THIS WEEK'S ZAMBONI RIDE ...
	• The Great 8: Scotty Bowman • What's Up With...Derek Sanderson • E-mail bag • More stuff

The verdict is clear. During the first few days of the NHL season, speed and skill are back. The NHL's reclamation project is a bona fide, breathe-right success. It's as if Gary Bettman and Andy Van Hellemond held up a giant bottle of Neo-Synephrine and blew all the boogers right out of the neutral zone. WELCOME TO A SNOT-FREE NHL!!!! That should be the NHL's new credo … if you have to have a credo.

The game's obvious improvement and the infrastructure of policing the NHL has in place should keep the game from becoming the center-ice mosh pit it became. Now, all of this does not mean scoring will drastically rise. The players are still bigger, faster, and stronger than they've ever been, and goalie equipment is still too big in relation to the size of the net.

But, the game doesn't need lots of goals to be captivating. It needs pretty, sexy, Kristy Swanson goals. Mucking, grinding, I've-been-workin'-on-the-railroad, down-low, pound-the-puck-in goals are not visually pleasing. Sergei Fedorov, with two zones of speed, crossing the blue line, shifting a hair to his left and firing a slap shot in the upper left-hand corner is art and sport all in one. The game was invented on frozen water with no boards. It's roots are freedom of movement and speed. The boards add that delicious aspect of collision and sound. The game needs both. But, it needs the first more.

The game is also quicker on the watch. Games are lasting 2:15 to 2:30. The hurry-up faceoff adds a nice pace, granting fewer blasts of ear-ringing music that drowns out conversation and hopefully fewer clips on the Jumbotron, which takes spectators' eyes off the ice. Event managers need to know the main reason for the Jumbotron is to show replays of action during TV timeouts, team timeouts and intermissions. Otherwise, it takes the consumers eyes off the product. What other business would ever have a device that did that?

	HIT THE ICE by Michael Fischer
	TOONS ON ICE Hockey (www.toonsonice.com)

Sorry … back to the quickness of the time of game.

I lived about an hour from an NHL rink growing up and my Dad took us to two to three games a year. I can VIVIDLY recall, as early as 8 years old, every thought that went through my mind watching those games. The first was sheer terror every time the opposing team crossed the blue line of the team I was cheering for. My team. I am talking physical, Rosie-O'Donnell-in-the-morning-without-makeup, stomach-turning horror. When the puck crossed my blue line, I would get nauseous, and my stomach would not be eased of the stressful situation until the pick was safely out of my zone. I'm talking about a 1974 8-year-old having these feelings and thoughts. I wonder if the sound system was blaring FOGHAT, Redbone and Ry Cooder, and the Jumbotron was (invented and) playing continuous movie clips of "Serpico," "The Day of the Jackal," and "Badlands" if I would have been locked on the on-ice drama.

The other stress that took over my 8-year-old body was the length of the game. I wanted these games to last FOREVER. When the game passed the ten minute mark of the second period, I would begin to get physically depressed. As each minute passed and the period shifted from second to third, my depression level would rise. The thought of getting back in the 1965 Ford Galaxy for the drive home would slowly overtake me. It's dumbfounding that one would want to leave this arena of escape and childlike joy so quickly. That one would be in such a rush to return to their cluttered life of voice mail passwords, money card passwords, traffic, bad TV, jobs, oil change waiting rooms, bills, and trips to the DMV. Length isn't important; it's how you get there.

Right now, the NHL has what it wants -- fast-paced action in a nifty 2:15, two-and-half hour time block. The most exciting game on earth is a lot more exciting. Let's hope the NHL stays the course and keeps the calls coming, to keep the nasal passages of the game open and free, but not to rush a good thing. I don't want any boogies on my game, but I want to be able to breathe it in as long as possible.

Should the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year be renamed the Scotty Bowman Award? The award was first given in 1974 to honor the late Jack Adams, the former coach and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Bowman won the award in 1977 and 1996.

	After 30 years and nine Cups as a coach, Bowman is on his own schedule.

The idea brings up an interesting debate. Should awards be renamed to make them livelier and arguably more relevant or are we best to leave history alone, so those living today and honored today, won't have their honors cheapened by a climate of street changing, school changing or whatever changing names? But, shouldn't the Art Ross Trophy be renamed the Wayne Gretzky Trophy? For those learning the game, or those possible candidates, it would sure simplify things. I love the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals, not only because it's the coolest looking trophy after the Stanley Cup, but also because the name is vibrant. I love and respect history, but I think this is one area the NHL can improve on.

The Norris Trophy is named after James Norris, a grain millionaire who bought the Red Wings in 1932. Certainly, those who BUILT the game and FINANCED the game have their place in history, and I'm sure the Norris family still gets a tingle of pride every time they hear the words Norris Trophy. But the Bobby Orr Trophy has such poetry to it.

