The Sporting News articles from June 2001

The Sporting News archives from June 2001

It's a major move.(baseball player drafts)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... When baseball G.M.s gather next week to make their selections in this year's draft, there will be little fanfare. Why won't fans pose a raging debate about whether the first choice should be Mark Prior or Mark Teixeira? Will you know anything...

Caught on the Fly.
June 4, 2001... Hey, didn't you used to be Steve Phillips? * Fly had a good yuk-yuk over the indignity 'round VC spendin' the morning before Game 7 in robe-n-mortarboard. Nothin' gets Fly's antennae in a knot like players missing games to be with pregnant...

DEFT SHOT.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... `If that's what it's like dirt racing, then that's all right with me. Sliding and hanging on, I'm down with that! was hooked up there... Hey, Tony Jr., did you see me on TV? Did I look pretty?' Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaking to his pit crew...

Bob Hille's Starting Five.
June 4, 2001... 1 The NHL playoffs. Hockey fans say the Stanley Cup Finals give you something you could never get in the NBA Finals, and they're right: teams from Denver and New Jersey. 2 Baseball's amateur draft. I don't want to say the revenue thing is...

DUSTBIN.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... June 3,1932 Lou Gehrig became the first American League player to hit four home runs in one day, and the Yankees beat the Philadelphia Athletics 20-13. His homers came on successive at-bats, and he barely missed a fifth homer. Teammate...

The rebirth of Barry Bonds.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... The Barry Bonds pill never has been especially fun. It causes turbulent side effects, tends to fail in October and acts more as a depressant than a stimulant. The resulting mood swings have caused America to reject him as a hero, even though...

The NBA sounds Marv-elous again.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Some people still can't listen to Mary Albert without thinking scandal. For them, his shadow will never disappear, not even in the klieg lights of NBC's NBA Finals. For me, Marv merely sounds trustworthy, engaging, entertaining,...

STATIC.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... * In the public interest, we donate the following space imploring Turner's Charles Barkley not to embark on a basketball comeback er shack up with you-know-who because Barkley's the phattest talking head in tubedom: Amen. * Good deed: ESPN...

Voice of the fan.(letters)
June 4, 2001... Choice voice `Jordan, Barkley and Ewing suiting up in Washington next year? GO WHEEZERDS!' --Mark Johnson, Midlothian, Va. Quaterback or baby-sitter? Concerning the War Room column (TSN, May 14): I thought coaches were paid...

Out of answers?(Philadelphia Seventy-sixers)
June 4, 2001... With injuries mounting and Allen Iverson wearing down, the 76ers find themselves in a familiar tough spot against the Bucks In a neighborhood near the First Union Center in Philadelphia there are rows of houses constructed with an...

East won't be least forever.(NBA Eastern Conference)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... As the Eastern Conference prepares to serve up the after-dinner mint to the Lakers' playoff feast, it's worth pondering how long the Western Conference's domination will last. The Lakers should be the team to beat as long as Shaquille...

Killer instinct.(Los Angeles Lakers)
June 4, 2001... The Lakers have it, and an unprecedented perfect playoff run is now down to one series--four straight victories--away Leave it to an actor, one who also is a starter on the hottest team in sports, to find killer instinct in a movie. Rick...

Webber has to decide whether he wants it all.(free agent Chris Webber)
June 4, 2001... Just about a month remains before start of the Chris Webber Sweepstakes, aka the 2001 free-agent market, and no one is any closer to knowing where he might wind up. Not his dad. Not his friends. Not his teammates in Sacramento. Not his agent,...

Talent pool deepest at power forward.(forecasting NBA draft)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Eddie Griffin probably will be the No. 1 pick. Kwame Brown might be the most talented player in the large crop of high school seniors available. Tyson Chandler, another high schooler, is 7-1 and can run the floor like a wingman. Troy Murphy is...

EASTERN CONFERENCE.(NBA)
June 4, 2001... ATLANTIC DIVISION BOSTON CELTICS: PF Jerome Moiso, a disappointment after the team drafted him at No. 11 last year, might have a chance to gain playing time next season. Moiso seldom received minutes during Rick Pitino's regime, and he...

