_ _ _ _ | | ____ ___ | | ____ ___ | | ____ ___ | | ____ ___ | |/ _ / __| | |/ _ / __| | |/ _ / __| | |/ _ / __| | | (_ \__ \ | | (_ \__ \ | | (_ \__ \ | | (_ \__ \ |_|\____\___/ |_|\____\___/ |_|\____\___/ |_|\____\___/ GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY ================================================================ Five Star - ELECTRONIC EDITION - * * * * * ================================================================ Issue 54 October 15, 1996 It's like free, man ---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Scotty Gets His Man: But at What Cost? ---------------------------------------------------------------- By Jonah A. Sigel After two seasons with virtually the same roster, Scotty Bowman had enough. "All the pressure by you guys (the media) led to this trade," a relieved Bowman told the press the morning after he made arguably the biggest Wing trade since the arrival of Paul Coffey. Bowman, who was never much of a Coffey fan, traded the future Hall of Famer along with Keith Primeau (a training camp holdout) and a first-round draft pick in the 1997 entry draft to Hartford in exchange for disgruntled forward Brendan Shanahan and a veteran journeyman defensman named Brian Glynn. Glynn, not really wanted by the Wings, was never officially notified of the trade by either club. He had heard on the radio in Hartford. When he called to find when he and Brendan would travel to Detroit, he learned that Brendan was already on his way. If all that occurred was the trade, the story would be big. However, in lieu of all the events leading up to the trade the story is huge. What really happened will never really be known. What is known is that deal was killed by both Coffey and Primeau at least once. On several occasions Bowman went to sleep thinking the deal was done and awoke to find it was off again. The first road block was getting Primeau to agree to a new deal. When that was done, the trade should have gone down. But, rumor leaked to the press and Coffey was informed of his apparent fate and he balked. Roadblock two. While in New Jersey, Coffey gets sent away by Bowman and concedes to the trade, the trade should go down. Primeau then reneges on the new deal. Roadblock three. It took Jimmy Rutherford's ability to accept Primeau under his current contract to finally get the deal done. At first glance the Wings come out way on top in this deal. Primeau would not be able to play here again. His brutal playoff performance and his brittle relationship with both the fans and the media took their toll on the big forward. In Primeau, the Wings had a potential never realized. Since he was drafted, Primeau's biggest asset was his promise. Having been drafted ahead of Jarmoir Jagr promise was also his nemesis. In Coffey, the Wings lose a guy who the coach has always hated. When Coffey termed his relationship with Bowman as "professional," more than a couple of smirks could be seen. Since their days in Pittsburgh they detested each other. So, as one Wing official termed it, the deal was a first-round pick for Shanahan. Lost in all the moves of course is the personality factor, the team chemistry and leadership. The Wings have deleted several great character guys from this team and added but one in Shanahan. It is very ironic that the Whalers grabbed Stu Grimson from the Wings in that he too was a big character guy in the locker room. Some argue that there have been several examples of winning teams that hated each other. This could be different. It is widely accepted that the players do not care for Bowman's old-school tactics. His antics and ego have been blamed for the teams poor performance on several occasion. Mike Vernon likened this summers dealings to the changes Doug Reisbrough made with the Calgary Flames when he traded Doug Gilmour to Toronto a few years back. Vernon alluded to the fact that the quality of the people on the team had greatly been diminished. Vernon's honesty landed him in the press box for the home opener and possibly on the way out soon. With Coffey sitting in Hartford, one has to believe that the tale of this deal will live until Coffey is dealt again. How will Bowman look if Coffey ends up as rumored in Philadelphia, a team that could very well challenge the Wings for the Cup? Would it be worse for Bowman if Coffey gets dealt to a division rival such as Toronto? Only time will tell. The Wings have made a deal for this season. The only way to judge this trade fairly is to wait to see who drinks from Lord Stanley's Cup this spring. If it's Detroit, then Bowman was right. If not though, well, he is only supposed to coach this year anyway. Once again, only time will tell... ============================================================== Coyotes Ink Roenick ============================================================== by Jeff Brown The wait is over. Star center Jeremy Roenick is officially a Phoenix Coyote. On Monday, Roenick ended his 58-day holdout spanning two teams by finally agreed to a new contract worth $20 million over five years. Roenick dressed that night as the Coyotes looked to extend their winning streak against the Edmonton Oilers. Donning No. 97, Roenick tallied an assist on Mike Gartner's power play goal just under a minute into the third period. But Roenick's debut didn't have a storybook ending as the Oilers defeated the Coyotes, 6-3. For the last two months, as his peers laced up their skates and hit the ice in preparation for the 96-97 NHL Season, Roenick has laced up his golf shoes and hit the links, working on his chip shot rather than his slap shot. A holdout since before being traded to the Coyotes, Roenick had spent most of training camp in Florida playing golf, his camp and the Phoenix front office apparently nowhere close in contract terms. Thursday night's injury to Cliff Ronning may have changed all that. With the Coyotes' first-line center out at least four-to-six weeks with a broken right hand, the team seemed to change their tone on the urgency of reaching an agreement with Roenick. Anticipation levels ran high at America West Arena during Saturday nights contest versus Anaheim, as the offense seemed to struggle. Although the Coyotes won both that game and the game in which Ronning was injured,even the players knew something had to be in the works now. "We've been waiting a long time for this thing to get settled and maybe this will get it done," team captain Keith Tkachuk said, referring to Ronning's injury. Roenick, a first-round draft pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1988, was asking $4.5 million after becoming an unrestricted Group II free agent at the end of last season. The Blackhawks refused, instead trading his rights to Phoenix on August 16th. The trade sent center Alexei Zhamnov and right wing Craig Mills, plus a 1997 first-round draft pick, to Chicago. Ironically, Zhamnov has yet to report to the Windy City, holding out for a bigger contract. In his seven-plus seasons with the Blackhawks, Roenick amassed 569 points, scoring over 100 points in three straight campaigns from '91-94, and appeared in four consecutive all-star games. Twice a 50-goal scorer, he should add to an already explosive Coyotes offense. Having played over half of last season at right wing for Chicago, Roenick is expected to eventually team with Craig Janney and Keith Tkachuk on the front line. But what could possibly be the best news for Jeremy Roenick? Golf courses are open year-round in Phoenix. ============================================================== World Domination Update, Vol.2 No.3 ============================================================== by LCS: guide to hockey With the start of the NHL season, LCS Towers has been buzzing with activity. Here is some of the latest news and updates from LCS... NHL Directory A new addition has been made to the LCS web site. To serve you, our valued customer better, we have created the NHL Directory. A wealth of team and NHL information is included in the directory, including: arena information; team addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers; general manager, coach and captain histories; and links to team records, retired jersey numbers, current rosters and schedules. LCS: Questions o' the Month The Questions o' the Month have been a formidable challenge to all who have dared solve their riddles. Starting October 15, the QOM have returned to LCS and will deal with classic television programs. To kick off the 1996-97 season, LCS offers a round of Munsters trivia. If you answer all 10 questions right, you'll be entered in a drawing for a free LCS T-shirt. LCS: the t-shirt Offical LCS t-shirts can now be purchased by the general public. The shirts are 100% cotton and come in three colors (size XL only). All shirts sport a spiffy LCS logo on the front. To find out how to order, visit the LCS t-shirt page. Our supply of shirts is running low and once they're gone this shirt design will never be available again. LCS: the hockey pool Thanks to all our readers who have registered for our first-annual hockey pool. Entries are currently being processed and the leader board will be posted starting October 29. The pool rules and results are available from LCS: the hockey pool online. LCS: 'round the 'net Announcement: LCS will be aiming to dominate one of the nation's leading online services this season. Details are still being worked out, once everything is set we will have a huge announcement. It'll be a key step in furthering World Domination. Thanks: Thanks to NetGuide Magazine, the #1 guide to everything on the 'Net, for highlightng LCS: Guide to Hockey in their October edition. We're working on putting the "icing on the cake" very soon. Thanks: LCS would also like to thank Jim Gerland and Mark Winer at the Buffalo News for inclusion of LCS: Guide to Hockey in their recent "The Internet Guys" column. Being mentioned with the NHL and CBC as top sources for NHL news is an honor. Coming Soon! A new domain name for LCS: Guide to Hockey, the opening of the LCS Hall of Fame, and much, much more... _____________________________________________________ CREDITS Michael Dell........................Editor-in-Chief Zippy the Wonder Chimp.................Computer Boy Jim Iovino.............................Ace Reporter Matthew Secosky............................Whatever Dan Hurwitz.............Force for Cultural Hegemony John Kreiser.....................Featured Columnist David A. Feete......................Featured Writer Sandi Trudo...................Anaheim Correspondent Matt Brown.....................Boston Correspondent Valerie Hammerl...............Buffalo Correspondent Ryan Ferris...................Calgary Correspondent Dan Glovier...................Chicago Correspondent Matt Gitchell................Colorado Correspondent Jim Panenka....................Dallas Correspondent Jonah Sigel...................Detroit Correspondent Simon D. Lewis...............Edmonton Correspondent Eric A. Seiden................Florida Correspondent Steve Gallichio..............Hartford Correspondent Matt Moore................Los Angeles Correspondent Jacques Robert...............Montreal Correspondent David Strauss...............Islanders Correspondent Alex Frias....................Rangers Correspondent The Nosebleeders..............Ottawa Correspondents Eric Meyer...............Philadelphia Correspondent Jeff Brown....................Phoenix Correspondent Joe Ashkar..................St. Louis Correspondent Mark Spiegel.................San Jose Correspondent Troy Ely....................Tampa Bay Correspondent Brad Ross.....................Toronto Correspondent Carol Schram................Vancouver Correspondent Jason Sheehan..............Washington Correspondent Meredith Martini...........Washington Correspondent Tricia McMillan...................AHL Correspondent ---------------------------------------------------- LCS guide to hockey issue 54 October 15 1996.Email address: sportif@oak.westol.com Good ol' postal address: 632 Hempfield Street, Greensburg, PA 15601. Web Site: http://www.canadas.net/sports/sportif ------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------- Pittsburgh Offense Firing Blanks --------------------------------------------------------------- by Michael Dell When the 1996-97 NHL schedule was announced, most Pittsburgh Penguin fans were licking their chops. The 'Guins opened up the campaign at home against Tampa Bay, then it was off to Hartford before playing a home-and-home series with the always dangerous Ottawa Senators. Was Mr. Schedule-maker kidding? After all, these four games were hardly worthy of the Little Sisters of the Poor intermural floor hockey team, let alone Mario Lemieux and crew. Well, a funny thing happened on way to the 4-0-0 start. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the Penguins that the preseason was over. The men in black and gold looked every bit the flightless Arctic bird as they waddled to an embarrassing 1- 3-0 start to the season. Things got off on the wrong foot when Johnny Cullen and the Lightning Bolts rose from the dead to overcome a third-period deficit and a last-second tieing effort by Lemieux, to shock the Penguins in overtime on a goal by Shawn Burr. This was the kind of loss that just knocks the wind out of a club. As bad as things were, they got even worse upon arrival in the insurance capital of the world. Even with all of Hartford distracted by the impending trade of Brendan Shanahan, the mighty Whale squashed the Pens 7-3 in what had to be one of the club's worst performances in recent memory. While it appeared to be rock bottom, the Pens sank even lower during their next outing in Ottawa. Another two-goal lead was squandered, as the Senators got third-period goals from Alexandre Daigle and Alexei Yashin to pull off the stunning 3-2 upset. It was the first time since 1984-85 that the club had opened up a season with three consecutive losses. And it was probably the first time in NHL history that a team kicked things off with three such uninspired performances. It's hard to put into words exactly how bad the Penguins played during these showings... let's just say if they were horses, they'd be taking up residence on the back of stamps right about now. The Penguins were able to avoid losing four straight games by defeating the Senators on Saturday, October 12, at the Civic Arena, 3-2. Even then the birds needed a fluky third-period goal by Lemieux, that was actually shot from behind the Senator net, to escape with the win. So what's the deal? How come the Penguins aren't living up to their potential? Well, one look at the boxscores for the first four games will provide all the evidence needed in constructing a plausible theory. Although, it may not be the one that is expected. Over their first four contests, the Penguins have been outshot by a total of 156 to 119. In three of the four games the Pens have allowed 40 or more shots, and have limited their opponents to under ten shots in only three of the first twelve periods of hockey. So automatically the calls go out for the heads of the Penguin defensemen. But before those swords fall, LCS recommends mercy for Pittsburgh's much-maligned group of blueliners. This year's batch is far superior to last year's, with Kevin Hatcher replacing the rather meek Sergei Zubov, Craig Muni providing experience, and young Stefan Bergkvist adding plenty of size and strength. In fact believe it or not, the defensemen haven't played that bad, despite what the shot totals say. The real problems rest with the offense. The same squad that rang up a league-leading 362 goals in 1995-96 has found the net only 11 times to this point. That's an average of 2.75 goals per game, down from last year's 4.42 average. Even more disturbing than the lack of production on the scoreboard is the lack of emotion displayed by the forwards. The Penguin skaters seem satisfied with just roaming around trying to make pretty designs on the ice. The idea of actually getting the puck deep and working for turnovers has been completely lost on this bunch. And outside of the gritty, gutty Tyler Wright, not one forward as shown any intensity or even signs of life for that matter. There are some explanations for this apparent indifference. First, is the fact that the group really didn't have a chance to play with each other during the exhibition season. With Lemieux arriving late to camp, Petr Nedved and Bryan Smolinski holding out, Kevin Todd waived just before the regular season, and injuries to guys like Dave Roche and Joe Dziedzic, the offense hasn't been a picture of consistency. It will likely take a few weeks before they get comfortable with one another and find their collective stride. Then there's also been the constant line-juggling by coach Eddie Johnston. With Nedved not yet in game shape, Smolinski continuing his hold out, the roster still lacking a proven left winger to play with Lemieux, and a recent groin injury to Tomas Sandstrom, EJ has been changing line combinations on nearly every shift. The uncertainty of linemates has led to a complete breakdown of Pittsburgh's usual high-flying attack. Unlike most clubs, the Penguins have never relied on a specific system to generate offense. Instead they depend on talent and improvisation to create their scoring chances. It's not rare to see four or five stick-to-stick passes connect on any given rush. When they're on their game, the Penguins can score some of the most beautiful goals you'll ever see... and lots of them. Unfortunately, when things go bad, they go real bad. The result is the general confusion that has been witnessed recently. Not accustomed to just dumping the puck deep and chasing, out of habit the Pittsburgh forwards will still try to force a play in the neutral zone or just inside the line even when it isn't there. This can lead to plenty of chances for the opposition on the counterattack, as well as few shots for the Pens themselves. And that is the reason why Pittsburgh has been looking so terrible. They've been trying to make the perfect play even though at this stage of the season they simply aren't comfortable enough with one another to pull it off. The solution to the problem is nothing complex. It's really quite ordinary, which is why Pittsburgh's group of extraordinary forwards are having so much trouble. The Pens just have to keep the offense simple. If nothing's there, dump and chase. If there is room, gain the line and get the puck to the net. Forget about trying to make the extra pass. The more shots taken, the more the ice will open up. Defensemen will no longer sit back taking away the passing lanes. They'll instead have to respect the shooter, making them more eager to challenge and attempt to block shots. Even if the puck is just dumped in on a regular basis that too will open up room, with defensemen hanging back to get an early jump to the corners. The minute a defenseman makes the first move, no matter what it is, the forwards have the advantage. Taking more shots is what gets the whole thing started. The Penguins seem to have discovered that firing more shots is indeed the recipe for success. Showing the way are the guys at the top. Lemieux has been the lone consistent shooting threat in each of the four games, leading the club with 25 shots. The rest of the flock are just now starting to follow his guidance. Jaromir Jagr, who led the league last season with 403 shots, had just six while going pointless in the first two games. The last two outings have been a different story, with Jaromir scoring a goal in each game while registering a total of 12 shots on net. Ron Francis has also dropped the hammer more often the past two games, firing 10 shots after collecting only one against the Bolts and Whale. Nedved is still trying to play himself into shape, but has managed to increase his season shot output to 10, with seven coming in the past two contests. In the win against Ottawa, which happens to be the only game the Pens have outshot their opponents, the foursome combined for 22 shots. That's the kind of production they have to put forth every night if the club is going to enjoy success. The win against Ottawa may not have been awe-inspiring, but it was a definite sign that the offense may finally be starting to turn the corner. When talented players shoot the puck, the results will eventually show on the scoreboard. As long as the Penguins continue to keep things simple on offense, it's only a matter of time before they bust out of their slump. Pittsburgh's big guns have plenty of ammunition. Now they just have to make sure they don't end a game with any bullets left in the chambers. ================================================================== Ranger Country Now in Wayne's World =================================================================== by Alex Frias, NY Rangers Correspondent October 6, 1996 will go down as one of the happiest days in New York Ranger history. As that is the day the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, skated onto the ice in "the world's famous arena" as one of the homeboys, one of the New York homeboys. After signing with the Rangers as a free agent to a two-year deal worth $10 million this past summer, people in New York were expecting big things from not only Gretzky, but the team. "People expect us to win, and that's the way it should be," Gretzky says. "That's pro sports. We get paid to win." But while the team got off to a dreadful 1-3-2 start, Gretzky himself has been playing some pretty good hockey. While he only has two goals and four assists to show for it, he has been one of the few Rangers to play well during their slow start. When Mark Messier missed two games because of his suspension for hitting Florida's Mike Hough from behind along the boards, Gretzky was one of the few Rangers to pick up his game. On numerous occasions he's made incredible plays to get the puck to his linemates, and instead of making the most of their opportunity, their still wondering how Mr. Gretzky got them the puck. Gretzky says his new linemates "may be a little nervous playing with me. I've played the same way my whole career. Maybe I made some passes they weren't used to." Because of the World Cup tournament that ended September 14 and featured the core of the Rangers, they never played together as a team in nine pre-season games and practiced for only a week as a full group before the start of the season. And with an astounding 20 games in their first 40 nights, they have little time for the long practices needed to adjust to Gretzky's creative skills that are simply baffling some teammates. At the start of the season, coach Colin Campbell had Sergei Nemchinov and Alexei Kovalev penciled in as the wingers on Gretzky's line, with Nemchinov being the defensive rearguard. But that didn't work out too well, as Nemchinov fell into Campbell's doghouse and was replaced by sophomore Niklas Sundstrum. However, with the need for more offense, Campbell moved Luc Robitaille back to his natural left wing spot on Gretzky's line and shifted Kovalev to Messier's line. This combination should work as Robitaille is a sniper that knows how to play with Wayne from their days back in Los Angeles. While there seems to be some tension between the two, as Robitaille accused Gretzky of being behind the trade that sent Lucky Luc to Pittsburgh for Rick Tocchet back in the summer of '94, they must settle their differences if not off the ice, at least on it. Back in the 1980s, when the Edmonton Oilers were winning Stanley Cups like Oprah lost and gained weight, Gretzky was scoring 200 points a season and Messier was just part of the surrounding cast. Back then, Gretzky was the team captain and on the first line, while Messier centered the second. This time around, Messier is the captain and on the first line while Gretzky is on the second. "Mark was always the leader of the Oilers," Gretzky said. "But when a guy's getting 200 points, it's hard to take some of the focus away from that. Mark's always been the same kind of leader, same kind of player." With the addition of Gretzky, Campbell had a very tough decision to make. With Messier as the captain, there were still two alternate captain roles that needed to be filled. Brian Leetch is as integral part of this machine as you can get, so that left one job, with two excellent candidates, Adam Graves and Gretzky. Fortunately for Campbell, the two players worked it out between themselves at the World Cup and decided that after Messier, Graves is the heart and soul of the team. And this being Messier's team, Gretzky will let his on-ice performance do his talking. "I don't care if I'm 1, 1-A or 3-D," Gretzky said. "I plan on playing hard and helping Mark. But the last thing I want to do in any situation is step on Mark's toes." Either way, the people in New York are more than happy to have the Great One on their side as they demonstrated on October 6, as a video of Gretzky pulling on a Ranger jersey was projected across the ice while the sellout crowd of 18,200 gave Gretzky a standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute. His ovation was only outdone by the ultimate introduction for his pal Messier. And while the Rangers did go on to lose the game to Florida, Ranger fans hope it was the start of a beautiful relationship. A relationship that could just climax with another celebration with Lord Stanley's Cup. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Sacrilege and Blasphemy ------------------------------------------------------------------ By Dan Hurwitz Maybe even more than any other sport, hockey is a sport of tradition. Why did fans cringe when Patrick, Adams, Norris, and Smythe became Altantic, Northeast, Central, and Pacific? Because it violated the deeply-held set of beliefs hockey faithful cling to in the hopes that one day, they will be able to "save" the unenlightened masses of fans of those other sports. Why did the notion that Wayne Gretzky could be traded shock and frighten Canadian children? For very much the same reason. Still, as a(n alleged) journalist, it's my duty and responsibility to rock the boat just a tad. So here's my attempt to do just that. How about a list of suggestions that players, teams and the sport in general should consider, even though each would be considered offensive to any number of die-hards? * The Rangers should unload Mark Messier. Let's face it, no matter how old he is (and the number is 36 and counting), Mess is one of those transcendent athletes who defies comparison to his former self. As he ages, he becomes even more valuable to the team he leads. However, if his teachings have not yet rubbed off on Brian Leetch, Adam Graves and Mike Richter, clearly New York's next generation of leadership figures, then they simply never will. On top of that, the Rangers have Gretzky, and up-and-comer Niklas Sundstrom. What New York needs is depth, a hint of preparing for the future, and youth that will last into a deep playoff run. I'm thinking, send Messier to Ottawa for a package of young talent, and satisfy both teams' most pressing needs. And doesn't a jersey that's special-made to accommodate Number 99's tucking in the normal corporate logo corner need to have a "C" to be complete? * Speaking of Gretzky, while he hardly compares to his old self, his move to New York may in fact tarnish history's view of him. He always claimed that Gordie Howe could never be eclipsed because Mr. Hockey played in "a different era." Actually, Wayne, that tough, hard-hitting, tight-checking brand of "Old-time Hockey" never went away, and you'll see it every night now that you're in the Eastern Conference. Let's see how great a defensive-minded batch of teams makes you feel! And please, Wayne, prove me wrong, because you are still the best thing that ever happened to this game. * This may come as a shock coming from me, an outspoken opponent to the very notion of "offensive defenseman," but Detroit is going to regret trading Paul Coffey to Hartford (or wherever he ends up) because his defense will be sadly missed. With Mike Ramsey retiring, Slava Fetisov in his last season and Bob Rousse not getting any younger, the Red Wings are quite shaky on the blue line, and Brian Glynn is hardly the answer to Scott Bowman's prayers. Coffey may not have been Larry Robinson, but he also wasn't Phil Housley. * The Devils will make a strong comeback. With power forwards Bill Guerin and Dave Andreychuk in the lineup, not to mention the "Crash Line" still together, the new rule about kick-in goals will benefit them greatly. On top of that, the new rule about not dumping the puck back into the zone for a delayed offside benefits teams with strong, mobile defenses, which Jersey, Chicago, the Rangers, and Washington should be able to use to their advantage. * Barry Melrose will get a haircut. Just one. * The range of records for each team in terms of win percentage is becoming much narrower, i.e. closer to .500. This kind of parity means every NHL city has a good chance of at least showing up. Count on this stopping as soon as the NHL gets stupid and expands again. * Going back to the "it's time to trade him" philosophy, Boston should let go of Ray Bourque since they're going to be letting go of their playoff streak, anyway. This team has no future as a contender. They have lost too much talent to trades, free agency, age, and injury to compete. Bourque is still a premiere defender, if not the best, and should at least have earned a mercy trading to a team with a real chance in exchange for a rebuilding package. It's a crime he doesn't have a Stanley Cup. Come to think of it, maybe the mystery team can rescue Steve Yzerman, too. * This is the year Alexandre Daigle and Chris Pronger show us why they were the top two draft picks a few years back. Too bad Chris Gratton and Jason Arnott are slipping off a bit, or else that may turn out to have been a real solid draft, instead of the dud it has become in retrospect. * Now that the Flyers have gotten to be monstrously huge, Eric Lindros should start playing more of a finesse game. Plowing through other players tends to get costly in the "veteran" stages of a guy's career. * Stop counting the minutes. Rod Brind'Amour is going nowhere. Depth is something to value, not mess around with, and that's what the Flyers have as soon as Mikael Renberg and Eric Lindros decide to be healthy at around the same time. Oh, and they will win the Cup this year. * Al Iafrate's health is the only variable in this being either a terrific or horrendous season for the Sharks. * Al Morganti will continue to predict things that look good on paper, but never come true in real life. Now, these ideas may shock and really upset quite a few of you. But just remember, the Great One has played for three teams in the past two years, and you hardly even care when he moves now. You'll get used to it. I promise. I may be a blasphemer, but I'm no liar! ================================================================ NHL Round-up ================================================================ By LCS: guide to hockey General NHL News NHL Substance Abuse/Health Program The National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHL announced the establishment of a comprehensive program to address substance abuse, HIV, and related health matters for players and their families. The program was developed by league and NHLPA representatives and will take effect immediately. The substance abuse and behavioral health program will be incorporated into the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement. The program will be jointly funded by the NHLPA and the league, and treatment costs will be paid for by the NHL medical insurance plan. Under the program, a player seeking first-time help will receive confidential counseling and treatment. Here is the outline for the discipline drug and alcohol treatment policy. Stage one: First in-patient treatment; no penalty. Stage two: For violation of stage one treatment plan, suspension without pay during active phase of treatment and then eligible for reinstatement. Stage three: For violation of stage two treatment plan, suspension without pay for at least six months, then eligible for reinstatement. Stage four: For violation of stage three treatment plan, suspension without pay for at least one year. Reinstatement is not assured. Players may also be subject to program supervision for substance abuse-related involvement within the criminal justice system. For example, players arrested for substance abuse-related offenses may be placed in stage one. NHL Waiver Draft The NHL Waiver Draft took place prior to the start of the 1996-97 season. Each team was allowed to protect 18 skaters and two goaltenders. Prospects were not counted towards the total. Nine players switched teams when all was said and done: PLAYER CLAIMED BY CLAIMED FROM COMP. Rob DiMaio, rw San Jose Philadelphia Cash Jim Dowd, c NY Islanders Vancouver Cash Corey Foster, d NY Islanders Pittsburgh Cash Bob Corkum, c Phoenix Philadelphia Cash Alexander Semak, c Vancouver NY Islanders Cash Dean Malkoc, d Boston Vancouver Cash Craig Billington, g Colorado Florida Cash Chris Joseph, d Vancouver Pittsburgh Cash Ralph Intranuovo, c Toronto Edmonton Cash Colorado claimed a reliable back-up for Patrick Roy when they selected Craig Billington from Florida. After trading Stephane Fiset to Los Angeles in the off-season, the Avs were without a back-up goaltender. Rob DiMaio, who was claimed by the San Jose Sharks, was quickly dealt to the Boston Bruins for a fifth-round draft pick in the 1997 Entry Draft. No Soup For You Wayne Gretzky is first in a lot of NHL categories and two weeks ago Gretzky added another first to the record books...or I should say, soup labels. Gretzky now has the honor of being the first person to be featured on a Campbell's soup label. The soup label bears Gretzky wearing a Rangers jersey, his famous number 99 and signature. The new design will appear on 50 million Campbell's Chunky Soup labels. Campbell's is also donating 1,000 cases of soup to Second Harvest Food Bank Network for every point Gretzky scores during the 1996-97 season. Pens Want to Improve Igloo The Pittsburgh Penguins are asking city officals for $10 million in renovations to the Civic Arena. In addition, they are seeking relief from a portion of a $10 million loan used to improve the arena in 1994. Before approving the new $10 million for renovations, leaders on both sides are investigating the possibility of building a new arena in Pittsburgh. The Civic Arena is now one of the oldest in the NHL at the ripe old age of 35. Isles sold to Texas Businessman The NY Islanders have been sold to Texas businessman John Spano for a price of $80 million. The sale of the team is subject to the approval of the 26-member NHL Board of Governors; the next meeting of the Board is scheduled for December 12th and 13th in Phoenix. It is likely the deal with be approved. While it has been rumored that the Isles were on their way out of town, Spano reassured Islander faithful that the team will stay put. Spano told Newsday, "They will not move. That's my committment.". Firings...Hirings...etc... * Jeremy Roenick signed with the Phoenix Coyotes on October 14. The deal is for five years and is worth $20 million. Roenick played his first game as a Coyote that evening and recorded an assist on a Mike Gartner goal. Police Blotter: * October 7: New Jersey Devils' defenseman Scott Stevens received a one-game suspension and was fined $1,000 for highsticking Detroit center Igor Larionov. * October 8: Messier was suspended two games without pay and fined $1,000 for hitting Panthers left wing Mike Hough from behind. Messier slammed Hough into the boards from behind and was given a major penalty and a game misconduct. * October 8: Edmonton left wing Louie DeBrusk was suspended for four games and fined $1,000 for a slashing incident against Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dana Murzyn. DeBrusk received a match penalty in the contest for attempting to injure Murzyn with a two-handed slash. * October 11: Brendan Shanahan received his first suspension as a member of the Detroit Red Wings after cross-checking Edmonton Oiler Greg De Vries. For the infraction, Shanahan received a one-game suspension. Online Excursions Listening to the NHL is now even easier than ever thanks to RealAudio broadcasts via the Internet. Radio broadcast of several NHL teams can be listened to from http://www.audionet.com/sports/nhl/. Teams offering online broadcasts through this service include: Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Florida, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Washington. In a future edition of LCS, we will investigate more sources for online audio broadcasts. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Bonsignore Bears Down With Bulldogs ----------------------------------------------------------------- by Tricia McMillan, AHL Correspondent If there's one thing scouts and general managers love to do, it's compare prospects to star players. Scouts have long been comparing Edmonton Oilers prospect Jason Bonsignore to Mario Lemieux, since besides being a smooth-skating, playmaking center with a knack around the net, Bonsignore also has Lemieux-type size (6'4", 210), plus the looks and personality to be a marquee player. But while being compared to an established, well-known star is certainly complimentary, not every young player is wild about the idea. Even though Mario Lemieux was his childhood hero, Bonsignore isn't sure he should be compared to Lemieux. "[The Lemieux comparison]'s a little bit ridiculous, he's the greatest player ever in my mind, so I think that's pretty ludicrous to compare anybody to him," he explains. "Especially when I was 15, 16, and people are saying that, it makes it pretty hard for you to go out and play." Bonsignore, 20, first learned to skate when he was two years old and by age four he was playing organized hockey. After playing in every available league in the Rochester and Buffalo areas - and starting to be described in Lemieux terms - he joined the Ontario Hockey League. While many American players go the college route, Bonsignore was more than ready to go to juniors. "I wanted to play immediately against the top level. If I had gone to college I would have to have waited until I was 18 to move away from home and find better competition," says Bonsignore. The jumpstart to his development worked, as not only was Bonsignore tapped for the U.S. juniors team two years in a row, he was also invited to try out with the U.S. Olympic team during its exhibition tour, an opportunity he made the most of. "You get to travel to a lot of places you normally wouldn't see if it wasn't for hockey and I got to play with and against a lot of top name players and it was a great experience," says Bonsignore. Only 17 at the time of the Olympic tour, he also notes he had the chance to play against older, more experienced players which helped in his development. His performance on the international level paid off as he was the fourth overall pick by the Oilers in the 1994 draft: "Being picked fourth overall was pretty exciting," he says. Meanwhile in the OHL, Bonsignore had become a traveling man. Originally drafted by Newmarket, he was traded to Niagara Falls, a trade he welcomed. But he was traded again, this time to Sudbury, and this time it wasn't his idea. "You grow fond of the people and the cities. I was real close to the family I lived with and had a lot of fun playing in Niagara Falls and didn't want to leave, but it was the best thing for me because we weren't doing very well in Niagara Falls," he says. Bonsignore struggled when he first came to Sudbury and didn't return to his usual form until the season was nearly over. Edmonton only played him in one game during the 94-95 season, but he scored a goal in that game, and the Oilers kept him in the NHL at the start of the 1995-96 season. But when Bonsignore wasn't getting sufficient playing time - and had only two points in 20 games - he was returned to Sudbury. While he again produced in juniors, a late season promotion to Edmonton's then-AHL affiliate Cape Breton to finish the season wasn't as successful with five points in 14 games. Edmonton sent Bonsignore back to the AHL, this time to Hamilton, to begin the 96-97 season. Given Hamilton's proximity to Rochester, Bonsignore isn't adverse to this idea: he expects a lot of family and friends at the games and maybe a home-cooked meal or two. Hamilton's excitement over the return of a team to the area, as demonstrated on opening night, isn't lost on him either. "It was exciting, it was a good crowd, unfortunately we didn't win," he says. (Hamilton lost their opener to Albany, 3-2). Still, Edmonton sent him to Hamilton for a reason, to improve his play in his own end of the ice. "They wanted to see me play a lot and improve my defensive zone coverage and just be consistent." And Bonsignore says that's the benefit of the AHL: "It's important, there are guys who...need to go to the minors and play and it's an excellent opportunity for them to go down and play 30 minutes a game and improve on all the different things." Bonsignore's ready to play 30 minutes a game and intends to be back in the NHL before long. And, perhaps, play against Mario Lemieux. ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- FLORIDA PANTHERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Doug MacLean Roster: C - Stu Barnes, Brian Skrudland, Rob Niedermayer, Martin Straka. LW - Johan Garpenlov, Dave Lowry, Bill Lindsay, Mike Hough, Radek Dvorak. RW - Scott Mellanby, Ray Sheppard, Jody Hull, Tom Fitzgerald, Brad Smyth. D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Geoff Smith, Jason Woolley, Paul Laus, Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Per Gustafsson. G - John Vanbiesbrouck, Mark Fitzpatrick. Injuries: None. Transactions: Steve Washburn, c, returned to Carolina (AHL) to make room for Ray Sheppard, who returned from an injury sustained in the preseason. Game Results 10/05 at Philadelphia W 3-1 10/06 at NY Rangers W 5-2 10/08 NY Rangers T 1-1 10/12 Hartford W 6-0 TEAM NEWS by Eric A. Seiden "It's another hockey night in South Florida, and here come your Panthers," bellowed the announcer. Then, in a crystal clear voice, because now he's on tape, Michael Buffer shouted the very cliche "Let's get ready to rumble." The Florida Panthers opened their homestand against the New York Rangers to a rousing pyrotechnics and laser show set to highlight films and music. Captain Brian Skrudland led the banner raising ceremony in the shadow of the Prince of Wales trophy. The Eastern Conference Champions banner now sits over the far blue-line. The beautiful blue and gold banner proudly displays the Panther as its centerpiece, with its claws draping over the bottom. The reign of rats and the rain of rats came to an end with the end of the Stanley Cup season. A flurry of publicity and good taste took over as barely any rats littered the pre-game ice, and those seemed a contrivance. No rats were to be seen after the Panthers lone goal. The game was the Panthers until the last minute of play with the Cats leading 1-0. The linesman called an icing on the Panthers even though the puck was played in the neutral zone on its way to the boards. It was a lucky break for the Rangers that disrupted the Panthers' concentration. It led moments later to a goal by Adam Graves through the utterly distracted Vanbiesbrouck, and the Blueshirts managed to salvage a tie. The Panthers began their season on the road with a pair of supposedly tough games which they waltzed through. One of the victories was an especially sweet bloodbath between the Panthers and the Flyers. Philadelphia was trying to open its new CoreStates building with a loud and strong message. A message was sent. It certainly was loud, strong, and clear. But it wasn't what the Flyers wanted, as the Panthers roared on to a majestic 3-1 victory over the men in orange and black. The Flyers threw a big opening night party, but the Panthers crashed it. Local Miami columnist Dan LeBetard observed wryly, "The Flyers don't learn apparently. If what you want to do is celebrate something, you don't invite the Panthers .... So they began Philadelphia's season the same way they ended Philadelphia's last one." The Rangers fans poured in to a sold out Madison Square Garden for the season opener and the long awaited and much talked-about reunion of Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky. It's no joke guys: the Panthers are the masters of this domain. Gretzky has left the twilight of the Western Conference and come face to face with the reality of the Panthers, Flyers, and Penguins. A hit by Mark Messier to Mike Hough would lead to a two-game Messier suspension a day later. And so the famed Messier-Gretzky combo would not play together for the rematch in Patherland. * Panthers spending the season warming the bench so far are: Jody Hull, Jason Woolley, and Per Gustafsson. The only mystery is why Hull is there. Sure he's not the best player on the team, but he gives what he's got. Woolley was disappointing at times and brilliant at others. He's being punished for being inconsistent. Gustafsson, the new face in the crowd was hoping to have his chance to prove himself. When Hartford came to town he did just that with a stupendous effort, even netting his first career NHL goal. * Speaking of the Whale, Vanbiesbrouck earned his 24th career shutout and Florida got goals from six different players as the Panthers beat the Whalers 6-0 in fun romp at Miami Arena. Paul Coffey and Keith Primeau were held scoreless in their debuts for the Hartford Whalers, who were blanked 6-0 by the Florida Panthers. The two combined for three shots and Primeau had two minor penalties in the third period. "You can't forget a game like this, you have to learn from it," said Coffey. Per Gustafson made his debut and looked sharp. MacLean benched Warrener, but said it was only to see what Per could do and not a reflection on Rhett. Post final buzzer, the rats flew. Not only could the fans not be penalized, they couldn't be thrown out of the game because it was over. And the rats did fly. A stellar shutout for Beezer. And the reign of rats may not be ended after all. Touching post-game anecdote: An errant puck flew into the stands off a Panther stick as the game's final minutes ticked off, scraping the top of a small child's head. The paramedics came running to the hysterical child and his father. The kid was OK, with just a sore cranium. Three separate Panthers saw what happened gave the little boy their sticks after the game ended, plus he got the puck that hit him. Even though another fan caught it, the fan was classy enough to turn it over to the injured kid. Plus, to top it off, the Panthers gave him the puck used as the game ended. * The Panthers are performing well this season except in one key area... their power play is horrendous. Coach Doug MacLean is promising to juggle the lines and clean things up. For some reason the Panthers can't get a goal on a power play, coming up empty in their first 16 chances. Everywhere else they're looking good; maybe even better than last year. * The NHL named the first player of the week today. Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck of the Florida Panthers won the honor with his 3-0-1 record and his phenomenal GAA rating of 0.98, which was bolstered by his 6-0 shutout of the Whalers. The Beezer has also posted an amazing .966 save percentage over his first four outings. * And now a brief word from your intrepid reporter: I'm back for another season, my second for LCS. I'd like to thank the few people who wrote to let me know they've read this column and who also took time to share their opinions with me. More importantly, I'd like to hear from more of you and hear what you do and don't like. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW JERSEY DEVILS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jacques Lemaire Roster: C - Neal Broten, Steve Sullivan, Bob Carpenter, Bobby Holik, Sergei Brylin, Petr Sykora. LW - Dave Andreychuk, Steve Thomas, Mike Peluso, Valeri Zelepukin, Brian Rolston. RW - Bill Guerin, John MacLean, Randy McKay, Reid Simpson. D - Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Lyle Odelein, Shawn Chambers, Jason Smith, Rickard Persson, Kevin Dean. G - Martin Brodeur, Mike Dunham, Jeff Reese. Injuries: Steve Sullivan, c (groin, day-to-day); Kevin Dean, d (pulled rib muscle, day-to-day). Transactions: None. Game Results 10/05 Detroit W 3-1 10/07 at Philadelphia L 3-1 10/12 Dallas L 4-2 TEAM NEWS by David Ibrahim Well, they say it's a new season but it feels like last year to me. Last year, the Devils scored the second fewest goals in the NHL, finishing only ahead of Ottawa in that catagory. Without shaking that nasty habit so far this season, they seem to have picked up a new one early on: blowing third-period leads. The season began with a spirited 3-1 victory over the offensive Red Wings. The defense was as stifling as always (although they did allow a pair of breakaways to Sergei Fedorov) with the only goal given up late in the third period. All three Devils goals were scored by forcing turnovers, a lot like they did in 1995 when they won the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The Devils learned on Monday that they would be without captain Scott Stevens for that night's game against Philadelphia because of a high-sticking infraction against Igor Larionov in the Detroit game. The Devils turned in a lackluster performance against the Lindros-less Flyers, coughing up a 1-0 lead in the third period to loose 3-1. They looked just like the Devils of 95-96, creating few offensive chances and loosing another close one. On Saturday, the Devils faced the Dallas Stars, who started their backup keeper Arturs Irbe. Obviously, the Devils offense doesn't exactly strike fear into Dallas' head coach. The Devils were hoping to get a boost by the return of Stevens and Petr Sykora, who was recovering from a pre-season groin pull. Early on, both teams abandoned defense in favor of offense, with several odd man rushes which resulted in nothing, thanks to a spectacular 2-on-0 save by Brodeur and a couple of shots off the post by the Devils. Bobby Holik scored one late in the first, then set up a great play in the second to give NJ a 2-1 lead going into the third. But the Devils completely broke down in the third, giving up two goals on odd-man rushes and eventually an empty-netter to seal the coffin for a 4-2 loss. Over the summer and throughout the preseason, all the talk about the Devils focused on how Jacques Lemaire was going to loosen the reins on his defense-oriented approach to the game and let some of the players loose on offense. Scott Neidermayer, a strong critic of "the system" whose offensive potential has drawn comparisons with the likes of Paul Coffey, would be the greatest benefactor. The forwards were going to be more aggressive on the forecheck and the defense was going to pinch. On the up side, the team as a whole has been aggressive on offense with the defense actually going past the top of the face- off circle (I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Ken Daneyko take a shot in tight then circle the offensive net) to keep the pressure on. On the down side, the only thing that has happened as a result is a series of odd-man rushes in favor of the opposing team. The Devils can loosen it up on offense all they want but one critical problem reamains: they need a center who can score. The Devils are carrying six centers on their roster, seven if you include Rolston who plays left wing as well. The Devils are looking to the kid Sykora to lead the offensive charge at center, but at 19 years of age he still has a lot of learning to do. Rolston has shown offensive brilliance in short bursts, but Lemaire usually plays him with MacLean and Andreychuk, who are both so slow it hurts the eyes to watch. Broten's age is beginning to show with every game and disgruntled Bobby Holik is flanked by tough guys McKay and Peluso. Then their is Bob Carpenter who, when asked about how his often injured knee was feeling the other day, stated: "It feels great. I'm able to jog for the first time in five years." That should tell you something about the Devils up the middle. Without a scorer at center, the Devils power play will continue to suffer as well. They are 1-for-13 so far this year and have given up a short-handed goal. Lemaire has emphasized the power play in practice and they do look better, but it doesn't cover the hole in the middle. The Devils face high-flying Montreal on the fifteenth, marking the return of the much maligned Stephane Richer. They follow with games against the Senators, the Whale, and the Sharks. Those games should be good indicators of where the Devils are headed this season. Hopefully for the Devils, their troubles are just early season cobwebs. * The rumor mill had Jeremy Roenick coming to the Devils for two of the five following players: Petr Sykora, Bill Guerin, Scott Neidermayer, Bobby Holik, and Brian Rolston. Those plans were scrapped on Monday when Roenick signed a five-year deal with the Phoenix Coyotes. It looks like the search for a big-time scoring center will continue. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK ISLANDERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mike Milbury Roster: C - Travis Green, Andreas Johansson, Jim Dowd, Derek Armstrong, Dave Archibald. LW - Derek King, Todd Bertuzzi, Marty McInnis, Niclas Anderssen, Dave McLlwain, Brent Hughes. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Mick Vukota, Dan Plante, Mike Donnelly, Randy Wood. D - Darius Kasparaitis, Scott Lachance, Dennis Vaske, Richard Pilon, Bryan McCabe, Kenny Jonsson, Bryan Berard, Corey Foster. G - Eric Fichaud, Tommy Salo. Injuries: Rich Pilon, d (aggravated groin Oct. 9, sidelined day-to-day); Dennis Vaske, d (suffered dislocated left shoulder Sept. 17, sidelined 6-8 weeks, placed on IR Sept. 17). Transacations: Darby Hendrickson, c, traded to Toronto for a conditional 1998 draft choice. Tommy Soderstrom, g, waived, assigned to Utah (IHL). Brent Hughes, lw, recalled from Salt Lake (IHL). Jarrett Deuling, lw, assigned to Kentucky (AHL). Agreed to terms with Dave Archibald, c-lw. Assigned Claude Lapointe, c, to Utah (IHL). Recalled Derek Armstrong, c, from Kentucky (AHL). Agreed to terms with tryout Randy Wood, rw, on a one-year contract. Assigned Ken Belanger, lw, and defensemen Jason Holland and Jason Strudwick to Kentucky (AHL). Game Results 10/04 at Los Angeles L 1-0 10/05 at San Jose T 2-2 10/09 at Ottawa T 3-3 10/12 Philadelphia W 5-1 TEAM NEWS by David Strauss Here's a sequence of words that haven't been seen in quite a while: "The Islanders are playing good defensive hockey." Go ahead, go back and read it again. I'll wait. I'm not kidding, either. While the team's early record of 1-1-2 isn't scrambling fans to local sporting goods stores to snap up those sleeping bags for playoff tickets, it's a deceptive record that doesn't immediately show the strides the team has made, at least in the first two weeks of the season. The team opened with a 1-0 loss in Los Angeles, in which Eric Fichaud played solidly, but the team's lack of offensive talent was quite evident. The next game was a 2-2 tie in San Jose, where the Isles deserved a win but lost it when Bernie Nicholls scored with 15.4 seconds to go. So, of course, after that heartbreaking non-defeat, the team had to go out and find an even more disheartening way to snatch a tie from the jaws of victory, and that happened when they gave up two goals in the last three minutes, including the tying score with 1.5 seconds left by Alexandre Daigle, to tie the Senators 3-3. While the tough endings to these games were disappointing, the team was generally pleased with the performance of the young defense during the first 57 or so minutes of each game, and that carried over to the first home game. For the first time since the 1993 Playoffs perhaps, Nassau Coliseum actually was showing some signs of electricity. There were of course several reasons for this. First, holdout number one center Travis Green had signed a one-year deal for $1.2 million, and was playing for the first time. Second, the team would be wearing their new third jerseys, featuring the new wave uniforms but with the old 'Island' logo on the front instead of the Gorton's fisherman. Third, the team shocked the fans by bringing out the greatest right winger of all time to drop the opening puck. Yes, that's right "the one and only" Todd Okerlund was back. (No, no, no... it was the incomparable Mike Bossy, old #22.) The Islanders roared out of the gate before a sellout crowd and demolished the Flyers 5-1, the Flyers' lone goal coming with half a minute to play. But perhaps the biggest excitement of the early season hasn't come from the solid play of Eric Fichaud and Tommy Salo in net, the excitement of Bryan Berard on defense, or the resurgence of Derek King up front, but from an office in Dallas, Texas. For in that office sits John Spano, a Brooklyn-born Islander fan who just happens to be a billionaire, and who, according to all reports, is buying the Islanders awaiting league approval. Islander fans everywhere are rejoicing at the end of the Pickett era, and are eagerly awaiting Spano's reign as he promises to build a new state of the art Coliseum for the team and inject the funds that Mike Milbury desperately needs to complete the team's rebuilding. More information on this story is certainly coming, and Isles fans everywhere are waiting for it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK RANGERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Colin Campbell Rosters: C - Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Sergei Nemchinov, Niklas Sundstrom, Christian Dube. LW - Adam Graves, Luc Robitaille, Daniel Goneau, Sergio Momesso, Darren Langdon, Bill Berg. RW - Alexei Kovalev, Pat Flatley, Shane Churla. D - Brian Leetch, Ulf Samuelsson, Jeff Beukeboom, Bruce Driver, Doug Lidster, Alexander Karpovstev, Jay More, Eric Cairns. G - Mike Richter, Glenn Healy. Injuries: Shane Churla, rw (broken hand, mid-late October). Transactions: Recalled Peter Ferraro, c, from Binghamton (AHL). Returned Ferraro to Binghamton. Game Results 10/05 at Boston T 4-4 10/06 Florida L 5-2 10/08 at Florida T 1-1 10/10 Dallas L 2-1 10/12 at Montreal L 5-2 10/14 Calgary W 5-4 TEAM NEWS by Alex Frias Slow Start Could Bring Changes It may be early in the season, but the Rangers are struggling. The Blueshirts are off to a 1-3-2 start, scoring just 10 goals before a five-goal outburst against Calgary in their only win of the young season. "We have been playing bad hockey since the start," said coach Colin Campbell. "As a team, we have to get this out of our system. We make too many mistakes in front of our own net." He can say that again. While on paper this defense looks awfully solid, they haven't played anywhere near their potential and once again illustrates why games aren't decided on paper. Jeff Beukeboom has been coughing up the puck, while Leetch hasn't been playing at the same level the world saw at the World Cup. The only real positive here is the play of Alexander Karpovstev. He's been logging minutes, playing the right point on the power play with Leetch and taking ice time away for both Bruce Driver and Jay More. They aren't all to blame as the goaltending has been inconsistent so far. Like Leetch, Mike Richter is also in a slump after playing in the emotional World Cup finals between the US and Canada. But Glenn Healy has also been shaky. While both have made most of the tough saves, it's the soft goals getting through that are killing the Rangers. But if there's a finger to be pointed, it must go to the offense, or should I say lack there of. After Patty Verbeek signed with Dallas as a free agent over the summer, Alexei Kovalev and Luc Robitaille were supposed to pick up their game a notch to help sustain the loss of Verbeek's 41 goals. While both have shown glimpses, that just isn't enough. Robitaille is a seasoned veteran that knows what it takes to win, while Kovalev has to decide to get off his ass and play some hockey. While you may be thinking that we're only six games into the season, and that the Rangers have plenty of time to turn this ship around. Could be, but with 12 of the next 20 games on the road, a continued slump could become quite dangerous for the team and several individuals. * Wayne Gretzky's debut at Madison Square Garden was something special. He saw the best New York had to offer, as the darkened Garden quivered with the roar of 18,200 people when he was introduced for the first time as a Ranger. And then he also saw some of the worst, as his buddy Mark Messier was assessed a major penalty for checking Mike Hough from behind that resulted in his ejection from the game, a faint 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers. Messier's vicious hit flattened Hough, who remained on the ice for more than a minute before climbing to his feet. Hough returned to the game later as Florida broke a 2-2 tie in the third period with three unanswered goals. The following day the NHL suspended Messier for two games, without pay. "The fact that no injury resulted on the play is fortuitous, but does not excuse the dangerous type of hit by Mr. Messier against his opponent," said NHL Senior Vice President and Direct of Hockey Operations Brian Burke. "Mr. Hough was unable to protect himself. We view any hit from behind as very serious and dangerous act and this decision reflects that view." Messier missed the second game of the home-and-home against Florida and the October 10th contest versus Dallas. The team went 0-1-1 without their emotional leader in the lineup. * Rookie left wing Daniel Goneau, 20, who re-enterd the draft this year after failing to sign with the Bruins (he was their second pick in the 1994 draft), showed enough gumption during training camp to earn a spot on the team. And after watching the first couple of games from the best seat in the house, the end of the bench, Goneau has began to make his mark on this Ranger squad. With the team in a serious funk and facing the explosive Montreal Canadiens, coach Colin Campbell let Goneau run loose. He charged the net, played good along the boards, and even earned some power-play time with the first unit, where he scored his first NHL career goal. While the Rangers did end up losing the game 5-2, it established what Campbell hopes is the checking line of Goneau, Sergei Nemchinov in the middle, and Patrick Flatley on the right side. * Luc Robitaille decided a 23-goal season was enough. Something had to change. He never had scored fewer than 44 goals in eight full seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. So, Robitaille took up karate in the summer after visiting his son's instructor in Manhattan and eventually earned a yellow belt. He says the sport has given him renewed confidence. "It's very good for my mental strength. When they start making you do the splits, you know you can do something you've never done before," Robitaille said. "I'm ready this year to score. "They can put me with anyone and I know I'm going to do good." Robitaille has shifted to the right of center Mark Messier and left wing Adam Graves. * Did you know Momesso spells dog? Colin Campbell thinks so because winger Sergio Momesso is in his doghouse after taking a stupid high-sticking penalty in overtime against the division leading Florida Panthers in a 1-1 tie. * Former Oiler and Ranger Glenn Anderson, a friend of Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky, continues to skate with the team at Rye Playland to stay in shape. He had been in town waiting for a visa to take him to Wales, where he was supposed to play for the Cardiff Devils of the newly formed International Super League. Last week the team reneged on the contract. "They realized it was going to cost too much. I should end up in court but I don't want to go through the hassle," Anderson said. Anderson is hoping Rangers president and general manager Neil Smith will bring him on board. "I don't know what else to do, make a call to him?" Anderson said. "I don't want to force the issue. He realizes my position." Smith has indicated there is no way he would sign Anderson, who turned 36 on October 5, but if the Rangers need a shakeup soon he will be the first in line. * Nemchinov's first goal of the season against Calgary was his 100th career goal. Mike Richter's victory against Calgary was his 150th career win. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Terry Murray Roster: C - Eric Lindros, Rod Brind'Amour, Dale Hawerchuk, Joel Otto, Peter White, Daniel Lacroix. LW - John LeClair, Dan Kordic, Shjon Podein. RW - Mikael Renberg, Pat Falloon, John Druce, Trent Klatt, Scott Daniels, Dainius Zubrus. D - Eric Desjardins, Kevin Haller, Petr Svoboda, Chris Therien, Karl Dykhuis, Jani Niinimaa. G - Ron Hextall, Garth Snow, Dominic Roussel. Injuries: Daniel LaCroix, c (bruised ribs, day-to-day); Eric Lindros, c (pulled groin, day-to-day). Transactions: Aris Brimanis, d, reassigned to Philadelphia (AHL); Dainius Zubrus, rw, signed a three-year contract; Dominic Roussel, g, recalled from Philadelphia (AHL). Game Results 10/05 Florida L 3-1 10/07 New Jersey W 3-1 10/10 Los Angeles W 5-4 OT 10/12 at NY Islanders L 5-1 TEAM NEWS by Eric Meyer Oh, if only I could get a nickel for every time that someone asks me "When will Eric Lindros be back?" The answer is that neither I, nor anyone else knows. What I can tell you is that Eric Lindros was examined in Toronto on Wednesday October 9 by orthopedic specialist Dr. Peter Fowler. Fowler couldn't shed any new light on the subject that Flyers team Dr. Art Bartolozzi couldn't already tell us. The fact is that Lindros is hampered by a right groin pull and, as is common with a groin pull, the sure remedy is rest. That means that Lindros is officially day-to-day and the best guess as to when he'll be back is one to two weeks. So what does a coach do without a force like Eric Lindros in the lineup? For the first two games Murray moved Dale Hawerchuk to the front line to center Mikael Renberg and John LeClair. Due to ineffectiveness from the big first line, for the next two games it was Rod Brind'Amour to center the remaining members of the Legion of Doom. Without Lindros it's been a bit of a struggle to say the least. The Flyers opened the season in the brand new CoreStates Center with a disappointing 3-1 loss to the Florida Panters despite outshooting the opposition 32-19. The lone goal off a Flyers stick game from first-round draft pick Dainius Zubrus on his first shot as a Flyer, playing in his first NHL game. Two days later the Flyers got their first win in the CoreStates Center playing host to the New Jersey Devils. The 3-1 win marked the 700th home win in Flyers history. The only other teams to accomplish this feat are the original six teams (Boston, NY Rangers, Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, and Montreal). Third period goals by Brind'Amour, Dykhuis, and Podein allowed the Flyers to erase a 1-0 third-period deficit for the come-from-behind victory. Special teams played a factor as Brind'Amour's goal was short-handed and Dykhuis' goal came on the man-advantage. Hextall turned aside 24 of 25 shots for his first win. After the second game there was more bad news for the Flyers, as Ron Hextall would be lost for two games after contracting the flu. Without Hextall, however, the Flyers fared no worse than they had in their first two games, beating the L.A. Kings on Thursday night in overtime, 5-4, and losing to the N.Y. Islanders at Nassau Collesium 5-1. Garth Snow was between the pipes for both games. The Kings' game was highlighted by a Flyers breakdown in the third period, allowing the Kings to erase a three-goal deficit to force the game into overtime. In the extra period in was Rod Brind'Amour who recorded his 500th NHL point, beating L.A. goalie Byron Dafoe for the game-winner. Meyer's Flyers Tidbits... * Think Paul Coffey might be coming to Philly? Think again! Flyers' GM Bob Clarke has denied any rumors that disgruntled Harftord defenseman Paul Coffey might be on his way to the Flyers. The trade of Brendan Shanahan from Hartford to Detroit put to rest any possibility that Mr. Coffey might be coming to the Flyers. It wasn't but a month ago that Shanahan was rumored to be on his way to the Flyers for center Rod Brind'Amour, defenseman Chris Therien and a first-round pick. * Let's see, does this sound familiar? A player built in the "power forward" mold, on the shelf with an injury. Remember Flyers forward Tim Kerr with a nagging back. How about Rick Tocchet with a knee injury? How about Mikael Renberg, last year missing twenty-plus games with an abdominal strain? Present day you say? Try Boston Bruin, Cam Neely and Calgary Flame, Gary Roberts being forced to retire before this season with nagging injuries. * Is that right, Dominic Roussel back with the Flyers? Yup, the much maligned goalie was signed in the off-season after leaving the Phoenix Coyotes. After two games, he was recalled from their Philadelphia (AHL) team when goaltender Ron Hextall came down with the flu. * I think Flyers forward Scott Daniels wants to become a fan favorite. Did you see the box score from Thursday's game against the Kings? The man got into two fights. I was in attendance for that one, and let me tell you ladies and gents, Dave Brown, Dave Schultz and Paul Holmgren's respective legacies as Flyer fighting greats are still intact. I think Mr. Daniels might want to sit down with now assistant coach Dave Brown and get some lessons. