Leaf GM moved fast with Perrott
Ferguson heard of disgruntled Stars Selanne predicts gold for Finland
Maple Leaf GM John Ferguson did a shrewd bit of dealing when he traded Nathan Perrott to the Dallas Stars for a conditional draft pick Sunday.
Ferguson had been told over the weekend by another GM that the Stars had a heated confrontation with coach Dave Tippett recently, in large part because the players felt the team didn’t have enough toughness.
Ferguson was set to send Perrott down to the minors anyway and he would have been claimed by Dallas on waivers and the Leafs would have received nothing. But Ferguson called the Stars and worked out a deal that could see the draft pick end up as high as a fifth- rounder. PENNY-PINCHING LEAFS:
Carlo Colaiacovo might feel a bit like a yo- yo by the end of the week, but the Leafs saved a bit of money.
Toronto returned the defence prospect to the Marlies yesterday, a day after he scored his career first NHL goal in the win over Washington. The 22- year- old will be back with the Leafs tomorrow in time for games in Buffalo tomorrow night and Montreal Saturday. The Leafs would have had to pay Colaiacovo $ 9,542 had he stayed with the Leafs yesterday and today. DANIS SENT DOWN:
The Canadiens have sent goaltender Yann Danis to the team’s AHL affiliate in Hamilton. Danis won both games he started for Montreal, but the Canadiens plan to give him extra work during a busy stretch of Hamilton’s schedule. The 24- year- old will return to the Habs on the weekend. “ Yann is young and it’s important that he sees some action,” general manager Bob Gainey said. CLOUTIER PRACTISING:
Goaltender Dan Cloutier practised with the Vancouver Canucks yesterday for the first time since suffering a concussion on Oct. 29 and could play tonight against the Colorado Avalanche. Cloutier suffered a concussion and whiplash in a game Oct. 29 when he collided with teammate Nolan Baumgartner. LECLAIR STILL OUT:
The Penguins still don’t know how long forward John LeClair will be out after breaking several bones in his right cheekbone during a practice mishap.
LeClair was struck by a puck below his right eye during the Penguins’ pre- game skate Saturday in Boston.
“ Officially, he’s still out indefinitely,” said team spokesman Keith Wehner.
Doctors have determined the veteran does not need surgery. TURGEON LIKES NEW NHL:
Avalanche centre Pierre Turgeon, who potted his 500th career goal Tuesday night, says he likes the NHL’s crackdown on hooking and holding.
“ The big difference for me is all the speed and all the things that are happening in the neutral zone,” said Turgeon.
“ You see 2- on- 1s and 3- on- 2s that you just didn’t see before. Trying the trap in the middle when you’re not able to hook someone or hold someone skates beside you, it’s a lot harder.” GOLD FOR FINLAND:
Mighty Ducks winger Teemu Selanne is also preparing for his fourth Olympics with February’s Games in Turin — and he feels pretty darn good about his Finland’s chances.
“ That’s why this kind of tournament is so special because you never know what’s going to happen. There’s so many question marks, like who’s going to be hot for those two weeks?
“ Okay, Canada, U. S. and Russia are always the favourites, but that doesn’t mean anything. “ Finland, we’re the underdogs and we know that, but it doesn’t matter. We know we can beat anybody if we have a good day.”