WESTERN CONFERENCE.(NBA)
June 4, 2001... MIDWEST DIVISION DALLAS MAVERICKS: A key item on the summer to-do list is developing a consistent bench. The lack of depth was glaring in the playoffs. Coach Don Nelson often had to lean on his top four for 40-plus minutes. In the Game 5...

Big losses leave big chances for game's little guys.(college basketball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... All at once, the college game is bidding farewell to Loren Woods, Brendan Haywood, Alvin Jones and Ken Johnson, and it is being deprived of the opportunity to welcome Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and DeSagana Diop. That's a long list...

A high hard one.(minor league pitcher Mark Prior)
June 4, 2001... Can Southern California pitcher Mark Prior, the likely No. 1 pick in Tuesday's draft, go straight to the majors? Even for him, it won't be as easy as throwing strikes. On a wall in the family room of Mark Prior's childhood home are framed...

Not so fast.(young pitcher Adam Harrington)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... When the Rockies took Adam Harrington, a pitcher at Palmdale (Calif.) High School, with the seventh pick in last year's draft, he expected to play this season. But he he didn't envision taking the mound for the St. Paul Saints of the...

Majors adjustment.(history of free agents in baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Since the free agent draft began in 1965, 18 selections have made their professional debut in the major leagues. Only Dave Winfield, Bob Horner and John Olerud stayed there for good. Year Position, player, Drafted by Comment ...

Players to watch, 2001.(baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Dewon Brazelton, RHP Middle Tennessee State Most scouts rank Brazelton (13-1, 1.44 ERA in 14 starts this year for the Blue Raiders) below Mark Prior, but he could be the No. 1 pick because he could be considered easier to sign. Colt...

No. 1 picks' No. 1 paydays.(baseball players' signing bonuses)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... The Yankees might not recall LHP Brien Taylor fondly, but any No.1 pick in the baseball draft should. Taylor, out of baseball because of a sore arm, did not close out any World Series, but his signing bonus opened the vaults for top picks. ...

Draft order.(baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Number in parentheses is team's first overall selection. Early-round picks often are relinquished as compensation for free-agent signings. Teams may not trade picks or trade players who have been drafted for one year. 1. Twins (1) 2....

Fire the coach! It's the easy, if wrongheaded, way out.(changes in coaching staff around professional baseball)
June 4, 2001... Phillies pitching coach Vern Ruhle was so eager to exact revenge on the Astros for firing him that he offered bribes to his pitchers when they faced his former team at Enron Field in early May. "Bonus incentives," Phillies lefthander Randy...

Klesko seeing 40-40.(Ryan Klesko's homeruns and steals)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Forget, for a moment, the fun-with-numbers home run pace we're seeing from Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez. Let's talk about the 40-40 pace being set by Ryan Klesko. After he stole three bases against the DiamondbacKs last Thursday, Klesko...

The seventh-inning stretch.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... 1. Larry Bowa. Team doctors have ordered their excitable manager to stop mixing Red Bull and Pixy Stix. 2. The American League has been around 100 years, and we're just glad that Harold Baines was there for 89 of them. 3. David Wells....

Around the AL.(American League Baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... TSNumbers .300 Indians' team batting average, which is .021 points higher than the second-ranked Rangers'. .750 The Twins' winning percentage in 12 one-run games this season. 2 Advantage in wins by the Orioles' starters (12) as...

Scouting Report.(Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Mark Buehrle White Sox Ht./Wt.: 6-2/200 B/T: L/L Age: 22 Grading out: (20-80 scale) Fastball: 50 Cut fastball: 50 Curve: 50 Control: 50 Slider: 65 Overall: 55 Record/ERA: 2/3/4.25 Delivery...

Giant disappointment.(Barry Bonds' homeruns do not help Giants)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... How's this for a surge suppressor? Barry Bonds homered nine times in six games to set a National League record, then said, "It's not really worth talking about." That's because San Francisco lost five of the six games. But most record hitting...

