six. The Wings scored twice on power plays and once short-handed in the win. "I thought we had some good chances, because we controlled the puck better than in the last game," Nicklas Lidstrom said. "We were more patient, and we took the shots when we had them." Lidstrom put Detroit ahead with a power-play goal early in the first. Defenseman Mathieu Dandenault gave the Wings a 2-1 lead early in the second period. It was his first goal of the season. "Mathieu has a chance to develop some offense," Bowman said of his converted winger. "He's getting some experience back there, and he's always going to learn from watching Murphy and Lidstrom every night." After the Bruins scored again Larry Murphy gave the Wings its third lead of the game at 14:32 of the second, finishing off a pretty passing play with his fourth goal of the season. Marty Lapointe made it 4-2 with a shorthanded goal just 67 seconds later. Darren McCarty finally clinched the game with an empty-net goal. "I think we got a little lucky tonight," Bowman said. "I didn't think too much of our game, but we got the three special teams goals. Thank God for those three." Spoken with true confidence. DALLAS 3, DETROIT 1 Rivalry. Ed Belfour made 24 saves as Dallas beat the Red Wings 3-1. The Red Wings have not beaten the Stars in three games this season. It also ended the Red Wings six-game home winning streak. The Stars were just 1-17-2 in their previous 20 visits to Detroit, including playoffs, before that. "They're a great shooting team, so you want to take away the middle, take away the neutral zone," Stars center Mike Modano said. "We've done that the last three games. You don't see Yzerman and Fedorov have the whole neutral zone to carry the puck. "We've been forcing them to dump it in, and they're not comfortable doing that. They like to have possession of the puck coming in." "We had a game plan, but I guess we just didn't realize what we had to do," Fedorov said. "They always had a player on our player whenever the puck was in the neutral zone." The Stars have outscored Detroit 11-4 in their three meetings thus far. The Red Wings managed to avoid their second shutout loss in three games when Slave Kozlov scored with about two minutes left in the loss. Ozzie made 23 saves. The Stars definitely have the upper hand and the momentum thus far in the season. BOSTON 4, DETROIT 1 The Boston Bruins broke a five-game losing streak against the Red Wings by handed the defending Stanley Cup champions their third loss in four games. The lone goal was by Brendan Shanahan, who scored his 15th on a wrist shot to actually give the Red Wings the lead in the game. But that wasn't enough to stop the Bruins from knocking the Red Wings from a much needed win. Boston came back with four straight goals to avenge their loss earlier in the week to the Red Wings. "We scored Wednesday night, (a 5-3 previous win) but we couldn't score tonight," said Red Wings associate head coach Barry Smith. Head coach Scotty Bowman refused to talk to reporters after the game. "You obviously have to score more than one goal to win in this league," added Smith. Norm Maracle was between the pipes for the Red Wings. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NASHVILLE PREDATORS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Barry Trotz roster: C - Darren Turcotte, Greg Johnson, Jeff Nelson, Patric Kjellberg, Sebastien Bordeleau, Cliff Ronning. LW - Andrew Brunette, Blair Atcheynum, Scott Walker, Denny Lambert, Ville Peltonen, Jeff Daniels, Vitali Yachmenev. RW - Sergei Krivokrasov, Brad Smyth, Tom Fitzgerald, Patrick Cote, Robert Valicevic, Vitali Yachmenev. D - Joel Bouchard, Bob Boughner, John Slaney, Jamie Heward, Jayson More, J.J. Daigneault, Drake Berehowsky, Jan Vopat, Kimmo Timonen. G - Mike Dunham, Eric Fichaud, Tomas Vokoun, Chris Mason. injuries: Mike Dunham, g (groin, three MORE weeks); Ville Peltonen, lw (separated shoulder, 4-8 weeks); Jamie Heward, d (ankle, 1-2 weeks); Eric Fichaud, g (separated shoulder, 2-4 weeks); Jayson More, d (post-concussion syndrome, day-to-day); Greg Johnson, c (post-concussion syndrome, day-today). transactions: Recalled Kimmo Timonen, d, Chris Mason, g, and Vitali Yachmenev, rw, from Milwaukee Admirals. game results: 12/08 Edmonton T 3-3 12/10 San Jose W 2-1 12/12 Montreal T 2-2 12/16 at Anaheim L 6-1 12/17 at San Jose L 3-1 12/19 at Vancouver W 6-4 team news by Jeff Middleton WELCOMING THE OTHER OILERS Eric Fichaud was facing one of his multiple former teams, and didn't even make it through the first period. Because of Mike Dunham's nagging groin injury, Fichaud had tried to step up and fill his skates. Unfortunately, the Predators were forced to insert Tomas Vokoun into the lineup to stave off the speedy Oilers when Fichaud re-injured his shoulder. Going into the third period, Vokoun had played well, stopping 27 of 30 shots on his way to a 3-3 tie. The Preds showed a lot of heart as they came back in the third period with goals 20 seconds apart to tie it up. HERE FISHY, FISHY, FISHY The Predators brought up goalie Chris Mason from Milwaukee to back up Tomas Vokoun as he earned his first NHL win against the Sharks. Mason is the last goalie under contract in the Nashville farm system, so somebody better get healthy soon. The game was rough, with two significant brawls, Bryan Marchment vs. Denny Lambert and Owen Nolan vs. Patrick Cote - both in response to hard, clean hits. One of those hits was on Greg Johnson, who suffered a concussion and has not made it back since. Another recall from Milwaukee, Vitali Yachmenev, scored the winning goal with a little less than 8:00 left in the game. The Predators have beaten the Sharks twice this year, leaving many fans in San Jose scratching their collective heads. OLD SCHOOL, NEW SCHOOL The most storied team in the National Hockey League visited the least storied team in the National Hockey League last Saturday night and decided nothing. Mark Recchi sat out his first game in a really, really long time, and Mike Dunham sat out his sixth game for Nashville, giving Tomas Vokoun another start in net. The Predators actually outplayed Montreal, which is no great feat, but Jeff Hackett kept the Habs in the game enough to salvage one point. The Preds outshot the Canadiens 43-27 and looked strong in their second tie in three games. PAYBACK Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne were held in check the Friday after Thanksgiving, but revenge is sweet. Kariya tallied four assists and Selanne had two goals and an assist as the Ducks creamed the Predators. Denny Lambert scored the only Predators goal, ending Guy Hebert's shutout streak and providing Nashville with one lone highlight. PAYBACK, THE SEQUEL The city of San Jose would probably have sent the Sharks out to sea if they had lost another game to the Predators, but never fear. With Tomas Vokoun still between the pipes, Nashville has seemed to lose confidence in its abilities. While Vokoun has played very well under tough circumstances, he does not seem to give the Predators the sense of security they have when Dunham is behind them. Nashville made it once again into the third period down only one goal, but it lasted only 15 seconds as Joe Murphy put the Predators away early in the third. THE WILD WILD WEST Saturday night's game against the Canucks was one of the most entertaining hockey games the Predators have played this year. Facing a five-minute power play due to Drake Berehowsky's cross-checking, they had almost killed off the entire penalty when Bob Boughner was called for covering the puck in the crease. The ensuing penalty shot gave the Predators a two-goal deficit, which they quickly overcame. Sergei Krivokrasov and Sebastien Bordeleau exploded for two goals and two assists each to help Nashville score the most goals in franchise history, winning 6-4. Notes: Mike Dunham returned for two periods against Vancouver on Saturday night, then re-injured his groin . . . .he also had a "fight" with Garth Snow, his college teammate - gotta love hockey! . . . Tomas Voukoun became the first goalie in Predators history to record a point . . . it was an assist . . . . country superstar Trisha Yearwood sang the National Anthem before the Edmonton game. . . it's nice to hear her without Garth Brooks' dueting away . . .if the injuries keep up at the same pace, the Nashville Predators will actually become the Milwaukee Admirals. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ST. LOUIS BLUES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Joel Quenneville Roster: C - Craig Conroy, Mike Eastwood, Pascal Rheaume, Pierre Turgeon, Michal Handzus, Marty Reasoner. LW - Geoff Courtnall, Michel Picard, Tony Twist, Pavol Demitra. RW - Jim Campbell, Kelly Chase, Scott Pellerin, Scott Young. D - Marc Bergevin, Todd Gill, Al MacInnis, Chris McAlpine, Rudy Poeschek, Chris Pronger, Jamie Rivers, Ricard Persson. G - Grant Fuhr, Jamie McLennan. Injuries: Pierre Turgeon, c (broken hand 12/15, mid-to-late January); Geoff Courtnall, lw (post-concussion syndrome 12/9, day-to-day). Transactions: Dec. 9 - Assigned Rich Parent, g, to Worcester (AHL); Dec. 15 - Recalled Marty Reasoner, c, from Worcester; Dec. 18 - Recalled Ricard Persson, d, from Worcester; Dec. 19 - Claimed Bryan Helmer, d, off waivers from Phoenix Coyotes. Game Results: 12/08 Buffalo T 2-2 12/12 Pittsburgh L 4-3 12/14 at Colorado T 0-0 12/15 at Dallas L 7-3 12/17 Phoenix W 3-2 12/19 Los Angeles W 5-2 TEAM NEWS by Tom Cooper "He Shoots, he..." One of the most fundamental rules in hockey is "Put the puck on the net. Something good is bound to happen." (That and don't buy drinks at the bar for the woman who looks like a 62-year old school nurse wearing the Catwoman costume from Batman. Ewww!) This is a rule that the St. Louis Blues have had no problem heeding. In fact, they're eighth in the league in total shots on goal. But it's the second half of the cause-effect relationship/hockey saying that isn't happening for the Bluenotes. St. Louis, who was last outshot in a 4-2 win back on Nov. 28 against Washington, is 20th in the league in shooting percentage with an 83.8 percent to boast. Even though that percentage isn't the worst in the league, it is a cause for concern, considering the Blues' offense last season that led the NHL in goals. But you won't see St. Louis General Manager Larry Pleau banging the crap out of the panic button just yet. "As long as we continue to get scoring chances," Pleau said, "I think we're going to find a way to win some games." That there is an optimism that probably would not have happened with GMs of the past, like Mike Kennan trading the farm for a couple of former Oilers/Rangers he picked up at the retirement home. Even with the lack of finishing on the squad, Pleau is content with sitting back and seeing how things unfold, rather than making deal after deal right now. "I have a lot of patience," he said. "That's one thing I have a lot of." Oh, What Did He Do Now? He is continuously dubbed the best young defenseman in the game. At times, his discipline on the ice really accentuates the word 'young.' Chris Pronger, the 6-foot-5, 207-pound captain of the Blues who seems to lose control of his wood about as often as Pee Wee Herman, was slapped with a four-game suspension by league high school principal Colin Campbell for a slash he performed on Phoenix's Jeremy Roenick. "Pronger swung his stick in an extremely reckless and dangerous manner, and his stick made contact with the Phoenix player's head," said Campbell. "Deliberate blows to the head will not be tolerated under any circumstances." Pronger will lose $66,145.83 in salary during his suspension that started with the Blues' 5-2 victory of Los Angeles. That loss of pay means he can afford to buy about five less Furbies than he had previously intended. The play occurred in the opening minute of the second period of the Dec. 17 game against Phoenix, wihch the Blues' won 3-2. Pronger, who was being frustrated throughout the first period by the Coyotes, had enough and swung at Roenick's head. Pronger received a match penalty for intent to injure. "That's endangering somebody's health," Roenick said. "There's no need to take swings at guys' heads. That's bush league if you ask me." The Blues will be without the services of Pronger and his defense which put him third in the Norris Trophy voting last season. The Blues have to face the Islanders, New Jersey, and Detroit without him before he returns against the Red Wings in the second part of a home- and-home series on Dec. 28. Who The Hell Needs Hull? With Brett Hull long gone and in the back of every Blues fan's mind, (that is until Dallas plays St. Louis) the faithful have been looking for a forward to step up and fill No. 16 skates. Looks like that number is 26 more that the original -- No. 38 Pavol Demitra. The Slovakia native is currently atop the team's leaderboard in scoring with 32 points coming on 16 goals and 16 helpers. Not a bad way to start slipping those toes into the skates. "He's as hot as they come right now, so we've got to keep giving him the puck," said Craig Conroy. Giving Demitra the puck are two people he can relate to. Whenever they're up in the National Hockey League, fellow Slovakians Lubos Bartecko and Michal Handzus join Pavol on the "Team Slovakia" line. Given Demitra's natural ability, he is going to make his countrymen/linemates look like the best forwards in the league. "Anybody who plays with him . . . that's a pretty good line," said Los Angeles Kings' goalie Jamie Storr, who faced Demitra and the Blues Dec. 19, losing to them 5-2. "He's good offensively. And he has very good hands. Anybody on his line is going to benefit from that." For now, it's Demitra that's benefitting from his talent. His playing is starting to help Blues fans forget about players of the past. "Looked like Brett Hull out there," Conroy said. ================================================================ ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE NORTHWEST DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- CALGARY FLAMES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Brian Sutter Roster: C - Andrew Cassels, Rico Fata, Clarke Wilm, Cory Stillman,Jeff Shantz, Steve Dubinsky. LW - Bob Bassen, Ed Ward, Jason Wiemer, Dave Roche. RW - Valeri Bure, Theoren Fleury, Jarome Iginla, Greg Pankewicz, Martin St. Louis. D - Tommy Albelin, Cale Hulse, Derek Morris, Todd Simpson, Steve Smith, Phil Housley, Dennis Gauthier. G - Ken Wregget, Tyler