Outside Oberlin

NHL for the next millenium: New rules, new stars

For the first time since the days of disco and unabashed substance use, Wayne Gretzky will not don a hockey jersey. Mario Lemeiux is back - but off the ice - with a nice view from his luxury box as part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. New and improved rule changes hope to boost scoring in an era of astounding goaltending and bump-and-grind offense. The New York Rangers were major players in the off-season, making many moves to bolster their return to the playoffs following a two-year layoff. Up and coming teams like the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers hope to challenge respective conference powerhouses like the Buffalo Sabres and the Dallas Stars with youthful rosters.

The Great One's departure marks a changing of the guard. The respective teams he began and ended his career with - the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers - kick off the season tonight (with old pal Kevin Lowe behind the Oiler bench). Gretzky's goodbye also symbolizes the transformation from high scoring days of the 80s to bigger, more physical players and clutch and grab defensive systems that have irked players, coaches and the commissioners office since Roger Neilson executed the neutral-zone trap with the Florida Panthers.

Super Mario saved the Pittsburgh franchise from certain financial ruin and possible relocation when he submitted a proposal to invest in part-ownership of the Penguins. The result is an owner with almost limitless pockets who also doubles as an unparalleled hockey mastermind. It will be interesting to observe Lemieux's modifications to Pittsburgh's young, potent offense.

Ironically enough, the league has approved several rule changes to make the game more scoring-friendly. I think few teams will benefit from such changes, most notably the fast Western Conference teams - Colorado, Edmonton, Detroit and Anaheim. Let's run down the rules.

1) Referees will be extra careful around netminders who intentionally flop to draw penalties. My only problem is that more players will see this change as a free ride - right into the goalie. Officials will now have a tougher time deciphering what is real and what is Oscar material.

2) The crease rule has been changed again, hopefully for good. It's still not specific on a few points, but luckily the league has rid itself of the dreary video replay, similar to the equally ineffictive system used in pro football. Offensive players MAY be in the crease, but only if they are not interfering with the goalie. This will be enforced "on-the-fly" by officials, which means they must come to a consensus on the ice, without the use of video. This gives the penguins much leeway to interpret what's fair game and will surely raise eyebrows.

3) The last major rule change is the revamped overtime format. In the event that two teams are tied after regulation, each team will be awarded a point, a point that cannot be deducted regardless of the result. If a team scores in OT, it will be awarded an extra point. Since a non-overtime victory is worth three points, this will discourage defensive-minded teams to "go for the tie." If the game ends in a tie, then both teams will still get a point. The kicker of the new format is that each team will skate four players to a side plus the goalie. This will decided not to risk giving up a sudden-death lamp-lighter.

Well, let's move away from the front office and into free agency. The Blueshirts were quite generous in the offseason, inking forwards Theo Fleury, Valeri Kamensky and defensemen Kevin Hatcher. They also picked up veteran backup goalie Kirk McLean - the same man who almost took the Vancouver Canucks to the Stanley Cup winner's circle as recently as 1994. But the Rangers were not the only team to benefit from free agency. The Bruins acquired aging forward Dave Andreychuk, the Blackhawks got former Red Wing Wendel Clark and Nelson Emerson, a consistent scorer throughout his career, signed with the two expansion team, the Atlanta Thrashers. None of those teams will compete for the Cup this year - especially if Bruins netminder Byron Dafoe follows through on his promise to sit out the season until Boston management offers him a more desirable contract - but those signings should certainly help to appease the pain of being pretenders.

That said, who will compete for the Cup this year? It's safe to say that the 1999 champion Dallas Stars will once again be in the hunt. With a stellar offense led by Mike Modano and Brett Hull, a stingy defense anchored by Derian Hatcher and the goaltending of Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour, the folks down in the Lone Star state should have plenty to cheer for during the upcoming season. Meanwhile, perennial contenders like the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche will continue to dominate opponents on both coasts.

The same cannot be said for the teams in the East. Other than the Sabres, who have time for one more run at the Cup before the legendary Dominik Hasek retires at the end of the 1999-2000 campaign, no team in the East poses a significant threat to the Stars and the Red Wings. The Philadelphia Flyers will be strong if Eric Lindros remains healthy and John Vanbiesbrouck performs admirably in net, but both have been unpredictable in past years. The aging Devils and the Alexei Yashin-less Ottawa Senators have been perennial chokers despite their solid rosters, and the Bruins are not ready to compete for anything more than a playoff berth.

So the NHL season is just around the corner. Excitement is in the air, teams in the Western Conference are gearing up to abuse their brethren in the East and the Great One has ridden off into the sunset. It's a bittersweet time for hockey fans in most cities, but we must be strong and wait for the next generation of Paul Kariyas, Miroslav Satans and Sergei Samsonovs to pick up the slack. Until then, let's make the most of what we have, sit back and appreciate the sport that is truly the coolest game on Earth.

(Rossiter Drake also contributed to this article.)