Offsider

Ir Wayne Gretzky broke the club record for the

number of sticks used in a game, it would make. headlines. Gretzky demands a certain amount of respect because of his records, but sometimes it seems that other players who deserve media attention do not get any. For years there has been a debate concerning Ray Bourque and Bobby Orr: who is the better Bruins’ defenseman? On January 22nd, ' Bourque scored his 265th career goal to become the highest-goal-scoring Bruin defenseman; Bourque’s goal against Toronto toped Orr’s record of 264. Bourque is undeniably one of the best defensemen of all time; but the only mention of this record-setting 'goal was during the radio broadcast. Whenever | think of Bourque, I think of the game I| attended in Boston last March, and how he saved the game forthe Bruins by skating in behind Reggie Lemelin to make ‘the save that Lemelin could not. The oddest thing “about that game was Nevin Markwart’s thing about 'that game was Nevin Markwart’s being named a star. ‘The best of all to Bourque.

The Hartford Whalers have done it again. On Friday ‘they sent Rob Brown to Chicago in exchange for Steve Konroyd. It was an odd trade because Brown was the leading goal-scorer for the Whalers, but Konroyd was just playing in Chicago. The big ques- tion centres around the ability of Brown to work for Chicago coach Mike Keenan; Brown’s work ethic does not exactly fitin with Keenan’s. If Keenancan make Brown play defensively, the Blackhawks will Zain the edge inthe trade. If not, they still get a good power-play goal man, Will the Whalers get anything from Konroyd?

The New Jersey Devils finally got highly-touted Soviet prospect Alexander Semak on ice and he re- sponded with his first goal on January 24th against the Capitals. Watch for great things to come from this talented player.

lhe Panthers played two games this weekend against the Mount Allison Mounties and won them both. iriday night the score was 8-3, and Saturday night it was 10-3. John Nelson and Ronnie Clough each hada lat trick Saturday, Even though they win both games,

inst inthe division, According to the calendar, the

he Panthers are still behind U.N.B, inthe race for the

Panthers play this Wednesday nightin Moncton, and then are home to Dalhousie on Saturday, February | at

7:00; Acadia will be in town the next day for the game at 2:00.

Mark Messier’s homecoming to the Northlands Coli- seum went well for Messier fans, but not for the Edmonton Oiler’s fans. Messier and his fellow ex- oilers Adam Graves and Jeff Beukeboom were nerv- ous and fidgeting during the anthems. Messier had been given a press conference at the hotel on game day; the fans gave him a standing ovation the first time he stepped on the ice as a New York Ranger. The Ranger won the game.

Pro-Set has issued yet another set of cards this year. To honour the League’s 75th anniversary, Pro-Set has released its version of the Parkhurst cards; they are similar to this from the Platinum set but contain full- career statistics which were previously found on the only O.P.C. or Topps cards. If only Pro-Set would learn to limit print runs to increase the value of the cards.

JPEI X-P RESS

January 30, 1992

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