Moss, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Tyrone Garner. Injuries: Tyler Moss, g (suffered groin injury Dec. 11, day-to-day); Ken Wregget, g (suffered back spasms Nov. 3, day- to-day (placed on IR Nov. 3)). Transactions: Recalled Tyrone Garner, g, from Oshawa (OHL). Game Results: 12/07 Dallas L 3-2 12/11 at Tampa Bay W 2-1 12/12 at Florida W 4-2 12/14 at NY Rangers L 5-2 12/17 at Philadelphia T 3-3 12/18 at New Jersey W 5-2 TEAM NEWS by Jim Iovino Hey, Not Bad! There's always cause for concern when the Flames take an extended road trip east, especially when three of the teams they'll play are the Rangers, Flyers and Devils. The payroll of one of those teams alone could probably buy the Flames franchise. But before the Flames could get to the meat of their five-game Eastern swing, they made quick work of Sunshine state by beating Tampa Bay, 2-1, and Florida, 4-2. With the easy work out of the way, the Flames had to prepare themselves for a tough stretch. First up was the Rangers. Well, Wayne Gretzky showed off a little of that New York hospitality by racking up three assists as the Blueshirts downed Fleury's boys 5-2 at MSG. One tough game down, two to go. Three days later the Flames traveled to the appropriately named FU Center in Philadelphia. The Flyers are an intimidating bunch. They're big. They're goony. They're a bunch of big oafs, really. And that's just their fans. Aw, I'm kidding... Well, no, I'm not. I hate Philly fans. Anyway, a young and innocent team like the Flames could get rattled in a place like the FU Center, but Calgary showed tremendous poise under the circumstances. After a scoreless first period, the Flyers scored twice in the second to take what seemed like a commanding lead. The Flames got one back in the third, but the Flyers scored again to make it 3-1. However, less than a minute after the Philly goal, Jeff Shantz crashed the net and poked home a rebound to get the Flames within one. Then, a little over three minutes after the Shantz goal, a red-hot Cory Stillman scored to tie the game at 3. A late flurry by the Flyers in overtime was thwarted by J.S. Giguere, which allowed the Flames to escape with a 3-3 tie. Woo-hoo! But the Flames couldn't get too happy happy yet. The next night the Flames had to play perhaps the best team in the league, the New Jersey Devils. The Devils gave Martin Brodeur the game off so Chris Terreri could get some work. Calgary greeted Terreri by pounding him for five goals, including two by Stillman, in a surprising 5-2 Flames win. Rookie goalie J.S. Giguere played in all five games of the road trip due to injuries. Tyler Moss made three saves before pulling his groin early in the Tampa Bay game. Giguere came in and made 21 saves for the win. From there it was al Giguere, as he made 36 saves against Florida, 24 against the Rangers, 39 against Philly and 36 against New Jersey. So a road trip that could have been detrimental to the health of Flames fans everywhere turned out to be quite joyous. Incredibly, Calgary picked up seven of a possible 10 points. A successful road trip like this one can do wonders for a team's mindset. Here's hoping the Flames can keep up the strong play through the new year. Fleury on display? Speaking of strong play, Theo Fleury has been playing some of his best hockey in years. The little guy is scoring goals, dishing out assists and looks as if he's having a lot of fun while doing it. This is opposite to the past couple seasons when Fleury was frustrated by a lack of winning and a lack of talent around him. But Fleury's having a blast now. Two examples of his happiness occurred in the final two games of the road trip. In Philadelphia, Fleury had a great scoring chance but just missed. As the whistle blew for a stoppage in play, Fleury skated near the glass, picked out an annoying Flyer fan, banged the boards with his stick and elbow and then screamed "sunshine" at the guy three times in a row. Perhaps he was reminding the guy that he was in the FU Center (FUC for short)... It was quite a cool moment. The next night in New Jersey, Fleury took a pass at center ice, skated down the right wing and let loose a cannon of a blast that beat goaltender Chris Terreri low on the far side. Fleury celebrated by skating behind the net, looking up into the stands and, with a sly look in his eyes, taunting the crowd. You just gotta love Theo. Unless, that is, he just scored on your team... Ironically, the same fans Theo's taunting today might be cheering for him by the end of the year. Fleury's contract situation is still up in the air. So is his status with the Flames, who are likely to trade him before the end of the year. Fleury's strong play has done two things to this whole situation. First, he's upped the ante for any team that wants to acquire him. The Sharks are still interested in Theo, plus rumors have it that the Kings are taking a look, as well as the Flyers and Devils. But Theo's playing his best hockey of the season right now, so it will take a little more to pry him from the Flames than it did several weeks ago. Fleury is also making the decision to trade him an extremely hard one for the Flames. Fleury is proving his worth. Without him, the Flames are nothing. This was known before the recent road trip, but after the trip the realities of life without Theo were quite clear. Theo Fleury is the Flames. It's going to be an interesting couple of months for Flames fans. The future of their organization could ride on the small, but broad, shoulders of Theo Fleury. ----------------------------------------------------------------- COLORADO AVALANCHE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Bob Hartley Roster: C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Chris Drury, Serge Aubin. LW - Valeri Kamensky, Rene Corbet, Milan Hejduk, Shean Donovan, Warren Rychel. RW - Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Shjon Podein, Jeff Odgers, Scott Parker, Christian Matte. D - Sylvain Lefebvre, Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Aaron Miller, Eric Messier, Wade Belak, Greg deVries, Cam Russell, Mike Gaul. G - Patrick Roy, Craig Billington. Injuries: Stephane Yelle, c (wrist, day-to-day); Eric Messier, d (eye, late January); Joe Sakic, c (shoulder, day-to-day); Alexei Gusarov, d (finger, mid-December); Shjon Podein, rw (fractured leg, mid-February); Jon Klemm, d (knee, early March); Warren Rychel, lw (hand, indefinite). Transactions: Recalled Christian Matte, rw, from Hershey (AHL). Assigned Dan Smith, d, to Hershey. Recalled Serge Aubin, c, from Hershey. Recalled Mike Gaul, d, from Hershey. Game results: 12/08 at Islanders W 2-1 12/09 at Rangers W 2-1 12/12 at New Jersey L 5-3 12/14 St. Louis T 0-0 12/17 at Vancouver L 2-1 12/19 at San Jose L 2-1 TEAM NEWS by Greg D'Avis Ah, the holidays; the snow ... the bite in the air ... the giving feeling in the air ... and the Avs stinking it up. After putting together their best run of the year, and finally climbing above .500, the Avalanche promptly went in the tank, losing to the mighty Canucks and Sharks. Oh boy. And, just when it seemed like the injured list was slimming down, the boys went out and hurt themselves in new and exciting ways. After a successful road trip, with a sweep in New York and a loss (but a good loss!) to New Jersey, the Avs played in quite possibly the most boring hockey game ever, a 0-0 tie with the Blues. Quite a statement, but I stand by it. Everyone said, "Oh, boy, Roy and Fuhr were great," and sure they were, but it's not like they had competition. Pee-wee players go to the net more. By the end of this one, I was rooting for fights. Which came aplenty in the next game, as the Avalanche sent their legion of tough guys out to get pounded by Vancouver's legion of tougher guys. Scott Parker held his own against some enormous Canuck, but Warren Rychel's gone for a while with a broken hand after fighting Murray Baron, and Jeff Odgers was distinctly overmatched against Donald Brashear. In between, there was a hockey game, but Garth Snow was as close to spectacular as a Canuck goalie can be, a goofy shot went in off Greg deVries' skate, and the Avs lost when they should have won. As it was next game -- no one should EVER lose to the Sharks. Yet they did, in another ugly, ugly game. Eric Messier came back for this one to give the power play a much-needed boost, and promptly took a stick in the eye. He's out for another two months. Which leads us to: Injuries In addition to Rychel and Messier, the Avs got a scare when Joe Sakic went down with a bad shoulder against Vancouver. He should be back quick, though. Meanwhile, Adam Foote returned, to shore up the battered defense. Alexei Gusarov and Stephane Yelle should also appear soon. Of course, none of that addresses... Power Play Problems Simply put, it stinks. Sandis Ozolinsh (remember him?) was rumored to be on his way back, but talks have broken off again. Messier was supposed to help, but he's hurtin'. All this leaves the Avalanche with deVries and Cam Russell on the point quite a bit -- a sobering thought. Maybe help can be had from ... Recent Call-Ups To take the place of Sakic and Messier, the Avalanche recalled center Serge Aubin and defenseman Mike Gaul from Hershey. The ever-helpful Colorado media guide neglects to mention that these fellows exist, so I don't know anything, except by the names they both appear to be Francophones. ----------------------------------------------------------------- EDMONTON OILERS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ron Low Roster: C - Doug Weight Todd Marchant, Rem Murray, Boyd Devereux, Josef Beranek LW - Dean McAmmond, Mats Lindgren, Ryan Smyth, Fredrik Lindquist, Bill Huard. RW - Bill Guerin, Mike Grier, Andrei Kovalenko, Pat Falloon. D - Sean Brown, Roman Hamrlik, Craig Millar, Boris Mironov, Frank Musil, Janne Niinimaa, Tom Poti, Marty McSorley. G - Bob Essensa, Mikhail Shtalenkov. Injuries: Doug Weight, c (injured knee, six more weeks (like the All-Star break)). Transactions: Dec. 16 - Loaned Michel Riesen, rw, from Hamilton (AHL) to the Swiss National Junior Team for the World Junior Hockey Championships; re-assigned Kevin Brown, rw, to Hamilton. Game Results: 12/08 at Nashville T 3-3 12/09 at Chicago L 3-1 12/11 at Detroit L 3-2 12/13 at Philadelphia T 2-2 12/15 at Carolina L 3-0 12/18 at Tampa Bay W 4-1 12/19 at Florida L 3-1 TEAM NEWS by Aubrey Chau News and Stuff On Dec. 8, the Oilers embarked on their longest road trip of the season, a tour which was hosted by some of the league's most horrid teams. It was a stroll down Easy Street as the Oilers looked at the gimmes on this road trip. Let's count it up: Nashville, an expansion team, there should be two points. Chicago, a hurting team, with only Tony Amonte as a bright spot, another two points. Ok, then they hit Detroit and Philly, two of the top teams in the league, so forget them. Then it's through Carolina, Tampa and Florida. Carolina's a good team, but the Oilers can still beat them. But it's an easy four points from Tampa and Florida, no excuses. The Lightning is a team about as threatening as Emmanuel Lewis on crack. So guess how many points the Oilers walk out of the road trip from hell with? Four points, out of what should be an easy nine or 10 points. Sure there are several excuses we could look at like fatigue. The first five games of the road trip took place over an eight day period. So what ailed the Oilers on this fruitless road trip? Complacency? How about lack of offense? Or lack of finish. Take the first game for example against Nashville. The Oilers had a 3-1 lead over the Predators with 10 minutes left in the third period. But the Predators manage to storm right in and tie the game, leaving the Oil feeling like chumps. Then they go into Chicago and just plain play poorly, losing again to the once-proud Chicago Blackhawks. The loss to Detroit was a little easier to take, as the Wings are, after all, the presiding Stanley Cup Champions. Plus it was a decent, close game. A couple of brain cramps courtesy of Roman Hamrlik and Boris Mironov. The Oilers then hit a small bright spot, with a last-minute tie with the Flyers. With seven seconds remaining in the game, Mironov ripped a shot past John Vanbiesbrouck to tie the game for the Oilers. It was their second point on the road trip and things were looking up. Until they hit Carolina, the team that draws roughly enough people for a game of bongles. The hot Hurricane blew the Oil out of town and their empty venue. Then it was a walk through sunny Florida, the Lightning and the Panthers. Now the Oilers faced the Lightning first. If the Oilers lost to Tampa, the league's worst team, the Oilers wouldn't be coming home. They'd block off the airport and wouldn't be allowed to return. That's just unacceptable, two losses in two weeks to the Tampa Bay Lightning is like asking for a whole world of hurt that nobody wants. Fortunately the Oilers won and exploded offensively with a whole four goals, the most during the road trip. Keep in mind that Tampa does suck. They then went to Florida and lost. Not for lack of effort though. They just couldn't score. Goal posts and missed empty nets were the story in Florida and pretty much sums up the whole road trip. It didn't help that Joe Beranek missed three games during the trip with a bum shoulder. That left the Oilers without their top two centremen. It also wasn't helping that the Oilers top three defencemen, Janne Niinimaa, Mironov and Hamrlik, were all struggling. All three are having trouble with their decision-making. Smyth breaks out? The only bright spot during the road trip was the Ryan Smyth goal. Smyth, who hasn't scored since October, scored his second goal of the season, lifting a tremendous monkey off his back. Smyth was showing signs of life again, on the fourth line. Coach Ron Low saw his effort and some of the results (goal posts etc.) so he moved Smyth up to the first line, on the left side of Beranek and Billy the Butcher Guerin. How long is the Weight? It looks like the Oilers' struggling offense will have to do without Doug Weight for another month or so. Until about the All-Star break. The power play is atrocious. At one point during the road trip, the Oilers went 0 for 27 on power-play chances. They're going to have to do better than that if they expect to conquer the Northwest Conference. They're now one game under .500 and the Colorado Avalanche are breathing down their necks. ----------------------------------------------------------------- VANCOUVER CANUCKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mike Keenan ROSTER: C - Mark Messier, Peter Zezel, Dave Scatchard, Harry York, Matt Cooke. LW - Todd Bertuzzi, Brad May, Markus Naslund, Donald Brashear, Bert Robertsson, Chris McAllister. RW - Alexander Mogilny, Bill Muckalt, Trent Klatt, Steve Staios. D - Adrian Aucoin, Murray Baron, Bret Hedican, Jamie Huscroft, Bryan McCabe, Dana Murzyn, Mattias Ohlund, Jason Strudwick. G - Garth Snow, Corey Hirsch. INJURIES: Todd Bertuzzi, lw (broken tibia, 1-2 more weeks); Alexander Mogilny, rw (strained knee, 1-2 more weeks). TRANSACTIONS: Claimed Harry York, c, off waivers from Pittsburgh. GAME RESULTS: 12/09 Anaheim T 4-4 12/12 Los Angeles L 3-0 12/17 Colorado W 2-1 12/19 Nashville L 6-4 TEAM NEWS by Jeff Dubois 'Twas the night before Christmas and oh, what a bore, The 'Nucks trailed five hundred by one game times four. The stockings were hung by the locker stalls grey In hopes of a cure for their lackluster play. The team now in bed after teeth were done brushin' Dreamt hopeful for a Slovak or Finn for their Russian, And Mess in his flannel, Coach Mike in his cap Had settled to ponder the neutral zone trap. When all of a sudden there appeared such a Klatt...er But he couldn't solve all things that were the matter. Away to the minors flew summons obtuse But could the help needed come from Syracuse? The number of pucks being shot at poor Snow Meant little chance to the All-Star game he'd go. Solutions to stop the poor D would be nice - A miniature net? Eight men on the ice? When my eyes caught a glimpse of the GM named Burke Who'd surely make everyone put in hard work. More rapid than Red Wings his orders they came He shouted that no one would cruise for a game. "Now, Pavel, now, Bryan, come play for our team For without you the cup is no more than a dream!" But Bryan wanted dough to buy more than a blender, and Pav wanted only an East Coast contender. Burke's task it was known was most certainly tough: Get rid of the rocket in a deal up to snuff. With trade bait he left for the Atlantic Ocean Where five teams he said had pledged their devotion. And then us Vancouverites read in the sports That he'd received offers for deals of all sorts - Both the Rangers and Isles Bure did seek; Burke shrugged it off. Said it would take him a week. From media critics a dressing down he received His delay in this deal just could not be believed! "The bundle of points now lost is quite shockin'", Says LCS Hockey psychic friend, Christopher Walken. "The team's goin' nowhere, it's really quite scary - A couple more forwards and we could be merry. If only the Rangers would trade us for Bure and forget about grabbing that whiny girl Fleury," Christopher stated, and he knows of such things For he's been in movies like "Suicide Kings". If Burke can't pull this off like a good trading pimp We'll have to replace him with Zippy the Chimp. So please, Mr. Burke, put your nose to grindstone And give us fans reason to cheer rather than groan. Naslund and York are doing well, it is true But along with ol' Mess they're but a select few. So proclaim as we sit down to our Christmas feast, "Merry Christmas, Pavel. I've traded your ass back East!" ================================================================ ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE PACIFIC DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Craig Hartsburg ROSTER: C - Matt Cullen, Travis Green, Josef Marha, Steve Rucchin, Marty McInnis. LW - Johan Davidsson, Ted Drury, Stu Grimson, Paul Kariya, Jim McKenzie. RW - Antti Aalto, Jeff Nielsen, Tomas Sandstrom, Teemu Selanne. D - Mike Crowley, Kevin Haller, Jason Marshall, Frederik Olausson, Jamie Pushor, Ruslan Salei, Pascal Trepanier, Pavel Trnka. G - Guy Hebert, Dominic Roussel. INJURIES: Jason Marshall, d (torn left hamstring 12/18, week-to-week); Marty McInnis, lw (fractured cheekbone 12/16, playing with shield); Tomas Sandstrom, rw (fractured left wrist 11/08, out until January). TRANSACTIONS: 12/10 - Traded Drew Bannister, d, to Tampa Bay for a fifth round draft pick in 2000. GAME RESULTS: 12/09 Vancouver T 4-4 12/11 Washington W 1-0 12/13 Los Angeles W 3-0 12/16 Nashville W 6-1 12/18 NY Islanders T 2-2 12/21 Colorado L 4-2 12/22 at Colorado W 1-0 TEAM NEWS by Alex Carswell HOME COOKING When last we met, Teemu Selanne was on the sidelines and the Ducks were heading home. And whether it was the vittles grilled up by wives, girlfriends or favorite local eateries, home cooking certainly lit a fire under the Ducks. The gritty, boring 2-1 road win over San Jose -- achieved once again without Selanne, who was home resting his gimpy thigh -- sent Anaheim back to The Pond with a better taste in their mouths than the rest of their disastrous trip (1-4-1) would have. Which was good, considering the six-game home stand provided an opportunity to forget about their stay in the wasted-days inns of the roadie. And forget they did. In truth, Selanne wasn't just resting; he was undergoing two days of intense physical therapy that he felt transformed him from a skating "cow" back into "a stallion." Whatever, he's been scoring like a stud ever since. After being reunited with his top-line mates (Steve Rucchin and Paul Kariya) for the tilt against Vancouver, all three began a gradual climb to the heights of play to which Anaheim fans have become accustomed over the past few seasons. During the home stand, in which the Ducks went 3-1-2, the trio accounted for nine goals (six by Selanne) and 16 assists (10 by Kariya). Guy Hebert -- ever the backbone of this team -- also continued to shine, with one exception (see below). Gebo was on the verge of racking up three straight shutouts when former Duck Denny Lambert scored with four minutes remaining in the 6-1 win over Nashville. Coming off whitewashes of Washington and LA, Hebert nonetheless established a new personal-best scoreless streak of 191 minutes 47 seconds. The Caps/Kings combo also represented the first career consecutive shutouts for the pride of Troy, NY. HOME MOVIES Beyond the re-emergence of the Finnish Flash & Friends, the home stand provided a broad spectrum of ups and downs. The team blew a pair of two-goal leads in letting Vancouver salvage a tie; avenged their season-opening 1-0 loss to former coach Ron Wilson's currently god-awful Capitals with a 1-0 triumph of their own; faced the Kings, with captain Rob Blake under suspension, and played a game that was actually entertaining, as opposed to the slugfest that usually results when cross-town worlds collide; demolished hapless Nashville; and engaged in a war on (fists) and off (words) the ice with hothead Mike Milbury and his New York Islanders. Then came the home-and-home with Colorado, a series that looked to be a character-shaper for the hot-and-cold Ducks. The games taking place on consecutive nights were pivotal pre-holiday tilts for both teams. Colorado had come in a game below .500, missing Joe Sakic, and winless in four straight; the Ducks, a game above .500 and looking to assert themselves against one of the league's premier teams. As it turned out, the familiar patterns of late would amount to nothing, as the visitors won both halves. Game one, a fight-filled battle at The Pond, uncharacteristically saw Patrick Roy and Guy Hebert both surrender soft goals. But Hebert gave up two, and the second -- coming after the Ducks had peppered Roy for several minutes -- was a back-breaker. For his part, Roy was roving more than Bill Clinton's eye, and perhaps the President is a good comparison to make for Patty: Both men are extremely good at their jobs, but their self-destructive personal behavior is hard to understand. Having given up a bad opening goal and trailing 2-1 midway through the game, Roy got his stick up on Paul Kariya. When called by referee Mick McGeough, he threw a hissy fit and had two more tacked on. But the Comeback Kid held tough, and when Anaheim couldn't score on the extended power play, the momentum had shifted for good. ROY-DNEY AND THE DOMINATOR Forget Clinton, call him ROY-dney Dangerfield: With the score tied 2-2 and the Avs on a two-man advantage, Colorado coach Bob Hartley pulled Roy as a delay tactic to rest his players. Craig Billington came on, played 1:52, faced no shots...and got the win because the Avs notched the winning goal while he was in net. Talk about no respect. The rare poor performance by Hebert -- who nonetheless made many good saves along the way -- gave Craig Hartsburg the opening he needed to rest his ace and give backup Dominic Roussel a whirl. After not having played in over a month, Roussel dominated the Avs as thoroughly as they dominated the Ducks. He made 45 saves, several spectacular, in a 1-0 shutout that was his first NHL win since, get this, March 22, 1996. And the goal that made the difference? It was Jeff Nielsen's first of the year, came courtesy of a blind clearing pass from Roy to, well, to Nielsen. Again, the roaming Roy did himself in as the Ducks winger fired into the unguarded net. Given that game two also had its share of fractious behavior by both teams, I'd pay to see the return of this road show, which -- thanks to the schedule-maker -- will put on a repeat performance with a home-and-home on consecutive nights in late January, the only other times these teams will meet in the regular season. FEAST OR FAMINE The game at Colorado was the first of six on the road for Anaheim. So far, it's been feast or famine with this team: They win at home and lose on the road. On paper, this trip looks a hair tougher than the last one, what with Cujo and the real Dominator standing in the way of at least two wins. But, hey, they already got over on Roy, so who's to say what's possible with this bunch? ----------------------------------------------------------------- DALLAS STARS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head coach: Ken Hitchcock Roster: C-Mike Modano, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk, Tony Hrkac, Brian Skrudland. LW- Jamie Langenbrunner, Jason Botterill, Dave Reid, Brent Severyn, Jere Lehtinen, Dan Keczmer. RW- Brett Hull, Mike Keane, Grant Marshall, Pat Verbeek. D-Derian Hatcher, Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Shawn Chambers, Richard Matvichuk, Sergei Zubov, Sergei Gusev. G-Ed Belfour, Roman Turek. Injuries: Brent Severyn, lw (back strain, 2-4 weeks). Transactions: Placed Brent Severyn, lw, on injured reserve. Game Results: 12/07 at Calgary W 3-2 12/09 San Jose T 3-3 12/11 Montreal W 3-2 12/13 at Chicago T 2-2 12/15 St. Louis W 7-3 12/18 at Detroit W 3-1 12/20 at Ottawa W 3-2 Team News by Jim Panenka, Dallas Correspondent Turn and Burn There was a very important game played in Detroit recently. The two-time champ Red Wings were beaten - solidly - by a team that had until very recently suffered a major lack of confidence when it came to playing Detroit. The date was Dec. 18, and the opponent was none other than the Dallas Stars. The final score was 3-1, in Dallas' favor. The reason why it was so important was that it very well might have been a preview of the Western Conference finals, only this time the story has a better ending for Dallas. It was the third straight time this season Dallas had beaten Detroit, and it was the second time at Joe Louis Arena. Anyone familiar with modern hockey can tell you that The Joe is one tough place to come away with two points from, unless your jersey happens to be red and white. The fact that the Stars can now beat Detroit consistently, while demonstrating a considerable amount of confidence, can only mean that Dallas has FINALLY turned the corner. They are the heir apparent. Sorry to those that may not agree, but Dallas is definitely now one of the favorites to take the cup this year. Deal with it. Gut Check is Passed All the questions of Dallas' early season inconsistency have been answered, and the Stars are just now hitting that optimal rhythm, cranking out one tenacious win after the other. But, it took one serious gut check by the entire team to get back on track. It was a gut check some were doubtful they could pull off. Good things have happened since the 4-1 loss to Vancouver on 12/4. The next game, a 6-2 win over Edmonton, could be considered an aberration since the Stars got to the Oilers goaltender early, and chased him out of the net. But, the 3- 2 win over Calgary on 12/7 marked one of the first true turnaround games for Dallas. The Flames had taken the early 1-0 lead, and had the Stars looking a little slow and disinterested at first. It could have been one of those games that ended up being a 2-1 loss for Dallas, one where their lack of a full 60-minute effort was brought up. But then the explosion came. Calgary took four penalties in the first period, the last one carried over to the start of the second. This penalty was a definite change in momentum, in Dallas favor, and opened up what would be a three-goal explosion for the Stars in the second period. Mike Modano scored the first goal on the power play barely two minutes into the period, deftly converting a great hard- work pass from Mike Keane, after Keane received a beautiful outlet pass from defenseman Richard Matvichuk. Brian Skrudland was the benefactor of an ugly goal midway through the period, one courtesy of the tenacity and forecheck of the Skrudland-Carbonneau-Reid line. But the play that really got things going, and the same one that seemed to really turn the confidence of the Stars around, was the third goal, which was scored by Sergei Zubov. The fact that Zubov scored the goal by barely beating the buzzer on the LAST SECOND of the period was almost a non-issue. What really got to the Flames was that it was the result of a frustrating penalty Calgary felt was too severe. Mike Modano was high-sticked by Valeri Bure and left the ice for what looked like a broken nose, complete with teary eyes and swollen face. The initial assessment was a penalty shot, since Modano was taken off of a sure breakaway. Modano was in the dressing room for treatment, and had to be called out to take the penalty shot. This was the first penalty shot of Mighty Mo's career. Modano consulted the bench for the book on the Flames goalie- and the decision was to go five-hole. So, Mo took the puck at center ice, skated in tentatively, made a slight shoulder fake, and then lamely tried to stuff it five-hole. The goalie was all over it - Modano missed the shot. As a dejected Modano was skating to the bench cursing himself, everyone began