Laviolette's Squad Down to 24

(Oct. 1) Four days prior to the Islanders' season opener, the team
announced the assignment of 20 players to the Islanders' new American
Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Here is a
position-by-position listing of the players sent to Bridgeport:

Goaltenders (4): Rick DiPietro, Dusan Salficky, David St. Germain,
Stephen Valiquette

Defensemen (6): Chris Armstrong, Ray Giroux, Marko Kiprusoff, Evgeny
Korolev, Branislav Mezei, Ray Schultz

Forwards (10): Marco Charpentier, Ben Guite, Trent Hunter, Juraj
Kolnik, Petr Mika, Justin Mapletoft, Dave Roche, Jason Podollan,
Marko Tuomainen, Raffi Torres

Forward David Nemirovsky was released. Bridgeport signees Graham
Belak and Bob Lachance remain Sound Tigers property.

The assignments leave the Islanders with the following 24 players:

Goaltenders (2):
Chris Osgood
Garth Snow

Defensemen (8):
Adrian Aucoin
Eric Cairns
Kenny Jonsson
Kevin Haller
Roman Hamrlik
Radek Martinek
Ken Sutton
Dick Tarnstrom

Forwards (14):
Shawn Bates
Jason Blake
Mariusz Czerkawski
Brad Isbister
Alexander Kharitonov
Jason Krog
Oleg Kvasha
Claude Lapointe
Mats Lindgren
Michael Peca
Mark Parrish
Dave Scatchard
Steve Webb
Alexei Yashin

Good article. This is what I was saying before the draft, that Ilja
Kovalchuk is clearly better than Jason Spezza. Kovalchuk has 10 pts and
Spezza has 1. Kovalchuk will probably get at least 25 goals this year while
Spezza will be playing in the OHL.
      Kevin



-----Original Message-----
From: billbarr@... [mailto:billbarr@...]
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 12:09 PM
To: Islanders-Soundtigers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Islanders-Soundtigers] Spezza hoping his time isn't up



By BRUCE GARRIOCH -- Ottawa Sun

   MONTREAL -- As he faces Decision Day, all Jason Spezza wants
is a little more time.

   With the axe set to fall this morning on the rest of the
hopefuls left in Senators camp, the 18-year-old centre is
concerned -- and rightfully so -- that he's going to be given a
ticket back to the OHL's Windsor Spitfires.

   Spezza, who was selected No. 2 overall by the Senators at the
June NHL entry draft with the pick that was part of the Alexei
Yashin deal with the New York Islanders, told the Sun he hasn't
been pleased with his camp performance. But he'd like a chance
to show he can play when it counts.

   He suited up for his final exhibition game last night against
the Montreal Canadiens at the Molson Centre and today he'll find
out if Senators GM Marshall Johnston and coach Jacques Martin
are willing to give him that extra opportunity.

   Under NHL rules, the Senators can keep Spezza for a 10-game
stretch without losing a year of waivers on him. He can be sent
back to junior at any time and the $3.3-million US deal he
signed would slide back a year.

   "I just hope they see fit to give me the 10 games," said
Spezza yesterday. "Look, I know they haven't been happy with
what I've done and I haven't been happy with what I've done,
either. I know that I can do more.

   "I know when I came into this camp there were a lot of
expectations for me from everybody. I have a lot of expectations
for myself. I haven't lived up to them. I somehow have to get
back to playing my game. I've found the adjustment has been
difficult, but I think I can do it."

   MORE THAN SPEED

   The difficulty for Spezza hasn't only been the adjustment to
the speed of what's happening on the ice. He's also had a tough
time with positioning and, at times, has looked like he doesn't
know where to be during the play.

   Part of the problem is that Spezza is coming from a level of
hockey where he has been able to dominate. If he decided to
crank it up, the players around him in the OHL had a tough time
keeping up.

   It hasn't been quite the same story since he arrived here and
he's well aware it's only going to get tougher. It's one thing
to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-0 in the pre-season, but it's
a whole other story when two points are involved.

   While Spezza was the best player in rookie camp, he's hardly
been noticeable since the pre-season started.

   "I knew when I got to the rookie camp that I could dominate
because that level was kind of like junior," said the likable
Spezza. "Since we've gotten into the pre-season games, I've
found it a lot more difficult to get the job done.

   "I don't really know what it is. It's like I'm not being
myself out there. I'm not doing the things I can do. I know
there's a big emphasis on positioning up here and I'm trying to
make sure I don't get out of position. It's almost like I've
been timid because I'm so afraid to make mistakes. I know that I
have to get away from that."

   NEED CENTRE HELP

   The Senators have always made it clear they don't want to rush
their young players. Thin at centre, they could have used a
standout performance from Spezza in camp to ease some of the
pressure being put on the veterans.

   Nobody doubts Spezza is going to be a star and that's why the
Senators don't want to hurry him. His opinion is that he's
played three years of junior and he's not exactly sure what kind
of added development he could get in Windsor.

   There has been talk Spezza won't return to the OHL, but that
would seem unlikely. He doesn't really have any other options
because junior-aged players have to return to the franchise that
owns their rights.

   "If I get sent back to junior, I guess I'll just go there,
work hard and try to improve. I don't know," said Spezza. "I
wouldn't say that I got bored last year. That's the wrong word.
It just seemed like things came so easy.

   "The thing is I've always been able to do well at every level
I've played and shown improvement. I feel like I'm starting to
get more adjusted, but I don't know what's going to happen (when
the cuts are made)."

   He'll find out soon enough.





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Tuesday, October 2

OTTAWA -- Jason Spezza, the second overall pick in this year's NHL
entry draft by the Ottawa Senators, was sent down to the Windsor
Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League on Tuesday.

The Senators acquired the second overall pick in the draft from the
New York Islanders along with defenseman Zdeno Chara and right wing
Bill Muckalt in exchange for centre Alexei Yashin.

The 18-year-old centre appeared in all eight of the Senators
preseason games and recorded one goal and one assist, both against
the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last season Spezza played 56 games in the OHL, 41 of them with
Windsor. On the season he had 43 goals and 73 assists for 116 points.
Windsor's next game is at home, on Thursday, against Kingston.

Ottawa starts the regular season against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday
at the Air Canada Centre.

Bettman Takes Long Shot At Yashin's Pact
By Alan Hahn

There has been plenty of criticism in and around the
NHL directed at the unprecedented 10-year,
$88.9-million commitment the Islanders made to star
center Alexei Yashin in August.

It's not so much the dollar amount of the deal, which
will start at $6.55 million this season and balloon to
as high as $10.4 million by 2007-08. What has everyone
around the league in a fit is the length. Especially
for a player who sat out the 1999-2000 season
demanding a new contract when there was still a year
left on his deal at the time.

Yesterday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman joined the
list of detractors, saying he wouldn't make a contract
of that length.

"I don't understand the Alexei Yashin contract,"
Bettman said during a conference call with reporters.
"I don't understand why it's 10 years, but it's not my
team and not my money. Time will tell whether it was
the correct move on their part."

Islanders general manager Mike Milbury responded by
saying the franchise is "not ashamed of what we've
done. We think we got a quality player and a quality
person in Alexei Yashin. Time's going to prove that."
All they have is time. Yashin's contract, the longest
and most lucrative in NHL history, doesn't end until
the 2010-11 season, when he'll be 37.

Bettman will likely no longer be the commissioner. The
Islanders, they hope, will have added at least one
more Stanley Cup to their collection of four from the
1980s. And perhaps they'll be in a new arena.

Bettman made it a point to praise team owners Charles
Wang and Sanjay Kumar for making a "dramatic
improvement" to the Islanders, a franchise that has
been an embarrassing situation for the NHL during the
past five years. Yashin, who twice was involved in
contract problems with the Ottawa Senators, is someone
who has been a public relations nightmare for the
league.

Bettman was said to be incensed by Yashin's stance two
seasons ago, when he refused to honor the final year
of his five-year deal with the Senators because he
claimed the team promised him a raise if he reached
specific milestones; one example was 95 points. He had
94 in 1998-99, when he was a runner-up for the Hart
Trophy as league MVP. The Senators refused to re-work
the current deal, so Yashin and his agent, Mark
Gandler, decided to sit out.

After the 1999-2000 season, Yashin claimed he was a
restricted free agent because the term of his contract
was up. But a league arbitrator ruled that he still
owed the Senators the final year, worth $3.6 million.
After he satisfied the contract last season, scoring
40 goals and 88 points, the Senators dealt him to the
Islanders in June.

Bettman was asked to explain whether his displeasure
with the contract had to do with the fact that it was
given to Yashin or just because of the precedent it
might set around the league. Bettman refused to
comment on either suggestion and said the contract is
within the rules of the collective-bargaining
agreement. Most NHL contracts stop at five years. Only
Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Mats Sundin have
signed for six-year deals.

Milbury said there is no reason for all the fuss.
Yashin this season will earn only a little more than
double his salary from last season and, while he'll be
the highest-paid Islander, he will be the
20th-highest-paid player in the league. But there is
one interesting detail in the deal: The Islanders
reportedly own marketing rights to Yashin.

