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GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY
================================================================
Five Star - ELECTRONIC EDITION - * * * * *
================================================================
Issue 57 November 26, 1996 It's like free, man
----------------------------------------------------------------
Visit us on the web at http://www.lcshockey.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------
Avalanche Leaving League Far Behind
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Iovino
While a lot of the teams expected to do big things this year have
struggled out of the gates, including the Philadelphia Flyers and
Pittsburgh Penguins, the two squads which made it to the Stanley
Cup finals last season have picked up right where they left off.
The Florida Panthers are the beasts in the East, and the Colorado
Avalanche are by far the best in the West.
Forget sophomore slumps, forget complacency, the Avalanche are a
dominating team quite capable of winning the Stanley Cup two
years
in a row.
What makes the Avalanche the frontrunner in the Cup
sweepstakes? How about an 11-1-3 record in their last 15 games.
Or, what about a 6-0-2 record in their last eight home games.
Perhaps Patrick Roy's 10-0-2 record in his last 12 starts would
be
convincing enough. But if it isn't, than his almost impenetrable
goals-against mark should. Roy has allowed just 19 goals in
those
past 12 games.
Yes, the Colorado Avalanche are for real. Contrary to popular
belief, the team isn't just winning games with offense alone.
While the offense gets all the headlines with superstars like Joe
Sakic and Peter Forsberg leading a powerful attack, the superb
defensive play has been overlooked. Heck, even the team's top
defensemen are noted more for their offensive ability than their
defensive prowess. Who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for
the
Avalanche last season? Defenseman Uwe Krupp. Who is leading all
defensemen in scoring this season? Sandis Ozolinsh.
"Compared to this time last year, this team is playing real well
defensively," Sakic said. "And as we all know, defense wins
championships."
Quite right, Joe. Defense does win championships. And looking
at
the Avalanche's season so far, they might be on their way to
winning two straight.
And all of the defense starts with Patrick Roy, who has been
spectacular so far during the 1996-97 season. Roy recently
posted
his fourth shutout of the year and the 34th of his career in a
6-0
win against the Phoenix Coyotes. St. Patrick is playing with
confidence, something he didn't have for years in Montreal. He's
also playing with pride, the same kind of pride he once displayed
as a member of the Canadiens. And the results are quite
similar.
In 20 games this season, Roy has posted a 2.08 goals-against
average, a 14-3-3 record and a .923 save percentage to go along
with his four whitewashings. However, Roy's not doing it alone.
He has a solid defensive corps in front of him to help out, as
well.
Even with the departure of Curtis Leschyshyn and Craig Wolanin
from
last year's squad, the defense hasn't missed a beat. Ozolinsh
has
been a madman at both ends of the ice. His buddy Krupp is a
steadying force for him as he flies up and down, from the point
to
the slot, from behind his own net to behind the opposition's.
Krupp's level-headed play is a great complement to Ozolinsh's
wild
ways. Adam Foote continues to excel after a great performance at
the World Cup. And the other members of the defense have picked
up
the slack when called upon. Whether it be after a trade or when
a
fellow blueliner goes down, there always seems to be a defenseman
ready to step up and fill in.
Heck, with all of the great defense being displayed in Colorado,
they can consider the offense a bonus.
A bonus? That's scary. Considering Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg,
Valeri Kamensky et al a bonus is like considering America's right
to freedom of speech a bonus paragraph in the Constitution.
But as long as the Avalanche continue to think defense first and
are still able to put up outlandish numbers offensively, the
offense will be considered icing on the cake. Or champagne in
the
Cup. Take your pick.
Of course the big guns in Colorado are Sakic and Forsberg.
Listed
as No. 1 and No. 2 in the point-scoring race, the Avalanche
centers
are making a killing against the rest of a league which has been
depleted of depth over the years by expansion. Having both Sakic
and Forsberg and being able to put them on two separate lines is
a
luxury only a few teams can afford. Add in other talented
players
like Kamensky, Claude Lemieux (when healthy), Scott Young, Keith
Jones and Adam Deadmarsh, and the Avalanche can throw three or
four
real strong lines out on the ice on any given night. And all
four
lines have the potential to score.
As Sakic explains, having Forsberg and himself to contend with on
the top two lines can sometimes be too much to handle for
undermanned opponents.
"I just think we have a lot of depth," Sakic said. "It's tough
for
teams to key in on one or two lines. We have three lines that
can
score. That seems to be the difference. Not a lot of teams have
that."
Credit that to the man behind the scenes, general manager Pierre
Lacroix. Over the off-season and into the 1996-97 campaign,
Lacroix has been tinkering with his lineup, trying to get the
most
out of the stockpile of talent he has built up over the years.
Over the off-season, Lacroix traded backup goalie Stephane Fiset
to
the Kings for his son, Eric. While at the time it might have
looked
like a bit of nepotism, the move has paid off. So has the one
for
gritty Keith Jones, who came over from the Capitals as part of
the
Chris Simon trade. These two players have added power to the Avs'
forward position. A team can't have fancy players at every
position. So while Sakic, Forsberg and Kamensky dance with the
puck, players like Deadmarsh, Lacroix and Jones make a dash for
the
net. And if they don't score, they're going to make sure they
create enough room for someone else to do it.
"The one thing we were missing from last year was a true left
winger," Sakic said. "But now we've got Keith Jones and Eric
Lacroix."
Throughout history it has taken a little bit of time to perfect
some of the world's greatest inventions. And it seems like the
Colorado Avalanche are no different. What started out may years
ago in Quebec as a blueprint is now being displayed in all its
glory in the showroom called the McNichols Sports Arena.
It is a wonder to behold, a sight few have ever seen, and it is
definitely worth its weight in Stanley Cups.
===============================================================
The Ghost is Gone
===============================================================
by David Strauss
While the Islanders have failed to regain their former glory over
the last decade, there was one season where everything came
together, where the team relished their role as underdogs and
played above themselves. That year was 1993, when the team
reached the semifinals after a memorable seven-game upset of the
two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. And of all
the big goals that playoff run, all the big saves, ask any
Islander fan what play he remembers, and he might possibly answer
one that resulted in a minor penalty for the Isles, and Mario
Lemieux lying on the ice looking for a hole deep enough for him
to crawl into.
And he'll remember the team's rookie defenseman and emotional
sparkplug, standing above Lemieux, daring Mario to get up so he
could hit him again.
And so, three years later, why is that fan favorite, that
emotional sparkplug headed to Pittsburgh for good?
Why did the Islanders trade Darius Kasparaitis? Because he was
there.
Consider that even coach/GM Mike Milbury has admitted the
Islanders are a one-line team -- some have called them the
"One-Line Wonders" -- and needed help. In fact, as of the trade,
27 of the 45 goals scored by the Islanders this season had come
from the line of Zigmund Palffy (12), Derek King (10) and Travis
Green (5).
And remember that, while the Islanders have a shortage of
offensive firepower, the team did have an abundance of
defensemen. Milbury said he rated Kasparaitis as just the
fifth-best defenseman on the team, behind Dennis Vaske, Bryan
McCabe, Bryan Berard and Kenny Jonsson -- and, that former U.S.
Olympic Team member Scott Lachance was not far behind, while
Doug Houda, a free-agent acquisition, has been reliable.
Oft-injured Rich Pilon, who has missed all but two games this
season with a groin pull, and the Islanders are loaded on the
blue line.
The deal also was possible because of timing. The 6-2, 210-pound
Vaske, who was sidelined most of last season with a concussion
and had missed all of this season with a dislocated left
shoulder, was due to return in the next game following the trade,
and did. Pilon is also expected back soon.
And for all these reasons, on November 17th, the Islanders traded
defenseman Darius Kasparaitis and C Andreas Johannson to the
Penguins for holdout free agent C Bryan Smolinksi.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Smolinski, who starred last summer for
the victorious Team U.S.A. in the World Cup, had 24 goals and 40
assists for the Penguins last season as a third-line center
behind Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis. Only 24 years old, Smoke
was recently playing with the Detroit Vipers of the International
Hockey League, having signed a 25-game contract with them last
month after failing to reach a contract agreement with the
Penguins.
A first-round draft selection by the Bruins in 1990 -- he was
taken 21st overall out of Michigan State -- Smolinski had 31
goals and 20 assists in his rookie season and 50 goals and 36
assists in 136 career games with the Bruins before being traded
to Pittsburgh along with Glen Murray and a third-round pick in
the 1996 draft for Kevin Stevens and Shawn McEachern.
Milbury, predictably, was quite pleased with the addition of
Smolinski. "We took a look at the list of available players and
found -- and I know this is true, because I have been through it
a million times -- that very infrequently do first- and
second-line players become available, and we think Bryan is one
of those. We need to balance our defensive posture with some
offense."
"It is no secret we've basically been a one-line team, and we're
hoping that Bryan can add some balance to our attack. We debated
long and hard over whether we should wait it out. But we didn't
see the kind of offensive player Bryan is popping up any time
soon. I think we're comfortable knowing what Bryan will bring,
and I'm comfortable knowing what we gave up in Darius... You have
to give to get."
The deal had been rumored since before training camp, but seemed
dead as recently as last week. New York papers reported that
there was a major difference of opinion in the Islanders front
office over whether to trade the hard-hitting Kasparaitis, a fan
favorite, for Smolinski -- a source was quoted as saying "the
asking price is too high."
But Milbury, who coached Boston when Smolinski was drafted by the
Bruins and who had scouted him at Michigan State, said despite
the difference of opinion, he decided to pull the trigger on the
deal by adding the 23-year-old Johansson when one team sweetened
its offer for Smolinski, reportedly offering three players to the
Penguins.
Publically, Smolinski said he was happy with the trade, reaching
an immediate agreement on a one-year contract with the Islanders,
the terms of which were not released. He had been seeking between
$900,000 and $1 million.
"I'm very excited," Smolinski said. "It's been a long month and a
half. I feel I'm ready to get back into things... I played for
Mike a while back with Boston. I know his philosophies, what he
thinks. I've been in the shadows. Hopefully, this will be my
calling. I'm not saying I'm the savior. But, I want to come and
chip in 20 or 30 goals, if I can."
Smolinski was expected to step into the second line center,
playing between struggling winger Todd Bertuzzi and inconsistent
Marty McInnis. He also was expected to get some time on the
first line, centering team scoring leaders Derek King and Zigmund
Palffy, who had struggled a bit in the week before the deal.
Meanwhile, Kasparaitis, who this fall was named an assistant
captain along with King and Palffy, said he was "sad" to be
leaving Long Island. "What can I do?" Kasparaitis said. "That's
part of the business."
Kaspar the unfriendly ghost was selected fifth overall by the
Islanders in 1992, after then-GM Bill Torrey traded two picks to
grab him. He'd been eligible for the draft the previous season
but had gone undrafted as an 18-year old European.
He was seen by most as the brash young player who defined the
team's equally young defense. With Scott Lachance and Vladimir
Malakhov, the trio was expected to anchor the Isles blue line for
the next decade. But it didn't happen. Lachance's development
slowed. Malakhov was eventually traded to Montreal for his
inconsistency, and Kaspar's play was unsteady and see-saw.
He would play all-world against Mark Messier and the Rangers one
night, then be -3 and look lost the next night against Hartford.
He had to overcome a number of personal problems as well and he
admitted he was an alcoholic, and continues to attend AA meetings
to control his illness. And right before Christmas two seasons
ago, his wife miscarried their triplets. It was no wonder his
attention was sometimes not on the ice.
His check on Lemieux in the upset of Pittsburgh -- Kasparaitis
knocked Lemieux to the ice, then took his right hand and pushed
him back down face first when Lemieux tried to regain his feet --
is legendary. It's certainly one of the only times in Lemieux's
career that he had the indignity of actually having to be
checked.
He had apparently been expecting a trade. "Actually, I was
thinking all night this might happen," said Kaspar the day of the
deal. "I heard the rumors. And, when I was driving home today
from the Southern State Parkway to the Northern State, I was
thinking that I'm hoping this does not happen. I'm going to miss
Long Island. My friends, my teammates, my fans. I had a
great time."
"You know, I had a lot of support. Once, when I was injured, I
went and sat in the stands, and I could not believe all these
people wearing my jersey. It make me feel proud. That was a
good feeling for me. But, Mike called me and said he hates to
tell me that I am traded, but that he needed to do this. He
wished me good luck and said he hopes I have a good career. But,
I am going to miss this. I love playing for the Islanders. I
love Long Island. I am even going to miss New York traffic.
But, what can you do?"
Johansson, the throw in, was getting little ice time on the
fourth line, and after impressing Milbury in training camp, was
struggling during the season. Reports had surfaced that that the
Penguins had asked for Marty McInnis, instead of Johansson. "I
would have had trouble with that," Milbury said. "We only have a
limited number of forwards here."
Milbury said the addition of Johansson "was precipitated by
Pittsburgh. I think he's a prospect. But, by no means is he a
sure thing."
While it was no doubt a dangerous move to trade the fiery,
popular Kasparaitis, Milbury turned philosophical and then
obvious. "It's all about winning. That's what it's all about for
me. To do that, you need to try to gather core players: four
defensemen, six forwards, then fill in the rest."
Milbury decided that Kasparaitis wasn't a core player; Smolinksi
could be, and now the Ghost is gone from Uniondale.
========================================================
World Domination Update, Vol.2 No.6
========================================================
by LCS: guide to hockey
Can you believe another two weeks have past? Neither can we.
Time flys
when you're trying to dominate the
world. Here is the latest from the offices of LCS...
LCS Debut on AOL Set For December 23
Just in time for the exciting holiday season, LCS will open a new
AOL
area on December 23. The new area
will mean a lot to you, our valued readers.
For our readers on AOL, all LCS material from the web will be
made
available through the usual AOL interface.
Of course, AOL users will also have the opportunity to
participate in
scheduled chat sessions and message
boards. However, the biggest change will be in the amount of
daily
material LCS produces. Starting on
December 23, LCS will be producing 2-3 daily features for your
reading
enjoyment that will be made available
to AOL users and non-AOL users alike.
So, we hope that many of our loyal readers will make plans to
help us
celebrate the opening of our new AOL
area. As the time draws closer, we will announce other new
features and
areas that you can expect from
LCS.
LCS: the hockey pool
November 24th marks the end of the first epoch of the LCS pool.
The top
three epoch finishers will
be awarded prizes at the end of the season. Please take time to
find
out how well your team
is doing. The pool rules and results are available from
http://www.canadas.net/sports/Sportif/hkypools/lcs/">LCS: the
hockey
pool.
LCS: 'round the 'net
Announcement In order to make accessing LCS easier for you, our
valued
readers, LCS can now be found
at http://www.lcshockey.com/. Eventually this will become our
permanent address on the 'Net. But don't worry, our old address
at
http://www.canadas.net/sports/Sportif/ will remain valid.
NHL Directory
An 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. The QOM have returned to LCS and will deal with
classic
television
programs. For the remainder of November, 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. So far numerous people
have tried their luck at this first round of questions. In
December, we
will announce last month's winner
and will post a new set of questions to test your classic
television
knowledge.
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.
Coming Soon!
LCS on AOL, a classic television spokesman, 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
WANTED........................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 Ibrahim..............New Jersey 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 57 November 26 - December 10
1996.Email address: sportif@oak.westol.com Good ol'
postal address: 632 Hempfield Street, Greensburg, PA
15601. Web Site: http://www.lcshockey.com/
------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Round-up
-------------------------------------------------------------
By LCS: guide to hockey
General NHL News
Islander's Sale Complete
John Spano, a 32-year-old native New Yorker who is a Texas
businessman, reached a final agreement to purchase the New
York Islanders on November 26. Spano promised that the Isles
would not relocate dispite having low attendance figures due in
part to competition from two other NY area teams, the NY Rangers
and New Jersey Devils.
Spano bought the team and all of the cable television rights for
$165 million.
He will be the third owner of the Islanders, having taken over
for
John O. Pickett, who has owned the team since 1978, and Roy Boe,
who was the owner for the team's first six years of existence.
Spano previously failed in his attempts to buy the Florida
Panthers and Dallas Stars.
For the purchase to become offical, Spano must wait for approval
from
the NHL Board of Governors. Their next meeting is scheduled for
December
12th in Phoenix.
McNall Doing Time
Bruce McNall, whose financial and legal woes nearly forced the
Kings
into
bankruptcy, is supposed to be sentenced in early December. It has
been
almost two years since the former Kings owner pleaded guilty to
defrauding
banks of more than $263 million.
McNall faces a maximum of 45 years in prison and $1.75 million in
fines.
However, a
plea bargin will lighten his sentence.
Lemieux Skipping All-Star Festivities?
It is rumored that Mario Lemieux, if selected an All-Star, will
not make
the trip
to San Jose. Because of always questionable health and the west
coast
trip, Mario has
hinted he would rather sit out what could be his last All-Star
game.
However, before
dissin' the All-Star Game Lemieux has to be selected. Let's
check the
All-Star balloting
results through November 21:
Eastern Conference>
WINGERS VOTES
Bill Guerin, New Jersey 48,746
Rick Tocchet, Boston 25,908
Zigmund Palffy, NY Islanders 25,063
Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh 24,495
x-Shayne Corson, Montreal 23,175
Ray Sheppard, Florida 22,107
Martin Rucinsky, Montreal 21,853
Dino Ciccarelli, Tampa Bay 20,506
y-Keith Primeau, Hartford 19,837
Geoff Sanderson, Hartford 18,906
Adam Graves, NY Rangers 14,264
John LeClair, Philadelphia 13,898
Peter Bondra, Washington 12,764
Scott Mellanby, Florida 10,947
Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa 9,912
Mikael Renberg, Philadelphia 9,883
Rod Brind'Amour, Philadelphia 8,693
Steve Thomas, New Jersey 6,682
Mark Recchi, Montreal 4,987
CENTERS VOTES
Vincent Damphousse, Montreal 28,332
Pat LaFontaine, Buffalo 26,926
Mark Messier, NY Rangers 26,532
Wayne Gretzky, NY Rangers 26,451
Petr Nedved, Pittsburgh 21,365
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh 8,636
Alexei Yashin, Ottawa 7,471
Brian Bradley, Tampa Bay 7,105
Adam Oates, Boston 6,440
Eric Lindros, Philadelphia 6,361
Ron Francis, Pittsburgh 3,956
DEFENSEMEN VOTES
y-Paul Coffey, Hartford 56,955
Ray Bourque, Boston 43,581
Scott Stevens, New Jersey 40,576
Brian Leetch, NY Rangers 27,849
Phil Housely, Washington 23,323
Kevin Hatcher, Pittsburgh 18,228
Roman Hamrlik, Tampa Bay 17,510
Robert Svehla, Florida 16,031
Garry Galley, Buffalo 13,840
Ed Jovanoski, Florida 12,264
Sergei Gonchar, Washington 10,017
Darius Kasparaitis, Pittsburgh 9,615
Eric Desjardins, Philadelphia 8,830
Jeff Brown, Hartford 6,662
Scott Niedermayer, New Jersey 4,966
Steve Duchesne, Ottawa 4,790
GOALTENDERS VOTES
John Vanbiesbrouck, Florida 51,456
Daren Puppa, Tampa Bay 25,817
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey 25,204
Jocelyn Thibeault, Montreal 11,596
Ron Hextall, Philadelphia 10,566
Mike Richter, NY Rangers 10,522
Sean Burke, Hartford 8,147
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo 5,639
Bill Ranford, Boston 5,624
Jim Carey, Washington 5,407
x-appears on Western Conference ballot with St. Louis.
Obtained by Montreal via trade, 10/29/96
y-appears on Western Conference ballot with Detroit.
Obtained by Hartford via trade, 10/9/96
Western Conference
WINGERS VOTES
Theoren Fleury, Calgary 34,347
Pavel Bure, Vancouver 33,109
Paul Kariya, Anaheim 31,933
Jari Kurri, Anaheim 26,213
Geoff Courtnall, St. Louis 23,095
Teemu Selanne, Anaheim 16,440
Trevor Linden, Vancouver 15,743
Wendel Clark, Toronto 12,870
Claude Lemieux, Colorado 11,116
Brett Hull, St. Louis 10,901
Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix 10,282
Pat Verbeek, Dallas 9,744
x-Brendan Shanahan, Detroit 9,453
Ulf Dahlen, San Jose 7,156
Owen Nolan, San Jose 6,722
Alexander Mogilny, Vancouver 3,844
Dimitri Khristich, Los Angeles 3,459
CENTERS VOTES
Joe Sakic, Colorado 38,753
Ray Ferraro, Los Angeles 18,490
Peter Forsberg, Colorado 17,029
Mats Sundin, Toronto 16,178
Sergei Fedorov, Detroit 15,952
Doug Gilmour, Toronto 10,137
Mike Modano, Dallas 7,480
y-Pierre Turgeon, St. Louis 7,359
Alexei Zhamnov, Chicago 6,874
Steve Yzerman, Detroit 6,091
Jason Arnott, Edmonton 5,483
Jeremy Roenick, Phoenix 4,849
Doug Weight, Edmonton 3,122
DEFENSEMEN VOTES
Al MacInnis, St. Louis 34,901
Steve Chiasson, Calgary 30,670
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit 22,922
Derian Hatcher, Dallas 22,753
Chris Chelios, Chicago 21,575
Gary Suter, Chicago 20,485
Sergei Zubov, Dallas 19,012
Rob Blake, Los Angeles 16,501
Vladimir Konstantinov, Detroit 11,548
Mathieu Schneider, Toronto 9,986
Sandis Ozolinsh, Colorado 8,474
Jyrki Lumme, Vancouver 7,532
Oleg Tverdovsky, Phoenix 7,513
Uwe Krupp, Colorado 4,042
GOALTENDERS VOTES
Patrick Roy, Colorado 50,997
Trevor Kidd, Calgary 20,139
Ed Belfour, Chicago 16,248
Chris Osgood, Detroit 12,623
Kirk McLean, Vancouver 12,256
Nikolai Khabibulin, Phoenix 10,943
Guy Hebert, Anaheim 7,415
Felix Potvin, Toronto 6,809
Curtis Joseph, Edmonton 5,589
Grant Fuhr, St. Louis 3,772
x-appears on Eastern Conference ballot, with Hartford.
Obtained by Detroit via trade, 10/9/96.
y-appears on Eastern Conference ballot, with Montreal.
Obtained by St. Louis via trade, 10/29/96.
Firings...Hirings...Signings...etc...
A Pair of Holdouts End
The last two NHL holdouts this season have finally signed on the
dotted
line.
Brian Smolinski, who was acquired by the NY Islanders from the
Pittsburgh Penguins
on November 17, signed with the Isles the following day. Terms
were not
disclosed.
The other player, Igor Korolev, ended his holdout on November 25
when he
signed a
new contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. With Jeremy Roenick out
2-3
weeks with a knee
injury, the Coyotes can use some added offensive power.
Police Blotter:
Blackhawks/Kings -- Brawl
The Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings were fined a total
of $10,000 by the NHL as the result of multi-player fights that
broke out in the final 24 seconds of their game on November 17.
Each team was fined $5,000 as a result.
Mathie Schneider -- Elbowing
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mathieu Schneider was suspended
for
three games by the NHL for throwing an elbow that knocked out
Anaheim
right
wing Paul Kariya from a game on November 14. Schneider was not
penalized
on the play.
Grant Ledyard -- Kneeing
Dallas Star's defenseman Grant Ledyard will serve a two-game
suspension
after
kneeing Panther's center Rob Niedermayer in a game on November
22. As
Niedermayer
was entering the attacking zone, Ledyard extended a knee in an
attempt
to stop the
speedy center. Unfortunately Niedermayer's knee met Ledyard's.
Niedermayer was injured
as a result of the play and will miss up to six weeks of action.
Toronto/Philadelphia -- Brawl
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers were fined $5,000
apiece
and
Tie Domi of the Leafs and Scott Daniels of the Flyers were fined
$1,000
apiece
for their roles in a brawl that occured in the last eight seconds
of a
game
on November 12.
One of the highlights of the evening was when Flyers goalie Ron
Hextall
skated
the length of ice to take on Toronto goalkeeper Felix Potvin.
Neither
player was
suspended for the altercation.
------------------------------------------------------------
Belak Batters Opposition
------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan
The last thing a forward wants to see as he approaches the
opposing blue line with the puck is an opposing blueliner of
considerable size. Even more unpleasant is seeing two giant
defenseman waiting. For several years the Saskatoon Blades of
the Western Hockey League greeted the opposition with two of the
largest defensemen in the game today, Chris McAllister and Wade
Belak. So how scared were the forwards?
"I think they were pretty scared!" Belak laughs. "[Chris is] a
big guy & I'm a big guy, the 'Twin Towers'... it was great
playing with Chris, with a couple of big guys out there you have
a lot of room... everybody kinda thinks twice about coming into
your end."
While Belak and McAllister are no longer together with Saskatoon,
they are still together in the AHL, the 6'4", 215-pound Belak
with the Hershey Bears and McAllister with the Syracuse Crunch.
(Officially listed at 6'7", 238 lbs, McAllister is the biggest
player in the entire league.) While the two haven't lit the lamp
much, both have seen plenty of fist action this year; Belak is
second on the Bears in penalty minutes with 84 PiMs.
"I don't go out there looking for fights, it just happens a lot,"
explains Belak. "If somebody comes knocking at my door I'll
answer it."
Belak answered the door quite a bit in both juniors and in brief
playoff stints with the Cornwall Aces, tallying well over 200
PiMs per season the last three years and finishing 94-95 with
330. He began his official pro career in Hershey by breaking his
nose in a fight and he already has a few game misconducts on his
resumé.
"Wade is bringing lots of toughness to our club," says Hershey
coach Bob Hartley in a classic example of understatement.
Given that Belak hopes to pattern himself after Dave Manson, it's
somewhat ironic that Belak doesn't consider himself much of an
enforcer. "I probably would classify [my game] as a good solid
hockey defenseman, plays a simple game, worries about his end,
finishes his checks, makes punishing hits," he explains.
It's the rest of Belak's game that needs some work right now, as
Colorado would like Belak to learn some more about his position,
but Hartley thinks he's coming along fine. "He's learning a lot
about the game on the ice, off the ice," says Hartley. "His
skating, his puckhandling has improved a lot and we're very happy
with his progression."
Belak, 20, has come a long way for a player who never seriously
considered a pro career until he was in juniors. Born and raised
in Saskatoon, he played for the Blades only one year before being
drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the then Quebec
Nordiques. While the Nordiques had expressed some interest in
him, so had other teams and Belak had no idea how highly the
Nordiques rated him.
"I only talked to them once and I didn't know what was going to
happen," he says. "I really wasn't worried too much about the
Draft... you keep playing and do your best."
Less than a year later the Nordiques were the Avalanche, but the
mobility of the franchise that drafted him isn't a concern.
"I've never played in Quebec, it's a great city and a great
culture in Quebec... but Denver's a great place too, I'm happy to
move there," he says. "It's a great hockey town, good sports
town, there's lots to do there, the fans are great & the
organization is great." Sounds like he'll enjoy it.
But first comes Hershey, and while this season is technically his
rookie season, it's also Belak's third stint in the AHL. Belak
twice joined Cornwall after Saskatoon's season had ended, both
times playing in several playoff games. "It was good to go to
Cornwall and extend the hockey season and get a step ahead of
everybody," said Belak. "It gave me a lot of confidence for the
next year... I knew what to expect."
While he didn't expect his first full season in the AHL to be in
Hershey, Belak is quickly becoming a fan favorite in a town that
likes rough play... and was pretty rough on him when he played
for the Aces. But Belak is enjoying Hershey off the ice, and on
the ice he knows why he's there.
"Coming from junior to the NHL is a huge difference in speed, and
the players are a lot older and stronger," he says. "Once you've
done well enough in the AHL it's not that big of a jump to the
NHL because you're used to the speed and the quickness of the
game."
Belak counts his exhibition games with Colorado this September as
his favorite moments in hockey and given time he'll see many more
games with Colorado.
"Right now he needs time in the minors to adjust his game," says
Hartley. "The committment that he's showing... I'm sure that
he's going to be [in the NHL], it's just a matter of time."
Meanwhile, other teams can only be grateful he's not teamed up
with McAllister anymore.
-------------------------------------------------------------
CANUCKS' OWNERSHIP QUIETLY CHANGES HANDS
-------------------------------------------------------------
by Carol Schram, Vancouver Correspondent
On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment held a
press
conference to announce that longtime Canuck head Arthur Griffiths
had sold his remaining shares in the organization to his business
partner, John McCaw of Seattle. The McCaw family now has complete
control over GM Place and the NBA Vancouver Grizzlies, as well as
owning 86 percent of Northwest Sports Enterprises, which owns the
NHL Vancouver Canucks and Winning Spirit sports clothing and
accessory stores. The other 14 percent of Northwest is publicly
held stock. Suddenly, for the first time in more than 20 years,
the
Griffiths family does not control NHL hockey in Vancouver.
It is unclear at this time how the ownership change will affect
Vancouver's sports franchises in the future, but this latest
transaction isn't nearly as dramatic as the Griffiths'
acquisition
of the Canucks in 1974. A Minnesota company called Medical
Investments Corporation (Medicor) owned 60.1 percent of Northwest
Sports when the Canucks entered the NHL in 1970 after a long
struggle for recognition by the league. The Canucks had enjoyed
many years of success in the Western Hockey League when Toronto
Maple Leafs' head Stafford Smythe showed up in 1964 with a
promise
to bring big-league hockey to Vancouver -- if the city would just
give him a prime parcel of downtown land on which they could
build a
state-of-the-art arena. City council laughed him all the way
back
to Toronto, but Smythe had planted a seed in the minds of
Vancouverites: NHL hockey could be theirs, if only they had the
right facilities.
Endless debates ensued over the best location for a new arena and
how to finance it. In 1965, former Vancouver mayor Fred Hume
finally got the deal done to build the $6 million Pacific
Coliseum
on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds in East Vancouver.
Captain Harry Terry, President of the PNE, managed to wangle $2
million each in financing from the federal and provincial
governments. The city offered an additional million, and the PNE
and City of Vancouver agreed to jointly raise another million
dollars. The building was completed in January of 1968 -- after
Vancouver had been denied a franchise in the 1967 expansion. The
Western League Canucks continued to fill the needs of
hockey-hungry
Vancouver fans, and in February of 1968, the Pacific Coliseum
played host to the largest hockey crowd ever assembled in Canada
when 16,511 gathered to watch the Montreal Canadiens Old-Timers
beat the Western All-Stars 3-1.
After being rebuffed in their first bid for a franchise, in 1969
Vancouver was then denied the opportunity to take over the
faltering
Oakland Seals organization, which was drawing crowds of around
4,000
to home games. The Seals finally moved to Cleveland in 1976, but
by
then their fate was sealed. In September of 1969, it was finally
announced that Vancouver and Buffalo would be the next NHL
expansion
cities -- after paying the then-exorbitant franchise fee of $6
million. This marked a significant increase over the fees paid
in
1967 and put a big wrench into the grand plans of Vancouver's
local
ownership group. The league wasn't sympathetic and announced
that
if the group couldn't raise the money themselves, they would find
someone who could handle the financial burden. At a Board of
Governors meeting, David Molson of Montreal, Walter Bush of the
Minnesota North Stars and Bill Jennings of the New York Rangers
decided the perfect candidate was Thomas Scallen of Medicor in
Minneapolis. A medical leasing company formed in 1960, Medicor
had
diversified into entertainment-related businesses, an ad agency,
and the Ice Follies skating show. The deal was done by December
of
1969, when Scallen and his vice-president, Lyman Walters, spent
$2.85 million to acquire the minor league Vancouver Canucks
franchise, Rochester of the American Hockey League, 51 players,
and
the services of then-Canuck coach and general manager Joe
Crozier.
The team's Canadian directors were minority shareholders Cyrus
McLean, Coley Hall, Frank McMahon, and Max Bell. Six weeks
later,
Vancouver was officially awarded its NHL franchise. The team
played
its first NHL game on Oct. 9, 1970.
The Canucks were brutal on the ice those first few seasons, but
fans
flocked to see the stars they had heard so much about with
legendary
teams of the day like the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston
Bruins.
The franchise was a gold mine as the club played to 97.5 percent
of
capacity its first season and enjoyed a huge season ticket base
in
its second year. But this was not enough to satisfy Thomas
Scallen
and Medicor. As early as June of 1971, the BC Superintendent of
Brokers began an investigation into the financial affairs of
Northwest Sports, based on an anonymous tip he had received from
Minneapolis. By the middle of the Canucks' second season, their
American Fairy God-Owners had been charged with the theft of $3
million in club funds and with issuing a false prospectus with
the
intent to induce the public to buy shares in Northwest Sports.
Medicor's majority stake in the Canucks was temporarily placed in
escrow, and in June of 1972, local businessman Herb Capozzi lent
Medicor $3.65 million to redeem its shares and, in effect, take
control of the team. In April of 1973, Scallen was found guilty
on
both counts and sentenced to four years on each, to be served
concurrently. Off to the big house for the wunderkind.
The Griffiths family finally purchased Northwest Sports in 1974,
at
the then-bargain-basement price of $8.5 million. Patriarch Frank
Griffiths was an accountant by trade who specialized in
receiverships. After Griffiths started to build his empire in
broadcasting in the late 1950s, radio station CKNW General
Manager
Bill Hughes pointed out the attractiveness of the Canucks'
franchise to the Griffiths family in the 70s by underscoring the
advertising revenues being generated by the radio station's
hockey
broadcasts. At first, Frank wasn't interested, but his wife,
Emily, was keen on the acquisition and the team was a steal, so
eventually Frank relented and the deal was done.
Over the next decade, the Griffiths family concentrated on
building
up its broadcasting. By 1977, the family owned six radio and TV
stations and annual broadcast revenues totaled $17 million.
Frank
played the role of chairman of the Canucks, but the hockey team
was
a bit of a vanity asset until his 24-year-old son Arthur
graduated
from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in 1980 with a
diploma in Financial Management. Out of all the family
businesses,
Arthur chose to focus on the hockey team and was originally
brought
in to work in the front office as Frank's assistant.
In 1982, the Canucks made their first trip to the Stanley Cup
finals and Arthur began to gather his own power within the
organization. He assumed more and more responsibility over the
years, particularly as his father's health started to decline in
the early 1990s. One of Arthur's jobs was to negotiate the
team's
lease with their landlords at the PNE, and while the Canucks had
nowhere else to play, Arthur constantly threatened to pack up and
build his own downtown arena as a negotiating ploy.
In 1992, Frank Griffiths suffered a stroke and was placed on life
support for ten days. Around the same time, Northwest Sports
purchased five acres of land on the old Expo 86 site downtown
for
$14 million. The next month, they announced that they'd build a
20,000 seat arena for $100 million, including land costs. They
started construction in 1993 without having secured all necessary
financing, wanting to be ready to go for the start of the 1995
season. Cost estimates ballooned as construction took place, and
the crafty conservative accountant Frank Griffiths watched in
horror from his sickbed as his son overextended the family
empire.
In April of 1994, as the Canucks were about to embark on their
second thrilling ride to the finals, Frank Griffiths passed away
on
the same day that he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in
the Builders Category. His team was about to reach their
greatest
moment of glory, but his family fortune was on the brink of
collapse.
The McCaw family was originally invited into the fold to invest
in
the new Vancouver Grizzlies organization. Arthur figured an NBA
franchise would make an excellent second tenant for his new
arena,
but the $100 million expansion fee was a bit daunting on top of
the
arena construction costs. In 1994, John and Bruce McCaw had sold
their cellular phone business to AT&T for a whopping $11.5
billion
(U.S.), so they were flush with cash and looking for something to
do. Nevertheless, the brothers' reclusive tendencies led Arthur
to
believe that he had found the perfect silent partners' to invest
in his business. The McCaws said they weren't interested in the
Grizzlies unless they could also have a stake in the arena, so
that
meant involving the hockey club, too. Orca Bay was founded to
satisfy those terms, and the Griffiths were originally supposed
to
maintain 70 percent of the stock, with 30 percent falling to the
McCaws.
Naturally, with uncertain financing and NBA franchise payments
due
on top of ballooning arena construction costs and revenue lost
during the 1994 NHL lockout, the Griffiths' soon found themselves
short of cash. The McCaws were quick to step up and offer all
the
money they needed. So while Arthur and his sister Emily had
contributed $44 million in equity to Orca Bay by February of
1995,
that was good for only a 20 percent interest in the company. It
may be great to have a partner with deep pockets when you need
his
money, but that partner's investment can only come to mean
ultimate
control in the end.
