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Sunday, June 25, 2000 By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
CALGARY, Alberta -- As the NHL grows, so does its talent pool. As Greg Malone, the Penguins' head scout, said, "There are more athletes from other places, places we didn't used to go."
Places with growing hockey programs such as Germany, Norway, Switzerland and ... uh, Pittsburgh.
"You have to look at what's happening within the U.S., too," Malone said. "How about all of our local kids breaking in? I mean, you wouldn't classify Pittsburgh as a hotbed, compared to kids from New England, Michigan and Minnesota. But you're starting to see them. From California and Texas, too. It's a game that's growing, and that's good. With expansion, you need as many players as possible."
That any of them are coming from Pittsburgh is remarkable.
Two more local talents should be taken in the draft today.
Cliff Loya, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenseman and Mt. Lebanon product who shined as a freshman at the University of Maine, had five goals and five assists in 31 games. And Jim Abbott, a 6-1, 185-pound left winger out of Mars, had seven goals and six assists in 28 games as a freshman at the University of New Hampshire.
Before last year, only two players from Western Pennsylvania had ever been drafted, and neither played professional hockey.
Then, last June, Jason Crain of Natrona Heights went 74th overall to the Los Angeles Kings, and left winger Ryan Malone was taken by his father's club, the Penguins, 115th overall. Both have a strong shot of reaching the NHL.
To be sure, it's a credit to the parents and other organizers of the newly merged Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League, along with those working for ancillary developmental programs, that the Pittsburgh area is finally putting itself on NHL scouts' itineraries.
The next step?
Getting a local player drafted directly out of high school. And that won't happen until more emphasis is put on raising the level of scho-lastic play rather than sending top prospects elsewhere to develop.
Flameout?
The Flames might have a week to live. Here in Calgary, anyway.
If they don't sell roughly 1,000 season tickets and meet their goal of 14,000 by the end of June, owner Harley Hotchkiss has vowed to move the team out of Alberta.
That has prompted corporations to buy large blocks of tickets to use as employee incentives. It has prompted civic groups to hold cookouts aimed at boosting sales. And it has prompted the players to get involved, each already having bought two tickets for charity.
"Hopefully, we can use this as a soapbox," team spokesman Peter Hanlon said of the draft. "We have work to do, but we're optimistic."
Empty bench
The Flames are one of three NHL teams without a coach at their team's table this weekend.
"Right now, the draft is our priority," Calgary General Manager Craig Button said. "I don't want to compromise the process just to get someone by such-and-such date."
The Flames are eyeing former Phoenix Coyotes boss Don Hay.
The other two are the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The Rangers are interested in Walt Kyle from Hamilton of the AHL, and the Blue Jackets appear to be leaning toward former Penguins center and current Colorado Avalanche assistant Bryan Trottier. A job offer could be made tomorrow.
Icy chips
The Dallas Stars seem poised to make a big push for left winger Gary Roberts once he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. But so do the Toronto Maple Leafs. ... Next on the Hall of Fame list after Joe Mullen and Denis Savard: Dale Hawerchuk and Glenn Anderson. ... Expect the Phoenix Coyotes to make a serious bid for right winger Rick Tocchet if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. New owner Wayne Gretzky, a friend of Tocchet, would love to have him. ... Yet another trapping coach back in the ranks: Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota. Will the game ever move toward more offense? ... Wonder what they do with all that money? Arturs Irbe, the Carolina Hurricanes' goaltender, just bought a 207-acre horse farm in his native Latvia. ... Columbus' gain in taking Tyler Wright is the Penguins' loss. A large one.
Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
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