UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (07/04/04)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Sydor's playoff punch justifies Svitov deal

The playoff-bound Tampa Bay Lightning finally got the top-four defenseman they had been searching for during the past two years when they acquired veteran Darryl Sydor in a trade. But the badly needed acquisition came at quite a price.

Tampa Bay sent center Alexander Svitov (Russian), the No. 3 overall selection in the 2001 entry draft plus a third- round pick in 2004, to Columbus for defenseman Sydor and a fourth-round pick.

Lightning GM Jay Feaster said Sydor's experience and ability to run the power play overrode any concerns about giving away a piece of the future.

"For us it's about solidifying this franchise as a perennial playoff team," he said.

The Ukrainian Sydor, who won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1998-1999, was thrilled with the move. He struggled this past year with injury-depleted Columbus, scoring two goals and 15 points, and was minus 19 in 49 games. (He added a goal and 4 points in 31 games with Tampa.) "I feel like I'm young again," said Sydor, 31. "It's a new chapter. The team is a contender. I'm looking forward to helping any way I can."

As the Lightning marched through the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs right into the championship, it was obvious Darryl Sydor turned out to be one missing piece of the winning puzzle in Tampa Bay.

Banned Belak wants more suspensions

To suggest that Wade Belak accepted his eight-game suspension for clubbing an opponent over the head without objection would be an enormous stretch.

But, to his credit, he did accept a certain amount of culpability for his actions. Belak did wonder, however, how selective the NHL's justice system is and hoped others who wield sticks carelessly and viciously would be dealt with just as severely as he was.

"(Mark Messier's) was intentional," said Belak, referring to a two-game suspension Messier received for spearing Pittsburgh's Martin Strbak the day after Belak hit Colorado's Ossi Vaananen in the head with his stick. "But no way are they going to suspend (Messier) on probably his last year."

Belak readily acknowledged that sticks must come down.

"Hopefully, my suspension will maybe open eyes in the (NHL) front office to start calling the ones that guys almost lose eyes over," said Belak, who missed the first two games of the playoffs.

Comrie-for-Woywitka trade thrills GM + Oilers

The way GM Kevin Lowe sees it, it's never a bad deal when you trade someone who can't get out of Edmonton fast enough for someone who can't wait to get there.

This is exactly what he did when he moved holdout center Mike Comrie to the Philadelphia Flyers for 20-year-old prospect defenseman Jeff Woywitka and two draft picks (first round in 2004, third round in 2005).

"There seems to be a huge premium on defense in the NHL and when you can get a solid defenseman that has the upside Woywitka does, you go after him," Lowe said. "We feel this solidifies our back end for a lot of years."

Woywitka's resume is chock full of impressive credentials. He was named outstanding defenseman in the Western Hockey League (juniors) and was a cornerstone of Canada's World Junior team last season. He started this past 2003-2004 season with the American Hockey League's Philadelphia Phantoms. He concluded the campaign with Edmonton's AHL affiliate in Toronto.

"I'm excited to be part of the Oilers organization," Woywitka said. I've grown up watching them. It's a dream come true now. It's a good place for a young player."

Hrkac a mentor, insurance policy

The 2003-2004 NHL season was well under way and Tony Hrkac, at his home in Jupiter, Fla., was a long way from any rink, wondering just how it was his career had come to such an abrupt conclusion. Three consecutive seasons of 80 games played and then nothing. Not even an invitation to compete for a roster spot at camp.

"He was just lying on the beach," said Nashville Predators scout Paul Gardner.

The Predators decided Hrkac should give up the sand for the ice. Not necessarily to play in Nashville, though they did like the idea of having a 37-year-old center on the depth chart. They really wanted his experience as a mentor for prospects with the Milwaukee Admirals.

"They had talked to me over the summer about going to Milwaukee and helping the younger guys because they have a lot of guys that have potential to play in the NHL," said Hrkac, who won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999, and scored 132 goals and 371 points in 758 NHL games for nine different teams. "I didn't have any (NHL offers) this summer and I knew I could still play a couple of more years, so I called them in the middle of October and told them I was interested."

Hrkac has been everything and more the Predators hoped he would be. Not only has he been a big brother for prospects such as Scottie Upshall, Timofei Shishkanov, Libor Pivko, Andrew Hutchinson and fellow Uke Darren Haydar, he also challenged for the team regular season scoring lead with over 50 points in some 60 games.

The numbers weren't surprising. After all, Hrkac tallied nine goals and 26 points in 2002-2003 for the Atlanta Thrashers. He really figures he can still be as productive in the NHL.

"You're never too old to keep dreaming," Hrkac said. "I understand what they wanted me for. Nashville was in a playoff race, and I've been there before."

Speaking of playoff races, Hrkac's Milwaukee Admirals found themselves in the American Hockey League's Calder Cup finals. Perhaps a Calder Cup to go along with the Stanley Cup in Dallas could earn this wily vet a job back in the NHL ranks next season, lockout permitting.

Zhitnik's all-star game memory

"I had the chance to play against (Wayne) Gretzky and all those guys in 1999. They had some great players on that North American team, but we had Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Bure, Peter Forsberg, Mats Sundin. You play against them, but when you're all in the same dressing room it's a different feeling. People think they were big stars, big hockey players, but everybody was really nice, really polite. The coach gets everybody together, all these guys, and says, 'OK, let's kick their ass.' "

Scouting Report: Anton Babchuk

Chicago Blackhawks, Defense;
born May 6, 1984, Kyiv;
Ht: 6-4,
Wt: 194,
Shoots: R

Some say Anton Babchuk is a sure-bet as a top-three or top-four defenseman at the very least. Not necessarily so. The expert betting line is he'll turn out a fifth or sixth defenseman on an average team and the only way he'll make the first four is if he's on a poor team.

Babchuk has size and is an above- average skater with a good work ethic. He plays physically and is not afraid to stick his nose into anything. "He is huge and has enough skill to be certain to play," an NHL scout said prior to the 2003 NHL entry draft.

But the downside of this Ukrainian big guy evens out the report card.

"One thing that bothers me is he quits moving his feet when he has to make a play," said another scout. "He hesitates and I am not sure whether that is coaching or it is that hand-eye-head hockey sense coordination. But every time he goes to make a pass, he stops skating."

Adds still another scout: "Babchuk can be (similar to) Aaron Ward. He has a great shot. He plays the body and is a good skater. He just has to improve on his hockey sense."

UKRAINIAN UTTERINGS: While it may have seemed better than the previous year's dismal showing, Colorado's penalty-kill unit still gave up way too many goals. The Avs were still too soft in front of the net at times, allowing too many rebound goals. That said, center Andrei Nikolishin was great at disrupting plays. Fellow Uke Steve Konowalchuk helped Nikol immensely ... The Florida Panthers were ever so grateful they managed to convince Clint Malarchuk to return as goaltending coach. Roberto Luongo's young career continued to improve greatly when Malarchuk was around to work with him, especially on rebound control. As valued as the offbeat former NHL netminder was, his return wasn't assured. Malarchuk has a home and thriving horse dentistry business in the Northwest U.S. ... Hotshot rookie Nikolai Zherdev would have undoubtedly been a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy (league's top rookie) had he not spent the first third of the season in Russia. No rookie in the league showed the flash, dash or upside of this kid. The Bluejackets may have lost a lot of games, but with Zherdev and Rick Nash, they usually put on quite a show ...

(Quotations courtesy of Damian Cristodero, Ken Campbell, Rob Tychkowski and Kevin Oklobzija of The Hockey News.)

| Home Page |