Mario Lemieux had a point to prove. And his torrid return to action following a two-month layoff has done just that.
Lemieux showed last week that he does indeed belong in the All-Star Game -- despite the protests of many fans -- and that his inclusion on and captaincy of the Canadian Olympic team is justified.
Though he’s played only 18 games this season, Lemieux has 25 points. His 1.39 points-per-game average projected over a full season would net 113 points. Not bad for a 36-year-old who in his prime missed one full season due to cancer treatments, most of two others with back troubles and spent three years in premature retirement before coming back in December 2000.
In his seven games since returning from injury, Lemieux has five goals and 11 assists in helping the Penguins to a 5-2 record. Super Mario sat out Thursday's 5-4 win against the Islanders to rest his hip and back, but the Pens won that game, too, and are 6-2 since he returned on Jan. 12 against St. Louis.
As he has done his entire career, Lemieux has made his linemates better. Aleksey Morozov has eight goals and six assists since Lemieux came back, after scoring just four goals and 11 assists in the previous 33 games. The Penguins play smarter, more efficient hockey when Lemieux is in the lineup, a direct result of his vision and passing skills.
And here's a not-so-surprising statistic for you: The Pittsburgh Penguins are 11-17-4 without Mario Lemieux in the lineup. They're 10-5-1-2 with him. So without Mario, Pittsburgh is contending for the first overall pick, but with him, it looks like a bona fide playoff team.
With a creaky back and a gimpy knee making an IR stint just one awkward shift away, Lemieux's other-worldly play is a treasure to hockey fans since we don't know how much longer he'll be around. It should be long enough to surpass a nearing milestone. Super Mario sits just five points from joining Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Marcel Dionne, Ron Francis and Steve Yzerman in tallying 1,600 career points.
Lemieux will sit out the game at Philadelphia on Tuesday, but will return to the lineup Wednesday against San Jose before heading to Tinseltown to dazzle us in the All-Star Game.
As usual Mario, you have proven your point. You still belong.
The Stars are out So long to the geezers and hello to the young pups. That’s pretty much the only thing separating this from every other midwinter All-Star weekend. The YoungStars Game replaces the Heroes of Hockey competition in the Friday night fun fest. The fast-paced four-on-four format with the stars of tomorrow should be a marked improvement over watching aging 50-somethings skate like they are in molasses.
The older folks will have some representation in L.A. The 1980 Miracle on Ice team is hoping to have its entire team together for the first time since the celebratory trip to the White House following the ’80 Winter Games. That is, if Lutsen, Minn. resident and noted recluse Mark Pavelich shows up, which indications are he might. The Miracle on Ice boys will skate against a team of Kings alumni on Friday as part of the NHL FANtasy, Center Ice exhibit at the L.A. Convention Center.
Fresh start Sometimes you just need a new perspective. The Dallas Stars canned head coach Ken Hitchcock on Friday because his tough-guy act was getting old. The New Jersey Devils fired head coach Larry Robinson on Monday because he wasn’t enough of a yeller and screamer. It just depends on where you stand. Rick Wilson will scream less in Dallas, while Kevin Constantine will yell more in Jersey to try to rejuvenate the Devils.
But some new scenery can certainly help out all parties. Take a look at some of the players who were traded in the past few weeks. Andrei Nazarov was known more for his fists than his deft touch in his time with the Bruins, but he scored a goal in his first game for the Coyotes. And former Coyote Sergei Berezin lit the lamp Sunday in his first contest with the Habs. Then the ultimate reclamation project, Valeri Kamensky, showed signs of life in his first week with the Devils by scoring three goals and three assists in five games.
Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia -- Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST The fans in the Steel City and the City of Brotherly Love would much rather have their attention turned south toward the Big Easy this week, but the Steelers and Eagles couldn’t accommodate that dream. They will have to settle for a Pens-Flyers battle on ice. The cross-state rivals have each taken a game at home in their series this season.
New Jersey @ N.Y. Islanders -- Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST The Devils will hop on a bus for the 40-mile trip to Uniondale to kick off the Kevin Constantine era. Lou Lamoriello surely hopes Constantine gets more out of the Devils’ disappointing “A Line” than Larry Robinson did this season, as Jason Arnott, Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora are averaging a disappointing 2.23 points per game this season after racking up an impressive 3.31 ppg last year.
N.Y. Islanders @ N.Y. Rangers -- Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST What kind of fun gesture can Theo Fleury think of to irritate Islanders fans next? Maybe he’ll do a good ol’ Rosanne Barr spit and crotch grab. There’s always the hands-around-the-neck choke gesture if Alexei Yashin blows a breakaway. Oh, I’ve got it! Fleury can waft some armpit stench in the direction of the ref after a bad call to let him know that he stinks. When the Isles and Rangers get together, fun things tend to happen, especially with the mercurial Fluery around.
World All Stars @ North American All Stars -- Saturday, 3 p.m. EST If goals are your thing, don’t blink. If you like defense, take a three-hour walk. Tommy Salo summed it up best when he said a goalies’ job in the All Star Game is to play 20 minutes and dig five or six pucks out of his net. Our pick for the game: World 12, North America 9, with Sami Kapanen taking home MVP honors.