Milbury thinks only the term of the contract is
original. "It set no new heights except for
longevity," he said. "It was an attempt on our part to
get some credibility that has been lacking with this
organization."

Friday

Islanders

At Tampa Bay

7:30 p.m.

TV: Metro

Radio: ESPN (1050)

Sound Tigers Receive Other Top Prospects From NHL's Islanders

BRIDGEPORT, CT - The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, American Hockey League
affiliate of the New York Islanders, learned today that the Islanders
have assigned a group of top prospects to the team in time for the
Sound Tigers first annual Media Day set for this Wednesday. Rick
DiPietro, the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft,
was among that group.

DiPietro, a former Boston University standout, was the first
goaltender ever to be selected as the first overall pick in the NHL
Entry Draft. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Winthrop, Mass.,
split last season between the Islanders and the Chicago Wolves of the
former International Hockey League. DiPietro went 18-5-5 with a .913
save percentage in his senior year with the Terriers, prompting the
Islanders to make the trade necessary to acquire the first overall
pick in the 2000 draft. His Bridgeport debut will mark DiPietro's
first action in the AHL. The acquisition of former Stanley
Cup winner Chris Osgood enabled the NHL team to allow DiPietro to
hone his skills in the AHL, the world's premier developmental league.

The assignment of DiPietro means that the Sound Tigers expect to have
an Opening Night lineup featuring two of the top five picks in the
2000 draft.

DiPietro joins left wing Raffi Torres, who was selected fifth
overall. The 6-foot, 218-pound Torres, known for being a physical
presence on the ice, has yet to play in his first professional
regular season game. Torres is expected to provide much of the
scoring punch to the Sound Tigers lineup.

DiPietro and Torres join a talented Inaugural Season Sound Tiger
roster made up of young prospects and seasoned veterans including
defenseman Ray Giroux, and forwards Juraj Kolnik, Jason Podollan and
Marko Tuomainen.

· The following is a list of players currently assigned to Bridgeport
by the Islanders:

· Goaltenders (4): Rick DiPietro, Dusan Salficky, David St. Germain,
Stephen Valiquette.

· Defensemen (6): Chris Armstrong, Ray Giroux, Marko Kiprusoff, Evgeny
Korolev, Branislav Mezei, Ray Schultz.

· Forwards (10): Marco Charpentier, Ben Guite, Trent Hunter, Juraj
Kolnik, Petr Mika, Justin Mapletoft, Dave Roche, Jason Podollan,
Marko Tuomainen, Raffi Torres.

Bob Lachance remains in Sound Tigers camp, having been signed to an
American Hockey League contract earlier this year. Forward David
Nemirovsky was released.

With the Florida Panthers having no primary AHL affiliate, Bridgeport
is among several teams hosting a limited number of their prospects.
In previous transactions, Florida forwards Dave Morissett and Eric
Godard were assigned to the Sound Tigers.

SUDDENLY, THERE'S HOPE ON WHAT'S BEEN DISMAL ISLE

By EVAN GROSSMAN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

  October 2, 2001 -- From out of the choppy waters off Montauk, Mike
Milbury and the Islanders have re-emerged from the shipwreck that was
Long Island hockey.

Cast away and left crumpled on the surf, Milbury and the Islanders
have been thrown a life jacket a season after finishing with the
worst record in the NHL. They have picked themselves out of the sand
they've seemingly been playing on, and are seriously thinking
playoffs for the first time in what has been much too long on the
Island.

Islander tradition has been beaten by waves of hardship, from the
ownership to the front office and in the locker room. And the
translation has been waterlogged hockey that has danced the fine line
of disgrace.

Milbury has gotten the necessary funds to build a winning team from
owners Charles Wang and Sajay Kumar and he assembled a bunch that is
being counted on to start a new era for the once-proud franchise.


FORWARDS

Alexei Yashin signed on for 10 years ($87.5 million) and ex-Buffalo
captain Michael Peca enlisted for five seasons ($20 million),
signaling the beginning of something special.

The pair will center the top two lines, alongside Brad Isbister (18
goals, 14 assists, 32 points last year), Mariusz Czerkawski (30-32-
62), Mark Parrish (17-13-30) and Oleg Kvasha (11-9-20), all of whom
need to put the puck in the net more this year.

Add scrappy Dave Scatchard (21-24-45), human cacti Jason Blake (5-11-
16) and Shawn Bates (2-3-5 with Boston), Claude Lapointe (9-23-32),
antagonist Steve Webb and newcomer Alexander Kharitonov (from Tampa
Bay) to the mix and the Isles have four formidable lines that will
keep coming at you, playing coach Peter Laviolette's brand of lunch
pail hockey.

DEFENSEMEN

Roman Hamrlik was one of few bright spots for the team last year with
16 goals, 46 points and a sizzling shot from the point. This summer
sharpshooter Adrian Aucoin (2-24-28 with Tampa and Vancouver) was
acquired, bringing another feared outside shot to the power play.

Kenny Jonsson (8-21-29) has been hot and cold in his tenure with the
club and Kevin Haller has held his own in the preseason. Six-foot-six
Eric Cairns has been the team's enforcer and will continue in that
role, with ex-Devil toughie Ken Sutton added to the rotation.

GOALIES

Until last Friday, the goaltender situation looked to be the roster's
Achilles heel. But when Chris Osgood became available in the waiver
draft, the Islanders did not hesitate to select the two-time Cup
winner with the first pick.

Osgood is a true No. 1 in net for the Isles, and will be counted on
to be the glue on a team with so many new faces. Made expendable in
Detroit with the presence of Dominik Hasek, Osgood fell in Milbury's
lap and was a no-brainer as he's a proven winner between the pipes.

Excitable Garth Snow will back up Osgood.

OUTLOOK

Ownership has laid out the money to make the Isles a playoff
contender. Now the players on the ice have to lay themselves out
there and go out and get what they've been talking about all summer.

If Laviolette can turn this team into the puck-chasing, body-checking
machine he calls his brand of hockey, the Islanders will make their
devoted fans proud again.

Prediction: Third in the Atlantic Division, sixth in the Eastern
Conference (40-28-7-7).

Only NHL-Ready Players
Need Apply for Islander Jobs


By PETER BOTTE
Daily News Sports Writer

n past seasons, the Islanders were forced to disguise an
underdeveloped team as an up-and-coming one. Year after year, they
kept young players on their roster out of necessity, not on merit.

No more.

Recent No.1 picks Rick DiPietro, Raffi Torres and Branislav Mezei
were among 19 players the Islanders assigned to their AHL Bridgeport
affiliate yesterday, leaving their NHL roster at 25 players with the
regular season slated to open Friday in Tampa.

The most noteworthy of those cuts is DiPietro, the goaltender GM Mike
Milbury chose with the No.1 selection in the 2000 entry draft after
trading stud prospect Roberto Luongo to Florida.

"Organizations that build from within leave their top prospects down
there for one, two, three years and don't touch them. That's the way
it's supposed to be," Laviolette said. "If Ricky plays 60 games for
Bridgeport, and the other guys play 20-to-25 minutes a night, that
can only help them."

The additions of veteran netminders Chris Osgood and Garth Snow allow
the Isles to develop the 20-year-old DiPietro properly in the minors.

Czech import Dusan Salficky practiced yesterday and remains on the
NHL roster, but he likely will be assigned to an undisclosed minor-
league team in the coming days.

"I know it might seem tough for Rick," Laviolette said of
DiPietro, "but his objective right now should be to go down there and
be, hands down, the best goalie in that league."

Forward Jason Krog also remains with the Isles, at least until center
Dave Scatchard (fractured bone in foot) returns to the lineup.
Laviolette said Scatchard, who could be shifted to right wing with
Oleg Kvasha sliding back to the middle, is "questionable" for
Friday's opener after skating on his own yesterday.

With Mezei also farmed out, the eight remaining defensemen include
two first-year NHLers, although both Radek Martinek (Czech Republic)
and Dick Tarnstrom (Sweden) have extensive European experience. They
likely will compete with veterans Kevin Haller and Ken Sutton for
playing time at the final two of six defense spots.

October 2, 2001

N.H.L. Officials May Fly With Players
By JOE LAPOINTE

Difficulties in air transportation resulting from the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks could affect travel habits of N.H.L. referees and
linesmen. League officials confirmed yesterday that some officiating
crews might fly with players on team charters after games to
different cities.

"It will be minimal at best, usually on back-to-back games," Andy Van
Hellemond, the N.H.L.'s director of officiating, said in a conference
call. "If St. Louis plays in Pittsburgh on a Friday, they might go
back to St. Louis with the St. Louis team. It won't be as much,
perhaps, as we thought at first. Obviously, any arrangements we could
make with the team would work well."

Colin Campbell, the N.H.L.'s executive vice president and director of
hockey operations, said the league anticipated some problems in the
exhibition season with visas for Canadian officials who worked in the
United States, but that the difficulties were not as bad as first
feared. "Andy and his staff got through that," Campbell said.

Referring to the ongoing policy of allowing officials to travel with
teams, Campbell said: "Where it's possible, we're going to do it. But
we haven't done it yet. We don't see doing it on a major basis at
all. It will be very minimal."

