 _               _                  _               _
| | ____  __    | | ____ ___       | | ____ ___    | | ____ ___ 
| |/  _ / __|   | |/  _ / __|      | |/  _ / __|   | |/  _ / __| 
| |  (_ \__ \   | |  (_ \__ \      | |  (_ \__ \   | |  (_ \__ \
|_|\____\___/   |_|\____\___/      |_|\____\___/   |_|\____\___/  
GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY  GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY  
================================================================ 
Five Star            - ELECTRONIC EDITION -            * * * * * 
================================================================
Issue 85             Jan. 13 - Jan. 27, 1998       523,000 bytes
----------------------------------------------------------------
Visit us on the web at http://www.lcshockey.com/ for all your 
hockey needs.  Our web site provides daily news stories, stats, 
and more.    

To subscribe/unsubscribe from the LCS Hockey mailing list 
contact zippy@psu.edu

You may access LCS Guide to Hockey on America Online at keyword 
"LCS Hockey".  Our AOL coverage includes exclusive daily content
not available on our website.


----------------------------------------------------------------
LCS All-Star Teams
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

Here at LCS: Guide to Hockey, we're not getting all swept up in
this Olympic brotherhood garbage.  Frankly, we think the whole
North America vs. the World All-Star Game format is pretty lame. 
So when it came time for us to select our All-Star squads, we
kept things old school by choosing Eastern and Western Conference
rosters.  Nationality didn't play a part in the decision making
process.  Although, as always, prescription drugs and cheap wine
did.  

Here now, are the mid-season All-Star teams we'd like to see take
the ice in Vancouver on Sunday, January 18.  We pick the guys
that we think deserve to go based on performance, not by
reputation.  Unless, you know, we really like the guy, then
reputation is plenty good enough.  And we also don't limit
ourselves to selecting at least one person from each team. 
Because, well, that rule's gay. 

Eastern Conference

OFFENSE

Jason Allison, Boston Bruins (44-16-26-42):  While he
isn't the most breathtaking skater in the world, Allison is
improving.  And while his wheels are suspect, he's definitely got
some quality hands.  Allison is leading the young Bruin squad in
scoring (42 points), the league in shooting percentage (22.5%),
and is tied for third in the NHL in game-winning goals (6).    

Ray Whitney, Florida Panthers (41-18-19-37):  Hey, don't
laugh!  The San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers didn't want him,
but Whitney has been scorin' like a chimp down in Florida.  The
second-ever draft pick of the Sharks, the diminutive center has
sparked an anemic Panther offense and leads the club in scoring. 
Overall he has 18 goals and 37 points in 41 games, but he's
notched 17 goals and 33 points in his 32 games as a Cat.  He may
not be a big-time player, but he deserves some recognition for
his early success.

Shayne Corson, Montreal Canadiens (46-15-30-45):  After
scoring just eight goals and 24 points last season, Corson was
all but written off for dead.  But he trained extremely hard over
the summer and came to camp in the best shape of his life.  All
the hard work has translated into a phenomenal first half which
has seen Corson score 45 points and reclaim his stature as a
premier power forward.  He leads the league in power-play goals
with 11. 

Mark Recchi, Montreal Canadiens (46-22-25-47):  Part of
Corson's resurgence is due to playing on the same line with
Recchi.  The Recchin' Ball continues to roll up big numbers,
posting 22 goals and 47 points.  He's also shown some heart by
playing through injuries to keep his iron man streak going.       

Bobby Holik, New Jersey Devils (44-18-22-40):  No longer
just a checking center, Holik is having another swell goal-
scoring campaign.  He leads El Diablo with 18 goals and 40
points.  

Randy McKay, New Jersey Devils (44-17-15-32):  Yeah, it
sounds nutty, but McKay deserves to be on the All-Star team. 
He's been an absolute force for the Devils since day one and has
already matched his career high in goals (17) and is just one
point shy of his best-ever scoring total (33).  

Pat LaFontaine, New York Rangers (45-16-29-45):  Forget
about Wayne Gretzky, LaFontaine should be the Ranger All-Star. 
He's hit a bit of a slide lately, but Laffy has been somethin'
special for the Blueshirts.  In typical LaFontaine fashion, most
of his team-high 16 goals have been of the highlight-reel
variety.  Laffy is still a bad man.

John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers (44-33-21-54):  We
started the debate last season, but the question still remains:
Who's better, Lindros or LeClair?  With each passing game, more
and more people are getting converted to the Church of LeClair. 
This guy is just unstoppable.  He's tied for the league lead with
33 goals and is second in points with 54.  But the best thing
about LeClair is that even when he isn't scoring, he can still
impact a game with his size, speed, and attention to defense. 
His mere presence on the ice is enough to give the Flyers the
advantage in any game. 

Eric Lindros, Philadelphia Flyers (43-19-33-52):  While
Lindros is no longer the lone superstar in Philly, he's still a
dominant player.  Earlier in the season he suffered through a
prolonged goal-scoring drought and then snapped out of it in
typical Lindros fashion with a hat trick against the Islanders. 
That's the kind of big-game effort that will one day bring a Cup
to Philly.  If, you know, they ever get goaltending...    

Ron Francis, Pittsburgh Penguins (45-14-23-47):  Left off
the Olympic and All-Star teams, Francis continues to get no
respect.  All this guy does is go out every night and play his
heart out while leading an incredibly average and inexperienced
Pittsburgh club to the top of the Northeast Division standings. 
Listen, the Penguins were mud before Francis arrived in town, and
they'll be mud once he's gone.    

Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins (41-20-32-52):  One guy
who doesn't take Francis for granted is his good buddy Jaromir
Jagr.  The Czech Wonder Kid knows that if it wasn't for Francis,
he'd be drowning in a pool of mediocrity in Pittsburgh.  Together
Jagr and Francis give the Penguins one of the best scoring
tandems in the league.  It took Jagr a while to get warmed up
this season, but he's been a mission man since around the start
of December.  It won't be long before he's on top of the NHL
scoring race.  He's still the most dominant offensive force in
the game of hockey.  He's also clutch.  Jagr is tied with Peter
Bondra for the league lead in game-winning goals with seven.  

Peter Bondra, Washington Capitals (42-27-15-42):  Speaking
of Bondra, he's run hot and cold with the Caps this season.  So
cold that coach Ron Wilson has even benched him on occasion.  But
when he's hot, he's Africa hot.  Bondra is just a goal-scoring
machine.  Not many, perhaps only Pavel Bure and Teemu Selanne,
can even come close to matching his straight ahead acceleration
and shot power.  Bondra's fun to watch.

DEFENSE
  
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins (44-8-17-25):  Boston has been
a surprise success in the standings so far.  They're still boring
as hell to watch, but they are winning some games.  Yippee.  The
big reason why continues to be Ray Bourque.  Despite turning 37
at the end of December, Bourque still sees 30+ minutes of ice
time a night and leads the young squad by example.  His real test
will come after the Olympics, when the workload might catch up to
him.    
  
Robert Svehla, Florida Panthers (46-5-21-26):  Svehla
isn't exactly having his best season ever for the Panthers, but
he's still damn cool.  And he's quietly sneaking up among the
defensive scoring leaders, currently tied for seventh with 26
points.  

Vladimir Malakhov, Montreal Canadiens (41-7-17-24):  It
seems like Malakhov is finally starting to deliver on all the
promise that made scouts giddy with anticipation when he first
arrived in North America.  The lanky Russian has been a pillar of
strength along the Montreal blue line this season.  He leads the
club's defenseman with seven goals and 24 points, while playing
at a +15 and earning the reputation as one of the better one-on-
one defenders.  
    
Scott Niedermayer, New Jersey Devils (44-7-26-33): 
Niedermayer is another guy that's starting to do what everyone
always thought he could... namely lead the league's defenseman in
scoring.  Niedermayer is currently tied for fourth among NHL
blueliners with 33 points.  The improved scoring hasn't hampered
his defense at all, either.  This year he just seems to be more
involved at both ends of the rink.  He's probably been the East's
best defenseman to this point in the season.  

Scott Stevens, New Jersey Devils (44-2-12-14):  Stevens
continues to be a rock on defense for New Jersey.  All Jacques
Lemaire has to do is match up Stevens against the other team's
top players and watch the opposing stars disappear.  

Bryan Berard, New York Islanders (39-12-13-25):  What
sophomore jinx?  Berard has stepped up his scoring and become a
deadly point man on the power play, where he's tied for sixth in
the league with eight power-play goals.  The best thing about
watching Berard anchor the man-advantage is that he isn't scared
to shoot.  When he gets the puck out high, he knows what to do
with it.  And he doesn't just rely on his slapper.  He realizes a
well placed wrist shot can be just as effective as a big rip.  

Eric Desjardins, Philadelphia Flyers (39-5-11-16): 
Desjardins is the Ron Francis of defensemen.  No one ever talks
about him, but he just goes out night after night and plays
incredible defense.  

Darius Kasparaitis, Pittsburgh Penguins (43-2-7-9): 
Darius has had a few mental lapses, but overall he's been
Pittsburgh's best defenseman.  But that's not why we picked him.  
We just think it would be cool to watch Kaspar go buckwild and
run all those high-priced Western All-Stars.  Wow, could you
imagine that?  It would be like shootin' fish in a barrel.  With
so many easy targets, the wacky Lithuanian's head might explode
trying to decide which one to hit first.  And if you're scoring
at home, Darius is still the coolest player in the NHL.  The
guy's just funny.  

Calle Johansson, Washington Capitals (46-12-12-24): 
Here's another guy that never gets much attention.  Johansson is
one of the steadiest blueliners in the league.  He earns a spot
on the squad this season for ringing up 12 goals in his first 46
contests.  That number ties him for second among NHL blueliners.

GOALTENDING

Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres (14-16-6, 2.49, .919): 
Hasek went koo koo for cocoa puffs in December, tying an NHL
record with six shutouts.  See, that right there will get you on
an All-Star team.  He has seven shutouts overall, tying him with
Ed Belfour for the league lead.

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils (26-9-1, 1.89, .922): 
Brodeur leads the league in wins (26) and save percentage (.922),
and is second in goal-against average (1.89).  The boys over at
the Hall of Fame are already polishing up his Vezina Trophy.

Tom Barrasso, Pittsburgh Penguins (17-8-6, 2.09, .918): 
The comeback player of the year, Barrasso has been his old
Stanley Cup-winning self in net for Pittsburgh.  While Brodeur is
good with the stick, no one is better than Barrasso at playing
the puck.  And no one can control a game with his catching glove
like Barrasso, either.  Using a junior-sized mit, Tommy snags
everything in sight like the staff of LCS at a complimentary
buffet.  

Western Conference

OFFENSE

Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Mighty Ducks (46-33-15-48):  It
looks like Paul Kariya isn't the savior after all.  With the
Ducks still sucking even after Kariya returned to the flock,
people are finally starting to realize that Selanne, who is tied
for the league lead in goals with 33, is every bit as good as the
young duckling.  In fact, while Kariya may be the more dynamic
scorer, Selanne is just the better overall player.  Take in all
aspects of the game, and it's really not even close.  

Theo Fleury, Calgary Flames (47-16-26-42):  No man is an
island.  Unless you're Theo Fleury.  Well, he's a small island,
but he's an island nevertheless.  Theo has to get lonely being
the only star in Calgary.  If you were to take away Theo and then
harness all the scoring talent in Calgary and turn it into
energy, you just might be able to toast a slice of bread... like,
a really thin slice.  Even without help, Theo is having a swell
year with 42 points.   

Tony Amonte, Chicago Blackhawks (44-15-26-41):  Amonte is
another guy that isn't exactly overwhelmed with talented
teammates.  The Chicago speedster is off a bit from his 41-goal
pace of last season, but he still brings the effort every night. 
Amonte's just developed into a tremendous all-around player. 
He's not your average goal-scoring superstar.  To truly
appreciate his game, watch him work without the puck.  He
forechecks hard, always finishes his checks, and never neglects
defensive responsibilities. 

Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche (43-16-40-56):  Petey
leads the league in assists (40) and points (56).  He still
doesn't score as many goals as he should, and he seems to get a
little too comfortable just playing defense at times, but he's
still the game's most complete hockey player.  

Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche (46-20-29-49):  Sakic's
numbers are a bit down, but whose aren't?  And it's not like he's
a slacker.  Joe is sixth in league scoring with 20 goals and 49
points.  He's also tied for second with nine power-play goals and
leads the league in shots (185).  It's just that a little bit
more production would be appreciated.  Of course, part of the
problem is that he's been playing with a slumping Adam Deadmarsh
on one wing and a rotation of below average scorers on the other. 
The return of a healthy Keith Jones would help.  Put Joe between
Claude Lemieux and Valeri Kamensky every game and he'd be the
league's top scorer.      

Mike Modano, Dallas Stars (34-16-26-42):  Modano was at
the top of the charts before a questionable hit from Bryan
Marchment put him on the shelf with a knee injury.  Originally
expected to be out more than a month, Mikey Mo returned in about
three weeks.  Modano has since been finding the scoresheet at his
normal pace and is the driving force behind the top team in the
NHL.  

Brendan Shanahan, Detroit Red Wings (42-19-18-37):  Okay,
so he'll always be remembered as the guy who stabbed the Whale in
the blow hole.  Shanahan is still having yet another All-Star
campaign.  With the possible exception of Brett Hull, Shanny is
the best one-time shooter in hockey.  He's absolutely lethal from
the left circle on the power play, where's he's tied for second
in the league with nine goals.    

Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings (47-12-25-37):  He leads
the Wings with 37 points.  Aw, that's just Stevie Y bein' Stevie
Y.  Screw Mark Messier, Yzerman is the best captain in hockey. 
He wouldn't bail on his mates for some worthless stacks of
folding green.  

Doug Weight, Edmonton Oilers (45-15-27-42):  With Andrei
Kovalenko falling off the face of the Earth and Jason Arnott
struggling mightily before his trade to New Jersey, Dougie Weight
hasn't had many people to pass to this season.  Yet he still has
27 assists and 42 points.  This guy could make a bag of donuts a
20-goal scorer.  

Jozef Stumpel, Los Angeles Kings (44-12-29-41):  Stumpel
is pretty special.  He isn't a complete player yet, but he can do
some nifty things with the puck.  He's teamed up with Luc
Robitaille to give the Kings at least some threat of an offense.  

Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix Coyotes (45-28-19-47):  How good as
Tkachuk been?  He just continues to establish himself as one of
the most feared scorers in the league, currently ranking third in
the league in goals (28) and eighth in points (47).  He's the
absolute best at working the front of the net.  Shots don't get
through without Inspector 7 giving his seal of approval, which
usually takes the form of a deflection behind the goaltender.    

Pavel Bure, Vancouver Canucks (45-26-25-51):  Don't look
now, but the Russian Rocket is back.  Maybe it's the presence of
Messier, or maybe it's the fact he has his old trusty number 10
on his sweater, but whatever the reason Bure is once again one of
the most exciting players on the planet.  Watching him in full
flight is a sight to behold.  And there may not be anything
cooler than witnessing Bure on a breakaway.  He comes in with so
much speed and holds the puck so long, that by the time he makes
his patented forehand move the goaltender doesn't have a prayer. 
Ask Stephane Fiset.  The Los Angeles netminder is still
recovering from the third-degree burns the Rocket gave him on
December 15 when Bure scorched the Kings for a hat trick,
including two breakaway goals.    

DEFENSE

Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks (44-2-22-24):  The
Chicago captain had a miserable first few months of the season,
but the poor play was the result of him still trying to get over
the knee injury he suffered at the end of last season.  Now
pretty much fully recovered, Chelios has cranked it up over the
past few weeks and is playing like his old self.  

Derian Hatcher, Dallas Stars (42-5-15-20):  Two words
explain why the Stars are so good defensively: Derian Hatcher. 
The kid's phenomenal.  Instructional tapes could be made from an
average Hatcher shift.  

Sergei Zubov, Dallas Stars (47-6-29-35):  While guys like
Hatcher, Richard Matvichuk, and Craig Ludwig provide the Dallas
blue line with size and toughness, Zubov adds plenty of pep.  The
silky smooth Russian is simply one of the best skaters in the
game.  Combine his mobility with good vision of the ice and
incredible hands, and Zubov can jump start even the most sluggish
of attacks.  It's a shame he doesn't shoot the puck more because
he owns a howitzer from the point.  But even his reluctance to
shoot hasn't hurt his scoring numbers, as Zubie is tops among NHL
defensemen with 35 points.     

Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings (46-14-20-34):  Right
now, Lidstrom might be the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy.  It
was hard to imagine the Red Wings without Vladimir Konstantinov
on defense.  But instead of mourning the absence of his ailing
comrade, Lidstrom took it upon himself to become the leader along
the blue line.  The steady Swede leads all NHL defensemen in
goal-scoring with 14 and is second in points with 34.

Larry Murphy, Detroit Red Wings (47-5-29-34):  Murphy has
also picked up the slack left in the wake of Konstantinov's
accident.  Never known for his skating, Murphy's game hasn't
really diminished due to his advancing years.  Even at 36,
"Stationary Larry" can still be an impact player because of his
intelligence and veteran instincts.  His point production
certainly hasn't fallen off, as he is tied with Lidstrom for
second place among NHL defenders with 34 points.

Rob Blake, Los Angeles Kings (44-8-13-21):  Never mind
that he's leading a quiet resurgence in L.A., Blake deserves to
be an All-Star just for staying healthy for half a season.  

Steve Duchesne, St. Louis Blues (47-6-27-33):  Duchesne
has been traded five times in his career, but he always enjoys
success wherever he goes.  This season, in his second stint with
the Blues, Duchesne is once again putting up impressive numbers,
currently tied for fourth among NHL blueliners with 33 points.

Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues (38-12-14-26):  The Big Daddy
Mac just keeps on trucking.  Even a separated shoulder wasn't
enough to knock him off stride, as he returned looking good as
new.  Among NHL defensemen, he's tied for second in goals (12)
and is sixth in points (26).

Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues (47-6-14-20):  Pronger
rounds out the mighty triumvirate of St. Louis blueliners.  While
Duchesne and MacInnis provide the Blue Note with veteran smarts
and experience, Pronger delivers the youthful exuberance and
energy.  He routinely logs 30+ minutes a game, excelling in all
situations and beating the opposition senseless along the wall. 
He's currently tied for the league lead in plus-minus with a +24. 

GOALTENDING

Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche (17-6-12, 2.32, .921): 
Roy could just stand in net and never stop a shot and he'd still
make the All-Star team.  He's just that cool.  If you ever get a
chance to see Roy play in person, take it.  It's not often you
get the feeling of being in the same arena with greatness.  In
fact, myself and the staff of LCS just saw him play about a week
or so ago.  During a commercial break, while all the other fans
were milling around and the rest of the players were over near
the benches, Roy turned around, placed his gloves on the top of
the net, lifted up his mask, and stared up into the seats while
taking a swig of water.  As he looked up to my section, I leaned
forward in my seat and gave a nice "hey, how's it goin'" wave. 
Roy did a quick double take, then took another hit of the water. 
Yep, me and Patrick shared a little moment there.  We're tight
like that.     

Ed Belfour, Dallas Stars (22-6-8, 1.87, .910): Playing
goal for Dallas is like being our accountant.  There's not much
to do, but it looks good on a resume.  The Eagle considers it a
tough night's work if he faces 18 shots.  But lack of action
aside, Belfour is still getting the job done.  He leads the NHL
in goals-against average (1.87) and shutouts (7).  So that has to
count for something.

Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings (20-9-8, 2.16, .916): 
While it's a lot like the Dallas gig, Osgood is providing the
Wings with steady, if not spectacular, goaltending.  It's just
hard to argue with his numbers.  



------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lost Issue of LCS
------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

As I'm sure some of you know, the LCS server was down for almost
the past month.  One of the casualties of the unfortunate event
was Issue 84.  Originally scheduled to come out on December 16,
the server went loopy just hours before publication.  

When the server finally got back online January 8, it seemed a
little late to put the issue up, especially since we had Issue 85
on the immediate horizon.  So what to do with Issue 84?  

Well, there was only one choice.  Issue 84 will be known as the
Lost Issue of LCS.  This way future generations can one day
stumble upon the issue and debate its significance and wonder
just what went wrong.

While the issue is lost, that doesn't mean you can't read it. 
The issue is online and good to go.  It's just set up in a zany
directory.  All you have to do is guess the mystery directory and
type it after the usual www.lcshockey.com/issues and you're in
like Flynn.  

In order to aid your journey, LCS commissioned a Leprechaun to
write a limerick concerning the whereabouts of the Lost Issue. 
Here's what the little fella came up with...
    

A baker's dozen you will need, 
to find the issue after 83.

The group contains three separate things, 
typed together in one long string.

First, the nickname of an evil foe, 
followed by a term for wind that flows.

Last you'll need an animal quite snappy, 
all in all, this would make Carl happy.

Decipher the clues from this lyrical mess, 
and you will enjoy the Lost Issue of LCS.


Aw, that was great, that was fun.  Well, there ya go.  All the
info you need is right there in that catchy little ditty.  Good
luck.


----------------------------------------------------------------
Top 50 Sitcom Characters of All-Time
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

This past week, The Hockey News, in all its journalistic
brilliance, published what they called "The Definitive List of
the Top 50 NHL Players of All-Time."  I for one am just overjoyed
that they produced such a "definitive list", saving all of us
mere mortals the grief of trying to formulate our own opinions
and beliefs.  Thank you, Hockey News!  

While we couldn't agree with The Hockey News' list, we also
couldn't help but notice all the media attention they were
getting for some overblown opinion piece.  Here at LCS, we may
not be that bright, but we seldom miss an opportunity to get our
names in the papers.  Whether it's the front page of the local
section or the police blotter, we're what you'd call "media
savvy".  So we thought, what the hell?  We can compile a list our
own damn selves and cash in on some of the senseless media hype. 

With that in mind, it gives us great pleasure to present the
definitive list of the top 50 sitcom characters of all-time! 
Some choices are obvious, others quite obscure.  But they're all
LCS.  And after all, this is the definitive list. 
Enjoy.

1. Latka Gravas, "Taxi":  It was a tough call, but in the
end Latka won out due to his bout with multiple personalities. 
Watching the shy foreign garage mechanic become playboy Vic
Ferrari, or Arlo the cowboy, or even his good buddy Alex Rieger,
was enough to carry Latka to the top.  Thank you very much.  In fact, 
the episode where Latka first transforms into Vic Ferrari, entitled 
"Latka the Playboy", remains the single greatest episode in television 
history. 

2. Maynard G. Krebs, "Dobie Gillis":  The role model for
all LCS staff members, Maynard was the beatnik with, like, the
most, dad.  When he wasn't listening to Thelonious Monk or
watching "The Monster that Devoured Cleveland", Maynard was doing
his best to avoid work... WORK!?!  

3. Mary Richards, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show":  Mary was
just so... so... Mary.  I'm not sure if she could turn the world
on with a smile or not, but she could sure as hell turn me on... 

4. Rob Petrie, "The Dick Van Dyke Show":  The creative
force behind "The Alan Brady Show", Rob was a true comedic
genius.  Plus, he was married to Mary Tyler Moore.  

5. Laura Petrie, "The Dick Van Dyke Show":  A young Mary
Tyler Moore... grrrrrowl.

6. Barney Fife, "The Andy Griffith Show":  Barney made the
streets of Mayberry safe while making us all laugh with his wacky
law-enforcement antics.  If there was ever a problem, he was sure
to nip it in the bud.

7. Larry Appleton, "Perfect Strangers":  Cousin Larry was
always trying to be something he wasn't, getting caught up in
lies and exotic schemes to impress his girlfriend Jennifer and
anyone else paying attention.  But in the end, just being Larry
was always more than enough.  He was a master of physical comedy
and the king of alliteration-filled dialogue.  Whatever the
situation, Larry always had a plan.  

8. Ted Baxter, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show":  It all
started in a 5,000-watt radio station in Fresno, California. 
With just a $50-a-week paycheck and a dream.  

9. Alex Rieger, "Taxi":  There were a lot of great
characters at the Sunshine Cab Company, but it all started with
Rieger.  He was the foundation on which the great ensemble cast
was built.

10. Maxwell Smart, "Get Smart":  Agent 86 was a lock for
the top ten.  But the top spot overall?  Well, let's just say he
missed it by that much.

11. Elliot Carlin, "The Bob Newhart Show":  Mr. Carlin can
teach us all a little something about being an abrasive,
sarcastic, smart-ass.  And for that, I am thankful.

12. Louie De Palma, "Taxi":  The gruff dispatcher gave all
the cabbies hell, but he was truly one of a kind.  There aren't
many characters in the history of television that showed as much
depth and sincerity as Louie. 

13. Ralph Kramden, "The Honeymooners":  Ralph was one of
television's first superstars.  The bus-driving everyman had a
universal appeal.  No matter how hard he strived to better
himself, Ralph just never seemed to get ahead.  But the more he
failed, the more we loved 'im.

14. Ed Norton, "The Honeymooners":  Ed was Ralph's true
blue pal and set the stage for just about every buddy team to
follow.  The world's most famous "sanitation engineer", Norton
always tagged along with Ralph's schemes but never failed to
bring the comedy.  

15. Dobie Gillis, "Dobie Gillis":  Dobie was all about
impressing the ladies.  It was his only goal in life.  Which made
him the perfect buddy for Maynard G. Krebs, someone who had no
goals whatsoever.            

16. ALF, "ALF":  ALF only number 16?  No problem!

17. Vinnie Barbarino, "Welcome Back, Kotter":  What?  You
don't think Vinnie belongs this high?  Up your nose with a rubber
hose!

18. J.J. Evans, Jr., "Good Times":  There's nothing to
fear, because J.J. is here.  Everything will be all right, so
says Kid Dy-NO-mite!  J.J. was the man.  The episode where he had
to paint a picture of a naked lady is an all-time classic.  

19. Jim Ignatowski, "Taxi":  Taxi's dominance of the
countdown continues with Reverend Jim.  There was much more to
the drugged-out stoner than met the eye.  Which pretty much was a
mark of all the great Taxi characters.  

20. Barth Gimble, "Fernwood 2-night":  While technically a
talk show parody and not a sitcom, Fernwood 2-night's host is
just too damn cool to be left out.  Martin Mull made this Johnny
Carson wanna-be a legend around the talk show circuit.  If you've
never seen Fernwood 2-night, do so immediately.    

21. Corporal Randolph Agarn, "F-Troop":  Bouncing from one
get-rich-quick scheme to the next with his buddy Sgt. Morgan
O'Rourke, Agarn was always looking for a way to beat the system. 
He also wore red thermals that were bad as hell.  

22. Mr. Ed, "Mr. Ed":  He was a talking horse that could
drive cars, fly airplanes, and surf!  'Nuff said.

23. Bob Hartley, "The Bob Newhart Show":  Bob Newhart's
brilliant timing and gift for understatement made it a joy to
watch Dr. Robert Hartley try and deal with the zaniness around
him.

24. Lou Grant, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show":  Lou is a
two-fisted drinker and the ultimate newsman.  And he hates
spunk... 

25. Danny Partridge, "The Partridge Family":  Another pioneer
in the field of get-rich-quick schemes, on the side Danny was one
mean bass player.  The time he and the family played a gig in
Harlem was inspired.  Watching Danny walk down the street with
his Black Panther-esque pals was pure bliss.

26. Rhoda Morgenstern, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and
"Rhoda":  Rhoda started out as Mary's wise-cracking neighbor
and soon became a cultural icon due to her hip sense of style. 
She made it cool for chicks to dress like pirates.  

27. Sam Malone, "Cheers":  The former Red Sox relief
pitcher made Cheers one of the all-time greats.  He was the
ladies man Dobie Gillis always wanted to be, and then some. 

28. Howard Borden, "The Bob Newhart Show":  Howard was the
original wacky nextdoor neighbor.  Constantly borrowing things,
seldom knocking, and always inviting himself to dinner, Howard
was the forefather of the modern day Kramer.

29. Herman Munster, "The Munsters":  Good ol' Herman was
somethin' special.  Not only was he the patriarch of one of
television's great families, at one time or another he became a
drag racer, a wrestler, a pop singing sensation, and just about
everything else in the book.  And he did it all wearin' some
kick-ass platform shoes and bolts in his neck.  

30. Sgt. Bilko, "The Phil Silvers Show":  Bilko was the
ultimate work-slacking con man and the frontrunner for guys like
Agarn, O'Rourke, and well, LCS.  He always found a way to make
the most profit with the least work.   

31. Fred Sanford, "Sanford and Son":  This ol' junkyard dog had 
to make the list, fool!        

32. Balki Bartokomous, "Perfect Strangers":  The naive
sheepherder from Mypos teamed with his Cousin Larry to create one
of the best duos in history.  Was there ever a chance Balki would
miss our list?  Of course not, don't be ridiculous...        

33. Patty Lane, "The Patty Duke Show":  Of the two identical
cousins, Patty was the wild and crazy one.  She gets the edge
over Cathy simply because, well, "a hot dog makes her loose
control."

34. Dick Louden, "Newhart":  Owner of a Vermont inn, writer of
how-to books, the host of his own local TV show... Dick Louden
was a man of many talents.  The best of which was still a classic
comedic delivery.  

35. Arnold Jackson, "Diff'rent Strokes":  If based solely
on his early work, Arnold would be top ten material.  However,
the longer the show ran, the more tarnished his image became. 
But we'll always try to remember him as the scrappy little orphan
fresh from Harlem. 

36. Homer Simpson, "The Simpsons":  Sure, he's a cartoon,
but he still counts.  Homer was pretty brutal in the show's first
season, but since then he's become everyone's favorite dim-witted
goofball.  

37. Gilligan, "Gilligan's Island":  Everyone's little
buddy, Gilligan made his exploits with his fellow castaways a 
staple of American culture.  

38. Chris Peterson, "Get A Life":  Often overlooked, Chris
Elliot's portrayal of the 30-year-old paper boy living over his
parents' garage is an everlasting monument to comedy.  Sure, the
second season when he moved out on his own was pretty lame at
times, but the first year was golden. 

39. Dr. Johnny Fever, "WKRP in Cincinnati":  Once fired from 
a radio station for saying the word "booger" on the air, a down-and-out 
John Caravella joined up with a floundering station in Cincinnati.  
When the station switched to a rock 'n' roll format, he was reborn as 
Dr. Johnny Fever and the face of radio on television was changed forever.    

40. George Jefferson, "The Jeffersons":  A self-made man,
George used his chain of dry cleaners to move out from Archie
Bunker's shadow and into a deluxe apartment in the sky.

41. Conrad Siegfried, "Get Smart":  Maxwell Smart's
archenemy, any episode with Siegfried in it is one for the ages.  

42. Kirk Morris, "Dear John":  Kirk made the one-to-one
club for divorcees at Rego Park an event each and every week.  A
habitual liar always on the make, Kirk was a single woman's worst
nightmare but a tremendous boon to comedy.

43. Jaun Epstein, "Welcome Back, Kotter":  The Sweat Hog voted
most likely to take a life, Epstein also owned the wackiest walk
in show business.  So why is he only number 43?  Well, I got a
note...

44. Fred Mertz, "I Love Lucy":  Lucy always received the
accolades, but Fred was the driving force behind perhaps the most
famous show in television history.  He was a cheap, ornery, ex-
vaudevillian with a heart of gold.  

45. Mr. Mooney, "The Lucy Show":  Mr. Mooney was all about
money.  As Lucy's banker and employer, he struggled to keep a
tight leash on the flighty red-headed spitfire.  If you listen
closely you can almost still hear him bellowing, "Mrs.
Carmichael!"

46. Colonel Klink, "Hogan's Heroes":  Klink was one suave
monocle-wearin', prison-camp-runnin' mother.  

47. Buddy Sorrell, "The Dick Van Dyke Show":  Buddy was a
walking joke file.  He had one-liners ready for any occasion. 
Remember that name... Buddy Sorrell... two r's, two l's, too
funny for words.     

48. Mr. Furley, "Three's Company:"  Don Knotts in a
leisure suit.  What more can you ask for?  

49. Nick Lobo, "Rhoda":  Not many people are familiar with
Nick Lobo, and he only appeared in bout five episodes of the
show, but he was something to behold.  The accordion playing
boyfriend of Rhoda's younger sister Brenda, Nick was money in the
bank whenever he made an appearance.  

50. Exidor, "Mork and Mindy":  Dressed like a modern day
prophet with a Moe haircut, Exidor was one of the first
Earthlings to befriend Mork.  Anytime the borderline madman made
an appearance, he stole the show.  

               
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LCS Holiday Hockey Tournament a Local Success
-----------------------------------------------------------------
by Joe Rossi

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Each year over the holidays, we hold an annual 
street hockey game to raise money for local charities.  This time 
the great Joe Rossi, an out-of-town freelance writer, and his 
photographer buddy Dennis Price were around to cover the action 
and peddle the story to a local newspaper.  We were given permission 
to reprint it, pictures and all.  So be sure to check out our website 
for the photos.  This story originally appeared in the January
3rd edition of the "Greensburg Picayune" and is being reprinted
with permission of the fine newspaper.)

Greensburg, Pennsylvania, isn't known for much.  Founded by
General Nathanael Green in 1786, the sleepy Pittsburgh suburb has
contributed little of global significance.  With a population
hovering around the 17,000-mark, Greensburg has never produced
any internationally known personalities or done anything to
secure a space among the pantheon of great cities.  However, that
could all change thanks to the work of four local entrepreneurs.

Back in June of 1994, Michael Dell, Jim Iovino, Matthew Secosky,
and a young man known only as Zippy the Wonder Chimp established
LCS: Guide to Hockey, an electronic newsletter and web site
(www.lcshockey.com) dedicated to the National Hockey League.  The
members of the group, who are all now 22 years of age, wanted to
provide an alternative to mainstream hockey coverage, with their
goal being to produce material that was, in their own words,
"informative as well as entertaining... 50/50, a little bit of
this, a little bit of that."

Over the past three and a half years, LCS has gained a large and
loyal following due to its informal approach to the game of
hockey.  Yet while readers across the globe have been able to
enjoy their work thanks to the internet, LCS' most important
contributions are occurring in their own backyard.

Each year over the Christmas holiday, LCS holds an annual street
hockey game to raise money for local charities and help bring
some much needed attention to their home town of Greensburg. 
Billed as the "Happy Birthday Baby Jesus Tournament", money
raised goes to help the local library, museum, and Jewish
synagogues.  The last one not because of any religious beliefs
but simply because, as editor-in-chief Michael Dell puts it, "We
just love irony."

Held each year on the tennis courts at Lynch Field, the game is
fast becoming a beloved local tradition.  The two teams, made up
of LCS employees and associates, do their best to entertain the
crowds with fast-paced, end-to-end action, featuring spirited
exchanges at both ends of the rink.  Fans come from far and wide
to witness the annual spectacle.  

"The wife and I woke up early this morning and drove four hours
to get here in time for the game," said one Jerry Hubbard, a 41-
year-old native of Greensburg who currently calls Fernwood, Ohio,
home.  "We wouldn't miss this thing for the world."  

The importance of the game isn't being lost on the local
government.  "We're extremely honored and proud to be known as
the home of LCS," said Greensburg mayor Carl Eisman.  "The game
is really becoming a tradition around here.  And those boys
really know how to put on a show.  They're four decent, clean-cut
young men.  I really can't say enough nice things about them. 
They're going to be really big stars."

"We just see the game as our way to give back to the community,"
says Dell.  "They've been a really big help to us over the
years... relaxing the public drunkenness laws and failing to
crack down on prostitution and whatnot.  So this is the least we
can do."

The game is always scheduled for Christmas day, but usually gets
pushed back for one reason or another.  This year the contest was
held on Friday, January 2.  As the crowd began to arrive for the
1 PM opening faceoff, the LCS staff was busy preparing the court. 
The remnants of a recent snowfall had rendered the one end a
slushy mess.  But it was nothing a few shovels and some hard work
couldn't fix.  Which just adds to the charm of this grassroots
publication.

"A lot of hockey publications, like The Hockey News for example,
wouldn't even bother to shovel off the snow," explains Ace
Reporter Jim Iovino.  "They'd probably just go home and smoke
some crack and beat their wives for not havin' their pot pie
ready... or, you know, whatever else they do in their spare time. 
But not us.  We're not scared to go the extra mile for our fans
and community.  I guess that's what really separates us from
publications like The Hockey News.  We care."

Once the court was cleared, it was time to get down to business
and give the fans what they came to see.  There were originally
12 players scheduled to appear at the event, but when two
participants got held up in transit, the game was started with
only the remaining 10 headliners.  Although one poor misguided
youth was selected from the crowd and allowed to participate in
order to fill out the teams.  Matthew Secosky explained the
unexpected addition by saying, "What the hell?  It's the
holidays."  He then pulled a metal flask out from under his
Chicago Blackhawks sweater and took a mighty swig.     

The rosters for the two teams, which are named Team Tradition and
Team Commercialism to illustrate the constant struggle between
the two holiday forces, read as a who's who of LCS.  Team
Tradition was anchored by editor-in-chief Dell in net, while
fellow founding fathers Secosky and Iovino were joined by Stat
Girl Nicole Agostino on offense.  When asked what it felt like to
be the only woman involved in the tournament, Agostino replied,
"I'm just happy to be allowed out of the kitchen."  The team was
rounded out on defense with LCS Pittsburgh Penguin correspondent
Brett Taylor and LCS International Chief Executive Sales
Associate Steve Wilson.  

Zippy the Wonder Chimp was the lone LCS staffer on the Team
Commercialism squad, but he was joined by local icons Shane
Griffin and Todd Teacher, who are both legendary for their
storied Lynch Field hockey careers.  Part-time LCS consultant
Dave Miller handled the goaltending chores, while the poor
misguided youth from the stands, known only as "JR", was added to
flesh out the squad until the reserves arrived.

Enjoying the continual five-on-four power play at the start of
the game, Team Tradition roared out of the gates to an early 4-0
lead behind the speed and quickness of Matthew Secosky.  Most of
the goals were scored on the rush, with Secosky storming wide on
right wing and beating Miller from in tight.  The dazzling
displays sent the crowd into a frenzy and made things appear
bleak for Team Commercialism.  Not only were they not scoring
goals, but Commercialism was struggling to even generate any
scoring chances whatsoever.  That all changed, though, thanks to
a fluke goal off the stick of Zippy the Wonder Chimp.  Zippy
launched an innocent looking slap shot from center court that
struck Dell in the chest before skipping over his shoulder and
into the cage.  

"That was pathetic," Dell would later summarize.  "But, hey, it's
for charity!"

With the score now 4-1, Commercialism picked up the tempo and
started to make a game of it.  Zippy, Griffin, and Teacher soon
started to swarm the Tradition net, pressuring the attack and
eventually cutting the lead to 5-4.  That's when Steve Wilson
took it upon himself to make a play.  The rugged backliner
pinched in deep on the left side and chipped a shot from the left
post over Miller to give Tradition back a two-goal advantage. 
The clubs would exchange goals one more time before agreeing to
take a 10-minute break.  At the intermission, Team Tradition led
7-5.  

By this point, it was clear that the fans were enjoying the show. 
As the players left the court for the intermission, the devotees
in attendance gave them a raucous ovation that was measured in
minutes.  With the other combatants resting themselves, Dell and
Secosky came back out and provided entertainment for the fans,
reciting inspirational poems and reenacting scenes from the movie
"SHAFT".  But while two of the club's stars revelled in the
applause of the fans, the intermission held some disastrous news
for Team Tradition.  Brett Taylor, the squad's standout
defensemen, became ill and was forced out of the lineup.  His
loss would prove to be costly.  Another harbinger of bad tidings
occurred a few minutes before the intermission when Ryan Gaffney,
a new face on the Lynch Field scene, finally arrived and replaced
the mysterious "JR" on the Commercialism roster, providing his
club with a major step up in talent.  These two events would soon
spell doom for Tradition.  

Although the teams were now at even-strength and playing four-on-
four, the second period opened up much as the first ended, with
Tradition increasing its lead thanks to more lightning quick
rushes from Secosky.  Iovino got into the act by hammering a slap
shot between Miller's pads to further secure Tradition's grasp on
the game, making the score 9-6.  However, the contest's momentum
was about to change.   

With Taylor no longer around to provide the steady stay-at-home
defense for Tradition, Team Commercialism gradually began to take
control.  To put it mildly, the floodgates were opened. 
Seemingly every trip up the court was a breakaway or an odd-man
rush.  While the crowd loved the wide-open action, Dell was
fighting for his life under the onslaught of scoring chances. 
The shots came in a steady stream, with one glorious opportunity
after another being sent Dell's way.  The crowd offered its
support to the frail butterfly netminder, chanting "Delly! 
Delly!  Delly!" with each passing save.  Thanks to some
spectacular goaltending, including a sensational goal-line theft
at the expense of Todd Teacher, Tradition still enjoyed a 12-11
lead as the game entered its fourth hour.  

Plans for a second intermission were scrapped much to the delight
of those in attendance when it was determined that putting a halt
to the breakneck pace of the game would have been criminal.  So
the teams decided to keep on playing without fail, electing to go
at it until one squad reached 15.  

While the game's marathon length was a dream come true for fans,
Team Tradition soon began to wilt with exhaustion.  It was clear
that Commercialism was the stronger squad.  The longer the game
wore on, the worse things got for Tradition.  The outcome seemed
inevitable.  As Zippy and crew continued to pour on the offense,
Tradition's scoring chances all but dried up.  And whenever
Secosky or Iovino managed to find an opening, Miller was there to
bail out his Commercialism teammates with the clutch save.  

While Miller was starting to shine at one end of the rink,
Tradition's goaltending began to crack.  As the scoring chances
continued to mount for Team Commercialism, Dell displayed signs
of fatigue, yielding two long snap shot goals to Griffin that put
Commercialism in front 14-13.  Moments later Zippy broke behind
the defense with a chance to end the game, but Dell rallied to
regain his technically sound butterfly style and denied the chimp
five-hole.  The save was a nice respite from doubt, but it was
obvious that it was only a matter of time.  

The game's deciding play started with another odd-man break for
Commercialism, with Gaffney bursting free down the left wing. 
Yet oddly enough, after all the unbelievable scoring chances over
the second half of the contest, the game-winner came when Gaffney
simply threw a rather meager shot on net from a bad angle.  Dell
went down to make the save, but the rebound hit some traffic
directly in front and skipped underneath the battered netminder
for the winner.  The goal was scored on Commercialism's 115th
shot of the game.  The final score: Commercialism 15, Tradition
13.

"That was awesome!" exclaimed Greensburg's own Billy McCormick,
12, who was one of many elated onlookers in the immense crowd. 
"That was better than any NHL game this season.  When I grow up I
want to be just like LCS!"

Not everyone was quite so enthusiastic about the contest.  "I
wasn't real happy with the game's outcome," admitted Dell
afterwards, as he and the rest of the LCS staff were besieged by
autograph seekers.  "We had the lead the entire time right up
until the end but just couldn't close the deal.  We pretty much
ran out of gas... or for our European friends, petrol.  But it
was for charity and the fans seemed to enjoy themselves.  So
that's all that really matters.  Plus, we did beat the hell out
of Zippy... so that's pretty cool."
       
Yes, the game was played for charity, but that doesn't mean
things didn't get a little rough at times.  And Zippy was clearly
the target of all the aggression.  Patterning himself after his
hero Claude Lemieux, Zippy is famous for getting under the
opposition's skin.  This all culminated in a serious brawl near
the end of the game.  Dell had covered the ball, but Zippy
continued to relentlessly dig at his glove.  That's when Agostino
stepped in and belted Zippy with a straight left hand.  Iovino
and Secosky then came to their teammate's aid, pulling Zippy's
jersey over his head and pummeling him senseless.  All the while
Zippy's teammates looked on without offering the slightest hint
of backup.    

"It's all part of the game," a dazed Zippy would later say. 
"Claude would be proud."

When informed of Zippy's comments, Iovino was quick to respond. 
"Claude Lemieux my ass!" he snapped.  "Try Geoff Courtnall.  Or
weasel boy Slava Kozlov.  I can't believe I shook his freakin'
hand."

Brief moments of animosity aside, the afternoon was an
unprecedented success.  Money was raised for charity, fans got to
enjoy some incredible hockey, and the staff of LCS further
cemented itself in the local folklore.  A few more events like
this one, and it won't be long before Greensburg is on the map. 
And the envy of all.
                      

------------------------------------------------------------------         
Date Set for "Maul at the Mall"
------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

As many of you, our valued readers, know, earlier this season I
challenged Peter Karmanos, the blood-sucking leach that owns the
Carolina Hurricanes, to a fight.  The deal was that if I were to
beat Karmanos, LCS: Guide to Hockey would take over as the owners
of the Hurricanes.  At which time we would immediately move the
club back to Hartford and bring joy to all the kingdom.  If
Karmanos won the fight, he would gain possession of the vast LCS
Hockey fortune, which includes such treasures as a complete
collection of "ALF" episodes on BETA and a big barrel of grain
alcohol.    

Several months have passed since my initial challenge and we
still haven't heard word one from Karmanos.  Which just proves
he's yella.  Since I first proposed the winner-take-all brawl,
however, a few factors have changed.  In light of the Hurricanes
recently trading Geoff Sanderson and Sean Burke to Vancouver, I
am no longer putting up the whole collection of "ALF" tapes.  The
episodes where he attends the costume party with the zipper on
his belly, digs a hole in the backyard and hallucinates about
"Gilligan's Island", and the one where Brian sings that asparagus
song are no longer on the table.  Hey, fair is fair.  

I've also come to the realization that Karmanos is definitely
ducking me somethin' fierce.  If left up to him, this scrap would
never get off the ground.  So in order to help the fight along, I
have already set a date, secured the arena, and started preparing
the proper exploitation.  

Wake the kids, call the neighbors... the fight will take place on
Wednesday, February 4, at good ol' Greengate Mall in Greensburg,
PA.  It's only fitting that the man who savagely harpooned the
once great franchise that skated in a mall meet his maker at a
similar shopping center.    

For those not familiar with the thriving metropolis of
Greensburg, Greengate Mall is sort of the town's bastard child. 
Long neglected for its larger, more modern cross-town rival,
Westmoreland Mall, Greengate has fallen on some hard times.  With
each passing day it's becoming more of an abandoned warehouse
than a mall.  Stores are splittin' like rats off a sinking ship. 
Tumbleweeds outnumber customers.  If things were any more
deserted, you'd need a canteen and a camel to shop.  Hey, I'm
just sayin' business is slow, that's all.  

When contacted about the possibility of Greengate hosting the
fight, William Prescott, the mall's chief operating advisor, was
eager to cooperate.  "So, like, since this is a fight, I'm
guessing they'll be at least two people inside the mall on the
Wednesday night in question, correct?" inquired Prescott. 
Realizing how that would practically double the usual Wednesday
night traffic, Prescott hurriedly responded, "Where do I sign?"   

With the venue locked up, the next step is to get the word out on
the streets.  All big fights need a catchy name.  That's, like,
rule number one in fight promotion.  I picked it up watchin' that
Don King movie on HBO.  You need somethin' that rolls off the
tongue, yet takes root in the subconscious.  Somethin' that has
theatrical appeal, yet still looks good on t-shirts.  So with
that in mind, I have decided on a moniker for the monumental
melee... "The Maul at the Mall"!  Following in the footsteps of
the "Thrilla in Manilla" and the "The Rumble in the Jungle", "The
Maul at the Mall" promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event that
will surely rewrite history books and shake civilization to its
very foundation.  Only in America, baby!  Only in America!  Or,
you know, Canada... and maybe Sweden... yeah, this could
definitely fly in Sweden.      
   
The rules for the fight are slightly different from that of a
regular boxing match.  First, there are no rules.  Which makes it
pretty hard to cheat.  Second, there's no ring.  The fight will
start at center court on the lower level, but from there it's
anyone's guess.  The entire mall is open for business.  We could
end up throwin' blows in the back of "Chick-Fil-A" by the time
the smoke clears.  Finally, one man is declared the winner when
his opponent either gets knocked unconscious, taps out due to
some wack-ass submission hold, or runs away screaming like a
little school girl.  Which I think, oddly enough, is how Martin
Van Buren was elected President.  

The fight is scheduled for 8 PM.  Come early.  Bring a friend. 
Tickets will be sold at the door for $5.00 or in advance over the
phone for $3.50.  All proceeds will go to help us buy liquor for
the victory party.  Write us for further ticket information.  

Anyway, it should be quite the evening of fun-filled, family
entertainment.  Stay tuned to the pages of LCS for updates as the
fight date approaches.  
              
(NOTE: Check out the website for the official fight poster.)


    _____________________________________________________
                        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
    Alex Carswell.................Anaheim Correspondent
    Matt Brown.....................Boston Correspondent
    Joe Brunner...................Buffalo Correspondent
    Tony Wong.....................Calgary Correspondent
    Brad Kane....................Carolina Correspondent
    Dan Glovier...................Chicago Correspondent
    Greg D'Avis..................Colorado Correspondent
    Jim Panenka....................Dallas Correspondent
    Dino Cacciola.................Detroit Correspondent
    Simon D. Lewis...............Edmonton Correspondent
    Eric A. Seiden................Florida Correspondent
    Matt Moore................Los Angeles Correspondent
    Jacques Robert...............Montreal Correspondent
    Phil Aromando..............New Jersey Correspondent
    David Strauss...............Islanders Correspondent
    Alex Frias....................Rangers Correspondent
    The Nosebleeders..............Ottawa Correspondents
    Eric Meyer...............Philadelphia Correspondent
    Whoever.......................Phoenix Correspondent
    Joe Ashkar..................St. Louis Correspondent
    Al Swanson...................San Jose Correspondent
    Seth Lerman.................Tampa Bay Correspondent
    Jonah Sigel...................Toronto Correspondent
    Carol Schram................Vancouver Correspondent
    Jason Sheehan..............Washington Correspondent
    Tricia McMillan...................AHL Correspondent
    _____________________________________________________

    LCS Guide to Hockey, Issue 85, January 13, 1998. 
    Email address: sportif@oak.westol.com  Good ol' postal 
    address: 632 Hempfield Street, Greensburg, PA 15601.  
    Web Site:  http://www.lcshockey.com/ open 24 hours a day.
    AOL Keyword: "LCS" or "LCS Hockey", exclusive coverage.
    _____________________________________________________


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting Stale
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Iovino

Perhaps former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kirk McLean described
his situation best when he said he was "getting stale".  And what
better way to spruce up a career than with a trade. 

The Canucks and Carolina Hurricanes exchanged five moldy players
last week in a deal that should freshen up both clubs.  The Canucks
shipped McLean and left winger Martin Gelinas down south for goalie
Sean Burke, left wing Geoff Sanderson and defenseman Enrico
Ciccone.  

Sanderson and Burke were practically begging for a new rink to call
home, while McLean and Gelinas would gladly welcome a new team to
start things over with.  All four players were, as McLean said,
getting stale in their present environments, so a trade was
probably a good thing for all involved.  

Trade Analysis

<I>What the Hurricanes got:</I>

Kirk McLean was once the backbone of the Canucks franchise.  He was
the goalie who took the team to a Game Seven in the Stanley Cup
Finals against the New York Rangers in 1994.  He was the Canucks�
starter between the pipes for over 10 seasons. He is the Canucks
franchise leader in wins, games played, shutouts and playoff games
played.  

But the Kirk McLean of today isn�t the same Kirk McLean that shined
during the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. Since that time, McLean had
surgery on both of his knees in each of the last two seasons. 
While he was never the most acrobatic netminder in the league,
McLean did find it hard to return to his previous form after the
operations.  With Vancouver this season, McLean�s goals-against
average ballooned to 3.68 and his save percentage dropped to .879,
both were the worst of any starting goaltender in the league at
that time.  

Of course, the Vancouver defensive system has been less than kind to
McLean.  If the Canucks wore those red third jerseys they had last
season they�d be mistaken for pylons more times than not.  McLean is
hoping the ice isn�t tilted to his side in Carolina like it was at GM
Place.  

McLean won�t be the only goaltender the Hurricanes will rely the
rest of the season.  Trevor Kidd has been impressive at times in
his first season away from Calgary and is liked by the coaching
staff.  Because of his fine play, he was sharing time in net with
Burke, a situation that will continue with McLean on the roster.
The competition between Burke and Kidd sometimes distracted the
team from other things.  Trading Burke was supposed to eliminate
the problem, but it remains with the addition of McLean.  McLean
also has another year on his contract.  Burke will be an
unrestricted free agent after this season.  

Martin Gelinas, like McLean, will have fond memories to look back on
of his time in Vancouver.  After toiling with several other teams in
the league, Gelinas thought he found a home in Vancouver.  He strung
together a couple back-to-back 30-goal efforts the past two years and
was named Team MVP after last season.  But early this season Gelinas
went on the shelf with a knee injury.  After missing 16 games he
returned to the lineup but couldn�t find his scoring touch.  In 24
games with the Canucks, Gelinas scored four goals and four assists.
Those numbers didn�t make head coach Mike Keenan happy, so he was
given the boot.  

Gelinas should fit right into the Hurricane lineup.  He�s tough and
gritty, and is more of a better overall player than Sanderson is. 
Especially since Sanderson didn�t do much of anything this season. 
Gelinas plays hard in both ends of the ice.  He�s the type of
player that can quickly become a fan favorite.  And if there were
any fans in the Greensboro Coliseum, they would probably like him.
 

<I>What the Canucks got:</I>

Sean Burke could make Mike Keenan a happy man.  Well, for a little
while, at least.  No one can imagine Keenan being happy for long
periods of time...  The reason Keenan might be joyous is that Burke
is a starting goalie who loves to play all time.  The more he
plays, the better he plays.  

Keenan loves goaltenders that he can put in the starting lineup for
weeks at a time without needing a rest. Grant Fuhr flourished under
Keenan in St. Louis several years back.  Ed Belfour did the same in
Chicago. All of this could lead to a great mix in Vancouver -- as
long as Burke�s back holds up, that is...  

Burke didn�t play bad in Carolina.  The man can still stop pucks. 
But the fact that he knew he would be traded even before the start
of the season weighed heavily on his mind.  So did the arrest for
allegedly abusing his wife.  Burke was also upset that he had to
split time in goal with Kidd.  Burke had been the Whale�s backbone
for a long time, and the thought of sharing the net with Kidd
didn�t go over too nicely with him.  

Burke now has the opportunity to showcase his abilities on a full
time basis in Vancouver.  This should not only help him get back
into the groove, but increase his leverage at the bargaining table
this summer when he becomes a free agent.  If he plays outstanding
hockey the rest of the season, a hefty paycheck should be waiting
for him down the road.  

By the time the trade between the Canucks and Hurricanes was
announced, it was quite clear that Geoff Sanderson was ready for a
change.  His heart just wasn�t in his team anymore, and it showed
on the score sheet.  Sanderson, who scored more than 40 goals in
back-to-back seasons in the early 1990s, struggled to get seven in
40 games with the former Whale this season.  

Over the past couple seasons, Sanderson has had to deal with the
sale of the Hartford Whalers, the relocation to Carolina, the loss
of his centerman Andrew Cassels and the lack of fan support in
Greensboro. Sometimes a player just needs to move on and find a new
place to call home.  Sanderson�s time to go was now.  

Sanderson still has a cannon of a shot and some great moves.  That
means he should fit in well with the talented offensive players the
Canucks already have in the lineup like Mark Messier, Pavel Bure
and Alexander Mogilny.  Pairing up Messier and Sanderson could
really light a spark under the left wing and get his career back on
track.  But for now Sanderson�s been seeing time on a line with
Trevor Linden.  

The addition of Enrico Ciccone to the goon department makes the
Canucks a lot scarier.  Ciccone, who isn�t afraid to drop the
gloves (or take a stupid penalty), joins the likes of Donald
Brashear and Gino Odjick, who already strike fear into many
opponents.  

But while Ciccone adds more thug life to the mix, his defense is
rather suspect.  He was a +3 with the Hurricanes, but with him in
the lineup the Canes were 1-11-1.  Ouch.  Much of that is due to
Ciccone�s keen ability to take dumb penalties at the most
inopportune times.  How�s the saying go?  He�s not the smartest
banana in the bunch?  

Overall, the trade should help both teams.  The Canucks get a solid
starting goaltender and a potential 40-goal scorer.  The Hurricanes
get more grit, feistiness and scoring up front and an experience
veteran goaltender in return.  

The trade was the first big one for Czar Keenan, but it might not be
the last.  Rumors abound that have former team captain Trevor Linden
getting the boot before too long.  Keenan said Linden has been
playing at only half speed.  And when Keenan gets on someone�s case
for poor play and he doesn�t respond, it�s only a matter of time
before he has a new address.  Look for more moves out of Vancouver.
 

The Hurricanes have also been trying to ship off expensive loose
ends.  Carolina dealt defenseman Jeff Brown, and his $2.1 million
salary, to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth-round draft pick. 
The pick could be upgraded to a third rounder if the Leafs re-sign
Brown over the offseason.  Brown and Ciccone were dealt to create
room on the Hurricane blue line.  With the addition of Sean Hill a
few weeks ago, Carolina was left with a logjam on defense.  There
were eight defensemen and only six positions open. Hence, Brown and
Ciccone were dealt.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's All Do the Oiler Shuffle
--------------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Iovino

Following a first round upset of the Dallas Stars in last season's
playoffs, there were great expectations of the Edmonton Oilers. 
There was good reason for the optimism in Edmonton.  The Oilers
were a young, fast and talented team that had plenty of upside and
plenty of room for improvement.  

But something happened to the Oiler franchise from Game 7 of the
Dallas series to the beginning of this season.  The lineup was
basically the same, but there was a big difference between their
on-ice showings. Last season the Oilers were slick.  This season
they were more like sludge.  

Oiler GM Glen Sather, never one to just sit back and let his payroll
produce duds, felt that a drastic change was needed before the season
could be considered a total write-off.  And so after a few simple
phone calls, Sather changed nearly half of his roster.  

Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir were sent to New Jersey for Bill Guerin
and Valeri Zelepukin; Bryan Marchment, Steve Kelly and Jason
Bonsignore were shipped to Tampa Bay for Roman Hamrlik and unsigned
draft pick (and Edmonton native) Paul Comrie; Drew Bannister was
traded to Anaheim for Bobby Dollas; and Tony Hrkac was picked up on
waivers from the Dallas Stars.  

And just like that, there is hope again in Edmonton of another
playoff miracle in 1998.  Let's look and see exactly who got what
and how it will help each team.  

Trade Analysis

<I>What the Oilers got:</I>

The Oilers played Let's Make a Deal with these trades, exchanging
one underachiever with tremendous upside (Jason Arnott) for another
(Roman Hamrlik).  Gone is Jason Arnott, who after breaking Jari
Kurri's rookie goal-scoring record with 33 in 1993-94, hadn't lived
up to the expectations placed on him by the team, fans and media.
 

In return, the Oilers acquired Bill Guerin.  Guerin, 27, had
contract problems and philosophical differences in New Jersey and
allegedly only signed with the team so he could play in the
Olympics.  In 19 games with the Devils this season, Guerin scored
just five goals and 10 points.  But now that he's out of Jersey and
Jacques Lemaire's stifling defensive system, it could be time for
the power forward to explode onto the scene like some thought he
would several years ago.  The Oilers play a wide open offensive
game, so Guerin should get plenty of opportunities to display his
talents on the fast, smooth ice in Edmonton.  

Valeri Zelepukin is a defensive-minded forward that should help the
Oilers on special teams and at even strength.  Zelepukin was on the
Devils' top checking line for most of the season.  But Sather is
hoping that Zelepukin can also help in another area with the
Oilers: team chemistry.  Zelepukin and Andrei Kovalenko played
together during the World Cup, and the pair seems to be excited
about playing together again in Edmonton.  Rem Murray is centering
the two Russian wingers.  Kovalenko has more jump in his legs, and
the Oilers hope that jump leads to more goals.  After scoring 32
last season, he has only found the back of the net three times.
 

Chemistry might also help Guerin get back on the right track.  He
and Doug Weight played together on the US World Cup team, and are
hoping for the same success in Edmonton.  Weight lost one of his
best friends in Arnott, so it should be interesting to see how he
reacts the rest of the season.  

Roman Hamrlik is an enigma.  He has all the tools to be one of the
best defensemen the game has seen in a long time, but he's known
more for being a Metallica fan than anything else.  Hamrlik wore
out his welcome in Tampa Bay, so it will be interesting to see how
the 22-year-old responds to being traded.  So far, things seem to
be going well.  Hamrlik has been lined up next to Boris Mironov on
the point during Oiler power plays, and the two are clicking.  Add
in Guerin down low with Weight and Ryan Smyth, and Edmonton looks
to have a formidable No. 1 power play unit.  

The trade for Bobby Dollas is a direct response to the exiting of
Bryan Marchment.  With Marchment's absence, the Oilers lacked a big
physical defenseman.  Dollas publicly requested a trade, and the
Oilers were happy to take him off of the Ducks' hands.  

Tony Hrkac (doesn't rhyme with gherkin) is a career minor league who
happened to get a chance a few weeks back with the Dallas Stars when
the team was struck with injuries.  Hrkac impressed many during his
limited opportunity, enough so that when the Stars tried to send him
back down to the minors through waivers, the Oilers quickly snagged
him up and stuck him on the big team's roster.  Hrkac has scored
seven goals (11 points) in 16 games this season.  

<I>What the Devils Got:</I>

As mentioned above, Jason Arnott has a ton of potential, but hasn't
found the right way to show it off yet. The 23-year-old center is
already a veteran, this being his fifth season and all, and has the
size to match up well with any other center in the Atlantic
Division.  Think of him as New Jersey's answer to the Flyers'
acquisition of Chris Gratton over the offseason.  

For now, however, Arnott is playing on a wing beside Doug Gilmour. 
The Devils feel that Arnott's confidence was at an all-time low at
the time of his departure from Edmonton, and some time with a
veteran like Gilmour would do him a world of good.  Arnott scored
only five goals, 18 points and was a -16 during his 35 games with
the Oilers this season.  

The one downside of Arnott is that he's in the last year of his
contract, and could ask for Chris Gratton type money after the
season.  The Devils will have to decide if they want to keep him or
not, considering they just handed out big bucks to Scott Stevens,
Martin Brodeur and Randy McKay and are also looking to re- sign
Gilmour.  

Bryan Muir showed some promise during the playoffs last year
against the Stars.  He's a 6-foot-4, 220-pound defenseman who
hasn't played in the NHL yet this season.  He will begin his Devils
career in Albany.  

<I>What the Lightning Got:</I>

The Lightning finally gave up on Roman Hamrlik, so they had to hunt
for a buyer for their most valuable commodity.  The Lightning went
a dull route with the acquisition of Bryan Marchment, Steve Kelly
and Jason Bonsignore.  

Marchment grabbed headlines recently for his questionable checks on
Dallas players.  He submarined both Mike Modano and Greg Adams,
almost guaranteeing a bounty on his own head the next time he faces
the Stars.  Marchment is big and physical.  He's a solid NHL
blueliner that should immediately help out the Lightning defense,
which is constantly under stress due to a lack of scoring up front.
 

Kelly will be counted on to add some of that scoring.  The
Lightning have been devastated on offense this season, losing
Johnny Cullen, Brian Bradley and others for long periods of time
to injuries or other factors.  Kelly, a 21-year-old center possesses
a lot of speed and a lot of skill. He was a prolific scorer in
juniors, but it remains to be seen whether he can produce at the
NHL level. Kelly isn't all that bruising, though.  So don't expect
many big hits from him.  He will occasionally stick his nose into
places it doesn't belong, however, which is a good sign.  

Like so many young players before and after him, Bonsignore came out
of the 1994 draft being touted as the next Mario Lemieux.  His size
and skill were similar to Lemieux's, but Bonsignore wasn't ready to
jump right into the NHL.  That might have hurt his confidence some,
but whatever the reason, Bonsignore has been a disappointment at the
NHL level.  The good news is that the 6-foot-4 center is only 21 and
still has time to turn into a decent player. 

