Lemieux puts the league on an Avalanche alert

Sporting News, The, Oct 16, 1995 by Larry Wigge

A valanche General Manager Pierre Lacroix traded his soul for a Devil and a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and it was one hell of a bargain.

Heart-and-soul left wing Wendel Clark helped teach Lacroix's team how to post the league's second-best record last season. But right wing Claude Lemieux, who was obtained for Clark in a three-team trade two days before the season opener, will teach the Avalanche how to win in the playoffs.

"That team was tough enough to beat last season," Red Wings goaltender Mike Vernon says. "Adding Claude Lemieux makes them even tougher to beat. He's one of those players you love to have on your side, but hate to play against. He always finds some way to help his team win."

Lemieux, who scored 13 playoff goals and helped the Devils win their first Cup last season, became embroiled in a nasty contract dispute over the summer. When the Avalanche, who also were squabbling with Clark about a contract renegotiation, learned that the Islanders could get Lemieux for free agent Steve Thomas, the fortunes of three teams changed.

Lemieux was all over the ice last Friday in Colorado's opening-night victory over the Red Wings. He finished checks, made a pest of himself and set up the winning goal with a perfect lead pass to Valeri Kamensky.

New Jersey, which was forced to put left wing Tom Chorske on waivers to make room for Thomas, still is a Cup contender. But the Devils have lost some of the chemistry that was so important last season. Clark will help the young Islanders learn how to win and lead them to the playoffs for only the third time in six seasons. The Avalanche still have a big question mark in goal, but Lemieux makes them a legitimate Stanley Cup threat.

Jet propulsion

The first sign that Richland Burke and his Minneapolis group were close to buying the Jets came last week when they put up $2 million and made sure free agent Keith Tkachuk would stay in Winnipeg. Look for the sale to be completed by mid-November and approved at the league's board of governors meeting in December.

The Blackhawks had thought that the front-loaded offer sheet they gave Tkachuk ($6 million this season and $17.2 million over five years) was more than the Jets could afford. But Winnipeg was able to keep its star with Burke's $2-million contribution and another $2 million from the NHL's new trust fund, which was established to help Canadian teams defray the cost differential between U.S. and Canadian dollars and allow them to be more competitive in keeping free agents.

Icy bits

Despite player pleas that the Blackhawks cannot win a Stanley Cup without Jeremy Roenick, team officials continue to entertain offers for their star center. The Jets turned down a trade of Roenick for left wing Keith Tkachuk. The Islanders refused a three-team deal that would have brought Roenick to New York and sent defenseman Wade Redden, the second pick in this year's draft, and two other prospects packing. ... Now that the Red Wings have failed to get Ulf Samuelsson from Pittsburgh, Claude Lemieux from New Jersey and Tkackuk from Winnipeg, look for them to make a big offer to Ottawa for holdout center Alexei Yashin. We hear Detroit is prepared to offer Steve Yzerman, Martin Lapointe and Greg Johnson, with the Red Wings picking up a large part of Yzerman's $3.5-million salary. ... Looking to add firepower, Panthers G.M. Bryan Murray is close to acquiring right wing Dino Ciccarelli from Detroit.

While the threat of being called for obstruction clearly has opened up the ice, it also has resulted in some of the hardest hits we've seen in years. "Some people worried that the new calls would take hitting out of the game," Maple Leafs center Doug Gilmour says. "But it has opened up the game for the stars to show their skills and it has also opened up the game for some highlight-film hits as well." ...Keep your eye on Vitali Yachmenev, a 1994 third-round draft choice by the Kings. Yachmenev has soft hands and deft moves around the net and could score 30 to 40 goals playing on right wing with Wayne Gretzky. ... Whalers left wing Brendan Shanahan will be tough to stop now that former St. Louis linemate Nelson Emerson has been obtained from Winnipeg for Darren Turcotte. ... Holdout goaltender Curtis Joseph finally reported to the Oilers, wearing his old Blues mask and a Sharks jersey. Once Joseph comes down on his demand for $2.5 million per year, look for the Sharks to obtain him for right wing Pat Falloon and defenseman Michal Sykora. ... The best news coming from the announcement that NHL stars will play in the 1998 Olympic Games is that the reopener clause has been removed from the collective-bargaining agreement. That guarantees labor peace until at least the year 2000.

Larry Wigge has covered hockey for The Sporting News since 1969.

FOR UPDATES on Larry Wigge's TSN Hockey Report, call 1-900-860-4400, 95 cents per minute. In Canada, call 1-900-451-3234, $1.45 per minute. Callers under 18 must have permission. The service is accessible from touchtone and rotary phones.