Stan Fischler
Bluelines: Al Montoya has already had a sandwich created in his honor
Jul 27, 2004
 Is Ottawa getting a lemon in Dom Hasek? One former Russian teammate thinks so. The defenseman says The Dominator is much less than a team player. Wade Redden, Chris Phillips, beware!
Todd Bertuzzi has been sighted near his Kitchener summer digs, driving a big, black Hummer. Teammate Brad May was a recent visitor. So far, Bert has remained as far from the Vancouver provincial court – where his assault hearing takes place – as possible. Dan Cloutier married his sweetheart from Junior days, Nikki Alexander, earlier this month in Sault, Ste. Marie. We know one Senator who’d rather have Patrick Lalime in goal over Dom Hasek. That’s the captain, Dan Alfredsson, who was surprised Lalime got dumped. "I don't think in a lot of those playoff series that goaltending was our problem,” says Danny Boy. “We've had problems putting the puck in the net.” Who would know better than Alfredsson?  | | It's Charles Wang to the rescue again, this time saving the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. (AP) | When Roy Boe owned the Islanders in the late 1970s – he was the original owner – Boe needed John Pickett to bail out the team. Ironically, Boe’s stewardship of Bridgeport’s AHL club has hit fiscal shoals. So, who’s bailing ‘em out? None other than Isles’ owner Charles Wang, who has two hockey teams and the Arena Football League Dragons in his stable. Wang’s next move could be revealing plans for a new Long Island arena. Alexei Kovalev remains one of the most intriguing Unrestricteds. At $6.6 million, he’s too expensive for Pittsburgh and Montreal, a pair of places Kovy likes. It may be a long haul as clubs wait for the market to develop. Ditto for Pavol Demitra ($6.5 mil) and Zig Palffy ($7 mil). Why did highly-regarded assistant Perry Pearn ditch Ottawa for the Rangers? Double P says he had a “gut feeling” the Big Apple opportunity was best for him. Devils’ plans for a Newark arena are in the homestretch but still must clear two obstacles. If the hurdles are handled, the official green light should flash in August. “We’re on the goal line,” says the club’s principal owner, Jeff Vanderbeek. Mike Danton’s guilty plea leaves observers-who-knew-him wondering just how far he might have gone had the kid not fallen under agent David Frost’s influence. For one thing, he would have been a member of the Devils’ 2003 Cup-winning squad. Vet ref Terry Gregson was headed out the door under Andy Van Hellemond’s regime. Should Gregson retire, he’d be another candidate to replace VH. Have you ever noticed that Colin Campbell suggests from time to time that he’d like to get back to coaching? Well, he could keep his mouth shut on the issue, right? Right! It tells us that Coly just might be looking. Campbell’s 20-year-old son, Greg, gets another shot at the Panthers. The left wing has borrowed Dad’s motto: “God gives you one mouth and two ears!” Meaning, he’s a good listener. Bruins expect Czech defenseman Milan Jurcina, who starred at Providence, to make the big club. Mike O’Connell also is counting on a Jonathan Girard comeback from his career-threatening 2003 auto crash. Don Cherry on hockey writers: “If half the media wouldn’t get paid to go to a game, they wouldn’t be there!” How’s this for timing: only a week before the CBA deadline, a “Canada Sports Forum” will be held in Toronto. The NHLPA’s Ted (No Cap) Saskin is one of the speakers along with the NHL’s Jon Litner. Also in the lineup: Pierre Boivin (Habs), Pat LaForge (Oilers) and AHL President & CEO Dave Andrews. Event is sponsored by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal. Not bad for a kid who’s never played a game on Seventh Avenue. Rangers’ top pick, Al Montoya, now has a sandwich created in his honor. The Seventh Avenue Carnegie Deli created a sandwich, called the Al Cubano, symbolizing the goalie’s Cuban heritage  | | The Devils and their fans are hoping Stevens returns to the New Jersey lineup in good health. (AP) | Lou Lamoriello on Scott Stevens: “He’s working out and feels good.” Lou on improving the NHL: “We have to emphasize rivalries and competitiveness of divisions.” Slowly, the league is moving in that direction. One NHL official on the NHLPA’s negotiating style: “The Association is jerking us around!” Good Move Dep’t: Coyotes hiring Grant Fuhr as goalie coach, replacing Rangers-bound Benny Allaire. If, as expected, newlywed Petr Nedved exits Edmonton, likely for L.A., his replacement could be Jason Allison. Prelim chats already are underway. Or, as Kevin Lowe notes, “We need a top center.”
Brian Leetch subscribes to the theory that NHL-NHLPA negotiations mean nothing now and remain meaningless until September. “I don’t worry about anything until the last week of the World Cup,” says the defenseman. One time whiz Marc-Andre Fleury no longer has any hold on the Penguins’ crease. Sibby Caron and Andy Chiodo have gained Ed Olczyk’s confidence to the point where any one of the trio could wind up numero uno. Aces quote from Dave Andreychuk on why he isn’t retiring as a Cup-winner: “The easy thing to do would have been to go out on top. A lot of friends expected me to do it but that would have been the easy way out. I don’t see a reason to retire.” Next Best Quote: “I’m not surprised,” says Jay Feaster, “I think he’ll play until he’s 60!” Which means that DA has 19 seasons ahead of him! There won’t be 10-inch goalie pads in the AHL next season after all. The International Hockey Industry Association asked Dave Andrews for the delay and DA agreed. Panthers-Thrashers is one of the best young NHL rivalries. Now it’s even better since Scott Mellanby’s whack at Mike Keenan over de-railed contract talks. Keenan counterattacked in turn and now Mellanby is with Atlanta. Good Move Dep’t: Dave Nonis signing Randy Carlyle to coach Manitoba. Nobody brings more savvy and understanding of Winnipeg fans than the former NHL All-Star.
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