He'll never be a superstar. He'll probably never be a 40-goal guy. He won't make a lot of all-star teams.

What Erik Cole will be is a model NHL player.

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

He plays the game hard, honestly, and with no head-snapping theatrics. The 23-year-old Hurricanes winger reminds me of the two reasons why I want to become an NHL referee: to mess up Kerry Fraser's hair during a TV timeout and to never call a penalty on plays involving Darcy Tucker, Tyson Nash, Kirk Maltby, Dan Hinote and all the other players who wear a loose helmet and snap their heads back to draw penalties. (I mean, am I only person who sees this??!! Why do NHL referees EVER call a penalty on plays involving players who do this?)

Perhaps Cole's style is due to the fact he is a rookie and merely showing respect. I hope it's a long-term symptom. Except for the disgusting chasm baseball has between the rich teams and poor teams, this might be its finest hour in terms of players because of the Big Three shortstops: Nomar, Jeter and A-Rod. They respect the past, play the game with optimism and flair, and never resort to disrespectful tones. Erik Cole reminds me of that trio. Again, he doesn't have the pure skill of those three, but so far he shares their values of playing the game hard, loose and free. Fight through contact, don't flop. And NEVER snap your head back while wearing a loose helmet to draw a penalty. Even Peter Forsberg was pulling the stunt during the first round against the Kings!! I was about vomit inside my green, autographed Risto Siltanen JOFA helmet. Of all people, Forsberg! I'll chalk that up to missing a spleen. We'll give spleenless guys one series to act like a circus clown. I bet if (or when) Forsberg saw video of himself doing that, his stomach would ache in embarrassment.

It simply is a better game without sideshow Bobs running around taking out knees, snapping their heads back and flopping around the ice like a carp. It is why the the Avalanche-Red Wings series should be so entertaining and near perfect. Both teams are so good that neither can resort to it. They will stand out like Barry Melrose at the ballet and be a laughingstock. My fear in the Carolina-Toronto series is that the series will resort to such play. I sense the Leafs are talking about giving it to the 'Canes good. That they will get the calls at home. If the series does turn to this tone, I pray Cole keeps it real. That he fights through checks and doesn't flop. That he keeps going to the net with his helmet on tight and his mind on scoring. It is no accident that Cole is having a more productive postseason than regular season. The regular season is for regular people. Playoff hockey is about an honest effort of smarts and hearts. Cole is old school with his playoff beard and his lack of theatrics. Keep an eye on him. If you have a young hockey player, don't point to Joe Sakic and say be like that. Joe Sakics come along once a century. Instead, tell Sparky and Suzy to watch No. 26 in red this week in Toronto. Anyone can play like him, and really most NHL players do. But, even a few sideshows can ruin a circus.

He is primarily known as J.D. John Davidson joined ABC Sports in September of 1999 as a studio analyst for the network's National Hockey League game telecasts. For more than a decade, he has been an analyst on New York Rangers telecasts. He contributes to Hockey Night in Canada's "Satellite Hot Stove" and was the lead analyst at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Few, if any, are better at conveying the intricacies of hockey on and off the ice than J.D. After the Red Wings beat the Avalanche in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday, I asked him eight questions:

No. 1: What's the best kind of coach for the Rangers as far as style and personality?
J.D.: That's a good question. I think someone who is respected by the veteran players. Somebody who will be respected in the city of New York as a hockey man. I think he has to be hard and know when to draw the line for a team that would like to be offensive minded. And I also think a coach that is surrounded by assistant coaches that can really improve their special teams because they have been awful.

No. 2: Why were the Atlanta Thrashers the only team that gave up more goals than the Rangers?
J.D.: Team defense and penalty killing. Not just that, but certainly the whole thing revolved around a lack of discipline.

J.D. appeared in 301 NHL games, winning 123 games.

No. 3: Backup goalie Dan Blackburn lived with your family last season. Was that a good thing?
J.D.: We never sat around and talked about goaltending. I hear he has requested to live with us again next year, although he approached my wife and not me. He has the mindset of a starting goaltender. After they had their break up meetings and programs for the offseason, he stayed around New York for a week and went and worked out everyday at the practice facility. So, he's already thinking about next year. But, for a kid from Western Canada to get to New York City to learn about lifestyle and everything, I think it worked out for him.