looking up at the scoreboard and pointing - there was STILL a four-minute penalty showing up against the Flames! Whatever the weird-ass rules were, because Modano missed the penalty shot, the initial penalty that was to be assessed to Calgary stood up. And because it involved bloodshed, it was an automatic four minutes. Despite their protests, the Flames did not get the penalty reversed, and the back-breaking third goal was the result. The Flames did post a token second goal in the third period, but by then the Stars had soundly shut down any Flames comeback. Dallas won the game 3-2. The next three games saw the Stars continue in their winning ways, coming up with two ties and a win. The two ties were significant because during both games Dallas was forced to play catch-up hockey, and did so very well. The first tie was against San Jose, an opponent the Stars are all-too familiar with now that they are (for whatever lame- ass reasons) in the Pacific Division. Lemme see, a team in Texas, located in the Southwest region of the country, was placed in the Pacific division of the league. Yea, that makes sense! Thanks, Bettman. But anyway, Dallas and San Jose meet each other often this season, and Dallas had a 3-1-0 record for the previous four meetings. Each time these teams play, it is always a very tough, physical game. This could be a result of last year's playoffs, where Dallas disposed of the Sharks rather easily in the first round, despite Bryan "Puke" Marchment's kneeing injury to Joe Nieuwendyk. Don't get me started on THAT again! The main idea is there is some bad blood between these teams now. And this time, San Jose had Dallas down 3-1 in the first period. Jere Lehtinen answered the first goal by San Jose, but the Sharks had scored two more unanswered goals. The game could have easily ended up a 3-2 win for San Jose. Instead, the Stars' power play got busy! Darryl Sydor and Tony Hrkac each scored with the advantage, and brought things even at 3-3. The rest of the game was a furiously fought melee of roughhousing. Yep, I loves me some big words. There isn't much else to do while drinking your favorite bottle of Ripple and perusing the latest issue of Street Ho Magazine. So, I usually refer to the "Big-Ass Book of Big Words for Ignorant Sports Writers" Almanac, affectionately known as the BABOBWISW around the offices of LCS Hockey. Highly recommended reading! Oh yeah, the game. Um, neither team like scored or anything, so it ended in a tie or something. Jim Sobers Up The net result - (N-E-T, get it? That's a play on words. Woo, I kill myself. You know, hockey is like played with a net and all) -was that Dallas pretty much kept up the same recipe from that point forward. The Stars are unbeaten in their last eight games (6-0-2)! They got great play from their goaltenders. Roman Turek has been nearly perfect in his backup role so far this season (1.94 GAA, 4-0-2 record, .921 save percentage), and as stated last column, Eddie Belfour is the mission man since finding whatever competitive edge he had lost early on in the season. Eddie's stats aren't like super or anything (2.03 GAA, 15-5-3 record, .909 sv), but he keeps the team in the games during the important times, like a big-buck goalie is supposed to. The defense has been even stronger since the weak-side d-man has been given the green light by Hitchcock to press up into the play when a scoring chance presents itself. This usually means the d-man quietly sneaks into the slot when the forwards are cycling the puck down low, with the full attention of the opposing defense on the forwards. The d-man can then take a quick pass from any available forward and rip one on net. (A puck, ya dolt! Not anything related to bodily functions!) This one change alone was the main factor in captain Derian Hatcher's recent scoring explosion. Big Daddy Hatch now has six goals, six assists. The six goals already tie Big Hatch's entire goal production from last season. Looks like he might be a good candidate for the Norris, if he keeps this up. And, the Stars are getting balanced scoring from all their forwards, including both Modano's and Nieuwendyk's lines. While Jere Lehtinen may be the only Star to have broken the double-digits in goals (10-4-14), he is only one of 10 Dallas players with five or more goals. The main point is the offense is scoring at even strength, on the power play, shorthanded, and has now discovered the throttle. Lately the Stars have blown out several opponents, including a 7-3 win against St. Louis, a 6-2 win against Edmonton, and a 5-1 pounding of the Red Wings (HA! We got your number this time, Hockeytown!). Of course, coach Ken Hitchcock is all giddy again with his team. They are back on track, winning, and confident. Quite the combination, eh? "The difference in the last three to four weeks is one thing, and that is balance," Hitchcock said to explain the Stars' turnaround. "We're getting production from everybody. We're not sitting there relying on one line to score everything for us. That's a sign of a real good team." And, it's the sign of a real good team that only has one thing left to prove - win The Big Hardware. The Whole Enchilada. Hockey's Holy Grail. Aw, you know what I mean. Until then, sit back with your favorite bottle of Ripple and enjoy the show! Other Notes * Trade rumors abound lately in Big D. The Stars are looking for a left wing, the position they are sorely lacking in. In fact, Dallas converted defenseman Dan "Big Game" Keczmer into a left wing for just this reason. Ever since the departure of Greg Adams and Juha Lind (who they might try to get back next year), Dallas has been lacking on the left. Trouble is, who do you deal? Nobody wants to deal any of the good players, for obvious reasons. And, if it ain't broke - don't fix it. The Stars are still winning just fine with all the retooled players (Darryl Sydor even spends some time on the wing lately). * Derian Hatcher has been involved in two highlight reel-quality fights recently. The first came against St. Louis during the SWEEEET 7-3 thrashing of the Blues by the Stars. Big Hatch got the best of Kelly Chase, utilizing his gargantuan reach advantage to pummel the hapless pugilist into submission (BABOBWISW !!) and eventually pull his sweater over his head before the stripers got involved. The next fight recently came against Detroit, against Brendan Shanahan. Nice try, Shanny - but Hatcher threw as many wild rights as you did. This one was a draw, but both guys threw a serious number (at least 20-30 per side) of wild right-hand punches - most of them near-misses. But, it made for one hell of a good show! Looks like Hatcher is ready to fully take the helm, and pound any goon who gets in his way. Hatch will lead this team confidently into the playoffs, and will be heard from when the time calls for it! * Brett Hull has quietly(!!??!!) worked his way into the team, and has become a consistent player since recovering from the bruised kidney/groin pull injuries. Hully was misquoted regarding that whole ice time affair. The following clears that up a bit: "I thought it would be all emotional and stuff for me to leave (St. Louis). I thought it would be more difficult than it was, because I had been there for so long and I had so many friends there, but it hasn't been," Hull said. "It's been great. I started thinking about St. Louis and they told me they didn't want me anymore. That's fine, they didn't want me. Good, I moved on. They've really accepted me here. This team was getting this guy who has a reputation for bitching about everything and being a loud mouth. Right from Day 1 it's been good for me. They've welcomed me and I've fit right in." And, when asked about his linemates, Hull was complimentary. "(Modano) has got to be one of the top three players in the league. He's got it all: He can skate, shoot and score. Then I look on my other side and I've got the Selke Trophy winner (Lehtinen)," Hull says. "Is that great, or what?" And, about that ice-time thing: "I was misquoted. Hey, I'll stand behind all the things I say even if somebody thinks they're stupid, but that one was taken out of context," said Hull. "Reporters in Dallas just asked me how I felt about my ice time after I played 11 minutes in a game. I told them it was hard for me to do anything in 11 minutes, but I couldn't complain, I played 25 minutes the night before." (Quotes Courtesy of SLAM! Hockey) The sweet part is Hully finally got to show up the Blues. He and Nieuwendyk each scored two goals in the 7-3 thrashing of St. Louis by Dallas. This should put him fully with the Stars, and retire the St. Louis influence - finally. Brett has found his scoring touch (9-9-18), has meshed with the team, and is saying all the right things. Could it be he really will turn out to be the difference when it comes to winning the Cup? At least he's now in the right position to make it possible. * After a lengthy scoring drought, Pat Verbeek (7-4-11) has finally gotten back on the board. He credits the luck to lighter sticks. "I can really tell the difference," he told The Dallas Morning News. * Joe Nieuwendyk (9-12-21) was one of the main influences in getting the team turned around. As he always does, when some questioned his health following the return from both knee surgeries, Joe pulled up his laces and went to work - scoring several key goals lately (two goals vs. St. Louis, among others), and becoming a more vocal influence on his teammates. He was one of the only players that acknowledged the players slump, and challenged them to overcome it. Joe is the man. He's a great leader. * Mike Modano hasn't been that lucky. Although he leads the team in scoring (8-19-27) and is a plus-5, he has been hampered by attention by the opposing team. Whenever Modano gets anywhere near the play, he usually has 2-3 grunts hanging all over him. While that's no way to rack up impressive individual numbers, it is a way to help the team win. It is turning out that Modano's presence on the ice is opening Hull up more, instead of the other way around. But Mighty Mo will find a way to start bagging more goals. He always does. * Jere Lehtinen still continues to be pretty much the best player on the team. While his numbers are less than most of the leaders (10-4-14), it is the timeliness of his points that are impressive. Lehtinen is always scoring at key times, when if he hadn't scored, the game would be in the toilet for the Stars. Besides his offensive flair, one can't forget Jere's incredible, unmatched work ethic and defensive talents. He is a better forward than most forwards, while being as good or better of a defenseman than many dedicated d-men. This guy IS worth several million a year, unlike many others out there (you know who you are!). * Dallas has been getting good production out of Jamie Langenbrunner, Tony Hrkac, Mike Keane, Grant Marshall, and Brian Skrudland lately. These are the guys who don't always show up on the score sheet, but always make good plays to one way or another benefit the team. Their general resurgence tends to reflect the team's efforts as a whole - things are getting much better. And they are definitely still looking up. * Defenseman Darryl Sydor is STILL second on the team in points (8-16-24) since exploding onto the scene early in the season. Syd has developed into one of the best mobile defensemen in the league. And he can play on the wing, if you need it! Another example of how the Stars have been winning-any way they can. Some Recent Lines: Hull-Modano-Lehtinen Verbeek-Nieuwendyk-Langenbrunner Keane-Hrkac-Marshall Skrudland-Carbonneau-Reid Hatcher-Matvichuk Sydor-Zubov Chambers-Ludwig PEACE-OUT ----------------------------------------------------------------- LOS ANGELES KINGS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Larry Robinson Roster: C - Jozef Stumpel, Olli Jokinen, Ian Laperriere, Ray Ferraro, Yanic Perreault. LW - Eric Lacroix, Steve McKenna, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Luc Robitaille, Craig Johnson, Josh Green. RW - Russ Courtnall, Nathan LaFayette, Glen Murray, Sandy Moger, Daniel Audette, Pavel Rosa. D - Garry Galley, Rob Blake, Sean O'Donnell, Doug Bodger, Mattias Norstrom, Steve Duchesne, Philippe Boucher. G - Stephane Fiset, Jamie Storr, Manny Legace. Injuries: Steve McKenna, lw (abdominal strain, day-to-day). Sandy Moger, rw (back strain, day-to-day); Geoff Courtnall, rw (broken ankle, 2-4 weeks); Eric Lacroix, lw (broken clavicle, a while); Stephane Fiset, g (pulled groin, day-to-day). Transactions: Acquired Donald Audette, rw, from Buffalo in exchange for a second-round draft pick; recalled Pavel Rosa, rw, from Long Beach (IHL); recalled Manny Legace, g, from Long Beach. Game Results 12/09 Washington W 2-1 12/12 Vancouver W 3-0 12/13 at Anaheim L 3-0 12/17 Islanders L 5-4 12/19 at St. Louis L 5-2 12/20 at Chicago W 4-1 Team News by Matthew Moore So when is going .500 good? When you are the Kings it is. Coming off a horrendous losing stretch where they fell to having the second worst record in the league and wins are good wins. But no matter how good they play, the Kings must find a way to make it tough to be a fan. Take Rob Blake. He comes back from a broken foot to play in the Canucks game. He can't even finish the game because he decided to slash Harry York. A major and a game misconduct followed as York went down like he had been shot. But what followed pissed off every Kings fan. Colin Campbell decided to treat it like a murder and suspended Blake for three games, two of which were losses. Now I could understand such punishment if Blake had gone up there and done a two-handed baseball swing and broken York's arm. But Blake had only done a little one-handed slash that bruised York's arm. York even played before Blake did. What is really frustrating about this was that Campbell made Blake look like he had killed JFK but didn't do anything about all the cheap shots that Yanic Perreault took from the Canucks. The guy couldn't move without getting punched in the back of the head. There were two newcomers to the Kings this past week. Pavel Rosa finally made his King debut, coming up from Long Beach. He quickly showed the scorer's touch that the Kings need, scoring two goals in his first game. And he had some pretty good chances to get that hat trick. The scary thing about him is that he plays like a young Luc Robitaille. He's not the greatest skater, but he somehow finds a way to get his stick on the puck near the net. Also playing for the