The N.H.L. season begins tomorrow night. League games are under the
control of two referees and two linesmen. Frank Brown, a league
spokesman, said past league policy — understood, if not written — had
been for officials to travel commercially, apart from the teams, for
what he said were obvious reasons. Officials have traveled with
teams, Brown said, after getting permission on a case-by-case basis.

Brown said the league asked its general managers about changing the
travel policy for this season and that negative response was minimal.

Since the terrorist attacks, the number of commercial flights has
been reduced and the time spent at airports has been increased for
travelers because of more thorough questioning and baggage inspection.

Brown said he was not aware of any specifications regarding seating
arrangements on planes to minimize interaction between team personnel
and officials.

By Alan Hahn
October 2, 2001


CONTENDERS

How many teams, other than the PHILADELPHIA FLYERS, can trade away a
superstar in Eric Lindros yet still boast two top lines with all-star-
caliber talent such as John LeClair, Jeremy Roenick, Simon Gagne,
Mark Recchi and Keith Primeau? With that kind of depth and firepower,
along with Vezina runner-up Roman Cechmanek, the Flyers will be the
team to beat in the East . . . Although down a notch after
consecutive runs to the Cup Finals, the NEW JERSEY DEVILS cannot be
overlooked to make a third trip . . . For a while, it will be weird
to see Jaromir Jagr playing for the WASHINGTON CAPITALS, but make no
mistake about it: Jagr certainly elevates the Caps into elite status,
especially with a supporting cast of goalie Olaf Kolzig, sniper Peter
Bondra and defenseman Sergei Gonchar ... Despite losing Alexei
Yashin, the OTTAWA SENATORS are stronger defensively and have plenty
of talent up front with the likes of Marian Hossa and Daniel
Alfredsson to keep them contending in the East . . . The defense in
front of Curtis Joseph is still a concern for the TORONTO MAPLE
LEAFS, but they added more scoring power with sniper Alexander
Mogilny . . . Without Jagr, the PITTSBURGH PENGUINS will surely drop,
but Mario Lemieux, Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka still make a
potent offense.

PRETENDERS

Quality additions such as Yashin, Michael Peca and Chris Osgood will
make the long-suffering ISLANDERS the most intriguing story of the
season . . . Martin Biron finally steps out from the shadow of
Dominik Hasek as the defensive-minded BUFFALO SABRES got younger, but
not necessarily better ... Last season's first-round effort against
the Devils showed the CAROLINA HURRICANES are a credible team, but
they will face some serious competition for the eighth spot this
season ... The RANGERS have a mish-mash of fragile star-quality
talent that will either be a huge hit or a terrible flop ... The
BOSTON BRUINS shelled out big bucks for gritty winger Martin Lapointe
(27-30-57 with Detroit last season), yet now are hedging to pay
center Jason Allison (36-59-95). Go figure . . . The Brothers Bure
(Pavel and Valeri) and goalie Roberto Luongo will push the FLORIDA
PANTHERS to rebound from a dismal season ... Brash rookie Ilya
Kovalchuk makes the ATLANTA THRASHERS a fun team to watch, but that's
about it . . . Upgraded experience, depth and goaltending will help
the TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING, but an unsigned center Vincent Lecavalier
will not ... Captain Saku Koivu's stomach cancer has the MONTREAL
CANADIENS reeling from the start.

By Arthur Staple
October 2, 2001


CONTENDERS

Despite the retirements of Ray Bourque and Peter Forsberg, the
defending champion COLORADO AVALANCHE are still the NHL's best ...
Adding a bunch of 30-somethings to an already aged group is supposed
to make you better? If those old fogies are Brett Hull, Luc
Robitaille and Dominik Hasek, then yes, the DETROIT RED WINGS are
better. They still have Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Brendan
Shanahan and a healthy Chris Chelios... A full season of Keith
Tkachuk and the addition of Doug Weight will keep the ST. LOUIS BLUES
among the conference's top three. Weight finally has a strong cast
around him. That includes Pavol Demitra, Cory Stillman, a fully
healed Chris Pronger (broken arm) and the ageless slap shooter Al
MacInnis. The big gap comes in goal, where neophyte Brent Johnson has
been handed the top slot after Roman Turek was dealt to Calgary ... A
team that's gotten older and not necessarily better is the DALLAS
STARS. Ken Hitchcock's crew includes some of the game's bright young
standouts - Brenden Morrow, Jere Lehtinen and Derian Hatcher - as
well as proven vets Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk. But the free-
agent signings are questionable (Pierre Turgeon, Donald Audette and
ex-Ranger layabout Valeri Kamensky) in place of Hull, and Ed Belfour
is as mercurial as they come... The SAN JOSE SHARKS made little
offseason splash, adding only former Ranger and all-around good guy
Adam Graves. But a full season of Teemu Selanne, the return to health
of Owen Nolan and the potential of Patrick Marleau and defenseman
Brad Stuart leave the door open for a big season ... VANCOUVER
CANUCKS defenseman Ed Jovanovski is becoming too good to ignore and a
strong, young group of forwards (Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi,
Henrik and Daniel Sedin) will bring this team to the postseason.

PRETENDERS

The LOS ANGELES KINGS nearly upset their way to the Finals last year,
but they signed the wrong Robitaille this summer - Randy, not veteran
Luc. Felix Potvin likely won't stand on his head for so long
again ... The EDMONTON OILERS received Jochen Hecht and Marty
Reasoner for Weight and have Ryan Smith and Anson Carter, but success
doesn't come with budget restraints ... The PHOENIX COYOTES will be
quite a project for new owner Wayne Gretzky: No Jeremy Roenick and
not much left behind ... If a goaltender can single-handedly carry a
team to the postseason, Mike Dunham is the man for the job with the
NASHVILLE PREDATORS. A likely U.S. Olympian, he has a Herculean task
with the low-scoring Predators . . . The CALGARY FLAMES added Rob
Niedermayer and Turek, but they're starting from a long way down to
try and crack the top eight ... The CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS have a new
coach, Brian Sutter, and a few veterans (Steve Thomas, Igor Korolev),
but star Tony Amonte may be elsewhere by the trading deadline if
Hawks don't start well ... The COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS will soldier on
with a no-name group, hoping to improve after a so-so franchise
debut ... Ditto the MINNESOTA WILD, who signed Andrew Brunette as
their marquee move. 'Nuff said ... Paul Kariya remains one of the
best players in the league, but his ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS will remain
one of the worst teams in the league.

-  I just got done reading Evan Grossman's Ny Post Islander Preview. Wow! He
predicted the Islanders to go 40-28-7-7 this year. What year, I mean what
decade was the last time the Isles were predicted to have 40 wins? Though
that number might be a little high I don't think he is
far off. Look at it this way: 36 wins is the fewest amount of wins you can
have(given this amount of ties) and still be a winning team. If you think
the Isles are not a good team and will have a losing record than you'll
think his prediction is crazy but if you look at the Isles as a solid team
that's better than average 38-40 wins is not that crazy. When I was thinking
to myself where we will finish in the East, comparing them to teams like
Ottawa and Buffalo, I thought wait a second, the Islanders have better
goaltending than Ottawa & Buffalo so why can't we be as good if not better?

        Kevin
PS One small disagreement with Mr. Grossman's prediction; 7 O.T. losses?

So to sum it up Larry Brooks of NY Post predicts the Isles for 8th in the
East, Alan Hahn of Newsday says 7th in the East, and Evan Grossman of the NY
Post says 6th in the East. I believe these are the only 3 predictions that
came out P.O.(Post Osgood)
   Kevin



-----Original Message-----
From: billbarr@... [mailto:billbarr@...]
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 02:46 PM
To: Islanders-Soundtigers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Islanders-Soundtigers] EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW-Newsday


By Alan Hahn
October 2, 2001


CONTENDERS

How many teams, other than the PHILADELPHIA FLYERS, can trade away a
superstar in Eric Lindros yet still boast two top lines with all-star-
caliber talent such as John LeClair, Jeremy Roenick, Simon Gagne,
Mark Recchi and Keith Primeau? With that kind of depth and firepower,
along with Vezina runner-up Roman Cechmanek, the Flyers will be the
team to beat in the East . . . Although down a notch after
consecutive runs to the Cup Finals, the NEW JERSEY DEVILS cannot be
overlooked to make a third trip . . . For a while, it will be weird
to see Jaromir Jagr playing for the WASHINGTON CAPITALS, but make no
mistake about it: Jagr certainly elevates the Caps into elite status,
especially with a supporting cast of goalie Olaf Kolzig, sniper Peter
Bondra and defenseman Sergei Gonchar ... Despite losing Alexei
Yashin, the OTTAWA SENATORS are stronger defensively and have plenty
of talent up front with the likes of Marian Hossa and Daniel
Alfredsson to keep them contending in the East . . . The defense in
front of Curtis Joseph is still a concern for the TORONTO MAPLE
LEAFS, but they added more scoring power with sniper Alexander
Mogilny . . . Without Jagr, the PITTSBURGH PENGUINS will surely drop,
but Mario Lemieux, Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka still make a
potent offense.

