UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (11/28/99)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Dallas still loaded after purging vets

It's shaping up as another 3-D season in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League. Dallas, Detroit and Denver (a.k.a. Colorado) are once again the teams to beat. Here, in alphabetical order, is a brief look at each of the 13 Western teams, including off-season developments and the key issue they face during the 1999-2000 season. Players of Ukrainian descent appearing on training camp rosters are noted in parentheses.

MIGHTY DUCKS OF ANAHEIM: A refreshingly quiet summer for the Ducks. With tight-fisted Disney looking to sell the team can the Ducks finally make a movie with more than one good line? (Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky returns to the team that drafted him; young goalie Gregg Naumenko signed.)

CALGARY FLAMES: Goalie Grant Fuhr, at one time a hated Edmonton Oiler, joined the Flames to solidify their goaltending. If Calgary fails to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year, will GM Al Coates and coach Brian Sutter keep their jobs? (Defenseman/winger Wade Belak is enforcer of the Flames; netminder Igor Karpenko and blueliner Lee Sorochan are insurance in the minors; center Daniel Tkaczuk is a future star.)

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: Chicago hopes Bryan McCabe, whom GM Bob Murray acquired from Vancouver, will anchor the defense for 10 years. Was Chicago's 8-2-1 rush to finish last season the beginning of a run for the playoffs or an out-of-body experience? (Veteran Eddie Olczyk was unsigned during training camp, but did return to the fold.)

COLORADO AVALANCHE: The Avs got a new owner Donald Sturm, but suffered heavy free agent losses. They are also without superstar Peter Forsberg, who is injured until December. Can the Avs' motherlode of talent deliver more than one Stanley Cup? (LW Jordan Krestanovich a recent draftee.)

DALLAS STARS: The Stars moved out some of their older players to make room for younger talent they hope will keep them hungry. Will the Stars' decision to surrender so much experience come back to haunt them? (Brad Lukowich should join Richard Matvichuk on the Dallas blueline this year. Evgeny Tsybuk plies his trade in the minors.)

DETROIT RED WINGS: The Wings cured Nicklas Lidstrom's homesickness by giving him a three-year, $21.75 million contract. Do the aging Wings have enough talent to give coach Scotty Bowman one more Stanley Cup? (Old horse Joey Kocur out several months on injury list.)

EDMONTON OILERS: Coach Ron Low refused Edmonton's conspicuously low contract offer and was replaced by Kevin Lowe. Always bursting with youthful promise, how come the Oilers are always so mediocre?

LOS ANGELES KINGS: The Kings upgraded their skill and got a player they hope will fill their new arena in proven scorer Ziggy Plffy from the Islanders. Can a new coach, a new star and a new attitude make the Kings contenders in the West again?

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Made no off-season moves. These guys are Predators in name only, as they didn't even try to make a bid for any unrestricted free agents. Will a moderately successful year be followed by an upward climb or will a team whose key players are Cliff Ronning, Greg Johnson and Sergei Krivokrasov crash and burn? (Drake Berehowsky is a solid force and leader on defense.)

PHOENIX COYOTES: Bobby Francis replaced Jim Schoenfeld as coach after the Coyotes again failed to win a playoff round. Is Robert Reichel out of the picture or will he return and be a key player? Answer: he's out of the picture. (Captain Keith Tkachuk returns, this time contractually content. Youngsters Alexander Andreyev and Radoslav Suchy await down on the farm. Center Ryan Huska is a journeyman.)

ST. LOUIS BLUES: The Blues traded for goalie Roman Turek and pinned their present and future hopes on him when they dealt Grant Fuhr to Calgary. Is Pavol Demitra a legitimate star or hockey's equivalent to Dexy's Midnight Runners? (Minor league ranks boast three future Ukrainian Blues: netminder Cory Rudkowsky, left wing Trevor Wasyluk and backliner Jaroslav Obsut.)

SAN JOSE SHARKS: Vincent Damphousse was re-signed, and Gary Suter looks to be healthy after missing most of last season with torn triceps. Can the impressive Sharks take the next step and become a legitimate playoff contender?

VANCOUVER CANUCKS: GM Brian Burke did some fancy stickhandling when he got the Sedin twins at the amateur draft, but the move will do nothing to improve the Canucks' present woes. Is there any reason to expect the Canucks to make the playoffs this season after missing them the previous three? (Defenseman Zenith Komarniski came out of nowhere to almost make the Canucks in training camp.)

Intrigue surrounds Eastern stars

Going? Going? Gone. That's one way to sum up the NHL's Eastern Conference. Can Dominik Hasek really be going home after this season? Is Alexei Yashin going to hold out the entire 1999-2000 campaign? And gone are the famous long locks of league MVP Jaromir Jagr. Here is a brief look at each of the 15 Eastern teams.

ATLANTA THRASHERS: GM Don Waddell was involved in a flurry of draft-day deals that left him with the first pick, which he used to take NHL-ready, but concussion-prone Patrik Stefan. The first time around,1972-1973, Atlanta's NHL entry finished with a respectable 65 points. Can the Thrashers equal that? (Defenseman Mike Muzechka and left wing David Kaczowka drafted by Thrashers.)

