Rock

DEVILS WANT DEAL http://www.nypost.com/sports/devils/23562.htm By MARK (N)Єverson October 17, 2002 -- Devils GM Lou Lamoriello kept his options open yesterday, believed to be pursuing a trade while waiting to see how Turner Stevenson's "other" knee responds to skating today. "It's not bad, but the ligament's a little stiff," Stevenson said yesterday, after suffering a left knee injury in practice Tuesday. "We'll see how it is when I get back on the ice. That will be the thing. "It was a freak accident. I went to stop and fell down." Lamoriello already has one open spot on his 23-man roster with the departure of Andreas Salomonsson, lost on waivers to Washington. Stevenson missed most of last season with a right knee injury that required major reconstruction. The Devils might be careful with Stevenson as they try to extend their perfect start under Pat Burns to a third game tomorrow when they play host to winless Nashville. If Stevenson sits out, the Devils would not have any extra forwards on their roster in case of sudden illness or injury. Stephen Guolla would stand to make his season debut. Meanwhile, it is believed the Devils are trying to make a significant deal to bolster their offense, and Lamoriello might be biding his time to avoid having to play the waiver game again if a deal doesn't materialize. (At least he didn't come up with fantasy trades!) Both winger Christian Berglund and defenseman Tommy Albelin skated yesterday with Albany, seeming to be the most likely players to be recalled.

Newark approves $200M for arena http://www.bergenrecord.com/page.php?level...=1&page=5332169 Thursday, October 17, 2002 By JOHN BRENNAN Staff Writer The Newark City Council on Wednesday appropriated $200 million for a new arena for the Nets and Devils - the financial linchpin of a deal that could see the two professional sports franchises playing in a new home by the fall of 2005. The prime source of funding for the $355 million structure comes from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey via increased rent payments to the city for the land on which Newark Liberty International Airport sits. The City Council approved the renegotiated lease - which also provides a cash infusion of $100 million to plug a hole in the city's operating budget - then immediately earmarked another $165 million of the new-found money toward the arena. The city will put another $35 million into the pot from its own sources. With its actions, the council also approved a tentative agreement with the YankeeNets in which the corporation agreed to pay $130 million for the arena and said it would take responsibility for any construction cost overruns, city officials said. The deal caps a four-year battle headed by Newark Mayor Sharpe James and YankeeNets partner Ray Chambers to bring professional major league sports to the state's largest city. "This is the best deal in the history of the United States of America," James said. "At the end [of a 30-year lease] the city owns a billion-dollar structure, plus it collects a base rent of $12.5 million a year plus a 3 percent sales tax. We also will receive a predicted $2.6 billion in investment around the footprint of the arena. A blind man could see that this is the best deal in America." In an impromptu news conference before the formal vote Wednesday night, James beamed like a child who found the toy he had always wanted under the Christmas tree. But Donald Tucker, the senior member of the City Council, wore a look of utter gloom and called the vote "the worst situation I've ever been through" in 28 years on the governing body. However, there was one thing the two sixtysomething politicians agreed upon: After Wednesday night's vote by the council, the move of the Nets and Devils out of their current home in the Meadowlands is likely - and perhaps inevitable. An outraged Tucker, who said, "They are selling out the citizens of Newark," threatened to go to the Essex County prosecutor seeking an investigation over what he said was an "illegal meeting" last week between James and six City Council members. Tucker said they were the same group who stood side by side with James at the news conference, which followed the mayor's late-afternoon presentation to the governing body. James and three of the City Council members in question all denied that any such meeting took place last week, with one saying defiantly of Tucker, "Let him try to prove it." Instead, they touted the arena as a boon for their city. "We turned the paperwork upside down all afternoon," said Donald Bradley, president of the City Council. "And when we got to the formulas involved, we think they work for the city." Funding for the 18,500-seat arena breaks down like this: $200 million from Newark, $130 million paid by YankeeNets, $10 million from the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority, and $15 million listed simply as "to be secured." City officials said that money was expected to come from the Essex County Improvement Authority. James said there is "no risk" to city taxpayers, and that funds to repay money borrowed as part of the deal and more would flow back into the city's budget in future years. Although the deal as constituted appears to bypass a long-skeptical state Legislature, there may be some help requested from Trenton in the form of infrastructure improvements, such as for transportation. Essex County executive candidate Candy Straight, a Republican, vows to fight the involvement of any county agency if she is elected next month. But the relatively small amount expected from the county might be found elsewhere if necessary. "We took the first step, which was retention of two professional sports teams in New Jersey," said James, who is also a state senator. "Whatever it takes to make this a regional and state facility, I'm sure the honorable men and women of the Assembly and Senate will assist in some minor way." Chambers, who rarely speaks to the press, was not at City Hall Wednesday. But he will be relieved by the vote, James said. "He was so depressed the last time he came to Trenton," said James, referring to Chambers' unsuccessful bid in late June to get state approval for an arena deal. "He said everyone in politics had lied to him. But he gave us one more chance. Well, maybe the state failed him, but [the city] did not fail that native Newark son." Councilwoman Mamie Bridgeforth, who voted in favor of both issues, said the coming months will "not be a cakewalk. "But at the end of the road, we will have that arena and we will have these jobs," said the councilwoman. "The Bible says that without a vision, people perish." James said he had also secured a commitment from YankeeNets for at least 60 percent minority hiring for permanent positions at the arena, 25 percent in management, and 50 percent for seasonal workers. The arena would host an annual citywide high school basketball tournament. Wednesday's council session began in the early afternoon with a sharp exchange between Bradley and Tucker, who objected to Bradley's attempt to go into executive session immediately. "We're talking about more than a half-billion dollars of taxpayers' money," said Tucker. "It's not your money, or my money, and I am not of the opinion that we should be hiding anything from the public." Bradley said he agreed with that statement, but insisted that there were "legal questions" to be discussed with council attorneys that required the closed session. The meeting remained open for about 30 minutes, with discussion of routine council business until a seventh council member's arrival gave those in favor of a closed session a 5-2 majority. The reworking of leases ases with the Port Authority is a key piece in an arena puzzle that had stalled for years because of a reluctance by the Legislature to approve bonds to guarantee the project with taxpayers' dollars. In August, James and the Port Authority reached a preliminary agreement to extend the lease at the airport from 2031 to 2065 in exchange for some badly needed upfront money for the city. Newark gets $100 million from the Port Authority to plug a hole in this year's budget, gets $165 million toward the arena, and will receive at least $65 million annually from the Port Authority in future years. *** The Newark arena deal The vital statistics: Total cost: $355 million Number of seats: 18,500 Estimated opening: Fall 2005 Location: On the Newark waterfront, just south of the junction of Routes 280 and 21, near the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The arithmetic: YankeeNets, the owner of the Nets and the Devils, would put up $130 million. Newark puts up $200 million, including $165 million earmarked from increases in yearly rent payments by the Port Authority for city-owned land on which Newark Liberty International Airport sits. The New Jersey Redevelopment Authority is expected to provide $10 million. The Essex County Improvement Authority would likely be called upon for the remaining $15 million. The fine print: Cost overruns are the responsibility of YankeeNets, according to city officials. The arena is owned by Newark. Unknowns: The reaction of Essex County officials; Candace Straight, the Republican candidate for county executive, has said she is opposed to using any county funds for the arena. Responsibility for off-site infrastructure improvements for better access to the site.

