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Tough, but right Flyers did what they had to do behind the bench
Posted: Tuesday April 25, 2000 06:56 PM
Backed by doctors' opinions, Philadelphia general manager Bob Clarke delicately brokered a deal Monday in which Roger Neilson returns to the Flyers as an assistant coach and Craig Ramsay continues to call the shots. Neilson, recovering from cancer, wanted the top job back but certainly realizes he is a victim of circumstance. The first circumstance is his illness. The second is the absence of Eric Lindros, who won't be back for the second round because of post-concussion syndrome. Neilson, the first Flyers coach who ever enjoyed Lindros' unqualified support, gave the former captain a wide berth, which some teammates resented. The third and most compelling circumstance is the exceptional way the Flyers have responded to Ramsay's short shifts and widely diffused ice time. Ramsay clearly had earned the right to continue.
Yashin's absence hurt Senators in the endOttawa's trade-deadline acquisition of goalie Tom Barrasso from Pittsburgh blew up Monday when the Senators lost their first-round series. However, the season was compromised much earlier by the team's hardline stance against former captain Alexei Yashin. Yashin skipped out on his contract, and the Senators, trying to wangle some public financing, stood firm by suspending him. But by not trading Yashin for other assets, the Senators threw away a year -- an act of principle but not practicality. An arbitrator will determine Saturday whether Yashin will be allowed to play for Russia in the World Championships, which begin the same day in St. Petersburg.
Slighting the World ChampionshipsSeemingly Yashin is one of the few players who actually wants to be at the Worlds. Both the United States and Canada have had a difficult time recruiting players from teams not involved in the Stanley Cup playoffs. This is a blow to the International Ice Hockey Federation, which pushed back the traditional start of the annual tournament to better accommodate NHLers. Team USA general manager Art Berglund and Team Canada GM Cliff Fletcher say part of the problem is simply many players don't want to spend their springs in Russia. The United States could round up only 13 NHLers for its team. Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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