PRETENDERS

Quality additions such as Yashin, Michael Peca and Chris Osgood will
make the long-suffering ISLANDERS the most intriguing story of the
season . . . Martin Biron finally steps out from the shadow of
Dominik Hasek as the defensive-minded BUFFALO SABRES got younger, but
not necessarily better ... Last season's first-round effort against
the Devils showed the CAROLINA HURRICANES are a credible team, but
they will face some serious competition for the eighth spot this
season ... The RANGERS have a mish-mash of fragile star-quality
talent that will either be a huge hit or a terrible flop ... The
BOSTON BRUINS shelled out big bucks for gritty winger Martin Lapointe
(27-30-57 with Detroit last season), yet now are hedging to pay
center Jason Allison (36-59-95). Go figure . . . The Brothers Bure
(Pavel and Valeri) and goalie Roberto Luongo will push the FLORIDA
PANTHERS to rebound from a dismal season ... Brash rookie Ilya
Kovalchuk makes the ATLANTA THRASHERS a fun team to watch, but that's
about it . . . Upgraded experience, depth and goaltending will help
the TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING, but an unsigned center Vincent Lecavalier
will not ... Captain Saku Koivu's stomach cancer has the MONTREAL
CANADIENS reeling from the start.







Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

--- In Islanders-Soundtigers@y..., "Hasbrouck, Kevin S, NLNS"
<hasbrouck@e...> wrote:>
>
> -  I just got done reading Evan Grossman's Ny Post Islander
Preview. Wow! He predicted the Islanders to go 40-28-7-7 this year.
What year, I mean what decade was the last time the Isles were
predicted to have 40 wins? Though that number might be a little high
I don't think he is far off. Look at it this way: 36 wins is the
fewest amount of wins you can have(given this amount of ties) and
still be a winning team. If you think the Isles are not a good team
and will have a losing record than you'll think his prediction is
crazy but if you look at the Isles as a solid team that's better than
average 38-40 wins is not that crazy. When I was thinking to myself
where we will finish in the East, comparing them to teams like
Ottawa and Buffalo, I thought wait a second, the Islanders have better
goaltending than Ottawa & Buffalo so why can't we be as good if not
better?>>

     Kevin,

     I don't know. I think it was a pretty thin review that had little
more than casual fans knew already. Could they go 40-28-7-7 ? Sure,
but it's just numbers and a total guess at this point. Is he a mile
better than Barry Baum ? Yes. Is the coverage that in depth ? My
opinion no, and that has more to do with the paper than the writer.

     I think if you have the five beat writers the Knicks have and the
extensive coverage on each player and how they look in the practices
a writer can make those kind of predictions. To me, the hockey
writers do not have a clue around here because it's one guy and they
just do the basics and take a good guess with little facts and
research.

    I never harp on a writers style because I have a terrible tendency
to repeat words, but I do not do this for a living. Evan Grossman in
his review repeated Peter Laviolette's style of hockey twice and
looked like he ran out of things pretty quick. And I think that is
the case because one writer can never go in depth the way it needs to
be done to get that accurate feel as to what is really going on. When
the team goes on the road and is covered by A.P. it will be even
worse when the team comes home and Grossman attempts to try and catch
up. My guess is the fans who watch the games will know more.

    Bill

According to the Daily News Dusan Salficky will be assigned to an
undisclosed minor league team. With the IHL gone the Isles will be hard
pressed to find an organization that will take him and just as important be
able to give him a good amount of playing time. Maybe Lowell?
   Kevin




-----Original Message-----
From: billbarr@... [mailto:billbarr@...]
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 02:25 PM
To: Islanders-Soundtigers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Islanders-Soundtigers] 2000 # 1 DRAFT PICK DIPIETRO ASSIGNED
TO BRIDGEPORT



Sound Tigers Receive Other Top Prospects From NHL's Islanders

BRIDGEPORT, CT - The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, American Hockey League
affiliate of the New York Islanders, learned today that the Islanders
have assigned a group of top prospects to the team in time for the
Sound Tigers first annual Media Day set for this Wednesday. Rick
DiPietro, the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft,
was among that group.

DiPietro, a former Boston University standout, was the first
goaltender ever to be selected as the first overall pick in the NHL
Entry Draft. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Winthrop, Mass.,
split last season between the Islanders and the Chicago Wolves of the
former International Hockey League. DiPietro went 18-5-5 with a .913
save percentage in his senior year with the Terriers, prompting the
Islanders to make the trade necessary to acquire the first overall
pick in the 2000 draft. His Bridgeport debut will mark DiPietro's
first action in the AHL. The acquisition of former Stanley
Cup winner Chris Osgood enabled the NHL team to allow DiPietro to
hone his skills in the AHL, the world's premier developmental league.

The assignment of DiPietro means that the Sound Tigers expect to have
an Opening Night lineup featuring two of the top five picks in the
2000 draft.

DiPietro joins left wing Raffi Torres, who was selected fifth
overall. The 6-foot, 218-pound Torres, known for being a physical
presence on the ice, has yet to play in his first professional
regular season game. Torres is expected to provide much of the
scoring punch to the Sound Tigers lineup.

DiPietro and Torres join a talented Inaugural Season Sound Tiger
roster made up of young prospects and seasoned veterans including
defenseman Ray Giroux, and forwards Juraj Kolnik, Jason Podollan and
Marko Tuomainen.

· The following is a list of players currently assigned to Bridgeport
by the Islanders:

· Goaltenders (4): Rick DiPietro, Dusan Salficky, David St. Germain,
Stephen Valiquette.

· Defensemen (6): Chris Armstrong, Ray Giroux, Marko Kiprusoff, Evgeny
Korolev, Branislav Mezei, Ray Schultz.

· Forwards (10): Marco Charpentier, Ben Guite, Trent Hunter, Juraj
Kolnik, Petr Mika, Justin Mapletoft, Dave Roche, Jason Podollan,
Marko Tuomainen, Raffi Torres.

Bob Lachance remains in Sound Tigers camp, having been signed to an
American Hockey League contract earlier this year. Forward David
Nemirovsky was released.

With the Florida Panthers having no primary AHL affiliate, Bridgeport
is among several teams hosting a limited number of their prospects.
In previous transactions, Florida forwards Dave Morissett and Eric
Godard were assigned to the Sound Tigers.






Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

<< Forward Jason Krog also remains with the Isles, at least until
center Dave Scatchard (fractured bone in foot) returns to the lineup.
Laviolette said Scatchard, who could be shifted to right wing with
Oleg Kvasha sliding back to the middle, is "questionable" for
Friday's opener after skating on his own yesterday. >>

    Why would Laviolette be interested in doing this ? I noticed
Kvasha was listed as a 4th line center in the final preseaon game,
those things change a lot, so I did not consider it a big deal.

    Maybe I am missing something, but to me Kvasha did not exactly
dominate the teams camp or preseason. Any coach who makes a strategy
to beat the Islanders is going to tell his players not to let Yashin
beat you, which explains the great preseaon by Czerkawski (who won
the league pre-season scoring title in six games) Kvasha played a lot
of time with the big boys in preseason. Where were his goals and
points ?

    To me, he has too much work to do if he is going to play left
wings on the top line and cannot miss a second. This is clearly not
the time to move him into the center spot and put Scatchard on a
wing, and if Krog is out, he should be all the way out or you protect
him.

    Of course if Scatchard is going to play a wing position he takes
Kvasha's spot next to Yashin. If he can get twenty goals with last
years team, he can get 30 playing with Yashin and Czerkawski.

    Bill

l take him and just as important be
able to give him a good amount of playing time. Maybe Lowell?

   I meant to say Springfield not Lowell




-----Original Message-----
From: Hasbrouck, Kevin S, NLNS
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 02:30 PM
To: Islanders-Soundtigers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Islanders-Soundtigers] 2000 # 1 DRAFT PICK DIPIETRO
ASSIGNED TO BRIDGEPORT


     According to the Daily News Dusan Salficky will be assigned to an
undisclosed minor league team. With the IHL gone the Isles will be hard
pressed to find an organization that wil
   Kevin




-----Original Message-----
From: billbarr@... [mailto:billbarr@...]
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 02:25 PM
To: Islanders-Soundtigers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Islanders-Soundtigers] 2000 # 1 DRAFT PICK DIPIETRO ASSIGNED
TO BRIDGEPORT



Sound Tigers Receive Other Top Prospects From NHL's Islanders

BRIDGEPORT, CT - The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, American Hockey League
affiliate of the New York Islanders, learned today that the Islanders
have assigned a group of top prospects to the team in time for the
Sound Tigers first annual Media Day set for this Wednesday. Rick
DiPietro, the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft,
was among that group.

DiPietro, a former Boston University standout, was the first
goaltender ever to be selected as the first overall pick in the NHL
Entry Draft. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Winthrop, Mass.,
split last season between the Islanders and the Chicago Wolves of the
former International Hockey League. DiPietro went 18-5-5 with a .913
save percentage in his senior year with the Terriers, prompting the
Islanders to make the trade necessary to acquire the first overall
pick in the 2000 draft. His Bridgeport debut will mark DiPietro's
first action in the AHL. The acquisition of former Stanley
Cup winner Chris Osgood enabled the NHL team to allow DiPietro to
hone his skills in the AHL, the world's premier developmental league.