AMERICAN LEAGUE.(team-by-team analysis)
June 4, 2001... Anaheim 22-25: 3rd Weber, Levine must fill void left by a fallen setup man The Angels' bullpen was dealt a severe blow when righthanded setup man Shigetoshi Hasegawa was diagnosed with a partial tear of the rotator cuff in his...

A.L. LEAGUE LEADERS.(professional baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... A.L. LEAGUE LEADERS AVERAGE Ramirez, Bos 400 Mientkiewicz, Min 369 Gonzalez, Cle 361 Ja. Giambi, Oak 358 Suzuki, Sea 357 RUNS A. Rodriguez, Tex 45 Gonzalez, Cle 42...

N.L. LEAGUE LEADERS.(professional baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... N.L. LEAGUE LEADERS AVERAGE Aurilia, SF 360 Pujols, StL 355 Berkman, Hou 350 RUNS Helton, Col 49 Gonzalez, Ari 44 Floyd, Fla 42 HITS Aurilia,...

Around the NL.(brief notes on National League baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... TSNumbers 1 Games won by the Padres in which they have scored fewer than five runs. 11 Days: The span in which Milwaukee's Devon White hit three grand slams. He has 11 in his career. 13 Age, in months, of Dodgers LHP Luke Prokopec...

The book on Luis Gonzalez.(baseball player)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Before a game at Busch Stadium last month, a handful of kids kept shouting Luis Gonzalez's name during warm ups. They caught his attention as he milled around between home and the dugout. He looked back at them and smiled the smile of a man...

NATIONAL LEAGUE.(notes on professional baseball)
June 4, 2001... Arizona 27-22: T 1st Control and velocity are off as Johnson fights dead arm Since a 146-pitch effort May 13, LHP Randy Johnson seems to have been going through what pitchers call a "dead arm" phase, a common occurrence in spring...

The etiquette of retaliation.(throwing at hitters in professional baseball)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... This year, Major League Baseball has tried to toughen its stance in many areas. In some instances, it needs to. But I'm not sure the zero tolerance policy on throwing at hitters can be handled by the league office. Let me start by saying...

One tough bunch.(hockey team New Jersey Devils)
June 4, 2001... If the Devils can subdue the Avs, they could give dynasties of the last two decades a run for their money It's more than just goals and assists for the Devils. It's caring, it's passion. It's never forgetting what it took to get to the...

Q&A.(hockey players Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur)(Brief Article)(Interview)
June 4, 2001... Martin Brodeur grew up in Montreal watching and learning from every movement in goal by Patrick Roy. Now they are the two best clutch goalies in the game, with Roy having won three Stanley Cups and Brodeur two. Goalies often say they don't...

Avs' Cup chances hinge on big effort from Big 3.(hockey team Colorado Avalanche's participation in Stanley Cup playoffs)
June 4, 2001... The bits of gray in Avalanche defenseman Ray Bourque's hair and beard aren't a true barometer of how young he feels after 22 seasons and a dubious record of 1,816 NHL regular-season and playoff games without playing on a Stanley Cup winner. ...

Colorado.(Stanley Cup finals between hockey teams Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... FAST COMPANY: The speed and depth the Avalanche and Devils bring to the Stanley Cup finals have been the story since the matchup was confirmed. "You are seeing two teams with lots of depth, lots of skills, lots of speed, and it is going to be...

New Jersey.(participation of hockey team New Jersey Devils in Stanley Cup finals)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... THAT'S IRRELEVANT: Coach Larry Robinson doesn't think it mattered that his Devils dominated the Avs during the regular season. "We didn't have our full club, and besides, once the season is over, especially when you get to this point, so much...

FIVE-HOLE.(brief notes on Stanley Cup finals, hockey)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... 1. Patrick perfect. In the Stanley Cup finals, Patrick Roy is Patrick Wow. With his Game 1 victory, Patrick Roy's last loss in the finals was Game 1 in 1993. 2. Opening statement. What did the Kings do right against Joe Sakic? They kept...

Lack of resources doesn't scuttle racing dreams.(automobile racing team owner Travis Carter)
June 4, 2001... For Travis Carter, three decades devoted to stock car racing have produced many more struggles than successes. Carter has known the best of times. In 1973, he was crew chief during Benny Parsons' Winston Cup championship season in L.G....

