Preseason News & Notes

John Lebow
Sep 30, 2002

This preseason is quite interesting for a number of teams around the NHL. Many hours are spent fighting for jobs, or to maintain a place in the NHL hierarchy. Throw into this a number of rule changes, and this is one of the most interesting preseasons on record.

Firstly, the one question on everyone's mind is how the referees will call the new crackdown mandate from the head office. Obstruction and hooking should be taken out of the game, at least through October and some of November, but the key lies in the middle of November, to see of the refs will stick by their calls. If they do, it could mean big years from small fast players in the Daniel Briere and Steve Sullivan mold.

Mario Lemieux, by all reports is healthy and looking to once again dominate the league the way he did when he came back in the last 46 games of the 2000/01 season and recorded 76 points. The crackdown is something he has called for long before it was fashionable to decry that sort of thing.

Another point of note is how the refs will play with the modified hurry-up face-off rule. According to the new rule, if a team is offside once, they will be warned. After the first warning, the referee has the right to call a delay of game penalty. It would be very interesting to see if a player like the plodding Scott Stevens will cost the New Jersey Devils a couple of power-play chances against because he was unable to change in time.

Looked at and scrutinized by those on this site are the fights in training camps. One tape I'd like to have is of the preseason rumble between Edmonton Oilers' teammates Ryan Smyth and captain Jason Smith. From the interviews after, the captain took a beating from the gritty winger, who said: "We're both competitive guys, and we both play hard... That's hockey."

Detroit has some of the best young players in the league now... in addition to having some of the best veterans. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk will be all stars within two seasons, and Cutris Joseph was the best available replacement for retired Dom Hasek.

For some reason no team has opened up their wallets to find a space for Byron Dafoe, who would be an improvement in goal for half the teams in the league, if not more.

Apparently, the NHL is also looking to crack down on low hits, a newspaper interview quoted NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell saying "What we want to see is that if a player has a choice, don't do it... hit with the shoulder." I wonder if this crackdown will last longer than the one on obstruction.

Still on the topic of low hits, Michael Peca has sworn revenge publicly and on several occasions on Darcy Tucker for his low hit in last years postseason against the New York Islanders Captain. If he does anything serious (read a deliberate attempt to injure other than a fight) Peca has to be suspended for a long time.

Jaromir Jagr had Robert Lang brought in to Washington. The time is up for both to play to their abilities, especially Jagr, who has had a disappointing past couple of seasons. This Capitals team can't count on their second-half surge every year.

With the death of 13-year old Brittanie Cecil in Columbus, the NHL has mandated that security netting be placed at each end of the rink. Already some fans with the seats behind the nets have started to complain slightly, but the truth is that it is something that should be done.

Another NHL mandate is the installation of safety glass. By the beginning of next season, all NHL arenas need to have the safety glass installed. For defenceman, that time can't come soon enough, as most feel that the anti-obstruction crackdown will allow forwards to come speeding into the neutral zone with a bulls-eye on any defenceman handling the puck. Bryan McCabe of the Toronto Maple Leafs had an opinion of the new glass after the first couple practices at the Air Canada Centre "It's a good thing... been hit a few times, and there's a lot of give to it."

A few final thoughts on this coming season:

Atlanta better hope the Sophomore Slump doesn't hit it's two sensations, Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk.

Patrick Roy is set to be come the first goalie to appear in 1000 games. He deserves a lot of respect, and is a great goalie... but would he have been as successful if he was wearing pads the size of Bernie Parents'?

The Phoenix Coyotes should be moved back to Winnipeg.

Jarome Iginla and Jose Theodore may be the future stars of the game; but can they repeat their success, now that they have set the bar? My money is on yes, especially for Theodore, while Iginla is as much the one-trick pony on the Flames as he was last year; he still got the job done.

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