<i>What the Ducks got:</i>

Drew Bannister is a tall, lanky defenseman that is still trying to
find his niche in the NHL.  The problem is that every time
Bannister starts to feel comfortable in an NHL city, he gets
traded.  Bannister has only played around 100 games in the NHL, but
he's already on his third team.  Bannister has some good offensive
skills and the Oilers liked him, but the addition of Roman Hamrlik
meant Bannister was expendable.  

The Ducks are going to a youth movement on defense, so Bannister
should fit in well there.  At least until they decide to change
their plans, that is... 


------------------------------------------------------------------
Jocelyn Thibault: The Man Who Never Gives Up
------------------------------------------------------------------
by Jacques Robert

Things can evolve so rapidly in the wonderful world of hockey. 
One year a player is not even good enough to secure the starting
job away from a rookie farmhand.  The next season, he is so
idolized that the superb overall performances of his team are
attributed to him, the very same guy who was hated not so long
ago.  We are talking about Jocelyn Thibault, of course, the
number-one goalie of the Montreal Canadiens who is greatly
responsible for the Habs' strong start this season.

Jocelyn has come such a long way since Christmas '97. Remember:
last year, before Christmas, reporters were prompt to write that
this Montreal native was no longer able to take the pressure. 
That when his teammates need him to make the big save to stay in
a game, he chokes.  Now it is those same reporters who are
choking on their words.     

As a matter of fact, in the current season, few things have
changed in Thibault's playing style. The big modification appears
to in his approach to the mental game.  This 23-year-old goalie
has gained confidence along the way and now hangs in there at the
most critical points of his young career.  He no longer seems to
get rattled.  Yes, experience is a wonderful thing.  

Felix Potvin Came Close To Replacing Thibault

Flashback on the last playoffs.  Thibault gave way to Jose
Theodore, a 20-year-old rookie fresh from Juniors. In the
Canadiens' entourage, barely anyone was expecting that Thibault
would be back in the lineup for the '97-'98 season.  Toronto's
Felix Potvin was even rumored to join the team.  

Yet luckily, nothing happened!  Except that in the meantime coach
Mario
Tremblay had no choice but to resign and was later replaced by
Alain Vigneault and his boys: Clement Jodoin, Dave King and
Roland "Rollie the Goalie" Melanson.  Vigneault was downright:
confidence is key to success. And Melanson made a big difference
in Thibault's metamorphosis.

Good Communication Makes The Difference

"Rollie the Goalie" was very instrumental in helping Thibault
become more confident. If Thibault was not particularly
supervised by the former coaching staff, this year Melanson,
along with Andy Moog, the veteran netminder who brought in his
experience of three Stanley Cups, took charge of Jocelyn's game.
Results: drawbacks were fixed and now he keeps his torso upright,
he is no longer terrible with his rebounds, which he now properly
directs to his teammates, and, above all, Jocelyn has simplified
his techniques by not making the easy saves more difficult than
they truly are.

"It all comes down to confidence! I'm not a better goalie... I
know that my performances are also due to my teammates' efforts.
They know that they can trust me, and I know that my defensemen
are committed to playing defense," says Thibault.
 
Guys like Patrice Brisebois and Vladimir Malakhov are playing
good hockey these days and it's little wonder that this new
attitude being demonstrated by the defense, as well as by the
entire team, reflects on Thibault's performances.  

Thibault Can Take The Pressure This Year

In addition, there's not much competition between Thibault and
Moog.  Moog knows that he is in Montreal to help out.  He has
nothing to prove along the St. Lawrence River.  He only has to
make sure that Thibault gains enough confidence to become the
goalie who can lead the team to a Stanley Cup. 

Last year, the constant stress as to whether or not Thibault was
number one or number two in the net didn't help create a good
atmosphere in the dressing room.  Moog's presence clearly defines
the situation.

As the Montreal Canadiens (2nd in the Northeast division) are
tackling the second quarter of the season, Thibault is posting a
11-7-4 record with a 2.36 goals-against average, placing him
among the top NHL goalies.  Moog is also doing more than baby-
sitting, posting an 13-9-2 record and a 2.31 goals-against.

What makes Jocelyn Thibault a special guy is that he never lets
the pressure get to him.  Win or lose, he is a soft-spoken young
man and always critical of his own game.  The other day, as he
had just shut out the LA Kings, he declared, "I didn't surrender
any goals, but it may have been (...) next practice, I should
focus on clearing the puck faster in front of me."

Montreal: Where Jocelyn Wants to Play

Jocelyn Thibault is a very hard worker.  There is no doubt that
he wants to make the fans forget about Patrick Roy. The fans have been
hard on Jocelyn, even bombarding him with quarters early this
season when the Habs were playing a bad game. No matter what...
Thibault is not bitter. 

"Being a French Canadian player in Montreal is everything but
easy... In Montreal you are only as good as your previous game. I
have to get used to it. Montreal is the place I call home. And I
want to play here. That's the price to pay."
 
The shoulder injury he recently received against the Bruins (Jan.
7) will in no way affect Thibault's confidence. As a matter of
fact, no physical injuries will be matching the pain he felt last
year as he was the Habs' scapegoat under Tremblay's reign. 

Undoubtedly, Jocelyn Thibault is a happy man. As he stated
recently to a Montreal reporter, "I'm not going to the Olympics.
I'm not even going to the All-Star Game, but the way I feel right
now, I can become the goaltender I always wanted to be."

That says it all.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
MCI Center Ain't All That
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Meredith Martini

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This article originally ran in the Lost Issue, but is being 
reprinted for the good of all)

OK, so they opened the brand spanking new MCI Center while
squawking at length about how wonderful, terrific and modern it
would be. Turns out they didn't even learn anything from
the primary delay in constructing the building, but we'll get
back to that.
 
Opening night for the Capitals at the MCI Center was a decided
disappointment.  President Clinton didn't show; the best the Caps
could get was VP Al Gore and isn't that just emblematic of the
Capitals' existence? The game was announced as a sellout; that
announcement is an organic by-product of a male member of the
cattle family. Seventy-five, maybe eighty percent capacity. For
opening night. The first game. The one you'll be telling people
you went to...supposedly anyway.
     
That is, if you can prove you went, which I'll have trouble with
since someone with enough money to pay for a $60 ticket was too
cheap to buy a $5 program and instead opted to steal my Inaugural
Game program while I visited the admittedly very nice women's
room. 
         
And while granted NHL hockey is a darned expensive pastime, this
is ridiculous. The cheap seats consisted of two rows at the top
of the building, maybe a couple hundred seats, for $19. The next
four rows? $30. The rest of the upper deck? $40. $40 dollars to
sit several stories above the ice and see tiny, distant figures
scoot about the ice surface. Who are they kidding? 
          
The game itself? That is, what could be seen from the last row of
the building?  "Unexciting," noted 15-year season ticket holder
Ginger Connolly. "The Capitals didn't play with much, well, the
first period they were pretty unexciting, they picked up a little
in the third period."
    
And Connolly is very clear as to what she thinks of the new digs:
"I do NOT like the MCI Arena!" she states emphatically. "Poor
planning, very bad for the physically challenged, lots of
obstructed view, bad elevators. I'm very unimpressed by the new
arena."
    
She wasn't alone in her opinion, either.  The scoreboard was
unreadable from the 'cheap' seats and the telescreen was not
exactly high quality. "When you're watching that screen, don't
you feel like you're watching somebody's home movie?" asks
Barbara Parker.
     
"They look like 8mm home movies," concurs her husband, Bruce.
"I've seen pucks that I thought should have been icing that
stopped in the middle of the faceoff circles on the way down. 
I'm ready to go back to USAirways Arena or Capital Center or
whatever they want to call it."
          
Oh yeah, that last row of the entire building?  It's six floors
up.  That's accessible seating.  For real. 
    
A lawsuit by the Paralyzed Veterans of America held up building
construction for several months as the PVA succeeded in proving
the building as designed would be quite unfriendly to those with
disabilities. Although that lawsuit remains in active litigation,
Washington Sports and The Washington Post both
announced the suit had been settled. And despite that and several
other similar suits filed prior to the building's opening, not
only were two of the 'accessible' areas completely inaccessible
but that's where the Capitals opted to put their longtime
accessible seating season ticket holders, including Connolly and
the Parkers.   
      
Thus Barbara, who is confined to a wheelchair while she
recuperates from surgery, had just barely enough room for her
chair...and saw absolutely nothing each time the able-bodied fans
in front of her moved, which was often. They routinely crawled
over her for a shortcut to the bathroom. Furthermore, the ledge
which was deemed 'accessible' had no rail or edge to prevent
her from rolling right off the landing and down 20 rows. "When
you're in a wheelchair and it's fifteen minutes before game time,
all you see are bodies," she frets. "I haven't seen anything of
this arena yet, and I can only see half the game because...of the
people sitting in front of me."
     
The aforementioned bad elevators? Programmed to favor the club
level uber alles.  The Parkers weren't permitted to use the
elevators before or after the game; beats us how they're supposed
to get the sixth floor. Even Peter Bondra couldn't get into the
elevator. A 15-minute wait just to get into the elevator meant no
food or drink during the game, not that one could afford it.
($6.50 for a beer. That should sober up a few people in more ways
than one.) And Bruce Parker didn't have a chair to sit in until
after numerous complaints were issued to management.  
     
Meanwhile, other longtime users of accessible seating at the
USAir Arena found themselves expected to squeeze past 20 seated
people without falling over the next row of seats.  Not easy when
you move well; severe arthritis and it's impossible, as Cliff and
Nancy Odom discovered. They were too distressed over the
situation to comment. After the game it was found another section
of physically challenged fans were facing an identical situation
on the other end of the press area. Real top of the line
planning. 
     
Management wasn't done with these folks yet either; the
escalators were shut down at the end of the game and the
elevators limited to those headed down from the club level. Use
the stairs or sleep in the building. Or win the lottery, since
the MCI Center is clearly intended only for persons of like
financial means.
  
Most of the people assigned 'accessible' seating for the game are
now in the process of filing complaints with the Department of
Justice, among other organizations. Does complaining help?
Barbara Parker called the MCI Center's accessible seating
director prior to the next game there to ask if any progress was
being made on the complaints: she reports the seating director 
told her "you get what you pay for" and hung up on her.
  
And if overall attendance is any indication, able-bodied people
don't think much of the place either; by the third game in the
building, actual attendance was down to about 7,500. Even
the paid numbers aren't half the capacity. 
     
If the MCI Center is the future of hockey arenas, well...you
know, Hershey is a nice place. Chesapeake has possibilities. The
Capitals don't. 


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Box with John Kreiser
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
by John Kreiser

The New York Islanders struggle for media attention in the best of times. Now
that they're going through the worst of times, they're getting more than they
want. Then again, when a 1-1 tie at home is the highlight of the last three-
plus weeks, you have to expect that someone's going to talk about your
problems.
        
The Islanders were at .500 just 24 days ago after a road victory in Boston.
They came home for a game with Ottawa and a chance to be above .500 at
Christmas for the first time in years. Instead, they mailed it in during a 4-1
loss that some writers labeled the worst performance they'd ever seen. Over
the next three weeks, they played well and lost. They played poorly and lost.
They worked hard and lost. They didn't work hard and lost. They played tired
and lost. They played travel-weary teams that didn't make it to the hotel
until a few hours before game time and lost badly.
        
You name the way, they found a way to lose. Coach Rick Bowness tried
everything but putting on a uniform himself -- switching goaltenders, changing
lines, altering defensive combinations. Nothing worked. Bowness found himself
on the hot seat as the Islanders sank slowly in the East, with GM Mike Milbury
formally "putting him on notice" last Saturday that a change could be in the
offing.
        
But the Islanders' problems run a lot deeper than Bowness' coaching ability,
or lack thereof.
        
While insiders say some of the players aren't happy with the way they're
being used, a bigger question is whether the Islanders have misjudged their
talent. In a league where size increasingly trumps skill, the Islanders don't
have enough of either. And in a time where money can help a team buy its way
out of the basement, the Isles are the NHL's poor relatives, waiting for Daddy
Warbucks (in the form of a new ownership group that's slated to take control
of the team within a week or so) to open the vault for a team that's
perennially among the league's most frugal.
        
The Islanders started the season confident that their young defense and
goaltending were solid. They were right -- until the losing streak started. Tommy
Salo has struggled and Eric Fichaud's form hasn't returned after a shoulder
injury sustained in early December. Defensively, Bryan Berard has regressed
from his early-season form while Bryan McCabe appears to be weighed down by
the burden of being the NHL's youngest captain. The Isles have missed the
presence of veteran Dennis Vaske, out with yet another concussion, more than
they could possibly have believed.
        
All that might not matter if the Islanders could put the puck in the net more
than once in a blue moon. They've scored one goal in six of their last eight
games and haven't managed more than three during the 0-10-1 slide. Zigmund
Palffy's scoring touch has dried up, as has Robert Reichel's. Bryan Smolinski,
a 28-goal scorer last season, can't find the net, and none of the remaining
forwards are doing much of anything. The penalty-killing is dreadful, the
power play powerless, and players like Todd Bertuzzi haven't done enough to
offset a lack of size up front.
        
New owner Steve Gluckstein and his group will have some fast decisions to
make. Do they ax Bowness, who's no better than average and not a renowned
handler of young talent? If so, whom do they get -- Terry Crisp? Ted Nolan? Terry
Murray? Butch Goring, an ex-Islander star who's coached their farm team to two
IHL titles?  Or would Milbury, who reluctantly gave up the coaching post last
season to stay in the front office, go back behind the bench?
        
Then again, how safe is Milbury? Yes, he's raised the team's talent level
over the past couple of years, but the Isles will need a quick turnaround to
meet his stated goal of a playoff berth. He's been hamstrung by the impending
ownership change, but how will he be able to get a scorer without sacrificing
some of the team's thin talent base? Though Islanders fans might yell for the
new owners to sign restricted free-agent Sergei Fedorov, the price (aside from
the money) could be Palffy and/or Berard or Kenny Jonsson. That's too much to
pay for someone who shows more interest in being with his tennis-star teenage
girlfriend than playing hockey.
        
Barring a sharp turnaround, Bowness may not make it to the Olympic break. If
he gets the ax, it's going to get even warmer for Milbury -- especially if he
winds up back behind the bench, where he was less than brilliant the first
time.
        
Whatever happens had better happen soon. Luckily for the Islanders, they're
just six points out of a playoff berth with more than 40% of the season
remaining. But if they don't do something quickly, the Isles will find
themselves right back where they were last spring -- making early tee times
again.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BODIES GONE?: The NHL has always been a gate-driven league -- and Fox notwithstanding, it will remain one into the foreseeable future.
That's why Gary Bettman & Co. have to be concerned (though obviously not
publicly) about the thousands of fans who come disguised as empty seats in a
growing number of buildings.
        
Remember the days when the Bruins were an automatic sellout in Boston? Not
any more. Stroll into the Fleet Center on game night and there are plenty of
tickets waiting. The Capitals are finding out that fans are no more willing to
see them at the downtown MCI Center than they were in the prairies of
Landover. Empties are the norm at the new buildings in Chicago and St. Louis,
while Mark Messier and Mike Keenan have done no more for the box office at GM
Place than they've done for the Canucks' place in the standings. Even in
Montreal, there are tickets to be had as often as not at the huge Molson
Centre.
        
Then there's the Carolina Hurricanes, who lead the NHL in empty seats. Not
since the pre-Lemieux days in Pittsburgh has an NHL team played to so many
empty seats on a regular basis. Sure, they're in Greensboro, 80 miles or so
from their future home in Raleigh. But a projected $20 million loss this
season has to make the prospect of spending another winter waiting for their
new arena a chilling thought.
        
The money coming from expansion over the next few years may paper over some
of the problems for a while. But it's not going to put any more fannies in the
seats -- and in the NHL, that's the name of the game.

STAT SHOTS: Why was Wayne Gretzky voted the top NHL player of all time?
Consider that Monday's three-assist effort against Toronto marked the 213th
time he's had three or more assists in a game. Just those games alone would
put him among the NHL's all-time assist leaders. Imagine what would happen if
the Rangers ever got him a finisher?  
        
The Rangers' 3-2 victory over Toronto was their seventh in a row over the
Maple Leafs. It's their longest streak ever against Toronto. 

Tampa Bay is averaging less than two goals a game. No team has averaged less
than two scores a game since the 1953-54 Chicago Black Hawks (that's how they
spelled it then), who scored just 133 times in 70 games.



----------------------------------------------------------------------
I Heard Things
---------------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Iovino

Draft Dodging

With the midway point of the season come and gone, there are several
teams out there who are thinking more about the 1998 draft instead of
the playoffs.  With that in mind, the Central Scouting Bureau
released its midseason ranking of the top junior players around the
world.  

And the top player on the CSB list, and the person most likely to
succeed in the senior class, is Vincent Lecavalier.  Lecavalier is
the 17-year-old center LCS first told you about in Issue 84, the
Lost Issue. Lecavalier, 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, has scored 26 goals
and 36 assists for 62 points in just 31 games with Rimouski of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  

David Legwand is ranked second by the CSB.  Besides having a cool
last name, Legwand is a center for Plymouth in the OHL.  He is
considered a good playmaker and a pure goal-scorer.  Sounds
suspicious, but what the hell do we know.  We've never heard of the
kid.  Legwand has scored 59 points in 30 games.  

Third on the list is Michael Heinrich, a right wing with Barrie of
the OHL.  Heinrich has 26 goals in 39 games.  The man says he has
"great breakaway speed from the blue line."   Does that mean he's
slower than wood in the other half of the ice?  

Fourth is Mathieu Biron, who was recently showcased on Hockey Night
in Canada's Future Watch.  Biron is huge.  He's listed at 6-foot-6
and 212 pounds.  But rumor has it that he's not clumsy or anything,
which is a good asset.  He plays for Shawinigan of the QMJHL.  It's
fun to say the word "Shawinigan".  

The next six players on the list are Bryan Allen (D, Oshawa), Manny
Malhotra (C, Guelph), Rico Fata (C, London), Ramzi Abid (LW,
Cicoutimi) and Martin Skoula (D, Barrie).  

The 1998 draft is supposed to be as good as the 1997 draft.  Of
course, the draft is always a guessing game and we won't know how
good it will be until several years later.  

The Next Ken Dryden?

Sergei Fedorov finally got his 1997 Stanley Cup ring from the
Detroit Red Wings, but it could be a lot longer before the city of
Detroit, or any other city, sees him in an NHL jersey.  Fedorov
recently said he is willing to sit out the entire season so he gets
the right contract.  

Fedorov told a local Detroit TV station last week that he'll do what
it takes to get what he wants.  

"There's been precedence -- back in the early or late '70s when Ken
Dryden sat out one year, and, boy, did he make the money," Fedorov
said.  "I can see myself doing that. Why not? Because it's not
about money. Because it's about what I believe in."  

Fedorov reportedly wants a four-year, $24 million deal.  The Red
Wings supposedly offered $20 million over the same time frame. 

Much to Do About Knuckles

"Right now, I like Alex Selivanov the person, but I don't like Alex
Selivanov the hockey player. He has to learn to play for the team,
not play for himself."  

Jacques Demers
<I>Talking about the poor performances of Alexander "Knuckles"
Selivanov</I> 

All Star Uniforms

Have you seen the commercials on FOX that are promoting this year's
All Star Game?  Let me just say that they're pretty lame.  They are
calling it World War III on ice and all this other crap.  Come on,
it's an All Star Game!  It'll probably be as lame as most others. 
The players don't want to get hurt, so they're not going to take it
seriously.  

Anyway, the jerseys for the game might not be as putrid as in years
past.  The league got rid of the purple, which was the best thing
it could have done.  Instead, the World Team will wear light blue
and white sweaters while the North American Team jerseys will be
red and white.  The light blue and white are representative of the
colors of the United Nations, while the red and white are both
prominent colors on the Canadian and American flags.  

Both sets of jerseys will have the NHL logo on the chest and each
player's national flag will be in the form of a patch on the
jersey.  


------------------------------------------------------------------
Chimp Bytes: General NHL News and Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

Zippy, everyone's favorite wonder chimp and the usual author of
Chimp Bytes, is out of town on a very important mission to
further our quest for world domination.  So I've been drafted to
write the column.  I thought I had burned my draft card, but
apparently that was my library card.  I didn't even know I had a
library card.  Anyway, here's some of that latest NHL news
jazz...

ALL-STARS TEAMS NAMED
Hey, another one of them All-Star Game deals is comin' up this
Sunday, January 18, in Vancouver.  I forget what number game it
is, but I think it's like the 112th annual or something.  I'm
pretty sure it's, like, more than six, tho'...

This year the NHL is gettin' all zany and changing the format,
making it North America vs. the World.  Oooh, spooky.  So here
are those rosters...

World Roster

STARTERS
Peter Forsberg
Teemu Selanne
Jaromir Jagr
Slava Fetisov
Sandis Ozolinsh
Dominik Hasek

RESERVES
Bobby Holik      
Saku Koivu       
Jari Kurri       
Igor Larinov     
Mats Sundin     
Daniel Alfredsson     
Peter Bondra     
Pavel Bure      
Valeri Kamensky 
Jari Kurri       
Igor Larionov   
Jere Lehtinen    
Ziggy Palffy
Igor Kravchuk    
Nicklas Lidstrom
Dmitri Mironov   
Sergei Zubov         
Nikolai Khabibulin      
Olaf Kolzig  

Coach: Ken Hitchcock
Assistant Coach: Marc Crawford


North American Roster

STARTERS
Eric Lindros
John LeClair
Brendan Shanahan
Ray Bourque
Brian Leetch
Patrick Roy

RESERVES
Joe Sakic
Wayne Gretzky
Mark Messier 
Mike Modano
Doug Weight
Tony Amonte
Theo Fleury
Shayne Corson
Mark Recchi
Keith Tkachuk
Chris Chelios
Al MacInnis
Scott Niedermayer
Scott Stevens
Darryl Sydor
Ed Belfour
Martin Brodeur

Coach: Jacques Lemaire
Assistant Coach: Kevin Constantine


People Who Don't Give a Rat's Ass Roster

Me


EAGLESON NOW A CONVICTED WEASEL
Alan Eagleson, the former executive director of the NHLPA, is
going to prison after pleading guilty to fraud in a Toronto
court.  Eagleson used his positions of power to embezzle hundreds
of thousands of dollars from the NHLPA veterans fund, Labatt's,
and Hockey Canada.  Just prior to the Toronto verdict, Eagleson
pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud at a trial in
Boston.  He was sentenced to pay a $700,000 fine.  That money
will go towards paying back the people Eagleson cheated.  
As punishment for the Toronto court decision, Eagleson could
spend up to 18 months in a Canadian prison.  You know the worst
part about prison?  It's the ana... oh never mind.

On March 31, the board of directors for the Hockey Hall of Fame
will vote on whether or not to boot Eagleson out of the Hall. 
Hall-of-Famer Brad Park has gone on record as saying that he will
remove himself form the Hall if Eagleson is not kicked out.  You
da man, Brad.  

FEDOROV HAPPY WITHOUT HOCKEY
Sergei Fedorov is saying that he'll be more than happy to sit out
the entire 1997-98 season if the Red Wings don't give him the
money he wants or fail to engineer a trade.  Sergei continues to
skate on his own in order to stay in shape.  

However, some people are questioning whether or not he even cares
about hockey anymore.  Word on the street is that he is so
infatuated with his girlfriend, tennis star Anna Kournikova, that
hockey is no longer an important part of his life.  But here's
the rub.  Kournikova is only 16.  Hmm ha.  How does that work
exactly?  If they go out on a date, does Sergei pick up extra
money for babysitting?  No word yet on whether or not the couple
have a future planned, but right now they just like to take long
walks on the beach, share quiet dinners at Chuck E. Cheese, and
do math homework together.  

NEDVED A NO GO
It doesn't look like Petr Nedved will be back in the NHL this
season.  While the Czech star was holding out for a new contract
from the Pittsburgh Penguins, he apparently played a few
exhibition games for a third-division team in the Czech Republic. 
Now according to NHL rules, that's no goooood.  The league rules
state that once a player plays for a team in Europe after the NHL
season starts, that player must clear waivers before returning to
the really big show.  Now since there's no chance in hell of
Nedved clearing waivers, that pretty much means he's stuck over
in the Czech Republic playing for pocket change.  This after
reportedly turning down a five-year, $14-million deal from the
Penguins.  Hard to get happy after that one.  

Nedved's agent, Tony Kondel, insists that since Nedved never
signed a contract with the Czech team and did not receive any
payment, he should be allowed back in without worrying about the
waiver rule.  Now keep in mind, the league Nedved played in was
third-division... in the Czech Republic!  The guys in the league
all have day jobs.  It's pretty much a glorified beer league. 
And Nedved only played exhibition games.  So keeping him out of
the NHL is jive.  I mean, it's not like the league can afford to
lose young, charismatic stars like Nedved.  The league should
make an exception and let him play.  But, of course, that would
make too much sense.  And as we all know, the NHL has absolutely
no common sense.  They're not really much for that there book
larnin' either...
              
DALLAS TO HONOR BROTEN
The Dallas Stars are going to retire Neal Broten's number 7
before their February 7th game against Chicago.  Broten is the
franchise's all-time leader in games played, assists, and points. 
I'd tell you exactly what the numbers are, but that would require
math.  And I've already used math three times today.  Gotta draw
the line somewhere.  Broten will join Bill Goldsworthy (8) and
Bill Masterton (19) as the only players to have their numbers
retired in franchise history.

ICED OUT
The January 10th game between the Montreal Canadiens and New York
Rangers was postponed due to the freakishly evil ice storm that
devastated all of Montreal, encasing the city in ice and bringing
everything to a virtual standstill.  The game was rescheduled for
March 12.  In a related story, it snowed here last week so I just
stayed inside and watched reruns of "Columbo".

HUNTER HITS MILESTONE
On January 9th, Dale Hunter recorded his 1,000th career point in
a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.  Hunter entered the game,
the 1,309th of his career, needing three points to reach the
magical plateau.  He got there in style, collecting three assists
in the third period to lift the Caps to victory.  The momentous
assist came on a goal by Craig Berube.  That's odd.  To
celebrate, Hunter chased down Pierre Turgeon and cross-checked
him from behind into the boards.  

THAT'S ALL...
Well, I'm sure there's other NHL news, but I'm tapped out.  Like,
pick up a newspaper once in a while or somethin'... 


-------------------------------------------------------------------------     
Rod Langway Still a Favorite in Washington
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Meredith Martini

The three words heard most often at the USAir Arena on November 26, 1997: 
"It's about time." And much as some people might like to believe it, those 
words didn't refer to the impending move to the MCI Center.

They referred to the long overdue retirement of Rod Langway's Number 5, 
a sweater which had been unofficially retired since Langway left the 
Capitals in 1993 after a stellar 11-year career with the team but had never 
quite received the formal closure it merited. 
  
Rod Langway was the first American to win the Norris Trophy and he won it in 
two consecutive years; he appeared in six All-Star games, and remains both a 
model defenseman and the most honored player to have worn a Capitals jersey. 
And on November 26, he finally had his night.
  
"It's been talked about for the last couple of years to honor me and
have my number retired," said Langway, now 39 and an assistant coach with 
the AHL's Providence Bruins. "It was great...just a great honor."
  
The lone number retired prior to November 26 was Yvon Labre's Number 7; Labre, 
who now works in the Capitals' front office, presented Langway with a 
personalized set of golf clubs and a personal golf cart for "our favorite 
scratch golfer."
  
"I'll probably give it to charity, 'cause with this job here [in Providence] 
I don't have much time to play golf," Langway remarked. "But we'll see what 
happens, the boys [his two teenaged sons] will probably use it more than I 
will." 
  
Also presented to Langway were a silver plated hockey stick and a portrait 
given to him by the Montreal Canadiens. The date for the ceremony was chosen 
in part as Montreal was the Capitals' opponent for the night and the 
Canadiens' GM Rejean Houle was a participant in the celebration.  During his 
youth hockey years, Langway had an opportunity to meet Houle and "I became 
an admirer. Later we became roommates," joked Langway. 
  
Most of Langway's praise, however, was reserved for the fans. "I can remember 
looking out into this building and seeing 17, 18,000 of you, 15,000 here on 
freebies," Langway described to knowing laughter. "And this was the loudest 
place!"
  
"It's about time, they should have done it a long time ago," says Langway fan 
Barbara Parker. "I was happy they finally did it...I wanted to see that ten 
years ago. I would like to see him more involved with the Capitals 
organization."
  
Despite Langway's stature in the Capitals' organization and certainly among 
Washington area fans, where his presence remains in the form of Langway's 
Restaurant, Langway hasn't had anything to do with the Caps since leaving 
the team. Which is not to say he hasn't been busy.
  
Langway spent his first full season out of the NHL as a player/coach for the 
IHL's San Francisco Spiders. The financially troubled team went under after 
just one year, so Langway reprised the role for the ECHL's Richmond 
Renegades, a team whose GM, Craig Laughlin, was traded with Langway (and 
Doug Jarvis and Brian Engblom) from Montreal to Washington in 1982 in one 
of the NHL's all-time blockbuster trades. 
  
It was that trade which made Langway's career. The new players made the 
perennially hapless Capitals a contending team after some ten years of 
expansion futility and no playoff appearances. The Capitals would make it 
into the playoffs for the next 14 years.  The transformation of the 
Washington Capitals remains Langway's favorite memory of his time in the 
nation's capital. 
  
"I think just realizing that I was part of the building of a franchise, a 
winning franchise, I should say," says Langway.  "Back when I got there in 
'82, they really didn't know what was going to happen, whether they were 
going to fold or whatever, and it just turned out. They've got a good, solid 
foundation there now and hopefully in the future they'll win a Stanley Cup."
  
Langway never won the Cup with Washington, but he learned his trade (and won 
the Cup) with an organization that had plenty of Lord Stanley's Cups in the 
dressing room. Although the Massachusetts native left high school with no 
intention of playing hockey professionally (he opted to attend the University 
of New Hampshire as UNH offered him both a football scholarship and 
permission to play hockey and baseball if he wished), both the Montreal 
Canadiens and the WHA's Birmingham franchise drafted him after two years at 
UNH. Montreal didn't need him right away, so Langway spent a year shuffling 
between Birmingham and the AHL until the Habs did need a defenseman. And the 
rest is history.
  
Langway never played for his boyhood heroes the Boston Bruins, but after his 
retirement he still hoped he could work for the organization and alerted 
Boston to his interest. While it took over three years, the Bruins finally 
called him back. "They called me this summer and offered me a contract and I 
took it," says Langway, who now assists one of his coaches when he was a 
Capital, Tom McVie. 
  
Providence has a very young team and in particular a young defense, so 
Langway's work is cut out for him. But he's enjoying every minute of it. 
"I love it!" he says.
  
And back in Washington, plenty of people still love him.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHL News
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan

Player of the Week (Dec. 14): WARNING This
is not, I repeat, this is NOT my last column again. It just looks
that way since it's starting out precisely the same way, that is,
with Kentucky's Steve Guolla being named as the POTW. This time
around, Guolla had nine points in three games, including a six-
point game against Portland Dec. 14, to win the award for the
third time this season and the second time in three weeks. 
(Then-Portland Pirate Jim Carey is the only other player in AHL
history to win the award three times in one season.) Guolla had
an assist against Philadelphia, two assists against Portland Dec.
12 and then exploded for two goals and four assists on the 14th.
Guolla now leads the league in scoring despite missing three
weeks playing in the NHL.

Player of the Week (Dec. 21): Springfield Falcons
goaltender Scott Langkow earns the award after going 3-0 for the
week with a shutout, a 2.00 GAA and .932 save percentage.  He
had a scoreless streak of 123:38 and was unbeaten in six straight
starts. Didn't last though; Langkow was lit up for five goals in
two periods in his first game after receiving the prize.

Player of the Week (Dec. 28): The way the Hershey Bears
started the season, it didn't seem likely one of their players
might come up with the POTW. But the Bears have been hot of
late, especially Christian Matte, and he takes the honors. Matte
had a four-goal, two-assist week for the Bears in three games,
although it was as much when he scored as how many that earned
him the award. Matte scored two goals against Hartford,including
the tying goal with just three seconds remaining in the game,
then scored two goals including the game-clincher against
Adirondack later that weekend. He leads the Bears in overall
goal-scoring.
 
Player of the Week (Jan. 4): Standing in the shadow of
Steve Guolla all season hasn't done much for the visibility of
Guolla's linemate, Alexei Yegorov, but finally someone noticed
that 'Yeggy' has had a pretty good season himself. Yegorov had an
11-point week for the Thoroughblades, racking up three goals and
eight assists in four games. He had multiple points in every
game, including four points against Philadelphia. Yegorov is now
second to Guolla in AHL scoring and fourth in both goals and
assists.

K & K Insurance Player: Oh yeah, those monthly awards
again. Top dog in the plus/minus category was, no big surprise
considering how the team's been playing, an Albany River Rat.
Specifically, team captain Geordie Kinnear took the honors with a
+16 rating in 12 games for the month. Kinnear had at least one
point in all 12 games. The overall season lead belongs to
Kentucky's Steve Guolla, who presently has a +24 rating.

Rookie of the Month: Also a River Rat. 1997 Hobey Baker
winner Brendan Morrison now has some more hardware for his
shelves, after picking up 13 points in ten games during the
River Rats' December run. Morrison had three three-point games on
Dec. 20, 23, and 29, and totalled three goals and ten points on
the month.  He is presently ranked third in AHL rookie scoring
with 37 points and also got to spend four games playing with the
New Jersey Devils during which he scored his first NHL goal.

Whoops, There It Is: Whomp, there was a foot and a half of
snow in Syracuse the morning of December 30 and a forecast
calling for at least another six inches. So for the first time
in two years, an AHL game was cancelled. The Hershey Bears were
already in town, had even practiced, but the Crunch players were
unable to get to the arena and neither were team and arena
employees, much less the fans. The game has been rescheduled for
March 10. But the Bears were able to get back to Hershey, which
beats the last postponement in the AHL; after a January, 1996
game in Baltimore was cancelled, the Rochester Americans were
stuck in Baltimore for three days waiting for Pennsylvania to
reopen its roads.

All-Star Stuff: Preparations for the All-Star Game are in
full swing. The AHL announced honorary team captains for the Game
on Dec. 17, naming former 'Miracle On Ice' goaltender Jim
Craig and longtime NHLer Patrick Flatley to the posts. 
Interestingly, neither player spent much time in the AHL, Craig
with a half season with the Erie Blades and Flatley a handful of
games with the Springfield Indians. Both players have more than
enough hockey credentials to make up for their lack of AHL
connections though.

Lunchtime: One of the more popular features of the AHL
All-Star Game is the AHL Hockey Hall of Fame All-Star Luncheon,
held the day of the game and featuring not only all of the
players participating in the game but also several members of the
Hockey Hall of Fame (thankfully, NOT Alan Eagleson!). This year's
guests are recent inductee Bryan Trottier, Islanders and Panthers
architect Bill Torrey, and stalwart defenseman Harry Howell, who
played in more professional hockey games than any other
defenseman in history. Trottier is presently the coach of
the AHL's Portland Pirates, Torrey served as governor to the
Springfield Indians for several years, and Howell spent a few
years playing in the AHL; add Trottier and Torrey's Islanders
ties and Howell's years with the Rangers and you've got an
AHL/New York party.

One Ugly Day: January 3 featured a full assortment of ugly
incidents, some imaginary, some accidental, a lot intentional. 

Match penalties are uncommon and very unlikely to be given to
a goaltender, but an incident in the Hershey/Philadelphia game
prompted referee Rob Martell to eject Hershey's Petr Franek.
Martell adjudged Franek to have intentionally high-sticked Dave
MacIsaac, who had attacked a Bears player at the front of the
crease. Franek was suspended a game for his infraction. 


Imaginary were the 45 minutes in penalties assigned to New
Haven's Wes Swinson in the third period of a game against
Springfield; while Swinson was dressed and on the bench, he was
there solely to give New Haven the minimum number of skaters and
didn't participate in the game. How he was credited for the
shenanigans is a mystery. Meanwhile the Beast's Chad Cabana did
pick up a two-game suspension for a high-sticking incident in the
same game. 

Hartford's Pierre Sevigny scared a lot of people in Worcester
when he took a hit away from the play, skated to the bench and
promptly passed out on it, striking his head on the dasher as he
fell. Sevigny was rushed to a local hospital and kept overnight;
last word was a head injury, not serious. 

Last, a disputed goal by Portland led to some serious misbehavior
by two Providence Bruins. Jean-Yves Roy repeatedly struck his
stick on the net, was ejected from the game, then broke his stick
over the net and chased referee Bernard DeGrace, throwing the
broken shaft at DeGrace. Roy received a double game misconduct
and was later suspended three games by the league. In the same
game, Providence's Andre Roy speared a Portland player who was in
the penalty box; Roy also received a game misconduct but no
suspension.

Sifting Through the Ruins: Of that amazing game between
Worcester and Springfield Dec. 14, in which seven league records
were set. Here are the new and old records for fastest
goals:

Goals New   Old   Teams/Date
  8   3:37  5:06  Hershey Bears vs. Providence Reds, 11/26/39
  6   1:21  2:23  Quebec Aces vs. Buffalo Bisons, 2/24/65
  5   1:16  1:43  Hershey Bears vs. Springfield Indians, 3/28/82
  4   0:36  0:39  Springfield Indians vs. Cleveland Barons, 3/11/61
  3   0:20  0:21  Hershey Bears vs. Cleveland Barons, 11/14/62
  2   0:04  0:05  Many times: most recently, Portland Pirates vs.
                  St. John's Maple Leafs, 3/23/97 


The teams' seven goals, however, were not a record. The St.
John's Maple Leafs and Cape Breton Oilers managed to score seven
in 2:56 on November 3, 1995. Last but not least, Springfield's
three empty-net goals set a modern AHL record. 

Wanted - A Goaltender: Both the Beast of New Haven and the
Albany River Rats found themselves a little short in the
goaltending department recently. New Haven's Mike Fountain went
down with a groin injury and the team recalled Tripp Tracey from
Richmond. By the time Tracey arrived in New Haven, David
Lemanowicz was down with the flu and Tracey went from the
airport directly to the ice with an equipment manager as his
backup for the evening. Lemanowicz had to play the next night
despite his illness because Tracey was then recalled to Carolina
to back up Pat Jablonski after Carolina traded Sean Burke. 

Albany wasn't doing a lot better, as Peter Sidorkiewicz was
recalled to replace an ill Martin Brodeur and then Mike Dunham
was injured, forcing the Devils to recall Richard Shulmistra, who
had played the previous evening with Albany's equipment manager
as his backup. Raleigh goaltender Frederic Henry was recalled
quickly and more than held his own stopping 37 of 38 Hartford
shots in his AHL debut; Henry was backed up by the brother of a
Hartford Wolfpack employee. Henry allowed only one goal in
his second game as well. 

Last, Adirondack's Zac Bierk can't get ice time in Glens Falls
but now he'll get it in Tampa, as both Daren Puppa and Corey
Schwab went down at the same time. The Red Wings recalled David
Arsenault from ECHL Toledo to back up Norm Maracle.

Back to the Future:The automatic suspension of Hershey
goaltender Petr Franek for the match penalty caused the Bears
some difficulty in securing a backup for Marc Denis the next
evening. David Aebischer was still in Finland celebrating
Switzerland's bronze medal in the World Juniors and Patrick
Labrecque couldn't get to Hershey from Louisiana in time for the
game. So the Bears plucked an employee from the town's Chocolate
World to back up Denis - Dave Parro. If the name sounds familiar,
Parro has played for the Bears before - like 1980? Parro hadn't
suited up professionally in 15 years and fortunately didn't have
to actually play on this occasion. 

The Bears also needed a forward in a hurry due to suspensions and
a new spate of injuries, so longtime icon Mitch Lamoreux was
signed on for spot duty. Lamoreux, who retired after last season,
has already performed the same service for the UHL's Binghamton
team this season.  

Another team that went dipping into their past was the Rochester
Americans. Buffalo sent backup goaltender Steve Shields to the
Amerks for one game as a tuneup, but Shields didn't shake off the
rust in time to notch a win.

Borrowed Buildings: The Fredericton Canadiens can't seem
to pull much of a crowd in Fredericton, but out of town they're
just fine. In fact, the baby Habs faced the baby Leafs at
Montreal's Molson Centre and drew 14,416 fans. The young Habs
will appear at Molson Centre two more times this year. 

Rochester played in Buffalo's Marine Midland Arena earlier this
season due to construction problems at their own building and
also faced off against Hamilton there on January 4, when
Shields took a turn in net. The remaining AHL games to take place
at an NHL arena are:

February 8, Syracuse Crunch vs. Fredericton Canadiens at Molson
Centre; February 13, Philadelphia Phantoms vs. Adirondack Red
Wings at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit; and February 15, Hamilton
Bulldogs vs. Fredericton Canadiens at Molson Centre. 

Speaking of Ruins: First it was the Providence Bruins.
Then it was the Hershey Bears. And then that horrid smell wafting
through the league was the Portland Pirates. Believe it or not,
the Pirates lost ten consecutive games and were winless in 11
straight, both of which shattered team records (seven and six
were the old records.) This despite the Pirates setting another
team record, this one for scoring a power-play goal in 14
straight games, which is also a league high streak this year, and
Andrew Brunette leading the league in scoring before being
recalled to Washington. The Pirates got so bad, they banished
three players including two No.1 draft picks (Mikka Elomo and
Alexander Volchkov) to the stands and replaced them with three
players from the United Hockey League's Quad City Mallards. They
also brought back Trevor Halvorson, who had been playing in the
IHL, and recalled Rick Kowalsky and Rob Bonneau from Hampton
Roads. The changes worked out just fine, as the last three formed
a line which led the Pirates to four straight wins.
 
Welcome to the Show: As of December 23, 131 players had
appeared in both the AHL and NHL this season. Nearly all were
players recalled from the AHL, as not too many rehab stints
have occurred to date. The Hamilton Bulldogs have already sent 12
players up to the bigs and Saint John is right behind them with
11. 

TEAM        PLAYERS            TEAM         PLAYERS
Hamilton       12              Springfield     7
Saint John     11              Hershey         6 
Cincinnati     10              New Haven       6
Syracuse       10              Portland        6
Kentucky        9              Worcester       6 
Providence      9              Philadelphia    5 
Fredericton     8              Rochester       5 
Hartford        8              Adirondack      4
Albany          7              St. John's      2


Milestones: New Haven's Mike Fountain recorded his 100th
AHL victory on December 14th against Providence. Fountain is only
the ninth AHL goaltender in the last 25 years to reach that
number. Another goaltender who reached it is Albany's Peter
Sidorkiewicz, who is not only still active but closing in on the
modern record, set by Maine Mariner Sam. St. Laurent. St. Laurent
recorded 164 victories; Sidorkiewicz has 157.
  
Don't Give Up Your Day Job: Ed Ronan did and he may be
sorry. Ronan retired prior to the start of this season and took a
job in finance after the Sabres didn't offer him a contract and
his wife was due to have their second child. However, Providence
coach Tom McVie tracked down Ronan and offered him a deal with
the desperate P-Bruins. The immediate result was Ronan played
four games in five days and had only negative double digits on
the plus/minus chart to show for it.         

Streakin': Hartford's Christian Dube saw his season-high
17-game scoring streak come to an end Dec. 19 when Springfield
shut out the Wolfpack.  The next longest active streak in the
league, ten games, belonged to Hamilton Bulldogs winger Barrie
Moore, who set a Bulldogs record with his tenth straight game
with a point before his streak ended. Then there was the nine-
game streak belonging to Hershey Bears defenseman Mike Gaul.
Really. Gaul spent last season in Germany, missed training camp
and six weeks of the season due to an emergency appendectomy,
and wound up in the East Coast League to start the year. Injuries
brought him back and he has more than made up for lost time.

Legal Maneuvers: Saint John has been pretty busy with the
lawyers and other paper pushers of late. The Flames have been a
victim of their own success in that their five-year lease
with Harbour Station is up at the end of the season and as the
Flames have averaged nearly 2,000 fans per game more than
anticipated in the original lease, well, Harbour Station upped
their rent.  A lot. In fact, the original rent request was for
$300,000 per year, which would have been the highest rent in the
league, while the Flames were offering $40,000. Negotiations are
continuing and the two sides have actually gotten to within
$15,000 of each other. It is hoped the deal will be worked out
within the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile the Flames managed
only their second sellout of the season but continue to average
nearly 5,000 fans per game.

When the Flames finish up with rent negotiations, they have
another, potentially bigger headache in front of them. Former
Flame Mike Murray has filed lawsuits against the Saint John
Flames, the Calgary Flames, Saint John's former trainer, Saint
John's physicians and several New Brunswick physicians and
therapists. Murray broke his right leg while playing for the
Flames in December, 1995, and while he played for the Flames as
recently as the 1997 playoffs, he was let go by Calgary after the
season and a tryout contract with Hershey was voided when he
flunked the Bears' physical. Murray maintains he can no longer
play hockey - or take a position in the field he studied in
college, law enforcement - because improper medical treatment to
the broken leg caused permanent injury to his knee. Murray's
position is that the Calgary Flames were never advised as to the
course of his medical treatment, several procedures were
performed on him without proper consent, the surgery and
rehabilitation he underwent were medically improper, and
that the rehabilitation program damaged his knee. Saint John had
better be worried about this too; two recent similar cases,
including one involving former Hershey player Glenn Seabrook,
were found in favor of the player.

Jurisprudence: The Syracuse Crunch's Paul Ferone was
arrested during the December 28 game between Syracuse and the
host Beast of New Haven and charged with third degree assault
for swinging his stick at a heckler. The fan claimed he wasn't
heckling Ferone and announced on television he was getting a
lawyer; a police officer stated the fan was in fact heckling
Ferone and Ferone appeared to be trying to hit the railing, not a
person. Ferone, who had scored his first professional goal
earlier in the game, was leaving the ice after the second period
when the incident occurred and was promptly arrested, although he
released on his own recognizance later. Ferone was also suspended
four games by the AHL for the incident. New Haven doesn't do much
by way of security at the visitor's gate and things have been
known to get ugly down there, leading Syracuse coach Jack
McIlhargey to request a canopy be installed over the gate. Good
idea.

Rumor Mill: The AHL has already made a couple tries at
enticing ECHL teams to join the AHL, succeeding only with
Greensboro. That may change, as the new lease in Hampton Roads
requires the Admirals join the AHL within two years or be evicted
from the Scope. While the Admirals might be pretty close to
joining the league, they'll need neighbors - so the AHL has
resumed begging Richmond to take a shot at the AHL and is also
discussing with Capitals' owner Abe Pollin the possibility of
placing a team - affiliated with the Capitals, of course - in the
newly vacated USAir Arena. We'll keep you posted.   
 
Take a Guess: Many of you have probably heard that the
Muskegon Fury's Gary Coupal was permanently banned from the UHL
after throwing his stick in the stands. You might also know that
Coupal was banned from the ECHL and the rest of pro hockey last
season after he tomahawked an opposing player who was sitting on
the bench minding his own business. Coupal's victim was
hospitalized with a serious head injury; he has since not only
recovered but moved up in the hockey world to be an AHL regular
this season. Who is he? (Hint: He can take care of himself now,
thanks.)

Minors: The Adirondack Red Wings scored three short-handed
goals all of last season. Per Eklund has already equalled that
mark this season himself, scoring three shorties in the last
few weeks...

While St. John's Greg Smyth hasn't received punishment for
alleged racial comments last season, the AHL did suspend him for
five games for generally being a jerk. Smyth received his fourth
game misconduct of the year with a match penalty for head-butting
and the combination was too much for the league to ignore...

Another guy with a small problem was Hershey's Martin Lamarche.
Lamarche picked up a six-game suspension for abusing an official
on Dec. 28. The Bears' Cory Banika and Brian Corcoran were
suspended three and one games, respectively, for accumulating
game misconducts...

Fredericton Canadiens continue to give and take: they're the only
team in the league to not only score more than 100 goals, they've
allowed more than that too...

Not only have Saint John allowed fewer goals than any other AHL
team, they've also scored fewer than any other team...

The Providence Bruins are the AHL team least likely to outshoot
their opponents (eight times) or score the first goal (nine
times)...

Fredericton's Jose Theodore stopped 118 of 126 total shots faced
in three consecutive games. He only won one of those games...

The Hamilton Bulldogs broke five of their club records while
pasting Cincinnati 8-2, and also managed 25 shots on goal in one
period...

The St. John's Maple Leafs still didn't have a backup for
goaltender Francis Larivee after two weeks, so they settled for a
Fredericton police inspector. Not as bad as it sounds, as the cop
happened to be Brian Ford, formerly a goaltender for the
Pittsburgh Penguins and Quebec Nordiques...

The Hartford Wolf Pack have lost only two games in which they
scored the first goal...

Worcester's Robert Petrovicky hit a hot streak, scoring 12 points
in seven games including a four-point game against Providence
Dec. 20...

The Beast of New Haven are 0-14-1 when trailing after two
periods...

When the Bears and the Adirondack Red Wings came to a 3-3
standstill Dec. 14, it was the first time this season the Bears
recorded a tie. They were the last AHL team to do so this
season...

The Bears played three consecutive home overtime games, going
2-0-1 in the three. The third one hurt, as the Bears had a 3-0
lead in the third but let Cincinnati tie it up before Ville
Niemenen scored a winner in OT...

Rochester took a 2-0 lead on Hamilton Dec. 17. Then they allowed
the Bulldogs seven unanswered goals in half a game...

Kentucky and Philadelphia can each boast two players with over 30
points. The T-Blades have Steve Guolla and Alexei Yegorov, the
Phantoms have Peter White and Craig Darby...

When the game is on the line, call one of the following: New
Haven's Herbert Vasiljevs, Philadelphia's Peter White, Hartford's
Marc Savard, or Hershey's Rob Shearer. Each have four
game-winning goals...

The Philadelphia Phantoms lead the AHL in five offensive
categories - goals (112), assists (191), points (303), short-
handed goals (8) and shooting percentage (12.2 %)...
 
The Portland Pirates are so bad, they gave up three goals in
2:07, including two goals in :48 seconds, to the offensively
challenged and road weary Hershey Bears...

Providence Bruins rookie Cameron Mann has 11 goals so far, three
of which were unassisted. He ranks third in rookie goal-
scoring...

Rochester Americans' winger Vaclav Varada set a team record with
a nine-game goal-scoring streak before he was recalled by
Buffalo. The streak holds until he returns...

The Saint John Flames' Todd Hlushko potted two short-handed goals
in one period Dec. 13 and has four unassisted goals so far. He
was recalled by Calgary...

The Beast of New Haven scored three goals in the first period,
including Mike O'Grady's first professional goal, against
Adirondack Dec. 21. Then they let the Red Wings have five
straight to win the game. Oops...

The Kentucky Thoroughblades outshot the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks
43-24 on Jan. 7, but naturally it was Cincinnati that came away
with a 5-2 victory. T-Blade Richard Brennan set a Kentucky team
record with 10 shots on net...

Adirondack won six of eight games in one stretch, with both
losses coming to Syracuse...

Red Wings' rookie Xavier Delisle has been hot, with a four-point
game and then four more points over the next two games...

The goaltender logjam in Hamilton is finally gone. The Bulldogs
loaned Steve Passmore to the IHL's San Antonio Dragons
indefinitely, leaving the net to JF Labbe...

The Phoenix Coyotes reassigned Chad Kilger to the Springfield
Falcons. Kilger flat out refused to report and was suspended by
the Coyotes for the balance of the season. One day later Kilger
quit crying and reported...

Bryan Muir was traded to the New Jersey Devils in the
Arnott/Guerin deal just before Hamilton played Rochester Jan. 4.
Problem was no one got around to telling Muir that and he played
a full game for the Bulldogs as property of New Jersey...

The Syracuse Crunch don't have a player with double-digit goals
yet this season, but are tied with Hartford and Springfield for
second in the league lead with 12 players in double-digit
scoring...

The AHL leaders for players in double-digit scoring are the
Worcester IceCats, who have 13 such players. They're also second
in the AHL with 103 goals scored. But only Chris Kenady has ten
or more goals...

Albany River Rat Brendan Morrison took a short side trip to the
NHL but continues to lead AHL rookies with 13 goals, staying
ahead of Cameron Mann and New Haven's Bates Battaglia. Mann
leads in power-play goals, with six...

There have already been 99 ties this season and 72 of those
stayed tied, on par with last season's numbers. The Phantoms and
Pirates have each gone overtime ten times this season, with the
Phantoms leading the way in OT victories (5) and the Pirates
leading in ties (7)...

The Providence Bruins extended Portland's losing streak, 5-2;
Landon Wilson and Anders Myrvold each had a four-point night,
Wilson with two goals, two assists and Myrvold with four
assists...                     

The affiliation agreement between the Kentucky Thoroughblades and
the San Jose Sharks was up for an opt-out January 1, but both
sides are happy and re-upped for the next three years...

Hamilton's Craig Fraser had two hat tricks in three games
Christmas week and was rewarded with a recall to Edmonton...

The Syracuse Crunch scored on their first two shots of the game
against New Haven Dec. 28. They went on to win 7-4...

The Kentucky Thoroughblades were away from home for three weeks
and missing five players and still managed to knock the stuffing
out of the Phantoms, 6-1, on Dec. 28. Alexei Yegorov had
two goals and an assist, Steve Guolla had three assists...

St. John's, Philadelphia, Hartford, Syracuse, Providence and
Worcester all have yet to post a shutout this season...

The T-Blades lost Jason Holland for a month after he broke his
heel during the Christmas break. A door closed on Holland's foot
while he worked in his garage...

The Philadelphia Phantoms put together a nine-game winning
streak...

Even without power-play catalyst Steve Lingren, captain Mike
McHugh and big guy Wade Belak, Hershey has turned it around. The
Bears were unbeaten in eight straight (6-0-2)...

Bears goaltender Marc Denis had a personal 11-game losing streak
finally end on Dec. 27 when the Bears defeated New Haven, but
didn't get a decision the next night when he was pulled in the
third period...

Kentucky's Alexei Yegorov has 14 multi-point games this season
and Steve Guolla has 13...

Rochester defenseman Dean Melanson averages one goal every 23
games. He had two gainst the St. John's Maple Leafs to include
the gamewinner...

The recently hapless Portland Pirates trailed Springfield 4-1
going into the third period Dec. 27. Then they tied the game up
and won it in overtime...

AHL linesman Tim Kotyra was named to the Olympic officiating
staff...

The Rangers pulled a goalie switch, sending Jason Muzzatti to
Hartford for a glorified conditioning stint and recalling Dan
Cloutier...

The River Rats defeated Syracuse 8-1, with eight different
players scoring goals. Peter Zezel tied franchise records with
four assists and five points total...

The Wolfpack's Lee Sorochan scored a goal Dec. 29 against
Rochester. This is important because it's the first time in a
year (65 games) that Sorochan has scored...

Adirondack has now won nine of its last ten meetings with
Rochester...

How 'bout dem Rats? Albany went 10-0-1-1 in a twelve game stint
to pick up 22 of a possible 24 points. The Rats are third in team
defense with a 2.74 GAA and have three 30 point scorers in
Brendan Morrison, Steve Brule and Peter Zezel. Yowza...

Saint John leads the league in team GAA, with 2.27 goals allowed
per game. Hartford is second at 2.71...

Adirondack goaltender Norm Maracle continues to lead the AHL in
wins (14), losses (13), games played (31), minutes (1779) and
saves (926). Backup Zac Bierk was permitted two starts against
Hershey though, and was very strong in both...

Albany has scored 37 goals in its last six games and 27 in their
last four home games...

Albany goaltender Richard Shulmistra is the only goalie in the
league who has more than four games and is unbeaten (8-0-1)...

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks goaltender Tom Askey returned from a knee
injury against Philadelphia and reinjured the same knee...
 
Philadelphia Phantoms winger John Druce had a six-game goal-
scoring streak, the second longest this season...

The Hartford Wolf Pack and Albany River Rats have each allowed
only one short-handed goal...

The Beast of New Haven became the last AHL team to record a
decision in overtime when they defeated Syracuse 3-2 Dec. 30...

Worcester IceCats head coach Greg Gilbert was ejected by referee
Lyle Seitz from a Dec. 31 game with Portland for mouthing off. It
was Gilbert's first ejection as a coach OR as a player...

The Philadelphia Phantoms' winning streak lasted seven games,
during which the Phantoms won three overtime games and outscored
their opponents 29-13...

Two AHL players are over 30 total points but have less than ten
goals. They are Albany's Peter Zezel and Hershey's Josef Marha...

Good news for Fredericton - they've taken over the Atlantic
Division lead rom Saint John. Bad news: Saint John has seven
games in hand...

Fredericton leads the AHL in  majors (58) and bench minors (14),
but not overall penalty minutes - Hershey has that honor...

Hershey Bears goaltender Petr Franek is second in the AHL in wins
(12) and goals-against average (2.49) and fifth in minutes
(1,182)...

Bears like home cooking. Hershey are 10-0 at home when leading
after the second period...
 
The Portland Pirates lead the AHL with 46 power-play goals...

The Rochester Americans and Saint John Flames have each come from
behind in the third period to win three times...

Calgary reassigned Saint John Flames winger Jesper Mattson to
Malmo in Sweden. Mattson was a first-round pick but has yet to
pan out. Likewise, the Capitals assigned former first-rounder
Miika Elomo to IFK in Finland...

Portland veteran Kent Hulst had a good afternoon against
Providence Jan. 3, with two goals and two assists...

Paul Brousseau had a hand in all of Adirondack's goals in their
3-3 tie against Cincinnati Jan. 3, with two goals and an
assist...

The Adirondack Red Wings spent most of the season out of the
penalty box, with 656 PiMs in their first 37 games for a 17.7
average. Then over three games the Red Wings picked up 247
PiMs for an 82.3 average, or more than four and half times their
previous average. Martin Laitre alone had 79 PiMs...

Only Saint John, Hamilton and Albany have held their opponents to
less than 100 goals so far...

Hamilton and New Haven (!) are the only AHL teams in double
digits when it comes to road victories...

Rochester Americans' center Patrice Tardif had a New Year's Eve
hat trick against Adirondack, but the Amerks still lost...

The Syracuse Crunch have allowed 12 short-handed goals in just 36
games. The AHL record for most short-handed goals against in a
season is 24 and would appear to be in jeopardy...

Syracuse rookie Peter Schaefer had a ten-game point streak ended
by Hershey, but still ranks fourth in rookie scoring...

The Beast of New Haven played 269 minutes and 44 seconds worth of
games without having a lead. The Beast were up 1-0 on Syracuse
Dec. 28 and didn't have a lead again until Jan. 7 at
Worcester...

The Hershey Bears still lead the AHL in penalty minutes, up to
1352 now despite most of their bad guys being suspended all the
time and with few players over the 100 PiM mark...

The Philadelphia Phantoms are 21-0-2 when leading after two
periods...

The Beast of New Haven's Oleg Kvasha had a successful trip to the
World Junior Tournament, picking up a silver medal with the
Russian team and being named a second team All-Star...

The Worcester IceCats presently host four players with over 100
PiMs, and are the third most penalized team in the AHL. They lead
the league in major penalties with 77; Worcester had 87 for
all of last season...

The Fredericton Canadiens have scored 47 third-period goals, best
in the league...

The Providence Bruins haven't won in their last ten games. That
includes blowing two different three-goal leads to Worcester...

The Saint John Flames' Jeff Cowan is suddenly <i>en fuego</i>,
with two game-winning goals to give him five on the season...

The Flames are allowing 2.31 goals per game and only 82 total
this season, making them a serious threat to set a new AHL record
for season goals-against. The 95-96 Springfield Falcons allowed
215...

Worcester rookie Michal Handzus is really lighting things up,
picking up four goals and an assist against Providence Jan. 9. He
scored short-handed to tie the game in the final seconds of
regulation and then scored the game-winner in OT...

The Rochester Americans started shaking things up after losing
six straight, signing Chad Remackel from the ECHL and loaning
Eric Lavigne to Grand Rapids in exchange for Matt Ruchty, a
longtime AHL pest...

Hershey may have the most penalty minutes but it's St. John's
Maple Leafs who average the most, now up to 36.1 penalty minutes
per game. They lead the AHL in minor penalties (318) and are
second in majors (74)...

Kentucky's Brendan Yarema was suspended six games for leaving the
bench to start an altercation with Syracuse's Dave Roche on Jan.
4...

Albany's unbeaten streak came to an end Jan. 9 against
arch-rivals Adirondack. The only one of 50 Albany shots to get
past Norm Maracle was deflected in by Red Wings defenseman Jon
Coleman...

The Pirates shut down New Haven Jan. 10, killing off 10 power
plays and getting 41 saves from Martin Brochu...

Trivia Answer: Then-Columbus Chill player Gary Coupal
chopped then-Hampton Roads Admiral and now-Providence Bruin Aaron
Downey. Since Hartford's PJ Stock has spent a lot of time in the
NHL lately, Downey has taken over the AHL's major penalty 'race'
with 21 and is second in the league with 189 penalty minutes.
It's unlikely Coupal would mess with him again.


------------------------------------------------------------------
Connecticut an AHL Hotbed
------------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan

Last season, there were no AHL teams in the State of Connecticut.
This season, there are two teams less than 30 miles apart and
acquired under completely different means yet intricately
related circumstances.
  
First a review of events; there will be a quiz later. The chain
of events which brought both teams to Connecticut began with
everybody's favorite man to hate, Peter Karmanos, and his
decision to move the Hartford Whalers to North Carolina. The
first domino that toppled? The 'Mall' needed a new tenant and
began courting suitors, including the IHL, the Pittsburgh
Penguins and their perpetually in limbo AHL franchise, and the
New York Rangers, who were interested in having their farm team
closer than Binghamton.
  
The Rangers won out on this one by sheer means of money, buying
out the Binghamton franchise and winning the bid to rent the Mall
and put their AHL franchise there. They then rammed their feet
down their throats by naming the team the WolfPack - the same
nickname as UNC, the primary college in the Whalers' new home.
But we'll get back to that. 
  
Although the Whale beached in North Carolina, their intended home
in Raleigh won't be ready for at least two years. That left the
newly renamed Hurricanes looking for a building to call home. The
only building really amenable to use as an NHL facility was the
Greensboro Coliseum, but that arena was already in use by the
AHL's Carolina Monarchs, a Panthers affiliate. No problem for the
Hurricanes - they booted out the Monarchs without a hint of
guilt. 
  
Now the Monarchs needed a home - and quick. They had less than
two months to find a suitable AHL city and building, but there
wasn't a place available. However, New Haven had lost
their most recent AHL franchise some five years ago and had been
pleading with the AHL for some time to give them another chance.
Upon review of the New Haven Coliseum, it was deemed suitable
provided certain amenities were added prior to the start of the
season. So, the AHL decreed New Haven a probationary AHL city -
they have exactly two years (the amount of time the Hurricanes
will displace the Monarchs) to prove they're up to the task of
hosting an AHL team. So the Monarchs moved in - eventually, as
the building renovations took most of October. 
  
One last problem. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes and Phoenix Coyotes
were sharing an affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts, just up
the road from Hartford. But Springfield was disenchanted with the
players provided by Carolina and the Falcons opted to cancel the
Hurricanes' half of the affiliation, going strictly with Phoenix.
Now the Hurricanes needed an AHL farm club...and found
themselves apologizing to the Monarchs and asking pretty please
to share the New Haven franchise. Thus became the Beast of New
Haven. Everybody follow all of that?
  
Whew. So now Connecticut has two AHL teams competing directly
with each other (and Springfield, for that matter.) So how's it
all working out anyway?
  