No. 4: What are you going to do this summer?
J.D.: Golf. I live in Bedford, N.Y., in Westchester County and belong to a place called Whippoorwill in Armonk. Ron Greschner and Bryant Gumbel are members and I play a lot with them. I go back to Alberta in August for my golf tournament, for some fly fishing and more golf.

Whippoorwill is a Donald Ross course built in 1928 -- 6,697 yards from the blue tees with a course rating of 72.6.

No. 5: Baseball appears headed for a work stoppage. Is there any way for hockey to prevent a stoppage in 2004?
J.D.: Either it'll automatically happen, because the players like the program now and the owners don't. And the owners have positioned themselves where the commissioner has the power to agree or disagree which direction they are going. But, maybe it is like two super powers both understanding they have a lot of power, and because of that you avoid a war. But, if there is going to be a war, it's going to be a long one. The scary part is both side have a lot of reserve cash to take their time to get a deal they want.

No. 6: Are their too many teams in the NHL?
J.D.: To me, if we keep having problems ... and some of them are hard to forecast. You wonder about some cities. I'm from Calgary and I want hockey to work there. But, if it's a struggle to sell tickets there every year, what are you going to do? So, you have to wonder can they keep 30 teams healthy? Or do they not need 30 teams if they can't all be healthy. A lot of depends on the new CBA.

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement ends in September of 2004. Many feel there will be a long work stoppage beginning that fall because of the drastic changes the owners and the league feel are necessary.

No. 7: The state of the game?
J.D.: The best parts of the season were the Olympics and the playoff races we had down the stretch. The last two months were fascinating to watch. I talked to Wayne Gretzky a lot down the stretch and he was having stress attacks. It was great to see the number of teams that were in it down the stretch.

No. 8: Of all your moments in hockey which is the most indelible?
J.D.: Two things: Getting to the finals as a player in 1979. We lost. I still think about it all the time, since we didn't get it done. We won the first game and were leading the second game, 2-0, and lost to Montreal, who then won three more to beat us in five. The other one would be when the Rangers won the Cup in '94 and being part of the broadcast team. To see how the city reacted to a championship was remarkable. They handled it with dignity and class. You can't describe how massive it all was. Yet, it was under control. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Just four teams remain. They remain because they have more heart. Here are the five leading candidates for Conn Smythe.

	Roberts

1. Gary Roberts, Toronto Maple Leafs: Surely, the Leafs would not have reached the conference finals had it not been for his will and determination. It would take a near miracle for the Leafs to win the Cup, but miracles do happen. If one happens in June, Roberts would be the Conn Smythe winner.

2. Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche: No one is playing better right now. I call him Larry Bird on skates because of his vision, I.Q., and how he plays better in more meaningful games. However, he is also Bird on blades because he will have to retire at a young age. Forsberg plays like Bird -- with no regard for his body, to win and not for money. They're comets that burn so brightly, they tan your face with delight. Then they go away and you feel like crying.

3. Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings: The knee is getting worse and the competition is getting better. The Wings were my pick in September and they are still my pick now. I just hope Stevie Y makes it before his leg falls off. I hope he wins the Cup, accepts the Conn Smythe, and then retires. He can't top this.

4. Curtis Joseph, Toronto Maple Leafs: Curtis has assured himself a major contract this summer with St. Louis, Philadelphia, Boston, the New York Rangers, or even with Toronto, with his play -- 4-5 years at $9-10 million per. He is playing hurt and he is playing well.

5. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche: He's one big game away from leading the playoffs in scoring. He is getting better, too. One of the all-time classiest hockey players in NHL history. He and Ilya Kovalchuk have the game's best releases. He has played a lot of hockey the past few years and you wonder what a Forsberg-like season off would do for him. He is really grinding it out right now, getting through on fumes.

The date is May 10, 1970. While the Boston Bruins try to sweep the St. Louis Blues and win their first Stanley Cup since 1941, Jimmy Newquist, lead singer of the band Caroline's Spine, is inside his mother's belly. GET IN MY BELLY!!!

	Jimmy Newquist of Caroline's Spine was born just before Bobby Orr's famous 1970 Cup-winning goal.

Actually, at this point Jimmy's mom is screaming: "GET OUT OF MY BELLY!!" She is on the way to a hospital on a 90-degree day in Framingham, Mass. But, before her husband drives her to the hospital, he drops their six kids off at a neighbor's house. Later that day, the Bruins and Blues go to overtime in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals at the Boston Garden. After Jimmy is born, Papa Newquist makes his way to a pay phone to call the neighbors to let everyone know that child No. 7 is a boy. Just as dad is about to announce the arrival, the house erupts at the other end.