BOSTON BRUINS: The Bruins became the first team ever to walk away from an arbitration award when they allowed Ukrainian Dmitri Khristich to become a free-agent. But they're truly an equal opportunity cheapskate - they also alienated restricted free agent goalie Byron Dafoe. Is this the final year of Ray Bourque's brilliant career? (500+ goal scorer Dave Andreychuk signed as free agent to replace fellow-Uke Khristich. Goaler Seamus Kotyk in minors.)

BUFFALO SABRES: All-World goalie Dominik Hasek announced he'll retire at season's end. Will the Sabres be able to forget Brett Hull's controversial goal to end the playoffs? Will Hasek have a change of heart? Is Maxim Afinogenov the next Pavel Bure? (Alexei Zhitnik is leader of Buffalo's blueline corps and logs a ton of minutes.)

CAROLINA HURRICANES: Center and captain Keith Primeau became a restricted free agent and the Hurricanes don't think he's a $5-million-a-year player. Will the team's move to its permanent home in Raleigh solidify its future or prove the NHL can't survive in NASCAR country? (Curtis Leschyshyn remains a kingpin on defense; Steve Halko stuck coming out of camp; Randy Petruk is future goaltending prospect; forwards Brett Lysak, Damian Surma and Jaroslav Svoboda are back in juniors.)

FLORIDA PANTHERS: Florida replaced the unpredictable Kirk McLean in goal with the younger Trevor Kidd. Will Pavel Bure win the battle of wounded knee and, if he does, will an under-achieving supporting cast do its part to get the Panthers back into the playoffs? (Right winger Denis Shvidki was Panthers' top draft selection. He is quick! Defensemen Joey Tetarenko and Peter Ratchuk are on standby in the AHL.)

MONTREAL CANADIENS: The Habs dealt their first-round pick to the Islanders for Trevor Linden, who should provide grit and character to a team lacking in both. Are the declining Canadiens on the verge of becoming another Canadian small-market franchise that is more concerned with the bottom line than winning games?

NEW JERSEY DEVILS: It was what the Devils didn't do that was notable. Despite being playoff pretenders, they stuck with their "improve from within" philosophy and didn't sign any free agents. We know they'll be great during the regular season, but will the Devils show up when things really matter? (Loyal defender Ken Daneyko to play in his 1,000th game early this season; goalie Mike Buzak and forward Stanislav Gron await in the wings.)

NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Team Turmoil changed coaches and continued to dump salaries the way Boris Yeltsin dumps prime ministers. Will ex-coach Bill Stewart, now running the Barrie Colts of the Ontario League, have a better team this season than he did last season? (Centerman Tony Hrkac got a two-year contract as a free agent, but was most recently traded to Anaheim.)

NEW YORK RANGERS: While every other team was preaching austerity, the Rangers bought everyone in sight. Have the Rangers purchased themselves a contender or will they prove they've just thrown bad money at their problems? (Veteran minor leaguer Yevgeny Namestnikov signed to provide their AHL club added savvy. Alexei Vasiliev joins Namestnikov.)

OTTAWA SENATORS: Alexei Yashin has a valid contract paying him $3.6 million (U.S.). He wants $10 million, but who doesn't? So, he withdraws his services. Will the Senators give in to Yashin? Will various levels of government give in to the Senators by granting them tax relief to keep them from moving? (Right winger Chris Szysky on farm.)

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Philly bought out goalie Ron Hextall's contract and gave him a front office job. Tragedy struck when Dimitri Tertyshny was killed in a summer boating accident. Will Eric Lindros ever find lasting peace and security in the City of Brotherly Love? (Winger Mike Maneluk re-signed with the Flyers; forwards Todd Fedoruk and Ruslan Fedotenko are recent draftees.)

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Mario Lemieux was finally able to put together a credible ownership bid and now it's up to him to usher the Pens into a new building and a successful future. Is there any way somebody can make a 200-foot hockey stick so Lemieux can play from the owner's box? (Hopefully centerman Boris Protsenko will get a shot at making the big club.)

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: The team was sold and front office staffs were revamped so Lightning parlayed the first overall draft pick into roughly half the population of Saskatoon. Success in the International League is one thing, but can these guys, the new GM and coach, compete with the big boys and ultimately build a contender? (Right wing Greg Pankewicz has now moved into this organization.)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: An ugly front-office standoff between associate GM Mike Smith and president Ken Dryden ended with Smith's departure and coach Pat Quinn being elevated to GM. With Quinn as the NHL's only GM-coach and the team's sudden preoccupation with money, can they possibly improve on their 97-point season? (Winger David Nemirovsky still trying to make it back to the big show; add free agent Greg Andrusak to an already crowded Toronto defense corps.)

WASHINGTON CAPITALS: After once again leading the NHL in man-games lost to injury with a mind-boggling 511, the Caps fired their training and medical staffs. The team was also sold. A return to the Stanley Cup final is out of the question, but will the Capitals return to the post-season? (Check out this roster of Ukrainian pucksters: right wing Peter Bondra, left wing Steve Konowalchuk, center Andrei Nikolishin, promising scorer Glen Metropolit and prospects forward Jason Shmyr and defenseman Ross Lupaschuk.)

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