The blood was what got Lindros the major. The refs called it in real time. Maybe the penalty was too harsh looking at the replay, but it doesn't start to even the score for the times he got away with major offenses with a slap on the wrist.

I thought he was referring to Kasatonov. As you said Starikov didn't stay around long.

I don't think I can link it, since you have to register to use the NY Times. It's too big to post as it is 16 pages of discussion.

Devs waive Salomonsson http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/s...78p-26003c.html By DARREN (N)Єverson DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER Before yesterday, Pat Burns didn't know how he might get Christian Berglund back on the roster. The Devils coach didn't know how, barring injury or player inconsistency, to get Steve Guolla into the lineup. Well, at least he has an answer to one of those questions now. The Devils opened up a roster spot by waiving Andreas Salomonsson, a 28-year-old second-year forward who had yet to play in a game this season or play up to his potential. Salomonsson was subsequently claimed by the Capitals. Washington was one of the teams Salomonsson had significant success against last season. He had three points in three games against the Capitals, including a game-tying goal and an overtime assist in the season finale in D.C. in April. Salomonsson has shown he can be difficult to knock off the puck, but he has also shown he has trouble finishing. He had four goals and five assists in 39 games last season, but wasn't likely to get much playing time this season. So, since the Devils needed a roster spot and since they couldn't otherwise move Salomonsson - Lamoriello said AHL Albany would've had too many veterans to send him there - they waived him. The Devils didn't call up anyone to take Salomonsson's spot yesterday, but now they have the freedom to do so whenever they wish. Unless there are injuries on the blue line, the player who'll most likely benefit is Berglund, a feisty 22-year-old winger who was one of the last cuts in training camp. As for the veteran center Guolla, he's still waiting for his first chance to play this season. Danton has had two good games as the fourth-line center, scoring in the second one Saturday against Columbus. Resting: Devils remain off until Friday, when Nashville visits. ...Turner Stevenson left the practice ice early yesterday after falling and tweaking his left knee. The good news for him and the Devils is it wasn't serious, and it wasn't his other knee. The right one was injured and operated on last season. Stevenson said he probably won't skate at practice today but added that tests won't be necessary.