Kings this week was the recently acquired Donald Audette, who came over from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a second-round draft pick. The Kings then signed him to a two-year deal. He paid off in his first game as a King, scoring a goal. Admittedly it was a fluke goal, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Luc Robitaille is rapidly approaching his 500th goal with 494 as I write this. He is having his best season in several years, having gone on a recent goal-scoring streak, and has been most of the Kings offense this season. Plus he seems to be a natural fit with Pavel Rosa, so expect both players to have good seasons as a result. Goaltender Stephane Fiset injured his groin again. This is starting to turn into a lost season for Fiset, and I wonder if he will be able to avoid injury for the rest of the season. Jamie Storr is filling in and causing anxiety as a result. Storr has looked pretty shaky in most of his recent games, allowing in some pretty weak goals, since I was always taught that if the goaltender touches it, the he should have saved it. Three of the goals against the Islanders were pretty sad and that turned out to be the difference in the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PHOENIX COYOTES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld Roster: C - Jeremy Roenick, Bob Corkum, Mike Stapleton, Juha Ylonen, Daniel Briere. LW - Keith Tkachuk, Greg Adams, Jim Cummins, Mike Sullivan, Louie DeBrusk. RW - Rick Tocchet, Dallas Drake, Brad Isbister, Shane Doan. D - Keith Carney, Gerald Diduck, Jyrki Lumme, Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky, Deron Quint. G - Nikolai Khabibulin, Jimmy Waite. Injuries: 12/17 - Mike Sullivan, lw (broken toe, indefinite). Transactions: 12/19 - Recalled Louie DeBrusk, lw, from Las Vegas (IHL); 12/19 - Bryan Helmer, d, claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Blues. GAME RESULTS 12/09 Montreal W 4-2 12/12 at Ottawa W 2-0 12/14 at Montreal T 2-2 12/16 at Toronto L 5-2 12/17 at St. Louis L 3-2 12/20 NY Islanders W 4-2 TEAM NEWS by Bob Chebat Phoenix continues to trudge through the month of December with a long and grueling road trip that seems to be catching up with them. Since Nov. 28, the Coyotes have played eight games on the road and only two at home. During that span they have compiled a record of 5-3-2, with a season high three-game winless streak (0-2-1) over the last three games. Phoenix enjoyed its one game at home on Sunday the 20th, with a victory over the New York Islanders, before heading back to the road against Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles later this week. Juha Ylonen grabbed his second goal of the season against the Islanders, doubling his output of a season ago. Ylonen has been trading the second-line center position on the Coyotes with Daniel Briere since Cliff Ronning was traded on Oct. 31. Teaming up with the suddenly red-hot Greg Adams and Rick Tocchet has been a big plus for Ylonen so far this season. The Finnish center, now in his second full season with the team, is one of the hardest working forwards on the ice, each and every shift. Left wing Keith Tkachuk re-aggravated his groin in the game against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday the 14th, and missed two games. Tkachuk returned to the lineup on Sunday the 20th against the Islanders and scored the game winner while the Coyotes were on the power play. Mike Sullivan has been sidelined with a broken toe and is currently listed as day-to-day. Dallas Drake has been playing on a fractured ankle. In other news, the Scottsdale City Council narrowly approved the formation of a Stadium District on Dec. 17, which will allow the Coyotes to move forward on plans for a new stadium in south Scottsdale. The team is not out of the woods yet, though. Local residents are attempting to block the formation of the district and remove the council members from office who approved the district, saying that they are not thinking in the best interests of the citizens in the area. In May of 1999, the taxpayers will be asked on the ballot whether or not to allow the parties involved in the project to recapture state sales taxes to help fund the project. If the vote goes through, the Coyotes and the Ellman companies will begin construction immediately on the 20,000 seat facility surrounded by shopping, parks and movie theaters. This is a plan to revitalize the south side of Scottsdale as well as give the Coyotes a permanent hockey home in the Phoenix area. Happy Holidays to everyone, see you next year. Peace to all. ----------------------------------------------------------------- SAN JOSE SHARKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Darryl Sutter roster: C - Patrick Marleau, Marco Sturm, Mike Ricci, Tony Granato, Ron Sutter. LW - Murray Craven, Stephane Matteau, Dave Lowry, Jeff Friesen, Alexander Korolyuk. RW - Ron Stern, Owen Nolan, Joe Murphy. D - Bryan Marchment, Bill Houlder, Marcus Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje, Bob Rouse, Jeff Norton, Brantt Myhres. G - Mike Vernon, Steve Shields. injuries: Gary Suter, d (tricep, rest of season). transactions: Recalled Brantt Myhres, d, and Alexander Korolyuk, lw, from Kentucky (AHL). Sent Stephen Goulla and Jarold Skalde to Kentucky. game results: 12/09 Dallas T 3-3 12/10 Nashville L 2-1 12/12 Washington W 2-1 12/15 NY Islanders L 2-1 12/17 Nashville W 3-1 12/19 Colorado W 2-1 team news by Al Swanson Your humble reporter has followed the Fab Fins for five long years now. He was there for the glorious win in the playoffs over Detroit. He was there for the Detroit destruction of SJ the next year. He watched Al Sims (who?) as he coached the Sharks into the basement of the NHL. And he's been there ever since. (And so have they!) But he never lost hope. Oh, sure. He got negative. A bit angry. Pessimistic, even. But hopeful nonetheless. Last year, under new head coach Darryl Sutter, he once again experienced the joy and crushing disappointment that was the playoffs. And yet he grew more hopeful. Hopeful that the new year -- this year -- would bring greater glory to the Sharks. A return to the playoffs with a stronger team after having played a better season. He saw the sun of a .500 season dawning over the mountains of mediocrity that the Sharks had been mired behind for three years. Oh, how soon those storm clouds came. The team that, on paper anyway, looked so strong is turning out to be something less than the sum of its parts. True, they have put together a three of four home stand, but they should have beat the teams they faced. It's the Dallas' and the Detroit's they need to win against. Mike Vernon and Steve Shields have been outstanding in goal. The defense on most nights is up to the task. They have allowed four goals or more only five times this year and three goals only six times. That means that 20-plus games the D allowed two or fewer goals. Excellent work. Offense is another story. Only nine of the 30 games have had the Sharks see the back of the net three times or more. And therein lies the problem. Sutter has instilled a d-first mentality that is working. But no one's scoring. Nolan has three. He is expected to put in 30 or more. Friesen has nine. He's looked to for more like 30 also. Murphy has five. He's another the Sharks are expecting 25 or so from. Marleau, Sturm and Zyuzin have a grand total of 12. These sophomores are the 'next wave' of Sharks players and the management is expecting a lot from them this year. No one has double digits. The trade freeze for the holidays is in effect, but a word of advice to Deano: Pick it up now and talk to someone, anyone, and get some scoring. The sellout streak is gone (only four this year) and the fans are restless. Remember, the Clash play in San Jose, too. And soccer's an up and coming sport! Predictions: With the new year will come a new teal threat. Or at least a dozen new rumours. Look for the Sharks to start to put more emphasis on the goal production, though. Sutter has got to let his forwards play more O if he wants to see W's. Not to mention seeing the game from the bench instead of the seats. Pluses: Owen Nolan scoring? Too true. Nolan had four points in three games, feeding Mr. Freeze for both his Caps goals and putting in a couple himself. He's on track for...well...about 11 goals. Mike Vernon. Assistant coach Bernie Nicholls says Vernie's been the best player on the team for the two years he's played here and he may be right. Vernon has allowed one goal in each of the last four starts. Vernon has been a slow starter, but if the last home stand is any indication, he's going now. Minuses: Stephane Matteau and Murray Craven. Each have one goal this year. These chip-in players are the guys that the team calls 'glue' players. They hold the team together. At best, they are 'filler' players right now. Simply filling roster spots. The only pluses here is each has seven helpers, just one less than Nolan. Assume the Position: Brantt Myhres has returned to the land of the sober. Sobering punches, that is. In his first game back, he thrashed the crap outta Washington's Witt and won the first clear decision for SJ this year. For added measure, he then sent a very willing Peter Bondra to the dressing room for the remainder of the game following a third period bout. SJ fans welcome Brantt with open arms and clenched fists. He added a couple more wins this week and is thinking about a Tyson bout later next year... Game Highlights: There aren't many, but we can look at the tie in Dallas. The Fish had built a commanding 3-1 lead by the end of the first and looked to extend it into the second. But as happens often to SJ, the team forgot to leave the dressing room and so, by the next intermission, was tied 3-3. The third was memorable only for an 11- minute span that went without a whistle. Both teams kept up the shots, though, with a total of 17. Overtime saw two Dallas shots go wide as the boys in teal hung on for a 3-3 tie. The Nashville games split with the first going to Nashville (their second Shark killing this year) and the last to San Jose. The first game saw Nolan ejected for instigating and Sutter saying that no one is willing to pay the price to get the goals. Big surprise. Look in during any SJ game for the garbage collector. Sure, you'll see Ricci in front of the net, but don't blink or you'll miss anyone else. The second game was a matter of just holding on. San Jose got the two-goal lead early and allowed only one Predator goal. Craven, Matteau and Sturm all got in on the scoring as the Sharks put together only the second win in nine games. The Islanders game is notable only for it's lack of same. Many would say it was the most boring game they have ever watched. New York came in on a slump and like so many slumping teams, left San Jose on a win. The Washington and Av games were a little more exciting. Of course, it doesn't hurt when SJ is winning. Washington marked the debut for Myhres, the Sharks acknowledged enforcer. And he did enforce. Down went Witt. Out went Bondra. And HOWL went Myhres. Brannt likes to howl a bit on his way to the box. And San Jose is howling with him. The Avs came in almost empty. Forsberg was the lone player of note not injured. Billington played in goal and stopped 30 of 32 San Jose shots. Mike Vernon was spectacular in goal, stopping 17 of 18 Colorado shots. The real story here was the final fury with SJ down by two men at the end of the third and Vernon stopping everything the six shooters could throw at him. Too bad he can't score. ================================================================ NEXT ISSUE: Wednesday, January 6, 1999. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Player Stats (thru December 20) ----------------------------------------------------------------- TEAM P NO PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG ANA L 9 Kariya, Paul 30 14 26 40 3 26 5 1 0 0 172 8.1 ANA R 8 Selanne, Teemu 23 12 17 29 -1 8 3 0 2 1 78 15.4 ANA C 20 Rucchin, Steve 30 9 19 28 1 16 3 0 1 1 71 12.7 ANA C 16 McInnis, Marty 30 9 13 22 -2 24 5 0 4 0 55 16.4 ANA D 2 Olausson, Fredrik 24 3 9 12 7 8 2 0 0 0 32 9.4 ANA C 39 Green, Travis 27 6 5 11 1 20 2 1 0 0 66 9.1 ANA R 17 Sandstrom, Tomas R 12 5 2 7 0 14 3 0 1 0 30 16.7 ANA C 22 *Davidsson, Johan 29 3 4 7 -2 8 1 0 1 0 30 10.0 ANA C 14 *Aalto, Antti 28 3 3 6 -3 8 2 0 0 0 27 11.1 ANA D 24 Salei, Ruslan 24 1 5 6 0 14 1 0 0 0 54 1.9 ANA D 25 *Crowley, Mike 19 2 3 5 -7 14 1 0 1 0 38 5.3 ANA C 11 Cullen, Matt 24 1 4 5 -2 16 1 0 0 0 34 2.9 ANA L 33 McKenzie, Jim 28 2 2 4 -12 30 1 0 1 0 27 7.4 ANA L 32 Grimson, Stu 30 3 0 3 4 64 0 0 1 0 7 42.9 ANA D 23 Marshall, Jason 30 0 3 3 -2 49 0 0 0 0 23 0.0 ANA D 4 Pushor, Jamie 30 1 1 2 -4 43 0 0 0 0 36 2.8 ANA D 7 Trnka, Pavel 21 0 2 2 2 20 0 0 0 0 25 0.0 ANA C 18 Drury, Ted 24 0 2 2 1 10 0 0 0 0 13 0.0 ANA C 10 Marha, Josef 7 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 0 0 12 0.0 ANA R 19 Nielsen, Jeff 29 0 1 1 -7 13 0 0 0 0 37 0.0 ANA D 5 Haller, Kevin 30 0 1 1 -3 38 0 0 0 0 31 0.0 ANA L 12 *LeClerc, Mike M 2 0 0 0 -1 4 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 ANA D 27 *Trepanier, Pascal 15 0 0 0 -2 20 0 0 0 0 13 0.0 BOS L 12 Khristich, Dmitri 28 14 20 34 5 20 8 1 3 1 51 27.5 BOS L 14 Samsonov, Sergei 29 11 17 28 -1 4 4 0 5 1 56 19.6 BOS C 41 Allison, Jason 29 8 18 26 -2 18 2 1 1 0 60 13.3 BOS D 77 Bourque, Ray 29 3 16 19 4 18 2 0 2 0 90 3.3 BOS D 20 Van Impe, Darren 25 5 9 14 3 32 4 0 0 0 47 10.6 BOS R 23 Heinze, Steve 28 8 4 12 -5 14 3 0 1 0 67 11.9 BOS C 33 Carter, Anson 17 4 6 10 5 8 1 0 0 0 27 14.8 BOS C 6 Thornton, Joe 29 3 7 10 2 21 2 0 0 0 32 9.4 BOS C 19 DiMaio, Rob 26 1 8 9 1 50 0 0 0 0 30 3.3 BOS L 11 Axelsson, P.J. 25 4 3 7 0 6 0 0 0 0 40 10.0 BOS C 38 Taylor, Chris 27 2 5 7 3 8 0 1 0 0 41 4.9 BOS D 32 Sweeney, Don 29 1 6 7 0 32 0 0 0 0 21 4.8 BOS C 42 Ferraro, Peter 20 4 2 6 6 30 1 0 1 0 22 18.2 BOS D 36 Ledyard, Grant 22 2 4 6 0 23 1 0 0 0 27 7.4 BOS D 25 Gill, Hal 29 1 3 4 5 20 0 0 0 0 32 3.1 BOS C 17 *Bates, Shawn 8 2 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 9 22.2 BOS D 44 Ellett, Dave 22 0 3 3 5 6 0 0 0 0 23 0.0 BOS D 18 McLaren, Kyle 14 2 0 2 -3 13 1 0 0 0 31 6.5 BOS L 16 Belanger, Ken 20 1 1 2 -1 97 0 0 0 0 6 16.7 BOS L 57 *Laaksonen, Antti M 6 1 0 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 5 20.0 BOS C 26 Taylor, Tim 7 1 0 1 1 8 0 0 1 0 5 20.0 BOS L 22 Baumgartner, Ken 29 1 0 1 0 63 0 0 0 1 5 20.0 BOS C 56 *Nordstrom, Peter M 