UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE
by Ihor Stelmach
Babych wins injury suit
Former National Hockey League defenseman Dave Babych was awarded $1.37 million by a jury that determined his playing career was cut short when the Philadelphia Flyers made him play with a broken foot. After only one day of deliberations, the nine-person jury in Atlantic City, N.J., awarded the Ukrainian Babych $1.02 million in lost-earnings and $350,000 for pain and suffering.
"I couldn't prove permanent disability, but my foot is not right," Babych said. "Injuries happen in hockey, and we have doctors looking after us for that. You have to trust them with decisions. But those decisions have to be made for you, the patient, not for anyone else."
Babych, 41, broke a bone in his left foot on April 8, 1998, and told the team he was too hurt to play in a playoff series. He said the team pressured him to play and gave him injections to numb the pain. He played the series and one more year with the Flyers before finally retiring.
Babych claimed the treatment on his foot slowed him down and ended his career prematurely. He sued Comcast-Spectacor, owner of the Flyers, and former team doctor Arthur Bartolozzi for $2.3 million, plus pain and suffering.
The jury found Bartolozzi deviated from accepted standards in treating the injury, but cleared him of fraud. Only Bartolozzi is liable for the award, since a judge dismissed Comcast-Spectacor as defendants, citing a lack of evidence.
Lukowich recalls Mr. Hockey
You're 20 years old and about to kick-start your professional hockey career in a big city, far from your home. Now, who would you like to come greet and collect you at the airport? What about, oh say, Gordie Howe?
That's exactly how Morris Lukowich was welcomed to Houston back in 1976, where he played three seasons for the Aeros in the old World Hockey Association, prior to eight years in the NHL, with the Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings.
Howe had a wealth of advice for Lukowich, but none better than that offered during a round of golf at a local Texas course. "Gordie told me, 'When you're down here playing golf and you put a ball in the rough, always take a club in with you because you never know when you gotta beat a snake over the head with it," said Lukowich, 45.
Lukowich, who lives in Calgary, has fond memories of his career, which saw him score 199 goals and 418 points in 582 NHL games. This total includes his and the Jets' first NHL goal - although Peter Marsh may argue otherwise. It was Marsh's shot that Lukowich tipped in October 10, 1979, and he ribbed Lukowich for years about whether he really touched it. "You can definitely see it on the tape," said Lukowich with a laugh.
Fedotenko pays Lightning dividends
The trade which brought Ukrainian Ruslan Fedotenko to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Philadelphia Flyers for the No. 4 selection in the 2002 entry draft was looking pretty good through the first quarter of this hockey season.
The talented left-winger scored two goals for Tampa Bay in a 5-1 victory over Stanley Cup finalist Carolina early on this season. The swift-skating Fedotenko meshed very well with center Vincent Lecavalier on the Lightning's top offensive unit.
"I'm excited." Fedotenko said. "I feel like I come here and try to prove I'm a good player. I just do my job. I know I can play. I know I can score 20 to 25 goals and I can help the team."
Lightning general manager Jay Feaster took all kinds of media heat after the trade with the Flyers, in which the Lightning also received two second-round draft picks (one of which Feaster sent to the Dallas Stars for Ukrainian defenseman Brad Lukowich).
"People can criticize the move all they want, but whomever we drafted at that spot was not going to play for us and wouldn't have made a difference if they did," Feaster said.
"We did our homework on Fedotenko and we knew exactly what we were getting. We had no doubt in our mind he could be a 20- to 25-goal scorer."
BONUS COVERAGE: In terms of international flavor and European impact, the Tampa Bay Lightning started the 2002-2003 season with eight Europeans on its roster, the most important being Russian goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. Through the first several weeks, at least one European was on every forward line, including Russian rookie center Alexander Svitov, who earned a spot on the fourth line. The defensive pairing of Stan Neckar and Pavel Kubina is straight out of the Czech Republic. Vinny Prospal, also a Czech, has become one of the team's important offensive forces. The Ukrainian Fedotenko has added an offensive spark together with a strong defensive awareness which have combined to kick-start Lecavalier.
Not to be forgotten is the team's venerable captain, Dave Andreychuk, still going strong after all of these years. And of course, four-year pro Lukowich offers scoring and stability on the blueline.
Gretzky considered comeback
He is not - repeat, not - making a comeback to the NHL, but Wayne Gretzky openly says he wishes he could.
Gretzky admits he got the bug this past summer while playing shinny with former teammate Marty McSorley and several Phoenix Coyotes prospects during a strength and conditioning camp in Arizona. That, and having occasionally skated with the team during practices last season, prompted recent rumors and reports the league's all-time leading scorer was considering playing for the franchise he co-owns.
But it's not going to happen, even though the Coyotes could use a play-making center.
"I wasn't embarrassing myself out there," Gretzky said. "Then again, nobody was hitting and it was pretty wide open. When I looked up and saw the size of some of our guys like (6-foot-6) Dan Focht and (6-foot-5) Martin Grenier, I knew why I retired.
"(Playing again) crossed my mind, but I'm not coming back. People forget when Mario (Lemieux) retired, he was only 31. He went through a lot with his back and the cancer, but when he was 33 and said he wanted to come back, he was still pretty young. Even (Michael) Jordan was only 39 when he went back.
"I'm 41 and going to be 42 (in January). I wish I could play, though."
When he retired following the 1998-1999 season, Gretzky said he knew it was time.
"When I retired I mentally and physically wanted to get away from the skating and playing," he said. "Over the lasts five to six months, though, I've really started to feel like I wanted to be out there and play a little bit and have some fun. "That's why I OK'd a fantasy camp here next February and why I really did think of skating a little bit more with the players this year."
But that, Gretzky vows, will be the extent of it. He said he'll try to stay off the ice when the Coyotes open training camp because he doesn't want to start any more comeback rumors.
2002-2003 pucks and bucks
The current year's National Hockey League Players Association's listing of annual salaries reveals there's much money to be made in pro ice hockey. There are at least 11 Ukrainian millionaires pursuing their livelihoods on ice rinks throughout North America. The contingent is led by one of the league's top power forwards, St. Louis Blues left wing Keith Tkachuk, earning $11 million. Eighteenth and last on the Uke list is Philadelphia's "refrigerator" (his real nickname), Todd Fedoruk, at a mere $500,000 per annum.
(Quotations in above courtesy of James Madge, Damian Cristodero, Bob McManaman and The Hockey News.)
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 29, 2002, No. 52, Vol. LXX
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