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Terry Crisp Roster: C - Brian Bradley, Chris Gratton, John Cullen, Aaron Gavey. LW - Paul Ysebaert, Shawn Burr, Rob Zamuner, John Tucker, Jason Weimer, Rudy Poeschek, Patrick Poulin. RW - Brian Bellows, Alexander Selivanov, Mikael Andersson, Brantt Myhres. D - Roman Hamrlik, Bill Houlder, Cory Cross, Dave Shaw, Chris Lipuma, Igor Ulanov, Michel Petit, Drew Bannister, Jay Wells, Craig Wolanin. G - Daren Puppa, Corey Schwab, Derek Wilkinson. Injuries: Daren Puppa, g (groin pull, day-to-day); Craig Wolanin, d (shoulder surgery, early November); Igor Ulanov, d (bruised ribs, day-to-day); Paul Ysebaert, lw (groin strain, indefinite, placed on Injured Reserve). Transactions: Assigned Daymond Langkow, c, to Adirondack (AHL). Recalled Derek Wilkinson, g, from Cleveland (IHL). Game Results 10/05 at Pittsburgh W 4-3 OT 10/11 at Washington L 6-2 10/12 at Toronto W 7-4 10/15 at Buffalo W 4-0 TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell It's never easy to open up the season with a four-game road trip. Most clubs would be frightened by the proposition of having their season crippled by a disastrous early journey away from home. Well, not the men with the Lightning Bolts on their pants. These guys were in danger every minute... and loving it! One of only two teams, with Anaheim being the other, to not play at home yet this season, the Tampa Bay Lightning shocked the world by coming home from their early road excursion with a 3-1-0 record. The Bolts finished last season with the 11th best road record in the league (16-18-7) and are well on their way to improving on that mark with wins over Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Buffalo in their first four chances in 1996-97. The season opened in Pittsburgh with a home coming of sorts for good ol' Johnny Cullen. The LCS hero and two-time former Penguin, Cullen reached up and grabbed the game by the throat late in the third period to lead the Bolts to an exciting come- from-behind 4-3 overtime victory. This could very well prove to be the game of the season. The Penguins were holding onto a slim 2-1 lead in the third period when the game seemed all but dead. The Civic Arena crowd was silent, probably stunned by the fact Mario Lemieux and crew had only scored two goals or maybe they were lulled to sleep by the lack of action. The outcome seemed a foregone conclusion. Then Cullen said, "Not so fast there, Slappy..." Seemingly out of nowhere, with 3:43 left in the third period, Cullen took a drop pass from Shawn Burr just inside the Pittsburgh line and unloaded a slap shot from the high slot that beat Tom Barrasso across his body and just inside the right post. It was a perfect shot. The Bolts now had new life. Just one minute and one second later, Dino Ciccarelli entered the Pittsburgh zone and surprised Barrasso with another long-distance drive that found the net over his left shoulder to give Tampa a 3-2 lead. It was Ciccarelli's first goal as a Lightning Bolt. Dino collected his first point when he assisted on Rob Zamuner's second-period goal. The Penguins weren't about to just roll over and die in front of the home fans, at least not as long as Lemieux was around. With Barrasso on the bench for an extra attacker, The One pounced on a loose puck in the slot and rifled a wrist shot between Daren Puppa's pads with just 3.7 seconds left to tie the score and send the game to overtime. It was Lemieux's second point of the game and just another in a long line of last-second heroics over his storied career. Naturally, Lemieux's goal brought the Igloo crowd to life and things once again looked bleak for Tampa. But never underestimate men with lightning bolts on their pants. Two minutes into the extra session, Cullen, the idol of millions from eight to eighty, made yet another monumental play. Cullen forced the play into Pittsburgh ice and left the puck for Burr before charging to the net, taking two Pittsburgh defenders with him. Thanks to the room created by Cullen, Burr gathered in the puck, skated right to left across the slot, and let go with a quick wrister from the left hash mark that beat Barrasso down low inside the near post for the game-winner. That was some exciting, exciting stuff. The schedule then gave the Bolts five days off to drink in the remarkable win before heading to Washington to take on Peter Bondra and the Capitals. Unfortunately, the effects of the Colt 45 must have still been lingering, as the Caps ripped the Lightning 6-2 behind two goals and two assists from Bondra. Aaron Gavey and Brian Bradley had the lone Bolt goals, while Corey Schwab took the loss in net. Schwab was subbing for the injured Puppa, who was on the shelf courtesy of a groin pull. Schwab would again be in net the very next night when the Bolts traveled to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs. This time the results would be much different. The Lightning raced out to a 5- 1 lead and hung on to win 7-4, with Schwab turning aside 29 of 33 shots to earn his first career NHL win. Chris Gratton took care of the offense, recording his first career hat trick. The three goals were Gratton's first points on the young season. Then on Tuesday night, October 15, the Bolts closed out the trip with a 4-0 shutout over the Buffalo Sabres. Ciccarelli paced the attack with two goals, while Schwab started his third straight game and posted his first career NHL shutout by stopping 22 shots. So maybe Schwaby can do more than beat up diminutive Swedish goaltenders with heart conditions. The Lightning now return home to open up the new Ice Palace with a game against Wayne Gretzky and the New York Rangers on October 20. Then it's back to the road for a game against the Islanders on Oct. 22, before heading back home for three straight games against Ottawa, New Jersey, and Chicago. This opening road trip could have buried the Lightning, especially with Puppa injured. However, thanks to some inspired play from Corey Schwab and the usual greatness of Johnny Cullen, the Bolts got through things just fine, thank you very much. ----------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON CAPITALS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld Roster: C - Michal Pivonka, Joe Juneau, Dale Hunter, Mike Eagles, Stefan Ustorf, Kevin Kaminski. LW - Steve Konowalchuk, Richard Zednik, Kelly Miller, Todd Krygier, Craig Berube. RW - Peter Bondra, Keith Jones, Jason Allison, Pat Peake. D - Sylvain Cote, Phil Housley, Mark Tinordi, Sergei Gonchar, Calle Johansson, Joe Reekie, Brendan Witt, Ken Klee, Eric Charron. G - Jim Carey, Olaf Kolzig, Robb Stauber. Injuries: Steve Konowalchuk, c (rib cartilage, 1-2 weeks); Pat Peake, rw (shattered right heel, month to month); Kevin Kaminski, c (left calf muscle tear, 4-6 weeks); Eric Charron, d (right knee ligament tear, 2-6 weeks); Olaf Kolzig, g (mononucleosis, 1-3 weeks). Transactions: Anson Carter, c, and Nolan Baumgartner, d, assigned to Portland (AHL). Game Results 10/05 Chicago L 5-2 10/08 at Dallas L 5-3 10/11 Tampa Bay W 6-2 10/12 Los Angeles L 4-3 TEAM NEWS by Jason Sheehan and Meredith Martini Opening night carries enormous implications. Players like Jason Allison, Richard Zednik and Anson Carter are trying to prove that they belong in the NHL. And Veterans such as Dale Hunter, Kelly Miller and Sylvain Cote are trying to stave off the critics and show that they still have what it takes to compete in a hockey world loaded with young talent. Yet all players have one goal in mind: winning the Stanley Cup. A sellout crowd of 18,130 jammed into the USAir Arena on Friday, October 5 hoping for the 1996-97 season to get underway on a promising note. However, the Chicago Blackhawks gave the Washington Capitals a little of their own medicine by furiously forechecking the Capitals into submission, 5-2. For years, the Capitals have used a tight-checking defensive style of play to win hockey games. On opening night, the Blackhawks fought fire with fire, using the Capitals' formula for success against them. Chicago's Sergei Krivokrasov scored the game's first goal on a power play five minutes four seconds into the second period. Denis Savard's shot set up the goal. His drive, which hit the side of the net, was immediately picked up by Krivokrasov, who raced to the net and knocked the rebound past Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey. The lead, however, was short-lived. Right winger Richard Zednik, playing in only his second NHL game, tied the score just 23 seconds later when his shot from the right face-off circle hit defenseman Keith Carney's skate and trickled behind goaltender Ed Belfour. For Zednik, it was his first NHL goal and was the only bright spot to a disastrous night. Defenseman Eric Weinrich put the Blackhawks ahead for good about four minutes later when his wrist shot from 10 feet out eluded Carey. Chicago put the game out of reach before the buzzer sounded to end the second period. With 31.9 seconds left in the middle stanza, James Black fired a hard slap shot past a helpless Carey. The Blackhawks created the scoring chance with hard hits that caused Washington to turn the puck over in its own zone. This problem plagued the Capitals all night. After Washington's Keith Jones scored a goal 12 minutes into the third period to cut the lead in half, Chicago quickly countered 1:45 later when left winger Ethan Moreau lit the lamp after collecting his own rebound. Savard rubbed salt in the wound by scoring a breakaway goal with just over two minutes left in regulation. For the entire evening, the Capitals were unable to defend against the Blackhawks' rushing defenseman. Washington's defense, which ranked among the league's best last season, continuously missed assignments, leaving Carey all by his lonesome. Washington's power play, which was expected to improve when the Capitals signed offensive-minded defenseman Phil Housley this Summer, also suffered. The Capitals went 0 for 6 with the man- advantage and didn't put much pressure on Belfour. This was definitely not the way to start a new season. After the game, Capitals coach Jim Schoenfeld was furious. The next day, he ran his team through one of the most rigorous practices in team history. When the physical workout ended, the mental one began. Schoenfeld forced every member of his team to watch the opening night loss on videotape and comment on what went wrong. Unfortunately, nothing was learned from this session, as was proven three nights later. Team U.S.A. standout Mike Modano scored two goals and Jere Lehtinen earned a goal and an assist as the Stars blinded the Capitals, 5-3, at Reunion Arena. On the bright side, Keith Jones scored his second goal of the season in as many games and Jason Allison, who has been impressive, notched his first goal of the campaign. Nevertheless, the Stars transformed Washington's lackadaisical clearing attempts into goals. With the Capitals already reeling from the opening night defeat, Lehtinen made matters worse when he converted a pass from defenseman Derian Hatcher just two minutes into the game. Jones tied the score with a power-play goal at 14:42 in the opening frame. But the Capitals' defense folded once again. The Stars made Carey look like former Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders. On just about every goal Dallas scored, Carey went down early and was victimized by high shots he was unable to handle. But Carey can't be blamed for everything. If the Capitals had given him a little breathing room, the game's outcome may have been different. Carey and the Capitals quickly fine tuned their play in preparation for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who upset the Penguins in Pittsburgh on opening night. Although it's only October, divisional games still carry an extra importance. Right winger Peter Bondra broke through his scoring drought with two goals and two assists and Housley followed with a short-handed goal and three helpers as the Capitals thrashed the visiting Lightning Bolts, 6-2. The Capitals did what they do best: frustrate the opposition with tough defense. This style of play forced the Lightning into turning the puck over to streaking Capitals, who made the Floridians pay dearly. Facing goaltender Corey Schwab (0-4-0 career) also gave the Capitals the extra step needed to win a game. Starting goaltender Daren Puppa is currently on the shelf with a mild groin strain. Allison continued to impress, scoring the game's first goal six minutes four seconds into the first period. He poked the puck by the Tampa Bay defense tandem, skated between the two defensemen, picked up the loose puck and shot it over a fallen Schwab. This marked the first lead of the season for the Capitals and was the prettiest goal of the night. Centers Michal Pivonka and Joe Juneau also scored for the Capitals, while centers Aaron Gavey and Brian Bradley scored for the Lightning in the second and third periods. After this impressive performance, only one question remained. Could the Capitals come back the next night and destroy a helpless Los Angeles Kings club? The answer was NO. The Capitals gained an early three-goal lead on their West Coast counterparts, but the lead didn't last long as the Kings rallied to win the game, 4-3. Captain Dale Hunter, Bondra and Housley shook Kings' goaltender Stephane Fiset with three goals in the game's first nine minutes and seemed destined for a two-point night. But that was before a little turbulence ruined the festivities. Before the Capitals could blink, the Kings quickly shrunk the deficit to 3-2 with goals from former Capital Dimitri Khristich and Barry Potomski, a career minor leaguer. On Potomski's goal, Bondra was behind the Capitals' net and forced a pass to his linemate Pivonka. His errant attempt was stolen by Potomski, who then one-timed Bondra's mistake past a defenseless Carey with 1:27 remaining in the first period. The game's most decisive sequence occurred in the second period when Los Angeles tied the score at 3-3. Bondra stole the puck inside the Kings' zone and ripped a shot off the post. Before the Capitals could regroup, the Kings stormed down the ice and scored when Mattias Norstrom roofed a backhand shot over a fallen Carey. Washington was unable to mount much of a challenge after this goal. Another former Capital, defenseman John Slaney (these guys can kill you), scored the game-winning goal 6:31 into the third period when his slap shot from above the left circle found the back of the twine. Carey came out of his net to cut down the angle, but was unable to stop Slaney's accurate shot. Before winning the game, Los Angeles had not beaten an Eastern Conference team on the road since October 21, 1995. Thanks to the Capitals' inability to hold a lead, that streak has ended. The schedule over the next two weeks doesn't get any easier for the Capitals. After a home game against the new-look Buffalo Sabres on October 19, the Capitals pack the bags and travel to Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, St. Louis and Colorado. The Capitals must improve defensively to survive in this jungle that is known as the Eastern Conference. * On opening night, Carey was honored for his stellar play last season when his father, Paul, brought the Vezina Trophy onto the ice for all to see. * With the Baltimore Orioles battling the New York Yankees this weekend, few people came to the USAir Arena. 11,196 people walked through the turnstile on October 11 with the Lightning in town, while 12,297 tickets were sold the following night for the Kings game. Based on the number of empty seats, many who bought tickets stayed home for the baseball game. * The Capitals ended last season devastated by injuries and began this one the same way. Pat Peake is still rehabilitating a shattered right heel that required several hours of surgery and a half dozen bolts and screws to repair. While Peake is walking normally and has kept up his conditioning (and apparently did some serious work on his upper body), his rebuilt heel doesn't fit in a skate. The team has ordered customized skates that will fit the various pieces of metal now in his heel, and Peake resumed skating with the team October 8th, but he won't play until at least November. Center Joe Juneau passed his physical but was already experiencing pain in his right wrist when camp opened. After unsuccessful attempts to play Juneau had an MRI, which found a broken hamate bone. Juneau had surgery September 19 and was expected to be out four to six weeks, but was so far ahead of schedule in his recovery he didn't miss a game. Steve Konowalchuk tore rib cartilage during a fight in an exhibition game and will miss much of October. This was Konowalchuk's third serious injury in less than a year to a player who previously had never been injured; he hopes this is the last injury for a long time. During an exhibition series with the Sabres, Kevin Kaminski and Eric Charron both injured legs, Kaminski tearing a calf muscle and Charron tearing ligaments in his right knee. Charron could miss most of the season. And if this weren't enough, Olaf Kolzig was diagnosed with mononucleosis October 6; however, a later test showed no signs of the virus so he has returned to practice and will be back in the lineup by the end of October. Peter Bondra took a Flyer stick in the mouth during an exhibition and Bondra needed several stitches in his lip. He also suffered damage to six teeth which will keep him in a dentist's chair for some time, but he is still skating, albeit using a mouthguard for the first time. The upside on the injuries...the Capitals came to camp with a tremendous selection of talented rookies and prospects, some of whom started a level higher than they expected. Both 1996 first rounders, Alexander Volchkov and Jaroslav 'Yogi' Svejkovsky, not only impressed in camp but signed contracts. Volchkov went back to juniors, but Svejkovsky went to Portland for the time being and after scoring three goals in his first two games may be back soon. Also, past first rounders Brad Church and Miika Elomo have made good cases for themselves, has have Nolan Baumgartner and Patrick Boileau on the blueline. Richard Zednik and former collegiate standout Anson Carter won places on the team (after two decent games, Carter was sent to Portland October 11) and the performance of ne'er-do-well Jason Allison in the exhibitions has gotten him back on the Caps' roster (for the third time) as well. * The Capitals had some anxious pre-season moments compliments of Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey. Carey's agent, Brian Lawton, was angling to get the 'Ace' a renegotiated contract that would pay Carey upwards of three million a year, as opposed to the $858,000 Carey would receive in his entry level contract. Carey didn't play in the World Cup but took his time before reporting to camp, fueling rumors of a holdout. But the two sides reached agreement on a four-year contract worth at least 9.3 million, more with incentives and performance bonuses. * The money given to both Carey and free agent signee Phil Housley gives the Capitals four players earning over two million a year (Bondra and Tinordi are the others) and signifies an apparent financial committment from management. Further evidence that GM David Poile may finally have cooperation from owner Abe Pollin in the Caps' active attempts to secure a power forward, cost be damned. The Caps' latest target was Detroit holdout Keith Primeau; but for the second time, two players the Capitals were hoping to acquire, this time Primeau and Shanahan, were traded for each other. The Capitals have not given up the chase for Alexei Zhamnov and may make a bid for Brett Hull. * The Capitals had ten players in the World Cup tournament, including the only NHL experienced players for Germany, Olaf Kolzig and Stefan Ustorf. The others: Peter Bondra and Richard Zednik, Slovakia; Jim Carey, Phil Housley and Steve Konowalchuk, USA; Sylvain Cote, Canada; Calle Johansson, Sweden; and Sergei Gonchar, Russia. Assistant coach Keith Allain also participated as a coach for Team USA. The Czech Republic could have used Michal Pivonka but he turned down his invitation; he says his wife wouldn't let him play. * Missing from camp were Jeff Nelson and Martin Gendron, perpetual prospects and Portland stalwarts. Both opted to leave the Caps, Nelson as a free agent and Gendron as a holdout, due to a not undeserved belief they would not get playing time on the NHL level. Nelson signed with the IHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, joining his brother and fellow ex-Capital Todd Nelson. Gendron signed a 25-game contract with the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder and will wait for a trade. * Slapshots: The Caps' uniforms have an addition this season: a right shoulder patch honoring the Caps' late Director of Scouting Jack 'Bulldog' Button. The patch features Button's initials and a bulldog. Button died July 31 after battling leukemia for more than a year. He discovered current Capitals Bondra, Carey and Pivonka, just to name a few. ...It took long enough, but after seven months, surgery and a lot of rehab, Brendan Witt's broken wrist finally healed and he is cleared to play. ...Something else which took long enough - Dale Hunter's 300th NHL goal. After many games of trying he finally scored it October 12th against LA. Hunter, however, wasn't the only member of the 300 Club that night. The evening also marked Joe Juneau's 300th career game. ...The Caps expected to lose some of their defensive depth to waivers as defensemen Stewart Malgunas and Daniel LaPerriere and goaltender Robb Stauber would have to clear before going to Portland, but all cleared without trouble. Stauber was promptly recalled when Kolzig developed mono. ...Hopefully this was NOT an omen for the Capitals, but they arrived in Nova Scotia for exhibition games at about the same time Hurricane Hortense arrived at the islands. ...The Capitals' players went broke on wedding presents over the summer, as Peake, Ustorf, Konowalchuk, Carey and Kevin Kaminski all got hitched. No word on whether that's an NHL record for one summer. ================================================================ ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= EASTERN CONFERENCE NORTHEASTERN DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- BOSTON BRUINS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Steve Kasper Roster: C - Adam Oates, Jozef Stumpel, Ted Donato, Clayton Beddoes, Trent McCleary, Rob Dimaio, Dave Emma. LW - Troy Mallette, Cam Stewart. RW - Rick Tocchet, Steve Heinze, Sandy Moger, Sheldon Kennedy, Jeff Odgers. D - Ray Bourque, Don Sweeney, Kyle McLaren, Dean Chynoweth, Steve Staios, Barry Richter, Mattias Timander, Dean Malkoc. G - Bill Ranford, Scott Bailey. Injuries: John Rohloff, d (sprained ankle, day-to-day); Dean Chynoweth, d (underwent abdominal surgery, indefinite); Sandy Moger, rw (fractured left foot, indefinite). Transactions: Sent Tim Cheveldae, g, to Ft. Wayne (IHL). Game Results 10/05 Rangers T 4-4 10/07 Phoenix L 5-2 10/12 at San Jose W 5-3 TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown The 1996-97 Bruins are a far different bunch than the 95-96 edition, but they are more like a throwback than a brave new team. They are more suited to the grimy Garden than the fastidious Fleetcenter, and the feeling is that Boston fans will like it that way, even at Fleetcenter prices. If you look at the roster from last season, there has been a great deal of change. Gone are goalies Craig Billington and Blaine Lacher, forwards Kevin Stevens, Joe Mullen, Ron Sutter, Fred Knipsheer, Steve Leach, Mariusz Czerkawski, Dave Reid, Marc Potvin, Shawn McEachern, and most of all Cam Neely. Missing defensemen are Alexi Kasatonov, Rick Zombo, Al Iafrate, and Phil Von Steffenelli. Heck, that is almost an entire team's worth of turnover. This year's new faces include some "character" guys, and a definite emphasis on what the Bruin brass saw as last year's main deficit: toughness. The Bruins brought in Troy Mallette, Trent McCleary, and Jeff Odgers to beef up the front lines. All three are castoffs from the worst teams in the league. Ah, that wily Harry Sinden. There has been much talk around Boston about the unBruinlike average of just 12.7 penalty minutes per game, which was the lowest in the NHL last season. The scribes and the team officials are decrying the lack of toughness on the team, and vowing that this year will be different. However, do not forget that the Bruin's penalty killing fell from the very best in the NHL in 93-94 and 94-95 to 20th last year! Given that dive, it is not hard to imagine a Bruin team with 16 to 20 penalty minutes per game missing the playoffs. An increase in stupid penalties will do little to better the Bruins' eighth overall finish of last year. There is no doubt that until Rick Tocchet donned the Black and Gold, there were few instances of teammates sticking up for each other last year. Even Cam Neely, who usually would, was much more restrained, probably because of his injury problems. That changed fast when Tocchet came, and with the recent additions, there have been few unrequited cheap shots through the exhibitions and the first three games. This could be an improvement that is worth more points in the standings than the scoring stats of these players would indicate. Conversely, if they start dishing out the cheap shots, the extra opposition power plays may prove the Bruins' undoing. Steve Kasper has shown already that he has matured as a coach. Looking back at the Kevin Stevens fiasco, Stevie mentioned that it was hard for players like Stevens, Joe Mullen, and Shawn McEachern to go from a free-wheeling system like Pittsburgh's to the more disciplined style of play required by Kasper and the organization (he must be reading LCS). We never heard this admission during the last season, and it shows that Kasper has done some serious thinking during the off-season. He has also pledged to "lighten up" and smile a bit, and make Boston a better place to play for his players. This could make a bigger difference than every X and O he draws all year. Another thing Kasper seems determined to follow through on is to reduce Ray Bourque's minutes. A dedicated Bruin watcher may express disbelief: "Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before, but the Captain keeps clockin' 35+." Well, not so far this year. Ray has been down under 30 minutes so far, closer to 25 in the last game. Kasper says this being done to keep Ray from getting exhausted, and to give the other defenders time to develop. Three games into the season doesn't make it real, but the direction is there. Kasper set the tone in the preseason, when he kept Ray off the ice totally in the 3rd period against San Jose after a minor shoulder strain. Better that than to aggravate an injury and lose Bourque for a month or longer. This particular Ray-worshiper thinks it has to be done, and has said so for two years in this forum. Ray is a superb athlete, but he is getting older, not "superber." He hasn't been dazzling in the playoffs for the last three years. In fact, the series sound bite for a couple of them has been Ray getting beat by an ordinary player for a deciding goal (starting with Brad May and ending this Spring with Bill Lindsay). This must stop, and the only way is to have the gumption to not abuse Ray during the regular season, even if he begs for it. Handling this correctly will be a make or break issue for Kasper's coaching reign. On this front, Kasper will find few allies outside the locker room. Boston is a sports-media town. Some of the writers and sportcasters are (or think they are) as much of the story as the athletes and coaches. Simply put, they have no mercy, and little sympathy. They also have no reluctance to twist the knife, if not stick it in. If the team falters while Kasper is holding Ray back, he will be savaged for it, even if it is ultimately for a greater good. An example of the Boston pit-bull press phenomenon concerns Neely's replacement as Assistant Captain. Don Sweeney wore the A often when Neely was injured. This year, Kasper gave the A to newcomer Jeff Odgers, based on Odger's experience with other teams, and on his personality. Odgers stands to make a major impact on the Bruin psyche, bringing grit, toughness, and sacrifice back into vogue. Kasper knows this. He also knows he won't get this particular kind of leadership from Bourque, Adam Oates (the other A), or Don Sweeney, who are all quiet leaders and performers. Kasper talked to Don Sweeney about this before the season, and the official word is that Sweeney is okay with it. Whether that is true or not, the media have had a field day with this supposed slight to Sweeney, and Kasper has had to explain himself again and again. Now, the vultures will be waiting for the first sign of friction or decreased performance to lay the blame at Kasper's feet. Why is this column tough on the media? Self-flagellation? Maybe, but one major focus of this column is the fans and their perceptions of the Bruins. The fans are becoming the forgotten people in sports, unless they manage to interfere with the game (in effect, becoming players, as in the Yankee's 12 year-old extra outfielder), or they don't show up. The media have a major impact on the fans, using insider information (or insinuation in some instances) to shape public opinion. When a player or coach gets villified, it is usually because something the fans see in that person is magnified in the press. There is no question that what the Boston beat reporters say affects the organization, the players, and the fans. Bruin fans outside of Boston just won't get the whole picture unless they hear what the Boston press and the Boston fans are saying about the team. Oh, the season? Hockey games? Wins-Losses-Ties, you say? Well, so far the Bruins have tried one of each; hopefully they'll like the W's better than the L's and T's. The line so far is a tie against the Rangers, a loss to the Coyotes, and a win over the Sharks, none of them overly impressive. The Bruins had the honor (cough!) of hosting the debut of the Great One and the Messy One together again. Rather than a showcase for the Rangers, the game was an expose of the defensive liabilities of each club. Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky were basically contained by Boston's aggressive checking. Trent McCleary was particularly pesty to Messier, but Mark had trouble catching him, and had to wait a game or two to find somebody slower to nail and earn that suspension. In the game, first the Bruins' exposed the Rangers defense as fairly shaky, going out to a 4-2 lead. However, the Rangers in the third returned the favor, and tied the game. Still, against a team some pick for the Cup final, a tie isn't that bad. Conversely, a loss to the Arizona desert dogs, behind a hat trick by one of the few old guys Sinden has never signed, Mike Gartner, was much more embarrassing. Bill Ranford was shelled for four Coyote goals on ten shots (including three goals on the first four shots) before being pulled for Scott Bailey. Bailey was perfect, but the Bruins couldn't close the gap, and gave up an empty-net goal at the end to lose 5-2. Against the Sharks, it was deja vu night. The Chompers put three goals past Ranford in short order, and Bruin's TV analyst Derek Sanderson said he could almost hear the TVs in Boston shutting off. However, the Sharks never got that key fourth goal, and the Bruins scored five straight times against a self-beleaguered Kelly Hrudey (fighting the puck big-time) to win their first game of 96-97, 5-3 over the Sharks. Goalie Bill Ranford seems to have something to prove this season. Unfortunately, so far it looks like he is trying to prove Harry Sinden right for saying that Bill's best days are history (and nobody knows has-been players better than Harry). It's not nice to dis your starting goaltender, then watch an arbitrator cut his pay. But then again, Sinden was never known as the "Great Motivator" now, was he? What does it all mean? Not much. The real test will be after the early road swing ends, and the Bruins begin playing their Northeast Division rivals. Unfortunately, this won't happen until November. Until then, the Bruins play only Hartford on 10/31 (scary!) and on 11/6. Fortunately, Pittsburgh has had a horrific start, and the Sabres and Canadiens have struggled a bit, so the Bruins aren't in a 10- point hole yet. Until after Halloween, Boston won't really now whether Harry Sinden's team is a trick or a treat. ---------------------------------------------------------------- BUFFALO SABRES ---------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ted Nolan Roster: C - Pat LaFontaine, Mike Peca, Derek Plante, Brian Holzinger, Wayne Primeau, Anatoli Semenov. LW - Brad May, Randy Burridge, Michal Grosek, Rob Ray, Curtis Brown, Barrie Moore. RW - Donald Audette, Jason Dawe, Vaclav Varada, Dixon Ward. D - Alexei Zhitnik, Garry Galley, Richard Smehlik, Darryl Shannon, Mike Wilson, Bob Boughner, Jay McKee, Ruman Ndur. G - Dominik Hasek, Andrei Trefilov. Injuries: Brad May, lw (shoulder, two months); Bob Boughner, d (broken foot, indefinite). Transactions: Recalled Roman Ndur, d, from Rochester (AHL). Assigned Vaclav Varada, rw, to Rochester (AHL). Game Results 10/01 at Edmonton L 4-3 10/06 at Calgary L 3-0 10/09 at Vancouver W 2-1 10/12 Detroit L 6-1 TEAM NEWS by Valerie Hammerl A new look, a new season, but a lot of the same faces: that's what the Buffalo Sabres have unveiled for the 1996-1997 season. The team has a new logo, in new colors. They have a new arena. They have a few rookies. They didn't do a lot of signing over the summer, they didn't make any blockbuster deals. Instead, the Sabres for this season are the same package in a new wrapper, and so far it's been ugly. The Sabres started the season with the western road trip that usually drains the team and results in a slew of losses. It was the first time the team started the season with three road games. First stop, Edmonton. The Oilers never trailed, and the Sabres managed a mere 19 shots on goaltender Curtis Joseph. The Oilers walked away with a 4-3 victory, and the Sabres were left without the services of defenseman Bob Boughner, who suffered a broken foot when it was struck by a puck. Calgary brought more problems. Already short a player, the Sabres called up defenseman Rumun Ndur from Rochester to replace Boughner. Instead, left wing Brad May dislocated his shoulder in a fight with Ron Stern. The team turned in an anemic performance and Rick Tabaracci walked away with his first shutout of the season. The Sabres were determined to win in Vancouver, and salvage two points out of the western trip. They did. Goaltender Dominik Hasek let in only one goal, by Pavel Bure, and that was a mere fourteen seconds into the game. From there, the Sabres took over, with goals by Jason Dawe and Brian Holzinger. The Sabres returned to Buffalo, for their regular season debut in the new Marine Midland Arena. Prior to the game, the Sabres raised a banner to the rafters inscribed with the letters SHK III, in memory of the team's recently-deceased owner, Seymour H. Knox III. Knox's widow kept her late husband's seat empty, adorning it with a blue and gold ribbon. His grandchildren dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff. This was the fort that Knox built, although he didn't live to see it completed. As Sabre players entered the rink, they each rubbed the brass plaque given to Seymour and Northrup Knox at a ceremony at the last game in Memorial Auditorium. Each player will wear a patch with SHK III for the remainder of the season, in memory of Seymour Knox. There were fireworks. On the jumbotron, giant bison ran from Niagara Falls through to downtown Buffalo and into Marine Midland Arena, where they metamorphosed into Sabre players. Then came the Marine Midland Massacre, advertised to fans as the first regular season home game. The Red Wings dominated the game, the Sabres still appeared dazzled by the opening ceremonies. The Red Wings went up 1-0 when Viktor Kozlov slipped the puck past Hasek. The lead increased to 2-0 when Dominik Hased tried to come out of the net to stop Steve Yzerman. But it wasn't until the third period where the Sabres seemed to come completely unglued. An early short-handed goal by Detroit increased the lead, but Mike Peca scored for Buffalo, narrowing the margin to 3-1. In just over two minutes, however, Dominik Hasek became a sieve behind an invisible defense, allowing three goals. The Sabres never recovered, and a late fight by Ray and McCarty failed to spark any interest either. * The Sabres started the season with a pair of holdouts: Jason Dawe and Matthew Barnaby. Dawe managed to ink a contract and join the team on their first road trip, but Barnaby is still holding out. Although his contract demands are down from his million-plus demand, he is still seeking in excess of $700,000.00, far more than the Sabres are willing to pay. Barnaby returned home to Ottawa shortly after talks broke down this summer, but returned to Buffalo shortly after the season started. * The Buffalo Sabres voiced concerns when seven of the ten Adams Division and Prince of Wales banners the team earned over the years were missing. The banners were lowered after the last game in Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, and were supposed to be packed in a cabinet prior to the move to Marine Midland Arena, but were misplaced. They turned up before the opening game at the new arena, but will not be hung from the rafters until later this season. The Sabres are, however, missing the banner with the retired number of former Sabre star Gilbert Perrault, stolen in a break-in at the Aud in September. A replacement banner has been commissioned. * The Sabres are sporting new jerseys this season. The jerseys are black, and white, with red trim. They feature a large snarling white bison head on the front, and shoulder patches of a "B" with a sword through it. White bison are a symbol of good luck in Native American folklore. * Mike Peca scored both the last Sabre goal in the Aud and the first Sabre goal in Marine Midland Arena. ----------------------------------------------------------------- HARTFORD WHALERS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Paul Maurice Roster: C - Keith Primeau, Andrew Cassels, Jeff O'Neill, Mark Janssens, Kent Manderville. LW - Geoff Sanderson, Andrei Nikolishin, Paul Ranheim, Hnat Domenichelli, Stu Grimson, Kelly Chase. RW - Kevin Dineen, Nelson Emerson, Sami Kapanen, Robert Kron, Steven Rice. D - Paul Coffey, Glen Wesley, Jeff Brown, Gerald Diduck, Alexander Godynyuk, Adam Burt, Marek Malik, Glen Featherstone. G - Sean Burke, Jason Muzzatti. Injuries: Jeff Brown, d (recurring back pain, indefinite, may need surgery); Kelly Chase, lw (broken thumb, Injured Reserve, three-to-four weeks); Glen Featherstone, d (elbow surgery, Injured Reserve, day-to-day); Nelson Emerson, rw (ankle, day-to-day). Transactions: Claimed Stu Grimson, lw, off waivers from Detroit Red Wings. Assigned Nolan Pratt, d, to Springfield (AHL). Traded Brendan Shanahan, lw, and Brian Glynn, d, to Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Keith Primeau, c, Paul Coffey, d, and a 1997 first-round draft choice. Signed Keith Primeau to a three-year, $5.2M contract. Traded forward Epsen Knutsen to Anaheim in exchange for Kevin Brown, rw. Signed Kent Manderville, c, and Chris Luongo, d, to one-year contracts. Assigned Brown, Luongo, and Jeff Daniels, lw, to Springfield (AHL). Game Results: 10/05 Phoenix W 1-0 10/08 Pittsburgh W 7-3 10/12 at Florida L 6-0 TEAM NEWS by Steve Gallichio Hello. A capsule rundown of the changes for the 1996-97 Whalers: Who's new, and why: * C Keith Primeau What he brings: Size. Great honking big size. And perhaps even a willingness to use it, something the recently departed Brendan Shanahan was too-often reluctant to do. Why he was available: Never became a dominant offensive force in Detroit. Craved a bigger role than third or fourth line player. Happy to be a big Whale in a little pond. Outlook: He can't hide now...it's put up or shut up time. He seems to want to be in Hartford, which is a plus. He won't replace Shanahan's offense, but he'll likely improve the team's work ethic, a necessity in the Eastern Conference. * D Paul Coffey What he brings: Speed, smooth skating, offense from the point. Veteran leadership and four Stanley Cup rings. Why he was available: 36 years old with $8.1M and three years left on his contract. Detroit looking to cut salary to add Shanahan, while working Eriksson, Pushor, and/or Ward to the Red Wing lineup. And, lets face it, has anyone seen this guy play defense lately? Outlook: Don't go running to trade in your #94 replica Shanny jerseys for #77 Coffeys. Coffey and agent Mike Barnett are angling for a ticket to one last Cup ride, with the Flyers and Rangers being prime candidates. The Whalers would like to hang on to him to boost the teams' offense, especially with Jeff Brown potentially looking at major back surgery. But at Coffey's age, he could fetch some better long term return. * LW Stu Grimson What he brings: More great honking big size. A way-cool nickname. A chance to run Kelly Chase out of town on a rail. Strong character. Why he was available: Detroit had to waive a player to get Primeau on the active roster in order to trade him to Hartford, making it essentially a five-for-one trade; in exchange for Shanahan, the Whale got Primeau, Coffey, a first-round pick, Grimson, and got Detroit to take Brian Glynn off their hands. Outlook: Hartford needed an enforcer, and Kelly Chase wasn't it. He increases the size of the lineup, and even at one goal per season, he'll fit right in with Hartford's offense. * LW Hnat Domenichelli What he brings: A scoring touch. Why he made the team: Because every chance he's gotten, he's put the puck in the net. Outlook: He's buried on a checking line for his early career while learning the ropes. If he can get P.T., he'll get his share of goals. * C Kent Manderville What he brings: Good question. Why he was available: "Potential" follows players around like a virus. Outlook: Bleak. Signing this guy to a free-agent deal even after Mark Janssens re-signed following a brief holdout was just plain silly. Barring injury, he's still two players away from getting out of the press box. * D Alexander Godynyuk What he brings: Hopefully, the Godynyuk of 1993-94. Why he was gone: Off ice problems, mostly. Outlook: He's the little Russian with the curl. When he's good, he's a top-four defenseman on the team. When he's bad, well, helllooo, Manitoba Moose. So far this year, he's been good. Who's history, and why: * LW Brendan Shanahan What he takes: One of the best sets of wrists in hockey. A genuine goal scorer who can exert his will over the game when he is so inclined. Why he's gone: Because he wasn't so inclined in Hartford. The lights weren't bright enough, the city wasn't big enough, the endorsement contracts weren't great enough. He felt lost in a haze of obscurity outside of the power circles of hockey. Net: Even gold records played half speed don't sound particularly good. Shanahan could have done wonderful things for the Whalers, but he felt that they couldn't do enough for him. His goal scoring is irreplaceable. His attitude isn't. * D Brian Glynn What he takes: The first plane out of town, hopefully. Why he's gone: The definitive journeyman defenseman, Glynn had a stupidly long multi-year contract in Hartford while a train of defensive prospects were pulling into Union Station. Net: Just try and find someone in WhaleTown who mourns this loss. * LW Kevin Smyth What he takes: His last outside chance to prove he's not a washed-up prospect. Why he's gone: Because he could make more money in the IHL than in the AHL. Net: He was a double-longshot to make the team; now he can prove himself on someone else's dime. * LW Scott Daniels What he takes: Character, grit, intensity. Why he's gone: Jim Rutherford learned too late the problems associated with long-term contracts for fringe players. Alas, he didn't figure it out in time to leave enough room on the payroll for a guy he should have held on to. Net: A total loss except in the bank account. * D Brad McCrimmon What he takes: Veteran leadership. A teaching presence on defense. Why he's gone: Hartford wanted Brad to return as a coach, and at a coach's salary. McCrimmon wasn't ready to kick yet. And after all, don't all old people head to Arizona? Net: Marginal, possibly imperceptible, loss. The net net result: Hartford lacked many things last season, chiefly character, size, and natural scoring ability. Losing Shanahan is a blow to the offense, and losing Daniels hurts the work ethic. But players such as Primeau and Grimson and a revitalized Godynyuk certainly address the size and fortitude problems the team showed last season. However, those players aren't going to bring up the team's offensive fortunes... it will take hefty career advancement from youngsters Jeff O'Neill, Andrei Nikolishin, and Geoff Sanderson for that to happen. Like 20 of the other 25 NHL teams, the Whalers' fortunes this season will be determined by work ethic and adherence to philosophy... intangibles that will take several games to show their faces. Intangibles that were non existent in last season's abominable disappointment. ----------------------------------------------------------------- MONTREAL CANADIENS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mario Tremblay Roster: C - Pierre Turgeon, Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Darcy Tucker. LW - Vincent Damphousse, Martin Rucinsky, Brian Savage, Benoit Brunet, Donald Brashear, Scott Thornton, Terry Ryan. RW - Mark Recchi, Stephane Richer, Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure, Chris Murray. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Peter Popovic, Rory Fitzpatrick, Craig Rivet, David Wilkie. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Pat Jablonski. Injuries: Chris Murray, rw (fractured hand, indefinite); Turner Stevenson, rw (knee, day to day). Transactions: None. Game Results 10/05 Ottawa T 3-3 10/07 Anaheim T 6-6 10/09 Los Angeles W 6-3 10/12 N.Y Rangers W 5-2 TEAM NEWS by Jacques Robert BEST OFFENSE IN 15 YEARS? During the first four home games of the 96-97 season, Habs fans have sent a clear message to Mario Tremblay's boys. The message sounds like this: "We have been patient enough until now! The Canadiens 80th season in the NHL better be a great one from start to finish..." Demanding, mercyless, Canadiens fans? You bet! Even more so that everything was all set up by October 5 to let the players display their talents. After all, Ottawa, Anaheim and Los Angeles were not so big shots over the last season. As a matter of fact, for the season opener against Ottawa, it was like the Habs had little margin for errors. And Mario's boys' game turned out to be sort of a nightmare. Not offensively though. Mark Recchi came out strong while little Saku Koivu showed why he is likely to stand out this year on the Montreal lineup. But defensively, it was kind of awful! Jocelyn Thibault was nervous, and all defensemen were out of it. Although the Canadiens outshot Ottawa (36-25), they were unable to manage a win, even after leading three times in the game. Spectators were definitely on the players' backs which led Tremblay to declare: "Nothing is going to be easy this year at home." The next game against Anaheim proved the coach was right again. Spectators were booing the team more than ever... Okay, defensemen didn't show up this night; a weak Thibault was even replaced by Jablonski, Patrice Brisebois became the scapegoat of his team's bad performance, and defensive plays fell apart in a big way. On the other hand, the offense was at its best... the line of Savage /Koivu/Recchi was simply outstanding. And so was Stephane Richer, who is on his way to make fans forget all about Lyle Odelein. Steve Shut, a former Canadiens player even gave fans a comment to calm them down: "It is the first time in 15 years we've had three such well balanced scoring lines." It remains incredible that fans didn't acknowledge their players merits right away... That's what Montreal crowds are all about - passionate in the search of perfection. Simply put: Forget showbizz and get down to business! More accurately, they no longer can stand the Habs playing a second role in the NHL. This year, no mistakes will be tolerated! Hold on to your sticks Koivu and company! The last '93 Stanley cup win is history from Montrealers standpoint. In fact, it took the next two games to have fans and players make up. Against L.A, Koivu & co turned the Molson centre upside down in a 6-3 victory, before giving a hockey lesson to Messier's teamates three nights later. Thus, the L.A game will be remembered as a fair attempt to have defensemen stay together. In some ways they succeeded, by not giving the puck away in the neutral zone. Prior to that game, Montreal had scored more goals than any other NHL team and had the three leading scorers - Recchi, Koivu and Savage - who, coincidentally, are linemates. As Tremblay noticed: "As long as my players impose their game, nothing can stop them." His team's performance against the visiting winless Rangers turned out to be a festival of talent (Bure came out strong for the first time of the season), goals and mostly... good defense. Thibault was outstanding, stopping 43 shots. The four offensive lines were equally reliable so that Canadiens overwhelmed and frustrated the Rangers with a 5-2 win. Fans were in heaven... at last. "We'll have to carry this performance over when starting on the road," added Tremblay. At least, young Habs will not be scared off by the Molson Centre crowd as the team is having its best start since 1981. ----------------------------------------------------------------- OTTAWA SENATORS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Jacques Martin Roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Radek Bonk, Shaun Van Allen, Dave Hannan, Bruce Gardiner, LW - Shawn McEachern, Tom Chorske, Randy Cunneyworth, Dennis Vial, Denny Lambert, RW - Daniel Alfredsson, Alexandre Daigle, Andreas Dackell, Denis Chasse, D - Steve Duchesne, Sean Hill, Stanislav Neckar, Frank Musil, Lance Pitlick, Jason York, Wade Redden, Janne Laukkanen, G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt. Injuries: Steve Duchesne, d (jammed wrist, possible ligament damage, day-to-day); Tom Chorske, lw (hip, day-to-day). Transactions: Ted Drury, c, traded to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for Shaun Van Allen, c, and Ottawa-born Jason York, d. Game Results 10/05 at Montreal T 3-3 10/09 NY Islanders T 3-3 10/11 Pittsburgh W 3-2 10/12 at Pittsburgh L 3-2 TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders * Senators' GM Pierre Gauthier had little time this off-season to catch a bit of R & R. After finishing yet another season in last place, Gauthier felt the Sens' needed a touch of housecleaning. "Sayonara" notes were thus slapped on the locker stalls of the likes of Rob Gaudreau, Scott Levins, Pat Elyniuk, Dave Archibald and Chris Dahlquist. In total, only 18 of the 50 players on the roster at the start of last season still remain with the club. * Duchesne and Chorske suffered their injuries in the New York Islanders game. * Overall, Sens' coach Jacques Martin was very pleased with the results of the team's summer physical conditioning program, particularly with Alexandre Daigle, who beefed up 13 pounds over the off-season to a sturdy 197 lbs. * C Radek Bonk is also sporting an extra 10 pounds... unfortunately, it's all around his neck. Bonk has enough jewelry, chains and assorted metals lopped around his neck to rival the likes of Mr. T and former baseball player Ivan Calderon. Sources say Bonk also wears the gold medal he won with the Czech Republic at the 1996 World Championships, but like the Loch Ness Monster, they have yet to actually see it. Maybe the remains of Al Capone are hidden there too? * D Stan Neckar threatened to hold out in demand of a new contract, but quickly called off his very public war-of-words when Gauthier finally 'got a hold of him'. For now, Neckar, 20, will have to settle for the $500,000 per year that he currently hauls in. And we thought those whiny coal miners in Siberia had it rough... Wonder how the whole Neckar affair would have played out if Randy Sexton was still GM? * If the preseason were any indication of things to come, then you could say that the Gauthier housecleaning effort seemed to pay off. The Bytowner's finished the silly season tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with New Jersey (Note to Editor: This is not a typo...), amassing an impressive 5-3-0 record, and outscoring opponents 25-15. * Chris Phillips, the Sens 1st pick overall in the 1996 entry draft, left the team just four days before the season opener, complaining that he wasn't given a fair shot at making the squad. Phillips, 18, reported to camp without a deal, hoping a solid preseason would spell a big payoff and a spot on the roster. However, the team's decision to scratch him from the final pre-season game (a 3-0 win over Montreal) was the last straw. He is now back with his junior team, the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders. Justified GM Gauthier, "We want him to develop, wherever that may be." * Message to Mr. Phillips... face the facts. Your youth and inexperience were clearly evident in the games you did play. Another year in junior will do nothing but improve your chances at success next year in the NHL. For a smart guy like you, you should have realized this from the start and told your agents to shut their pie holes. Instead, your PR status with the Sens' fans and organization currently ranks somewhere between 'Berardesque' and 'Sextonish.' * It's funny how every hockey fan in town is talking about Phillips' departure, and yet not a peep is heard about the absence of Pavol Demitra. A ninth-round pick in the 1992 entry draft, Demitra grew tired of the elevator rides to and from the minors and decided to sever all ties with the team. He is currently playing in the International Hockey League, hoping to catch the eye of some NHL scouts. Although Demitra was not a star - nor will he ever be a star - nevertheless, when he did get in the Senators' lineup, he came up with some big games... and some big goals. Why do we get the feeling he's going to come back and haunt the club one day? * By now, everybody and their mothers have heard about Alex Daigle's boneheaded bomb joke that he cracked while waiting to take off from Pittsburgh International Airport en route to a pre-season game in Tampa Bay. According to witnesses, a USAir flight attendant told Senators' director of team services Trevor Timmins to put away his portable computer. Daigle then told Timmins to "watch that big bomb there", referring to Timmins' computer. Daigle was immediately removed from the plane, and taken into custody for police questioning. Although afterwards Daigle felt really sheepish about his off-hand remark, it was USAir that ended up with egg on their face. Why? Because while Daigle was sitting in a police station trying to plead his innocence, the 'alleged' bomber, Trevor Timmins, sat unattended in the plane throughout the whole fiasco, his 'bomb' tucked neatly by his side. Talk about a case of 'shooting the messenger'. * On the eve of the season opener, the Senators had nine new faces in the locker room: Ron Tugnutt, Wade Redden, Dave Hannan, Shawn McEachern, Andreas Dackell, Denny Lambert, Denis Chasse, Jason York and Shaun Van Allen. Rumour has it that the Senators contemplated wearing "Hello! My name is...." stickers on their jerseys for the Montreal game, but decided against it at the last minute. * Speaking of jerseys, C Randy Cunneyworth will remain the captain of the Senators for the third straight year. Meanwhile, coach Martin has elected to go with four alternating assistants: D Steve Duchesne and LW Tom Chorske will sport the "A" at home, while RW Daniel Alfredsson and D Sean Hill will assume the duties on the road. They'll then switch after the first half of the season. * It's going to be such a welcome change this season not having to hear any of the following names ever again: Sexton, Levins, Davydov, Berard, Civic Centre, and P.E.I... * In the season opener in Montreal, left-over feelings of ill-will from last year's public feud between coach Martin and Canadiens' bench boss Mario Tremblay were not evident. Such a shame... it would have been nice to see a tussle behind the benches, n'est-ce pas? Like the press hounds that we are, the Nosebleeders will keep a watchful eye on this as the season progresses. Why? Because we care... * As for the game itself, Montreal did not put in much of a spirited effort yet still outshot the Senators 36-25. The only reason the Sens remained in the game was (what else?) the play of backstop Damian Rhodes, who made a number of spectacular saves. Kudos also go out to C Randy Cunneyworth, who managed to slip in two breakaways, yet unfortunately, couldn't bulge the twine. * In his first regular season game since breaking his arm last February while driving for the Devils' net, Alexandre Daigle did not hesitate to continue his aggressive style of play, pile driving into the Habs' net on a few occasions. Thumbs up, mon petit gars. You're worth every cent of the $3.2 million you're getting this year! ... WHOA!! Sorry about that folks! Must of slipped off to Never-Never land for a second there... * The Sens showed that they can play comeback, as they did so three times from 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 deficits. Thankfully, the officials called back a controversial Habs' goal, otherwise that would have given Montreal the game. * The #1 question on Sens' fans minds during the Habs game - "Could Wade Redden handle the overwhelming pressure of kickstarting his NHL career in Montreal before a national TV audience?" On his first-ever NHL shift, Redden, 19, was victimized by Mark Recchi's opening goal. But from that point on, Redden more than made up for his gaffe. First, he stopped speedy Stephane Richer on a breakaway. Then came "The Goal". Ah yes..."The Goal". Daniel Alfredsson feathers a pass into the slot to a charging Redden, who then smacks the vulcanized rubber disc through Jocelyn Thibault's 5-hole. Sweet, very sweet. By the end of the game, Redden proudly walked away with a "Third Star of the Game" award. Which begs the question... "Bryan who?" * Picture the situation... imagine a hockey club. Now, imagine that club having to spend four seasons in a cramped, dinky little sweatbox known as "The Ottawa Civic Centre" - an arena no doubt designed by a blind man in a closet. Next, imagine a state-of-the-art facility known as the Corel Centre. Imagine the hockey club finally having the opportunity to play an entire season in the aforementioned Corel Centre. Imagine the anticipation of Senators' fans who - energized by the crisp Autumn air that just reeks 'hockey' - are looking forward to seeing a vastly improved hockey club showcase their "New Ice Age" talents at the home opener. Now imagine them playing the New York Islanders.........(ahem)......will the schedule makers who dreamed up this 'Classic' Home Opener please kindly stand up and accept the public ridicule you so justly deserve? * The Senators-Islanders game represented Game 1 of the Redden-Berard Cup. Chalk up a win (a slight one at that) to Berard, who almost scored the winning goal in OT if not for the acrobatics of Mr. Rhodes. Redden, meanwhile, played a very timid game, showing little patience with the puck. And, oh yes, there was that breakaway goal he gave up to Niklas Andersson. Ouch. * Judging from the chorus of boos that rained on Berard every time he touched the puck, we're willing to wager that Senators' fans really did not appreciate the 'spoiled brat' attitude he took last year with team management. So, Don Cherry, what do have to say about that? * The booing didn't seem to phase Berard too much, claiming after the game that he thought it was a lot of fun. Apparently Isles coach Mike Milbury didn't share these sentiments. After the first period, Milbury drastically cut Berard's ice time for the remainder of the game, explaining he didn't want to shatter his young prospect's confidence. Poor guy... * Loudest cheers of the night from the 15,342 Senators' faithful? The first went to Canadian Olympic 4X100 gold medalist and hometown hero Glenroy Gilbert, who dropped the first puck to a well-deserved standing ovation (the Nosebleeders congratulate Glenroy and all the other Canadian Olympians on some great performances over the summer; we are looking forward to the Olympic hockey events at the 98 Winter Olympics). The second went out to the blonde bombshell in the white top sitting in Section 302, who danced the crowd into a feeding frenzy. Hummana, hummana, hummana... * With the exception of the last-second heroics from Daigle, the game was by and large a sleepy affair. The Islanders clearly outplayed, outhustled, and outmuscled the Senators throughout the first 55 minutes. In fact, the Senators' only mustered nine shots on goal by the midway point of the game. * Kudos once again go out to Captain Cunneyworth, who gave a fine "Howd'ya do?" to the Isles' Andersson. Late in the game, Andersson sucker punched Cunneyworth after a scramble along the boards behind the Sens' net. Cunneyworth immediately telegraphed a few haymakers to the Swede's chops, causing him to turtle behind referee Mick McGeough. If only the whole team had that kind of fire, Ottawa would be a Stanley Cup contender... * Speaking of the Stanley Cup, Las Vegas oddsmakers have the Senators at 250 to 1 odds of winning the coveted drinking bowl - dead last among all NHL teams. In fact, the Islanders are second last at overrated 85 to 1 odds. The favourites? Detroit, the Rangers, Colorado and Philadelphia at 3-1, 5-1, 6-1 and 6-1 odds, respectively. Note that this is a significant improvement on last years 500-1 odds. * Biggest change at the Corel Centre from last year: beer prices hiked up 6.25% to $4.25 Cdn for a domestic brew! The travesty of it all... * With the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis, the Pittsburgh Penguins have traditionally been a major draw to most arenas. Apparently, Ottawans do not share that belief. Friday's game vs. the Pens drew only 12,237 fans to the Corel Centre - not only was that 6,263 short of capacity, but it was also the worst Corel Centre crowd since its opening last January. The previous low was 12,332 on February 1, 1996 vs. Washington. People of Ottawa, listen up... this is the Penguins we're talking about, not Hartford. Hope that clears up any future misunderstandings.... * Maybe one way to get fans out to the Corel Centre is to black out home games. The way it goes now, local TV stations show practically all home games, and only the occasional road trip (we usually get Hartford, Boston, Hartford, Hartford and... oh yes... Hartford). If you had a choice to drive way out to booneyville in sub-zero weather to catch a home game, or watch that same game in the comfort of your living room, which would you take? Remember, beer at home is cheaper, and parking is generally free... * Ottawa's 3-2 victory was their first win over the Penguins since Feb. 25, 1993, when they beat Pittsburgh 2-1 at the Civic Centre. Overall, Pittsburgh holds a 17-2-1 lifetime record vs. Ottawa. * Who'd a thunk it? With Friday's win, Ottawa extended its undefeated streak to three, while Pittsburgh has yet to register a point this season. Perhaps Mulder and Scully can explain this one, because we can't... * D Stan Neckar is currently the Senators' candidate for the NHL's 'Iron Man' title. Going into Friday's Pittsburgh game, Neckar has played in 135 consecutive games, and has yet to miss a game to injury since joining the NHL in 1995. * The Penguins left town early Saturday morning, but not before raising a fuss over their "poor" accomodations. Typically, visiting teams stay at the Westin Hotel or Chateau Laurier in downtown Ottawa. Hoping to avoid the 40-minute drive from the hotel to the Corel Centre, the Penguins instead checked into the Luxor Hotel in Bells Corners, just ten minutes from the arena. Unfortunately, the Luxor didn't meet NHLPA standards, which state that players must stay in hotels that are rated four stars or better. Among the biggest complaints were poor room service, and the hotel's relative isolation from the city's hot spots. And here we thought they were only here to play hockey... * Thrill of a Lifetime, Part 1: D Jason York's first goal as a Senator before a hometown crowd - a blistering wrist shot that he deposited upstairs where they keep the peanut butter. The chills, baby, we got the chills... * In Round 2 of the Pens-Sens weekend kerfuffle, the Penguins managed a come-from-behind 3-2 victory, anchored on Mario Lemieux's game-winner with 7:58 left. Despite the loss, the Senators' effort has served notice to the entire league... do not chalk them up as pushovers anymore, particularly on the road. * We may not be geniuses at Math, but we guess this means that the Penguins record vs. Ottawa is now 18-2-1........RIGHT?!?! * Ottawa sent out G Ron Tugnutt to man the pipes for Saturday's game, and his performance was nothing short of inspirational. Forget the fact that his Senators debut was at The Igloo - traditionally a burialground for Ottawa - or that he had to face the onslaught of Jagr and Lemieux. For Tugnutt, the game represented more of an emotional hurdle. You see, the last time Tugnutt played in an NHL game was April 1, 1995 - the same day his father died. "It's been a goal of mine to get back to the NHL and even though I sat on the bench for three games, I didn't really feel like I had reached it until I played a game," he told an Ottawa Sun reporter after the game. Way to go, Ron, the Nosebleeders salute your courage. * Another "famous first" for Wade Redden - he got in his first ever NHL fight. It certainly wasn't a John Kordic-Jay Miller classic, but he did send Penguins C Tyler Wright to an early shower with a swollen eye. Atta boy, Wade! * A local newspaper is having a contest for fans to come up with a catchy name for the Senators' top line of Alfredsson, McEachern and Yashin. Our creative genius? The MAYday Line (McEachern, Alfredsson, Yashin). You can bet that the Senators will be looking to this line to bail them out of trouble many times over the course of this season. * Might as well end this column with some very important news for all hockey fans to know... former Senators' enforcer Mike Peluso (now a New Jersey Devil) recently admitted on a TV talk show that he's "99 percent" sure that HE is the object of scorn in Alanis Morissette's hit song "You Oughta Know." Mike, we've been dying to ask - where is this infamous movie theatre? ----------------------------------------------------------------- PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Eddie Johnston Roster: C - Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Petr Nedved, Bryan Smolinski, Tyler Wright. LW - Dave Roche, Joe Dziedzic, Alek Stojanov. RW - Jaromir Jagr, Tomas Sandstrom, Glen Murray, Joey Mullen, Shawn Antoski, Ed Patterson. D - Kevin Hatcher, Chris Tamer, J. J. Daigneault, Dmitri Mironov, Francois Leroux, Craig Muni, Neil Wilkinson, Ian Moran, Stefan Bergkvist. G - Tom Barrasso, Ken Wregget. Injuries: Tomas Sandstrom, rw (pulled groin, day-to-day); Joey Dziedzic, lw (back, day-to-day). Transactions: Signed Craig Muni, d, to a free-agent contract. Placed Kevin Todd, c, on waivers where he was claimed by Anaheim. Signed Petr Nedved to a one-year contract. Game Results 10/05 Tampa Bay L 4-3 OT 10/08 at Hartford L 7-3 10/11 at Ottawa L 3-2 10/12 Ottawa W 3-2 TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell It hasn't exactly been an auspicious start to the 1996-97 NHL season for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The birds dropped their first three games before finally earning a win against the Ottawa Senators at home on Saturday, October 12. For a detailed look at the Penguins problems, check out the feature article elsewhere in this issue. To sum things up all quick like for this report, let's just say that there's nothing wrong with the club a few more games playing together won't fix. Don't sweat it. They play 82 games for a reason. * Despite the team's struggles, Mario Lemieux is off to another good start. While he hasn't been putting up big-time Lemieux numbers, he has scored a goal in each of the first four games and has added three assists for seven points. Mario also scored the game-winner in Pittsburgh's lone victory. The best news for Penguin fans, however, is that it appears that the old school Mario Lemieux is back. Mario racked up the points last season, but he was slower than usual and he didn't have the hands to beat guys one on one. Well, it not only looks like Mario has found the step he thought he had lost, his one-on-one moves have also been dusted off and rediscovered. On opening night against Tampa Bay, Lemieux freaked three different Bolt players in a span of ten feet. And he did it all with break-neck speed. It's only a matter of time before Mario does something special. The Penguins just happen to meet Wayne Gretzky and the New York Rangers this Wednesday, October 16, at Madison Square Garden. The last time the two men met, when Gretzky was a member of the Blues last Spring, Mario erupted for five goals. So keep an eye on this one. * While Lemieux has been his usual stand-out self, the rest of the Penguin forwards have not been so lucky. Jaromir Jagr has just two points, both goals, in the first four games. Ron Francis has four assists, but he's still looking for his first red light. Tomas Sandstrom had a goal and two assists in three games before a groin injury put him on the shelf. Petr Nedved also has a goal and two assists while trying to play himself back into shape after holding out all of training camp and the exhibition season. * Speaking of Nedved, there has been some confusion about the terms of his new contract. Unable to come to agree with management on a long-term deal, Nedved signed a one-year pact for $2 million. The reason Nedved ended his holdout without getting a longer deal is that he simply wanted to get back with his teammates and didn't want to miss any real game action. The deal wasn't signed until opening night, with Nedved going out to take the warm-up skate while the details were being finalized. While it would be nice to have Petr wrapped up for the next four or five seasons, the one-year deal means Nedved has to put up big numbers again this year if he wants another shot at making big bucks next season. That was the same formula that produced so much success for both sides a year ago. * Unlike Nedved, Bryan Smolinski is continuing his holdout. Smolinski is reportedly searching for a $1 million-a-year deal, while GM Craig Patrick is thinking more in the $700,000 range. The rumor mill has the Penguins signing Smolinski and then trading him to any one of a number of teams. The clubs heard most often are Chicago, Anaheim, Toronto, and the New York Islanders. Whatever the deal, it is almost certain the Pens will be looking for defensive help in return. Two names mentioned have been Chicago's Eric Weinrich and New York's Scott Lachance. Word is a deal could happen any minute now. * The Penguins have lots of new faces in the lineup this season, with each experiencing varying degrees of success. Kevin Hatcher has a goal and two assists in his first four games, while also playing some solid defense. Like all of the Penguins to this point, Hatcher has made his mistakes, but his physical presence along the backline has already proven to be a tremendous addition. He has also shown that he isn't shy about letting the shots fly, something that is a welcome sight after a season of watching Sergei Zubov try to make up his mind at the point. Craig Muni was signed by the Penguins just before the start of the season in order to further bolster the defense. The 34-year- old Muni isn't exactly a great skater, but at 6'3", 208, he adds plenty of size and experience. Muni was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams in Edmonton. He's not the answer to all the Penguins' problems, but he is definitely the type of player they need. So far Muni has been victimized wide by a few players, the most glaring example being Jeff O'Neill's treating him as a turnstile on way to a breakaway goal in the 7-3 loss to Hartford. While some of this is due to his rather plodding movement on skates, Muni also hasn't achieved game shape or become accustomed to his new surroundings yet. Give him time. Danny Quinn has one assist and is a -5 in the first four games of his second tour of duty with Pittsburgh. Quinn really has no business being on this team. He's exactly the type of player the Penguins don't need on the roster... an offense only, defensive- impaired mooch that hasn't won anything in his whole career. Why he was signed is still a mystery and exactly what Craig Patrick was smoking when Quinn was signed is an even greater mystery. If it was former Penguins he was looking for, LCS would like to just point out that good ol' Johnny Cullen, the idol of millions from eight to eighty, was also a free agent this summer. Cullen, who has slipped through the Penguins' beaks on two other occasions in the past, elected to re-sign in Tampa. So on opening night he was wearing lightning bolts on his pants when he single-handedly turned the game in Tampa's favor with a goal late in the third period and an assist on the game-winner in overtime. All hail Johnny Cullen, Johnny Cullen is god... not the god, but definitely a god... There is another new-old Penguin on the roster this year in the form of Joey Mullen. The ageless one is only five goals shy of 500 for his career. He's pointless in his first four games, although his hockey instincts are still as sharp as ever. And he's also sportin' one of them nifty horse collars again... can't beat them horse collars... Back to the Pens' new faces, Shawn Antoski was brought in for one reason... to bust heads. So it was kind of surprising when Eddie Johnston put him on left wing with Lemieux and Sandstrom for the season opener. That little experiment was over almost faster than a gorgeous Lemieux pass could clank of Antoski's heavy- handed stick. It was a nice thought, but so are electric cars... no offense to Ed Begley Jr. Antoski has gotten into two scuffles. His first with Mark Janssens wasn't much, with more wrestling than punching, but Antoski would have won on points. Ottawa's Denny Lambert wanted some too, but quickly got slammed to the ice with considerable malice. Antoski may not be first line material, but the guy is