The Hartford Wolfpack are managing just fine, actually, despite
the naming fiasco. (The team claims they were only thinking with
regard to the local submarine construction facility and nearby
Naval maneuvers utilizing said subs. Right.) As the Binghamton
Rangers the team had not exactly been stellar of late, but the
Rangers invested in a few journeymen and voila!  The Wolfpack
are leading the pack, with one of the AHL's best records and a
tight divisional race.
  
"I was skeptical at first. Because of the North Carolina
connection, with NCAA basketball, we thought that was bad
judgment," says new fan Mitchell Page, who brought sons
Jonathan, 2, and Benjamin, 5, up to the nosebleed seats for an
alternate view of the game.
  
"But now that we've been here, it's great hockey," he continues.
"We've seen some fantastic hockey and it's a good value. We're on
a tight budget, we're working class people and it's a great
deal."
  
The kids seem to like the new team too. "They're playing pretty
good, better than the Wolfpack, I mean the Whalers," pipes
Benjamin. "And I really like their defense!"
  
The Page family are precisely the fans the Wolfpack are trying to
bring to the building, and the plan would appear to be working.
"I think that we're going to recapture a lot of the fans that
might have been a little cynical about the Whalers leaving," says
Hartford head coach EJ Maguire. "This is good, solid hockey."
  
The Wolfpack started their season with a five-digit draw on
opening night, then went slow at the box office for the next
month. But now their average attendance is rising steadily and on
Thanksgiving night against divisional rivals Providence, the
'Pack pulled in nearly 7,000 people. 
  
"Tonight we had seven thousand and it was a good game, an
exciting game," says Hartford assistant coach Mike Busniuk. "On
Thanksgiving Day when a lot of people are supposed to be home
eating turkey, they came out today. So I think it's going good
here."
  
"I was impressed with the crowd tonight on a holiday, a
non-traditional hockey night in Hartford," remarks Maguire.  And
the Wolfpack hope to continue their non-traditional tradition:
the team has requested the league schedule them at home on New
Year's Eve and the day after Christmas as well. Optimism is
reigning in Hartford and this time, that isn't a joke.
  
While hope is springing eternal up I-91, New Haven is approaching
their task with a little more caution. This is a city which has
already lost two AHL teams, the last to an owner with as much
public appeal as Karmanos, and the fact that the team is strictly
probationary hasn't been lost on anybody. Knowing your team may
well be gone in two years is not usually an ingredient for
success and having the team on the road for the first month of
its existence doesn't help either.
  
But New Haven, like Hartford, has seen a steady rise in
attendance since the Coliseum reopened on October 24th. The
revamped arena is more than adequate for fans and players alike
and the Beast have shown their own sign of optimism with the
neon, color shifting hockey player posted on the Coliseum roof
and visible from the interstates. Yes, the Beast is here - and
within, if you listen to the PA announcer..
  
"The people are starting to come back," says longtime New Haven
fan Joe Kenyon. "I think it's just a matter of time, there was a
lot of hard feelings from the last time we had a team. There was
a lot of animosity towards the old owner and wounds have to heal.
I think if people keep seeing a good media push, constantly see
it in the paper and see it on TV...I've noticed the last couple
of games I'm starting to see a lot more people I recognize from
four or five years ago."
  
Indeed, the number of Blades and Knighthawks souvenirs sighted
around the arena does seem to indicate bygones are becoming
bygones for many area hockey fans. There are a lot of bygones to
overcome; Kenyon tells of the previous owner informing some 1,000
fans who attended a game during a blizzard that they were the
worst hockey fans in the country. Ouch.
  
But hockey fans are hockey fans and can't resist the Beast. "It's
a dream come true, I've been waiting four years since we lost the
team and it was a just a dream come true," Kenyon says
almost mistily.
  
For as much trepidation as the fans are bringing to the arena,
the Beast themselves are not immune. Besides being a new, dual
affiliation, the Beast didn't play at home for a month and spent
that month wearing practice jerseys for every game - the real
ones had yet to be delivered. And the Beast have countered an
excellent road record with a barely mediocre home record. But now
that the team has moved in, things are rapidly becoming normal.
  
"I think it's going very, very well, fans are coming out," says
goaltender Mike Fountain, well on his way to becoming a fan
favorite.  "We're playing some pretty decent hockey, but we
want it to pick up a bit more and hopefully get some more support
soon."
  
The Beast have held up their end, recovering from a limping start
to nightly competitiveness behind Fountain's veteran goaltending.
Attendance has risen as the team's position in the division
rises.
  
So if you're in Connecticut, acknowledge the Beast within and
howl like a Wolf. You'll feel good for it. 


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for Mr. Drummond Update
------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

Hey, did you notice that life just wasn't that great the past three weeks or so?  Maybe you took note that the sky wasn't quite as blue, the flowers didn't smell as sweet, or the malt liquor didn't taste as smooth?  Well, don't be startled, you weren't goin' loopy.  It was just the absence of LCS: Guide to Hockey from your life.

Yes, for about three and a half weeks there, the LCS web site was down due to a server crash.  Those dark and dreary days were just an example of what life would be like if LCS were to cease operations.  Scary, isn't it?

LCS is still looking for our Mr. Drummond...  some rich millionaire to adopt us.  We need money.  Without it, LCS could very well close up shop at some point in the near future.  Then every day would be just like the time during the recent site crash, which is already being referred to in some circles as "The Dark Ages". 
         
Now I'd like to take this time to talk directly to you millionaires out there... ahem... OH PLEASE ADOPT US! DON'T LET LCS DIE!  OH GOD NO!  

It really doesn't take that much to support us.  I mean, we're already undersized due to malnutrition.  Just a bucket of water and a few scraps of bread is enough to feed us for the week.  In general, we're extremely tidy folk.  We don't make many messes, except when we're drunk.  And you can hardly blame us then, right?  I mean, c'mon, alcohol is a harsh mistress.  We rarely play with matches, except for the occasional puppet show, and seldom run with scissors.  We'd be more than happy to help around the house.  Zippy, Jim, and Matt are aces at most household chores.  Zip even does windows.  Meanwhile, I'm excellent at television maintenance.  I'll always make sure to keep the television in tip top working order through a strict regiment of watching nearly 20 hours of programming a day.  
           
Even if you're not a millionaire, you can still do your part. 
All donations are welcome... money, food, clothes... we don't care.  Free t-shirts are always welcome.  Our address once again is:

LCS: Guide to Hockey 
632 Hempfield Street 
Greensburg, PA 15601 


So whether you're a millionaire willing to be our Mr. Drummond,
or if you just want to help clothe us for the winter, don't
be scared to write.  Because the way things stand now, time is
running out, the chair is plugged in, and the governor isn't
exactly ringing the phone off the hook.  

We now ask that you, our valued readers, please join us in the
following inspirational prayer.

Now the world don't move to the beat of just one drum.  What
might be right for you, may not be right for some.  A man is
born, he's a man of means.  Then along come two, they've got
nothin' but their jeans.  But they've got, Diff'rent Strokes.  It
takes, Diff'rent Strokes.  It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move
the world.

Everybody's got a special kind of story.  Everybody finds a way
to shine.  It don't matter that you got... not a lot, so what? 
They'll have theirs, you'll have yours, and I'll have mine.  And
together we'll be fine.  Because it takes, Diff'rent Strokes to
move the world, yes it does.  It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move
the world!   
  
Amen.


=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA PANTHERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Bryan Murray
   
Roster: C - Kirk Muller, Rob Niedermayer, Dave Gagner, Steve 
Washburn, Chris Wells, Ray Whitney. LW - Johan Garpenlov, Viktor 
Kozlov, Bill Lindsay, Radek Dvorak. RW - Scott Mellanby, Ray 
Sheppard, Jody Hull, Tom Fitzgerald. D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, 
Ed Jovanovski, Paul Laus, Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Dallas
Eakins. G - John Vanbiesbrouck, Mark Fitzpatrick. 

Injuries: Jody Hull, rw (broken wrist, 2-3 weeks as of 1-6-98);
Dave Gagner, c (strained abdomen, day-to-day as of 1-11-98).

Transactions:  Center Ryan Johnson was re-assigned from the
Florida Panthers (NHL) to the Beast of New Haven (AHL). On New
Year's Day, David Nemirovsky, lw, was re-assigned from the
Florida Panthers (NHL) to the Beast of New Haven (AHL).

Game Results: 
12/17 NY Rangers      L 4-2 
12/18 at Washington   W 4-0 
12/20 Philadelphia    L 2-0 
12/23 Saint Louis     L 3-2 
12/26 at Carolina     W 5-2 
12/27 at NY Islanders W 6-1 
12/30 San Jose        T 2-2 
01/01 New Jersey      W 2-1 OT
01/02 at Tampa Bay    T 2-2 
01/04 Anaheim         T 3-3 
01/07 Edmonton        L 3-2 
01/09 Calgary         T 3-3 
01/10 Vancouver       T 2-2 

TEAM NEWS by Eric Seiden

"It's a hockey night in South Florida, and here come your
Panthers," screamed the announcer to the empty stands. In true
Miami fashion, fans stay away from a losing teams in droves.
Though for the New Year's Day game, the stands were amazingly
full. Maybe nobody had anything better to do. This hungover
reporter nominates himself for a Nobel prize for getting out of
bed and getting to the arena in advance of the noon start.
Whomever decided a noon game after New Year's Eve was a good idea
should be shot, drawn and quartered, hung, electrocuted, and then
something bad should be done to the remaining carcass.
 
Frankly, though, the fans were fit to be tied. Specifically, of
the last seven games, six went into overtime of which five ended
in ties, the other two being a split decision.
 
But first, a special advisory: the most exciting thing to happen
to the Panthers in the past four weeks was a special incident
during the overtime period against Calgary when a gentleman came
on to the ice totally naked, took a victory lap, and left. The
unexpected show interrupted a fight where in the combatants broke
up the fight due to hysterical laughter. A security officer
closest to the offender took no action as she wanted nothing to
do with him. Apparently his stick wasn't the right size...
 
It's been a hard time to be a Panther fan, what with all the
losses piling up in unwelcome fashion. With the road games
producing more wins (or lately ties) than home games, the
Panthers tried their road jersey at home for the abominably early
New Year's Day game with great success as Rob Niedermayer scored
the game-winner in overtime after Ray Whitney scored the first
goal of the game early in the first period. Referee Kerry Fraser
slept through most of the game, missing just about every call.
When Murray decided to sit Whitney, the new fan favorite, a chant
went up to bring Whitney in "We Want Whitney", and it was met
with the return of Whitney to the ice much to the fans' delight.
 
The game against the Islanders on 12-27 was entirely unremarkable
except for the fact it was John Vanbiesbrouck's 300th NHL win,
making him only the second US born goaltender to reach that goal.
As of 12-27 he needed five wins to pass Panthers goaltending
coach Billy Smith (305 wins) for thirteenth place in all-time
wins. It must be an awesome feeling to break your own coach's
record. Or, imagine how it must feel being a coach who is so good
your own student breaks it.

Panthers Jody Hull and Kirk Muller were both injured against the
Flyers. Hull suffered a fractured wrist and Muller suffered a
sprain of the left knee during the first period. This just adds
to the rotten, stinking, cesspool of a year Kirk has been having
so far. One can only hope whomever steps up to fill in does a
better job. Kirk is clearly having a bad year, though one
probably shouldn't be overly harsh as all players have a bad year
where nothing goes right: Kirk's number is clearly up. Speaking
of Kirk's number, upon his return during the west coast Panthers
road trip he only needed four more games to record his 1,000th
NHL game, a milestone to be sure.  

Talk of the town continues to circulate about team captain Scott
Mellanby, who has failed to perform on the ice and also failed to
lead the team as a true captain should. While nobody is expecting
a change mid-season, the safe bets are on a new captain come next
season. Apparently Scott's new contract coupled with the "C" on
his jersey have distracted him from his primary job of playing
hockey.
 
Eddie Jovanovski has improved from the poor play that dogged him,
but that has been replaced by a new monkey on his back:
inconsistency. He'll play a great period and a bad period, a good
game and a bad game. Eddie needs to concentrate more. He's not
playing the hard hitting defense that got him noticed early on.
He'll go three or four games without a single hard hit against an
opponent. This isn't to pick on Eddie because the whole team
repeatedly fails to follow through on checks, but since it was
supposedly his forte, one would assume he'd be the leader in that
department.  And he hasn't been.
 
The complaints about the Panthers allowing too many goals are
really not the fault of whatever poor sap sits in the goal in a
vain effort to defend it, but rather the Panthers' complete
defensive failure. New defensive coach Joe Cirella gets all the
blame. While he's a former Panther, that doesn't make him a
coach. Everyone seems surprised that Murray hasn't done something
already. With the persistent rumor that Ted Nolan will return to
Buffalo to coach the Sabres, that frees up former coach Lindy
Ruff for the job he did so well, though the odds are another team
would take him as a head coach before he returned behind the
Panthers bench.  Though the slim possibility he'll replace Murray
as Florida's full-time coach next season certainly raises some
hopes.
 
The Tampa game was marred by play so bad that even the local
media used words such as "suck" to describe it. The Panthers'
spectacularly shameful snatching of a tie from the jaws of
victory versus Tampa was not the fault of Mark Fitzpatrick making
an appearance in net. Yes, Fitzpatrick could have stopped the
first goal, but it was Jovanovski who screwed up (along with
normally solid Rhett Warrener) to allow the breakaway. Every time
Jovo touched the puck it was scary. In the same game, captain
Scott Mellanby was really playing like a marshmallow.  But the
whole team has really lost the physical aspect of their game,
making the Panthers as feared as the little league mite teams
that provide intermission entertainment.
 
I'd like to quote myself on the subject of Eddie Jovanovski. I
made a rather lengthy diatribe on the Florida Panthers Mailing
List from which I'd like to briefly excerpt. "Jovo. Aye, there's
the rub. He is (supposedly) a defenseman. As such, if he scores
NO GOALS I will still be happy. However if he scores, I clearly
wish it to be in the net of our opponent. I take great exception
to him checking Vanbiesbrouck last year, for which he was benched
one game as punishment. I object to him not being in the correct
position most of the time. I object to his repeated lapses of
defensive judgement, especially because he knows hockey and
shouldn't make these mistakes. I object to the fact he's not out
there trying to help the team -- at least not OUR team. A
defenseman is a gear in a machine. Clearly this gear isn't
working properly, causing the machine to function improperly.
Therefore, the broken gear should be exchanged for one that works
in this machine. Eddie may be a great player one day, but I don't
think it will ever be for the Panthers. Send him down to the
minors or send him away -- he's not doing the job. I'm really
serious about this. Sadly, to my knowledge, neither Eddie nor any
of his relatives read this list 'cause he ought to know that he's
down there making a mess and every time he touches the puck many
fans cringe in fear because we see it; it ain't just me folks.
Take a poll in section 224 (or any other section), and you'll
find a majority is like-minded."
 
*    The New Haven Register reported that David Nemirovsky was
unhappy about getting sent down to the minors and asked to be
traded. "Basically, they (Florida) told me to work on my
all-around game," Nemirovsky said. "There was not solid reason
for sending me down. Right now, I'm waiting for a trade. I talked
to my agent .... There are a lot of teams that need help and
teams know that I can help them." 

Nemirovsky went on to tell the Register, "If they can work out a
deal with Florida, I want an opportunity now. It's my turn to
show that I can be a good player in the NHL. It's my turn to take
the big step."
 
He feels that the Panthers did not give him an opportunity to
show what he can do for them, especially after sitting out as a
healthy scratch. Nemirovsky has been often criticized in the past
for "playing soft" around the boards, not getting physical, and
not trying to make things happen with his checking game.
Nemirovsky has one year left on his contract with the Panthers.
He has spent parts of the last two seasons in the AHL (with the
now defunct Carolina Monarchs).
 
OTHER NEWS:

Trade rumors swirl about the team. Rumors involving Sergei
Fedorov persist despite denials from both sides. Fedorov now
makes Florida one of his permanent homes, where he owns a South
Beach condo with his lady friend. However his work ethic and
desire to win are beginning to be questioned not only by his
former teammates, but also by his friends.
 
Rumors about goaltending tandem Mark Fitzpatrick and John
Vanbiesbrouck also run rampant. Sources are unable to confirm or
deny any of them, and if you call more than one source, they tend
to contradict each other.  Contract negotiations with John
Vanbiesbrouck resumed with very little success. Both sides are
very far apart. Fans are dreading a repeat of the acrimonious
talks that surrounded Beezer's first contract negotiations.
Meanwhile, Mark Fitzpatrick complained publicly about his lack of
playing time. His comments landed him in the Miami Herald  and
also in the dog house with interim (HA!) coach (double-HA!) Bryan
Murray. Supposedly his mouth is going to continue to keep him on
the bench more than his recent poor performances. 

 
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Jacques Lemaire
   
Roster: C - Doug Gilmour, Bobby Holik, Bob Carpenter, Denis
Pederson, Petr Sykora, Jason Arnott.  LW - Dave Andreychuk, 
Brian Rolston, Patrik Elias, Jay Pandolfo.  RW - Randy McKay, 
Steve Thomas, Krzysztof Oliwa. D - Scott Stevens, Scott
Niedermayer, Lyle Odelein, Kevin Dean, Doug Bodger, Sheldon
Souray, Brad Bombardir. G - Martin Brodeur, Mike Dunham.
       
Injuries:  12/23 - C Petr Sykora, sprained left ankle,
day-to-day. 1/3 - RW Steve Thomas, bruised ribs, day-to-day.

Transactions: 12/29 - Recalled C Peter Zezel from Albany (AHL).
12/30 - Recalled G Peter Sidorkiewicz from Albany (AHL); assigned 
C Peter Zezel to Albany (AHL).  12/31 - Recalled G Richard
Shulmistra >From Albany (AHL).  1/3 - Recalled C Brendan Morrison
from Albany (AHL).  Returned G Peter Sidorkiewicz to Albany
(AHL).  1/4 - Traded RW Bill Guerin and LW Valeri Zelepukin to
Edmonton for C Jason Arnott and D Bryan Muir.  Muir was assigned
to Albany (AHL).  1/5 - Recalled C Sergei Brylin and LW Jay
Pandolfo from Albany (AHL). 1/6 - Reassigned C Brendan Morrison
and G Richard Shulmistra to Albany (AHL); sent D Brad Bombardir
to Albany (AHL) for conditioning purposes.  1/8 - Traded Reid
Simpson to Chicago for a fourth-round pick in the 1998 Entry
Draft and future considerations. 1/9 - Assigned C Sergei Brylin
to Albany (AHL) for conditioning purposes.  1/11 - Recalled D
Brad Bombardir from Albany (AHL).
               
Game Results:
12/18 at St. Louis   T 4-4
12/19 at Detroit     L 5-4
12/23 at Washington  T 1-1    
12/26 Islanders      W 4-3
12/29 at Buffalo     W 3-1
12/30 Chicago        L 6-2
01/01 at Florida     L 2-1 OT
01/03 Toronto        W 4-2
01/05 Dallas         L 4-3 OT
01/07 Pittsburgh     W 3-1
01/09 Tampa Bay      W 4-1
1/10 at Pittsburgh   L 4-1
1/12 at Boston       T 1-1

TEAM NEWS by Phil Aromando

Although the past few weeks have been marked by inconsistent and
some uncharacteristically undisciplined play, the Devils, off to
their best start ever, enter the All-Star break in good shape. 
They are near the top of the Conference and their Division
despite playing .500 hockey over the past 13 games. 


Wish Granted
 
Edmonton GM Glen Sather:  "I've already had two teams phone me to
try to trade for him.  I've often asked Lou (Lamoriello) about
Guerin.  I don't think this would have happened if he hadn't had
the contract situation."

After sitting out 21 games and signing mainly to enable selection
to the US Olympic team, Bill Guerin was dealt to the Edmonton
Oilers along with left wing Valeri Zelepukin for center Jason
Arnott and defenseman Bryan Muir.

Guerin asked to be traded during his holdout and didn't retract
his demand once he signed.  But that didn't prevent him from
expressing some shock once the deal went down.  The Devils are
the only NHL team he has played for and now he's been sent to the
farthest reaches of the Western Conference.

Devil players that complain are dealt without fail, but it seemed
that Guerin's situation may have played out differently.  After
all, John MacLean was traded nearly as quick as he made his
demand.  But Guerin stayed with the team and his relationship
with Lemaire even seemed to be on the mend.  If anything his
holdout humbled him a bit.  When he returned he didn't play like
someone who had missed training camp or wanted to be traded.  He
was sharp and his speed was always an asset.

Unfortunately his last game as a Devil (against Toronto) will not
be fondly remembered.  After missing a wraparound attempt into a
momentarily wide open empty net, the fans booed him every single
time he touched the puck thereafter.  A change of scenery may
indeed be good for all.  

He's still an offensive threat and the less defensive style of
the Oilers may allow him to blossom into the consistent 30-goal
scorer that he has always threatened to become.  He has yet to
score a goal, but since moving to Edmonton, the Oilers are 4-0.

Valeri Zelepukin will be best remembered for torturing Ranger
fans by scoring the tying goal in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern
Conference Finals with 7.7 seconds left in regulation.  He's a
solid role playing winger and was lately used on the top-line
checking unit with Bob Carpenter.  His scoring totals are nothing
to brag about, but he's the type of player that makes Jersey's
system so effective.

Do the Devils need another center?  Jason Arnott is young and
full of potential.  He fits right in with his size and toughness. 
So far he's been used as a right wing on the Gilmour line.  While
this may turn out to be an inspired move, it also gives the team
some flexibility at center if Gilmour does not re-sign with the
team and enters the free agent market at the end of the season. 
Hopefully, Arnott will really comes into his own whatever
position he plays.

The Rocket

Teammates have taken to jokingly calling Randy McKay "The Rocket"
because of his offensive prowess this season.  Although he was
relegated to the fourth line when Steve Thomas returned from his
injury and went into a bit of a slump after starting out better
than he ever had, McKay regained his touch and began to score
more consistently than any player on the team.  Beginning with
the St. Louis game, McKay scored goals in seven straight games. 
In five straight, he scored the Devils first goal of the game. 
In two of those games, he scored the only goals.

He was facing free agency at the end of this season and certainly
raised his asking price with such exemplary play.  But rather
than wait, and following the lead of Brodeur and Stevens, he
surprised everyone and announced on January 8th that he had
signed a four-year contract extension.  It is believed to be
valued at $7.5 million.  McKay: "I was told I'd probably get more
money at the end of the year, but they came reasonably close to
what I was talking about.  I didn't want to go into the playoffs
worrying about my health.  I didn't want to worry about an injury
at the end of the year setting me back.  Now I don't have to
worry.  I can keep playing hard, playing my game."

He is second only to Bobby Holik (18 goals) with 17 goals -
matching the highest single-season total of his career
(1991-1992).  He accomplished that in 80 games; it has taken him
only 42 games this season.  With Guerin gone and Thomas still in
and out of the lineup with injuries, McKay becomes even more
important.  Now that he can feel free to play hard every night,
are 30 goals out of the question?

Good Housekeeping

Martin Brodeur: "It's good to see Lou (Lamoriello) is making the
effort to keep this team together and also going out to get a
player like Jason Arnott.  A few years ago, nobody wanted to come
here.  Now people realize this is a good place to play hockey."

More than any other season, or off-season for that matter,
Lamoriello is making a concerted effort to keep the core of the
Devils intact.  The activities over the past month have
convincingly shown that when the Devils want something, they go
after it or get rid of it.

Which makes the Gilmour situation interesting.  He's the last
unrestricted Devil free agent left to sign.  Is it simply a
matter of logistics or are the Devils not really interested in
keeping him around?  Is Lamoriello letting him dangle a bit for
taking the team to arbitration last summer?

Gilmour hasn't ruled out signing before the season ends.  At the
beginning of the season, Gilmour said he'd like a three-year
deal; within the past month he said he had reconsidered and only
wanted a two-year deal.  Now he's saying that this last contract,
no matter how long, is important - it will be his last.  That
alone means one thing: he's going to be looking for a nice bit of
compensation.  After last summer, Lamoriello may feel that
Gilmour may not be worth what a last contract for an NHL great
may signify.  Since talks have been in "preliminary stages" for a
while now, both sides probably have a pretty good idea where they
stand.  If he remains unsigned for much longer there's a pretty
good chance this will be Gilmour's last season as a Devil.

Hopefully the same won't be said of Scott Niedermayer and Bobby
Holik.  Both become restricted Group II free agents after the
season and they have yet to be approached regarding new
contracts.  But since any team that tries to pry them away will
pay a steep price, Lamoriello may feel more confident that he can
affordably retain them.  After all, he needs something to do in
the off-season.

Next Station...Hoboken?

On Friday, December 19th, Dr. John McMullen, owner of the New
Jersey Devils, held a press conference outlining plans for a new,
privately-financed arena to be built on the waterfront in
Hoboken, New Jersey, atop the Hoboken train station.  The
estimated cost of the new arena is $175 million.

That sounds great but the Devils renegotiated lease (the one that
kept them from bolting to Nashville after the Cup win in '95)
with the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority runs through 2007 and
they have no intention of letting the team leave.  "The simple
reality is that the New Jersey Devils will be playing a minimum
of 35 home games at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford
through the 2006-07 season.  There are no foreseeable
circumstances under which that would change."  Needless to say
there is some resistance to the idea.

Dr. McMullen:  "Obviously they're going to give us permission to
leave.  Logic would cause them to give us permission." 
Logically, a brand new state of the art arena would be a better
place than the aging and luxury-box deficient Meadowlands.  But
there is less logic at work than first appears.   

For one, Hoboken is an odd choice for an arena.  It's a tiny city
nestled between the Hudson River and low lying hills that
essentially has two roads, not highways, leading traffic into it. 
The main highway that feeds cars to one of those two roads is
also a feeder for the Holland Tunnel and it's always busy.   The
parking situation in town, at present, borders on the horrific.  

The selling point seems to be the fact that the arena would be
atop the train station, like Madison Square Garden, and one could
take the train from the suburbs and the PATH from Manhattan to
get there.  The Devils will have moved from an arena only
accessible by car (and bus) to one only accessible by train (and
bus)!  As illogical as it appears, the idea has appeal.  A major
arena in the heart of a town instead of a marsh would obviously
provide more opportunity for a complete night out.  And, if you
happen to commute into the city, you could just stop in for a
game now and again.  Walk-up ticket sales would do well.  And
Hoboken has a thriving college-town atmosphere.  It would
certainly attract young fans.  In an odd way, it may make the
team more accessible.  But that is only if the logistics of the
arena don't bring the town to an utter standstill every night
there is a game.  
 
It's hard to say how real the plan is at this point or if it's
just a way to garner some leverage for more changes to the
existing arena the Devils play in, but for it to have gotten to
the stage it has, there are obviously some pretty powerful people
involved.  By the way, Governor Christie Todd Whitman is a fan of
the Devils. 

Game Digest

@ St. Louis T 4-4
The Devils become the last NHL team to tie their first game of
the season and extend a six-game winning streak to a seven-game
unbeaten streak.  With Mike Dunham in net so Martin Brodeur could
get a rest for the game the following night against Detroit, the
Devils come from behind down two in the third and held on for the
point.

A nasty, physical game, Bobby Holik sets the tone with a hit on
Brett Hull's knee that may or may not have been intentional. 
Randy McKay and Steve Thomas score the first two Devil goals. 
Doug Gilmour and Denis Pederson score in the third.  Although it
was an encouraging come from behind effort, Jacques Lemaire was
not pleased: "I can't remember the (last) game we played well
against that team."

@ Detroit L 5-4
The wildest game of the year.  After two periods of tight
defensive hockey, the floodgates open.  The teams combine for
seven goals in the third.  Ex-Devil Doug Brown puts in three for
the Red Wings - his first ever career hat trick.  The Devils
score three in the period all on the power play.

Scott Niedermayer scores twice in the third only to have the
Wings score seconds after each of his tallies.  Two of Brown's
goals give the Wings the lead.  The Devils push to tie and almost
get one past Chris Osgood with less than 15 seconds left on a
flurry of shots by McKay, Nieder and Gilmour but come up short. 
Every shot the Wings took seemed to find the net in the third. 
Brodeur said the puck looked small and he gives up five goals for
only the first time in nearly a year.  An uncharacteristic game
of wide open river hockey.

@ Washington T 1-1
Randy McKay's scored the lone Devil goal in the first and it 
nearly holds up for the win.  But Brodeur is beaten short-handed
late in the third by Kelly Miller.  Dale Hunter makes a nice play
to get the puck past Brian Rolston to start the two-on-one that
leads to the score.

Rolston gets his own short-handed chance later in the period and
Petr Sykora is robbed by Ranford in the OT to seal the tie. 
"We're happy to get out with a tie", said Brodeur.  Without
Brodeur the Devils could have lost easily.  Lemaire agreed, "He's
our MVP".  Nearly the entire team took the night off.  "We were
giving the puck away all night.  We were not mentally prepared
for the game", said Lemaire.  Asked why there was such a lack of
focus, he responded, "Santa's coming".  It was the Devils first
visit to the new MCI Center.  They wrap up their second longest
road trip of the season 0-1-2.  It was the first game of the
season that the Devils lost or tied leading entering the third
period.

Islanders W 4-3
Another come-from-behind effort for the Devils as they snap a
three-game winless streak, the longest of the season.  Randy
McKay scores the first and last Devil goals.  McKay's second of
the night comes with less than three minutes remaining in
regulation. 

The Islanders took a 3-1 early in the second on a beautiful goal
off a rush by Bryan Berard, but Denis Pederson and Scott Stevens
scored to bring the Devils even.  The Isles have not won in their
last 11 trips to the Meadowlands (0-10-1).  

@ Buffalo W 3-1
A marquee goalie matchup is spoiled as the Devils score two goals
on their first three shots.  Randy McKay scores the first goal
:49 seconds into the game and Bill Guerin adds a power-play goal
at 3:23.  The Sabres get a power-play goal from Mike Peca midway
through the first to get within one, but Steve Thomas' goal two
minutes later - which required video review to determine that it
had actually gone in and out of the net - puts the game out of
reach. 

Buffalo only managed 16 shots over the last two periods.  The
Devils 12.  It was a solid performance - Hasek had five shutouts
in the month of December alone.  The Devils planned on getting to
him early and succeeded.

Chicago L 6-2
The worst loss of the season to the dismay of the third straight
sellout crowd.  Mike Dunham starts in place of flu-ridden Martin
Brodeur.  Dave Andreychuk scores a power-play goal early in the
first, only his sixth of the season, but Chicago scores five
unanswered goals, four in the second period.  Eric Daze had two
goals, including the game-winner, for the Blackhawks.  The Devils
are sloppy on defense and leave Dunham out to dry.

Dunham was replaced at the start of the third period with long
time Albany River Rat and ex-Whaler Peter Sidorkiewicz.  It was
the first NHL action he has seen in nearly three years.  He was
recalled from Albany as a result of Brodeur's illness.  Denis
Pederson scored the other Devil goal late in the third.

@ Florida L 2-1 (OT)
A mirror image loss to the Panthers.  The last time these two
teams met Ed Jovanovski scored twice - including the game-winner
in OT.  This time Rob Niedermayer scored both goals for the
Panthers.  The game marked the NHL debut of Devil goalie Richard
Shulmistra.  With Brodeur still sick and Dunham hampered by a
hand injury suffered in the Chicago game, the Devils felt it
would be a good time to give the youngster some NHL experience.

He held his own, and the Devils played conscientiously in front
of him but only Randy McKay could get one past John Vanbiesbrouck
on a power play.  Shulmistra almost held on for the tie but
Niedermayer scored during a rare overtime power play.  Gilmour
was off for holding and the man-advantage allowed the Panthers to
create a scramble in front of the net.  Niedermayer got the shot
off; it hit Shulmistra in the pads and trickled in as he rolled
towards the net, unsure of where the puck was.  Although he lost,
his performance elicited praise from assistant coach Robbie
Ftorek, "He made some good saves and kept us in the game".

Toronto W 4-2
Doug Gilmour scores the first goal of the game less than four
minutes in and Patrik Elias scores his first in ten games two
minutes later to give the Devils a lead they wouldn't relinquish. 
Martin Brodeur was back in goal although not fully over the flu.  

Gilmour's goal was a no-brainer.  Guerin passed to Gilmour as he
drove to the net; the puck appeared to hit Jeff Brown's stick,
then Gilmour's helmet causing it to bounce into the air and into
the net behind Felix Potvin who seemed to lose sight of it.  (It
was Guerin's last point as a Devil).  Derek King scored midway
through the second to bring the Leafs close but Bob Carpenter and
Dave Andreychuk scored :37 seconds apart early in the third to
put the game away.

Although the team ended their two-game losing streak, everyone
seemed happier that Brodeur was back in goal.  "Marty is a great
goaltender and he makes life a lot easier for us.  He makes the
saves and when pucks are dumped in, he goes out to get them. 
He's always solid," said Dave Andreychuk.  The Devils finish the
season series with the Leafs 2-0-0.  The game was the fourth home
sellout in a row.

Dallas L 4-3 OT
There were considerably fewer people at the next home game
despite it being the first meeting of the season with NHL point
leader Dallas Stars.  They missed a great game.

The Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Gilmour and
Pederson less than two minutes apart midway through the first.. 
Dallas brought it within one early in the second on a Jere
Lehtinen goal but Bobby Holik restored the two-goal lead late in
the period.  Dallas scored at 7:16 of the third to again cut the
lead to one but as late as the last TV timeout it seemed the
Devils would hang on even though they were facing heavy pressure
in their zone.

Ken Hitchcock pulled Ed Belfour with less than a minute left and
sure enough, the Stars broke through.  With :36 seconds left, Joe
Nieuwendyk took a Jamie Langenbrunner pass from behind the net
and beat Brodeur on his glove side high.  It was demoralizing. 
So much so that :34 seconds into the OT, Lehtinen took a pass
from Mike Modano and drilled a shot that beat Brodeur on the
opposite side as he was sliding across to stop it.  To add insult
to injury, the Stars were attempting to change lines as the goal
was scored.

Just like that the Devils lost their second overtime game in a
row.  It wasn't for lack of effort, but the Stars kept pushing
and hitting and shooting and had the Devils on their heels most
of the game.  In fact, they held the Devils to only 13 shots -
the lowest output of the season.  The Devils simply let up late
and the Stars capitalized.  Ultimately, they played with more
will than the Devils and left them scratching their heads. 
Lemaire: "When you're facing the best team in the league you've
got to be ready."  Holik: "This is a tough one to swallow because
I thought we'd be ready.  It was ugly.  We deserved to lose
because we did not play well."  Had they won they would have
talked about how lucky they were to steal one from the best team
in the league.

Pittsburgh W 3-1
The Devils bounced back from the Stars defeat and nearly shutout
the Penguins.  A late third-period goal from Alex Hicks was all
the offense Pittsburgh could muster.  The Devils got goals from
Rolston, McMay, and Stevens, who sealed the deal with an empty-
netter.   

Tampa Bay W 4-1
The Devils blew the game open early, building a 3-0 lead in the  
first period behind goals from Rolston, Gilmour, and Pandolfo. 
The Lightning were dominated in the opening 20 minutes, giving up
the three goals and only registering four shots on net. Dino
Ciccarelli scored early in the second but Gilmour scored his
second of the game on a power play with less than a minute left
in the midle frame to put the game squarely out of reach.

The Devils have beaten the Lightning all four times they have met
this season and have beaten them in seven straight going back to
last season.

@ Pittsburgh L 4-1
Bad penalties led to four goals, as Stu Barnes scored a natural
hat trick in the second period.  Jason Arnott scored his first
goal as a Devil in the third - but it's much too little, too
late.  All the damage was done in the second.

Arnott had a great chance in the first but was robbed by Peter
Skudra.  Arnott took a pass from Patrik Elias and basically put
the shot on net point-blank.  But Skudra dove across the crease
and managed to get his glove on it.  "Scoring there could have
made it a different game.  I thought that was the save of the
game," said Lemaire.

Penalties taken by Holik, Oliwa and Andreychuk all led to power
plays that Pittsburgh were able to capitalize on.  Stu Barnes
scored two of his goals on the power play, one at even-strength. 
Robert Lang scored the final goal.  Martin Brodeur, looking
tired, is pulled in favor of Mike Dunham to start the third
period.  A rare game where the Devils help beat themselves with
wildly undisciplined play.

@ Boston T 1-1
Perhaps the least exciting game of the season.  Scoreless going
into the third, the Devils penalty-killing woes continued. 
Sergei Samsonov scored :20 seconds into the period on a nice
backhand shot in close, surprising Brodeur and giving the Bruins
the lead.

Patrik Elias scored his rookie leading 14th goal at 5:26 of the
third to bring the Devils even but the team couldn't get another
past Byron Dafoe and they settle for their third tie of the
season.  Although the game was more a defensive contest, both
teams managed over 30 shots on goal.  

Krzysztof Oliwa fought Ken Baumgartner just before Elias' goal
and was given a game misconduct for fighting with tape on his
hand.

All-Star Devils

All-Star Game veterans Martin Brodeur and Scott Stevens will be
participating in this Sunday's All-Star game as members of the
North American team.  They will be joined by Scott Niedermayer,
who will be playing in his first.  "It's going to be fun.  I'll
be a bit nervous, but I'm looking forward to it," said Nieder.  

Jacques Lemaire is the North American coach.

Bobby Holik was named to the World All-Star team as a
representative of the Czech Republic even though he's now an
American citizen and cannot play for the Czech Republic at this
year's Olympics.


Useful Banter

Former "Crash Line" winger and fan-favorite Mike Peluso announced
his retirement from hockey on December 30th.  A spinal problem,
spinal stenosis, was deemed serious enough a hazard to convince
him that the next hit he gives or takes could be the last -
potentially crippling him.  For someone who plays as physical a
game as he, and rather than risk paralysis, he retired and will
forever have his name etched on Stanley's Silver Chalice as an
integral part of the Devils cup winning team of 1995.

The Devils won the Duracell Power Play award for the month of
December.  It's the second time they have been so honored this
season.

Just in case you missed it - be sure to check out the January
issue of "Harper's" magazine.  There's an interesting and funny
article on the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior
Hockey League. 

Recent Lines

Elias-Gilmour-Arnott 
Andreychuk-Holik-McKay 
Rolston-Carpenter-Pandolfo 
Oliwa-Pederson-Daniels 

Defensive Pairings 
Stevens-Odelein 
Niedermayer-Bombardir 
Bodger-Souray



-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Rick Bowness  
   
Roster: C - Robert Reichel, Travis Green, Bryan Smolinski, 
Claude Lapointe, Sergei Nemchinov. LW - Mike Hough, Paul Kruse, 
Ken Belanger, Tom Chorske. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Mariusz
Czerkawski, Dan Plante, Todd Bertuzzi, Steve Webb, Vladimir
Orszagh. D - Scott Lachance, Bryan Berard, Dennis Vaske, Richard
Pilon, Bryan McCabe, Kenny Jonsson, Doug Houda, Zdeno Chara. G -
Eric Fichaud, Tommy Salo. 

Injuries: Dennis Vaske, d (concussion, indefinite).

Transactions: None.

Game Results
12/29 at Pittsburgh L 5-1
12/31 at Colorado   L 3-1
01/02 at Dallas     L 2-1
01/03 at Phoenix    L 2-1
01/06 Pittsburg     L 4-2
01/08 Montreal      L 8-2
01/10 at Carolina   L 2-1 OT

TEAM NEWS by Phil Maddaloni and David Strauss

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
A Mid-Season Report on the Islanders

Here we are at the midpoint of the season and many of the same
questions that were floating around in September remain
unanswered:

* Where will the Islanders scoring come from? 
* Will the young defense mature? 
* Will the goaltending be solid enough? 
* Who will step forward and provide leadership for this young
team? 
* When will the ownership situation be resolved? 
* Will the attendance problems turn around? 
* Is Rick Bowness qualified to be an NHL head coach? 

OK, maybe that last one's been answered (Ted Nolan, hope your
resume is ready), but many others still remain.  At times this
young Islander team has looked like they could be contenders and
at other times they've looked like the same inexperienced team
they were last season.  This club has shown that when they play
their best and put their minds to it, they can compete with the
big boys.  They had impressive victories over Detroit, St.
Louis, Montreal, the Rangers, Phoenix, and Buffalo and
disappointing efforts against supposedly weaker teams such as
Ottawa, Carolina, Buffalo, Calgary, Chicago and Florida.

This season so far has been one of ups and downs for the Isles. 
Just about the only thing that has been consistent for the Isles
has been their inconsistency.  Doing their best impression of
Jekyll and Hyde, the Islanders version of Jekyll prevailed during
the early part of the season, but more recently Hyde has been
rearing his ugly head more often than not.  (Of course, we're
talking the classic Jeckyll and Hyde.  None of the Sean
Young stuff here.) Jekyll appeared in most of the road games
early on, while Hyde had been typically reserved for home games
much to the chagrin of the Coliseum faithful.  Jekyll also took
control during power-play and penalty-killing situations earlier
in the season where the Islanders enjoyed much early season
success.

During the second quarter, however, Hyde took over on the road
and during special teams play, while Jekyll started to make his
move during home games, but not enough to prevent a landslide
toward the lower half of the Eastern conference.  Early on, the
Islanders seemed to thrive in front of large crowds, notably
gaining victories in its first four home sellouts (two NYR, home
opener vs. TOR, STL), and in Detroit.  Later, though, not even
the large crowds were enough to bring about good efforts as they
were blown out at home in the 5th sellout against Florida.

While there have been problems everywhere, the defense and
goaltending have been mostly solid.  The problems the Isles have
had in those areas have been magnified due to the fact that the
much larger problem (offense) cannot seem to make up for
defensive lapses that inevitably occur, especially in such a
young team.

THE OFFENSE

While there have been a few pleasant surprises this year on the
offensive side, there have been far more disappointments. 
Leading that charge would be former 26-goal man Mariusz
Czerkawski who has shot blanks through most of the first half. 
He's currently on pace for six goals and 21 points after
posting 26 goals and 21 assists last season in Edmonton while
supposedly not getting enough ice time.

The next biggest disappointment would be Bryan Smolinski.  Smoke
had 28 goals last season in only 64 games.  He's on pace for a
paltry 12 goals and 33 points, not to mention the fact that he
seems to float through games all too often.  At least Travis
Green, while putting up similar numbers, looks to be making an
effort most of the time.

Next on the list is everyone's favorite fall guy, Todd Bertuzzi
who posted 18 goals in his freshman campaign, but probably wished
he hadn't.  He's on pace for 12 goals and 32 points.  Not what
we'd expected from him, but pretty good when you put those
numbers alongside Smolinski's.  Bert has started to deliver some
pretty good hits recently and needs to shore up his skating and
stick-handling.  With a bit more maturity, the Isles may
finally get some of what they've been waiting for from Todd...as
long as he's not traded away by that time.

Travis Green is doing OK in the goal department (on pace for 22),
but has not lived up to his reputation as a set-up man primarily
since most of his time has been spent centering the third line
with players like Czerkawski and Paul Kruse.  Green is on pace
for only 22 assists, far below his recent totals of 41 and 45. 
Bowness has been reluctant to reunite Green and Palffy, both of
whom seem to play better when they are playing together.

As for disappointments, last but not least would be Mr. Islander
himself, Ziggy Palffy, who is, incidentally, up for a new
contract at the end of this season.  Even though the entire
league is down in scoring, Palffy is down more and unless his
numbers improve, the Isles won't make the playoffs and you're
likely to have quite a drawn-out contract dispute.  He's
currently on pace for only 37 goals and 70 points versus 48 and
90 figures for last season when he missed two games.  This comes
after the infamous 60-goal prediction by GM Mike
"Foot-In-His-Mouth" Milbury.

On the positive side, offensively, the Isles' most consistent
performer has clearly been the steal of the century, Robert
Reichel.  After the Flames all but gave up on him, he has roared
back this season to be the brightest spot in an otherwise dim
Islander offense.  He's on pace for 31 goals and 80 points, when
you take into account the paltry offense throughout the
league this year, that ranks right up their with his career bests
of 40 and 93 in 93-94 (in an 84-game season).

The second best offensive surprise this season has been
off-season pick-up, Sergei Nemchinov.  He's on pace for 14 goals
and 47 points after having only eight goals and 24 points last
year.  More importantly, he has been the team's best defensive
forward, leading with a +8 and one of the better penalty killers
as well.  On top of that, he's only taken four minor penalties
all season, an amazing feat considering his grinding style of
play. Sergei's game should be a model for some of the younger
Isles.

Not far behind Nemchinov as far as surprises go would be Claude
LaPointe.  We all knew going into this season that he was as hard
a worker as you can get, but what we maybe didn't know was his
potential to contribute offensively, often at the most important
times.  He's on pace for 14 goals (21 pts) which would be a
career high.  That, however, doesn't begin to tell the story of
LaPointe's contributions.  At 5'9" and 181 lbs, he has probably
been the best and most consistent hitter on the Isles.  He logs
far more ice time than a typical fourth liner, primarily during
the penalty kill or protecting the lead late in the game, but
also filling in on other lines to spell his teammates now and
then.

Former NJ Devil, Tom Chorske, a pre-season waiver draft
selection, has also performed admirably in this first half.  He
is on pace for 12 goals and 33 points.  While the goal total is
fewer than he's had the past two seasons, the point total would
be his highest since 93-94 and much more than is expected from a
waiver draft pick-up.  He's also been one of the better penalty
killers, having already notched two short-handed goals with a 3rd
one incorrectly waived off in Dallas.  His +5 also ranks him
right up there among the leaders on the Isles in that category.

As for the rest of the Isles forwards, they have been mostly
invisible and taking up space.  That includes off-season free
agent signing Mike Hough, supposed to be a tough 3rd or 4th line
grinding forward who could provide a little scoring and some
leadership.  Thus far, with the exception of penalty killing,
where he has made some contribution, he's been virtually
invisible.  He's not nearly the grinder that Nemchinov or
LaPointe are, and he's contributed zilch for offense.  Last
season he had eight goals and 14 points in 69 games -- not much,
but on this team every bit helps.  For the Isles, though, he has
only managed one goal (which never touched his stick and should
have been awarded to LaPointe) and five assists, which works
out to 12 points on the year.  That would be OK if he was as good
a grinder as are LaPointe and Nemchinov or provided the
leadership that this team sorely needs, but there's no direct
evidence of that.  It's possible the team would be better served
giving Hough's ice time to a prospect who could use the chance to
develop.  A primary candidate would be Vladimir Orszagh who
has shown that he can be the grinder that the Isles need.  Even a
fireplug like Steve Webb, who loses more fights with more heart
than any player in the NHL, could provide a spark that Hough
cannot.

Kenny Belanger has filled the role which he was asked to play and
has been making steady improvements in his game as well.  With
more ice time and maturity, he may be able to become a solid
contributor in skills not involving his fists.  He is notably a 0
in the +/- department, which may say something about his ice
time, but Paul Kruse who fills a similar role, although he's
played more and has somewhat more skill, is a -11.
Unfortunately, any development by Belanger will be delayed.  His
recent thumb injury will keep him out for almost three months.

THE DEFENSE

Until the recent losing streak, the Isles defense had been solid,
with some of the inevitable mistakes of youth often becoming more
important than they should due to the ineptness of the offense. 
But their mistakes have multiplied during the last three weeks as
the team went down faster than a Damon Wayans movie.

A perfect example has been the play of last year's Rookie of the
Year, Bryan Berard.  Berard started off the season on fire,
primarily on the power play.  He was on pace to be among the
league leaders in defensive scoring.  He sustained a groin injury
which kept him out of seven games and now he, like the rest of
the team, is in a scoring slump and is barely on pace to beat his
point total from last season of 48 (53-point pace).  However, he
already has 1 1/2 times as many goals as he had all of last year
and is on pace to more than triple last year's total.  His assist
totals, however, are a bit disturbing.  He's on pace for 27 this
year when he rang up 40 last year.  If he doesn't resume his
early season offensive pace, he's going to have to concentrate on
defense more, as this has been a sore spot in his game where
he is currently a -17.

Kenny Jonsson has been possibly the biggest surprise of the
season.  He has blossomed into one of the better two-way
defensemen in the NHL.  He has played the body well, has been
excellent covering in his own end and is on pace for an
impressive 14 goals and 37 points, although his pace has dropped
off somewhat lately.  His being left off the Swedish Olympic team
due to some mental disorder by the Swedish coach is a travesty.

Bryan McCabe has had an up-and-down year.  After having been
awarded the captaincy at the start of the year, he got off to a
rough start, looking shaky through much of the early part of the
season.  After a while, though, he began to settle down to the
point where he has been one of the more solid defensive
defensemen and second most physical, right behind Rich Pilon.
His shakiness has still shown up from time to time, but much less
often than it did in the early part of the season.  In addition,
he has provided most of the little leadership that this team has
had, even if his efforts are sometimes misguided.  With more
experience, he will learn to pick his moments better and how to
avoid taking bad penalties.

Scott Lachance has been steady defensively for the Isles, despite
his -9, which is largely due to his pairing with Berard.  Despite
having been a healthy scratch the other night, he has been one of
the Isles' most consistent defensemen. He does, however, lack the
physical dimension that they get from McCabe, Pilon, and even
Jonsson.  Lachance is primarily a solid positional defender with
little offensive output.

Pilon, who is often underrated and overlooked among the so-called
"Fab Four," has nevertheless been possibly the most valuable of
all Islander defensemen.  He is by far the most physical player
on a club that is glaringly lacking that dimension.  He is one of
the few Isles who can intimidate the opponent and is also solid
defensively largely due to his physical play, though he's also
positionally sound.  He is willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone
in the league and will stick up for his teammates, sometimes to a
fault.  His 170 penalty minutes leads the team and his 40
minors leads the league. 

The other defensive position has been shared among Vaske, Houda,
and a battalion of minor leaguers eager for their shot at
cracking an NHL lineup.  Those include Jason Holland, Zdeno
Chara, and Jason Strudwick.  The 6'9" Chara has been the most
able, even if his size sometimes gets him in trouble with the law
(i.e. stick at side is often a high-sticking call).  He can be
a fierce body checker, has been surprisingly solid positionally
and is seemingly willing to fight with anyone.  He's likely to
take over the next permanent spot that becomes available, should
the Isles lose a d-man in a trade.

THE GOALTENDING

Both goaltenders have been solid this season until the last few
games, especially in the face of a sometimes shaky young defense. 
Each has, however had some bad games, which is expected of any
goaltender except, of course, Martin Brodeur.

Tommy Salo has handled the bulk of the load and until recently
has looked like one of the better goaltenders in the league.  If
it weren't for his recent tough stretch in which he was pulled in
consecutive games, he might've edged out Khabibulin or Kolzig for
a spot on the World All-Star team (he did finish 3rd in voting). 
He did come back strong, however, in a solid showing against the
Coyotes the other night.  Overall, he has a respectable 2.58 GAA
with a .905 save percentage.

Eric Fichaud, while hampered with injuries, has at times been
quite impressive.  He has had some bad luck, having had little
offensive support during his starts, 2.17 goals per game,
compared with 2.7 goals per game for Salo.  He has also faced
more shots on average in his starts, in fact having faced half
the shots that Salo has in a little over a third as many starts. 
His GAA is a less than impressive 2.76, but his save percentage
of .915 puts him among the league leaders.


Goaltending is possibly the one area where the Isles really don't
have a problem...yet.  They will have to address this situation
before expansion, as they can only protect both goalies if they
leave an extra two forwards AND two defensemen unprotected.  The
advent of Roberto Luongo may mean that one of the goalies will
go.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

The special teams was the cornerstone of the early season success
when the Isles, at one point, had the 2nd best power play and the
4th best penalty-killing unit.  That success was largely credited
to Assistant Coach Wayne Fleming and Berard, Reichel, and Palffy
on the PP and Nemchinov, Chorske, LaPointe, and Hough on the PK. 
Unfortunately, when you live by the sword, you die by the sword.
And the special teams that the Isles were riding to victories
early in the season have been virtually absent during the recent
losing streak.

The power play, though, has in fact been missing for quite a
while now. After game 14 of the season, the PP was at an
impressive 23.7%.  Since that time, the Isles scored only 13 PPG
in 110 attempts, a pitiful 11.8%, not to mention the fact that
they've given up six SHG during that period as well.  A +7 on 110
power plays just isn't going to cut it, especially on a team like
this that produces such little offense.  If we want to point at
contributing factors to the downslide, that's probably the main
one right there.  The Isles had 18 PPG in the first 14 games
(6-5-3), and only 13 in the next 28.  That's a drop of OVER one
goal a game just from the power play.

The penalty killing has been much more consistent, having fallen
from its peak of 91.3% (game 12) to its current 86.1%.  This has
possibly been the most stable aspect of the Isles' game and has
clearly been bolstered by the additions of Nemchinov and Chorske
and to a lesser extent Hough.  Even Palffy has done an admirable
job on the penalty kill and has netted two SHG of his own.  The
Isles have given up 2+ PPG in a game only four times (two goals
three times and three goals once) and one of those was opening
night.  They've shut out the opponent on the PP an impressive 20
times, especially considering that the young team is the 5th most
penalized in the NHL.

THE COACHING & MANAGEMENT

There's not a lot that hasn't already been said about Rick
Bowness.  He has clearly not been able to get the best out of
what looks to be a fairly talented, but young team.  There aren't
many facets of the game on which he hasn't been criticized.  He
seemingly has not handled the young players well, which is a huge
concern with this team.  Neither has he been able to provide the
leadership, direction, or motivation that a young team needs.
He has had trouble developing cohesive offensive units and has
made some questionable goaltending decisions, at times starting
Salo on back-to-back nights even after having had a shaky game
the night before.

One of the biggest worries concerning Bowness is his seeming
inability to fire up the team after a bad effort or between
periods.  It's OK to lose a game and even have a bad effort now
and then, but the next game you had better come out fired up and
ready to play.  This team has not done this on numerous occasions
and losses to mediocre teams were often the result.  On top of
all this, there's question over whether he has very much skill as
a strategist.  He often pulls the goalie or calls a timeout when
it is already too late.  From the comments in the press and the
way the team reacts, it seems as if the players may not have the
proper respect for Bowness, either.

All of these factors point to the need for a coaching change,
especially since many feel Bowness doesn't deserve the benefit of
the doubt due to his dismal prior record.

Wayne Fleming and to a lesser extent Brad McCrimmon have done a
decent job from all accounts.  Fleming with the special teams and
McCrimmon with the defense.  Fleming had better figure out how to
turn the PP back around and McCrimmon should work with Berard
some more on defensive coverage or they both might be on the way
out along with Bowness.

Milbury hasn't done much this year, besides pissing off a few
more agents.  The only transactions of note were the acquisition
of Czerkawski for prospect Dan LaCouture on which the jury is
still out, but not looking too good so far. While LaCouture
certainly would not have contributed anything this season,
Czerkawski hasn't done much either.  LaCouture, though, hasn't
exactly been burning up the AHL either, with only eight goals and
13 points in 35 games with Hamilton.  His size and physical play
might get him into the NHL, but probably closer to a 3rd liner or
2nd liner at the outside.

The only other transaction was the pickup of Chorske during the
waiver draft.  This is turning out to look like a pretty good
move as he has helped deepen the team's extremely shallow
offense.

Milbury's lack of activity on the trading front could be
construed as a negative, but he also hasn't made a mistake by
doing anything rash.  The longer he holds out, the less desperate
he looks while also waiting for the right deal to come along. 
Once Berard, McCabe, Jonsson, or Lachance is gone, the deal is
done.  If a better deal comes along, it'll probably be too
late.  In all probability, though, Milbury's hands were tied in
terms of making any big deals due to the impending ownership
change.

THE OUTLOOK

This team could easily go either way.  If they end up keeping
Bowness and not making a deal until it is too late, they may very
well end up with another high lottery pick.  Even if the Isles do
make a coaching change and/or major trade, it may take the team
long enough to get used to the changes that they still end up
missing the playoffs or barely squeaking in.

Either way, once Steve Gluckstern officially takes ownership,
everything changes.  You could see quite a bit of change in terms
of coaching, head office personnel, uniforms, and players.  If
Gluckstern can come in and influence a coaching change, possibly
installing former Isle Butch Goring as coach (who has won two
Turner Cups in the IHL with Utah) and even one medium to large
trade that is carefully orchestrated by Milbury, the Isles may be
able to squeak into the playoffs or more.

Unlike Pickett and Fraudo, er, Spano, Isles fans hope that
Gluckstern will NOT stand for a losing franchise and especially
not a losing image.

STARS OF THE HALF SEASON

*** Reichel 
**  Jonsson 
*   Nemchinov 

PLAY OF THE HALF SEASON

Bryan Berard's end-to-end PPG against the Devils was one of the
prettiest plays that I've seen by an Islander since the days of
Bob Bourne.  Unfortunately, it came in a loss.

NEXT UP:  Jan. 17th, the ownership transfer to Steve
Gluckstern...He may just get the #1 star in the POST-SEASON
report if he plays his cards right.



-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK RANGERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Colin Campbell

Rosters:  C - Wayne Gretzky, Pat LaFontaine, Brian Skrudland,
Mike Eastwood, P.J. Stock.  LW - Adam Graves, Kevin Stevens, Bill
Berg, Darren Langdon, Tim Sweeney.  RW - Niklas Sundstrom, Alexei
Kovalev, Mike Keane, Johan Lindbom, Ryan VandenBussche.  D -
Brian Leetch, Ulf Samuelsson, Jeff Beukeboom, Bruce Driver, Doug
Lidster, Alexander Karpovstev, Eric Cairns, Jeff Finley.  G -
Mike Richter, Dan Cloutier.

Injuries:  Ulf Samuelsson, d, (grade-1 sprain of the right knee,
two weeks).  Jeff Beukeboom, d, (brooken ankle, two weeks). 
Alexander Karpovtsev, d, (sprained wrist, day-to-day).  Bill
Berg, lw, (bone chip in elbow, 7-10 days).  Ryan VandenBususche,
rw, (torn cartilage in right knee, 7-10 days).   

Transactions:  Sent Jason Muzzatti, g, to Hartford(AHL). 
Recalled Dan Cloutier, g, from Hartford.  Recalled P.J. Stock, c,
from Hartford.  Sent Vladimir Vorobiev, rw, to Hartford.      

Game Results:
12/23 Tampa Bay     W 4-1
12/26 at Buffalo    L 3-0
12/28 Boston        W 4-3
12/31 at Tampa Bay  L 2-0
01/06 Carolina      W 4-2
01/08 Washington    L 5-3
01/10 at Montreal   PPD
01/12 Toronto       W 3-2

TEAM NEWS: Alex Frias, NY Rangers Team Correspondent

Pull the Trigger:  You have heard this over and over
again.  This team is struggling and needs a shot in the arm. 
Rangers president and general manager Neil Smith has watched his
options dwindle, as several trade candidates have landed with
other teams: Geoff Sanderson in Vancouver, Jason Arnott with the
rival Devils.  

Over in Vancouver, Mike Keenan has gone on his rampage and now is
the time to strike.  Send enigmatic winger Alexei Kovalev and
Eric Cairns to Iron Mike for Alexander Mogilny or Trevor Linden
and a defensemen with some offensive skills at the point.   
We're in January, there isn't that much time left if the Rangers
want to make some noise in the East.     

Clearing the Crease:  Go with the hot goalie, Colie (oh
snap, that rhymes).  Rookie Dan Cloutier won two games in a row,
and Mike Richter has struggled, mainly because he has played way
too much and has had little time to practice.  

"I think he has a ton of poise.  He's very set and plays the
angles well," said Richter.  "I haven't seen him play a lot after
he got hurt in training camp this year and last year [I was at]
the World Cup, but I like him.  Obviously, he's capable in
there."


There is no question Richter is the man to take the Rangers into
the sunset, but right now, the Rangers need victories more than
loyalties and so far this kid been getting jiggy with it.  

Gretzky, Leetch All-Stars:  Both Wayne Gretzky and Brian
Leetch were named to the North America All-Star Team in Vancouver
on Jan. 18.  Gretzky has played in every All-Star Game since his
rookie season of 1979-80 for 17 straight.  He trails only Gordie
Howe, who played in 23.  

While one has to give each credit for their past accomplishments,
you and I both know that those two spots could have been filled
by two more deserving players.  Yet like always, the fans are the
ones in charge of choosing the starters and god knows they're
clueless.   

Injury Analysis:  Somebody call a doctor because this
infirmary is getting packed.  Add four more to the list as Brian
Skrudland strained his left shoulder vs. the Capitals and is
day-to-day.  Alexander Karpovtsev sprained a wrist and is
day-to-day.    

Winger Bill Berg has tendinitis in his elbow and is expected to
be out 7-10 days.  And finally, enforcer Ryan VandenBussche is
out 7-10 days with torn cartilage in his right knee.  All of then
join Jeff Beukeboom (broken ankle) and Ulf Samuelsson (knee
sprain).



-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Wayne Cashman

ROSTER: C - Eric Lindros, Chris Gratton, Dan LaCroix, Joel Otto,
Vaclav Prospal. LW - Rod Brind'Amour, Colin Forbes, Dan Kordic,
John LeClair, Brantt Myhres, Shjon Podein. RW - Pat Falloon,
Trent Klatt, Dainius Zubrus. D - Paul Coffey, Eric Desjardins,
Chris Joseph, Janne Niinimaa, Luke Richardson, Kjell Samuelsson,
Petr Svoboda, Chris Therien. G - Ron Hextall, Garth Snow. 

Injuries: Petr Svoboda, d, (neck strain) and Pat Falloon, rw,
(abdominal strain) missed Sunday's game against Tampa Bay and are
day-to-day; Vaclav Prospal, rw, (broken left leg, is expected to
be sidelined until at least late February).

Transactions:  December 18 - Chris Joseph, d, recalled from
Philadelphia (AHL).

Game Results
12/30 at Edmonton     W 3-1
12/31 at Vancouver    W 8-0
01/03 at Ottawa       W 7-2
01/08 at Carolina     T 3-3
01/09 at Washington   L 4-1
01/11 at Tampa Bay    W 5-2

TEAM NEWS by Eric Meyer

STILL ROLLIN' ALONG... 

The talk around the league has been about the five big dogs that
seem to make the rest of the teams in the NHL look like little
puppies; those teams being: Colorado, New Jersey, Dallas,
Detroit, and of course, Philadelphia.

Unlike last season, when the Flyers hit the skids for the first 
quarter of the season, hovering around the .500 mark, only to go
on a huge 18-game unbeaten streak, this year's addition of the
orange and black has been relatively consistent: consistently
good.  Tied with the Devils heading into Monday's action, the
Flyers, despite all the line shifting by Head Coach Wayne
Cashman, have looked strong.  In fact, they have only two losses
in their last 15 games, going 10-3-2 during that stretch.

I've talked about it all season, but if I fail to give John
LeClair some sort of accolades in each and every article, I feel
like I've slighted him and done some sort of injustice.  The man
who hasn't missed a single game this year for the orange and
black has notched 33 goals in 44 games, putting him on pace to
notch 62 goals.  Let's not forget that ever since a December 5th
tie in New York, John LeClair has not been paired with Eric
Lindros as a linemate on the ice.

As a neat little transition, how about we talk about a guy who
has been paired with Eric Lindros, namely Trent Klatt.  Two
goals, one assist and some physical play by Klatty helped pace
the Flyers to a 5-2 victory over the Lightning on Sunday. 
Nonetheless, this reporter is still a little skeptical about
putting Trent Klatt, a third-liner under former coach Terry
Murray, on the first line with Eric Lindros and Rod Brind'Amour.  
Eight goals on the season, paired with Eric Lindros for much of
that stretch, just doesn't cut it for me.  But hey, I'm not the
coach and the team I'm not coaching, the Flyers, are atop the
Atlantic Division. 