Stevenson hurts other knee http://www.bergenrecord.com/page.php?level...32&page=5316916 Wednesday, October 16, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer WEST ORANGE - Turner Stevenson's bad luck with his knees returned Tuesday when the Devils right wing caught his skate in a rut during practice and twisted his left knee as he fell awkwardly to the ice. Stevenson left practice immediately and was examined by medical trainer Bill Murray. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Stevenson "tweaked" his knee, but Stevenson used a different term. "I popped it a little bit, but hopefully it will be all right," he said. "It's not as bad as the other one, I know that." Stevenson, 30, had surgery in February to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and missed the remainder of the regular season and the first five games of the playoffs. "At least I know what I'm talking about a little bit," he said. "It doesn't seem as bad. That's a positive. I'll see how it feels [today]. It feels good enough that it will be all right I think." Head coach Pat Burns gave the Devils the day off from practice today and their next game isn't until Friday night against Nashville, so Stevenson is hopeful that, after a couple of days of rest and ice, he won't have to miss any games. Last season, he spent two different stints on injured reserve because of his right knee and played only 21 games. "I just got the other one better and this happens," Stevenson said. SALOMONSSON LOST: The Devils lost right wing Andreas Salomonsson when he was claimed off waivers by Washington on Tuesday. Lamoriello wanted to get Salomonsson through waivers so he would have the option to send the 28-year-old Swede down and call up another player. Lamoriello said he did not intend to send Salomonsson down right away, but wanted flexibility with his 23-man roster. He does not plan to call up anyone to replace him at this time. Salomonsson, an eighth-round draft choice in 2001 who played in Sweden for 11 years before coming to North America last season, did not play in either of the Devils' first two games this season. He had four goals and five assists in 39 NHL games last season.

Very weird, they didn't have to send him down. I would really like the inside story on this one. Perhaps it was a way to get him on a team where he'll be on the ice.

The rules require that the league review any major that results in a player getting tossed from the game. I don't think he'll be suspended for this one though.

Isn't it Brian Mullen?