2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 BOS D 29 Vaske, Dennis M 3 0 0 0 -3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 BOS D 55 *Girard, Jonathan R 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 BOS L 51 *Henderson, Jay M 4 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 BOS C 61 *Mathieu, Marquis M 7 0 0 0 -1 8 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 BUF L 18 Grosek, Michal 27 9 12 21 11 65 1 0 1 0 55 16.4 BUF C 37 Brown, Curtis 26 9 11 20 15 26 2 1 2 2 52 17.3 BUF R 15 Ward, Dixon 26 11 8 19 9 16 0 1 3 0 30 36.7 BUF L 81 Satan, Miroslav 26 7 12 19 9 14 3 0 0 0 58 12.1 BUF C 27 Peca, Michael 27 7 9 16 6 30 2 0 3 0 64 10.9 BUF C 19 Holzinger, Brian 27 10 5 15 9 17 4 0 1 0 48 20.8 BUF L 80 Sanderson, Geoff 27 8 7 15 6 8 1 0 1 0 49 16.3 BUF D 5 Woolley, Jason 27 2 12 14 12 30 1 0 1 0 66 3.0 BUF R 36 Barnaby, Matthew 21 3 10 13 2 62 0 0 2 0 26 11.5 BUF R 25 Varada, Vaclav 27 3 9 12 6 22 1 0 1 0 41 7.3 BUF D 44 Zhitnik, Alexei 26 4 7 11 2 40 1 1 1 0 56 7.1 BUF D 8 Shannon, Darryl 27 2 7 9 18 16 1 0 0 0 33 6.1 BUF D 42 Smehlik, Richard 19 0 7 7 1 20 0 0 0 0 16 0.0 BUF D 74 McKee, Jay 26 0 6 6 13 42 0 0 0 0 24 0.0 BUF C 26 Plante, Derek 17 1 4 5 3 6 0 0 0 0 30 3.3 BUF C 9 *Rasmussen, Erik 13 1 3 4 7 19 0 0 0 0 12 8.3 BUF C 22 Primeau, Wayne 16 2 1 3 -1 9 0 0 0 0 13 15.4 BUF D 3 Patrick, James 21 0 2 2 7 8 0 0 0 0 13 0.0 BUF R 32 Ray, Rob 23 0 2 2 1 88 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 BUF D 21 Hurlbut, Mike M 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 BUF C 83 *Pittis *MNR* 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 BUF D 29 *Holland, Jason M 3 0 0 0 -1 8 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 BUF D 4 Wilson, Mike 5 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 BUF L 17 Cunneyworth, Randy M 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 BUF L 24 Kruse, Paul R 12 0 0 0 0 52 0 0 0 0 7 0.0 CGY R 14 Fleury, Theo 31 17 18 35 9 42 5 1 2 0 136 12.5 CGY C 16 Stillman, Cory 30 12 10 22 4 20 5 0 3 1 70 17.1 CGY C 21 Cassels, Andrew 31 7 15 22 4 12 3 0 2 0 43 16.3 CGY R 8 Bure, Valeri 31 8 13 21 2 8 1 0 0 0 77 10.4 CGY R 12 Iginla, Jarome 31 11 9 20 1 26 4 0 0 0 59 18.6 CGY D 6 Housley, Phil 31 2 18 20 7 18 1 0 0 0 74 2.7 CGY D 53 Morris, Derek 31 5 13 18 8 45 2 0 2 0 69 7.2 CGY C 11 Shantz, Jeff 29 7 5 12 3 18 1 0 1 0 26 26.9 CGY C 24 Wiemer, Jason 31 3 9 12 -2 92 0 0 0 0 57 5.3 CGY D 55 Smith, Steve 30 1 7 8 6 38 0 0 0 0 15 6.7 CGY C 23 *Wilm, Clarke 29 3 4 7 4 21 0 1 0 0 29 10.3 CGY C 18 Dubinsky, Steve 23 3 2 5 -2 4 0 2 0 0 24 12.5 CGY C 25 Roche, Dave 22 2 3 5 2 27 1 0 2 0 17 11.8 CGY D 27 Simpson, Todd 31 1 3 4 6 65 0 0 0 0 18 5.6 CGY R 42 Ward, Ed 28 3 0 3 3 30 0 0 0 0 25 12.0 CGY R 33 Pankewicz, Greg 16 0 3 3 1 8 0 0 0 0 7 0.0 CGY D 5 Albelin, Tommy 19 0 3 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 8 0.0 CGY C 15 *St. Louis, Martin M 13 1 1 2 -2 10 0 0 0 0 14 7.1 CGY D 32 Hulse, Cale 29 1 1 2 -5 65 0 0 0 0 24 4.2 CGY C 26 Nylander, Mikael 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 CGY C 28 Bassen, Bob 8 0 1 1 -1 4 0 0 0 0 9 0.0 CGY C 44 *Fata, Rico M 20 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 13 0.0 CGY D 38 Charron, Eric M 3 0 0 0 -1 4 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 CGY D 4 *Helenius, Sami M 4 0 0 0 -2 8 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 CGY D 3 *Gauthier, Denis 8 0 0 0 1 11 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 CAR C 55 Primeau, Keith 32 16 11 27 4 35 6 0 4 0 71 22.5 CAR R 26 Sheppard, Ray 32 13 14 27 3 4 3 0 2 0 83 15.7 CAR L 10 Roberts, Gary 28 5 17 22 3 59 0 0 1 0 47 10.6 CAR L 24 Kapanen, Sami 31 7 14 21 3 2 1 0 4 0 77 9.1 CAR R 19 Emerson, Nelson 32 7 12 19 3 36 2 0 0 1 78 9.0 CAR C 92 O'Neill, Jeff 32 8 7 15 2 27 2 0 0 0 58 13.8 CAR C 21 Francis, Ron 32 6 8 14 -7 10 2 0 0 0 38 15.8 CAR L 18 Kron, Robert 31 4 5 9 -1 4 2 1 0 0 51 7.8 CAR D 3 Chiasson, Steve 24 1 8 9 6 12 1 0 0 0 65 1.5 CAR D 2 Wesley, Glen 32 1 8 9 7 10 0 0 1 0 46 2.2 CAR R 11 Dineen, Kevin 28 5 3 8 7 38 0 0 1 0 31 16.1 CAR L 44 Manderville, Kent 31 3 5 8 7 12 0 0 0 0 27 11.1 CAR L 23 Gelinas, Martin 30 5 2 7 -1 10 0 0 1 0 41 12.2 CAR L 28 Ranheim, Paul 28 1 5 6 0 4 0 0 0 0 18 5.6 CAR D 7 Leschyshyn, Curtis 28 1 5 6 1 36 0 0 0 0 14 7.1 CAR D 4 Pratt, Nolan 19 1 3 4 3 30 0 0 1 0 9 11.1 CAR L 13 Battaglia, Bates 17 0 4 4 5 6 0 0 0 0 9 0.0 CAR D 22 Hill, Sean 31 0 3 3 2 22 0 0 0 0 25 0.0 CAR D 33 Karpa, David R 21 0 2 2 1 32 0 0 0 0 12 0.0 CAR D 6 Burt, Adam 27 0 2 2 6 28 0 0 0 0 16 0.0 CAR D 5 Malik, Marek 3 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 CAR D 46 *Rucinski, Mike 7 0 0 0 -2 6 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 CHI R 10 Amonte, Tony 32 22 12 34 -6 24 9 1 3 0 107 20.6 CHI C 36 Zhamnov, Alex 31 8 19 27 -4 10 3 1 1 0 84 9.5 CHI C 93 Gilmour, Doug 32 3 18 21 -15 18 2 0 0 0 55 5.5 CHI D 7 Chelios, Chris 27 3 11 14 3 60 1 0 0 1 62 4.8 CHI L 55 Daze, Eric 29 9 4 13 -14 14 4 0 1 2 82 11.0 CHI C 15 Kilger, Chad 32 6 6 12 -3 22 1 1 1 0 34 17.6 CHI R 14 *Maneluk, Mike 26 4 7 11 5 12 0 0 0 0 36 11.1 CHI D 22 Manson, Dave 26 2 9 11 -4 68 2 0 0 0 48 4.2 CHI D 4 Zmolek, Doug 29 0 9 9 1 51 0 0 0 0 19 0.0 CHI L 19 Moreau, Ethan 32 5 3 8 -3 52 0 0 1 0 40 12.5 CHI L 25 *Cleary, Dan M 29 3 5 8 0 24 0 0 0 0 41 7.3 CHI C 16 Olczyk, Ed 16 2 3 5 -1 6 0 0 2 0 26 7.7 CHI C 26 *White, Todd M 8 1 3 4 0 6 1 0 0 0 8 12.5 CHI L 24 Probert, Bob 28 1 3 4 -10 85 0 0 0 0 35 2.9 CHI D 3 Laflamme, Christian M 28 1 2 3 -8 40 0 0 0 0 23 4.3 CHI D 2 *Brown, Brad 18 0 2 2 0 47 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 CHI L 33 Simpson, Reid 22 0 2 2 0 60 0 0 0 0 7 0.0 CHI C 20 Janssens, Mark 28 1 0 1 -6 28 0 0 0 0 16 6.3 CHI D 77 Coffey, Paul 8 0 1 1 -7 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.0 CHI R 39 *Mills, Craig 2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 CHI R 17 *Dumont, J.P. 7 0 0 0 -2 4 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 CHI R 27 *Jones, Ty M 8 0 0 0 -1 12 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 CHI D 38 Allison, Jamie 9 0 0 0 -5 20 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 CHI R 44 *Bonvie, Dennis 10 0 0 0 -4 39 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 CHI D 6 *Royer, Remi M 16 0 0 0 -9 67 0 0 0 0 24 0.0 CHI D 5 Yawney, Trent 16 0 0 0 -6 30 0 0 0 0 10 0.0 CHI D 37 *Muir, Bryan 18 0 0 0 -2 12 0 0 0 0 31 0.0 COL C 21 Forsberg, Peter 29 9 26 35 10 34 1 0 3 0 83 10.8 COL C 19 Sakic, Joe 27 12 20 32 2 10 1 4 2 0 104 11.5 COL L 13 Kamensky, Valeri 28 6 11 17 -4 14 2 0 0 0 54 11.1 COL R 18 Deadmarsh, Adam 25 8 7 15 -2 50 3 0 2 0 50 16.0 COL R 23 *Hejduk, Milan 30 4 11 15 -6 12 1 0 1 0 70 5.7 COL L 20 Corbet, Rene 29 5 8 13 1 32 1 0 1 0 49 10.2 COL C 37 *Drury, Chris 27 6 5 11 0 22 3 0 1 0 39 15.4 COL R 22 Lemieux, Claude 30 8 2 10 -2 48 5 0 3 1 112 7.1 COL D 5 Gusarov, Alexei R 17 1 7 8 3 10 0 0 0 0 13 7.7 COL R 12 Donovan, Shean 23 2 3 5 1 15 1 0 0 0 24 8.3 COL D 3 Miller, Aaron 28 2 3 5 -7 32 1 0 0 0 31 6.5 COL D 2 Lefebvre, Sylvain 24 0 5 5 -1 14 0 0 0 0 21 0.0 COL L 25 Podein, Shjon 23 1 3 4 0 10 0 0 0 0 33 3.0 COL C 26 Yelle, Stephane R 21 2 1 3 -5 14 0 0 0 0 35 5.7 COL R 36 Odgers, Jeff 30 2 1 3 -2 105 1 0 0 0 13 15.4 COL D 4 Russell, Cam 24 1 2 3 0 47 0 0 0 0 14 7.1 COL D 52 Foote, Adam 12 0 3 3 -1 21 0 0 0 0 14 0.0 COL L 16 Rychel, Warren 16 0 2 2 1 44 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 COL D 24 Klemm, Jon R 16 0 2 2 5 19 0 0 0 0 15 0.0 COL R 14 *Matte, Christian 3 1 0 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 6 16.7 COL D 15 Crowley, Ted M 7 0 1 1 -1 2 0 0 0 0 10 0.0 COL D 15 Gaul, Mike M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 COL D 59 *White, Brian M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 COL D 29 Messier, Eric 3 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 COL D 32 Buchanan, Jeff M 6 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 COL R 27 *Parker, Scott 10 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 COL D 43 *Smith, Dan M 12 0 0 0 5 9 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 COL D 6 *Belak, Wade 15 0 0 0 -2 32 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 COL D 7 de Vries, Greg 30 0 0 0 -7 40 0 0 0 0 27 0.0 DAL C 9 Modano, Mike 29 8 20 28 7 22 3 0 3 1 76 10.5 DAL D 5 Sydor, Darryl 29 8 15 23 -5 10 5 0 2 0 72 11.1 DAL C 15 Langenbrunner, Jamie 29 5 17 22 1 32 4 0 1 0 54 9.3 DAL C 25 Nieuwendyk, Joe 24 9 12 21 -2 14 4 0 1 0 52 17.3 DAL R 22 Hull, Brett 20 9 9 18 5 12 3 0 2 0 75 12.0 DAL D 56 Zubov, Sergei 29 3 12 15 -6 10 3 0 1 0 57 5.3 DAL R 26 Lehtinen, Jere 24 10 4 14 8 4 4 1 1 0 66 15.2 DAL R 29 Marshall, Grant 29 7 5 12 5 31 0 0 3 0 24 29.2 DAL D 2 Hatcher, Derian 29 6 6 12 14 49 1 0 1 0 40 15.0 DAL R 16 Verbeek, Pat 29 7 4 11 -1 42 5 0 1 1 46 15.2 DAL C 41 Hrkac, Tony 23 5 6 11 5 12 2 0 1 1 23 21.7 DAL R 12 Keane, Mike 29 1 9 10 3 35 0 1 0 0 34 2.9 DAL D 24 Matvichuk, Richard 29 2 7 9 15 18 0 0 0 0 24 8.3 DAL C 21 Carbonneau, Guy 28 0 7 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 25 0.0 DAL L 14 Reid, Dave 26 2 4 6 -3 8 0 0 0 0 38 5.3 DAL C 10 Skrudland, Brian 22 3 1 4 3 19 0 0 1 0 22 13.6 DAL D 4 *Gusev, Sergey 10 1 3 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 14 7.1 DAL D 27 Chambers, Shawn 22 1 1 2 -1 14 1 0 0 0 27 3.7 DAL D 3 Ludwig, Craig 29 0 2 2 2 38 0 0 0 0 13 0.0 DAL L 17 Severyn, Brent R 9 0 1 1 0 21 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 DAL C 23 Gavey, Aaron M 2 0 0 0 -1 4 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 DAL L 46 *Wright, Jamie M 5 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 DAL L 28 *Botterill, Jason M 7 0 0 0 -1 14 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 DAL D 6 Keczmer, Dan 10 0 0 0 -2 16 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 DET C 19 Yzerman, Steve 30 12 21 33 12 36 5 0 1 0 93 12.9 DET L 14 Shanahan, Brendan 30 15 14 29 8 57 2 0 3 0 127 11.8 DET R 25 McCarty, Darren 30 9 19 28 13 56 4 0 1 0 62 14.5 DET D 55 Murphy, Larry 30 4 20 24 11 30 2 0 0 0 59 6.8 DET D 5 Lidstrom, Nicklas 30 5 14 19 10 8 3 0 0 0 68 7.4 DET C 91 Fedorov, Sergei 30 8 9 17 -4 16 1 1 0 0 75 10.7 DET L 96 Holmstrom, Tomas 30 6 9 15 -3 28 4 0 4 0 44 13.6 DET C 8 Larionov, Igor 30 3 12 15 -4 20 1 0 1 0 33 9.1 DET R 20 Lapointe, Martin 30 7 6 13 0 77 2 1 2 0 59 11.9 DET C 13 Kozlov, Vyacheslav 29 5 6 11 -8 23 2 0 2 0 78 6.4 DET R 17 Brown, Doug 30 5 6 11 3 22 3 0 1 0 76 6.6 DET D 44 Eriksson, Anders 30 2 8 10 6 20 0 0 1 0 31 6.5 DET R 26 Kocur, Joe 27 2 4 6 -1 45 0 0 0 0 16 12.5 DET C 33 Draper, Kris 30 1 5 6 -4 38 0 0 1 0 29 3.4 DET D 4 Krupp, Uwe 22 3 2 5 0 6 0 0 0 0 32 9.4 DET C 23 *Roest, Stacy 14 2 3 5 0 6 0 0 0 0 15 13.3 DET R 18 Maltby, Kirk 15 2 3 5 -2 10 0 0 0 0 14 14.3 DET D 34 Macoun, Jamie 29 0 4 4 -7 22 0 0 0 0 27 0.0 DET D 27 Ward, Aaron 18 2 1 3 -3 27 0 0 0 0 11 18.2 DET D 11 Dandenault, Mathieu 25 1 2 3 2 22 0 0 0 0 19 5.3 EDM R 9 Guerin, Bill 32 16 12 28 9 49 9 0 1 0 103 15.5 EDM R 51 Kovalenko, Andrei 31 12 12 24 3 24 2 0 3 1 62 19.4 EDM L 20 Beranek, Josef 27 8 14 22 4 6 4 0 2 0 58 13.8 EDM D 2 Mironov, Boris 29 5 15 20 10 46 1 0 2 1 64 7.8 EDM D 22 Hamrlik, Roman 32 3 14 17 4 26 0 0 0 0 72 4.2 EDM R 25 Grier, Mike 32 6 10 16 0 21 0 1 0 0 58 10.3 EDM R 10 Falloon, Pat 32 7 7 14 0 8 4 0 0 0 66 10.6 EDM L 17 Murray, Rem 28 7 5 12 -1 8 1 0 2 0 41 17.1 EDM C 26 Marchant, Todd 32 4 7 11 2 12 1 0 0 0 69 5.8 EDM C 14 Lindgren, Mats 23 2 7 9 2 16 0 0 0 0 28 7.1 EDM C 19 Devereaux, Boyd 29 3 4 7 -1 12 0 1 2 0 22 13.6 EDM C 37 McAmmond, Dean 30 3 4 7 0 18 0 0 0 0 58 5.2 EDM D 44 Niinimaa, Janne 31 0 7 7 2 38 0 0 0 0 45 0.0 EDM R 42 Brown, Kevin M 12 4 2 6 -2 0 2 0 0 0 13 30.8 EDM R 16 Buchberger, Kelly 32 3 3 6 -1 47 0 1 1 0 20 15.0 EDM D 5 *Poti, Tom 27 2 3 5 2 18 1 0 0 0 37 5.4 EDM C 39 Weight, Doug R 4 0 5 5 -2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 EDM L 94 Smyth, Ryan 29 2 2 4 -3 26 0 0 1 0 60 3.3 EDM D 33 McSorley, Marty 11 1 1 2 -5 21 0 0 0 0 11 9.1 EDM D 8 Musil, Frank 15 0 2 2 1 8 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 EDM D 23 *Brown, Sean 23 0 2 2 1 97 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 EDM D 32 *Millar, Craig 24 0 2 2 -6 19 0 0 0 0 18 0.0 EDM L 21 Lacroix, Daniel 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 EDM L 28 Huard, Bill 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 EDM C 7 *Lindquist, Fredrik 7 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 FLA C 14 Whitney, Ray 27 10 14 24 -2 4 4 0 3 0 55 18.2 FLA C 44 Niedermayer, Rob 28 9 13 22 -6 22 5 0 2 1 63 14.3 FLA C 25 Kozlov, Viktor 22 6 12 18 9 6 2 0 0 0 74 8.1 FLA L 21 *Parrish, Mark 28 10 6 16 0 10 3 0 2 0 59 16.9 FLA R 27 Mellanby, Scott 19 6 9 15 -2 19 1 0 2 0 44 13.6 FLA C 15 Gagner, Dave 26 4 9 13 -2 28 2 0 0 1 32 12.5 FLA D 24 Svehla, Robert 26 4 9 13 -6 26 1 0 0 1 56 7.1 FLA L 11 Lindsay, Bill 28 4 7 11 -3 45 0 0 1 0 55 7.3 FLA D 55 Jovanovski, Ed 28 2 9 11 -4 52 0 0 1 0 50 4.0 FLA R 19 Dvorak, Radek 28 4 6 10 -3 14 0 2 0 0 57 7.0 FLA L 16 *Kvasha, Oleg 25 4 5 9 3 2 0 0 0 1 62 6.5 FLA R 22 Ciccarelli, Dino 5 5 1 6 2 2 4 0 0 0 12 41.7 FLA D 5 Murphy, Gord 28 0 6 6 8 6 0 0 0 0 34 0.0 FLA L 9 Muller, Kirk 28 2 3 5 -5 28 0 0 0 0 39 5.1 FLA L 29 Garpenlov, Johan 23 1 3 4 -2 14 0 0 0 0 32 3.1 FLA D 3 Laus, Paul 28 0 4 4 0 95 0 0 0 0 20 0.0 FLA D 8 *Spacek, Jaroslav M 24 2 1 3 0 14 2 0 0 0 32 6.3 FLA D 2 Carkner, Terry 19 0 3 3 -1 23 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 FLA D 7 Warrener, Rhett 14 0 2 2 -3 25 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 FLA R 26 Nemirovsky, David M 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 FLA L 18 Hicks, Alex 14 0 1 1 -1 6 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 FLA L 28 *Worrell, Peter 21 0 1 1 -1 91 0 0 0 0 14 0.0 FLA D 6 *Ratchuk, Peter 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 FLA C 17 Washburn, Steve M 3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 FLA L 12 *Hay, Dwayne M 9 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 LAK L 20 Robitaille, Luc 32 16 14 30 0 20 3 0 3 0 125 12.8 LAK R 27 Murray, Glen 32 13 11 24 -6 18 3 2 2 0 98 13.3 LAK C 44 Perreault, Yanic 31 6 9 15 -3 18 1 2 0 0 69 8.7 LAK L 9 Tsyplakov, Vladimir 32 6 9 15 -5 16 0 2 1 0 48 12.5 LAK D 28 Duchesne, Steve 31 2 9 11 -4 14 1 0 0 0 48 4.2 LAK C 11 Convery, Brandon 15 2 7 9 4 12 0 0 1 0 14 14.3 LAK C 12 *Jokinen, Olli 18 4 4 8 2 8 2 0 0 0 32 12.5 LAK C 26 Ferraro, Ray 24 3 5 8 -7 35 2 0 0 0 25 12.0 LAK C 15 Stumpel, Jozef 19 2 6 8 -8 0 0 0 0 0 36 5.6 LAK D 6 O'Donnell, Sean 32 1 7 8 3 63 0 0 0 0 31 3.2 LAK D 4 Blake, Rob 14 2 