The assignment of DiPietro means that the Sound Tigers expect to have
an Opening Night lineup featuring two of the top five picks in the
2000 draft.

DiPietro joins left wing Raffi Torres, who was selected fifth
overall. The 6-foot, 218-pound Torres, known for being a physical
presence on the ice, has yet to play in his first professional
regular season game. Torres is expected to provide much of the
scoring punch to the Sound Tigers lineup.

DiPietro and Torres join a talented Inaugural Season Sound Tiger
roster made up of young prospects and seasoned veterans including
defenseman Ray Giroux, and forwards Juraj Kolnik, Jason Podollan and
Marko Tuomainen.

· The following is a list of players currently assigned to Bridgeport
by the Islanders:

· Goaltenders (4): Rick DiPietro, Dusan Salficky, David St. Germain,
Stephen Valiquette.

· Defensemen (6): Chris Armstrong, Ray Giroux, Marko Kiprusoff, Evgeny
Korolev, Branislav Mezei, Ray Schultz.

· Forwards (10): Marco Charpentier, Ben Guite, Trent Hunter, Juraj
Kolnik, Petr Mika, Justin Mapletoft, Dave Roche, Jason Podollan,
Marko Tuomainen, Raffi Torres.

Bob Lachance remains in Sound Tigers camp, having been signed to an
American Hockey League contract earlier this year. Forward David
Nemirovsky was released.

With the Florida Panthers having no primary AHL affiliate, Bridgeport
is among several teams hosting a limited number of their prospects.
In previous transactions, Florida forwards Dave Morissett and Eric
Godard were assigned to the Sound Tigers.






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Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

--- In Islanders-Soundtigers@y..., "Hasbrouck, Kevin S, NLNS"
<hasbrouck@e...> wrote:

>   According to the Daily News Dusan Salficky will be assigned to an
undisclosed minor league team. With the IHL gone the Isles will be
hard pressed to find an organization that will take him and just as
important be able to give him a good amount of playing time. Maybe
Lowell? >>

     That is going to be very hard. Most if not all AHL teams have an
NHL affiliate and are going to want their own people starting in
goal. I would think Lowell is at the bottom of the list after last
years events.

     We'll see.

     Bill

October 2, 2001
By PAVEL BARTA
Faceoff.com correspondent

With the NHL regular season opening Wednesday, Tuesday night might
become Tomas Kaberle's swan song in the Czech Extraleague Kladno
team's colours.

That's when Kladno faces off against Pardubice. Should Kaberle, the
talented yet unsigned Toronto Maple Leafs' defenceman, play another
game in the Czech Republic and then sign with his NHL club, he'd have
to go through waivers and any other NHL team can pick him just for a
paltry fee, offering no warm body in exchange.

Kaberle, interviewed by the Czech Mlada fronta Dnes newspaper, gave
no indication whether he would continue playing for Kladno or not.

Acknowledging he heard rumours other NHL teams were keenly interested
in getting him - including the Atlanta Thrashers where he would be re-
united with older brother Frantisek Kaberle - Tomas Kaberle told the
paper Toronto remained his preferred choice.

But, he said, the ball was in the Maple Leafs' court: "I'm still
waiting for their call. The NHL season opens Wednesday, so, I'd
expect them to get in touch. But no, I won't be calling them."

Kaberle played in eight games for his hometown Kladno club, and,
according to assistant coach Miroslav Horava, himself a former
defenceman, he didn't disappoint.

"His work with us was excellent, absolutely excellent," Horava
said. "He's a calm guy; he's had his say in the dressing room but he
wasn't showing off. He's a modest guy. I'd immediately hire him for
the rest of the season."

Considering Kaberle averaged a point a game, despite the fact he
wasn't used to playing without the benefit of the red line and the
ice was almost as bad as the slush that passes for ice in Dallas in
the spring, Horava's sentiment is understandable.

But: "The (Maple Leafs') offer wasn't even worth considering,"
Kaberle told Mlada fronta Dnes.

According to published reports, there has been interest in his
services from several European clubs, but Kaberle wouldn't disclose
which teams had contacted him and what their offers were.

In any case, he doesn't plan to sit the entire season. He wouldn't
want to miss the chance of playing at the Olympic Games at Salt Lake
City, for one, and besides, hockey is his life.

Pavel Barta is a writer for Hokej magazine in Prague.

October 2, 2001
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Faceoff.com correspondent


It appears the Lightning and holdout center Vinny Lecavalier are
headed for a showdown.

The sides were expected to meet Tuesday in Montreal to try to hammer
out a deal. But general manager Rick Dudley, who will attend alone,
said he is not there to negotiate, though he will be armed with at
least five offers. And Lecavalier's agent Kent Hughes said if the
Lightning is not flexible on its offers, his client is prepared to
sit out.

Asked if these were take-it-or-leave-it proposals, Dudley said, "It
pretty well may be."

Lightning president Ron Campbell agreed, if only pertaining to the
framework of the deals to be presented.

"From the framework, a line in the sand has been drawn, there's no
question about that."

"Vince will not be intimidated," Hughes fired back. "If a deal is not
done by the start of the season, it will not be for a lack of effort
on our part of availability on our part."

Here is where things stand: Tampa Bay has offered a three-year deal
at $6-million. Lecavalier's side has proposed three years at $9.45-
million.

The original offers were three years, $5.35-million from the
Lightning, two years, $6.3-million from Lecavalier.

Hughes said that he extended his offer a year with the same average
salary is a huge concession because the third year is the first
Lecavalier is eligible for arbitration, which, conceivably, would
increase his salary.

Dudley said he is bringing offers of one to five years with him to
Montreal.

"They are going to bring us offers and hopefully those offers
constitute the kind of flexibility that is going to have to be shown
on both sides in order for a deal to get done," Hughes said.

The agent bemoaned the fact that negotiations have dragged on, and
accused the Lightning of dragging its feet.

"We initiated contact with Tampa Bay early in May because we felt it
was important to start the process early given how increasingly
difficult negotiations between teams and players have become," he
said.

"We have waited over a month for responses to our written
communications. We have waited about a month to set up this proposed
meeting after we made clear in September we were available to travel
any time, anywhere because nothing was more important to Vince than
getting a deal done with Tampa Bay."

Asked what will happen if the meeting is not fruitful, Campbell
said, "The reality is, if you start the season, he no longer has as
much value," he said of Lecavalier. "Then negotiations start to go
backwards.

"We've been trying to get it done. It just takes two sides to agree.
We think we've been more than fair given the circumstances."

Said Hughes: "Our discussions with Rick and (assistant general
manager) Jay Feaster have been nothing but professional and
courteous, which makes it even more troubling to read this implied
threat that once the season starts, negotiations will go backwards.

"Despite my concerns about these comments, I hold out hope that the
meeting will be productive. And to that end, we plan to bring several
offers for their consideration, each of which will constitute
significant flexibility on our part."

NOTES: Defenseman Jassen Cullimore (sprained right knee) should play
Friday in the season-opener against the Islanders. But defenseman
Nolan Pratt (foot bruise) could be out up to two weeks. This gives
defenseman Kristian Kudroc a break as he was scheduled to be sent to
Springfield (AHL) but will now be the seventh defenseman. ... The
logo in the center of the new carpeting in the Lightning locker room
at the Ice Palace must not be stepped on, or it is a fine. "You don't
play for the name on your back," right wing Matthew Barnaby
said. "It's the logo on the front." ... Center Brad Richards missed
the final two pre-season games with a strained groin but is expected
to play against the Islanders. ... Two rookies made the team after
final cuts were announced: left wing Nikita Alexeev, 19, and right
wing Jimmie Olvestad, 21. ... The Lightning claimed Glen Metropolit
from the Capitals in the waiver draft for the $90,000 price. In his
first game for Tampa Bay, the forward had a goal and an assist in a 3-
3 tie with the Panthers while filling in for Richatrds on the first
line.

Damian Cristodero covers the Tampa Bay Lightning for the St.
Petersburg Times.

Monday, October 1, 2001
By ALAN ROBINSON -- The Associated Press

  NHL commissioner Gary Bettman doesn't understand why the New York
Islanders gave Alexei Yashin so much money and so long a contract,
but said Monday that huge contracts aren't upsetting the league's
balance of power.

  Yashin may have signed a $90-million US, 10-year contract and the
Pittsburgh Penguins traded scoring champion Jaromir Jagr mostly
because they couldn't afford him, but Bettman isn't convinced the
only way to win the Stanley Cup is to buy it.

  "Just because you spend money, it doesn't get you the results," he
said. "There are plenty of teams in the top third (in spending) that
don't get exactly what they want.

  "There isn't quite the correlation there is in other sports between
what you spend and how your team performs."

  The New Jersey Devils won the Cup in 2000 with a midlevel payroll,
he said. The Colorado Avalanche's payroll didn't soar until after
they won the Cup in June and paid more than $100 million to re-sign
stars Joe Sakic, Rob Blake and Patrick Roy.