Yes, the phone lines on most talk shows here in Philadelphia are
often inundated with hockey critics like myself, suggesting a
trade for a sniper, or a stay-at-home defenseman, or a goalie
(personally I would go the goalie route: CuJo - while his stock
is down a bit).  Yet, for all of the critics that called in
earlier in the season, and for all of the media in this town that
were against Wayne Cashman, those voices have become relatively
quiet in recent weeks.

Goal scored by number 6?

Yes, that's right!  For those of you who browsed through the box 
scores on Monday only to see that Chris Therien had notched his
first goal of the season... well, don't be surprised.  That's no
misprint.  The empty-net goal that defenseman Chris Therien
scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning, capping a 5-2 Flyers road
win, was Therien's first regular season goal in 112 games, dating
back to Oct. 30, 1996.

Tough Break (bad pun)

Six to eight weeks is a long time to wait, especially if it means 
missing the Olympics.  Yet that's the amount of time that right
wing Vinnie Prospal will miss after fracturing his fibula against
the Ottawa Senators.  Prospal was injured during the first period
of the Flyers' 7-2 win over the Sens at Ottawa on Saturday,
January 3 when he and Senators defenseman Lance Pitlick became
tied up behind the net.  Prospal fell to the ice, only to get his
foot caught in the ice surface, causing his leg to snap as he
awkwardly collapsed to the ice. Two screws were inserted into the
leg of Prospal by team physician, Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi.

As I mentioned before, the timing will be costly not only to the 
Flyers, but to the Czech Republic Olympic team who will now be
without the services of Mr. Prospal during the 1998 Olympics in
Nagano, Japan.
 
Defenseman Petr Svoboda will be the lone Flyers representative on
the Czech team.




-----------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Jacques Demers
   
Roster:  C - Jason Bonsignore, Steve Kelly, Paul Ysebaert,
Daymond Langkow, Brian Bradley. RW - Mikael Renberg, Mick Vukota,
Dino Ciccarelli, Alexander Selivanov, Mikael Anderson. LW - Rob
Zamuner, Troy Mallette, Jason Wiemer, Patrick Poulin, Vladimir
Vujtek, Louie Debrusk. D - Cory Cross, Jeff Norton, Jamie
Huscroft, Karl Dykhuis, David Shaw, Yves Racine, Bryan Marchment,
Igor Ulanov. G - Daren Puppa, Corey Schwab, Derek Wilkinson, Zac
Bierk.

Injuries:  Troy Mallette, lw (herniated disk, out for season);
Brian Bradley, c (concussion/wrist injury, indefinite); Daren
Puppa, g (back spasms, indefinite); Cory Schwab, g (sprained
ankle, indefinite); Yves Racine, d (sprained right ankle,
day-to-day).

Transactions:  Trade Roman Hamrlik, d, and Paul Comrie, lw, to
the Edmonton Oilers for Bryan Marchment, d, Steve Kelly, c, and
Jason Bonsgnore, c;  assigned Brent Peterson, lw, to Milwaukee
(IHL); recalled Derek Wilkinson, g, from Cleveland (IHL);
recalled Zac Bierk, g, from Adirondack (AHL).

Game Results
12/14  at Philadelphia L  3-0
12/16  at Pittsburgh   T  1-1                                   
12/17  Boston          W  2-0       
12/20  Rangers         T  2-2                                     
12/22  St. Louis       T  2-2 
12/23  at Rangers      L  4-1 
12/27  Boston          L  3-1
12/29  San Jose        W  2-1       
12/31  Rangers         W  2-0                                     
01/02  Florida         T  2-2                                    
01/03  Anaheim         L  4-1
01/07  Toronto         L  5-2                                     
01/09  at New Jersey   L  4-1
01/11  Philadelphia    L  5-2                                     
         
Team News by Seth Lerman

The Tampa Bay Lightning would probably be better off appearing on
an episode of ER rather than in a National Hockey League
building.  Since October, the NHL's worst hockey team has lost
star players Brian Bradley, Daren Puppa, Mikael Renberg, Dino
Ciccarelli, Corey Schwab, and John Cullen to long term
injuries.      

Add this to the Lightning's dismal on-ice performance and you can
say, "With the first pick in the 1998 NHL entry draft, the Tampa
Bay Lightning select Vincent Lecavalier from Rimouski Oceanic of
the Quebec Hockey League" faster than Roman Hamrlik left town.
  
With more than half the season gone, the Lightning rank last in
goals scored (75), goals per game (1.7), shooting percentage
(6.8), power-play goals (17), and points (26) 

Most professional hockey franchises will not let injuries be an
excuse for poor play, and the Lightning are no exception.
  
In fact, coach Jacques Demers believes the worst is now behind
them.  With 39 games remaining, he feels the Lightning will be in
a good position to fight for a playoff spot - as long as the club
stays healthy, which, thus far, has not been the case.
  
Management will agree with him.  Although, a trade with the
Edmonton Oilers which brought Jason Bonsignore, Steve Kelly, and
Bryan Marchment in return for Roman Hamrlik and Paul Comrie
indicates that the Lightning are looking towards the future
rather than the present.

Of the three, Marchment has the most experience.  The former
first-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets is in his tenth NHL season
while Kelly and Bonsignore have a combined 29 games of NHL
experience.
  
It was apparent that Roman Hamrlik's days with the Tampa Bay
Lightning were few when coach Jacques Demers referred to the
underachieving defenseman as a ship lost at sea.
  
For Hamrlik, the change of scenery might rejuvenate his career. 
As a member of the Lightning, Hamrlik has fallen on some
difficult times.  Since being tagged with the "franchise player"
label, Hamrlik turned in five-and-a-half seasons of inconsistent
play.  His best year was in 1995-96 when he scored 16 goals and
added 49 assists in leading the Lightning to their first and only
playoff birth.
  
Since then he has battled with former coach Terry Crisp.  It was
hoped by management that Hamrlik would flourish under Demers but
that has simply not happened.
  
In return, the Lightning receive two young prospects and a
veteran defenseman known for delivering devastating bodychecks. 
Just ask Mike Modano and Greg Adams of the Dallas Stars, who were
both injured after being hit by Marchment.

Although the trade was a move that many fans had been waiting
for, it did not solve any problems on the ice.  Since the trade,
the Lightning have gone 1-4-1 and speculation arises that
Esposito is not done pulling the trigger.  It has been rumored
that he will acquire Kevin Todd from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for
either David Shaw or Yves Racine to plug a hole at center, but
don't expect a mountain to crumble if that deal is made.
  
Owner Steve Oto has said that Phil Esposito's job is safe and
that he has great confidence in his scouting staff.  But with the
sale of the club pending, and the team crumbling, expect a total
overhaul in the near future.

     


-----------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ron Wilson 

Roster: C - Adam Oates, Joe Juneau, Dale Hunter, Andrei
Nikolishin, Michal Pivonka, Jan Bulis. LW - Jogi Svejkovsky,
Andrew Brunette, Todd Krygier, Steve Konowalchuk, Jeff Toms, Mike
Eagles, Chris Simon. RW - Peter Bondra, Richard Zednik, Craig
Berube, Kelly Miller, Pat Peake. D - Phil Housley, Calle
Johansson, Mark Tinordi, Sylvain Cote, Sergei Gonchar, Joe
Reekie, Ken Klee, Brendan Witt. G - Olaf Kolzig, Bill Ranford,
Stephane Beauregard. 

Injuries: Pat Peake, rw (torn ankle tendon, indefinite); Yogi
Svejkovsky, lw (sprained ankle, 1-2 weeks); Joe Juneau, c
(strained right knee ligaments, 1-2 weeks); Bill Ranford, g
(strained hamstring, day-to-day); Chris Simon, lw (shoulder
surgery, out for regular season); Brendan Witt, d (slight
concussion, day-to-day). 

Transactions: Assigned Brad Church, lw, to Portland (AHL).
Recalled Benoit Gratton, c, from Portland. Assigned Gratton to
Portland. Recalled Andrew Brunette, lw, from Portland. Announced
Chris Simon, lw, will have shoulder surgery and miss the
remainder of the regular season. Bill Ranford, g, placed on
injured reserve. Received Stephane Beauregard, g, on loan from
the Chicago Wolves (IHL).

Game Results: 
12/18 Florida       L  4-0
12/20 at Carolina   W  2-1
12/23 New Jersey    T  1-1
12/26 Pittsburgh    L  4-1
12/27 Ottawa        L  3-0
12/29 St. Louis     W  4-2
01/01 Anaheim       W  3-2
01/03 NY Rangers    L  3-2
01/06 Toronto       W  5-3
01/08 at NY Rangers W  5-3
01/09 Philadelphia  W  4-1
01/11 at Detroit    L  2-0

TEAM NEWS by Jason Sheehan

Hunter Notches 1,000th Point in One Period

Washington Capitals captain Dale Hunter is the epitome of
patience and durability. Playing with a grinding style that
teammates love and the opposition hates for the past 18 seasons,
Hunter has dressed for 1,309 games, racked up 3,408 penalty
minutes, which ranks second only to Tiger Williams, and has never
scored 30 goals in a season.

But for one night, Jan. 9th, versus the Philadelphia Flyers,
Hunter was on a mission to score three points to earn his 1,000th
career-point. For one night, he traded his plumber's belt for a
style resembling the great one himself, Wayne Gretzky, who was
recently voted the best hockey player of all-time by the rival
publication of LCS: Guide To Hockey, The Hockey News.

Hunter took 1,308 hard-fought games to score 997 points. But in a
short span of 18:21, Hunter became the 49th player in NHL history
to score 1,000 points when right wing Craig Berube wristed a
blistering shot over goaltender Garth Snow. Hunter's three
assists led the Capitals past the Flyers at MCI Center, 4-1.
  
"It's a goal that was achievable, even though I'm not a
1,000-point man who takes 10 years -- it took me 18, that's all,"
said Hunter, 37, who is the only player in NHL history to score
300 goals and accumulate more than 3,000 penalty minutes. "It's
one of those things where you work hard and get rewarded for it.

"But to do it with three points in one night, it's something I've
never even dreamt about. I didn't even think it was feasible."

After Berube scored, Washington's bench emptied as each player
wearing the blue, black and bronze raced toward Hunter to
congratulate him in his moment of glory. Berube was the first
Capital to congratulate Hunter.

"It's been great playing with Huntsy all this year and being a
part of his 1,000th point is a big thrill for me, one that I'll
remember for a long time," said Berube.

Hunter, though, would gladly trade a few of his 1,000 points in
exchange for winning more games.

"It's a nice feeling to achieve something like this," said
Hunter, who received a congratulatory gash over his left eye in
the third period from Eric Lindros. "Myself, I'm not really
judged by points and stuff. My kind of role, I'm more judged by
wins and losses so it's a good feeling. And we won. That means
everything."

Capitals coach Ron Wilson attributed Hunter's hard work and
dedication to the game as reasons for obtaining the milestone.

"He works hard every day," said Wilson. "He gives it his all. He
toughs out all the bumps and bruises. He hasn't missed any games
this season or last season.

"This was a very meaningful 1,000th point," he continued. "It was
a huge game against one of our biggest rivals. And that goal [he
assisted on] was the one to put the Flyers away."

Hunter's feat gave Washington the distinction of being the only
team in history to have three players score their 1,000th point
in the same season. Center Adam Oates and defenseman Phil Housley
scored their 1,000th points in October and November,
respectively.

Simon Lost for the Season

According to Wilson, left wing Chris Simon is "irreplaceable,"
which is what gave the Capitals coach such discomfort upon
learning that Simon opted for season-ending shoulder surgery at
the advice of specialist Dr. James Tibone in Los Angeles.

Simon, who has had problems with his shoulder and back the past
two seasons, aggravated his shoulder for the first time this
season Dec. 4th in the MCI Center debut versus Florida. He
returned to the lineup soon after, but was hurt again Dec. 20th
at Carolina. 

Simon, who went under the knife Jan. 13th, could return to the
lineup if or when the Capitals make the playoffs.

"This is a very unfortunate situation, but (general manager)
George McPhee, the coaching staff, and the organization have
supported my decision to have the surgery," said Simon in a
written statement. "I wish I could have played through the
season, but my medical advisors believe that I couldn't continue
to play at the NHL level in my current condition." 

Simon, who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche November 1996
for winger Keith Jones and a draft pick, has totaled 16 goals, 23
assists, 213 penalty minutes and a plus-eight rating while in
Washington. Simon's scoring totals in the 1997-98 campaign
include seven goals and 10 assists.

Bondra and Kolzig Selected to 1998 World All-Star Team

For right wing Peter Bondra, making the All-Star game is an
annual occurrence. The Capitals' goal-scoring leader will be
appearing in his fourth All-Star Game in the past five years and
currently reigns as the NHL's fastest man, an honor he earned
last season at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition. He will
defend his crown Jan. 17 in Vancouver.

Bondra has scored 27 goals this season, ranking him fourth in
goal-scoring behind Philadelphia's John LeClair (33), Anaheim's
Teemu Selanne (33), and Phoenix's Keith Tkachuk (28). Ten of his
goals have been scored in the third period, which ranks third
among league leaders.

Unlike Bondra, goaltender Olaf Kolzig has never appeared in the
NHL's mid-season classic. In fact, he had spent his previous
seven years in the Capitals organization as either a backup
goaltender or in the AHL (American Hockey League). 

Kolzig only had 14 career wins before the season began (14-36-8)
and was mainly known as the goaltender responsible for reading
"The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates,"
(www.audionet.com/sports/nhl/capitals/kolzig.ram),
which was written by Susan Shreve. 

Since Kolzig's voice began echoing the hallowed halls of the
Internet, he earned the top spot in goal ahead of veteran Bill
Ranford and has posted numbers that place him near the top of the
league standings.

Kolzig's 2.37 goal-against-average places him in the top third of
the league, ahead of the likes of Dominik Hasek (2.49), Mike
Richter (2.58), John Vanbiesbrouck (2.76) and Curtis Joseph
(2.84). Kolzig also ranks in the top third of the league with a
save percentage of .916 and ranks fourth in wins with 19 -- five
more than he had in his career before the season began.

Kolzig, though, is no stranger to international competition. He
participated in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey with Germany and
will play for the German National team at the Olympics next month
in Nagano.


"We are pleased, for both Peter and Olie, that their abilities
have been recognized," said McPhee. "It is particularly special
for Olie, because of his ties to British Columbia."

This year's All-Star game features a new international format.
Billed as "North America vs. The World," the game will match the
best players from around the world versus the best North America
has to offer. The game will be played Jan. 18 in Vancouver at 4
p.m.

Capitals Clipboard

Washington will unveil its new "alternate" jersey at the end of
the month. The Capitol Building with crossed hockey sticks, which
currently is the secondary logo, will be featured on the crest
while the eagle will be moved to the shoulders. The jersey is
predominately black and features bronze lettering. . . 

Center Andrei Nikolishin, who suffered a torn ACL at the World
Championships last April, dressed for his first game of the
season Jan. 6th at MCI Center against Toronto. He is currently
centering a line with Bondra and Jeff Toms. . . 

Toms returned to the lineup Jan. 8th at Madison Square Garden
against the Rangers. . .

Washington's 5-3 win against the Rangers marked the first time
since February 1996 that the Capitals won a game when trailing
after the second period. The Rangers held a 3-2 lead during the
second intermission. . . 

Center Michal Pivonka and Jan Bulis have been benched for poor
play. It's the first time Pivonka has been benched since
joining the NHL in 1986. He has spent his entire career with the
Capitals.

================================================================

================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHEASTERN DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Pat Burns

Roster: C - Anson Carter, Dimitri Khristich, Joe Thornton, Ted
Donato, Tim Taylor.  LW - Ken Baumgartner, Rob Dimaio, Sergei
Samsonov, Jason Allison, Mike Sullivan. RW - Steve Heinze, Landon
Wilson, Per Johan Axelsson, Jean Yves Roy.  D - Ray Bourque, Don
Sweeney, Dave Ellett, Kyle McLaren, Dean Chynoweth, Mattias
Timander, Dean Malkoc, Hal Gill, Darren Van Impe. G - Byron
Dafoe, Rob Tallas.

Injuries: None.

Transactions: Cameron Mann, c, sent to Providence (AHL).

Game Results
12/17 at Tampa Bay     L 2-0
12/18 at Philadelphia  T 2-2
12/20 Islanders        L 4-3
12/22 Detroit          L 4-2
12/27 at Tampa Bay     W 3-1
12/28 at Rangers       L 4-3
12/31 at Toronto       T 2-2
01/01 Ottawa           T 0-0
01/03 San Jose         W 3-0
01/07 Montreal         W 2-1
01/08 Phoenix          W 5-2
01/12 New Jersey       T 1-1

TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown

After a string of five victories in a row, the once lowly Bruins
lost to the currently lowly Lightning, and proceeded to go
without a win for the next four games. Then they visited the
Lightning again two days after Christmas and received a belated
present in the form of a 3-1 win. The Bruins, who looked like
they were slipping back to the form of last season for a while,
pulled out of their funk and had only one loss in the next eight
games. Monday night's tie with New Jersey continued the Bruins'
six-game unbeaten streak.

So over the last 12 games, the Bruins ended up 4-4-4, which is
like treading water.  However, that isn't half bad after starting
out 0-2-2, and looking for the world like they were going down
for the count. Heck, the Islanders haven't beaten anybody since
they scored late to beat the Bruins on December 20.

Monday's tie with New Jersey leaves the Bruins with a .500 record
at home (8-8-4) and 12-8-4 on the road - no other NHL team has a
.500 or less home record and a winning record overall. Even more
amazing, if you think back to last year at least, is that the
Bruins have actually outscored their opposition by a 112 to 107
margin. That may look like a measly five goals to most, but to
Bruins fans who endured last year's debacle on skates, with a
66-goal (234 -300) deficit, this is lofty stuff.

The Bruins are now 20-16-9 after 45 games. Last year they were
26-47-9 for the season, with 61 points in 82 games. They have 49
points in 45 games, good for 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
That projects to 87 points in an 82 game season, which last year
would have qualified them for the playoffs in 5th place.

While the word around the league is that the Bruins are another
boring trap team, the word around Boston is that the Bruins
players become wholesale converts to the Pat Burns theory of
hockey. The Bruins have improved their defensive play by better
than a goal a game.

Pat Burns was particularly upset by remarks from Jeremy Roenick
of the Coyotes that pegged the Bruins as a clutch and grab team.
Burns countered by pointing out that the Bruins are the least
penalized team in the NHL at this point, and Roenick's own team
was far more guilty of taking liberties with the rules than
the Bruins - The Coyotes had two power plays, the Bruins four.

But it goes farther than that. There has been a lot of talk about
about scoring being down, and changing the rules, making the
goals bigger, and so on. Most of these remarks are very
shortsighted and forgetful of hockey history/ Most of the
people who say that a 1-1 game is boring are just not looking at
the right things.

Hockey, like most pro sports, has cycles where one aspect of the
game is in ascendancy, teams copy other successful teams, and
then somebody comes along, breaks the mold, and becomes the new
team to copy.  Some of the best examples come from the NFL, where
for years it was unthinkable to play a 4-3 defense, and
everyone used a 3-4, because of pass-dominated winning teams.
Then the offenses start to run the ball more again, and gradually
teams change defense back to the 4-3. Hockey is no different. If
you look back to pre-expansion hockey, it was a defensive game.
That changed in a hurry with expansion and the coming of Bobby
Orr. When Orr left, the defenses tightened up, Tony Esposito
recorded 15 shutouts in a season, and the Islanders started their
Stanley Cup streak. Along comes Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers, and
scoring is back in vogue. Now we are back on the defensive side
of the cycle, and teams with power like Detroit and Colorado, who
are at their core tough defensive teams with quality depth, rule
the roost. It will cycle again toward the offense without the
help of funky rules changes.


Now, if you think back to the teams Pat Burns coached in
Montreal, they had stifling defenses. Now in Boston, a Pat Burns
team is playing very tight defense, is backchecking correctly and
persistently (something Steve Kasper, with the best of knowledge
and intention, was not ever able to get the team to do), and is
winning games. Do you see a pattern?

When Pat Burns was rumored to be taking the job of Bruins coach,
it was easy for Bruins fans to remember hating him as Habs coach.
Now that he has been here for a little over half a season, it is
easy to see why Montreal fans loved him.

Pat Burns has not changed his coaching philosophy more than one
little bit since leaving Montreal and Toronto. He makes his
expectations clear to both players and goalkeepers - he told
Byron Dafoe to stop the first shot, and then it is up
to the rest of the guys to clear out from there on. The Bruins, a
very young team, forget this simple premise every so often, and
just about every time, it bites them.  The players are realizing 
this, and are getting bitten less often as the season goes by.
Remember, the Devils won a Stanley Cup by buying into a similar
system from Jacques Lemaire, another former Canadiens product,
and then missed the playoffs the following year when the players,
with swelled heads, rebelled against Jacques.

How boring is it to keep writing week after week about how Jason
Allison is prospering under Pat Burns and looking like he might
just prove his critics wrong by performing in line with his
talents?  However, Jason passed another milestone toward reaching
his potential by scoring his first NHL hat trick against the
Phoenix Coyotes in a 5-2 Bruins win. Allison was superb against
the Coyotes. His strong (not fast) skating around the net left
the Phoenix defense eating his ice chips, and goalie Nikolai
Khabibulin at his mercy. All three goals were scored within ten
feet of the crease, and his performance brought down the house
(not to mention the hats) in the Fleetcenter.

Equally interesting, but far less reported, is the performance of
Dimitri Khristich. This guy came from Los Angeles with a bad rap
as a teammate and intimations of laziness.  Not under Pat Burns.
Dimitri has 16 goals, tying him for the team goal-scoring lead
with Allison. He has been instrumental in bringing rookie Sergei
Samsonov along as an NHLer, to the point where Burns had
made Allison-Khristich-Samsonov the first line. Khristich has
killed penalties, goes hard into the corners, passes well and
generously, and against the Canadiens, was labelled a one-man
wrecking crew by the Bruins announcers, Dale Arnold and Gord
Kluzak. Khristich put two Canadiens, Valeri Bure (cuff to the
chops) and Jocelyn Thibault (slap shot off the collarbone) out of
the game.  That, and a 2-1 overtime win over the Habs, was enough
to make Bruins fans think that Harry Sinden had won both ends of
the trade that sent Sandy Moger and Jozef Stumpel to the LA Kings
for Byron Dafoe and Dimitri.




-----------------------------------------------------------------
BUFFALO SABRES
----------------------------------------------------------------- 
Head Coach: Lindy Ruff

Roster: C - Mike Peca, Derek Plante, Brian Holzinger, Eric
Rasmussen, Wayne Primeau. LW - Randy Burridge, Miroslav Satan,
Michal Grosek, Brad May. RW - Donald Audette, Jason Dawe, Matthew
Barnaby, Dixon Ward, Rob Ray. D - Alexei Zhitnik, Darryl Shannon,
Jay McKee, Mike Wilson, Bob Boughner, Richard Smehlik, Jason Woolley.
G - Dominik Hasek, Steve Shields. 

Injuries:  Brad May, lw (torn mcl, 4 weeks, on IR 12/30/97), Mike
Wilson, d (mild concussion, day-to-day).

Transactions: recalled Jay McKee, d, from Rochester (AHL)

Game Results
12/15 at Dallas    L 8-4
12/17 at NY Isles  L 4-0
12/19 Montreal     W 1-0
12/21 at Rangers   W 2-0
12/23 Detroit      L 3-1
12/26 Rangers      W 3-0
12/27 at Carolina  L 4-1
12/29 New Jersey   L 3-1
12/31 Ottawa       W 3-0
01/02 Colorado     T 2-2
01/07 at Anaheim   W 3-2
01/08 at LA        T 2-2
01/10 at San Jose  L 5-2

TEAM NEWS by Joe Brunner

That runaway bobsled to hell known as the Buffalo Sabres
continues to lurk just beneath the final playoff spot. Although
I'm pessimistic by nature, the Sabres could reverse their
fortunes with a good run after the All-Star break, as we
witnessed Ottawa do last season. Is there a light at the end of
the tunnel? Quite possibly, but more likely it's an oncoming
train. 

Of course with the Dominator between the pipes anything is
possible. Last issue, if you can find it, I wrote about Dom
earning player of the week. Now he has even topped himself by
winning player of the month. During December, Dom racked up six 
shutouts, a number equaled only by the legendary George
Hainesworth in 1928-29. The modern day record of five shutouts in
a month was shared by Jim Carey (3/96) and Tony Esposito (2/74).
During December, Hasek started 14 games and finished with a 7-5-1
record, 1.55 gaa, and .949 SA. Not bad stats for a guy that looks
like a concentration camp survivor. If only the Sabres could 
figure out a way to score more than two goals a game. 

The only other Sabre that's really distinguished himself lately
is Mike Peca. Peca tallied two short-handed against the Sens and
assisted on Dixon Ward's short-handed goal versus the Kings. It
appears that Peca is all the way back after his long holdout and
will make another run at the Selke Trophy. Peca is also a plus or
even in at least six consecutive games. I never did get the
boxscore for that darn Carolina game so his streak could be much
longer.

The biggest flaw I see in this year's Sabres is that they lack
strength down the middle. Sammy Pollack once said that you had to
have that to win, and the Sabres don't. Other than Hasek and
Peca, the play of the other guys down the middle has been
dreadful. Brian Holzinger is having an awful year after showing
so much promise the season before, and Derek Plante has been 
inconsistent at best. Curtis Brown has shown some promise at
center, but it's a bit much to expect a big contribution from a
rookie. Hasek's slow start to begin the season, Peca's holdout,
and the poor play of Holzinger and Plante pretty much explain why
the Sabres are where they are in the standings.


On the injury front, Brad May is injured again. That should come
as no surprise to anyone that has followed May's career. Mike
Wilson suffered a mild concussion in the King's game. Reportedly
he was examined by the Mayo Clinic and his IQ is actually
increasing. The Sabre's trainers are now giving Wilson daily
blows to the head in the hopes of increasing his intelligence. If
it works they may try the same therapy on Richard Smehlik. Sorry,
Mike, I know that was in poor taste. Just to set the record
straight, Mike Wilson remains as dumb as ever.

The big news coming out of MMA is that John Rigas has signed a
letter of intent to purchase the team. Rigas is the primary
stockholder in Adelphia Communications, the nations 7th largest
cable TV service. Having an owner with deep pockets will provide
a huge boost to the Sabres, though I did notice he had rather
short arms. Anyone that's ever watched reruns of the old Ben
Casey series will notice that Rigas bears a striking resemblance
to Dr.Zorba.  Dr.Zorba was a kind, caring, intelligent physician.
That leads me to conclude that Rigas will be a great owner. 

The sale may be approved at the next NHL Board of Governors
meeting January 17-18. The rumors are flying that Rigas will 
move to bring back Ted Nolan as coach. After doing thousands of
interviews, checking credit card records, and setting up
wiretaps, this reporter is going on record as saying that Nolan
will be back behind the Sabres bench next season. 

GM Darcy Regier, known as Niles Crane by Sabres fans, is
scheduled to speak to the booster club today. Members of the
media aren't invited, so I took the liberty of giving a few key
questions to a booster club member. Regier's answers will paint a
telling picture. I hope to be able to have them next issue. Here
are the questions that hopefully will be posed to Niles:

1) It was rumored that when Mike Wilson suffered a concussion,
you called the Rangers and offered to trade him for a set of
steak knives. Larry Quinn then stepped in and demanded a turkey
baster as well. Any comments?

2) Studies have shown that there is a high incidence of cancer in
golfers. It has been linked to pesticides and other chemicals
used on the golf course.  There appears to be a high incidence of
hair loss in hockey players. Could there be chemicals leeching
from the cooling systems used to make ice? Will you ask the NHL
to investigate, or will you go along with the coverup?

3) It was rumored that your original choice as head coach was
Martin Mull, and when he declined you decided to hire someone
that looked just like him, comments?

4) Are those your real teeth?

5) The speculation is that Larry Quinn will get the axe when the
sale to Rigas is formally approved. Should that occur, have you
been making arrangements to find another hole to stick your head
in?

It's critical that the fans have answers to these questions.
Hopefully we will have them next issue.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
CAROLINA HURRICANES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Paul Maurice

Roster: C - Keith Primeau, Bates Battaglia, Jeff O'Neill, Kent
Manderville. RW - Sami Kapanen, Kevin Dineen, Nelson Emerson,
Paul Ranheim, Stephen Leach. LW - Robert Kron, Gary Roberts,
Martin Gelinas, Stu Grimson, Steven Rice. D - Steve Chiasson,
Glen Wesley, Curtis Leschyshyn, Kevin Haller, Adam Burt, Sean
Hill. G - Trevor Kidd, Mike Fountain, Kirk McLean.

INJURIES: Kirk McLean, g (back - strained it while bending over
to tie a skate lace, day-to-day).

TRANSACTIONS: 12/21 - Recalled Pat Jablonski, g, from Cleveland
(IHL); 1/2 - Traded Jeff Brown, d, to Toronto for a conditional
1999 draft pick; 1/3 - Traded Geoff Sanderson, lw, Enrico
Ciccone, d, and Sean Burke, g, to Vancouver for Martin Gelinas,
lw, and Kirk McLean, g; 1/3 - Called up Bates Battaglia,
c, and Tripp Tracy, g, from New Haven (AHL); 1/7 - Returned Tracy
to New Haven; 1/9 - Returned Jablonski, g, to Cleveland, called
up Mike Fountain, g, from New Haven.

GAME RESULTS
12/16 Ottawa          W 2-1
12/18 at Ottawa       L 3-2
12/20 Washington      L 2-1
12/23 at Philadelphia L 4-2
12/26 Florida         L 5-2
12/27 Buffalo         W 4-1
12/30 Anaheim         W 2-1
12/31 at Pittsburgh   L 3-2
01/03 Dallas          L 6-1
01/05 Ottawa          W 4-1
01/06 at NY Rangers   L 4-2
01/08 Philadelphia    T 3-3
01/10 at NY Islanders W 2-1 OT

TEAM NEWS by Brad Kane

TRADE CITY
It came as a surprise to no one when the axe finally fell on the
Hartford/Carolina careers of Sean Burke and Geoff Sanderson. 
Both had been expecting a trade, and when both ran afoul of head
coach Paul Maurice around Christmas, GM Jim Rutherford sped talks
up a bit and shipped both of them to Vancouver.  For anyone who
followed the Hartford Whalers the last four years or so, it was
no secret what Burke and Sanderson meant to the Whale. Burke was
a four-time team MVP; Sanderson was an all-star who twice scored
40+ goals and netted 30+ two other times.  But, due to
Sanderson's season long scoring funk and what Rutherford termed
"chemistry problems" involving Burke, the Carolina portion of
their careers turned out to be brief.  

In return for quite possibly the two most talented players on the
Hurricanes' roster, Carolina acquired winger Martin Gelinas and
goaltender Kirk McLean.  Gelinas, like Sanderson and Burke, had
been in his coach's doghouse.  When your coach happens to be Mike
Keenan...well...let's just say that Gelinas needed a change of
scenery.  McLean, like Burke, has underachieved this year, and
also had been on the trading block for quite some time.

For Carolina, the impetus for the trade was one of "addition by
subtraction".  Burke and Sanderson were not playing well, they
both wanted out, and Rutherford thought the team would be better
off without them.  The objective became to get anyone, or
anything, for the duo.  After all, it's not as if the 'Canes
actually improved themselves.  McLean for Burke may give a slight
edge to Vancouver, while Gelinas for Sanderson may be a small
advantage for Carolina -- if only because Gelinas is a better
defensive player.  (Of course, I would be remiss to not mention
the fact that defenseman Enrico Ciccone also headed to Vancouver. 
This part of the trade is most certainly addition by subtraction
for Carolina.  After all, the Hurricanes went 1-11-1 in games
were Ciccone played.  His penchant for taking boneheaded
penalties quickly wore out his welcome in Greensboro.)  

In the end, the intangibles of the deal shed some light on why
Rutherford pulled the trigger -- namely, Burke's contract status. 
Burke will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and had
been unable to come to terms with Carolina on an extension. 
Rutherford finally gave up any hope of acquiring a forward or
even a draft pick for the netminder.  He had toyed with the idea
of sending Burke to the 'Canes AHL affiliate in New Haven to, at
the very least, get him out of the locker room.  But,
Rutherford resigned himself to the fact that getting another
goalie having a less-than-stellar season was the only way to get
Burke out of town. 

McLean is signed through next year, which leaves this writer
wondering what Carolina intends to do.  With Trevor Kidd already
anointed Carolina's goalie of both the present and the future,
where does McLean fit in?  Like Burke, his best years are most
likely behind him, and also like Burke, he makes two-million-plus
a year.  If McLean is not taken in the expansion draft (not
likely -- Nashville should be able to get a goalie of similar
ability who's younger), or traded (less likely due to his high
salary...unless Philadelphia gets REALLY desperate), Carolina
will have this same situation on their hands next year at this
time -- two number-one-caliber goalies fighting for playing time.

Hindsight is indeed 20-20, but here's something to think about. 
Take a deep breath:  In the offseason, when it was apparent that
Burke was not going to come to contract terms with the team,
Rutherford could have realized that he was not going to get
anything for him, kept him as the starter for 97-98, used
prospect J.S. Giguere (traded to Calgary with Andrew Cassels for
Kidd and Gary Roberts) as Burke's backup, groomed Giguere as the
starter for 98-99 when Burke would be gone, kept Cassels, which
means that Sanderson would still be around (scoring goals, too),
and passed on Roberts, who has not had the impact team officials
thought he would.  Whew...  Keep in mind, as it's written above,
it's all 20-20...

In other trade news, the move of defenseman Jeff Brown to Toronto
was almost forgotten when the deal with the Canucks went down
less than 12 hours later.  Brown, one of three members of the
Carolina blue line to make more then two million this year (Steve
Chiasson and Glen Wesley are the others), became an odd man out,
benched since December 20.  Carrying eight defensemen before the
two trades, Rutherford noted that the team was not actively
trying to move any backliners.  Both he and Maurice were quoted
as saying that depth on defense was important in case of injury. 
Hmm, well eight minus two is six and six defensemen are generally
needed in a game, so that safety net has just been shot to hell. 
To Rutherford's credit, there are a few young defenseman at New
Haven who can step in and play at the NHL level, and have done so
before.  They include Steve Halko and Nolan Pratt.  Trading Brown
and Ciccone opens up the possibility for a call-up for either of
the two.

AN ALL-STAR INJUSTICE
So, while longtime franchise fans began the task of, once again,
trying to remember who actually plays for this team, the all-star
teams were announced.  Unlike past years, this year's North
America-versus-anyone-who-wants-to-take-them-on free-for-all
alleviated the long standing provision that each team have at
least one representative.
 
Naturally, Carolina (along with San Jose and Tampa Bay) was
overlooked.  The fact that Sami Kapanen has had a great year was
also overlooked.  Fact is, Sami should be in Vancouver January
18.  Here's his credentials:  A team high 17 goals, also leading
the team in points, checking as hard as Chris Chelios in his
prime, quite possibly the NHL's smartest player, a friend to
household pets everywhere, etc.  It's not as if you have to look
long and hard to find at least one player who shouldn't be there. 
Last I looked, Kapanen had as many goals as Ottawa's Daniel
Alfredsson has played games...

WHATNOT
The Carolina Olympic contingent may grow by one player.  With
Kapanen set to play for Finland, and Keith Primeau ready to go
for Canada, Robert Kron could become the 'Canes third Olympic
representative, playing for the Czech Republic.  Injuries to
Philadelphia's Vinny Prospal and Pittsburgh's Martin Straka have
opened up two roster spots, and Kron has been mentioned as a
replacement.  The way the speedy Kron is playing now, the Czechs
would be dumb to not pencil him in.  Since moving to the 'Canes
top line with, ironically, Kapanen and Primeau, around New
Year's, Kron has been on a tear.  Traditionally a streaky player,
Kron could cool off and disappear by February, but hey, this
corner says that the Czechs need all the help they can get.

Bates Battaglia became the first player in franchise history to
score his first NHL goal in overtime with a tally against the
Islanders last Saturday.  Recalled after the Vancouver trade,
Battaglia has seen his ice time increase with each game that he's
played.  Against the Isles, Battaglia played on the 'Canes second
line with Roberts and Kevin Dineen.  Acquired in a trade with
Anaheim for Mark Janssens at last year's trading deadline,
Battaglia is a solid defensive player who gives Carolina depth at
where they need it most -- center.  Battaglia is also the first
rookie to even play in a game for the Hurricanes this year.

Speaking of centers, rumor has it that Rutherford is not done
dealing yet and the GM has his sights set on acquiring a
top-flight pivot-man.  There were some reports that Rutherford
had inquired about getting Cassels back from Calgary (no comment,
please), but beyond that no names have surfaced.  Earlier reports
about Rutherford pursuing the unsigned Sergei Fedorov have
not come to fruition, and Carolina has not been mentioned as a
suitor in some time.

To the glee of team officials, attendance is up at the Greensboro
Coliseum.  The 'Canes have drawn more than 8,000 fans in five of
the last six home games, topping out at 11,908 for last
Thursday's 3-3 tie with the Flyers.  That's even better when you
consider that game was the first contest where the Hurricanes had
to compete head-to-head with some of their college
basketball neighbors.  Also last Thursday, North Carolina hosted
Georgia Tech in front of 21,572 and Wake Forest played Clemson
before 13,003.

Nikos Tselios, the Hurricanes first-round pick in the 1997 draft,
had an eventful holiday season.  Tselios, a defenseman, played
for Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Finland between
Christmas and New Year's.  Also, he was traded by his team in the
Ontario Junior Hockey League, Belleville, to Plymouth, a team
owned by Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos.

It's old news now, but it's still worth repeating -- the
Hurricanes found themselves the basis for a week's worth of Tank
McNamara cartoon strips just before Christmas.  McNamara creators
Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds poked fun at, among other things, the
large, black curtains put in place to lower the capacity of the
coliseum and the conundrum of marketing hockey in NASCAR country. 
The most humorous strip involved a promotion where a fan
is invited to shoot a puck through a six-inch hole to win the
entire franchise.  The fan declines, out of fear that he may
actually win...




-----------------------------------------------------------------
MONTREAL CANADIENS  
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Alain Vigneault
   
ROSTER: C - Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Darcy Tucker, Vincent
Damphousse, Sebastien Bordeleau. LW - Shayne Corson,
Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Scott Thornton, Brian Savage.  RW
- Mark Recchi, Stephane Richer, Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure. D - Dave Manson, Vladimir Malakhov, Jassen Cullimore, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Peter Popovic, David Wilkie, Craig Rivet, Brett Clark. G - Andy Moog,
Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore.

Injuries:  Joceyln Thibault, g (bruised collarbone, day-to-day);
Saku Koivu, c (ribs, 1 week); Valeri Bure, rw (bruised cheekbone,
day-to-day).

Transactions: Recalled Jose Theodore, g, from Fredericton (AHL).

GAME RESULTS: 
12/27 at Pittsburgh W 1-0
12/29 at Colorado   T 1-1
12/31 at Calgary    W 3-2
01/02 at Edmonton   W 5-3
01/03 at Vancouver  W 4-2
01/07 Boston        L 2-1 OT
01/08 at Islanders  W 8-2
01/10 Rangers       PPD

TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell

Jacques Robert, our regular Montreal correspondent, was unable to
file a report this issue, so I'm fillin' in.  Which basically
means this report will be weak as hell.  Enjoy!

HABS IN FIRST
Thanks to an impressive 4-0-1 road trip after Christmas, the Habs
have climbed back into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh.  In
fact, that road trip started out with a 1-0 shutout over the
Arctic Birds at the Igloo.  So take that!

INJURIES
Upon returning home from the successful trek, the Bruins were
quick to put a hurtin' on the Habs.  Not only did the Bruins beat
Montreal 2-1 in overtime, the Bears also injured four Montreal
regulars.

Jocelyn Thibault was forced out of action at 17:30 of the first
period when Dimitri Khristich ripped him with a heavy slap shot. 
Thibault is day-to-day with a bruised collar bone.  The Habs
recalled young Jose Theodore to back up Andy Moog in Thibault's
absence.

Shayne Corson got rubbed out by a slash to his left leg.  Corson
said his leg immediately went numb after getting whacked.  But it
wasn't real serious and he returned the next time out against the
Islanders.

Valeri Bure suffered a bruised cheekbone when somebody, well,
bruised his cheek.  He's day-to-day.

The most serious injury was to the great Saku Koivu, who suffered
strained rib cartilage.  Koivu will sit out all this upcoming
week, including the All-Star Game on Sunday.  He was scheduled to
represent the World Team in Vancouver.    

MOOG MAD
Andy Moog vented some frustration last week towards the league
about this season's hectic schedule.  Because of the Olympics,
the NHL schedule is more compressed than in the past.  Teams are
frequently playing back-to-back games and three times in four
nights.  Moog cited this as a reason why so many players are
getting injured.  He believes the schedule is just too rough. 
Having the All-Star Game out in Vancouver certainly won't help
matters, either.  Moog went on to say that he doesn't feel the
fans are getting their money's worth because on most nights teams
are too tired to play and simply put forth a subpar effort.  Way
to stick it to the man, Moog!  

OH, THAT WACKY ICE
Because of that nutty ice storm that knocked the city of Montreal
loopy, the Canadiens' January 10th home game against the New York
Rangers was postponed.  It has been rescheduled for March 12.

SHORT GAME RECAPS
Dec. 27, won at Pittsburgh, 1-0:  Scott Thornton (3)
scored the game's only goal in the second period and Moog made it
stand up by stopping 19 shots.  It was the second time this
season that Moog had shut out the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

Dec. 29, tied at Colorado, 1-1:  Ah, the Battle of
Quebec... we hardly knew ye.  The Canadiens earned a tie with
their former Quebec City rivals when Mark Recchi (18) and Sandis
Ozolinsh exchanged second-period goals.  Thibault was in net and
stopped 25 of 26.

Dec. 31, won at Calgary, 3-2:  The Habs jumped out to a 2-
0 lead after one thanks to goals by Corson (14) and Darcy Tucker
(1).  The lead evaporated in the second, as the Flames bagged a
pair to knot the game at 2-2 heading to the third.  The game
remained tied until 13:34 of the final stanza when Brian Savage
(10) potted the game-winner.  Moog stopped 28 shots to post the
win.

Jan. 2, won at Edmonton, 5-3:  Montreal won its first game
of 1998 thanks to a four-goal third period.  The Canadiens
trailed 3-1 entering the final frame, but exploded for four
unanswered goals to blow the game open.  Koivu (9,10) accounted
for a pair, while Damphousse added his second of the game (12),
and Recchi (19) closed it out with an empty-netter.  Thibault
earned the win with 22 saves. 

Jan. 3, won at Vancouver, 4-2:  Vancouver took an early 2-
0 lead on goals by Jyrki Lumme and Dave Scatchard, but Montreal
rebounded with another patented four-goal period in the second to
skate away with the 4-2 win.  Recchi (20,21) snagged a pair while
Corson (15) and Damphousse (13) added one each.  Moog was between
the pipes and stopped 18 of 20 shots.  

Jan. 7, lost to Boston, 2-1 in OT:  The Canadiens returned
home and were beaten by the Bruins, easily the most boring team
in show business.  Steve Heinze did the honors by scoring the
game-winner 3:13 into overtime.  The Bears outshot the Habs 30-18
for the game.  

Jan. 8, won at Long Island, 8-2:  After playing the Bruins
at home the night before, the Canadiens didn't arrive in Long
Island until shortly before game time.  To make matters worse,
they were playing without the likes of Thibault, Koivu, and Bure
because of injuries.  Um, all that might have mattered except for
one thing... the Canadiens were playing the Islanders.  The Habs
pummeled the lowly fisherman, 8-2, thanks in large part to four
goals from Brian Savage (11,12,13,14).  It was Savage's first
career four-goal game.  Sebastien Bordeleau (3), Recchi (22), and
Martin Rucinsky (12,13) added the other goals.  Moog stopped 25
shots.

       

-----------------------------------------------------------------
OTTAWA SENATORS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Jacques Martin

Roster:  C - Alexei Yashin, Radek Bonk, Sergei Zholtok, Shaun Van
Allen, Derek Armstrong. LW - Randy Cunneyworth, Shawn McEachern,
Magnus Arvedson, Denny Lambert. RW - Daniel Alfredsson, Alex
Daigle, Andreas Dackell, Bruce Gardiner, Chris Murray.
D - Lance Pitlick, Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Stan Neckar,
Jason York, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk, Radim Bicanek.
G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt

Injuries:  Bruce Gardiner, rw (knee, day-to-day); Magnus
Arvedson, lw (shoulder, day-to-day); Jason York, d (concussion,
day-to-day).

Transactions: Recalled Radim Bicanek, d, from Manitoba (IHL);
January 5: Waived RW Dennis Vial, January 10.

Game Results 

12/15 at St. Louis   W 3-1
12/16 at Carolina    L 2-1
12/18 Carolina       W 3-2
12/20 at Montreal    L 4-1
12/22 at Long Island W 4-1
12/23 Montreal       W 4-3 OT
12/27 at Washington  W 3-0
12/31 at Buffalo     L 3-0
01/01 at Boston      T 0-0
01/03 Philadelphia   L 7-2
01/05 at Carolina    L 4-1
01/07 at Dallas      W 2-0
01/10 at Colorado    T 3-3
01/11 at Phoenix     T 4-4

TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders

Phew! Have you ever seen such a long listing of 'recent' games? 
A few more days, and we would have simply waited for the
Year-in-Review issue.  Nevertheless, a look back at the weeks
that were in the never-ending saga that is your Ottawa
Senators....By the way, other than Carolina, does Ottawa play
anybody else in the league?

Now That's a Break!

How long has it been since our last LCS report? Well, four weeks
ago, we were set to kick off this report with the bad news that
Daniel Alfredsson had  broken his ankle and would be out of the
lineup for up to six weeks.  Well, all of that went out the
window when Alfredsson managed to heal in time to take on the
Colorado Avalanche a few days ago. 

My, how time flies.  In fact, it's been so long that we're a
little rusty in the typing department.  So, if you see any typos,
guhst ignour et, okya?

Daigle-Go! Dai-ai-ai-gle-Go! Daylight Come and He Still Here
at Home...

Here's one rumor that just won't quit: apparently the Ottawa
Senators have been shopping Alex Daigle around to any takers. As
of copy deadline, however, Sens GM Pierre Gauthier had yet to
pull the trigger.  Daigle, you will recall, is in his final year
of that gawd-awful $12.25 million contract he signed four years
ago, and recently signed a one-year extension for another two
milla-smackers. All tallied up, Daigle is earning $2.6 million
this year, and will collect up to $2.7 million next year. With
figures like that (and stats like his), you can appreciate why
GMs around the league aren't knocking down Gauthier's door.

Some speculation has (or had, whichever way you look at it)
Daigle going to Calgary in exchange for center Andrew Cassels (a
former Ottawa 67) and disgruntled defenseman Zarley Zalapski. 
Other whispers have Daigle heading off to Florida in exchange for
prospects Steve Washburn (a former 67) and David Nemirovsky (a
former 67).  Edmonton is reported as talking about a
Rhodes/Daigle combination for a package including Curtis Joseph. 
Ottawa has also received interest from the likes of Tampa Bay and
da Rangers.  If Daigle has to go, the Nosebleeders would prefer
maybe a Linden or Fedorov in return. (HA!) 

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that it's Daigle's
contract - and not Daigle himself - that is preventing any deals
from going through. As one unidentified NHL GM said: "He's got a
lot of upside and a lot of potential but it hasn't worked for
him...I know teams that would be willing to take a chance on him
but I just don't think they'll do it at that money."

Apparently, Gauthier isn't willing to split the costs with any
team, which is further hindering any trade possibilities.

Our opinion? Steve thinks that Daigle, 22, is too young to give
up on and will someday flourish to become a dependable and solid
scorer although "he should have been traded before he played his
first game."  Dave, on the other hand, would like nothing more
than to see Ottawa rid itself of Daigle (and throw in Bonk for
good measure). Sure, someday Alex may shake the cobwebs and
realize why he's being paid so much money. But, it doesn't seem
likely that it will ever happen in Ottawa - coach Jacques Martin
has bent over backwards trying to spark this dead battery, to no
avail. Trade him now, before his value shrinks to a bag of hockey
pucks.

And by the way, where is it written that the Senators must trade
for a former Ottawa 67? We've heard about "sticking to your own
kind", but this is carrying it a bit too far.

Sens Waive Vial; Join the Royal Ballet
 
Apparently, Pierre Gauthier has been watching too many Barney
reruns on TV.  How else can you explain the team's recent waiving
of tough guy Dennis Vial. Sure Vial is not the second coming of
Gretzky (or Stan Johnathan for that matter), but one thing you
could not accuse Vial of doing is turtling night in and night out
a la Radek Bonk.

Gauthier defended the move by claiming that the oft-injured Vial
was earning too much for his one dimensional play ($450,000) and
that their recent acquisition of bruiser Chris Murray effectively
replaced Vial in the lineup. Such an argument makes sense with
other teams, but with Ottawa, aka Team Wimpy, it just doesn't add
up.  

Anybody who has followed the Sens in recent years will agree that
many of Ottawa's close losses can be directly attributed to the
team's lack of toughness. And with the playoff stretch run edging
closer and closer, many - ourselves included - are left
scratching their collective noggins on this one.  Whatever the
reasoning, we offer these words of warning to Alexei Yashin,
Daniel Alfredsson and Andreas Dackell the next time they find
themselves digging for the puck along the boards: look out!

News Bulletin: We interrupt this column with a special
news bulletin. In the Sens' recent game against Phoenix, Ottawa
is pleased to announce that they did not register a single
penalty minute in the entire game. Sens GM Pierre Gauthier, it is
reported, joined in the team's celebration after the game by
downing a few shots of unsweetened apple juice, while singing
along to Sharon, Lois and Bram's greatest hits. Afterwards, the
entire team partied at a Phoenix chapter Boys Scouts convention. 
Eddie Shore, take us away!  This is the first time in team
history that they have gone a game without a penalty.

Wake Up, A l'il Pierry! Wake Up!

Oh what the heck, might as well throw in another cheap shot at
Pierre Gauthier while we're hot. Ask any seasoned Senator fan
what they feel is a sore spot on the team, and they'll surely
make reference to the team's awful power play.  

Although Igor Kravchuk has filled in admirably for the departed
Steve Duchesne, one thing the Sens still desperately need to find
is a veteran defenseman who can quarterback their sagging power
play. With Phillips back at "D", and coach Martin pushing them to
press more, the last few games have seen better results, but not
good enough.

Funny how the Sens have played the Carolina Hurricanes so many
#$%@# times, yet could not see their solution staring them right
in the face.  For weeks, Carolina had been looking to dump one of
their veteran defensemen, a guy who has played in over 700 games,
notching over 500 points in that time. His name?  Jeff Brown.  

Brown was recently traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a
fourth-round draft pick in 1999. So why didn't Ottawa jump at the
chance of picking up Brown? Was it the money? Couldn't be. Brown
is halfway through a $2.1 million paycheck this year, and is in
the final year of his contract. Was it the asking price?  C'mon,
a fourth-rounder?  For every late round gem like Daniel
Alfredsson, there's an overstock of Al Sinclairs, Cosmo DuPauls
and Mike Gaffneys. Was it because Carolina wouldn't trade with
any team within their division? Two words: Chris Murray.  Nope,
the reason is plain as my unbuttered Eggo - Ottawa was too blind
to see such a glorious opportunity to change their fortunes.

Picking up Jeff Brown may not have been considered a 'steal' or a
'franchise-saver', but stick this in your back pocket - Ottawa
defenseman have only accounted for two goals in the last 15
games. The season so far has proven that the "myth of depth"
cannot be ignored.  How ironic that the Sens started the season
with what was thought to be too many defensemen.  Healthy
scratches and defensemen playing forward (read: Chris Phillips)
finally led to a few deals.  Although the Sens are way down in
the goals against department, the departure of defensive veterans
Sean Hill and Steve Duchesne has hurt the team in terms of
output.

Trivia Time

With all of this talk about trades, here's a gem. When was the
last time an entire season passed without a trade being made? 
Answer at the end of this column. 

What? No Yashin?

Plain and simple, the Senators were shortchanged.  With the
All-Star game in Vancouver right around the corner, the league
officially announced the rosters for their inaugural North
America vs. the World All-Stars matchup. And noticeably absent
from the World roster was none other than our very own Alexei
Yashin. Yashin, an all-star in his rookie season in 1994, was not
among the six starters selected by the fans. The rest of the
roster was selected by NHL VP Brian Burke, with the help of
Dallas GM Bob Gainey and Colorado's Pierre Lacroix.  Instead of
Yashin, the committee opted for Montreal's Saku Koivu, New
Jersey's Bobby Holik and Toronto's Mats Sundin. Colorado's Peter
Forsberg raked in the fans' number one selection.

Granted, with names like that, it is fairly understandable and
expected that some great talents like Yashin would be left off
the team.  But with 20 goals and 40 points to date, one has to
seriously wonder how Koivu could rate ahead of Alexei.

Nevertheless, Ottawa did manage to get two of its players on the
World's roster - Daniel Alfredsson and Igor Kravchuk.  The last
time Ottawa had two all-stars was their inaugural season, 1993,
when goalie Peter Sidorkiewicz and defenseman Brad Marsh made it
to the Show.

Tips, Tidbits and Other Tall Tales From the Nosebleeder
File

It was quite a four-week stretch, with Ottawa playing a whopping
14 games in 28 nights, including a gruelling
five-games-in-10-nights road trip against some of the top teams
in the league.  Here's a snapshot of some of the things that
happened over the holidays:

* Explain this: the past four weeks saw the Senators earn points
against some of the top teams in the league, including St. Louis
(W), Colorado (T), Montreal (W) and Dallas (W). Yet, this is the
very same group of players who dropped two decisions against the
lowly Carolina Hurricanes. Go figure.  

* St. Louis had the Blues after a 3-1 December 15th loss against
the Sens.  The Phillips, Yashin, McEachern line was put together
and combined for six points with Yashin netting two goals and
McEachern the other.

* December 18th will always go down as one of the biggest nights
in Derek Armstrong's young career.  Armstrong, 24, an Ottawa
native and making his debut in a Sens jersey after being recalled
from the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack, scored the game-winner in the
Sens game against Carolina that night, snapping a blast that
echoed across the Kanata farmlands. "I thought when I signed
here, it was the biggest day of my life," said Armstrong. "This
tops it."

* December 18 - Somebody please inform Gary Roberts that it is,
after all, just a game. Upset at being tagged for a penalty with
under a minute to go in the Carolina-Ottawa game, Roberts
retreated to the Hurricanes' dressing room and went on a rampage
that would impress the likes of Vince McMahon and his troops at
the WWF.  On the way off the rink, Roberts knocked over a rack of
sticks, cutting a Corel Center security guard in the process. He
then entered the dressing room and ripped down the divider
between the urinal and toilet while tossing drinks everywhere.
Corel Center staff have sent the bill to the Hurricanes... plus
GST.  

* Jason York may have been the real reason for Roberts' anger. 
York and Roberts had fought, with York threatening to end Roberts
career, in reference to Roberts' neck injury that had forced him
to retire a few years ago.  Harsh words for sure.  

* Marian Hossa, the Sens No. 1 pick in 1997, may not have had the
tools to stick with the big boys this year, but he is at least
assured of playing for his homeland Slovakian Olympic team. 
Hossa is currently burning up the juniors with the Portland
Winter Hawks of the Western Junior Hockey League.

* December 22 - a trip to Uniondale was just the remedy a few
Sens needed to cure their scoring drought. In the team's 4-1 romp
over the hapless Islanders, Ottawa got goals from Sergei Zholtok
- his first in 28 games - Andreas Dackell - his first in 16 games
- and Lance Pitlick - his first in 23 games.  

* The win over the Islanders was the club's sixth in December, a
modern day club record.  Compare that to November's results.
Ugh....

* Janne Laukkanen is not known for his toughness, but he managed
to lower a thundering jolt to the Isles' Mike Hough which
shattered the Plexiglas. That sound you hear is Don Cherry
moaning in agony.

* December 27 - Talk about revenge.  Since being dropped by the
Washington Capitals' organization 18 months ago, Sens' diminutive
goalie Ron Tugnutt has owned the Caps' number, including a recent
3-0 whitewashing at the MCI Center. Since joining the Sens,
Tugger has allowed less than one goal per game in four matches
against his former club.  This marked the sixth straight victory
for the Sens over their Capital counterparts.

* December 31, 1997 and January 1, 1998 - The Sens' 0-0 tie with
Boston, followed by their 3-0 loss the following day in Buffalo
officially boosted the Senators into second place nationwide for
most doughnuts served in a single week, just slightly behind
Dunkin Donuts. 6:00 a.m.  -  time to make the doughnuts! 

* January 4 - Sometimes playing aggressive hockey can come back
to haunt you. Janne Laukkanen, fresh off his monstrous hit on the
Isles' Mike Hough, set his radar on big guy Eric Lindros in the
Flyers-Senators matchup at the Corel Center. Just six minutes
into the game, Laukkanen checked Lindros head first into the
boards. Unamused by Laukkanen's cheapshot, Lindros proceeded to
snap two goals in less than three minutes to help his Flyers post
a 7-2 drubbing. 

* January 5 - The Sens' 4-1 loss to Carolina marked the second
straight time that head coach Jacques Martin had to yank his
starting goalie. Damian Rhodes was pulled in the Sens 7-2 loss to
Philly, while Tugger was lassoed in the Hurricanes' game after
giving up four goals on only 19 shots.

* January 10 - Alexei Yashin's hat trick against Colorado was his
first tour du chapeau since Feb. 20, 1996. He currently leads all
modern day Senators with four career hat tricks.

* Up 3-1 with just over four minutes left in the game, Ottawa
seemed destined to earn their first win in Denver in 11 attempts.
Then the roof caved in, as Sandis Ozolinsh and Rene Corbet scored
just 17 seconds apart to draw even.

* January 11 - Phoenix may be desert country, but it was an oasis
for certain drought-stricken Senators. In the club's 4-4 tie,
Alex Daigle notched his first two-point night since December 4;
Radek Bonk - with only one goal in 33 games - scored on a perfect
feed from Daigle - Bonk now has six goals this season; and Stan
Neckar scored his first goal since April 5, 1996 (a drought of 43
games).

Something To Look Forward To

The Sens third jersey will be unveiled at the January 24th game. 
This NHL money making scheme is the latest in marketing
adventures for the club. 

Drumroll Please

The 1966-67 season was last time an entire schedule was played
without so much as one trade being made. Of course, there were
only six teams at the time......and Mike Keenan wasn't around
then either.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Kevin Constantine
     
Roster:  C - Ron Francis, Martin Straka, Stu Barnes, C. Ferraro,
Tyler Wright, Robert Lang. LW - Andreas Johansson, P. Ferraro,
Alex Hicks, Garry Valk.  RW - Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Morozov, Ed
Olczyk, Robby Brown.  D - Darius Kasparaitis, Kevin Hatcher,
Chris Tamer, Fredrik Olausson, Neil Wilkinson, Ian Moran, Brad
Werenka, Jiri Slegr. G - Tom Barrasso, Ken Wregget, Peter Skudra.

Injuries: Eddie Olczyk, rw (busted face, indefinite), Martin
Straka, c (broken foot, 1-2 weeks).
  
Transactions:  Assigned Robert Dome, lw, to Syracuse (AHL). 
  
Game Results
12/16 Tampa Bay              T 1-1
12/19 at Colorado            T 3-3
12/20 at St. Louis           L 4-1
12/26 at Washington          W 4-1
12/27 Montreal               L 1-0
12/29 New York Islanders     W 5-1
12/31 Carolina               W 3-2
01/03 Colorado               L 5-4 OT
01/06 at New York Islanders  W 4-2
01/07 at New Jersey          L 3-1
01/10 New Jersey             W 4-1
  
TEAM NEWS by Brett Taylor

Pens Beat New Jersey:Stu Barnes scored a natural hat trick
in the second period to lead the Penguins past the New Jersey
Devils last Saturday night. The win marked the first time the
Pens were able to beat any of what Pens' coach Kevin Constantine
calls "first tier teams," namely New Jersey, Colorado,
Philadelphia, Detroit, and Dallas.
  
However, that win will have to be one of many more if the Pens
aspire to join that elite club.  Before Saturday, the Pens only
managed to gain ties against Colorado and Detroit.  The Pens are
1-5-2 against teams who are ahead of them in the standings right
now.

Overtime loss to Colorado:  The Pens showed a lot of
tenacity when they came back from a 4-1 third-period deficit
against the most talented team on the third rock from the sun,
namely the Colorado Avalanche.  

The Pens looked strong early when they trapped well and broke out
exceptionally well, but the force of Colorado was just too much
for the Pens' defense. Two goals by Valeri Kamensky, a highlight
film goal by Joe Sakic and another by Stephane Yelle gave
Colorado a 4-1 lead going to the third period.
  
After a strong pep-talk from Constantine, the Pens capitalized on
a little Colorado laziness in the third period getting goals from
Jaromir Jagr, Robert Dome and the tying goal on the rush from
Darius Kasparaitis. But the most impressive stat was the Pens'
defensive domination of Colorado in the third period. The Pens
outshot the Avalanche 15-1 in the third and 31-14 for the game. 
  
Colorado didn't take long before grabbing the game back from the
Pens in overtime. Kamensky scored his third goal of the game on a
pass across the crease from Alexei Gusarov to give the 'Lanche
the win in overtime, 5-4.

Jaromir Jagr makes the top 50 all-time:  The Hockey News
polled 50 hockey experts to find the top 50 NHL players of all
time.  Jaromir Jagr was number 37. 
  
Members of the 50-member panel included Boston Bruins GM Harry
Sinden, Edmonton Oilers GM Glen Sather, Detroit Red Wings Coach
Scotty Bowman, and broadcasters Don Cherry and John Davidson. 
  
At age 25, Jagr is the youngest player on the list. He is one of
only eight active players named. Others include Wayne Gretzky
(#1), Mark Messier (#12), Ray Bourque (#14), Paul Coffey (#28),
Patrick Roy (#35), Chris Chelios (#40) and Jari Kurri (#50).
  
Hall of Fame Penguin Mario Lemieux was ranked 4th behind Gretzky,
Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe. Maurice "Rocket" Richard was fifth.
  
Jagr and Lemieux are joined on the list by former Penguins
Coffey, Bryan Trottier and Syl Apps.
  
Jagr has one thing in his favor, he is so young that he will
undoubtedly move up a lot further in the list. 

================================================================

=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Craig Hartsburg
   
Roster:  C - Alexei Zhamnov, Jeff Shantz, Steve Dubinsky, Brent
Sutter, Greg Johnson, Todd White, Jarrod Skalde, Dmitri Nabakov.  LW
- Bob Probert, Ethan Moreau, Eric Daze, James Black, Jean-Yves
Leroux, Reid Simpson, Ryan Huska.  RW - Tony Amonte, Sergei
Krivokrasov, Jim Cummins, Martin Gendron. D - Chris Chelios,  Gary
Suter, Eric Weinrich, Keith Carney, Trent Yawney, Cam Russell.  G -
Jeff Hackett, Chris Terreri Kirk Daubenspeck, Andrei Trefilov.

Injuries: Jeff Shantz, c (separated shoulder, 1-2 weeks); Sergei
Krivokrasov, rw (strained knee Dec. 17, 3-5 weeks); Ethan Moreau, lw
(broken right ankle Dec. 12, 5-7 weeks); Chris Tererri, g (fractured
left ring finger, 1-2 weeks); Bob Probert, lw (rotator cuff surgery
Dec. 4, April (placed on injured reserve Nov. 19)).  