doin' his job. The undeniable early-season hero, though, is Tyler Wright. No doubt, or for our younger hip hop crowd, no diggity, Wright is a bad man. How did the Edmonton Oilers let this guy go? The 23- year-old center is listed at 5'11", 185, but that must be some of that wacky new math or somethin'. Wright could be that big on skates and with bags of dimes in his pockets, but in real life he's smaller than advertised. That's what makes him so darn special. Despite his size, Wright isn't scared to stick his nose in and cause some trouble. Looking like a combination of Theo Fleury and Dale Hunter, Wright has brought an intensity and energy to the lineup that hasn't been seen in the Burgh in quite some time. He hasn't registered a point yet, but Wright leads the club with 31 penalty minutes and three fights. That's right, three fights! This kid ain't no joke! The aggressive style of play has taken its toll, tho'. Wright was clipped by an accidental high-stick from Ottawa's Randy Cunneyworth before dropping the gloves and throwing with the Senator captain. The stick opened his forehead up like a chimp, but that didn't stop Wright from going with Cunneyworth, who doesn't get a lot of hype as a fighter but can deal with the gloves off. Then in the two teams' rematch the next night in Pittsburgh, Wright took a punch in the eye from Wade Redden that caused some very noticeable swelling. Wright still can't see perfectly out of the eye, but is willing to go on Wednesday night against the Rangers if needed. If he keeps playing like this, Wright would be well on his way to reaching LCS hero status. * One new face that isn't in the lineup is that off Kevin Todd. The gritty center didn't exactly overwhelm EJ and Craig Patrick during training camp. When the Pens signed Muni to a deal after the waiver draft, league rules state that another player has to be made available to the waiver wire. This prevents teams from hiding players from the waiver draft. So, not wanting to leave the newly-signed Muni unprotected, the Pens offered up Todd. The Mighty Ducks weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and quickly snatched Todd for themselves. Just in case you're wondering, Todd already has two goals and four assists with the Ducks. Meanwhile, Danny Quinn is still cashing checks with Howard Baldwin's name on them. * While on the subject of the Penguin owner (see how this all goes together?), Baldwin made plenty of noise this past week when he stepped forward to ask for money from the local government to renovate the Civic Arena. Rumors even started circulating that he was thinking about moving the team. Baldwin quickly put those rumors to rest and reassured fans that he was only looking for $10 million to add club seating, luxury boxes, and other improvements to the Igloo that would make it competitive with the newer arenas. There has been a lot of talk around Pittsburgh about the Pirates and Steelers getting new stadiums, so Baldwin just wanted to make sure that no one forgot about the hockey team. But let me get this straight, Baldwin needs $10 million? Mario Lemieux will make $11 million for this season alone... hello? Anyone listening? I'm sure Mario will be willing to make a loan. Even if he isn't, just follow him around with a net. More money than that probably falls out of his pockets during every day life. * While things have been rough for the Penguins on the ice so far, things have been much worse for Dmitri Mironov. The Russian defender received some grave news when his father past away last week. Mironov returned home, along with his brother Boris who plays for Edmonton, to attend his father's funeral. No real word when he'll be back. * The Pens are still sticking with their 1A and 1B plan for handling the goaltending chores. Tom Barrasso started, and lost, the first two games, while Wregget played, and split, the last two. The 11 goals allowed by Barrasso in his two outings would lead most to believe that he played horribly, but he really wasn't that bad. He started both games strong, only to fade as they went along. Can't really blame him, seeing how he faced 85 shots in the two games. Barrasso could have played better, but the bottom line is that he gave his club a chance to win both games. Unfortunately, his teammates weren't willing to help him out. * Because of all the new players and the holdouts, Eddie Johnston has been forced to juggle the Penguin lines. While that is understandable, it seems there have also been times when EJ has done it just for fun... and that is not a good thing. Lemieux has played with everyone... Sandstrom, Antoski, Quinn, Glen Murray, Gary Coleman, Herve Villechaize... you name 'em, and they've played with Mario. This is really kind of silly. It would be best to pick linemates for the big guy and stick with them. It appeared as if EJ finally made up his mind to put Murray, who led the Pens with six pre-season goals, on Lemieux's left side with Sandstrom on the right. This looked to be a winning combination, and then Sandstrom went and got himself injured during the second period of their first game together. Once he returns the trio should be reunited. Murray looks to be playing with a great deal of confidence. He could be in for a breakthrough season. The rest of the lineup has been mixed too many different ways to list. With Nedved still not in the best condition, even the money line of Francis, Jagr, and Nedved has been broken up at times. Wright usually takes the third line center spot with Dave Roche and either Quinn, Antoski, or Mullen on his wings, depending who isn't getting used on the top two units. Alek Stojanov has seen the rare shift as well. One guy who would be seeing plenty of ice time if healthy is Joe Dziedzic. The rugged winger has been hampered by a bad back and hasn't had the chance to show what he can do on a regular basis. Joey D did play against Hartford and clobbered Kevin Dineen with a brutal open-ice hit on his first shift before his back flared up again. His status is pretty much day to day for the time being. With Dziedzic and Sandstrom now on the shelf at the same time, Ed Patterson saw his first action in the second game against Ottawa. The defensive pairings have been a little more consistent. Hatcher has been paired with Chris Tamer to give the Pens one of the strongest tandems in the league. J.J. Daigneault and Muni are the three and four guys, while Francois Leroux and Mironov made up the third pairing before Mironov left for Russia. Young Stefan Bergkvist is normally the seventh guy, although he could easily step in and fill one of the three through six spots if needed. Ian Moran is also around. * Another reason for Pittsburgh's early struggles is the lack of a power play. That's not to say the man-advantage unit hasn't performed well, it's just that they're seldom on the ice. The Pens have only had 12 power-play chances in the first four games, including only one in the opening night loss to the Bolts. The Pens have scored on just three of the chances, although they've moved the puck extremely well for the most part. Lemieux has even played on the right side once or twice, instead of his usual office along the left wing wall. That's the good news. The bad news is that the lack of power-play chances is probably a byproduct of the Penguins lack of effort. Penalties are drawn through hard work, not wishful thinking. The power play may be questionable because of a lack of use, but the penalty killing unit looks rock solid. The Pens have only allowed two goals on 18 chances. That's an 88.8% kill rate, which is pretty darn good. * Lemieux gained some attention in the press the past week on two different occasions. Once for discussing his future and the other for talking about the officiating. Mario's criticism of the officiating was based on the league's complete refusal to call the interference penalties put into the books for last season. Who can blame him? Obstruction is a thing of the past. Just another casualty in a long line of National Hockey League ineptness. The league always starts out with the best of intentions, but never seems to see anything through. Mario brought up the obvious idea of letting all three officials call penalties. While this is a great suggestion and would make the game better, it will never see the light of day with the NHL. It just makes too much sense. As far as Lemieux's future, Mario told a group of reporters up in Ottawa that this would probably be his last season. The French media in attendance apparently didn't hear the "probably" and ran headlines in the Montreal papers that Lemieux said this would in fact be his last season. Mario later shrugged it off as the usual over-eagerness of the French media. Filthy media weasels. You'll never catch LCS misquoting anyone. After explaining the confusion with the media, Mario went on to say that if he does retire he will immediately concentrate on getting his original musical "Zoo Animals on Wheels" to Broadway. Lemieux plans on playing the lead of the lonely misunderstood monkey himself, even singing and performing his own rollerskating stunts. At least that's what I think he said, I really wasn't paying attention... * One final note for this report, the Penguins have made changes to their broadcasting crew. Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald are now the full-time television broadcasters, while newcomer Matt McConnell and former Pen Peter Taglianetti are handling the radio chores. I've also heard hype that Jay Caufield will be doing stuff too. Lange and Steigerwald are a swell team and go together like peas and carrots... yes, they're often frozen and then heated over an open flame before being served with the main entree... I don't even know what that means. Anyway, McConnell was brought in from Anaheim after Doug MacLeod skipped town to be the new guy in Phoenix. MacLeod was a nice guy and all, but he was kind of, shall we say, different? Shall we say, annoying? We shall say annoying. If I hear the phrase "metallurgy save" one more time I think it's up to the top of a clock tower with a high-powered rifle I would go. I've only heard McConnell and Taglianetti once, but they seemed to work good together. Who would have guessed Tags would be a radio analyst? No word yet on whether or not he does the broadcasts with peanut butter in his shoes. For those of you not in the know, this is an obscure reference to... wait a minute, if I explain it then it wouldn't be an obscure reference... and I don't think I've hit my quota yet... so do the research and figure it out for yourself there, Slappy. ================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hanson Brothers Turn Punk Rock ----------------------------------------------------------------- By Jim Iovino Hey there hockey fans, do ya like to rock and roll? Or maybe you're just sick of listening to the country twang of "I want to drive the Zamboni" during every intermission at the local rink? If so, then a punk rock band from Cold Lake, Alberta has just the thing for you. The group called Hanson Brothers, which is actually the band NoMeansNo in disguise, have compiled an entire album dedicated to hockey called Sudden Death. The album is due out in stores today, Oct. 15th. Unlike the real Hanson Brothers, the nice boys who played for the Charlestown Chiefs in the cult movie Slapshot, these Hanson Brothers can't skate, but, like many of us, they share the same burning desire to watch hockey players beat the hell out of each other. The punk band loves old time hockey so much they decided to put their music to good use by teaming up with the real Hanson Brothers for several projects in the hockey community. The new album includes 15 songs, most of which deal with hockey. If you like beer--drinking punk songs, then you'll like Sudden Death. If you like Jon Secada, well, you might not like this all-out guitar and drum driven album. Sudden Death opens with a true punk rendition of Tom Connors' "The Hockey Song." After that gets the blood boiling, the Hansons come back hard again with "Stick Boy." At first glance, one might think this is a song about Ziggy Palffy, the Fishstick Boy, but in actuality it's a song about a stick boy. Despite the disappointment of finding out the song is not about Ziggy, you really just can't go wrong with a song called "Stick Boy." The Hansons, who list The Ramones as a musical influence, break away from the hockey theme for a few songs to sing about women and beer. But soon hockey is back on their minds with a tribute to the enforcers in the NHL called "Third Man In." Here's a little taste of the lyrical wonderment found in this song: "Two's company, three's a crowd/ Helpin' out your buddy, well it ain't allowed/ Now I'm up in the press box, sawin' a log/ I gotta room with the coach's dog." Other hockey related songs on the album include "Danielle (She Don't Care About Hockey)," "Rink Rat," "He Looked A lot Like Tiger Williams" and the grand finale "Sudden Death," an instrumental track. Besides the new album, the punk Hansons are teaming up with the hockey Hansons on a few other projects. First, the two are combining on a 60-minute video entitled Hanson Brothers Hockey Havoc which will use the punk Hansons' music as background while the hockey Hansons roll some of their favorite "old time hockey" action. The Hansons are also joining in an effort to get Dave "Tiger" Williams into the Hockey Hall of Fame. As unbelievable as it may seem, Williams, the NHL all-time leader in penalty minutes, has yet to see his day at the Hall. Williams played for five teams during his 14-year career in the NHL, scoring 513 points (241 goals) to go along with his record 3,966 penalty minutes in 962 career games. Williams seems to epitomize "old time hockey" for both groups of Hansons. The two say Williams deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more than "some of these fancy, schmancy no-hitting prima donna scoring aces." If you can't find a ballot to send in, no problem. Just E-mail the punk Hansons at poe@conspiracy.com with the subject: Let Tiger In! Or visit their web site at http://www.conspiracy.com/essential_noise/ ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Craig Hartsburg Roster: C - Alexei Zhamnov, Kevin Miller, Denis Savard, Jeff Shantz, Brent Sutter. LW - Murray Craven, Bob Probert, Jim Cummins, Ethan Moreau. RW - Tony Amonte, Eric Daze, Darin Kimble, Sergei Krivokrasov. D - Chris Chelios, Gary Suter, Steve Smith, Eric Weinrich, Cam Russell, Keith Carney, Enrico Ciccone, Ivan Droppa. G - Ed Belfour, Jeff Hackett, Jimmy Waite. Injuries: Eric Daze, rw (sprained ankle, 2-3 weeks), Steve Smith, d (messed-up toe, indefinite). Transactions: 10/7, signed Basil McRae; 10/8, signed Adam Creighton. Game Results: 10/05 at Washington W 5-2 10/06 at St. Louis W 4-1 10/09 Anaheim L 2-0 10/11 Colorado L 2-0 10/13 Dallas L 5-3 TEAM NEWS by Dan Glovier * The Hawks started the season with Eric Daze on the shelf with a sprained ankle, and they still have not signed Alexei Zhamnov. Couple this with the loss of Jeremy Roenick, Bernie Nicholls, and Joe Murphy,and you can see that scoring may be a problem for this squad. This was the question that must be answered for this team. We all know the defense will play well, and the goaltending will be solid, but we all know you are not going to win every game by a score of 1-0 or 2-1. The Hawks started on the right track, winning games the way they need to win. Good hard work by everyone, excellent penalty killing, opportunistic goal scoring, and good defense. They worked the Capitals and Blues into submission for two road wins, outscoring them by a combined total of 9-3. At about this time, you could just see Bob Pulford (the Hawks G.M.) rubbing his hands together and quoting one of the great television shows of all time: "I love it when a plan comes together!" In their next three games, (all at home...HELLO, McFly!) the Hawks were spanked, getting shut out by the Ducks and 'Lanche, and losing to the Stars, 5-3. What was the difference between the Road Warrior Hawks and their not-so-impressive home counterparts? Not much. After their loss to the Stars, coach Craig Hartsburg offered this answer when he said, "Players are going to have to look at themselves in the mirror." He then added that there was a "lack of commitment." He questioned their work ethic. Well, I believe the Hawks have looked at themselves in the mirror, and you know what they saw? A bunch of 20-goal scorers (maybe 30 in some instances). They are still getting their chances, but they just don't have the talent to put them away on a regular basis. Unless they do something, expect more of the same throughout the year. Either that or forfeit all of the home games for the rest of the year. Why not?! The Grateful Dead made a living at it. Why not the Hawks? Food for thought, I think. * Now onto some bright spots. Rookie Ethan Moreau is looking pretty darn good. In his first two games he had two goals, an assist and two fights. There's one motivated individual! He scored both goals on two serious wrist shots. He can bring it. (Hmmm ... does that sound like another Hawks youngster?) Now Hawk fans can see why management did not want to include him in any deals. (Note to all NHL executives: If Glen Sather requests any of your youngsters in a trade, just say no! He knows what he's doing...) Also, James Black has picked up where he left off last year. Skating hard, hitting hard and shoooting hard, and that led to two goals in his first two games. Both Black and Moreau have slowed down, but then again, so has the entire team. * Jeremy Roeni...errrr... Alexei Zhamnov is still unsigned, and it doesn't look like they will sign him any time soon. Zhamnov and his agent Ron Salcer started their negotiations at $4.5 million per year(for five years), while the Hawks countered with $2.6 million per year. There hasn't been much movement by either side, and a recent three-day negotiation session lasted about a day. Not a good sign. For comparison purposes, Patrick Roy makes $4.5 million a year and Eric Lindros makes $4.2 million per year. Doug Weight just signed for around $2.4 million per year. Draw your own conclusions. * Steve Smith is hurt again. This time, at least, it's not his back. It's his toe. Sorta. The perennial nerve in his left leg was damaged, affecting the way his toe responds to many things, like skating. He's lost about a step, and he just can't plant on it. This injury is related to the slash he took last year from Igor Larionov. That slash broke his leg and led to this latest problem. No one is sure how long this is going to take to heal, but both the Hawks and Smith are going to be patient with this one. * When asked if he was going to make a move to get some scoring help, G.M. Bob Pulford responded, "Whatever happens, if it happens, will happen when it happens." Thanks, Bob! On the rumor front, there was some talk of the Hawks moving Enrico Ciccone to the Canadians for Brian Savage, but Savage is on fire right now. The Hawks are also reportedly interested in Philly's Dale Hawerchuk and the Islanders Travis Green. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DALLAS STARS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ken Hitchcock Roster: C-Mike Modano, Todd Harvey, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk, Bob Bassen. LW-Dave Reid, Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue, Brent Gilchrist, Bill Huard. RW-Pat Verbeek, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jere Lehtinen, Grant Marshall, Mike Kennedy. D-Derian Hatcher, Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Grant Ledyard, Mike Lalor, Richard Matvichuck, Sergei Zubov. G-Arturs Irbe, Andy Moog. Injuries: Joe Nieuwendyk, c (sore chest, day-to-day); Bill Huard, lw (separated shoulder, 2-3 weeks); Bob Bassen, c (corrective surgery for herniated disk in neck, 3 months). Transactions: Current: Recalled lw Patrick Cote from the Michigan K-Wings of the IHL. Assigned rw Brent Fedyk to the Michigan K-Wings. Preseason: Assigned g Manny Fernandez,Roman Turek; d Sergey Gusev, Dan Keczmer, Brad Lukowich; LW Marc Labelle, Jim Storm, Jamie Wright; rw Mark Lawrence, Pat Elyniuk, Marty Flichel to the Michigan K-Wings. Game Results: 10/5 Colorado W 4-1 10/8 Washington W 5-3 10/10 at NY Rangers W 2-1 10/12 at New Jersey W 4-2 10/13 at Chicago W 5-3 TEAM NEWS by Jim Panenka 5-0! YES! There's no denying that something special is going on with this club so far. The Dallas Stars have exploded out of the gate early this year and have gone on to bag five impressive wins, even with a tough schedule. Just like that, Dallas is the only undefeated team and ranks first place overall at 5-0-0. No other Stars team has gotten off to a better start. The 5-0 unbeaten streak is a new franchise record. What is even more impressive is the quality of the teams Dallas had to face and ended up winning against. The Stars won convincingly against Colorado and Washington, but stole one away from the Rangers, Devils, and Blackhawks. The early win against the defending champions did much to boost confidence within the Dallas locker room. Game one versus Colorado was won by strong first and third period performances, along with Dallas winning many of the individual battles. It was much of the same game two against the Capitals, a solid overall effort and a strong finish with two goals in the third to put it away. The Rangers nearly walked out of the building with the win during the next game, however. Dallas managed to stay gritty and tough enough to scratch out two goals and then hold on for dear life to win against the Ranger onslaught. Gretzky and Co. almost pulled it out even while missing team leader Mark Messier. It was a big win for the Stars against an Eastern opponent, because Dallas had a dismal record of 1-12-0 against the East last season, and this was already a much better start. The New Jersey Devils outplayed Dallas in the first period of game four, and both teams threw away the systems to play barn-burning north and south hockey. Both sides enjoyed numerous odd-man rushes. Dallas clamped down and evened the play out in the second, but went on to win it in the third with a three-goal explosion. This was the second win against an Eastern opponent, and also the second road win, which was one hell of a good sign for the future considering last year's deficit in both departments. The real teller was game five versus Chicago. The Stars were outmanned and outplayed over half the game. Chicago was tough, and buzzing all over Moog. Dallas was tired, this being their third game in four nights, all on the road. But Dallas held together and got the fortunate bounces, along with two short-handed goals, to skate away with their fifth straight win. The consistent thing seen throughout the games has been the new-found confidence and endurance of the players. Whatever the reasons, the team jelled during the offseason and the players are winning and sticking by each other, even when their play is off on timing. The entire team is contributing to their overall success. The Stars are playing tough, gritty and smart, and have had the scoring spread throughout the team. The major turnaround from last year is a big relief for all who had to suffer that season's embarrassment. On paper, the changes the Stars made during the off-season don't look like much. They only really signed two big players, Verbeek and Zubov, right? Well, not really. Dallas shored up the goaltending a little by signing that lovable l'il Latvian -- Arturs Irbe. Irbe like wall! More on the goaltending story later, but the Stars also acquired Dave Reid. Dave who? Reid is a talented veteran who has fit in well. He brings back some of the grit and all the penalty-killing skills Dallas lost after trading Dave Gagner. The new players were half the equation. The fact that the new players were here allowed a newly found confidence to spread throughout the existing core players of Nieuwendyk, Modano, Hogue, Lehtinen, Harvey, Gilchrist, etc. But, the roster changes are only part of the story. Another prime reason the Stars are playing so well together is the system itself. Coach Hitchcock has had his first chance at a full season as an NHL coach, and having almost all of the players in camp from the start was a big asset. Hitchcock was able to build the all-important base system during camp, and it really got all the players, old and new alike, together on the same page as far as what he expected of them. When asked during the end of the preseason how his team was coming along, Hitchcock was cautiously optimistic. "I think you see energy from the players," Hitchcock said. "I think you see a lot of things that are good, quality signs that make for a good hockey club. We know we have got a lot of work to do. We've got some areas of our game that probably need improvement, but there are a lot of good things that have happened out there that we are pretty proud of. "We feel good about our team right now, but there are a number of good teams in this division, also. So, it's going to be very competitive every night." But, obviously now after all the wins, Hitchcock should have a much better feeling about the team. He had built winners out of just about every team he ever coached for, including the juniors and minors. He was named for several coaching awards, and left the Michigan K-Wings with a winning record to take over the Stars. It looks so far like Hitch has been able to build another winner in the Stars. Hitchcock may just well be recognized in the future as one of the most successful coaches ever. Keep an eye on him. Of course, the most obvious reason for the team's success is the players, themselves. They have formed a tight unit, and many individual problems were addressed properly in the off-season. This allowed every player on the roster to feel more comfortable and relaxed so a maximum combined effort could be established. One of the biggest areas of concern was taking the scoring pressure off of Modano, who was a free agent and looking at offers after the 1995-96 season. Modano insisted that the front office do what it took to commit to a winning team. Translation: Spend some mega-bucks on some well known star players. In came Zubov and Verbeek and Modano was happy. Another area of concern was leadership. Derian Hatcher and his brother Kevin never fulfilled the potential they had at playing together, and their play suffered individually, rather than improving. Kevin was traded to the Penguins, and Derian got some World Cup experience. It appeared at the end of last season that a change in the captaincy was a lock. Nieuwendyk was the primary candidate to take the duties over. After exhibiting some brilliant play in the World Cup, Hatcher returned and was confident that he could lead the team again. The word is that Hatcher met with Hitchcock privately and more or less demanded the job. Hitchcock obliged and left the "C" on Derian's jersey. The alternates are Modano, Nieuwendyk, Brent Gilchrist, and veteran Craig Ludwig. Hatcher has responded by becoming much more directly involved in the contests with some heated play and a couple of scraps to establish his presence as a tougher leader. Despite coughing up the puck and allowing goals twice in his own end, and taking a few unwise sits in the sin bin, Derian has shown that he is emotionally involved and once again the leader the team needs. The main area of concern for the team, besides injuries, remains goaltending. Andy Moog faltered somewhat in 1995-96, and many began writing him off due to his increasing age and injury list. Wakaluk, the inconsistent backup, was traded away. Manny Fernandez of the IHL was retained as a work-in-progress, and more importantly, the Stars were able to acquire Arturs Irbe from San Jose as the main backup. Actually, Irbe was acquired to directly compete for the starting job, but Moog won out in the end. Moog has surprised everyone by adhering to a strict aerobic- intensive workout during the break to come back in better shape than ever. When asked about his condition, the response was classic Moog: "I am starting to get tired after facing 20 or 30 shots now. I don't know how good of a sign that is." Well, it has not been a problem so far. Moog has a hot 4-0 start and shows no signs of slowing down. That guy just keeps going and going and going...(batteries not included). And, luckily for Dallas, Irbe was strong in the nets against New Jersey and held on for the win in his first game as a Star. This should do wonders for his confidence following last year's disappointments with the Sharks. He has shown signs of getting back to the winning type of play that is more consistent with his early career. The Stars needed someone solid to take some of the heat off Moog, and Irbe may do even more than that in the future. Also, despite some shaky play for the Czech Republic, Roman Turek could still pan out as a solid backup goaltender. So, as long as Moog stays hot, and healthy, there really shouldn't be much of a concern between the pipes. Other notes: * The only thing slowing the Stars down so far are injuries. Joe Nieuwendyk remains out after a major crunching hit delivered in game one by Peter Forsberg. Forsberg had been hit the previous game against St. Louis, and Derian Hatcher aggravated the problem by running his lumber up Forsberg's nose on the way by during the contest. Forsberg was not happy and later took a clean, although hard, run at Nieuwendyk, who was watching the puck. Joe suffered a slight concussion and a bruised chest. The chest has kept him out of action until possibly the upcoming game against Detroit. Nieuwendyk scored a pair of points in that game, his first and only one so far. Joe's solid play during the off-season and his eagerness to get a clean start with a full season in Dallas promises to bring him close to another 35- to 40-goal season. He is a natural leader and a very big piece in the Stars' offensive puzzle. Bill Huard suffered a dislocated shoulder in New York and should be out two-to-three weeks. Luckily, Dallas now has enough depth to be able to recall a solid replacement for Huard (Patrick Cote), as well as a few other players, if necessary. Hopefully the injuries will be few. But, Dallas has shown the depth and flexibility needed to still win despite missing some key players. * Despite the fact that the highly-touted (and dangerous) power play unit of Modano, Nieuwendyk, Hogue, Verbeek, and Zubov has been relatively quiet in goal production (especially with Nieuwendyk out), the unit has been able to move in and keep cycling the puck around in the offensive zone in order to sustain major pressure during the attack. This has worn down the penalty-killing units well enough to allow more scoring during five-on-five situations. * The points tallies so far are unremarkable. Modano leads the way again with two goals and six assists for eight points. Four of those eight came in one game. Its a good start, and Modano should only get better from here. The most consistent player has been Pat Verbeek, who has two goals, both game winners, and five assists for seven points. Verbeek has gotten off to one of the best starts in his career, having scored at least a point in all five games so far. Jere Lehtinen is Mr. Assist with five assists and one goal. This guy is going to be a terror once he starts slipping the biscuit behind the netminders. Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue, and Brent Gilchrist round out the points leaders with four points apiece. * The forward lines have remained mostly consistent, only changing due to injury or differing oppositional combinations. The main line for Dallas is Adams-Modano-Lehtinen. Adams has replaced Hogue on the left wing from last year's line. Adams is a great player on the rush, and along with Modano, is deadly close in, when Lehtinen is playing smart, protecting the puck, and setting one of the other two up for a chance. Modano has a great start to the year, including a prolific four-point night against Washington, and appears to be on par for career-high production. Adams has continued to score in clutch situations, and each of his four goals have been important in their respective games. Lehtinen is developing into a hard-working, patient puck carrier who is good at setting up his teammates. The second line for Dallas is Hogue-Nieuwendyk-Verbeek. This line has been as productive as the first, even with Gilchrist stepping in to center for the missing Nieuwendyk. Verbeek is more than fulfilling his promise as an immediate scoring threat. Pat's only two goals have each been game-winners. And, his five assists place him second in Dallas' points production totals. Plus, his obvious scoring threat has taken the pressure off of Modano very well. Verbeek is a stand-up guy who is well respected in the locker room and by the fans. He is worth every penny spent to bring him to Dallas. Benoit Hogue has settled in as a great playmaker, cruising around and passing to the others perfectly to set up a threat. He has also excelled as a point man along with Zubov on the power play. His four points only hint at what should be coming in the future. The last two lines are juggled around, but the main grinder line has Todd Harvey centering for Dave Reid and Jamie Langenbrunner. This line has been great at establishing a presence in the offensive zone, then cycling the puck and grinding along the boards in order to keep the forechecking pressure on. This line is directly responsible for wearing down most teams Dallas has faced later on in the games. And, the fourth line of Gilchrist/Reid/Huard-Carbonneau-Marshall/Kennedy rounds out the depth for Dallas. Harvey is playing better after being shifted back to his natural center position, and he and Marshall both have been great at role playing as the pest. Both have been involved in numerous scraps along the way, and each has stood toe-to-toe in one of those wild, one punch after another contests until both combatants are too tired to swing anymore. Dave Reid has had to take a little ribbing at his expense due to two missed open net situations. The first occurred against Washington, where Reid was cruising in on the net with Modano. Modano faked and drew the attention as he passed to Reid, who redirected the pass wide of the open net. And, against New Jersey, Reid closed in front of the net as the "toe" in a tic-tac-toe play and managed to shoot it left into the sliding Brodeur. The entire right side of the net was wide open. He has made good in game five by scoring his first goal and assist against Chicago. The goal came from a hard, rising slap shot in the slot, beating a waiting Belfour. Hell, goals are a bonus for Reid. His solid penalty killing is what has earned him a spot on the roster. * The two main defensive pairings are solid and purpose-built. The first pair of Hatcher and Matvichuk are used when a physical presence is needed, along with solid defense on the doorstep. Hatcher is doing well overall, and Matvichuk has continued to be a tough, smart defenseman who is great at breaking up the rush. The second pair consists of Zubov and Craig Ludwig. Ludwig is the solid stay-at-home type that excels at blocking shots close in, and helping guard against Zubov's occasional mistakes while Zubov presses forward with the puck. Zubov is, of course, very mobile and a great passer. Everyone makes a lot of mention over Sergei's power play quarterbacking, but they fail to consider his every day defensive play, which is solid, and in some ways, more important. After rumors circulated that Zubov was unhappy with the trade to Dallas, and would be a no-show at camp, the truth revealed that the guy just wanted some time off after the World Cup to get his affairs in order. After arriving just in time to open the season, Sergei has been a positive team player, and has seen gobs of ice time due to his crucial contributions throughout the games. Darryl Sydor is another mobile defenseman who helps round out the defense along with Mike Lalor and Grant Ledyard. The defensive unit in general has been tough to set up against, has played smart in its own end, and has been good at precise puck movement to help keep up the offensive pressure. A member of this unit, Craig Ludwig, scored the first goal of the season for the Stars, and already has an assist. * Hopefully the fans in Dallas will get behind the team more, whether the winning streak continues or not. The local fans have been schizophrenic, at best. The house was a-rockin' opening night, and the fans were the loudest they have been probably since the opening year in Dallas. But, in game two during the week, only about nine or 10 thousand butts were in the seats, and the place was as quiet as a church. The Stars rallied and showed renewed efforts when the fans were involved on opening night. Hopefully the fans will continue to be loyal and give the guys some real support when they are at home. It does make a difference. Support your local team! * The hard luck story of the season has to be Bob Bassen. After missing most of last season due to a reconstructed knee, Bass was playing well in the exhibition games and was looking forward to adding to the toughness displayed by the Stars. Unfortunately, he herniated a disc in his neck, and had to have surgery to correct it. Bass will be out at least three months, and has missed every game so far. Ya gotta feel for the guy. He's probably jumping out of his skin since he can't be on the ice contributing to the winning streak. * Another disappointment has been Brent Fedyk's demotion to the K-Wings. Fedyk was a 20-goal scorer last year, but barely had a chance to show his face before he became a regular scratch. "I guess my play was too tentative here," Fedyk said. Brent is a good scoring forward, and will serve as a great backup for Dallas at Michigan. He would be on the second line of many teams right now. * The players in general have all contributed equally to the team's winning streak. Dallas has won by being tough in their own end, by keeping up sustained offensive pressure and forechecking, by smart puck control and excellent penalty killing and goaltending. The general game plan is to come out hard in the first and third periods, and keep constant pressure throughout. The plan has worked perfectly. Dallas has played tight and cautiously for the most part early, then exploding with two to three goal scoring spurts in the second or third, after the grinders have worn down the opposition. This all being accomplished against quality opposition. The league will have to sit up and take notice of this newly formed threat in the West. So far, the players are pleased, but are remaining quiet about the streak. Superstition may be taking the driver's seat here,but one prefers to think they are just being humble and unassuming. The team has already gotten high praise from an amazing source -- coach Colin Campbell of New York. "They're much better, but they were better than their record indicated last year," Campbell said. "If they stay injury free, they’re an elite team. They're solid in a lot of areas." Let's just see how long the ride may last. ----------------------------------------------------------------- DETROIT RED WINGS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Scotty Bowman Roster: C - Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Greg Johnson,Kris Draper. LW - Brendan Shanahan, Tomas Holmstrom, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Martin Lapointe, Bob Errey, Tim Taylor. RW - Doug Brown, Mathieu Dandenault, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby. D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Bob Rouse,Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov, Jamie Pushor, Anders Eriksson, Brian Glynn, Aaron Ward. G - Mike Vernon, Chris Osgood, Kevin Hodson. Injuries: Viacheslav Fetisov, d (sore knee, day to day). Transactions: Traded Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau and a 1997 first-round pick to the Hartford Whalers for Brendan Shanahan and Brian Glynn. Sent Mike Knuble to Adirondack in AHL. Game Results: 10/05 at New Jersey L 3-1 10/09 Edmonton W 2-0 10/11 Calgary L 2-1 10/12 at Buffalo W 6-1 TEAM NEWS by Jonah Sigel It's been a wild, wild week here in Detroit. Actually its been a wild couple of months. After a disappointing end to last season, fans and media alike cried out for change. The team that won 62 games last season simply was not built for the playoffs. Word had surfaced long ago that Keith Primeau was unhappy with management here and that he wanted out. It was not until just prior to the start of the World Cup that Primeau announced he would not be reporting to Detroit ever again. Following the World Cup, Primeau held to his word and officially became a training camp holdout. Head Coach Bowman, told reporters that he was trying to accommodate the big center and that he was working on several trades. Rumors were swirling that a deal that would send Primeau and veteran Paul Coffey along with a first-round draft pick to Hartford in exchange for Whaler holdout Brendan Shanahan and utility d-man Brian Glynn. Primeau announced that on national radio the night before he agreed to a new deal with the Wings, thus making a deal imminent. Coffey, however told reporters that he had no interest in reporting to Hartford and that he simply would not go. The next afternoon, the club travelled to New Jersey to open the season against the Devils. Word circulated in late afternoon that Bowman and Coffey had come to blows and that Bowman had told Coffey he was no longer a part of the organization and to find his own way home. That evening, the Devils defeated a demoralized and confused Wing team, 3-1. The team was obviously in a state of disarray. It appeared however, that a trade was imminent. Some time the next day (Sunday), Primeau's agent, Don Reynolds, informed the Wings via fax that his client would no longer adhere to the offer in which they accepted a few days prior. Since Primeau agreed, Petr Nedved had signed a much more lucrative deal in Pittsburgh and Reynolds felt Primeau was being taken advantage of. "We were not allowed to negotiate," Reynolds told reporters. "Keith was told to accept a deal or the trade was off. A few days passed and not even a phone call was made. We were not dealt with fairly." The entire Red Wing community was up in arms on Monday. The press went after Bowman for his treatment of Coffey, who was asked to and did indeed return to practice on Monday to a media circus. Primeau was portrayed as the ultimate devil. Bowman claimed that the deal was dead, that he had attempted to accommodate Primeau, and then Primeau killed the deal. The state of disappointment, hurt and anger carried into late Wednesday afternoon, when, with opening night a few short hours away, rumor surfaced on local Radio WDFN that the deal was done and that Shanahan was enroute to Joe Louis Arena. At around 4 p.m. Wednesday, reporter Mike Stone announced on the air-waves that "the Hartford Whalers had called a press conference for 5:15 that evening." Pandemonium hit Detroit. Paul Coffey left reporters at Joe Louis claiming that he had been traded and that he was unaware of where to. He later told reporters that he was informed by one of the Wing assistants and when he asked to talk to Bowman, he was denied. Just prior to 6 p.m. Red Wing owner Mike Illitch's private jet touched down at Metro Airport with Shanahan on board. A few short hours later he would be introduced to the Wings crowd wearing No. 14 and donning an "A" on his jersey as an alternate captain. On Shanahan's first shift, he got into a fight. Later he delivered a viscous cross check to an Oilers' face. However, the damage was done, as the Wings dominated a flat Edmonton squad, 2-0. Following the game forward Stu Grimson was put on waivers to accommodate the arrival of Shanahan. Veteran goalie Mike Vernon lashed out at the management of the team prior to the game for removing numerous quality veterans like Dino Ciccarelli and now Paul Coffey. Bowman responded by having Vernon watch the home opener from the press box. As the team prepared for its game on Friday against the Calgary Flames, two worthy pieces of news surfaced. The first was that Paul Coffey had agreed to report to the Whalers. The second was that the NHL had suspended Brendan Shanahan for the game against Calgary for his cross check. The Wings lacked any jump Friday as the Flames defeated them 2-1. As if not weird enough, in some strange sort of irony, the Whalers claimed Stu Grimson off of waivers late Saturday night, thus leaving the Wings with but one enforcer, Darren McCarty. Little toughness was needed though has the Wings returned to old form and demolished a helpless Buffalo squad in Buffalo for their home and building opener, 6-1. Mike Vernon earned his first victory of the season. Coffey and Primeau both made their debuts with the Whalers Saturday night in a losing effort as the Panthers beat the Whale, 6-0. ----------------------------------------------------------------- PHOENIX COYOTES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Don Hay Roster: C -Cliff Ronning, Craig Janney, Mike Eastwood, Chad Kilger, Mike Stapleton, Bob Corkum. LW -,Keith Tkachuk, Darrin Shannon, Kris King, Jim McKenzie. RW - Mike Gartner, Shane Doan, Dallas Drake. D - Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdosky, Dave Manson, Norm McIver, Brad McCrimmon, Jeff Finley, Jim Johnson, Jason Doig. G - Nikolai Khabibulin, Darcy Wakaluk. Injuries: Cliff Ronning, c (fractured right hand, 4-6 weeks), Jason Doig, d (hyperextended elbow, indefinite). Transactions: Sent Juha Ylonen, C, and Brad Isbister, RW, to Springfield (AHL). Game Results: 10/05 at Hartford L 1-0 10/07 at Boston L 5-2 10/10 San Jose W 4-1 10/12 Anaheim W 4-2 TEAM NEWS by Jeff Brown The Coolest Game on Earth has finally arrived in the desert. The Phoenix Coyotes, the newest member of the National Hockey League, have taken the Arizona desert by storm. After failing to connect with the back of the net in the 1-0 opening loss to Hartford, the Coyotes have since lit the light 13 times in the last three games. Leading the Dogs' attack is veteran winger Mike Gartner, who has five goals thus far, including a hat trick in game No. 2 at Boston. His goal against Anaheim gives him 669 in his illustrious career. Make ice and they will come: A sellout crowd (16,210 if anyone's counting) showed up at America West Arena to watch the Coyotes face off against the Sharks in the home opener, and they weren't at all disappointed by the performances both on and off the ice. Cheers to the Coyotes and America West Arena for putting on a great pregame show, which included a banner raising by team owners Richard Burke and Steven Blackstern, officially opening the Coyotes tenure in the league. Even NHL top man Gary Bettman took in the game, and presented a check from the NHL Foundation for $10,000 to Goals for Kids in honor of work done in the community by Coyote players. The players each took their turn in the spotlight as the entire team was announced individually, the crowd on their feet howling the entire time at the neon quarter-moon that hung low over the ice. Robin Wilson of the Gin Blossoms was there as well, performing the Star Spangled Banner. As red rockets glared across the upper reaches of the arena, and with bombs (fireworks) bursting in air, the fans gave proof they were there, giving Wilson a standing ovation and more howls of approval. After waiting for the lights to come back on, and for the ice to refreeze after being showered with pyrotechnics, it was time to play some hockey, and the crowd was into it from the first drop of the puck. The Coyotes physical style is sure to keep the fans on their toes, if they can keep them coming to the arena. On the holdout front: In the Igor Korolev holdout situation, just like the Jeremy Roenick situation, the team has stressed that their last offer was firm, and if it meant keeping Korolev out of hockey for some time, that was just fine with them. The Coyotes have made it pretty clear that they would match offers given to Korolev by any team, however at last report no offers had been made. Hey that hurt: Center Cliff Ronning, picked up in the off-season to help the Dogs offense keep up with speedy Mike Gartner, went down Thursday night after taking a hard slash from Sharks right wing Chris Tancill. X-rays confirmed that Ronning has a fractured right hand and thus will be out for 4-to-6 weeks. Let's just hope for a speedy recovery for the 10-year veteran, who by the way, says he'll be back taking faceoffs for the November 14th contest vs. Hartford. Home sweet home: The Coyotes win Saturday night versus the Ducks was the second game of a long six-game homestand at America West Arena. They'll remain in the desert for contests against Edmonton, Philadelphia, Florida, and St. Louis (who, by the way, are a combined 11-6-1 as of 10/12), before packing their long johns and heading to the great white north, where they'll face off against Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, and Calgary. They won't return home again until November 3rd when they open yet another six-gamer against the Habs. Hey isn't that Charles Barkley?: The city of Phoenix itself may become an advantage for the Coyotes this season. An area that so many call "Paradise" is where the Coyotes call home, and as teams come into the Valley of the Sun for the first time, especially as the temperatures drop everywhere else, it will be interesting to see if they take an extra day to take in some of the attraction that Phoenix has to offer. This may become evident on the ice towards the second and third periods, as tired legs are faced with the Coyotes physical style of play. Thus far? The dogs are 2-0 at home. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ST. LOUIS BLUES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mike Keenan Roster: C - Craig MacTavish, Peter Zezel, Harry York, Robert Petrovicky. LW - Geoff Courtnall, Shayne Corson, Tony Twist, Stephane Matteau, Yuri Khymlev. RW - Brett Hull, Joe Murphy, Brian Noonan, Rob Pearson, Steve Leach, Jim Campbell, Konstantin Shafranov. D - Al MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Igor Kravchuk, Murray Baron, Christer Olsson, Marc Bergevin, Trent Yawney, Dave Williams. G - Grant Fuhr, Jon Casey, Jamie McLennan. Injuries: None. Transactions: None. Game Results: 10/04 Colorado W 4-2 10/06 Chicago L 4-1 10/09 at Calgary W 3-1 10/11 at Edmonton W 3-1 10/12 at Vancouver L 5-3 TEAM NEWS by Joe Ashkar The St. Louis Blues started the 1996-97 NHL season on the right skate. They downed the defending Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in their season opener at Kiel Center. On that night, it was the Blues who looked like the defending champs. They outskated, outhit, outscored and outplayed Colorado in every aspect of the game. With a perfect mix of veterans and youngsters, nine different players contributed to the scoring. "We played great, everyone played great," Brett Hull said. Veteran right winger Steve Leach scored the first goal of the season midway through the first period to give the Blues their first lead of the game and Chris Pronger made it 2-0 with 31 seconds left in the period. Pronger, who had a strong playoff finish last season, picked up right where he left off. He was dominating defensively, moving the puck well out of the zone and hitting anything that moved. Pronger earned the game's third star. Rookies Jim Campbell and Harry York were sensational. Campbell scored the game-winner in addition to an assist and York played a strong two-way game; taking shifts against Colorado's top line and winning key faceoffs late in the game. York also recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Campbell's winner. Campbell was the game's second star. In addition to the above, Grant Fuhr was sensational in goal to earn the game's first star with 35 saves. Not only did he recover from near season-ending surgery after the vicious Nick Kypreos hit in the playoffs, but Fuhr recovered two months ahead of schedule thanks to strong determination and a terrific training program courtesy of Bob Kersee. All-star defenseman Al MacInnis made a surprise start after missing all of the preseason with an elbow infection. MacInnis contributed with two assists. The only stain on an otherwise perfect Blues hockey night was the announcement of 16,668 in attendance, far less than the 19,260 capacity at Kiel Center. About 3,000 of the 16,668 announced must have been no-shows since the crowd looked smaller than the announced number. 48 hours later, it was reality time for the Blues. They dropped a 4-1 decision to the Chicago Blackhawks, who were playing their second game in as many nights. The Blues lit up the red light for a 1-0 lead just two minutes and one second into the game but it was all downhill from there as the Blackhawks scored four unanswered goal. Veterans Brett Hull, Shayne Corson, Geoff Courtnall and Chris Pronger looked awful, combining for a minus-11 in the +/- ratings. "We're playing awful defensively," said Hull, who was held scoreless in his first two games of the season. The only bright side was the play of rookies Jim Campbell, Harry York, Robert Petrovicky and Konstantin Shafranov. They combined for 12 shots on goal and neither was on the ice for an opposition's goal. "The young players gave us what we wanted, they showed some offense," Keenan said after the game. The following week, the Blues concluded a Western Canada road trip with a 2-1 record. The trip started with an impressive 3-1 victory in Calgary, where they hadn't won a game since Januay 29, 1994. Goaltender Grant Fuhr and rookie Jim Campbell shined once again, earning the number one and number two stars respectively. Fuhr stopped 31 of 32 shots, many of them from close range while Campbell scored his second game-winning goal of the season to go with an assist. High-priced free agent signee Joe Murphy scored his first goal and assist in a Blues uniform. Two nights later, the Blues took their goaltending and rookie show to Edmonton and beat the Oilers 3-1 in a very entertaining game. Fuhr and Edmonton goaltender Curtis Joseph were spectacular in goal making stellar save after stellar save. Both teams were high-flying on the ice leaving fans in the stands on the edge of their seats. Joe Murphy scored his second goal of the season to give the Blues an early 1-0 lead. After David Oliver had tied the game 1-1 for the Oilers at 4:47 of the second period, Brett Hull scored his first goal of the season on a short-handed breakaway to beat Curtis Joseph. Cujo must have had a flashback to the World Cup when Hull beat him on a similar play. Hull's goal, which proved to be the game winner, actually came one second after a penalty on Shayne Corson had expired. Sensational rookie Jim Campbell added an insurance goal in the third period to seal the victory for the Bluenotes. Fuhr was once again voted the game's number one star, his first star finish in four games played. Campbell's goal was his third in four games. With the Blues playing their third road game in four nights, the Blues dropped the trip finale 5-3 to the Vancouver Canucks. Jon Casey started for Fuhr in goal but unfortunately for him, the Blues' defense was no where to be seen on that night. Casey made save after save to help the Blues maintain a 1-0 lead after one period despite being outshot 7-1 at one point and 11-5 by the first intermission. Surprise, Surprise, Jim Campbell scored the lone Blues goal as a result of a power-play tally. Campbell leads the Blues in goals and overall scoring with six points and four goals in only five games. The Canucks scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead early in the second period but the Blues rallied back to tie it 3-3. However, they ran out of gas and conceded the last two goals of the game. The game was very similar to the home loss to Chicago where the veterans pulled a Houdini and misteriously disappeared and the rookies led the way by combing for five points. Konstantin Shafranov recorded his first goal and first assist as a Blue and Robert Petrovicky chipped in with two secondary assists. Bluenotes: WHO ARE THESE GUYS? Right wing Jim Campbell, center Harry York, center Robert Petrovicky and right wing Konstantin Shafranov, that is. All four have played solid hockey through five games and have been the team's most consistent players while contributing on the scoreboard. Campbell, 23, was acquired in the offseason as a free agent on July 11, 1996. He was originally drafted 28th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1991 and spent last season between Fredricton (AHL), Baltimore (AHL) and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Harry York, 22, was signed as a free agent on May 1, 1996. He split duties last season between Nashville (ECHL) and Worcester (AHL). Robert Petrovicky, 22, joined the Blues as a free agent in August, 1996. He is a former number one draft pick by the Hartford Whalers in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, selected ninth overall. Konstantin Shafranov, 28, was drafted by the Blues in the 10th round in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft in St. Louis. He played last season for Fort Wayne (IHL) where he recorded 74 points (46-28) in 74 games. WHO'S CAPTAIN? The Blues elected to go with three alternate captains since the start of the season as nobody is wearing the "C". The departed Wayne Gretzky was the last Blue to wear the "C" when it was give to him from Shayne Corson. Could Keenan be thinking of giving it back to Hull later in the season? HULL VS KEENAN? All is quiet on the horizon. Hull and Keenan, who agreed to stop the cheap-shots directed toward each other in the media, have been keeping quiet. It was a bit unusual for Keenan not to take a shot at Hull, who only has one point in his first five games on the season. OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW? The Blues are a relatively younger, deeper and speedier team compared to last season. Out are Glenn Anderson, Charlie Huddy, Jay Wells, Basil McRae, Adam Creighton and Wayne Gretzky. In are Harry York, Robert Petrovicky, Jim Campbell, Joe Murphy, Konstantin Shafranov, Trent Yawney and Marc Bergevin. The Blues team age average has dropped from 34.5 last season to 29.4. The Blues also average Height: 6.01 Weight: 197.3. STILL ON THE PAYROLL. The recently released LW Basil McRae and C Adam Creighton were both picked by division rival, the Chicago Blackhawks. McRae, 35, signed a one-year deal paying him in the neighborhood of $450,000 in addition to the $150,000 he will receive from the Blues as result of a buyout. Creighton, 31, will also receive $250,000 from the Blues over the next four years resulting from his $1 million contract. BLUES LINES? The Blues' second line of Joe Murphy - Harry York - Jim Campbell has been the team's best since day one. They have combined for a total of 11 points. The number one line of Geoff Courtnall - Shayne Corson - Brett Hull has been struggling with only two goals and minus-11 in five games. The third line has been mostly Stephane Matteau - Peter Zezel - Brian Noonan/Steve Leach while Tony Twist - Robert Petrovicky - Konstantin Shafranov formed the fourth line. Craig MacTavish and Yuri Khmylev each participated in a game. The defensive pairings have been pretty consistent for most games. Murray Baron skated with Al MacInnis, Igor Kravchuk partnered with Chris Pronger and newcomers Trent Yawney and Marc Bergevin teamed up as the third pair. Chrsister Olsson made his season debut against Vancouver where he substituted for Yawney. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Mike Murphy Roster: C - Doug Gilmour, Kirk Muller, Brandon Convery, Jamie Baker. LW - Fredrik Modin, Wendel Clark, Todd Warriner, Nick Kypreos, Scott Pearson. RW - Mats Sundin, Sergei Berezin, Tie Domi, Mike Craig. D -Matt Martin, Dave Ellett, Jeff Ware, Jamie Heward, Jamie Macoun, Dimitri Yushkevich, Larry Murphy, Mathieu Schneider. G - Felix Potvin, Don Beaupre. Injuries: None. Transactions:Acquired center Darby Hendrickson from the New York Islanders for a conditional 1998 draft choice and assigned him to St. John's of the American Hockey League. Game Results: 10/05 Anaheim W 4-1 10/08 Edmonton L 4-2 10/12 Tampa Bay L 7-4 TEAM NEWS by Brad Ross When 10 of your first 15 games of the season are at home, a cynic might be led to believe that a palm or two was being greased at the NHL's front office. If that were the case, then the schedule maker can only shrug at the Toronto Maple Leafs and say, "It's called capitalizing." The Leafs thus far have done absolutely nothing to convince even a casual hockey watcher that they are serious about doing any damage this season, never mind making the playoffs. A capital offence if there ever was one. Of course, three games does not a season make, and while it's too early to write the Leafs off, they have given little indication that they have what it takes to be the gritty, grinding club that new head coach Mike Murphy says they must be to win this year. Only their season opener against Disney proved fruitful. And that has to be tempered by the fact that Paul Kariya is out with an abdominal injury. With Kariya in the lineup, the Mallards could have shaken a few branches, and the Buds could be looking at a 0-3 start to the season. After all, it is fall. Before the faithful of the blue and white reach for their Prozac, there have been a few bright spots. Felix Potvin won that Disney tilt for Toronto and kept the Edmonton loss respectable. Against Tampa Bay, the Cat was chased from the net after swiping at four goals in the first 20 minutes, giving way to backup Don Beaupre. Potvin can't win every Leaf game alone and, well, enough said -- he won't. Mike Craig, whom the Leafs acquired two years ago as a free agent from Dallas, has been a pure enigma here for the past two seasons. He constantly frustrated fans and the coaching staff and saw much duty in the press box. Mike Murphy, now strutting (soon to be sulking) behind the bench at 60 Carlton St. was determined to give Craig a second chance. Good idea. Craig scored the first Leaf goal of the season using that stuff so many claim to have: grit. Craig potted his second goal three nights later against the Oilers. Finally, Leaf rookie Sergei Berezin scored his first NHL goal in a losing effort to the Bolts. The Russian has been touted as a pure goal scorer, ripping up the German League last year with 43 goals in 45 games. He was also the only non-NHLer on Russia's World Cup entry this year. The Leafs, needless to say, are pinning many hopes on Berezin. Now if only they can find a consistent line to use him on. The rest of the Buds have played abysmal hockey. Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Mats Sundin, Mathieu Schenider and Larry Murphy...mediocre to poor. Kirk Muller has shown some quickness and desperation, but folks, this team has played terrible hockey. The last time I checked, hockey was a physical game. Body contact IS allowed. Hello? In games against Edmonton and Tampa Bay, it took the Leafs 40 minutes to find out they were behind in the game. Playing catch-up hockey isn't any fun even for road hockey warriors, forget the million-dollar men of the NHL. Gilmour and St. Clark have got to step up their game if Toronto is to be taken seriously this year. The few young players the Leafs have will certainly take their cues from the captain and former captain. Neither has gotten angry from what I can tell. Both play superb hockey when ticked. I dunno, maybe if Robbie Alomar came back to town and started horking in their faces... Anyway, back to hockey. Odd-man rushes, blatant give-aways, weaker-than-weak defensive zone coverage, two hat-tricks in two nights to the other guys... it all adds up to statements like: "We need to start playing as a team to win," and "no one in this room is happy with their play." Gag me with a Bauer Supreme size 9... what's next, they gave it 110 percent? Luckily for the Leafs, there are 78 games to go. This can be fixed. Some serious soul-searching amongst a room full of vets -- and the Leafs are that -- is in quick order. Bringing in Paul Coffey isn't going to make a damn bit of difference, either. Rumours of another thirtysomething suiting up in a Leafs uniform should not come as a surprise to anyone. But Coffey's price is too high, and Cliff Fletcher has enough good old boys to keep the blue rinse crowd happy. No, the Toronto Maple Leafs as they stand have to decide that pride means something... that winning is a lot more fun than hearing the sarcastic cheers of the crowd when public address announcer Paul Morris says "Last minute of play in this period..." Okay, may this be my last dispatch from the good ship Maple Leafs reporting high seas and icebergs in the distance. It's making me cranky. ================================================================ ================================================================= TEAM REPORTS ================================================================= WESTERN CONFERENCE PACIFIC DIVISION ----------------------------------------------------------------- ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ron Wilson Roster: C - Jari Kurri, Kevin Todd, Steve Rucchin, Ted Drury, Alex Hicks. LW - Paul Kariya, Garry Valk, Ken Baumgartner, Warren Rychel. RW - Teemu Selanne, Joe Sacco, Roman Oksiuta, Valeri Karpov, J.F. Jomphe. D - Milos Holan, Dave Karpa, Bobby Dollas, Fredrik Olausson, Darren Van Impe, Adrian Plavsic, Jason Marshall, Ruslan Salei. G - Guy Hebert, Mikhail Shtalenkov. Injuries: Paul Kariya, lw (abdominal injury, indefinite) Transactions: Traded Shaun Van Allen, c, and Jason York, d, to Ottawa for Ted Drury, c, and Marc Moro, d. Game Results 10/05 at Toronto L 4-1 10/07 at Montreal T 6-6 10/10 at Chicago W 2-0 10/12 at Phoenix L 4-2 TEAM NEWS by Sandi Trudo Well Mighty Ducks' fans, it looks like the 1996-97 NHL season has started off just like every other year and the Ducks are off to their annual slow start. The Ducks, missing the firepower of Paul Kariya (out indefinitely with a stomach injury/listed as day to day), currently sit at 1-2-2 and ahead of only the San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division. Of course, this early in the new season it's only a matter of a three point spread from first to last. However, it is imperative that Anaheim learns from its just-miss finish at the end of least season when less than two points kept the Ducks from making the postseason. Even a tremendous finish didn't help Anaheim make the playoffs. After the final game last year, goaltender Guy Hebert commented in the locker room; "Now, we will have guys who know what it takes to make the playoffs--the hard work, the effort. We came as close as you could without getting in and now our guys will have that experience for next season. They now know what it's going to take to contend for the Stanley Cup." Well, next season is upon us and will prove a good test for what the Ducks' hockey organization has accomplished in its first few seasons. The base for a quality team is in place, with the brunt of the scoring falling on the golden sticks of Kariya and Selanne. While Selanne has continued the hot streak he finished up on last year, Kariya has yet to skate in a regular season game this fall. His injury, listed as a abdominal strain, has Kariya unhappily sidelined and the Ducks struggling for scoring. Kariya's early season injury only serves notice to the team that more scoring depth is urgently needed. The Ducks shot count in the first few games was embarrassingly low, but head coach Ron Wilson usually has his squad relaxed and shooting more by the end of the annual season-opening road trip. The Ducks' early season schedule included a solid shutout (2-0) of the Chicago Blackhawks. In that game, goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov made 26 saves for his first NHL shutout and Teemu Selanne scored short-handed to spoil Chicago's home opener. The newly acquired Jari Kurri has often been paired with Selanne on the top Anaheim line, but the Ducks fans are also anxiously awaiting a Kurri-Kariya match up. Kurri was the number one set up man for Wayne Gretzky and Kariya has modeled his style of game after the Great One. Should be interesting to see how this pair meshes. The win over Chicago saw some improvement in Anaheim's physical game, a necessity for any team that wants to compete against some of the tougher, and winning, teams in the league. Another area besides the hitting game that the Ducks need to shore up is the goaltending situation. Last year, the question was "Can Hebert carry the load?" And during the playoff spot run, Hebert came up very big when the Ducks needed him most. If he can return to that form and stay there consistently, the Ducks could be in decent shape in net. However, Hebert has had a rough start with a 5.05 goals-against average and an .846 save percentage after three games. It's important to note that those games have included being left hung out to dry in the form of numerous two- and three-on-none rushes. If more players tried the stay-at-home style approach young defenseman Jason Marshall is honing, the back line would be in better shape. The other man in net for Anaheim, Shtalenkov, has a 1.51 goals against average and a .936 save percentage after his first two games. Like last year, the Ducks could really use a proven NHL goalie, if the current duo doesn't stand up early in the season. Last year, coach Ron Wilson had his team solid and winning in time for the Ducks' home opener. He also had assembled a team that was winning against the best in the division until injuries seriously depleted his roster. With Kariya already sidelined, a foreboding cloud hangs above the Ducks' locker room. But minus last year's accidental grilling (barbecuing) of team mascot Wild Wing, the home opener should be a good test for the Ducks' fourth year squad. The always physical and deep-in-scoring Flyers will prove an exciting opening night matchup. The Ducks follow with Friday (San Jose) and Sunday(Boston) games filling out opening weekend at the Pond. Game recaps: Mighty Ducks 2, Blackhawks 0 Of note, Shtalenkov made 26 saves for his first career shutout and was credited for winning the game for the Ducks. Selanne scored shorthanded and Alex Hicks added an empty netter to spoil Chicago's home opener. Selanne scored short handed when he chased down a loose puck in Chicago's end, faked Belfour and slipped a backhander past Belfour's glove. Shtalenkov, who has played his entire NHL career with Anaheim, was making his 1996-97 debut. Mikhail was especially impressive in the third period when he twice robbed Tony Amonte and also blocked close-in shots from Murray Craven and Bob Probert. Avalanche 6, Mighty Ducks 6 Of note in this game was Selanne scoring early in the third period to ignite the Ducks rally from a four-goal deficit to tie the Avalanche 6-6. Other third period scorers for Anaheim include Kevin Todd and Warren Rychel, who sliced the Avalanche lead down to one goal with 2:01 remaining. With less than 45 seconds on the regulation clock, Selanne also knocked in thegame-tying goal . Add the three assists he had in the game, and it's fairly obvious just how valuable the Finnish Flash is to the Ducks. Neither team was able to score in overtime. The Ducks had 22 shots on net and Hebert turned aside 32 of the 38 shots he faced. Coyotes 4, Mighty Ducks 2 Of note, the Ducks held a 2-2 tie halfway through the second when the surging Mike Gartner scored his 669th career goal. An empty-netter pushed the final score to 4-2 in favor of Phoenix. Goals for Anaheim came from Joe Sacco and Roman Oksuita. The Ducks limited the Coyotes' first two power plays to zero shots and managed to knock off 26 shots on net of their own. ----------------------------------------------------------------- CALGARY FLAMES ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Pierre Page Roster: C - Robert Reichel, Dave Gagner, Cory Stillman, Michael Nylander, German Titov, Corey Millen. LW - Mike Sullivan, Jonas Hoglund, Marko Jantunen,Paul Kruse, Jocelyn Lemieux, Sasha Lakovic. RW - Theo Fleury, Ronnie Stern, Sandy McCarthy, Ed Ward, Pavel Torgajev, D - Steve Chiasson, James