As Arthur started to lose his power base in the organization, the
McCaws began to bring in more and more of their own people to run
Orca Bay's front office business. Griffiths was eventually
demoted
from Chairman of Orca Bay to Co-Chair, then Vice Chair. He lost
his title of CEO of Northwest Sports and fell to the position of
Alternate Governor. The reclusive John McCaw took over as
Chairman
of Orca Bay and brought in his long-time right-hand man, Stanley
McCammon to work alongside him.
At the same time as the Griffiths' began to feel the pinch on the
sports side of their empire, the situation also began to tense up
in the broadcasting arm. Their broadcast conglomerate, Western
International Communications, bought out another family empire,
Allarco of Edmonton in 1991. Allarco's founder, Dr. Charles
Allard, died less than six months later, and his offspring began
the fight to wrest control of their business back from the
Griffiths. Arthur's brother Frank Jr. was appointed Co-Chair of
WIC
when Frank Sr. became ill, and endless court battles and takeover
attempts have marred the two families' business efforts over the
past five years. While the Griffiths' have rebuffed all threats
thus far, the senior Emily Griffiths was forced to fire her son
this summer after WIC President Doug Holtby resigned, admitting
that Holtby could not be replaced as long as her obstinate son
was
in a position of such power. The latest battle between the
families is now in the BC Court of Appeals. At present, the
Griffiths' family share in WIC is valued at about $45 million,
while the Allards control about $65 million worth of stock. Good
sized numbers in Canadian business, but certainly small potatoes
compared to the McCaws.
This past summer, Arthur's sister Emily decided to sell her 10
percent interest in Orca Bay. Because Arthur didn't have the
cash
to buy her out, she sold to the McCaws. With only his 10 percent
stake remaining, Arthur saw the writing on the wall. On Nov. 12,
he too sold out to McCaw, becoming nothing more than another
salaried employee at Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment. He may
have aimed too high in the end, but Arthur succeeded in realizing
his dreams of building a beautiful downtown arena, bringing the
NBA
to Vancouver, and turning the Canucks into perpetual contenders.
He is still just 39 years old, and while the family obviously
misses Frank Sr.'s shrewd business dealings, for now their
fortune
remains relatively intact. Arthur will continue working in the
industry that he loves, but from here on out, as a sports
executive, he is at the mercy of his so-called silent partners',
the McCaws.
Here in Vancouver, the McCaw family remains shrouded in mystery.
The brothers are notoriously media-shy and do not grant
interviews. There has been little public indication of their
plans
for Orca Bay or their teams. Local sports fans take solace in
the
knowledge that the family also owns the arena, so they would gain
nothing by moving their two prime tenants out of Vancouver.
There's also some reassurance in the success that the McCaws had
in
building, then selling, their cellular phone business. But
that's
about all that anybody knows so far. When Orca Bay held the
press
conference to announce the change in Arthur's ownership status,
John McCaw agreed to talk to the media afterwards only on the
condition that no cameras or tape recorders be present in the
room. Even then, he offered little in the way of a vision of the
future of Orca Bay.
Arthur Griffiths' departure from Orca Bay marks the end of an
era.
Canucks fans watched him mature from a wet-behind-the-ears
son-of-the-owner to a shrewd and daring entrepreneur.
Ultimately,
Arthur's master plan did not turn out quite the way he wanted,
but
he and his family have definitely left an indelible mark on
Vancouver sports history.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Iginla and Grier Serving as Role Models
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Chris Foreman
Sometimes exclusive clubs develop which keep out certain
prospective
members. Often,
the exclusion is unintentional and at the fault of no one. Over
time,
stereotypical
circumstances make the task of entering the fellowship all the
more
challenging. That is
the case of the black athlete in the National Hockey League.
Unfortunately, thirty-eight years after Willie O'Ree skated into
the
record books,
minority players are still scarce on NHL depth charts.
In Canada, where hockey is the national past-time, blacks compose
a very
small
percentage of the total Canadian population. While in the
States, up
until a few years
ago the game was striclty a regional sport, which limited its
availability to much of the
country. It's barely a footnote to African Americans, as
compared to
Canadians who
have the history of Les Habitants and the Maple Leafs pounded
into their
heads from
birth.
Hockey also isn't exactly an easy sport in which to participate,
no
matter what the color of one's skin. Over the years, kids
have drifted toward baseball, basketball and football because
they are
much cheaper to
participate in. One could pick up a ball or glove, and a pair of
sneakers and play for
hours. To play hockey, even the nineties' phenomenon of street
hockey,
one would need
to buy a stick, which frequently needs replaced, and for safety
purposes
a helmet, gloves
and knee and elbow pads as well. If a youngster wants to be a
goalie,
the cost for
equipping that player could run in the neighborhood of $300 for
decent
gear.
Involvement in ice hockey requires a serious dip into a family's
budget,
as it's common to
have a receipt totaling more than $1,000. Few families can
afford that
type of
expenditure.
The ice itself is a bit of a stumbling point as well. Unlike the
other
major sports, to play
hockey professionally, one has the additional obstacle of needing
to be
a capable skater.
This requires a lot of time, making it necessary for a beginner
to have
a rink nearby. In
the United States, disregarding the cities that have professional
teams,
opportunities to
learn how to skate are few and far between.
Furthermore, the sport isn't a traditional P.E. (Physical
Education)
activity. Hockey isn't
exposed to many youngsters, unless, again, they live in a major
market
that has a
professional team. For all these reasons, it has been extremely
difficult for minorities to
make their mark on the game.
However, that appears to be changing as two rookies are
contributing
their efforts
toward opening the locker room doors to more black players.
Emerging as a true role model and pioneer, Mike Grier became the
first
American-born
and trained minority to play in the NHL Oct. 4th against the
Buffalo
Sabres. Grier,
dealt to the Edmonton Oilers last season along with Curtis
Joseph,
became the 26th
black player to suit up in the NHL.
One night later in Vancouver, Jarome Iginla donned the Calgary
Flame
jersey to become
the 27th. The 19-year-old power forward, chosen 11th overall by
the
Dallas Stars in the
1995 Entry Draft, was born in Edmonton and is of Nigerian
descent.
Not only are the two first-year players in the spotlight because
of
their trailblazing
examples, but both could evolve into bonafide stars.
Grier, originally a seventh-round selection (219th overall) of
the St.
Louis Blues in 1993,
has played a solid two-way game for the surprising Oilers. In 20
contests, (through Nov.
23) the 225-pound right wing has two goals, six assists and is a
+6.
Iginla, a favorite to become the first minority to win the Calder
Trophy
as the league's
most outstanding rookie, has hovered around the lead in points
for
newcomers with 16
(through Nov. 23). He has also helped to ignite the Flames' power
play,
which figured to
be anemic after the retirement of feisty forward Gary Roberts.
Five of
Iginla's seven
goals, and two of his nine assists have come with the
man-advantage.
They are not the only ones attempting to smooth the ice for
future black
hockey players.
O'Ree, hockey's "Jackie Robinson", lent his name to an all-star
game for
minorities held
last January at the World Junior Championships. The sponsors,
the NHL
and USA
Hockey, have organized after-school youth programs in such cities
as
Detroit, New York
City, and Washington, D.C.
O'Ree, now a security worker for the Hotel Del Coronado in San
Diego,
languished in
the minors for two years before making history Jan. 18, 1958 as a
member
of the Boston
Bruins. Boston called him up for what amounted to a sip of
coffee,
playing in just two
games. Two-and-a-half years later he returned to the Bruins
roster,
dressing for another
43 games. The remainder of his professional career was spent in
the
minors.
With the NHL working in partnership with the inner cities, one
can only
hope that young
children will begin to emulate Grier, and Iginla, among others,
for
their leadership,
determination and spirit.
Additional Notes:
* Listed, in order by year, are the 25 who preceded Grier and
Iginla.
Game
totals for players who are still active, are as of the conclusion
of the
1995-96 season:
O'Ree (1958-1961, 45 games)
Mike Marson (1974-80, 196)
Bill Riley (1976-80, 139)
Tony McKegney (1978-91, 912)
Bernie Saunders (1979-81, 10)
Ray Neufeld (1980-90, 595)
Grant Fuhr (1981-present, 675)
Val James (1981-87, 11)
Brian Johnson (1983-84, 3)
Dirk Graham (1984-95, 772)
Eldon Reddick (1986-present, 132)
Steve Fletcher (1987-89, 3)
Claude Vilgrain (1987-94, 89)
Paul Jerrard (1988-89, 5)
Mike McHugh (1988-89 1991-92, 20)
Graeme Townshend (1989-present, 45)
Reggie Savage (1991-present, 34)
Dale Craigwell (1991-present, 98)
Darren Banks (1992-94, 20)
Donald Brashear (1993-present, 101)
Sandy McCarthy (1993-present, 191)
Fred Brathwaite (1994-present, 40)
Craig Martin (1994-95, 20)
Joaquin Gage (1994-present, 18)
Jason Doig (1995-present, 15).
* Graham is the only one to sport the "C" on his chest. The
forward
held the
captaincy of the Chicago Blackhawks from 1989-90 to 1994-95.
=========================================================
Ron Francis: All Around Swell Guy
=========================================================
By John Kreiser
If Ron Francis were in the movies instead of on the ice, he'd
have a couple of "Best Supporting Actor" Oscars on his mantle.
Francis is the NHL's No. 1 second banana. Though he'd be the
biggest star on a lot of teams, in Pittsburgh, he takes a back
seat to the REALLY big names -- players like Mario Lemieux and
Jaromir Jagr. All he does is score goals, pile up more assists
than just about anyone, work the power play and kill penalties.
What he doesn't do is get a lot of attention.
But that's OK with him.
"It's never been a problem with me," he says of not receiving the
acclaim his performance clearly entitles him to. "I really don't
have a big ego that needs to be patted a lot. I generate a lot of
my enjoyment for the game by the success of the team. To play
with Mario and Jaromir increases the odds that the team is going
to have some success. By doing that, it makes my job -- coming to
the rink -- a lot more enjoyable."
While coming to the rink may not have been as enjoyable this year
as it was over the past few seasons because of the Penguins'
woeful start, Francis is still putting up his usual superb
numbers. He's among the league leaders in assists and points per
game. A second straight 100-point season is still well within the
realm of possibility. But even if he hits triple figures, it's
doubtful that many people will realize it.
After all, he's never made a post-season All-Star team. The only
awards he's won are the Selke (best defensive forward) and Lady
Byng (skillful but gentlemanly play) -- and both came after the
lockout-shortened 1995 season. Francis nearly didn't get a trip
to the All-Star game last season. Neither the fans nor opposing
coaches voted him onto the Wales Conference team, though he was
among the top five NHL scorers at the time. Only an invitation
from Commissioner Gary Bettman -- and some soul-searching --
resulted in Francis playing at the Fleet Center.
"I thought long and hard about not going," he says. "The only
reason I accepted was that I deserved to go."
It's not that Francis doesn't know what it's like to be a
headliner. He was "Mr. Whaler" for nearly a decade in Hartford, a
leader on the ice and in the locker room and the team's most
popular player among fans. It's arguable that the Whalers'
present mess stems from in large part from the March 1991 deal
that sent Francis and Ulf Samuelsson (Francis' best friend) to
Pittsburgh for John Cullen and Zarley Zalapski. Five years later,
the feelings remain.
"It was more of a shock for me than for Ulf because I had been
there longer," he says. "I more or less grew up in Hartford. I
was 18 when I got there, 28 when they traded me. We had sort of
had contract problems, but a week before the deal, they told me
they were happy with me and that they weren't going to trade me.
You tend to let your guard down a little bit after that, but then
I got the phone call. It came four weeks after the birth of
our first child, so that was obviously very tough."
Eddie Johnston, the Whalers' GM at the time, had taken Francis'
captaincy away from him before the trade. Imagine Francis' shock
a couple of years later when Johnston, who had been fired by the
Whalers, resurfaced as coach of the Penguins.
Francis makes no bones about the fact that Johnston's arrival
made for a few tense moments.
"It was extremely awkward after everything that happened in
Hartford," he says. "But that was sort of a different situation.
I had conversations here with (GM) Craig Patrick and (owner)
Howard Baldwin before the hiring, and they assured me I wasn't
going anywhere.
"But when E.J. got here, he and I went in and talked for a good
40 minutes. We cleared the air about everything that went on in
Hartford. Eddie's been great to me here, and as time has gone on,
I've found out more about what went on in Hartford and the
individuals involved, especially E.J., you see the finger doesn't
point to Eddie as much as it does to other people involved
in the whole Hartford fiasco."
But as terrific a player as Francis is -- and he's a good bet to
make the Hall of Fame when he hangs up his skates -- he's a
better person. Few players have devoted as much effort to
charitable causes as Francis, who got an early introduction to
what life is like for some of the less fortunate.
"I have a younger brother, Rickey, who has a learning
disability," he says. "Rickey's been involved in the Special
Olympics as an athlete, so I got to know a lot of the kids and to
be part of it. In Connecticut, that was our pet charity; I'm
still on the Special Olympics board up there."
Now, Francis is working on a new charitable project -- one that
will treat long-term hospitalized children and their families to
dinner, a Penguin game, transportation and souvenirs "to help
them forget about things." The format is being tested this
season, but Francis hopes to have Pittsburgh's other teams get
involved, too.
"For me, it's very important to give back." he says of his
reasons for spending so much of his free time on charitable work.
"I grew up with this because of my brother, so it's a lot closer
to home for me. I have a wife and a family (he and his wife
recently celebrated the birth of their third child), and we have
a very comfortable life. I'm in a position to do things that give
back to people who haven't been as fortunate as I have. It's
important for me; it might not be for some other guys."
What's important for the NHL is that there are more players like
Francis -- ones who give their all on the ice and off it. Francis
may never make a post-season All-Star team, but if there were an
all-service team, he'd be a perennial.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Officiating: More than Marginally Worse
---------------------------------------------------------------
by Eric Seiden
This year, the officiating in the National Hockey League has
reached the nadir of the NHL's history. Even pond scum floats
above what fans around the league have seen. Many words can be
used to describe what the officials are doing on the ice, but
"officiating" isn't one of them. Where, then, to point
the finger? The referee?
Sure, every fan in every sport in every country (and probably on
every planet) hates the referee. It's a tradition as old as
time. And it's certainly a thankless profession. Complaints are
nothing new. Right? Well, from a fan's sole perspective as it
relates to his or her team, this could very well be true.
However, sometimes one has to reach beyond the traditional
fan derision of the referees and look deeper for the real
problem.
First, if you've ever had the perspective of being a referee, you
will realize it's a difficult job. In hockey it's one of the
most difficult of any sport. Not only do you have to know the
game, you have to be a well-conditioned athlete. Unlike the
players, you skate the rink for the whole game and have to have
eyes everywhere. And always in the back of your mind, you know
you can't be everywhere and see everything, but the fans up in
the stands do. It's not an easy job.
Every fan always feels the referee is picking on his or her team.
In fact, every fan has a least favorite official. For instance,
my least favorite is MacGeough because he hates the Panthers more
than a Lightning fan. Yet what we as fans have witnessed this
season on the ice which passes for officiating is not the fault
of the referees.
The referees are solely responsible for administering a policy of
officiating. They do not set the standard. This policy is set
forth by the NHL. The officials must interpret the rules and
enforce them according to the mandates sent down to them. And
the NHL did decree "No Marginal Calls." It falls upon the
official to interpret a Marginal Call. What is a Marginal
Call? Well, if there were a simple answer, perhaps the deep
morass in which the NHL has ensconced itself wouldn't be such a
mess. A Marginal Call is a simple concept with no simple answer.
A Marginal Call is composed of two types of calls. The first is
rather simple: a call that the referee doesn't clearly see.
Maybe it was a trip or maybe it was bad acting. Instead of
calling it, it's not called. This has gone off rather well, and
it's much more difficult to sneak in a bad penalty. The other
component of Marginal Call involves more discretion on the part
of the official. Specifically, the referee sees one player
holding a stick of another, albeit briefly. In the past, every
infraction of the rules was called in the guise of cracking down
on illegal interference (the famed but seldom seen "clutch and
grab"). Now, some of these calls, especially the ones that are
of no consequence and cause no change in the flow of the game,
cause no turnover of the puck, and are primarily incidental
contact are just ignored.
On the surface "no marginal calls" is a fine idea: a noble
concept. When we first heard of it before the season began, many
of us thought the game would benefit. And verily, it was so.
There are more plays, less stoppages of play -- some of which is
attributable to the new offsides rule -- and a more speedy game.
But the game has developed something new and disturbing.
Specifically, there are calls being missed (not called) that
should be called. Players are engaging in thuggery on the ice.
Many games are reminiscent of the movie "Slapshot" and any minute
we expect to see the Hanson Brothers emerge. Players are tackled
from behind, camping in the goal crease, and swinging sticks with
dangerous abandon with no fear of reprisals. In short, hockey is
degenerating rapidly in to its ugly past.
I would love to say how the referees picked on my team, and my
team lost because of it. But the fact is, with a very rare
exception, if your team loses, it's because the other team was
better, or they got a lucky break, or you had lots of injuries.
One bad or missed call shouldn't decide a game and generally it
doesn't. In all fairness, with one exception, every game I've
seen this season the officiating has been equally bad for and
against the home team.
I don't mean it's been bad in terms of the fan thinking, "what
game is the ref watching?" but in terms of calls being ignored.
The concept of "marginal" was clearly not explained to the
referees. If this is not rectified by the league in short order,
it will be a long, arduous season for all fans. The NHL has a
responsibility not only to the game and to preserve its
integrity, and not only to the players to preserve their safety,
but also to the fans to see that the game being played is fair to
both teams. Let's clean it up.
----------------------------------------------------------------
LCS Survey: Officiating
----------------------------------------------------------------
by LCS: Guide to Hockey
With all the hype about the quality of officiating in the NHL,
LCS has decided to break out the investigative journalism skills
and dig deeper into the subject.
The first step was to take to the streets to poll hockey fans on
their opinions regarding the state of officiating... and I think
we all know how painful that can be. Anyway, the survey was
extremely scientific, as we wore lab coats and often recited
quotes from "Star Trek" the entire time.
We scoured the streets and talked to hundreds of people in a
frenzied afternoon of research. Would you believe it, hundreds
of people. Oh, you find that hard to believe? How about fifty
people? Okay, well, how about 12 people and a German Shepherd?
Here is a list of the questions we asked, followed by the
survey's results:
Question 1: How would you rate the current officiating
system in the NHL?
10% said the system was sufficient.
15% said it sucks.
74% said it sucks donkeys.
1% wanted a milk bone.
So, as you can see, there is a great deal of dissatisfaction with
the current system.
Question 2: Who is to blame for the officiating problem:
the referees on the ice, or the league itself for creating such
pathetic standards and policies such as the whole "marginal call"
idea?
35% blamed the referees.
64% blamed the league itself.
1% still wanted a milk bone.
Obviously, from this very enlightening data, fans blame the
league and its policy makers for the troubles, not the actual
refs themselves.
Question 3: What could be done to fix the problems?
32% wanted to "marginally" beat the officials about the head and
shoulders with a blunt object.
64% wanted to "marginally" beat Brian Burke and Gary Bettman
about the head and shoulders with a blunt object.
2% wanted a milk bone.
Once again, the blame is placed on the league, and not so much on
the actual officials. Although, the violent answer to the
problem is rather disturbing. Also, notice the alarming increase
in the desire for milk bones. However, I must admit, the German
Shepherd did provide some very persuasive arguments.
Question 4: What are your feelings regarding the new take
on the "in the crease" rule?
99% said it was incredibly lame.
1% said they enjoyed watching goals be taken away and the outcome
of games changed by an anal retentive rule that in no way would
have hindered the goaltender's performance on the play in
question. After all, who wants to see goals scored?
This answer was also very intriguing. The rule is not a popular
one, as reflected by everyone who took part in the survey. The
intriguing thing, tho', is that someone was almost as big a wise
ass as ourselves when relating their sarcasm-drenched answer.
Well done.
Question 5: What are your feelings regarding the new rule
allowing goals scored off skates?
96% said it was incredibly lame.
3% said it was a refreshing change of pace from the usual skill
of the game.
1% said it was the greatest rule change in the world, because now
it renders sticks useless, thereby saving thousands of trees
annually.
Yes, sarcastic environmentalists... a rare breed indeed, but we
know where to look. Yet the point is made, this rule change is
not a good one either.
So let's review what we learned from this scientific research.
First, the officiating sucks. Second, it's the league's fault
for creating the standard, not the actual officials on the ice.
Third, physical violence seems to be the popular solution.
Fourth, the two new rules, in the crease and kicking in goals,
are incredibly lame.
With this knowledge as our weapon, LCS called the NHL offices in
New York City to voice our complaints and share our findings.
Here now is a transcript of that call:
NHL Offices: Hello, NHL New York, may I help you?
LCS: Um, yeah, how's it goin'?
NHL Offices:Fine, sir. How may I help you?
LCS: Well, my name is Michael Dell and I'm the ol'
editor-in-chief of LCS: Guide to Hockey and...
CLICK
Well, we tried... we did our part...
=============================================================
LCS Video Game Review: Hockey Enters the "Next-Generation"
=============================================================
by Alex Frias
Back in the 1980's, when video gaming really took off, the old
Nintendo 8-bit system, the NES, was THE thing to have. I don't
remember the exact numbers but I believe one-in-every-three homes
had a NES attached to their TV. Back then, Konami's "Blades of
Steel" was the one and only true hockey game. It mixed strategy
with the ever popular head-to-head fighting scenes and never
really got repetitive.
Then comes the 16-bit "revolution" with the Sega Genesis and
Super Nintendo in the forefront. Enter Electronic Arts and their
"NHL Hockey" line. They brought an unmatched level of realism to
the games, from real teams and players to one-timers and even
goalie control. Hockey fans loved it and made the NHL series one
of the best selling sports lines.
1996. The "next-generation" in video gaming systems arrives.
This time it's a three horse race with the Sony PlayStation, Sega
Saturn, and recently released Nintendo 64. Each one boasts
powers that just boggles the mind and provides enough eye candy
to give you cavities. With improved technology comes improved
gaming, or at least in theory. We're going to take a look at
four games appearing on these consoles this holiday season, NHL
'97 for PlayStation, NHL '97 for Saturn, NHL PowerPlay for
Saturn, and Wayne Gretzky 3D Hockey for Nintendo 64.
NHL '97
by Electronic Arts for the Sony PlayStation
Review by Alex Frias
"If it's in the game, IT'S IN THE GAME." If you've ever seen an
EA Sports commercial on ESPN, I'm sure you familiar with this
saying. And like most EA Sports games, NHL '97 is no exception.
EA incorporated more options than you'll probably ever utilize.
From Exhibition, to playing a Season or Playoff Series, to a
Shootout, they've got you covered. Play options are also
diverse, ranging from Period Length and Penalties to Line Changes
and Fighting. Except for the inability to save line combinations
which can become a pain when running through a season, EA did a
rather solid job here as usual.
EA must have opened that can of whoop ass 'cause graphically,
this game kicks some serious booty. Featuring nine different
camera angles and 3-D polygon players, you really can't go that
further up the graphic ladder. Player names and numbers are
clearly visible on the back of their jersey. And except for a
smallish net, the rink actually looks like a rink with
advertisements plastered all over the boards and player
reflections on the ice.
All the extras added graphically must have been taken out of the
audio department, as except for the intro, its just below par.
While the infamous John Davidson does do some in-between period
commentary, it just doesn't sound original and gets old fast.
Play-by-play would have been a nice touch.
Game play is much like previous installments in the NHL series.
The only major addition is the signature moves. EA programmed
the signature moves of 65 NHL stars into the game. From
Messier's one footed wrister, to Forsberg's deke, and Selanne's
quick-stop shot. It brings some personality to the game and much
like in real life, allows the stars to be different. Besides
that, there really isn't anything new from previous NHL games. I
was a bit disappointed with EA by their decision to not include
play calling like some of the newer games, so you can't choose to
play the trap or run and gun. That would really have been
something and would have brought a whole new level to the game.
While some people have complained about the speed of the action,
I have to disagree as I find it to be very nice and realistic and
allows for the play to develop. All I can say to those looking
for more action is to rent Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat,
they'll give plenty of that.
Like most games, the artificial intelligence can only put up a
good fight for so long. Once you learn the tricks of the trade
and such, it can become rather easy to score. What I always do
when I start to find a game becoming too simple is too handicap
myself, and in this case I would play with a lesser team like the
Ducks or Islanders. Where NHL '97 really excels is its two
player game, as trash talking always brings a new level of
excitement to anything your invloved in.
So all in all, NHL '97 is another solid addition to any game
library and while it does have its faults, is definitely in the
front of the 32-bit class of hockey games.
RATING: 8 1/2 out of 10 Cullens
---------------------------------------------------------
LCS Gives Thanks
---------------------------------------------------------
by LCS: Guide to Hockey
At this time of year, it's natural for people to give thanks for
all the wonderful gifts they have. We here at LCS are no
different. The following is a short list of the things that make
LCS: Guide to Hockey feel so gosh darn thankful.
LCS is thankful that: charges were never pressed.
LCS is thankful that: Colt 45 can now be purchased in 24
packs.
LCS is thankful for: penicillin and all its infection
fighting power.
LCS is thankful for: the comedic genius of Don Knotts.
LCS is thankful for: the letter "V".
LCS is thankful that: Play-Doh is non-toxic and edible.
LCS is thankful for: alcohol induced sleep.
LCS is thankful that: Don Cherry is not our dad.
LCS is thankful for: pants.
LCS is thankful for: the six flavors of Mad Dog.
LCS is thankful that: Bea Arthur quit stalking us.
LCS is thankful for: the insightful and introspective
work of talk show host Jerry Springer.
LCS is thankful that: an advanced race of space goats has
not descended on Earth, enslaving all its inhabitants... except,
of course, for the Earth goats, who would all be given positions
of power.
LCS is thankful for: the apparent decline in the use of
the word "indigent" to describe us.
LCS is thankful for: Johnny Cullen and all his hockey-
playin' greatness.
LCS is thankful for: the marshmallowy goodness of Lucky
Charms.
LCS is thankful that: girls have now started slapping us
on the right side of our faces, giving the left side a much
needed rest.
LCS is thankful for: puppet shows.
LCS is thankful for: the Hartford Whalers still calling
the insurance capital of the world home.
But LCS is most thankful for: you, our valued
readers!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA PANTHERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Doug MacLean
Roster: C - Brian Skrudland, Rob Niedermayer, Martin
Straka, Steve Washburn. LW - Johan Garpenlov, Dave Lowry, Bill
Lindsay, Mike Hough, Radek Dvorak. RW - Scott Mellanby, Ray
Sheppard, Jody Hull, Tom Fitzgerald, Brad Smyth, Jason Podollan.
D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Paul Laus, Terry
Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Per Gustafsson, Geoff Smith. G - John
Vanbiesbrouck, Mark Fitzpatrick.
Injuries: Terry Carkner, d (ankle, due back Tuesday); Rob
Niedermayer, d (MCL tear, out 6-to-8 weeks); Johan Garpenlov, lw
(knee, out 4-to-6 more weeks).
Transactions: Traded Stu Barnes, c, and Jason Woolley, d, to
Pittsburgh in exchange for Chris Wells, c. Geoff Smith, d, Steve
Washburn, c, and Jason Podollan, rw, were called up from Carolina
(AHL). Craig Martin, rw, was called up from Carolina for the
11/11 Buffalo game only and will likely be called up for the next
Buffalo game as well.
Game Results:
11/11 at Buffalo L 3-2
11/13 at Montreal W 5-3
11/15 NY Islanders T 3-3
11/18 Washington L 4-2
11/20 LA Kings W 4-1
11/22 at Dallas W 2-1 OT
11/23 at Saint Louis W 3-1
TEAM NEWS by Eric Seiden
"It's another hockey night in South Florida, and here come your
Panthers," bellowed the announcer happily. And the crowd went
wild because the Panthers still sit alone on top of the Eastern
Conference. Yet the crowd was subdued more than they normally
would be because prodigal son Stu Barnes was traded away to
Pittsburgh along with season-long bench-warmer Jason Woolley. The
new Panther, Chris Wells, was welcomed even though the consensus
among fans and coaches was "he can't skate." The fans are
confused and hurt.
Wells is 6' 6" and 223 pounds. He was the 24th player picked in
the 1994 Draft. Wells did not play for Pittsburgh this season,
but he did have four goals and six assists in 15 games for the
Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL.
In fact, the Panthers have been playing very well considering
they have been beset by injuries, a trade, and a suspension of
Eddie Jovanovski for leaving the penalty box. While the rule is a
10-game suspension, he was given an exception for extenuating
circumstances and confusion. Even the referee Van Massenhoven
came to his defence saying "he got right back in after I told him
he shouldn't be leaving." Jovanovski left the box after a
confusing hand signal from Doug MacLean.
In fact, many continue to be extremely disappointed in Eddie
Jovanovski's play the past few games. He continues to make
repeated, grave tactical errors. He's still physical but he's
forgotten how to play good hockey. One hopes that a few game
suspension will give him back his lost hockey sense. He's much
better than his past few games would indicate.
Against the Islanders, the Panthers played a pathetic, rank,
stinking first period of hockey that was so bad, they should have
sent the whole team to the minors immediately. Do not pass go. Do
not collect $200 (an American reference, sorry to you out of the
country readers). The tie that the Panthers received was not
deserved. The Panthers continued the poor play against the
Capitals and lost that game. Fortunately, they recovered from
their slump quickly and went on to win three in a row,
including the first ever club win against St. Louis.
The Dallas game saw two tapes sent by the Panthers to the league
office. First was the intent to injury (non-call) on Rob
Niedermayer's knee and the second was a cross-check to the mouth
of Ed Jovanovski that drew blood and wasn't called. This game was
agreed by fans of both teams to represent a new low in
officiating.
Geoff Smith was a Panther through the end of last season and took
to the ice immediately after Jovanovski's suspension. His play
was always superb, but the Panthers are heavy on defense. He
stepped right in and did the job. Washburn and Podollan have to
spend a practice session or two before they play, but will enter
the lineup rotation any day.
FACTOIDS
All Panthers games up to and including 2-22-97 are COMPLETELY
sold out. Both April games are sold out. That means there are
only 11 games with remaining tickets. If you want to go, buy your
tickets now! All remaining games are expected to sell out by the
end of this month. Panther Pack tickets will still be available
for all games.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jacques Lemaire
Roster: C - Bob Carpenter, Bobby Holik, Sergei Brylin, Petr
Sykora. LW - Dave Andreychuk, Steve Thomas, Valeri
Zelepukin, Brian Rolston, Jay Pandolfo. RW - Bill Guerin, John
MacLean, Randy McKay, Reid Simpson, Denis Pederson. D - Scott
Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Lyle Odelein, Shawn
Chambers, Jason Smith, Kevin Dean. G - Martin
Brodeur, Mike Dunham.
Injuries: Reid Simpson, lw (surgery on something, indefinite).
Transactions: Sent Steve Sullivan, c, to Albany (AHL). Recalled
Jay Pandolfo, lw, from Albany (AHL). Traded Neal Broten, c, to
Los Angeles for future considerations.
Game Results
11/12 Washington W 3-2 OT
11/14 Vancouver L 3-0
11/16 Tampa Bay W 6-3
11/19 at Ottawa W 2-1
11/22 Washington L 5-1
11/23 at Washington L 4-3
TEAM NEWS by David Ibrahim
The Devils went into this last weekend having won seven of their
last eight, the one blemish a 3-0 loss to the Canucks in which
they turned in a putrid performance against goalie Mike Fountain,
who was playing in his first NHL game. But hey, you cant win
'em all. The Devils, having played the fewest games in the
league, went into a home and home against the Capitals, just a
few points away from the Florida Panthers. The stage was set for
the Devils to surge ahead: They were streaking, the offense was
beginning to show a steady heartbeat and they were 10-0-1 against
the Caps in their last 11. Of course, everything fell apart.
Everything the Devils touched in Friday's game turned to garbage.
Missed opportunities and bad plays at one end turned into goals
at the other. Their non-aggressive play was obvious and the Caps
quickly moved in for the kill, getting a pair from goon turned
offensive wonderboy Chris Simon. Brodeur was average at best,
giving up five and probably let in a few questionable ones. The
next night was no better as the Devils had a 2-0 lead, but
over-coaching by Lmaire hurt the Devs in a 4-3 loss. Lemaire,
obsessed with getting the right defensive line against the other
guys' offense, got burned twice while trying to make defensive
changes on the fly. The most notable was on Peter Bondra's
breakaway goal when the game was tied 3-3 late. Lemaire pulled
his defense off to get Stevens and Chambers on against Bondra,
but the change didn't happen quick enough as Bondra streaked down
the left side and scored. It was the type of game that will
be looked back on when the Devils are jockying for position in
March and April.
On the positive side of that game, Steve Thomas scored his first
goal in over a month (3rd of the season). Thomas, who has been
in a fog all season, needs to snap out of it for the Devils
offense to be fully functional. Instead of the usual great goals
that are par for the coarse with Thomas, his season has been
punctuated frequently with bad passes and other poor decisions
with the puck. Before the home and home, Thomas expressed his
frustration: "Let's face it, I'm not doing anything offensively,"
said Thomas. "Right now, for me to score a goal would be
euphoric." On Saturday night, he looked like the Steve Thomas
that everyone knows, firing bullets, playing smart and getting
tough. A good sign indeed.
Center Petr Sykora seems to have a deadly case of the Sophomore
jinx. Starting the season off with a groin injury, Sykora played
in only six games before reinjuring the groin. After coming back
for one game, he hurt the groin again, then got the flu. Sykora
is another vital part of the Devils offense, one they can't
afford to loose for much longer, especially with center being
their weakest point.
Despite going 3-3 in the last two weeks, management doesn't seem
to be too concerned. "Despite the fact we lost two games, we're
playing pretty good," said Lemaire. One player who hasn't been
playing as well is Martin Brodeur. Brodeur seems to be letting in
more marginal goals this season and has already been pulled
twice. No injury has been made public and there doesn't seem to
be any kind of explanation for his sub-par play. His play hasn't
been bad, but this team needs Marty just a little sharper.
NJ has a difficult three-game road trip coming up with three
games in four nights against Dallas, Phoenix and Colorado. After
that, they return home for three against Florida, Calgary and the
Coyotes. Two weeks of tough challenges that the Devils need to be
ready for if they are going to make an early bid for first place
in the Eastern Conference.
Off the Boards
* Ken Daneyko didn't miss a game last week after loosing
four teeth to a high stick in the Vancouver game, then having
four root canals the next day. Unfortunately, he missed both
ends of the home and home against Washington to attend to family
matters.
* The Devils have never had a player who has averaged a
point a game under Jacques Lemaire. The closest was Scott
Stevens 79 points in 83 games in the 93-94 season. The Devils
have never had a player score 50 goals or 100 points while in New
Jersey. The closest was Kirk Muller, who scored 94 points in the
'87-'88 season.
At press time, the Devils announced that they had traded "Crash
Line"
right wing, Mike Peluso, and defensman Richard Persson to the
St. Louis Blues in exchange for a second-round 1999 draft pick
and
defenseman Ken Sutton. The Devils assigned Sutton to Albany of
the IHL.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mike Milbury
Roster: C - Travis Green, Bryan Smolinski, Derek Armstrong,
Claude Lapointe. LW - Derek King, Todd Bertuzzi, Marty McInnis,
Niclas Anderssen, Dave McLlwain, Brent Hughes. RW - Zigmund
Palffy, Mick Vukota, Dan Plante, Randy Wood. D - Scott Lachance,
Dennis Vaske, Richard Pilon, Bryan McCabe, Kenny Jonsson, Bryan
Berard, Doug Houda. G - Eric Fichaud, Tommy Salo, Tommy
Soderstrom.
Injuries: Rich Pilon, d (groin strain, indefinite).
Transacations: Traded Darius Kasparaitis, d, and Andreas
Johansson, lw, to Pittsburgh in exchange for Bryan Smolinski, c.
Game Results
11/13 Vancouver W 5-4 OT
11/15 at Florida T 3-3
11/16 Ottawa L 4-1
11/20 at Anaheim T 2-2
11/22 at Colorado L 3-2
11/23 at Phoenix T 3-3
TEAM NEWS by David Strauss
As one reporter put it, the last two weeks in Islanderville was
the NHL version of "Chutes and Ladders." They were out of the
Atlantic basement, then back in. They were staying close with
the defending Stanley Cup Champions, then they were blown out at
home by Ottawa. And then when they finally made the deal to pick
up a quality center and make them more than a one line team, they
had to give up one of their most popular players in return. And
of course, the Islanders continued to prove that they LIKE
kissing their sister, leading the league in ties.