DOWN THE ROAD.(MBNA Platinum 400 automobile race)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Race: MBNA Platinum 400. When: 12:30 p.m. (Eastern) Sunday, Fox. Where: Dover Downs International Speedway, one-mile oval, Dover, Del. Last year's winner: Tony Stewart. Three to watch this week: Tony Stewart, Mark Martin,...

OVAL OFFICE INTERVIEWS.(superstitions in automobile racing)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... Are superstitions part of your race-day routine? Robert Pressley: I don't really have any superstitions, but I always make sure I have a banana sandwich before the race starts. Every week, right after the drivers' meeting, I go to my...

SIX-PACK.(brief automobile racing notes)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... 1. Finally. Not even Miss Cleo and her tarot cards could have predicted Jeff Burton winning Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 with all his less struggles this season. 2. Father knows better. Bobby Hamilton would've made the late actor Robert Young...

A fragile lifestyle.(susceptibility of wide receivers to injury and effect on team performance)
June 4, 2001... Because of physiology and the way they play, wide receivers are more susceptible to serious injuries than other players. How some prominent wideouts recover from last season's injuries will have a major impact on the upcoming season. As he...

Wide-body defensive tackles present potholes for blockers.(trends in player drafting in professional football)
June 4, 2001... Bigger, broader and bulkier defensive tackles are all the rage this offseason. Dude, if your team doesn't have a wide body or two, it is like so five minutes ago. Stella McCartney has never sewn anything for a Paris runway that is more in. ...

AFC.(brief notes on American Football Conference)
June 4, 2001... Baltimore KEY RESERVE: The re-signing of reserve LB Cornell Brown might not seem like a big deal, but it is a major addition for the team. Brown, who played a lot in running situations for oft-inJured strongside LB Peter Boulware, can play...

NFC.(analysis of football teams)
June 4, 2001... Arizona STAYING PUT: WR Frank Sanders is coming off a disappointing season and has a big contract, so there has been speculation he'll be cut after June 1. That's unlikely. Sanders has been a reliable player. With coach Dave McGinnis...

Teams should play classics while they still can.(pre-season competitions in college football)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2001... To play or not to play a preseason game--that is the question. The answer always should be yes. Many coaches struggle to make the decision to play in "preseason" games like the Kickoff Classic, Pigskin Classic and Eddie Robinson Classic....

Maybe some poetry would help.(what might help control pitches and mind of minor league baseball pitcher Rick Ankiel)(Brief Article)(Column)
June 4, 2001... You might remember Annie Savoy. She taught English in Durham, N.C. She believed in the Church of Baseball because "there's no guilt" and "it's never boring." Each summer, when the Class A Bulls played their 142 games, she dedicated her...

Caught on the Fly.(news from professional sports)(Brief Article)(Column)
June 11, 2001... Hey, didn't you used to be NBA agents? * Welcome to Chez Rumorama, where the appetizer is a lite portion of whispers followed by two heapin' helpin's of Brendan Haywood and Alvin Jones. Every lotto-loser's desperate for immediate big man...

DEFT SHOT.(Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... "I don't believe in rivalries. I don't believe in curses. Wake up the damn Bambino, maybe I'll drill him in the ass." --Pedro Martinez on snapping a personal five-game winless streak against the Yankees. Buzz in for a daily dose o'...

Starting Five.(Brief Article)(Column)
June 11, 2001... 1 The Lakers. If you've been looking forward to this NBA Finals, then you'll love the History Channel's best-of-seven-part series on the U.S. invasion of Grenada. 2 The Stanley Cup Finis. Think the NHL struggles to find a TV audience?...

DUSTBIN.
June 11, 2001... June 11, 1938 Johnny Vander Meer threw the first of his consecutive no-hitters, stifling the Boston Braves, 2-0. Four days later, he laid a 6-0 goose egg on the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Reds lefthander is the only pitcher in major...