Transactions: Claimed Jarrod Skalde, c, off waivers from the San
Jose Sharks; acquired Reid Simpson, lw, from the New Jersey Devils
for a fourth-round draft pick in 1998 and future considerations;
recalled Ryan Huska, lw, from Indianapolis (IHL); recalled Dmitri
Nabakov, c, from Indianapolis; reassigned Dan Cleary, f, to
Belleville (OHL). 

Game Results:

12/17 at Edmonton    T 0-0
12/20 at Vancouver   W 5-0
12/22 Los Angeles    L 1-0
12/26 at St. Louis   W 4-1
12/28 Anaheim        W 2-0
12/30 at New Jersey  W 6-2
01/01 Toronto        T 3-3
01/04 Detroit        W 3-1
01/05 Calgary        T 1-1
01/09 Phoenix        L 4-2
01/10 at Toronto     W 4-3
01/12 Vancouver      W 3-2

TEAM NEWS by Jim Iovino

Perhaps the LCS Hockey server should break more often.  Since the
last issue of LCS, the Blackhawks have accumulated an amazing
record of 7-2-3.  The seven wins are made more impressive because of who
they were against.  The Hawks defeated three of the top teams in
the league during that span. They beat the Blues, 4-1, burned the
Devils, 6-2, and clipped the Wings, 3-1.  Now that's old Norris
Division hockey for ya!  

The key to the winning ways has been goaltending and some timely
scoring.  Jeff Hackett seems to be fully recovered from his
early-season injuries and on top of his game.  And with Chris
Terreri still sidelined, Andrei Trefilov has stepped up in his
place.  Trefilov, who will be one of Team Russia's goaltenders in
the Olympics, played an incredible game against Toronto, which he
won 4-3 by stopping 16 of 17 shots in the third period.  

Tony Amonte continues to lead the way for the Hawks.  He gives an
all-out effort every game and uses his speed to get Chicago into
the offensive zone.  Amonte leads the Hawks in scoring with 42
points in 46 games.  

Chris Chelios is also contributing.  He started out slow, but has
recently turned his game up a notch, offensively, and is getting
his big nose in trouble more all over the ice.  Perhaps the one
sign of Chelios's return was the team's 2-0 win over Anaheim. 
Chelios was all over Paul Kariya from the opening faceoff.  Every
time Kariya got the puck, Chelios was right there to give him a
stick in the back, a glove to the face or an elbow to the back of
the head. Kariya was clearly knocked off his game, which was good
news for the Hawks. Perhaps Chelios' performance was a sampling of
what Kariya can expect during the Olympics.  

Alexei Zhamnov and Eric Daze are also starting to pick up the pace.
They're now at a slow crawl instead of a complete stop.  Zhamnov is
second on the team in scoring, with 25 points in 40 games.  He's also
up to a +10.  Daze has upped his goal total to 16, which moves him
into a tie with Amonte for the team lead.  

Chi'town news...

The Hawks finally got an enforcer to replace the injured Bob Probert
when they acquired Reid Simpson from the Devils...  In what could be
called the Weasel Move of the Year, Jim Cummins reminded Anaheim's
Mark Janssens what kind of vermin he really is.  Cummins nailed
Janssens along the boards, and it looked like the two were gonna go
at it.  Janssens dropped his gloves and waited for Cummins to do the
same.  But Cummins didn't for some reason.  However, as soon as
Janssens bent over to pick up his gloves and stick, Cummins sent a
roundhouse left into Janssens face and proceeded to beat the crap out
of the defenseless Duck.  Yep, it's confirmed, Cummins is a weasel.
I'd like to see him try that against Tony Twist...  Daniel Clearly
did not make the World Junior Championship roster again...


-----------------------------------------------------------------
DALLAS STARS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head coach: Ken Hitchcock

Roster:  C-Mike Modano, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk, Bob 
Bassen. LW-Dave Reid, Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue, Juha Lind, Bob 
Errey, Patrick Cote. RW-Todd Harvey, Pat Verbeek, Jamie 
Langenbrunner, Jere Lehtinen, Grant Marshall. D-Derian Hatcher, 
Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Shawn Chambers, Richard Matvichuck, 
Sergei Zubov, Sergey Gusev, Dan Keczmer, Craig Muni. 
G-Ed Belfour, Roman Turek.
   
Injuries: Greg Adams, lw (knee injury, 4-6 weeks). Todd Harvey, rw 
(knee sprain, day-to-day). Patrick Cote (surgery to correct 
separated shoulder, indefinite). Bob Bassen, c (left hand injury, 
unknown).

Transactions: Recalled Jamie Wright, lw, from the Michigan K-Wings
(IHL). Placed Tony Hrkac, c, on waivers. Recalled/reassigned Jeff
Mitchell, rw, to Michigan. 

Game Results:
12/03 Edmonton        W 4-1
12/05 Calgary         W 4-1
12/08 at Toronto      L 3-0
12/10 Tampa Bay       W 3-0
12/12 San Jose        L 1-0
12/15 Buffalo         W 8-4
12/18 at Calgary      W 2-1
12/20 at Edmonton     W 2-1
12/23 at Vancouver    W 3-1
12/27 Vancouver       T 3-3 OT
12/29 at Detroit      T 2-2 OT
12/31 Los Angeles     T 2-2 OT
01/02 NY Islanders    W 2-1
01/03 at Carolina     W 6-1
01/05 at New Jersey   W 4-3
01/07 Ottawa          L 2-0
01/09 Detroit         T 3-3 OT
01/11 at Anaheim      L 2-1 OT

Team News by Jim Panenka

Injury roller coaster keeps on truckin'

Anyone got any forwards to loan out? The Stars have seen nine 
different forwards come and go out of the lineup due to injuries so 
far this season. They could use the help! 

Much has passed since the infamous Marchment hit on Modano - you 
know, the one that sent the (arguably) best player in the league at 
that moment out for 4-6 weeks with a torn knee ligament. Well 
Marchment went at it again shortly thereafter. This time ol' Bryan 
the Knee-wrecker hooked up with Greg Adams and sent him out with 
virtually the same injury. Boom! Another forward gone for 4-6
weeks.  

One could write volumes about the stupidity that Marchment showed, 
and how his idiot of a coach stuck by his boy, but Marchment's lack 
of respect for other players doesn't deserve any more ink wasted on 
it. Marchment had already taken out Adams, but wasn't satisfied yet. 
During the same game, Marchment obviously stuck out his leg in an 
effort to trip Shawn Chambers in the dying moments of the third 
frame, long after the game had been decided. Marchment was penalized 
for this attempt, and set up the Stars power play, which went on to 
score the goal that sealed the victory for Dallas. 

Who, Me? 

After the hit Marchment claimed innocence, and feebly attempted to 
redirect the blame with a bunch of no-brain comments such as "why 
doesn't Hitchcock go sit down and eat a bunch of ho-hos." OOH! 
THAT'S REAL WITTY BRYAN. You are such an intellectual. Let's make 
cheap shots at the other team's coach for his past weight problems! 
Yeah, that's real mature. 

If that wasn't a big enough circus, Edmonton coach Ron Low joined in 
the jabfest and called Hitchcock "the worst goon coach junior hockey 
ever saw." Yeah, right Ronny. Hitchcock just happens to have a 575-
69 won/loss record for the Sherwood Park chain in Edmonton, a 
junior-hockey league. Anyone who knows Hitch knows he doesn't 
specifically use "goons," so even if Hitch was a bad junior coach 
(when in fact he is one of the best ever to coach the game), he 
didn't use goons to get him there. Wrong on both counts, Low. 

You are sounding as mature as your boy, Bryan. Of course, that's not 
even true anymore. Low heard his career swooshing down the terlet, 
as Archie Bunker would say. How did he respond? By having a fire 
sale and trading away about half the team, including the problem 
child Marchment. Marchment was dealt to Tampa Bay, poor souls.  

Well, if Low's blockbuster trades don't pan out, and soon, its gonna 
be Ron Low sitting on a couch, eating ho-hos, considering how he 
went wrong for being the "worst goon coach the NHL has ever seen."  
That's MY quote, for the record. 

Not that I'm bitter, or anything. <insert legal "my views don't 
necessarily represent LCS" disclaimer here>

If that wasn't a big enough joke of a circus, the league rubbed salt 
into the wounds by refusing to penalize Marchment after taking out 
Adams. The league wimped out again. Guess it will be the players who 
will have to settle this on the ice. 

Oh yeah, getting back to the injury thing...Modano returned for a 
game, then sat out one or two more afterward when he bruised the 
same knee in a different area. 

Within that time, Joe Nieuwendyk went down with guess what? A 
sprained knee. Luckily for him, it wasn't that bad. Joe has already 
returned from this injury, but this could be a reoccurring thing for 
the rest of the season. Sometimes the injuries that aren't corrected 
by surgery hound a player for years afterward. One has to hope this 
isn't the case for Joe. 

You gotta feel for Greg Adams, though. He spent most of the early 
season out with back/rib injuries, and had just returned before 
Marchment got a hold of him. Gus was bitter at first about this one, 
and you can't blame him. Gus is taking it in stride lately, he joked 
around that he can be the guy that teaches all the rookies how to 
rehab from injury. Hopefully this will be the last time Gus goes on 
IR for the rest of the year (what's left of it, anyway). 

Things were looking much better once Modano, Nieuwendyk and Hogue 
returned to the lineup. But, things just got worse. Todd Harvey 
(knee sprain!!), Bob Bassen (fractured left hand?), and Jamie 
Langenbrunner (possible concussion) have all missed shifts due to 
lesser injuries. Of the latest three, only Langenbrunner looks good 
to be able to go tonight against San Jose. 

While the team was juggling the roster in an attempt to compensate 
for the injuries, they kept on winning, but just barely. If the team 
hadn't stuck to the discipline and the system, they would most 
surely have lost many of these games. But with the latest rash of 
injuries, the winning streak seems to have gone cold. 

The players hung in there for most of the ordeal, but after two 
shutouts, three straight ties, and a 2-0 shutout by Ottawa (!), the 
magic carpet ride seems to be over. Dallas lost to Anaheim by a 
single goal in overtime, after failing to protect a feeble 1-0 lead 
for most of the game. 

That defeat ended the Stars' 10-game non-loss streak, the perfect 
win record when leading after two periods, and Belfour's eight-game 
win streak all in one fell swoop. 

Yes, fellow LCS brethren, the Stars have an Achilles' Heel. All you 
have to do is kill two-thirds of their forwards! 

Seriously, though. The players were showing fantastic discipline 
throughout the Holiday season, but lately a lot of that spunk has 
just run out. The Stars seem to start well enough, but their biggest 
problem as of late is failing to hold leads, and failing to hold off 
the late-game rushes by the opposition. 

The guys bring out their 'A' game for the opponents that matter, but 
don't take the other teams seriously enough. 

It seems to be due to plain old fatigue. Even healthy NHL teams are 
having problems dealing with this year's brutal schedule. The Stars' 
ex-goalie Andy Moog was recently quoted as backing this theory up. 

It seems obvious that guys might be getting a little tired after 
travelling so much, and not having enough time to rest and practice 
between games. Hopefully the All-Star break will give most of the 
guys a good chance to rest up, and get ready for the home stretch. 
They need to do something, because losing 2-0 to Ottawa and 2-1 to 
Anaheim should never have happened. 

Other Notes

* Daryl Sydor has been placed up on the wing (left, mostly) to help 
compensate for the other missing forwards. He evidently doesn't mind 
playing as a forward because Sydor scored his first-ever hat trick 
against Carolina on January 3. Well, sorta. One of the goals came 
after Sydor had shifted back to defense. Its still a 'trick though. 
He has continued to shine with great effort as a player, even when 
taking on this new role. He had trouble skating up and down the wing 
at first, he kept wanting to stray back into the defensive zone, but 
Syd eventually got the hang of it. He is the perfect example of just 
how flexible and hard working this team is! The league has 
recognized this sleeper of a 'd' man by placing him on the North 
American All-Star team. Congrats, Syd! You deserve it. 

* Sergei Zubov has recorded his 300th career point, just in time to 
see him lead the league in scoring amongst all defensemen. Zubov has 
scored six goals, 29 assists for 35 points. He has been justly 
recognized as one of the best by being named an alternate player on 
the all-world all star team. Its about time! Waytogo Zubie! 

* In all, five Stars have made it to the All-Star game. Mike Modano, 
Ed Belfour, and (sleeper) Daryl Sydor will go for the North American 
team. Jere Lehtinen and Sergei Zubov will dress for the All-World 
team. Is it just a coincidence that nearly 1/4 of the Dallas Stars 
will be in the All-Star game? I think not. 

* The Stars lost Tony Hrkac to waivers. Hrkac played extremely well 
during his tenure with Dallas, and everyone expected him to return 
to Big D. But since Hrkac played at least 10 games, he was required 
to go to waivers. 

Guess who picked him up? E D M O N T O N ! !  Now, if that ain't 
rich! First, Cujo gets hot and knocks the Stars out of the first 
round last season. Then Marchment wastes Modano, Adams and tries to 
take out Chambers. Then they steal Hrkac off waivers. And if that 
wasn't enough of an old thorn-in-the-side (and don't ya think it 
oughtta be!?), former Oiler Drew Bannister (part of the great Oiler 
exodus trade by good old Ronny Low) took a run at Langenbrunner 
during the January 11 match in Anaheim! Langenbrunner was forced to 
miss the rest of the game as a precaution against concussion 
syndrome. Just what in the hell does Dallas have to do to get them 
damn Oilers off their backs, anyway! 

* The Stars currently lead the league in face-off win percentage, 
are giving up amongst the fewest goals-against, and have one of the 
top power plays in the league. 

* Ed Belfour has great individual numbers. He is currently second in 
the league with a 1.87 GAA, 22 wins, and 7 shutouts. Both these 
stats and those above give a little indication as to why Dallas is 
winning so consistently. The only problem is, since losing to 
Anaheim on January 11, the Stars allowed the Red Wings to climb 
within one point of Dallas' league-leading 64 points. 

* The comeback win against New Jersey was a playoff-caliber contest 
in every sense of the word. Both teams battled furiously, but the 
Stars displayed a relentless drive all game, which put them on top. 
Hopefully this is a preview of the finals. It oughta be wild! Dallas 
proved they are an elite team with this game. 

* The salvaged 3-3 tie against Detroit was less impressive. Even 
though it was still a great game by all involved, the Stars still 
suffer from "The Joe Curse." Detroit owns Dallas, and whether or not 
the Stars are good enough to beat the Wings, they have a mental 
block that will not allow them to win. Something's gotta give. 

That's all the excitement for now.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
DETROIT RED WINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Scotty Bowman
   
Roster: C - Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Kris Draper. LW - Brendan
Shanahan, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Doug Brown, Tomas Holmstrom, Kirk
Maltby, Brent Gilchrist, Daryl LaPlante. RW - Darren McCarty, Joey
Kocur, Martin Lapointe. D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Bob Rouse, Slava
Fetisov, Larry Murphy, Yan Golubovsky, Jamie Pushor, Aaron Ward,
Anders Eriksson, Mathieu Dandenault. G - Chris Osgood, Kevin
Hodson. 

INJURIES:  Kris Draper, c (dislocated thumb, three weeks); Brendan
Shanahan, lw (groin, day-to-day); Aaron Ward, d (displaced fracture
in right foot Dec. 3, one week). 
          
TRANSACTIONS: Placed Kris Draper, c, on injured reserved; recalled
Daryl LaPlante, lw, from Adirondack (AHL); re-signed Doug Brown,
rw, to a new three-year contract. 

GAME RESULTS: 

12/16 at San Jose  L 5-1
12/17 at Colorado  T 2-2
12/19 New Jersey   W 5-4
12/22 at Boston    W 4-2
12/23 at Buffalo   W 3-1
12/26 Toronto      W 4-1      
12/27 at Toronto   W 8-1
12/29 Dallas       T 2-2
12/31 St. Louis    W 5-2
01/02 San Jose     L 4-1
01/04 at Chicago   L 3-1             
01/06 Phoenix      W 2-0
01/09 at Dallas    T 3-3
01/11 Washington   W 2-0

TEAM NEWS by Dino Cacciola

SAN JOSE:  Goalie Mike Vernon made 24 saves against his former team
in helping with a 5-1 victory over the Red Wings.  It was the
Sharks first regular season win over the Red Wings since April 2,
1996, and just their third in 25 games overall. 

Goalie Kevin Hodson made 14 saves and winger Kris Draper scored the
only goal for the Red Wings, who fell to 1-3-1 in their last five
games.  The Red Wings fell to 0-6-3 when trailing after two
periods, and also were 0-for-6 on the power play. 

Seems as though they were just going through the motions and were
ready just to get out of town and onward to Denver for the much
more anticipated game.  Not to take anything away from the Sharks,
who played a very good game, but the Wings seemed totally out of
step from the get go.  These kinds of games are going to happen I
guess from time to time. Let's hope they are fewer and far
between.                                           

COLORADO:  Arch rival Peter Forsberg scored the tying goal with 2:15
left in regulation and goaltender Craig Billington had another big
game against the Red Wings with 38 saves, helping the Colorado
Avalanche salvage a 2-2 tie with the Red Wings.       

Each team had four shots in overtime, but both Chris Osgood and
Billington were equal to the task.   Claude Lemieux scored the
other goal for Colorado.  Brendan Shanahan and Tomas Holmstrom
tallied for the Red Wings, who completed a winless road trip
(0-1-2). Detroit is 1-3-2 following a six-game unbeaten streak. 

"We were disappointed in the third period but we're not
complaining," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. "We got three
(actually two) points on his trip. If we fell behind it would've
been tough to come back. We were lucky to get it tied in the third
period."                                        

Detroit outshot the Avs 40-28 in the game.  Also featured was a
rematch between Shanahan and Adam Foote.  Shanny cut him, but other
than that it was a draw for the most part.  These games between the
Red Wings and the Avalanche are becoming more and more popular as
these rivals fight for Western Conference supremacy. 

NEW JERSEY: It was all Doug Brown in this one.  Scoring a hat trick
and adding an assist, Brown paced the Red Wings as they defeated
the elite New Jersey Devils in a close game.  Nicklas Lidstrom
scored two goals in the win.                        

After a scoreless second period and the game tied at one, the
offensive scoring began for both teams as seven goals were scored. 
Doug Brown scored all of his points in this period against his
former team.   It was the first hat trick of his career, which
began in New Jersey.                                  

This was a great win against one of the best teams in the league.  To
score five goals against Martin Brodeur is a great feat let alone a
rare one at that.  The Wings showed great determination in this game
by never giving up and always swarming the net and throwing
everything they could at the Devils.             

BOSTON:  Rookie defenseman Anders Eriksson recorded a goal and an
assist, helping the Wings post consecutive wins for the first time
this month and continue their dominance against Boston with a 4-2
victory. Joey Kocur, Darren McCarty and Nicklas Lidstrom also
scored for Detroit, which has won nine straight meetings with the
Bruins and five straight in Boston.                 

Detroit has not lost at Boston since Nov. 2, 1991 at the old Boston
Garden.  Chris Osgood finished with 33 saves and extended his
personal unbeaten streak to four games (2-0-2).        

"We've had a target on us for the last five years," McCarty said. 
"It's just the way, everybody's always up to play us. We're a good
hockey club and we have been that way for a number of years.  We
have to be ready to play every game. If we do not play 60 minutes,
we're not going to win."                                  

The win was the 200th for Scotty Bowman behind the Wings' bench. 
Bowman joined Jack Adams, Tommy Ivan and Sid Abel as the only
Detroit coaches to reach that mark. Bowman needed just 333 games to
reach the milestone, 20 fewer than Ivan.  Very impressive.  

"I don't really think much about that. A lot of other coaches have
done that here, I'm sure," Bowman said. "That won't mean anything
to me now. I never thought of it that way."  Humility is a virtue
I'm told.                                                    

BUFFALO: Rookie Anders Eriksson's goal snapped a tie and Chris
Osgood made 26 saves to lead the Detroit Red Wings to their third
straight victory, a 3-1 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.  It was
Eriksson's fifth goal of the season and second game winner in as
many nights.  He is playing very good as of late and is getting
lots of ice time.                         

Detroit killed off a five-on-three penalty for the first 1:43 of the
second period and held Buffalo scoreless in five chances with the man
advantage. The Red Wings have won their last three games in Buffalo.
Kirk Maltby scored his third of the season.   

"It was big, especially shorthanded early in the first period,"
McCarty said. "We all knew he was playing well. We sort of got
behind the eight ball early with penalties, but we were fortunate
enough to get one each in the first and get one late in the second.
It enabled us to play a stingy third period. My first thing was
Stevie yelled to me, 'Two on one.' I wanted to stay wide. I was
looking to pass to him but I had a full lane to net, so when I
looked to the net I was looking to shoot low and just fortunately
to go in."                                 

TORONTO:  Captain Steve Yzerman, Kirk Maltby and Igor Larionov
scored first period goals as the Red Wings defeated the Toronto
Maple Leafs, 4-1, in the opener of a home-and-home series for their
fourth straight win. Brendan Shanahan and Brent Gilchrist each had
two assists. Chris Osgood made 20 saves.      

Yzerman's 10th goal of the season gave the Wings the lead for good
eight minutes into the game. It was the 549th tally of his career,
moving him past Michel Goulet into 13th place on the all-time
list.                                            

Maltby's fourth goal doubled the lead less than four minutes later.
Gilchrist picked up the puck along the boards and fired it off a
Toronto defenseman.  It was his fourth goal of the season.
Larionov's power play goal pushed the lead to 3-0 with just over
two minutes to play in the opening period.  It was Igor's fourth
goal as well for the league's best- ranked offense. 

TORONTO (2):  Kirk Maltby recorded his first career hat trick and
Brendan Shanahan scored his 17th goal and assisted on another
during a five-goal second period scoring barrage for the Red Wings
in an 8-1 win over the Leafs. Maltby's hat trick matched his entire
goal output of last season. He has been playing rather well as of
late and is getting some time on the power play because of it. 

Goalie Chris Osgood stopped 29 shots and is 5-0-1 in his last six
games with four wins during the week. The Red Wings completed the
sweep of the Maple Leafs after winning 4-1 at Detroit on Friday.
They have won five straight games for the first time this season
and are tied with Dallas for first overall in the league with 55
points.  Also scoring for the Red Wings were captain Steve Yzerman,
Marty Lapointe, Slava Kozlov, and Anders Eriksson. 

What a game!  It seemed as though everything that was thrown the
Leafs way went in.  Shot after shot.  The Wings are hot and getting
four points against division rivals in consecutive nights really
makes things look great.                              

DALLAS:  Sergei Zubov's goal with 5:22 to play in regulation lifted
the Dallas Stars into a 2-2 tie with the Red Wings as the teams
remained tied on top of the Central Division. Both teams have 56
points to lead the NHL. The Demolition Man Tomas Holmstrom's fourth
goal and a goal by Slava Kozlov were all the Wings could muster
against Eddie Belfour.                               

Belfour made 20 saves, boosting his record to 20-6-6. He is 13-24-6
all-time against the Red Wings and the Stars are just 2-11-2 at the
Joe Louis Arena since moving to Dallas from Minnesota following the
1992-93 season.  Ozzie stopped a total of 30 shots for the Wings in
the satisfactory tie.                               

It was an exciting game from start to finish.  Great defense and
spectacular goaltending was center stage.  You could not ask for
much more in the contest.                        

ST. LOUIS:   The hot Doug Brown scored twice in the second period
and the hot Kirk Maltby added his sixth goal in five games as the
Wings defeated the St. Louis Blues, 5-2. Joe Kocur, the third
member of the "Grind Line," opened the scoring in the first period
for the Red Wings, who improved their all-time New Year's Eve
record to 26-20-7.                                  

Brown, Maltby and Kocur combined for 18 goals and seven assists in
December, helping the Red Wings to an 8-3-4 record.  "We don't put
numbers on our lines," Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman said. "With
Igor out and Draper out, we had all three of our centers play about
20 minutes.  Gilchrist, Brown and Stevie."          

Chris Osgood had to make only 17 saves for Detroit, which broke a
six-game regular season winless streak against the division rival
Blues.                                           

Yzerman picked up a pair of assists, moving past Alex Delvecchio
into second place on the team's all-time list and 15th on the NHL
list.                                               

PHOENIX:  Goalie Kevin Hodson, making a rare start, stopped 28 shots
for his first shutout in over a year.  Vyacheslav Kozlov snapped a
scoreless tie midway through the second period as the Red Wings beat
the Phoenix Coyotes with a 2-0 victory.  Hodson turned aside eight
shots in the first period, 12 in the second and eight in the third
for his third career shutout.                   

Kozlov's goal came with over eight minutes left in the second period
on a rebound of his own shot that appeared to go in off the skate of
Phoenix defenseman Deron Quint. Kozlov and Igor Larionov added
assists on Mike Knuble's insurance goal with about three minutes gone
in the third period.  It was Knuble's fourth goal.  The Wings
improved to 23-1-2 when leading after two periods. 

Despite avoiding their first three-game losing streak since 1993,
the Red Wings have continued to struggle offensively, scoring just
four goals in their last three games.  However the offense is still
rated first overall in the NHL.                       

DALLAS:  Steve Yzerman and Jere Lehtinen exchanged third period
goals as the Wings and Dallas Stars continue to kiss their sisters
in another tie, 3-3.  A week earier, the two teams tied 2-2,
leaving the question as to who is really the top team in the league
unanswered.                                         

Chris Osgood made 20 saves in the game, while Ed Belfour collected
23.  Lehtinen scored twice for Dallas.  Yzerman, Larry Murphy and
Kirk Maltby tickled the twine for Detroit.        

WASHINGTON:  The Red Wings smothered the Washington Capitals at Joe
Louis Arena as Chris Osgood collected another shutout between the
pipes, 2-0.                                          

Thanks to a tight defensive system, Osgood only had to face 15
Capital shots to earn his 21st win of the season.  The Red Wing
offense, on the other hand, peppered Olaf Kolzig with 39 shots. 
But the lopsided shot count is misleading. The Caps were in the
game the entire way.  The first two periods were scoreless thanks
to Olle the goalie, who stopped 19 shots in the second period,
alone.  The game remained scoreless until Igor Larionov finally got
one past Kolzig at 6:13 of the third period.  Slava Kozlov sealed
the win with an empty netter with 20 seconds left in the game. 

MISC: Sergei Fedorov met with GM Ken Holland recently and received
his Stanley Cup ring finally.  The two sides however are still
light years apart and it seems as though his days are numbered as a
Red Wing.   Rumors of him being traded to Washington, New York(s),
and L.A. are rampant.                    

Mid-Season Report Card: 


Centers  
Sergei Fedorov  Inc. 
Steve Yzerman  A- 
Igor Larionov   A-
Kris Draper  B+ 

Left Wings 
Brendan Shanahan  A+ 
Vyacheslav Kozlov  B- 
Doug Brown  A
Tomas Holmstrom  B- 
Kirk Maltby  B+
Brent Gilchrist  B 

Right Wings
Darren McCarty  B-
Joey Kocur  A-
Martin Lapointe  C
Mathieu Dandenault  B-

Defense
Nicklas Lidstrom  A+
Bob Rouse  C+
Slava Fetisov  B-
Larry Murphy  A
Yan Golubovsky  C-
Jamie Pushor  C
Aaron Ward  B- 
Anders Eriksson  B+

Goalies 
Chris Osgood  A-
Kevin Hodson  B



-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX COYOTES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld 

Roster: C - Jeremy Roenick, Craig Janney, Cliff Ronning, Bob Corkum,
Mike Stapleton, Juha Ylonen. LW - Keith Tkachuk, Darrin Shannon, Jim
McKenzie. RW - Rick Tocchet, Dallas Drake, Mike Gartner, Brad
Isbister, Jocelyn Lemieux. D - Teppo Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky, John
Slaney, Norm Maciver, Jim Johnson, Murray Baron, Deron Quint, Jason
Doig, Jay More, Michel Petit, Sean Gagnon. G - Nikolai Khabibulin,
Jimmy Waite, Scott Langkow. 

Injuries: Jim McKenzie, lw (stress fracture in right leg, four
weeks); Sean Gagnon, d (broken left leg, 4-6 weeks); Jason Doig, d
(sprained knee Nov. 20, 1-3 weeks (placed on injured reserve Nov.
20)); Murray 
                 Baron,  d (torn triceps muscle Nov. 17,
indefinite); Jim Johnson, d (concussion Nov. 11, day-to-day); Darcy
Wakaluk, g (knee surgery Sept. 17, 2-3 months (placed on injured
reserve Sept. 30)). 
 
Transactions: Recalled Scott Langkow, g, from Springfield (AHL);
returned Chad Kilger, c, to Springfield; signed Oleg Tverdovsky, d,
to a two-year contract; recalled Sean Gagnon, d, from Springfield. 

Game Results:

12/14 Detroit         T 3-3
12/17 Vancouver       L 5-1
12/19 at Anaheim      W 6-2
12/20 Toronto         L 3-2
12/23 Calgary         T 2-2
12/26 at San Jose     W 4-0
12/27 at Los Angeles  W 4-2
12/29 at Calgary      W 5-3
01/01 Los Angeles     W 4-0
01/03 NY Islanders    W 2-1
01/06 at Detroit      L 2-0
01/08 at Boston       L 5-2
01/09 at Chicago      W 4-2
01/11 Ottawa          T 4-4

TEAM NEWS by Jim Iovino 

Tverdovsky signs

The biggest news out of Phoenix since the last time we spoke was the
signing of defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky.  The 21-year-old defenseman
accepted a two-year deal with the club on Dec. 19 worth $1.4 million
this season and $1.7 million next season.  There are also some extra
incentives worked into the contract that could bump up the total
contract some $700,000 bucks.  

It took a long time for the Coyotes to sign Tverdovsky.  It almost
took as long for Tverdovsky to score a goal.  Tverdovsky's first
tally didn't come until Jan. 9 in a 4-2 win over the Chicago
Blackhawks.  The offense hasn't come easily for Tverdovsky during
his return to the NHL.  After dominating the AHL, Tverdovsky has
just two points in 10 NHL games this season.  

Wins, losses and confusion

If there was one word to describe the Phoenix Coyotes hockey club
since they moved south from Winnipeg, it would be inconsistent. 
When you think the Dogs would win a game, they'd come out flat and
lose.  When they were supposed to beat a team, they'd fold.  And
occasionally Nikolai Khabibulin would steal a win from a tougher
opponent.  Occasionally is the key word, though.  

But recently the Coyotes pulled off a smooth five-game winning
streak against, of all things, teams that they really should have
beaten.  And it's no coincidence that most of those teams came from
the bottom of the Pacific Division. 

After tying Calgary on Dec. 23 (ok, it isn't a great start), Phoenix
rattled off five straight wins against the Sharks, Kings, Flames,
Kings again and the Islanders.  The opponents weren't the greatest,
but the good news was that the Coyotes didn't play down to their
opponents.  

Of course, the Dogs followed up the Islander win with a 2-0 shutout
loss to Detroit.  And then there was the 4-2 loss to the (ahem)
Chicago Blackhawks and the 4-4 tie with the Senators. But we'll
just forget about that stuff and concentrate on the positive.  The
Coyotes had a five-game win streak!  Yee-haw!! 

Other pertinent information...

Other news out of Phoenix has everyone pissed that Mike Gartner
didn't make the top 50 list of all time by some crappy
publication.  Whatever.  And then there was the snubbing of Teppo
Numminen from the All Star Game (again).  When is Teppo gonna get
the respect?  If it's any consolation Teppo, we here at LCS think
you're a swell guy.  Much respect and appreciation goes out to
Teppo from the entire staff... 


-----------------------------------------------------------------
ST. LOUIS BLUES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
   
Roster:  C - Pierre Turgeon, Darren Turcotte, Harry York, Craig
Conroy, Pascal Rheaume. LW - Geoff Courtnall, Tony Twist, Pavol
Demitra. RW - Brett Hull, Jim Campbell, Joe Murphy, Scott Pellerin,
Rudy Poeschek, Blair Atcheynum, Kelly Chase, Terry Yake.  D - Al
MacInnis, Chris Pronger, Steve Duchesne, Marc Bergevin, Chris
McAlpine, Jamie Rivers. G - Grant Fuhr, Jamie McLennan, Brent
Johnson. 

Injuries: Rudy Poeschek, d (back spasms, day-to-day); Tony Twist, lw
(sprained knee, two weeks); Brett Hull, rw (broken left hand Dec. 27,
4-6 weeks); Joe Murphy, rw (surgery to repair torn ligaments in left
wrist Nov. 6, indefinite (placed on injured reserve Nov. 6)).
 
Transactions: Recalled Libor Zabransky, d, and Rory Fitzpatrick, d,
from Worcester (AHL); recalled Chris Kenady, rw, from Worcester;
assigned defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick to Worcester; assigned Chris
Kenady and Libor Zabransky to Worcester; signed Michel Picard, lw,
to an offer sheet. 

Game Results:

12/15 Ottawa         L 3-1 
12/18 New Jersey     T 4-4 
12/20 Pittsburgh     W 4-1 
12/22 at Tampa Bay   T 2-2
12/23 at Florida     W 3-2
12/26 Chicago        L 4-1
12/27 Anaheim        T 5-5
12/29 at Washington  L 4-2
12/31 at Detroit     L 5-2
01/03 Calgary        W 4-3
01/06 at San Jose    W 5-1
01/07 at Vancouver   W 3-2
01/10 at Calgary     W 5-1

TEAM NEWS by Jim Iovino

Ahh, the Pacific Division... 

Ya know, when things are going bad, there's nothing like a string of
games against Pacific Division teams to get your team back on track.
Just ask the St. Louis Blues, who were mired in a four-game winless
streak dating back to a 4-1 embarrassment at the hands of the Chicago
Blackhawks on the day after Christmas. 

But the schedule makers looked kindly upon the Blues and gave them
five straight games against the lower half of the Pacific.  And so
far, the Blues have taken full advantage of the opportunity. 
They've won the first four games and play the Edmonton Oilers
Monday night.  

Four straight wins have helped the Blues keep pace in the Central
Division.  At press time St. Louis was third in the Central with a
record of 26-15-6.  They are six points behind the division-leading
Stars and five behind the Wings.  

Hull in pain

The surprising thing about the Blues' recent win streak is the fact
that they're doing it without Brett Hull.  Hull broke his hand
after being slashed by Tomas Sandstrom on Dec. 27. At the time the
prognosis was for Hull to be out for four to six weeks.  Hull
should be back in time for the Olympics.  

Hul still leads the Blues in goals scored with 19, but in his
absence several other players have had to step up offensively. 
Geoff Courtanll is just one goal behind Hull at 18, but he's
finally tied him for the team lead in points with 36.  Pierre
Turgeon is scoring at more than a point-per-game pace.  He has 29
points in 25 games.  Pavol Dimetra and Al MacInnis recently came
back from injuries to add some offense, as well.  

Pronger a plus

Defenseman Chris Pronger continues to develop into one of the game's
best. Pronger has 20 points in 47 games, including six goals.  He
also has accumulated 102 penalty minutes.  But more impressive is his
+24 plus/minus rating.  His +24 is the best on the club, and one of
the best in the league.  The only other Blue who has a plus in the
double digits is Courtnall at +14.  

Knowing all of this, I probably still wouldn't have traded Brendan
Shanahan for him, but at least it's nice to know the Blues didn't
get completely hosed on the deal.  


-----------------------------------------------------------------
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Mike Murphy

Roster: C - Darby Hendrickson, Steve Sullivan, Alyn McCauley. LW -
Fredrik Modin, Wendel Clark, Todd Warriner, Derek King, Kris King,
Igor Korolev. RW - Mats Sundin, Sergei Berezin, Tie Domi, Mike
Johnson, Martin Prochazka. D - Jeff Brown, Jamie Macoun, Dimitri
Yushkevich, Mathieu Schneider, Per Gustafsson, Jason Smith, Rob
Zettler, Yannick Tremblay. G - Felix Potvin, Glenn Healy. 

Injuries: Nick Kypreos, lw (post-concussion syndrome Sept. 15,
indefinite); Craig Wolanin, d (knee sprain Nov. 1, out for season);
Jeff Brown, Wendel Clark, Alyn McCauley, Mathieu Schneider and
Dimitri Yushkevich all day-to-day with various bumps and bruises.

Transactions: Sent Marcel Cousineau, g, to St. John's (AHL);
acquired Jeff Brown, d, from Carolina Hurricanes for a conditional
1999 draft pick. 

Game Results: 

12/15 at Colorado     L 3-2  
12/17 at Anaheim      W 6-2   
12/18 at Los Angeles  L 5-2  
12/20 at Phoenix      W 3-2   
12/23 Edmonton        W 5-4   
12/26 at Detroit      L 4-1   
12/27 Detroit         L 8-1  
12/31 Boston          T 2-2    
01/01 at Chicago      T 3-3
01/03 at New Jersey   L 4-2   
01/06 at Washington   L 5-3
01/07 at Tampa Bay    W 5-2   
01/10 Chicago         L 4-3  
01/12 at NY Rangers   L 3-2   

TEAM NEWS by Jonah A. Sigel

If Only It Were June

The way the season has gone thus far has many Leafs hoping that the
all-star break was really the end of the season. However, the many
observers have taken note that the main difference between this
year and many others is that this year there really were no
expectations.  Management made no lofty goals beyond realism so the
fans are pretty much getting what was predicted.  

There have been many surprises so far - some good and some bad.  The
biggest surprise is that the management has been content to
patiently observe the on-goings with the team with little emotion
or drastic call for change.  Having just completed their 44th game,
a grand total of one trade was made and not one free agent was
signed or claimed off of waivers.  
  
The erratic play of the goaltenders has been very disappointing for
the club, neither backup Healy or Potvin have played up to
expectations.  Potivn has continually been plagued by the long
shot, having been beaten regularly by floaters from outside the
Leaf blue line.  

Sergei Berezin's play has been nothing short of brutal.  He has
spent more time in the press box sulking than he has playing. 
Fresh off a fat new contract, Brezin is proving to be a bust for
the Buds and his new contract makes him almost untradeable.  
  
After horrific starts both Derek King and Mats Sundin have come
around of late with both edging up the point totals. Sundin has
crept up to a respectable 16th in league scoring.  The brightest
and best surprise has been the play of rookie Mike Johnson.  He has
gained league-wide recognition and is a front runner for the rookie
of the year award.  

On the disappointing trail is ex-captain and soon to be free agent
Wendel Clark.  Clark's numbers are horrific.  35 games, nine goals,
seven assists 78 penalty minutes and a whopping -18.  Clark will
have a lot of proving to do if he hopes to entice any offers from
any professional team: IHL, AHL or NHL.  

All in all this has been a mediocre season at best for the Leafs,
something Leaf fans have gotten used to.  Of course ownership has
made lofty promises for a much-improved club next season with the
huge increase of quality free agents. A playoff birth this year
would almost be a disappointment for the team that works hard every
night but gains few results.  Many would much rather ownership have
to face the music that their team is not very good, or more
realistically, pretty awful and take another look at the drawing
board.  

Unfortunately there is but another 38 games to be played...

=================================================================

=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Pierre Page
   
ROSTER: C: Mark Janssens, Sean Pronger, Steve Rucchin, Kevin Todd;
LW: Shawn Antoski, Ted Drury, Paul Kariya, Tomas Sandstrom, Brent
Severyn, Jeremy Stevenson RW: Jeff Nielsen, Warren Rychel, Joe
Sacco, Teemu Selanne, Scott Young; D: Drew Bannister, J.J.
Daigneault, David Karpa, Jason Marshall, Dmitri Mironov, Ruslan
Salei, Brent Severyn, Dan Trebil, Pavel Trnka; G: Guy Hebert,
Mikhail Shtalenkov. 

INJURIES: Dan Trebil, d (fractured thumb on 12/10, placed on IR;
Shawn Antoski, lw (depressed skull fracture, indefinite). 

TRANSACTIONS: 1/9, acquired Drew Bannister, d, from Edmonton for
Bobby Dollas, d; 1/7, activated Jason Marshall, d, from IR; placed
Jason Marshall, d, on IR (retroactive to 12/20); 1/5, assigned Matt
Cullen, c, and Mike Crowley, d, to Cincinnati (AHL); 12/28,
recalled Mike Crowley, d, from Cincinnati; 12/13, assigned Marc
Moro, d, and Antti Aalto, c, to Cincinnati. 

GAME RESULTS:

12/17 Toronto        L 6-2 
12/19 Phoenix        L 6-2 
12/21 San Jose       L 4-2 
12/22 Calgary        W 5-1 
12/27 at St. Louis   T 5-5 
12/28 at Chicago     L 2-0 
12/30 at Carolina    L 2-1 
01/01 at Washington  L 3-2 
01/03 at Tampa Bay   W 4-1 
01/04 at Florida     T 3-3 
01/07 Buffalo        L 3-2 
01/09 Edmonton       L 5-1 
01/11 Dallas         W 2-1 (OT)

TEAM NEWS by Alex Carswell

THINGS NOT SO DUCKY

Look at the record over this LCS segment (3-8-2) and you'll know
that, despite Paul Kariya's presence, The Pond is not the happiest
place on earth right now. Despite being in the majority of their
games, Anaheim has simply not been able to get over the hump and
string together any wins. And while they capped this stretch with a
stirring OT win against the NHL-best Dallas Stars, the on-ice
problems persist...and have spilled into the locker room.  

Veteran defenseman Bobby Dollas complained in the press after being
scratched for the Buffalo game, as did winger Warren Rychel. It was
the second healthy scratch in three games for Dollas, prompting him
-- one of three remaining original Mighty Ducks players on the
roster -- to lambaste his coach for trying to play "mind games"
with the 14-year pro. He then punctuated his tirade by requesting a
trade.  

Complaining may not be unusual around losing teams, but voicing such
unhappiness in the press violates Rule #1 -- the Golden Rule of
Silence -- at Anaheim Sports, Inc. Following the Dollas outburst,
team President Tony Tavares said that he would be surprised if
players weren't unhappy being scratched, but that he disagreed "with
the forum" Dollas chose. And then, faster than a speeding bullet,
Dollas was asked to walk across the hall to join his new team, the
Edmonton Oilers, who were in town to face the Ducks. That leaves just
Guy Hebert and Joe Sacco as original members of the 1993 expansion
franchise.  

Who knows whether Dollas really wanted out of Anaheim, but you can't
blame management for taking him at his word. On the other hand, if
the team had been that quick to address Kariya's discontent early in
the season, Anaheim might not be in the pickle it is right now,
battling for a Western Conference playoff spot. As for Rychel, he
quickly backed off his public comments, had conciliatory words with
his coaches and teammates, and was back in the lineup. 

DUCKLINGS ON D

The newest Anaheim player, Drew Bannister, joins an ever-younger
Duckling blue line. At 23, he is 10 years younger than Dollas, and
fits into Anaheim's current plan to feature youth on defense.
Though they still have significant experience in J.J. Daigneault,
David Karpa and Dmitri Mironov, it is the influx of youth that will
determine the team's fortunes on defense as the season progresses.
 

Jason Marshall, who came into his own under former coach Ron Wilson,
is back from IR, and should play a key role. Then the Ducks look for
two or three to emerge as regulars from the group of Bannister,
Ruslan Salei, Dan Trebil and Pavel Trnka. Salei and Trebil (who is
currently nursing a broken thumb) have been in and out of favor --
like nearly everyone else on the roster -- while Trnka has played
very well of late.  

As for Bannister, he wasn't much of a factor while facing his
Edmonton friends-turned-foes in his Ducks debut. But against Dallas
he stood tall and, paired with Mironov, delivered a huge
third-period hit against Jamie Langenbrunner that changed the
game's momentum. The hit prompted a standing ovation from the
denizens of The Pond, a line of pounded fists from his teammates on
the bench and a stirring comeback for the Ducks, who were trailing
1-0 at the time.  

AND THE WINNER IS...

It's hard to say who "won" the Bannister-Dollas deal. Over the long
term, you'd have to say Anaheim because of Bannister's youth. Plus,
while it may have been prompted by Dollas' public statements, GM
Jack Ferreira has a tremendous eye for talent and wouldn't have
picked up Bannister unless he believed in his ability. On the other
hand, can you remember the last time Edmonton uber-boss Glen Sather
didn't get more than he gave in a trade? If you can, drop me an
e-mail because I'm stumped on that one.  

And in the short term, the Ducks may eventually miss the experience
Dollas provided on the blue line. Given coach Pierre Page's lack of
patience with his players -- youngsters and veterans, defensemen
and forwards alike -- Dollas is the kind of guy who might have been
valuable down the stretch. While it's true that he, like the rest
of the team, had thus far failed to get on top of his game, there
may have been extenuating circumstances. In the first place, older
players often take a little longer to get going as the years
progress. And Dollas, who missed almost two months with an
assortment of injuries, was still "early" in his own personal
season. Would he have been the steady player of old had he been in
the lineup all year? Maybe, maybe not.  

But when Page is no longer enamored of one or more of his
youngsters, it might have been nice to have Dolly to turn to. 
Remember, it was just a few weeks ago that Salei was being praised
by the coach for his nightly contributions, and now he's a nightly
scratch. Ditto for Trebil, who was in and out of the lineup before
being injured.  

Of course, there's always Brent Severyn. Severyn, at long last
activated from IR, has been playing left wing exclusively. But he's
a natural defenseman, and may find himself back on the blue line
before long.  

A HOLAN SIGHTING

Former Ducks defenseman Milos Holan was in Washington recently and
took in the New Year's Day game against the Caps. In an interview
with Anaheim broadcasters Chris Madsen and Brian Hayward, Holan
said he felt good and was ready to get back into hockey -- this
time as a coach. Holan, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 1995 and
underwent a successful bone-marrow transplant, looked good, too,
and said he was within 20 pounds of his old playing weight. The
Czech native is living back home now and planning to assist his
father, a longtime coach in that country.  

And in one of those truly Disney-esque moments, Panel Trnka, who had
sought Holan's permission before requesting to wear his old number 7,
scored his first NHL goal that day as Holan looked on.  

DUCKS BILLY ROBBED

Bill Robertson, Director of Communications for Anaheim Sports, is
going home. Affectionately known as Billy-Rob around The Pond and
the Big A (where he also oversaw media for the Anaheim Angels),
Robertson has been tabbed as Vice President of Communications for
the as-yet unnamed Minnesota NHL franchise slated to begin play in
the year 2000. A native of St. Paul, Robertson came to the Ducks
after helping to successfully launch the NBA's Minnesota
Timberwolves. His local roots and his reputation for succeeding
with start-ups certainly stirred Minnesota's interest in Robertson.
But it will be in day-to-day operations where Robertson's presence
will be most appreciated by those who depend on him and his staff.
 

In Anaheim, under often-turbulent and difficult circumstances,
Robertson put together a group that has won the NHL's "Press Box
Award" as the league's top PR staff in each year of the franchise's
existence. He will be missed in Anaheim, and -- hired a full two
years before puckdrop -- is obviously valued by his new employers.
Maybe this time, NHL hockey will actually work in Minnesota. 

There has been no announcement as to how Anaheim's media staff will
be reorganized in the wake of Robertson's imminent departure.  

COMING UP

Between now and our next report, the Ducks will surround the
All-Star break with a pair of games against local rival Los Angeles
and conference foe Colorado. And speaking of the All-Star break, is
anyone else shocked that New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire snubbed
Vancouver native Paul Kariya by not adding him to the North
American squad? 


-----------------------------------------------------------------
CALGARY FLAMES
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Um, Tony Wong's computer was kidnapped by Bil Keane, our archenemy 
and the creator of the hilariously funny "Family Circus" comic 
strip.  We were waiting to put up the text issue until the report 
arrived, but it doesn't look like that will be anytime soon.  So if 
you want to read the Flames report, you'll have to visit the website.  
Really, would it break your ass to visit the website once in a while?  
C'mon, help a brother out... 

Thank you.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
COLORADO AVALANCHE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Marc Crawford
   
Roster:  C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Jari Kurri.
LW - Valeri Kamensky, Rene Corbet, Eric Lacroix.  RW - Claude
Lemieux, Adam Deadmarsh, Keith Jones, Jeff Odgers, Shean Donovan. D
- Sandis Ozolinsh, Sylvain Lefebvre, Uwe Krupp, Adam Foote, Alexei
Gusarov, Jon Klemm, Aaron Miller, Eric Messier, Francois Leroux.  G
- Patrick Roy, Craig Billington. 

Injuries: Keith Jones, rw (knee, February); Wade Belak, d (shoulder,
early February). 

Transactions: Assigned Marc Denis, g, from Hershey (AHL).

GAME RESULTS:
12/15 Toronto        W 3-2
12/17 Detroit        T 2-2
12/19 Pittsburgh     T 3-3
12/23 Los Angeles    W 5-1
12/27 at Edmonton    W 5-1
12/29 Montreal       T 1-1
12/31 NY Islanders   W 3-1
01/02 at Buffalo     T 2-2
01/03 at Pittsburgh  W 5-4 OT
01/06 Calgary        L 3-1
01/08 Vancouver      T 4-4
01/10 Ottawa         T 3-3

TEAM NEWS by Greg D'Avis

What's with all the ties? During the Avalanche's season-high 10-game
unbeaten streak, four of the games were ties; it was enough to make
even the most hardened purist beseech the hockey gods to end a game
with a shootout, or a skills competition, or a coin flip, or a game
of "Life," or anything that would be more exciting than all these
damn ties.  

At least the Avs were winning most of their other games, making it
all at least bearable (except for local newspaper columnists'
near-constant joke that the Avalanche would be "getting another tie
for Christmas." Har har har.) 

After an early-December loss to Calgary led to Coach Marc Crawford
severely lambasting his team, the Avs suddenly turned red hot. In
particular, the line of Peter Forsberg, Valeri Kamensky and Claude
Lemieux went completely insane; Forsberg was leading the league in
scoring, and both Lemieux and Kamensky were exhibiting an ability to
score goals at will. Not bad. 

Forsberg was the story in the Avs' 3-2 victory over Toronto on Dec.
15; he got the game-winner and frequently skated around Toronto
defensemen like they were standing still, which, considering the
Leafs' defense, is quite possible. On the other end, Craig
Billington was fantastic in place of the injured Patrick Roy, and
stopped the Leafs on most good chances. 

Of course, no one was too interested in the Maple Leafs; not with
Detroit making their first visit to Colorado two days later. The last
time the two teams played, Lemieux dropped the gloves with constant
nemesis Darren McCarty three seconds in; many of the fans were
anticipating that they wouldn't last three seconds this time. 

Instead of a bloodbath, though, what they got was one of the best
hockey games of the season. Lemieux wasn't looking for blood; he
was looking to win. He got a gorgeous goal in the second, then,
after Detroit rallied in the third to go up 2-1, Lemieux skated
around a bunch of Red Wings like he was, well, Forsberg, then took
a blast from the point which Forsberg deflected in for the tie. The
game was fantastic - lots of hits but not much cheap stuff
(including an amazing Forsberg check which knocked Kris Draper
flat); good, fast hockey from both teams; lots of passion. 

The defensive pairing of Adam Foote and Alexei Gusarov was extremely
effective; Foote went toe-to-toe with Brendan Shanahan throughout the
game, and the normally-graceful Gusarov laid a savage hit on McCarty,
rendering McCarty ineffective the rest of the game. It was a match to
make someone proud to be a hockey fan, tie or not. Two great teams,
at the top of their game, with a tremendous amount of mutual
loathing and respect. 

Pittsburgh came in next for a weird game. I'd swear the first period
never happened; if it did, as the box scores claim, it was so
stultifyingly dull that I've since erased it from my brain. The
second period, naturally, was a free-for-all, as all six goals of
the 3-3 tie came in the second 20 minutes. Third period was a
carbon copy of the first, and as has been the case too many times
this year, the OT period didn't actually feature players but rather
peanut vendors dressed in hockey jerseys. The big guns - Forsberg
and Joe Sakic - took care of the scoring, and a now-healthy Roy
returned to the nets.  

The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the year's big surprises; no
one without the benefit of hallucinogens honestly believed they'd
be the Avalanche's closest Pacific Division competition (if a
17-point deficit is considered "close" or "competition"). The
Avalanche treated them like the Kings of old, scoring repeatedly on
old pal Stephane Fiset in a game that wasn't even as close as the
5-1 final. The highlight unquestionably came when Jari Kurri
finally got his long-awaited 600th goal (against one of his former
teams, no less); after that, it was all anticlimax. Kamensky
returned from an injury to rack up three assists, and his pals
Forsberg and Lemieux popped in a few.  

After that came a road trip to Edmonton, which is kind of like a
trip to Disneyland for the Avalanche; in regular season play, the
Oilers haven't beaten the Avalanche since 1936 or so. As they've
done so many times, Kamensky and Forsberg abused the Oilers worst
of all, registering multi-point games in a chippy rout. In goal,
Roy got to nap for the second straight game, as the biggest worry
was that disoriented Avalanche players might fire it into their own
net.  

With four straight games either exciting or well-played, the
Avalanche gave their fans a break with a 1-1 tie against Montreal.
Sandis Ozolinsh continued to rock on the power play, scoring the
Avs' only goal in a game so dull that viewers were left praying for
fights. The Roy-vs.-Montreal subplot isn't even interesting
anymore, although it's worth noting that ex-Avalanche goalie
Jocelyn Thibault finally had a good game against the fellow he was
traded for.  

I only saw sporadic portions of the Islanders game, coming as it did
on New Year's Eve, but hey, it was the Islanders - it's not like
there was a lot of suspense. It was actually a pretty good game, as
the young Isles gave it their best shot, but the Avalanche put it
away with a Claude Lemieux blast. Happy New Year - for the second
straight year, Kamensky was injured in a New Year's Eve game. 

The next game was a bigger test; going into Buffalo to face the
now-white-hot Dominik Hasek. The Avalanche didn't do themselves any
favors by getting down 2-0 against a goalie who has, what, 16
shutouts or so each month? But as usual, in a bad situation, Sakic
started things off with a power-play goal, followed by a game-tying
shot from Mr. Clutch - Lemieux. 

Talk about deja vu: last January, the Avalanche played Pittsburgh;
got off to a big lead early; blew that lead in the third; then had
to rely on a goal from Valeri Kamensky, returing from the injured
list, to win it in overtime. This January, the Avalanche played
Pittsburgh; got off to a big lead early; blew that lead in the
third; then had to rely on a goal from Valeri Kamensky, returing
from the injured list, to win it in overtime. The goal gave
Kamensky his first hat trick of the season, and provided a good
argument that maybe the Avalanche should, say, put him on the
disabled list and take him off right before the playoffs.  

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and the lousy third
period against the Penguins was mere foreshadowing of the debacle in
Calgary. What is it about the Flames? They stink; they probably are
about equal in talent to the Avalanche's Hershey farm club; yet they
always torment Colorado. The Avs would probably rather play Detroit
without Sakic, Forsberg, Lemieux and Kamensky, and with Hardy Astrom
in net, than play the cellar-dwelling Flames. Anyone who can suitably
explain this to me gets my everlasting respect.  Without going into
the gory details, the Avalanche were great in the first and only
Dwayne Roloson, managing to look horrible even as he kept the puck
out of the net, kept it to 1-0. After that, the Avalanche stunk, and
lost, like they always do against the pathetic Flames. 

In the next day's practice, Crawford went apoplectic, screaming at
the players he judged to have not put forth the requisite effort -
everyone except Sakic and Roy, basically, but he especially singled
out Forsberg, Kamensky, Kurri, and especially, especially,
especially Adam Deadmarsh. Deadmarsh is tough, talented, can score
- he led the team in goals last year - but often this year has been
invisible. After Crawford told him to go ahead and ask for a trade,
because Crawford really didn't care any more, Deadmarsh went out
and saved the team the next night, getting a goal in the last
moments to eke out a tie against Vancouver in what had previously
been "Night of the Bad Goaltending." Kamensky also scored, as did
Francois Leroux - Francois Leroux! - getting his first of the
season.  

Against Ottawa, and the newly-recovered Daniel Alfredsson, the Avs
again got into a hole early, giving up a hat trick to Alexei "Leave
me off the World team, huh?" Yashin. But the Avalanche rallied
again, getting a goal from Ozolinsh and two from Rene Corbet (who
had, himself, just returned from the injured list) in the final
minutes to get yet another tie. 

Whither Jones?

Keith Jones' return date from a knee injury keeps getting pushed
back - now it's late February - but finally there's some good news.
He skated without pain for an hour before the Ottawa game, first
time he's done that, and word is that he may be back before the
Olympics. The Avalanche could use him; on Sakic's right side, he
gives the Avalanche two legitimate scoring lines and takes a lot of
pressure off Deadmarsh. He's also another tough, scrappy guy. Hurry
back, Jonesy.  

All-Star Avalanche

The Avalanche have a lot of players on the Jan. 18 All-Star rosters,
but they'll be facing off due to the weird new "North America vs. the
World" format. Roy was voted to the North American team, and Sakic
was added as a reserve; on the World side, Ozolinsh and Forsberg were
voted in, Kamensky was added as a reserve (his first All-Star
appearance) and Kurri was a special addition by Commissioner Gary
Bettman. 


-----------------------------------------------------------------
EDMONTON OILERS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Ron Low
   
Roster:  C - Doug Weight, Todd Marchant, Boyd Devereaux, Tony Hrkac.
LW - Dean McAmmond, Rem Murray, Valeri Zelepukin, Ryan  Smyth, Mats
Lindgren, Bill Huard, Mike Watt. RW - Bill Guerin, Mike Grier, 
Andrei Kovalenko, Kelly Buchberger, Georges Laraque.  D - Bobby
Dollas, Sean Brown, Greg deVries, Kevin Lowe, Roman Hamrlik, Boris 
Mironov, Craig Millar, Drake Berehowsky.  G - Curtis Joseph, Bob
Essensa. 

Injuries: Kevin Lowe, d (inner ear infection, placed on IR Oct 23,
indefinite);  Bill Huard, lw (suffered broken bone in left hand,
placed on IR Nov 22, indefinite). 

Transactions: Traded Steve Kelly, c, Jason Bonsignore, f, and Bryan
Marchment, d, to Tampa Bay for Roman Hamrlik, d; traded Bryan Muir,
d, and Jason Arnott, c, to New Jersey for Bill Guerin, rw, and
Valeri Zelepukin, rw; traded Drew Bannister, d, to Anaheim for
Bobby Dollas, d; assigned Doug Friedman, lw, and Joe Hulbig, lw, to
Hamilton (AHL). 
 
Game Results:

12/17 Chicago        T 0-0
12/20 Dallas         L 2-1
12/22 at Montreal    T 3-3
12/23 at Toronto     L 5-4
12/27 Colorado       L 5-1
12/30 Philadelphia   L 3-1
01/02 Montreal       L 5-3
01/04 Los Angeles    L 3-2
01/07 Florida        W 3-2
01/09 at Anaheim     W 5-1
01/10 at Los Angeles W 4-3

TEAM NEWS by Simon D. Lewis

Trigger Man

You just knew it had to happen.  The Oilers were sucking like an
artillery chest wound.  The patient was critical.  The only hope of
survival was major surgery.  The man with the steady hand, GM Glenn
Sather, took hold his scalpel and, with four deft strokes brought
the patient back from the brink of eternity.  

Hang on a second.  We're still talking ICU here.  They haven't
unhooked the tubes and there's still a 24-hour watch, but things
are looking up.  

So, about those four strokes... 

The first cut involved excising Bryan Marchment, Jason Bonsignore
and Steve Kelly from the organization in return for the offensive
infusion of Roman Hamrlik from Tampa Bay.  

Marchment was a steady and reliable regular who came to Edmonton in
1994 from Hartford as compensation for the Whalers' signing of
Steve Rice.  There's many a knee on the East Coast that's now in
danger from his low checks.  Kelly and Bonsignore had become
expendable in Sather's quest for team health and wellness.  

The second cut, as it turns out, was the deepest.  The involved
lancing the boil which was Jason Arnott, the little kid who
couldn't, or wouldn't...or something.   Arnott had become a
festering sore on the body of the team.  Five goals halfway through
the season wasn't going to cut it.  When you beat Jari Kurri's
rookie scoring record with 33 goals you generate a heap of
expectations.  When you fail to fulfil them you hear about it.  The
Boo Birds were out after Arnott.  The press was endlessly
critical.  The phone in radio shows used him as their favourite
whipping boy.  Arnott and the Oilers were ready for the move. 
Defender Bryan Muir drew the short straw and was sent along with
Arnott to New Jersey.  

What came back was a whacking dose of antibiotics in the form of
Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin.  Looks like Jersey's Lou
Lamoriello thought he was getting some value in Arnott.  Maybe.
 

Deft Touch

Glenn Sather pays attention to the details too.  Two more delicate
strokes were required.  He knew he still needed a big stay-at-home
defenceman, so he swapped Drew Bannister's youth and inexperience
straight across with the Ducks for Bobby Dollas' age and wisdom. 
Remember, Sather has been watching Dollas for years with the
Winnipeg Jets, so he knows exactly what he got.  

The last move was classic Sather.  The Dallas Stars had put
31-year-old journeyman Tony Hrkac on the waiver wire.  Slats
snapped up the former Hobey Baker winner.  

Prognosis

You gotta love a plan when it works.  The Oilers snapped off three
straight wins against the Panthers, the Kings and the Ducks.  This
after blowing a three-goal, third period lead against the Habs on
Jan. 2, failing to show up against Colorado and losing to the
Leafs.  

Guerin, Hamrlik, Zelepukin and Hrkac are all hitting the score
sheet.  The Oilers may have got another, unexpected extra player
out of the deal;  Andrei Kovalenko, now playing with Zelepukin and
Rem Murray, is skating like he has a firecracker in his pants.  

Maybe he didn't like Arnott too much.  Maybe he likes it too much in
Edmonton to let himself be the next trade item.   


-----------------------------------------------------------------
LOS ANGELES KINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Larry Robinson

Roster:  C - Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Yanic Perreault, Jozef
Stumpel, Nathan Lafayette.  LW - Craig Johnson, Matt Johnson, Luc
Robitaille, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Steve McKenna, Dan Bylsma.  RW -
Sandy Moger, Glenn Murray, Russ Courtnall.  D - Aki Berg, Rob
Blake, Philippe Boucher, Garry Galley, Mattias Norstrom, Sean
O'Donnell, Doug Zmolek, Jan Vopat.  G - Stephane Fiset, Jamie
Storr. 

Injuries: Doug Zmolek, d (concussion, day-to-day).

Transactions:  Moved Frederic Chabot, g, back and forth and then
back to Houston; recalled Jan Vopat, d, from Utah; Mattias
Norstrom, d, suspended for at least one game by league for hit from
behind. 

Game Results:

12/18 Toronto       W 5-2
12/20 at Calgary    W 4-1
12/22 at Chicago    W 1-0
12/23 at Colorado   L 5-1
12/27 at Phoenix    L 4-0
12/29 Vancouver     W 5-2
12/31 at Dallas     T 2-2
01/01 at Phoenix    L 4-0
01/04 at Edmonton   W 3-2
01/05 at Vancouver  L 3-2
01/08 Buffalo       T 2-2
01/10 Edmonton      L 4-3
01/12 Anaheim       W 3-2

TEAM NEWS by Matt Moore

Ugh...being a Kings fan can be so frustrating.  One game they play
extremely well and look like they could beat any team, then the
next day they come out and play like a minor league or junior
team.  A lack of consistency has plagued this team since the start
of the season, and it remains to be seen whether or not the team
"leaders" have the ability to solidify this team in the second half
of the season.  

One of the worst problems for the Kings continues to be taking
penalties.  The two most recent games highlighted that. Sometimes
it seemed like the Kings were spending the entire game on the
penalty kill, stuck in their own zone with Stephane Fiset being
pounded to death by shots from the point and the slot.  

Now don't get me wrong, the Kings need to play aggressively to use
their size advantage, but too many of these penalties have been
stick fouls that take any momentum away from the team and allow the
other team to wear down the defense.  

