About Stan

Bluelines: Mess not entirely done with the NHL

The betting here is that Mark Messier will be coaching an NHL club no later than a year from today. Moose won’t move into a g.m. nor an assistant head-coaching job. Once Wayne Gretzky tells him how much fun The Great One’s having, Mess will get the itch. By Summertime there’ll be at least five openings, but Mess prefers a warm weather town!

David Legwand is a young man who had better get crackin’, pronto, in Nashville. At age 25, the center should step up a notch and Barry Trotz – to his credit – isn’t bashful about laying it on the line. “David has to invest more into the game,” the coach asserts. “That extra push, second-effort; that little separation. He’s got to play with something to prove.” Trotz backs up his words adding, “I’m going to do my damndest” to lift the lad’s game. This should be interesting.

What will Adam Foote bring to the Blue Jackets? Coach Gerard Gallant says it’s not impossible that it could mean knocking off 30 goals against.

Sid Crosby’s image will soon be splashed across a couple of national magazines. Both Vanity Fair and Reader’s Digest will feature “Der Bingle.”

While the Oilers high command enthuses about Chris Pronger’s addition to the blueline, overlooked is the fact that CP is not a goaltender. The primary Edmonton-Kevin Lowe problem is that neither Ty Conklin nor Jussi Markkanen have the big-league goods in goal!

The Maven feels Messier will join the coaching ranks once Gretzky tells him how much fun it is. (AP)

Talk about addition by subtraction, check out the Blues. Mike Kitchen did NOT name Keith Tkachuk captain, but did give the “C” to Dallas Drake. That is smart! Speaking of captains, we like Lindy Ruff’s idea of co-captaining Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. We wonder whether Larry Robinson has that in mind for his Devils. Perhaps John Madden and Brian Rafalski.

Good News Dep’t: Dom Hasek doesn’t like the smaller pads. Our View: Tut-tut, my good man!

The skinny on opposition to Ted Saskin as NHLPA boss is this: According to our sources, it is being fomented by a couple of agents, one of whom is based in Edmonton. The anti-Saskin bloc should evaporate by opening night; but you never know with these rabble-rousers. Should there be a groundswell of support to remove Ted, the best candidates to succeed him include the NHLPA’s own Mike Gartner, or the PHPA’s Larry Landon. Our longshot candidate would be Rochester-based rep, Steve Bartlett, who once was runner-up to Bob Goodenow as successor to Al Eagleson. The pity of it all is that Bartlett didn’t get the nod in the first place.

Brad May’s return to Denver is not exactly a p.r. coup for the Avalanche. Colorado Fans remember BM’s role in the Steve Moore-Todd Bertuzzi drama. Some aren’t tickled to see May in an Avs jersey. Joe Sakic’s advice to the fans: Fugettaboutit! “He (May) said something after the fact that he regretted,” Sakic told the Denver Post’s Terry Frei. “But he didn’t do the crime. We’ve all said things that we’ve probably regretted, and you go on.” Very sage. Just one question: What happens when a (hopefully) recuperated Moore shows up in Denver to work with the Avalanche medical staff? There’s no way, the Avs want Steve on their roster – not with May! Would you?

Miroslav Satan’s attitude on Long Island will be closely eyed, especially by the Sabres, who agree that MS needed a scene-change – badly! But they wonder whether he’ll return to the concept of team play in the new setting. Our guess is that the perfect prescription is a medicine called “Elixir of Yashin.”

Leetch will have to ditch the No. 2 threads for No. 22 in Boston. (AP)

Remember when Canadian skeptics scoffed at expansion into Columbus and St. Paul? Right now, the Blue Jackets and Wild boast two of the hottest NHL tix. Minny’s home opener sold out in just 20 minutes after the 1,500 fans had lined up. Columbus is also booming.

If developer Bruce Ratner ever gets his arena in downtown Brooklyn, it could be home to an AHL team.

Both Patrik Elias and Alexei Yashin question whether the new, long-passing rule will open the game. “When I played in Europe (last season),” Yash tells us, “instead of having a trap on the red line, everybody gave up a lot of ice, staying on the blue line. They really patrol the blue line. I don’t know if it’s going to change things.” Elias agrees.

Good Quote Dep’t.: From Brian Burke on being Anaheim’s g.m. “This job is not a popularity contest. I’m not running for office. I get paid to win hockey games.”

Talk about Strange Bedfellows, get this: If Brent Johnson winds up sharing Vancouver’s goaltending with Dan Cloutier, there’ll be one, near-bout to discuss. “There once was a line brawl at the end of a period,” Johnson recalls. “Dan and I (on opposite teams) were both thinking, ‘Should I get in this?’ But we figured we’d stay out of it.” Johnson knows Clouts is one of the best goalie-fighters in the NHL. “I wouldn’t want to get into altercation with him,” adds Brent.

Good Story Dep’t.: Sheldon Kennedy completed a six-month stay in a California rehab center.

The two best old-boy, sentimental favorite-comeback attempts are in the Leafs and Devils camps, respectively. Steve (Stumpy) Thomas is hoping to crack the Toronto lineup at age 42. In Jersey, Tommy Albelin, age 41, knows the odds are against him but is giving it a shot. If TA fails in NJ, he could wind up in Albany working with the kids.

All eyes will be on how Satan (left) adjusts on Long Island. (AP)

“He’s the most annoying man on the ice. He never stops talking.” Sounds like Jeremy Roenick talking about himself. Actually it’s JR discussing teammate Sean Avery.

When it comes to hockey-parenting, you wouldn’t want to be Curtis Joseph. His lads, Taylor, ll, and Tristan, 9, will live in Phoenix but commute to Toronto to play. The kids will be taught by a private teacher.

The Comeback Kid of training camp has to be Boston’s Jon Girard. Two years ago he almost died in a car crash. With internal bleeding, two broken neck vertebrae and a shattered pelvis. Hockey was out of the question. He may not be NHL-ready now, but at least he’s competing for a Bruins’ spot. “We’re ecstatic he’s participating,” says Mike Sullivan. Ditto for Girard.

We don’t want to hear any more “The coach is too tough” excuses from Tyler Arnason. His nemesis, Brian Sutter, is gone; and his man, Trent Yawney, is behind the bench. The alibis are history so, let’s see the kid produce.

Add Anson Carter to the NHLers dissing Russia. “I thought it was pretty shady,” he tells our Ron Spence. “There were police pulling guys over and asking for passports; a lot of things went on behind closed doors there.” Get the picture; Anson ain’t planning a return! Ditto for Oleg Kvasha. The Isles giant says three weeks playing in Russia was enough for him. By then he was ready for Uniondale!