Patrick, Zarley Zalapski, Tommy Albelin, Jamie Huscroft, Cal Hulse, Chris O'Sullivan, Todd Simpson, Joel Bouchard. G - Trevor Kidd, Rick Tabaracci, Dwayne Roloson. Injuries: Steve Chaisson, d (knee, out 1-2 weeks), Zarley Zalapski, d (knee, day-to-day), Sandy McCarthy, rw (broken ankle, out two months), Corey Millen, c (groin, day-to-day). Transactions: Sasha Lakovic, lw, called up from St. John of the IHL. Game Results: 10/05 at Vancouver L 3-1 10/06 Buffalo W 3-0 10/09 St. Louis L 3-1 10/11 at Detroit W 2-1 10/13 at Philadelphia W 1-0 TEAM NEWS by Ryan Ferris Fleury's Fury? Following a 3-1 loss at home to the St. Louis Blues this week, Calgary's captain and inspirational leader, Theoren Fleury, took his frustrations to the coaching staff complaining about a lack of ice time. The local media blew the situation way out of proportion and before they knew it, the Flames had become a team "in turmoil". First there was the goaltending controversy. Then Paul Kruse demanding a trade. And of course, the veterans speaking out against Fleury's comments. A real basket of woes for head coach Pierre Page. We must never forget the fact that in the world of sports things aren't always as they seem. So what's to come of this situation? Probably nothing. Are the Flames a team in turmoil? Not anymore, if ever. What has been especially therapeutic has been two straight road wins against Detroit and Philadelphia, two teams that many hockey analysts have picked to play in next spring's Stanley Cup showdown. The product of any apparent controversy has been a tight-checking, well-disciplined NHL caliber hockey team in which Fleury has proven to be a valuable defensive-minded catalyst and leader. As for the goaltenders, Trevor Kidd and Rick Tabaracci aren't pulling any punches as both have stated publicly that they plan to be the number one guy this year that plays in 50 to 60 games for the club. One can only contemplate as to any negative effect this has in the dressing room, but the fact is the Flames have ground out two shutouts and are sporting a goals-against-average around 1.50 in their first five matches, of which Tabaracci and Kidd have been first stars in three of those five. The Flames have made it well known to all that they plan to give a pro shot to Dwayne Roloson, the number one man from the minor league St. John affiliate who has compiled some impressive stats minding the baby Flames' nets over the past two seasons. The Flames may have also tipped their hand when they left Tabaracci unprotected in the recent waiver draft. Further complicating matters, Tabaracci went unclaimed and then, not wanting to be counted out proceeded to shut out Buffalo in his first start of the year. With two top rate netminders in Kidd and Tabaracci looking for more action, the two-man system has become unworkable, and with a third man banging at the doorstep, the situation has become downright uncomfortable. It's not that Calgary doesn't value the talent of their two goalies. Eventually economics must play a factor. With Tabaracci earning $850,000 and Kidd at a million per season, the question becomes how much is a backup goaltender worth in a small market like Calgary? With Roloson apparently ready and playing at a much lower salary and either Kidd or Tabby capable of handling a full load, the equation becomes quite simple. The truth is there are only two nets on the ice, meaning that someone is likely to go in the next little while. The best-case scenario would be for the Flames to package up either Kidd or Tabaracci along with Paul Kruse and work out a trade. The trick here is that if none of the teams in the NHL wanted Tabaracci for free, can the Flames realistically expect to get fair value for him in a trade? Trading Kidd may also be a gamble in that he appears ready to blossom into the goaltender that earned him high accolades at the World Junior level, and had him rated higher than Martin Brodeur and Felix Potvin in his draft year. Another factor is that Roloson is still a gamble in that he has not seen a single minute of playing time this season. Now Sandy McCarthy is lost for a couple of months, giving Kruse one last shot to prove his worth. The end result has the Flames playing hurry-up-and-wait. Look for them to showcase their extra bodies for three or four weeks and then consider making a deal then. The Youth Movement On another front, the Flames headed into the new season excited about the young talent developing from within the organization. Camp broke with four or five jobs available with the big team this season, and so the focus has been on the fine crop of rookies invited to try out. Not surprising has been the play of Jarome Iginla, who gave a brief glimpse into his potential last spring as he was a highlight in Calgary's final two playoff games. He has not disappointed again this season as to date he leads the team in scoring with three goals and has provided a consistent and tough brand of hockey. What has been a pleasant surprise has been the play of a group of fine young defensemen the Flames have developed. Particularly impressive has been Chris O'Sullivan, who was able to crack the lineup straight out of U.S. College hockey and has given the Flames some offensive spark from the point, especially in the absence of Chaisson and Zalapski. Two other names of note are Todd Simpson and Joel Bouchard, both of whom have quietly made an impact from the blueline. Factor in the maturing Cale Hulse and the Flames stand to dress 3 or 4 rookies on the blueline for most games this year. Up front, a couple of Europeans have cracked the lineup, albeit sparingly thus far. The Flames are looking for Jonas Hoglund and Marko Jantunen to provide some much needed offensive punch this season from the third and fourth lines. Tidbits * The Flames' great start to the season can be attributed to the play of the special teams and the discipline that Page has instilled over the past year. Five games into the season and the power play is rated 11th while the penalty killing is a fantastic 5th overall. * It's no big surprise that the number one unit this season will be the line of Robert Reichel, Fleury and German Titov. The trio has provided three of the eight goals scored by the team thus far, and have generated a plethora of good scoring chances, especially for Titov who, with a little more luck, could easily be leading the league in goal scoring. Beyond the first line Page has failed to construct another unit, although Iginla and Corey Millen have had some chemistry from the third line and Ron Stern, Dave Gagner and Mike Sullivan have at times formed a solid checking line. * Sandy McCarthy broke his ankle when he hit the corner boards awkwardly after missing a body check on St. Louis blueliner Al MacInnis. McCarthy, one of the tougher players in the league, was able to skate off the ice on the bad leg, although noticeably favoring the newly broken bone. * With McCarthy's hiatus, the Flames have called up enforcer Sasha Lakovic. Lakovic proved his prowess for fisticuffs in a spirited tilt versus Dan Kordic of the Flyers. His recall was not a surprise. He very nearly made the team earlier in the year as he was a very late cut from training camp. * Freshman center Cory Stillman has played impressively thus far, and has seen some duty from the point on the power play. * Rookie defenseman Joel Bouchard came millimeters away from having his playing career ended in training camp when he took a stray puck in the face under his right eye. Surgery was needed to correct the bone damage. After making a miraculous and speedy recovery, Bouchard has vowed to wear an eye-protecting visor. * Jonas Hoglund led the Swedish Elite League in goals last season. He has yet to find the range this regular season, although he did pot two goals in the preseason. ----------------------------------------------------------------- COLORADO AVALANCHE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Marc Crawford Roster: C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Stephane Yelle, Troy Murray. LW - Valeri Kamensky, Chris Simon, Rene Corbet, Eric Lacroix. RW - Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Scott Young, Mike Keane. D - Sandis Ozolinsh, Sylvain Lefebvre, Uwe Krupp, Curtis Leschyshyn, Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Brent Severyn. G - Patrick Roy, Craig Billington. Injuries: Claude Lemieux, rw (groin, day-to-day). Transactions: Re-signed Valeri Kamensky, lw, to new contract. Game Results: 10/04 at St. Louis L 4-2 10/05 at Dallas L 4-1 10/08 San Jose W 6-0 10/10 Anaheim T 6-6 10/11 at Chicago W 2-0 TEAM NEWS by Matt Gitchell Well, the season is five games old, and the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche is off to a less-than-spectacular start. They started off with two road losses against the Blues and Stars, then rebounded to blank San Jose 6-0. The real kicker, though, came when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim made a stop at McNichols Arena. Midway through the second period, the Avalanche held a 6-2 lead over Anaheim, but things soon turned for the worse when the Avs and Patrick Roy allowed 4 unanswered goals to bring the contest into a tie that would go unresolved. Not as humiliating as a loss, but the game was impetus enough for the Avs to storm out on the road and post another shutout against Chicago. And thus the defending Stanley Cup Champions begin the season 2-2-1. In the offseason, a plethora of moves and signings and non-signings kept Avalanche fans and players on their toes. The holdout on most fans' minds was Valeri Kamensky, who signed Sunday with the Avs for about $2 million a year (U.S.). Kamensky's addition is, of course, a welcome one, as his 38 goals and 47 assists made hime the Avs' third leading scorer last season. The other Avalanche holdout, who looks increasingly unlikely to sign with the team, is Chris Simon. Simon is reportedly looking at an IHL team in Quebec to play with this year, as well as a few other NHL teams his agent wouldn't mention. Simon's absence has been felt in the season's few games so far, with left wing/defenseman Brent Severyn trying to fill the giant long-haired behemoth's skates. Severyn did well against Anaheim's David Karpa, but in the two other fights he got in, he wasn't faring as well. Anaheim's Ken Baumgartner took it to Severyn pretty good, as did ex-Avalanche winger Warren Rychel in a special "welcome back" fight. His performance against Anaheim was about typical, although the ejection was an added bonus. It remains to be seen whether or not the Avs decide to beef up by bending to Simon's will (he's asking about $1 million a year, U.S.) For being a trooper during the playoffs and supporting the team despite seeing a grand total of one minute of ice time during the playoffs, Stephane Fiset was dealt away for scrappy forward Eric Lacroix (yes, very much a relation to Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix...his son, as a matter of fact). Lacroix has already been somewhat of an impact player, but that didn't cover up for the fact that the Avs needed a backup goalie of some sort. So, in the final week of the off-season, the Avs picked up goaltender Craig Billington of the Florida Panthers from the waiver draft. Billington is dressing in lieu of promising 19-year-old Marc Denis as the Avs' reserve man, which is a pretty big step down from Fiset. Billington's lifetime GAA is 4.07. The Avs have been pestered by some minor injuries. Claude Lemieux dropped out of the lineup on Oct. 8th with a groin pull, but should be back to face the Oilers on the 15th. Additionally, both Adam Deadmarsh and Alexei Gusarov left games during the opening week because of bruised ribs, neither injury being serious. ----------------------------------------------------------------- EDMONTON OILERS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Ron Low Roster: C - Doug Weight, Jason Arnott, Todd Marchant, Jesse Belanger. LW - Dean McAmmond, Miroslav Satan, Ryan Smyth. RW - Mariusz Czerkawski, Dave Oliver, Andrei Kovalenko, Kelly Buchberger, Louie DeBrusk. D - Kevin Lowe, Luke Richardson, Bryan Marchment, Jiri Slegr, Boris Mironov, Jeff Norton, Donald Dufresne, Greg de Vries. G - Curtis Joseph, Joaquin Gage. Injuries: Kevin Lowe, d (inflamed nerve in neck, day-to-day). Transactions: Recalled Greg de Vries, d, from Hamilton (AHL) Oct 8; sent Mats Lindgren, c, to Hamilton (AHL) Oct 4; sent Steve Kelly, c, to Hamilton (AHL) Oct 3; sent Bryan Muir, d, to Hamilton (AHL) Oct 3; sent Dennis Bonvie, rw, to Hamilton (AHL) Oct 3. Game Results: 10/04 Buffalo W 4-3 10/06 Vancouver W 2-0 10/08 at Toronto W 4-2 10/09 at Detroit L 2-0 10/11 St.Louis L 3-1 TEAM NEWS by Simon D. Lewis Who Are Those Guys? The Oilers stepped onto the Coliseum ice on October 4, emerging from beneath a flaming oil derrick. Amidst the peach-fuzzed youngsters there was an old familiar face, that guy wearing number 4. Oiler faithful could be forgiven for being a little misty eyed. Kevin Lowe was revisiting the scene of many past glories. It looks like GM Glenn Sather has found the link with the past he tried to achieve last year with Glenn Anderson. This time he has a player who wants to be here. . . a fierce competitor and natural leader. In combination with captain Kelly Buchberger, an emergent Jason Arnott and World Cup stars Doug Weight and Curtis Joseph, many feel that the chemistry could be just right for a return to the playoffs after four years in the wastelands. Starting Off on the Right Foot The Oilers ripped off three straight wins to start the season. They didn't blow anybody out, but they kept their goals against down. It didn't look like there were nearly as many minutes of sheer panic in their own zone as there were last season. While Lowe went down very early with a neck injury, the rest of the "D" managed to keep it together and Cujo displayed flashes of his World Cup form in the net. The 2-0 win over the Canucks was the first time the blue and orange had shut out Vancouver in five years. Who's Hot Every night is a revelation for Coach Ron Low. So far, fine performances have been coming from unexpected places. Rem Murray (who?) scored on his first two shots. Ryan Smyth has seemingly overcome the last obstacle to becoming a full-time pro. He's playing like a demon. He could turn into one of the best corner men in the NHL. His work along the boards has the coaches rhapsodising. Not only that, he's started off by scoring some goals. On October 9, he was third in the scoring race behind Mike Modano and Bernie Nicholls. Andrei Kovalenko has demonstrated the on again, off again play that got him into Montreal's doghouse, but when he's on, he looks like the guy who will make the fans forget Zdeno Ciger. Who's Not Doug Weight spent the three weeks between the World Cup and the start of the season down in Phoenix waiting for a contract. His agent and Glenn Sather got it worked out just before opening night. Since then, Weight has not been the superstar Sather paid for. It seems like the elation of the World Cup and the three-week layoff took the edge off the Oilers' All-American boy. No one's pushing the panic button just yet, but the team is holding its collective breath, waiting for him to break out. Justice for All Oiler tough guy, Louie Debrusk got four games for slashing Vancouver's Dana Murzyn, a stiff but fair penalty. Fair until you consider that the Rangers' Mark Messier only got two for his vicious hit from behind. It makes you wonder if league penalties are meted out on the basis of the marquee value of the player. There's no question that Debrusk deserved some serious punishment for his slash, but so did Messier. Former Oilers Get Even The Blues sunk the Oilers 3 -1 on October 11 and three guys who used to play for Edmonton had great games. Grant Fuhr offered evidence that major knee surgery won't keep him out of the NHL. Joe Murphy brought his "A" game and Igor Kravchuk did exactly what a good solid defender is supposed to. Toronto - Centre of the Hockey Universe (Not) A radio dweeb from FAN in Toronto asked Ron Low, "So, is Freddie Brathwaite your goalie of the future?" Low answered, of course, that the Oilers had released the young netminder. Man! It's tough out on the prairies. Nobody pays any attention to us. (FYI - Bob Essensa is the backup for Cujo. He played a great game in the loss to Detroit.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- LOS ANGELES KINGS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Larry Robinson Roster:C - Yanic Perreault, Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Nathan Lafayette, Patrice tardif, Paul DiPietro. LW - Dimitri Khristich, Kevin Stevens, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Barry Potomski, Craig Johnson, Brent Grieve. RW - Ed Olczyk, Vitali Yachmenev. D - Rob Blake, Doug Zmolek, Mattias Norstrom, Phillippe Boucher, Sean O'Donnell, Aki Berg, Steve Finn, John Slaney. G - Stephane Fiset, Byron Dafoe. Injuries: Craig Johnson, lw (abdominal strain, day-to-day); Philippe Boucher, d (sprained right shoulder, day-to-day); Steve Finn, d (bumps and bruises, day-to-day); Vladimir Tsyplakov, lw (pulled abdominal muscle, indefinite). Transactions: None. Game Results: 10/04 NY Islanders W 1-0 10/06 San Jose L 7-6 10/09 at Montreal L 6-3 10/10 at Philadelphia L 5-4 OT 10/12 at Washington W 4-3 TEAM NEWS by Matt Moore The first game of the season featured an exceptional goaltending effort by Stephane Fiset, who shut out the Islanders, 1-0. This was an excellent way for Fiset to quiet fans who did not like the trading of Eric (Boarder) Lacroix for him. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come. With the Kings being a young team, it is to be expected that they will be inconsistent, and the first five games proved that. There were games, particularly against Montreal, Philadelphia, and Washington, where the Kings allowed portions to be completely dominated by the opposition. This leaves the Kings in the unenviable position of being three goals down. However, you have to give the youngsters credit. They have fought back. They were defeated in overtime by the Flyers, who might have problems of their own, and beat the Caps. With nothing much expected from the Kings this year by either fans or management (LCS predicted the Kings to finish seventh in the Pacific), this is the type of play that is wanted. They are showing the pains of youth but they are also fighting back. At this time of the season they shouldn't be a very good team. But what needs to happen is improvement later in the season. There we should see an all-around better game with less and less of the dead periods the team is showing now. If there is no improvement, the Kings management should take a look at both the coaching staff and the veterans on the team. Larry Robinson has not proven that he can be a head coach in the NHL yet, and he needs to provide a strong performance in order to provide a reason to keep him on. ----------------------------------------------------------------- SAN JOSE SHARKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Al Simms Roster: C - Bernie Nicholls, Darren Turcotte, Dody Wood, Ron Sutter, Viktor Kozlov. LW - Ray Whitney, Chris Tancill, Jeff Friesen, Ville Peltonen, Andrei Nazarov. RW - Ulf Dahlen, Shean Donovan, Owen Nolan, Todd Ewen, Tim Hunter. D - Doug Bodger, Michal Sykora, Marcus Ragnarsson, Vlasti Kroupa, Todd Gill, Al Iafrate, Greg Hawgood, Mike Rathje, Marty McSorley. G - Chris Terreri, Wade Flaherty, Kelly Hrudey. Injuries: Marty McSorley, d (arthroscopic surgery on hip to remove bone chips, 2-4 weeks). Wade Flaherty, g (broken collar bone, 10-14 days). Dody Wood, c (bruised foot, day-to-day). Todd Ewen, rw (arthroscopic surgery on knee to remove bone chips, 10-14 days). Transactions: Assigned Yves Racine, d, to Kentucky (AHL). Signed free agent Ron Sutter, c. Game Results: 10/05 NY Islanders T 2-2 10/06 at Los Angeles W 7-6 OT 10/08 at Colorado L 6-0 10/10 at Phoenix L 4-1 10/12 Boston L 5-3 TEAM NEWS by Mark Spiegel "The more things change, the more they stay the same." After a major retooling of the entire organization, the Sharks are once again last in their division and leading the league in goals allowed. Not exactly what G.M. Dean Lombardi had in mind when he set his six-month turnaround deadline. But, "it's too early to tell," and being only five games into the season that's probably true. The Sharks finished the preseason at .500 and opened up at home against the New York Islanders, salvaging a 2-2 tie when new Shark Broadway Bernie Nicholls scored with just 15.4 seconds left in the third period. A penalty-filled first period had the Sharks killing five Islander power plays, but it was during a San Jose power play, 12:03 into the period, that Islander Derek Plante scored the first goal, short-handed. San Jose evened the score early in the second on a power play goal by Jeff Friesen, but New York took back the lead four minutes later, leaving the score 2-1 after two periods. The Islanders dominated the transition game and frustrated the Sharks with their forechecking. However, a crushing check by Al Iafrate on Islander Andreas Johansson, requiring a delay to replace a glass panel, seemed to signal a turnaround in the Sharks play. San Jose gradually took over the game, but just couldn't punch it past the New York netminder. Finally, with goalie Chris Terreri pulled, Owen Nolan fed Nicholls coming off the bench as the sixth attacker for the game-tying goal. A questionable boarding major against Michal Sykora, just 0:55 into overtime sealed the final scores fate, as the teams managed only two shots each in the final period. The Islanders often appeared to control the game, beating the Sharks in transition and in puck-scrums along the boards. "They came out desparate," said head coach Al Sims. "They lost last night, but got the opening night jitters out." "We didn't get any flow going," added new left winger Tony Granato. Still the Sharks had to be happy to get at least a point out of the first game. "It just shows you can't quit," said game hero Bernie Nicholls. "The game's not over 'til it's over." The next night the Sharks embarked on a three game road trip in Los Angeles. Ex-Kings Tony Granato and Kelly Hrudey came up big in the game, with Granato netting a hat trick and Hrudey making some big saves. The Sharks blew three two-goal leads, but once again Broadway Bernie came through and tied the game in the third to send it into overtime. With the game nearly over, Viktor Kozlov and Jeff Friesen broke in on a two-on-one. Kozlov temporarily lost the puck in his skates, but then quickly regained control and fired a wrist shot past the Kings goalie to win it with only 4.4 seconds left. The Sharks continued their road trip with the rather unenviable task of facing the Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche on the night Colorado raised their Cup banner and passed out their rings. Making it worse, Colorado had lost their first two games on the road, and were itching for a win. Well, the Avs itched and scratched and basically put the game away by the end of the first period. Shortcomings in the Sharks game, minor against teams like the Islanders and Kings, were blown wide-open by Colorado. Every Avs goal, except for Uwe Krupp's wrister from the circle, were scored from the San Jose goal doorstep. Lack of on-ice communication between defensemen on assignments and switches and between forwards and defensemen on handing-off opponents left Avalanche players free to score on goalie Kelly Hrudey. With 40% of the current Sharks roster new to the team this isn't totally surprising. Mercifully, Coach Sims pulled Hrudey after the first period, with the Sharks behind 5-0. To their credit the Sharks attempted to come back, outshooting Colorado in the second, but any chance they had was taken away by Patrick Roy in the Colorado net. A power play goal by Peter Forsberg late in the third period made the final score 6-0. First a trip to the mountains, next a trip to the desert. It was starting to sound like a vacation...a bad vacation. The Sharks, with commisioner Gary Bettman in tow, headed to Arizona for the first ever regular season NHL game to be held in Phoenix. In a game with more penalties than you could shake a cactus at (notice I said YOU grab the cactus), mounting injuries and the Sharks power play added to the existing on-ice communication misery. With Darren Turcotte and Dody Wood out with injuries, and Viktor Kozlov starting only his second season ever as a center in any league, the Sharks faceoffs suffered. Thirty-five year-old Broadway Bernie was called upon to handle most faceoffs, including many in the Sharks zone during penalty kills. Suffice to say it was too much even for Bernie. The Sharks, although they did kill nine of 10 Coyote power plays, got worn out and put behind the eight ball on the penalty kill. Not being able to win many faceoffs allowed Phoenix to control the puck, which in turn prevented the Sharks from changing units when they wanted to. To help address the faceoff problem, GM Lombardi signed free agent center Ron Sutter on Saturday. Sutter, one of the famous Sutter brothers, is a checking-line center with average skills, who hates to lose, something GM Lombardi would love to instill in his team. Sutter, who played for Boston to end last season, has been working out with his former junior team to keep in shape. On the power play, too often Sharks without the puck stood still waiting for the puck carrier to set up. Pressured by an aggressive Coyote penalty kill, with teammates not breaking into open areas, the Shark puck handler was usually forced to cough up the puck. San Jose ended up zero for six on the power play and left with a 4-1 loss. The Sharks returned home to face the Bruins with a chance to return to .500, and for at least one period, looked like they were on their way. Having been to the mountains, and then the desert, this seemed like a pleasant trip through Yosemite. But then the gas tank hit empty and those damn bears came out of the woods. "We played five games in eight days and had nothing in the third," Sims said. "They outworked us for the last half of the game." Getting Darren Turcotte back from a knee sprain helped, and once he shook some of the rust loose, Ron Sutter started winning faceoffs, but all the extra work that Bernie Nicholls and Tony Granato put in in recent games may have caught up with them. Both have not only played on the first line, which has accounted for over 60% of Shark goals, but both participate in power play and penalty kill units. The Sharks came out in the first period, and while they were outshot 12 to eight, controlled the game, playing a strong, physical game. San Jose started the scoring with a power play goal at 15:52. Greg Hawgood moving in from the point, faked a shot, and then passed the puck across ice to Al Iafrate. Iafrate put the puck on net where Tony Granato tipped it in for a 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later, Owen Nolan fought for control of the puck and passed it to Granato who in turn found Bernie Nicholls alone in the slot. Broadway snapped a wrister past Boston goalie Bill Ranford at 14:01 prompting a timeout by the Bruins. After the timeout, Boston shortened its bench, not sending out its checking line at all. This along with special teams duty, caused Granato and Nicholls to log a lot of ice time, probably tiring them out for later. Boston got in close to the San Jose net several times, especially during a power play, but Kelly Hrudey was able to make the saves, including one all alone against ex-Shark Todd Elik. The Sharks built the lead up to three goals early in the second when Viktor Kozlov and Andrei Nazarov on a two-on-one break scored. Kozlov, carrying the puck down the right wing, patiently waited for the Boston defenseman to make a move. Patience paid off as the defenseman backed all the way into goalie Ranford, opening up the top of the net for a quick and easy wrist shot. With the Sharks leading the game 3-0, Boston came back to score five unanswered goals, all when the Granato-Nicholls-Nolan line was on the ice. "It's our fault," said Owen Nolan, looking half like he wanted to cry and half like he wanted to kill. "All those goals were scored when we were on the ice." Goalie Kelly Hrudey said "everyone's to blame.....Tim Hunter said it best that we have to build this team one brick at a time...we all have to work." The work won't get any easier soon. The Florida Panthers, Cup runners-up and undefeated this season, come into town on Wednesday. Immediately after the Flordia game the Sharks go on a six-game road trip. * The normal line combinations and defensive pairings used thus far by the Sharks have been: Granato - Nicholls - Nolan Peltonen - Turcotte/Whitney - Dahlen Friesen - Kozlov - Donovan Nazarov - Wood/Sutter - Ewen/Hunter Rathje - Iafrate Bodger - Gill Sykora - Hawgood/Ragnarsson * It has just been five games, but all indications are that both Tony Granato and Al Iafrate are back. Granato, whose season last year with the Kings ended in February when he underwent surgery to remove a blood-filled swelling within his skull, has four goals and six points in five games. Iafrate, out of action since May 1994 with injuries to both knees, has dished out several bone-rattling hits and still has the same ol' rocket for a slap shot. * The Sharks have yet to choose a team captain. So far they have dressed with three players as alternate captains, with Nicholls, Granato, Gill and Iafrate taking turns. * Defenseman Vlasti Kroupa was originally scheduled to be assigned to the Sharks new minor league affliate, the Kentucky Thoroughblades of the AHL, but after consultation with his agent, demanded to be placed on waivers. The Sharks, sure Kroupa would be quickly grabbed by another team, declined. Kroupa has been a healthy scratch for every game so far. * With the signing of Ron Sutter as a checking-line center, look for Dody Wood to be assigned to Kentucky once he comes off the injured list. * Long-time fan favorite Ray Whitney's days as a Shark may be numbered. Unable to crack any of the top three lines, and a bit too small for the checking line, Whitney has been a healthy scratch, except as a replacement for an injured Darren Turcotte. With a salary of $1 million, the Sharks will find it difficult to just let Whitney sit in the press box. I'm sure Ray won't care for it for very long either. ----------------------------------------------------------------- VANCOUVER CANUCKS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Head Coach: Tom Renney Roster: C - Trevor Linden, Mike Ridley, Scott Walker, Mike Sillinger, Alexander Semak; LW - Martin Gelinas, Markus Naslund, Gino Odjick, Esa Tikkanen, David Roberts; RW - Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny, Troy Crowder, Russ Courtnall; D - Jyrki Lumme, Dana Murzyn, Bret Hedican, Dave Babych, Adrian Aucoin, Chris Joseph, Leif Rohlin, Jassen Cullimore; G - Kirk McLean, Corey Hirsch, Mike Fountain. Injuries: Corey Hirsch, g (bruised ribs Oct. 6, indefinite); Bret Hedican, d (back strain Oct. 5, indefinite); Scott Walker, c (returned Oct. 12 after missing three games with abdominal strain); Dana Murzyn, d (returned Oct. 12 after missing one game after being slashed). Transactions: Acquired Alexander Semak, c, at waiver draft from New York Islanders; acquired Chris Joseph, d, at waiver draft from Pittsburgh; signed Troy Crowder, rw, as free agent; signed Mike Fountain, g, and recalled him from Syracuse (AHL); lost Dean Malkoc, d, at waiver draft to Boston; lost Jim Dowd, c, at waiver draft to New York Islanders; assigned John Namestnikov, d, to Syracuse (AHL); assigned Josef Beranek, c, to Syracuse (AHL); assigned Frank Kucera, d, to Syracuse (AHL). Game Results: 10/05 Calgary W 3-1 10/06 at Edmonton L 2-0 10/09 Buffalo L 2-1 10/12 St. Louis W 5-3 10/14 Boston L 5-4 OT TEAM NEWS by Carol Schram Cautious optimism would best describe the mood surrounding the Vancouver Canucks at the beginning of their 27th season. After moving into GM Place amidst lofty expectations last year, the team endured one of the most disappointing campaigns in its history. Four major problems were easy to identify: 1. "The most devastating injury in franchise history" -- Pavel Bure's season-ending ACL tear. 2. A porous team defense amplified by a soft backline, disinterested forwards and a below-caliber performance from former all-star goaltender Kirk McLean. 3. A gaping hole at center ice made worse by Mike Ridley's season-long back troubles and inconsistent play from stop-gap pivots from Beranek to Belanger to Sillinger. 