Kip start my heart

Jagr playing better since reunion with old Pens teammate

When the Washington Capitals were seeking an offensive boost in the offseason, they went after a former teammate who everyone thought would help make Jaromir Jagr happy.

While Robert Lang is a fine player, journeyman Kip Miller has developed an impressive chemistry with Jagr, something that dates from their 2 1/2 seasons together in Pittsburgh.

Despite playing nearly five fewer minutes per game, Miller is just four points behind Lang in scoring.

"He's a very intelligent guy," Jagr said in a league conference call last week. "He knows the game. He knows where he's supposed to be. We played together for three years in Pittsburgh. I don't have to tell him much. He knows how I play and I know how he plays. It's making it a lot easier for me."

The Caps had Ivan Ciernik playing with Jagr and Michael Nylander until about two weeks ago. And Miller had been floating all over the lineup, playing on all four lines at various times as well as lining up in all three forward positions. But Jagr exploded for his seven-point game on Jan. 11 with Miller playing on the left side.

"When [Jagr] is skating like he is right now, for me, he's easy to play with," Miller told the Washington Post. "I just kind of always know he's going to be open. Earlier in the year, when he was struggling, he wasn't skating so well, and it's hard to play with him and it's hard to play with me. It's just tougher, but when he's feeling like he is right now nobody can stop him, and all I'm basically doing is giving him the puck and watching him go."

Jagr's breakout game wasn't exactly surprising, either, when you consider the chemistry they enjoyed upon first playing together in Pittsburgh five years ago. Trailing 6-2 in the third period of a game, Miller and Jagr combined for four points to help the Penguins pull even at 6-6.

"I've always been a believer in mixing it up, and I think early in the year it cost me," Caps head coach Bruce Cassidy told the Washington Post. "But now I'm trying to get some fresh faces playing with one another, and maybe that gets us going."

Miller has made 15 stops in his 13-year professional career since winning the Hobey Baker Award in 1990 after scoring 101 points in 45 games as a Michigan State senior.

Miller inked a one-year $500,000 deal this summer, but you can bet Caps general manager George McPhee will do his best to keep Jagr's security blanket around the nation's capital for a few years to come.

Ill-adivsed fisticuffs

For a team hoping to turn things around and make a playoff push, the Colorado Avalanche suffered serious setbacks this week. The news that center Joe Sakic will miss two to four weeks isn't good, but Colorado has gone 7-1-1-1 without its captain in the lineup.

The Avs suffered much worse news during Thursday's 5-0 shutout of the Blue Jackets, losing defenseman Derek Morris to an eye injury after he took a punch in a fight with David Ling.

Though Morris said Thursday his eye wasn't broken, The Denver Post reported Friday that Morris suffered a blowout fracture of the right orbital and will be sidelined indefinitely. An orbital blowout fracture occurs when an object, such as a fist, produces a blunt trauma to the protective orbital bones, commonly called the eye socket.

A break can result in the bones around the eye being pushed back into the sinus cavity, but the most frequest outward symtoms are severe swelling, a black eye and double vision. Injuries like this to the orbital region often require surgery, but a diagnosis as to whether surgery is needed usually can't take place until the swelling goes down a few days later.

Colorado will miss Morris' 25 minutes per game and puck-moving ability. Granato wasn't pleased that Morris dropped his gloves in a game against an overmatched team with the Avs leading 2-0 in the second period.

"Derek Morris is a competitor," Avs head coach Tony Granato told the Rocky Mountain News. "If someone asks him to drop them, generally speaking, he does. It's something we don't like. We want him on the ice. If it's a playoff game and it is someone significant on the other team and that happens, it's a different story."

Morris' absence leaves Colorado shorthanded as it begins a tough five-game Eastern trip on Saturday in Toronto. The Avs called up Bryan Muir from Hershey of the AHL to replace Morris. Muir has given the team valuable third-pair minutes, but neither Bob Hartley nor Granato like to use more than five defensemen, so Muir and D.J. Smith haven't got a lot of ice time this season.

Fleury dodges big bullet

The alleged brawl at a Columbus, Ohio, strip club is bad enough, but the worst part of Theo Fleury's latest incident is the two unnamed teammates who accompanied him on their late-night sojourn.

Two Chicago newspapers reported Friday that the mystery teammates likely were rookie Tyler Arnason and veteran Phil Housley.

"I'm not going to comment on that," Housley told the Chicago Tribune. "You'll have to ask the coach."

But head coach Brian Sutter and general manager Mike Smith have dodged most questions on it, calling it an "internal team matter."

"They weren't supposed to be there, they were wrong and they have to stand and face the music," Sutter told the Tribune. "Believe me, they ain't going to be let off the hook."

The culture of beer and women has been prevalent in pro sports since the beginning, and nothing is likely to change that soon. But when one of your teammates is a recovering alcoholic, you shouldn't take him out to nightspots. As angry as Chicago management is at Fleury for using bad judgement in this instance, they are surely even more upset at the discretion of the other two players.

If the NHL found this offense to be a violation of his aftercare program, Fleury would've been suspended for a minimum of six months, ending his season and possibly his career. Though he signed a two-year contract with the Blackhawks, it's possible the team would've bought out the second year to avoid dealing with the hassles a second time around.