Speaking of penalties, the Kings lost one of their best players,
Mattias Norstrom, to a suspension by the league following a
major/game misconduct for a boarding call in the January 10th game
against Edmonton. I am all for players who play dirty getting
suspended for injuring players, but this definitely was not one of
them.  

Hrkac lost his balance while heading towards the boards and
Norstrom, who was going after the loose puck, wound up hitting him
and really putting the hurt to Hrkac.  I was surprised that they
called a penalty on Norstrom, let alone suspended him, since it
sure looked like an accidental injury caused by the injured player
losing his balance without help from Norstrom.  But what can I
expect anymore from this league.  A league that apparently believes
that the slash is a valid tool in defense.  A league that would
rather give us boring play full of restraining fouls and mediocre
players and yet does not seem to care when they lose those rare
stars like Brett Hull or Mario Lemieux.  

Maybe it is time to start watching baseball again... 

<I>(Editor's note:  As you can see, Matt Moore didn't include the
latest results of the bet between himself and LCS editor, Michael
Dell.  There could be two reasons for this:  he forgot, or he's too
ashamed to type `em in.  We'll let you, our valued readers, decide
for yourself...)</I> 


-----------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE SHARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Darryl Sutter 
     
roster: C - Bernie Nicholls, Ron Sutter,  Patrick Marleau, Marco
Sturm, Mike Ricci, Jeff Friesen, Alex Korolyuk. LW - Shawn Burr,
Murray Craven, Stephane Matteau, Steve Goulla, Dave Lowry. RW -
Tony Granato, Owen Nolan, Todd Ewen, John MacLean, Andrei Nazarov,
Barry Potomski. D - Ken Sutton, Todd Gill, Bill Houlder, Al
Iafrate, Marty McSorley, Marcus Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje, Andrei
Zyuzin. G - Mike Vernon, Kelly Hrudey. 

injuries: Shawn Burr, lw (knee , 3-4 weeks); Todd Ewen, rw (knee,
out for season), Al Iafrate, d (knee surgery on 12/29, out at least
six weeks). 

transactions: recalled Jarrod Skalde, c, from Kentucky (AHL); Skalde
claimed by Chicago off waivers. 

game results: 
12/16 Detroit       W 5-1
12/18 Vancouver     T 0-0
12/21 at Anaheim    W 4-2
12/26 Phoenix       L 4-0
12/28 at Tampa Bay  L 2-1
12/29 at Florida    T 2-2
01/02 at Detroit    W 4-1
01/03 at Boston     L 3-0
01/06 St. Louis     L 5-1
01/09 Buffalo       W 5-2

team news: Al Swanson, San Jose Correspondent

In The News...

Reports in the media about the Finned Fantasticos are beginning to
say some strange things. The Sharks are described as 'red-hot',
'surprising' and 'tough'. When was the last time anyone saw San
Jose described as red-hot? Perhaps in 1994 when we had the
nine-game unbeaten streak? Maybe after we beat Detroit in the
playoffs those many years ago. Certainly not in the last two years!
Currently (12/18), the Sharkies are in ninth place in the West and
only one game behind second place in the Pacific. OK, in any other
division, those 31 points would at best tie you for fifth, but no
mind. Shark fans aren't looking at that.  

What's happened? First has to be defense. Darryl Sutter's system is
actually being played. It's taken a couple of months, but the team
gets it now. For a terrific example, see a replay of the Wings game
from this week. Everytime a Red Wing forward had the puck, he saw
four SJ Sharks waiting at the blue line for him. In the past three
games, Hrudey and Vernon have let a total of two pucks touch the back
of their net.  

Second is the defense against the power play. Again, the media is
describing our penalty kill as effective. And it has to be. Despite
the man at the top and his penchant for disciplined hockey, the
Sharks are again near the basement when it comes to sitting in the
Sin Bin: 22nd in the league. Why? Marty McSorley (94 min., eighth
among defensemen) and Andrei Nazarov (80 min.) certainly
contribute, but Owen Nolan (120 min., eighth among forwards) has
carved his name in the seat of every penalty box in the NHL.  

The Ice is Friesen...

It appears that the Million Dollar Bonus is working. Jeff Friesen is
on target to hit the 80 points he needs to get that payday by March.
He has 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points. In 32 games.  The boy is
en fuego! Friesen has shown some serious improvement, but Sutter is
expecting more. For a guy in his fourth year, Friesen should be
posting some higher numbers, but he isn't getting much help. 

NHL Player of the Week!

Mike Vernon was selected Player of the Week for the period of 12/15
to 12/21 for posting a 2-0-1 record including a .970 GAA and a .958
save percentage. The two wins included the shutout against
Vancouver.  

Game Recaps: 

<I>Red Wings without a Wing or a Prayer - Detroit in the Tank</I>

The Sharks were coming off their second four-game no-loss streak of
the year -- including a sweep of the two-game road trip that saw
only one enemy puck in San Jose's net and a shutout of the
league-leading Stars -- when Brendan Shanahan and Co. strolled into
the Tank. They did not stroll out. Instead, they went like dogs
with their tails between their legs and five -- count 'em, five --
Shark pucks in their backsides. Owen Nolan scored his second in two
games and fifth of the year. Jeff Friesen put his 15th past Hodson.
Al 'the Planet' Iafrate blasted one past Hodson on a Tony Granato
rebound for his first of the year. Patrick Marleau (6th) on a
beautiful move, and Murray Craven (7th) put in the empty netter.
The win also puts them in the last playoff spot in the West. Oh
yeah, and Kris Draper had an assist on Mike Vernon's goal which
cost him the shutout. Defense works like a dream for a 5-1 Sharks
victory.  

<I>Canucked! -- Vancouver at San Jose</I>

Before this year, the Sharks had never recorded a 0-0 tie. This
year, they have two. Vernon's happy, but no one else is. Craven
said he "hates" 0-0 ties cause he's a forward and when no one
scores, they're not doing their jobs. Relax, Murray. You guys
earned another point and extend the unbeaten streak to six. Sharks
tie at 0-0.  

<I>Ducks for Dinner? Again? -- Sharks in the Pond</I>

For the third time this season, and despite Teemu Selanne, the
Sharks had a turkey shoot with the Ducks. This was the second time
the Sharks brought the Ducks down in their home pond and the win
that puts Vernon at .500 for the season (11-11-3). Selanne put in
two on Vernon in the first, but the Sharks never trailed. Murray
Craven put in the first of four for the Great Whites during a
shorthanded situation at 1:44 of the first. You can draw you're own
conclusions. Next was John MacLean - for his first in teal and
white - putting one in on the power play. Then MacLean tipped in a
Bill Houlder shot from the slot for his second. Lastly, Marcus
Ragnarsson put in his first of the year to put the final touches on
a seventh unbeaten game. Special teams were the key for this game
as the Sharks killed off every (seven) penalty assessed them by
referee Jackson. It's your humble correspondent's opinion that
Jackson was having an 'off' night. Either that or he's just dumb as
a stump. He missed more calls than a broken answering machine.
Sharks win 4-2.  

<I>Coyotes make it three straight - Phoenix @ San Jose</I>

Keith Tkachuk and Co. strolled into the Tank, whooped a little Shark
butt and easily ended the seven-game streak. It seems that Nikolai
Khabibulin is unbeatable when working against the Sharks.  The
Coyotes stopped the Sharks in their debut game and have continued
the domination ever since.  

<I>Welcome Home, Vernie! - Sharks in Hockeytown</I>

In the six and a half years of their existence, there are many
things the Sharks haven't done. They've never had a .500 season.
They've never won their division in the playoffs. And they'd never
beat Detroit at home in the regular season. Till last night. In the
first meeting this season, the Wings won by a ref's call. The
Sharks had that game all the way, out-shooting and out-chancing
Detroit.  The second meeting was Detroit's last loss, a 5-1 mastery
by SJ in the Tank. The third was in Joe Louis Arena, before a
packed house waiting to see the Flounders and Mike Vernon get
pounded by the powerful defending Cup champs led by Chris Osgood.
Well, the first two games shoulda provided a clue. This is a Shark
team like none before it. From the onset, the Sharks dominated the
game and never let up. In the three meetings this year, SJ has
outscored the Wings 12-6. And they win this one 4-1.  

<I>Bears shut out Sharks - San Jose in Boston</I>

The Bruins are one of those teams the Sharks have always had trouble
with. And last week's game was no different. The Bears lead the
lifetime series against SJ 8-1-3 and are 5-0-1 at home. Let's make
that 6-0-1. Boston put three biscuits in the basket against Kelly
Hrudey. It seems that when Hrudey is in between the pipes, the Sharks
go to sleep. Do they feel he's that good? A San Jose loss, 3-1. 

<I>Sharks sing the Blues... Record contract due soon - Blues in the
Tank</I> 

St Louis was without Brett Hull, but it didn't matter last week,
cause the Sharks were without a clue. Although the Blues only
managed a measly 13 shots, five of them found the holes in the
Shark sieve. Al MacInnis, Craig Conroy, Pavol Demitra, Jamie Rivers
and Jim Campbell all made their way past the Iafrate- less defense
and beat both Shark goalies. Vernon gave up three before he'd had
enough. Not to be outdone, Hrudey let in two more. Stephane Matteau
scored the lone SJ goal in the 5-1 spanking of the Fish.  

<I>Sharks Buffalo Sabres - Buffalo at SJ        </I>

Mike Ricci, John MacLean and Bernie Nicholls each had a goal and an
assist and Mike Vernon stopped 16 shots as the Sharks finally
snapped the three-game winless streak at home. Ricci and Patrick
Marleau found the back of the net just over 11 minutes apart in the
first period. Maclean and Zyuzin popped a couple of second period
goals before Nicholls put his second of the year in past the
Dominator. The Sharks were playing one of 10 home games in January
and finally gave the hometown fans something to cheer about in the
5-2 win against the Sabres.  


-----------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER CANUCKS 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Mike Keenan

Roster:  C - Mark Messier, Trevor Linden, Mike Sillinger, Dave
Scatchard;  LW - Geoff Sanderson, Markus Naslund, Gino Odjick,
Donald Brashear;  RW - Alex Mogilny, Pavel Bure, Brian Noonan,
Scott Walker  D - Jyrki Lumme, Dana Murzyn, Matthias Ohlund, Grant
Ledyard, Bret Hedican, Dave Babych, Steve Staios, Chris McAllister,
Enrico Ciccone;  G - Sean Burke, Arturs Irbe. 

Injuries: Dave Scatchard, c (returned from hip flexor December 20,
missed 2 games);  Chris McAllister, lw/d (returned from heel spur
December 20, missed 3 games);  Alexander Mogilny, rw (returned from
groin strain January 10, missed 11 games);  Dana Murzyn, d  (knee
December 27, out for season);  Enrico Ciccone, d (hairline fracture
of ankle January 8, day-to-day). 

Transactions:  Corey Hirsch, g, recalled from Syrcause (AHL)
December 24;  Bert Robertsson, d, recalled from Syrcause (AHL)
December 30;  Corey Hirsch, g, re-assigned to Syracuse (AHL)
January 1;  Kirk McLean, g, and Martin Gelinas, lw, traded to
Carolina for Sean Burke, g, Geoff Sanderson, lw, and Enrico
Ciccone, d, January 2; David Roberts, c/lw, cleared waivers and
assigned to Syracuse (AHL) January 7;  Bert Robertsson, d,
re-assigned to Syracuse(AHL) January 10;  Lonny Bohonos, c/rw,
assigned to Syracuse (AHL) for two-week conditioning stint, January
10. 

GAME RESULTS

12/15 Los Angeles     W 7-0
12/17 at Phoenix      W 5-1
12/18 at San Jose     T 0-0
12/20 Chicago         L 5-0
12/23 Dallas          L 3-1
12/27 at Dallas       T 3-3
12/29 at Los Angeles  L 5-2
12/31 Philadelphia    L 8-0
01/03 Montreal        L 4-2
01/05 Los Angeles     W 3-2
01/07 St. Louis       L 3-2
01/08 at Colorado     T 4-4
01/10 Florida         T 2-2

TEAM NEWS by Carol Schram

Issue by issue, it is important to keep track of just how bad the
Vancouver Canucks really are this year.  When Mike Keenan took over
19 games into the season, the Canucks were nine points under .500,
tied for last place in the conference, and five points out of the
playoffs.  After an equal 19 games under Keenan, the team was 11
games under .500, still last in the Conference, and still the same
five points away from a post-season berth. After game 45 Saturday
night against Florida, they are 13 points under .500, still last in
the conference and, strangely, still just five points from the last
playoff spot.  

Watching the Flames, the Sharks, the Oilers, or the Leafs on any
given night, it's hard to believe that the Canucks are actually
worse than any, let alone all, of these teams.  Worse they are, but
the misfortunes of Vancouver's Western Conference rivals have
created a situation where, if any one team can really turn it
around, they'll have a good chance at grabbing the sixth, seventh,
or eighth playoff spot.  Like we used to say back in the late 80s,
when the Canucks and Winnipeg Jets fought it out for the last
playoff spot in the Smythe Division every spring - the Turtle Derby
is on.  

In the last month, we have witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly
with this hockey team.  On December 15, they went on an offensive
rampage and squashed the Los Angeles Kings 7-0 at home.  On December
31, they put in one of their poorest defensive performances ever -
recording a franchise-worst 8-0 shutout loss against the Philadelphia
Flyers to finish the year.  Along the way, there have been
complaints, insults, verbal jabs, and questions about integrity,
tactics, and commitment.  

Starting in net, Kirk McLean essentially sealed his fate with this
club when he gave up four goals in the first period against
Colorado back in mid-December - and that fourth goal was a
backbreaker.  Keenan had started McLean in every game since he took
over as coach - until the game after that on December 15, when he
admitted that he would be starting Archie Irbe till further
notice.  And easy-going guy though he is, Irbe took full advantage
of his opportunity.  Monday:  7-0 shutout win.  Wednesday:  5-1
win.  Thursday:  only the second scoreless tie in Canucks'
franchise history.  The guy gave up one goal in three games and
helped earn his team five of a possible six points.  Always known
for his streakiness, Irbe was in line for NHL Player of the Week
honors - until Saturday came.  All luck ran out, another winless
streak began, and those annoying Chicago Blackhawks stomped all
over the Canucks, winning 5-0 and doing it in one of the dullest
contests ever played on ice.  Hockey Night in Canada knew what they
were doing when they chose not to broadcast this one!  

Irbe's time was up, so Keenan started Kirk McLean again for the
team's next game, the following Tuesday at home against Dallas.  In
typical Kirk McLean style, he allowed a power-play goal in the
first minute of the game and the Canucks got down by two in the
first period against one of the best defensive teams in the
league.  A win was pretty much out of the question, but the team
did play a pretty feisty, physical game, and they did manage to get
close, losing by a 3-2 margin.  However, McLean mysteriously
strained something around his ribs during that game, and deemed
himself unavailable for play for the next little while.  That meant
a call-up for Corey Hirsch, and three more starts for Irbe after
Christmas.  The Canucks showed a lot of heart in coming back from a
3-0 deficit in Dallas to squeak out a tie.  They showed no heart at
all in a meaningless 5-2 loss to the Kings in Los Angeles, and
disaster struck as NHL super-snipers LeClair, Lindros and company
blasted four goals in less than half a period en route to the 8-0
debacle.  That meant a little playing time for Hirsch, and while it
wasn't the ideal situation to show your stuff, four more goals over
the rest of the game certainly wasn't enough to convince Keenan
that the red-head was the solution to his problems in net.  

It was clear enough that something had to be done, and late on the
evening of Friday, January 2, the word came down that the Canucks
had indeed traded Kirk McLean, along with left winger Martin
Gelinas, to the Carolina Hurricanes.  In exchange, they received
goalie Sean Burke, offensive left winger Geoff Sanderson, and
goonish defenceman Enrico Ciccone.  

Burke has played every minute of all five games since his arrival,
and is recording a respectable GAA of around 3.00.  Most
importantly, he is making enough big saves that he is giving his
team a chance to win every game. Burke's sheer size in net is the
first thing that impresses - at 6-foot-4, he is probably the
tallest Canuck goaltender ever and has no trouble "making himself
big" when the opposition bears down.  He also appears agile and
fairly positionally sound, although he has given up a number of
juicy rebounds that have ended up costing his team.  For now, Burke
must be treated as a short-term solution.  His days in Greensboro
were numbered since spending the night in jail after a domestic
dispute with his wife.  Plus, he is an unrestricted free agent at
the end of the season.  Normally, that would spell big trouble, but
there are quite a number of quality free-agent goaltenders
available this summer.  In addition to Burke, John Vanbiesbrouck,
Mike Richter, and Curtis Joseph will all be looking to score the
big contracts.  Given Mike Keenan's past history with Joseph, he's
not the likeliest candidate to land here, but if things don't work
out with Burke, a friend-of-Mike-and-Mark's, named Mike Richter,
could be willing to give it a go.  The Canucks still haven't played
.500 hockey since Burke's arrival, but their overall game does seem
to have settled down somewhat.  

Turning to defense, to the somewhat sadistic delight of many,
plowhorse defenseman and team whipping-boy Dana Murzyn blew out his
knee during the Dallas game on December 27 and is gone for the
season.  This has left his regular partner, Jyrki Lumme, to soldier
on with a variety of partners and the burden of the NHL's worst
plus/minus record - currently, a minus-22.  Lumme has been
inconsistent and has played some terrible games lately, notably
against Philadelphia where he was a -4 on five even-strength goals
against.  In the last week or so, though, he does appear to be
settling down and is returning to his steadier form.  

The team's most consistent pair continue to be Matthias Ohlund and
Bret Hedican.  While Ohlund has been prone to taking a few
unfortunate penalties lately and may be showing signs of fatigue
due to his first look at the endless NHL schedule, he still
provides a fairly solid physical presence in his own end, and
continues to try to do damage on the power play with his big shot. 
Hedican is also doing his job with reasonable assurance, and has
also developed into a far more physical player than he was in years
past.  Hedican's reputation is as a finesse player and great
skater, but he continues to rub opposing bodies into the boards
game-in and game-out, and had a near- war going with Kirk Muller
during the Florida game.  As for the rest of the corps, Keenan, as
usual, has shown a fondness for young, big players.  Chris
McAllister got a whack of ice-time at forward recently, but since
Murzyn's injury he has been moved back behind the blue line again,
and is taking a fairly regular shift.  Keenan's big gamble,
however, has been treating new acquisition Enrico Ciccone like a
player, instead of a goon.  In his first three games with the
Canucks, Ciccone was seeing upwards of 20 minutes of ice-time a
night, including a regular shift and some special-teams duty on the
penalty kill and, for the first time in his career, the power
play.  Ciccone may be lacking in skating and puck-handling skills,
as well as hockey smarts, but he is showing a ton of try.  The
experiment is on hold for now, however, since Ciccone hurt his
ankle blocking a shot in Colorado.  He's expected to be out for
about 10 days.  

Guys getting the short-end of Keenan's blue-line shuffle are Grant
Ledyard, a frequent healthy scratch who has just gotten back into
the lineup since the Ciccone injury, and Adrian Aucoin, who has
seen almost no ice-time since Keenan joined the team.  Dave Babych
is pulling a fairly regular, fairly inconspicuous, shift, and Steve
Staios has been converted into a fourth-line winger, likely
permanently.  Keenan seems to like Staios' aggression, but not his
mistakes in his own zone.  And from the same line of thinking,
23-year-old Swedish prospect Bert Robertsson just saw a five-game
stint with the big club - all of it on the wing.  Early on, it was
clear that Robertsson's mission was, simply, to go to the net. 
But, no offense at all from this crew led to its dismantling, and
Robertsson is now back behind the blue line in Syracuse.  

Looking at the current crop of forwards, there's no doubt that Pavel
Bure stands head and shoulders above the others in terms of his
performance this season.  Bure remains on pace for a 50-goal season,
and despite his team's dismal performance and bleak offensive output,
for about an hour on December 17, he was tied for the NHL scoring
lead with Peter Forsberg - till Forsberg popped the winning goal in
Colorado's game that night.  Despite the drubbing he is taking from
some fans in this city about not doing enough, Mark Messier is
clearly the second- best forward.  He is also cooking along at a rate
of nearly a point a game in a season where goal-scoring is way down,
and he is just minus-one on a team that has allowed about 25% more
goals than it has scored.  Some have been squawking about Messier's
lack of physical play and commitment to the defensive part of the
game, but his presence on the ice is notable more often than not. 

After recent stints in the press box that had many believing they
were on their way out of town, Markus Naslund and Mike Sillinger
have fought their way back into favor - largely as the catalysts
for an offensive second line after the Bure line went dry around
New Year's.  When paired up with Geoff Sanderson, the three were
able to use their speed to create some chances, and the emotionally
fragile Sillinger was able to parlay Mike Keenan's confidence in
him into special-teams time and a third-star accolade during the
Florida game.  Since his arrival, Sanderson has dazzled with his
superb speed and smooth skating, but this natural goal-scorer has
yet to tally his first marker as a Canuck.  

The writing was on the wall for Martin Gelinas, probably since the
first day of Keenan's reign.  When he feels appreciated, this
player will go to the wall, somehow exceeding his natural talents
levels.  Gelinas' single greatest moment as a Canuck was probably
his very first shift after he was acquired on waivers, when he
stepped off the bench and flattened Calgary's Ronnie Stern in the
middle of open ice.  Gelinas parlayed that gutsy, last-chance
effort into four great years with the Canucks, capping off with a
team MVP award at the end of last season.  Yet it seemed that
another injury and a change in the tone of the Canucks' dressing
room was working against Gelinas. Keenan singled him out for
criticism and Gelinas responded that he didn't know what was
expected of him.  That, coupled with the fact that Gelinas may well
have just hit his career peak, made him prime trade bait,
especially when Carolina was prepared to part with an All-Star
winger like Sanderson, as well as a solid goaltender.  It was sad
to see Gelinas go, but was probably necessary in order to get a
team to take on Kirk McLean and his long, hefty contract.  

Other forwards who are not faring well under Keenan's reign include
Dave Roberts and even former captain Trevor Linden.  Roberts and
Keenan had clashed before in St. Louis, and after he returned from
a fairly lengthy injury, Roberts barely got a look before being
banished to a permanent place in the press box.  When Vancouver's
roster grew by a player after the McLean/Gelinas trade, Roberts was
the one placed on waivers, to the surprise of virtually no one.  He
cleared and will bide his time in Syracuse until something happens
to change his situation.  

The Linden situation, of course, is much stickier.  A rare
first-round draft choice who actually lived up to his potential,
Linden has been the glue that holds this franchise together for the
better part of a decade.  We have watched Trevor grow up, and
mature into a caring community member and a superb ambassador for
his team. However, talk-show callers no longer wonder "Is this
going to be the year Trevor gets 50 goals and 100 points?" as he
blazes out of the gate at the start of the season.  After playing
the game of his life in Game Seven of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals,
Linden has struggled a bit, through the lockout year as he took on
responsibilities as Team Rep and and NHLPA Vice President, then
through a couple of injury-plagued years that wiped out his league
Ironman streak.  While Linden and Keenan expressed mutual
admiration for each other when Keenan first arrived on the scene,
it didn't take long for an upset to occur - specifically, in
Keenan's first game back against St. Louis. At the end of the
second period of that game, the Canucks were down 4-1, and Keenan
walked in on Linden, in his first game back with the team after
injury, pumping everybody up, telling them they were doing a good
job, just to keep it going.  Keenan was already feeling embarrassed
about losing in front of the group that ran him out of town, so he
railed on Linden right then and there for supporting a group of
players who were doing such an obviously unacceptable job.  At that
moment, the gauntlet was dropped.  

Linden has not played even up to his usual level since he got back
from the injury, and last week Keenan had the audacity to say so to
the media.  He suggested that Linden was playing at about 50% of
his capacity and that, by doing so, he was letting down his
teammates, his family, and his community.  This type of verbal jab
is certainly to be expected from Keenan, but folks in Vancouver are
not used to icons like Trevor Linden being treated in this
fashion.  The city has been a-buzz with this news since Monday, and
Linden himself was obviously upset by the remarks.  Many are
thinking the tradewinds might soon be blowing back into town. 
Nonetheless, Keenan has tempered his position with a cushy slot on
right wing for Linden, on the first line with Bure and Messier. 
Trevor has played rather more physically this past week, and only
time will tell if Linden, as Keenan puts it, will "buy into the
program".  

Further down the forward lines, it is tough to know exactly what
Keenan has in mind for Alex Mogilny, who has just returned from an
abdominal strain injury.  Despite appearing in just 18 games so far
this season, Mogilny has been working at about a point-a-game pace,
and certainly has the jets to get things going when he wants to. 
For him, hopefully it is just a matter of finding a groove, and he
will turn it on for real after the Olympic Break, when he can put a
string of games together.  As always, Mogilny's name has been
rampant in trade rumors, and while the story was that he would be
moved just as soon as he was healthy, Mogilny's energies seemed
almost completely positive during his first game back against
Florida.  

The other group Keenan seems pleased with is a pretty consistent
third line of Donald Brashear, Brian Noonan, and Dave Scatchard. 
The trio seem to be able to do whatever physical damage is
required, making them a handy checking unit, and Brashear continues
to polish his reputation as one of the top heavyweights in the
league. Meanwhile, Gino Odjick is on slightly more treacherous
ground.  Keenan gave Gino a chance to show his stuff in adding
muscle to the Bure/Messier line for a couple of weeks, and while he
managed to tally a couple of pretty tap-in goals courtesy of his
buddy Pavel, he dug his way deep into the doghouse during the
Philadelphia and Montreal games, taking undisciplined penalties
that resulted in back-breaking power-play goals for the other guys.
His assault on Vincent Damphousse was absolutely uncalled for, and
Gino has been sitting in the press box since that night.  Not only
have his actions snuffed out the trade rumors that he might go to
Canadiens, Damphousse himself hinted that when Gino is looking for
a place to skate near Montreal this summer, he just might not be
welcome at the ice-surface that Damphousse rents, where Gino has
worked out in years gone by.  Scotty Walker, on the other hand,
seems to be lucky enough to have escaped a similar fate after
clotheslining Valeri Bure during that same game.  Pavel's little
brother had to be helped from the ice during the third period and
did not return, but he was well enough to play in Montreal's next
game - where he suffered an injury to his cheekbone and is now out
of action indefinitely.  

So there's still no real evidence to show that this team is on the
right track, but it's also still not out of the question that they
could make the playoffs.  After Keenan's admonishment of Linden and
the reaction of press and fans, Mark Messier sat down for an
interview with the Sports Editor of one of the local papers last
week, and dug deep into the issues of the things he believes are
wrong with this team, which are preventing them from winning.  He
denied the fact that he was allied more closely with Canuck
management than with his teammates, and emphasized that the players
had to stick together, both on the ice and in the room.  In
Messier's mind, that means no more leaks to the press.  Messier's
success in the past certainly gives him the credibility to be taken
seriously when he says he knows what it takes to win.  Now, the
question appears to be whether or not his teammates are willing to
take the steps he says are necessary, and give it a try.  

OTHER NEWS:

Apparently Donald Brashear got himself in a bit of hot water last
summer while vacationing in North Wildwood, N.J., an east-coast
resort town.  He is alleged to have punched a Philadelphia man and
broken his nose outside Jimmy's Pub and Grub in the early morning
hours of June 14, and is facing two counts of aggravated assault.
Brashear's arraignment is scheduled for February 5, while the
Canucks are in the middle of a homestand, but the New Jersey
prosecutor says the date is "very flexible", so it is likely the
situation will be resolved during the Olympic Break that follows
soon afterward.  If convicted, Brashear could face a punishment as
high as five to 10 years in jail, but apparently a first offender
who admits his guilt is more likely to be fined or sentenced to
perform community service.  

When Vancouver hosts the new-format All Star Game, its two leading
scorers will be lining up against each other. Pavel Bure was named
to the World Team, while Mark Messier was added to the North
American team last week as a Commissioner's Special Selection. 
Mark said all the right things about being proud to play in his
third All- Star Game in his home rink, but surely he has to be
stinging, just a bit, about being left off the main list once again
when the league's best players are named.  

Old school Canuck fans should find plenty to cheer about, however,
when the puck is dropped for the Heroes of Hockey game.  Long-time
Canuck Captain and current Assistant Coach Stan Smyl will play just
his third game since retiring as he leads a squad that will include
"King" Richard Brodeur in goal, Garth Butcher and Harold Snepts on
defense, and everyone from Andre Boudrias to Thomas Gradin to Bobby
Schmautz to Tiger Williams at forward.  Head Coach of Team Canuck? 
Hockey Night in Canada color-man Harry Neale. 
================================================================


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL STANDINGS                                           Thru January 11, 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


                             Eastern Conference
Northeast Division  GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME     ROAD     OT
  Montreal          46  24  16   6    54  136  109  10-8-5   14-8-1    2-3-6
  Pittsburgh        45  23  14   8    54  125  104  10-7-4   13-7-4    3-1-8
  Boston            44  20  16   8    48  111  106   8-8-4   12-8-4    2-0-8
  Ottawa            46  19  20   7    45  111  111  10-11-1   9-9-6    1-0-7
  Carolina          46  17  23   6    40  116  129  13-9-5    4-14-1   1-2-6
  Buffalo           43  15  20   8    38  101  114   9-8-3    6-12-5   3-0-8
Atlantic Division   GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME     ROAD     OT
  New Jersey        44  28  14   2    58  132   92  18-6-0   10-8-2    1-3-2
  Philadelphia      44  25  11   8    58  134   97  13-6-3   12-5-5    1-0-8
  Washington        46  21  17   8    50  128  122  10-7-4   11-10-4   2-0-8
  Florida           46  15  21  10    40  117  131   5-13-5  10-8-5    2-2-10
  NY Rangers        45  14  19  12    40  114  123   8-10-6   6-9-6    0-2-12
  NY Islanders      45  15  25   5    35  112  132   8-13-1   7-12-4   0-1-5
  Tampa Bay         44   9  27   8    26   78  135   7-9-6    2-18-2   0-0-8

                             Western Conference
Central Division    GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME     ROAD     OT
  Dallas            47  28  11   8    64  144   97  13-5-5   15-6-3    3-1-8
  Detroit           47  27  11   9    63  153  110  15-6-4   12-5-5    0-0-9
  St Louis          47  26  15   6    58  141  115  15-7-4   11-8-2    2-1-6
  Phoenix           46  20  18   8    48  128  123  11-6-5    9-12-3   0-1-8
  Chicago           44  16  19   9    41  102  102   7-11-6   9-8-3    1-1-9
  Toronto           43  14  22   7    35  103  129   7-11-4   7-11-3   0-0-7
Pacific Division    GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   HOME     ROAD     OT
  Colorado          46  22   9  15    59  139  113  11-3-9   11-6-6    1-2-15
  Los Angeles       44  17  19   8    42  122  125  10-8-2    7-11-6   1-2-8
  Anaheim           46  15  23   8    38  107  137   7-13-3   8-10-5   2-2-8
  San Jose          43  16  22   5    37  104  119   6-11-3  10-11-2   0-2-5
  Edmonton          45  14  22   9    37  109  133   6-11-4   8-11-5   1-1-9
  Calgary           47  12  25  10    34  117  142   8-13-3   4-12-7   4-3-10
  Vancouver         45  12  25   8    32  122  156   6-13-4   6-12-4   0-3-8

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL LEAGUE LEADERS                                      Thru January 14, 1997
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(+) - ROOKIE

                      --- INDIVIDUAL SCORING LEADERS ---

PLAYER             TEAM           GP   G   A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT   S PCTG
------------------ -------------- -- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- -- --- ----
PETER FORSBERG     COLORADO       44  16  40  56   5  56  5  1  3  1 137 11.7
JAROMIR JAGR       PITTSBURGH     42  21  34  55   9  30  4  0  7  1 145 14.5
JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA   44  33  21  54  23  20  9  0  6  1 173 19.1
PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER      46  27  25  52   4  28  8  3  4  0 173 15.6
ERIC LINDROS       PHILADELPHIA   43  19  32  51  10  80  4  0  3  0 137 13.9
JOE SAKIC          COLORADO       47  21  29  50   8  30  9  1  2  0 184 11.4
RON FRANCIS        PITTSBURGH     46  16  34  50   5   6  4  0  5  1 105 15.2
TEEMU SELANNE      ANAHEIM        47  33  16  49   6  20  6  0  5  3 170 19.4
KEITH TKACHUK      PHOENIX        45  28  19  47   8 107  8  0  6  1 145 19.3
MARK RECCHI        MONTREAL       47  22  25  47  16  23  6  0  4  0 109 20.2
PAT LAFONTAINE     NY RANGERS     46  17  29  46   9- 24  7  0  2  3 114 14.9
SHAYNE CORSON      MONTREAL       47  16  30  46   5  66 12  0  1  0  96 16.7
ADAM OATES         WASHINGTON     47  10  36  46   5  12  1  1  3  0  75 13.3
WAYNE GRETZKY      NY RANGERS     46  12  33  45   0  12  0  0  3  1 133  9.0
MATS SUNDIN        TORONTO        44  20  24  44   5- 20  5  0  2  0 129 15.5
ROBERT REICHEL     NY ISLANDERS   46  17  27  44   2- 18  4  0  0  1 125 13.6
PETER BONDRA       WASHINGTON     43  28  15  43   1- 30  7  1  7  2 138 20.3
MIKE MODANO        DALLAS         35  16  27  43  17  18  6  3  2  0 131 12.2
JOZEF STUMPEL      LOS ANGELES    45  12  31  43   5  36  3  0  2  1  93 12.9
TONY AMONTE        CHICAGO        45  16  26  42  13  34  2  2  4  0 156 10.3
JASON ALLISON      BOSTON         45  16  26  42  16  27  2  0  6  1  73 21.9
THEOREN FLEURY     CALGARY        47  16  26  42  12 109  1  2  2  1 150 10.7
DOUG WEIGHT        EDMONTON       46  15  27  42   4- 28  7  0  2  0 121 12.4
DOUG GILMOUR       NEW JERSEY     45  12  29  41  10  48  3  0  4  0  72 16.7


                       ---  DEFENSEMEN SCORING LEADERS ---

PLAYER             TEAM           GP   G   A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW OT   S  PCTG
------------------ -------------- -- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- --  --  ----
NICKLAS LIDSTROM   DETROIT        47  14  21  35  11  14  5  1  1  1 125  11.2
SERGEI ZUBOV       DALLAS         48   6  29  35  13   4  2  1  2  1  90   6.7
SCOTT NIEDERMAYER  NEW JERSEY     45   7  27  34   9  16  6  0  1  0  97   7.2
LARRY MURPHY       DETROIT        48   5  29  34  24  21  1  0  2  0  65   7.7
STEVE DUCHESNE     ST LOUIS       48   6  27  33   9  22  1  0  0  0  88   6.8
KEVIN HATCHER      PITTSBURGH     40   9  18  27  10- 44  7  0  2  1  86  10.5
DARRYL SYDOR       DALLAS         45   8  19  27  19  30  4  1  1  0  96   8.3
AL MACINNIS        ST LOUIS       39  12  14  26   7  34  5  1  2  0 120  10.0
RAY BOURQUE        BOSTON         45   8  18  26   1  24  5  0  1  1 140   5.7
DMITRI MIRONOV     ANAHEIM        44   5  21  26   8- 56  2  0  1  0 102   4.9
ROBERT SVEHLA      FLORIDA        47   5  21  26   3  71  2  0  0  0  73   6.8
 

                           --- INDIVIDUAL LEADERS ---

        -- GOAL SCORING --                        -- ASSISTS --

NAME               TEAM         GP   G  NAME               TEAM         GP   A
------------------ ------------ -- ---  ------------------ ------------ -- ---
JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA 44  33  PETER FORSBERG     COLORADO     44  40
TEEMU SELANNE      ANAHEIM      47  33  ADAM OATES         WASHINGTON   47  36
PETER BONDRA       WASHINGTON   43  28  JAROMIR JAGR       PITTSBURGH   42  34
KEITH TKACHUK      PHOENIX      45  28  RON FRANCIS        PITTSBURGH   46  34
PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER    46  27  WAYNE GRETZKY      NY RANGERS   46  33
MARK RECCHI        MONTREAL     47  22  ERIC LINDROS       PHILADELPHIA 43  32
JAROMIR JAGR       PITTSBURGH   42  21  JOZEF STUMPEL      LOS ANGELES  45  31
JOE SAKIC          COLORADO     47  21  CRAIG JANNEY       PHOENIX      46  31
MATS SUNDIN        TORONTO      44  20  SAKU KOIVU         MONTREAL     45  30
ZIGMUND PALFFY     NY ISLANDERS 46  20  SHAYNE CORSON      MONTREAL     47  30
ALEXEI YASHIN      OTTAWA       47  20  DOUG GILMOUR       NEW JERSEY   45  29
BRETT HULL         ST LOUIS     38  19  PAT LAFONTAINE     NY RANGERS   46  29
JOE NIEUWENDYK     DALLAS       39  19  JOE SAKIC          COLORADO     47  29
BRENDAN SHANAHAN   DETROIT      43  19  LARRY MURPHY       DETROIT      48  29
ERIC LINDROS       PHILADELPHIA 43  19  SERGEI ZUBOV       DALLAS       48  29
ROD BRIND'AMOUR    PHILADELPHIA 44  19  MIKE MODANO        DALLAS       35  27
YANIC PERREAULT    LOS ANGELES  45  19  SCOTT NIEDERMAYER  NEW JERSEY   45  27
RAY WHITNEY        EDM-FLA      42  18  ROBERT REICHEL     NY ISLANDERS 46  27
BOBBY HOLIK        NEW JERSEY   45  18  DOUG WEIGHT        EDMONTON     46  27
GEOFF COURTNALL    ST LOUIS     46  18  STEVE DUCHESNE     ST LOUIS     48  27


      -- POWER PLAY GOALS --                  -- SHORT HAND GOALS --

NAME               TEAM         GP  PP  NAME               TEAM         GP SH
-----------------  ------------ --  --  -----------------  ------------ -- --
SHAYNE CORSON      MONTREAL     47  12  MICHAEL PECA       BUFFALO      29  3
BRENDAN SHANAHAN   DETROIT      43  10  RADEK DVORAK       FLORIDA      30  3
STU BARNES         PITTSBURGH   43   9  MIKE MODANO        DALLAS       35  3
JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA 44   9  MARTIN STRAKA      PITTSBURGH   40  3
JOE SAKIC          COLORADO     47   9  BOB CORKUM         PHOENIX      45  3
BRETT HULL         ST LOUIS     38   8  ROB ZAMUNER        TAMPA BAY    45  3
BRYAN BERARD       NY ISLANDERS 40   8  PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER    46  3
DMITRI KHRISTICH   BOSTON       45   8
KEITH TKACHUK      PHOENIX      45   8
PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER    46   8


        -- POWER PLAY ASSISTS --                -- SHORT HAND ASSISTS --

NAME               TEAM         GP PPA  NAME               TEAM         GP SHA
------------------ ------------ -- --- ------------------  ------------ -- ---
JAROMIR JAGR       PITTSBURGH   42  19  BRET HEDICAN       VANCOUVER    42   5
ROBERT REICHEL     NY ISLANDERS 46  17  ANDREW CASSELS     CALGARY      46   3
PETER FORSBERG     COLORADO     44  16  ADAM OATES         WASHINGTON   47   3
DOUG GILMOUR       NEW JERSEY   45  16  CHRIS WELLS        FLORIDA      47   3
SERGEI ZUBOV       DALLAS       48  16
STEVE DUCHESNE     ST LOUIS     48  15


        -- POWER PLAY POINTS --                  -- SHORT HAND POINTS --

NAME               TEAM         GP PPP  NAME               TEAM         GP SHP
------------       ------------ -- ---  -----------------  ------------ -- ---
JAROMIR JAGR       PITTSBURGH   42  23  MICHAEL PECA       BUFFALO      29   5
PETER FORSBERG     COLORADO     44  21  MIKE MODANO        DALLAS       35   5
ROBERT REICHEL     NY ISLANDERS 46  21  BRET HEDICAN       VANCOUVER    42   5
DOUG WEIGHT        EDMONTON     46  21  ROB ZAMUNER        TAMPA BAY    45   5
SHAYNE CORSON      MONTREAL     47  21  PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER    46   5
JOE SAKIC          COLORADO     47  20  RADEK DVORAK       FLORIDA      30   4
DOUG GILMOUR       NEW JERSEY   45  19  JERE LEHTINEN      DALLAS       38   4
BRYAN BERARD       NY ISLANDERS 40  18  MARTIN STRAKA      PITTSBURGH   40   4
RON FRANCIS        PITTSBURGH   46  18  THEOREN FLEURY     CALGARY      47   4
PAT LAFONTAINE     NY RANGERS   46  18  ADAM OATES         WASHINGTON   47   4
SERGEI ZUBOV       DALLAS       48  18  CHRIS WELLS        FLORIDA      47   4


     -- GAME WINNING GOALS --                   -- GAME TYING GOALS --

NAME               TEAM         GP  GW  NAME               TEAM         GP GT
------------------ ------------ --  --  ------------------ ------------ -- --
JAROMIR JAGR       PITTSBURGH   42   7  PAT LAFONTAINE     NY RANGERS   46  3
PETER BONDRA       WASHINGTON   43   7  ADAM DEADMARSH     COLORADO     46  3
JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA 44   6  TEEMU SELANNE      ANAHEIM      47  3
LUC ROBITAILLE     LOS ANGELES  45   6  RENE CORBET        COLORADO     40  2
KEITH TKACHUK      PHOENIX      45   6  PETER BONDRA       WASHINGTON   43  2
JASON ALLISON      BOSTON       45   6  BRIAN NOONAN       VANCOUVER    46  2
RYAN SMYTH         EDMONTON     46   2
CALLE JOHANSSON    WASHINGTON   47   2


           -- SHOTS --

NAME               TEAM         GP   S
------------------ ------------ -- ---
JOE SAKIC          COLORADO     47 184
JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA 44 173
PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER    46 173
TEEMU SELANNE      ANAHEIM      47 170
ALEXEI YASHIN      OTTAWA       47 162
CLAUDE LEMIEUX     COLORADO     46 161
BRENDAN SHANAHAN   DETROIT      43 158


            -- PLUS/MINUS --

NAME               TEAM         GP +/-
------------------ ------------ -- ---
DAINIUS ZUBRUS     PHILADELPHIA 33  24
LARRY MURPHY       DETROIT      48  24
CHRIS PRONGER      ST LOUIS     48  24
JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA 44  23
TEPPO NUMMINEN     PHOENIX      46  20
UWE KRUPP          COLORADO     47  20
DARRYL SYDOR       DALLAS       45  19


            --- GOALTENDING LEADERS ---
                   (MIN. 13 GPI)

            -- GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE --

GOALTENDER         TEAM                 GPI MINS   GA    AVG
------------------ -------------------- --- ----  ---  -----
MARTIN BRODEUR     NEW JERSEY            37 2192   68   1.86
ED BELFOUR         DALLAS                38 2245   70   1.87
RON HEXTALL        PHILADELPHIA          22 1313   44   2.01
TOM BARRASSO       PITTSBURGH            35 1922   66   2.06
CHRIS OSGOOD       DETROIT               38 2303   81   2.11
JEFF HACKETT       CHICAGO               27 1638   58   2.12
RON TUGNUTT        OTTAWA                25 1341   49   2.19


                -- WINS --

GOALTENDER         TEAM                 GPI MINS   W    L  T
------------------ -------------------- --- ----  --   -- --
MARTIN BRODEUR     NEW JERSEY            37 2192  26    9  2
ED BELFOUR         DALLAS                38 2245  22    7  8
CHRIS OSGOOD       DETROIT               38 2303  21    9  8
GRANT FUHR         ST LOUIS              38 2236  20   13  5
OLAF KOLZIG        WASHINGTON            38 2266  20   10  6
TOM BARRASSO       PITTSBURGH            35 1922  18    8  6
PATRICK ROY        COLORADO              37 2232  18    6 12


            -- SAVE PERCENTAGE --

 GOALTENDER         TEAM                 GPI MINS   GA   SA  SPCTG   W  L  T
 ------------------ -------------------- --- ----  --- ----  -----  -- -- --
 MARTIN BRODEUR     NEW JERSEY            37 2192   68  886   .923  26  9  2
 PATRICK ROY        COLORADO              37 2232   85 1088   .922  18  6 12
 TOM BARRASSO       PITTSBURGH            35 1922   66  822   .920  18  8  6
 JEFF HACKETT       CHICAGO               27 1638   58  728   .920   9  9  9
 DOMINIK HASEK      BUFFALO               38 2214   92 1129   .919  14 16  6
 OLAF KOLZIG        WASHINGTON            38 2266   87 1061   .918  20 10  6
 CHRIS OSGOOD       DETROIT               38 2303   81  972   .917  21  9  8
 RON HEXTALL        PHILADELPHIA          22 1313   44  532   .917  13  4  5


               -- SHUTOUTS --

 GOALTENDER         TEAM                 GPI MINS   SO    W  L  T
 ------------------ -------------------- --- ----   --   -- -- --
 DOMINIK HASEK      BUFFALO               38 2214    7   14 16  6
 ED BELFOUR         DALLAS                38 2245    7   22  7  8
 TOM BARRASSO       PITTSBURGH            35 1922    5   18  8  6
 BYRON DAFOE        BOSTON                35 1995    5   15 14  6
 JEFF HACKETT       CHICAGO               27 1638    4    9  9  9
 MARTIN BRODEUR     NEW JERSEY            37 2192    4   26  9  2
 N. KHABIBULIN      PHOENIX               41 2353    4   17 16  7


                --- INDIVIDUAL ROOKIE SCORING LEADERS ---

PLAYER             TEAM           GP   G   A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT   S  PCTG
------------------ -------------  -- --- --- --- --- --- -- -- -- -- ---  ----
MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO        44  10  19  29   3-   8 4  0  0  1  78  12.8
PATRIK ELIAS       NEW JERSEY     41  14   9  23  14   14 3  0  5  1  70  20.0
MARCO STURM        SAN JOSE       43   7  13  20   4-  20 1  0  3  0  72   9.7
RICHARD ZEDNIK     WASHINGTON     45  12   7  19   2-  24 2  0  1  0 105  11.4
MATTIAS OHLUND     VANCOUVER      45   3  16  19   5   34 0  0  0  0 103   2.9
SERGEI SAMSONOV    BOSTON         44   6  12  18   4-   6 3  0  0  0  77   7.8
VACLAV PROSPAL     PHILADELPHIA   41   5  13  18  10-  17 4  0  0  0  60   8.3
DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY        47   5  13  18   2   41 3  1  0  1  72   6.9
STEVE WASHBURN     FLORIDA        36   9   7  16   0   22 3  0  2  0  41  22.0
PATRICK MARLEAU    SAN JOSE       41   8   7  15   4-  12 1  0  0  0  51  15.7


                        --- INDIVIDUAL ROOKIE LEADERS ---

         -- GOAL SCORING --                        -- ASSISTS --

 NAME               TEAM         GP   G  NAME               TEAM         GP  A
 ------------------ ------------ -- ---  ------------------ ------------ -- --
 PATRIK ELIAS       NEW JERSEY   41  14  MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO      44 19
 RICHARD ZEDNIK     WASHINGTON   45  12  MATTIAS OHLUND     VANCOUVER    45 16
 MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO      44  10  VACLAV PROSPAL     PHILADELPHIA 41 13
 STEVE WASHBURN     FLORIDA      36   9  MARCO STURM        SAN JOSE     43 13
 PATRICK MARLEAU    SAN JOSE     41   8  DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY      47 13
 DAVE SCATCHARD     VANCOUVER    40   7  SERGEI SAMSONOV    BOSTON       44 12
 MARCO STURM        SAN JOSE     43   7  PATRIK ELIAS       NEW JERSEY   41  9
 BRAD ISBISTER      PHOENIX      40   6  JAN BULIS          WASHINGTON   42  9
 ALEXEI MOROZOV     PITTSBURGH   42   6  PER AXELSSON       BOSTON       45  9
 SERGEI SAMSONOV    BOSTON       44   6  MATT CULLEN        ANAHEIM      27  8
 DONALD MACLEAN     LOS ANGELES  22   5  MAGNUS ARVEDSON    OTTAWA       29  8
 ANDERS ERIKSSON    DETROIT      34   5  ANDERS ERIKSSON    DETROIT      34  8
 VACLAV PROSPAL     PHILADELPHIA 41   5  ALYN MCCAULEY      TORONTO      38  8
 DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY      47   5  JUHA YLONEN        PHOENIX      39  8


       -- POWER PLAY GOALS --                  -- SHORT HAND GOALS --

 NAME               TEAM         GP PP  NAME               TEAM         GP SH
 -----------------  ------------ -- --  ------------------ ------------ -- --
 VACLAV PROSPAL     PHILADELPHIA 41   4  DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY     47  1
 MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO      44   4
 STEVE WASHBURN     FLORIDA      36   3
 PATRIK ELIAS       NEW JERSEY   41   3
 SERGEI SAMSONOV    BOSTON       44   3
 DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY      47   3


        -- POWER PLAY ASSISTS --                -- SHORT HAND ASSISTS --

 NAME               TEAM         GP PPA  NAME               TEAM        GP SHA
 ------------------ ------------ -- ---  ------------------ ----------  -- ---
 VACLAV PROSPAL     PHILADELPHIA 41   5  JAMIE ALLISON      CALGARY     28   2
 MATTIAS OHLUND     VANCOUVER    45   5  MATTIAS OHLUND     VANCOUVER   45   2
 MARCO STURM        SAN JOSE     43   4  DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY     47   2
 PATRICK MARLEAU    SAN JOSE     41   3  STEVE WASHBURN     FLORIDA     36   1
 CHRIS PHILLIPS     OTTAWA       42   3  JUHA YLONEN        PHOENIX     39   1
 ERIC MESSIER       COLORADO     43   3
 SERGEI SAMSONOV    BOSTON       44   3
 MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO      44   3
 DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY      47   3


        -- POWER PLAY POINTS --                  -- SHORT HAND POINTS --

 NAME               TEAM         GP PPP  NAME               TEAM        GP SHP
 ------------------ ------------ -- ---  ------------------ ----------- -- ---
 VACLAV PROSPAL     PHILADELPHIA 41   9  DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY     47   3
 MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO      44   7  JAMIE ALLISON      CALGARY     28   2
 SERGEI SAMSONOV    BOSTON       44   6  MATTIAS OHLUND     VANCOUVER   45   2
 DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY      47   6  STEVE WASHBURN     FLORIDA     36   1
 STEVE WASHBURN     FLORIDA      36   5  JUHA YLONEN        PHOENIX     39   1
 MARCO STURM        SAN JOSE     43   5
 MATTIAS OHLUND     VANCOUVER    45   5


      -- GAME WINNING GOALS --                 -- GAME TYING GOALS --

 NAME               TEAM         GP  GW  NAME               TEAM        GP GT
 ------------------ ------------ --  --  ------------------ ----------- -- --
 PATRIK ELIAS       NEW JERSEY   41   5  ESPEN KNUTSEN      ANAHEIM     19  1
 MARCO STURM        SAN JOSE     43   3  STEVE MCKENNA      LOS ANGELES 32  1
 DIMITRI NABOKOV    CHICAGO       9   2  PATRIK ELIAS       NEW JERSEY  41  1
 ANDERS ERIKSSON    DETROIT      34   2  JAN BULIS          WASHINGTON  42  1
 STEVE WASHBURN     FLORIDA      36   2  MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO     44  1
                                         DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY     47  1


            -- SHOTS --

 NAME               TEAM         GP   S
 ------------------ ------------ -- ---
 RICHARD ZEDNIK     WASHINGTON   45 105
 MATTIAS OHLUND     VANCOUVER    45 103
 PER AXELSSON       BOSTON       45  93
 MIKE JOHNSON       TORONTO      44  78
 SERGEI SAMSONOV    BOSTON       44  77
 BRAD ISBISTER      PHOENIX      40  72
 MARCO STURM        SAN JOSE     43  72
 DEREK MORRIS       CALGARY      47  72


            -- PLUS/MINUS --

 NAME               TEAM         GP +/-
 ------------------ ------------ -- ---
 ANDERS ERIKSSON    DETROIT      34  14
 PATRIK ELIAS       NEW JERSEY   41  14
 SHELDON SOURAY     NEW JERSEY   26   9
 CHRISTIAN LAFLAMME CHICAGO      39   9
 CHRIS PHILLIPS     OTTAWA       42   9


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
RANDOM NHL STATS                                        Thru January 11, 1998
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

<B>Hat Tricks</B>

 1. Dave Gagner, FLA at PIT, Oct 4th, 1st season, 1st career.
 2. Mark Recchi, MON at BOS, Oct 4th, 1st season, 3rd career.
 3. Adam Oates, WAS at NYI, Oct 8th, 1st season, 7th career.
 4. Brett Hull, STL vs LOS, Oct 9th, 1st season, 28th career.
 5. Mike Modano, DAL vs CHI, Oct 10th, 1st season, 4th career.
 6. John Leclair, PHI at MON, Oct 11th, 1st season, 7th career.
 7. Wayne Gretzky, NYR at VAN, Oct 11th, 1st season, 50th career.
 8. Cory Stillman, CGY at DET, Oct 12th, 1st season, 1st career.
 9. Zigmund Palffy, NYI at SAN, Oct 16th, 1st season, 4th career.
10. Pavel Bure, VAN at DAL, Oct 21st, 1st season, 7th career.
11. Shawn Mceachern, OTT at TOR, Oct 22nd, 1st season, 2nd career.
12. Teemu Selanne, ANA at NYR, Oct 26th, 1st season, 12th career.
13. Yanic Perreault, LOS at DET, Oct 31st, 1st season, 1st career.
14. Joe Nieuwendyk, DAL at PIT, Nov 5th, 1st season, 11th career.
15. Vincent Damphousse, MON at LOS, Nov 8th, 1st season, 10th career.
16. Jason Dawe, BUF vs EDM, Nov 10th, 1st season, 2nd career.
17. Teemu Selanne, ANA vs SAN, Nov 10th, 2nd season, 13th career.
18. Yanic Perreault, LOS vs VAN, Nov 11th, 2nd season, 2nd career.
19. Sami Kapanen, CAR at EDM, Nov 12th, 1st season, 1st career.
20. Claude Lemieux, COL at WAS, Nov 18th, 1st season, 7th career.
21. Rob Zamuner, TAM vs NYR, Nov 19th, 1st season, 1st career.
22. Ray Sheppard, FLA vs BOS, Nov 26th, 1st season, 12th career.
23. Robert Reichel, NYI vs NYR, Nov 26th, 1st season, 1st career.
24. Keith Tkachuk, PHO at FLA, Dec 1st, 1st season, 5th career.
25. Derek King, TOR at STL, Dec 4th, 1st season, 7th career.
26. Pavel Bure, VAN at COL, Dec 6th, 2nd season, 8th career.
27. Steve Heinze, BOS vs CAR, Dec 6th, 1st season, 3rd career.
28. Eric Lindros, PHI vs NYI, Dec 11th, 1st season, 10th career.
29. Pavel Bure, VAN vs LOS, Dec 15th, 3rd season, 9th career.
30. Doug Brown, DET vs NJD, Dec 19th, 1st season, 1st career.
31. Keith Tkachuk, PHO at SAN, Dec 26th, 2nd season, 6th career.
32. Kirk Maltby, DET at TOR, Dec 27th, 1st season, 1st career.
33. Ron Francis, PIT vs NYI, Dec 29th, 1st season, 11th career.
34. Darryl Sydor, DAL at CAR, Jan 3rd, 1st season, 1st career.
35. Valeri Kamensky, COL at PIT, Jan 3rd, 1st season, 4th career.
36. x-Brian Savage, MON at NYI, Jan 8th, 1st season, 3rd career.
37. Jason Allison, BOS vs PHO, Jan 8th, 1st season, 1st career.
38. Peter Bondra, WAS at NYR, Jan 8th, 1st season, 10th career.
39. Alexei Yashin, OTT at COL, Jan 10th, 1st season, 2nd career.
40. Stu Barnes, PIT vs NJD, Jan 10th, 1st season, 1st career.

<B>Shutouts</B>

 1. Tommy Salo, NYI vs TOR, 3-0, Oct 4th, 28 saves, 1st season, 6th career.
 2. Patrick Roy, COL at EDM, 3-0, Oct 5th, 34 saves, 1st season, 38th career.
 3. Damian Rhodes, OTT at SAN, 1-0, Oct 7th, 23 saves, 1st season, 4th career.
 4. Andy Moog, MON at PIT, 3-0, Oct 8th, 26 saves, 1st season, 26th career.
 5. Chris Osgood, DET vs TAM, 3-0, Oct 10th, 29 saves, 1st season, 15th career.
 6. Ed Belfour, DAL vs CHI, 7-0, Oct 10th, 14 saves, 1st season, 31st career.
 7. Jim Carey, BOS at ANA, 3-0, Oct 13th, 27 saves, 1st season, 15th career.
 8. Kirk Mclean, VAN vs EDM, 3-0, Oct 13th, 33 saves, 1st season, 20th career.
 9. Tom Barrasso, PIT at NYR, 1-0, Oct 14th, 36 saves, 1st season, 25th career.
10. Olaf Kolzig, WAS at CHI, 2-0, Oct 15th, 30 saves, 1st season, 3rd career.
11. Ed Belfour, DAL vs FLA, 4-0, Oct 16th, 12 saves, 2nd season, 32nd career.
12. Grant Fuhr, STL at CHI, 2-0, Oct 17th, 28 saves, 1st season, 21st career.
13. Jim Carey, BOS at VAN, 2-0, Oct 17th, 32 saves, 2nd season, 16th career.
14. Byron Dafoe, BOS at CGY, 3-0, Oct 18th, 30 saves, 1st season, 2nd career.
15. Mike Dunham, NJD vs TAM, 5-0, Oct 18th, 27 saves, 1st season, 3rd career.
16. Chris Terreri, CHI at NYR, 1-0, Oct 22nd, 31 saves, 1st season, 8th career.
17. Jocelyn Thibault, MON vs FLA, 3-0, Oct 22nd, 26 saves, 1st season, 6th career.
18. Ed Belfour, DAL at CHI, 2-0, Oct 24th, 22 saves, 3rd season, 34th career.
19. Martin Brodeur, NJD at PHI, 5-0, Oct 27th, 20 saves, 1st season, 23rd career.
20. Chris Terreri, CHI vs VAN, 3-0, Oct 29th, 19 saves, 2nd season, 9th career.
21. Guy Hebert, ANA at BOS, 3-0, Oct 30th, 25 saves, 1st season, 14th career.
22. Grant Fuhr, STL vs SAN, 2-0, Nov 1st, 24 saves, 2nd season, 22nd career.
23. Mike Vernon, SAN vs TOR, 0-0, Nov 4th, 19 saves, 1st season, 14th career.
24. Stephane Fiset, LOS at NJD, 3-0, Nov 4th, 36 saves, 1st season, 11th career.
25. Byron Dafoe, BOS vs WAS, 2-0, Nov 6th, 21 saves, 2nd season, 3rd career.
26. Martin Brodeur, NJD vs BOS, 2-0, Nov 8th, 17 saves, 2nd season, 24th career.
27. Nikolai Khabibulin, PHO at TOR, 3-0, Nov 8th, 25 saves, 1st season, 10th career.
28. Craig Billington, COL at DET, 2-0, Nov 11th, 32 saves, 1st season, 7th career.
29. Ron Hextall, PHI vs OTT, 1-0, Nov 11th, 16 saves, 1st season, 20th career.
30. Mark Fitzpatrick, FLA at NYI, 1-0, Nov 15th, 23 saves, 1st season, 7th career.
31. Tom Barrasso, PIT at TOR, 5-0, Nov 15th, 20 saves, 2nd season, 26th career.
32. Ed Belfour, DAL at ANA, 4-0, Nov 16th, 31 saves, 4th season, 35th career.
33. Jeff Hackett, CHI at ANA, 4-0, Nov 19th, 27 saves, 1st season, 7th career.
34. Curtis Joseph, EDM at STL, 3-0, Nov 20th, 22 saves, 1st season, 12th career.
35. Dominik Hasek, BUF at BOS, 5-0, Nov 20th, 29 saves, 1st season, 21st career.
36. Mike Vernon, SAN at PHI, 3-0, Nov 20th, 28 saves, 2nd season, 15th career.
37. Tom Barrasso, PIT at OTT, 2-0, Nov 20th, 27 saves, 3rd season, 27th career.
38. Curtis Joseph, EDM at OTT, 1-0, Nov 22nd, 26 saves, 2nd season, 13th career.
39. Ed Belfour, DAL at BOS, 2-0, Nov 22nd, 22 saves, 5th season, 36th career.
40. Guy Hebert, ANA at STL, 2-0, Nov 22nd, 23 saves, 2nd season, 15th career.
41. Nikolai Khabibulin, PHO vs TOR, 2-0, Nov 22nd, 28 saves, 2nd season, 11th career.
42. Ed Belfour, DAL vs ANA, 5-0, Nov 24th, 13 saves, 6th season, 37th career.
43. Guy Hebert, ANA vs NJD, 2-0, Nov 26th, 29 saves, 3rd season, 16th career.
44. Chris Osgood, DET vs MON, 2-0, Nov 28th, 21 saves, 2nd season, 16th career.
45. Tom Barrasso, PIT at MON, 1-0, Dec 1st, 25 saves, 4th season, 28th career.
46. Byron Dafoe, BOS at PHI, 3-0, Dec 3rd, 20 saves, 3rd season, 8th career.
47. Dominik Hasek, BUF vs ANA, 4-0, Dec 3rd, 29 saves, 2nd season, 22nd career.
48. Jocelyn Thibault, MON vs LOS, 2-0, Dec 3rd, 36 saves, 2nd season,
     7th career.
49. Martin Brodeur, NJD at PIT, 4-0, Dec 4th, 28 saves, 3rd season,
     25th career.
50. Dominik Hasek, BUF vs TAM, 4-0, Dec 5th, 38 saves, 3rd season, 23rd career.
51. Ron Tugnutt, OTT vs BUF, 3-0, Dec 6th, 25 saves, 1st season, 6th career.
52. Tommy Salo, NYI vs PHO, 4-0, Dec 6th, 22 saves, 2nd season, 7th career.
53. Felix Potvin, TOR vs DAL, 3-0, Dec 8th, 19 saves, 1st season, 9th career.
54. Ed Belfour, DAL vs TAM, 3-0, Dec 10th, 12 saves, 7th season, 38th career.
55. Tom Barrasso, PIT at ANA, 3-0, Dec 10th, 28 saves, 5th season, 29th career.
56. Kelly Hrudey, SAN at DAL, 1-0, Dec 12th, 24 saves, 1st season, 17th career.
57. Martin Brodeur, NJD at TOR, 3-0, Dec 13th, 25 saves, 4th season,
     26th career.
58. Ron Hextall, PHI vs TAM, 3-0, Dec 14th, 20 saves, 2nd season, 21st career.
59. Arturs Irbe, VAN vs LOS, 7-0, Dec 15th, 23 saves, 1st season, 12th career.
60. Corey Schwab, TAM vs BOS, 2-0, Dec 17th, 31 saves, 1st season, 4th career.
61. Curtis Joseph, EDM vs CHI, 0-0, Dec 17th, 28 saves, 3rd season,
     14th career.
62. Jeff Hackett, CHI at EDM, 0-0, Dec 17th, 30 saves, 2nd season, 8th career.
63. Tommy Salo, NYI vs BUF, 4-0, Dec 17th, 28 saves, 3rd season, 8th career.
64. Arturs Irbe, VAN at SAN, 0-0, Dec 18th, 38 saves, 2nd season, 13th career.
65. John Vanbiesbrouck, FLA at WAS, 4-0, Dec 18th, 26 saves, 1st season,
     26th career.
66. Mike Vernon, SAN vs VAN, 0-0, Dec 18th, 21 saves, 3rd season, 16th career.
67. Dominik Hasek, BUF vs MON, 1-0, Dec 19th, 42 saves, 4th season,
     24th career.
68. Garth Snow, PHI vs FLA, 2-0, Dec 20th, 14 saves, 1st season, 3rd career.
69. Jeff Hackett, CHI at VAN, 5-0, Dec 20th, 20 saves, 3rd season, 9th career.
70. Dominik Hasek, BUF at NYR, 2-0, Dec 21st, 33 saves, 5th season,
     25th career.
71. Jamie Storr, LOS at CHI, 1-0, Dec 22nd, 32 saves, 1st season, 1st career.
72. Dominik Hasek, BUF vs NYR, 3-0, Dec 26th, 28 saves, 6th season,
     26th career.
73. Nikolai Khabibulin, PHO at SAN, 4-0, Dec 26th, 30 saves, 3rd season,
     12th career.
74. Andy Moog, MON at PIT, 1-0, Dec 27th, 19 saves, 2nd season, 27th career.
75. Ron Tugnutt, OTT at WAS, 3-0, Dec 27th, 31 saves, 2nd season, 7th career.
76. Jeff Hackett, CHI vs ANA, 2-0, Dec 28th, 27 saves, 4th season, 10th career.
77. Dominik Hasek, BUF vs OTT, 3-0, Dec 31st, 36 saves, 7th season,
     27th career.
78. Ron Hextall, PHI at VAN, 8-0, Dec 31st, 27 saves, 3rd season, 22nd career.
79. Byron Dafoe, BOS vs OTT, 0-0, Jan 1st, 27 saves, 4th season, 9th career.
80. Damian Rhodes, OTT at BOS, 0-0, Jan 1st, 24 saves, 2nd season, 5th career.
81. Nikolai Khabibulin, PHO vs LOS, 4-0, Jan 1st, 23 saves, 4th season,
     13th career.
82. Byron Dafoe, BOS vs SAN, 3-0, Jan 3rd, 23 saves, 5th season, 10th career.
83. Kevin Hodson, DET vs PHO, 2-0, Jan 6th, 28 saves, 1st season, 3rd career.
84. Damian Rhodes, OTT at DAL, 2-0, Jan 7th, 34 saves, 3rd season, 6th career.
85. Chris Osgood, DET vs WAS, 2-0, Jan 11th, 15 saves, 3rd season, 17th career.