Mediator of the year.(Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... Don't be naive. As long as there are murals, TV commercials, billboards and sneaker wars, they will compete. When Kobe flips a McDonald's wrapper into a trash can, Shaq notices. When a large Shaq portrait appears outside the Staples Center,...

Remote Patrol.(sports on television)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... TV, not baseball, is the draft dodger See baseball's draft? Me neither. It wasn't televised. On June 5, as the picks were made, ESPN showed X-Surfing; World Cup Rowing was on ESPN2; Fox Sports Net aired infomercials, etc. (Memo to...

Voice of the fan.(Letter to the Editor)
June 11, 2001... Choice voice `Dennis Dillon wrote of the Chucky Mullins tragedy in a way that made me cry openly. If I ever could be half the man Brad Gaines is... my life could be termed successful. --Bill Johnson, Petal, Miss. A solemn tribute...

Nen is the master.(San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Robb Nenn)
June 11, 2001... With the Giants' cool-headed closer, the furniture is safe and so is a lead There are certain things major league managers find downright scary--Pedro Martinez on the mound. Mark McGwire up with the bases loaded. Turn Back the Clock Day in...

Send in the 'Clones.(minor league baseball team in Brooklyn, NYC)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... After 43 years, Brooklyn has its own team again. Just one bummer: It's the Class A Cyclones, net the home-grown Dodgers. Say the name Walter O'Malley in Brooklyn, and you still will hit a nerve--43 years after the ex-Dodgers owner moved his...

Reconciliation is a key to the Twins' unlikely rise.(Minnesota Twins baseball team)
June 11, 2001... They're not quite baseball's version of Larry Brown and Allen Iverson. The generational divide isn't as pronounced. The racial divide doesn't exist. In fact, Twins manager Tom Kelly and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz share many of the same...

Keys to the Padres' success.(San Diego Padres baseball team)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... The Twins and the Phillies might be the biggest small-market success stories this season, but the Padres aren't far behind. Their payroll is by far the lowest in the N.L. West, but they're holding their own in the standings. When asked, Padres...

Around the AL.(American League baseball)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 11, 2001... TSNumbers .278 Difference between Brian Daubach's slugging percentage (.532) and batting average (.254). 4 Stolen bases by the Mariners' Mark McLemore in a game against the Orioles. 18 Wins in May for the A's, putting the...

Scouting Report.(Detroit Tigers pitcher Jeff Weaver)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... Jeff Weaver Tigers Ht./Wt.: 6-5/210 B/T: R/R Age: 24 Grading out: (20-80 scale) Four-seam fastball: 55 Changeup: 52 Curve: 52 Slurve/slider: 50 Overall potential: 65+ Record/ERA: 4-5/3.09 Mechanics: Weaver slings pitches across his...

AMERICAN LEAGUE.
June 11, 2001... Anaheim 26-28: T 2nd DH-by-committee steps in after Hill is released The offense has straggled all season, but so has the front office, which is 0-for-2 in designated hitters after releasing Glenallen Hill, 36, who was acquired...

A. L. LEAGUE LEADERS.(American League baseball)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 11, 2001... A. L. LEAGUE LEADERS AVERAGE Ramirez, Bos 379 Ja. Giambi, Oak 362 Suzuki, Sea 356 RUNS A. Rodriguez, Tex 51 Suzuki, Sea 49 Sweeney, KC 43 HITS Suzuki, Sea...

N.L. LEAGUE LEADERS.(National League baseball)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 11, 2001... N.L. LEAGUE LEADERS AVERAGE Aurilia, SF 362 Alou, Hou 355 Pujols, StL 354 RUNS Helton, Col 53 L. Walker, Col 49 Gonzalez, Ari 47 Floyd, Fla 46 Sosa, Chi ...

Around the NL.(National League baseball)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 11, 2001... 0 Times the Braves have won three straight games this season, through Saturday. .250 Winning percentage of the Reds (7-21) at home. They are 14-12 on the road. 8 Losses by Giants RHP Livan Hernandez, whose career high for defeats is...