The Blackhawks aren't going to take any chance of a repeat incident. Rather than spend Sunday and Monday night in Montreal following their Sunday game against the Habs, the team will now return to Chicago on Sunday right after the game.

Worth noting

With the All-Star Game scheduled for his 28th birthday, Canucks winger Todd Bertuzzi will become the seventh different player to participate in the All-Star Game on his birthday, joining Edgar Laprade, Dean Prentice, Dino Ciccarelli, Denis Savard, Mark Messier and Mark Parrish. ... After starting off the season on fire with the man advantage, the Penguins have hit a drought with Mario Lemieux out of the lineup. An 0-for-7 game against the Bruins on Thursday means the Pens have scored on one of their past 29 power plays. ... Glen Murray has eight points in three games and has moved into a tie for fourth in scoring with 55 points. ... The Blues have been dominant in the third period this season, outscoring the opposition 72-40 in the final 20 minutes. ... Blues head coach Joel Quenneville became the first St. Louis bench boss to reach 500 games with the team during Thursday's 3-3 tie at Chicago. ... After struggling to a 2-9-2 start with the Predators, Mike Dunham is 9-6-2 since being traded to the Rangers on Dec. 12. ... The Stars have the longest unbeaten streak in the league this season, having gone 9-0-3 in their past 12. ... By routing the Flames 7-1 on Thursday, the Coyotes upped their record in Calgary to 8-0-2 since Oct. 30, 1997. ... With his first shutout of the year on Friday, Patrick Roy passed Dominik Hasek on the NHL shutout list and is tied with Turk Broda for 12th. ... Coyotes goaltender Zac Bierk is 2-3-1 since he was called up from Springfield on Jan. 4, but he has a 1.17 goals-against average and an amazing .963 save percentage. ... Devils center Joe Nieuwendyk struggled early in the season with just three goals in his first 34 games, but he has been on fire lately, scoring five in his past eight. ... The Mighty Ducks are 5-1-0-1 in their past seven games, and are off to the best start in team history through 48 games at 20-17-7-4. ... Sharks media relations manager Scott Emmert passed along word Friday that Todd Harvey and his wife gave birth to their third child on Thursday. According to the Sharks' press release: "Dilyn, a rugged 20.5-inch, seven-pound, three-ounce skater is expected to be a feisty forward, like her father, and will be available for the National Hockey League Entry Draft in 2021." If Hayley Wickenheiser can do it, so can you, Dilyn. ... If you are looking for the most die-hard NHL fan, Marcio Antonio Campos of Sao Paolo, Brazil, should certainly merit consideration. Campos made the 4,660-mile trip from his hometown to Atlanta to take in the Thrashers' recent five-game homestand, in which the team went 3-1-1.

Rumor mill

The Leafs' interest in Alexei Kovalev is no secret, and their latest offer reportedly includes Carlo Colaiacovo and Darcy Tucker. ... Stars general manager Doug Armstrong and Guy Carbonneau were both in attendance at the Thrashers' 8-4 win over the Blues on Tuesday, reigniting the thought Dallas might be interested in Slava Kozlov. ... Now that the Sharks have pulled the trigger on a big deal to get Kyle McLaren, captain Owen Nolan could be wearing something other than teal come the trade deadline. ... The struggling Kings would probably be willing to part with Ziggy Palffy, but his $7.25 million salary makes him difficult to deal, as does Adam Deadmarsh's uncertain future. ... With Chris Drury set to become a restricted free agent this summer, Calgary could send him packing before the deadline if he doesn't pick up his offensive production. ... The Panthers would love to move Valeri Bure's $2.9 million salary, but a bump to $3.1 million next season may make him tough to move. ... With the Hurricanes slipping down the standings in the East, Bret Hedican, Sean Hill, Sami Kapanen and Glen Wesley all could be trade bait in an effort to build for the future. ... One possible destination for Sean Burke was eliminated when the Bruins got Jeff Hackett from the archrival Habs.

Shameless plug

Be a Player released its new All-Star Edition hockey cards on Jan. 16, the first set ever focusing exclusively on the All-Star Game. The base set contains 150 cards, with 100 different NHL stars appearing in their All-Star uniforms.

But the most popular feature of his brand is sure to be the bobblehead dolls, which come in each hobby box. The list of players whose bobbleheads are featured is: Martin Brodeur, Pavel Bure, Peter Forsberg, Jagr, Curtis Joseph, Lemieux, Roy, Sakic, Jose Theodore and Steve Yzerman.

"We're excited about the All-Star Edition, because it is built around a memorable concept that remains tried and true," In the Game president Dr. Brian H. Price said. "The fact fans and collectors are routinely drawn towards the game's most popular players is a given. There's a good reason why the All-Star Game continues to be a popular event after more than 50 years so there is a good reason to build a product around it. ... I can safely say we've created an All-Star product."

The All-Star Edition sets comes with 20 three-card packs in a box, with one decoy or memorabilia card added to each pack. This will be among the products featured at the In the Game booth at the 2003 NHL All-Star Game Block Party next week in Sunrise, Fla. as part of the All-Star weekend festivites. Fans who purchase specific Be A Player and Parkhurst products at the show can open their packs at the booth and exchange the wrappers for foil-stamped cards, which are numbered to 10. There is also a chance of getting a one-of-a-kind card that is available exclusively at this show.

Jon A. Dolezar covers the NHL for CNNSI.com.

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