The Nhl

Goal-Oriented
Rookie defenseman Tomas Kaberle fits the Leafs' new step-it-us style

Were the Maple Leafs the plodding, cautious team of a year ago, Tomas Kaberle wouldn't be welcome on their roster. That was then, this is now. This season the Leafs are worrying about defense only after striking the fear of goals into their opponents' hearts. Kaberle, a 6'1", 200-pound defenseman who has emerged as a rookie of the year candidate, fits in perfectly. "He skates well, he handles the puck well, and he can pass," says Toronto coach Pat Quinn. "That's what we need."

In June, after Toronto had missed the playoffs for the second straight season, Quinn was hired to replace defense-minded Mike Murphy. Aiming to capitalize on the Leafs' speed, Quinn installed an aggressive go-to-the-net system that has turned Toronto into the Eastern Conference's most entertaining and highest-scoring club. Through Sunday the Leafs had 157 goals, and they were 28-17-3 (compared to 117 goals and 17-24-7 at the same point last year). "We wouldn't be able to play the way we do," says Quinn, "if we didn't have defensemen who can move the puck."

Those defensemen include veterans Sylvain Cote and Dimitri Yuskevich, recently acquired Bryan Berard and 20-year-old Kaberle (pronounced KAW-ber-law), who has impressed his elders. "Tomas sees the ice very well," says Yuskevich. "He has the confidence to move the puck wherever he is. You don't see that often in a rookie."

When Kaberle, who was the Leafs' 13th pick (204th overall) in the 1996 draft and who played last season in the Czech Republic, came to training camp in September, Quinn was only vaguely familiar with him. By camp's end, Kaberle's poise with the puck had gotten Quinn's attention. In Toronto's season-opening 2-1 victory against the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings, Kaberle played a game-high 29:13.

If Kaberle's numbers—at week's end, he led rookie defensemen with 17 points and 14 assists—aren't enough to carry him past first-year forwards such as the Canucks' Bill Muckalt (28 points) and the Devils' Brendan Morrison (24) in the race for the Calder Trophy, he has certainly become a contender for the award. Kaberle has often been outmaneuvered by experienced forwards, but his defensive shortcomings have not seriously undermined the Leafs, who had surrendered 2.96 goals per game, the most of any team with a winning record. "We're thrilled with him," says Quinn. "He's going to be a good player for many years."

Bob Goodenow's Kid
He's the Son Of a...

You've probably never heard of Joe Goodenow, a freshman forward for Michigan State, which was ranked third in the nation as of Sunday. But you've surely heard of his father, Bob, the steel-willed lawyer who heads the NHL Players' Association. The 5'10", 177-pound Joe, with eight points in 22 games for the Spartans, is ranked a respectable 151st by the NHL's Central Scouting Service and is regarded as a potential pro because of his determination.

Joe, 18, says he's constantly reminded of the shadow Bob casts. "My teammates ask me things like who's going to get traded," Joe says. "I tell them Dad doesn't know that stuff—a lot of general managers are his enemies." Might that hurt Joe in the June draft? "I hope I don't get buried because of my dad," he says, "but it could happen."

Genera! Managers' Poll
Has Nolan Been Blackballed?