<B>Penalty Shots</B>

                         --- PENALTY SHOT SUMMARY ---

 1. TRENT KLATT (PHI) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST J. VANBIESBROUCK (FLA)
    GAME NO. 3, Oct  1. FINAL SCORE: FLA  1 AT PHI  3

 2. ROB DIMAIO (BOS) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST ANDY MOOG (MTL)
    GAME NO. 21, Oct  4. FINAL SCORE: MTL  4 AT BOS  1

 3. JERE LEHTINEN (DAL) SCORED AGAINST DOMINIK HASEK (BUF)
    GAME NO. 34, Oct  7. FINAL SCORE: DAL  4 AT BUF  2

 4. DOUG WEIGHT (EDM) SCORED AGAINST MIKE RICHTER (NYR)
    GAME NO. 43, Oct  8. FINAL SCORE: NYR  3 AT EDM  3

 5. ROB ZAMUNER (T.B) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST CHRIS TERRERI (CHI)
    GAME NO. 46, Oct  9. FINAL SCORE: T.B  4 AT CHI  1

 6. MIKE KEANE (NYR) SCORED AGAINST COREY SCHWAB (T.B)
    GAME NO. 129, Oct 24. FINAL SCORE: T.B  3 AT NYR  4

 7. JOE SAKIC (COL) SCORED AGAINST TYLER MOSS (CGY)
    GAME NO. 178, Nov  1. FINAL SCORE: CGY  3 AT COL  3

 8. BRENDAN SHANAHAN (DET) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST TREVOR KIDD (CAR)
    GAME NO. 191, Nov  5. FINAL SCORE: DET  1 AT CAR  3

 9. PAVEL BURE (VAN) SCORED AGAINST MIKE VERNON (S.J)
    GAME NO. 238, Nov 12. FINAL SCORE: VAN  5 AT S.J  2

10. JOE SACCO (ANA) SCORED AGAINST JOCELYN THIBAULT (MTL)
    GAME NO. 239, Nov 12. FINAL SCORE: MTL  4 AT ANA  3

11. ALEXANDER MOGILNY (VAN) SCORED AGAINST CHRIS OSGOOD (DET)
    GAME NO. 352, Dec  1. FINAL SCORE: DET  3 AT VAN  3

12. DINO CICCARELLI (T.B) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST N. KHABIBULIN (PHO)
    GAME NO. 362, Dec  3. FINAL SCORE: PHO  1 AT T.B  2

13. STEVE HEINZE (BOS) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST COREY SCHWAB (T.B)
    GAME NO. 438, Dec 17. FINAL SCORE: BOS  0 AT T.B  2

14. MATS SUNDIN (TOR) UNSUCCESSFUL AGAINST ANDREI TREFILOV (CHI)
    GAME NO. 579, Jan 10. FINAL SCORE: CHI  4 AT TOR  3


TOTAL SHOTS: 14
TOTAL GOALS:  7

(#) - CURRENT STREAK


          --- CONSECUTIVE SCORING STREAKS ---


     -- GOALS SCORED IN 5 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE GAMES --

GM   PLAYER             TEAM             FROM     TO        G
--   ------------------ ---------------  -------  ------- ---
11   TEEMU SELANNE      ANAHEIM          Oct  21  Nov  10  17
 7   JOE SAKIC          COLORADO         Oct  07  Oct  22   7
 6   JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA     Oct  11  Oct  23   8
 6   JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA     Oct  29  Nov  08   7
 6   PETER FORSBERG     COLORADO         Dec  13  Dec  27   7
 6   ED OLCZYK          PITTSBURGH       Oct  19  Nov  01   6
 6   KEITH PRIMEAU      CAROLINA         Dec  30  Jan  08   6
 6   ANDREW BRUNETTE    WASHINGTON       Dec  29  Jan  09   6
 5   PETER BONDRA       WASHINGTON       Nov  09  Nov  18   7
 5   JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA     Dec  27  Jan  08   7
 5   PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER        Nov  22  Dec  01   7
 5   RANDY MCKAY        NEW JERSEY       Dec  18  Dec  29   6
 5   DEREK KING         TORONTO          Jan  01  Jan  10   5
 5   ALEXEI ZHAMNOV     CHICAGO          Dec  28  Jan  05   5


  -- ASSISTS AWARDED IN 5 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE GAMES --

GM   PLAYER             TEAM             FROM     TO        A
--   ------------------ ---------------  -------  ------- ---
 8   ADAM OATES         WASHINGTON       Nov  08  Nov  23  10
 7   SHAYNE CORSON      MONTREAL         Oct  25  Nov  07   9
 7   ROBERT REICHEL     NY ISLANDERS     Oct  03  Oct  19   8
 7   JOE SAKIC          COLORADO         Oct  09  Oct  24   8
 7   MIKE MODANO        DALLAS           Oct  25  Nov  07   7
 6   ANSON CARTER       BOSTON           Oct  13  Oct  23   8
 6   CLAUDE LEMIEUX     COLORADO         Dec  15  Dec  29   6
 5   ADAM OATES         WASHINGTON       Dec  29  Jan  08   8
 5   RON FRANCIS        PITTSBURGH       Oct  17  Oct  25   7
 5   WAYNE GRETZKY      NY RANGERS       Oct  26  Nov  05   7
 5   PIERRE TURGEON     ST LOUIS         Dec  04  Dec  11   7
 5   PAT VERBEEK        DALLAS           Oct  28  Nov  05   7
 5   PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER        Nov  11  Nov  20   7
 5   BRET HEDICAN       VANCOUVER        Nov  20  Nov  29   7
 5   SERGEI NEMCHINOV   NY ISLANDERS     Nov  05  Nov  12   7
 5   CRAIG JANNEY       PHOENIX          Dec  23  Jan  01   6
 5   BRYAN SMOLINSKI    NY ISLANDERS     Dec  02  Dec  11   6
 5   DEAN MCAMMOND      EDMONTON         Nov  05  Nov  12   6
 5   RAY WHITNEY        EDM-FLA          Dec  01  Dec  12   6
 5   JOZEF STUMPEL      LOS ANGELES      Nov  11  Nov  23   6
 5   CRAIG JANNEY       PHOENIX          Oct  01  Oct  11   5
 5   DOUG WEIGHT        EDMONTON         Jan  02  Jan  10   5
 5   CHRIS GRATTON      PHILADELPHIA     Dec  05  Dec  15   5
 5   NIKLAS SUNDSTROM   NY RANGERS       Oct  24  Nov  03   5
 5   JASON ALLISON      BOSTON           Nov  12  Nov  19   5


    -- POINTS GAINED IN 5 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE GAMES --

GM   PLAYER             TEAM             FROM     TO        G   A PTS
--   ------------------ ---------------  -------  ------- --- --- ---
11   TEEMU SELANNE      ANAHEIM          Oct  21  Nov  10  17   2  19
11   PETER BONDRA       WASHINGTON       Nov  08  Nov  29  12   6  18
10   PAVEL BURE         VANCOUVER        Nov  11  Dec  01   8   8  16
10   MARK MESSIER       VANCOUVER        Oct  30  Nov  20   5   9  14
 9   ZIGMUND PALFFY     NY ISLANDERS     Oct  29  Nov  14   6   7  13
 9   CLAUDE LEMIEUX     COLORADO         Dec  15  Jan  03   4   7  11
 9   GERMAN TITOV       CALGARY          Dec  01  Dec  18   6   3   9
 8   JAROMIR JAGR       PITTSBURGH       Dec  06  Dec  26   7   8  15
 8   JOE SAKIC          COLORADO         Oct  07  Oct  24   7   8  15
 8   SHAYNE CORSON      MONTREAL         Oct  23  Nov  07   5   9  14
 8   ADAM OATES         WASHINGTON       Nov  08  Nov  23   3  10  13
 8   JOZEF STUMPEL      LOS ANGELES      Oct  01  Oct  17   5   8  13
 8   WAYNE GRETZKY      NY RANGERS       Oct  24  Nov  12   3   8  11
 7   PETER FORSBERG     COLORADO         Nov  18  Dec  02   5  11  16
 7   DOUG GILMOUR       NEW JERSEY       Oct  11  Oct  30   2  10  12
 7   ROBERT REICHEL     NY ISLANDERS     Oct  03  Oct  19   4   8  12
 7   PETER FORSBERG     COLORADO         Dec  12  Dec  27   7   4  11
 7   BOBBY HOLIK        NEW JERSEY       Dec  06  Dec  19   4   6  10
 7   JOE NIEUWENDYK     DALLAS           Oct  24  Nov  05   7   3  10
 7   JOE SAKIC          COLORADO         Nov  26  Dec  08   4   6  10
 7   PAT VERBEEK        DALLAS           Oct  24  Nov  05   3   7  10
 7   GEOFF COURTNALL    ST LOUIS         Dec  15  Dec  27   3   6   9
 7   KEITH PRIMEAU      CAROLINA         Dec  27  Jan  08   6   3   9
 7   BRYAN SMOLINSKI    NY ISLANDERS     Dec  02  Dec  16   2   7   9
 7   ANSON CARTER       BOSTON           Oct  13  Oct  25   1   8   9
 7   MIKE MODANO        DALLAS           Oct  25  Nov  07   1   7   8
 7   PAT VERBEEK        DALLAS           Dec  15  Dec  31   2   6   8
 7   JOZEF STUMPEL      LOS ANGELES      Nov  06  Nov  23   1   7   8
 7   RAY WHITNEY        EDM-FLA          Nov  06  Nov  20   4   3   7
 6   PAT LAFONTAINE     NY RANGERS       Nov  16  Nov  25   5  10  15
 6   JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA     Oct  11  Oct  23   8   3  11
 6   JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA     Oct  29  Nov  08   7   4  11
 6   JOHN LECLAIR       PHILADELPHIA     Dec  23  Jan  08   7   4  11
 6   KEITH TKACHUK      PHOENIX          Dec  19  Dec  29   8   3  11
 6   JASON ALLISON      BOSTON           Dec  01  Dec  15   2   9  11
 6   STEVE DUCHESNE     ST LOUIS         Oct  01  Oct  13   2   8  10
 6   DMITRI KHRISTICH   BOSTON           Dec  18  Dec  31   6   4  10
 6   DEREK KING         TORONTO          Jan  01  Jan  12   5   5  10 #
 6   MARK RECCHI        MONTREAL         Oct  27  Nov  07   3   7  10
 6   NICKLAS LIDSTROM   DETROIT          Oct  10  Oct  20   3   7  10
 6   TEEMU SELANNE      ANAHEIM          Dec  12  Dec  27   7   3  10
 6   PAUL KARIYA        ANAHEIM          Dec  12  Dec  27   5   5  10
 6   THEOREN FLEURY     CALGARY          Dec  23  Jan  05   3   5   8
 6   DOUG GILMOUR       NEW JERSEY       Dec  10  Dec  19   2   6   8
 6   PAT LAFONTAINE     NY RANGERS       Dec  08  Dec  20   1   7   8
 6   TED DONATO         BOSTON           Dec  01  Dec  15   2   6   8
 6   KEITH TKACHUK      PHOENIX          Oct  11  Oct  26   4   4   8
 6   DMITRI MIRONOV     ANAHEIM          Oct  15  Oct  25   3   5   8
 6   NIKLAS SUNDSTROM   NY RANGERS       Oct  24  Nov  05   3   5   8
 6   PETR SYKORA        NEW JERSEY       Nov  10  Nov  20   3   5   8
 6   ROBERT REICHEL     NY ISLANDERS     Oct  25  Nov  05   2   5   7
 6   ROBERT LANG        BOS-PIT          Dec  29  Jan  10   4   3   7
 6   ANDREW BRUNETTE    WASHINGTON       Dec  29  Jan  09   6   1   7
 6   BRYAN BERARD       NY ISLANDERS     Oct  03  Oct  16   3   4   7
 6   ED OLCZYK          PITTSBURGH       Oct  19  Nov  01   6   0   6
 6   ALEXEI ZHAMNOV     CHICAGO          Dec  26  Jan  05   5   1   6
 6   GLEN MURRAY        LOS ANGELES      Dec  18  Dec  29   3   3   6
 6   MIROSLAV SATAN     BUFFALO          Oct  26  Nov  08   2   4   6
 6   MICHAL GROSEK      BUFFALO          Oct  09  Oct  22   2   4   6


                 --- CURRENT SCORING STREAKS ---

     -- GOALS SCORED IN 5 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE GAMES --

GM   PLAYER             TEAM             FROM     TO        G 
--   ------------------ ---------------  -------  ------- --- 
 6   DEREK KING         TORONTO          Jan  01  Jan  12   5   
 5   VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE MONTREAL         Jan  02  Jan  12   4   
 5   ROBERT KRON        CAROLINA         Jan  05  Jan  12   3   


    -- ASSISTS AWARDED IN 5 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE GAMES --

GM   PLAYER             TEAM             FROM     TO        A
--   ------------------ ---------------  -------  ------- ---
     NOT AVAILABLE


    -- POINTS GAINED IN 5 OR MORE CONSECUTIVE GAMES --

GM   PLAYER             TEAM             FROM     TO        G   A PTS
--   ------------------ ---------------  -------  ------- --- --- ---
     NOT AVAILABLE


       --- TEAM STREAKS ---

 CONSECUTIVE WINS -     MINIMUM 3 GAMES

GM  TEAM                  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  -------  -------
 8  NEW JERSEY            NOV.  5  NOV. 20
 7  ST LOUIS              OCT.  3  OCT. 18
 7  MONTREAL              NOV.  1  NOV. 13
 7  DALLAS                NOV. 22  DEC.  5
 6  PITTSBURGH            NOV. 20  DEC.  1
 6  NEW JERSEY            DEC.  4  DEC. 16
 5  BOSTON                OCT. 13  OCT. 21
 5  CHICAGO               OCT. 29  NOV.  8
 5  COLORADO              NOV. 28  DEC.  6
 5  BOSTON                DEC.  3  DEC. 15
 5  DETROIT               DEC. 19  DEC. 27
 5  PHOENIX               DEC. 26  JAN.  3
 4  DETROIT               OCT.  1  OCT. 10
 4  WASHINGTON            OCT.  1  OCT.  8
 4  COLORADO              OCT.  3  OCT.  9
 4  DALLAS                OCT. 10  OCT. 18
 4  OTTAWA                OCT. 15  OCT. 22
 4  DETROIT               OCT. 22  OCT. 29
 4  DALLAS                OCT. 24  OCT. 29
 4  PHILADELPHIA          NOV.  3  NOV. 11
 4  ST LOUIS              NOV. 10  NOV. 17
 4  DETROIT               NOV. 21  NOV. 28
 4  ST LOUIS              DEC.  2  DEC.  8
 4  CALGARY               DEC.  9  DEC. 16
 4  PHILADELPHIA          DEC. 11  DEC. 15
 4  DALLAS                DEC. 15  DEC. 23
 4  ST LOUIS              JAN.  3  JAN. 10
 4  EDMONTON              JAN.  7  JAN. 12 #


 CONSECUTIVE UNDEFEATED -     MINIMUM 5 GAMES

GM  TEAM                   W   T  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  --  --  -------  -------
10  COLORADO               6   4  DEC. 13  JAN.  3
10  DALLAS                 7   3  DEC. 15  JAN.  5
 8  ST LOUIS               7   1  OCT.  3  OCT. 20
 8  NEW JERSEY             8   0  NOV.  5  NOV. 20
 8  PITTSBURGH             7   1  NOV. 15  DEC.  1
 8  PHILADELPHIA           6   2  DEC.  5  DEC. 23
 8  DETROIT                6   2  DEC. 17  DEC. 31
 7  COLORADO               5   2  OCT.  1  OCT. 15
 7  MONTREAL               7   0  NOV.  1  NOV. 13
 7  DALLAS                 7   0  NOV. 22  DEC.  5
 7  NEW JERSEY             6   1  DEC.  4  DEC. 18
 7  SAN JOSE               5   2  DEC.  4  DEC. 21
 6  DETROIT                5   1  OCT.  1  OCT. 14
 6  PITTSBURGH             5   1  OCT. 11  OCT. 22
 6  BOSTON                 5   1  OCT. 13  OCT. 23
 6  DETROIT                5   1  OCT. 18  OCT. 29
 6  CHICAGO                5   1  OCT. 29  NOV. 10
 6  PHILADELPHIA           4   2  OCT. 31  NOV. 11
 6  DETROIT                5   1  NOV. 21  DEC.  3
 6  COLORADO               5   1  NOV. 26  DEC.  6
 6  PITTSBURGH             3   3  DEC.  6  DEC. 19
 6  PHOENIX                5   1  DEC. 23  JAN.  3
 6  CHICAGO                4   2  DEC. 26  JAN.  5
 6  FLORIDA                3   3  DEC. 26  JAN.  4
 6  BOSTON                 3   3  DEC. 31  JAN. 12 #
 5  NY RANGERS             1   4  OCT.  3  OCT. 11
 5  OTTAWA                 4   1  OCT. 15  OCT. 23
 5  ST LOUIS               4   1  OCT. 23  NOV.  1
 5  DALLAS                 4   1  OCT. 24  NOV.  2
 5  NY ISLANDERS           4   1  OCT. 29  NOV.  7
 5  BOSTON                 5   0  DEC.  3  DEC. 15
 5  MONTREAL               4   1  DEC. 27  JAN.  3


CONSECUTIVE HOME WINS - MINIMUM 3 GAMES

GM  TEAM                  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  -------  -------
 7  ST LOUIS              OCT.  3  OCT. 25
 7  DALLAS                NOV. 19  DEC. 10
 5  NEW JERSEY            DEC.  6  DEC. 26
 4  OTTAWA                OCT.  4  OCT. 19
 4  NEW JERSEY            OCT.  8  OCT. 23
 4  CHICAGO               OCT. 29  NOV.  6
 4  NEW JERSEY            NOV.  8  NOV. 20
 4  DETROIT               NOV. 21  DEC.  9
 4  PITTSBURGH            NOV. 22  NOV. 29
 4  BUFFALO               DEC.  3  DEC. 19
 3  WASHINGTON            OCT.  3  OCT. 11
 3  PHILADELPHIA          OCT.  9  OCT. 23
 3  DALLAS                OCT. 10  OCT. 16
 3  PHOENIX               OCT. 26  NOV. 11
 3  MONTREAL              NOV.  1  NOV.  5
 3  PHOENIX               NOV. 17  NOV. 25
 3  COLORADO              DEC.  2  DEC. 15
 3  ST LOUIS              DEC.  4  DEC.  8
 3  BOSTON                DEC.  6  DEC. 13
 3  NY RANGERS            DEC. 23  JAN.  6
 3  WASHINGTON            JAN.  6  JAN. 13 #


CONSECUTIVE HOME TIES - MINIMUM 3 GAMES

GM  TEAM                  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  -------  -------
    NOT AVAILABLE 


CONSECUTIVE HOME UNDEFEATED - MINIMUM 5 GAMES

GM  TEAM                   W   T  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  --  --  -------  -------
 9  ST LOUIS               8   1  OCT.  3  NOV.  1
 8  COLORADO               4   4  OCT.  1  NOV.  1
 8  DALLAS                 7   1  NOV. 12  DEC. 10
 8  TAMPA BAY              4   4  NOV. 19  DEC. 22
 8  COLORADO               5   3  DEC.  2  DEC. 31
 5  OTTAWA                 4   1  OCT.  4  OCT. 23
 5  CHICAGO                4   1  OCT. 29  NOV. 10
 5  PITTSBURGH             4   1  NOV. 19  NOV. 29
 5  BUFFALO                4   1  NOV. 28  DEC. 19
 5  NEW JERSEY             5   0  DEC.  6  DEC. 26
 5  PHILADELPHIA           4   1  DEC. 11  DEC. 23 #


CONSECUTIVE ROAD WINS - MINIMUM 3 GAMES

GM  TEAM                  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  -------  -------
 6  DETROIT               OCT.  1  OCT. 26
 6  BOSTON                OCT. 13  NOV.  2
 5  MONTREAL              OCT. 25  NOV. 13
 5  NEW JERSEY            OCT. 27  NOV. 15
 5  PITTSBURGH            NOV. 15  DEC. 10
 5  MONTREAL              DEC. 31  JAN. 12 #
 4  FLORIDA               OCT. 25  NOV. 22
 4  WASHINGTON            NOV. 12  NOV. 23
 4  SAN JOSE              DEC.  4  DEC. 21
 4  PHOENIX               DEC. 19  DEC. 29
 4  CHICAGO               DEC. 20  JAN. 10 #
 3  COLORADO              OCT.  3  OCT. 15
 3  MONTREAL              OCT.  4  OCT. 17
 3  PITTSBURGH            OCT. 17  OCT. 22
 3  OTTAWA                OCT. 22  OCT. 30
 3  DALLAS                OCT. 24  OCT. 29
 3  CAROLINA              OCT. 26  NOV. 13
 3  PHILADELPHIA          NOV.  3  NOV. 14
 3  DALLAS                NOV.  5  NOV. 16
 3  VANCOUVER             NOV. 25  NOV. 29
 3  COLORADO              NOV. 28  DEC.  4
 3  DALLAS                DEC. 18  DEC. 23
 3  DETROIT               DEC. 22  DEC. 27
 3  PHILADELPHIA          DEC. 30  JAN.  3
 3  ST LOUIS              JAN.  6  JAN. 10


CONSECUTIVE ROAD UNDEFEATED - MINIMUM 5 GAMES

GM  TEAM                   W   T  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  --  --  -------  -------
 7  PITTSBURGH             5   2  NOV. 15  DEC. 19
 7  MONTREAL               6   1  DEC. 27  JAN. 12 #
 6  DETROIT                6   0  OCT.  1  OCT. 26
 6  BOSTON                 6   0  OCT. 13  NOV.  2
 6  FLORIDA                4   2  OCT. 23  NOV. 30
 6  DALLAS                 5   1  DEC. 18  JAN.  5
 5  PITTSBURGH             4   1  OCT. 14  OCT. 22
 5  ANAHEIM                3   2  OCT. 21  OCT. 30
 5  MONTREAL               5   0  OCT. 25  NOV. 13
 5  NEW JERSEY             5   0  OCT. 27  NOV. 15
 5  NY ISLANDERS           4   1  OCT. 29  NOV. 19
 5  VANCOUVER              4   1  NOV. 12  NOV. 29
 5  COLORADO               3   2  NOV. 18  DEC.  4
 5  PHILADELPHIA           3   2  NOV. 26  DEC. 15
 5  PHOENIX                4   1  DEC. 10  DEC. 29
 5  CHICAGO                4   1  DEC. 17  JAN. 10 #


   --- CURRENT TEAM STREAKS ---

 CONSECUTIVE WINS -     MINIMUM 3 GAMES

GM  TEAM                  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  -------  -------
 4  EDMONTON              JAN.  7  JAN. 12


 CONSECUTIVE UNDEFEATED -     MINIMUM 5 GAMES

GM  TEAM                   W   T  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  --  --  -------  -------
 6  BOSTON                 3   3  DEC. 31  JAN. 12


CONSECUTIVE HOME WINS - MINIMUM 3 GAMES

GM  TEAM                  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  -------  -------
 3  WASHINGTON            JAN.  6  JAN. 13


CONSECUTIVE HOME UNDEFEATED - MINIMUM 5 GAMES

GM  TEAM                   W   T  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  --  --  -------  -------
 5  PHILADELPHIA           4   1  DEC. 11  DEC. 23


CONSECUTIVE ROAD WINS - MINIMUM 3 GAMES

GM  TEAM                  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  -------  -------
 5  MONTREAL              DEC. 31  JAN. 12
 4  CHICAGO               DEC. 20  JAN. 10


CONSECUTIVE ROAD UNDEFEATED - MINIMUM 5 GAMES

GM  TEAM                   W   T  FROM     TO
--  --------------------  --  --  -------  -------
 7  MONTREAL               6   1  DEC. 27  JAN. 12
 5  CHICAGO                4   1  DEC. 17  JAN. 10


                    --- DURACELL POWER PLAY REPORT ---

                (ADV) TOTAL ADVANTAGES (PPGF) POWER-PLAY GOALS FOR
                (PCTG) ARRIVED BY DIVIDING NUMBER OF POWER-PLAY GOALS
                BY TOTAL ADVANTAGES

  -------- HOME ---------   -------- ROAD ---------  ------- OVER ALL -------
  TEAM GP  ADV PPGF  PCTG   TEAM GP  ADV PPGF  PCTG  TEAM GP   ADV PPGF  PCTG

 1 N.J 24   91   22  24.2   MTL  24  109   26  23.9   DAL 48   216   45  20.8
 2 PIT 21  103   22  21.4   DAL  25  116   25  21.6   MTL 47   206   42  20.4
 3 BUF 20   88   18  20.5   COL  23  100   21  21.0   N.J 45   177   35  19.8
 4 DAL 23  100   20  20.0   PHI  22   99   19  19.2   COL 47   217   38  17.5
 5 STL 26  127   23  18.1   VAN  23   93   17  18.3   PIT 46   220   38  17.3
 6 WSH 22   85   14  16.5   CHI  20   83   15  18.1   PHI 44   209   35  16.7
 7 MTL 23   97   16  16.5   DET  23   94   17  18.1   WSH 47   184   30  16.3
 8 NYI 23  110   18  16.4   BOS  24   91   16  17.6   DET 48   202   33  16.3
 9 NYR 25  111   17  15.3   S.J  23   89   15  16.9   NYI 46   207   33  15.9
10 DET 25  108   16  14.8   PHO  24  101   17  16.8   BOS 45   183   29  15.8
11 PHI 22  110   16  14.5   CAR  19   84   14  16.7   BUF 43   195   30  15.4
12 COL 24  117   17  14.5   WSH  25   99   16  16.2   NYR 46   201   31  15.4
13 CAR 28  124   18  14.5   EDM  24  126   20  15.9   CAR 47   208   32  15.4
14 OTT 22   98   14  14.3   NYR  21   90   14  15.6   STL 48   199   30  15.1
15 FLA 23  112   16  14.3   NYI  23   97   15  15.5   EDM 46   249   36  14.5
16 BOS 21   92   13  14.1   N.J  21   86   13  15.1   L.A 45   185   26  14.1
17 L.A 21  104   14  13.5   L.A  24   81   12  14.8   PHO 46   202   28  13.9
18 TOR 22   89   12  13.5   PIT  25  117   16  13.7   FLA 47   222   30  13.5
19 EDM 22  123   16  13.0   ANA  24  109   14  12.8   OTT 47   196   25  12.8
20 T.B 23  105   13  12.4   FLA  24  110   14  12.7   VAN 46   197   25  12.7
21 PHO 22  101   11  10.9   BUF  23  107   12  11.2   S.J 44   203   25  12.3
22 ANA 23  105   11  10.5   OTT  25   98   11  11.2   CHI 45   192   23  12.0
23 CGY 24  101   10   9.9   CGY  23   90   10  11.1   ANA 47   214   25  11.7
24 S.J 21  114   10   8.8   STL  22   72    7   9.7   TOR 44   192   21  10.9
25 VAN 23  104    8   7.7   TOR  22  103    9   8.7   CGY 47   191   20  10.5
26 CHI 25  109    8   7.3   T.B  22   94    7   7.4   T.B 45   199   20  10.1

      598 2728  393  14.4       598 2538  392  15.4      598  5266  785  14.9


                      --- TEAMS' PENALTY KILLING RECORD ---

    (TSH) TOTAL TIMES SHORT-HANDED (PPGA) POWER-PLAY GOALS AGAINST
    (PCTG) ARRIVED BY DIVIDING -TIMES SHORT MINUS POWER-PLAY GOALS AGAINST-
    BY TIMES SHORT

   -------- HOME ---------   -------- ROAD ---------   ------- OVER ALL ------
   TEAM GP  TSH PPGA  PCTG   TEAM GP  TSH PPGA  PCTG   TEAM GP  TSH PPGA  PCTG

 1  PHI 22   91    7  92.3   STL  22   79    6  92.4   DET  48  212   22  89.6
 2  DET 25  115   11  90.4   PIT  25  100    9  91.0   TOR  44  186   21  88.7
 3  BUF 20   91    9  90.1   CHI  20   88    8  90.9   DAL  48  196   23  88.3
 4  WSH 22   79    9  88.6   DAL  25  103   10  90.3   WSH  47  195   23  88.2
 5  NYR 25   96   11  88.5   TOR  22   96   10  89.6   PHI  44  198   24  87.9
 6  PHO 22  110   13  88.2   ANA  24  113   12  89.4   STL  48  198   25  87.4
 7  TOR 22   90   11  87.8   S.J  23  117   13  88.9   N.J  45  169   22  87.0
 8  N.J 24   82   10  87.8   DET  23   97   11  88.7   COL  47  208   27  87.0
 9  MTL 23   98   13  86.7   BOS  24   79    9  88.6   BOS  45  145   19  86.9
10  COL 24  101   14  86.1   COL  23  107   13  87.9   CHI  45  190   25  86.8
11  NYI 23  100   14  86.0   WSH  25  116   14  87.9   PIT  46  182   25  86.3
12  DAL 23   93   13  86.0   N.J  21   87   12  86.2   NYR  46  205   28  86.3
13  CAR 28  126   18  85.7   T.B  22  103   15  85.4   PHO  46  223   31  86.1
14  BOS 21   66   10  84.8   FLA  24  123   19  84.6   NYI  46  209   31  85.2
15  STL 26  119   19  84.0   OTT  25   91   14  84.6   S.J  44  220   34  84.5
16  CGY 24  105   17  83.8   NYR  21  109   17  84.4   ANA  47  206   32  84.5
17  CHI 25  102   17  83.3   NYI  23  109   17  84.4   MTL  47  216   34  84.3
18  L.A 21  108   19  82.4   CGY  23  120   19  84.2   CGY  47  225   36  84.0
19  OTT 22   68   12  82.4   PHI  22  107   17  84.1   CAR  47  229   37  83.8
20  PIT 21   82   16  80.5   PHO  24  113   18  84.1   OTT  47  159   26  83.6
21  EDM 22  102   20  80.4   L.A  24  112   18  83.9   L.A  45  220   37  83.2
22  VAN 23  110   22  80.0   EDM  24  112   18  83.9   EDM  46  214   38  82.2
23  S.J 21  103   21  79.6   MTL  24  118   21  82.2   T.B  45  216   39  81.9
24  T.B 23  113   24  78.8   CAR  19  103   19  81.6   FLA  47  218   41  81.2
25  ANA 23   93   20  78.5   VAN  23  108   22  79.6   BUF  43  209   41  80.4
26  FLA 23   95   22  76.8   BUF  23  118   32  72.9   VAN  46  218   44  79.8
       598 2538  392  84.6       598 2728  393  85.6       598 5266  785  85.1


          --- SHORT HAND GOALS FOR ---

    --- HOME ---   --- ROAD ---   - OVER ALL -
    TEAM GP SHGF   TEAM GP SHGF   TEAM GP SHGF

 1  CGY  24    7   FLA  24    8   CGY  47   10
 2  MTL  23    5   CHI  20    6   VAN  46    9
 3  T.B  23    5   DAL  25    6   FLA  47    9
 4  STL  26    5   VAN  23    5   WSH  47    8
 5  PIT  21    4   ANA  24    4   STL  48    8
 6  WSH  22    4   WSH  25    4   DAL  48    8
 7  VAN  23    4   STL  22    3   PIT  46    7
 8  BUF  20    3   CGY  23    3   T.B  45    6
 9  PHO  22    3   OTT  25    3   CHI  45    6
10  NYI  23    3   PIT  25    3   MTL  47    6
11  COL  24    3   BUF  23    2   ANA  47    6
12  CAR  28    3   DET  23    2   BUF  43    5
13  S.J  21    2   NYI  23    2   PHO  46    5
14  PHI  22    2   S.J  23    2   NYI  46    5
15  EDM  22    2   PHO  24    2   S.J  44    4
16  DAL  23    2   CAR  19    1   OTT  47    4
17  ANA  23    2   N.J  21    1   CAR  47    4
18  DET  25    2   TOR  22    1   DET  48    4
19  BOS  21    1   PHI  22    1   PHI  44    3
20  L.A  21    1   T.B  22    1   COL  47    3
21  TOR  22    1   MTL  24    1   TOR  44    2
22  OTT  22    1   NYR  21    0   N.J  45    2
23  FLA  23    1   COL  23    0   EDM  46    2
24  N.J  24    1   L.A  24    0   L.A  45    1
25  NYR  25    0   EDM  24    0   BOS  45    1
26  CHI  25    0   BOS  24    0   NYR  46    0
        598   67       598   61       598  128


        --- SHORT HAND GOALS AGAINST ---

    --- HOME ---   --- ROAD ---   - OVER ALL -
    TEAM GP SHGA   TEAM GP SHGA   TEAM GP SHGA

 1  CHI  25    0   L.A  24    0   BOS  45    0
 2  PHI  22    0   BOS  24    0   STL  48    1
 3  PHO  22    0   S.J  23    0   PHO  46    1
 4  BOS  21    0   STL  22    0   S.J  44    1
 5  STL  26    1   WSH  25    1   WSH  47    2
 6  COL  24    1   PHO  24    1   PHI  44    2
 7  WSH  22    1   CAR  19    1   EDM  46    3
 8  EDM  22    1   PIT  25    2   CHI  45    3
 9  OTT  22    1   EDM  24    2   MTL  47    4
10  S.J  21    1   MTL  24    2   CAR  47    4
11  DET  25    2   NYI  23    2   DAL  48    5
12  MTL  23    2   CGY  23    2   DET  48    5
13  DAL  23    2   PHI  22    2   COL  47    5
14  FLA  23    2   N.J  21    2   N.J  45    5
15  CAR  28    3   DAL  25    3   OTT  47    6
16  N.J  24    3   ANA  24    3   CGY  47    6
17  T.B  23    3   DET  23    3   L.A  45    6
18  VAN  23    3   CHI  20    3   ANA  47    7
19  TOR  22    3   COL  23    4   PIT  46    7
20  BUF  20    3   VAN  23    4   VAN  46    7
21  NYR  25    4   T.B  22    4   T.B  45    7
22  CGY  24    4   OTT  25    5   FLA  47    8
23  ANA  23    4   BUF  23    5   NYI  46    8
24  PIT  21    5   TOR  22    5   TOR  44    8
25  NYI  23    6   NYR  21    5   BUF  43    8
26  L.A  21    6   FLA  24    6   NYR  46    9
        598   61       598   67       598  128


                       --- TEAMS' OVERTIME RECORDS ---

    -------- HOME ---------  -------- ROAD ---------  ------- OVERALL -------
     GP  W  L   T PTS  PCTG   GP  W  L   T PTS  PCTG   GP  W  L   T PTS  PCTG
    --- -- -- --- --- -----  --- -- -- --- --- -----  --- -- -- --- --- -----

BUF   4  1  0   3   5  .625    7  2  0   5   9  .643   11  3  0   8  14  .636
WSH   5  1  0   4   6  .600    5  1  0   4   6  .600   10  2  0   8  12  .600
BOS   5  0  0   5   5  .500    6  2  0   4   8  .667   11  2  0   9  13  .591
PIT   7  2  1   4   8  .571    5  1  0   4   6  .600   12  3  1   8  14  .583
DAL   6  1  0   5   7  .583    6  2  1   3   7  .583   12  3  1   8  14  .583
OTT   2  1  0   1   3  .750    6  0  0   6   6  .500    8  1  0   7   9  .563
STL   6  2  0   4   8  .667    3  0  1   2   2  .333    9  2  1   6  10  .556
PHI   3  0  0   3   3  .500    6  1  0   5   7  .583    9  1  0   8  10  .556
CGY   8  4  1   3  11  .688    9  0  2   7   7  .389   17  4  3  10  18  .529
FLA   7  1  1   5   7  .500    7  1  1   5   7  .500   14  2  2  10  14  .500
L.A   4  1  1   2   4  .500    8  1  1   6   8  .500   12  2  2   8  12  .500
EDM   5  0  1   4   4  .400    6  1  0   5   7  .583   11  1  1   9  11  .500
CHI   6  0  0   6   6  .500    5  1  1   3   5  .500   11  1  1   9  11  .500
DET   4  0  0   4   4  .500    6  0  0   6   6  .500   10  0  0  10  10  .500
T.B   6  0  0   6   6  .500    2  0  0   2   2  .500    8  0  0   8   8  .500
TOR   4  0  0   4   4  .500    3  0  0   3   3  .500    7  0  0   7   7  .500
COL  10  0  1   9   9  .450    8  1  1   6   8  .500   18  1  2  15  17  .472
ANA   5  1  1   3   5  .500    8  1  2   5   7  .438   13  2  3   8  12  .462
MTL   7  1  1   5   7  .500    4  1  2   1   3  .375   11  2  3   6  10  .455
CAR   6  0  1   5   5  .417    3  1  1   1   3  .500    9  1  2   6   8  .444
PHO   6  0  1   5   5  .417    3  0  0   3   3  .500    9  0  1   8   8  .444
NYR   7  0  1   6   6  .429    7  0  1   6   6  .429   14  0  2  12  12  .429
NYI   3  0  1   2   2  .333    4  0  0   4   4  .500    7  0  1   6   6  .429
VAN   6  0  2   4   4  .333    5  0  1   4   4  .400   11  0  3   8   8  .364
N.J   3  1  2   0   2  .333    4  0  1   3   3  .375    7  1  3   3   5  .357
S.J   4  0  1   3   3  .375    3  0  1   2   2  .333    7  0  2   5   5  .357
TOT 139 17 17 105 139  .500  139 17 17 105 139  .500  139 34 34 105 278 1.000


 LGM DATE     SCORED BY            TEAM                 TIME  FINAL SCORE
---- -------  -------------------- -------------------- ----  ----------------
  42  Oct  8  TED DONATO           BOSTON               2:09  BOS  3 AT PHO  2
  47  Oct  9  BRETT HULL           ST LOUIS             3:16  L.A  2 AT STL  3
  70  Oct 13  ERIC LINDROS         PHILADELPHIA         1:49  PHI  3 AT S.J  2
  74  Oct 14  DAVE REID            DALLAS               1:17  CGY  4 AT DAL  5
  90  Oct 17  MICHAEL NYLANDER     CALGARY              4:40  COL  5 AT CGY  6
 105  Oct 19  TODD MARCHANT        EDMONTON             3:05  EDM  3 AT L.A  2
 124  Oct 23  PETR SYKORA          NEW JERSEY           4:43  MTL  1 AT N.J  2
 140  Oct 25  KEVIN HATCHER        PITTSBURGH           0:41  PIT  3 AT VAN  2
 167  Oct 31  JASON DAWE           BUFFALO              3:21  BUF  3 AT CAR  2
 172  Nov  1  ROB BROWN            PITTSBURGH           3:52  VAN  6 AT PIT  7
 176  Nov  1  DIXON WARD           BUFFALO              1:14  BUF  4 AT FLA  3
 208  Nov  7  SCOTT YOUNG          ANAHEIM              3:34  ANA  4 AT CGY  3
 239  Nov 12  VALERI BURE          MONTREAL             4:07  MTL  4 AT ANA  3
 294  Nov 22  JAROMIR JAGR         PITTSBURGH           0:25  NYR  3 AT PIT  4
 298  Nov 22  ED JOVANOVSKI        FLORIDA              4:08  FLA  2 AT N.J  1
 303  Nov 22  GREG JOHNSON         CHICAGO              1:22  CHI  5 AT VAN  4
 309  Nov 23  LUC ROBITAILLE       LOS ANGELES          2:43  L.A  2 AT COL  1
 343  Nov 29  SANDY MCCARTHY       CALGARY              1:36  ANA  2 AT CGY  3
 351  Dec  1  GERMAN TITOV         CALGARY              1:22  S.J  2 AT CGY  3
 354  Dec  2  JOE JUNEAU           WASHINGTON           3:45  WSH  3 AT NYR  2
 373  Dec  5  JEFF TOMS            WASHINGTON           3:32  FLA  2 AT WSH  3
 383  Dec  6  GEOFF COURTNALL      ST LOUIS             4:38  CGY  3 AT STL  4
 395  Dec 10  VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE   MONTREAL             0:55  STL  3 AT MTL  4
 406  Dec 12  MATTHEW BARNABY      BUFFALO              4:45  CAR  2 AT BUF  3
 435  Dec 16  MICHAEL NYLANDER     CALGARY              3:42  CHI  3 AT CGY  4
 463  Dec 20  SERGEI ZUBOV         DALLAS               1:07  DAL  2 AT EDM  1
 474  Dec 23 +CHRIS PHILLIPS       OTTAWA               3:51  MTL  3 AT OTT  4
 526  Jan  1  ROB NIEDERMAYER      FLORIDA              1:53  N.J  1 AT FLA  2
 536  Jan  3  VALERI KAMENSKY      COLORADO             3:04  COL  5 AT PIT  4
 548  Jan  5  JERE LEHTINEN        DALLAS               0:34  DAL  4 AT N.J  3
 557  Jan  7  STEVE HEINZE         BOSTON               3:13  BOS  2 AT MTL  1
 578  Jan 10 +JON BATTAGLIA        CAROLINA             1:59  CAR  2 AT NYI  1
 588  Jan 11  JOE SACCO            ANAHEIM              3:38  DAL  1 AT ANA  2
 598  Jan 12  RAY FERRARO          LOS ANGELES          2:04  ANA  2 AT L.A  3

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1997-98 NHL Statistics
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hockey Pool Stats - Players
Thru January 11, 1998

