UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Tkachuk stays, but "C" doesn't

Keith Tkachuk hit the jackpot on Group 11 free agency, but was expecting a rocky ride from fans after the Winnipeg Jets matched the Chicago Blackhawks' offer of $17.2 million (U.S.) for five years. Tkachuk, who was stripped of his captaincy and replaced by utility forward Kris King, returned to Winnipeg on October 4, 1995, the day after the Jets matched the Hawks' pitch to keep him.

"You can't come and play without a contract," Tkachuk said, explaining his absence from training camp. "Everybody knows that. I knew there was a possibility of a match. That's fine. I'm here playing, and I'm very happy. I never once said I didn't want to play here."

Tkachuk agreed to the offer sheet of $6 million (U.S.) this season, all salary, no bonus - then $2.6 million, $2.8 million, $2.8 million and $3 million over the final four years. This season's payment will make him the third-highest-paid player in the NHL, behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.

The Jets will manage to afford the large salary, especially in the first year, through a couple of methods. They will receive approximately $2.1 million (Canadian) from the NHL through the currency relief program funded by NHL Enterprises and television revenues. It is designed to help Canadian-based teams when they match offers tendered by U.S.-based clubs.

The Jets' prospective new owners, Stephen Gluckstern and Richard Burke, had input and will help current owner Barry Shenkarow and his partners by covering part of the contract. This leaves the Jets and Manitoba taxpayers on the hook for the rest, about $3 million (Canadian), which is what the team had budgeted for the 23-year-old left winger.

Krushelnyski now a coach

When Mike Krushelnyski walked out of the Edmonton Oilers' dressing room on October 4, 1995, he closed the door on a very respectable NHL career that spanned some 14 years with five teams.

But he didn't slam it shut.

There's still a chance he could come back and fill in at center if injuries hit the team. But when the 35-year-old veteran of 897 regular-season games accepted GM Glen Sather's offer of a job as a playing assistant coach with the Cape Breton Oilers in the American Hockey League, he effectively said good-bye to the NHL and hello to his new career. It wasn't all too difficult.

"We've seen it all, and maybe that's why it's so easy to say it's time to move on," said "Krush."

He was quick to add he would keep himself in playing shape, but would focus more on learning to coach from Cape Breton bench boss Lorne Molleken.

"I might not be any good at it, and I might not like it, but I'm willing to try it for a year and we'll see what happens," he added.

Edmonton coach Ron Low said Krushelnytski showed him he could still play the game, particularly in his own end of the rink, but the Oilers are headed in another direction with their pronounced youth movement. After moving "Mike K" and defenseman Craig Redmond to the Cape, the Oilers did not have a single 30-year-old in the line-up.

"I liked what I saw from Mike," Low said. "He's a good solid acquisition for the hockey club, and I think he'll do well in the coaching end of it."

Witty Ukrainian selected first

A good shot, a mean streak and a wry wit is what attracted Boris Protsenko to Calgary Hitmen coach-GM Graham James.

Wry wit?

"I admire the way he taught himself the English language in one year," James said of the first over-all selection in the Canadian Hockey League 1995 import player draft. "He even picks up on the humor of the language...including some of my jokes."

Protsenko, 16, is a native of Ukraine who moved to Fernie, British Columbia, a year ago to showcase himself to Western League teams. He had 30 goals, 60 points and 200 penalty minutes in the Rocky Mountain (Junior A) League team.

"Right now he's probably our No. l guy at center," James said. "He's aggressive, handles the puck well, but he needs to be quicker."

Calgary, along with CHL expansion cousins Barrie Colts and Moncton Alpines, were given the first three picks in the annual import draft.

Tverdovsky Mighty Ducky

Two years ago, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim sold out at almost every visiting rink. In their third season, it's not enough for the Ducks to be huggable losers. It's time to play some serious hockey.

Often touted as one of three future NHL superstars in Anaheim these days is Ukrainian defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky.

"Tverdovsky could be another Paul Coffey, the way he skates," ex-Whalers' coach Paul Holmgren said.

Tverdovsky had 12 points in 36 games last season. He was slowed by an arthritic condition triggered by an infection in his joints.

"It was awful. Just awful," Tverdovsky said. "But this year I am ready, everything is perfect."

Tverdovsky is already a bit tired of comparisons .

"It is hard to be compared to great players," Tverdovsky said. "I play my own game, not Paul Coffey's. This organization is not putting much pressure on me. They said, 'Take it easy, play how you can, don' t try too hard.' "

New league for Ukraine

Eight teams are part of the new Eastern European League which was formed this season from clubs formerly in the Soviet Elite League. The league was formed by the hockey federations of Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Estonia. Russian teams will continue to play in their own league.

The EEHL consists of the following teams: Novopolotsk, Junost Minsk, Zhlobin and Grodno in Belarus, SHSM Kyiv and LDINKA-KPI Kyiv in Ukraine, HC Juniors Riga in Latvia and Energia Elektrenal in Lithuania.

Ukrainian Scoring Leaders:
(through games of December 10)

Player	Team	GP	G	A	PTA	PIM
W. Gretzky	Los Angeles	29	8	32	40	28
K. Tkachuk	Winnipeg	25	14	18	32	39
D. Andreychuk	Toronto	25	8	16	24	22
D. Khristich	Los Angeles	29	9	15	24	16
P. Bondra	Washington	17	15	7	22	14
D. Hawerchuk	St. Louis	28	3	19	22	8
E. Olczyk	Winnipeg	18	12	6	18	10
S. Konowalchuk	Washington	24	8	8	16	28
A. Zhitnik	Buffalo	25	3	13	16	22
B. Fedyk	Philadelphia	24	10	5	15	24
B. Bellows	Tampa Bay	28	8	7	15	12
O. Tverdovsky	Anaheim	30	4	9	13	14
D. Babych	Vancouver	26	3	9	12	16
R. Matvichuk	Dallas	21	1	5	6	19
C. Leschyshyn	Colorado	29	1	5	6	38
J. Sandiak	Vancouver	16	1	1	2	6
J. Kocur	N.Y. Rangers	23	1	1	2	26
K. Daneyko	New Jersey	29	0	2	2	49
A. Godynyuk	Hartford	3	0	0	0	2

Goldtenders:

Player	Team	GP	MIN	GA	W	L	T	AWG.
K. Hrudey	Los Angeles	5	274	12	0	3	1	2.63
D. Wakaluk	Dallas	13	704	33	4	5	3	2.81

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 7, 1996, No. 1, Vol. LXIV

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