After an exciting 5-4 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks, in
which they trailed 4-2 at one point and executed a third-period
comeback for the first time in two years, they traveled to Miami
and tied the Florida Panthers, 3-3. In that game, the Isles
outplayed the defending Eastern Conference titlelists, their role
models, for 59 minutes and 50 seconds. Of course, that's ten
seconds too short, and the Panthers actually scored twice
in that ten second span, midway through the game, to force the
tie.
After those two stirring games, the Islanders returned home for a
game against the Ottawa Senators. Before one of the season's
best crowds, the team sleepwalked through a 4-1 loss, giving up
three third-period goals to a team that is not the 1977
Canadiens. The next day, Milbury took action, shipping one of
the team's most identifiable players, 24-year-old Lithuanian
defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, and rookie Andreas Johansson to
the Pittsburgh Penguins for restricted free agent holdout center
Bryan Smolinski. (See feature article.)
Milbury blamed the Ottawa loss on the team's busy schedule. "The
tank was empty. It was as simple as that. That's four games in
five nights, and we got in at 4 o'clock in the morning. If that
sounds like an excuse, I guess that's too bad."
But the ties continue to mount. Although the 2-2 tie against
Anaheim was built on Smolinski's first goal as an Islander, it
was the first of the team's eight ties on the season where they
had actually come back to gain the two points, instead of losing
a third-period lead.
The latest example of this came in Phoenix, where a 3-0 lead
(built on three power-play goals 45 seconds apart, a team record)
evaporated under a Coyote onslaught in the third period and led
to a 3-3 deadlock. (And now that the Miami fans have stopped
throwing rats on the ice, can we all agree that the howling of
the Coyote fans is now by far the most annoying thing in the
league? I thought someone was strangling a wombat every five
minutes)
That's eight ties on the season, and seven of those were blown
leads, six of them third-period leads, three of them in the last
twenty seconds.
Say, maybe this only playing 59 minutes stuff is starting to
become a habit. If so, it's a bad one. Because in the NHL,
stopping on square 59 is always a chute and not a ladder.
NOTES:
* Number one member of Milbury's current Chateau de Bow Wow:
underachieving sophomore forward Todd Bertuzzi. After scoring 18
times last season, Bertuzzi has only dented the net once this
campaign, and looks lost. The Smolinski deal was made as much to
pick up a new center as it was to find someone to wake up
Bertuzzi, who might find himself in Salt Lake City Real
Soon Now.
* Congratulations to Bryan Berard, who scored his first NHL
goal in Phoenix, and to oft-injured Dennis Vaske, who returned to
the ice for the first time in almost a calendar year. "I'm not
nervous, but more anxious than anything," said Vaske. "I feel
like a rookie again."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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: Ulf Samuelsson, d (sprained medial collateral ligament,
early December).
Transactions: None.
Game Results
TEAM NEWS by Alex Frias
Mike,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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, Sylvain Blouin, Darren Langdon, Bill
Berg. RW - Alexei Kovalev, Brian Noonan, 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 (medial orbital bone fracture, late
December); Bill Berg, lw (groin strain, day-to-day).
Transactions: Traded Sergio Momesso, lw, to St. Louis for Brian
Noonan, rw. Recalled Sylvain Blouin, lw, from Binghamton.
Game Results
11/14 Philadelphia L 2-1
11/17 at Pittsburgh W 8-3
11/19 at Calgary L 5-3
11/21 at Edmonton L 3-2
11/23 at Vancouver L 5-3
TEAM NEWS by Alex Frias
The Clock is Ticking...
$36-million roster, highest in the NHL. Mark Messier, Wayne
Gretzky, Brian Leetch, and Mike Richter all on a roster with more
stars than an overpriced Broadway musical. All this adds up to
seven wins and 18 points for fifth place in the Atlantic and
eighth in the conference. What gives?
"I have no answers," Messier said.
"I can't give you guys an answer of where we're at," whispered
Gretzky.
There are answers, a lot of answers. The Rangers, who are 1-6-1
in the past eight games, are in desperate need of some roster
changes. It is obvious they can't score, they can often be seen
running around their own zone, and have been abused by their lack
of speed on numerous occasions.
When Pat Verbeek signed with Dallas over the summer, coach Colin
Campbell knew they would have to make up for his 41 goals. They
have not and the result is a 2-6 record in one-goal games and 14
games in which they have scored two or fewer goals. Recently
losing 3-2 to a younger, faster Edmonton team that saw Gretzky's
heir apparent on the Oilers, 25-year-old Doug Weight, hypnotize
and vandalize the 35-year-old Gretzky.
After passing up on Brendan Shanahan, who made too much money for
the Garden bigwigs, it left the Blueshirts with highly overpayed
Luc Robitaille, who is looking more and more like a skilled third
liner.
Alexei Kovalev has yet to have that "breakout" year, and for all
his defensive skills, Niklas Sundstrom still needs to work on his
offensive game if he plans on being more than a penalty killer.
Adam Graves, for all his character and heart, has never been the
same player he was before back surgery, and father time is
catching up with Messier after that remarkable 1995-96 season.
There have been some bright spots. Brian Leetch has been
phenomenal and is second to only Colorado's Sandis Ozolinsh in
points by a defensemen. Gretzky has proved his critics wrong
again, as he's gotten off to a great start that would have been
even better if someone was burying his fabulous passes. And the
play of both Daniel Goneau and Alexander Karpovtsev have been a
pleasant surprise.
But the minuses far outweigh the pluses. Don't forget about Jeff
Beukeboom, who leads the team with a minus-9 rating and has only
one assist even though he's always on the ice with Leetch and
either Messier or Gretzky. Even Mike Richter, who was brilliant
in the World Cup, has been nothing more than inconsistent.
The Rangers situation is very similar to the one the Pittsburgh
Penguins are in. one-two in payroll respectively, the Rangers
and Penguins were both pre-season Stanley Cup favorites, yet both
are struggling to score because their role players are simply not
contributing enough.
The one thing that does separate them is that Penguins GM Craig
Patrick saw that his team was having trouble competing and did
some wheeling and dealing to try and change that. And that's
exactly what the Rangers need, changes. I'm not saying to go out
and make three trades in 48 hours, but they need an upgrade
pronto.
Gretzky needs a winger who can finish his plays and they need
role players who'll drive to the net and cause havoc for opposing
goalies and defensemen.
"We'll make the adjustments to get better," Madison Square Garden
President Dave Checketts said. "The people in charge of the
Garden and in charge of the Rangers will find a way to right the
ship. We don't suffer losing very well."
Trades require players from both parties, so the question is, who
can GM Neil Smith offer other teams?
Robitaille, 30, $3 million per season and Beukeboom, 31, $2
million per season are some numbers that tend to scare away some
general managers. Bruce Driver has a no-trade clause and Alexei
Kovalev, who's lack of energetic and inspirational play has
diluted his market value, still has Smith drooling over his
potential. Sundstrom and Goneau would be greeted with open arms
by a lot of teams, but with the Rangers lack of promising young
forwards in the organization, it would be ill-advised especially
with the post-Messier era only a few years down the road.
Then there is the other big question, who can Smith get in
return?
There are some quick-fix stars who might be available for the
right price including Paul Coffey of Hartford and Brett Hull of
St. Louis. But do the Blueshirts have anymore room for expensive
veterans with strong personalities out on the ice?
I believe Smith should go after Vancouver's Russ Courtnall. With
both Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny ahead of him on the depth
chart, he could be had. Courntall, who's an unrestricted free
agent after the season, would bring some badly needed speed to
the right side of Gretzky.
The biggest Ranger hole has nothing to do with the coach and
wasn't fixed by signing Gretzky. It's the same hole that kept
them from knocking out the Penguins in last spring's playoffs
before Mario and Jagr got rolling. The Rangers simply can't
score goals. And whatever they do to try and start scoring more,
the Rangers need to do it fast because the clock is ticking...
* Following the Rangers' 2-1 loss to Philly at the Garden,
Neil Smith dealt seldom used left winger Sergio Momesso to St.
Louis for former Ranger Cup-winning right wing Brian Noonan.
"I hope it makes us better," Smith said after the Rangers dropped
to 6-10-4 by going a fifth straight game without a victory.
"It's not a shakeup deal. I don't think shakeup deals are
something you should do."
The swap of 31-year-old wingers helps relieve the Rangers'
overabundance of left wings while addressing their lack of right
wings. It also gives them a more versatile player, as Noonan can
play on the power play and kill penalties, while Momesso is more
of a five-on-five guy.
It also made sense economically, as Momesso was making $950,000
for taking notes on the game from the press box. Even though
Noonan doesn't make much less ($900,000 for each of the next two
seasons), at least he'll get a jersey every night.
Noonan, who just returned from a knee strain, had two goals and
five assists in 13 games with Mike Keenan. And just ask Momesso,
who was pointless in just nine games, how hard it is to put up
any points sitting up in the press box next to Sam Rosen and John
Davidson.
* Through extensive on and off ice training with Rangers
trainer Jim Ramsay, defensemen Ulf Samuelsson made his return to
the lineup in the game against Pittsburgh from a sprained left
medial collateral ligament back in late October.
Samuelsson, who was expected to be out until early December, will
have to wear a knee brace for the rest of the season.
* In other injury news, the Blueshirts lost resident tough guy
Shane Churla for four-to-five weeks to a fractured medial orbital
bone. It happened in the first period of the Ranger win over
Pittsburgh, when Shawn Antoski jumped in while Churla was
entangled with 6'6" Francois Leroux. Churla, who was told to
restrain from fisticuffs after breaking his right hand in the
exhibition season, unsuccessfully tried to wrestle with Antoski,
instead of fighting. Antoski, who has had more than his share of
fights, landed a heavy right hand to Churla's left eye,
fracturing the bone.
Churla saw an ophthalmologist and no surgery is required, but he
must stay inactive for two weeks. He might begin skating in
three weeks and possibly return in four-to-five weeks. The big
question is, will he be willing to wear a face shield, something
that is shunned by NHL tough guys?
With Churla gone for awhile, the Rangers called up Sylvain
Blouin. At 6'3", 210 pounds, the 20-year-old is a big, strong
kid that can create space for other players without looking out
of place on the ice. He led Binghamton in penalty minutes with
59 in 17 games while adding five goals and two assists. Blouin
led the AHL with 352 PIMs last season.
* Mark Messier's two goals in Pittsburgh and another against
the Flames moved him past Maurice "Rocket" Richard for 14th on
the NHL goal-scoring list with 547. He then tied Michel Goulet
for 13th place with his goal vs. Edmonton.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Terry Murray
Roster: C - Eric Lindros, Rod Brind'Amour, Dale Hawerchuk, Joel
Otto, Daniel Lacroix. LW - John LeClair, Dan Kordic, Shjon
Podein. RW - Mikael Renberg, Pat Falloon, John Druce, Trent
Klatt, Dainius Zubrus, Scott Daniels. D - Eric Desjardins, Kevin
Haller, Petr Svoboda, Chris Therien, Karl Dykhuis, Kjell
Samuelsson, Janne Niinimaa. G - Ron Hextall, Garth Snow.
Injuries: Eric Lindros, c (pulled groin, returning Nov. 26
vs. Boston); Kjell Samuelsson, d (sore ribs, day-to-day).
Transactions: None.
Game Results
11/10 Toronto W 3-1
11/13 at NY Rangers W 2-1
11/14 Washington L 5-2
11/16 San Jose T 2-2
11/21 Pittsburgh W 7-3
11/23 at Tampa Bay W 2-1
TEAM NEWS by Eric Meyer
Well, I guess my credibility has been shot to pieces. No
excuses... I promised and I couldn't deliver, though I had
the best of intentions. I told you November 21. That was supposed
to be the date that Eric Lindros was to return to the Flyers
lineup.
I, along with 19,000 other screaming Flyers fans were in
attendance at the CoreStates on that Thursday against the
Penguins to help welcome back the big guy. Unfortunately, when
the puck was dropped at approximately 7:35 pm EST, Mikael Renberg
and John LeClair were out on the ice, but with Dale Hawerchuk
doing the honors at center instead of Lindros.
The truth is, as of Tuesday night (11/19), it was made certain
that Eric wouldn't be making his 1996-97 debut against the Pens.
Eric Lindros, himself had targeted November 21 as his return
date. Yet, one of the main criteria for Lindros' return,
according to team doctor Art Bartolozzi, was for Eric to have
three straight practices without experiencing any pain in his
groin. Well, up until Tuesday, it appeared that Lindros was well
on his way to returning against Pittsburgh, but he came out of
that day's practice is a fair amount of pain. Eric, as well as
Flyer coaches and the team doctor, agreed that he should sit out
the game against Super Mario and the Pens.
While Eric Lindros wasn't able to play against Pittsburgh, there
was still the question of whether he would be able to lace up the
skates against Tampa Bay at the Ice Palace on Saturday. Well,
Lindros would lace up the skates and would take part in an
afternoon skate, but would not take place in the actual contest
between the two teams.
That leaves us with a Tuesday, November 26, matchup against the
Boston Bruins at the Gard--, rather, Fleet Center. Word is, is
that Lindros should, let me reiterate, should be ready
to go against the B's. Dr. Bartolozzi has said that Lindros is at
about 95% percent, but, and this is a big but, the groin
is a very delicate body part. Any pain experienced between Tampa
and Boston would result in a further setback. If, however, Eric
can go on Tuesday against the Bruins, his status would be
questionable whether he could suit up the following night on Long
Island against the Isles.
But enough about Lindros, this Flyers team might have picked an
ideal time to start, and remember, I say start, to gel. The name
of the game this season has been inconsistency. I've said it,
coach Murray has said it, players like Trent Klatt and Mikael
Renberg, to name a few, have said it, but it looks as if the
Flyers might be turning a corner at the quarter mark of the
season.
Case in point, this team has now won five straight games on the
road and have only lost one game in their last six. What has been
the spark? We can look to a couple of areas. First of all, two
weeks ago at home against the Maple Leafs. With time winding down
in the third period, coach Murray went to his fourth line of Dan
LaCroix, Dan Kordic and Scott Daniels. What ensued was an all out
donnybrook which included Ron Hextall leaving his goal crease to
skate the length of the ice to tangle with Toronto netminder,
Felix "The Cat" Potvin. Unfortunately for Hextall, Felix was able
to bear his big claws, opening up Hexy over his right eye.
Luckily, for Hextall, however, was the fact that he didn't get
suspended for his part in the fight. Under league rules, if a
fight ensues after regulation time has expired and a goaltender
leaves his crease to engage with another player, he can be
suspended for up to 10 games. Originally, the penalties were
issued by referee Don Koharski at the 20:00 mark of the third
period, but upon further review by the league, it was noted that
the fighting began before time had expired, thus sparing Hextall
from possible suspensions levied out by the league.
What else can we point to? How about some strong defensive play
coupled with so damn solid goaltending! In their last ten games,
the Flyers have yielded just three or more goals only four times.
In that stretch, the Flyers are 5-0-1 when they have held their
opponents to two goals or less. In fact, the Flyers have only
lost one game all season, a 1-0 shutout to the Flames, when they
have held their opponents under three goals.
Finally, the intangible which really might turn out to be the key
behind this Flyer resurgence is the impending return of Eric
Lindros. His teammates have pointed at it as a source of
motivation, and it seems that their actions on the ice have
backed this viewpoint up. Dale Hawerchuk now has five goals this
season including four in his last two games. Three of those goals
came Thursday against the defensive catastrophe that is the
Pittsburgh Penguins. John LeClair, who really had a rough go of
it early on, has really begun to come into his own in the past 10
or so games. Joel Otto has been as solid has ever, constantly
winning key faceoffs in big situations. Shjon Podein and Trent
Klatt have really played over their heads this season. After
sitting a few games early on, rookie defenseman Janne
Niinimaa has begun to pick up his game. His strong play as of
late will force Bob Clarke to rethink his options when Kjell
Samuelsson returns from a rib injury. In the one game that Kjell
Samuelsson did play in between his back and rib injuries, it was
Kevin Haller and not Niinimaa who was scratched from the lineup.
Meyer's Flyers Tidbits...
* Trade rumors galore coming out of Philadelphia. Let's break
them down. First of all, the one big name that has been tossed
around has been Paul Coffey. Coffey's name came up before the
season had even begun, but seemed to disappear for a while. Then
last week it resurfaced in a possible five-player deal with the
Whalers. Coming to Philadelphia would have been Coffey along with
Andrew Cassels (once thought to be Geoff Sanderson or Nelson
Emerson) in a deal that would have sent Karl Dykuis, Pat Falloon
and one of either Shjon Podein, Rod Brind'Amour or Dale Hawerchuk
to the Whale. Bobby Clarke wanted the third player to be
Hawerchuk, while Hartford wanted Brindy or Podes. A prospect of a
possible trade between the two teams is alive and well.
Also floating around Philadelphia is the possible trade of Kevin
Haller to the Senators for Radek Bonk. Remember back when Clarke
was still the GM of Florida, he passed up on Bonk in the first
round of the 1994 Entry Draft, instead taking defenseman Ed
Jovanovski.
* Just over a week ago, the scoreboard high atop the ice
surface at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo came crashing
down, causing the postponement of the scheduled Buffalo Sabres -
Boston Bruins game. Well, as coincidence would have it, the brand
new Jumbotron that sits above the ice at the brand new CoreStates
center is made by, yes, the same company, Daktronics, that
constructed what's left of the debris that was removed from the
ice in Buffalo. Hey Koharksi! Watch where you skate next time in
you're in Philly (just kidding).
* From the "who cares?" department comes the following bit of
information. The Flyers' 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals
marked the first time all season that right winger Scott Daniels
registered a negative plus/minus rating. Too bad, Scotty.
* All-Star Voting Update: John LeClair, Mikael Renberg and Rod
Brind'Amour sit 12th, 16th and 17th respectively in the balloting
for winger. Ron Hextall is 5th in goaltender voting. Despite not
having played a single game all year, Eric Lindros is 10th in the
center voting, and finally, Eric Desjardins is 13th in the ballot
race for defensemen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Terry Crisp
Roster: C - Brian Bradley, Chris Gratton, John Cullen, Daymond
Langkow. LW - Paul Ysebaert, Shawn Burr, Rob Zamuner, Jason
Weimer, Rudy Poeschek, Patrick Poulin. RW - Alexander Selivanov,
Mikael Andersson, Brantt Myhres. D - Roman Hamrlik, Bill
Houlder, Cory Cross, Dave Shaw, Igor Ulanov, Drew Bannister, Jay
Wells, Craig Wolanin. G - Daren Puppa, Corey Schwab, Rick
Tabaracci.
Injuries: Daren Puppa, g (back surgery, indefinite); Corey Cross,
d (foot contusion, day-to-day); Paul Ysebaert, lw (groin strain,
day-to-day); Mikael Andersson, lw (hamstring, day-to-day); Craig
Wolanin, d (shoulder, day-to-day); Daymond Langkow, c (achy all
over thanks to Patrice Brisebois hit, day-to-day).
Transactions: Traded Aaron Gavey, c, to Calgary for Rick
Tabaracci, g. Traded left wing Brian Bellows to the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for a sixth-round pick in the 1997 draft.
Rrecalled Brantt Myhres from San Antonio of the IHL.
Signed defenseman Igor Ulanov. Activated defenseman Rudy
Poeschek
off injured reserve. Reassigned goaltender Derek Wilkinson to
Cleveland of the IHL.
Game Results
11/14 at St. Louis L 5-3
11/16 at New Jersey L 6-3
11/19 Los Angeles W 3-0
11/23 Philadelphia L 2-1
11/25 at Montreal L 4-2
TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell
The men with lightning bolts on their pants continue to struggle,
stumbling to a 1-4-0 record over the past two weeks. Offense
remains a problem, scoring just nine goals over the five-game
span. Dino Ciccarelli still leads the club in goals with 14, but
found the net just once over that time. Chris Gratton has been
the main weapon, scoring four times to raise his total for the
season to eight. Not too shabby a number for the young center.
Gritty, gutty Robby Zamuner has also been doing his part,
chipping in three goals in his past five outings.
The Bolts continue to fall from the sky in the standings, now 7-
11-2 and tied for last place in the Atlantic Division. The men
in Cullensville are also now only one point ahead of Pittsburgh
for the Eastern Conference basement apartment.
Goaltending Help
Phil Esposito dipped into the trade market to address the gaping
void in net for Tampa Bay, now that Daren Puppa will be out of
action for at least the next two to three months recovering from
back surgery. Espo couldn't land any big name puckstoppers, but
did come up with literally a big name puckstopper.
Rick Tabaracci was acquired from the Calgary Flames to bolster
the Bolts between the pipes in exchange for center Aaron Gavey.
Tabaracci, 27, never really gets the credit he deserves as a
better than average goaltender. While on the small side (5'11",
180), Tabaracci is a superb athlete that has excellent reflexes
and quickness. Positioning has always been his problem. If one
could combine Puppa's angle play and patience with Tabaracci's
quickness, a truly great goalie would be the result. As it is,
Tabaracci is on a level below Puppa, but a definite improvement
over Corey Schwab and Derek Wilkinson.
Bellows A Bolt No Mo'
Left wing Brian Bellows was dealt to the Anaheim Might Ducks last
week. In only seven games with the Bolts this season, Bellows
recorded only one goal and two assists. The Bolts moved the
aging vet
to the Ducks in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 1997.
Short Game Recaps
Nov. 14, lost at St. Louis, 5-3: The Bolts busted out to
a 3-1 lead, thanks to a pair of goals from Gratton. The Blues
roared back in the third period, however, and got four pucks past
Wilkinson for the 5-3 win. Al MacInnis, Stephane Matteau, Pierre
Turgeon, and super rookie Jim Campbell did the honors for St.
Louis.
Nov. 16 lost at New Jersey, 6-3: Another 3-1 lead,
another collapse. The Bolts allowed the Devils to rattle off
five unanswered goals in the third period to snatch a 6-3 defeat
from the jaws of victory. Brian Rolston and John MacLean did all
the damage in the third, with Rolston netting the hat trick and
MacLean potting two. Knuckles, Gratton, and Zamuner score for
Tampa.
Nov. 19, beat Los Angeles, 3-0: Corey Schwab made 31
saves to record his second shutout of the season. Daymond
Langkow scored his first career NHL goal in the first, while
Zamuner and Cullen, the idol of millions from eight to eighty,
also added tallies.
Nov. 23, lost to Philly 2-1: Ciccarelli score his 14th
goal of the season, but it wasn't enough to stop the Flyers.
Nov. 25, lost at Montreal, 4-2: The Habs exploded for a
quick 3-0 lead at the start of the second period thanks to the
efforts of Montreal's top line of Saku Koivu, Brian Savage, and
Mark Recchi. Savage scored just six seconds in and added another
one 1:20 later to stun the Bolts. Recchi chipped one in a few
minutes later and the game was pretty much over. Gratton cut it
to 3-1 before the period ended, but Koivu made it 4-1 in the
third. Zamuner had the other Bolt goal. This was Tabaracci's
first game with lightning bolts on his pants, taking the loss
after stopping 26 of 30.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld
ROSTER: C-Michal Pivonka, Joe Juneau, Dale Hunter, Mike Eagles,
Pat Peake, Kevin Kaminski, Stefan Ustorf. LW-Peter Bondra, Chris
Simon, Andrei Nikolishin, Jason Allison, Steve Konowalchuk.
RW-Kelly Miller, Todd Krygier, Craig Berube. D-Mark Tinordi,
Sylvain Cote, Eric Charron, Calle Johansson, Sergei Gonchar, Joe
Reekie, Brendan Witt, Ken Klee, Phil Housley. G-Jim Carey, Olaf
Kolzig.
Injuries: Joe Juneau, c (pulled hamstring, day-to-day); Sylvain
Cote, d (torn MCL, 1-2 weeks); Pat Peake, c (shattered right
heel, month to month); Michal Pivonka, c (torn knee cartilage,
2-4 weeks); Calle Johansson, d (broken jaw, 2 weeks).
Transactions: Eric Charron, d, recalled from Portland (AHL).
Stewart Malgunas, d, recalled from Portland (AHL). Stewart
Malgunas, d, assigned to Portland (AHL).
Game Results:
11/12 at New Jersey L 3-2
11/14 at Philadelphia W 5-2
11/15 Montreal W 3-1
11/18 at Florida W 4-2
11/19 Boston T 2-2
11/22 at New Jersey W 5-1
11/23 New Jersey W 4-3
Team News by Meredith Martini & Jason Sheehan
The Washington Capitals are currently the hottest team in the
NHL.
A six-game unbeaten streak has catapulted the Capitals into
second place in the Atlantic Division and third place in the
Eastern Conference. A combination of tight defense, stellar
goaltending and a reawakened offense has been the key to success.
And it's not as if the level of competition has been easy. The
Capitals have built its winning streak by defeating powerhouses
such as Philadelphia, Montreal, Florida and New Jersey, a team
that has destroyed the Capitals in recent years. The lone tie
was a spectacular come-from-behind win against Boston.
League recognition often comes from winning games. Right winger
Peter Bondra, who broke out of a terrible slump, was named the
NHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 24th.
During the stretch, Bondra had three goals (all against New
Jersey) and six assists for nine points and recorded a plus-6
rating in four games. Bondra was on the ice for nine of the
Capitals' 15 goals and scored the game-winning goal in a 4-3
victory over the Devils at USAir Arena on Nov. 23 in the second
half of a home-and-home series.
Bondra edged Detroit's Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman and
Vancouver goaltender Corey Hirsch for the award. Shanahan and
Yzerman also notched three goals and six assists in four games
while Hirsch had a 3-0 record with a 1.30 goals-against average.
But the deciding factor in the voting was the amount of wins
recorded by the Capitals. For Bondra, it was the first time he's
walked away with Player of
the Week honors.
Bondra started the season sixth on the Capitals' all-time goal-
scoring list. He's now third. Bondra scored his 194th NHL goal
against Florida, moving him ahead of Dave Christian for fourth
place on the list. It wasn't long before Bondra moved up another
spot, as his three goals against New Jersey brought his total to
197, one more than Bengt Gustafsson, for third place. He remains
behind Mike Ridley's 218, but somehow one thinks Bondra might
come up with another 21 goals this season. Bondra will have his
work cut out for him to pass all-time leader Mike Gartner, who
had 397 goals as a Capital.
It took awhile, but the Capitals have finally solved the Devils'
riddle. Before traveling to New Jersey on Nov. 22, the Capitals
must have felt jinxed. Washington had gone 0-9-1 against the
Devils in their 10 previous meetings and goaltender Martin
Brodeur skated into the game with a perfect lifetime record
against the Capitals (11-0-1).
However, all good things, or bad things depending on which side
you're on, must come to an end. The Capitals torched the Devils
on this night with two goals from Chris Simon and 38 saves from
backup goaltender Olaf Kolzig as the Capitals finally found its
niche with a 5-1 victory.
Things got so bad for New Jersey that their hometown fans began
cheering every time Brodeur made a routine save. That was
something Brodeur had never previously experienced while facing
the Capitals. His dreams of maintaining a perfect record against
the Caps were dashed. However, he had a chance for redemption
the next night in Washington.
It didn't happen.
Bondra's breakaway goal with 3:34 left in regulation, his second
of the night, lifted the Capitals to a come-from-behind 4-3 win.
Bondra skated in alone down the right side and ripped a wrist
shot to Brodeur's right, who cheated too far to his left side to
cut down the angle.
The Devils took an early 2-0 lead on goals from Shawn Chambers at
5:16 of the first period and Steve Thomas at 4:42 of the second
period.
But Bondra knocked New Jersey's momentum for a loop by scoring 10
seconds after Thomas' tally. That proved to be a crucial goal
and got the Capitals skating in the right direction.
The Capitals tied the score at 2-2 with 6:54 remaining in the
second period on a goal that will be seen for months to come on
scoreboards in NHL arenas. Steve Konowalchuk gathered a rebound
from an attempt by Kelly Miller and shot the puck with his back
facing Brodeur. Amazingly, the no-look shot knuckled past the
New Jersey netminder. ESPN2's NHL2NITE loved the goal so much
that they showed it four times during the 30-minute program.
In the process, Capitals' goaltender Jim Carey recorded his first
career win against the Devils, thanks in part to Bondra's stellar
performance.
* Another game, another injury. Capitals GM David Poile
stockpiled NHL experienced defensemen before the season and those
who were calling him a fool are now calling him a genius. The
Capitals need the extra defensemen now. The latest injury is to
defenseman Calle Johansson, who dropped to the ice to block a
shot by the Devils' Steve Thomas and unintentionally stopped it
with his mouth. It was originally thought that he'd only need
stitches, but further examination found a broken right jaw.
Johansson will be on a liquid diet for the next month, so once
the jaw is healed it will take time for him to get back to his
playing weight.
While the Capitals officially managed to get through their next
two games without an injury, Brendan Witt showed up for the
Philadelphia game with a severe case of the flu and only lasted
two shifts before retiring to the locker room, apparently to
throw up. Eric Charron rejoined the team from Portland in time to
play against Montreal. Witt missed the next five games. Although
he skated with the team before the New Jersey home-and-home
series, he wasn't well enough to play.
Then came Florida. While the Capitals could take pride in
thrashing the league's best team, Sergei Gonchar and Joe Juneau
were both bitten by the injury bug. Gonchar sat out the Boston
game with a hyperextended elbow and was replaced by Stewart
Malgunas, who, along with Stefan Ustorf, made it to Washington in
time.
But not everything went well for Ustorf. Once his plane landed,
he discovered that the airline had lost his lucky sticks. It
seems as if nothing goes according to planned in today's
corporate empire.
Ustorf didn't play as Juneau returned to the lineup, but Juneau
left the game after one period with a pulled hamstring and will
not play, pending a re-examination Nov. 25. Meanwhile, Gonchar
returned to the team for the New Jersey games and Malgunas was
sent back to Portland.
On the positive side, Pat Peake has resumed skating with the team
and was on the ice for an hour during recent drilling. While he
feels he's still a long way from playing (he's still wobbly on
skates), Peake is way ahead of his projected return date of
March.
Also, Michal Pivonka had arthroscopic surgery on his knee which
confirmed the original diagnosis of torn cartilage. The Capitals
were concerned he might also have ligament damage. Pivonka
remains on track to return in December.
* Part of the reasoning behind the Capitals' acquisition of
Andrei Nikolishin was to give Sergei Gonchar someone to hang out
with; Gonchar had been the Capitals' only Russian since Dimitri
Khristich was traded at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Gonchar and
Nikolishin both played for Moscow Dynamo (both serving as team
captain) and have been friends for several years.
The plan worked: Gonchar scored two goals the first week
Nikolishin was with the team and he's been much more cheerful
lately as well, even when injured.
* Mark Tinordi really seems to enjoy Montreal's trips to
Washington. ESPN and other stations compiling highlight reels
seem to like him as well. Too bad Mark Recchi doesn't enjoy
these little excursions; being sacked by Tinordi on a regular
basis can't be much fun as Tinordi clocked Recchi yet again with
a thunderous open-ice hit.
Capitals' Notes
Carey faced the first penalty shot of his career against Boston.
It was a success. Todd Elik was awarded the penalty shot after
Carey threw his stick at the puck. However, Elik temporary lost
control of the biscuit and was denied as Carey made an easy chest
save...
Juneau's rock group, the Off-Wings, will finally play another gig
in Washington Nov. 25 at Planet Hollywood. Details next issue...
Chris Simon was thought to be a tough guy, but after eight games
with the Capitals he has a seven-game scoring streak and hasn't
dropped the gloves even once. Never assume, you know what it
does...
Some may have thought Kevin Kaminski was injured by a high stick
in the Montreal game, but Kevin says he just lost his contact
lens. Try finding one of those on the ice...
Dale Hunter played in his 1200th NHL game against Florida...
Draft pick Jaroslav Svejkovsky remains on a tear, scoring an
overtime winner against St. John's. Portland as a whole is
on a tear, with a twelve-game unbeaten streak and a nine-game
winning streak, including a five-game sweep on their Maritime
trip...
Prospect Brad Church has recovered from a shoulder injury and
scored two goals in his first game back with Portland.
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHEASTERN DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS
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Head Coach: Steve Kasper
Roster: C - Adam Oates, Jozef Stumpel, Ted Donato, Clayton
Beddoes, Trent McCleary. LW - Troy Mallette, Cam Stewart, Rob
Dimaio, Todd Elik. RW - Rick Tocchet, Steve Heinze, Sandy Moger,
Sheldon Kennedy, Jeff Odgers, Landon Wilson. D - Ray Bourque, Don
Sweeney, Kyle McLaren, Dean Chynoweth, Steve Staios, Barry
Richter, Mattias Timander, Dean Malkoc. G - Bill Ranford,
Scott Bailey.
Injuries: Dean Chynoweth, d (groin pull, day-to-day); Dean
Malkoc, d (underwent wrist surgery, indefinite); Steve Staios, d
(groin, day-to-day).
Transactions: Traded a 1998 first-round draft choice to Colorado
for Anders Myrvold d, and Landon Wilson, rw. Sent Anders Myrvold
d, and Sheldon Kennedy lw, to Providence of the AHL.
Game Results
11/14 Pittsburgh W 2-1
11/16 at Buffalo Postponed
11/18 San Jose W 4-2
11/19 at Washington T 2-2 OT
11/21 Montreal L 6-2
11/23 Buffalo L 3-2 OT
TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown
"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" No, Harry Sinden
didn't trade Adam Oates and Rick Tocchet for Chicken Little and
future considerations. That's the sound of the Buffalo Marine
Midland Arena's Jumbotron scoreboard crashing to the ice just
hours prior to the game scheduled between the Bruins and the
Sabres. Usually it is the fans littering the ice with debris,
rather than arena management. Needless to say, the game was
postponed, and a number of Bruins players said they would be
taking a look skyward every once in a while in each arena.
However, the biggest news over the past two weeks is the return
of Raymond Bourque to the lineup. Ray returned against the
Pittsburgh Penguins, and helped the Bruins to a 2-1 win in a
surprising low-scoring goaltender's duel, courtesy of Bill
Ranford's heroics, and similar work by the Pens' beleaguered Ken
Wreggett. The Bruins were fairly miserable while Bourque was
gone, but since he has returned, they are still only playing .500
hockey, and their efforts have been inconsistent, so they are
able to beat only those teams who are struggling worse than they.
Bourque's return is overshadowed only by the blockbuster trade of
the year. To lift the Bruins from the valley of mediocrity, Mike
O'Connell and Harry Sinden, two wild and crazy guys, traded away
the Bruin's 1998 first-round pick to Colorado for franchise
saviors Anders Myrvold and Landon Wilson. Huh?
OK, to be fair, Myrvold (the NHL's first Norwegian) and Wilson (a
young guy with great bloodlines) are both 21-year old prospects
who are being given real opportunities, because the Colorado
organization is talent-laden, and Boston is talent-challenged.
These two are ranked as the ninth and tenth best prospects with
Colorado, while the Bruin's chart seemingly doesn't go that
deep. Both have excellent size and skills, although Wilson's
drive has been questioned, and Myrvold is considered to need more
seasoning before jumping NHL-level play. Myrvold scored in both
his first games at Providence, also picking up an assist and
several penalties, so he seems to be panning out. The price is
probably right, considering that the 1998 draft isn't considered
to be that deep. But neither player answers today's questions.
Back to the games. Even though they beat the Sharks, the Bruins
still had to come from behind in that game, and Bill Ranford was
again severely tested, as the Sharks outshot the Bruins 33-27.
Eking out a win at home against a floundering team isn't usually
considered the road to success, but Bruin's fans will take it,
for now.
Sadly, it's been downhill from there. The Bruins outplayed the
Washington Capitals in Landover, MD for 59 minutes, then
surrendered a goal in the last minute after the Caps pulled Jim
Carey. The Bruins then hung on to the tie in overtime, but only
because Ranford made some stand-on-your-head saves. This is a
game the Bruins surely should have won.
Steve Heinze had a chance to ice it - literally. He had the puck
just outside the Bruin's blue line with Carey out of the net, but
elected to shoot it off the boards rather than risk icing.
Unfortunately, he golfed it into the stands and the Caps
controlled the ensuing faceoff. The Bruins then let Peter
Bondra have his way with the puck behind the net, and he banked
it off traffic in front to tie the game.
