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Sunday, April 28, 2002

By Dave Molinari, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The notion that Mario Lemieux should have skipped the Salt Lake City Olympics to save himself for the NHL season is laughably misguided -- Lemieux probably would have played even fewer NHL games if he hadn't had the carrot of competing in the Games to motivate him -- but Philadelphia can make a compelling argument for having NHL players stay home in 2006.

Exhibit A is left winger John LeClair, who had six goals for Team USA, but dropped off the radar screen after returning to Philadelphia. And Simon Gagne, who won a gold medal with Team Canada, didn't fare much better.

Gagne got six goals in his first four games back with the Flyers, then hit a dry spell that extended into the first round of the playoffs. For most of it, he and LeClair couldn't have been less visible if they were in the witness protection program.

Maybe it's a coincidence that two such reliable offensive players looked tired and lost their scoring touch as the season moved along. Most likely, it isn't.

And that's something Flyers officials figure to mention -- loudly and often -- when the merits of NHL participation in future Olympics is being discussed.

Chicagoland of plenty

It isn't easy being a Chicago fan, and not only because the Blackhawks haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1961. Just meeting the demographic profile of a Blackhawks follower is a serious challenge.

According to data compiled by the team, the average household income of fans who attend Chicago games occasionally is $92,000, and that figure rises to $110,000 for season-ticket holders. Indeed, 24 percent of Blackhawks season-ticket holders reportedly have household incomes in excess of $200,000.

Ivan the communicator

After Ivan Hlinka was named coach of Avangard Omsk in Russia last week, team spokesman Arkadi Alexeiev was quoted as saying, Hlinka "speaks Russian, he understands our mentality, his style and personality suit us." Too bad Hlinka didn't try any of that -- except maybe the part about speaking Russian -- during his days with the Penguins.

Paige flow

Denver Post columnist Woody Paige, whose shtick centers on belittling cities whose teams are matched against those from Colorado, managed to slip in a shot at Pittsburgh last Wednesday. In a column criticizing the play of defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, acquired from the Penguins March 19, Paige noted that Kasparaitis "has told a Pittsburgh reporter he misses Pittsburgh and wouldn't mind returning." He went on to theorize that Kasparaitis might feel that way because, "Pittsburgh probably is more like his home in Elektrenai, Lithuania."

Of course, there's always a chance Paige was trying to draw a perfectly innocent, entirely accurate parallel between Pittsburgh and Elektrenai. Like how neither city has a sports legacy consisting largely of lopsided losses in the Super Bowl.

Suspended animation

The idea that players are responsible for maintaining control of their sticks hardly is new, but goalie Jason LaBarbera of the Charlotte Checkers in the East Coast Hockey League put a radical spin on it. After being removed from a playoff game at Atlantic City April 6, LaBarbera heaved his stick down the hallway leading to the Charlotte locker room. It ended up striking a fan, which led to an 18-game suspension from Troy Ward, the ECHL's senior vice president of hockey operations and a former Penguins assistant coach. "Although Mr. LaBarbera's actions were clearly unintentional, players are responsible for their sticks at all times," Ward said.

LaBarbera has made one appearance in the NHL, stopping both shots he faced during 9 minutes, 43 seconds of work for the New York Rangers at Mellon Arena Oct. 14, 2000.

The Jagr policy

Jaromir Jagr would have preferred to skip the world championships for the 12th year in a row -- most of the players who participate missed the Stanley Cup playoffs -- and competing for his homeland proved to be tougher than he could have expected.

Reports out of the Czech Republic said that Washington owner Ted Leonsis wasn't keen on Jagr playing, and that the agency that represents Jagr, IMG, subsequently demanded that he be insured for the $77 million he is scheduled to earn during the seven years left on his contract. The premium, pegged at about $165,000, ultimately was picked up by a Czech insurance company that is one of the Czech team's sponsors.

Time to call Ray Vincent

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman met with executives of the St. Louis Blues a few days ago, with the franchise's fiscal health reportedly one of the primary topics of discussion. The Blues had a $25 million deficit last season, and might end up with an ever larger one for 2001-02.

No word on whether Bettman preached the merits of abstinence the next time the Blues are tempted to have a fling with a high-priced free agent.

Noble barn

Not so long ago, New York Islanders officials publicly expressed concerns about the safety of Nassau Coliseum, wondering aloud about the possibility of the main scoreboard plunging onto someone's head. Well, the Islanders still want a new building -- although a massive renovation of the Coliseum is getting serious consideration -- but it turns out they view the place as a quaint relic, not a menace to humanity.

Consider the note that Chris Botta, the Islanders' vice president of communications, included on his game notes after issuing about 220 media credentials for Game 3 of New York's first-round series against Toronto:

"We understand that the Coliseum may be an outdated barn, but it is our barn and a lot of history has been made here. We hope that as you navigate through its crowded workspaces, you also come to appreciate its charms." Including, presumably, the scoreboard that continues to stay in place over center ice.

Double the pleasure

Before Game 3 of the Phoenix-San Jose series, fans watching the AmericaWest Arena scoreboard were treated to a video flashback featuring former Coyotes center Jeremy Roenick, who signed with Philadelphia as a free agent last summer. Upon severing his ties with the Coyotes, Roenick, never accused of refusing to share his thoughts, said flatly -- and on tape -- that "they won't win 20 games."

The crowded jeered vigorously after watching that, and probably not only because Roenick's powers of prognostication were a bit lacking: The Coyotes won 40 games in the regular season.