Jeckyl & Hyde hockey http://slam.canoe.ca/Hockey/puckmaster.html By JON COOK -- SLAM! Sports It's only six days into the new hockey season, but already some teams are suffering from an identity crisis. The Penguins, Rangers, Canadiens, Hurricanes and Sabres displayed split personalities in the first week that have their coaching staffs wondering: "Which is the real team?" In a 4-1 opening night loss to the Rangers, the Hurricanes looked nothing like the Stanley Cup finalists they were last June. They didn't hit, didn't play defence and were horrible in nets and on the power play. They actually made the Rangers look like a contender and Mark Messier look like an Art Ross candidate! In fairness the score would have been closer had Jeff O'Neill not missed an open net and Sean Hill not fanned badly on a perfectly set up one-timer, on a 5-on-3 advantage. The Canes' man-advantage problems continued on Friday against the lowly Thrashers, but they managed to prevail 5-3 thanks to the 'BBC' line of Josef Vasicek, Erik Cole and Rod Brind'Amour. The line had three goals and six points and Brind'Amour won an unconscious 17 of 21 faceoffs, as the Canes extended a four-year, 16-game unbeaten streak against the Thrashers (13-0-3). However the Hurricanes were again downgraded to a tropical storm the next night, as they were embarrassed 5-1 by the Lightning. So which is the real Carolina team? The one that dispatched the Devils, Habs and Leafs in a glorious playoff run or the woeful bunch of hackers they were exposed for by those NHL powerhouses - the Rangers and Lightning? "We may not be where we finished," Cole told the Raleigh News & Observer, "but we're certainly ahead of where we were last October. As much as we need to be patient about it, everyone else does too." And what of the Rangers? Are they as good as their 4-1 thrashing of the Canes? Or are they more like the team that was outscored 10-0 over the final five periods by the Canadiens and Penguins in 4-1 and 6-0 losses? True the Rangers were without their two best players in Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure in those defeats, but having one of the league's highest payrolls usually means you're more than just a two-man team. The alarm bells are already sounding in Manhattan, where just three games into the season, folks are beginning to question whether rookie head coach Brian Trottier is in over his head. Two facts illuminate this theory: $9-million man Bobby Holik centering the third line and not with impressive rookie Jamie Lundmark, with whom he excelled in the preseason; and exhibit B - the 41-year-old Messier leading all Ranger forwards in ice time. Lindros will be back for tonight's game against the Leafs, but if the Rangers suffer another lop-sided loss and Holik is not matched up against Mats Sundin, then Trottier may well wish he hadn't chosen the Big Apple for his maiden voyage in coaching. There's a rule in TV journalism that goes: make your mistakes in small markets, where nobody will notice. This should also apply to NHL head coaches. The team that started all the chaos in Gotham has its own identity crisis. The Pens looked as bad as any team could in their opening-night loss to the Leafs. The Pens were so bad they made the embattled Ed Belfour the first Leaf goalie to record a shutout in a season opener. Now that's impressive - not. While all the press has been preoccupied on whether Mario Lemieux's health will hold up enough to let him play 70 games, someone should have been writing about how this team's defence has more holes in it than the plot of Vanilla Sky. Yet if Mario and the boys looked like an AHL team against the Leafs, they made Messier and the gang look that way two nights later in a 6-0 whitewashing. Lemieux said it was simply a matter of going to the net and that's precisely what the Pens did. It also helped that head coach Rick Kehoe shuffled all his forward lines, most notably removing Jan Hrdina from Lemieux's unit in favor of Alexei Kovalev. "It was important to go to the net, and it's why we talked about it this morning," Lemieux told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "In the first game, everybody wanted to shoot the puck from the outside or pass it in the slot. You always need one guy to go the net and open things up, so the other team has to make decisions." Warren Young, Rob Brown and Kevin Stevens have all been past beneficiaries of Lemieux's tutelage and now it appears Mario has found another pupil in Aleksey Morozov. The pair has 14 points in their last two games, including eight in a 5-4 win against the Leafs last night. The Pens' D once again looked suspect against the Leafs, but No. 66 is a great equalizer. Lemieux has also quieted concerns about his wonky back and hip, by playing all three games and doling out some big hits, like the one he laid on former teammate Darius Kasparaitis on Saturday, when he lowered his right shoulder and leveled the Ranger defenceman. Just when the Pens seem to be revving it up, the Sabres may be coming down after impressive 5-1 and 6-1 defeats of the Islanders and division-rival Habs. The NHL's highest scoring team was then shutout by the Blackhawks, who were missing Eric Daze, Theo Fleury and iced a lineup of Leafs castoffs. While the Sabres, led by Tim Connolly, embarrassed the Hart and Vezina winner on Saturday, they couldn't solve the man Jose Theodore replaced in Montreal - Jocelyn Thibault. So are the Sabres the team that scored 11 against two playoff candidates, or the one that was blanked by one of the league's weaker defensive sisters? Sign that Buffalo has an inferiority complex: they were suggesting, based on two games by Connolly and Taylor Pyatt, that they won the Mike Peca trade with the Isles last season. Hello, Peca got the Isles back into the playoffs last year and will keep them there for years to come. Where were the Sabres last spring? Clearing the snow off the golf course no doubt. Finally the Habs, whose opening 4-1 victory over New York killed the Rangers' buzz, was followed by an absolute stinker against the Sabres. The likes of Connolly, Pyatt, Jochen Hecht and Vaclav Varada made Theodore look less than mortal. The Habs were advertised as being small, but fast, yet were beaten to the puck by a bunch of Buffaloes. Maybe it was just a case of a wrong number in the new Bell Centre or maybe these guys are a defensive nightmare and Theodore is a one-year wonder. "It was embarrassing," defenceman Stephane Quintal told the Montreal Gazette. "We played so well (Friday) night in New York and we weren't there after the first period tonight. We had some chances early and we didn't score and that was the game." The Habs didn't re-sign Theodore to a three-year $16.5 million US deal, to have him cough up three game-killers like he did against the Sabres. "A loss like this is pretty upsetting to me," Theodore told the Gazette. I guarantee you Jose it's far more upsetting to owner George Gillett. It doesn't get any easier for the Habs, who get a visit by the Flyers tonight. Montreal should be buoyed by the return of rugged winger Randy McKay, as the free-agent signee makes his regular season debut for the Habs.

It only took 3 games for him to open his mouth!