Next came a most disappointing loss at the Fleet to the Montreal
Canadiens, always a tough pill to swallow. Boston was outplayed
in all aspects of the game save one, that a one-punch knockout of
Murray Baron by Troy Mallette. In essence, Baron tried to lead
with his face instead of his left, and Mallette caught him over
the eye with a roundhouse. Baron was literally knocked silly,
to the point where he was babbling incoherently to his teammates,
and needed assistance to leave the ice.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens were skating rings around the Bruins,
and by the time the third period started, the only suspense was
whether Jocelyn Thibault would get a shutout. Thankfully not, but
still, the Bruins overall performance was as abysmal as their
luck - Don Sweeney continues to get none of the bounces, and Adam
Oates steered the second Habs goal into the net during a clearing
attempt. As if Bill Ranford needed less support than he's gotten
to date.
Against the Sabres on home ice, the Bruins gave a much better
showing, but the end result was the same: no points. This time
the culprit was Dominik Hasek, who turned away numerous Bruins
chances. Scott Bailey, subbing for Bill Ranford, yet another of
the groin-challenged Bruins (are these guys working out the wrong
part of those muscles?), did a fine job in net, and deserved a
win. New Bruin Landon Wilson had a strong first game, whistling
a nasty backhand just wide in the third period.
But it was the Sabres who scored the goal that counted most, by
Michal Grosek from a rebound of a Matthew Barnaby shot. This
goal was the result of a problem that has plagued the Bruins this
year: inability to cover a player skating out from behind the
net. In this case, Don Sweeney, the defenseman on Plante's
right, took Grosek as he moved left, then turned back to Barnaby
as he came out from behind. Barnaby got off a shot that Bailey
saved, but the now less-than-tied-up Grosek stuffed the 'bound.
End of story. Sweeney's fault? Well, a little, but why did he
have to try to cover two guys at once? Lack of defensive effort
by the forwards, in their own zone, in overtime, when the
opposition has full possession of the puck behind the
net. What more can be said about the team's problems? Read on.
Whither Adam Oates? Clearly, when Adam says that Todd Elik is
the best left wing he has ever played with, the real answer is
that he's never played with any decent left wings. Some Hall of
Fame right wings such as Brett Hull and Cam Neely, but nothing
comparable on the left. Elik has fine skills, but either his
effort or judgment just don't seem to produce consistent results.
Add to that a Rick Tocchet who is in a major scoring slump (more
than a month without a dinger), talking to himself, and rolling
his eyes instead of rolling over opponents, and oft times Mr.
Oates is all dressed up with no place to go, or rather, no one to
take him there. Rumors are circulating among Bruin's fans that
key players are getting more and more resentful of the weak
supporting cast, and management's apparent lack of commitment to
winning.
Steve Kasper's latest attempt at patching together a number 1
line is to replace Tocchet rather than Elik with Rob DiMaio.
Kasper either figures that DiMaio will be revved up against the
Flyers, the Bruins next opponent, or that as coach he might as
well play out all the variations, as if he were playing his
birthdate numbers in the lottery. Well, he might get lucky.
The more likely result is that Oates will get roughed up by the
opposition if there isn't some muscle on his line. DiMaio hasn't
shown that kind of physical presence yet, though this might be
his chance. Better bet, Steve, would be to ask Harry Sinden for
a real live left winger for Christmas.
Meanwhile, Tocchet's punishment is to try life at left wing for a
while, but on a checking line with Jeff Odgers and Trent
McCleary! One would think that trying Tocchet on Oates' left
would have been a fairer test. Creating a 3-banger line like
this isn't that likely to break Tocchet out of a scoring slump,
if that is the objective. If the goal is to get him torqued
off enough to ask for a trade, then why show him to other teams
in a lesser light, unless you want them to feel sorry for him.
That must be it. The Bruins want Tocchet's old team, Philly, to
feel so terrible about poor Ricky's treatment that they'll offer
several promising young forwards just to free Tocchet from this
shabby burden. Must be. No other explanation makes sense.
The poor home record (3-9-4) of the Bruins is hurting in more
ways than one. Paid attendance is drastically down at the
Fleetcenter so far this season, and that is only half the story.
Last year after 13 games, the Bruins were averaging 17,455, only
110 less than a constant sellout. This season, the average is
15,054, down 14%. However, that is not the reason why we are
seeing lots of yellow (seatbacks, that is) in the lower bowl of
the Fleet this season. Season ticket holders are staying away,
compared with past seasons.
"So what, they've paid already" you might say. Tell that to
Jeremy Jacobs, owner of the Bruins and the Fleetcenter and THE
CONCESSIONS. Empty seats mean empty parking spaces, and leftover
lasagna in the Fleetcenter's finer restaurants, to say nothing of
stale suds and pretzels. This is the real money that doesn't get
declared by the team at salary time, over and above the 14+
million dollars the club made last year. This team always cries
poor and complains about player salaries, to nickel and dime guys
like Bourque and Ranford at contract time. But that doesn't wash
with the club's P&L - Profit (in Jacob's pockets) and Loss (on
the scoreboard and in the standings).
Simply put, Boston fans are sick of hearing about a "competitive"
team, rather than a champion. Now that even "competitive"
borders on perjury, fans are voting with their feet. The
long-standing waiting list for season tickets has reportedly
evaporated, and former season ticket holders are being contacted
to see if they want to buy 10 and 20 game packages. This is
unheard of - fans were discouraged from splitting season ticket
packages on their own (no joint ownership allowed). Now, given
the chance, many are saying "No." With the highest ticket prices
in the league, fans have a right to expect the best product on
the ice. That hasn't been the case for years, and now it is
catching up with the team. Bruins management has gone from
arrogance to desperation, and they have no one to blame but
themselves.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BUFFALO SABRES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ted Nolan
Roster: C - Pat LaFontaine, Mike Peca, Derek Plante, Brian
Holzinger, Anatoli Semenov. LW - Brad May, Randy Burridge,
Michal Grosek, Rob Ray, Curtis Brown. RW - Dixon Ward, Donald
Audette, Jason Dawe, Matthew Barnaby. D - Alexei Zhitnik, Garry
Galley, Darryl Shannon, Jay McKee, Mike Wilson, Bob Boughner.
G - Dominik Hasek, Andrei Trefilov.
Injuries: Brad May, lw (shoulder, indefinite); Pat LaFontaine, c
(post-concussion syndrome, three months); Richard Smehlik, d
(knee, day-to-day).
Transactions: Barrie Moore, rw, reassigned to Rochester (AHL).
Vaclav Varada, d, reassigned to Rochester (AHL).
Game Results
11/11 Florida W 3-2 OT
11/12 at Pittsburgh L 3-0
11/14 at Hartford W 5-4
11/17 Boston Postponed until 03/17/96
11/19 at Toronto L 3-0
11/21 Toronto W 6-3
11/23 at Boston W 3-2 OT
TEAM NEWS by Valerie Hammerl
CRASH.
What weights over 40 tons, cost over $4 million, and hangs 40
feet over the ice surface at Marine Midland Arena? Nothing,
anymore.
The Jumbotron scoreboard that used to hang there came crashing to
the ice surface on November 12 while it was being lowered for
routine maintenance. The ice surface shattered and the logo
underneath it required repainting. There was no other damage to
the floor of the arena. No one was hurt in the accident, blamed
on a defective mechanism used only when the Jumbotron is raised
or lowered. The custom-built Jumbotron, by Daktronics of
North Dakota, is virtually a total loss. A replacement isn't
expected for several weeks at earliest, and a permanent
replacement may not come for several months. In the meantime,
the Sabres have salvaged one of the color panels, and removed 4
rows of seats at one end of the rink to allow even some of the
display to be viewed by some of the fans. That evening's
game against Boston was cancelled, and has been rescheduled for
March 17.
Ticket holders may exchange their tickets for another Sabres
game, a cash refund, or may use them at the rescheduled game in
March. The cost of replacing the Jumbotron will be coverd by
insurance.
The crash came on the heels of a team announcement that captain
Pat LaFontaine would be out of the lineup for three to four weeks
due to post-concussion syndrome. LaFontaine has suffered a
series of concussions during the course of his career, including
one a few weeks ago on October 17. It was initially believed
LaFontaine was suffering from exhaustion.
The news got worse on Monday, November 25, when the team held a
press conference to update LaFontaine's condition. Laffy is now
expected to miss the next three months while recovering from the
effects of his most recent concussion. Needless to say, this is
a severe blow to any Buffalo playoff hopes.
* Still without their captain, the Sabres managed to defeat
Florida in overtime on a goal by Brian Holzinger. They then were
shut out, with Andrei Trefilov in goal, by Pittsburgh 3-0
including an empty-net goal by Jaroir Jagr. From Pittsburgh they
went to Hartford and gained two points in their quest to get
ahead of Hartford, beating the Whalers 5-4. Jason Dawe had a
pair of goals but missed an open net that would have given him
the hat trick. With several days off due to the postponement of
the Boston game, the Sabres came back rusty, and fell to the
aging leafs 3-0. Revenge is sweet, however, and they took the
other half of the home-and-home series with a convincing
6-3 win. Matt Barnaby scored four points, and Derek Plante
failed to score on a penalty shot, but did manage a goal.
The Fleet Center doesn't seem to carry the terror of the old
Boston Garden. At least, it didn't seem that way, as the Sabres
battled archrival Boston and came away with a 4-3 overtime win.
Of course, Boston was without the services of netminder Bill
Ranford. There was only one shot in the first five minutes of
play, however, and Scott Bailey failed to stop it. Michal Grosek
scored the overtime goal for Buffalo.
* Goaltender Andrei Trefilov has asked to be traded, citing
lack of playing time.
* Sabres new president Larry Quinn met with coach Ted Nolan
and GM John Muckler in Toronto, prior to a road game against the
Leafs. Nolan and Muckler do not get along well, but Quinn
insists that either they both put aside their differences or else
he will relieve both of them of their duties.
* The Sabres are holding onto second place in the Northeast
Division, close behind Hartford.
* The Sabres still have not outshot any of their opponents
this season.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
HARTFORD WHALERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Paul Maurice
Roster: C - Andrew Cassels, Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Mark
Janssens. LW - Geoff Sanderson, Sami Kapanen, Paul Ranheim, Stu
Grimson, Kelly Chase. RW - Kevin Dineen, Nelson Emerson, Robert
Kron, Steven Rice. D - Paul Coffey, Curtis Leschyshyn, Glen
Wesley, Alexander Godynyuk, Gerald Diduck, Adam Burt, Marek
Malik, Glen Featherstone, Jeff Brown, G - Sean Burke, Jason
Muzzatti.
Injuries: Jeff Brown, d (back surgery [23 October], out for
regular season).
Transactions: Kevin Brown, rw, recalled from Springfield (AHL).
Game Results:
11/12 at San Jose W 4-3
11/14 at Phoenix W 2-1
11/16 at Colorado T 4-4
11/20 Montreal W 3-1
11/22 Pittsburgh L 7-1
11/23 at Ottawa T 2-2
TEAM NEWS by Steve Gallichio
Because you've all been waiting so patiently, it's now time for
another fun - and - fact filled episode of "Ask Mr. Whale."
Gather 'round, little puckies, as Mr. Whale dips into his mailbag
to respond to all the news that's fit to print. And remember
that "LCS: Guide to Hockey" is an important part of a balanced
breakfast.
Q. Mr. Whale, Hartford is still fighting for first place a
quarter if of the way into the season. Can things get any
goofier this year?
-MM, Anaheim.
A: Sure. You havent't seen the height of goofy until you've seen
Stu Grimson and Glen Featherstone both score goals in the same
game. Against the Stanley Cup champions. Now *that's* goofy.
Q. Mr. Whale, how come Hartford can't seem to hold a lead
this season?
-DZ, Boston.
A. Well, of course it's worth pointing out that the team
hasn't yet lost a game this season when leading entering the
third period (a fact which is about as comforting as stories that
begin with the phrase "While not actually convicted..."). And
the team's record over the past six games was a respectable
3-1-2. But in both ties, the team blew three-goal leads, while
they lost 3/4 of a four-goal lead and half of a two-goal lead in
the third periods of two of the wins. So, while the team is
getting points in a fairly regular fashion, they are doing it
without playing especially consistently. This is either a very
good sign, or a very ominous one. Not even Mr. Whale knows for
sure which one it is...
Q. OK, so they're not playing great. How is it that they
haven't capsized yet?
-HS, Boston
A. Largely because they have remolded themselves as less of the
speed-based team that they were last season into more of a
grinding team capable of competing in the slower Eastern
Conference. And because, without the dissenting presence of
former captain Brendan Shanahan to drag the organization down in
spirit, Whalers 97 maintains a far higher competitive mentality.
Non-stop players like Sami Kapanen and Kevin Dineen won't let
this team take it easy for the great gaping holes of intensity
that marked last season.
Q. Mr. Whale, Did Kelly Chase *really* liken being in
Hartford to Shawshank?
-KB, $t Louis.
A. Well, yes, in fact he did. But, you must understand, this is
largely because Mr. Chase has had so much free time the past
couple of seasons in Hartford that he's taken to other pursuits,
like movie watching, to pass the nights. In fact, the Whalers
have set up VCRs and TVs in Chase's two favorite game time
hangouts, the press box and the penalty box.
Q. Mr. Whale, why hasn't the team traded Paul Coffey yet?
-PC, Hartford.
A. Because GM Jim Rutherford really doesn't want to. While Mr.
Coffey finally stepped forward recently and admitted he's seeking
a trade, Rutherford values Coffey more than the rest of the
league seems to. The trade offers haven't exactly been flowing
in, and Rutherford seems reluctant to add average players in
exchange for the former Detroit defenseman. Rutherford has, for
the time being at least, taken Coffey's name off the trade table.
As well, he has rescinded a four-year, $12 million renegotiated
contract offer to Coffey. Coffey, who has hinted at financial
security, relocation security, style of play, and competitiveness
of the team at various points as a reason for wanting to move on
(although not explicitly naming any of those reasons), does not
appear to be particularly pleased by Rutherford's decision to
hang on to him.
Mr. Whale would like to point out that there's not much danger
of this turn of the situation affecting Coffey's play, as he
appears to be missing in action ever since his arrival from
Detroit. In other words, it's not like he can start playing
*worse*...
Well, that's about all the time we have for this week, kids. Mr.
Whale is late for a parole board hearing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
MONTREAL CANADIENS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mario Tremblay
Roster: C - Saku Koivu, Shayne Corson, Marc Bureau, Darcy
Tucker. LW - Vincent Damphousse, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet,
Scott Thornton, Terry Ryan, Brian Savage, Pierre Sevigny. RW -
Mark Recchi, Stephane Richer, Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure,
Chris Murray. D - Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice
Brisebois, Peter Popovic, David Wilkie, Murray Baron, Jassen
Cullimore. G - Jocelyn Thibault, Pat Jablonski.
Injuries: Benoit Brunet, lw (fractured left fibula, indefinite);
Turner Stevenson, rw (knee strain, day-to-day).
Transactions: Recalled Pierre Sevigny, lw, from Fredericton
(AHL). Assigned Jose Theodore, g, to Fredericton (AHL). Traded
Donald Brashear, lw, to Vancouver in exchange for Jassen
Cullimore, d.
Game Results
11/11 Edmonton W 3-2 OT
11/13 Florida L 5-3
11/15 at Washington L 3-1
11/16 Vancouver W 6-1
11/20 at Hartford L 3-1
11/21 at Boston W 6-2
11/23 at Toronto W 4-3
TEAM NEWS by Jacques Robert
CRISIS PASSED, RECOVERY ON THE WAY
What is going on in Montreal this season is nothing but crazy!
Crazy? Because hockey is currently just a pretext to make the
headlines of Montreal dailies, as the first quarter of the 96-97
season ends.
Crazy? Because the coaching staff is taking all the heat for the
bad times the Habs have been experiencing for a month. Meanwhile,
players merely appear to be victims of a bad system.
Crazy? Because not only are coaches judged according to their
results - which is legitimate - but they see their competence and
personnal integrity also being questioned openly in the media.
By that, we are talking about the ordeal Yvan Cournoyer has gone
through lately, when an unnamed player declared that
assistant-coach Cournoyer is incompetent. That only served to
make Yvan feel downgraded as a person. That kind of crap only
brought confusion and chaos into the club. Like a domino
effect, GM Rejean Houle was labelled "unexperienced" on the radio
shows; Mario Tremblay was brought back to the broadcasting booth
where he once belonged - and even team president, Ronald Corey
was held responsible for the disastrous Habs start.
Calm down! This situation really makes no sense. And to what a
french-speaking reporter once called: "un grand cirque" (a big
circus), Montreal Canadiens did have to respond by finding a way
to turn the situation around. And from Tremblay's standpoint:
"Only success can stop that flow of little stories going around
about the team."
Against Edmonton, Montreal snapped a two-game losing streak in
O.T. But, beyond the victory, the way the Habs played indicated
that the crisis among Les Canadiens may be over. Actually, when
Mario's boys play as a cohesive group and concentrate on defence,
they can compete with any NHL team. And so they did against the
Oilers.
In the next game against the super Florida Panthers, Canadiens
were slightly outscored on the Molson Centre ice. Another defeat,
would you say? Yeah... but the Panthers appeared to be a relevant
model for Young Habs. Jose Theodore was no longer the perfect
target for offensive players since Habs limited Florida to 34
shots. As Stephane Quintal remarked after the game: "Florida
don't look for goals. They take pride in defence and that's where
you win games." So, you know what you have to do, Steph!
Bingo! As a matter of fact, the Canadiens used this new-found
defensive tactic against the next two opponents: Washington and
Vancouver. And it worked pretty well. Actually, the outcomes of
these games were pretty positive as Mario's boys held Capitals to
24 shots in a 5-3 loss, and then routed Vancouver 6-1 the next
day.
RICHER-CORSON-BUREAU: A NEW LINE IS BORN!
The matchup in Hartford was meant to be considered as a test for
The Habs: the Whalers just returned home from an unbeaten three-
game road trip, whereas Koivu's teammates were winless on the
road over the previous three games. Once again, Habs didn't live
up to the previous games expectations because of their loss.
However, a new line stood out... the one made up of Ste[hane
Richer, Shayne Corson and Marc Bureau. Despite the loss, the
Canadiens recorded their best performance on the road this year.
For once, center ice was controled by visitors. A major
improvement compared to what happened over the last long trip on
the West Coast.
So, surprisingly, this loss sparked a new spirit among Habs. At
home, the Boston Bruins learned it the hard way as they were
swept away 6-2. One additional proof that Canadiens realise that
they must commit to defence came out of Koivu's mouth: "Every
game, Mark (Recchi), Savvy (Savage) and I have two or three bad
shifts and every time the opposition scores a goal. Before
the Boston game, we talked to make sure that we played well
defensively. All of us know that we're going to get our scoring
chances, if we play well defensively... In Boston we'd rather
have it 6-0 than 6-2"
TREMENDOUS GOALIE THEODORE RETURNED TO THE MINORS!
This new defensive awareness in Montreal's best offensive line is
a good indication that this team has finally managed to put
things together offensively. This may be reflected on the other
departments of the team. For instance, goaltenders will no longer
have to live in a "menage a trois". Along with Thibault's
return, Jablonski is confirmed as the favorite backup. Such a
decision might clear up the air before the net. Defensively,
Brisebois is getting better (slowly), Malakhov's game is more
consistant, whereas toughness is being brought in by Quintal and
- mostly - by new addition Murray Baron who missed the Toronto
game after a fight against Bruin Troy Mallette, who knocked him
out.
In addition to adding two more points, the trip in Toronto
revealed that Canadiens can hold on until the last minute, thanks
to Thibault who demonstrated that he has fully recovered from his
injury. For the first time since March '96, they won two games on
the road in succession... Still, team recovery is a long healing
process: everybody should get off Canadiens case from now on.
Serenity around the team will be necessary if fans want
their favorites to live through April.
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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, Phil Crowe
D - Steve Duchesne, Sean Hill, Stanislav Neckar, Frank Musil,
Lance Pitlick, Jason York, Wade Redden, Janne Laukkanen, Radim
Bicanek. G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt.
Injuries: Sean Hill, d (torn ACL, out for season); Stanislav
Neckar, d (torn ACL, out for season); Dennis Vial (fractured
hand, day-to-day); Radek Bonk, c (broken wrist, eight weeks);
Denis Chasse, rw (shoulder/neck injury, two weeks).
Transactions: November 15 - Recalled Radim Bicanek, d, from
Worcester (AHL), Sergei Zholtok, c, from Las Vegas (IHL) and
Phil Crowe, rw, from Detroit (IHL). Returned Phil Von
Stefenelli, d, to Detroit (IHL). November 23 - Returned Sergei
Zholtok, c, to Las Vegas (IHL).
Game Results
11/13 Edmonton L 4-0
11/15 Chicago W 4-3
11/16 at NY Islanders W 4-1
11/19 New Jersey L 2-1
11/23 Hartford T 3-3
TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders
* Step aside Rodney Dangerfield... you 'ain't got nothing' on
the Ottawa Senators! Ever since they rejoined the NHL in 1992,
the Senators have struggled to gain the respect of their
colleagues. Unfortunately, finishing dead last each of their
first four seasons made the task... well... just slightly more
difficult to accomplish. To rub further salt in the wound, Sens
fans had to endure the Keystone Komedy antics from the likes of
Mel Bridgman, Randy Sexton and Bruce Firestone, the team's
original general manager, president, and owner, respectively. All
of this added up to four consecutive championships in "The NHL's
Biggest Laughingstock" competition.
But ever since the arrival of head coach Jacques Martin and GM
Pierre Gauthier, the team has been on a progressive climb upward.
Armed with steady goaltending and a solid talent pool of young
snipers, the Senators suddenly find themselves still battling for
a playoff spot at a time when, in previous seasons, they were
already booking their golf vacations. As for off-ice turmoil -
forget it. Mr. Gauthier has done a phenomenal job of lassooing
his players, and some of his personnel decisions have bordered on
the brilliant (can you say 'Damian Rhodes' and 'Wade Redden'?).
The bottom line is - the Senators are finally proving to the
whole hockey world that patiently building a hockey team through
the draft and smart trades is far better than mashing together a
shepherd's pie of veterans on their last legs. For further
evidence, one just has to look at the Sens' expansion sisters in
Tampa Bay and Anaheim. "Their lives were lived, like a candle in
the wind..." (our apologies to Elton John).
So WHY IS IT, we ask, that the Senators continue to be publicly
ridiculed for things that happened IN THE PAST? By now, you
should realize that we're referring to the latest edition of
Sports Illiterate... uh excuse us... Illustrated. Obviously
struggling with a slow news week, the cob webs in the SI
editorial department decided to fill their rag with stories about
Senator buffonery that happened years ago, only to then
triumphantly proclaim the Senators as the worst professional
hockey franchise ever. Never mind that the Mighty Ducks are
looking cooked these days, or that the vultures are currently
circling the Coyotes, let's pick on Ottawa because they were
borderline slapstick three years ago. Sounds reasonable, eh?
If anything, this masterpiece of 'timely' journalism only proves
what many Canadians have known for years - that Sports
Illustrated knows diddly-squat about the sport of hockey. If they
did, they would have instead been praising the club for its
improved play and bright future ahead. After all, the combination
of Yashin, Daigle, and Alfredsson is the youngest scoring trio in
the league, and two of those players have already broken into the
league's Top 20 scoring list. But then again, that doesn't sell
magazines, right? Right?!?
So on behalf of all ticked off Senators fans, we kindly request
that SI stick to reporting on high school bowling championships
in French Lick, Indiana, and leave the real sports reporting to
the professionals. As for the Senators, here's hoping this latest
slap in the face will inspire the troops and renew their
determination on the road to the Coupe Stanley.
* Jeers to ex-Senator and Ottawa native Dan Quinn, who was
quoted in SI: "You're just embarrassed to be a part of (playing
for Ottawa)." Gee Dan, wasn't it Ottawa who rescued you from the
shame of being blacklisted in the NHL for that little incident
that happened in Minnesota a few years back? And this is the
thanks they get...
* Note: The following game recap between the Oilers and
Senators contains scenes of pitiful hockey and lacklustre effort.
Please disregard the above paragraphs when reading.
It figures, doesn't it? No sooner do we stand up and defend the
Senators improved play than they go on a horrible scoring slump.
Coming off a 2-0 loss to Chicago in the Windy City, the Sens
hoped to regain their scoring touch against the Edmonton Oilers
at the Corel Centre. After all, it was against Edmonton three
years ago that the Sens recorded their highest ever single game
scoring output, notching a 7-5 win at the Northlands. And with
the Oilers struggling (one win in their last seven games), the
fruit seemed ripe for the picking.
Just one problem though - they forgot to inform Curtis Joseph of
their intentions. "Half-Price Night" quickly degenerated into
"Half-Effort Night", as the Sens were soundly beaten 4-0, despite
outshooting the Oilers 28-18. How bad was it? Mariusz Czerkawski
scored a goal. Yech...
* With the shutout loss, the Senators extended their scoring
slump to a club record 138 minutes and 40 seconds.
* "Oh, how the schedule-maker doth vent his wrath on the meek
of spirit!" Battling a three-game losing streak, the Senators had
only two days to lick their wounds before having to face the
Chicago Blackhawks at the Corel Centre. To reinforce their
troops, the Sens cashed in some of their Air Mile points and
airlifted D Radim Bicanek from Worcester, C Sergei Zholtok from
Las Vegas and RW Phil Crowe from Detroit in time for the game.
* Should Jacques Martin ever decide to change careers, perhaps
he should consider motivational speaking. After Hawks forward
Alexei Zhamnov broke a scoreless tie one minute into the second
period, Martin called a quick timeout to address his men. With
one single blast from his lungs, the Senators responded with the
tying goal just 11 seconds later. The goal not only snapped the
the Sens' record scoring slump at 160 minutes and four seconds,
but it also opened the floodgates as Ottawa quickly built up a
3-1 lead before the halfway point of the game, en route to a 4-3
victory. Should Tony Robbins ever need an assistant, give him a
call Jacques...
* With the win, G Damian Rhodes became the winningest goalie
in modern Senators history with 15 victories. Ahem... (on to the
next item, please).
* The Hawks-Sens game featured a battle of bookends in the
special teams category. The Hawks came into the game first in
penalty killing efficiency, while Ottawa was dead last in that
department. But when the dust finally settled, it was
Ottawa that potted the only power-play goal of the game.
* Only 12,468 fans turned out to see the game, second lowest
total this year next to the Pittsburgh game on Oct. 11, when only
12,237 faithful turned out. How ironic that the two teams that
met head-to-head in the 1992-93 Stanley Cup final would generate
the least interest among Senator fans. Are we missing something
here?
* Next up, the Senators travelled to the tropical haven of
Long Island to face the New York Islanders. Coming into the game,
the Isles' entire offensive strategy seemed to revolve around one
man, Zigmund Palffy, who had 19 points in 16 games. Meanwhile,
rookie defenseman Bryan Berard - the supposed next offensive
defenseman a la Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr - continued to struggle
with only six points to date. The Sens mission seemed quite clear
- stop Palffy, and it's two points.
* And two points it was! However, for the second consecutive
game, it was Ottawa's lesser lights who stole the show. Powered
by two goals by fourth-line center Bruce Gardiner - the first
two goals of his NHL career - and two assists by rugged winger
Denny Lambert, the Senators cruised to an easy 4-1 victory, only
their second road win of the season.
* If it were not for D Frank Musil, Rhodes could have had a
shutout. Fourteen minutes into the second period, Mr. Musil
decided to impersonate a bowling ball and flung himself
into the Ottawa net, knocking Rhodes off his feet in the process.
With the net wide open, Marty McInnis deposited a rebound into
the twine for the Isles' only goal.
* By all accounts, the game was a pretty lacklustre affair,
but for good reason. Ottawa was playing in their sixth game in
ten days, while the Isles had arrived home at 3:30 a.m. after a
hard-fought tie versus the first-place Florida Panthers the night
before. "Oh, how the schedule-maker doth vent his wrath on
the..." etc., etc., etc.....
* After the Long Island excursion, the Sens returned to the
comfort of home with good and bad news. The bad news? They next
faced the New Jersey Devils, a team they had yet to beat at home.
The good news? Well... at least their scoreboard was still
intact.
* Just three days after being proclaimed a hero in the
Islanders game, C Bruce Gardiner grew goat horns in the Jersey
tussle. Things appeared to be going just dandy for Gardiner after
he pocketed his third goal in two games to tie the game up at one
apiece. But with ten minutes left in the game, Gardiner took a
costly interference penalty, and on the ensuing power play, the
Devils notched the game-winner on a goal by Lyle Odelein (who now
needs approximately 2,000 goals to tie Wayne Gretzky's all-time
career goal-scoring mark). Final score - New Jersey 2, Ottawa 1.
* Despite the penalty, we cannot lay all the blame on poor
Mr. Gardiner. After all, while Gardiner's stick has been smoking
of late, the guns belonging to Yashin, Daigle and Alfredsson
continue to rust in peace. Meanwhile, Shawn McEachern extended
his scoring slump to 13 games. Wakey, wakey!
* Next up, the surprising Hartford Whalers came to town.
Hockey fans would have to think way back to the WHA days to
remember this much excitement surrounding the Humpbacks.
With the addition of hulking centre Keith Primeau, Hartford
bolted out of the gates atop the Northeastern Division and has
stayed there ever since. Our hats off to coach Pierre MacGuire
for his solid job, so far, behind the Compuware bench.
* "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Don't
quote us on this, but somehow we think that Charles Dickens may
have been predicting the beginning of the Senators-Whalers
matchup than commenting on the socio-economic conditions
of pre-revolutionary France. Powered by a solid display of
forechecking, the Senators held the Whalers to only five shots on
net by the midway point of the game - by far the lowest 'shots
allowed total' ever for the Sens. Unfortunately, Hartford managed
to score on THREE of those shots - including the only two shots
of the first period by forward Geoff Sanderson - jumping out to a
quick 3-0 lead.
Cue the comeback. While Yashin, Alfredsson and Daigle seemed to
finally react to the smelling salts - each contributing to the
scoring - it was once again Bruce Gardiner who supplied the
heroics, scoring with only two minutes left in the contest to
lead Ottawa to a 3-3 come-from-behind overtime tie with the
Whalers.
* After missing six games with an abdominal strain, C Radek
Bonk made his return to the lineup in the Hartford game. Then, on
only his second shift of the night, Bonk broke his wrist on a hit
by Whalers' forward Kevin Dineen. After the game, the team
learned that Radek would be out for up to eight weeks. Them's the
breaks, eh?
* Before the game, the Senators demoted C Sergei Zholtok
(pronounced 'ZALL-TALK') back to Las Vegas after going goalless
during his stint with the pro club. Quipped Ottawa Sun scribe
Chris Stevenson: "The Senators called him up to score goals, but
it was Zholtok and no action."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Eddie Johnston
Roster: C - Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Petr Nedved, Stu Barnes,
Tyler Wright. LW - Andreas Johansson, Alex Hicks, Dave Roche,
Joe Dziedzic, Alek Stojanov. RW - Jaromir Jagr, Tomas Sandstrom,
Glen Murray, Joey Mullen. D - Darius Kasparaitis, Kevin Hatcher,
Chris Tamer, Fredrick Olausson, Jason Woolley, J. J. Daigneault,
Francois Leroux, Craig Muni, Neil Wilkinson. G - Tom Barrasso,
Ken Wregget, Patrick Lalime.
Injuries: Neil Wilkinson, d (abdominal injury, indefinite); Tom
Barrasso, g (shoulder, one week); Tyler Wright, c (leg, day-to-
day).
Transactions: Recalled Patrick Lalime, g, from Cleveland (IHL).
Traded Bryan Smolinski, c, to the Islanders for Darius
Kaparaitis, d, and Andreas Johansson, c. Traded Chris Wells, c,
to Florida for Stu Barnes, c, and Jason Woolley, d. Traded
Dmitri Mironov, d, and Shawn Antoski, lw, to Anaheim for Fredrick
Olausson, d, and Alex Hicks, lw. Assigned Ian Moran, d, to
Cleveland (IHL). Dany Quinn, c, and Petr Klima, lw, cleared
waivers and were assigned to Chicago (IHL) and Cleveland (IHL),
respectively.
Game Results
11/12 Buffalo W 3-0
11/14 at Boston L 2-1 OT
11/16 NY Rangers L 8-3
11/19 St. Louis W 4-2
11/21 at Philadelphia L 7-3
11/22 at Hartford W 7-1
TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell
Trades, Trades, Trades... Gotta Love the Trades
Pittsburgh GM Craig Patrick may not be the most exciting person
in the world, often appearing drowsy and under the influence of
heavy medication. But turn this guy loose on the trade market
and he's an animal! Patrick went buckwild last week, making
three separate trades that brought in a total of six new players.
The festivities got underway on November 17 when Patrick was
finally able to drop the hammer on the long-awaited Bryan
Smolinski trade, sending the holdout center to the New York
Islanders in exchange for Darius Kasparaitis and forward Andreas
Johansson. Smolinski for Kasparaitis straight up would have been
a marvelous trade, getting Johansson thrown in is almost
criminal. Patrick's got mad skills.
Two days later on November 19, Patrick was at it again. This
time making two deals only hours apart. The first featured minor
league prospect Chris Wells heading off to Florida for center Stu
Barnes and defenseman Jason Woolley. Wells, 21, had two goals
and four points in 54 games for the Pens last season, but failed
to stick with the club this year. The 6'6" center has plenty of
potential and could be a force down the road. The only problem
is the Pens needed help now, not in three years.
Almost sooner than the Florida trade could be evaluated, Patrick
shipped Dmitri Mironov and Shawn Antoski to Anaheim in exchange
for defenseman Fredrick Olausson and forward Alex Hicks. The
only people who will miss Mironov in Pittsburgh are the
opposition's forwards, while Antoski never quite found his niche
with the Pens. It just didn't really make sense for a team that
is supposed to be about speed and skill to have both Antoski and
Alek Stojanov on the roster. A similar situation unfolded when
both men were in Vancouver, with the Canucks sending Antoski to
Philadelphia in order to open up room for Stojanov. However,
there is no truth to the rumor that Antoski's family has adopted
Alek and written Shawn out of the will.
While none of the players acquired, outside of Kasparaitis, are
stars, they do add quality depth to the roster, something this
club has lacked since 1992-93. Barnes gives the team a
legitimate number three center that can score, allowing Tyler
Wright to just see spot duty as strictly an agitator. It also
allowed the club to waive Danny Quinn, a guy that had no business
being on this team from the very start. Johansson and Hicks
address Pittsburgh's need for left wingers, a concern that
carried over from last season following the departures of Kevin
Stevens and Luc Robitaille. Their collective presence freed the
team to cut Petr Klima loose as well. Klima was meant to be a
short-term solution to a long-term problem. He sort of worked,
helping spark the power play for a short time, but not enough to
warrant remaining on the roster.
The defense has been totally restructured. Kasparaitis brings
the never-say-die attitude and aggressive outlook on life that
has been sorely missed since Ulf Samuelsson was traded to the
Rangers. Olausson and Woolley are two tremendously underrated
talents. Both men are excellent skaters that can move the puck
up to the forwards with ease. They also give the Pens two proven
point men for the power play. They may not be rock solid
defensively, but who cares? No one else on the team is either,
so they'll fit right in. The three newcomers also directly move
in to join Kevin Hatcher and Chris Tamer as the club's top five
defensemen, reducing the roles of guys like J.J. Daigneault,
Craig Muni, and Francois Leroux. Once Neil Wilkinson returns
from injury, the Pens will actually have a very deep and
respectable group of defensemen.
These deals all go a long way to increasing Pittsburgh's overall
speed and talent, further defining them as an offensive
powerhouse. Now the team just has to go out and prove how good
they are.
YEEHAW! IT'S OVER
Bolstered by the six new bodies in the lineup, Pittsburgh finally
managed to win its first game on the road this season on November
22 at Hartford, 7-1. It's kind of ironic that the losing skid
would come against the Whale. Because, like, a Whale could just
sit on a Penguin. Anyway, the victory snapped an 0-11-1 drought
that was just three winless games shy of the franchise record for
futility.
For the first time this season, the Penguins actually looked like
the Penguins of old, overwhelming the mighty Whale with one
quality scoring chance after another. If not for some
spectacular saves from Jason Muzzatti, the Birds could have
easily reached the Happy Meal (which, for the uninformed, is 10
goals in one game... it's a long and glorious LCS tradition that
dates back to before 1992, so just go with it).
The win, which came just one night after getting shelled 7-3 in
Philadelphia, has to be a big confidence boost for a club that
has been lacking direction for the first seven weeks of the
season. The key to the triumph was obviously the recent
acquisitions to the roster made by that wild and crazy guy, GM
Craig Patrick.