5 7 -2 31 0 1 0 0 51 3.9 LAK D 8 Bodger, Doug 22 0 6 6 2 10 0 0 0 0 22 0.0 LAK L 23 Johnson, Craig 28 3 2 5 -7 16 1 0 1 0 48 6.3 LAK R 24 LaFayette, Nathan 25 2 2 4 -2 35 0 1 1 0 33 6.1 LAK L 21 *Green, Josh 26 1 3 4 -6 8 1 0 0 0 34 2.9 LAK D 14 Norstrom, Mattias 32 1 3 4 -7 14 0 1 0 0 27 3.7 LAK R 55 *Rosa, Pavel 3 2 1 3 -3 0 0 0 0 0 9 22.2 LAK C 45 Moger, Sandy R 14 1 2 3 -4 12 0 0 1 0 13 7.7 LAK D 48 *Visheau, Mark 15 1 2 3 -5 62 0 0 0 0 6 16.7 LAK R 19 Courtnall, Russ R 19 1 2 3 -3 6 0 0 0 0 23 4.3 LAK C 22 Laperriere, Ian 23 1 2 3 -5 56 0 0 0 0 18 5.6 LAK D 3 Galley, Garry 21 0 3 3 -5 8 0 0 0 0 26 0.0 LAK D 43 Boucher, Philippe 25 0 2 2 -11 14 0 0 0 0 49 0.0 LAK R 34 Audette, Donald 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 33.3 LAK L 17 Johnson, Matt 16 1 0 1 -2 49 0 0 0 0 1 100.0 LAK R 42 Bylsma, Dan 3 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 LAK D 54 *Nemecek, Jan M 4 0 0 0 -1 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 LAK L 7 McKenna, Steve R 11 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 LAK L 29 Lacroix, Eric 24 0 0 0 -7 10 0 0 0 0 17 0.0 MTL R 8 Recchi, Mark 27 5 17 22 -9 8 3 0 1 0 67 7.5 MTL L 17 Brunet, Benoit 27 9 9 18 6 22 2 2 0 0 60 15.0 MTL C 25 Damphousse, Vincent 26 7 11 18 -4 28 3 1 1 0 66 10.6 MTL L 26 Rucinsky, Martin 25 6 6 12 -9 22 3 0 0 0 76 7.9 MTL L 27 Corson, Shayne 21 4 7 11 -9 40 3 0 1 0 45 8.9 MTL R 23 Stevenson, Turner 29 2 9 11 0 35 0 0 0 1 47 4.3 MTL L 49 Savage, Brian R 20 6 4 10 -7 12 1 0 3 1 46 13.0 MTL D 38 Malakhov, Vladimir 23 6 4 10 -8 41 3 0 1 0 56 10.7 MTL R 44 Hoglund, Jonas 27 5 5 10 3 6 0 0 0 1 44 11.4 MTL L 37 Poulin, Patrick 30 3 7 10 -1 13 0 1 0 0 30 10.0 MTL D 22 Weinrich, Eric 29 1 8 9 -16 25 0 0 0 0 43 2.3 MTL D 5 Quintal, Stephane 31 0 9 9 -12 50 0 0 0 0 46 0.0 MTL C 11 Koivu, Saku 19 5 3 8 -11 8 1 1 0 0 42 11.9 MTL D 52 Rivet, Craig 26 2 5 7 1 45 0 0 0 0 16 12.5 MTL R 21 Dawe, Jason 24 2 3 5 -2 10 0 0 0 0 33 6.1 MTL D 43 Brisebois, Patrice 25 1 4 5 -12 18 1 0 0 0 47 2.1 MTL D 55 Ulanov, Igor 29 2 2 4 2 43 0 0 0 0 14 14.3 MTL C 34 Zholtok, Sergei 22 0 3 3 -10 2 0 0 0 0 30 0.0 MTL C 24 Thornton, Scott R 7 2 0 2 2 28 0 0 0 1 10 20.0 MTL C 15 Houde, Eric M 8 1 1 2 -2 2 0 0 1 0 4 25.0 MTL D 29 Clark, Brett 27 1 1 2 -4 10 0 0 0 0 18 5.6 MTL C 46 *Higgins, Matt 19 1 0 1 -2 0 0 0 0 0 9 11.1 MTL R 42 *Delisle, Jonathan M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 MTL L 14 *Ryan, Terry M 1 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 MTL D 48 *Guren, Miroslav M 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 MTL R 45 *Asham, Aaron M 5 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 MTL L 35 Bashkirov, Andrei 5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 MTL L 36 Morissette, Dave M 7 0 0 0 1 35 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 MTL D 56 *Nasreddine, Alain 15 0 0 0 -1 52 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 MTL R 6 McCleary, Trent 25 0 0 0 -3 17 0 0 0 0 10 0.0 NSH R 25 Krivokrasov, Sergei 30 13 11 24 3 22 5 0 2 1 92 14.1 NSH C 7 Ronning, Cliff 28 7 17 24 6 16 4 0 2 0 92 7.6 NSH C 22 Johnson, Greg 26 3 15 18 0 4 0 0 0 0 48 6.3 NSH L 10 Kjellberg, Patrick 28 7 9 16 -2 14 2 0 1 0 41 17.1 NSH L 19 Brunette, Andrew 29 7 8 15 1 18 4 0 1 0 36 19.4 NSH C 71 Bordeleau, Sebastien 27 4 8 12 -2 4 0 0 2 0 58 6.9 NSH D 20 Heward, Jamie R 22 2 9 11 -9 16 1 0 0 0 48 4.2 NSH L 16 Peltonen, Ville R 14 5 5 10 1 2 1 0 0 0 31 16.1 NSH R 21 Fitzgerald, Tom 29 4 6 10 -14 16 0 0 1 0 63 6.3 NSH C 24 Walker, Scott 21 3 7 10 6 33 0 1 0 0 24 12.5 NSH L 28 Lambert, Denny 26 3 4 7 0 88 1 0 0 0 24 12.5 NSH C 9 Turcotte, Darren 28 3 4 7 -8 10 0 0 1 0 60 5.0 NSH D 42 Bouchard, Joel 19 1 4 5 0 14 0 0 0 0 20 5.0 NSH D 15 Berehowsky, Drake 25 0 5 5 -5 74 0 0 0 0 24 0.0 NSH D 5 Vopat, Jan 20 3 1 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 24 12.5 NSH L 32 Daniels, Jeff M 9 1 3 4 -1 2 0 0 0 0 8 12.5 NSH R 23 Atcheynum, Blair 14 1 3 4 -1 10 0 0 0 0 14 7.1 NSH C 7 Nelson, Jeff M 9 2 1 3 -1 2 0 0 0 0 8 25.0 NSH R 43 Yachmenev, Vitali 13 2 1 3 -4 4 0 0 1 0 18 11.1 NSH D 36 Daigneault, J.J. 26 1 1 2 -2 32 1 0 1 0 28 3.6 NSH D 4 More, Jay 18 0 2 2 2 18 0 0 0 0 24 0.0 NSH D 6 Boughner, Bob 29 0 2 2 0 59 0 0 0 0 26 0.0 NSH L 8 Friedman, Doug M 2 0 1 1 0 14 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 NSH D 27 Slaney, John M 14 0 1 1 -2 6 0 0 0 0 23 0.0 NSH D 44 *Timonen, Kimmo 3 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 NSH R 12 Smyth, Brad M 3 0 0 0 -1 6 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 NSH C 12 Valicevic, Rob 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 NSH L 17 *Cote, Patrick 23 0 0 0 -2 99 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 NJD L 16 Holik, Bobby 28 12 13 25 7 32 2 0 3 0 85 14.1 NJD C 17 Sykora, Petr 30 10 15 25 4 6 5 0 1 0 65 15.4 NJD C 14 Rolston, Brian 30 6 13 19 0 6 0 2 0 0 65 9.2 NJD L 23 Andreychuk, Dave 23 10 7 17 -1 8 3 0 3 1 58 17.2 NJD C 25 Arnott, Jason 29 9 8 17 0 21 5 0 1 0 75 12.0 NJD L 26 Elias, Patrik 29 5 12 17 5 18 0 0 1 0 54 9.3 NJD R 21 McKay, Randy 26 7 9 16 9 79 2 0 3 0 56 12.5 NJD L 20 Pandolfo, Jay 30 9 6 15 1 8 0 1 3 0 45 20.0 NJD D 27 Niedermayer, Scott 21 2 12 14 2 6 0 1 0 0 45 4.4 NJD C 9 *Morrison, Brendan 26 3 10 13 -4 4 2 0 0 0 31 9.7 NJD D 4 Stevens, Scott 29 3 10 13 10 30 0 0 1 0 44 6.8 NJD C 10 Pederson, Denis 30 5 4 9 0 28 1 0 0 0 68 7.4 NJD R 8 *Sharifijanov, Vadim 14 2 5 7 3 4 0 0 0 0 21 9.5 NJD D 24 Odelein, Lyle 29 0 7 7 5 43 0 0 0 0 32 0.0 NJD C 18 Brylin, Sergei 14 3 2 5 4 10 2 0 1 0 16 18.8 NJD L 29 Oliwa, Krzysztof 21 2 2 4 1 76 0 0 1 0 23 8.7 NJD D 3 Daneyko, Ken 30 1 3 4 15 27 0 0 0 0 25 4.0 NJD D 28 Dean, Kevin 21 0 4 4 1 12 0 0 0 0 17 0.0 NJD D 2 Souray, Sheldon 24 1 2 3 1 33 0 0 0 0 45 2.2 NJD C 19 Carpenter, Bob 22 0 3 3 0 12 0 0 0 0 24 0.0 NJD D 6 Bombardir, Brad 23 0 3 3 -6 8 0 0 0 0 17 0.0 NJD L 32 Lakovic, Sasha 7 0 1 1 0 50 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 NJD L 22 Daniels, Scott M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 NJD D 7 Sutton, Ken M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 NYI C 21 Reichel, Robert 32 7 19 26 -10 22 2 0 1 0 70 10.0 NYI C 32 Linden, Trevor 32 10 11 21 -5 18 4 1 1 0 67 14.9 NYI C 20 Smolinski, Bryan 32 8 11 19 -7 24 5 0 1 0 91 8.8 NYI C 13 Lapointe, Claude 32 7 10 17 -7 21 2 1 1 0 59 11.9 NYI R 25 Czerkawski, Mariusz 31 8 7 15 -2 6 3 0 0 1 80 10.0 NYI L 15 Donato, Ted 32 5 10 15 2 10 1 0 0 0 49 10.2 NYI D 34 Berard, Bryan 31 4 11 15 -6 26 2 0 3 0 72 5.6 NYI L 12 *Watt, Mike 29 4 9 13 4 2 0 0 1 0 31 12.9 NYI D 29 Jonsson, Kenny 23 5 6 11 -1 10 4 0 0 0 22 22.7 NYI D 38 Richter, Barry 26 3 5 8 -5 4 0 0 1 0 33 9.1 NYI L 24 Odjick, Gino 23 4 3 7 -2 133 1 0 2 0 28 14.3 NYI D 4 *Brewer, Eric 22 3 4 7 -3 10 0 0 0 0 22 13.6 NYI D 7 Lachance, Scott 29 1 6 7 -10 14 1 0 0 0 18 5.6 NYI C 17 Nemchinov, Sergei 32 4 1 5 -12 10 1 0 0 0 29 13.8 NYI D 6 Harlock, David 28 1 4 5 -6 32 0 0 0 0 15 6.7 NYI C 11 Miller, Kevin 29 1 4 5 -3 8 0 0 0 0 35 2.9 NYI R 44 Lawrence, Mark 10 1 2 3 0 8 0 0 0 0 12 8.3 NYI D 3 *Chara, Zdeno 9 0 2 2 1 4 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 NYI D 2 Pilon, Rich 26 0 2 2 -1 55 0 0 0 0 9 0.0 NYI R 14 Sacco, Joe 28 1 0 1 -10 23 0 0 1 0 43 2.3 NYI R 8 Webb, Steve 10 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 NYI L 18 Hough, Mike M 11 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 NYR C 99 Gretzky, Wayne 31 6 29 35 -5 6 2 0 2 1 57 10.5 NYR D 2 Leetch, Brian 31 6 16 22 -1 14 2 0 0 0 68 8.8 NYR L 24 Sundstrom, Niklas 30 7 11 18 -10 12 1 0 1 0 36 19.4 NYR C 9 Graves, Adam 31 13 4 17 -4 35 8 0 1 0 74 17.6 NYR R 20 Harvey, Todd 26 8 9 17 6 49 4 0 2 1 40 20.0 NYR L 17 Stevens, Kevin 30 7 10 17 2 24 2 0 1 0 50 14.0 NYR R 15 MacLean, John 31 10 6 16 -2 12 4 0 0 0 80 12.5 NYR R 22 Knuble, Mike 31 6 9 15 -3 14 1 0 1 0 44 13.6 NYR C 93 Nedved, Petr 12 5 9 14 -4 14 2 0 0 0 36 13.9 NYR D 25 Schneider, Mathieu 28 3 11 14 -5 10 1 0 1 0 60 5.0 NYR C 33 Savard, Marc 19 3 10 13 0 6 3 0 0 0 29 10.3 NYR C 6 *Malhotra, Manny 24 4 2 6 -2 7 0 0 1 0 17 23.5 NYR D 5 Samuelsson, Ulf 30 2 2 4 2 36 0 0 0 0 22 9.1 NYR D 23 Beukeboom, Jeff 24 0 3 3 -1 44 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 NYR L 10 Tikkanen, Esa 29 0 3 3 -4 38 0 0 0 0 23 0.0 NYR D 34 Popovic, Peter 29 0 3 3 -7 14 0 0 0 0 19 0.0 NYR D 3 Neckar, Stan 11 0 2 2 -3 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 NYR R 21 Fraser, Scott M 15 0 2 2 -3 4 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 NYR D 8 Mertzig, Jan M 19 0 2 2 -2 6 0 0 0 0 9 0.0 NYR D 26 Finley, Jeff M 2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 NYR D 14 Smith, Geoff M 4 0 0 0 -5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 NYR L 28 Stock, P.J. M 5 0 0 0 -1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 NYR C 32 Pronger, Sean 7 0 0 0 -3 2 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 NYR D *Ndur, Rumun 8 0 0 0 1 16 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 NYR L 19 Langdon, Darren 16 0 0 0 -3 36 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 NYR L 37 Fedyk, Brent 16 0 0 0 -6 10 0 0 0 0 8 0.0 NYR D 4 Tamer, Chris 20 0 0 0 -6 41 0 0 0 0 12 0.0 OTW C 19 Yashin, Alexei 29 12 22 34 7 16 3 0 1 0 127 9.4 OTW L 15 McEachern, Shawn 29 12 15 27 3 14 3 0 2 0 86 14.0 OTW C 21 Johansson, Andreas 29 12 8 20 5 20 5 0 3 0 69 17.4 OTW C 13 Prospal, Vaclav 28 4 11 15 -1 29 2 0 1 0 36 11.1 OTW L 20 Arvedson, Magnus 27 6 7 13 5 20 0 1 1 0 57 10.5 OTW D 6 Redden, Wade 29 3 9 12 4 30 1 0 1 0 52 5.8 OTW C 14 Bonk, Radek 28 8 3 11 7 22 0 0 3 0 34 23.5 OTW D 33 York, Jason 26 3 8 11 6 10 2 0 0 0 42 7.1 OTW D 29 Kravchuk, Igor 28 1 10 11 1 8 1 0 0 0 63 1.6 OTW R 10 Dackell, Andreas 25 6 4 10 2 6 3 0 1 0 39 15.4 OTW R 11 Alfredsson, Daniel 16 3 7 10 2 6 1 0 0 0 57 5.3 OTW R 12 Oliver, David M 17 2 5 7 1 4 0 0 0 0 18 11.1 OTW R 17 Murray, Chris 23 1 6 7 -1 47 0 0 0 0 24 4.2 OTW D 4 Phillips, Chris 25 3 3 6 -4 26 2 0 0 0 34 8.8 OTW C 25 Gardiner, Bruce 23 2 4 6 4 21 0 0 1 0 26 7.7 OTW C 22 Van Allen, Shaun 27 3 2 5 0 10 0 1 0 0 19 15.8 OTW D 3 *Traverse, Patrick 18 0 4 4 2 4 0 0 0 0 12 0.0 OTW L 18 *Hossa, Marian 7 1 2 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 11 9.1 OTW D 5 *Salo, Sami 11 0 3 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 10 0.0 OTW C 16 Martins, Steve 15 2 0 2 1 4 0 0 0 0 16 12.5 OTW D 2 Pitlick, Lance R 26 2 0 2 7 23 0 0 0 0 15 13.3 OTW R 28 Leach, Steve M 9 0 2 2 -1 6 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 OTW L 26 Crowe, Phil M 8 0 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 OTW L 37 Sarault, Yves R 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 OTW D 23 Bicanek, Radim M 4 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 OTW L 9 Berg, Bill 5 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 OTW D 27 Laukkanen, Janne 6 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 6 0.0 PHI C 88 Lindros, Eric 31 17 23 40 17 58 3 1 0 1 99 17.2 PHI L 10 LeClair, John 31 21 17 38 17 10 8 0 4 1 106 19.8 PHI C 17 Brind'Amour, Rod 31 13 18 31 3 8 7 0 2 2 70 18.6 PHI D 3 McGillis, Dan 31 2 17 19 6 20 2 0 1 0 70 2.9 PHI D 37 Desjardins, Eric 27 3 15 18 3 22 2 0 0 0 66 4.5 PHI R 20 Jones, Keith 27 7 10 17 5 36 1 0 2 0 44 15.9 PHI R 19 Renberg, Mikael 24 5 9 14 1 4 2 0 0 0 53 9.4 PHI C 18 Langkow, Daymond 27 4 8 12 1 15 1 0 1 0 48 8.3 PHI L 12 Forbes, Colin 30 5 4 9 -1 25 0 0 2 0 42 11.9 PHI D 6 Therien, Chris 24 1 6 7 10 14 1 0 0 0 33 3.0 PHI R 8 Hull, Jody 28 1 6 7 3 8 0 0 0 0 31 3.2 PHI D 23 Svoboda, Petr 25 4 2 6 5 28 1 1 1 0 37 10.8 PHI C 28 Bureau, Marc 27 3 3 6 -1 4 0 0 0 0 22 13.6 PHI L 26 Zelepukin, Valeri 23 2 4 6 1 8 0 0 1 0 36 5.6 PHI D 5 *Tertyshny, Dimitri 24 0 5 5 -2 10 0 0 0 0 26 0.0 PHI C 11 Daigle, Alexandre 19 2 1 3 -3 2 1 0 1 0 24 8.3 PHI R 9 Zubrus, Dainius 31 2 1 3 -6 21 0 0 0 0 28 7.1 PHI D 22 Richardson, Luke 31 0 3 3 1 50 0 0 0 0 28 0.0 PHI D 43 *Delmore, Andy M 2 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 PHI D 32 *Bast, Ryan M 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 PHI D 44 Babych, Dave 19 0 1 1 -2 16 0 0 0 0 26 0.0 PHI D 25 Joseph, Chris M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 PHI L 40 Zent, Jason M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 PHI L 21 Kordic, Dan M 2 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 PHI C 24 Vopat, Roman 18 0 0 0 -5 46 0 0 0 0 8 0.0 PHO C 97 Roenick, Jeremy 27 10 22 32 11 24 2 0 2 0 63 15.9 PHO L 7 Tkachuk, Keith 25 16 13 29 17 37 6 0 4 1 76 21.1 PHO R 22 Tocchet, Rick 27 10 13 23 9 65 1 1 1 0 59 16.9 PHO D 27 Numminen, Teppo 27 6 12 18 13 18 0 0 0 1 59 10.2 PHO D 20 Lumme, Jyrki 27 3 14 17 9 16 0 0 2 0 57 5.3 PHO R 11 Drake, Dallas 24 5 9 14 13 24 0 0 1 0 54 9.3 PHO L 17 Adams, Greg 27 6 6 12 0 12 2 0 1 0 56 10.7 PHO C 36 Ylonen, Juha 27 2 9 11 10 10 0 0 0 0 33 6.1 PHO D 10 Tverdovsky, Oleg 27 5 5 10 10 8 2 0 1 0 36 13.9 PHO C 21 Corkum, Bob 27 2 5 7 7 4 0 0 0 0 53 3.8 PHO C 8 *Briere, Daniel 23 3 3 6 3 6 1 0 2 0 36 8.3 PHO R 16 Isbister, Brad 19 3 2 5 1 28 0 0 2 0 26 11.5 PHO R 19 Doan, Shane 26 0 4 4 0 31 0 0 0 0 36 0.0 PHO C 26 Sullivan, Mike 26 2 1 3 -2 10 0 1 1 0 31 6.5 PHO C 14 Stapleton, Mike 26 2 1 3 -3 6 0 1 0 0 23 8.7 PHO D 5 Quint, Deron 17 0 3 3 -3 8 0 0 0 0 13 0.0 PHO D 3 Carney, Keith 27 0 3 3 10 24 0 0 0 0 18 0.0 PHO D 4 Diduck, Gerald 24 0 2 2 7 40 0 0 0 0 17 0.0 PHO R 15 Cummins, Jim 13 1 0 1 0 36 0 0 0 0 5 20.0 PHO L 29 DeBrusk, Louie 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 PHO D 2 Helmer, Bryan 11 0 0 0 2 23 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 PIT R 68 Jagr, Jaromir 28 10 28 38 10 28 4 0 1 0 117 8.5 PIT C 82 Straka, Martin 28 15 17 32 13 10 2 2 2 1 74 20.3 PIT C 14 Barnes, Stu 28 14 6 20 1 8 9 0 2 0 75 18.7 PIT D 4 Hatcher, Kevin 28 5 15 20 11 14 2 0 1 0 60 8.3 PIT C 9 Titov, German 25 3 17 20 5 8 2 0 1 0 31 9.7 PIT C 20 Lang, Robert 28 11 8 19 -4 4 1 0 1 1 62 17.7 PIT R 27 Kovalev, Alexei 23 6 10 16 -4 14 1 0 2 0 55 10.9 PIT D 5 Werenka, Brad 28 3 9 12 13 21 1 0 3 0 28 10.7 PIT R 44 Brown, Rob 28 4 7 11 -1 8 2 0 0 0 34 11.8 PIT R 95 Morozov, Aleksey 25 5 5 10 6 8 0 0 0 0 37 13.5 PIT C 38 *Hrdina, Jan 28 2 6 8 -7 12 1 0 1 0 25 8.0 PIT D 16 Serowik, Jeff 24 0 6 6 -4 16 0 0 0 0 26 0.0 PIT C 37 Miller, Kip 25 1 3 4 -4 14 0 0 0 0 27 3.7 PIT D 8 Dollas, Bobby 28 1 3 4 -8 40 0 0 0 0 16 6.3 PIT D 47 *Galanov, Maxim 22 3 0 3 5 4 2 0 0 1 19 15.8 PIT R 28 Kesa, Dan M 20 1 1 2 -1 19 0 0 0 1 5 20.0 PIT D 11 Kasparaitis, Darius 19 0 2 2 7 22 0 0 0 0 16 0.0 PIT L 18 Lebeau, Patrick R 8 1 0 1 -2 2 0 0 0 0 4 25.0 PIT D 23 Ignatjev, Victor R 11 0 1 1 -3 6 0 0 0 0 15 0.0 PIT R 