Bobby Orr..behind the net to Sanderson...to Orr!! BOBBY ORR!!!...SCORES!!...AND THE BOSTON BRUINS HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP!!!!

The words of Dan Kelly, 40 seconds into overtime. The house is going nuts and the information of Jimmy Newquist's arrival has to wait a few minutes.

Jimmy and his band, Caroline's Spine, continue to fight being overshadowed. They are an independent band enjoying their independent success -- they sang the title track to "Varsity Blues" -- but hoping for a shot at the big time soon.

Perhaps their theme song is a song of their own called "Overlooked." It's on their CD "Like it or not.". It would make a great Stanley Cup playoff video montage. For more information on this up and coming band, go to www.carolinespine.com.

More on Jimmy's Bobby Orr story: "A couple of years later my family moved to Phoenix, and one year Bobby Orr came into town for some reason and someone informed him of my story, so he signed an autograph for my family. So, I grow up, and at my 8th grade graduation I get a mysterious package. I open it up and it's an artists rendering of the famous picture of Orr flying through the air after his Stanley Cup-winning goal and it's autographed by Orr. Move on to high school graduation, another envelope arrives, the same picture arrives and it's signed "Happy Graduation, Bobby Orr." I graduate from college and the same thing. I never met the guy, but apparently he and I have this connection because I was this little dude born right before he scored his famous goal."

Guitarist Scott Jones is a big hockey fan: "I grew up in Tulsa, Okla., and was introduced to the game by a friend. I played for fun as a kid and ended up smashing my hand while up at Oklahoma State and had to cancel some music gigs, so I had to give up my playing career! I lived up in St. Louis for awhile and became a big Blues fan. The Blues and the Penguins are my favorite teams. I'm a huge Mario Lemieux fan."

Why Scott Jones likes hockey: "I am a big soccer fan, too. But, hockey is cooler than soccer because you can use your hands. It's the same mentality. The window to do something is one-10th of a second. Decisions have to be made so quickly. You have to be on it that quick. There is something about that that says a lot about the game. You have to so sharp physically and mentally."

The future of Caroline's Spine: "We've been together for seven years. What we are doing right now, musically, is far greater than anything we've done in the past. What to do with this material is a pain in the ass. Half of our camp is saying we've got to hang on to these things and do these showcases and wait for a label deal and get national and international distribution and the other half says screw it, we'll release this thing on our own and keep all the money ourselves. Or do we wait and see what the labels are going to say?" John,
What do you think of this equation? Sharks + Guerin = Stanley Cup
Paul Sznewajs

I don't think that is farfetched at all. The Sharks are a very good team. I thought they would beat the Avs in six and certainly were in position up 1-0, then in overtime, one goal away from the Western finals. If the Sharks do nothing, they will be better because they are young. But, if they lose Teemu Selanne, they have to replace him with a sniper like Guerin. And I think they need a significant upgrade over Vincent Damphousse. Promoting Patrick Marleau as their No. 1 center and signing Bobby Holik would be gold. But, we don't know how ambitious the new ownership in San Jose is yet.

Mr. Buccigross,
You will be happy to hear that I have found Mr. Melrose's mullet in a sports bar in Reno, Nevada. Apparently, it has attached itself to a swarthy little man in a tank top and basketball shorts who does, in fact, drive an El Camino. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard Skynard coming out of the car.
Will Bartlett

We've gotten many leads like this one, but no success yet in capturing the mullet and returning it to its proper owner, Barry Melrose. If you have any info please call 1-800-MUL-LETS.

John,
How come, with 30 seconds left in the game, the team on the power play with a four-goal lead still tries to score like the 'Canes did against the Habs on Sunday? Why not just pass the puck back and forth at the blue line and run the clock out? Sort of like how they dribble the ball at half court, and both teams accept the outcome?
Eddie Beiles
Kernersville, N.C.

Every game has a personality that suits its rules and style. In golf, if you ask your opponent to move his mark because it is in your putting line, you should remind him to put it back if you see he has forgotten, even though it would be a penalty stroke and benefit you. In football and basketball, they down the ball and dribble out the clock at the end of games out of respect for their opponent. However, in baseball and hockey, since the task of scoring a goal and getting a base hit is so difficult, it is understood and accepted that all players go all out for the whole game. And in hockey, it would be more embarrassing to the opponent to play keep away with a four-goal lead than it would be to just play the game.