A two-line team to this point in the season, the new depth up
front created by Stu Barnes, Andreas Johansson, and Alex Hicks
allowed coach Eddie Johnston to send out four quality units. The
top line featured the three big guys, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir
Jagr, and Ron Francis. The threesome dominated play all evening
long. Having such great players to skate with seemed to wake
Lemieux from the sleepy wooziness he's been suffering from
recently. Despite still not being able to finish a number of
brilliant scoring chances, Lemieux looked like his old self when
carrying the puck and directing traffic. Lemieux's presence also
opened up the ice for Jagr, who scored two more goals to raise
his league-leading total to 18. Francis was his usual steady
self and converted a late Whale turnover, created by a swell
Lemieux poke check, into his sixth goal of the season.
With so much talent on the top line, the Penguins are in the
enviable position of not suffering much of a drop off to the
second unit which featured Petr Nedved between the two Swedes,
Tomas Sandstrom and Andreas Johansson. Nedved scored the game's
first tally with a wicked wrist shot from the top of the right
circle to give him four goals in his last four games and increase
his season total to 10. Johansson recorded his first goal as a
Penguin with just three seconds remaining in the game, finding a
loose rebound of a Sandstrom drive and slipping it down low to
the far post past Muzzatti. Johansson has been very impressive
in his three games as a Penguin. The fact that Patrick could get
him as a throw in to the Smolinski deal could prove to be a theft
of gigantic proportions. Johansson has been strong on the puck
and firing shots at a rapid pace, basically performing like most
fans expected Markus Naslund to when the over-hyped Swede joined
the Pens a few years ago. Unlike Naslund, who was often
terrorized by his own shadow, Johansson seems to have a fondness
for the physical play, even wading into a few scrums after the
whistle and then emerging with a smile on his face.
Newcomer Stu Barnes anchored the third line, with Alex Hicks and
Glen Murray on his flanks. Barnes is a crafty little playmaker
that should open things up for Murray. Speaking of the big right
wing, while the numbers may not show it, Murray has been a strong
performer this year for the Pens. He's skating with confidence
and isn't shying away from shooting the puck. The only problem
is that the majority of his chances are either going off posts or
finding the glass. Maybe Barnes will be able to turn him loose.
Hicks has also been a nice addition. The 6'1", 200-pound, winger
has been aggressive and tenacious in his first two outings with
the Pens, finishing his checks and crashing the net with
regularity. Hicks may not be flashy, but he's exactly the type
of player the Penguins need. A third line guy that can go out
and bang people, while not hurting the club defensively.
Now see right there, those are three strong lines. But the Pens
weren't done yet. EJ also had superpest, and LCS all-around cool
guy, Tyler Wright centering Dave Roche and Alek Stojanov. The
line didn't stay together long, as Wright left the ice late in
the first period with a leg injury, but showed promise.
The defensive combinations were also juggled. Darius Kasparaitis
and Kevin Hatcher stayed together as the top pairing, but Chris
Tamer was teamed up with Freddy Olausson, while Jason Woolley
skated with Craig Muni. J.J. Daigneault and Francois Leroux were
scratched. Notice that all the pairings feature one offensive
defenseman teamed with a defensive-minded guy. That's exactly
the type of balance the Pens have been looking for the past few
seasons. Once EJ settles on definite pairings, he's talked about
using consistent five-man units, which would be pretty cool.
Muni, who was rested the night before against Philadelphia,
easily played his best game in a Penguin uniform. EJ should
seriously consider resting him more often, perhaps alternating
with Daigneault, if it has such a dramatic improvement on his
play.
Olausson, Woolley, and even Kasparaitis saw time at the point on
the power play. Their presence back there allows Francis to move
up front, while also giving the club two potent man-advantage
units. On this night the Pens converted twice, with both goals
coming from the second group, which featured Nedved, Barnes, and
Sandstrom up front. Nedved got the first power-play tally, while
Olausson recorded his first goal as a Penguin when he hammered a
low blast from the point behind Muzzatti. Olausson has an
absolute canon from the point. He launched two shots against the
Whale, the first found the net and the second knocked Muzzatti
over and created a good scoring chance. He's going to be a
definite weapon the rest of the way.
Ken Wregget was once again in net for the Pens, with Tom Barrasso
mending an injured shoulder. Wregget has been between the pipes
for all of Pittsburgh's wins this season.
The harpooning of the Whale raised the Birds' record to 7-13-1.
In fact, over their last 10 games the Pens are 5-4-1. That's not
too shabby. Following the Hartford game, the club has four full
days off to try and finish getting all the added players
acclimated to their new surroundings. The Pens will be back in
action Wednesday, November 27, kicking off a three-game homestand
against Jocelyn Thibault and the Montreal Canadiens. Once the
Habs leave, Boston comes in and then, yes, the mighty, mighty
Whale will be in town looking for revenge. After that it's off
to the road for games against Ottawa and Washington. With all
five games being in the conference, and three in the Northeast,
the Pens could take a major step up the playoff ladder with a
successful run.
Speaking of the playoff picture, despite the dreadful start the
Pens are only three points out of eighth place in the conference
and nine out of first in the Northeast.
Kaspar is the Man
He's only been in the Burgh for a few days and Darius Kasparaitis
is already a cult hero. He made a smashing debut with the Pens
in a 4-2 win at home against the St. Louis Blues on November 19.
Playing his usual aggressive style, Darius belted every star
player on the Blues roster at least once. His first big
collision as a Pen came when he blasted Al MacInnis to the ice
during the first period. A few minutes later he finished a check
behind the net on Brett Hull with plenty of enthusiasm. Pierre
Turgeon didn't escape unscathed, getting steamrolled into the
boards during the third period. The hit on Turgeon drew a
boarding penalty and forced the French-Canadian star out of the
game with an injury. Kaspar even had a hefty collision with the
man, the myth, the legend, Harry York.
Darius closed things out with an empty-net goal, his first red
light in nearly a year. Definitely a night to remember.
Even in the 7-3 pounding at Philly, Darius was exceptional. He
did make a mistake that led directly to Philly's seventh goal,
attempting to skate the puck out at the line through two Flyers,
but there was only a couple minutes remaining in the game and he
was simply trying too hard to make something happen. That's a
play he wouldn't make under normal circumstances.
Both the Penguins and fans alike have lamented the absence of Ulf
Samuelsson ever since the Pittsburgh cult hero was traded to the
Rangers before last season. Darius gives the club a Samuelsson-
esque presence along the blue line, and he's only 24 years old to
boot. Even if he wasn't such a great player, it would be worth
acquiring him just so Lemieux wouldn't have to play against him
anymore. Kaspar has nearly killed Lemieux, or vice versa, on a
number of occasions in the past. As happy as fans are to see
Darius in the black and gold, no one is happier than Lemieux.
Even though he is quite famous, or perhaps "infamous" would be a
better word, Darius could still be one of the most underrated
players in the game. Everyone knows about his tremendous
checking ability and his aggressive nature, that's not what's in
question here. The thing that most people don't realize is how
good of a skater he is and just how well he moves the puck. He's
capable of starting the play out of his own with the best of
them. As long as he can stay healthy, Kaspar will make a huge
impact on Pittsburgh's future.
Barrasso Bunk?
Many around the club are saying that Barrasso's latest shoulder
injury could have him in trouble with the law if Joe Friday and
Bill Gannon were working out of the Fraud and Bunko division of
the local police force. Exactly how did he hurt the shoulder?
Maybe those water bottles on the bench are a lot heavier than
they look?
It just seems every time Wregget starts playing good, some part
of Barrasso's anatomy goes loopy. Maybe he should look into
gettin' some of that Asper Cream stuff Regis Philbin is always
pedalin' on TV. It soothes soar muscles and quiets aching bones,
ya know? It works for Regis. I once saw him rattle of like 20
pushups on the ol' Dave Letterman show one time. He may be old,
but he's wiry. And remember, Asper Cream does not contain
Aspirin. Then why the hell did they call it Asper Cream?
Anyway, in Barrasso's absence, Patrick Lalime was recalled from
Cleveland to serve as Wregget's backup. Lalime saw his first
ever NHL action in relief of Wregget on November 16 against the
Rangers when the Blueshirts handed the Pens an embarrassing 8-3
loss at home, which in large part triggered all the recent trade
action. Lalime allowed three goals, with his first ever goal
allowed coming off the blade of Mark Messier. That'll make a
nice story for the grand kids. Messier later added another; both
were absolutely perfect shots from his happy spot in the right
circle and Lalime really couldn't do anything about 'em.
While on the subject of Lalime, he has one kooky goalie mask. It
features what I suspect is a baby Penguin busting out of an egg.
All you can really see are two big eyes on top and legs kickin'
out the sides. I guess Patrick was thinkin', "What the hell? If
I can't stop 'em, I might as well make 'em laugh." A noble
gesture if there ever was one...
Numbers Game
Good ol' Stevey Latin, the Penguin equipment man, has been busy
stitchin' up all the new sweaters. For those of you keeping
score at home, here's a rundown of all the numbers the recent
acquisitions are wearing.
Kasparaitis wore 26 in his first game, because at the time Shawn
Antoski was still around to occupy number 11. Antoski is long
gone, tho', so it looks like Darius could be stickin' with 26,
which is a cool number. Not too many people wear it. If he
still has it at the start of the upcoming three-game homestand,
then it's his for good. With being on the road and all, there
may not have been time to get all the proper jerseys ready. So
the homestand will be the truth.
Andreas Johansson has 38, the same number he called home with the
Islanders. Barnes has been wearing Smolinski's old number 20,
but he could switch to his usual 14 during the homestand. Jason
Woolley is sporting 22, the first Penguin to do so since Rick
Tocchet. His usual number 6 is taken by Neil Wilkinson. With
Kevin Hatcher holding down number 4, Freddy Olausson is going
with 23. Alex Hicks has 33, which is a bold choice since Zarley
Zalapski was the last Penguin to wear it. Usually it's a good
idea to distance oneself from anything relating to Zalapski. And
if you're wondering about Lalime, he's going with number 40...
only one digit away from Thibault, yet oh so far.
Fight Night
Roy Jones Jr. may be the baddest man on the planet, but several
Penguins are trying to offer some competition. The recent string
of games has witnessed a number of demonstrations on the sweet
science.
It all started against the Rangers when Shawn Antoski, playing
his final game as a Penguin, went at it with Shane Churla.
Antoski drilled Churla with a right hand that immediately swelled
shut Churla's left eye. I haven't seen something balloon up that
fast since the last time Oprah fell off the wagon. It was
actually quite nauseating and had to be frightening for Churla.
At any minute I expected to hear him scream out, "Cut me, Mick!
Cut me!" And then see Burgis Meredith hop from the bench with a
razor blade.
Then a few nights later against the Blues, it was time to reunite
Francois Leroux and Tony Twist. Their previous engagement, March
26 of last season, saw Leroux score a decisive win over Twist,
who was, and probably still is, the heavyweight champion of the
league. Leroux dropped Twist with a straight right hand that
opened up a nasty cut over his left eye. Ever since, Twist has
been chomping at the bit for a rematch.
He wasted little time, going right after Leroux the first time
they were both on the ice. Twist seemed to catch Leroux off
guard and Frankie basically just turtled to the ice while the
Twister got in one or two shots to his helmet. Not much of a go.
So, they tried it again. This time both men were ready and
dropped the gloves together. Unfortunately, nothing much
happened. Both guys just held up their fists and cautiously
circled one another for a good 15-20 seconds before the linesmen
stepped in and broke it up without a single punch being thrown.
Strike two.
Hoping that the third time would be the charm, Twist again took a
mad rush at Leroux and ambushed him in the right wing corner of
the Penguin zone. This time Twist was able to get in one or two
good shots before Leroux, who was again off guard, could turtle.
Three tries, three botched fight attempts. Maybe next time. In
case you're wondering, it's LCS' opinion that Twist would beat
the bodily fluid out of Leroux nine out of 10 times. That was a
lucky punch last year. And it didn't hurt matters any that Twist
was in a brutal fight with Dallas' Bill Huard the night before
Leroux scored his surprise KO, and the cut was actually first
suffered in that fight and merely reopened by Leroux. Frankie is
an eager scrapper, but he's not in Twist's class. Few are.
The barrage of battles continued in Hartford. Every time the
Whale and Pens meet, they're good for at least three fights. And
sure enough, that's how many there were. First up was Dave Roche
and Glen Featherstone. While he likes to drop the gloves, by our
records Roche has only won one fight in his career. And that
came when he kind of suckered Tampa's Igor Ulanov, hardly a
puncher, earlier in the season. So Featherstone wooped on him
yet again. It's the thought that counts, though, Davey, so don't
get discouraged.
Next up was Alek Stojanov vs. Mark Janssens. Stojanov got off
early and held the edge until Janssens switched to a southpaw
stance and landed about ten unanswered blows. That's when
Stojanov had enough and launched a haymaker of a right hand that
dropped Janssens to the ice. Janssens was ahead on points, but
Alek got the big KO. Stojanov is actually turning into quite the
fighter. When he arrived at the end of last season he was just
really fat and out of shape. He dropped about 20 or 30 pounds
over the summer and looks like a completely new player. His
improved game is the reason why Antoski was expendable. He also
has yet to clearly lose a fight this season.
The third event of the evening featured Stu Grimson and Chris
Tamer. He doesn't get a lot of press, but Tamer can throw with
the best of them. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of his best
efforts. His right arm got tangled in his own jersey so he was
pretty much a one-armed fighter. Grimson didn't really land
anything of significance, but forced Tamer to cover up. While it
wasn't much of a scrap, it got Grimson off the ice before he
could take any cheap shots at people in the waning moments of the
game, which was the sole intention of him seeing a regular shift
in the last five minutes of a lopsided game.
Boom Boom Go Bye-Bye?
There are persisting rumors that fan favorite Francois "Boom
Boom" Leroux could be traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Leroux
had his ice time cut dramatically even before the recent
additions to the blue line. No real word on who the Pens would
get in return from the Habs, but Montreal scouts have become a
fixture in the Pittsburgh press box. So, as reported last issue,
he's as finished as a white suit on a sissy wrestlin' a half
breed in pig slop... and I still don't even know what
means.
Bergkvist Health Scare
Top defensive prospect Stefan Bergkvist will undergo surgery on
December 3 to remove a tumor from his right ear canal. The
condition, called Acoustic Neuroma, was discovered after
Bergkvist had complained of headaches for the last several weeks.
There hasn't been a whole lot of information released about the
situation, but LCS will be hoping for a quick recovery for the
young Swede.
The Penguins' first pick of the 1994 Entry Draft, Bergkvist
dressed for the first five games of the season, although he saw
limited ice time, before being assigned to the Cleveland
Lumberjacks of the IHL. Bergkvist, 21, is a steady, stay-at-home
defenseman with great size (6'3", 216) that should be a fixture
along the Pittsburgh blue line in the very near future.
It was just last February that Bergkvist's first tour of duty
with the Pens was interrupted when he had to have an emergency
appendectomy. Hopefully, once this newest health problem gets
resolved, Bergkvist will be able to enjoy a long and successful
NHL career.
Short Game Recaps
Nov. 12, 3-0 win over Buffalo: Shutting out the Sabres
when they're without the services of Pat LaFontaine is hardly a
Herculean accomplishment. But the Pens will take it. The game
was scoreless midway through the third period until Dmitri
Mironov ripped a slapper over the shoulder of Andrei Trefilov,
who was outstanding in goal for Buffalo. Jagr added two late
goals, including an empty-netter to seal the win. Wregget earned
his first shutout of the season and the seventh of his career.
Nov. 14, 2-1 OT loss at Boston: The Pens were losing 1-0,
until Lemieux found Hatcher coming late on the play with 46
seconds left in the game. Hatcher rifled a wrist shot between
Bill Ranford's pads to tie the game at 1-1, finally solving the
Bruin netminder who had stood on his head to that point in the
game. Having all the momentum entering overtime, the Pens seemed
on the verge of winning their first road game of the season.
That is until Mironov panicked in his own end following a faceoff
in the right circle and gave the puck away to Todd Elik. Mironov
had all day to make a play out off the corner, but instead just
wheeled and blindly sent a clearing attempt up the middle. Elik
knocked it down and slid a pass to a buck naked Adam Oates, who
coolly deposited behind Wregget for the winner. This loss hurt.
Nov. 16, 8-3 loss to the Rangers: This game was ugly.
Afterwards Dave Roche said the Pens brought their road game home
with them and it certainly looked that way. Moran, Nedved, and
Daigneault had the goals. It would be best if we just moved on.
Nov. 19, won 4-2 over St. Louis: Kasparaitis and
Johansson made their debuts in a rousing victory. Johansson
hustled all night and earned third star honors for his troubles,
while Darius was the number one star for his feisty play. Nedved
has two first-period goals, Tyler Wright scored his first as a
Penguin, and Kaspar closed it out with an empty-netter.
Nov. 21, lost at Philly 7-3: With all six new players in
the lineup, the Pens were do to have some problems. They started
off strong, but the Flyers turned two big faceoff wins into
goals, with the first one scored by Trent Klatt coming short-
handed, to take a 2-0 lead after one. That was pretty much it.
John LeClair scored his thirteenth of the season on a breakaway
and Dale Hawerchuk rang up a hat trick to pace the Flyer attack.
The Pens got goals from Murray, Jagr, and Lemieux.
Nov. 22, 7-1 win over Hartford: We talked about this one
earlier. It was the most complete Penguin game of the season and
marked only the second time they scored seven or more goals this
season, which was a rather regular occurrence a year ago.
=================================================================
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Craig Hartsburg
Roster: C - Alexei Zhamnov, Kevin Miller, Denis Savard, Jeff
Shantz, Brent Sutter, Adam Creighton. LW - Murray Craven, Bob
Probert, Jim Cummins, Ethan Moreau. RW - Tony Amonte, Eric Daze,
Basil McRae, 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.
Injuries: None.
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
11/14 Calgary L 2-1
11/15 at Ottawa L 4-3
11/17 Los Angeles L 4-2
11/19 at Edmonton T 4-4
11/21 at Vancouver L 2-1
11/22 at Calgary W 5-2
TEAM NEWS by Dan Glovier
The Hawks have not exactly lit the world on fire in their last
six
games, winning only once and taking only three out of 12 points.
Not exactly a good start to their west coast swing. If you take a
good look at these games, you can find out a whole bunch about
the
1996-97 version of the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Hawks were in all the games, and only lost one game by more
than one goal, and that game was by two goals. What does this
tell
us? Something that all Hawk fans knew from the beginning of the
season: the Hawks will play hard, they will play good defense,
and
they will not score a bunch of goals. They only have a handful of
scorers on this team, and if even one of them goes into a bit of
a
funk, things start to get hairy on the offensive end of things.
With Pittsburgh's trading of holdout center, Bryan Smolinski, to
the Islanders, the options for the Hawks became more limited.
There
was talk of sending one of the goalies to Tampa Bay, but that
idea
was squashed when the Lightning (let's hear it for Johnny
Cullen...whooo-hooo!) traded for Rick Tabaracci. Talk about
particular players or teams has definitely quieted down, but that
didn't stop the brass of the Hawks from meeting. When questioned
about the makeup of the team, Hawks general manager Bob Pulford
said, "I don't know that I'm bothered, but I think we're not
happy
with [the way the team is composed]. We have to decide whether to
bring in another player in or bring up some of our kids."
However, the ever waxing Pully followed that up with the ever
optimistic, "We're not getting [production] from a lot of guys.
But
I think they all will come out of it." Oh boy, we know what that
means. They'll bring in a third line player to "change the
chemistry" and hope for the best.
One of the guys the Hawks are hoping to get some production from
is
Bob Probert. He only has three assists in 24 games to go with 101
penalty minutes. He does have a bunch of minutes, but they're
weird
minutes. With the exception of the thorough beating he gave Kelly
Buchberger up in Edmonton, he hasn't really asserted himself
physically. Yes, he was part of that nonsense at the end of the
Kings game (a minor brawl in which he was swinging his stick like
Zoro), but for the most part, he's been pretty sleepy. Maybe it's
because he really doesn't have a role on this team. The coaching
staff doesn't want him fighting every night because they have
other
folks (Cummins and Ciccone) who could do this for the team, and
they would rather have Bob skating instead of the sitting in the
box. He's trying to (excuse the pun, or not, your call) skate a
thin line, and he's not doing too good of a job.
Add to this a struggling Kevin Miller, Eric Daze and Gary Suter,
and
it's easy to see why the Hawks have been struggling lately. It
also
shows how quickly the Hawks can turn from a very formidable foe
to
just another team that skates hard.
One man who is on fire is Tony Amonte. He is second in the league
in
goal scoring (with 15), and he has scored six goals in the last
four
games. He is skating like a mad man, and things that were hitting
off
the post or hitting a leg last year are now going in. He has
skated
well with Alexei Zhamnov, who is playing real good two-way
hockey,
but they still haven't found a left winger to play with them.
They
have tried Eric Daze, James Black, Ethan Moreau and, most
recently,
Sergei Krivokrasov. All four have done decent jobs, but coach
Craig
Hartsburg hasn't found the combination that he likes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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 Marc Labelle. RW-Pat Verbeek, Jamie
Langenbrunner, Jere Lehtinen, Grant Marshall, Sergei Makarov,
Mike
Kennedy. D-Derian Hatcher, Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor,
Grant Ledyard, Mike Lalor, Richard Matvichuck, Sergei Zubov.
G-Arturs Irbe, Andy Moog, Roman Turek.
Injuries: Bob Bassen, c (corrective surgery for herniated disk in
neck, returns in December), Bill Huard, lw (separated shoulder,
day-to-day), Todd Harvey, c (knee injury, day-to-day), Grant
Marshall, rw (strained quadricep, day-to-day).
Transactions: Recalled Roman Turek, g, and Marc Labelle, lw, from
the Michigan K-Wings.
Game Results:
11/11 at Anaheim W 3-2
11/13 Calgary T 3-3
11/15 Anaheim W 4-3
11/17 at Edmonton W 7-3
11/19 at Vancouver L 2-0
11/20 at Calgary W 3-1
11/22 Florida L 2-1 OT
TEAM NEWS by Jim Panenka
A quick note from your intrepid reporter:
For those of you keeping score, in regards to this column last
issue, substitute the word "slot" for every occurrence of the
word
"crease" in the last few paragraphs. (You'll get the idea).
Panthers on the prowl!
The Stars faced their first heavy-duty game of the season against
the Florida Panthers on Nov. 22 at home in Reunion Arena. The
barn
was packed, and the fans were rowdy. Stand up against the team
that
nearly took the Cup last year? Yes, this is what the game is all
about!
This was the first game that could be used as a barometer for the
Stars' chances at the postseason, a true playoff-caliber game.
The
results? They was robbed! I'm tellin' ya, THEY WAS ROBBED!
The Panthers stole the game, 2-1, with less than five seconds
left
in overtime! But the important point is that Dallas managed to
take
it to the Panthers, playing them more or less equally the entire
game. Um...except for those last five seconds.
The good news now is that the Stars have only lost two of their
last seven games, and have an overall record of 14-7-1 and 29
points. This is good for third place overall in the league,
lagging
behind only Colorado and Florida. They was robbed, man!
(sorry.)
And, the Stars have shown that they do have depth after all,
having at different times Joe Nieuwendyk, Sergei Zubov, Richard
Matvichuck, Brent Gilchrist, Bill Huard, Grant Marshall, Todd
Harvey,
Mike Lalor, and backup goaltender Arturs Irbe all on the shelf.
The team still managed a winning record through the hardships.
And, the Stars faced winning teams during most of those contests.
The
elite list includes: Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Detroit,
Chicago,
New York Rangers, and Vancouver, to name a few.
The scoring has been spread equally amongst the team, including
the
defense. The backliners have combined for seven goals, 26
assists.
But, it isn't all bad that the scoring is spread out, as long as
it is
happening! The only bad part is, there probably won't be a
50-goal
scorer on this team this year. There is only one player currently
with
double-digit goals for the Stars, and that is Greg Adams. Adams
has 11
goals and eight assists. More on Greg later. Da man is en fuego!
The power play finally takes off!
After going scoreless in too many games, the better half of the
special teams unit established some much-needed momentum.
One sample of the team's power play problems: in late October, it
had scored only four goals in 45 attempts. Lately, the Stars have
scored eight goals in 33 attempts with the advantage. Dallas only
went scoreless in two of the last eight games on the power play.
They have also lost only two of the last seven games, as stated
earlier. See a pattern?
How important is their power play? When scoring on three of five
power-play chances, the Stars won 7-3 against Edmonton. When
going
zero for six (Vancouver) and zero for seven (Florida) with the
advantage, Dallas lost 2-0 and 2-1, respectively.
All of these facts reinforce the popular notion that the Stars
are
a complete team, with all members pulling equally on the rope. In
this way, they are very much like the Florida Panthers.
"I don't know that we strive to be like them," Stars coach
Ken Hitchcock said, referring to Florida. "We're busy working on
our own identity. But the manner in which you do strive to be
like
Florida is to have that consistency of play every night. I think
early in the season, most teams don't have that. But you wouldn't
say that about Florida, and, hopefully, people aren't saying it
about us."
This is just one of a rare few times that Hitchcock has let the
pride he takes in his new team show. He is also showing some
confidence, stating "We'll bounce back. Nobody said it was going
to
be easy being a good hockey team," after the Florida defeat in
overtime.
Battle Ready
A good hockey team!? Yes, it was good to hear rare praise from
their battle-ready head coach. Few know that Hitchcock is a Civil
War buff, and his system might probably include a few elements of
military tactics as a basis to build from.
The man is one good coach. Hitchcock's system combines many
different elements, including the aggressive offense which leans
toward the Edmonton dynasty years, and a choking defensive
system,
similar to Florida and New Jersey. All indicators are showing the
team is really just now hitting on all cylinders, thanks in part
to
their coach. All things remaining the same, they are a team to
watch. Closely.
Stop writing. I recognize the fact things never remain the same
in
this league. In fact, the Stars still do have one critical
weakness, which could change at any given time. Dallas is riding
the luck and talent of one goalie. One veteran: 36-year-old
goalie
named Andy Moog.
MOOOOOOOOG!
The cries are getting increasingly louder during every home game.
Every time Andy makes another miraculous stop, the applause
begins
with a thundering MOOOOG! coming from the stunned crowd.
As of Nov. 23, Moog had a record of 11-5-1, a 2.11
goals against average, and a .916 save percentage. These numbers
were almost identical to the Beezer's 9-2-3 record, with a 1.78
goals against average, and a .906 save percentage.
More importantly, Andy reached an important personal milestone,
surpassing his long-time idol Gump Worsley (335 career wins),
with
338 victories to take sole possession of sixth place on the
league's all- time wins list.
"It really means a lot to me, being mentioned with somebody you
respect as much as I respect him," Moog said, referring to
Worsley.
"As a kid I'd watch him when he was with Minnesota on the
Saturday
afternoon game of the week. I read about him, about his character
and that he was a little guy who competed with all he had."
This was an important enough of a milestone that the league
immediately asked for Moog's stick, so that it could be displayed
at The Hockey Hall of Fame. A fitting tribute to the great
competitor that Moog still is.
Turek Debuts in the pros
Dallas' prospect goalie Roman Turek made his debut as a Star
against Calgary on Nov. 20. Moog desperately needed the time off,
and the regular backup Irbe was out with a strained groin. So,
the
26-year-old Czech native got his chance to show his abilities for
the first time since his World Cup series with the Czech Republic
team.
Turek had an absolutely solid game, making 24 saves to win
against
the Flames, 3-1 in Calgary. He turned back a wicked slapper from
the
Flames' Joel Bouchard with the blocker early in the first period.
This established his confidence right away and set the stage for
his level of play for the entire game.
"He was sound, he looked like a veteran goaltender," coach
Hitchcock commented after the game.
This was another very important milestone for the Stars to pass.
Dallas proved they could most likely withstand good teams, even
with both starting goalies out of the lineup.
It is more than probable that Moog will either get an injury
severe
enough to take him out of play, or to otherwise have some sort of
break in his otherwise stellar play this season. But, if Dallas
can
get some All-Star performances out of the backups, it just may be
enough of a competitive edge to keep winning.
Adams es En Fuego!
"OT Adams," as he was once known in Vancouver, has always shown a
knack for scoring critical goals during important moments of the
game. This seven-game stretch was no exception for the talented
right winger.
Adams leads the Stars in goals scored with 11. His eight assists
put him in second place in overall points, only behind Modano,
who
has 21. Adams is plus 10. Modano is plus 13.
Greg's talents with the puck were once summarized by former
Canuck
teammate Russ Courtnall.
"He's nifty around the net," Courtnall had said about Adams.
Adams' 11 goals puts him smack in the middle of the pack in the
NHL
overall goal-scoring leaders, in the same category as Peter
Forsberg
and Brendan Shanahan.
Adams has scored five goals, one of those a power-play goal, and
four assists in the last seven games. He scored the game-winner
against Anaheim on Nov. 11. His best night during this stretch
was
a two- goal, two-assist performance during the 7-3 blowout of the
Oilers on Nov. 17.
For his performance, Greg Adams was the NHL's Player of the Week
for the week ending Nov. 17. This was the first time in his
13-year career that the 33-year-old was presented this award. Way
to go, Gus!
Shuffle the deck
Coach Hitchcock was forced to do some creative interpretation of
his roster during the absences of Nieuwendyk, Huard, Harvey, and
others at key times. He has totally switched around the line
combinations, but has still more or less stuck to his use of a
pair
of players, rather than an entire three-man line.
For the 7-3 Edmonton win, the primary line was Adams-Modano-
Lehtinen. This was the dominant line during this game, and they
kept the puck alive in the Edmonton zone for over 56 seconds
straight during one shift alone. This total display of dominance
by
the Stars caused the Edmonton crowd to let the Oilers have it
with
boos.
The other lines this game were Hogue-Gilchrist-Verbeek, Huard-
Harvey-Langenbrunner, and Reid-Carbonneau-Makarov.
The main two pairings were Modano-Lehtinen, Hogue-Verbeek,
Harvey-
Langenbrunner, and Reid-Carbonneau.
The forward lines were different for the overtime loss to the
Panthers Nov. 22. The main line was still Adams-Modano-Lehtinen.
Because Todd Harvey was not available, and Nieuwendyk wasn't back
at 100%, Hitchcock opted for the combinations of Reid-Carbonneau-
Verbeek, and Hogue-Gilchrist-Langenbrunner.
This keeps the pairings of Modano-Lehtinen, Reid-Carbonneau, and
Hogue-Gilchrist from before.
The main defensive pairings are still Hatcher-Matvichuck, Zubov-
Ludwig, and Sydor-Ledyard.
The blueliners have continued to stay with the competition more
often than not. The unit is made up of a unique group of players.
Matvichuck is one of the great young players in the league right
now, which is now a given for Derian Hatcher.
Ludwig has remained absolutely consistent and helped the team get
off to a good start by posting the first goal of the year. Zubov
is,
well, Zubov.
Grant Ledyard is stepping his play up lately, and has a goal and
five assists so far. Darryl Sydor has a plus/minus of plus 10,
which
proves he is effective at his defensive position. He is also a
good
mobile defenseman, along with Zubov.
Makarov makes his debut
Sergei Makarov played his first game on Nov. 15 against
Anaheim. The right winger showed obvious rust in the wheels after
a
year's absence to the game, but he more than made up for it by
displaying a rare talent at perfect passing. This guy can place
deceptive little passes right on the tape, through areas no self-
respecting puck has a right to go. (I don't know what that
means.)
The elusive Russian (he's a tough interview, they say) definitely
holds promise as a role player, most likely when they need
someone
to make the perfect pass while hovering at the point during the
power play. Makarov may just be the needed edge the power play
has
been looking for to push it over the top. Sergei's play-making
skills reinforce this idea.
Carbonneau and Reid step up
Since the "energy line" of Harvey-Langenbrunner was split up due
to Harvey's sprained knee, Hitchcock instead sent out the Reid-
Carbonneau pairing, with Makarov, Verbeek, and others filling in
the missing position.
Reid has continued to excel as a forechecking penalty-killer, and
his three goals, four assists match the points production of
linemate Guy Carbonneau. Carbonneau has experienced a
rejuvenation
since being paired with the gritty Reid. Guy has been throwing
his
body around with abandon lately, almost as if he were a
twenty-something rookie. He has definitely stepped up his play
since Reid came on board in a supporting role. This role was left
open due to Bassen's neck injury.
Both veterans have played off of each other, backing each other
up
when it counts -- when puck support is needed. Too often, both
would go in alone, put on outstanding pressure, but get the puck
for just a few seconds before being forced out. Together, Reid
and
Carbonneau establish a presence, and usually leave with the
puck.
It was vital these and other players stepped up to counter the
extended absence of Joe Nieuwendyk.
Nieuwendyk takes family leave
Fresh from returning from a bad chest injury on opening night,
Joe
received the disturbing news that his mother had taken a turn for
the worse during a fight with cancer.
Nieuwendyk missed several games prior to his mother's passing,
and
was given an indefinite leave by the organization to attend to
family business once it became necessary. LCS expresses its
condolences to Joe and the entire Nieuwendyk family.
Joe has returned back as strong a competitor as ever. He has yet
to
extend his point total of one goal, four assists for five points.
Team Tough
Another quick example of how well the players are watching each
other's back: During the 7-3 win over Edmonton, Bryan Marchment
took a run at Bill Huard, fresh back from a shoulder injury.
Marchment skated in and hit Huard square in the shoulder,
spinning
Huard down to the ground.
Huard flipped in pain as soon as he hit the ground, and all four
Stars teammates on the ice went after Marchment, to let the
Oilers
player know this was unacceptable behavior. You can't buy this
type
of loyalty. It is a very rare commodity in the post-expansion
NHL,
where big-buck, greasy owners look for the quick cash, and try to
buy a winning team. (Tom Hicks excluded, of course. He ain't
greasy, and he didn't buy this team, he just provided the
catalyst
that bonded it together.)
They was Robbed!
What's the big deal? The Stars lost a closely-fought battle with
one of the league's leaders in the last seconds of overtime.
That's
hockey, right?
Not so, in this reporter's book, if a referee insists on making
an
ass out of himself in front of everyone!
Referee (term used lightly) Don Van Massenhoven was on a
different
planet Nov. 22. He certainly wasn't at the game he (supposedly)
called that night. He displayed a helter-skelter approach with
penalties, and seemed to be on a "one for you, one for them"
tangent all night. He would penalize one team, give the
opposition
the equalizer, and continue back-and-forth.
What's wrong with that? Nothing, if you're consistent. Van
Massenhoven was nowhere near consistent. After two Adams goals
were
called back (Adams should now have 13 goals!), the ref owed the
Stars a call.
What does he do? He refuses to review the game-winner by Florida.
After Van Massenhoven allowed a Dallas goal to be reviewed and
eventually called back due to a player in the crease, he refused
to
listen to the same plea by the Stars to review this goal.
Replays later seemed to indicate a Florida player had fallen and
was in the crease at the same time Jody Hull put the puck in the
net.
Moog was outstanding all night, and was not at fault for the
loss.
Moog's only problem the entire evening was he gave up too many
rebounds in the slot. It was just one of those rebounds that Jody
Hull put past Moog with lees than five seconds left in overtime.
Moog threw his stick to the corner in disgust, when he saw the
referee was not allowing the play to be reviewed.
This type of sloppy officiating has got to stop. The Stars
deserved to split the two points with the Panthers, but weren't
given the opportunity due to a striped weasel. You know who you
are.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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, Brian Glynn, Aaron Ward. G - Mike
Vernon, Chris Osgood, Kevin Hodson.
Injuries: Igor Larionov, c (injured wrist, day-to-day).
Transactions: 11/14 signed Steve Yzerman, c, to new four-year
contract;
11/15 loaned Anders
Eriksson, d, to Adirondack (AHL).
Game Results:
11/13 Colorado L 4-1
11/15 San Jose W 5-1
11/18 at Phoenix T 2-2
11/21 at San Jose W 6-1
11/23 at Los Angeles W 6-0
TEAM NEWS by Jonah Sigel
LITTLE FEAR OF THE WEST
Many teams fear the long trip out to the left coast.
Unfortunately
for the teams out west, the Red Wings are not comparable to most
teams.
On Nov. 18, the Red Wings embarked on their first swing out west
and battled back late in their first game to earn a tie in
Phoenix.
It was a game that the Wings had little business being in at all,
yet they were able to tie the game late in the third period when
Darren McCarty was able to work some magic from in front of the
net.
