UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE (04/14/96)

UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE

by Ihor Stelmach

Sitting ducks not

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim seemed to be going nowhere, while the Winnipeg Jets were going somewhere elsewhere soon.

Together, these two erstwhile situations created the atmosphere that led to the Ducks' first blockbuster trade, when they sent Ukrainian defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky (second over-all draft pick in 1994), center Chad Kilger (fourth over all in 1995) and the Ducks' third-round pick in 1996 to Winnipeg for right-winger Teemu Selanne and the Jets' fourth-round draft pick in 1996.

Anaheim GM Jack Ferreira always said the Ducks would build slowly through the draft and was emphatic he wasn't willing to part with Paul Kariya, Tverdovsky or Kilger. In early February, he parted with two of the three for a player the Ducks consider a true NHL superstar.

The Ducks gave up a ton of potential - Tverdovsky and Kilger are both only 19 - but got a proven star who is still only 25 and has over 150 career goals and well over 300 career points: 30+ goals and 100+ points this season.

The Jets decided to part with Selanne largely because even with three highly paid offensive stars in Selanne, Ukrainian left wing Keith Tkachuk and center Alexei Zhamnov, the Jets had missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons and are in danger of doing it again.

Tkachuk couldn't be traded for a year because the Jets had matched a free-agent offer sheet last summer to keep him. Zhamnov's uncertain contract status made him hard to move. That left Selanne, and trade rumors swirled for months before a deal was finally struck.

Winnipeg, of course, is moving to Phoenix next season after bids to keep the team in Manitoba proved financially unworkable. So, from management's standpoint, any potential backlash would be brief. As for the fans in Phoenix, if they never got to watch Selanne, they would never miss him.

"We were looking to make a change or changes that would be beneficial down the road for this franchise," said Jets' GM John Paddock. "Teemu is a tremendous person with a lot of character, but what we're getting back is two future stars who are playing in the NHL right now and contributing."

Ferreira admitted he wrestled hard over giving up both Tverdovsky and Kilger. Even though Tverdovsky hadn't made quite the step up the Ducks had hoped for in his second season (7-15-22 points in 51 games prior to the trade), the Ducks still liked his potential.

"It's not like we had given up on them, not at all," Ferreira said. "We were fortunate other people recognized the talent these two have. Because of that talent, we were able to do this deal."

As for Tverdovsky, whose speed and flashes of brilliance are sometimes countered by errors, Ducks' coach Ron Wilson said: "He was always being compared to Bobby Orr, and I don't think that's a damn fair comparison. Bobby Orr was dominating at 18. Oleg was not dominating the competition. It takes time."

It was a bold stroke for GM Ferreira, and it was time for one. The Florida Panthers, Anaheim's expansion companion, have consistently iced a more competitive team. As a result, the Ducks were still scrambling to remain in playoff contention.

It became time to reassess, or management might not have been around to see Tverdovsky and Kilger mature anyway.

About Tverdovsky's mom

A late February report by the Los Angeles Times revealed the bizarre abduction of Oleg Tverdovsky's mother near Kyiv. Alexandra Tverdovska was spirited off the streets in Donetske, Ukraine, in a plan allegedly masterminded by one of Oleg's former coaches - identified only as Nikolai V. The captors attempted to extort $200,000 from Tverdovsky, and the plan was actually in its final stages when authorities recaptured Alexandra aboard a train headed for Moscow, where she was going to be exchanged for the ransom. Nikolai V. enlisted the aid of a woman, Tatiana R. (is this a future TV movie?), and the plot crumbled with the eventual arrest of five people - all of whom, if convicted, could be sentenced to up to seven years in a Ukrainian jail.

Tverdovsky's former coach, Nikolai V., visited him in Anaheim over the summer and grew very jealous of the teenager's rich, comfortable lifestyle. "After that, he was upset," said then-Ducks' teammate, forward Valeri Karpov (a Russian). "Things are hard in Ukraine - the hardest in Russia [sic] - and he wanted the money."

During the 10 days of his mother's abduction, Tverdovsky was traded from the Ducks to the Winnipeg Jets, and all the while he said nothing to his teammates or management on either side. "I couldn't talk to anyone," he told the Los Angeles Times. "She was in danger." Alexandra and her husband, Fedor, are safe and sound in Anaheim...Tverdovsky is now one of four teenagers, along with Chad Kilger, Shane Doan and Deron Quint, getting a good share of ice time in Winnipeg...

Hawerchuk hits 500 with flare

When Mike Keenan scratched Dale Hawerchuk for the center's homecoming game in Buffalo last October, "Ducky's" 78-year-old grandmother, Georgina Mitchell, was one of the disappointed family members at Memorial Auditorium.