ONE ON ONE.(Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Curtis Leskanic)(Brief Article)(Interview)
June 11, 2001... With Curtis Leskanic With a new home and a powerful lineup, the Brewers have a chance to win a lot more games than they did last year. That makes closer Curtis Leskanic much more important. He talks about closing, rats and Pittsburgh with...

NATIONAL LEAGUE.
June 11, 2001... Arizona 33-22:1st As Finley struggles at plate, Dellucci, Bautista man center When David Dellucci started in center field last Saturday, it was the fourth time in eight games Steve Finley wasn't in the lineup. Manager Bob Brenly...

Unwritten rules are not meant to be broken.(baseball)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... Unwritten rules are almost as important as written rules, especially today. The problem is when there are no older players to teach the young guys the unwritten rules. It's not like you can read unwritten rules on the bathroom wall of Yankee...

YES, THEY CAN!(Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers chances against Los Angeles Lakers in 2001 NBA Championship)
June 11, 2001... The 76ers have a chance (OK, it's a small one) to knock off the Lakers in The Finals, and here's how they can do it We set out with a simple objective: Assemble a panel of assistant coaches from around the league and have them put together...

NO, THEY CAN'T.(Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers chances against Los Angeles Lakers in 2001 NBA Championship)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... If the 76ers don't slow down the Lakers, where does Los Angeles' season stack up against the best ever? If the Lakers cruise through The Finals, their fans will have something new to argue about during this season's post-championship riot....

NOW AND ZEN.(Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... Phil Jackson had the best players in Chicago, and he has them again in L.A. Anyone who coaches against him, even Larry Brown, is an underdog. If you were fortunate enough to coach Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant and win...

That box labeled `Jordan' might not hold Bryant.(Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant)
June 11, 2001... More and more, this season is taking the shape of one player's time line, one that curved sharply and doubled back on him until it resembled a concentric circle of hell. The season has been defined by Kobe Bryant--22 years old,...

Battier has the polish Wizards need.(Duke basketball star Shane Battier)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... THE NBA DRAFT Before Michael Jordan was Air Jordan, long before he was winning six NBA championships as the greatest player of a generation and long, long before he was in charge of an NBA franchise, he was a North Carolina Tar Heel. ...

EASTERN CONFERENCE.
June 11, 2001... ATLANTIC DIVISION BOSTON CELTICS: Many scouts remain unimpressed by the draft field, but director of player personnel Leo Papile says up to 35 players are viable candidates for the top 21 spots. The team could have up to three of those...

WESTERN CONFERENCE.
June 11, 2001... MIDWEST DIVISION DALLAS MAVERICKS: The team will do everything it can to retain free-agent SG Michael Finley and Cs Shawn Bradley and Calvin Booth in the offseason. PFs Gary Trent and Mark Bryant and SC Vernon Maxwell won't get the same...

Forward thinking.(2001 Stanley Cup)
June 11, 2001... When the checking gets tight in the playoffs, a defenseman like Ray Bourque jumping into the play becomes the key to success It's more than an hour after he fired a shot over the shoulder of Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur in Game 3 of the...

Shopping spree.(free agents in National Hockey League)(Statistical Data Included)
June 11, 2001... Never has the free-agent crop been so rich--and it all begins with the Avalanche and Devils Avalanche center Joe Sakic didn't sound like a man who planned on leaving as he at next to goaltender Patrick Roy during e Stanley Cup finals. Roy...

The dawn of a new era.(National Hockey League entry draft)(Brief Article)
June 11, 2001... Three Russians could lead the NHL's deepest entry draft in years In an attempt to ensure a Russian is taken first overall for the first time in the NHL Entry Draft, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation sent eight of its elite players to a...

Q&A.(hockey team general managers)(Interview)
June 11, 2001... Q&A If you ask any general manager in the NHL which organization he uses as a model, it's a good bet his answer will be either the Devils or the Avalanche. The reason is simple. New Jersey G.M. Lou Lamoriello and his Colorado...

The switch to a two-referee system is looking good.(2001 Stanley Cup)
June 11, 2001... The question of whether officiating is different in the playoffs is always good for a debate. But the players know the real story: The intensity and the style of play--the postseason features a more defensive game--change in the playoffs, not...