TEAM P NO  PLAYER              GP   G   A PTS +/-  PIM PP SH GW GT   S  PCTG
ANA  R  8  TEEMU SELANNE       46  33  15  48   5   20  6  0  5  3 169  19.5
ANA  D 15  DMITRI MIRONOV      43   5  20  25  -7   54  2  0  1  0 101   5.0
ANA  C 20  STEVE RUCCHIN       38   6  16  22   5    2  2  1  0  0  56  10.7
ANA  L  9  PAUL KARIYA         14   8   9  17   4    2  3  0  1  0  71  11.3
ANA  R 48  SCOTT YOUNG         39   6  11  17 -14   10  2  1  1  0  88   6.8
ANA  D 36  J.J. DAIGNEAULT     44   2  13  15  -8   24  1  0  1  0  64   3.1
ANA  R 14  JOE SACCO           46   7   7  14  -1   22  0  2  2  0  72   9.7
ANA  R 17  TOMAS SANDSTROM     46   6   6  12 -17   42  2  1  0  1  88   6.8
ANA  C 10  SEAN PRONGER        43   2   9  11  -7   20  1  0  1  0  46   4.3
ANA  C 13  TED DRURY           42   5   5  10  -6   39  0  1  0  0  65   7.7
ANA  C 12  KEVIN TODD          24   4   6  10  -2   10  3  0  1  0  26  15.4
ANA  D 24  RUSLAN SALEI        34   4   4   8   4   36  1  0  0  1  56   7.1
ANA  L 16  WARREN RYCHEL       41   3   5   8  -5  121  1  0  0  0  36   8.3
ANA  C 18  MARK JANSSENS       46   3   5   8 -19   94  0  0  1  0  36   8.3
ANA  C 45 *MATT CULLEN         27   0   8   8   0    6  0  0  0  0  14    .0
ANA  R 19 *JEFF NIELSEN        18   3   2   5  -4   10  0  0  0  0  22  13.6
ANA  D 33  DAVE KARPA          44   0   5   5  -3  106  0  0  0  0  33    .0
ANA  L 40 *JEREMY STEVENSON    18   3   1   4  -2   37  0  0  1  0  13  23.1
ANA  D  7 *PAVEL TRNKA         21   1   3   4  -1   10  0  0  0  0  16   6.3
ANA  C 21 *ESPEN KNUTSEN       19   3   0   3 -10    6  1  0  0  1  21  14.3
ANA  D 23  JASON MARSHALL      36   1   2   3  -8   91  0  0  0  0  32   3.1
ANA  D  5  DREW BANNISTER      36   0   3   3  -7   42  0  0  0  0  30    .0
ANA  C 32  RICHARD PARK        11   0   2   2   1    4  0  0  0  0   8    .0
ANA  L 11  SHAWN ANTOSKI        9   1   0   1   1   18  0  0  0  0   6  16.7
ANA  L 22  BRENT SEVERYN       13   0   1   1  -3   57  0  0  0  0   8    .0
ANA  D 34  DANIEL TREBIL       14   0   1   1  -5    2  0  0  0  0  10    .0
ANA  G 31  GUY HEBERT          34   0   1   1   0    4  0  0  0  0   0    .0
ANA  R 46  JEAN-FRANCOIS JOMPHE 1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1    .0
ANA  D 38 *MIKE CROWLEY         4   0   0   0   2    6  0  0  0  0   5    .0
ANA  G 35  M. SHTALENKOV       17   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
BOS  R 41  JASON ALLISON       44  16  26  42  16   27  2  0  6  1  71  22.5
BOS  C 12  DMITRI KHRISTICH    44  16  15  31  12   18  8  0  0  0  76  21.1
BOS  L 21  TED DONATO          41  14  15  29  14   28  3  0  4  1  85  16.5
BOS  D 77  RAY BOURQUE         44   8  17  25   1   24  5  0  1  1 139   5.8
BOS  C 33  ANSON CARTER        40   5  16  21   5    4  1  0  1  0  84   6.0
BOS  R 19  ROB DIMAIO          44   6  13  19  -7   48  0  0  3  1  67   9.0
BOS  C 26  TIM TAYLOR          44  11   7  18 -11   31  0  1  0  1  66  16.7
BOS  L 14 *SERGEI SAMSONOV     43   5  12  17  -4    6  2  0  0  0  71   7.0
BOS  R 23  STEVE HEINZE        23  10   5  15   4   12  3  0  3  0  69  14.5
BOS  D 18  KYLE MCLAREN        38   4  10  14   5   33  1  0  0  0  58   6.9
BOS  D 44  DAVE ELLETT         44   3  11  14  -4   26  2  0  1  0  82   3.7
BOS  R 11 *PER AXELSSON        44   4   9  13 -10   10  1  0  0  0  88   4.5
BOS  D 32  DON SWEENEY         44   1  10  11  12   20  0  0  0  0  43   2.3
BOS  D 20  DARREN VAN IMPE     36   1   6   7 -12   11  0  0  0  0  35   2.9
BOS  L 42  MIKE SULLIVAN       41   2   4   6  -4    6  0  0  1  0  48   4.2
BOS  D 25 *HAL GILL            31   1   2   3   0   21  0  0  0  0  20   5.0
BOS  D 37  MATTIAS TIMANDER    22   1   1   2  -9    6  0  0  0  0  17   5.9
BOS  C  6 *JOE THORNTON        27   1   0   1 -10   15  0  0  0  0  16   6.3
BOS  D 29  DEAN MALKOC         30   1   0   1 -10   62  0  0  0  0  14   7.1
BOS  R 10 *CAMERON MANN         8   0   1   1   1    4  0  0  0  0   6    .0
BOS  G 34  BYRON DAFOE         34   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
BOS  G 35  ROBBIE TALLAS        4   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
BOS  R 27  LANDON WILSON        6   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   6    .0
BOS  L 22  KEN BAUMGARTNER     44   0   0   0 -13   98  0  0  0  0  18    .0
BUF  L 81  MIROSLAV SATAN      42  15  12  27  -4   18  6  0  2  0  74  20.3
BUF  R 17  JASON DAWE          43  15  11  26   5   16  3  1  3  1  81  18.5
BUF  C 26  DEREK PLANTE        40   8  13  21  -1   14  3  0  0  0  82   9.8
BUF  C 27  MICHAEL PECA        29  10   7  17   6   24  5  3  0  0  66  15.2
BUF  C 19  BRIAN HOLZINGER     40   7  10  17 -13   12  4  0  0  1  66  10.6
BUF  D  5  JASON WOOLLEY       32   2  15  17  -1   14  0  0  1  0  47   4.3
BUF  R 28  DONALD AUDETTE      36   8   8  16  -1   33  4  0  2  1  99   8.1
BUF  L 18  MICHAL GROSEK       36   6  10  16  -1   31  2  0  0  0  54  11.1
BUF  D 44  ALEXEI ZHITNIK      39   5  11  16  -1   42  1  0  2  1  93   5.4
BUF  D  8  DARRYL SHANNON      39   1  11  12   8   18  1  0  1  0  51   2.0
BUF  D 42  RICHARD SMEHLIK     43   0  11  11  -2   18  0  0  0  0  62    .0
BUF  L 12  RANDY BURRIDGE      28   4   5   9  -1    0  1  0  1  0  36  11.1
BUF  L 37  CURTIS BROWN        28   4   5   9  -2   20  0  0  0  0  40  10.0
BUF  L 10  BRAD MAY            32   2   7   9   1  109  0  0  0  0  32   6.3
BUF  D 74  JAY MCKEE           26   1   8   9  -4   20  0  0  0  0  29   3.4
BUF  R 36  MATTHEW BARNABY     36   1   8   9   0  169  0  0  1  0  35   2.9
BUF  R 15  DIXON WARD          36   5   3   8   1   20  0  1  1  1  46  10.9
BUF  D  4  MIKE WILSON         39   2   4   6   4   34  0  0  1  0  35   5.7
BUF  C 22  WAYNE PRIMEAU       36   2   1   3   0   58  0  0  0  0  20  10.0
BUF  D  6  BOB BOUGHNER        37   1   1   2  -3   84  0  0  0  0  12   8.3
BUF  R 25 *VACLAV VARADA        8   0   1   1  -1    4  0  0  0  0   3    .0
BUF  D 21  MIKE HURLBUT         3   0   0   0  -1    2  0  0  0  0   3    .0
BUF  G 31 *STEVE SHIELDS        8   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
BUF  R 32  ROB RAY             24   0   0   0  -2  141  0  0  0  0   2    .0
BUF  G 39  DOMINIK HASEK       38   0   0   0   0   12  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CGY  R 14  THEOREN FLEURY      47  16  26  42  12  109  1  2  2  1 150  10.7
CGY  C 16  CORY STILLMAN       39  16  14  30  -1   20  4  2  0  1 104  15.4
CGY  R 12  JAROME IGINLA       47  12  12  24  -4   18  0  2  1  0 114  10.5
CGY  L 13  GERMAN TITOV        43  11  13  24   6   16  3  1  2  0  78  14.1
CGY  C 21  ANDREW CASSELS      46   8  15  23  -6   18  3  0  1  1  68  11.8
CGY  L 18  MARTY MCINNIS       40   7  14  21  -7   20  2  1  0  0  64  10.9
CGY  C 92  MICHAEL NYLANDER    41  10   9  19   2   12  0  0  2  0  83  12.0
CGY  D 32  CALE HULSE          44   5  13  18   1   75  1  1  0  0  83   6.0
CGY  D 53 *DEREK MORRIS        47   5  13  18   2   41  3  1  0  1  72   6.9
CGY  L 44  JONAS HOGLUND       44   5   7  12  -6   10  0  0  0  0 105   4.8
CGY  D 33  ZARLEY ZALAPSKI     35   2   7   9 -12   41  2  0  1  0  46   4.3
CGY  D  5  TOMMY ALBELIN       37   1   8   9  10   10  0  0  1  0  40   2.5
CGY  C 34  JIM DOWD            30   3   4   7   1    4  0  0  0  0  36   8.3
CGY  D  2 *JAMIE ALLISON       28   2   5   7   1   40  0  0  0  0  22   9.1
CGY  R 15  SANDY MCCARTHY      35   4   2   6 -11  109  0  0  1  0  41   9.8
CGY  L  7 *CHRIS DINGMAN       44   3   3   6  -8   57  1  0  0  0  33   9.1
CGY  D  3  JAMES PATRICK       25   1   4   5   2    6  0  0  0  0  20   5.0
CGY  L 42  ED WARD             29   2   2   4  -6   31  0  0  0  1  20  10.0
CGY  D  6  JOEL BOUCHARD       24   2   1   3 -10   22  0  0  0  0  25   8.0
CGY  C 23  AARON GAVEY         10   1   2   3  -1    2  0  0  1  0  14   7.1
CGY  D 27  TODD SIMPSON        33   0   3   3  -4   69  0  0  0  0  35    .0
CGY  G 30  DWAYNE ROLOSON      13   0   2   2   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CGY  C 11 *ERIC LANDRY         10   1   0   1  -1    4  0  0  0  0   6  16.7
CGY  R 26 *LADISLAV KOHN        4   0   1   1   2    0  0  0  0  0   2    .0
CGY  G 31  RICK TABARACCI      31   0   1   1   0   10  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CGY  R 29  ERIK ANDERSSON       3   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   5    .0
CGY  G  1 *TYLER MOSS           5   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CGY  C 57 *STEVE BEGIN          5   0   0   0   0   23  0  0  0  0   2    .0
CGY  L 20  TODD HLUSHKO         6   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   1    .0
CGY  D 24 *DENIS GAUTHIER       8   0   0   0  -5   16  0  0  0  0   3    .0
CAR  R 24  SAMI KAPANEN        46  17  20  37   3    4  2  0  5  0  97  17.5
CAR  C 55  KEITH PRIMEAU       45  14  19  33  12   55  5  2  1  0 101  13.9
CAR  L 10  GARY ROBERTS        40   9  21  30  -3   69  4  0  0  1  64  14.1
CAR  R 19  NELSON EMERSON      46  14  14  28  -6   32  4  0  3  1 105  13.3
CAR  R 18  ROBERT KRON         45  11  11  22  -1    4  2  0  2  0  76  14.5
CAR  D  3  STEVE CHIASSON      42   6  15  21  -1   45  5  0  0  0 114   5.3
CAR  C 92  JEFF O'NEILL        41   7  11  18  -7   34  3  0  1  0  50  14.0
CAR  D  2  GLEN WESLEY         46   4  13  17   5   22  0  0  1  0  69   5.8
CAR  R 11  KEVIN DINEEN        26   5  10  15  -1   41  0  0  0  0  50  10.0
CAR  L 23  MARTIN GELINAS      28   5   5  10  -5   10  1  1  1  0  59   8.5
CAR  R 27  STEPHEN LEACH       41   4   5   9 -17   33  1  1  2  0  54   7.4
CAR  D  7  CURTIS LESCHYSHYN   38   2   6   8  -6   29  1  0  1  0  27   7.4
CAR  L 28  PAUL RANHEIM        37   3   4   7  -4    4  0  1  0  0  32   9.4
CAR  C 44  KENT MANDERVILLE    45   3   4   7  -3   12  0  0  0  0  44   6.8
CAR  D  6  ADAM BURT           40   0   7   7  -6   75  0  0  0  0  23    .0
CAR  R 12  STEVEN RICE         31   2   4   6  -8   29  0  0  0  0  27   7.4
CAR  D  5  KEVIN HALLER        41   1   5   6  -1   67  0  0  0  0  41   2.4
CAR  L 32  STU GRIMSON         46   2   3   5   3  110  0  0  0  0   9  22.2
CAR  D 22  SEAN HILL           32   1   2   3  -6   36  0  0  0  0  27   3.7
CAR  R 33 *JON BATTAGLIA        5   1   0   1   1    0  0  0  1  0   3  33.3
CAR  D 14 *STEVEN HALKO         6   0   1   1  -4    0  0  0  0  0   2    .0
CAR  D  4 *NOLAN PRATT          2   0   0   0  -1    4  0  0  0  0   2    .0
CAR  G 35  PAT JABLONSKI        4   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CAR  G 37  TREVOR KIDD         18   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CAR  G  1  KIRK MCLEAN         31   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CHI  R 10  TONY AMONTE         44  15  26  41  11   34  2  2  3  0 152   9.9
CHI  L 55  ERIC DAZE           44  16   8  24   9   12  4  0  2  1 114  14.0
CHI  D  7  CHRIS CHELIOS       44   2  22  24   3   58  1  0  0  0 110   1.8
CHI  C 36  ALEXEI ZHAMNOV      39  10  13  23   8   39  3  0  2  1 114   8.8
CHI  D 20  GARY SUTER          39   7  13  20   4   36  1  1  0  0 101   6.9
CHI  R 25  SERGEI KRIVOKRASOV  34   8   9  17  -2   12  1  0  2  0  83   9.6
CHI  C 11  JEFF SHANTZ         40   6  11  17  -1   24  1  0  0  0  40  15.0
CHI  C 22  GREG JOHNSON        37   8   7  15  -2   22  2  0  2  0  44  18.2
CHI  L 38  JAMES BLACK         34   8   5  13  -6    2  2  1  3  1  74  10.8
CHI  D  4  KEITH CARNEY        44   2  11  13  -2   42  0  1  0  0  39   5.1
CHI  D  2  ERIC WEINRICH       44   1  11  12  -1   50  0  0  0  0  38   2.6
CHI  C 16  JARROD SKALDE       23   4   6  10  -3   14  0  0  0  0  30  13.3
CHI  L 19  ETHAN MOREAU        24   4   6  10  -2   37  2  0  0  0  37  10.8
CHI  C 14  STEVE DUBINSKY      44   3   7  10  -2   12  0  0  0  0  65   4.6
CHI  C 12  BRENT SUTTER        30   2   6   8  -2   18  0  1  0  0  30   6.7
CHI  D  3 *CHRISTIAN LAFLAMME  38   0   6   6   8   21  0  0  0  0  36    .0
CHI  C 46 *DIMITRI NABOKOV      9   4   1   5   0    4  2  0  2  0  10  40.0
CHI  L 44 *BRIAN FELSNER       12   1   3   4   0   12  0  0  0  0  14   7.1
CHI  R 17  KEVIN MILLER        16   1   3   4   1    4  0  0  0  0  12   8.3
CHI  L 24  BOB PROBERT          7   2   1   3  -4   27  2  0  0  0  11  18.2
CHI  L 23 *JEAN-YVES LEROUX    39   2   1   3  -4   44  0  0  0  0  32   6.3
CHI  D  6  MICHAL SYKORA       21   0   3   3  -8   12  0  0  0  0  25    .0
CHI  R 46 *CRAIG MILLS         15   0   2   2  -1   32  0  0  0  0   4    .0
CHI  C 26 *TODD WHITE           6   1   0   1   0    2  0  0  0  0   2  50.0
CHI  R 15  JIM CUMMINS         39   0   1   1  -6  150  0  0  0  0  24    .0
CHI  L 56 *RYAN HUSKA           1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CHI  L 17 *PERI VARIS           1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CHI  G 29  ANDREI TREFILOV      2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CHI  R 16  MARTIN GENDRON       2   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   3    .0
CHI  L 33  REID SIMPSON         2   0   0   0   0    9  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CHI  L 32 *DANIEL CLEARY        6   0   0   0  -2    0  0  0  0  0   4    .0
CHI  G 40  CHRIS TERRERI       17   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
CHI  D  8  CAM RUSSELL         18   0   0   0  -2   30  0  0  0  0   7    .0
CHI  D  5  TRENT YAWNEY        23   0   0   0  -2   37  0  0  0  0   8    .0
CHI  G 31  JEFF HACKETT        26   0   0   0   0    6  0  0  0  0   0    .0
COL  C 21  PETER FORSBERG      43  16  40  56   6   54  5  1  3  1 135  11.9
COL  C 19  JOE SAKIC           46  20  29  49   7   28  9  0  1  0 182  11.0
COL  L 13  VALERI KAMENSKY     41  16  19  35   6   34  5  0  2  0  93  17.2
COL  R 22  CLAUDE LEMIEUX      45  14  20  34  -1   73  4  0  1  1 157   8.9
COL  R 18  ADAM DEADMARSH      45  13  13  26   7   92  4  0  5  3 113  11.5
COL  L 28  ERIC LACROIX        46   8  14  22   3   39  0  0  3  0  59  13.6
COL  D  8  SANDIS OZOLINSH     30   6  16  22   0   29  4  0  1  1  73   8.2
COL  D  4  UWE KRUPP           46   5  14  19  20   22  3  0  1  0  84   6.0
COL  L 20  RENE CORBET         39  10   7  17   4   69  2  0  3  2  73  13.7
COL  C 26  STEPHANE YELLE      46   6   9  15  -2   26  0  0  0  0  53  11.3
COL  C 17  JARI KURRI          44   4  10  14   7    6  1  0  0  0  42   9.5
COL  R 12  SHEAN DONOVAN       40   4   7  11   4   48  0  0  0  0  50   8.0
COL  D 29 *ERIC MESSIER        42   4   7  11   6   14  0  0  0  0  46   8.7
COL  D  5  ALEXEI GUSAROV      42   3   8  11  10   22  0  1  1  0  30  10.0
COL  D 24  JON KLEMM           34   5   5  10   0   10  0  0  0  1  37  13.5
COL  R 16  JEFF ODGERS         35   3   6   9   7   90  0  0  0  0  21  14.3
COL  D 52  ADAM FOOTE          45   1   8   9  -3   78  0  0  0  0  40   2.5
COL  D  2  SYLVAIN LEFEBVRE    45   0   5   5   4   18  0  0  0  0  29    .0
COL  D 27  FRANCOIS LEROUX     37   1   2   3  -3  116  0  0  0  0  11   9.1
COL  C 10 *JOSEF MARHA          2   1   1   2   0    2  0  0  0  0   1 100.0
COL  D  6 *WADE BELAK           6   1   1   2  -1   22  0  0  1  0   2  50.0
COL  G 33  PATRICK ROY         36   0   2   2   0    4  0  0  0  0   0    .0
COL  D  7 *PASCAL TREPANIER    15   0   1   1  -2   18  0  0  0  0   9    .0
COL  G  1  CRAIG BILLINGTON    11   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
COL  D  3  AARON MILLER        25   0   0   0  -4   16  0  0  0  0   8    .0
DAL  C  9  MIKE MODANO         34  16  26  42  17   16  6  3  2  0 127  12.6
DAL  C 15  JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER 47  17  21  38   8   31  6  0  4  1  89  19.1
DAL  D 56  SERGEI ZUBOV        47   6  29  35  14    4  2  1  2  1  89   6.7
DAL  C 25  JOE NIEUWENDYK      38  18  15  33   8   16  5  0  4  0  95  18.9
DAL  R 16  PAT VERBEEK         47  14  19  33  11  109  3  0  4  0 108  13.0
DAL  R 26  JERE LEHTINEN       37  16  13  29  18    6  4  2  4  1 102  15.7
DAL  D  5  DARRYL SYDOR        44   8  18  26  20   28  4  1  1  0  93   8.6
DAL  D  2  DERIAN HATCHER      42   5  16  21   0   77  3  0  2  0  46  10.9
DAL  L 23  GREG ADAMS          26   7  11  18  10    8  2  0  0  0  40  17.5
DAL  L 14  DAVE REID           47   6  10  16 -10    2  3  0  1  0  77   7.8
DAL  L 33  BENOIT HOGUE        32   4  10  14  10   20  2  0  1  0  39  10.3
DAL  R 10  TODD HARVEY         42   7   5  12   1   59  0  0  1  0  66  10.6
DAL  D 27  SHAWN CHAMBERS      30   1  11  12   8   22  0  1  0  0  40   2.5
DAL  C 21  GUY CARBONNEAU      42   1   9  10  -1   22  0  0  0  0  39   2.6
DAL  D 24  RICHARD MATVICHUK   47   3   6   9  -1   51  0  0  0  0  48   6.3
DAL  C 28  BOB BASSEN          45   3   3   6  -1   39  0  0  1  0  35   8.6
DAL  L 12  BOB ERREY           38   2   4   6   2   34  0  0  0  0  21   9.5
DAL  R 29  GRANT MARSHALL      39   3   0   3  -8   64  0  0  0  0  33   9.1
DAL  D  3  CRAIG LUDWIG        47   0   3   3  14   54  0  0  0  0  23    .0
DAL  D 22  CRAIG MUNI          21   1   1   2   3   10  0  0  1  0   7  14.3
DAL  L 46 *JAMIE WRIGHT         3   1   0   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   1 100.0
DAL  L 17 *PATRICK COTE         3   0   0   0  -1   15  0  0  0  0   3    .0
DAL  C 36 *JEFFREY MITCHELL     6   0   0   0   0    7  0  0  0  0   3    .0
DAL  G  1 *ROMAN TUREK         10   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
DAL  L 11 *JUHA LIND           15   0   0   0   1    4  0  0  0  0   5    .0
DAL  G 20  ED BELFOUR          38   0   0   0   0   12  0  0  0  0   0    .0
DET  L 14  BRENDAN SHANAHAN    42  19  18  37   8   85 10  1  5  1 156  12.2
DET  C 19  STEVE YZERMAN       47  12  25  37  -3   30  1  1  0  1 104  11.5
DET  D  5  NICKLAS LIDSTROM    46  14  20  34  10   14  5  1  1  1 123  11.4
DET  D 55  LARRY MURPHY        47   5  29  34  24   21  1  0  2  0  64   7.8
DET  L 13  VYACHESLAV KOZLOV   46  14  17  31  13   20  2  0  1  0 132  10.6
DET  C  8  IGOR LARIONOV       43   5  25  30  15   24  2  0  1  0  58   8.6
DET  R 25  DARREN MCCARTY      47  10  17  27   0   85  5  1  1  0 115   8.7
DET  R 17  DOUG BROWN          46  12  11  23  10    8  3  0  3  0  79  15.2
DET  C 41  BRENT GILCHRIST     46   8  13  21   4   28  3  0  2  0  93   8.6
DET  R 20  MARTIN LAPOINTE     47   8   9  17   1   42  0  0  2  1  86   9.3
DET  C 33  KRIS DRAPER         35   7   8  15   5   27  0  0  1  0  44  15.9
DET  L 18  KIRK MALTBY         31   9   4  13  14   25  1  0  2  0  49  18.4
DET  D 44 *ANDERS ERIKSSON     33   5   8  13  14   20  0  0  2  0  40  12.5
DET  R 11  MATHIEU DANDENAULT  41   5   8  13   7   37  0  0  0  0  52   9.6
DET  L 15  TOMAS HOLMSTROM     32   4   7  11   6   28  0  0  1  0  21  19.0
DET  D  3  BOB ROUSE           44   1  10  11  -3   24  0  0  0  0  32   3.1
DET  D  2  VIACHESLAV FETISOV  35   2   8  10  14   32  0  0  1  0  37   5.4
DET  R 26  JOEY KOCUR          36   6   3   9   8   44  0  0  2  0  30  20.0
DET  R 22 *MICHAEL KNUBLE      27   4   4   8   2   12  0  0  0  0  21  19.0
DET  D 27  AARON WARD          25   2   5   7   3   16  0  0  0  0  24   8.3
DET  D  4  JAMIE PUSHOR        38   1   5   6   0   45  0  0  0  0  30   3.3
DET  D 28 *YAN GOLUBOVSKY      11   0   2   2   2    4  0  0  0  0   7    .0
DET  C 21 *DARRYL LAPLANTE      1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   1    .0
DET  G 31 *KEVIN HODSON        11   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
DET  G 30  CHRIS OSGOOD        38   0   0   0   0   12  0  0  0  0   0    .0
DET  R 22 *MICHAEL KNUBLE       9   1   0   1  -1    0  0  0  0  0  10  10.0
DET  G 31 *KEVIN HODSON         6   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
DET  D 23  MIKE RAMSEY          2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   3    .0
DET  L 40  MARK MAJOR           2   0   0   0   0    5  0  0  0  0   0    .0
DET  G 29  MIKE VERNON         33   0   0   0   0   35  0  0  0  0   0    .0
EDM  C 39  DOUG WEIGHT         45  15  27  42  -4   28  7  0  2  0 118  12.7
EDM  L 94  RYAN SMYTH          45  14  10  24 -22   36  7  0  0  2 152   9.2
EDM  D 22  ROMAN HAMRLIK       42   4  16  20 -14   26  2  0  0  0  95   4.2
EDM  D  2  BORIS MIRONOV       45   9  10  19  -4   56  5  0  0  1 105   8.6
EDM  C 14  MATS LINDGREN       45  10   8  18   2   28  1  2  2  0  74  13.5
EDM  L 37  DEAN MCAMMOND       40   5  12  17   7   12  0  0  0  0  40  12.5
EDM  C 26  TODD MARCHANT       41   5  12  17   4   32  0  0  2  0 115   4.3
EDM  L 51  ANDREI KOVALENKO    39   3  14  17 -11   20  1  0  1  1  67   4.5
EDM  D 33  DANIEL MCGILLIS     42   7   9  16  -9   38  3  0  2  1  89   7.9
EDM  R 16  KELLY BUCHBERGER    45   4  12  16  -3   51  1  0  1  0  56   7.1
EDM  R  9  BILL GUERIN         22   7   6  13   2   17  2  0  2  0  55  12.7
EDM  L 17  REM MURRAY          32   6   7  13  -7    8  2  0  0  0  37  16.2
EDM  L 21  VALERI ZELEPUKIN    38   2  10  12   1   34  0  0  0  0  65   3.1
EDM  C 20  TONY HRKAC          16   7   4  11   3    0  4  0  0  0  18  38.9
EDM  R 25  MIKE GRIER          30   5   5  10  -2   30  0  0  1  0  44  11.4
EDM  D  5  GREG DE VRIES       42   5   1   6 -12   50  1  0  0  0  37  13.5
EDM  L 12 *JOE HULBIG          17   2   2   4  -1    2  0  0  1  0   8  25.0
EDM  D 15  DRAKE BEREHOWSKY    31   1   3   4  -4   67  1  0  1  0  34   2.9
EDM  C  9 *MIKE WATT           14   1   2   3  -4    4  0  0  1  0  14   7.1
EDM  C 19 *BOYD DEVEREAUX      29   0   3   3  -4    4  0  0  0  0  22    .0
EDM  C 18 *SCOTT FRASER         3   2   0   2  -2    0  1  0  0  0   8  25.0
EDM  D 23 *SEAN BROWN          18   0   1   1  -1   43  0  0  0  0   9    .0
EDM  D  6  BOBBY DOLLAS        24   0   1   1 -12   29  0  0  0  0  14    .0
EDM  D  4  KEVIN LOWE           5   0   0   0  -5   20  0  0  0  0   2    .0
EDM  G 30  BOB ESSENSA          8   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
EDM  R 27 *GEORGES LARAQUE      8   0   0   0  -3   45  0  0  0  0   4    .0
EDM  L 28  BILL HUARD          13   0   0   0  -2   21  0  0  0  0   5    .0
EDM  L  8  DOUG FRIEDMAN       16   0   0   0   0   20  0  0  0  0   8    .0
EDM  G 31  CURTIS JOSEPH       39   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
FLA  L 14  RAY WHITNEY         41  18  19  37  10   10  6  0  2  0  90  20.0
FLA  C 15  DAVE GAGNER         44  14  14  28 -10   37  2  1  1  0  88  15.9
FLA  D 24  ROBERT SVEHLA       46   5  21  26   5   69  2  0  0  0  69   7.2
FLA  R 27  SCOTT MELLANBY      45   7  18  25  -5   69  3  0  1  0 108   6.5
FLA  R 26  RAY SHEPPARD        43   9  12  21  -8    2  3  0  0  0  89  10.1
FLA  C 22 *STEVE WASHBURN      35   9   7  16   0   22  3  0  2  0  40  22.5
FLA  L 11  BILL LINDSAY        46   7   9  16   3   38  0  2  2  0  90   7.8
FLA  R 19  RADEK DVORAK        29   6  10  16   0    6  1  3  0  1  35  17.1
FLA  C  9  KIRK MULLER         36   4  11  15 -10   22  0  0  0  1  53   7.5
FLA  C 44  ROB NIEDERMAYER     21   8   5  13   0   33  5  0  2  0  43  18.6
FLA  R 51  DAVID NEMIROVSKY    32   7   6  13  -4    6  2  0  1  0  48  14.6
FLA  R 21  TOM FITZGERALD      46   7   5  12   4   33  0  0  1  0  66  10.6
FLA  C 23  CHRIS WELLS         46   4   8  12   8   30  0  1  0  0  47   8.5
FLA  D  3  PAUL LAUS           46   0  11  11   1  159  0  0  0  0  37    .0
FLA  L 17  VIKTOR KOZLOV       31   5   4   9  -7    2  2  0  0  0  74   6.8
FLA  D 55  ED JOVANOVSKI       46   5   4   9 -10   71  1  1  2  0  65   7.7
FLA  D  5  GORD MURPHY         46   3   6   9   2   20  2  0  0  0  69   4.3
FLA  L 10  ESA TIKKANEN        18   1   6   7  -6   12  0  0  0  0  26   3.8
FLA  D  2  TERRY CARKNER       44   1   4   5   5   33  0  0  1  0  22   4.5
FLA  D  7  RHETT WARRENER      45   0   4   4  -6   56  0  0  0  0  40    .0
FLA  L 29  JOHAN GARPENLOV     24   1   2   3  -2    4  0  0  0  0  30   3.3
FLA  R 12  JODY HULL           21   2   0   2   1    4  0  1  0  0  23   8.7
FLA  C 16 *RYAN JOHNSON         6   0   2   2  -2    0  0  0  0  0   3    .0
FLA  D  8  DALLAS EAKINS        8   0   1   1  -1   21  0  0  0  0   7    .0
FLA  G 34  J. VANBIESBROUCK    34   0   1   1   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
FLA  L 28 *PETER WORRELL        3   0   0   0  -1    6  0  0  0  0   3    .0
FLA  G 30  MARK FITZPATRICK    12   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
LAK  C 15  JOZEF STUMPEL       44  12  30  42   4   36  3  0  2  1  87  13.8
LAK  L 20  LUC ROBITAILLE      44  14  17  31   1   57  4  0  6  0 103  13.6
LAK  C 44  YANIC PERREAULT     44  18  12  30   9   18  1  0  1  0 127  14.2
LAK  R 27  GLEN MURRAY         43  12  18  30  -1   28  3  0  3  0  90  13.3
LAK  L  9  VLADIMIR TSYPLAKOV  36  11  15  26  10   10  1  0  0  0  58  19.0
LAK  L 23  CRAIG JOHNSON       40   9  14  23   7   12  3  0  0  0  61  14.8
LAK  D  4  ROB BLAKE           44   8  13  21  -1   49  4  0  1  0 131   6.1
LAK  D  3  GARRY GALLEY        43   5  16  21  -5   41  4  0  0  0  69   7.2
LAK  R 45  SANDY MOGER         39   6   9  15   2   54  1  0  1  0  59  10.2
LAK  C 22  IAN LAPERRIERE      40   4   9  13  -1   61  0  1  0  0  39  10.3
LAK  D 28  PHILIPPE BOUCHER    29   4   6  10   4   37  0  0  0  0  55   7.3
LAK  D 14  MATTIAS NORSTROM    38   1   8   9   8   49  0  0  0  0  27   3.7
LAK  D  6  SEAN O'DONNELL      43   0   8   8   9   84  0  0  0  0  39    .0
LAK  C 10 *DONALD MACLEAN      22   5   2   7  -1    4  2  0  0  0  25  20.0
LAK  L 42  DAN BYLSMA          32   2   5   7   8    7  0  0  0  1  33   6.1
LAK  D  5  AKI BERG            39   0   6   6   7   39  0  0  0  0  36    .0
LAK  D  2  DOUG ZMOLEK         27   0   5   5  -3   64  0  0  0  0  15    .0
LAK  R 19  RUSS COURTNALL      23   3   1   4   1    8  0  0  2  0  35   8.6
LAK  C 26  RAY FERRARO         14   2   2   4  -5   22  0  0  1  0  17  11.8
LAK  L  7 *STEVE MCKENNA       32   2   2   4  -3   65  0  0  0  1  19  10.5
LAK  R 11  BRAD SMYTH           9   1   3   4  -1    4  0  0  0  0  12   8.3
LAK  C 24  NATHAN LAFAYETTE    14   2   1   3   2    2  0  0  0  0  21   9.5
LAK  L 17  MATT JOHNSON        31   1   1   2  -3  122  0  0  0  0  10  10.0
LAK  G  1 *JAMIE STORR          3   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
LAK  G 31  FREDERIC CHABOT      9   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
LAK  G 35  STEPHANE FISET      36   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   0    .0
MTL  R  8  MARK RECCHI         46  22  25  47  17   23  6  0  4  0 106  20.8
MTL  L 27  SHAYNE CORSON       46  15  30  45   6   66 11  0  1  0  95  15.8
MTL  C 11  SAKU KOIVU          45  10  30  40  12   30  2  0  3  0 100  10.0
MTL  L 26  MARTIN RUCINSKY     45  13  19  32   4   64  4  2  2  0 123  10.6
MTL  C 25  VINCENT DAMPHOUSSE  46  13  19  32   7   30  2  0  4  0 116  11.2
MTL  R 20  VALERI BURE         45   7  20  27  -2   18  2  0  1  0 125   5.6
MTL  D 38  VLADIMIR MALAKHOV   41   7  17  24  15   34  4  0  1  0  98   7.1
MTL  L 49  BRIAN SAVAGE        38  14   9  23   8   20  4  0  5  0  83  16.9
MTL  D 22  DAVE MANSON         46   3  16  19  10   50  2  0  0  0  91   3.3
MTL  D 43  PATRICE BRISEBOIS   46   2  17  19   6   35  1  0  0  0  72   2.8
MTL  D  5  STEPHANE QUINTAL    45   4   6  10  11   69  0  0  0  0  57   7.0
MTL  L 17  BENOIT BRUNET       34   4   5   9   6   14  0  2  1  0  34  11.8
MTL  C 71  SEBASTIEN BORDELEAU 28   3   6   9   6   20  0  1  0  0  18  16.7
MTL  C 24  SCOTT THORNTON      43   3   5   8   2   80  0  0  1  1  35   8.6
MTL  C 28  MARC BUREAU         39   5   1   6  -3    6  0  0  0  0  31  16.1
MTL  R 44  STEPHANE RICHER     12   4   2   6  -2    5  2  0  0  0  19  21.1
MTL  C 12  DARCY TUCKER        39   1   5   6  -6   57  0  0  0  0  19   5.3
MTL  R 23  TURNER STEVENSON    30   3   2   5   0   60  1  0  0  0  17  17.6
MTL  D 34  PETER POPOVIC       34   1   3   4  -1   16  0  0  0  0  24   4.2
MTL  D 52  CRAIG RIVET         32   0   2   2   3   67  0  0  0  0  11    .0
MTL  D  3  DAVID WILKIE         5   1   0   1  -1    4  0  0  1  0   2  50.0
MTL  D 29 *BRETT CLARK         35   1   0   1  -2   20  0  0  0  0  25   4.0
MTL  R 51 *DAVID LING           1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1    .0
MTL  C 46 *MATT HIGGINS         1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1    .0
MTL  D 21  JASSEN CULLIMORE     3   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   1    .0
MTL  G 35  ANDY MOOG           25   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   0    .0
MTL  G 41  JOCELYN THIBAULT    26   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NJD  C 16  BOBBY HOLIK         44  18  22  40  16   58  5  0  5  0 114  15.8
NJD  C 93  DOUG GILMOUR        44  12  28  40   9   48  3  0  4  0  71  16.9
NJD  D 27  SCOTT NIEDERMAYER   44   7  26  33   8   16  6  0  1  0  93   7.5
NJD  R 21  RANDY MCKAY         44  17  15  32  17   56  4  0  4  0  91  18.7
NJD  L 23  DAVE ANDREYCHUK     38   7  16  23  14    8  3  0  1  0  83   8.4
NJD  L 26 *PATRIK ELIAS        40  13   9  22  13   14  3  0  5  0  66  19.7
NJD  C 17  PETR SYKORA         24  10  10  20   4   14  2  0  2  0  57  17.5
NJD  C 25  JASON ARNOTT        38   6  14  20 -16   80  1  0  0  0 104   5.8
NJD  D 24  LYLE ODELEIN        43   1  16  17   7  118  1  0  0  0  37   2.7
NJD  L 14  BRIAN ROLSTON       41   8   7  15   2   10  0  1  0  0  98   8.2
NJD  C 10  DENIS PEDERSON      43   9   5  14  -3   51  3  0  0  1  65  13.8
NJD  D  4  SCOTT STEVENS       44   2  12  14  12   40  0  0  0  0  60   3.3
NJD  D  5  DOUG BODGER         42   5   8  13   0   38  0  0  1  0  51   9.8
NJD  C 19  BOB CARPENTER       39   6   6  12   2   12  0  1  1  0  54  11.1
NJD  R 32  STEVE THOMAS        20   6   3   9   3   20  2  0  1  0  37  16.2
NJD  D 28  KEVIN DEAN          43   1   7   8   8   12  1  0  0  0  24   4.2
NJD  D  2 *SHELDON SOURAY      25   1   4   5   9   51  0  0  1  0  28   3.6
NJD  L 20  JAY PANDOLFO        11   1   2   3  -2    2  0  0  0  0   7  14.3
NJD  D  6 *BRAD BOMBARDIR      25   0   3   3   7    6  0  0  0  0   8    .0
NJD  C  9 *BRENDAN MORRISON     4   1   0   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   3  33.3
NJD  C 18  PETER ZEZEL          1   0   1   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NJD  D  5  VLASTIMIL KROUPA     2   0   1   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   1    .0
NJD  G  1  MIKE DUNHAM          9   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NJD  D  3  KEN DANEYKO         11   0   1   1   2   24  0  0  0  0   5    .0
NJD  L 29 *KRZYSZTOF OLIWA     36   0   1   1   2  172  0  0  0  0  24    .0
NJD  G 31  PETER SIDORKIEWICZ   1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NJD  G 35  RICH SHULMISTRA      1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NJD  C 18  SERGEI BRYLIN        1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NJD  L  8  SASHA LAKOVIC        2   0   0   0   0    5  0  0  0  0   2    .0
NJD  L 22  SCOTT DANIELS        7   0   0   0   0   35  0  0  0  0   6    .0
NJD  G 30  MARTIN BRODEUR      36   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NYI  C 21  ROBERT REICHEL      45  17  27  44  -3   18  4  0  0  1 123  13.8
NYI  R 16  ZIGMUND PALFFY      45  20  19  39  -4   16  6  2  1  0 131  15.3
NYI  D 34  BRYAN BERARD        39  12  13  25 -19   41  8  0  1  1  96  12.5
NYI  C 17  SERGEI NEMCHINOV    42   7  17  24   9   12  0  1  1  0  48  14.6
NYI  C 39  TRAVIS GREEN        44  12  11  23 -15   48  7  0  2  1  81  14.8
NYI  C 15  BRYAN SMOLINSKI     45   6  17  23 -15   26  1  0  2  0 105   5.7
NYI  D 29  KENNY JONSSON       45   8  13  21  -5   28  4  0  2  0  57  14.0
NYI  L 14  TOM CHORSKE         45   6  11  17   2   14  1  2  2  0  69   8.7
NYI  R 44  TODD BERTUZZI       43   6  10  16 -17   46  1  0  1  0  50  12.0
NYI  C 13  CLAUDE LAPOINTE     45   7   4  11 -12   21  0  0  2  0  48  14.6
NYI  R 25  MARIUSZ CZERKAWSKI  38   3   7  10   5    2  0  0  0  0  73   4.1
NYI  D  7  SCOTT LACHANCE      42   2   6   8 -10   35  1  0  0  0  37   5.4
NYI  L 18  MIKE HOUGH          42   1   5   6  -6   16  0  0  0  0  20   5.0
NYI  D  4  BRYAN MCCABE        45   1   3   4   3  128  0  0  0  0  65   1.5
NYI  D 28  DENNIS VASKE        19   0   4   4   1   12  0  0  0  0  17   0.0
NYI  L 33  KEN BELANGER        32   2   1   3   0  102  0  0  1  0   6  33.3
NYI  D  6  DOUG HOUDA          27   1   2   3  -7   42  0  0  0  0  14   7.1
NYI  L 24  PAUL KRUSE          42   1   1   2 -11   94  0  0  0  0  28   3.6
NYI  D  2  RICH PILON          40   0   2   2   3  178  0  0  0  0  21   0.0
NYI  R 36  DANE JACKSON         4   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
NYI  C 54  KIP MILLER           2   0   1   1  -1    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
NYI  R 49 *VLADIMIR ORSAGH     10   0   1   1  -1    2  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
NYI  D 53 *ZDENO CHARA          6   0   0   0   2   17  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
NYI  G  1  ERIC FICHAUD        17   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
NYI  G 30  WADE FLAHERTY        1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
NYI  L 11 *SEAN HAGGERTY        3   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
NYI  D 46 *JASON HOLLAND        4   0   0   0  -5    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
NYI  G 35  TOMMY SALO          34   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
NYI  D 43 *JASON STRUDWICK      3   0   0   0  -1    7  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
NYR  C 16  PAT LAFONTAINE      45  16  29  45  -9   24  6  0  2  3 113  14.2
NYR  C 99  WAYNE GRETZKY       45  12  30  42  -1   10  0  0  3  1 128   9.4
NYR  L 17  KEVIN STEVENS       44  10  15  25   4   74  4  0  2  1  67  14.9
NYR  D  2  BRIAN LEETCH        45  10  14  24 -21   18  5  0  1  1 143   7.0
NYR  R 24  NIKLAS SUNDSTROM    33   9  15  24   5   14  1  0  0  0  51  17.6
NYR  L 37  TIM SWEENEY         32  10  12  22   7   14  1  0  1  1  53  18.9
NYR  R 27  ALEXEI KOVALEV      44   7  14  21 -18   20  3  0  3  1 101   6.9
NYR  L  9  ADAM GRAVES         35  12   8  20 -17   17  6  0  0  1 122   9.8
NYR  R 12  MIKE KEANE          45   8   7  15  -2   29  2  0  0  0  84   9.5
NYR  D 33  BRUCE DRIVER        41   4   7  11   5   16  0  0  0  0  52   7.7
NYR  C 20  BRIAN SKRUDLAND     36   5   5  10   0   35  0  0  1  0  32  15.6
NYR  D 25  ALEXANDER KARPOVTSEV39   3   7  10   2   34  1  0  1  0  42   7.1
NYR  L 18  BILL BERG           32   1   6   7  -4   30  0  0  0  0  36   2.8
NYR  D  5  ULF SAMUELSSON      41   1   6   7   6   71  0  0  0  0  38   2.6
NYR  C 32  MIKE EASTWOOD       34   2   3   5  -2   10  0  0  0  0  19  10.5
NYR  L 21  JOHAN LINDBOM       22   1   3   4   6   14  0  0  0  0  25   4.0
NYR  D 26  JEFF FINLEY         32   1   3   4   5   23  0  0  0  0  18   5.6
NYR  L 39 *VLADIMIR VOROBIEV    8   1   2   3  -6    0  0  0  0  0  16   6.3
NYR  D  6  DOUG LIDSTER        12   0   3   3   3   12  0  0  0  0   9    .0
NYR  D 23  JEFF BEUKEBOOM      35   0   3   3 -16   88  0  0  0  0  14    .0
NYR  L 15  DARREN LANGDON      39   0   3   3  -1  118  0  0  0  0   9    .0
NYR  C 10 *MARC SAVARD         14   0   2   2  -2    2  0  0  0  0  11    .0
NYR  R  8 *RYAN VANDENBUSSCHE  16   1   0   1  -2   38  0  0  0  0   2  50.0
NYR  C 28 *P.J. STOCK          12   0   1   1   2   36  0  0  0  0   3    .0
NYR  D 29  ERIC CAIRNS         26   0   1   1   0   58  0  0  0  0   7    .0
NYR  G 34 *DAN CLOUTIER         2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NYR  G 31  JASON MUZZATTI       6   0   0   0   0   10  0  0  0  0   0    .0
NYR  G 35  MIKE RICHTER        40   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
OTW  C 19  ALEXEI YASHIN       46  20  20  40   4   12  2  0  2  0 156  12.8
OTW  L 15  SHAWN MCEACHERN     46  13  16  29   3   24  3  1  3  1 128  10.2
OTW  D 29  IGOR KRAVCHUK       46   5  15  20   1    4  2  1  0  1  99   5.1
OTW  R 11  DANIEL ALFREDSSON   19  10   8  18   7    4  4  0  4  0  51  19.6
OTW  R 10  ANDREAS DACKELL     46   7  11  18  -5   12  2  2  0  0  82   8.5
OTW  D 27  JANNE LAUKKANEN     39   3  14  17  -9   34  2  0  1  0  37   8.1
OTW  R  9  ALEXANDRE DAIGLE    37   7   9  16  -6    6  4  0  2  0  68  10.3
OTW  C 16  SERGEI ZHOLTOK      45   5  11  16  -3   10  3  0  1  0  67   7.5
OTW  C 14  RADEK BONK          45   6   8  14  -8   10  1  0  0  0  64   9.4
OTW  L 20 *MAGNUS ARVEDSON     29   4   8  12  -1   12  0  0  0  0  30  13.3
OTW  L 28  DENNY LAMBERT       41   6   5  11   3  141  0  0  0  1  57  10.5
OTW  C 22  SHAUN VAN ALLEN     46   3   8  11   3   24  0  0  0  0  61   4.9
OTW  C 25  BRUCE GARDINER      28   3   7  10   0   28  0  0  0  0  31   9.7
OTW  L  7  RANDY CUNNEYWORTH   44   2   8  10  -7   47  1  0  0  0  44   4.5
OTW  D  4 *CHRIS PHILLIPS      41   3   6   9   9   18  0  0  1  0  63   4.8
OTW  D  6  WADE REDDEN         45   2   7   9   2   15  1  0  2  0  54   3.7
OTW  D 33  JASON YORK          42   1   7   8   3   34  0  0  0  0  57   1.8
OTW  R 17  CHRIS MURRAY        17   2   2   4   2   34  0  0  1  0   9  22.2
OTW  D  2  LANCE PITLICK       36   2   2   4   4   37  0  0  0  0  32   6.3
OTW  C 42  DEREK ARMSTRONG      9   2   0   2   1    9  0  0  1  0   8  25.0
OTW  D 24  STANISLAV NECKAR    35   1   1   2  -6   23  0  0  0  0  21   4.8
OTW  L 18 *MARIAN HOSSA         7   0   1   1  -1    0  0  0  0  0  10    .0
OTW  G  1  DAMIAN RHODES       26   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
OTW  L 21  DENNIS VIAL         19   0   0   0   0   45  0  0  0  0   9    .0
OTW  G 31  RON TUGNUTT         24   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PHI  L 10  JOHN LECLAIR        44  33  21  54  23   20  9  0  6  1 173  19.1
PHI  C 88  ERIC LINDROS        43  19  32  51  10   80  4  0  3  0 137  13.9
PHI  L 17  ROD BRIND'AMOUR     44  19  19  38  -2   34  4  2  4  0 108  17.6
PHI  C 55  CHRIS GRATTON       44  12  24  36  16   62  2  0  1  0 101  11.9
PHI  R  9  DAINIUS ZUBRUS      33   5  18  23  24   12  1  0  3  0  55   9.1
PHI  R 20  TRENT KLATT         44   8  13  21   4    6  2  0  3  0  62  12.9
PHI  D 44  JANNE NIINIMAA      43   3  16  19   2   38  2  0  1  0  76   3.9
PHI  D 77  PAUL COFFEY         39   2  17  19   4   20  1  0  1  0  78   2.6
PHI  C 45 *VACLAV PROSPAL      41   5  13  18 -10   17  4  0  0  0  60   8.3
PHI  D 37  ERIC DESJARDINS     39   5  11  16  14   18  2  1  0  0  72   6.9
PHI  R 15  PAT FALLOON         30   5   7  12   3    8  1  0  0  0  63   7.9
PHI  D  6  CHRIS THERIEN       43   1  11  12  11   33  0  0  0  0  49   2.0
PHI  L 25  SHJON PODEIN        44   6   5  11   5   39  0  0  1  0  70   8.6
PHI  L 12 *COLIN FORBES        25   4   4   8   3   25  1  0  1  0  37  10.8
PHI  D 23  PETR SVOBODA        29   1   5   6   5   31  1  0  0  0  25   4.0
PHI  C 32  DANIEL LACROIX      33   1   3   4   2   56  0  0  0  0  17   5.9
PHI  C 29  JOEL OTTO           34   1   3   4  -1   30  0  0  0  1  30   3.3
PHI  D 22  LUKE RICHARDSON     43   1   2   3   4   81  1  0  0  0  29   3.4
PHI  L 21  DAN KORDIC          31   1   1   2   1   91  0  0  0  0   8  12.5
PHI  D 28  KJELL SAMUELSSON    27   0   2   2  10   16  0  0  0  0  16    .0
PHI  D  2  CHRIS JOSEPH         6   1   0   1   2    6  0  0  1  0   4  25.0
PHI  R 26  JOHN DRUCE          13   1   0   1  -1    0  0  0  0  0   4  25.0
PHI  R 38 *PAUL HEALEY          2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PHI  R 18  BRANTT MYHRES       18   0   0   0  -1  121  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PHI  G 27  RON HEXTALL         22   0   0   0   0    6  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PHI  G 30  GARTH SNOW          24   0   0   0   0   14  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PHO  L  7  KEITH TKACHUK       45  28  19  47   8  107  8  0  6  1 145  19.3
PHO  C 15  CRAIG JANNEY        46   7  31  38  11    8  2  0  0  0  52  13.5
PHO  C 97  JEREMY ROENICK      45  12  22  34   8   60  4  0  1  1 106  11.3
PHO  R 92  RICK TOCCHET        42  16  11  27  -2   82  6  0  2  0 100  16.0
PHO  R 11  DALLAS DRAKE        33   6  19  25  17   52  0  0  2  0  59  10.2
PHO  C 77  CLIFF RONNING       45   5  19  24  -1   16  0  0  0  1  91   5.5
PHO  D 27  TEPPO NUMMINEN      46   5  17  22  20   18  0  0  2  0  55   9.1
PHO  R 22  MIKE GARTNER        31   8  12  20  -3   10  3  0  1  1  74  10.8
PHO  C 21  BOB CORKUM          45   8   5  13  -4    8  0  3  0  0  57  14.0
PHO  D 26  JOHN SLANEY         36   2  11  13  -3   16  1  0  1  0  52   3.8
PHO  R 16 *BRAD ISBISTER       40   6   3   9   3   63  1  0  1  0  72   8.3
PHO  D  5  DERON QUINT         21   3   6   9   0    6  1  0  1  0  41   7.3
PHO  D  4  GERALD DIDUCK       44   2   7   9  10   49  1  0  1  0  66   3.0
PHO  C 36 *JUHA YLONEN         39   0   8   8  -2    6  0  0  0  0  38    .0
PHO  D  6  JAY MORE            32   4   3   7   0   41  0  1  0  0  31  12.9
PHO  D 24  MICHEL PETIT        22   4   2   6   0   29  1  0  0  0  28  14.3
PHO  L 34  DARRIN SHANNON      24   1   5   6   1   10  0  0  0  0  26   3.8
PHO  L 33  JIM MCKENZIE        36   2   3   5  -5   84  0  0  0  0  25   8.0
PHO  D 44  NORM MACIVER        22   1   4   5  -4   16  0  0  0  0  23   4.3
PHO  R 32  JOCELYN LEMIEUX     20   1   3   4   1   12  0  0  0  0  23   4.3
PHO  D  8  JIM JOHNSON         16   2   1   3   0   18  0  0  0  0  17  11.8
PHO  C 14  MIKE STAPLETON      38   2   1   3  -4   16  0  1  0  0  37   5.4
PHO  D 10  OLEG TVERDOVSKY     10   1   1   2   0    2  0  0  1  0  25   4.0
PHO  D  2  MURRAY BARON        20   0   2   2  -3   43  0  0  0  0  13    .0
PHO  G 35  N. KHABIBULIN       41   0   2   2   0   10  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PHO  D 48 *SEAN GAGNON          3   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   2    .0
PHO  C 18  CHAD KILGER          6   0   1   1  -1    2  0  0  0  0   5    .0
PHO  L 72  JEFF CHRISTIAN       1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PHO  D 55 *JASON DOIG           3   0   0   0  -4    8  0  0  0  0   1    .0
PHO  G 28  JIM WAITE            9   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PIT  R 68  JAROMIR JAGR        41  20  32  52   7   28  4  0  7  1 143  14.0
PIT  C 10  RON FRANCIS         45  14  33  47   3    6  4  0  4  1 102  13.7
PIT  C 14  STU BARNES          42  15  16  31   8   16  9  0  2  0 103  14.6
PIT  D  4  KEVIN HATCHER       39   9  18  27 -12   42  7  0  2  1  83  10.8
PIT  R 44  ROB BROWN           45   5  19  24   1   37  1  0  2  0  93   5.4
PIT  C 82  MARTIN STRAKA       40   7  11  18  -8    8  2  3  1  0  72   9.7
PIT  D 23  FREDRIK OLAUSSON    40   3  13  16   2   32  0  0  0  0  52   5.8
PIT  C 38  ANDREAS JOHANSSON   37   4  10  14   4   16  0  1  0  0  43   9.3
PIT  L 33  ALEX HICKS          31   4   9  13   5   37  0  0  1  0  40  10.0
PIT  L 16  ED OLCZYK           23   9   3  12  -3   17  4  1  1  0  62  14.5
PIT  C 20  ROBERT LANG         26   7   4  11   4    6  1  1  2  0  30  23.3
PIT  R 95 *ALEXEI MOROZOV      41   6   5  11  -3    2  1  0  0  0  42  14.3
PIT  D 71  JIRI SLEGR          39   4   7  11  11   64  1  0  0  0  70   5.7
PIT  D 11  DARIUS KASPARAITIS  45   2   7   9   1   67  0  1  0  0  46   4.3
PIT  C 17 *PETER FERRARO       29   3   4   7  -2   12  0  0  0  0  34   8.8
PIT  D  5  BRAD WERENKA        34   1   6   7  13   20  1  0  0  0  33   3.0
PIT  R 57 *CHRIS FERRARO       32   2   4   6   0   37  0  0  0  0  32   6.3
PIT  D  6  NEIL WILKINSON      24   2   3   5   1   17  1  0  0  0  14  14.3
PIT  C 29  TYLER WRIGHT        45   2   3   5  -2   57  1  0  0  0  26   7.7
PIT  C 15 *ROBERT DOME         15   2   1   3   1    0  0  0  0  0   9  22.2
PIT  L 18  GARRY VALK          26   2   1   3  -3   27  0  0  0  1  23   8.7
PIT  D 24  IAN MORAN           11   0   3   3  -2    8  0  0  0  0  10    .0
PIT  D  2  CHRIS TAMER         42   0   3   3  -3  100  0  0  0  0  29    .0
PIT  G  1 *PETER SKUDRA        12   0   1   1   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PIT  G 35  TOM BARRASSO        34   0   1   1   0    4  0  0  0  0   0    .0
PIT  G 31  KEN WREGGET          7   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
SJS  C 39  JEFF FRIESEN        40  16  12  28  -1   26  2  1  5  0  95  16.8
SJS  R 11  OWEN NOLAN          42   6  19  25  -1  120  1  1  1  0 114   5.3
SJS  C 19 *MARCO STURM         42   7  13  20  -3   20  1  0  3  0  72   9.7
SJS  R 15  JOHN MACLEAN        39   7  12  19  -8   22  3  0  3  0 121   5.8
SJS  D  2  BILL HOULDER        43   4  14  18   1   30  2  0  0  0  56   7.1
SJS  C 22  MURRAY CRAVEN       35   8   9  17  -1    8  2  2  2  0  50  16.0
SJS  C 14 *PATRICK MARLEAU     40   8   7  15  -3   10  1  0  0  0  48  16.7
SJS  D 23  TODD GILL           42   7   7  14  -7   21  4  0  0  0  71   9.9
SJS  L 37  STEPHANE MATTEAU    38   5   8  13   2   37  0  0  1  1  39  12.8
SJS  C 18  MIKE RICCI          26   3  10  13  -2   14  2  0  0  0  33   9.1
SJS  C  9  BERNIE NICHOLLS     25   2  11  13  -1   18  1  0  0  0  36   5.6
SJS  D 10  MARCUS RAGNARSSON   40   1  10  11  -5   31  1  0  0  0  33   3.0
SJS  L 21  TONY GRANATO        24   4   4   8   2   20  1  0  0  0  50   8.0
SJS  D 40  MIKE RATHJE         43   1   7   8  -7   34  0  0  0  0  41   2.4
SJS  D 33  MARTY MCSORLEY      29   1   6   7   5  102  0  0  0  0  27   3.7
SJS  C 27 *ALEXANDER KOROLYUK  19   2   3   5  -5    6  1  0  0  0  23   8.7
SJS  L 26  DAVE LOWRY          29   1   3   4   0   24  0  0  0  0  22   4.5
SJS  L 28  SHAWN BURR           6   2   1   3   4    8  0  0  0  0   9  22.2
SJS  D 20 *ANDREI ZYUZIN       20   2   1   3   0   18  0  0  1  0  29   6.9
SJS  D 43  AL IAFRATE           8   1   2   3   3   10  1  0  0  0  18   5.6
SJS  C 12  RON SUTTER          26   0   3   3  -3   10  0  0  0  0  25    .0
SJS  R 62  ANDREI NAZAROV      29   1   1   2  -4   89  0  0  0  0  18   5.6
SJS  L 24  BARRY POTOMSKI       9   0   1   1   1   30  0  0  0  0   4    .0
SJS  G 29  MIKE VERNON         32   0   1   1   0   14  0  0  0  0   0    .0
SJS  D  5  KEN SUTTON          14   0   0   0   1    6  0  0  0  0   5    .0
SJS  G 32  KELLY HRUDEY        16   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
STL  R 16  BRETT HULL          38  19  17  36  -5   20  8  0  5  0 126  15.1
STL  L 14  GEOFF COURTNALL     45  18  18  36  14   54  1  0  2  0 104  17.3
STL  D 28  STEVE DUCHESNE      47   6  27  33   9   20  1  0  0  0  86   7.0
STL  R 38  PAVOL DEMITRA       37  12  17  29   6   16  1  2  4  1  80  15.0
STL  C 77  PIERRE TURGEON      25   7  22  29   4    2  2  0  0  0  58  12.1
STL  D  2  AL MACINNIS         38  12  14  26   7   34  5  1  2  0 118  10.2
STL  R 10  JIM CAMPBELL        46  13  12  25   1   26  3  0  2  1  92  14.1
STL  C 22  CRAIG CONROY        47   5  18  23   7    8  0  2  1  0  76   6.6
STL  D 44  CHRIS PRONGER       47   6  14  20  24  102  1  0  2  0  83   7.2
STL  R 23  BLAIR ATCHEYNUM     43   9  10  19  -2    6  0  1  3  0  76  11.8
STL  R 33  SCOTT PELLERIN      47   6  13  19   5   24  0  1  0  0  55  10.9
STL  R 27  TERRY YAKE          38   7   9  16   2   20  3  1  3  0  39  17.9
STL  C  9  DARREN TURCOTTE     33   6   4  10   3   20  2  0  0  0  27  22.2
STL  C 37  HARRY YORK          37   4   3   7   0   17  0  0  0  0  24  16.7
STL  R 17  JOE MURPHY          17   3   4   7   5   12  2  0  0  0  38   7.9
STL  D 20  RUDY POESCHEK       44   1   6   7  -4   47  0  0  0  0  24   4.2
STL  C 25 *PASCAL RHEAUME      28   2   4   6   3   19  0  0  0  0  29   6.9
STL  D  4  MARC BERGEVIN       46   1   4   5  -2   50  0  0  0  0  23   4.3
STL  R 39  KELLY CHASE         39   2   2   4   6  116  0  0  1  0  17  11.8
STL  D  6 *JAMIE RIVERS        32   2   1   3   2   20  1  0  1  0  25   8.0
STL  R 12 *CHRISTOPHER KENADY   4   0   2   2   1    0  0  0  0  0   3    .0
STL  D 19  CHRIS MCALPINE      23   0   2   2   5   12  0  0  0  0  18    .0
STL  G 31  GRANT FUHR          37   0   2   2   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
STL  L 34  MICHEL PICARD        3   0   1   1   0    2  0  0  0  0   3    .0
STL  D 43  LIBOR ZABRANSKY      6   0   1   1  -3    6  0  0  0  0   2    .0
STL  L 18  TONY TWIST          36   0   1   1   0   82  0  0  0  0  11    .0
STL  G 30 *RICH PARENT          1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
STL  G 29  JAMIE MCLENNAN      12   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TBL  R 29  ALEXANDER SELIVANOV 42   9  11  20 -22   66  3  0  0  1 121   7.4
TBL  L 15  PAUL YSEBAERT       44   5  15  20 -23   14  0  1  0  0  78   6.4
TBL  L  7  ROB ZAMUNER         44  13   5  18 -12   27  0  3  4  1  76  17.1
TBL  R 22  DINO CICCARELLI     33  11   6  17 -13   42  3  0  3  1 102  10.8
TBL  R 20  MIKAEL RENBERG      30   5  11  16 -17   22  1  0  0  0  80   6.3
TBL  C 18  DAYMOND LANGKOW     40   4  11  15  -2   27  1  0  1  0  99   4.0
TBL  D  6  JEFF NORTON         36   4   6  10 -23   24  4  0  0  1  40  10.0
TBL  L 24  JASON WIEMER        43   6   3   9  -5   84  2  0  0  0  75   8.0
TBL  D 14  KARL DYKHUIS        41   4   5   9  -6   70  0  1  0  0  49   8.2
TBL  L 28  PATRICK POULIN      42   2   7   9  -2   19  0  0  0  0  46   4.3
TBL  D  5  IGOR ULANOV         43   2   6   8  -4   81  1  0  0  0  32   6.3
TBL  C 19  BRIAN BRADLEY       14   2   5   7  -9    6  2  0  0  0  24   8.3
TBL  R 34  MIKAEL ANDERSSON    40   2   5   7  -2   10  0  1  0  0  54   3.7
TBL  C 79  VLADIMIR VUJTEK     29   2   4   6  -1   16  0  0  1  0  43   4.7
TBL  D 23  BRYAN MARCHMENT     33   0   5   5  -1   66  0  0  0  0  31    .0
TBL  L 36  LOUIE DEBRUSK       24   1   2   3  -2   81  0  0  0  0   9  11.1
TBL  C 11 *STEVE KELLY         25   1   2   3  -4   12  1  0  0  0  12   8.3
TBL  C 64 *JASON BONSIGNORE     6   0   2   2  -3    0  0  0  0  0   9    .0
TBL  R 10  PAUL BROUSSEAU      10   0   2   2   0   27  0  0  0  0   6    .0
TBL  D 33  YVES RACINE         31   0   2   2 -11   19  0  0  0  0  37    .0
TBL  D  8  JAMIE HUSCROFT      32   0   2   2   0   86  0  0  0  0  17    .0
TBL  D  4  CORY CROSS          38   0   2   2 -12   29  0  0  0  0  27    .0
TBL  R 21  MICK VUKOTA         41   1   0   1   0  116  0  0  0  0  14   7.1
TBL  D 27  DAVID SHAW          12   0   1   1  -2   10  0  0  0  0  12    .0
TBL  L 16  TROY MALLETTE        3   0   0   0   0    7  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TBL  G  1 *ZAC BIERK            3   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TBL  G 35 *DEREK WILKINSON      7   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TBL  C 25  ALAN EGELAND         8   0   0   0   0    9  0  0  0  0   4    .0
TBL  G 32  COREY SCHWAB        16   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TBL  G 93  DAREN PUPPA         26   0   0   0   0    6  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TOR  C 13  MATS SUNDIN         43  18  24  42  -5   20  3  0  2  0 124  14.5
TOR  R 20 *MIKE JOHNSON        43  10  19  29  -3    8  4  0  0  1  78  12.8
TOR  L  7  DEREK KING          38  10  16  26  -2   18  2  0  1  0  84  11.9
TOR  R 22  IGOR KOROLEV        41  13  12  25 -10   14  5  2  3  0  58  22.4
TOR  R 94  SERGEI BEREZIN      36  11  10  21  -5   10  2  0  2  1  93  11.8
TOR  C 11  STEVE SULLIVAN      36   7  13  20  -3   12  0  0  0  0  62  11.3
TOR  D 72  MATHIEU SCHNEIDER   39   3  16  19  -6   18  0  0  0  0 109   2.8
TOR  L 17  WENDEL CLARK        42   9   7  16 -18   78  2  0  3  0 123   7.3
TOR  D 33  JEFF BROWN          35   4  11  15   1   16  4  0  0  0  63   6.3
TOR  C 18 *ALYN MCCAULEY       38   3   8  11  -8    4  0  0  1  0  43   7.0
TOR  C 14  DARBY HENDRICKSON   41   5   3   8  -8   33  0  0  0  0  47  10.6
TOR  L 19  FREDRIK MODIN       35   3   5   8  -7   12  0  0  0  0  54   5.6
TOR  D 25  JASON SMITH         43   2   6   8  -8   73  0  0  0  0  53   3.8
TOR  D 34  JAMIE MACOUN        43   0   7   7 -10   33  0  0  0  0  43    .0
TOR  L 21 *MARTIN PROCHAZKA    16   2   4   6   2    4  0  0  0  0  23   8.7
TOR  D 24  PER GUSTAFSSON      22   1   4   5  -5   10  0  0  0  0  24   4.2
TOR  L  8  TODD WARRINER       15   2   2   4   1    4  0  0  1  0  25   8.0
TOR  R 28  TIE DOMI            41   2   2   4  -4  196  0  0  0  1  41   4.9
TOR  D 36  DIMITRI YUSHKEVICH  35   0   4   4  -1   38  0  0  0  0  52    .0
TOR  D  2  ROB ZETTLER         29   0   3   3  -8   34  0  0  0  0  11    .0
TOR  L 12  KRIS KING           43   1   1   2 -10  115  0  0  1  0  26   3.8
TOR  C 16  JAMIE BAKER          4   0   2   2  -2    4  0  0  0  0   3    .0
TOR  D 38 *YANNICK TREMBLAY    28   0   2   2  -4    2  0  0  0  0  29    .0
TOR  G 31 *MARCEL COUSINEAU     2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TOR  D 26  CRAIG WOLANIN       10   0   0   0  -9    6  0  0  0  0   5    .0
TOR  G 30  GLENN HEALY         12   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
TOR  G 29  FELIX POTVIN        34   0   0   0   0    8  0  0  0  0   0    .0
VAN  R 10  PAVEL BURE          45  26  25  51   6   28  7  3  4  0 167  15.6
VAN  C 11  MARK MESSIER        45  15  23  38   0   20  5  1  1  0  84  17.9
VAN  L 19  MARKUS NASLUND      42   9  12  21   3   24  1  1  0  0  60  15.0
VAN  C 16  TREVOR LINDEN       36   7  13  20  -7   17  2  0  1  0  60  11.7
VAN  L 18  GEOFF SANDERSON     45   7  12  19  -1   18  2  0  0  1 111   6.3
VAN  D  3  BRET HEDICAN        41   1  18  19  11   44  0  0  0  0  52   1.9
VAN  D 21  JYRKI LUMME         38   5  13  18 -22   22  3  0  0  0  57   8.8
VAN  R 26  MIKE SILLINGER      40   9   8  17 -11   30  1  1  1  0  50  18.0
VAN  R 89  ALEXANDER MOGILNY   18   7  10  17  -4   10  2  1  0  0  46  15.2
VAN  D  2 *MATTIAS OHLUND      44   2  15  17   6   34  0  0  0  0 100   2.0
VAN  R 28  BRIAN NOONAN        45   7   7  14 -13   42  1  0  0  2  51  13.7
VAN  D  4  GRANT LEDYARD       40   2  11  13   1   12  1  0  0  0  50   4.0
VAN  C 20 *DAVE SCATCHARD      39   7   4  11  -3   71  0  0  0  0  39  17.9
VAN  R 24  SCOTT WALKER        37   2   7   9  -5   55  0  1  0  0  29   6.9
VAN  L  8  DONALD BRASHEAR     45   2   7   9  -6  194  0  0  0  1  34   5.9
VAN  D  5  DANA MURZYN         31   5   2   7  -3   42  0  0  2  0  29  17.2
VAN  L 29  GINO ODJICK         29   3   2   5  -2  161  0  0  1  0  30  10.0
VAN  D 39  ENRICO CICCONE      18   0   4   4   2   95  0  0  0  0  12    .0
VAN  D 44  DAVE BABYCH         21   0   4   4  -9    6  0  0  0  0  18    .0
VAN  D 25  STEVE STAIOS        40   3   0   3  -3   72  0  0  1  0  23  13.0
VAN  R 17  LONNY BOHONOS       30   2   1   3  -9    4  0  0  0  0  35   5.7
VAN  C  9 *LUBOMIR VAIC         5   1   1   2  -2    2  0  0  0  0   8  12.5
VAN  D  6  ADRIAN AUCOIN        9   1   1   2  -2    0  0  0  0  0   8  12.5
VAN  L  7  DAVID ROBERTS       13   1   1   2  -1    4  0  0  0  0  14   7.1
VAN  D 36 *CHRIS MCALLISTER    22   1   1   2  -6   52  0  0  0  0   9  11.1
VAN  G 32  ARTURS IRBE         16   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
VAN  G  1  SEAN BURKE          30   0   1   1   0    6  0  0  0  0   0    .0
VAN  G 31  COREY HIRSCH         1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0
VAN  D 27  MARK WOTTON          5   0   0   0  -2    6  0  0  0  0   3    .0
VAN  D 48 *BERT ROBERTSSON      5   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   2    .0
VAN  L 22 *LARRY COURVILLE      9   0   0   0  -5    5  0  0  0  0   2    .0
WSH  C 77  ADAM OATES          46  10  35  45   3   12  1  1  3  0  74  13.5
WSH  R 12  PETER BONDRA        42  27  15  42  -2   28  7  1  7  2 136  19.9
WSH  D  6  CALLE JOHANSSON     46  12  12  24   0   14  7  1  0  2 110  10.9
WSH  D 96  PHIL HOUSLEY        41   3  20  23  -9   14  2  1  0  0  73   4.1
WSH  L 44 *RICHARD ZEDNIK      44  12   6  18  -3   24  2  0  1  0 103  11.7
WSH  D 24  MARK TINORDI        43   8   9  17   9   37  0  1  0  0  48  16.7
WSH  L 17  CHRIS SIMON         28   7  10  17  -1   38  4  0  1  0  71   9.9
WSH  C 90  JOE JUNEAU          25   6  11  17  -1   12  1  1  1  0  49  12.2
WSH  C 32  DALE HUNTER         46   5  12  17   0   65  0  0  1  0  46  10.9
WSH  L 22  STEVE KONOWALCHUK   46   3  13  16   3   30  0  0  1  0  81   3.7
WSH  C  8 *JAN BULIS           41   4   8  12  -3   16  0  0  0  1  28  14.3
WSH  D  3  SYLVAIN COTE        39   1  10  11  -2   20  0  0  0  0  57   1.8
WSH  D 55  SERGEI GONCHAR      37   3   7  10   3   22  2  0  0  0  64   4.7
WSH  L 21  JEFF TOMS           25   4   5   9  -8    9  0  0  1  0  41   9.8
WSH  L 27  CRAIG BERUBE        38   4   5   9   0   92  0  0  0  0  34  11.8
WSH  L 10  KELLY MILLER        40   4   4   8  -1   15  0  2  1  1  33  12.1
WSH  L 18  ANDREW BRUNETTE     10   6   1   7  -1    2  2  0  0  0  12  50.0
WSH  L  9  TODD KRYGIER        21   1   6   7   0   10  0  0  1  0  35   2.9
WSH  D 19  BRENDAN WITT        35   1   6   7 -12   65  0  0  0  0  35   2.9
WSH  C 20  MICHAL PIVONKA      23   1   5   6   5   14  0  0  0  0  30   3.3
WSH  L 34 *JAROSLAV SVEJKOVSKY 11   3   1   4  -1    8  1  0  1  0  21  14.3
WSH  D 29  JOE REEKIE          37   2   2   4   9   28  0  0  1  0  31   6.5
WSH  L 36  MIKE EAGLES         19   1   1   2  -2   10  0  0  0  0  13   7.7
WSH  D  2  KEN KLEE            31   1   0   1  -5   24  0  0  1  0  24   4.2
WSH  C 13  ANDREI NIKOLISHIN    4   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   4    .0
WSH  C 48 *BENOIT GRATTON       6   0   1   1   1    6  0  0  0  0   5    .0
WSH  G 37  OLAF KOLZIG         37   0   1   1   0    8  0  0  0  0   0    .0
WSH  C 14  PAT PEAKE            1   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   0    .0
WSH  L 25 *BRAD CHURCH          2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   4    .0
WSH  L 42 *DWAYNE HAY           2   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   1    .0
WSH  C 26 *RYAN MULHERN         3   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   1    .0
WSH  G 30  BILL RANFORD        11   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0    .0

Goaltender Stats
Thru Sunday, January 11, 19988

TM  NO  GOALTENDER       GPI MINS   AVG  W  L  T EN SO  GA   SA  SPCT G  A PIM
ANA 31  GUY HEBERT        34 1993  2.86 10 17  5  2  3  95  967  .902 0  1   4
ANA 35  M. SHTALENKOV     17  809  2.97  5  6  3  0  0  40  386  .896 0  0   0
BOS 35  ROBBIE TALLAS      4  250  1.44  2  0  2  0  0   6  104  .942 0  0   0
BOS 34  BYRON DAFOE       34 1930  2.24 15 14  5  4  5  72  808  .911 0  1   0
BOS 30  JIM CAREY         10  496  2.90  3  2  1  0  2  24  225  .893 0  0   0
BUF 39  DOMINIK HASEK     38 2214  2.49 14 16  6  2  7  92 1129  .919 0  0  12
BUF 31 *STEVE SHIELDS      8  405  2.96  1  4  2  0  0  20  196  .898 0  0   0
CGY 30  DWAYNE ROLOSON    13  724  2.73  2  6  3  3  0  33  308  .893 0  2   2
CGY 31  RICK TABARACCI    31 1842  2.90  8 17  6  1  0  89  814  .891 0  1  10
CGY  1 *TYLER MOSS         5  307  3.13  2  2  1  0  0  16  149  .893 0  0   0
CAR 37  TREVOR KIDD       18 1029  2.39  8  8  1  2  0  41  481  .915 0  0   2
CAR  1  KIRK MCLEAN        2  118  2.54  1  1  0  0  0   5   40  .875 0  0   0
CAR  1  SEAN BURKE        25 1415  2.80  7 11  5  3  1  66  655  .899 0  1   6
CAR 35  PAT JABLONSKI      4  219  3.29  1  3  0  0  0  12   89  .865 0  0   0
CHI 31  JEFF HACKETT      26 1578  2.13  8  9  9  0  4  56  694  .919 0  0   6
CHI 40  CHRIS TERRERI     17  972  2.22  7  9  0  4  2  36  386  .907 0  0   0
CHI 29  ANDREI TREFILOV    2  119  3.03  1  1  0  0  0   6   55  .891 0  0   0
COL  1  CRAIG BILLINGTON  11  667  2.25  5  3  3  1  1  25  331  .924 0  0   0
COL 33  PATRICK ROY       36 2172  2.32 17  6 12  3  1  84 1058  .921 0  2   4
DAL 30 *EMMANUEL FERNANDE  2   69  1.74  1  0  0  0  0   2   35  .943 0  0   0
DAL 20  ED BELFOUR        38 2245  1.87 22  7  8  1  7  70  782  .910 0  0  12
DAL  1 *ROMAN TUREK       10  548  2.41  5  4  0  2  0  22  198  .889 0  0   0
DET 30  CHRIS OSGOOD      38 2303  2.11 21  9  8  3  3  81  972  .917 0  0  12
DET 31 *KEVIN HODSON      11  550  2.73  6  2  1  1  1  25  249  .900 0  0   0
EDM 30  BOB ESSENSA        8  431  2.78  2  3  1  0  0  20  201  .900 0  0   0
EDM 31  CURTIS JOSEPH     39 2304  2.84 12 19  8  4  3 109 1065  .898 0  0   0
FLA  1 *KEVIN WEEKES       4  123  1.95  0  0  1  0  0   4   59  .932 0  0   0
FLA 34  J. VANBIESBROUCK  34 2045  2.76 13 14  7  1  1  94  945  .901 0  1   2
FLA 30  MARK FITZPATRICK  12  640  3.00  2  7  2  0  1  32  265  .879 0  0   2
LAK  1 *JAMIE STORR        3  180  2.67  1  2  0  0  1   8  103  .922 0  0   0
LAK 35  STEPHANE FISET    36 2067  2.70 15 14  6  2  1  93 1054  .912 0  0   4
LAK 31  FREDERIC CHABOT    9  430  3.07  1  3  2  0  0  22  219  .900 0  0   0
MTL 35  ANDY MOOG         25 1376  2.31 13  9  2  0  2  53  609  .913 0  0   4
MTL 41  JOCELYN THIBAULT  26 1423  2.36 11  7  4  0  2  56  628  .911 0  0   0
NJD 30  MARTIN BRODEUR    36 2127  1.89 26  9  1  2  4  67  854  .922 0  0   4
NJD 35  RICH SHULMISTRA    1   62  1.94  0  1  0  0  0   2   30  .933 0  0   0
NJD  1  MIKE DUNHAM        9  448  2.68  2  4  1  0  1  20  207  .903 0  1   0
NJD 31  PETER SIDORKIEWIC  1   20  3.00  0  0  0  0  0   1    8  .875 0  0   0
NYI 30  WADE FLAHERTY      1   62  1.94  0  1  0  0  0   2   20  .900 0  0   0
NYI 35  TOMMY SALO        34 1845  2.67 12 16  2  7  3  82  828  .901 0  0   2
NYI  1  ERIC FICHAUD      17  807  2.97  3  8  3  1  0  40  422  .905 0  0   0
NYR 34 *DAN CLOUTIER       2  114  1.05  2  0  0  0  0   2   44  .955 0  0   0
NYR 35  MIKE RICHTER      40 2325  2.58 12 16 10  3  0 100 1012  .901 0  0   0
NYR 31  JASON MUZZATTI     6  313  3.26  0  3  2  1  0  17  156  .891 0  0  10
OTW 31  RON TUGNUTT       24 1318  2.09 10  8  4  3  2  46  509  .910 0  0   0
OTW  1  DAMIAN RHODES     26 1469  2.45  9 12  3  2  3  60  625  .904 0  1   0
PHI 27  RON HEXTALL       22 1313  2.01 13  4  5  1  3  44  532  .917 0  0   6
PHI 30  GARTH SNOW        24 1366  2.28 12  7  3  0  1  52  561  .907 0  0  14
PHO 28  JIM WAITE          9  433  2.49  3  2  1  1  0  18  181  .901 0  0   2
PHO 35  N. KHABIBULIN     41 2353  2.60 17 16  7  2  4 102 1037  .902 0  2  10
PIT  1 *PETER SKUDRA      12  603  1.79  5  3  1  2  0  18  237  .924 0  1   2
PIT 35  TOM BARRASSO      34 1862  2.09 17  8  6  5  5  65  797  .918 0  1   4
PIT 31  KEN WREGGET        7  274  2.85  1  3  1  1  0  13  127  .898 0  0   2
SJS 32  KELLY HRUDEY      16  771  2.49  3  9  1  3  1  32  339  .906 0  0   2
SJS 29  MIKE VERNON       32 1825  2.73 13 13  4  1  3  83  733  .887 0  1  14
STL 30 *RICH PARENT        1   12   .00  0  0  0  0  0   0    1 1.000 0  0   0
STL 31  GRANT FUHR        37 2177  2.34 20 12  5  3  2  85  890  .904 0  2   2
STL 29  JAMIE MCLENNAN    12  660  2.36  6  3  1  1  0  26  257  .899 0  0   2
TBL 35 *DEREK WILKINSON    7  291  2.47  2  3  1  1  0  12  134  .910 0  0   0
TBL 93  DAREN PUPPA       26 1456  2.72  5 14  6  6  0  66  660  .900 0  0   6
TBL 32  COREY SCHWAB      16  821  2.92  2  9  1  2  1  40  370  .892 0  0   2
TBL  1 *ZAC BIERK          3  100  4.80  0  1  0  0  0   8   56  .857 0  0   0
TOR 31 *MARCEL COUSINEAU   2   17   .00  0  0  0  0  0   0    9 1.000 0  0   0
TOR 29  FELIX POTVIN      34 1974  2.92 13 16  5  1  1  96  957  .900 0  0   8
TOR 30  GLENN HEALY       12  614  2.93  1  6  2  2  0  30  269  .888 0  0   0
VAN 32  ARTURS IRBE       16  790  2.73  5  6  2  2  2  36  387  .907 0  1   0
VAN  1  SEAN BURKE         5  308  2.92  1  2  2  0  0  15  133  .887 0  0   0
VAN  1  KIRK MCLEAN       29 1583  3.68  6 17  4  1  1  97  801  .879 0  0   0
VAN 31  COREY HIRSCH       1   50  6.00  0  0  0  0  0   5   34  .853 0  0   0
WSH 37  OLAF KOLZIG       37 2206  2.37 19 10  6  4  1  87 1037  .916 0  1   8
WSH 30  BILL RANFORD      11  588  3.16  2  7  2  0  0  31  267  .884 0  0   0
==============================================================================
==============================================================================
 LCS HOCKEY LCS HOCKEY LCS HOCKEY LCS HOCKEY LCS HOCKEY LCS HOCKEY LCS HOCKEY 
==============================================================================
==============================================================================