Stan Fischler Bluelines: Brodeur, Gomez have their bests http://www.msgnetwork.com/fans/personality...&subnav_key=nhl October 15, 2002 Should Boston's goalie committee (Steve Shields, John Grahame, Andrew Raycroft, Tim Thomas) fail, Mike O'Connell will have to deal Kyle McLaren for a netminder. But who? Jeff Hackett, perhaps. Then again, O'Connell might wise up and re-sign Dafoe. The word from Chicago is that Mike Smith DOES expect Theo Fleury back playing for Chicago in the not-too-distant future. The Chris Drury acquisition looks like a no-brainer in favor of Calgary to us. But one NHL source says there's been a "red flag" up on Drury in Denver since last season. The buzz is that Colorado tried to deal Chris at last March's trade deadline and failed. So what's the rap on Drury? The worst thing we've heard is that he can be moody. Then again, you can say that about anybody. As for Derek Morris, the word from Calgary is that his general, on-ice decision-making is sub-par. Before Bobby Holik moved to Manhattan, he was -- according to Scott Gomez -- "my closest friend on the team." But, adds Gomer of Bobby H, It seems that a Porsche has become the car-of-choice for many NHLers who've made it. Patrik Elias, just awarded an "A" for the first time, has one. Dany Heatley got one last Summer. And Doug MacLean tells us that when he drove home to the Maritimes for vacation, he thought he had the only Porsche in New Brunswick! An exception is Ilya Kovalchuk, who recently settled for a $140,000 Mercedes. To which Don Waddell laughs, "Our first NHL year -- in the parking lot we had a lot of Fords and Chevys!" Some numbers to contemplate: the Lightning payroll will come to about $30 million; $8 million below last season's NHL average: meanwhile, the Coyotes claim a $20 million loss last year! Surprise of the Canadian broadcast business is that -- after considerable fuss and fanfare about her arrival -- Linda Freeman resigned as host of TSN's highly-touted NHL telecast two days before the season's start. Vet anchor James Duthie replaced her. A thought making the media rounds is that Don Cherry failed to sufficiently support his partner, Ron MacLean, in the latter's contractual war with the CBC, eventually won by The Ronald. But when we talked to a CBC producer about it, she told us that Grapes did as much as he had to up until the new deal was hammered out. Texas continues to be a minor league hockey hotbed. Hidalgo -- in the Rio Grande Valley -- is the newest addition to the Central League. CHL prexy, Rick Kozuback, expects the club to open its new arena next October. Roman Cechmanek spent the last month trying to patch wounds with teammates because of damage inflicted by his playoff outburst last Spring. The goalie's alibi is the language barrier. "It was different from what I meant and what it means in Europe. It was important to explain to the team what I meant," says Cechmanek, who had a heart-to-heart with captain Keith Primeau on the first day of camp to clear the air. Flyers' goalie coach, Reggie Lemelin, claims that Roman's improved English will help his dialogue with teammates. "In the past," says Lemelin, "it was grunts and facial expressions, trying to read his body language." Eddie Mio exited the agenting business to run the Coyotes' minor league development program. In case you've forgotten, Mio, in 1988, was Wayne Gretzky's best man at The Great One's wedding to Janet Jones. The latest we hear about NHL teams for sale is that the number rounds out at eight. Although the desire may be muffled in some cases, the list of available clubs includes Buffalo, Dallas, Anaheim, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and Nashville. We hear that the Sherry Bassin group is the least likely to buy the Sabres. Gary Valk suffered -- then smiled -- through some of the most interesting 24 hours of his life recently. The 11-year vet was released last Tuesday by Chicago and quickly re-signed with the Hawks on Wednesday when Theo Fleury was suspended. Valk, a solid checking-line forward, will help soften the blow of injuries to Eric Daze and Bob Probert. Little-known facts about Martin Brodeur: Scariest shooter to face -- Al MacInnis. Players he wishes he faced -- Mike Bossy and Guy Lafleur. Players he's glad he faced -- Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Word is Chris Pronger may be out of the Blues lineup longer than expected, due to his surgically repaired wrist not healing as planned. Pronger is rehabbing from last post-season's knee injury, but the wrist injury is from the previous season. The Sabres sale could be helped by the fact that the franchise's lease is said to be one of the best in the NHL. Some Red Wings are talking as if Joe Louis Arena is going to be a country club without Scott Bowman around, but they can forget that notion. One close to Dave Lewis points out that he is as confident a person as anyone in sports and no Red Wing will take advantage of him and get away with it. We agree. One NHL player with good insights is betting that Byron Dafoe winds up in Vancouver. We disagree. The thinking in Montreal is that if the Habs are failing by mid-season, Larry Robinson will step in as Head Coach. Neat move by Mike Barnett when his Coyotes played an exhibition in Oklahoma City. Joe Burton, 35, a 10-year Central Hockey League vet, was given a shot to skate for Phoenix in one game. "It was nice to have a guy like Joe get a chance to play for us, as a bit of a reward for all the years he's put into the game; even if it's just for one night."

Watching the Labatt's commercials on Center Ice is pretty entertaining. It shows two guys playing chess with commentary. "He might make a move ......oh no he doesn't." It shows them just looking at the chessboard. Then the image fades and the words Hockey's Back!!! fill the screen. Then it starts showing great checks, goals etc.