24 Moran, Ian 14 0 1 1 -2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 PIT L 45 *Sonnenberg, Martin M 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 PIT D 6 Wilkinson, Neil 4 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 PIT D 71 Slegr, Jiri 10 0 0 0 -2 22 0 0 0 0 14 0.0 PIT C 29 Wright, Tyler 18 0 0 0 -1 9 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 SJS L 39 Friesen, Jeff 28 9 11 20 -4 10 5 0 1 0 97 9.3 SJS C 18 Ricci, Mike 30 5 9 14 -4 12 0 0 1 1 31 16.1 SJS C 19 Sturm, Marco 30 6 7 13 -1 26 2 2 1 1 43 14.0 SJS R 17 Murphy, Joe 26 7 5 12 2 6 1 0 1 0 78 9.0 SJS C 14 Marleau, Patrick 30 5 6 11 -2 6 2 0 1 0 35 14.3 SJS R 11 Nolan, Owen 28 3 8 11 -5 48 1 0 0 0 57 5.3 SJS D 2 Houlder, Bill 30 3 8 11 1 22 3 0 0 0 41 7.3 SJS R 21 Granato, Tony 23 5 3 8 1 28 0 1 1 1 40 12.5 SJS D 5 Norton, Jeff 20 1 7 8 -1 10 1 0 1 0 27 3.7 SJS L 37 Matteau, Stephane 24 1 7 8 3 26 0 0 0 0 17 5.9 SJS L 32 Craven, Murray 29 1 6 7 -2 12 0 0 0 0 35 2.9 SJS R 22 Stern, Ronnie 28 3 3 6 0 48 1 0 0 0 26 11.5 SJS D 3 Rouse, Bob 30 0 6 6 -4 22 0 0 0 0 41 0.0 SJS C 12 Sutter, Ron 14 3 2 5 3 13 0 0 1 0 18 16.7 SJS L 26 Lowry, Dave 18 3 1 4 0 12 0 0 0 1 13 23.1 SJS D 40 Rathje, Mike 30 3 1 4 2 14 1 0 0 0 31 9.7 SJS D 10 Ragnarsson, Marcus 22 0 3 3 -1 20 0 0 0 0 21 0.0 SJS D 27 Marchment, Bryan 30 0 3 3 -4 60 0 0 0 0 28 0.0 SJS D 4 Zyuzin, Andrei M 12 2 0 2 2 10 2 0 0 0 23 8.7 SJS C 8 Skalde, Jarrod M 13 1 1 2 -2 4 0 0 0 1 15 6.7 SJS D 6 *Hannan, Scott M 5 0 2 2 0 6 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 SJS C 9 Nicholls, Bernie R 10 0 2 2 -4 4 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 SJS C 36 Guolla, Steve M 7 1 0 1 1 6 0 0 0 0 18 5.6 SJS C 13 Baker, Jamie M 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 SJS R 15 *Korolyuk, Alex 3 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 SJS D 20 Suter, Gary R 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 SJS R 25 Craig, Mike M 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 SJS R 33 Myhres, Brantt 4 0 0 0 0 29 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 SJS L 7 Burr, Shawn M 5 0 0 0 -1 8 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 SJS D 42 *Sutton, Andy M 7 0 0 0 -1 8 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 STL L 38 Demitra, Pavol 28 16 16 32 4 8 9 0 4 0 78 20.5 STL C 77 Turgeon, Pierre R 25 11 11 22 -1 14 2 0 2 1 79 13.9 STL D 2 MacInnis, Al 28 9 12 21 10 34 5 0 2 2 105 8.6 STL D 44 Pronger, Chris 27 3 13 16 3 48 1 0 0 0 67 4.5 STL C 22 Conroy, Craig 28 2 12 14 5 12 0 0 0 0 53 3.8 STL R 48 Young, Scott 26 5 7 12 5 8 1 0 1 0 78 6.4 STL C 32 Eastwood, Mike 28 5 6 11 4 16 0 0 0 0 26 19.2 STL L 14 Courtnall, Geoff R 21 3 7 10 1 26 0 0 1 0 54 5.6 STL R 10 Campbell, Jim 24 1 8 9 -7 12 0 0 0 0 47 2.1 STL L 33 Pellerin, Scott 27 5 3 8 -2 16 0 0 0 0 47 10.6 STL C 15 *Reasoner, Marty 16 2 6 8 0 4 1 0 0 0 25 8.0 STL C 25 Rheaume, Pascal 19 2 6 8 6 18 0 0 0 0 22 9.1 STL L 34 Picard, Michel 18 3 4 7 -3 4 0 0 1 0 18 16.7 STL C 26 *Handzus, Michal 28 1 5 6 -4 16 0 0 0 0 35 2.9 STL D 6 Rivers, Jamie 28 0 5 5 4 18 0 0 0 0 27 0.0 STL L 18 Twist, Tony 18 2 2 4 1 60 0 0 0 0 10 20.0 STL L 56 *Bartecko, Lubos 4 1 3 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 6 16.7 STL R 27 Yake, Terry 7 2 1 3 -2 4 2 0 0 0 8 25.0 STL R 39 Chase, Kelly 19 1 2 3 2 74 0 0 0 0 10 10.0 STL D 5 Gill, Todd 25 0 3 3 -4 12 0 0 0 0 27 0.0 STL D 19 McAlpine, Chris 25 0 1 1 -7 30 0 0 0 0 35 0.0 STL D 7 Persson, Ricard 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 STL D 20 Poeschek, Rudy 7 0 0 0 1 15 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 STL D 4 Bergevin, Marc 27 0 0 0 -1 38 0 0 0 0 24 0.0 TBL L 17 Clark, Wendel 29 15 6 21 -4 16 5 0 1 1 84 17.9 TBL C 21 Janney, Craig 31 3 17 20 -8 10 1 0 0 1 31 9.7 TBL C 16 Tucker, Darcy 31 9 9 18 -18 56 2 2 1 0 66 13.6 TBL R 61 Selivanov, Alexander 28 3 11 14 -7 8 0 0 0 0 77 3.9 TBL D 4 Cross, Cory 31 2 9 11 -12 41 0 0 0 0 45 4.4 TBL C 77 Gratton, Chris 30 1 9 10 -9 45 0 0 0 0 66 1.5 TBL D 5 Cullimore, Jassen 27 3 4 7 -5 34 1 0 1 0 30 10.0 TBL C 8 *Lecavalier, Vincent 31 4 2 6 -14 4 2 0 0 0 40 10.0 TBL R 44 Richer, Stephane 17 2 4 6 -12 4 1 0 0 0 35 5.7 TBL R 10 McCarthy, Sandy 30 2 4 6 -11 70 0 0 0 0 38 5.3 TBL C 33 Hogue, Benoit 26 2 3 5 -17 20 1 0 1 0 39 5.1 TBL D 13 *Kubina, Pavel 25 1 4 5 -13 51 0 0 1 0 41 2.4 TBL L 7 Zamuner, Rob R 11 1 3 4 2 4 0 0 0 0 14 7.1 TBL R 34 Andersson, Mikael 26 1 3 4 -5 2 0 0 0 0 29 3.4 TBL L 47 Peterson, Brent 10 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 66.7 TBL D 14 Dykhuis, Karl 30 2 1 3 -21 18 0 0 0 0 23 8.7 TBL D 23 Sykora, Michal M 10 1 2 3 -7 0 0 0 1 0 24 4.2 TBL C 11 Kelly, Steve 19 1 2 3 -14 12 0 0 1 0 10 10.0 TBL C 26 Sillinger, Mike 28 0 3 3 -10 8 0 0 0 0 25 0.0 TBL L 62 Nazarov, Andrei 17 2 0 2 -4 24 0 0 0 0 14 14.3 TBL D 39 Ciccone, Enrico M 16 1 1 2 -1 24 0 0 0 0 9 11.1 TBL D 28 Samuelsson, Kjell 17 1 1 2 -1 22 0 0 0 0 9 11.1 TBL D 6 Wilkie, David 11 0 2 2 -2 17 0 0 0 0 8 0.0 TBL D 2 McBain, Mike 14 0 2 2 -2 6 0 0 0 0 7 0.0 TBL C 15 Ysebaert, Paul M 10 0 1 1 -5 2 0 0 0 0 10 0.0 TBL C 12 Cullen, John R 4 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 TBL D 55 Bannister, Drew 4 0 0 0 -3 2 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 TBL D 46 Skopintsev, Andrei 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 7 0.0 TOR C 13 Sundin, Mats 31 10 20 30 6 22 3 0 3 0 107 9.3 TOR L 32 Thomas, Steve 31 11 13 24 6 12 3 0 4 0 86 12.8 TOR R 22 Korolev, Igor 31 8 16 24 7 24 1 0 2 0 38 21.1 TOR L 7 King, Derek 30 12 8 20 2 10 4 0 1 0 64 18.8 TOR C 18 McCauley, Alyn 31 6 13 19 2 2 1 0 1 0 57 10.5 TOR R 20 Johnson, Mike 31 9 9 18 4 6 1 1 1 0 69 13.0 TOR R 94 Berezin, Sergei 25 8 7 15 5 4 3 0 1 0 72 11.1 TOR D 36 Yushkevich, Dimitri 28 5 9 14 6 48 2 1 0 0 41 12.2 TOR D 3 Cote, Sylvain 31 3 11 14 12 14 0 0 1 0 58 5.2 TOR L 19 Modin, Fredrik 31 8 5 13 8 14 1 0 0 1 55 14.5 TOR D 15 *Kaberle, Tomas 29 3 8 11 -4 6 0 0 2 0 33 9.1 TOR R 28 Domi, Tie 31 3 7 10 0 88 0 0 0 0 29 10.3 TOR C 11 Sullivan, Steve 17 2 7 9 5 8 0 0 1 0 30 6.7 TOR L 10 Valk, Garry 29 2 5 7 1 10 1 0 0 0 45 4.4 TOR D 52 Karpovtsev, Alexander 16 1 5 6 15 14 0 0 0 0 15 6.7 TOR D 25 Smith, Jason 30 0 6 6 -5 31 0 0 0 0 28 0.0 TOR D 38 Tremblay, Yannick 18 0 5 5 0 8 0 0 0 0 21 0.0 TOR C 14 Hendrickson, Darby 19 2 2 4 0 10 0 0 0 0 18 11.1 TOR L 8 Warriner, Todd 8 2 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 12 16.7 TOR D 55 *Markov, Daniil 22 2 1 3 -2 12 0 0 0 0 11 18.2 TOR L 12 King, Kris R 27 2 1 3 -5 47 0 1 1 0 16 12.5 TOR D 2 Eakins, Dallas 11 0 1 1 6 13 0 0 0 0 5 0.0 TOR D 4 Dahl, Kevin M 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 VAN C 11 Messier, Mark 30 10 22 32 -2 21 4 2 2 0 60 16.7 VAN R 19 Naslund, Markus 28 16 10 26 -4 18 6 0 1 0 78 20.5 VAN R 17 *Muckalt, Bill 30 10 9 19 2 29 3 1 1 0 46 21.7 VAN D 2 Ohlund, Mattias 30 4 14 18 -4 53 1 0 1 0 64 6.3 VAN R 89 Mogilny, Alexander R 19 4 13 17 4 28 0 2 0 1 30 13.3 VAN D 6 Aucoin, Adrian 30 9 7 16 1 34 6 1 1 0 66 13.6 VAN C 22 Zezel, Peter 28 5 6 11 2 16 1 0 2 0 36 13.9 VAN L 9 May, Brad 25 2 9 11 -8 48 1 0 0 0 40 5.0 VAN C 20 Scatchard, Dave 30 5 5 10 0 60 0 1 1 0 52 9.6 VAN D 3 Hedican, Bret 29 2 7 9 5 26 0 2 0 1 32 6.3 VAN D 4 McCabe, Bryan 17 3 5 8 -2 36 0 1 0 0 22 13.6 VAN L 8 Brashear, Donald 30 3 4 7 -6 78 0 0 0 0 41 7.3 VAN R 26 Klatt, Trent 29 1 6 7 2 2 0 0 0 0 31 3.2 VAN C 44 Bertuzzi, Todd R 10 4 2 6 6 8 1 0 1 0 21 19.0 VAN C 27 York, Harry 11 2 0 2 2 4 0 0 0 0 9 22.2 VAN D 23 Baron, Murray 29 0 2 2 0 59 0 0 0 0 19 0.0 VAN L 15 *Schaefer, Peter 8 1 0 1 -5 2 1 0 0 0 6 16.7 VAN D 36 McAllister, Chris 15 1 0 1 -4 27 0 0 0 1 5 20.0 VAN D 5 Murzyn, Dana 3 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 VAN C 14 *Holden, Josh M 11 0 1 1 -3 6 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 VAN L 24 *Cooke, Matt 16 0 1 1 -8 12 0 0 0 0 12 0.0 VAN D 7 Huscroft, Jamie 18 0 1 1 -3 55 0 0 0 0 11 0.0 VAN R 25 Staios, Steve 30 0 1 1 -3 43 0 0 0 0 14 0.0 VAN D 18 Robertsson, Bert 10 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 VAN D 34 Strudwick, Jason 21 0 0 0 -4 44 0 0 0 0 8 0.0 WSH C 90 Juneau, Joe 28 6 11 17 -7 16 2 1 1 0 68 8.8 WSH R 12 Bondra, Peter 28 12 3 15 0 24 2 2 2 0 126 9.5 WSH C 77 Oates, Adam R 20 6 8 14 -1 6 3 0 0 0 34 17.6 WSH D 6 Johansson, Calle 29 3 9 12 2 16 0 0 1 1 68 4.4 WSH D 15 Mironov, Dmitri 29 2 10 12 -1 62 2 0 0 0 67 3.0 WSH L 17 Simon, Chris R 23 3 7 10 -4 48 0 0 0 0 29 10.3 WSH L 23 Bellows, Brian 29 4 5 9 -2 12 2 0 1 0 72 5.6 WSH L 13 Nikolishin, Andrei 20 2 6 8 3 10 0 0 0 0 30 6.7 WSH C 28 Black, James 23 2 4 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 31 6.5 WSH R 2 Klee, Ken 26 2 4 6 -1 38 0 0 0 0 32 6.3 WSH D 24 Tinordi, Mark 29 0 6 6 1 73 0 0 0 0 22 0.0 WSH L 44 Zednik, Richard 15 3 2 5 -4 28 1 0 1 0 34 8.8 WSH C 22 Konowalchuk, Steve 14 4 0 4 2 2 1 1 1 0 29 13.8 WSH C 8 Bulis, Jay R 5 2 2 4 4 0 0 0 1 0 7 28.6 WSH D 19 Witt, Brendan 23 1 3 4 -2 48 0 0 0 0 15 6.7 WSH D 55 Gonchar, Sergei 16 2 1 3 2 15 1 0 0 0 48 4.2 WSH C 26 *Herr, Matt M 18 1 2 3 -2 6 0 0 0 0 21 4.8 WSH D 29 Reekie, Joe 20 0 3 3 -3 14 0 0 0 0 20 0.0 WSH R 34 Svejkovsky, Jarolsav R 7 2 0 2 2 4 0 0 1 0 15 13.3 WSH L 27 Berube, Craig 26 2 0 2 -6 100 0 0 0 0 19 10.5 WSH C 36 Eagles, Mike 14 1 1 2 -2 6 0 0 0 0 8 12.5 WSH L 9 Chorske, Tom 15 0 2 2 -3 6 0 0 0 0 24 0.0 WSH L 10 Miller, Kelly 21 0 2 2 -4 4 0 0 0 0 23 0.0 WSH C 32 Hunter, Dale 27 0 1 1 -7 59 0 0 0 0 13 0.0 WSH D 39 Poapst, Steve M 1 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 WSH R 14 Lefebvre, Patrice 1 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 WSH L 18 Halverson, Trevor M 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 WSH L 48 *Gratton, Benoit 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 WSH R 14 Augusta, Patrik M 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 WSH D 38 *Baumgartner, Nolan M 5 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 WSH D 3 Malgunas, Stewart M 7 0 0 0 -4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Goaltender Stats (thru December 20) ----------------------------------------------------------------- TM NO GOALTENDER GPI MINS AVG W L T EN SO GA SA SPCT G A PIM ANA 31 Hebert, Guy 27 1653 2.11 12 8 7 2 4 58 858 .932 0 0 0 ANA 30 Roussel, Dominic 3 176 2.73 0 3 0 1 0 8 89 .910 0 0 0 BOS 35 Tallas, Rob 5 292 1.85 3 2 0 1 1 9 122 .926 0 0 0 BOS 34 Dafoe, Byron 25 1483 1.90 11 7 6 2 4 47 691 .932 0 2 19 BUF 39 Hasek, Dominik 27 1582 1.74 16 5 5 0 5 46 802 .943 0 0 4 BUF 30 Roloson, Dwayne 2 60 4.00 0 1 0 0 0 4 36 .889 0 0 0 CGY 30*Moss, Tyler 11 550 2.51 3 7 0 0 0 23 295 .922 0 1 0 CGY 31 Wregget *RES* 11 632 2.85 3 5 2 1 1 30 301 .900 0 0 4 CGY 47*Giguere, Jean-Sebast 11 682 3.08 6 4 1 1 0 35 368 .905 0 1 4 CAR 1 Irbe, Arturs 22 1310 2.02 10 8 3 2 4 44 636 .931 0 0 2 CAR 37 Kidd, Trevor 12 634 2.65 5 4 2 0 1 28 287 .902 0 0 0 CHI 30 Fitzpatrick, Mark 15 783 2.61 3 6 3 1 0 34 394 .914 0 0 2 CHI 41 Thibault, Jocelyn 20 1127 2.87 7 10 2 1 1 54 547 .901 0 0 0 CHI 29 Trefilov *MNR* 1 25 9.60 0 1 0 0 0 4 20 .800 0 0 0 COL 33 Roy, Patrick 23 1389 2.25 10 10 3 2 2 52 602 .914 0 0 16 COL 1 Billington, Craig 7 418 3.01 3 4 0 1 0 21 191 .890 0 0 2 DAL 1 Turek, Roman 8 434 1.94 4 0 2 1 0 14 178 .921 0 0 0 DAL 20 Belfour, Ed 24 1329 2.03 15 5 3 0 2 45 495 .909 0 0 6 DET 38*Maracle, Norm 8 438 2.05 4 2 1 1 0 15 200 .925 0 0 0 DET 30 Osgood, Chris 22 1259 2.43 13 9 0 3 2 51 573 .911 0 0 2 DET 31 Hodson, Kevin 2 99 3.64 0 1 0 0 0 6 41 .854 0 0 0 EDM 35 Shtalenkov, Mikhail 22 1235 2.38 9 9 2 0 1 49 538 .909 0 0 0 EDM 30 Essensa, Bob 13 695 2.94 5 6 1 1 0 34 300 .887 0 1 0 FLA 1 McLean, Kirk 11 647 2.50 3 6 1 0 1 27 292 .908 0 0 0 FLA 31 Burke, Sean 18 1062 2.77 8 5 5 0 0 49 490 .900 0 2 0 LAK 35 Fiset, Stephane 10 560 1.93 5 4 0 1 1 18 277 .935 0 0 0 LAK 32*Legace, Manny 16 859 2.58 2 9 2 5 0 37 415 .911 0 1 0 LAK 1*Storr, Jamie 8 423 3.12 2 5 1 1 1 22 185 .881 0 0 2 LAK 31*Bach, Ryan 2 88 4.77 0 2 0 0 0 7 60 .883 0 0 0 MTL 60*Theodore, Jose 13 692 3.12 3 8 0 1 0 36 299 .880 0 0 0 MTL 31 Hackett, Jeff 21 1182 3.20 4 11 5 3 0 63 552 .886 0 0 6 NSH 30*Mason, Chris 1 20 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1.000 0 0 0 NSH 1 Dunham, Mike 20 1121 2.94 9 9 1 0 0 55 625 .912 0 0 4 NSH 35 Fichaud, Eric 6 297 3.23 0 4 0 1 0 16 160 .900 0 0 0 NSH 29*Vokoun, Tomas 8 371 3.40 2 3 2 0 0 21 187 .888 0 1 2 NJD 30 Brodeur, Martin 25 1521 2.37 14 7 4 1 2 60 600 .900 0 2 0 NJD 31 Terreri, Chris 5 300 3.00 4 1 0 0 0 15 108 .861 0 0 0 NYI 35 Salo, Tommy 29 1717 2.59 12 16 1 3 5 74 774 .904 0 0 10 NYI 30 Flaherty, Wade 5 203 4.14 0 3 0 2 0 14 102 .863 0 0 2 NYR 39*Cloutier, Dan 8 380 2.21 2 2 2 0 0 14 207 .932 0 0 0 NYR 35 Richter, Mike 26 1510 2.70 9 11 5 4 2 68 714 .905 0 0 0 OTW 31 Tugnutt, Ron 14 797 2.03 7 4 1 2 0 27 371 .927 0 0 0 OTW 1 Rhodes, Damian 18 952 2.77 7 8 2 0 0 44 400 .890 0 0 0 PHI 34 Vanbiesbrouck, John 22 1326 2.08 9 6 6 1 2 46 452 .898 0 0 6 PHI 27 Hextall, Ron 10 568 2.43 5 3 2 0 0 23 222 .896 0 0 0 PHO 28 Waite, Jimmy 10 584 1.64 6 1 2 0 1 16 247 .935 0 0 0 PHO 35 Khabibulin, Nikolai 18 1057 1.87 12 4 2 0 3 33 462 .929 0 0 4 PIT 35 Barrasso, Tom 18 1001 2.40 8 5 3 1 2 40 418 .904 0 1 20 PIT 30*Aubin, Jean-Sebastie 5 309 2.52 3 1 1 0 1 13 112 .884 0 0 0 PIT 1*Skudra, Peter 8 401 2.69 2 2 3 1 1 18 147 .878 0 0 0 SJS 31 Shields, Steve 10 573 1.99 1 4 3 0 0 19 244 .922 0 0 2 SJS 29 Vernon, Mike 22 1256 2.44 7 11 4 1 2 51 525 .903 0 0 4 STL 30*Parent, Rich 2 85 2.12 0 0 1 0 0 3 28 .893 0 0 0 STL 31 Fuhr, Grant 12 646 2.14 5 2 3 0 1 23 243 .905 0 0 4 STL 29 McLennan, Jamie 18 976 2.52 6 8 3 2 1 41 351 .883 0 0 0 TBL 1*Bierk, Zac 1 59 2.03 0 1 0 0 0 2 21 .905 0 0 0 TBL 93 Puppa, Darren 13 691 2.87 5 6 1 1 2 33 350 .906 0 1 0 TBL 32 Schwab, Corey 8 458 3.41 2 6 0 2 0 26 256 .898 0 0 4 TBL 30 Ranford, Bill 13 670 4.21 1 7 2 0 0 47 368 .872 0 0 0 TOR 31 Joseph, Curtis 24 1447 2.61 13 9 2 0 1 63 661 .905 0 2 0 TOR 30 Healy, Glenn 2 120 3.00 2 0 0 0 0 6 56 .893 0 0 0 TOR 29 Potvin, Felix 5 299 3.81 3 2 0 1 0 19 142 .866 0 0 0 VAN 30 Snow, Garth 27 1505 2.87 9 13 3 2 2 72 773 .907 0 0 10 VAN 31 Hirsch, Corey 8 304 3.16 2 2 1 0 0 16 158 .899 0 0 0 WSH 40 Rosati, Mike 1 28 0.00 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 1.000 0 0 0 WSH 31 Tabaracci, Rick 8 459 2.35 1 4 2 0 1 18 223 .919 0 0 0 WSH 37 Kolzig, Olaf 23 1261 2.76 7 13 1 2 2 58 534 .891 0 0 19 ================================================================================== lcshockeylcshockeylcshockeylcshockeylcshockeylcshockeylcshockeyimrippedlcshockeylc ==================================================================================