Three days later, the Wings traveled to San Jose to play the much
improved Sharks. About four minutes after the opening faceoff it
was apparent that the Sharks would be well advised to simply
throw
the white towel into the ring and declare the Wings winners.
Nicklas Lidstrom had scored twice on the power play as the Wings
went on to trounce the hapless Sharks 6-1. Two days following
that,
while most Wings fans were out celebrating a University of
Michigan
football victory, Brendan Shanahan proved why Wings management
felt
it so important for them to acquire the power forward, as he lead
the team to an easy 6-0 victory over the L.A. Kings.
CAPTAIN FOR LIFE
It took a phenomenal playoff performance by Steve Yzerman for
most
of his doubters to realize exactly what type of athlete they were
dealing with. When the Wings struggled early last campaign,
rumors
circulated that the long-time captain was about to be dealt to
the
Ottawa Senators for prospects. Fan response was so negative that
many believe management had little choice but to call the deal
off.
Opening night last season, Stevie Y. was given a huge round of
applause, a standing ovation to be exact, while Scotty Bowman was
loudly booed.
Ironically enough, the Wings announced on Nov. 14 that they had
inked the captain to a new contract, one that would not only
guarantee his tenure as a Wing for the remainder of his
professional career, but also his future with an undisclosed
management position upon retirement. The deal was long rumored
and
took some time to finally get hammered out, but Wings fans were
very happy to see it done, and so they should be.
MEANWHILE AT THE CAFE
Speculation around the league has the Whalers unable to convince
Paul Coffey that Hartford is the place for him, and that the club
has agreed to deal him elsewhere. One team that keeps being
mentioned is the Toronto Maple Leafs, a divisional rival of the
Wings. The Wings, however, would welcome such a move.
When Coffey was originally dealt to the Whalers, the Wings had to
eat the majority of Coffey's contract. They had the foresight to
stipulate that they would only pay Coffey while he was with the
Whalers. Should Coffey be dealt, and it says here he will be,
then
the Wings will have some serious cash to spend the rest of the
season. Look for the Wings to make the move for the badly needed
point man to aide the leagues worst power play before the March
trading deadline.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX COYOTES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Don Hay
Roster: C -Jeremy Roenick, Cliff Ronning, Craig Janney, Mike
Eastwood, Chad Kilger, Mike Stapleton, Bob Corkum, Travis Hansen.
LW -Keith Tkachuk, Darrin Shannon, Kris King, Jim McKenzie, Mike
Hudson. RW - Mike Gartner, Shane Doan, Dallas Drake. D - Teppo
Numminen, Oleg Tverdosky, Dave Manson, Norm Maciver, Brad
McCrimmon, Jeff Finley, Jim Johnson, Deron Quint. G - Nikolai
Khabibulin, Darcy Wakaluk.
Injuries: Jeremy Roenick, c (sprained right knee, two to three
weeks); Norm Maciver, d (neck surgery on Nov. 22, indefinte);
Shane
Doan, rw (strained foot ligaments, one to three weeks); Jim
Johnson, d (strained neck, two to three weeks); Dallas Drake, rw
(sprained ankle, two to three weeks); Dave Manson, d (broken toe,
one week); Jim McKenzie, lw (fractured lower leg, one week).
Transactions: 11/17 Assigned Jason Simon, lw, to Las Vegas (IHL),
assigned Mike Hudson, c/lw, to Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL); 11/18
Recalled Travis Hansen, c, from Springfield (AHL) on an emergency
basis, recalled Hudson from Phoenix; 11/19 Recalled Deron Quint,
d,
from Springfield on an emergency basis; 11/20 Assigned Quint to
Springfield; 11/21 Recalled Quint from Springfield on an
emergency
basis, assigned Hansen to Springfield.
Game Results:
11/14 Hartford L 2-1
11/16 Toronto W 3-2
11/18 Detroit T 2-2
11/20 at Colorado L 6-0
11/21 at St. Louis L 4-3 OT
11/23 NY Islanders T 3-3
TEAM NEWS by Jeff Brown
In the Doghouse
Things just aren't going right for Coyotes head coach Don Hay.
The
young coach had plenty going for him coming into his first
season.
He had a team playing in a new city, with fans eager to have
professional hockey. His roster had no shortage of big names,
including a superstar veteran and another with Michael
Jordan-type
potential. He had a World Cup goalie. He had plenty of young,
talented players ready to prove themselves in the league. So
what's Hay's challenge? Mold it all into a winning hockey
organization.
Two months into the season, he's still trying to get it together.
The Dogs are dead last in the Central Division, and have scored
the
fewest number of goals in the league. Only Anaheim has fewer
points than Phoenix. With a quarter of their games this season
already in the books, Hay could be feeling the noose tighten with
every continued Coyotes loss. Rumors began brewing last week
that
management was losing its patience with Hay. Thus far, however,
it
may be wrong to blame him for the team's woes. His superstar,
center Jeremy Roenick, held out and missed all of training camp
and
the first four games of the season. Since coming back, Roenick
has
slowly turned up the heat, scoring 15 points in his 17 games, but
the team is still adjusting to his style of play.
However, it now looks like the Coyotes will have to wait even
longer to adjust to Roenick being on the ice. Roenick sprained
his
right knee during the Coyotes' 3-3 tie with the New York
Islanders
on Saturday when he collided knee-to-knee with Fishstick Brent
Hughes late in the third period. Hughes received a kneeing
penalty
on the play.
Other than the recent Roenick medical report, Hay's team has been
riddled with injuries this season, including having lost center
Cliff Ronning for nearly a month with a broken hand. Currently
the
Coyotes have about six players on injured reserve. Bobby Smith,
Executive VP of Hockey Operations, quelled any rumors of Hay's
firing by commenting to the press that it takes time to gel as a
team and that the Coyotes' management stood behind their head
coach
100 percent.
New Hospital Wing Named for Coyotes
Injuries continue to plague the Phoenix Coyotes roster. With six
players on injured reserve and Roenick quite possibly on his way,
the
team has been
forced to dip into their minor league rosters to fill vacancies
at
both forward and defensive positions. Defenseman Deron Quint
scored
his first goal in his first appearance this season against St.
Louis
on Nov. 21. All of the team's injuries look to be relatively
minor
(players expected to return within 1 to 2 weeks) except for Norm
Maciver, who has been bothered with a neck injury all season.
Maciver underwent surgery to correct the problem (a pinched
nerve)
on Nov. 22, and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
None the less, the rest of the team has been forced to skate more
shifts each game, and tired legs are apparent. In the last six
games, five have ended in one-goal decisions or ties. Against
both
Detroit and St. Louis, Phoenix had two-goal leads and could not
hold them. The schedule has not helped either, forcing the
Coyotes
to play six games in 10 days, including two games on the road in
two
straight days. The Coyotes lost both games, and were pushed all
over
the ice by Colorado in a 6-0 blowout.
Ronning the show
Center Cliff Ronning returned to the ice against Hartford on Nov.
14 after missing nearly a month with a broken hand. Though he
has
only two assists and has not yet scored a goal for Phoenix, his
speed and centering abilities are gladly welcomed back to the
lineup. The Coyotes were 3-1-0 when Ronning went on injured
reserve and won only two of 11 games in his absence.
Korolev a Coyote?
Word around the clubhouse is that holdout Igor Korolev is
prepared
to sign a one-year contract worth about $400,000 and could be in
uniform Thursday night against the Devils.
Upcoming
The Coyotes look to end November with a bang as they skate four
more games at home against the NY Rangers, New Jersey, Calgary,
and
Los Angeles before starting a six-game road trip back in St.
Louis
on Dec. 5.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ST. LOUIS BLUES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mike Keenan
Roster: C - Pierre Turgeon, Craig MacTavish, Peter Zezel, Harry
York, Jim Campbell, Jamal Mayers, Craig Conroy. LW - Geoff
Courtnall, Tony Twist, Stephane Matteau, Scott Pellerin. RW -
Brett
Hull, Joe Murphy, Brian Noonan, Steve Leach, Rob Pearson. D - Al
MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Igor Kravchuk, Marc Bergevin, Trent
Yawney, Libor Zabransky, Christer Olssen. G - Grant Fuhr, Jon
Casey, Jamie McLennan.
Injuries: Steve Leach, rw (ankle, day-to-day).
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
11/14 Tampa Bay W 5-3
11/16 Calgary W 2-0
11/17 Anaheim W 4-2
11/19 at Pittsburgh L 4-2
11/21 Phoenix W 4-3
11/09 Florida L 3-1
TEAM NEWS by Joe Ashkar
The St. Louis Blues are experiencing one of their better
stretches
under the Mike Keenan regime, winning six of their last eight
games. They have won 5 consecutive games for the first time since
December 1993. The Blues started this two-week stretch with a
three-game homestand in which they went 3-0.
First, they welcomed the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning into Kiel
Center and handed them a 5-3 loss with an exciting third period
comeback in which they scored four unanswered goals and set an
all-time team record for fastest three goals in franchise
history.
Stephane Matteau, Pierre Turgeon and rookie Jim Campbell scored
the
goals in a 39-second span. Brett Hull recorded three assists in
that game.
Two nights later, Grant Fuhr recorded his first shutout of the
season and fourth with the Blues in a 2-0 victory over the
Calgary
Flames. The Blues won all three games against Calgary this
season.
Rookie centerman Harry York continued to excel as he netted the
game winner in support to an impressive performance which earned
him the second star of the game.
The Blues showed no ill-effect in playing their second game in as
many nights by shooting down the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 4-2.
Jim
Campbell earned the number one star of the game by scoring his
league-leading fifth game-winning goal of the season. Grant Fuhr
has another stellar game allowing only two unstoppable goals from
point-blank range. Craig Conroy, Igor Kravchuk and Geoff
Courtnall
scored the other Blues goals.
The Blues' five-game winning streak came to end at the Igloo in
Pittsburgh, where they haven't won since 1990. The Blues
outplayed
and dominated the Penguins during the game but an early letdown
dug
them in a deep hole. The Penguins took a 2-0 lead in the opening
five minutes and held off the charging Blues, who outshot them
33-13 the rest of the way, including 13-2 in the second period.
One
of the two shots on goal was fluke goal allowed by Fuhr which
proved to be the game winner for the Penguins. The Blues
rebounded
with goals by Hull and Campbell but Pens' goalie Ken Wreggett
preserved the victory for Pittsburgh.
The game also marked a rematch fight between Francois Leroux and
Tony Twist. Leroux and Twist squared off three times in which
Twister hammered Leroux down to the ice. During last season,
Leroux
took advantage of an injured Tony Twist and using and illegally
taped hand to pummel the perennial league's toughest fighter.
The Penguins new acquisition, defenseman Darius Kasparaitis did
not
draw any sympathy from the Blues when he sent Pierre Turgeon
flying
head-first into the boards with a vicious check from behind.
Turgeon, who unsuccessfully attempted to step back on the ice in
the third period, suffered contusions to the knees from the hit
and
missed the next two Blues games. Turgeon is listed as day-to-day.
The Blues sent a tape of the incident to the league offices but
NHL
disciplinary Brian Burke ignored the vicious hit and no action
was
taken to suspend Kasparaitis.
The Blues returned to Kiel Center and beat the Phoenix Coyotes in
their first overtime game of the season. The Blues mustered a
thrilling come- from-behind victory in which rookie Harry York
single-handedly brought the team back with a three-point night.
York set up Hull's tying goal with 6.5 seconds left in regulation
and scored the winner 57 seconds into overtime.
In front of their largest crowd of the season, the Blues
disappointed their fans by losing to the pesky Florida Panthers
for
the first time in club history. The Blues had been 3-0-1 in their
previous four meetings with the Panthers. Stellar goaltending by
Grant Fuhr kept the Panthers off the boards in a first period
where
the Panthers outshot the Blues 13-6.
The Blues came out flying in the second period and took a 1-0
lead
on Jim Campbell's team-leading 11th goal of the season. A letdown
by the Blues allowed the Panthers consecutive goals in less than
two minutes and suddenly Florida had a 2-1 lead despite being
outshot 14-6 in the second period. The tight-checking Florida
trapping defense and backup goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick shut down
the Blues the rest of the way and Jody Hull added an insurance
goal
to give the Panthers their first ever victory against the Blues.
Bluenotes:
* The Blues outshot their opposition in their last six games by a
total of 182-140 shots and have not allowed more than 29 shots in
their last 12 games!
* The Blues are one of only two teams in the league not to allow
a
short-handed goal against this season. The other team is the
Hartford
Whalers.
* The Blues rookies are the elite of their class this season. Jim
Campbell has a current six-game point streak, leads the league in
game-winning goals with five, leads all rookie in goals with 11
and
overall scoring with 19 points. Campbell was named the NHL Rookie
of the Month for October. Harry York should become the second
Blue
to win the rookie of the month award in November. York trails
only
Campbell in scoring with 16 points.
* High-priced wingers Joe Murphy and Geoff Courtnall have
combined
for only 7 goals in a total of 41 games.
* Brett Hull is five goals short of the milestone of 500.
* Former minor league goaltender Steve McKichan, 29, was awarded
$175,000 by a St. Louis jury for an incident that happened on
Dec.
15, 1990. McKichan filed suit against the Blues for negligence
when
he allegedly suffered permanent injuries when he was knocked out
on
a late hit by Tony Twist after a stoppage of play. The incident
occurred during a game between the Milwaukee Admirals and the
Blues' former farm team, the Peoria Rivermen.
Twist was suspended for 13 games following the hit which was in
retaliation to an earlier cheap shot by McKichan. McKichan left
the
crease during the second period of the game and mugged Twist with
a
blocker hit to the head. The Jury was not allowed to hear the
latter and despite expert witnesses testifying that McKichan
wasn't
an NHL caliber player anyway, he was still awarded the requested
sum of money. Actually, McKichan had better goals-
against-average
and save percentage statistics after Twist's hit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mike Murphy
Roster: C - Doug Gilmour, Kirk Muller, Jamie Baker, Darby
Hendrickson, Kelly Fairchild. LW - Fredrik Modin, Wendel Clark,
Todd Warriner, Nick Kypreos. RW - Mats Sundin, Sergei Berezin,
Tie
Domi, Mike Craig, John Craighead. D -Matt Martin, Dave Ellett,
Jeff Ware, Jamie Heward, Jamie Macoun, Dimitri Yushkevich,
Larry
Murphy, Mathieu Schneider. G - Felix Potvin, Marcel Cousineau.
Injuries: Nick Kypreos, lw (broken leg, out at least six weeks).
Transactions: Mathieu Schneider suspended three games by NHL for
elbowing Anaheim's Paul Kariya on 11/13. Recalled Kelly
Fairchild,
c, John Craighead, rw, and Marcel Cousineau, g, from St. John's
(AHL); assigned Brandon Convery, c, to St. John's. Placed Don
Beaupre, g, on waivers. Beaupre cleared waivers and was assigned
to
St. John's.
Game results:
11/13 at Anaheim L 3-2
11/14 at Los Angeles L 4-1
11/16 at Phoenix L 3-2
11/19 Buffalo W 4-3
11/21 at Buffalo L 6-3
11/23 Montreal L 4-3
TEAM NEWS by Brad Ross
The confines of Maple Leaf Gardens must have been a welcoming
site
to Leaf players as they arrived home from a four-game road trip
that saw them earn zero points, some hefty fines and a three-game
suspension for defenceman Mathieu Schneider, one of Toronto's
best
point-getters on the blue line.
The Maple Leafs are now 2-8 on the road and 7-5 at home.
Coach Mike Murphy, upon returning home, took much of the blame
for
the poor showing on the road. He said the coaching staff didn't
do
its job in preparing the team, namely, after a 3-1 loss in
Philadelphia the club should have immediately flown west to
prepare
for Anaheim. Instead, the Leafs flew back to Toronto, practiced
at
the Gardens, then flew out on the Tuesday, facing Disney the next
evening.
Good night, Paul
With Paul Kariya back in the Ducks lineup, the Leafs were pressed
to take on the low-flying Mallards with skill and hard work.
Cruising just inside the Leafs blue line, Kariya was flattened by
Schneider with a very high elbow. Schneider, who has never been
suspended before, received a three-game sit-down by NHL vice
president Brian Burke. Kariya, who received a minor concussion,
left the game and missed Anaheim's next bout in Dallas.
Good-bye, Don and Brandon
After goalie Felix Potvin's punch-up with the Flyers Ron Hextall,
the Leafs decided to rest the Cat two games later in Los Angeles.
Oooops.
By far the most consistent Leaf thus far, Potvin deserved the
rest. Enter back-up Don Beaupre. Beaupre had yet to notch a win
as a Leaf since coming over from Ottawa in a trade last year that
saw Damian Rhodes go to the Sens. Yeah, that one worked out well.
But I digress.
Beaupre was terrible against the Kings. Plain and simple. As a
result, Marcel Cousineau was called up from St. John's and
Beaupre
placed on waivers. He cleared -- he has a $900,000 price tag --
and is now doing time on the Rock.
Centre Brandon Convery was also sent down last week after missing
five of the last six games. Murphy feels the former
first-rounder
lacks confidence, so time with the Baby Leafs is in order. Kelly
Fairchild, who played better it seems in training camp, got the
call to the big club.
With Nick Kypreos out for at least six weeks with a broken leg
suffered in a fight with Buffalo's Matthew Barnaby, the Leafs
also
called up tough guy John Craighead.
Light at the end of the tunnel, even if it is going down
You know you have problems when your enforcer scores the only two
goals against a team that is also struggling. Tie Domi scored
twice against Phoenix in a 3-2 loss that the Leafs had in the bag
heading into the third period. Go figure.
Mats Sundin has also played exceptionally well this season. He
has
31 points and has been held off the scoreboard just three times
in
22 games.
Captain Doug Gilmour has also been his gritty self, scoring for
the
first time in 10 outings in a 4-3 loss to Montreal. Gilmour also
played in his 1,000th NHL game in Phoenix.
Rumour du jour
The rumour mill was spinning fast last week and had Kirk Muller
heading to Vancouver for former Leaf Russ Courtnall. The speedy
Courtnall may not be the ticket to achieve the 90 points GM Cliff
Fletcher predicted at the beginning of the season, but Muller has
been flat. He has only 11 points, five of them goals.
Rumours also swirl around Paul Coffey. Why the Leafs need
another
aged defenceman is beyond me and many others. The team needs a
speedy forward, and while Courtnall may not be the ultimate,
blockbuster trades aren't likely to happen in the cost-conscious
Leafs front office.
================================================================
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ron Wilson
Roster: C - Jari Kurri, Kevin Todd, Steve Rucchin, Ted Drury.
LW - Paul Kariya, Shawn Antoski, Brian Bellows, Garry Valk, Ken
Baumgartner, Warren Rychel, Jeremy Stevenson. RW - Teemu Selanne,
Joe Sacco, Roman Oksiuta, Valeri Karpov, J.F. Jomphe. D - Milos
Holan, Dave Karpa, Bobby Dollas, Dmitri Mironov, Darren Van Impe,
Jason Marshall, Ruslan Salei, Nikolai Tsulygin. G - Guy Hebert,
Mikhail Shtalenkov.
Injuries: Paul Kariya, c, returned to the lineup after missing
several games due to a concussion.
Transactions: Traded Fredrik Olausson, d, and Alex Hicks, lw, to
Pittsburgh for Shawn Antoski, lw, and Dmitri Mironov, d. Acquired
Brian Bellows, lw, from Tampa Bay for a sixth-round pick in the
1997 Entry Draft.
Game Results:
11/11 Dallas L 3-2
11/13 Toronto W 3-2
11/15 at Dallas L 4-3
11/17 NY Islanders T 2-2
11/23 San Jose W 3-0
11/24 Detroit W 3-1
TEAM NEWS by Sandi Trudo
The Ducks need to start notching some marks in the "W" column --
and soon.
Last year, it was the worst start in the team's three-year
history.
This year, it has become the worst start in the team's four-year
history. As I have repeatedly pointed out, the Ducks desperately
need more depth on the blue line, more consistent
goaltending and some added chemistry and experience.
That said (for the tenth time), let's look at what's been going
on
at the Pond...or maybe what COULD be going on at the Pond. A
recent
evening on ESPN featured a bevy of former Ducks on the highlight
reel. For starters there was former Ducks defenseman, Fredrik
Olausson, knocking in a beauty of a power play goal from the
point,
in a Pittsburgh Penguin jersey. You remember him, he used to
anchor
the Ducks power play. That was followed by a feature on Blues
rookie sensation Jimmy Campbell, surely you remember him. He was
a
Duck too. As was Oleg Tverdovsky, the first rounder the Ducks
traded away for superstar, Teemu Selanne. In Selanne's defense,
he
was most definitely a worthwhile acquisition.
My point is that the Ducks cast-offs are making a mark in the NHL
this season. So, when will the Ducks be making a mark as a team?
When will they make a trade that impacts the team in a much
stronger way? Hopefully soon. And, the rumors that Paul Coffey
likes California may be based in fact, but would he go to the
last
place team in the league? Doubtful. The Ducks are above .500 when
both Selanne and Kariya play, below .500 when they don't. The
numbers don't lie and it's high time the Ducks start making some
changes that will put more depth on the bench and an impact on
the
win column.
Along those lines, the Ducks have recently shown some
improvement
on the power play and managed to pull off back-to-back wins. As
head
coach Ron Wilson quipped after a solid 3-1 win over the Detroit
Red
Wings, "As bleak as it's been, it looks a lot brighter now."
Here's a recap of the new guys the Ducks acquired over the past
two
weeks.
Brian Bellows
LW, 14-year NHL veteran, 1,039 career games in the NHL, 10
seasons
with the North Stars in Minnesota, three with Montreal, last two
with Tampa Bay. Expect a 60-70 point season, if he produces in
Anaheim. He had three points in seven games with Tampa this
year.
Dmitri Mironov
D, six points in 15 games with Pittsburgh this season, experience
with the Soviet Wings and Toronto as well, 6-3, 215 lbs., 34
points
in 72 games last year.
Shawn Antoski
LW, 26 years old, 6-4, 235 lbs., had 204 PIM in 64 games with
Philadelphia, also played for Vancouver and in the IHL with
Milwaukee.
Here are the highlights of the top three games during the last
two
weeks.
Mighty Ducks 2, Islanders 2
It was the battle of the fewest -- fewest wins, that is. These
teams entered this game fighting off a tie for the fewest wins in
the league (4). And both played like they didn't want to be the
NHL
basement doormat.
Kevin Todd and Teemu Selanne scored for the Ducks and Paul Kariya
returned to the line-up after missing two weeks with a
concussion.
Guy Hebert, who had held off the Isles in the last three meetings
between these two team, was beat by New York's Bryan Smolinski,
who
scored the tying goal. Tommy Salo was solid in net for the Isles
and
robbed the Ducks several times in the third.
The game also marked the debut of three new Ducks' players, Shawn
Antoski, Dmitri Mironov and Brian Bellows. Antoski and Mironov
came
from Pittsburgh and Bellows from Tampa Bay. Kariya set up
Selanne's
goal, which gives Teemu 12 on the season. Jari Kurri had an
assist
on Todd's goal. That assist gives Kurri 1,353 career points and
he
is now tied with Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur for 12th place on the
NHL's all-time list. Kurri has now earned more points than any
European-born player in league history.
Mighty Ducks 3, Sharks 0
Kariya began to find his stride, and his shot, in this game. He
scored two of the Ducks' three goals and Guy Hebert stopped 25
shots
for his 10th career shutout. Warren Rychel also scored and Teemu
Selanne had two assists for Anaheim, which gave him a point for
the
eighth consecutive game, and points in 11 of his
last 13.
The win was only Anaheim's fifth of the season (5-13-4). In net
for
San Jose was Chris Terreri. Steve Rucchin had an assist on
Kariya's
power play which gave Paul a team- high five power-play goals.
Mighty Ducks 3, Red Wings 1
Finally an exciting game for the Ducks. The highlight of the game
came during the second period when Teemu Selanne and Garry Valk
scored the tying and go-ahead goals 22 seconds apart. It gave
the
Ducks their first win over the Red Wings in franchise history
(13
meetings). The Red Wings beat the Ducks 7-2 in Anaheim's NHL
debut,
making tonight's victory extra sweet and overdue.
With the victory, the Ducks have now defeated every team in the
league except the Florida Panthers.
Guy Hebert was solid in net and made 31 saves. Selanne added a
nice
breakaway goal, giving him 13 on the season. Previously, the Red
Wings had allowed more than two goals only four times in their
first
24 games. Ken Baumgartner, playing in his 500th NHL game, had an
assist and Darren Van Impe scored his first goal of the season.
"I've been here for four years and we've come close. We came out
tonight on a mission," said defenseman Bobby Dollas after the
game.
"But, we can't sit back and say, 'Hey, we beat Detroit,' and then
rest for the rest of the week."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CALGARY FLAMES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Pierre Page
Roster: C - Robert Reichel, Dave Gagner, Jerome Iginla, Cory
Stillman, German Titov, Corey Millen, Aaron Gavey. 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,
Todd Simpson, Joel Bouchard, Jamie Allison. G - Trevor Kidd,
Dwayne Roloson.
Injuries: Sandy McCarthy, rw (fractured ankle, indefinite);
Zarley
Zalapski, d (knee, day-to-day).
Transactions: Traded Rick Tabaracci, g, to Tampa Bay in exchange
for
Aaron Gavey, c; sent Chris O'Sullivan, d, to Saint John (AHL);
recalled Jamie Allison, d, from Saint John.
Game Results:
11/13 at Dallas T 3-3
11/14 at Chicago W 2-1 OT
11/16 at St. Louis L 2-0
11/18 NY Rangers W 5-3
11/20 Dallas L 3-1
11/22 Chicago L 5-2
11/23 at Edmonton L 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell
The new Calgary correspondent still isn't ready to roll.
Applicants have to go through a battery of tests and evaluations
before they can be deemed acceptable according to LCS standards.
And I'll tell you what... those standards are mighty high.
Granted, we have softened our stance regarding personal hygiene.
What the hell? We can't smell you through E-mail anyway, so who
cares? But we still insist that all interested parties must be
able to name all the main characters from "Welcome Back,
Kotter", along with the actors who portrayed them, and the
said actors' current activities. Then it's on to step two,
acquiring written notes of recommendation from each and every
one. And good luck trying to find Gabe Kaplan.
So, as you can see, it is quite the arduous process. However, I
am very proud to say that, despite all the testing, no rabbits
are ever harmed. Although we do kick the hell out of some baby
seals. Hopefully, the Calgary position will be solidified for
next issue.
The Flames are obviously feeling neglected by a lack of an
official LCS correspondent, going 2-4-1 over their last seven
games. Once tied for the Pacific Division lead with the Colorado
Avalanche, Calgary has collapsed into fifth place in the
division, a full 14 points behind Colorado, with a record of 9-
12-2.
Battle of Alberta Turns Ugly
The first half of a classic home-and-home matchup between the
Flames and Oilers was marred when some drunken weasel sitting
behind the Calgary bench at the Edmonton Coliseum confused Guy
LaPointe's head for a trash can and emptied his beer over the
Flames' assistant coach. That's when things deteriorated into
something very reminiscent of an LCS Christmas party.
Not taking too kindly to seeing one of his coaches getting doused
with a perfectly good alcoholic beverage, big bad Sasha Lakovic
lunged over the glass to get his hands on the unruly fan. Sasha
was teetering on the top of the glass, coming very close to
spilling into the stands, as he meted out his own form of in-
house security. While Lakovic insists he never punched the man,
LaPointe reportedly did land a rather hefty right hook.
After things calmed down, Lakovic was given a gross misconduct
penalty and fined $200 for his part in the melee. The league
will also be reviewing tape of the incident to see if any further
actions need to be taken.
Sasha insists he did nothing wrong and was simply defending his
coach. Apparently the Flames were complaining about the
intoxicated putz since the start of the game and were infuriated
at the lack of security near their bench. Things should be
interesting on Tuesday night, Nov. 26, when the two clubs
meet in Calgary to close out the series.
Don't be surprised to see Sasha drop the gloves before the
night's
over. The rookie enforcer isn't exactly shy and will go with
anyone. His brash attitude has angered some of his veteran
teammates on occasion, but his intense physical fitness and work
ethic have endeared him to the coaching staff. Sasha was called
up to help add muscle while Sandy McCarthy was on the shelf with
his ankle injury, but may have earned himself an expanded role
with the team. Last season in Las Vegas of the IHL, Lakovic was
a designated thug, only seeing the ice when heads needed busted.
When the dust settled at the end of the year, the result was 419
minutes in penalties.
Scoring Update: Theo Fleury continues to lead the club in
scoring with 11 goals and 22 points in 23 games. Titov holds
down the number two slot (9-9-18), followed by Dave Gagner (8-9-
17), Jarome Iginla (7-9-16), and Robert Reichel (4-12-16), who
continues to be a big disappointment. The Flames didn't exactly
bring the 25-year-old Czech center back from Europe to score just
four goals over the first quarter of the season. And two of
those goals came in the same game against Pittsburgh on October
24. That's not good.
Stillman Stumped: Speaking of scoring droughts, Cory
Stillman is still trying to figure out how to turn on the red
light. The second-year center has ten assists, but no goals, in
22 games. He also checks in with a -7. Ouch.
Crowded Crease No More: While the offense continues to be
a problem, the crowded situation in goal was addressed when the
club traded Rick Tabaracci to the men with lightning bolts on
their pants in exchange for center Aaron Gavey. Moving Tabaracci
opens up playing time for netminder Dwayne Roloson, who many
believe to be a future star between the pipes.
Since this is the last time Tabaracci will be mentioned in a
Calgary report, LCS would like to inform the public on the proper
way to pronounce his name. Take note, it's Rick Taba-rach-ee.
Pronounce the "Taba" all quick like, hit the "rach" hard, pause,
and then let the "ee" linger. So it's like Rick TabaRACH-
eeeeeeeeee. Oooooh yeah... smooth.
Anyway, Gavey is a 22-year-old native of Sudbury, Ontario, that
is in his second NHL campaign. Last season he appeared in 73
games for the Bolts, picking up eight goals and 12 points. So
far this season Gavey had a goal and three points in 16 games in
Tampa. While he did put up a 100-point season in his final year
in juniors with Sault St. Marie (42-60-102 in 60 games, 1993-94),
Gavey has yet to show a knack for scoring at the pro level. In
his one year in the IHL, 1994-95 with Atlanta, Gavey recorded 18
goals and 35 points in 66 games. He does have some potential,
however, and is a feisty checker that could add some spark to the
lineup. He was extremely excited to hear about the trade, even
though it meant leaving the sunny skies of Florida behind in
favor of the bone-numbing temperatures and thick snow drifts of
Alberta. So far Gavey as seen action in two contests, without
registering a point.
While getting Gavey is a plus, the big advantage of the trade is
creating playing time for the talented Roloson. The 27-year-old
Ontario native opened the eyes of the coaching staff at training
camp with a remarkable showing. While the club opened the season
with Roloson, Tabaracci, and incumbent Trevor Kidd on the roster,
Roloson was eventually assigned to Saint John of the AHL in order
to get some ice time. After sparkling in the minors and earning
AHL player of the week honors, Roloson was once again with the
big club and it was no secret that a trade was imminent.
Roloson, 6'1", 195 lbs., went the college hockey route, playing
stateside with Massachusetts-Lowell from 1990-1994. The Flames
signed him as a free agent in June of 1994 and he spent the past
two seasons with Saint John. His stellar play in limited action
forced Calgary management to make a move. Now that Tabaracci's
out of the way, could Kidd be too far behind?
Upcoming Schedule: After the game at home against the
Oilers, the Flames will welcome the Kings to the Saddle Dome two
nights later. Then it's off on a four-game road trip through
Phoenix, Long Island, New Jersey, and Boston.
Short Game Recaps
Nov. 13, tied at Dallas, 3-3: Roloson made his first NHL
start a memorable one, stopping 35 of 38 shots. Unfortunately,
it wasn't enough to get the win. His performance did help
salvage a tie, giving his club a chance to rally from an early 3-
1 deficit. Iginla and Reichel scored in the first and second,
respectively, while Fleury did his thing in the third to tie the
game at 10:39.
Nov. 14, won at Chicago, 2-1, in overtime: After Kevin
Miller got the Hawks on the board in the first period, the game
remained 1-0 until Gagner knotted it in the third with his sixth
goal of the season. Titov potted the winner in OT, with an
assist going to Corey Millen. Trevor Kidd stopped 30 of 31 shots
for the victory.
Nov. 16, lost at St. Louis, 2-0: The Flames just couldn't
solve Grant Fuhr, as the elderly one stopped all 21 shots he
faced. Kidd was strong in stopping 24 of 26, but couldn't keep
up with Fuhr. LCS cult hero-in-waiting, Harry York, scored the
eventual game-winner in the second period and Rob Pearson iced it
with his first of the year in the third. Fleury led the Flames
with four shots.
Nov. 18, beat the Rangers, 5-3: The Flames blitzed the
Blueshirts and Mike Richter for five goals, including two from
Fleury, to take an impressive victory on home ice. Patrick,
Hoglund, and Gagner had the other goals, while Reichel added
three assists. Kidd stopped 24 of 27 for the win.
Nov. 20, lost to Dallas, 3-1: Gagner had the lone Calgary
goal as the men in red were silenced by Roman Turek in the
mammoth Czech goaltender's NHL debut. Turek stopped 25 of 26
shots, playing his usual quiet stand-up style. Brent Gilchrist
provided all the offense needed by the Stars, smacking home two
goals. Kidd was once again in net, taking the loss after
stopping 25 of 28 shots.
Nov. 22, lost to Chicago, 5-2: The workload seemed to
catch up to Kidd, as he allowed five goals on 32 shots, including
a ridiculous tally off the blade of Sergei Krivokrasov that
seemed to spark the Hawk attack. Tony Amonte led the assault for
Chicago with two goals and an assist. Titov had both Calgary
goals, his eighth and ninth of the season.
Nov. 23, lost at Edmonton, 3-2: This first end of a home-
and-home series with the rival Oilers will be remembered more for
the drunken punk behind the Flames bench than for the game, but
it was the usually cool Battle of Alberta. Albelin and Fleury
scored for the Flames, but Andrei Kovalenko countered with two
goals for the Oil, and then Mariusz Czerkawski netted the winner
in the third period to break the 2-2 stalemate. Roloson was
spectacular in defeat, stopping 32 of 35, while the Flames could
muster just 18 shots against Curtis Joseph.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
COLORADO AVALANCHE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Marc Crawford
Roster: C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Stephane
Yelle. LW - Valeri Kamensky, Yves Sarault, Rene Corbet, Eric
Lacroix. RW - Claude Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Keith Jones, Scott
Young, Mike Keane. D - Sandis Ozolinsh, Sylvain
Lefebvre, Uwe Krupp, Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm,
Brent Severyn, Aaron Miller. G - Patrick Roy, Craig Billington.
Injuries: Claude Lemieux, rw (surgery for torn abdominal muscle,
out two months).
Transactions: Traded Landon Wilson, rw, and Anders Myrvold, d, to
the Boston Bruins for the Bruins first-round pick in 1998.
Game Results:
11/11 at NY Islanders W 6-2
11/13 at Detroit W 4-1
11/14 at Buffalo L 5-4
11/16 Hartford T 4-4
11/20 Phoenix W 6-0
11/22 NY Islanders W 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Jim Iovino
The past two weeks have seen the Colorado Avalanche keep on
truckin' in their quest for world domination. Sure, they're
probably just jumping on the LCS bandwagon, but we love em
anyway.
What's not to love about the Avalanche. They've got Joe Sakic
and
Peter Forsberg, the top two scorers in the NHL through Nov. 25.
They've got Sandis Ozolinsh, the league's top scoring defenseman.
And they've got Patrick Roy, who ranks in the top three goalies
in
goals-against average, wins, save percentage and shutouts.
Not bad, eh?
Over the last two weeks, the Avs have continued their dominance,
going 4-1-1. Their first game of the two week span was against
the
New York Islanders, in what turned out to be a 6-2 win. After
watching the Isles jump out to a 2-1 lead midway through the
second
period, the trio of Sakic, Forsberg and Valeri Kamensky made sure
the Avalanche's day wouldn't be as ugly as the Isles uniforms.
Kamensky had three assists, Sakic scored a pair and Forsberg
added
a goal and an assist of his own as the Avs scored four unanswered
goals in the span of a period and a half to shut the door on any
hopes of a Mike Milbury win.
>From the metropolis of New York, the Avs traveled to Detroit for
another big-city matchup. Different opponent, same story.