Plus: Brent Sopel After plodding along with no points and a minus-7 rating in the 12 games before Christmas, Sopel has been the hottest defenseman in the league. He has 17 points in 15 games since and is an astonishing plus-23 in that span. Sopel was named the NHL’s Player of the Week for scoring four goals, three assists and having a plus-10 rating last week in helping the Canucks to a five-game win streak.
Minus: St. Louis Blues
Yes, they ripped off a team-record and NHL season-best 10-game win streak, but now they've lost two in a row. And to division rivals Chicago and Detroit no less. Even with their lengthy win streak, the Blues are still third in their division and would have only the fifth seed in the West for the playoffs.
Plus: Rangers in the first period No team has been firing it up from the opening faceoff like the Blueshirts. The Rangers have scored nine goals in their past three opening periods. They took a 4-3 lead against the Isles on Long Island on Tuesday, a 3-3 tie into the first intermission against the Bruins on Wednesday and led by a 2-0 margin after the first on Saturday against the Caps. After scoring eight goals in eight games, New York has scored 23 in its past four games.
Minus: Joe Sakic OK, so it’s a minus only for his career-long goal drought of 18 games. Sakic is focusing on other parts of his game and being the consummate captain for the Avs, one of the hottest teams in the league. And Sakic is still helping his teammates, with eight assists in the past six games. But score a goal already; you are the defending Hart Trophy winner, after all.
Plus: Adrian Aucoin Aucoin stepped up to play big minutes with ironman Roman Hamrlik and talented rookie Radek Martinek out with injuries. He has six goals and one assist in the Islanders’ past six games, though the team has gone just 3-3.
"They're so hard to get. I used to tell everybody I didn't want empty-netters. Now, if I can get 30 of them, I'd take them all. I think everyone in the league feels the same way. It's just nice to be out there. For years, I wasn't out there in that situation."
-- Red Wings right wing Brett Hull after capping off his 31st career hat trick Saturday night in St. Louis with an empty-net goal.
"There comes a period in time, quite frankly, when sometimes the same message, the way you want the team to play, the way you want the players to act, the way you want them come together, doesn't hit home.”
-- Former Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock after being fired Friday by the team.
"I still think Larry's an excellent coach. Larry did everything and anything he possibly could. They [players] weren't responding on a consistent basis. Certainly, it was eating at him, no question.”
-- Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello after firing head coach Larry Robinson on Monday.
Take your pick. Pretty much any of the 23 players on the Red Wings won’t kill your fantasy team. That’s what happens when you have nine future Hall of Famers on one roster. Dave Wallace looks at the Wings’ well-oiled machine in his latest Puck Amok column.
Six points and eight penalty minutes in three games. It’s good to see the old Eric Lindros back doing his thing. The highlight of the week for Big E was a four-assist game in Wednesday night’s 8-4 win over Boston. Well, actually the highlight of the week was probably three much-needed Ws in three games.
The Rangers host the Lightning on Monday and the Islanders on Wednesday before breaking for the All-Star Game.
Follow Lindros' progress this season here in the Head Games section of the Glance every week.
Last week's topic: Who will be the next coach to get fired?
Kudos to those of you who submitted Ken Hitchcock and Larry Robinson to the Mailbag. Perhaps you have a future as an NHL general manager. What follows are the best of the remaining submissions that did not call for Hitchcock's and Robinson’s heads.
Blown leads and another year likely out of the playoffs will probably cinch the
fate of Vancouver's Marc Crawford, who should be reminded that the players, not
the coach, should be the ones with a swagger. John Tune, Traverse City, Mich.
Curt Fraser. The honeymoon in Atlanta is over, and to bring in more fannies in
the seats, the team needs a makeover. Pat Burns, maybe? Paul Lang, Greensboro, N.C.
Ron Low. Impossible to blame Igor Ulanov and Petr Nedved forever when 90 percent of the team mails it in night after night. Raoul Bhatta, Bethlehem, Pa.
Andy Murray. The Kings have underachieved this year, despite a strong showing in
last year’s playoffs. Scott Copeland, Sydney, Australia
Lindy Ruff will be gone next. It's too bad he's got an offensively challenged
team and Marty Biron didn't get enough time behind Hasek. James J. Atkinson, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Ron Wilson. He lost nothing from last year's 96 point team and added Jagr.
Plus, they have a great power play and they still lose? Dan Morin, Honolulu
Scotty Bowman. Look at the Red Wings -- they aren't leading the league by enough. Coaching change time! Mark Prokop, Milford, Conn.
This pessimistic Leafs fan can only hope that Coach Quinn steps down for GM Quinn so he can concentrate on what he does best. Andre Marois, Waterloo, Ontario
This week's topic: Which team will make the most improvement after the All-Star break?
Jon A. Dolezar covers the NHL for CNNSI.com. "Week at a Glance" appears each Monday during the season.
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