  "The bulk of the clubs are trying to operate within their means,"
Bettman said on a conference call. "There are a handful of clubs that
either have greater means or are operating beyond their means.

  "If there's something that is throwing the system out of whack --
and it's something we're watching closely -- it will be dealt with."

  However, any attempt at what Bettman calls "cost containment" won't
come until 2004 at the earliest, after the league's labour contract
expires.

  "If the tendency is that you have to be one of half dozen highest-
spending teams to ultimately win the Cup, if it becomes increasingly
clear you have to spend to get the Holy Grail, we're going look at
the system," he said.

  "If you're a fan ... you have to have hope and expectations your
club is in it."

  Still, Bettman was clearly bothered by the Islanders' huge deal with
Yashin and with the trend to give big contracts to an ever-growing
number of players.

  "I am focused on the disparity that appears to be developing and,
long-term, that can be a troublesome trend," he said. "If the trend
continues, it will be something we have to address.

  "In the short term, it has not yet led to a competitive imbalance;
four of six Canadian clubs made the playoffs last year despite the
currency issues they have to deal with."

  With the NHL set to begin its new season Wednesday, Bettman also
said:

  --Defenceman Bryan Berard, nearly blinded when struck by a stick
nearly two years ago, can play for the New York Rangers because he
now meets the NHL's minimum vision standards.

  --For the first time in three years, the NHL will start a season
without a team in serious financial straits -- such as two years ago,
when the Penguins were in bankruptcy -- and with most of its stars
under contract.

  --The NHL all-star game won't conflict with the Super Bowl, even if
the NHL moves its championship game to Sunday, Feb. 3. Unlike the
last couple of years, when the all-star game was played on Sunday,
the game this season is set for Saturday, Feb. 2 in Los Angeles.

  "We think this will be a great weekend for TV," he said. "If the NFL
does it, so much the better."

Tuesday, October 2, 2001
Whaler won't be in the NHL or at world junior tourney
By TERRY KOSHAN -- Toronto Sun

  Stephen Weiss' decision to skip the national junior team's
development camp this past summer in a quest to earn a spot with the
Florida Panthers backfired yesterday.

  Weiss, hampered at the Panthers camp by a minor groin injury, was
returned to the Plymouth Whalers by the Panthers, who picked Weiss
fourth overall in the entry draft last June.

  There is no doubt that Weiss, once he recovers in the next week or
so from his injury, should have an outstanding season in the Ontario
Hockey League. The 18-year-old Toronto native is regarded as one of
the top two-way players in the OHL and had 87 points in 62 games last
season.

  But unless the Canadian Hockey Association changes its mind, Weiss
will not help represent Canada at the world junior championship in
the Czech Republic this winter.

  One policy of the CHA is that only players who have two years in the
national team program can forego the summer camp and still play for
the team. Weiss attended the junior nats' selection camp last
December but was slowed by a hip flexor injury and was cut. CHA
president Bob Nicholson said during the summer it was "highly
unlikely" Weiss would be invited to the selection camp in December.

  On the other hand, if Jason Spezza eventually is sent back to the
Windsor Spitfires by the Ottawa Senators, he would be welcomed by the
CHA. Spezza skipped last summer's camp but has been a member of the
junior nats the past two winters.

  Weiss can appeal to the CHA policy committee but it is doubtful that
he would be successful. It's a matter of principle for the CHA and
the last thing it wants is to let Weiss play and then watch in the
future as players snub the summer camp and expect to play as well.

  "Stephen would love to play for the world junior team," Weiss'
agent, Pat Morris, said. "He wasn't slighting them. If they want to
ice the best team, Stephen should be invited."

Tuesday, October 2, 2001
By AL STRACHAN -- Toronto Sun

  According to the people who run the National Hockey League, this
season's game will be the same as last season's. Except where it
isn't.

  There have been no rule changes, so in that sense, it's the same
game.

  But it will be played in less time, will be better officiated and
will feature more power plays.

  Those were among the messages delivered yesterday during a
conference call involving NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, vice-
president for hockey Colin Campbell, director of officiating Andy Van
Hellemond and safety committee head Dave Dryden.

  All of them stressed that even though there were no rule changes,
the approach to the game has been altered in a number of ways.

  Van Hellemond said officials will use the existing rules to crack
down on unnecessary delays in the game. They will be especially alert
for players who fall on loose pucks to get a stoppage or send the
puck into the stands needlessly, either by shooting it or by throwing
it.

  Also, Van Hellemond, who had to leave the news conference call
before its conclusion in order to take part in a similar call with
his officials, said that the focus of the two-referee system will be
refined in a manner that can be expected to produce more penalties,
and hence, more power plays.

  With last season having been the first full season of the two-
referee system, most officials had a mind-set that was firmly
entrenched in the old method.

  They watched the puck and the events that transpired close to
it. "The hardest thing for a referee to do is look away from the
puck," Van Hellemond said.

  This year, Van Hellemond is training his officials to divide their
responsibilities. He has drawn up what is basically a zone system for
the two referees.

  Depending on where the play is taking place, only one referee should
be watching the puck. The other should be looking elsewhere for
infractions.

  A frequent complaint of coaches last season was along the lines
of, "Two referees and neither one of them saw it."

  Invariably what they didn't see was behind the play, because they
were both watching the puck. Van Hellemond said his referees caught
more than 95% of the infractions, but this season that number should
be higher.

  The executives also promised that the intolerance toward slashing,
which began last year, will be even more pronounced. Ditto for hits
to the head.

  Van Hellemond, who is a hockey man as opposed to being a lawyer,
stressed that hard hits, where the skates stay on the ice and the arm
stays at the side, will be allowed to continue.

  That, he said, "is a hockey hit." And, as Eric Lindros can tell,
you, those types of hits can still do serious damage if you have your
head down.

  But if the player leaves his feet or brings the elbow up, he can
expect to face supplementary discipline -- and this season, Campbell
said, the suspension will be harsher than in the past.

  Many of the changes are subtle but have been instituted because
Dryden's committee felt that no one factor causes injuries and that
relatively insignificant practices can take their toll.

  For instance, every year, injuries are caused by bad ice. Yet the
ice makers say that bad ice is often the result of an extended
stretch of the lunacy that passes for intermission entertainment.

  The flooding starts late, so the ice doesn't have time to set before
the players come back and start gouging it with their high-tech
skates.

  The league is also urging teams to replace the players' helmets long
before the foam padding has turned to lava.

  Over the course of a season, as the padding gets drenched with sweat
then dries out, it deteriorates and becomes almost useless.

  There's also the matter of loose chin straps that also renders the
helmet ineffective in many cases. An initial blow sends the helmet
flying, then the player's head strikes the ice or glass and an injury
results.

  EXPERIMENTING

  The league is urging tighter chin straps and will, if ignored, try
to pass a rule governing the practice.

  Even the glass itself is under consideration, Bettman said. Around
the league, arenas are experimenting with better ways to make the
glass more forgiving when hockey players make contact with it at high
speed.

  "We can do these things that will make for a better playing
environment," Bettman said.

  "Let's get those things in place."

Contenders loading up as labor negotiations loom

October 2, 2001


1. How much will the Avalanche miss Ray Bourque and Peter Forsberg?

Bourque was the Avs' glue. And no matter how often the players say
they'll take what he taught them and be as good defensively as they
were last season, talk is cheap. As for Forsberg, the Avs won't miss
him for the entire season -- he'll be back after the Olympics.

2. Should Scotty Bowman quit if he can't win the Stanley Cup with
Dominik Hasek in goal?

Bowman and Hasek and the rest of the geriatric Red Wings all should
call it quits if the Cup doesn't return to Hockeytown USA. With all
those over-30 players, however, look for several of them to break
down over the long grind of 82 regular-season games, the Olympics and
the playoffs.

3. Do the Devils have what it takes to win the Cup this season, given
their performance in last year's finals?

Assuming a return to playoff form for goalie Martin Brodeur --
against Colorado, he never stood tall to win a game the way he did in
the 1995 and 2000 finals -- it seems the only thing the Devils lack
is a willingness to pay their players. The team again is bickering
over money, an issue that could derail a title run.

4. Pierre Turgeon and Donald Audette have been playoffs flops in the
past, so why is everyone so high on the new Stars?

The difference is Turgeon and Audette will be third-line players in
Dallas and will not have to face an opponent's top checking line.
That depth is what makes the Stars the team to beat. Plus, Turgeon
and Audette will get more ice to work with because opponents will be
concentrating on Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk.

5. Is this finally the year of the Flyers?

They have the deepest forward unit in their history and finally have
a couple of defensemen who don't think the puck is a hot potato. The
only issue here is whether Roman Cechmanek will implode in the
playoffs like he did last year.

6. No goaltending, no Stanley Cup for the Blues, right?

Brent Johnson might not be a household name, but he will be before
his career is over. Roman Turek was a huge disappointment last
season, and Johnson should have been the Blues' playoff goaltender.
Many fans will see why this season. The Blues would be a Cup
contender if they weren't in the same conference as the Stars.

7. What are the chances of Eric Lindros playing at least 50 games?
And can he really make the Rangers a playoff contender?