Gomez can make Devils' attack go http://www.bergenrecord.com/page.php?level...06&page=5308149 Tuesday, October 15, 2002 By DAN ROSEN Staff Writer WEST ORANGE - Scott Gomez remembers his dad yelling at him as a kid after he took the puck end-to-end three times in one shift. Ever since, the Devils' fourth-year center has learned that end-to-end is not as simple as going from point A to point B. The 5-foot-11 Gomez is the Devils' setup guy, their version of Jason Kidd. He even jokes with teammates that if he were a few inches taller, he could have been a quarterback because of his peripheral vision. Gomez had two assists in Saturday's win over Columbus, including a pass to Patrick Elias, his new linemate, which resulted in the game-winning goal with 7:40 remaining. With Elias on one wing and Jeff Friesen on the other, Gomez being the center point of the Devils' offense might become more than just a passing phase. Elias' presence demands the defense's attention, which could open scoring lanes for Friesen and allow the Devils' offense to break out and score more, something it hasn't done yet. The line practiced together Monday. Friesen, though, said he would like to see Gomez start shooting more as well, to make the line a triple goal-scoring threat. "If he shoots more, he'll find it will open more things up for him," Friesen said. "He's got a good shot, but you don't tell a great playmaker what to do. His game is not my game. He sees the game differently." Gomez says he does shoot, and even jokes about getting a bad rap around the league. The only problem is that "the quality shots aren't always there," he said. "I need to get better quality shots because that will open things for the wingers." Gomez set a Devils' rookie record with 51 assists in 1999-2000, and followed it with 49 assists in 2000-01 and 38 last season. By contrast, he's scored only 43 goals to go with his 140 career assists. "He's such a great passer, and once things get rolling, he knows he's going to have big nights," Friesen said. "Great passers like that don't come along so often. He's going to make you score goals." POWER OUTAGE: The Devils are 0-for-14 on power plays through the first two games, but coach Pat Burns said that performance coincides with the rest of the league's woes. Twenty-one teams have scored on 20 percent or less of their power-play chances, and eight of them on less than 10 percent. The Devils, Boston (0-for-3), and Colorado (0-for-7) are the only teams without a power-play goal heading into Monday night. The Bruins and Avalanche had played just one game.

I know, I couldn't go to the game, couldn't see the game due to Metro, but I could see every other game on the Center Ice package. I mainly focused on the HNIC brodacast of the Toronto Ottawa game. It was a pleasure watching that game no shrinkage for scores at the bottom of the screen and the camera angles and work are great!

BURNS' LATE SWITCH IGNITES DEVILS' OFFENSE http://www.nypost.com/sports/devils/59480.htm By DAN MARTIN (I know other writers have filled in before, We'll have to see if (N)Єverson writes the next column.) October 13, 2002 -- Devils3 B-Jackets2 Pat Burns didn't think the Devils were playing badly last night. They were just missing something. "We needed a little more jump," said the Devils' new head coach. "Sometimes, when you make a change, it sparks something." Burns' instincts proved correct when he put Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez on the same line in the third period of last night's 3-2 win over Columbus in front of a generously announced crowd of 17,098 at the home opener at the Meadowlands. The duo combined for the game-winning goal at 12:20 in the third on their first shift together, when Gomez smoothly fed Elias in front of the net and the winger finished it off. The Devils hung on the rest of the way, surviving a flurry of late chances by the Blue Jackets. In the end, it was Burns' maneuver that helped make the difference. "I was a little surprised," Elias said of the move which led to his first goal of the young season. "Obviously, I'm glad he did it. We had a good shift right from the beginning." Gomez, too, was pleased with the result. "He's one of the special players around," Gomez said of Elias. "You know he's going to be open, you just have to give him a little time." The Devils had opportunities throughout the game, but often failed to cash in, particularly on the power play. They were unable to capitalize on the man advantage for the second straight game (0-for-9 last night). "That definitely needs work," Burns said. "But that's my responsibility." Still, the Devils get to iron out that part of their game for the next five days, while also reflecting on a 2-0 record. "In the past, when we've played teams that aren't that good, we haven't been mentally ready," said Elias. "Hopefully, we've learned from that, because the effort was there [last night]." But it almost wasn't enough. The Blue Jackets tied the game at 2-2 when Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre slithered his way through the Devils' defense at 4:58 in the third. "I was anxious to see how the team played in the third period," Burns said. "They responded well." After Sean Pronger gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead 6:09 into the game, the Devils got even at 13:49 on a goal by rookie Mike Danton. The tally was the first of his career for the 22-year-old Danton, who was suspended all of last year when he refused to report to Albany after tearing an abdominal muscle during the preseason. Sergei Brylin's goal at the :58 mark of the second period gave the Devils a lead they protected until Grande-Pierre netted the knotter. Gomez knows the Devils have yet to play their best hockey. "Maybe we didn't play that well," he said. "But we got the break we needed. We'll take it."

It was good to see that Morozov can score on other goalies other than Brodeur!

Claude was great twice! He'll end his career in Phoenix. Perhaps joining his buddy Gretzky in that organization. If not he'll still see him on the golf courses in Phoenix in their spare time.

