UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (12/22/02)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Federko inducted into Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame wants it to be made crystal clear it is not softening its standards for entry into the sacred shrine.

"Absolutely not," said selection committee chairman Jim Gregory. "We've been making it tougher for 15 years."

The announcement last June 19 that former Hall of Fame rejects Bernie Federko and Clark Gillies had joined Rod Langway as this year's inductees in the players category raised a few eyebrows.

Gillies, 48, retired from a stellar 14-year NHL career in 1988. He was hall eligible for the first time in 1991, the same year Denis Potvin and Ukrainian Mike Bossy were inducted. The perfect storyline script was there to be gobbled up that year: three Islanders in one year. The committee said no, Gillies wasn't quite Hall of Fame material, yet.

The story was much the same for Federko, who retired in 1990 and was eligible for the first time in 1993. The committee rebuffed Federko three times - in 1993, 1995 and 1997 (when Mario Lemieux and Bryan Trottier got inducted).

At the time, the hall had a by-law stating once a candidate has been turned down three times, he must wait at least five years to be reconsidered. This bylaw has since been scrapped.

So how is it Gillies and Federko got in now in the midst of the hall's mandate to make it tougher to qualify?

"It might be a combination of things," Gregory said. "The selection committee is constantly changing and some (new) members may have different perspectives.

The 18-member selection committee has a maximum turnover of three members per year. For a player to gain Hall of Fame acceptance, he needs at least 75 percent approval (14 of 18 votes). The results aren't made public, nor since 1999 are the names of the players turned down.

So that explains how Gillies and Federko got approved. New committee members liked them better than panelists in the 1990s. Fair enough. Gillies and Federko were very solid players - no major awards, but both were darned good.

Hopefully, the committee didn't induct Federko strictly because of statistics - although, at 1,130 points, he was the highest scoring NHL'er among those eligible not yet in the hall.

Bio: Bernie Federko

Born: May 12, 1956, Foam Lake, Saskatchewan

Position: Center; Height: 6-0; Weight: 178 lbs.

Major junior achievements: Led Western Hockey League with 115 assists and 187 points with Saskatoon in 1975-76. Had 344 points in three WHL seasons.

NHL: Drafted seventh overall by St. Louis in 1976. Thirteen seasons with St. Louis, one with Detroit.

Highlights: Ranks 41st all-time in points. Led St. Louis in scoring nine times.

How he played: Had the ability to slow the game down and control the attack with his slick, playmaking skills.

Hall Credentials: Had 369 goals (88th all-time) and 1,130 points in 1,000 NHL games. Had four 100-point seasons in NHL. First player in NHL history to get at least 50 assists in 10 straight seasons. Led NHL playoff scorers with 21 points in 19 games in 1985-1986.

Currently TV color analyst for the St. Louis Blues.

Playmaker made it look easy

While faces in the St. Louis dressing room and executive suite came and went like the autumn breeze, Bernie Federko was bedrock. He could always be counted on, his production a solid given.

"I'm just most proud I was able to be consistent through all the turmoil we had, changing ownership, changing players, just the revolving door," says Federko, a Blue from 1976-1977 until 1988-1989. "We didn't spend a lot of money, we didn't have a lot, but we were always competitive."

Without Federko's scoring, they wouldn't have been. He led the Blues in scoring nine times during his 13 seasons wearing the Bluenote - eight of them consecutively. A left-handed play-making center, Federko showed a creative genius that at times approached Gretzky-like levels.

It was actually Federko, not Gretzky, who first made a name for himself in junior hockey by camping out behind the net, and setting up his teammates for scoring chances.

True to his humble nature, Federko, 46, never resented the relative lack of attention he received. "Wayne was the best at everything," he says of Gretzky's behind-the-net orchestrations, "and he had a lot of guys that could get open."

Playoff success was the only thing that eluded Federko. The closest he and the Blues came to the Stanley Cup was a Game 7 semifinal showdown with Calgary in 1986, won by the Flames 2-1.

Federko stays involved with hockey these days as a television color commentator for the Blues. As a kid, a teenager and a pro, the game was his life. Much of what he has he owes to the sport.

"It still is my life," says Federko, who retired in 1990, "and I'm really happy it still is."

