Pittsburgh Sports Report - 10 NHL Questions By Bob Grove

Pittsburgh Sports Report
October 2004

10 NHL Questions
By Bob Grove

The biggest question of all: when will the lockout end?

In a literal sense, both sides can afford to lose the entire season. The owners have a $300 million lockout fund for teams to draw upon as the season fades, which should cover their debt, lease and tax obligations and those management salaries still being paid. The players have been instructed for years to save money for this eventuality, and some of them also will be cashing checks in Europe. Unfortunately, some portion of the ticket-buying public, which is still the engine driving the NHL's growing revenues, will never be seen again. Hard-core fans will stay, but the long-term health of the league also depends to some degree on its ability to turn casual fans into serious fans. Those are the folks who are going to fall off the fence this winter, and the anger of some good fans may take years to assuage.

Are the Ottawa Senators ready to get over the Cup hump?

So close but yet so far the last few seasons, the Sens traded Patrick Lalime in favor of free agent Dominik Hasek and fired Jacques Martin in favor of Bryan Murray. Hasek, who turns 40 in January, had off-season surgery to repair nagging groin problems and will benefit from not having played regularly the last two seasons. Murray, notorious for post-season underachievement behind the bench in Washington, is an interesting (read: curious) choice.

Will pending rules changes really make a difference?

General managers have recommended bringing back tag-up offsides and returning the goal line three feet closer to the backboards to expand the neutral zone. The reduction in the size of goaltenders' pads has been challenged by the players' union and remains on hold, while the others still must be approved by the Board of Governors. These will help the game's flow, but it's window dressing until coaches quit playing not to lose.

How will changes in the NHL's TV contract play out?

The NHL is gone from ESPN and will be seen only on espn2 on a reduced basis and, later in the season on weekends, on NBC. There's little money in the cable contract and perhaps nothing in the network deal, so this is a major step backwards. The ratings will stink, as they always do. There's entirely too much attention paid to the game's TV fortunes. Forget it. After fixing its labor problem, the NHL must concentrate on the entertainment quality of the game and promoting its stars. That's what draws fans to the rink.

Will Dany Heatley get back to the form he displayed before his accident?

Sure, Ilya Kovalchuk tied for the league lead with 41 goals last season and is fun to watch, but he can't compare to Heatley as an all-round player. Two seasons ago, there wasn't a better young player in the league, as Heatley combined hockey sense with impeccable offensive skills and a willingness to play in the other end of the rink. His legal troubles aren't yet behind him, but he seems to be handling things well and has a good man in his corner in coach Bob Hartley.

Are the TampaBay Lightning for real?

Yep. Vincent Lecavalier went from being left off Team Canada to winning the MVP in the World Cup, and his confidence should soar. Add a better Lecavalier to scoring champion Martin St. Louis, the still-underrated Brad Richards, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and defenseman Pavel Kubina and you've got a team that hasn't even reached its peak. Coach John Tortorella, too, deserves lots of credit for his approach to the game and his tough love of Lecavalier in recent years.

Can things get any worse in Chicago?

Let's hope not. The Hawks have become an embarrassment, missing the playoffs six of the last seven years and alienated fans to an extent that didn't seem possible in an Original Six city. Chicago played 18 rookies last season and traded Steve Sullivan.

Are the Rangers really rebuilding, and how long before Jagr asks to be traded?

GM Glen Sather jettisoned Chris Simon, Martin Rucinsky, Petr Nedved, Vladimir Malakhov, Brian Leetch, Alexei Kovalev, Greg de Vries, Anson Carter and Matthew Barnaby last season. Mark Messier is likely to retire, and Eric Lindros is moving on. Tom Renney will be the first Rangers' coach in memory to begin a season without a mandate to win. Jagr won't like the fact he's got to carry the offensive load virtually alone.

Which team was most aggressive during the off-season?

If there is a season, the Phoenix Coyotes appear determined to attack it. After finishing 14 games under .500 last season, GM Michael Barnett has signed Brett Hull, Mike Ricci and Petr Nedved, although how much Hull can help is a bigger question since his surprising scratches in the World Cup.

Which team lost the most ground in the off-season?

Boston lost Mike Knuble, Michael Nylander, Brian Rolston and Sean O'Donnell - with Glen Murray almost certain to follow. Joe Thornton needs a new contract and has to be wondering how much he's really loved.