pee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Offsider
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hil
      Esposito’s
      Tampa
      Bay
      Lightning
      is
      anything
      but
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      usually
      expansion
      team
      for
      one
      main
      reason:
      the
      team
      is
     
    

    
     
      actually
      winning.
      Norris
      Division
      play
      may
      not
      be
      as
     
     
      high-scoring
      as
      the
      Smythe
      or
      Patrick
      Divisions
      or
      as
      tight
      as
     
     
      the
      Adams,
      but
      it
      is
      not
      an
      easy
      division.
      Why,
      then,
      are
      the
     
     
      Lightning
      doing
      so
      well?
      Whatis
      Esposito’s
      secret?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      General
      Manager
      Esposito
      has
      managed
      to
      put
      together
      other
     
     
      teams’
      misfits
      into
      a
      cohesive
      unit
      that
      may
      be
      changing
      the
     
     
      way
      we
      see
      first-year
      NHL
      teams.
      Many
      of
      the
      players
      were
      not
     
     
      well-liked
      by
      their
      teams
      last
      season:
      Marc
      Bureau,
      Ken
     
     
      Hodge,
      Anatoli
      Semenov.
      Others
      were
      not
      needed
      this
      season
     
     
      because
      ofa
      surplus
      of
      players
      in
      their
      old
      teams:
      Rob
      Zaamuner,
     
     
      Rob
      DiMaio,
      Adam
      Creighton.
      Some
      were
      simply
      not
      given
     
     
      enough
      time
      or
      responsibility
      to
      prove
      themselves:
      Peter
     
     
      Taglianetti,
      Joe
      Reekie,
      Matt
      Harvey.
      Others,
      like
      Chris
     
     
      Kontos,
      were
      never
      given
      the
      chance.
      Somehow
      Esposito
      has
     
     
      taken
      this
      odd
      group,
      added
      a
      great
      goaltender
      in
      Pat
      Jablonski,
     
     
      and
      produced
      a
      winning
      team.
      Watch
      for
      the
      Norris
      Division
      to
     
     
      have
      an
      inside-out
      year
      marked
      with
      many
      changes
      in
      the
     
     
      standings.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Two
      NHL
      teams
      who
      might
      not
      be
      doing
      well
      in
      the
      standings
     
     
      but
      who
      look
      good
      on
      paper
      are
      the
      New
      York
      Islanders
      and
      the
     
     
      Winnipeg
      Jets.
      Neither
      team
      has
      had
      much
      success
      in
      recent
     
     
      years,
      but
      rebuilding
      and
      the
      addition
      of
      key
      rookies
      make
     
     
      coming
      success
      a
      possibility
      for
      each.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      If
      only
      the
      Islanders
      as
      a
      team
      had
      the
      dedication
      and
      courage
     
     
      of
      its
      goaltender
      Mark
      Fitzpatrick
      faces
      not
      only
      losing
      his
     
     
      hockey
      career,
      but
      also
      his
      life
      because
      of
      a
      strange,
      incurable
     
     
      disease.
      Last
      season,
      Fitzpatrick
      was
      the
      deserving
      winner
      of
     
     
      the
      Masterton
      Trophy
      for
      his
      dedication
      to
      hockey
      and
      persever-
     
     
      ance.
      Other
      players
      who
      may
      soon
      make
      a
      big
      difference
      for
      the
     
     
      team
      are
      Vladimir
      Malakhov,
      Darius
      Dasparaitis,
      Marty
     
     
      McInnis,
      and
      Scott
      LaChance.
      All
      five
      will
      certainly
      influence
     
     
      the
      future
      of
      the
      team.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Winnipeg
      Jets
      have
      been
      taking
      a
      lot
      of
      flak
      this
      season
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      their
      high
      number
      of
      non-Canadian
      or
      non-North
      American
     
     
      players.
      Talent
      such
      as
      American
      Keith
      Tkachuk
      and
      Europe-
     
     
      ans
      Teemu
      Selanne,
      Evgeny
      Davydov,
      and
      Alexi
      Zhamnov
     
     
      should
      not
      be
      judged
      on
      the
      basis
      of
      their
      nationalities;
      these
     
     
      young
      hockey
      players
      may
      add
      to
      the
      excitement
      for
      Canadian
     
     
      teams,
      draw
      more
      fans,
      and
      improve
      the
      reputation
      of
      low-
     
     
      market
      teams
      such
      as
      Winnipeg.
      One
      day
      it
      shall
      all
      click
     
     
      together.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Hockey
      Panthers
      finally
      won
      their
      first
      game
      this
      season
      in
     
     
      front
      of
      a
      good
      crowd
      against
      the
      also-winless
      Mount
      Allison
     
     
      Mounties
      on
      the
      tenth
      of
      November.
      Now
      that
      was
      a
      hockey
     
     
      game.
      Both
      teams
      wanted
      to
      win
      and
      played
      as
      if
      they
      wanted
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Esposito
      has
      managed
     
     
      to
      put
      together
      other
     
     
      teams'
      misfits
      into
      a
     
     
      cohesive
      unit."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      win.
      If
      the
      Panthers
      could
      play
      every
      game
      like
      they
      played
     
     
      the
      first
      period,
      they
      would
      have
      no
      problems
      in
      any
      game.
      They
     
     
      played
      a
      great
      game.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Last
      weekend,
      the
      Panthers
      managed
      a
      tie
      but
      also
      a
      loss
      in
     
     
      Fredericton
      against
      the
      UNB
      Red
      Devils.
      UNB
      is
      arough
      team;
     
     
      the
      tie
      should
      not
      be
      taken
      lightly.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Panthers
      play
      in
      Mount
      Allison
      on
      the
      twentieth
      and
      finish
     
     
      the
      first
      half
      of
      the
      season
      at
      home
      against
      Moncton
      on
      the
     
     
      twenty-fifth
      and
      St.
      Thomas
      on
      the
      28th
      and
      29th.
      Things
      are
     
     
      looking
      better
      for
      the
      second
      half
      of
      the
      season.