4. Lack of leadership from coach Rick Ley, leading to divisiveness in the dressing room, poor trades made out of necessity, and lackluster performances by the team, particularly on home ice. After failing to make a major trade or jump into the free agent derby this summer, Pat Quinn was roundly criticized for not addressing last season's problems. But let's look again: * Bure's knee is completely healthy. His upper body strength and overall conditioning is said to be better than ever, and he was running on all cylinders in the preseason, reminding fans why he was missed so much last season. At worst, Bure's presence alone will make this a better team. * Kirk McLean has shown signs of returning to his former level of play. After being shielded from critical local fans through the exhibition schedule, McLean let in just one goal in his first five periods of the regular season. For now, Corey Hirsch's rib injury has postponed the inevitable battle for the number one goaltending position. Against St. Louis, McLean looked ordinary at times, and he was beaten twice by long shots against Boston, so he is still a long way from being a shoo-in for the top job. Since prospect Matthias Ohlund has elected to play another year in Sweden, the blueline looks disturbingly similar to last season. Yet Chris Joseph has been a solid addition off the waiver wire, and he and Leif Rohlin appear to be clicking as a unit. Jyrki Lumme and Dana Murzyn complement each other as well as any pair in the league, and Dave Babych remains steady and intelligent with ever-improving sophomore Adrian Aucoin. Smooth skating Bret Hedican hurt his back during the first game of the regular season and remains sidelined. Probably the most important change to the backline, however, comes from the concept of team defense introduced by new coach Tom Renney. He demands more defensive responsibility from the forwards in the form of a system called the "weak-side lock". Right now, players sometimes look tentative as they take that extra second to make sure they're in position, and this hesitation can cause missed opportunities offensively. But the scoring machine has begun to kick in during the last two games, and Renney continues to reinforce that, by looking after their own end, the chances will come. On the whole, the coach has been rewarded by a true commitment by the players to this new system. * The results of Mike Ridley's back surgery were unknown until the beginning of the regular season, but he has been able to play in every game to date and has been a solid contributor. Cliff Ronning signed with Phoenix during the summer and waiver acquisition Alexander Semak found his way to the press box after just three games in a Canuck uniform, but Mike Sillinger has been a solid presence at center since clearing waivers last week, and Scott Walker and Dave Roberts are competent as third-and-fourth liners. In fact, the Canucks now have enough depth at center that they waived Josef Beranek after signing him to a $500,000 contract just before training camp. Beranek became a free agent last season after Vancouver did not make him a qualifying offer, then re-joined the team at a lower salary after failing to catch on somewhere else. Maybe not the best budgetary move, but a good sign that the team has more talent up the middle than was previously thought. Minor leaguers Dave Scatchard and Rick Girard also had adequate training camps and could probably be called upon in a pinch. * Team morale has taken a decided turn since Tom Renney stepped behind the bench. After an incredibly successful career, first in junior hockey with the Kamloops Blazers, then coaching the Canadian National Team, Renney was the most sought-after new coaching face during the off-season. A B.C. native, he chose to sign with the Canucks shortly after his team's unexpected silver-medal performance in last spring's World Championships. The 41-year-old Renney is part of the "new breed" of coaches, and seems thoughtful and intelligent. He is proving himself game by game as a teacher, a motivator, and a strategist. Like anyone in a new job, Renney will make mistakes. For instance, he was out-coached when Boston's Steve Kasper called a timeout with 18 seconds to go in overtime on Monday. Kasper drew a play, Adam Oates won yet another draw, and the Canucks suddenly became Thanksgiving turkeys. But this does not change the fact that there is an obvious system now in place among the Canucks, and there are signs everywhere that this group is playing like a team, rather than a group of individuals. A 2-3 start with four of your first five games at home is nothing to boast about, but this year's Vancouver Canucks show signs that, if they can get all the pieces together, they could contend in the Western Conference. Renney had to assess veterans and rookies alike during training camp, and with two players leaving and two arriving at the waiver draft, it took a few games to start setting lines and finding the best combinations. Gino Odjick had a personal record eight shots on goal against Buffalo, Russ Courtnall was on fire against Boston, and the Gelinas-Linden-Bure combination is starting to look comfortable together. With other offensive talents like Markus Naslund and 100-plus point man Alex Mogilny, the goals will come. It doesn't count for much, but Mogilny and Bure were 1-2 in the league in scoring during preseason. Overall, the team cannot be faulted for lack of effort, although perhaps they lack the team toughness to feel comfortable against less talented "grinding" teams like Buffalo and Boston. In Gino and Troy Crowder, opponents face two of the most formidable enforcers in the league, but banging wingers and defensemen are in short supply. Scott Walker will tangle with the best of them but has not seen much ice time yet this year due to an abdominal injury, and Dana Murzyn remains a pillar of strength behind the blue line. Yet more often than not, hot-tempered talents like Bure, Mogilny, and Tikkanen are left to fight their own battles. Sure, we don't miss the numbers that Alek Stojanov or Jim Sandlak or Sergio Momesso or Shawn Antoski put on the board, but we do miss their physical presence on the ice. This is probably the smallest overall Canuck team to hit the ice since the vaunted ugly-yellow-uniform days of Gary Lupul and Robert Nordmark -- in other words, B.Q. (Before Quinn). OTHER NEWS: * It appears some sort of "Canuck curse" is currently at work solving roster problems around the league. Paul Coffey originally insisted that he would not go to Hartford, then agreed to report on the condition that he be traded as quickly as possible. But the Whalers' power-play quarterback, former Canuck Jeff Brown, suffered a back injury that may require surgery and put him out for the season. Now Hartford's GM Jim Rutherford is bending over backward to make Coffey feel at home so that he can run their extra-man attack in Brown's absence. Then, former Canuck center Cliff Ronning breaks his hand after less than five games in Phoenix. With a big hole down the middle, suddenly the Coyotes are howling Jeremy Roenick's way once again. On Monday, the team agreed to a five year, $20 million contract with the holdout star. Bad luck for the former Vancouver players, but they seem to have a way of increasing other players' value to their teams virtually overnight! * After three years in the minors with the Canuck organization, Syracuse Crunch goalie Mike Fountain showed up at training camp without a contract, but with a request: watch what I can do, then trade me if you can't find work for me here with the big squad. Despite 19 games as Corey Hirsch's backup while McLean was injured last season, Fountain has yet to see one minute of regular season NHL ice time. Fountain impressed during camp, but so did McLean and Hirsch. A glut of goalies around the league meant Fountain went unchosen in the waiver draft. Rather than accept another Vancouver two-way contract offer and report to Syracuse, Fountain chose to go back to Ontario and wait things out. Sure enough, in his first start, Corey Hirsch takes a shot to the chest and ends up with bruised ribs. Now the Canucks need a backup. On Monday, they sign Fountain to a contract and tell him to get out to Vancouver on Tuesday. Upon arrival, the young netminder is informed that the NHL requires that he actually physically report to Syracuse before suiting up for the Canucks. So it's back on the plane, and back to Toronto. Tuesday night, Fountain receives a call at his Toronto home from Canucks' Vice President George McPhee. It's not necessary to make the four-hour drive to Syracuse after all, he says. So it's back on the plane Wednesday morning and back to Vancouver in time to sit on the stool at the end of the Canuck bench and watch Dominik Hasek put on a goaltending clinic in the Canucks' 2-1 loss to the Sabres. Despite his holdout, Fountain was good-humored about the series of events. His only complaint was that he got stuck watching "chick flick" Moll Flanders not once but twice during his many hours of air travel. It appears that Hirsch is still not ready to go, so with McLean's substandard performance against Boston, there's a chance that Fountain may even get the start this week on the road against the red-hot Dallas Stars or defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche. ================================================================= Next Issue: Tuesday, October 29. ================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------- NHL Free Agents ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Agency Types Type II: Restricted; becomes unrestricted if no qualifying offer made. Type III: Age 32 or older by June 30. Type IV: Defected free agent (never signed NHL contract). Type V: 10 years of experience, earning less than league average. Type VI: 25 or older, less than 80 games played (28 GP for goalies). Type II Compensation SALARY: COMPENSATION: Under $400,000 None $401,000-$550,000 3rd Round Choice $551,000-$650,000 2nd Round Choice $651,000-$800,000 1st Round Choice $801,000-$1,000,000 1st and 3rd Round Choices $1,000,000-$1,200,000 1st and 2nd Round Choices $1,200,000-$1,400,000 2 1st Round Choices $1,400,000-$1,700,000 2 1st and 1 2nd Round Choices $1,700,000-$2,700,000 3 1st Round Choices $2,700,000-$3,700,000 4 1st Round Choices $3,700,000+ 5 1st Round Choices Group II TEAM P NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM 1995-96 SALARY ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANA D 17 DAVE KARPA ********** signed by Anaheim *********** ANA L 12 *DAVID SACCO ********** signed by Anaheim *********** ANA R 46 *JEAN-FRANCOIS JOMPHE********** signed by Anaheim *********** ANA L 42 DENNY LAMBERT ********** signed by Ottawa ************ ANA R 24 STEVEN KING ********** signed by Philadelphia ****** ANA R 36 TODD EWEN ********** singed by San Jose ********** ANA C 21 *JIM CAMPBELL ********** signed by St. Louis ********* ANA D 23 *JASON MARSHALL ********** signed by Anaheim *********** BOS C 21 TED DONATO ********** signed by Boston ************ BOS R 45 SANDY MOGER ********** signed by Boston ************ BOS R 23 STEVE HEINZE ********** signed by Boston ************ BOS G 30 BILL RANFORD ********** signed by Boston ************ BOS R 29 MARC POTVIN ********** signed by Boston ************ BOS R 20 *TRENT MCCLEARY ********** signed by Boston ************ BOS L 36 JEFF ODGERS 78 12 4 16 -4 192 475,000 BOS D 41 PHIL VON STEFENELLI ********** signed by Ottawa ************ BUF C 26 DEREK PLANTE ********** signed by Buffalo *********** BUF L 43 JASON DAWE ********** signed by Buffalo *********** BUF L 36 MATTHEW BARNABY 73 15 16 31 -2 335 275,000 BUF D 21 MARK ASTLEY ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* BUF L 17 BRENT HUGHES ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** BUF L 33 SCOTT PEARSON ********** signed by Toronto *********** CGY C 92 MICHAEL NYLANDER 73 17 38 55 0 20 260,000* CGY R 45 JOCELYN LEMIEUX 67 5 7 12 -19 45 500,000* CGY R 23 SHELDON KENNEDY ********** signed by Boston ************ CGY C 47 CLAUDE LAPOINTE ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** CGY L 36 *YVES SARAULT ********** signed by Colorado ********** CGY D 8 TRENT YAWNEY ********** signed by St. Louis ********* CGY D 4 KEVIN DAHL 32 1 1 2 -2 26 CGY G 31 RICK TABARACCI ********** signed by Calgary *********** CHI C 10 ALEXEI ZHAMNOV 58 22 37 59 -4 65 1,250,000 CHI C 11 JEFF SHANTZ ********** signed by Chicago *********** CHI D 4 KEITH CARNEY ********** signed by Chicago *********** CHI R 25 SERGEI KRIVOKRASOV ********** signed by Chicago *********** CHI C 22 STEVE DUBINSKY ********** signed by Chicago *********** CHI R 19 DANTON COLE 12 1 0 1 0 0 350,000 CHI G 29 JIM WAITE ********** signed by Chicago *********** COL L 13 VALERI KAMENSKY ********** signed by Colorado ********** COL R 48 SCOTT YOUNG ********** signed by Colorado ********** COL L 12 CHRIS SIMON 64 16 18 34 10 250 500,000 COL C 26 *STEPHANE YELLE ********** signed by Colorado ********** COL D 5 ALEXEI GUSAROV ********** signed by Colorado ********** COL R 25 MIKE KEANE ********** signed by Colorado ********** COL L 16 WARREN RYCHEL ********** signed by Anaheim *********** DAL C 9 MIKE MODANO ********** signed by Dallas ************ DAL L 25 MIKE DONNELLY ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** DAL L 39 MIKE KENNEDY ********** signed by Dallas ************ DAL C 22 ROBERT PETROVICKY ********** signed by Dallas ************ DAL G 34 DARCY WAKALUK ********** signed by Phoenix *********** DET C 23 GREG JOHNSON ********** signed by Detroit *********** DET D 27 MARC BERGEVIN ********** signed by Detroit *********** EDM C 39 DOUG WEIGHT ********** signed by Edmonton ********** EDM L 8 ZDENO CIGER ********** playing in Slovakia ********* EDM L 8 JASON ARNOTT ********** signed by Edmonton ********** EDM L 32 *MIROSLAV SATAN ********** signed by Edmonton ********** EDM D 2 BORIS MIRONOV ********** signed by Edmonton ********** EDM L 37 DEAN MCAMMOND ********** signed by Edmonton ********** EDM D 28 JIRI SLEGR 57 4 13 17 -1 74 562,000 EDM L 15 *DAVID ROBERTS ********** signed by Vancouver ********* EDM D 5 *BRETT HAUER 29 4 2 6 -11 30 356,728* EDM D 25 *GREG DE VRIES ********** signed by Edmonton ********** EDM G 1 *JOAQUIN GAGE ********** signed by Edmonton ********** FLA R 26 RAY SHEPPARD ********** signed by Florida *********** FLA C 14 STU BARNES ********** signed by Florida *********** FLA D 6 JASON WOOLLEY ********** signed by Florida *********** FLA G 30 MARK FITZPATRICK ********** signed by Florida *********** HFD L 8 GEOFF SANDERSON ********** signed by Hartford ********** HFD R 16 NELSON EMERSON ********** signed by Hartford ********** HFD C 22 MARK JANSSENS ********** signed by Hartford ********** HFD L 14 KEVIN SMYTH ********** signed by Hartford ********** HFD D JOHN STEVENS ********** signed by Philadelphia ****** LAK C 44 YANIC PERREAULT ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK L 21 TONY GRANATO ********** signed by San Jose ********** LAK R 35 ROBERT LANG 68 6 16 22 -15 10 LAK D 26 PHILIPPE BOUCHER ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK D 27 JOHN SLANEY ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK D 2 DOUG ZMOLEK ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK D 6 *SEAN O'DONNELL ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK C 24 NATHAN LAFAYETTE ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK D 3 DENIS TSYGUROV ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK L 40 *BARRY POTOMSKI ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK D 11 MATTIAS NORSTROM ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK C 20 *STEVE LAROUCHE ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* LAK G 31 *BYRON DAFOE ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* MTL L 26 MARTIN RUCINSKY ********** signed by Montreal ********** MTL R 18 *VALERI BURE ********** signed by Montreal ********** MTL D 43 PATRICE BRISEBOIS ********** signed by Montreal ********** MTL L 49 BRIAN SAVAGE ********** signed by Montreal ********** MTL R 30 TURNER STEVENSON ********** signed by Montreal ********** MTL D 34 PETER POPOVIC ********** signed by Montreal ********** MTL D 52 *CRAIG RIVET ********** signed by Montreal ********** MTL L 35 DONALD BRASHEAR ********** signed by Montreal ********** NJD D 24 LYLE ODELEIN ********** signed by New Jersey ******** NJD L 20 SCOTT PELLERIN ********** signed by St. Louis ********* NYI R 16 ZIGMUND PALFFY ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI C 39 TRAVIS GREEN ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI L 27 DEREK KING ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI D 7 SCOTT LACHANCE ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI D 6 CHRIS LUONGO 74 3 7 10 -23 55 250,000 NYI R 21 *DAN PLANTE ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI L 34 *ANDREY VASILYEV ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI D 2 BOB BEERS ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI C 36 MICAH AIVAZOFF ********** signed by NY Islanders ****** NYI G 29 JAMIE MCLENNAN ********** signed by St. Louis ********* NYR D 25 A. KARPOVTSEV ********** signed by NY Rangers ******** NYR L 18 BILL BERG ********** signed by NY Rangers ******** NYR L 37 DANIEL LACROIX ********** signed by Philadelphia ****** NYR D 29 BARRY RICHTER ********** signed by Boston ************ NYR R JEAN YVES-ROY ********** signed by Boston ************ OTT C 14 SHAWN MCEACHERN ********** signed by Ottawa ************ OTW D 4 SEAN HILL ********** signed by Ottawa ************ OTW C 13 TED DRURY ********** signed by Ottawa ************ OTW R 22 *ANTTI TORMANEN 50 7 8 15 -15 28 300,000* OTW C 10 ROB GAUDREAU 52 8 5 13 -19 15 225,000 OTW R 25 PAT ELYNIUK ********** signed by Dallas ************ OTW C 12 DAVID ARCHIBALD 44 6 4 10 -14 18 400,000* OTW D 2 LANCE PITLICK ********** signed by Ottawa ************ OTW L 36 TROY MALLETTE ********** signed by Boston ************ OTW D 21 DENNIS VIAL 64 1 4 5 -13 276 275,000* OTW R 26 SCOTT LEVINS 27 0 2 2 -3 80 300,000* OTW G 1 DAMIAN RHODES ********** signed by Ottawa ************ OTW G 35 *MIKE BALES ********** signed by Ottawa ************ PHI C 11 DAN QUINN ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** PHI D 23 PETR SVOBODA ********** signed by Phildelphia ******* PHI R 20 TRENT KLATT ********** signed by Phildelphia ******* PHI D 2 KERRY HUFFMAN ********** minor league weasel ********* PHI L 8 SHAWN ANTOSKI ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** PHI L 26 PHILIP CROWE ********** signed by Ottawa ************ PHI D 40 *ARIS BRIMANIS ********** signed by Phiadelphia ******* PHI D 24 KARL DYKHUIS ********** signed by Philadelphia ****** PHI G 35 TIM CHEVELDAE ********** signed by Boston ************ PHX C 29 CRAIG JANNEY ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PHX C 27 JEREMY ROENICK ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PHX R 23 IGOR KOROLEV 73 22 29 51 1 42 400,000 PHX C 16 ED OLCZYK ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* PHX D 44 NORM MACIVER ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PHX C 32 MIKE EASTWOOD ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PHX R 21 DENIS CHASSE ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PHX C 39 IAIN FRASER ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PHX D 33 JIM MCKENZIE ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PHX G 37 DOMINIC ROUSSEL ********** signed by Philadelphia ****** PHX R 30 ED RONAN ********** signed by Phoenix *********** PIT C 93 PETR NEDVED ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** PIT C 20 BRYAN SMOLINSKI 81 24 40 64 6 69 200,000 PIT R 8 KEVIN MILLER ********** signed by Chicago *********** PIT D 6 NEIL WILKINSON ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** PIT D 2 CHRIS TAMER ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** PIT D 24 *IAN MORAN ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** PIT R 11 *ALEK STOJANOV ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** PIT C 12 *TYLER WRIGHT ********** signed by Pittsburgh ******** SJS R 43 *JAN CALOUN ********** signed by San Jose ********** SJS D 4 JAY MORE ********** signed by San Jose ********** SJS D 41 TOM PEDERSON 60 1 4 5 -9 40 500,000 SJS G 32 ARTURS IRBE ********** signed by Dallas ************ STL R 27 STEPHEN LEACH ********** signed by St. Louis ********* STL L 32 STEPHANE MATTEAU ********** signed by St. Louis ********* STL C 15 MIKE HUDSON ********** signed by St. Louis ********* STL R 12 ROB PEARSON ********** signed by St. Louis ********* TBL R 29 ALEXANDER SELIVANOV ********** signed by Tampa Bay ********* TBL C 12 JOHN CULLEN ********** signed by Tampa Bay ********* TBL L 34 MIKAEL ANDERSSON ********** signed by Tampa Bay ********* TBL D 6 ADRIEN PLAVSIC ********** signed by Anaheim *********** TOR D 72 MATHIEU SCHNEIDER ********** signed by Toronto *********** TOR D 26 DIMITRI YUSHKEVICH ********** signed by Toronto *********** TOR L 32 NICK KYPREOS ********** signed by Toronto *********** TOR C 18 PETER WHITE ********** signed by Philadelphia ****** TOR C 25 PAUL DIPIETRO ********** signed by Los Angeles ******* TOR G 15 FELIX POTVIN ********** signed by Toronto *********** VAN C 7 CLIFF RONNING ********** signed by Phoenix *********** VAN R 9 RUSS COURTNALL ********** signed by Vancouver ********* VAN R 22 MARKUS NASLUND ********** signed by Vancouver ********* VAN C 14 JESSE BELANGER ********** signed by Anaheim *********** VAN R 26 MIKE SILLINGER ********** signed by Vancouver ********* VAN C 42 JOSEF BERANEK ********** signed by Vancouver ********* VAN D 24 *SCOTT WALKER ********** signed by Vancouver ********* VAN R 28 JOEY KOCUR 45 1 3 4 -7 68 300,000 VAN D 34 JASSEN CULLIMORE ********** signed by Vancouver ********* WSH R 9 KEITH JONES ********** signed by Washington ******** WSH R 34 *MARTIN GENDRON ********** signed by Washington ******** WSH C 23 KEVIN KAMINSKI ********** signed by Washington ******** WSH D 28 ERIC CHARRON ********** signed by Washington ******** WSH G 37 OLAF KOLZIG ********** signed by Washington ******** WSH G RON TUGNUTT ********** signed by Ottawa ************ Group III TEAM P NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM 1995-96 SALARY -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANA C 93 ANATOLI SEMENOV ********** signed by Anaheim ************ ANA R 16 PETER DOURIS 31 8 7 15 -3 9 326,000 ANA D 29 RANDY LADOUCEUR ********** RETIRED ********************** BOS L 17 DAVE REID ********** signed by Dallas ************* BOS R 11 JOE MULLEN ********** signed by Pittsburgh ********* BOS C 10 RON SUTTER ********** signed by San Jose *********** BOS D 6 ALEXEI KASATONOV 19 1 0 1 1 12 650,000 BUF R 25 ROB CONN ********** signed by Buffalo ************ CGY C 34 COREY MILLEN ********** signed by Calgary ************ CGY C 17 BOB SWEENEY 72 7 7 14 -20 65 520,000* CGY R 42 ED WARD 41 3 5 8 -2 44 275,000* CHI C 92 BERNIE NICHOLLS ********** signed by San Jose *********** CHI R 17 JOE MURPHY ********** signed by St. Louis ********** CHI C 18 DENIS SAVARD ********** signed by Chicago ************ CHI C 12 BRENT SUTTER ********** signed by Chicago ************ CHI C 38 JAMES BLACK ********** signed by Chicago ************ CHI L 19 BRENT GRIEVE ********** signed by Los Angeles ******** DAL L 44 RANDY WOOD ********** signed by NY Islanders ******* DAL D 18 MIKE LALOR 63 1 2 3 -10 31 575,000 DAL G 35 ANDY MOOG ********** signed by Dallas ************* DET D 2 VIACHESLAV FETISOV ********** signed by Detroit ************ EDM D 34 DONALD DUFRESNE 45 1 6 7 -4 20 300,000 HFD R 11 KEVIN DINEEN ********** signed by Hartford *********** HFD D 10 BRAD MCCRIMMON ********** signed by Phoenix ************ LAK C 15 RANDY GILHEN 22 2 3 5 1 12 275,000* LAK C 12 KEVIN TODD ********** signed by Pittsburgh ********* LAK C 14 GARY SHUCHUK 33 4 10 14 3 12 375,000 LAK G 32 KELLY HRUDEY ********** signed by San Jose *********** NJD D 6 PHIL HOUSLEY ********** signed by Washington ********* NYI L 25 PAT CONACHER 55 6 3 9 -13 18 450,000 NYI D 36 BOB HALKIDIS ********** signed by Florida ************ NYR R 16 PAT VERBEEK ********** signed by Dallas ************* NYR L 17 JARI KURRI ********** signed by Anaheim ************ NYR D 23 JEFF BEUKEBOOM ********** signed by NY Rangers ********* NYR D 4 KEVIN LOWE ********** signed by Edmonton *********** OTW L 29 PHIL BOURQUE 13 1 1 2 -3 14 475,000 PHX D 28 CRAIG MUNI ********** signed by Pittsburgh ********* PIT C 26 DAVE MCLLWAIN ********** signed by NY Islanders ******* SJS C 18 CHRIS TANCILL ********** signed by San Jose *********** SJS D 2 JIM KYTE 57 1 7 8 -12 146 250,000 STL C 99 WAYNE GRETZKY ********** signed by NY Rangers ********* STL C 25 PETER ZEZEL ********** signed by St. Louis ********** STL R 36 GLENN ANDERSON 12 STL C 23 CRAIG MACTAVISH ********** signed by St. Louis ********** STL D 22 CHARLIE HUDDY ********** minors/coaching ************** STL D 26 JAY WELLS ********** signed by Tampa Bay ********** TBL D 95 MICHEL PETIT 54 4 8 12 -11 135 550,000 VAN R 25 JIM SANDLAK 33 4 2 6 -3 6 125,000* VAN R 19 TIM HUNTER ********** signed by San Jose *********** WAS D 4 JIM JOHNSON ********** signed by Phoenix ************ ======================================================================== NHL Standings ======================================================================== EASTERN CONFERENCE NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD MONTREAL 5 2 1 2 6 22 17 2-0-2 0-1-0 BOSTON 4 2 1 1 5 16 16 0-1-1 2-0-0 HARTFORD 3 2 1 0 4 8 9 2-0-0 0-1-0 OTTAWA 4 1 1 2 4 11 11 1-0-1 0-1-1 PITTSBURGH 4 1 3 0 2 11 16 1-1-0 0-2-0 BUFFALO 5 1 4 0 2 6 18 0-2-0 1-2-0 ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD FLORIDA 4 3 0 1 7 15 4 1-0-1 2-0-0 TAMPA BAY 4 3 1 0 6 17 13 0-0-0 3-1-0 NEW JERSEY 4 2 2 0 4 9 10 2-1-0 0-1-0 PHILADELPHIA 6 2 4 0 4 12 17 2-2-0 0-2-0 NY ISLANDERS 4 1 1 2 4 10 7 1-0-0 0-1-2 NY RANGERS 6 1 3 2 4 15 21 1-2-0 0-1-2 WASHINGTON 4 1 3 0 2 14 16 1-2-0 0-1-0 WESTERN CONFERENCE CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD DALLAS 6 6 0 0 12 23 11 3-0-0 3-0-0 PHOENIX 5 3 2 0 6 16 12 2-1-0 1-1-0 ST LOUIS 5 3 2 0 6 14 13 1-1-0 2-1-0 CHICAGO 6 3 3 0 6 15 13 0-3-0 3-0-0 DETROIT 5 2 3 0 4 11 9 1-1-0 1-2-0 TORONTO 4 1 3 0 2 11 15 1-3-0 0-0-0 PACIFIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD EDMONTON 7 4 3 0 8 19 20 2-1-0 2-2-0 COLORADO 6 3 2 1 7 24 16 2-0-1 1-2-0 CALGARY 6 3 3 0 6 12 12 1-1-0 2-2-0 LOS ANGELES 6 3 3 0 6 21 23 2-1-0 1-2-0 VANCOUVER 5 2 3 0 4 13 13 2-2-0 0-1-0 ANAHEIM 5 1 2 2 4 17 20 0-0-0 1-2-2 SAN JOSE 5 1 3 1 3 13 23 0-1-1 1-2-0 ============================================================================= League Leaders ============================================================================= --- INDIVIDUAL SCORING LEADERS --- PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG --------------- -------------- -- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- -- --- ---- JOE SAKIC COLORADO 6 2 10 12 4 2 2 0 0 0 30 6.7 PETER FORSBERG COLORADO 6 4 6 10 1- 0 2 0 0 0 18 22.2 TEEMU SELANNE ANAHEIM 5 4 6 10 1 4 0 1 1 1 19 21.1 JASON ARNOTT EDMONTON 7 4 5 9 2 8 1 1 0 0 27 14.8 SAKU KOIVU MONTREAL 5 2 7 9 1 2 1 0 0 0 19 10.5 SANDIS OZOLINSH COLORADO 6 2 7 9 8 6 0 0 0 0 22 9.1 MIKE GARTNER PHOENIX 5 6 2 8 3 8 2 0 1 0 23 26.1 ERIC LACROIX COLORADO 6 5 3 8 6 4 0 0 1 0 15 33.3 DEAN MCAMMOND EDMONTON 7 4 4 8 3 13 2 0 3 0 18 22.2 BERNIE NICHOLLS SAN JOSE 5 4 4 8 3- 2 0 0 0 1 17 23.5 DIMITRI KHRISTICH LOS ANGELES 6 3 5 8 2 0 2 0 0 0 10 30.0 YANIC PERREAULT LOS ANGELES 6 3 5 8 4 0 0 0 0 0 15 20.0 MIKE MODANO DALLAS 6 2 6 8 7 0 1 0 1 0 20 10.0 RAY FERRARO LOS ANGELES 6 1 7 8 0 4 0 0 0 0 10 10.0 BRIAN SAVAGE MONTREAL 5 5 2 7 1 10 3 0 0 0 16 31.3 MARIO LEMIEUX PITTSBURGH 4 4 3 7 2 0 1 0 1 0 25 16.0 MARK RECCHI MONTREAL 5 4 3 7 2 2 2 0 0 0 11 36.4 JERE LEHTINEN DALLAS 6 2 5 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 10 20.0 PAT VERBEEK DALLAS 6 2 5 7 3 2 0 0 2 0 13 15.4 KEITH TKACHUK PHOENIX 5 1 6 7 1 4 0 1 0 0 12 8.3 JIM CAMPBELL ST LOUIS 5 4 2 6 0 4 1 0 2 0 12 33.3 TONY GRANATO SAN JOSE 5 4 2 6 0 4 1 0 0 0 20 20.0 DINO CICCARELLI TAMPA BAY 4 3 3 6 6 2 1 0 1 0 10 30.0 VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE MONTREAL 5 3 3 6 2 0 1 0 0 0 22 13.6 PHIL HOUSLEY WASHINGTON 4 3 3 6 2 0 1 1 1 0 12 25.0 JARI KURRI ANAHEIM 5 3 3 6 0 4 2 0 0 0 16 18.8 TONY AMONTE CHICAGO 6 2 4 6 5 8 0 0 0 0 15 13.3 WAYNE GRETZKY NY RANGERS 6 2 4 6 1- 0 1 0 0 0 27 7.4 ANDREI KOVALENKO EDMONTON 7 2 4 6 1 4 0 0 0 0 16 12.5 MARTIN RUCINSKY MONTREAL 5 1 5 6 2 6 0 0 1 0 11 9.1 PIERRE TURGEON MONTREAL 5 1 5 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 9.1 --- INDIVIDUAL LEADERS --- -- GOAL SCORING -- -- ASSISTS -- NAME TEAM GP G NAME TEAM GP A ------------------ ------------ -- --- ------------------ ------------ -- --- MIKE GARTNER PHOENIX 5 6 JOE SAKIC COLORADO 6 10 STEVE HEINZE BOSTON 4 5 SAKU KOIVU MONTREAL 5 7 BRIAN SAVAGE MONTREAL 5 5 RAY FERRARO LOS ANGELES 6 7 ERIC LACROIX COLORADO 6 5 SANDIS OZOLINSH COLORADO 6 7 MARIO LEMIEUX PITTSBURGH 4 4 TEEMU SELANNE ANAHEIM 5 6 JIM CAMPBELL ST LOUIS 5 4 KEITH TKACHUK PHOENIX 5 6 TONY GRANATO SAN JOSE 5 4 PETER FORSBERG COLORADO 6 6 BERNIE NICHOLLS SAN JOSE 5 4 MIKE MODANO DALLAS 6 6 MARK RECCHI MONTREAL 5 4 SHAWN MCEACHERN OTTAWA 4 5 TEEMU SELANNE ANAHEIM 5 4 TREVOR LINDEN VANCOUVER 5 5 GREG ADAMS DALLAS 6 4 OWEN NOLAN SAN JOSE 5 5 PETER FORSBERG COLORADO 6 4 MARTIN RUCINSKY MONTREAL 5 5 JASON ARNOTT EDMONTON 7 4 PIERRE TURGEON MONTREAL 5 5 DEAN MCAMMOND EDMONTON 7 4 ROB BLAKE LOS ANGELES 6 5 RYAN SMYTH EDMONTON 7 4 DIMITRI KHRISTICH LOS ANGELES 6 5 JERE LEHTINEN DALLAS 6 5 YANIC PERREAULT LOS ANGELES 6 5 PAT VERBEEK DALLAS 6 5 JASON ARNOTT EDMONTON 7 5 -- POWER PLAY GOALS -- -- SHORT HANDED GOALS -- NAME TEAM GP PP NAME TEAM GP SH ------------------ ------------ -- --- ------------------ ------------ -- --- BRIAN SAVAGE MONTREAL 5 3 NIKLAS ANDERSSON NY ISLANDERS 3 1 MIKE GARTNER PHOENIX 5 2 BRIAN BRADLEY TAMPA BAY 4 1 JARI KURRI ANAHEIM 5 2 GUY CARBONNEAU DALLAS 4 1 MARK RECCHI MONTREAL 5 2 STEVE HEINZE BOSTON 4 1 KARL DYKHUIS PHILADELPHIA 6 2 PHIL HOUSLEY WASHINGTON 4 1 PETER FORSBERG COLORADO 6 2 KIRK MULLER TORONTO 4 1 DIMITRI KHRISTICH LOS ANGELES 6 2 DAN PLANTE NY ISLANDERS 4 1 JOE SAKIC COLORADO 6 2 BRIAN ROLSTON NEW JERSEY 4 1 SCOTT YOUNG COLORADO 6 2 TIM TAYLOR DETROIT 4 1 DEAN MCAMMOND EDMONTON 7 2 TEEMU SELANNE ANAHEIM 5 1 KEVIN DINEEN HARTFORD 3 1 BRENDAN SHANAHAN DETROIT 5 1 ANDREAS JOHANSSON NY ISLANDERS 4 1 KEITH TKACHUK PHOENIX 5 1 JASON ALLISON WASHINGTON 4 1 ADAM GRAVES NY RANGERS 6 1 SHAWN CHAMBERS NEW JERSEY 4 1 JAROSLAV MODRY LOS ANGELES 6 1 DINO CICCARELLI TAMPA BAY 4 1 ROD BRIND'AMOUR PHILADELPHIA 6 1 STEVE HEINZE BOSTON 4 1 DAVE REID DALLAS 6 1 PHIL HOUSLEY WASHINGTON 4 1 JASON ARNOTT EDMONTON 7 1 JAROMIR JAGR PITTSBURGH 4 1 KEITH JONES WASHINGTON 4 1 JOE JUNEAU WASHINGTON 4 1 CHAD KILGER PHOENIX 4 1 DEREK KING NY ISLANDERS 4 1 MARIO LEMIEUX PITTSBURGH 4 1 KIRK MULLER TORONTO 4 1 PETR NEDVED PITTSBURGH 4 1 WADE REDDEN OTTAWA 4 1 RICK TOCCHET BOSTON 4 1 ALEXEI YASHIN OTTAWA 4 1 JIM CAMPBELL ST LOUIS 5 1 VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE MONTREAL 5 1 GARRY GALLEY BUFFALO 5 1 MARTIN GELINAS VANCOUVER 5 1 TONY GRANATO SAN JOSE 5 1 JEFF FRIESEN SAN JOSE 5 1 SAKU KOIVU MONTREAL 5 1 SERGEI KRIVOKRASOV CHICAGO 5 1 PAT LAFONTAINE BUFFALO 5 1 COREY MILLEN CALGARY 5 1 JOE MURPHY ST LOUIS 5 1 CHRIS PRONGER ST LOUIS 5 1 STEPHANE RICHER MONTREAL 5 1 ESA TIKKANEN VANCOUVER 5 1 GERMAN TITOV CALGARY 5 1 GREG ADAMS DALLAS 6 1 DANIEL GONEAU NY RANGERS 6 1 ADAM GRAVES NY RANGERS 6 1 WAYNE GRETZKY NY RANGERS 6 1 JAROME IGINLA CALGARY 6 1 KEVIN STEVENS LOS ANGELES 6 1 UWE KRUPP COLORADO 6 1 BRIAN LEETCH NY RANGERS 6 1 MIKE MODANO DALLAS 6 1 ED OLCZYK LOS ANGELES 6 1 CHRIS OSULLIVAN CALGARY 6 1 JAMES PATRICK CALGARY 6 1 MIROSLAV SATAN EDMONTON 6 1 NIKLAS SUNDSTROM NY RANGERS 6 1 JASON ARNOTT EDMONTON 7 1 -- GAME WINNING GOALS -- -- OVERTIME GOALS -- NAME TEAM GP GW NAME TEAM GP GOT ------------------ ------------ -- --- ------------------ ------------ -- --- DEAN MCAMMOND EDMONTON 7 3 SHAWN BURR TAMPA BAY 4 1 JAMES BLACK CHICAGO 5 2 RICK TOCCHET BOSTON 4 1 JIM CAMPBELL ST LOUIS 5 2 VIKTOR KOZLOV SAN JOSE 5 1 PAT VERBEEK DALLAS 6 2 ROD BRIND'AMOUR PHILADELPHIA 6 1 AARON MILLER COLORADO 1 1 RAY SHEPPARD FLORIDA 2 1 ALEXANDER GODYNYUK HARTFORD 3 1 GEOFF SANDERSON HARTFORD 3 1 MIKE SILLINGER VANCOUVER 3 1 MIKE STAPLETON PHOENIX 3 1 BRIAN BRADLEY TAMPA BAY 4 1 SHAWN BURR TAMPA BAY 4 1 DINO CICCARELLI TAMPA BAY 4 1 DAVE ELLETT TORONTO 4 1 BILL GUERIN NEW JERSEY 4 1 STEVE HEINZE BOSTON 4 1 PHIL HOUSLEY WASHINGTON 4 1 DEREK KING NY ISLANDERS 4 1 MARIO LEMIEUX PITTSBURGH 4 1 SCOTT MELLANBY FLORIDA 4 1 BRIAN SKRUDLAND FLORIDA 4 1 STEVE THOMAS NEW JERSEY 4 1 RICK TOCCHET BOSTON 4 1 ALEXEI YASHIN OTTAWA 4 1 BRIAN HOLZINGER BUFFALO 5 1 MIKE GARTNER PHOENIX 5 1 BRETT HULL ST LOUIS 5 1 VYACHESLAV KOZLOV DETROIT 5 1 VIKTOR KOZLOV SAN JOSE 5 1 MARTIN RUCINSKY MONTREAL 5 1 TEEMU SELANNE ANAHEIM 5 1 JOHN SLANEY LOS ANGELES 5 1 ESA TIKKANEN VANCOUVER 5 1 GERMAN TITOV CALGARY 5 1 OLEG TVERDOVSKY PHOENIX 5 1 VALERI BURE MONTREAL 5 1 STEVE YZERMAN DETROIT 5 1 KARL DYKHUIS PHILADELPHIA 6 1 BRENT GILCHRIST DALLAS 6 1 DANIEL GONEAU NY RANGERS 6 1 BRENT GRIEVE LOS ANGELES 6 1 KEVIN MILLER CHICAGO 6 1 JON KLEMM COLORADO 6 1 ERIC LACROIX COLORADO 6 1 MIKE MODANO DALLAS 6 1 ED OLCZYK LOS ANGELES 6 1 CHRIS OSULLIVAN CALGARY 6 1 ROD BRIND'AMOUR PHILADELPHIA 6 1 ROBERT REICHEL CALGARY 6 1 DAVE REID DALLAS 6 1 SERGEI ZUBOV DALLAS 6 1 RYAN SMYTH EDMONTON 7 1 -- GAME TYING GOALS -- NAME TEAM GP GT ------------------ ------------ -- --- ADAM GRAVES NY RANGERS 6 2 -- SHOTS -- -- FIRST GOALS -- NAME TEAM GP S NAME TEAM GP FG ------------------ ------------ -- --- ------------------ ------------ -- --- JOE SAKIC COLORADO 6 30 JAROMIR JAGR PITTSBURGH 4 2 PAVEL BURE VANCOUVER 5 27 TONY GRANATO SAN JOSE 5 2 WAYNE GRETZKY NY RANGERS 6 27 VYACHESLAV KOZLOV DETROIT 5 2 JASON ARNOTT EDMONTON 7 27 BRYAN GLYNN DETROIT 1 1 BRETT HULL ST LOUIS 5 26 AARON MILLER COLORADO 1 1 BRENDAN SHANAHAN DETROIT 5 26 BRAD SMYTH FLORIDA 2 1 ADAM GRAVES NY RANGERS 6 26 RAY SHEPPARD FLORIDA 2 1 MARIO LEMIEUX PITTSBURGH 4 25 DOUG BROWN DETROIT 3 1 THEOREN FLEURY CALGARY 6 24 ALEXANDER GODYNYUK HARTFORD 3 1 MIKE GARTNER PHOENIX 5 23 STEVE LEACH ST LOUIS 3 1 JOHN LECLAIR PHILADELPHIA 6 23 JASON ALLISON WASHINGTON 4 1 SHAWN BURR TAMPA BAY 4 1 SHAWN CHAMBERS NEW JERSEY 4 1 DINO CICCARELLI TAMPA BAY 4 1 STEVE HEINZE BOSTON 4 1 BOBBY HOLIK NEW JERSEY 4 1 DALE HUNTER WASHINGTON 4 1 KRIS KING PHOENIX 4 1 MARTY MCINNIS NY ISLANDERS 4 1 KIRK MULLER TORONTO 4 1 GLEN MURRAY PITTSBURGH 4 1 BRIAN NOONAN ST LOUIS 4 1 JEFF ODGERS BOSTON 4 1 ZIGMUND PALFFY NY ISLANDERS 4 1 DAN PLANTE NY ISLANDERS 4 1 BRIAN ROLSTON NEW JERSEY 4 1 BRIAN SKRUDLAND FLORIDA 4 1 TOM FITZGERALD FLORIDA 4 1 VALERI ZELEPUKIN NEW JERSEY 4 1 PAVEL BURE VANCOUVER 5 1 JIM CAMPBELL ST LOUIS 5 1 TED DRURY ANAHEIM 5 1 MIKE EASTWOOD PHOENIX 5 1 SERGEI KRIVOKRASOV CHICAGO 5 1 JARI KURRI ANAHEIM 5 1 DARREN MCCARTY DETROIT 5 1 COREY MILLEN CALGARY 5 1 ALEXANDER MOGILNY VANCOUVER 5 1 JOE MURPHY ST LOUIS 5 1 FREDRIK OLAUSSON ANAHEIM 5 1 MARK RECCHI MONTREAL 5 1 BRIAN SAVAGE MONTREAL 5 1 TEEMU SELANNE ANAHEIM 5 1 GERMAN TITOV CALGARY 5 1 PETER ZEZEL ST LOUIS 5 1 PAT FALLOON PHILADELPHIA 6 1 BENOIT HOGUE DALLAS 6 1 DIMITRI KHRISTICH LOS ANGELES 6 1 JON KLEMM COLORADO 6 1 JERE LEHTINEN DALLAS 6 1 ED OLCZYK LOS ANGELES 6 1 CHRIS OSULLIVAN CALGARY 6 1 SANDIS OZOLINSH COLORADO 6 1 JOE SAKIC COLORADO 6 1 ULF SAMUELSSON NY RANGERS 6 1 DENIS SAVARD CHICAGO 6 1 CHRIS THERIEN PHILADELPHIA 6 1 JASON ARNOTT EDMONTON 7 1 ANDREI KOVALENKO EDMONTON 7 1 DEAN MCAMMOND EDMONTON 7 1 RYAN SMYTH EDMONTON 7 1 -- SHOOTING PERCENTAGE (MIN 3 SHOTS) -- NAME TEAM GP G S PCTG --------------- -------------- -- --- --- ---- KEITH JONES WASHINGTON 4 2 3 66.7 REM MURRAY EDMONTON 7 2 3 66.7 DAINIUS ZUBRUS PHILADELPHIA 6 2 3 66.7 MIKE CRAIG TORONTO 4 2 4 50.0 JASON ALLISON WASHINGTON 4 2 5 40.0 GUY CARBONNEAU DALLAS 4 2 5 40.0 GRANT MARSHALL DALLAS 5 2 5 40.0 GEOFF SANDERSON HARTFORD 3 2 5 40.0 BRIAN SKRUDLAND FLORIDA 4 2 5 40.0 JAROME IGINLA CALGARY 6 3 8 37.5 MARK RECCHI MONTREAL 5 4 11 36.4 ERIC LACROIX COLORADO 6 5 15 33.3 GREG ADAMS DALLAS 6 4 12 33.3 JIM CAMPBELL ST LOUIS 5 4 12 33.3 SHAWN BURR TAMPA BAY 4 2 6 33.3 MARKUS NASLUND VANCOUVER 5 2 6 33.3 SCOTT MELLANBY FLORIDA 4 2 6 33.3 JAMES PATRICK CALGARY 6 2 6 33.3 BRAD SMYTH FLORIDA 2 1 3 33.3 KEVIN DINEEN HARTFORD 3 1 3 33.3 AARON GAVEY TAMPA BAY 4 1 3 33.3 VALERI KAMENSKY COLORADO 1 1 3 33.3 KRIS KING PHOENIX 4 1 3 33.3 IGOR LARIONOV DETROIT 5 1 3 33.3 BRIAN NOONAN ST LOUIS 4 1 3 33.3 BARRY RICHTER BOSTON 4 1 3 33.3 TOMAS SANDSTROM PITTSBURGH 3 1 3 33.3 KONSTANTIN SHAFRANOV ST LOUIS 3 1 3 33.3 RAY SHEPPARD FLORIDA 2 1 3 33.3 MIKE SILLINGER VANCOUVER 3 1 3 33.3 -- PLUS/MINUS -- NAME TEAM GP +/- --------------- -------------- -- --- SANDIS OZOLINSH COLORADO 6 8 BRYAN MARCHMENT EDMONTON 7 7 UWE KRUPP COLORADO 6 7 MIKE MODANO DALLAS 6 7 SERGEI ZUBOV DALLAS 6 7 ERIC LACROIX COLORADO 6 6 JERE LEHTINEN DALLAS 6 6 DINO CICCARELLI TAMPA BAY 4 6 GREG ADAMS DALLAS 6 5 TONY AMONTE CHICAGO 6 5 CRAIG LUDWIG DALLAS 6 5 DARRYL SYDOR DALLAS 6 5 SCOTT YOUNG COLORADO 6 5 BOBBY DOLLAS ANAHEIM 5 5 GRANT LEDYARD DALLAS 5 5 SCOTT MELLANBY FLORIDA 4 5 RUDY POESCHEK TAMPA BAY 4 5 ROBERT SVEHLA FLORIDA 4 5 JOE REEKIE WASHINGTON 4 5 RHETT WARRENER FLORIDA 3 5 PER GUSTAFSSON FLORIDA 1 5 --- GOALTENDING LEADERS --- -- GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE -- (MIN 1 GP) GOALTENDER TEAM GP GA AVG --------------- -------------------- -- --- ----- SCOTT BAILEY BOSTON 1 0 0.00 JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLORIDA 4 4 0.98 JEFF HACKETT CHICAGO 1 1 1.00 RON HEXTALL PHILADELPHIA 3 4 1.35 ARTURS IRBE DALLAS 2 3 1.50 RICK TABARACCI CALGARY 3 3 1.51 MIKHAIL SHTALENKOV ANAHEIM 2 3 1.51 GLENN HEALY NY RANGERS 3 4 1.51 ERIC FICHAUD NY ISLANDERS 3 5 1.64 CHRIS OSGOOD DETROIT 3 5 1.67 -- WINS -- GOALTENDER TEAM GP W L T --------------- -------------------- --- -- -- -- ANDY MOOG DALLAS 4 4 0 0 CURTIS JOSEPH EDMONTON 6 4 2 0 JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLORIDA 4 3 0 1 GRANT FUHR ST LOUIS 4 3 1 0 PATRICK ROY COLORADO 6 3 2 1 ARTURS IRBE DALLAS 2 2 0 0 JOCELYN THIBAULT MONTREAL 5 2 1 1 BILL RANFORD BOSTON 4 2 1 1 SEAN BURKE HARTFORD 3 2 1 0 COREY SCHWAB TAMPA BAY 3 2 1 0 KIRK MCLEAN VANCOUVER 5 2 2 0 STEPHANE FISET LOS ANGELES 4 2 2 0 NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN PHOENIX 4 2 2 0 TREVOR KIDD CALGARY 4 2 2 0 MARTIN BRODEUR NEW JERSEY 4 2 2 0 ED BELFOUR CHICAGO 5 2 3 0 -- SAVE PERCENTAGE -- GOALTENDER TEAM GP GA SA SPCTG --------------- -------------------- --- --- ---- ----- SCOTT BAILEY BOSTON 1 0 14 1.000 JEFF HACKETT CHICAGO 1 1 37 .973 JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLORIDA 4 4 117 .966 ARTURS IRBE DALLAS 2 3 62 .952 ERIC FICHAUD NY ISLANDERS 3 5 98 .949 GLENN HEALY NY RANGERS 3 4 70 .943 RON HEXTALL PHILADELPHIA 3 4 67 .940 GRANT FUHR ST LOUIS 4 8 127 .937 MIKHAIL SHTALENKOV ANAHEIM 2 3 47 .936 RICK TABARACCI CALGARY 3 3 45 .933 -- SHUTOUTS -- GOALTENDER TEAM GP SO W L T --------------- -------------------- --- -- -- -- -- PATRICK ROY COLORADO 6 2 3 2 1 MIKHAIL SHTALENKOV ANAHEIM 2 1 1 1 0 CHRIS OSGOOD DETROIT 3 1 1 2 0 SEAN BURKE HARTFORD 3 1 2 1 0 COREY SCHWAB TAMPA BAY 3 1 2 1 0 RICK TABARACCI CALGARY 3 1 1 1 0 STEPHANE FISET LOS ANGELES 4 1 2 2 0 TREVOR KIDD CALGARY 4 1 2 2 0 JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLORIDA 4 1 3 0 1 CURTIS JOSEPH EDMONTON 6 1 4 2 0 =========================================================================== LCSGUIDETOHOCKEYLCSGUIDETOHOCKEYLCSGUIDETOHOCKEYLCSGUIDETOHOCKEYLCSGUIDETOH ===========================================================================