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Sunday, April 29, 2001

By Dejan Kovacevic. Post-Gazette Sports Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Capitals' ploy to prevent Pittsburghers from buying tickets to first-round Stanley Cup playoff games in Washington has received a hearty thumbs-up from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

You will recall that Ted Leonsis, the Capitals' owner, rigged the software on his team's official Web site to block purchases from anyone with a 412 or 724 area code, then boasted publicly that his strategy was "pretty cool."

At the time, the league offered a blanket statement that individual teams are free to sell tickets as they please. Bettman made his first public comments on the matter to the Post-Gazette while attending Game 1 of the Penguins-Sabres series Thursday at HSBC Arena.

"You know what? I think a lot was made of that," Bettman said. "Through traditional sources, you could get tickets for the game. It was just a question of what the Capitals were doing with their Web site. Ted, I guess, is kind of cutting edge with what you can do on the Internet. But people could get tickets through Ticketmaster and the traditional sources."

That was true for Games 1 and 5 of the series. But before Game 2, Leonsis and his staff bought up all remaining tickets -- more than 1,000 -- and placed them for sale exclusively on the Capitals' Web site.

Bettman was asked if he would encourage other team owners to behave in a similar fashion.

"I think it's nice for Washington, when you look at the history of that franchise," he replied. "Particularly from an attendance standpoint, they had great crowds in the building, and they were very passionate and partisan. So that part's a plus. But again, people in Pittsburgh who wanted to get tickets could have done so. They weren't blocked from being in the building."

More from Bettman:

On inconsistency in playoff officiating: "The officiating's been terrific. To the extent there's been inconsistency, there hasn't been much of it. And in the two-man system, your choice is a little inconsistency or missing calls altogether. I don't think one referee can do this on his own. ... Our officials are doing a great job, particularly in the playoffs, when we get the more experienced referees."

On how much Mario Lemieux's return has helped the league: "It certainly hasn't hurt. But as I've been saying all year, we were having a great season and were on track to have record attendance. Mario coming back was the icing on the cake. ... I think the impact will really be overwhelmingly for the franchise in Pittsburgh. I think with respect to the other franchises, you wouldn't see that much of an impact."

Icy chips

Bettman took a few shots in the Buffalo press by appearing here for the first time since the 1999 final, the ended by the Stars' Brett Hull in overtime with his skate in the crease, back when that was still a sin. Asked if any fans had berated him, Bettman replied, "Not at all. Why would you think that?"

Markus Naslund will be way underpaid in the final year of his contract next season, earning $2.75 million, so the Canucks are trying to work out a long-term extension. How much does management like him? "The only thing wrong with Markus is he doesn't have an identical twin," General Manager Brian Burke told the Vancouver Province.

Four candidates interviewed for the Blackhawks' coaching job -- Bryan Murray, Terry Murray, Brian Sutter and Denis Savard. Expect Bryan Murray to be named within two weeks.

Sergei Fedorov is hearing the jeers in Detroit after netting only two assists in the Red Wings' final four games, but management insists he will not be dealt. That pleased Fedorov. "I don't want to go anywhere," he told the Detroit Free Press. "I believe in this organization. I love the city."

Who says the NFL is the only league with parity? Every opening game of the second round of these playoffs was won by the visiting team, first time for that since 1968.

Pavel Bure didn't return to Moscow empty-handed after the Panthers' season ended. He donated 35 sets of hockey equipment to the Red Army Hockey School.

Could it be that the real reason the Capitals acquired Trevor Linden was to replace Adam Oates as captain next season? Oates was a non-factor on the ice against the Penguins, and he was a no-show in the locker room after the tough losses.

Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@ post-gazette.com.