14 Edmonton Oilers

Toward the end of training camp the Oilers traveled 190 miles west to the Canadian Rockies, where they spent four days biking to the rink for morning skates and then hitting the golf course in the afternoons for some team bonding. After winning only two of their first 10 games last season, coaches and players hope that the excursion to secluded Jasper, Alberta, will help propel them to a successful first month and beyond. "We thought it would be a good idea to get the guys away and work out stuff for the beginning of the year," says fourth-year coach Craig MacTavish. "We wanted to get through camp with the same goals and a singular purpose."

During the trip MacTavish worked on some of the areas that kept his club from advancing past the first round of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Among the biggest concerns is the power play: Without a consistent quarterback last year, Edmonton converted only one of 23 power-play chances in the postseason. Rookie Marc-Andre Bergeron, 23, emerged as the front-runner to fill that void, and former Oilers forward Craig Simpson was hired as an assistant coach for special teams.

With the loss of free agent Todd Marchant and the absence of Mike Comrie, who was locked out of camp in a contract dispute, MacTavish was forced to experiment at center. Ryan Smyth, the team's leading scorer last year with 61 points (despite playing in only 66 games because of injuries), was moved from left wing to center on the top line with speedy right wing Ales Hemsky and hulking left wing Brad Isbister. "I was nervous at first, and it's unreal how fast the pace is," says Smyth, whose only previous experience at center was a brief stint in juniors in the early 1990s. "But I enjoy the challenge, and the line seems to be connecting."

The small-market Oilers are accustomed to having to fight their way through the powerful West to get into the playoffs. This year won't be different, but with a strong start and improved special teams they expect to be more than a playoff pushover.

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