If it were up to me, I'd retire the old awards, manufacture new trophies, and give them names that resonate to NHL fans AND general sports fans. Additionally, how cool would it be for future winners to receive their awards from Orr, Gretzky, Bowman, Gainey, Roy or Haakan Loob?

And as far as the names Norris, Ross, Vezina and the like? Rename the divisions after them. That is where they fit best, and the NHL was a cooler place when its divisions were named after people. Keep the conferences Eastern and Western, but rename the six divisions Norris, Smythe , Patrick, Adams, Ross and Vezina -- or whomever the NHL and its fans deem the most historically relevant. While those men were VERY important in the league's formation and survival, the awards for individual success should be named after the players with whom we associate that award. Not dead millionaires.

No. 1: What do you do when you wake up in the morning?
Bowman: I think about my schedule. And if it's lousy I can blame myself, since I make my own schedule. I've been busy. I'm looking forward to the season, I don't think I'll be as busy.

Scotty Bowman is 69 years old. He was born on September 18, 1933, in Montreal, Quebec.

No. 2: You are working as a consultant in Detroit. How much will you have to do?
Bowman: I've got a good boss in Red Wings GM Kenny Holland. We had a talk the other day and, basically, he said to tell him when I'm going to go to a game and they won't send any scouts there. I'm going to spend some time in Buffalo, and I'm going to spend some time in Florida. I might also scout some junior tournaments, as well. When you get out, you want to keep your hand in something. When I went to Detroit in '93, I wanted to coach two years and then become a consultant, but I ended up having nine good years.

Bowman coached for four seasons in St. Louis, eight in Montreal, seven in Buffalo, two in Pittsburgh, and nine in Detroit.

No. 3: When did you decide to retire and why did you wait to announce it after winning the Stanley Cup?
Bowman: I made my decision in February at a family gathering in Florida for ten days during the Olympic break. The Florida break helped me rest and I didn't want a farewell tour. I also thought it might be a distraction for the team. I didn't even tell my wife.

Bowman is the NHL's all-time winningest coach with 1,244 regular-season victories and a record nine Stanley Cups. Bowman-coached teams won 63 percent of their games.

No. 4: How does new Red Wings coach Dave Lewis differ from you?
Bowman: I think it was crucial that Barry Smith and Dave Lewis stay together. They work well together. We coached nine years together. The assistant coaches communicate more and I imagine that will continue. I'm happy that the Red Wings stayed in the organization. The last few years, I didn't run many practices. There will be a lot of motivation still with this team. I was at training camp for five days and could sense the hunger.

No. 5: Tell me about keeping score at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach?
Bowman: That final day at Pebble Beach, Tiger Woods had like three shots that were not PERFECT. His focus was unreal. I had met him a few months earlier in New York. So, I scored the whole 18 holes during the final round of the U.S. Open, and we went to the trailer afterwards. Tiger turned around to me to verify his score and said, 'Scotty, what are YOU doing here?' HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I WAS ON THE COURSE. That's what I've always taken from these great athletes, their intense focus.

No. 6: Are any players more intense than we would think?
Bowman: Some of them show it and some of them don't. One of the more surprising players is Mario Lemiuex. I always had Mario down as the kind of player who was always relaxed and laid back. But, when you get to know him and you see him get ready for games, and the game starts and you are there watching shift after shift, you see how intense he is in his own way. Yzerman is a lot like that. Wayne Gretzky shows it a lot more than a guy like Mario.

No. 7: What about the Red Wings this year? Can they repeat?
Bowman: Well, they'll have a lot of motivation. Curtis Joseph has never been in a final, but he does have 15 playoff shutouts. He's played in a lot pressure situations before. The big question to me is the defense. We kind of ran through last year without injuries. I can say now, we were resting players at the end of last year because of the age of these players. The biggest difference will be the defense.

No. 8: Your 1998 Stanley Cup ring looks like something from the Mr. T starter kit. I've seen Buicks smaller than that thing. Why do you wear that one?
Bowman: It's the last one I've won. When I get my new ring from last year, I'll wear that one.

Some things in life are inherently cool -- F-16's, Al Pacino in "The Godfather," a Tony Esposito hockey card, the Rolling Stones, big old bathtubs, naps on rainy days, an Abraham Lincoln speech, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, Cam Neely body checks … and Derek Sanderson.

There have been fewer tragically hip players in NHL history. The great hair, the great name, the 1968 Rookie of the Year, the everlasting link to Bobby Orr's picturesque and playful 1970 Stanley Cup-winning goal, the girls, the beer, the money, the sobriety, the friends, the comeback, the marriage, the kids, the hole-in-ones, the contentment, the peace.