So, she made it a point to travel the 110 miles from her nursing home in Fort Erie, Ontario - broken leg, wheelchair and all - to be in Toronto for the St. Louis Blues' game against the Maple Leafs on January 31.

She had one of the best seats in the house, a wheelchair area behind the Leafs' net, when Hawerchuk ripped a slapshot over goalie Felix Potvin's glove hand to score the 500th goal of his career.

The goal was a big one, giving the Blues their second goal in a 4-0 victory. Hawerchuk accomplished the feat in Toronto, near his Oshawa hometown.

"You couldn't have written a better script," said Hawerchuk, who greeted his grandmother with a hug and kiss outside the Blues' dressing room.

After the goal, the Blues' bench emptied as the players skated over to congratulate their Ukrainian teammate. Coach-GM Keenan, who gave Hawerchuk a three-year, $7.6-million deal in the off-season, stood on the bench and clapped along with the sell-out crowd of 15,746 who gave Hawerchuk a standing ovation.

Hawerchuk has had his ups and downs this season with Keenan (and who hasn't?), who was his first coach in the Junior B with the Oshawa Legionnaires.

"This means a lot to me," Keenan said. "We started our careers together in Junior B. I've given him a hard time, but he has stuck with it and believes in what we're doing. He has worked hard. I'm happy for him."

Babych loves hockey

Ukrainian Dave Babych may have lost some of his hair, but 1,000 games into his NHL career he hasn't lost any enthusiasm for the game. Babych reached the 1,000-game plateau last February 7 against the Hartford Whalers, one of three teams whose colors he has worn.

"What do I aim for after 1,000? Maybe I'll look at 1,500," said Babych, who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets (second over all) in 1980.

Babych remembers his first NHL game against the Washington Capitals, but says the rest is pretty much a blur. Now 34 and in his 16th NHL season, he has yet to play on a Stanley Cup winner.

"Still I think it has been a pretty good career," he said. "You don't last this long without enjoying the game and accomplishing something."

Babych spent five-plus years in Winnipeg before he was dealt to the Whalers for winger Ray Neufeld. Hartford then gave up on him after nearly six seasons and left him unprotected in the San Jose Sharks-Minnesota North Stars expansion draft of 1991. The Canucks acquired him in a three-way swap, with Tom Kurvers going to the New York Islanders and Craig Ludwig moving to the North Stars.

Babych was an integral part of the Canucks' 1994 run to the Stanley Cup finals, scoring the winning goal in Game 6 of a series Vancouver eventually lost in seven games to the New York Rangers.

"The best part of this game is being on the ice with the guys," Babych said. "To me, it still feels like I'm on the outdoor rink in Edmonton with my buddies after school."

(Sources for above: Robyn Norwood, beat writer for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks; Los Angeles Times, Dave Luecking, beat writer for the St. Louis Blues; Elliott Pap, beat writer for the Vancouver Canucks.)

Ukrainian pro hockey poll

1. Detroit - No Ukes, many Russians; best hockey team in NHL.
2. Colorado - Roy in net, Sakic leads offense, Leschyshyn on defense.
3. Pittsburgh - Lemieux, Jagr, Francis = firepower gallore.
4. N.Y. Rangers - Messier leads veteran squad back to Cup quest.
5. Chicago - Solid netminding key to any Blackhawk success.
6. Philadelphia - Hawerchuk on "Legion of Doom" line with Lindros.
7. Florida - Overachievers in regular season - playoff doom?
8. Montreal - Habs having beaucoup fun in new Molson Center.
9. New Jersey - Acquisition of Andreychuk adds to offensive arsenal.
10. Boston - Tocchet's gutsy play compensates for Neely's loss.
11. Tampa Bay - Bellows specialty performer for striking Lightning.
12. Washington - Bondra + Kono-walchuk big-time Capital snipers.
13. St. Louis - Gretzky + Hull not meshing; Keenan stressing.
14. Calgary - Fleury leads bunch of no-names to .500 record.
15. Vancouver - Mogilny with 100+ points - how good with Bure?
16. Toronto - Pat Burns out as coach; Wendel Clark back as Leaf.
17. Hartford - Best club in NHL to not make playoffs in 1995-1996.
18. Winnipeg - Tkachuk, Tverdovsky + Olczyk on playoff hunt.
19. Anaheim - Kariya and Selanne lighting the lights.
20. Buffalo - Zhitnik offensive on defense; these Sabres are fighters.
21. Edmonton - Young forwards + Cujo in nets Oiler gushers.
22. Dallas - Lifeless + inconsistent in all phases of game.
23. Los Angeles - Khristich + Shuchuk underrated Kings in lousy year.
24. N.Y. Isles - Milbury orchestrating strong youth movement.
25. San Jose - From playoff upstarts to total demise in two years.
26. Ottawa - New GM + coach seem to be righting forever-sinking ship.

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