Colorado
was once again led by Forsberg, who scored two goals and added
two
assists in the 4-1 thumping of Detroit. Sakic and Kamensky
continued to have the hot hand as well as each added a pair of
assists. Ozolinsh got in on the scoring act as well, netting two
goals. I wonder if the Latvian has any trouble saying the word
"Norris"?
Anyway, before I get ahead of myself, the Avalanche let Detroit
for
more fun with their east coast rivals. No, we're not talking
about
L.L. Cool J. It was the Buffalo Sabres turn to play some shinny
with the Lanche. Now, out of all the teams in the league, you
wouldn't think Buffalo would be a major thorn in the Avalanche's
side. But with Dominik Hasek in net, anything can happen.
Earlier
in the season, the Avs and Sabres tied 0-0, so there were still
some bragging rights left to be had when the two teams faced off
again at the Aud...I mean that new building where the scoreboard
keeps falling down.
(The following is a game report that every sportswriter dreams of
writing, but their editors won't allow it. But since I'm my own
editor, I can get away with it...yee-haw!!!)
After Buffalo got out to a quick lead, the Avs tied things up
with
a goal by Kamensky, with assists going to (everybody now) Sakic
and
Ozolinsh. However, the Sabres didn't roll over and die like a
lot
of teams have this season against Colorado. The little buggers
scored two more to take a 3-1 lead. How dare they?
By this time, see, the Avs are pissed. Buffalo's actually making
it tough for them to win a game. That's just not cool. Why, this
is Colorado's third road game in four nights. Don't the Sabres
know this? Come on, now...
Well, since they made the trip all the way out there to Buffalo,
and since those damn Niagara Falls are already frozen over, they
figured they better score some more goals to make it worthwhile.
Sakic scores, Eric Lacroix scores, yaddada, yaddada,
yaddada...the
Avs tie it up.
But wouldn't ya know, the Sabres think they're good or something
and score not once, but two more times. The Avs get try to come
back again, they get one more goal, but they're pooped. And gosh
darn it they have a right to be pooped. We all get pooped every
once in a while, don't we? Sure we do!
So the Avs lose 5-4 and go home.
After that game, the Avs had to face the Mighty Whale just two
nights later. Still sleepy from the plane ride and all wacked
out
after the time differences and all, Colorado has some trouble
with
the Whale. And you know, when whales detect blood, they attack.
Well, technically those are sharks, but it sounded like a good
analogy at the time.
When the Whale get tough and the Avs get sleepy, the best
Hartford's gonna make out is with a tie. Final score: 4-4.
Colorado fully recovered with four days rest before taking on
Phoenix. While the Coyotes are cool and all with that howling
noise they make after scoring goals at home, on the road they
just
ain't the same.
Nikolai Khabibulin is a cool Russian. But cool Russians don't
win
many games by themselves. Ask Sergei Fedorov. Well, the point is
Sandis Ozolinsh is a cool Russian (or Latvian or Mexican or
whatever he is), but he's got friends to help him. Friends like
Jon Klemm. Everyone needs a friend like Jon Klemm. I have a
friend like Jon Klemm. His name is Zippy. He's a wonder chimp.
Jon Klemm isn't a wonder chimp, but he scored two goals against
the
Coyotes. Sandis Ozolinsh scored two goals against the Coyotes.
I
could scored two goals against the Coyotes...well, maybe not.
But
Jon Klemm did. Final score: 6-0 Avs.
Let's finish off this report like we started it. How about
another
fine game against the Islanders? Why not. This time the Isles
made
it close by only losing, 3-2. The difference in the game?
Russians, of course.
Valeri Kamensky scored twice for the Lanche. I hear you now, oh
lovely, valued LCS: guide to hockey readers: "But one cool
Russian
does not a game win!" That is true. But Valeri Kamensky has a
friend named Stephane Yelle. Stephane Yelle did the best thing
anyone could do for a Russian friend. He scored a goal. There's
yer ball game! Avalanche (Russians included): 3, Islanders: 2.
Before I sign off for the night, there was a minor trade to
report. The Avs sent seldom used youngsters Landon Wilson and
Anders Myrvold to the Boston Bruins for a first-round pick in
1998. While this move might seem insignificant now, the pick
could
be huge for the Avs if the Bruins's attempts at a quick
rebuilding
process don't pan out. It could give Colorado a very high pick
in
that year's draft.
Wilson and Myrvold are swell prospects, but they just were not
going to find a spot in the Avalanche lineup in the next couple
years. Colorado has too much depth and the nucleus of players is
at a young enough age that they should still be there when these
two reach their primes. This was a good move not only for the
Avs,
but for Wilson and Myrvold as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
EDMONTON OILERS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ron Low
Roster: C - Doug Weight, Jason Arnott, Todd Marchant, Jesse
Belanger. LW - Dean McAmmond, Rem Murray, Miroslav Satan,
Ryan Smyth, Mats Lindgren. RW - Mariusz Czerkawski, Mike Grier,
Dave Oliver, Andrei Kovalenko, Kelly Buchberger, Louie DeBrusk.
D -
Kevin Lowe, Luke Richardson, Bryan Marchment, Jiri Slegr, Boris
Mironov, Jeff Norton, Donald Dufresne, Daniel McGillis, Michel
Petit. G - Curtis Joseph, Bob Essensa.
Injuries: Dean McAmmond, lw (returned Nov. 19 after missing two
games with a fractured nose); Donald Dufresne, d (tore medial
meniscus Oct. 26, out three to four weeks).
Transactions: None.
Game Results:
11/11 at Montreal L 3-2 OT
11/13 at Ottawa W 4-0
11/17 Dallas L 7-3
11/19 Chicago T 4-4
11/21 NY Rangers W 3-2
11/23 Calgary W 3-2
TEAM NEWS by Simon D. Lewis
50/50 Proposition
Approximately a quarter of the 1996-97 NHL schedule has passed
and
it's time for the mid-term report. After a reasonable facsimile
of
the good ol' Battle of Alberta and a good soaking of the Flames
coaching staff (see below), the Oilers find themselves at exactly
.500. That's not so bad for this retooled team. They're
starting
to establish a style that they are comfortable with. They know
that if they use their speed and outwork the other team, they
have
an excellent chance of winning any game. All they have to do is
accomplish that final bit of gelling and get that chemistry
worked
out.
First quarter grade: B-; doing well but not achieving
full potential.
Expected Performances
Jason Arnott, Curtis Joseph and Doug Weight are all shouldering
their portions of the load. As of Nov. 24, Arnott stood 13th in
the Art Ross race. Doug Weight was getting lots of helpers and
now
he has started to put the puck in the net. If he picks up his
pace, just a little, and there's no reason to think he can't or
won't, he and young Jason A. figure to be an even more formidable
pair. Joseph is himself. He has let a couple of softies through
to the twine in the last few games, but they have come early on
in
the game. After that he has been near unbeatable, always there
to
provide the game-saver. If this all sounds familiar, remember
Grant
Fuhr. That was his style during the Oilers' glory years. Ryan
Smyth appears to have grown into the big-leaguer we all expected.
.
. most goals on the team. Kovalenko, Satan, Czerkawski, Marchant,
Marchment, Lowe. . . the rest have all been solid and becoming
more
so.
Unexpected Performances
Rem Murray, Mike Grier and Dan McGillis. These three guys are
causing coach Ron Low some very welcome problems. There's no way
that Low expected that he'd have to make room for them on his
roster. All have played so well that there's no way to send them
down to the farm. Murray especially has been tearing up the
league. We'll wait to see how long his scoring touch lasts when
opposing coaches decide to mark him a little more closely.
Disappointments
Louie Debrusk has to be the big one here. When the bell has
rung,
the Edmonton enforcer has not answered it. Oiler faithful were
subjected to the sight captain Kelly Buchberger (the Oiler with
the
biggest heart) taking a licking from the Hawks' Bob Probert
because
there was no one else to stand up for the team. Debrusk was not
even dressed. The trade winds are blowing on this one. Former
Hab
Donald Brashear was one name being batted around the local
media.
Still Waiting
Mats Lindgren is finally in the lineup on a regular basis. It's
been
a good couple of years since the fans were to told to look out
for
this guy. A back injury and a leg injury have kept him out for
what seems like forever. Now we're waiting to see. So far, the
coaches have been happy with what they're getting.
Battle of Alberta Renewed
He may be the only one who can remember it, but Theo Fleury was
totally immersed in it on Nov. 23. The Oilers should have beaten
the Flames by more than 3-2, but rookie goalie Dwayne Roloson
held
Calgary in there. Fleury spent a lot of time regaling referee
Donut Don Koharski with his problems. Specifically he had a beef
with the cut over his eye late in the game that probably should
have resulted in Oiler penalty.
Late in the third period, a rowdy Edmonton fan doused Flames
assistant caoch, Guy Lapointe with his drink. Tough guy Sasha
Lakovic jumped the glass and tried to get at the fan. You may
have
seen this on a lot highlight packages as it was well-covered by
television. The return match is on the 26th in Cowtown. No word
on whether the Edmonton coaching staff is having its suits
scotch-guarded for the trip .
Here's a little appropriate trivia:
Question:
In 1972 six members of the Montreal Canadiens played for Team
Canada
against Kharlamov, Tretiak and the rest of the Soviet Team. Five
of them were: Frank and Peter Mahovlich, Ken Dryden, Yvan
Cournoyer
and Serge Savard. Who was the sixth member of the Habs?
Need a hint? Here ya go...He was a member of what was later to
be
known as the "Big Three." Throughout his career he was known as a
practical joker.
Survey says:
Guy Lapointe (he of the doused outfit) was the sixth member of
team. He played defence in seven of the eight games.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LOS ANGELES KINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Larry Robinson
Roster: C - Yanic Perreault, Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Nathan
Lafayette. LW - Dimitri Khristich, Kevin Stevens, Vladimir
Tsyplakov, Barry Potomski, Craig Johnson. RW - Ed Olczyk, Vitali
Yachmenev, Dan Bylsma, Kai Nurminen. D - Rob Blake, Doug Zmolek,
Mattias Norstrom, Phillippe Boucher, Sean O'Donnell, Steve Finn,
John Slaney. G - Stephane Fiset, Byron Dafoe.
Injuries: Jan Vopat, d (back, indefinite). Barry Potomski, lw
(back, indefinite).
Transactions: Acquired Neal Broten, c/w, from New Jersey in
exchange for a conditional draft pick. Acquired Chris Marinucci,
c/lw, from New York Islanders in exchange for Nick Vachon, c.
Both
Marinucci and Broten were assigned to Phoenix (IHL).
Game Results:
11/14 Toronto W 4-1
11/17 at Chicago W 4-2
11/19 at Tampa Bay L 3-0
11/20 at Florida L 4-1
11/23 Detroit L 6-0
TEAM NEWS by Matt Moore
Ah, the pain of a young and awkward team. They win a few
and
people begin to see visions of Stanley Cups dancing in their
heads,
then they go out and stink up the joint.
The Kings had been playing an all-around team game, but
recently they have allowed themselves to be out-muscled and
out-hustled. Although at their worse they are still better than
last year, it is still frustrating as hell to see a team that
seemingly does not want to be out on the ice playing hockey.
But first things first. It all started out with two
extremely
well played games with an easy win over Toronto and an ugly game
against Chicago. The Toronto game showed the problems the Maple
Leafs are having in trying to win with a bunch of real old
players. They seem to be in a similar position that the Kings
were
in last year, where flashes of brilliance can come out once in a
while but the rest of the time, well, they suck. They also have
the problem that the Kings didn't: being in a hockey town where
there is a hell of a lot of pressure on them to win. Thus, no
slow
rebuilding. Thus the sad decline of Doug Gilmour continues.
The Chicago game showed how the Kings can be a very tough
team
collectively, forcing the Blackhawks into looking like a bunch of
frustrated goons who, if they can't score, just wave their sticks
around menacingly. Following an extremely hard check on Gary
Suter
and with the Kings in control of the game, the game deteriorated
into something that Don Cherry might like, but I find sad and one
of the reasons why hockey hasn't grown more.
The first blow to civility was a fight between those two goons
Kai
Nurminen and Denis Savard. After everybody stopped laughing at
that match-up and with about a minute left in the game, the Kings
sent out a line of Dan Bylsma, Ian LaPerriere, and Matt Johnson.
This is a normal line that the Kings had used in the past and
throughout the game. The Blackhawks, having the last change,
sent
out a line that included Bob Probert at center and Jim Cummins.
Since Probert had probably never even played center before,
everybody knew that there was going to be some brawlin'. Showing
the decline in every skill that he has, including fighting,
Probert
turned into Zorro, the cross-checking monster.
Seemingly afraid to just drop the gloves and fight Matt Johnson,
Probert instead did some fancy stick-swinging and wussed out.
Out
of this scrum the Kings came out without any penalties while both
Cummins and Probert were handed majors and game misconducts.
However, after the game came the worst part of this, with Craig
Hartsburg, the Blackhawks coach, revising history. He tried to
say
that the Kings had started it all by putting out the goon line
and
that he was only responding by sending out his killers. He also
said that the South won the Civil War, and that Bob Dole had won
the election.
The worst insult was that the league, led by head handslapper
Brian
Burke, fined both the Kings and the Blackhawks over the scrum.
Obviously Burke was watching another game than the one I saw, or
else
he would have suspended Probert and fined just the Blackhawks.
Apparently the Kings, in order to avoid a fine, must allow
themselves
to be punched and whacked without fighting back at all...
This game seeming has taken much of the wind out of the Kings
sails.
They have since been flat-footed and looking bored, particularly
in
the Detroit game, where they were simply out-classed in every
aspect
of the game. Especially bad for the Kings was that the Detroit
game
was also the first sellout of the season, thus the team was
embarrassed in front of more people, who probably won't be as
willing
to pay as much to see another bloodbath. But the Kings seemingly
are
committed to the rebuilding with the youth program, and just see
this
as another learning process on the road to glory.
The Kings also did some dealing, acquiring Neal Broten from the
Devils in exchange for a conditional draft pick. He just might
be
what the Kings need in the long run, since he was one of the
prime
reasons why the Devils won the Cup a few years back, back when
Larry Robinson was an assistant there. Hopefully he will provide
some leadership that the youngsters need in order to be
successful.
The Kings also did a minor league trade, sending Rogie Vachon's
son, Nick, to the New York Islanders Utah farm team in exchange
for
former first round draft pick Chris Marinucci, who was promptly
assigned to the Kings minor league team in Phoenix.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE SHARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Al Sims
Roster: C - Viktor Kozlov, Bernie Nicholls, Ron Sutter, Darren
Turcotte. LW - Jeff Friesen, Ville Peltonen, Andrei Nazarov,
Tim Hunter, Tony Granato. RW - Ulf Dahlen, Shean Donovan, Owen
Nolan, Todd Ewen. D - Doug Bodger, Michal Sykora, Marcus
Ragnarsson, Todd Gill, Al Iafrate, Greg Hawgood, Mike Rathje,
Marty
McSorley. G - Chris Terreri, Wade Flaherty, Kelly Hrudey.
Injuries: Al Iafrate, d (fractured toe, 2-6 weeks); Wade
Flaherty, g (broken collar bone, one week); Mike Rathje, d
(groin
pull, one week); Marty McSorley, d (groin pull, day-to-day).
Transactions: Assigned Chris Tancil, lw, and Vlasti Kroupa, d,
to Kentucky (IHL). Returned Darrin Madeley, g, to Detroit
Vipers (IHL). Transferred Ray Whitney, lw, from Kentucky (AHL)
to Utah (IHL).
Game Results:
11/12 Hartford L 4-3
11/15 at Detroit L 5-1
11/16 at Philadelphia T 2-2
11/18 at Boston L 4-2
11/21 Detroit L 6-1
11/23 Anaheim L 3-0
TEAM NEWS by Mark Spiegel
Battle of the Beards
Two issues ago, we discussed the necessity for the younger
players
to deliver this season. Now roughly one quarter of the way
through
the season let's see where we stand.
(Through Monday, November 18)
Gray Beards (26 and older)
--------------------------
PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S
PCTG
BERNIE NICHOLLS 21 4 15 19 0 6 0 0 0 1 46
8.7
TONY GRANATO 21 8 2 10 3 30 2 0 0 0 66
12.1
DARREN TURCOTTE 18 6 4 10 2- 12 0 1 3 0 45
13.3
AL IAFRATE 18 4 6 10 6- 33 2 0 0 0 51
7.8
TODD GILL 21 0 10 10 2- 19 0 0 0 0 14
.0
ULF DAHLEN 21 2 4 6 6- 6 1 0 0 0 36
5.6
DOUG BODGER 21 1 3 4 4- 20 0 0 1 0 23
4.3
GREG HAWGOOD 16 2 1 3 5- 21 1 0 0 1 20
10.0
CHRIS TANCILL 11 2 0 2 1 6 0 0 0 0 9
22.2
RON SUTTER 17 1 1 2 2 21 0 1 0 0 10
10.0
TIM HUNTER 17 0 2 2 2 43 0 0 0 0 5
.0
MARTY MCSORLEY 3 0 0 0 1- 16 0 0 0 0 3
.0
TODD EWEN 7 0 0 0 2- 17 0 0 0 0 4
.0
-- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- -- --
---
Sum 30 48 78 20- 250 6 2 4 2 332
7.2
(avg)
No Beards (25 and younger)
---------
PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S
PCTG
OWEN NOLAN 21 9 14 23 5- 36 3 0 0 1 64
14.1
JEFF FRIESEN 21 6 5 11 1- 8 1 1 1 1 34
17.6
VIKTOR KOZLOV 21 4 7 11 1- 14 0 0 1 0 51
7.8
ANDREI NAZAROV 21 4 4 8 1- 66 0 0 1 0 41
9.8
MICHAL SYKORA 21 2 3 5 1 43 1 0 0 0 32
6.3
MARCUS RAGNARSSON 10 1 2 3 2 4 1 0 0 0 8
12.5
SHEAN DONOVAN 19 1 2 3 3- 6 0 0 0 0 30
3.3
MIKE RATHJE 15 0 3 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 7
.0
JASON WIDMER 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
.0
DODY WOOD 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
.0
VILLE PELTONEN 10 0 0 0 3- 0 0 0 0 0 7
.0
-- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- -- --
---
Sum 27 41 68 10- 185 6 1 3 2 276
6.5
(avg)
Now, before anybody panics, I just made up this beard demarcation
for entertainment purposes. Nobody should worry about not being
able to grow a beard in your early twenties, unless you're
female.
Furthermore, I've never seen anybody in their late twenties with
a
gray beard, except at Halloween. So at worst you only have to
worry about having a gray-colored beard one day of the year.
That said, let's look at how the vets and non-vets on the Sharks
are producing.
For goals scored, the gray beards project out to a total of 117
goals in 82 games. The youngsters project out to 105 goals,
giving
a team total of 222 goals versus a projected NHL league average
of
243 goals scored. That puts the Sharks 20 goals short. Since
San
Jose so far is not one of the stellar defensive teams, projected
to
266 goals against versus a league projected average of 245, the
Sharks will either have to pick up the scoring or improve their
defense.
But back to the gray/nada comparison.
The under-25 crowd is clearly holding their own in goal scoring,
assists, and points. Plus/minus, admittedly not the best stat,
is
better for the zilch beardsters.
Having faced the most short-handed situations seems to fall most
heavily on the shoulders of the gray guys, with 250 PIM versus
the
younguns 185.
Power-play, short-handed, game-winning and game-tying goals are
pretty equal, with a slight edge for shots on goal to the senior
crowd.
Bottom line: So far so good for the Sharks plan for getting the
young
prospects to blossom amidst the influence of good veterans. The
team
as a whole needs improvement, but the younger players aren't
holding
the rest back.
Black and Blue Sharks
After all that concern over how Al Iafrate's knees would hold up
under the pounding of NHL games, Iafrate's toe is now keeping him
out of games for the next several weeks. Near the end of the
Sharks game against Hartford, Iafrate went into the boards
awkwardly and fractured his toe in four places. The break closest
to
an attaching tendon is the greatest concern.
Iafrate's absence from the ice enabled him to make an appearance
on
the between periods show on TV36. Surprisingly (?) Iafrate
doesn't
like the "Big Al" nickname, but thinks the "Planet Al" one is
cool.
The guy who coined the nickname isn't, but Planet Al is
officially
cool. No word yet on any pending litigations between Planet Al
and
Planet Reebok.
In the "it's spooky" category, the day that local media did a
big spread on Iafrate, titled "Full Throttle", Al busts his toe.
Good thing Al ain't superstitious.
Chris Terreri came of the injured list Monday and played in goal
against the Bruins.
Marty McSorley took himself out of the Sharks last game in
Boston,
as a precautionary measure, after he felt a twinge in his groin.
Marty remained off-ice for the Red Wings game.
Mike Rathje suffered a groin pull early in the Colorado game and
is
expected to be out two weeks while it heals.
Vlasti Kroupa and Dody Wood are on two week conditioning
assignments;
Vlasti in Kentucky and Dody with the Kansas City Blades.
Shark Lines
The "normal" line combinations and defensive pairings used
by the Sharks have been:
Nazarov - Kozlov - Nolan
Granato - Nicholls - Dahlen
Friesen - Turcotte - Donovan
Peltonen - Sutter - Ewen
Ragnarsson - McSorley
Bodger - Gill
Sykora - Hawgood
Game Recaps
Sharks and Whalers
The Sharks battled Colorado down to the last minute of play, then
just two days later, dominated the Central Division leading
Dallas
Stars. Just a short three days later, you'd have to ask, "Who
are
these guys?" San Jose met the Northeast Division leading
Hartford
Whalers and spotted the Whale four goals before waking up.
Unfortunately the alarm sounded too late, and the Sharks ended up
at the short end of a 4-3 score. Giving up goals to known
big-time
goal-scorers like Leschyshyn, Featherstone, Rice and Kron, the
Sharks displayed defensive and goaltending weaknesses the would
only haunt and repeat as the following games were played.
Sharks and Red Wings
Attempting to notch their first regular season win ever at Joe
Louis
Arena, the Sharks entered the third period down 2-1. However,
unscreened shots by Brendan Shanahan and Steve Yzerman from the
outer left circle broke the game open for the Red Wings.
Detroit's
long moribund power play found new life versus the Sharks with
two
goals in three attempts, including the last goal by Tomas
Holstrom.
Sharks and Flyers
One night later, goalie Kelly Hrudey redeemed himself by keeping
the
Sharks in the game, down 2-0, until the third period. Midway
through
the final period, Jeff Friesen knocked a rebound through the
Flyers
five hole to put San Jose on the scoreboard. Friesen's goal
helped
lift the Sharks, who outshot the Flyers in the third and finally
tied the score with less then three minutes remaining. With
Flyer
Daniel Lacroix in the penalty box for high-sticking, Shark Greg
Hawgood scored his second goal of the season to send the game
into
overtime. San Jose outshot the Flyers five to one in the extra
period, but ended up with a single point from a tied game.
Sharks and Bruins
Like the Hartford game, at the Fleet Center the Sharks allowed
goals
by third and fourth line players, including two by Bruin Sandy
Moger,
to do themselves in. San Jose actually took the initial lead on
another "ha-ha-faked-your-jock-off" deke by the ever-improving
Sharks Viktor Kozlov. Blowing by Harvard-boy Don Sweeney at the
Boston blue line, Kozlov went in to fire a hard wrister top shelf
on Bruin netminder Bill Ranford. Two minutes later, Bruin Steve
Heinze swept into the San Jose slot. Positioned for an open-ice
hit that Owen Nolan drools about in his sleep, Shark d-man Michal
Sykora let Heinze waltz by, getting a shot and several rebounds
before he finally banged it home. Later in the first, Ray
Bourque
fed Sandy Moger at the Sharks net doorstep. Moger was not tied
up
by San Jose defenseman Todd Gill, and proceeded to give the
Bruins
a 2-1 lead. In the second period, Troy Mallette scored to give
Boston a two goal lead. However, Tony Granato brought the Sharks
back to within one goal when he scored his eighth of the season
at
9:15. San Jose pressed in the third period, notching several
good
chances, but the Bruins finally put the game away with their
fourth
goal, again by Moger, to finish it as a 4-2 Boston victory.
Sharks and Red Wings
Facing the Wings for the second time in less than a week, it took
less than a minute for the Sharks to find themselves behind.
Losing
the opening faceoff, the Sharks were quickly put into a
defensive-mode.
With Brendan Shanahan
battling the Sharks Doug Bodger in front of the San Jose net,
Wings
defenseman Jamie Pushor scored only his second goal of the season
with a shot from the point just 29 seconds into the game.
Pushor's
shot was partially stopped by San Jose goalie Kelly Hrudey, but
the
puck fell to the ice at mid-crease and dribbled the rest of the
way
across the goal line. San Jose had its chances, Shean Donovan
was
stopped both from the slot and just outside the Detroit crease.
But Detroit coach Scotty Bowman actively matched lines on the
fly,
and kept the Sharks out of the Detroit net.
Later, nearly halfway through the first period, Sharks Todd Ewen
put the Red Wings on a five minute power play when he hit
defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov from behind into the boards.
The
huge Shark winger had just come in to defend teammate Tony
Granato,
who was being roughed-up by Konstantinov.
Whatever ailed the last place Wings power play was cured this
evening. Wings defenseman Niklas Lidstrom scored twice on slap
shots from the point, less than a minute apart, to put Detroit up
for good. Both scores were preceded by Sharks' faceoff losses in
their own end. All told, the Wings scored two goals on just
three
power play shots. After the second goal lit the "hred light,"
Coach Sims pulled Kelly Hrudey for Chris Terreri. "I was pulled
because I was lousy....it was embarrassing," Hrudey lamented
postgame.
All told, the Sharks had to fight through 19 minutes of penalties
in
the first period, facing five Detroit power play chances. "We
have
to get more disciplined," Sharks coach Al Sims said. "We can't
defend that many [opportunities]...we're taking penalties that
[the
coaches] can't argue."
In the second, Detroit roughly mimicked the Sharks first period
penalty woes, getting called for five minor penalties. However,
San Jose's plummeting power play could only muster a single goal
in
four attempts, including a four-on-three situation. Detroit
scored
their fourth goal when ex-Shark Igor Larionov put a wrist shot
past
Chris Terreri off the left post, from the low right faceoff
circle. Larionov, left alone on the right wing, had just received
a
cross-ice pass from Steve Yzerman. The crafty old Russian held
the
puck as he drifted down-ice, finally firing when he saw an
opening.
Larionov's goal occurred during a four-on-four situation with
Sharks
Owen Nolan and Wing Sergei Fedorov in the box. Nolan, who earned
a
minor for roughing, picked up an additional minor when he upended
Jamie Pushor on the way to the penalty box.
Once Fedorov's penalty was over, the Wings iced the game, and
Nolan, when Fedorov, left to feast on rebounds by the Sharks
defense, knocked-in Detroit's fifth goal at 9:18. Once Nolan
returned to the San Jose bench, the only time he skated again was
before the third period. Coach Sims apparently benched Nolan for
the remainder of the game. When asked afterward why Nolan didn't
play for the third and last half of the second, the head coach
replied,
"you'll have to ask Owen why
he was sitting."
The benching of Nolan, and general dismal performance by the
Sharks,
prompted a half-hour postgame players meeting. "We talked about
things....to get them off out chest," commented veteran
defenseman
Doug Bodger. "We're not playing well enough to get the
lead...we're
not a confident team, and when we get behind we lose confidence."
Goalie Kelly Hrudey responded, "without question our confidence
is
not where it should be...but I don't believe [too heavily] that
confidence...maybe it's because of the position I play, but I
think
you either play well or not." Finally, Bernie Nicholls emerged
and
gave his piece.
"First and foremost we're taking bad penalties," he said.
"[Secondly] we don't think we can compete with the great teams,
we
give up goals, get down in a hole, and only then start to turn it
up."
The only bright spot in the game for the Sharks occurred when
Viktor
Kozlov scored the sole San Jose tally. Kozlov, stickhandling in
from
the red line, deked and out-muscled Wings defenseman Niklas
Lidstrom
to go in alone for a backhander past Mike Vernon. About the only
chance Lidstrom had would have been to do the macarena and hope
that
big Viktor got sick before he reached the Detroit net.
Sharks and Ducks
After losing four of their last five games, the Sharks had a
chance
to get back on the winning track with a home game against the
not-so-Mighty Ducks, who are at the bottom of the Pacific
Division.
The game brought about a great opportunity for the Sharks to
right
the ship, so what did they do? How about suffer a shutout loss.
Not exactly how the script writers planned it.
The story of the game was penalties and power-play units. The
Ducks made the most of their opportunities on the power play by
scoring on three of seven chances. And the Sharks? A big, fat
zero goals in six tries.
Paul Kariya got the Ducks off to a flying start with a power-play
goal in the first period. Kariya one-timed a Teemu Selanne
cross-ice pass past Shark goaltender Chris Terreri for the 1-0
lead. Kariya netted another power-play tally in the second from
right in front of Terreri. The man who puts the "Mighty" in the
Ducks took a pass from Steve Rucchin at the side of the crease
and
wristed the puck past Terreri to make it 2-0. Warren Rychel
added
an insurance goal to put the Sharks away for good.
The loss to the Ducks extended San Jose's winless streak to six
games (0-5-1). The Sharks have lost six of their last eight
games
against their intrastate rivals.
YAAGP (Yet Another All-Star Game Promotion)
So you think *YOU* are the greatest Sharks fan??? Now you'll
have a
chance to test that belief. As part of this year's All-Star game
Pinnacle/NHLFANtasy exhibition, two fans, one adult and one youth
under age 18, will be judged and chosen "Greatest Sharks Fan."
"They watch Jaws after every victory, do the Chomp in their sleep
and eat only shark for dinner on game day," spouts the press
release
from Tracey Cohen and Nanci Williams of Orloff/Williams, INC.
Eat
shark ?!?!? Is the predator/prey concept lost on these
people?!?!
Oh well, the contest at least sounds legit. To enter the
competition, submit a photo (of your choice) along with an essay
of
no more than 100 words than explains why you are the Greatest
Sharks
Fan to:
Pinnacle/NHL FANtasy Search
c/o Orloff/Williams and Co.
Two North Second Street
Suite 100
San Jose, CA 951113
Judges for the competition are Susan Hammer, S.J. Sharkie, Dean
Lombardi, Gary Cooper, Owen Nolan, and Ulf Dahlen. Who is Owen
Nolan you ask?!?!? BZZZZZZT! Save the postage money. Gary
Cooper
the actor...not exactly. And no, Susan is not Hammer's mother.
Rumor has that the tie-breaker question will be "how many
restrooms
are there at the Cow Palace?"
Upcoming Games
Chicago
The Blackhawks are above .500, actually playing better on the
road (5-2-3) than at United Center (5-7-0). While the Sharks
have
faced the most short-handed situations in the league, Chicago
leads the entire pack with an average of 25.7 penalty minutes per
game. The Hawks have one of the better penalty killing units to
compensate. Tony Amonte is by far the biggest threat, with 12
goals and a plus/minus rating of +16. Chicago may be still
smarting
after that 6-2 pasting the Sharks administered in late October.
Edmonton
The Sharks play the Oilers six times this season. Getting wins
early
should help later as recent Oiler teams have tended to fade
toward the
end of regular season. Jason Arnott is currently tied with Owen
Nolan
at 23 points each. Ryan Smyth has tallied 11 goals. Curtis
Joseph
and Bob Essensa have combined for a 3.31 GAA, compared to 3.17
for the
Sharks netminders. The Oiler penalty killing is near the bottom
of
the league.
Sharks Trivia Quiz:
Last issue's quiz was:
Darren Turcotte is tied for second in the league with
three game winning goals so far this season. Who is the Sharks
all-time record holder for game winning goals?
The answer is:
Ulf Dahlen with eight game-winning goals.
This issue's quiz is:
Of the 26 franchises in the NHL the Sharks have made trades with
all but six. Which six franchises are they?
Answer next issue...
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VANCOUVER CANUCKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Tom Renney
Roster: C - Trevor Linden, Mike Ridley, Mike Sillinger, Scott
Walker, Alexander Semak; LW - Martin Gelinas, Markus Naslund,
Esa
Tikkanen, Gino Odjick, Donald Brashear, David Roberts; RW - Pavel
Bure, Alexander Mogilny, Russ Courtnall, Troy Crowder; D - Jyrki
Lumme, Dana Murzyn, Bret Hedican, Chris Joseph, Mark Wotton, Dave
Babych, Adrian Aucoin, Leif Rohlin; G - Kirk McLean, Corey
Hirsch,
Mike Fountain.
Injuries: Dana Murzyn, d (sprained wrist Oct. 17, day-to-day);
Martin Gelinas, lw (fractured rib Nov. 2, four to five weeks);
Kirk McLean, g (arthroscopic knee surgery Nov. 11, four weeks);
Jyrki Lumme, d (missed two games with sprained ankle); Esa
Tikkanen, lw (missed one game with back trouble); Troy Crowder,
rw
(missed two games with sore knee/back, then healthy scratch for
next three games).
Transactions: Donald Brashear, lw, acquired from Montreal Nov.
13
for Jassen Cullimore, d; Larry Courville, lw, returned to
Syracuse
(AHL) Nov. 13; Mike Fountain, g, recalled from Syracuse (AHL)
Nov.
13; Frank Kucera, d, reassigned from Houston (IHL) to Syracuse
(AHL) Nov. 21.
Game Results:
11/11 at NY Rangers W 3-2
11/13 at NY Islanders L 5-4 OT
11/14 at New Jersey W 3-0
11/16 at Montreal L 6-1
11/19 Dallas W 2-0
11/21 Chicago W 2-1 OT
11/23 NY Rangers W 5-3
TEAM NEWS by Carol Schram
For the first time since the Vancouver Canucks went to Game Seven
of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Rangers, this
city is buzzing with excitement over its hockey team. It doesn't
hurt that this last two weeks started with a rare Canucks victory
at Madison Square Garden and ended with another win over the same
Rangers in front of a national TV audience and a rare sellout
crowd
at GM Place.
Despite the Rangers' recent woes, the Canucks still feel some
bitterness toward the team that edged them out for the Cup.
Vancouver also ended up on the losing end of the Gretzky
sweepstakes this summer. But now they've taken four points from
the league's highest-paid team, marking Vancouver's first-ever
sweep of their season series with the Rangers in their 27-year
history.
The team's chemistry is becoming more and more noticeable with
every passing game. The players are putting forward a solid
defensive effort more often than not, and they now appear to have
bought into coach Tom Renney's system. For the second time this
season, they have snapped their win one/lose one pattern -- once
again with three straight victories. They are putting together
solid efforts at home and on the road. They're finding ways to
come from behind. And different players are stepping forward to
make the difference each game.
Kirk McLean was the star on the first stop of Vancouver's
four-game
road trip against the Rangers. McLean was stellar in the '94
playoffs, but had never before won a regular season game at MSG.
Captain Kirk turned away 34 shots and backstopped the team
through
a tense last minute as the Rangers applied continuous pressure
with
the extra man and the Canucks stupidly iced the puck over and
over
again. Unfortunately, McLean also strained his knee on a save
midway through the game and returned to Vancouver immediately
after
the win to undergo arthroscopic surgery.
Pavel Bure played well two nights later on Long Island, but the
Canucks blew a 4-2 lead to lose in overtime to the lowly
Islanders. Jyrki Lumme had a brutal game on a bad ankle, and
Corey
Hirsch had a tough night while suffering from the flu, which
finally gave Mike Fountain his first-ever NHL start the following
night. With the third-stringer in net and top defensive pair
Lumme
and Dana Murzyn both sitting with injuries, Vancouver put
together
a convincing team effort powered by Alex Mogilny's two goals,
ending New Jersey's winning streak with the Canucks' first
shutout
of the season. Fountain became the first goalie since Daren
Puppa
in 1985 to officially record a goose-egg in his NHL debut and
spirits were high as the boys returned to Canada to wrap up their
road trip with a visit to the beleaguered Montreal Canadiens.
With Mario Tremblay's job on the line and the Habs a defensive
nightmare, the Canucks did exactly what wasn't expected of them
and
fell behind 3-0 by the end of the first period. Russ Courtnall
made a number of mistakes early and the team seemed to throw in
the
towel before much time had passed. Mike Fountain was quickly
introduced to the other side of the NHL coin as he was pulled in
favor of Corey Hirsch midway through the game after surrendering
five goals on 17 shots. A late goal by Leif Rohlin erased
Jocelyn
Thibault's shutout bid in his first game back after injury, and
the
Canucks came home from their road trip with mixed emotions, a
.500
record, and a character-testing three-game homestand ahead.