Long night for Elias http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...33&page=5273016 Friday, October 11, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer OTTAWA - Patrik Elias ended the night thinking more about the glorious scoring chance that he failed to convert and his sore rear end than the letter he wore on his left shoulder in the Devils' 2-1 season-opening win in Ottawa on Thursday. Elias, who often stated his desire to a be team leader during the preseason, wore the second alternate captain's "A" for Thursday's game, filling the vacancy created by Bobby Holik's departure in July. Defenseman Scott Niedermayer continued in his role as the team's other alternate captain. "Of course it's an honor," Elias said. Elias went down hard into the boards in the Ottawa end with 2:01 remaining after he became entangled with Senators center Todd White. Elias was in great position to score the team's first goal of the season when the rebound of an Oleg Tverdovsky shot bounced to him outside the left post with a half-empty net in front of him at 7:56 of the first period. But Elias fired the puck directly into the catching glove of sprawling Senators goaltender Patrick Lalime. "Another one for the highlights," Elias said. "I hope I get those out of the way now." NO DIFFERENCE: Devils coach Pat Burns gave no indication of being satisfied with winning his first game with the team. In fact, the players noticed no difference at all. "He was the same as he was after the last preseason game against the Islanders," Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said. Burns ripped his team after that preseason game for its uninspired play. He seemed satisfied with their effort Thursday, but his emotions appeared the same. "At least we know what to expect from him," Brodeur said. CAPTAIN OK: After the game, Devils captain Scott Stevens had no complaints about the sore groins that had been bothering him for the last week and kept him out of Saturday's preseason finale against the Islanders. "I'm all right," he said. "We had a couple of long shifts, but I made it through." DEVIL'S DUE: Steve Guolla will have to wait to make his Devils' debut. The 29-year-old center, who has not played in the NHL since 1999-2000 with Atlanta, was a healthy scratch against the Senators, but he earned praise from general manager Lou Lamoriello for standing out during training camp. "If you had to single out one player and I'd hate to do that, you'd have to say Stevie Guolla," Lamoriello said. "He's done anything and everything and I think throughout this year he's going to be a tremendous asset." DEVILS BRIEFS: The Devils play their home opener Saturday night against Columbus. ... Right wing Andreas Salomonsson and Andrei Zyuzin were also healthy scratches. ... Burns said 22-year-old left wing Christian Berglund, who was a favorite to make the team heading into camp, was sent down Tuesday because there was no room for him to play regularly.

Devils give Burns a win in his debut http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_...06&page=5272995 Friday, October 11, 2002 By TOM GULITTI Staff Writer OTTAWA - Of all the solutions to the Devils' potential goal-scoring problem discussed during the preseason, one name that almost never came up was John Madden. So there was Madden, known more as a defensive specialist, scoring both Devils goals in the opening game of the season Thursday night at the Corel Centre to give them a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Madden's scoring and Martin Brodeur's strong goaltending made a winner of Pat Burns in his debut as Devils' head coach. Typically stoic, Burns downplayed the personal significance of the victory. "I'm glad for the club," he said more than once. Brodeur, who finished with 33 saves, came within 1:46 of a shutout before Daniel Alfredsson's deflection of a shot by Petr Schastlivy sailed in over his right shoulder to cut the lead in half. An Alfredsson elbowing penalty with 32 seconds remaining ended the Senators' hopes of a comeback. "The first one is always the tough one," Burns said. "You want to get it over with. It makes the team feel a little bit better." Madden won the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward two seasons ago, but also scored a career-best 23 goals that season. Thursday, Burns tried his best to match Madden and linemates Jay Pandolfo and Brian Gionta against Ottawa's top line of Schastlivy, Todd White, and Alfredsson, but Senators coach Jacques Martin often changed on the fly to stay away from that matchup. So Madden was left to do his best work at the other end of the rink. "When you play your role and you play well in that position and you play your defensive role, a lot of times you're going to get chances to score and Madden capitalized," Burns said. Madden, 27, has always believed he can contribute offensively. He's never gotten time on the power play, but he averaged 18 goals in his first three NHL seasons. He feels he can do his part to help the Devils in that department, which is their biggest weakness. "Hopefully, I can put up the same numbers I did [in 2000-01]," he said. "That was my best season so far. I just want to help out. I think it was San Jose that had six 20-goal scorers last year. That's what it's going to take for us. To be successful, we're going to need four, five, maybe six guys in here to get 20 goals and with the three speedy defensemen we've got back there [brian Rafalski, Oleg Tverdovsky, and Scott Niedermayer] those guys are going to contribute on the offensive end as well." Madden's first goal came 2:04 into the second period, four seconds after a four-on-four situation. Madden scored it on a two-on-one rush with Brian Gionta, firing a slap shot from the top of the left circle that initially looked as if it went wide right. To his credit, Madden immediately pointed at the Senators' net. "I shot it. I had a pretty good view of it," Madden said. "I knew it was in. I was thinking this is one of those times it goes upstairs and doesn't come back down as a goal, so I was a little nervous." Play continued for 24 seconds before a stoppage allowed Richard Parayre to call down to the ice and inform the officials that he was reviewing the play. The replay showed Madden's shot beat Lalime inside the far post and somehow broke through the netting. With an assist from Parayre, the Devils had their first goal of the season. "We had a perfect angle," Burns said. "From where we were standing on the bench, it went right through. I don't think he tore the net. I think it squeezed its way and stretched the net." Madden's second goal was a short-hander, another of his specialties, with 1:21 remaining in the second period. Senators defenseman Wade Redden gift-wrapped a turnover for Madden at the Ottawa blue line for a short-handed breakaway. Madden, who led the league with six short-handed goals three years ago, raced in, made one fake to get Lalime to open his legs, and slipped the puck through to make it 2-0.

