In The Crease

Referees are furious at union head Bob Goodenow for comments he made to The Toronto Sun, saying that players think the game is officiated too loosely and thus feel the need to police themselves. One ref says that if players want a more strictly called game, then that's what they'll get. Look for this in the playoffs....

Avalanche coach Tony Granato should be ashamed of his performance in last week's 3-1 loss to the Red Wings. With less than a minute and a half left Granato put goon Jim Cummins on the ice to goad Detroit scoring ace Brendan Shanahan into a fight. Cummins got Shanahan to engage him—the two traded several blows—and the Wings are lucky Shanahan wasn't injured....

One quiet but superb trading deadline deal was the Sharks' acquisition of Curtis Brown from the Sabres, a move that shows that San Jose's rookie general manager, Doug Wilson, understands how to build a team. Brown, already a favorite of the Sharks' coaching staff, has moved seamlessly to left wing from center, his primary position for seven seasons....

There's more to Mario Lemieux than his scoring greatness. Wanting to commemorate the Penguins' Steve Latin's 1,900 games as an NHL equipment manager, Lemieux purchased a platinum Rolex watch and presented it to Latin before the milestone match.