John,
Normally I'm a big fan, but Chris Chelios to the Rangers? You're out of your mind. If Cheli becomes a Ranger, I'll be the next coach of the Lightning.
David Sorenson

A lot of Wing fans wrote in concerning my Chris Chelios-to-the-Rangers prediction. Here's how I got to that point. Chelios is an unrestricted free agent. He had a great year and put himself into position for one last lucrative contract. He's 40 and conventional wisdom says no more than a two-year deal at $6-6.5 million a year. (He made $5.5 million last season.) However, Glen Sather might lose his job if he doesn't make the playoffs. What do the Rangers need most? A stay-at-home defenseman. He was the game's best during the regular season. Like the Bruins overpaid for Martin Lapointe to get him last summer, the Rangers would probably have to overpay to get Chelios. The lure of the New York lifestyle, the chance to be part of a Ranger revival, and most importantly to Chelios, a three-year $24 million deal, could make him a Ranger next season.

John,
Man, you got a big melon ... is it possibly an allergic reaction to all the makeup they throw on you?
Deron Nardo

HEAD!! MOOOVE!! I still can't believe I lost out on the part of the big headed kid in "So I Married an Axe Murderer." I still cry myself to sleep at nights on my huge PILLA.

John,
A friend and myself have been searching the Internet to no avail. We are trying to find out which goaltenders have scored goals. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Marc and Ric in Michigan

I think in next season's column I'll have a weekly feature called, "Things we should know." Like, we all should know how many goals and assists Wayne had off the top of our heads (894-1963). We all should know what goalies have scored goals. Seven goalies have scored goals, although only five have shot the puck into the empty net. 1) Billy Smith and 2) Damian Rhodes were the last to touch the puck before the opposing team shot the puck into their own net; 3) Ron Hextall scored two goals; 4) Martin Brodeur was credited with one and scored one. The other three goalies are 5) Chris Osgood, 6) Jose Theodore and 7) Evgeni Nabokov.

John,
Good column last week ... very touching ... let's never see that again.
Steve Maughan

John,
Please tell Ray Ferraro that the fans of St. Louis appreciate his hard work during the Blues short run for the Cup. I'm going to Charlie Gittos tonight and I'm gonna get me a big ol' dish of Chicken Parm in his honor. I'll try not to get any on my shirt.
Mark Wobbe
Blues Fan for 35 years

Last Friday, Ray and I went golfing, and after the round he had Chicken Parm for lunch. Later that same day, he had Chicken Parm for dinner.

John,
Just read you latest piece. As usual, good stuff. You are to hockey writing what Gutenberg was to the development of the common man. No other event in the history of humans has influenced them more than the invention of the printing press constructed by Gutenberg. The ways in which the printing press affected the growth and development of the human race are almost too numerable to count.
Yours in hockey and golf,
Joe Creighton

I always thought Steve Gutenberg was wayyyyyyyy underrated. I mean he was the glue in "Three Men and a Baby." And this printing press thing. Holy Shniky!

What Mike Patton is to Faith No More, John Buccigross is to NHL 2Night.
Okay, five questions...
1. What do you think Barry's chances are of landing one of the vacant coaching jobs this off season? More specifically the Caps job?
Barry is not a self promoter which makes his chances of returning to the NHL slim. Someone will have to come to him. I think the Caps will hire Colorado assistant Bryan Trottier once the Avs are done playing.
2. Who's got the best jerseys in the NHL?
I like the Blackhawks road sweaters.
3. What's better ... Star Wars or Spider-Man?
Star Wars in a blowout.
4. Why aren't you in a Bud Light Hockey Town commercial yet?
I'm under 40 and don't have a mullet. The two requirements for the commercials. Conveniently, Melrose filled both the over 40 AND the mullet requirement at the time of shooting.
5. Can I be in the column?
Ryan,
Madison, Wis.

Werd, Ryan. Wisco rocks. Peace out to Don Saleski.

John Buccigross is the host of NHL 2Night, which airs Tuesday-Saturday on ESPN2. His e-mail address -- for questions, comments or cross-checks -- is john.buccigross@espn.com.