Rangers goalie Mike Richter says he never has seen a more focused
player than Lindros -- and, remember, Richter has played a lot with
Mark Messier. Lindros will play 60 games -- but, considering the
Rangers' defense, it won't matter if he plays in all 82. The Rangers
will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season.

8. Will back pain and the grind of the season wear down Mario Lemieux
by March, causing him to quit after his team is ousted from the
playoffs?

The Jaromir Jagr-less Penguins will face a hard fight from the
beginning, meaning this team won't make the playoffs. Coach Ivan
Hlinka will be the first casualty, and a battered and frustrated
Lemieux could be next to hit the sideline.

9. Who will be sent to the minors first -- Roman Turek, Felix Potvin
or half the Blackhawks' roster?

My pick is the Blackhawks, though I also think Mike Vernon will win
back the No. 1 job in goal from Turek in Calgary. Potvin,
surprisingly, is the best bet not to go anywhere.

10. Was there actually improvement with the Capitals, or will we see
just another sad Caps team?

Skeptics say Ron Wilson can't coach star players and is too rigid
with his defensive mind-set. Hogwash. When Wilson coached the Mighty
Ducks' Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, the team had a quick transition
game -- and I look for much of the same from Jaromir Jagr, Peter
Bondra, Adam Oates and Sergei Gonchar. Should Philadelphia and New
Jersey stumble, the Caps will fill in the blanks.

11. Will Brett Hull be the best bargain in the league this season, as
he predicts?

No one will come close to Devils 40-goal scorer Patrick Elias, who
will make $675,000 this season.

12. Why did the Bruins overspend on Martin Lapointe?

That, like his salary, is the $5 million question. Just ask soon-to-
be former Bruins Jason Allison, Bill Guerin and Kyle McLaren, who
found out what loyalty means in Boston and that management is lost.

13. Is Sabres goaltender Martin Biron as good as everyone thinks?

Biron's numbers might come close to the ones Dominik Hasek put up in
Buffalo, but he'll never give the Sabres the safety net they had with
The Dominator, who allowed the defensemen to take chances because
they knew Hasek was there to save the day.

14. How can the Oilers survive without Doug Weight?

They can't, and they won't.

15. Who is the most underrated player in each conference?

The Capitals' Sergei Gonchar will show that he's the most gifted
defenseman in the East. In the West, the most underrated player is
Sharks center Vincent Damphousse, especially when you consider what
his absence meant to the team last season.

16. Is Tony Amonte really on his way out of Chicago?

He's fading, just like Ed Belfour, Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios
did before him. Ownerships that operate as if the NHL is a six-team
league and players are their slaves don't succeed in today's game.

17. Will the Bure brothers be double trouble for the Panthers?

Pavel and Val will be double trouble for Florida's opponents and with
their puck possession could ease the pressure on the team's poor
defense.

18. Will Alexei Yashin and Michael Peca make the Islanders
significantly better?

Yes, but they still won't make the playoffs.

19. Which three players will ride Olympic success into the playoffs?

Chris Pronger, Jaromir Jagr and Jeremy Roenick.

20. Will Ilya Kovalchuk even be the best rookie on the Thrashers, let
alone in the league?

Kovalchuk will outplay Dany Heatley with Atlanta, but Florida's
Kristian Huselius is the best candidate for rookie of the year.

21. Will the Sharks be the sleeper pick of the season?

San Jose won't be a sleeper considering the depth of its roster. The
Sharks are, however, still a long shot until they acquire a
productive No. 2 center to play behind Vincent Damphousse.

22. Where do the Maple Leafs fall in the strengthened East?

Curtis Joseph still is the answer to every question about the Leafs,
despite the additions of Robert Reichel, Travis Green and Mikael
Renberg up front. Toronto remains behind Philadelphia, New Jersey and
Washington.

23. Does anyone in Vancouver know how to play goal?

Andy Moog does, but he's the goaltending coach. Or have you heard
about him coming out of retirement, like so many others have lately?

(Oct 2) TORONTO (CP) - Nortel Networks, IBM and Wendy's have severed
their sponsorships with the NHL and have yet to be replaced, the
Globe and Mail reported Tuesday.

The report, citing unnamed league sources, said the financial loss to
the NHL will be about $3 million US. But losing the sponsorships is a
bigger blow to the league's prestige and will cause it problems in
negotiating new TV contracts.

``In the scheme of a $1.8 billion business, it's not a huge factor
one way or another,'' a source told the Globe. ``Where it does have
an impact is on broadcasting. When you approach the CBC and the U.S.
television partners, they want to see commitments in place.''

The NHL's contract with the CBC is up at the end of the season. Its
$600-million contract with ABC and ESPN is entering the third of a
five-year deal.

Bernadette Mansur, the NHL's group vice-president of communications,
told the Globe that talks are proceeding with other sponsors. She
added that six other major sponsors _ including Dodge, Coca-Cola,
Kraft and Nabisco had renewed their sponsorships.

First off, he puts out the word that any league executive who talks
about the financial picture in the NHL can be fined. Not much room
for debate on that one.

Now he is not happy about the Isles for giving Yashin a ten year deal
and is outspoken about it ?

This from a man who allowed the Islanders to be bought by a con-man
and another who did not throw out owners who legally crippled the
franchise to the point they were an IHL team. Blaming the Isles for
signing a big player to a long-term contract is like blaming
Czerkawski for violence in the NHL for getting a fighting major.

I will not sit here and as a fan say it is easy to be the NHL
comissioner, it's very hard job and it's also very political, like
most things. The job is to look out for each team, sell the sport and
make money for the 30 groups of owners. A lot of times the selling
the sport has gotten in the way of that job description.

To say the cup can't be bought because the Rangers cannot spend
enough money to win it is a joke and not accurate. It's a matter of
incredible poor judgement in the Rangers case for four years that
have kept them out. And all anyone has to do is look at the checks
written to the Oilers in the early nineties to see how the Rangers
got the 1994 Cup.

But to have something to say along the lines that the Isles have done
something wrong locking up a star for their small market franchise is
way off base. Bettman should take a good hard look at what a small
market franchise is forced to do to keep a star, should they have
signed Yashin to a five year deal and lost him to another big-market
franchise later on ? Why not lock up a franchise player for ten
years, if both sides want it. Yashin did not break any records for
yearly salary ?  Mario got seven years, 49 mil at one point in his
career, why should't a small market team lock up someone in that way
when they gave up the kind of prospects they did ?

This is the high price of a small-market team getting an identity and
I have no doubt it's going to be copied by a few other small-market
teams.

I did some checking today and you know how many players under 25 are
going to play on the Islanders who were drafted by them ? None.

Unless you are a very rich team or very successful and that player is
happy, the only way you can entice a Steve Yzerman to stay when they
reach 31 for a huge pile of cash. Otherwise he is going to move for
the big-payday.

Younger fans will never know how incredible it was to see a home-
grown team win four straight championships.

That is Gary Bettman's NHL and you can go up and down most rosters
and find the same thing. Anyone think Martin Brodeur is going to take
a lowball offer from the Devils ? No, it's payday and if Hasek
retires the Wings will gladly offer him the cash they are paying him
now and another small market team loses.

What can Bettman say, it's his system. If your Jeremy Roenick you can
even find a way to get a deal before July 1st with no problem.

What was not talked about is how the rich, big market teams can not
only control the top end of free agency, but now also get to exploit
the bottom end and sign the Barrett Heisten prospects to big deals
and make up for poor drafting due to weaker teams finances.

And Bettman sure was asleep at the wheel when the Leafs had Berard
stolen from them. He was a free agent because the league decided the
Leafs did not have to make an exemption for him a few years ago in
the waiver draft, like Saku Koivu.

And Berard looked like he had not lost a thing playing Sunday. I am
no Leafs fan, but what's right is right, the Leafs should own his
rights until he is 31.

Bill

Item 1: The SoundTigers Website-Who are the people hired to update
the site for the Islanders new affiliate ? This team played three
exhibtion games with no game results, no players listed as part of a
roster and no pictures since July of their brand new arena at Harbor
Yard that is ready. The SoundTigers competition did have the game
results and boxscores, you would think a new team would want to stack
the site with tons of info to get people excited. One thing for me
and I know as a fact I am not getting on a Ferry in January at night
and I would love to know the prices for fans going to see the game to
take that ferry because it may cost more than the tickets. Only thing
we are getting from that site is ticket info.

Item 2: As usual the Isles television schedule is dripping out of Msg
network as slowly as possible. I do not even know if it is an Isles
issue or just bad management at the network. Ranger fans got to see a
grand total of four 1/2 peirods of Rangers hockey all preseason when
the Yankees game ran extra long Sunday. The Devils have been to two
straight finals and do not get a game, and we all know the deal with
the Isles preseason.

Item 3: It's Basketball time. Yes gang the Knicks have already lapped
the Isles and hockey for preseaon coverage in the press. Most local
shows are all baseball and some football and will keep the baseball
going stright thru until the opening tip, by then hockey is underway
and many places still use the old school thinking that 16 of 21 teams
make the NHL playoffs so nothing is missed.