The entire story, through good times and bad, is ALL cool. Of course, alcoholism and passing out on a park bench in New York City is never cool, but it is a chapter that makes the Sanderson story of survival so rich and tasty. So many like him die so young.

Sanderson was a rock star, like Kurt Cobain of Nirvana or Layne Staley of Alice in Chains. Fame, money and lots of free time have driven many to alcohol, drugs and premature death. Sanderson survived. He now begins his days with long, hot showers for his metal hips and bad back, and ends them reading with his two sons. Oh yeah, add those to the above list of inherently cool things. Long hot showers and quietly reading interesting books with your sons.

The tragically hips: "I have to have my hips replaced again on October 21st at New England Baptist Hospital. I got my left done ten years ago and my right one down two years ago, but I've been favoring the one on the left for so long, the right one is gone again. It's been very frustrating. I can still play golf and got my handicap down to a 3, but I need a little more distance and this should help me out a great deal. I had colitis when I played with the Bruins and Rangers, and the treatment was a cortisone steroid. The side effect of it in massive doses is bone death ten years after you use it. Didn't know it at the time."

Married with children: "Michael is 11 and Ryan is 9. My wife and kids are my whole life. Ryan plays golf, soccer, basketball and baseball, and Michael plays golf, baseball and basketball. They don't play hockey because I don't believe in helmets. I think helmets are extremely dangerous. They have never designed one specifically for a child. They are too big and too cumbersome. Kids perceive they are protected and they are not. Everyone thinks it is common sense that they're good, but they're not."

A job: "Still in the investment business. Starting a bank with some friends called the Cape & Islands Private Bank here on Cape Cod. We'll probably generate 60% of our business from the investment side. We'll be doing traditional banking business, mortgages, money markets and some insurance. The bank will hopefully be open in June."

Hockey on TV: "I watch a lot. I watched the Bruins opener in Minnesota and was real disappointed at their lack of discipline. They are a good team, better than people give them credit for. Their question is goaltending."

Broadcasting: "I miss broadcasting. I enjoyed bringing insights and humor to the fans. I got up for every game, and loved working with play-by-play man Fred Cusick, who I think was one of the best in the business. And our broadcasts, I thought, were exciting and fun."

Hockey is tough: "It's a difficult game. It's played on three inches off of frozen water, while balancing on a sixteenth of an inch of steel, with a bouncing puck, no out of bounds and someone always looking to hurt you. There are no set plays. Hockey is a game of ad lib and creativity inside the confines of organized chaos."

Holes in one? "Three. A 3-iron, 6-iron and an 8-iron. The last one was with Keith Tkachuk in Arizona. It was one of those big, bowl shaped greens, and the ball went right of the pin, rolled around the outside, round to the back, down the slope, and into the hole. It was one of those lucky ones.

Any cravings for beer? "It's been 22 years now and it's the farthest thing from my mind. I'm always talking to the boys about it, especially with all the commercials. I still go to AA. My wife tells me to go when I get testy. She'll say, 'You need a meeting.' I really have a spiritual side -- let go and let God. Life is good. I had millions and I wasn't happy. Now I am."

John,
During the playoffs last year you listed "Heart of the Sea" as a book to read to prepare for the playoffs. I took your advice only to watch the Flyers get embarrassed. Do you have any suggestions this year?
Rich Standing
New York

I recommend "Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural," by Ronald C. White Jr. It's an excellent study of one man (Lincoln or Ken Hitchcock) who tries to bring together a fractured body (the Union or the Flyers dressing room) through patience, persistence and calmness. Reading this book reaffirms that the United States might not be as it is if Lincoln was not at the helm. Flyer fans might be saying the same of Hitchcock in the spring.

John,
You're great. Two questions: If this is Stevie Y's last year as you suggest, who becomes captain next year? Also, what is your take on Zetterberg -- is he for real. Thanks,
Bart Muller
Denver

	Lidstrom

When the Wings win the Cup in June and Yzerman announces his retirement either that night or after the parade, Nicklas Lidstrom will be named captain. Early indications are that 22-year-old rookie Henrik Zetterberg (Zetterberrrrrg, good John Houseman name) will be a contributor. He can skate and has a good understanding of the game. His numbers will not be great because he won't see much power-play time, but his young legs will come in handy in the playoffs.

John,
Here are a few rules in development concerning the wearing of one's favorite hockey sweater:

1. Do not have one's last name put on the back of the sweater. Geeky.
2. Do not wear a collared shirt or a turtle neck under one's sweater. The collared shirt harkens back to the day when preppies would wear a polo shirt underneath a sweatshirt. Ugh.
3. These sweaters are meant to be BIG. They are meant to hide beer guts, not accentuate them.
4. Under no circumstances should anyone tuck their sweaters INTO THEIR PANTS! At every Avs game I attend there is this one guy who always has his Avs sweater tucked into his 501s.