First up were the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars, still
smarting after suffering a 6-1 loss of their own to Vancouver
back
in October. The Stars were on a roll, ex-Canuck Greg Adams had
just been named NHL Player of the Week and Vancouver is known for
suffering through lackluster efforts on its first game back after
big road trips. Surprise: another solid team effort featuring a
first-period goal by Trevor Linden and a third-period insurance
marker by Markus Naslund. Corey Hirsch makes 36 saves as the
Canucks were badly outshot, and Vancouver recorded their second
shutout in three games to boost their record back to two games
over
.500.
Thursday night held another challenge: Vancouver's first game of
the year against the quietly successful and always physical
Chicago
Blackhawks, who lead the league in penalty minutes. The Hawks
were
looking to break out after just one point in their past four
games
and they took an early lead as red-hot Tony Amonte capitalized on
a
Bret Hedican miscue less than four minutes into the first period.
Vancouver was badly outplayed in the opening stanza and was
outshot
14-4. They turned it around in the second but were unable to
solve
the mystery of Jeff Hackett until Pavel Bure finally roofed one
in
to tie it with just over six minutes to go. Feisty Scott Walker
had been in Chris Chelios' face all night, but was goaded into an
elbowing penalty early in overtime. Vancouver survived the kill,
then was granted an even-up slashing call on James Black. On the
power play with just over a minute remaining in overtime, Esa
Tikkanen set up behind the net and fed streaking defenseman Chris
Joseph. Joseph closed his eyes, fired, and the puck ended up
over
top of Hackett. The Canucks toughed it out again to pick up an
overtime victory thanks to an unlikely hero.
Next up: the return date with the struggling New York Rangers.
Wayne and Mark had been embarrassed earlier in the week with a
loss
to the young Edmonton Oilers in their old stomping grounds.
Gretzky was fighting the flu. And for the second Saturday in a
row, the Canucks were facing a team whose coach's job was on the
line. This time, the grumpy old men of the Rangers were able to
put up a two-goal lead before Vancouver's offense sprung to life.
David Roberts got things started and Alex Mogilny tied it up with
a
great effort before Mike Ridley stepped in to stump out his
personal goal-scoring slump with two more goals to seal the
victory. Nicklas Sundstrom was able to beat Corey Hirsch one
more
time in the third to guarantee a big finish, but this time Pavel
Bure was able to pop the empty-netter with half a second to go
for
perhaps Vancouver's biggest regular season win ever in GM Place.
The Canucks are now four games over .500. They're an impressive
7-3-0 in their last 10 games, good for second place in their
division with games in hand over all their conference rivals.
Best
of all, they are getting game-making performances from different
players every time they step on the ice. During the past two
weeks, McLean, Fountain, and Hirsch have all put in goaltending
performances that have won games and brought down the team's
goals-against average. Injuries have hurt, but young players
have
been able to step in to fill the holes. Mark Wotton continues to
look wise beyond his years filling in for Dana Murzyn on the blue
line. Against the Rangers in particular, he played tirelessly,
showing veteran all-star Mark Messier no respect at all on shift
after shift. Martin Gelinas' injury also looked like it could
spell trouble, but Scott Walker has eagerly lapped up all the ice
time he can get since shifting from center to the left side.
Walker has chalked up five assists in nine games, often on big
goals, and his chippy play has earned him a regular spot on one
of
the top two lines, playing either with Linden and Bure or with
Mogilny and Ridley. He has also been reinforcing his reputation
as
the "Wild Thing", taking on unpleasant opponents like Chelios and
Adam Graves in recent games.
On the blue line, Adrian Aucoin and Leif Rohlin have both been
adequate as they take turns in the sixth defenseman spot. Bret
Hedican and Chris Joseph have evolved into a smooth, good-passing
tandem, although they occasionally get themselves into trouble.
And Jyrki Lumme and Dave Babych have been their dependable
veteran
selves. Up front, Markus Naslund has racked up a number of big,
exciting goals with relatively little fanfare. Mike Ridley has
been everything fans dreamed of when he was first acquired from
Toronto. Esa Tikkanen continues to play smart, energetic hockey.
Mike Sillinger has emerged as a solid third-line center and
penalty
killer. And the general feeling is that Bure, Mogilny, and
Linden
have yet to really break out and play to their full capacity.
The most important thing about Vancouver's recent success is the
team spirit that has accompanied it. Of their 12 victories so
far
this season, Mike Ridley has three game-winning goals, Esa
Tikkanen
has two, and the other seven are spread among seven different
players. Symbolically, it's interesting to note that the picture
on
the cover of this month's Canuck program is a group photo of five
guys celebrating a goal, instead of the usual superstar
spotlight.
For the first time since 1994, optimism feels justified and the
Canucks are truly starting to act like a team.
OTHER NEWS
* Trevor Linden might just be the league's biggest fan of the
new faceoff markings. Linden began his NHL career on right wing.
When he moved to the middle, his lack of experience in the circle
was a major concern. Linden developed into a solid faceoff man
over time and took many of the big draws in the Canucks' run to
the
Cup in 1994. Since the new alignments were introduced this fall,
though, Linden has become virtually unbeatable. His size and
strength give him a distinct advantage against most of the
league's
other centers, and his consistency has proved invaluable when the
Canucks are penalty killing or caught in other pressure
situations.
* It looks like Donald Brashear forgot to pack his bad
attitude
after he was acquired by the Canucks. When Brashear showed up on
the trading block after his well-publicized blowout with Mario
Tremblay, Pat Quinn decided to officially give up on long-time
prospect Jassen Cullimore. A second round draft choice in 1991,
the
organization was patient with the 6'5", 220 lb. Cullimore because
of his size, but the 23-year-old defenseman was never able to
display enough aggression or consistency to please his coaches.
The 24-year-old Brashear has good speed for his size, isn't
afraid
to drop the gloves, and understands his role as a physical
player.
Brashear has been seeing a decent amount of ice time since
joining
the Canucks, most recently on an effective fourth line with Gino
Odjick and solid utility man David Roberts. He even chalked up
his
first assist as a Canuck in Vancouver's home victory against the
Rangers.
Brashear's solid play has bumped Troy Crowder out of the
lineup for the time being, but Tom Renney has been experimenting
with Gino Odjick on defense in practice in an attempt to relieve
his fourth-line logjam. Odjick played on the blue line in junior
and says he's completely open to the possibility.
Brashear was not in the lineup against his old team when the
Canucks faced Montreal just days after the deal was made.
Apparently it was a condition of the trade, as Mario Tremblay was
probably not willing to risk any sort of Patrick Roy-like
drubbing
from Brashear in his home rink at a time when his job was rumored
to be on the line. That game marked the Canucks' only loss since
Brashear joined the team.
* Now that Pat Quinn has gone on record as saying that the
Canucks are at work on signing Alex Mogilny to a new contract,
the
trade buzz has shifted over to Russ Courtnall. The Canucks are
one
of the deepest teams in the league on the right side, and there
ain't enough ice time for everybody. I mean, Mogilny was
actually
complaining that he doesn't get to kill penalties and is now
playing like a man possessed in short-handed situations.
For Courtnall, the situation is a little more dire. He's an
unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and simply
doesn't think he's getting enough playing time to allow himself
to
put up the kind of numbers he'll need to win the lottery like big
brother Geoff did when he turned 32. This reality was put under
the
magnifying glass when the pair had time for a little one-on-one a
couple of weeks ago when St. Louis was in town. Courtnall has
been
asking for more ice time and better linemates rather than
requesting a trade outright, but that didn't stop last week's
rumor
from surfacing that Courtnall was on his way to the Leafs in
exchange for Kirk Muller. Since it doesn't look like Toronto is
doing anything this year, they would get no real value from
acquiring Courtnall's rights only until the end of the season.
Muller has an additional year still remaining on his own
contract,
so look for this deal to stay in the papers where it belongs.
Ironically, the man traded in 1995 to acquire Courtnall,
B.C.
boy Greg Adams, is still much beloved in Vancouver and came to
town
with Dallas amidst much fanfare after being named NHL Player of
the
Week for Nov. 11-17. Adams has managed to stay healthy so far
this
season and has been a huge part of the Stars' success. He's also
unrestricted at the end of this season and, while he says he's
looking for one more good contract, he has also said he plans on
representing himself. While Pat Quinn generally shies away from
Group V free agents, Adams could be a logical fit for the
Canucks.
* The injury bug hit during Vancouver's recent four-game road
trip. First, Kirk McLean blew out his knee again during his
outstanding performance against the New York Rangers. He
returned
home to have the knee scoped and is supposed to sit for a month.
Durable physical defenseman Dana Murzyn has already missed more
than a month with his wrist injury and his return isn't imminent.
While Murzyn has been admirably replaced by Mark Wotton, Jyrki
Lumme's absence was felt even more after he hurt his ankle
blocking
a shot in the St. Louis game Dec. 8. Lumme was less than his
usual
self in the next two games before finally taking a couple of
games
off to let his ankle heal. He has been back in the lineup since
the Dallas game Nov. 19. Esa Tikkanen also missed one game on the
road trip, but thankfully he was experiencing a sore back, not
more
trouble with his wonky knees. Troy Crowder also suffered minor
knee trouble on the road trip but has been a healthy scratch
since
the Canucks returned home. While the team can use his toughness,
Crowder hasn't exactly set the team on fire since signing on at
the
beginning of this season. Martin Gelinas is close to returning
and
is eager to get back into the lineup. He has been missed, yet
the
team has had tremendous success in his absence. Gelinas will
travel with the team on their upcoming six-game road trip, and
may
see some action.
* For the third consecutive season, the Canucks organization
has
applied to the NHL for permission to change its logo and/or
uniform. While the team has worn the same threads since the
1987-88 season, Pat Quinn says they are looking to keep their
options open and nothing has been decided yet. Orca Bay intends
to
conduct focus groups and make its decision based on public input.
The recent departure of the Griffiths family from the ownership
group could mark a logical time for a change in appearance to go
with a change in corporate philosophy.
* 1996 first-round draft choice Josh Holden spent some time in
Vancouver after spraining his thumb in a fight playing for his
Western Hockey League Regina Pats. The 18-year-old team captain
has impressed this season with his scoring touch and his
aggressiveness. At 5'11" and 175 lbs., his style is said to
resemble that of Jeremy Roenick. Despite his abrupt cut from
training camp before the exhibition season started, Holden was
brought to Vancouver to see team medical staff and get a bit of a
feel for life in the big leagues.
=================================================================
Next Issue: December 10, 1996. Who knows what will happen.
Maybe next
issue we'll read through the predictions of Notradomous in order
to
forsee future events.
----------------------------------------------------------------
NHL STANDINGS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Conference
NORTHEAST DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Hartford 20 10 6 4 24 60 60 7-3-1 3-3-3
Montreal 24 10 11 3 23 89 89 7-2-2 3-9-1
Buffalo 22 10 11 1 21 62 67 6-3-0 4-8-1
Boston 21 8 9 4 20 59 68 4-7-3 4-2-1
Ottawa 20 6 8 6 18 55 60 4-3-4 2-5-2
Pittsburgh 21 7 13 1 15 65 81 6-2-0 1-11-1
ATLANTIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Florida 23 15 3 5 35 74 46 8-2-2 7-1-3
Washington 22 12 9 1 25 66 60 6-3-1 6-6-0
Philadelphia 24 12 11 1 25 65 64 5-6-1 7-5-0
New Jersey 20 11 8 1 23 50 52 7-4-1 4-4-0
NY Rangers 25 8 13 4 20 79 76 4-6-1 4-7-3
Tampa Bay 20 7 11 2 16 62 66 2-5-2 5-6-0
NY Islanders 21 4 9 8 16 52 63 3-5-2 1-4-6
Western Conference
CENTRAL DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Dallas 22 14 7 1 29 64 52 7-3-1 7-4-0
Detroit 24 13 8 3 29 70 45 8-3-1 5-5-2
Chicago 24 11 10 3 25 64 59 5-7-0 6-3-3
St Louis 23 12 11 0 24 72 70 7-5-0 5-6-0
Toronto 23 10 13 0 20 70 79 8-5-0 2-8-0
Phoenix 22 6 12 4 16 50 66 3-7-4 3-5-0
PACIFIC DIVISION GP W L T PTS GF GA HOME ROAD
Colorado 24 15 5 4 34 91 50 8-1-3 7-4-1
Edmonton 24 12 11 1 25 87 75 6-4-1 6-7-0
Vancouver 21 12 9 0 24 63 62 7-4-0 5-5-0
Los Angeles 22 9 10 3 21 59 72 5-3-1 4-7-2
Calgary 24 9 13 2 20 60 69 5-6-0 4-7-2
San Jose 23 7 12 4 18 58 77 3-5-2 4-7-2
Anaheim 23 6 13 4 16 62 80 4-7-2 2-6-2
---------------------------------------------------------------
NHL LEAGUE LEADERS
---------------------------------------------------------------
PLAYER TEAM GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG
------------------------- ---- -- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- -- --- ----
PETER FORSBERG COL 24 11 24 35 15 12 4 2 2 0 60 18.3
JOE SAKIC COL 24 10 25 35 8 14 3 0 1 0 109 9.2
SAKU KOIVU MON 24 11 22 33 5 20 3 0 1 0 72 15.3
MATS SUNDIN TOR 23 14 18 32 14 8 2 2 3 0 87 16.1
STEVE YZERMAN DET 24 9 23 32 23 12 1 0 2 0 66 13.6
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 23 13 16 29 8- 12 2 1 2 1 83 15.7
MARK RECCHI MON 24 12 17 29 9 25 3 1 2 0 55 21.8
WAYNE GRETZKY NYR 25 9 19 28 4- 4 4 0 1 1 93 9.7
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 20 9 18 27 3- 10 4 0 2 0 90 10.0
SANDIS OZOLINSH COL 24 8 18 26 16 30 2 0 0 1 70 11.4
BRIAN LEETCH NYR 25 7 19 26 5- 16 5 0 0 0 92 7.6
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 21 18 7 25 2- 14 6 1 1 0 87 20.7
TONY AMONTE CHI 24 15 9 24 17 20 3 1 0 1 69 21.7
BRIAN SAVAGE MON 23 11 13 24 3 25 4 0 0 0 66 16.7
JASON ARNOTT EDM 24 9 15 24 1 36 4 1 1 0 103 8.7
RON FRANCIS PIT 21 6 18 24 1 2 1 1 1 0 56 10.7
DOUG WEIGHT EDM 24 5 19 24 1 44 2 0 0 0 60 8.3
ZIGMUND PALFFY NYI 21 13 10 23 4 25 3 0 1 0 74 17.6
MARK MESSIER NYR 23 12 11 23 2- 29 4 1 1 0 79 15.2
PETER BONDRA WAS 22 9 14 23 2 16 0 1 1 0 60 15.0
VALERI KAMENSKY COL 19 9 14 23 10 12 2 0 2 0 46 19.6
OWEN NOLAN SAN 23 9 14 23 5- 42 3 0 0 1 66 13.6
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 24 13 9 22 2 24 5 0 1 0 95 13.7
ANDREI KOVALENKO EDM 23 12 10 22 3 14 3 0 0 0 57 21.1
THEOREN FLEURY CGY 24 11 11 22 4- 42 6 0 0 1 103 10.7
GEOFF SANDERSON HAR 20 11 11 22 2- 8 1 0 2 0 66 16.7
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 23 11 11 22 16 37 2 2 2 1 89 12.4
BRETT HULL STL 23 10 12 22 6- 4 4 0 2 0 92 10.9
DANIEL ALFREDSSON OTT 20 9 13 22 5 10 4 0 0 1 69 13.0
VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE MON 24 8 14 22 7- 18 3 0 0 1 75 10.7
--- INDIVIDUAL LEADERS ---
-- GOAL SCORING -- -- ASSISTS --
NAME TEAM GP G NAME TEAM GP A
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 21 18 JOE SAKIC COL 24 25
TONY AMONTE CHI 24 15 PETER FORSBERG COL 24 24
DINO CICCARELLI TAM 20 14 STEVE YZERMAN DET 24 23
MATS SUNDIN TOR 23 14 SAKU KOIVU MON 24 22
ZIGMUND PALFFY NYI 21 13 DOUG WEIGHT EDM 24 19
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 23 13 WAYNE GRETZKY NYR 25 19
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 24 13 BRIAN LEETCH NYR 25 19
WENDEL CLARK TOR 23 12 MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 20 18
ANDREI KOVALENKO EDM 23 12 RON FRANCIS PIT 21 18
MARK MESSIER NYR 23 12 MATS SUNDIN TOR 23 18
MARK RECCHI MON 24 12 SANDIS OZOLINSH COL 24 18
-- POWER PLAY GOALS -- -- SHORT HANDED GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP PP NAME TEAM GP SH
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 21 6 TODD MARCHANT EDM 24 3
PETR NEDVED PIT 21 6 ADAM GRAVES NYR 25 3
RAY SHEPPARD FLA 21 6 BRIAN BRADLEY TAM 14 2
THEOREN FLEURY CGY 24 6 MARTIN RUCINSKY MON 23 2
PAUL KARIYA ANA 10 5 BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 23 2
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 24 5 MATS SUNDIN TOR 23 2
BRIAN LEETCH NYR 25 5 PETER FORSBERG COL 24 2
ERIC DAZE CHI 16 4 TIM TAYLOR DET 7 1
DANIEL ALFREDSSON OTT 20 4 CRAIG DARBY PHI 9 1
DINO CICCARELLI TAM 20 4 MATS LINDGREN EDM 11 1
KEVIN DINEEN HAR 20 4 JODY HULL FLA 13 1
JOE JUNEAU WAS 20 4 CLAUDE LAPOINTE NYI 14 1
MARIO LEMIEUX PIT 20 4 TOMAS SANDSTROM PIT 14 1
ALEXEI YASHIN OTT 20 4 ROB DIMAIO BOS 16 1
KEITH JONES COL 21 4 JAROSLAV MODRY LOS 16 1
DEREK KING NYI 21 4 JEFF O'NEILL HAR 17 1
DEAN MCAMMOND EDM 22 4 NIKLAS ANDERSSON NYI 18 1
BRETT HULL STL 23 4 MIKAEL ANDERSSON TAM 18 1
MARK MESSIER NYR 23 4 STEVE DUCHESNE OTT 18 1
BRIAN SAVAGE MON 23 4 MARC BUREAU MON 18 1
GERMAN TITOV CGY 23 4 PATRICK POULIN TAM 18 1
JASON ARNOTT EDM 24 4 KEITH PRIMEAU HAR 18 1
PETER FORSBERG COL 24 4 RON SUTTER SAN 19 1
JAROME IGINLA CGY 24 4 GUY CARBONNEAU DAL 20 1
SCOTT YOUNG COL 24 4 JOE JUNEAU WAS 20 1
WAYNE GRETZKY NYR 25 4 TRENT KLATT PHI 20 1
NIKLAS SUNDSTROM NYR 25 4 DAN PLANTE NYI 20 1
BRIAN ROLSTON NJD 20 1
DARREN TURCOTTE SAN 20 1
ROB ZAMUNER TAM 20 1
ALEXEI ZHITNIK BUF 20 1
RON FRANCIS PIT 21 1
STEVE HEINZE BOS 21 1
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 21 1
TREVOR LINDEN VAN 21 1
TOM FITZGERALD FLA 21 1
BRIAN HOLZINGER BUF 22 1
PETER BONDRA WAS 22 1
MIKE GARTNER PHO 22 1
PHIL HOUSLEY WAS 22 1
KELLY MILLER WAS 22 1
MIKE MODANO DAL 22 1
ED OLCZYK LOS 22 1
DAVE REID DAL 22 1
WARREN RYCHEL ANA 22 1
KEITH TKACHUK PHO 22 1
JEFF FRIESEN SAN 23 1
SCOTT MELLANBY FLA 23 1
MARK MESSIER NYR 23 1
KIRK MULLER TOR 23 1
TEEMU SELANNE ANA 23 1
HARRY YORK STL 23 1
TONY AMONTE CHI 24 1
JASON ARNOTT EDM 24 1
JON KLEMM COL 24 1
MARTIN LAPOINTE DET 24 1
ROD BRIND'AMOUR PHI 24 1
MARK RECCHI MON 24 1
MIKE SULLIVAN CGY 24 1
SCOTT THORNTON MON 24 1
STEPHANE YELLE COL 24 1
-- GAME WINNING GOALS -- -- OVERTIME GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP GW NAME TEAM GP GOT
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
JIM CAMPBELL STL 23 5 JODY HULL FLA 13 1
AARON MILLER COL 13 3 DONALD AUDETTE BUF 15 1
ERIC DAZE CHI 16 3 JEREMY ROENICK PHO 17 1
DARREN TURCOTTE SAN 20 3 SHAWN BURR TAM 18 1
KEITH JONES COL 21 3 RICK TOCCHET BOS 18 1
ADAM OATES BOS 21 3 ESA TIKKANEN VAN 19 1
MIKE RIDLEY VAN 21 3 CHRIS JOSEPH VAN 20 1
RAY SHEPPARD FLA 21 3 CURTIS LESCHYSCHYN HAR 20 1
DEAN MCAMMOND EDM 22 3 SCOTT NIEDERMAYER NJD 20 1
MIKE MODANO DAL 22 3 DARREN TURCOTTE SAN 20 1
PAT VERBEEK DAL 22 3 BRYAN MCCABE NYI 21 1
WENDEL CLARK TOR 23 3 ADAM OATES BOS 21 1
MARTIN RUCINSKY MON 23 3 MIKE GARTNER PHO 22 1
MATS SUNDIN TOR 23 3 MICHAL GROSEK BUF 22 1
HARRY YORK STL 23 3 JEFF SHANTZ CHI 22 1
VIKTOR KOZLOV SAN 23 1
GERMAN TITOV CGY 23 1
HARRY YORK STL 23 1
SAKU KOIVU MON 24 1
ROD BRIND'AMOUR PHI 24 1
-- GAME TYING GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP GT
------------------------- ---- -- ---
ADAM GRAVES NYR 25 3
ALEXANDRE DAIGLE OTT 20 2
-- SHOTS -- -- FIRST GOALS --
NAME TEAM GP S NAME TEAM GP FG
------------------------- ---- -- --- ------------------------- ---- -- ---
JOE SAKIC COL 24 109 JAROMIR JAGR PIT 21 4
JASON ARNOTT EDM 24 103 SCOTT MELLANBY FLA 23 4
THEOREN FLEURY CGY 24 103 TONY AMONTE CHI 24 4
AL MACINNIS STL 23 99 JOE SAKIC COL 24 4
JOHN LECLAIR PHI 24 95 DINO CICCARELLI TAM 20 3
MIKE MODANO DAL 22 94 DEREK KING NYI 21 3
WAYNE GRETZKY NYR 25 93 DEREK PLANTE BUF 22 3
PAVEL BURE VAN 21 92 OWEN NOLAN SAN 23 3
BRETT HULL STL 23 92 BRIAN SAVAGE MON 23 3
BRIAN LEETCH NYR 25 92 MATS SUNDIN TOR 23 3
ADAM GRAVES NYR 25 91 HARRY YORK STL 23 3
THEOREN FLEURY CGY 24 3
VYACHESLAV KOZLOV DET 24 3
BRIAN LEETCH NYR 25 3
-- SHOOTING PERCENTAGE (MIN 20 SHOTS) --
NAME TEAM GP G S PCTG
------------------------- ---- -- --- --- ----
MIROSLAV SATAN EDM 20 8 24 33.3
WARREN RYCHEL ANA 22 7 23 30.4
MIKE RIDLEY VAN 21 6 21 28.6
MARIUSZ CZERKAWSKI EDM 20 9 32 28.1
REM MURRAY EDM 24 6 22 27.3
DEREK KING NYI 21 11 42 26.2
MATTHEW BARNABY BUF 14 5 21 23.8
RAY FERRARO LOS 22 8 34 23.5
STEPHANE MATTEAU STL 21 8 34 23.5
MARKUS NASLUND VAN 20 7 30 23.3
KEVIN TODD ANA 23 7 30 23.3
NIKLAS SUNDSTROM NYR 25 8 35 22.9
CHRIS SIMON WAS 8 5 22 22.7
DANIEL GONEAU NYR 25 9 40 22.5
ERIC LACROIX COL 24 9 40 22.5
MARK RECCHI MON 24 12 55 21.8
TONY AMONTE CHI 24 15 69 21.7
HARRY YORK STL 23 8 37 21.6
DAVE LOWRY FLA 23 6 28 21.4
ANDREI KOVALENKO EDM 23 12 57 21.1
DINO CICCARELLI TAM 20 14 67 20.9
JAROMIR JAGR PIT 21 18 87 20.7
GREG ADAMS DAL 22 11 54 20.4
ADAM OATES BOS 21 9 45 20.0
GARRY VALK ANA 18 5 25 20.0
BRUCE GARDINER OTT 17 4 20 20.0
-- PLUS/MINUS --
NAME TEAM GP +/-
------------------------- ---- -- ---
STEVE YZERMAN DET 24 23
TONY AMONTE CHI 24 17
SANDIS OZOLINSH COL 24 16
BRENDAN SHANAHAN DET 23 16
PETER FORSBERG COL 24 15
NICKLAS LIDSTROM DET 24 14
MATS SUNDIN TOR 23 14
ERIC LACROIX COL 24 13
MIKE MODANO DAL 22 13
SCOTT MELLANBY FLA 23 12
PER GUSTAFSSON FLA 17 12
--- GOALTENDING LEADERS ---
-- GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE --
(MIN 7 GP)
GOALTENDER TEAM GP GA AVG
------------------------- ---- -- --- -----
CHRIS OSGOOD DET 16 25 1.62
JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLA 17 30 1.80
PATRICK ROY COL 20 42 2.08
ANDY MOOG DAL 17 34 2.09
MARTIN BRODEUR NJD 16 32 2.12
GLENN HEALY NYR 9 19 2.16
RON HEXTALL PHI 18 37 2.17
MARK FITZPATRICK FLA 8 16 2.32
ED BELFOUR CHI 19 43 2.32
MIKE VERNON DET 8 18 2.35
-- WINS --
GOALTENDER TEAM GP W L T
------------------------- ---- --- -- -- --
PATRICK ROY COL 20 14 3 3
JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLA 17 11 2 3
ANDY MOOG DAL 17 11 4 1
RON HEXTALL PHI 18 11 6 0
GRANT FUHR STL 20 11 8 0
CURTIS JOSEPH EDM 21 11 9 1
DOMINIK HASEK BUF 20 10 9 1
MARTIN BRODEUR NJD 16 9 5 1
ED BELFOUR CHI 19 9 7 2
FELIX POTVIN TOR 21 9 11 0
-- SAVE PERCENTAGE --
GOALTENDER TEAM GP GA SA SPCTG
------------------------- ---- --- --- ---- -----
ROMAN TUREK DAL 1 1 26 .962
JEFF HACKETT CHI 4 8 144 .944
CHRIS OSGOOD DET 16 25 402 .938
CRAIG BILLINGTON COL 4 8 130 .938
JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLA 17 30 464 .935
MARCEL COUSINEAU TOR 2 2 31 .935
MIKE DUNHAM NJD 5 5 76 .934
KEVIN HODSON DET 1 2 28 .929
PATRICK ROY COL 20 42 545 .923
MARTIN BRODEUR NJD 16 32 403 .921
-- SHUTOUTS --
GOALTENDER TEAM GP SO W L T
------------------------- ---- --- -- -- -- --
PATRICK ROY COL 20 4 14 3 3
CHRIS OSGOOD DET 16 3 8 5 2
CURTIS JOSEPH EDM 21 3 11 9 1
STEPHANE FISET LOS 15 2 4 8 3
TREVOR KIDD CGY 16 2 7 8 1
COREY SCHWAB TAM 16 2 6 8 1
ANDY MOOG DAL 17 2 11 4 1
MIKE FOUNTAIN VAN 2 1 1 1 0
CRAIG BILLINGTON COL 4 1 1 2 1
RICK TABARACCI TAM 8 1 2 5 0
MIKHAIL SHTALENKOV ANA 10 1 3 5 0
COREY HIRSCH VAN 11 1 6 4 0
SEAN BURKE HAR 13 1 7 4 2
GUY HEBERT ANA 16 1 3 8 4
MARTIN BRODEUR NJD 16 1 9 5 1
BILL RANFORD BOS 17 1 8 5 4
JOHN VANBIESBROUCK FLA 17 1 11 2 3
KEN WREGGET PIT 17 1 7 8 1
RON HEXTALL PHI 18 1 11 6 0
ED BELFOUR CHI 19 1 9 7 2
GRANT FUHR STL 20 1 11 8 0
DOMINIK HASEK BUF 20 1 10 9 1
---------------------------------------------------------
NHL Hat Tricks
---------------------------------------------------------
1. Tony Granato, SAN at LOS, Oct 6th, 1st season, 5th career.
2. Brian Savage, MON vs ANA, Oct 7th, 1st season, 2nd career.
3. Mike Gartner, PHO at BOS, Oct 7th, 1st season, 17th career.
4. Ryan Smyth, EDM at TOR, Oct 8th, 1st season, 1st career.
5. Chris Gratton, TAM at TOR, Oct 12th, 1st season, 1st career.
6. Eric Lacroix, COL vs EDM, Oct 15th, 1st season, 2nd career.
7. Alexei Kovalev, NYR vs PIT, Oct 16th, 1st season, 2nd career.
8. Theoren Fleury, CGY vs COL, Oct 22nd, 1st season, 11th
career.
9. Rem Murray, EDM at LOS, Oct 24th, 1st season, 1st career.
10. Owen Nolan, SAN at CHI, Oct 27th, 1st season, 9th career.
11. Joe Juneau, WAS vs PIT, Nov 1st, 1st season, 2nd career.
12. Teemu Selanne, ANA vs SAN, Nov 1st, 1st season, 11th career.
13. Jaromir Jagr, PIT vs OTT, Nov 2nd, 1st season, 3rd career.
14. Martin Rucinsky, MON at ANA, Nov 6th, 1st season, 2nd career.
15. Mariusz Czerkawski, EDM at BOS, Nov 7th, 1st season, 1st
career.
16. Dino Ciccarelli, TAM vs PIT, Nov 8th, 1st season, 19th
career.
17. Scott Young, COL vs MON, Nov 9th, 1st season, 2nd career.
18. x-Wendel Clark, TOR vs EDM, Nov 9th, 1st season, 9th career.
19. Brian Rolston, NJD vs TAM, Nove 16th, 1st season, 1st career.
20. Dale Hawerchuk, PHI vs PIT, Nov 21st, 1st season, 14th
career.
21. Mark Recchi, MON at BOS, Nov 21st, 1st season, 2nd career.
22. Mark Messier, NYR at PHO, Nov 26th, 1st season, 18th career.
23. Ray Sheppard, FLA vs BUF, Nov 26th, 1st season, 9th career.
x - four goal game
------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Shutouts
------------------------------------------------------------
1. Stephane Fiset, LOS vs NYI, 1-0, Oct 4th, 26 saves, 1st
season, 7th
career.
2. Sean Burke, HAR vs PHO, 1-0, Oct 5th, 30 saves, 1st season,
11th
career.
3. Curtis Joseph, EDM vs VAN, 2-0, Oct 6th, 35 saves, 1st
season, 6th
career.
4. Rick Tabaracci, CGY vs BUF, 3-0, Oct 6th, 19 saves, 1st
season, 9th
career.
5. Patrick Roy, COL vs SAN, 6-0, Oct 8th, 24 saves, 1st season,
31st
career.
6. Chris Osgood, DET vs EDM, 2-0, Oct 9th, 18 saves, 1st season,
9th
career.
7. Mikhail Shtalenkov, ANA at CHI, 2-0, Oct 9th, 26 saves, 1st
season,
1st career.
8. Patrick Roy, COL at CHI, 2-0, Oct 11th, 34 saves, 2nd season,
32nd
career.
9. John Vanbiesbrouck, FLA vs HAR, 6-0, Oct 12th, 21 saves, 1st
season,
24th career.
10. Trevor Kidd, CGY at PHI, 1-0, Oct 13th, 27 saves, 1st season,
7th
career.
11. Corey Schwab, TAM at BUF, 4-0, Oct 15th, 22 saves, 1st
season, 2nd
career.
12. Andy Moog, DAL vs TOR, 2-0, Oct 19th, 14 saves, 1st season,
23rd
career.
13. Chris Osgood, DET vs LOS, 3-0, Oct 21st, 19 saves, 2nd
season, 10th
career.
14. Ron Hextall, PHI vs ANA, 3-0, Oct 22nd, 12 saves, 1st season,
15th
career.
15. Stephane Fiset, LOS vs CGY, 0-0, Oct 26th, 35 saves, 2nd
season,
8th career.
16. Trevor Kidd, CGY at LOS, 0-0, Oct 26th, 26 saves, 2nd season,
8th
career.
17. Craig Billington, COL vs WAS, 1-0, Oct 28th, 40 saves, 1st
season,
6th career.
18. Andy Moog, DAL vs BUF, 2-0, Oct 30th, 24 saves, 2nd season,
24th
career.
19. Dominik Hasek, BUF at COL, 0-0, Nov 2nd, 32 saves, 1st
season, 16th
career.
20. Patrick Roy, COL vs BUF, 0-0, Nov 2nd, 20 saves, 3rd season,
33rd
career.
21. Martin Brodeur, NJD at DET, 2-0, Nov 6th, 36 saves, 1st
season,
13th career.
22. Curtis Joseph, EDM at BOS, 6-0, Nov 7th, 25 saves, 2nd
season, 7th
career.
23. Ed Belfour, CHI vs OTT, 2-0, Nov 10th, 24 saves, 1st season,
30th
career.
24. Ken Wregget, PIT vs BUF, 3-0, Nov 12th, 25 saves, 1st season,
7th
career.
25. Curtis Joseph, EDM at OTT, 4-0, Nov 13th, 28 saves, 3rd
season, 8th
career.
26. Mike Fountain, VAN at NJD, 3-0, Nov 14th, 40 saves, 1st
season, 1st
career.
27. Grant Fuhr, STL vs CGY, 2-0, Nov 16th, 21 saves, 1st season,
18th
career.
28. Corey Hirsch, VAN vs DAL, 2-0, Nov 19th, 36 saves, 1st
season, 2nd
career.
29. Corey Schwab, TAM vs LOS, 3-0, Nov 19th, 31 saves, 2nd
season, 3rd
career.
30. Patrick Roy, COL vs PHO, 6-0, Nov 20th, 20 saves, 4th season,
34th
career.
31. Chris Osgood, DET at LOS, 6-0, Nov 23rd, 26 saves, 3rd
season, 11th
career.
32. Guy Hebert, ANA at SAN, 3-0, Nov 23rd, 25 saves, 1st season,
10th
career.
33. Bill Ranford, BOS vs PHI, 2-0, Nov 26th, 34 saves, 1st
season, 13th
career.
--------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Penalty Shots
--------------------------------------------------------------
--- PENALTY SHOT SUMMARY ---
1. THEOREN FLEURY (CGY) SCORED AGAINST PATRICK ROY (COL)
GAME NO. 98, Oct 22. FINAL SCORE: COL 1 AT CGY 5
2. ROBERT REICHEL (CGY) SCORED AGAINST TOM BARRASSO (PIT)
GAME NO. 110, Oct 24. FINAL SCORE: PIT 5 AT CGY 7
3. VALERI KAMENSKY (COL) SCORED AGAINST CURTIS JOSEPH (EDM)
GAME NO. 122, Oct 26. FINAL SCORE: COL 4 AT EDM 2
4. JAROMIR JAGR (PIT) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST MARK FITZPATRICK
(FLA)
GAME NO. 200, Nov 9. FINAL SCORE: PIT 2 AT FLA 4
5. TODD MARCHANT (EDM) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST DAMIAN RHODES (OTT)
GAME NO. 215, Nov 13. FINAL SCORE: EDM 4 AT OTT 0
6. MIKE HUDSON (PHO) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST CHRIS OSGOOD (DET)
GAME NO. 249, Nov 18. FINAL SCORE: DET 2 AT PHO 2
7. TODD ELIK (BOS) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST JIM CAREY (WSH)
GAME NO. 253, Nov 19. FINAL SCORE: BOS 2 AT WSH 2
8. DONALD AUDETTE (BUF) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST FELIX POTVIN (TOR)
GAME NO. 264, Nov 21. FINAL SCORE: TOR 3 AT BUF 6
TOTAL SHOTS: 8
TOTAL GOALS: 3
that's all pepe
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