Madden be-Devils Senators http://www.canoe.com/SlamResults021010/nhl..._nj_ott-cp.html Devils 2, SENATORS 1 Summary OTTAWA (CP) -- The Ottawa Senators got their new season off on the wrong foot Thursday night, both on the ice and in the stands. John Madden scored a pair of goals and Martin Brodeur stopped 33 shots to lead the visiting New Jersey Devils to a season-opening 2-1 win the Senators, who came into the new campaign with high expectations after their best-everplayoff performance in the spring. However, Madden struck twice in the second period, including once while shorthanded, and Brodeur was almost perfect before a disappointing Corel Centre crowd announced at 16,865. The Senators, who rank last in season-ticket sales among all Canadian teams with only about 8,300 sold, failed to sell out a home opener for the first time since moving into their 18,500-seat arena in 1996. "We came out hard," said Senators right-winger Daniel Alfredsson, who scored Ottawa's lone goal with 1:46 remaining. "We created some good chances, but Brodeur made some good saves." New Jersey (1-0-0-0) gave new coach Pat Burns a win in his first game behind the bench since Oct. 25, 2000, when he was fired by the Boston Bruins. It was also just the second time in 11 games to start a season that Ottawa (0-1-0-0) has lost (4-2-5). "I'm happy for the club, they worked hard," Burns said. "The first one is always a tough one. It makes the team feel a little better." Patrick Lalime finished with 18 saves for the Senators in a contest in which the NHL's crackdown on obstruction appeared to help open up a game by two teams notorious for their defensive systems. After a wide-open first period produced plenty of chances but no goals, Senators centre Mike Fisher hit the post behind Brodeur early in the second. The Devils broke the other way on a 2-on-1 and, after taking a lead pass from Brian Gionta, Madden fired a slap shot over Lalime's shoulder. The puck appeared to deflect off of the goaltender's catching glove and into the corner where play continued for about a minute. After a review, however, Madden's shot was ruled to have passed straight through the net, and the Devils led 1-0 with almost three minutes gone in the period. "I had a pretty good angle," Burns said. "I knew right away he had scored. It was a really hard shot. I think it just stretched the netting." There was no doubt over his second goal, however. With Ottawa enjoying a power play with less than two minutes remaining in the period, Senators defenceman Wade Redden gave the puck to Madden at his own blueline before falling down, allowing the Devils' centre to break in alone and fire the puck between Lalime's pads to make it 2-0. Brodeur saved his best material for the third period, in which the Senators outshot the Devils 12-4, denying Senators newcomer Peter Schaefer from in close with just two minutes remaining to preserve the shutout. However, Alfredsson deflected a shot from Petr Schastlivy with 1:41 remaining to make it 2-1. With Lalime on the bench in favour of the extra attacker, the Senators couldn't manage to tie and Alfredsson was called for a penalty in the dying seconds to kill any hope of a comeback. Both teams finished 0-for-5 on the power play. Notes: Ottawa defenceman Anton Volchenkov played his first NHL game...Senators coach Jacques Martin began his seventh full season behind the bench. Only Carolina's Paul Maurice had currently enjoyed a longer tenure. ..New Jersey won the season series 3-1 between the two teams last year.

The Devils Ponder What the Season Holds http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/10/sports/h...key/10DEVI.html By LYNN ZINSER he Devils will stick their collective toe into the water of their regular season tonight, with not much more of an idea about what is under the surface than anybody else. They are eager to play their first real game

Burns making sure Devils won't dog it http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/s...21p-24399c.html By SHERRY ROSS DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER On paper, the Devils can probably win what looks to be a weak Eastern Conference. That's exactly the kind of arrogant thinking that cost them Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, and the same type of hubris that resulted in their first-round exit against Carolina in last year's playoffs. It's also something coach Pat Burns wants to avoid this season. Even though Burns wasn't involved in those collapses, he has spent training camp driving home the point that what made the Devils Cup winners in 1995 and 2000 was their tireless work ethic on the ice. The Devils open the 2002-03 season tonight in Ottawa (their home opener is Saturday against Columbus), and will quickly demonstrate whether they have taken their new coach's lessons to heart. Bobby Holik, Jason Arnott, Petr Sykora, Randy McKay, and Mike Commodore are all gone from the Devils of last October. In their places are Oleg Tverdovsky, Jeff Friesen, Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner, all new to the Devils since March. Also new is feisty Mike Danton, probably the biggest surprise of training camp.