Item 4: Bryan Berard-I watched him play on Sunday and the Rangers
knew exactly what to do with him and that is put him next to Leetch
and that is where he will stay when he signs that long-term deal when
his tryout expires. This could land the Rangers in a playoff spot
because it put's less pressure on Malakhov and the other defenders on
the Rangers.

Item 5: What ever happened to Peter Laviolette's talk with the season
ticket holders- He has not had a lot to say either way, which is kind
of a good thing because someone is going to find a way to make him
explain his reasons. Hopefully he does not use the same bunker style
that keeps Milbury from taking questions from fans thru the teams
site or another source. Sather takes questions and meets the fans,
and the Isles should provide the same thing.

Item 6: Checked out the Lightning's site to see what's up with Biron
and Kudroc and (1 game Biron/4 games Kudroc) and stumbled upon a
really wild feature on the site and that is a camera that operates
live and let's you watch the team practices and morning skates.

Sounds like a great feature to see what goalie may start there is a
question and a very fan-friendly idea the Isles should explore.
Pictures speak a thousand words, so what the heck ?

Item 7: Anyone know digital tv has Fox Sports World, Espanol, and a
bunch of other things, but no local NHL previews. I think Espn2 has
something on after midnight and Barry (I do not bother with prospects)
Melrose will take his best guesses and pick the big-market teams.

Finally, Joe Micheletti and Howie Rose get to see the new Islanders
Friday, let's hope Joe can understand that all these older players
are not taking undisciplined penalties and look and see if it is a
bad call first this year. 30 minutes filled with commercials is not a
lot of pregame to explain all that happened this summer.

Bill

Kvasha played a lot
of time with the big boys in preseason. Where were his goals and
points ?

   I completely agree. Hate to even go there but it seems Milbury has
something to do with it. Milbury has been quoted as saying that Goring
played Kvasha out of position at wing and that
was the reason he didn't perform up to expectations. I don't get why Milbury
would want him at
center this year anyway. Like you said playing with Yashin seems the best
bet to get Kvasha going. Not only that if he doesn't play wing that means he
is going to be a 4th line center, 3rd line center at best which means more
responsibility with defensive coverage and he'll be expected to carry the
offensive load of an entire line with wingers that aren't scorers. Add to
that Dave Scatchard(who is only our best faceoff man) will have to play
right wing where the least amount of defensive responsibility is expected of
you. Not to mention Lapointe is a natural centerman and it was already going
to be hard enough to get him any center ice time. Brilliant thinking!
    Kevin




-----Original Message-----
From: billbarr@... [mailto:billbarr@...]
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 03:18 PM
To: Islanders-Soundtigers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Islanders-Soundtigers] Seems like Kvasha's status is changing


<< Forward Jason Krog also remains with the Isles, at least until
center Dave Scatchard (fractured bone in foot) returns to the lineup.
Laviolette said Scatchard, who could be shifted to right wing with
Oleg Kvasha sliding back to the middle, is "questionable" for
Friday's opener after skating on his own yesterday. >>

    Why would Laviolette be interested in doing this ? I noticed
Kvasha was listed as a 4th line center in the final preseaon game,
those things change a lot, so I did not consider it a big deal.

    Maybe I am missing something, but to me Kvasha did not exactly
dominate the teams camp or preseason. Any coach who makes a strategy
to beat the Islanders is going to tell his players not to let Yashin
beat you, which explains the great preseaon by Czerkawski (who won
the league pre-season scoring title in six games)

    To me, he has too much work to do if he is going to play left
wings on the top line and cannot miss a second. This is clearly not
the time to move him into the center spot and put Scatchard on a
wing, and if Krog is out, he should be all the way out or you protect
him.

    Of course if Scatchard is going to play a wing position he takes
Kvasha's spot next to Yashin. If he can get twenty goals with last
years team, he can get 30 playing with Yashin and Czerkawski.

    Bill






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(Oct 2) (tsn.ca) - Veteran winger Stéphane Richer signed a contract
with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. While terms of the deal were
not disclosed, TSN's French-language sister station RDS, reported
yesterday the deal would earn the 35-year-old left winger $1 million
for the 2001-02 season.

Richer, 35, has played in 986 games in 16 NHL seasons, recording 407
goals and 791 points along with 600 penalty minutes. He last played
in the NHL during the 1999-2000 season, splitting the season between
Tampa Bay and St. Louis. In a combined 56 games, Richer recorded 15
goals and 37 points.

"Stephane was very impressive during training camp and we think he'll
be a great addition to our team", said General Manager Craig Patrick.

Richer, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, with Montreal in 1986 and
New Jersey in 1995, has reached the 50 goal plateau twice in his
career, 1987-88 and 1989-90, both with Montreal. He has scored at
least 20 goals in a season 12 times.

The 6'2" and 215 pound native of Ripon, Quebec was drafted by the
Montreal Canadiens in the second round (29th overall) of the 1984
Entry Draft.

Top goalie prospect DiPietro to play in Bridgeport

Tuesday, October 02, 2001 -
By MICHAEL FORNABAIO
mfornabaio@...

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the New York Islanders' top
developmental club, will be developing one of the NHL's top
goaltending prospects this year.

The Islanders assigned 20 players to Bridgeport on Monday morning,
and among them was Rick DiPietro, the first goalie ever taken first
overall in an entry draft. DiPietro was the top pick in 2000.

"It's development. It's the right thing to do," said Gordie Clark,
the Sound Tigers' director of hockey operations and the Islanders'
assistant general manager. "He's just going to have to trust us that
it's the right thing, both for him and for us."

The Islanders also assigned 29-year-old Czech goalie Dusan Salficky
to Bridgeport. Salficky and DiPietro had been expected to battle for
the Islanders' backup job behind Garth Snow, but New York acquired
veteran Chris Osgood with the first pick in the NHL waiver draft
Friday.

NHL teams almost never carry three goalies, partly because an extra
goalie takes a roster spot from a skater and party because it's
almost impossible to get each enough work to keep him sharp.

For the moment, though, the Sound Tigers have four goalies, including
Stephen Valiquette and David St. Germain, who have been practicing
and playing in Bridgeport since the Isles split their training camp
Sept. 21.

St. Germain, a first-year pro, is likely to go to the Islanders'
Trenton affiliate in the East Coast Hockey League. But the other
three are here for at least the near future.

DiPietro, 20, shot to the top of the 2000 draft after a strong
freshman year at Boston University in 1999-2000. He went 18-5-5 with
a 2.45 goals-against average.

The 6-foot, 185-pound goalie began his pro career last year with the
Chicago Wolves of the now-defunct International Hockey League,
playing 14 games to a 4-5-2 record and a 3.39 GAA. He was recalled to
the Islanders for the second half and played 20 games. With the team
finishing last in the NHL, he went 3-15-1 with a 3.49 GAA and a .878
save percentage.

The other 16 players assigned Monday contained no big surprises. All
had been skating at least part-time in Bridgeport since the Islanders
returned from Lake Placid, N.Y.

The Sound Tigers have 27 players left in camp, including four
assigned from the Florida Panthers. Clark said the team probably
would get down to 21 or 22 players by its opener Friday night in
Rochester, N.Y.

The Islanders are left with 24 players on the active NHL roster, one
above the limit. That includes center Jason Krog and defenseman Dick
Tarnstrom, both of whom played for Bridgeport in the exhibition
season.

For a while now I have been talking about all the things that have to
happen for the team to make a serious shot at a playoff spot. I now
think were close enough to the season where I can look at the team
and point out what the biggest questions are going to be.

And you can do this with most of the other teams also, but this one
will revolve around the Isles.

We all know about injuries and what they mean to this team, if the
big guys get hurt all bets are off.

1. I hate to keep bringing it up but for this team to get to the next
level someone outside of Yashin and Czerkawski has to put the puck in
the net. Yashin will be the target of every team he plays.

1A. Out of Isbister, Kvasha Parrish and Peca, three of these players
have to contribute goals to this offense or you can almost forget the
playoffs. Scatchard is the only other guy on the map who can score
and may have to improve on 20 goals if two of these guys falter or go
down. Can that happen.

2. Will this team be able to score on the PP and will they continue
to use Peca in with Yashin and Czerkawski.

3. Are the Islanders getting the Osgood who played well in the
playoffs, or the guy who had to be replaced by Manny Legace too many
times last year ?

4. Can the defense come together as a unit and replace the physical
play of Chara and his miuntes.

5. Jonsson must play his A game all season and Aucoin has to be more
like the player he was in Vancouver when he was doing well.

6. Can Carins/Haller/Sutton stay healthy and out of the box and
provide solid defense.

7. Is Mats Lindgren going to do anything to make him worth a spot.
8. Same question for Bates and Kharitonov.
9. Which Lapointe are we getting, the 99-00 guy we HAD to resign, or
the 2000-01 version that was AWOL too often.

10. Can Laviolette coach and do things his way with Mike Milbury's
job on the line. Can he stay a players-coach when it comes to Milbury
if he enters the room and gets on someone. If Milbury humiliates
Laviolette can he keep his team playing for him.

11. Can Martinek, Krog or someone in the system step in and give
their position the boost it needs when it's struggling.