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Legace responds Red Wings' No. 2 goalie Osgood left in awkward spot
With neither fuss nor fanfare, journeyman Manny Legace has supplanted Chris Osgood as the Detroit Red Wings' No. 1 goalie. Legace was given three tough assignments last week and responded, winning in Phoenix and then taking three of four points in back-to-back games against Los Angeles and Anaheim. Legace is 27, but he didn't break into the league until 1998 when he was a fill-in with the Kings. Osgood clearly has hit a trough, allowing six goals in each of his past two starts. Coach Scotty Bowman, never a wildly enthusiastic Osgood backer, might put pressure on general manager Ken Holland to find another goalie before the playoffs, but Detroit already is maxed out with a $62 million payroll.
Leetch's play drives RangersTheo Fleury's revival with New York has been the talk of the NHL, but the Rangers' driving force has been defenseman Brian Leetch. No longer burdened by the responsibility of being captain -- Mark Messier now wears the "C" -- Leetch has been playing the same slashing, stylish game that earned him the Norris Trophy in 1992 and 1997. But freedom from the captaincy and the reassuring presence of Messier in New York are not the only reasons Leetch is again flourishing. New Rangers coach Ron Low favors a skating game, and Leetch is no longer hesitant to join the play or even lead the rush when the opportunity arises.
Blackhawks team revampedChicago general manager Mike Smith was a turnaround artist when he worked under Ken Dryden in Toronto and, slowly, his fingerprints are in evidence on the Blackhawks. Since February Smith has completely revamped a sad-sack defense, retaining only Jamie Allison and Boris Mironov. Smith also took advantage of Florida's misfortunes last week to dump Anders Ericksson, a perpetually disappointing defenseman with offensive skills but a disdain for conditioning. Chicago got Jaroslav Spacek, who was off to a rocky start but who can bring almost as much offense and is stronger defensively. The trade wasn't dramatic, but it was the kind of deal indicative of a team inching in the right direction. Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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