NHL transactions/injuries

ANAHEIM - Vitaly Vishnevski, D, signed one-year contract; Oleg Tverdovsky, D, traded to New Jersey in multi-player deal.

BOSTON - Brendan Yarema, RW, released.

BUFFALO - Peter Ratchuk, D, signed contract; Ratchuk assigned to Rochester (AHL).

CALGARY - Rick Mrozik, D, Ryan Shmyr, LW, assigned to Saint John (AHL).

CAROLINA - Steve Halko, D, signed one-year contract; Randy Petruk, GT, signed two-year contract; Ryan Bayda, LW, Halko and Petruk assigned to Lowell (AHL).

CHICAGO - Vladislav Tretiak, goaltending consultant, retained; Anton Babchuk, D, signed contract; Dmitry Tolkunov, D, assigned to Norfolk (AHL); Scott Balan, D, assigned to Norfolk.

COLUMBUS - Shane Bendera, GT, assigned to Syracuse (AHL).

DALLAS - Brad Lukowich, D, traded to Tampa Bay for second-round draft pick in 2002.

DETROIT - Joey Kocur, video technician, named assistant coach.

FLORIDA - Joey Tetarenko, RW, signed one-year contract; Ivan Novoseltsev, RW, signed one-year contract; Clint Malarchuk named goaltending instructor; Tetarenko assigned to San Antonio (AHL).

MINNESOTA - Dieter Kochan, GT, signed contract; Kochan assigned to Houston (AHL).

NASHVILLE - Darren Haydar, C, signed contract.

NEW JERSEY - Igor Pohanka, RW, traded to Anaheim.

PHILADELPHIA - Ruslan Fedotenko, LW, traded to Tampa Bay for first-round draft pick in 2002; Jeff Woywitka, D, signed multi-year contract; Todd Fedoruk, LW, signed two-year contract; Woywitka returned to Red Deer (WHL).

PHOENIX - Darcy Hordichuk, LW, assigned to Springfield (AHL); Drake Berehowsky, D, torn right knee ligaments, early February; Hordichuk recalled from Springfield.

PITTSBURGH - Zenon Konopka, C, assigned to Wilkes-Barre (AHL); Ross Lupaschuk, D, assigned to Wilkes-Barre.

SAN JOSE - Gregg Naumenko, GT, assigned to Cleveland (AHL); Seamus Kotyk, GT, assigned to Cleveland.

ST. LOUIS - Keith Tkachuk, LW, signed one-year contract; Tkachuk signed five-year contract extension; Daniel Tkaczuk, C, Cody Rudkowsky, GT, signed contracts; Sergei Varlamov, LW, assigned to Worcester (AHL); Rudkowsky assigned to Worcester.

TAMPA BAY - Dave Andreychuk, LW, signed contract; Ruslan Fedotenko signed contract; Nikita Alexeev, RW, assigned to Springfield (AHL).

TORONTO - Wade Belak, D, signed one-year contract; Dmitri Yakushin, D, assigned to St. John's (AHL); Alexei Ponikarovsky, RW, assigned to St. John's.

VANCOUVER - Zenith Komarniski, D, signed contract; Rene Vydareny, D, Denis Martynyuk, LW, and Komarniski assigned to Manitoba (AHL).

WASHINGTON - Glen Metropolit, C, signed one-year contract.

UKRAINIAN UTTERINGS: Last spring left-winger Steve Konowalchuk was named captain of the U.S. team in the World Championships in Sweden ... Defenseman Jeff Woywitka, Philadelphia's No. 1 draft choice in 2001, was returned to Red Deer of the Western juniors, but not before really impressing the coaching staff with his play ... Defenseman Peter Ratchuk, a Buffalo native, signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres, but is destined to play the bulk of the season with Rochester in the American League ... Defenseman Drake Berehowsky suffered torn ligaments in his right knee during his first shift of the Coyotes' first pre-season game and is expected to be sidelined for up to five months ... Captain II - Steve Konowalchuk was named the 10th Capitals captain in franchise history ... Atlanta exercised its option on center Tony Hrkac, who scored a career-high 18 goals last season. GM Don Waddell said he would also like to add an option for the 2003-2004 season onto Hrkac's deal...

(Thanks to Mark Brender and Brian Costello of The Hockey News for Bernie Federko quotes.)

| Home Page |