John Monroe
Denver

John,
It's good to have you back. I hate the safety netting! I hate it already. I've seen a slew of press lately with Gary Bettman talking about the netting and his well-rehearsed spiel about how everyone is okay with it and he hasn't heard any complaints. Well, here's a complaint for Mr. Bettman: All the replay angles from behind the nets are ruined. Why after 85 years is this necessary?
Chester Sharp
Boston

John,
I wonder why no one shares my concern about what the 18-second face off rule has done to the potential for reviewing goals. In year's past, coaches would stall and stall until the referees agreed to go upstairs on a close call. Is it really possible to get the looks they need to make the decision to call downstairs before they drop the puck?
Jennifer
Greeley, Colo.

That's an excellent point, Jennifer. Although the video replay booth can begin reviewing questionable plays before play is stopped and thus get a head start, it isn't difficult to imagine that there could be a scenario where a close play occurs, the whistle blows and, with a quick face off, proper time to review is not available. If the video replay judge suspects a reversible call, he can call down to delay a face off until a verdict is reached.

John,
Your column is often informative and intelligent, and I enjoy it. But, if you continue to quote lyrics by Creed, I will have to put into motion a plan for your ultimate destruction. Please don't make me do that.
Ryan Sierra

I try to practice what I preach. You see, I get a fair number of e-mails saying my taste in music rots and I try to stay away from judging people's musical tastes. Music is a sound, and who am I to say what sounds good to someone? If someone enjoys a Mormon tabernacle of car alarms, that's cool. That being said, it CAN be argued that Creed lead singer Scott Stapp comes off a HAIR sanctimonious and pompous. An arrogance that comes across as unlikable. And I gather that that is where a lot of the anti-Creed sentiment comes from. And arrogance, sanctimony and pompousness is a good reason to be turned off. It's very anti-hockey.

John,
I caught Melrose last night during the Gretzky ceremony and have one simple question; Is his mullet like an ingrown toenail? Because I saw some hair sprouting under his lower lip in the form of a soul patch. I think it grew through his neck and is an extension of his mullet.
Jeff
Wisconsin

That's the same reason for all of his back hair.

John,
I picked up NHL 2003 for Playstation last week. Great game. It always is. One complaint: the announcers. What do we have to do to get you and The Mullet on that game as announcers? It would be cool to score a late goal and hear that clutch was everything in life. Or Barry's out-of-nowhere laugh that's just a little too loud after a big hit. Also, listen to the Cornell/Rage Audioslave stuff.
Bill Strong
West Hartford, Conn.

I would love to be an announcer on a future video game with Melrose, but right now we have signed an exclusive deal to call mini-stick hockey games in the basement of Darren Pang's house. We go over, set up the camcorder, and do the play-by-play while Panger's kids fire shots on him incessantly with their mini-sticks at his mini-net. The video is out now. It's called "NHL Holy Jumpin' 2003."

	Kovalev

	McLaren

John,
I read in a Boston newspaper that Boston might go after Kovalev for McLaren and a couple of prospects. Any truth to that rumor? If not where is he going to go?
Ed Villaverde

The Penguins have stopped contract negotiations with Alexei Kovalev until after the season. He is making $4.6 million this year. He becomes a restricted free agent next summer and an unrestricted one in July of 2004. He is on record as saying he wants to be among the highest-paid players in the league. That would lead one to believe that the Penguins would have to deal him. And it leads one to believe that Boston would not be a likely suitor.

But, if the Bruins get off to a horrid start, they might make a major move to save the season and risk losing Kovalev down the line, a la Bill Guerin. He's a bargain this year and they could likely agree on a one-year deal before the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in. The Bruins do have enough prospects, especially on defense, to make deal for Kyle McLaren with the Penguins, who are soft at defense. Working in the Penguins' favor is they are not under the gun to trade Kovalev like they were Jagr. My guess is that the Penguins will wait, see how their season goes, and make a decision around the new year. If they are way behind in the standings, they would likely deal Kovalev -- unless someone blows them away prior to that.

John,
I think you're the only one who has the Ducks ahead of the Kings this year. Are you feeling all right?
Dawn
California

I'm also the only one who thinks RUN DMC did as much to change music in the last 20 years as any mainstream artist. And that George Carlin is the funniest/coolest guy ever. And the level of hockey played today is the most advanced in our planet's history. And to smell the back of a baby's head is the world's best drug. And I happen to think the Ducks are going to be in the playoff hunt all year long if their goalie doesn't choke.

Reminders, records, rumors and other things we should know