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 In the Crease
Posted: Tuesday June 29, 1999 04:14 PM By Pierre McGuire
The Red Wings, who released Bill Ranford and lost Norm Maracle to the Thrashers in the expansion draft, now need a backup for goalie Chris Osgood . Don't be surprised if they make a trade for Flames veteran Ken Wregget .... NHL trainers, who gathered last week in Kansas City for their annual meeting, conducted a study on groin pulls and made recommendations to help cut down on those injuries. For instance, the trainers advise players to skate a minimum of 18 times during August. The study showed that players under age 27 are three times more likely to pull a groin muscle in training camp if they don't adhere to that schedule; players who are older than 27 increase their risk of a groin pull six times if they fail to follow the August skating regimen.... With a four-on-four overtime format taking effect next season, one opponent no team wants to face is the Mighty Ducks. Not only do they have snipers Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne , but they also acquired swift-skating offensive defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky from the Coyotes last week. Those three players on the ice at the same time could be dynamic.... Daniel and Henrik Sedin , the Swedish twins who were drafted second and third overall, respectively, by the Canucks, got a taste of the grueling travel they'll experience in the NHL. While they were flying home to Sweden from Dallas during the Stanley Cup finals, during which they were introduced to the media, their plane was diverted from Chicago to Des Moines, where they spent more than four hours on the ground playing cards.... Trading up to draft explosive wing Pavel Brendl at the No. 4 spot and abrasive center Jamie Lundmark at No. 9 was a coup for the Rangers. Expect them to be one of the busiest teams this summer, because general manager Neil Smith has been given the green light to sign a number of unrestricted free agents. His top targets? High-scoring Avalanche forwards Theo Fleury and Valeri Kamensky , steady Colorado defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre and rugged Canadiens backliner Stephane Quintal .... Dave Tippett , who was the coach of the International Hockey League's Houston Aeros, is in the running for one of the Oilers' assistant coaching jobs.... Commissioner Gary Bettman should consider hiring former Montreal president Ronald Corey , who resigned after the season, as an intermediary between the Canadian franchises and the league office. Corey is widely respected throughout the NHL, and hiring him would signal Bettman's commitment to the six remaining teams in Canada.
Issue date: July 5, 1999
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