1. Publishers:
Stan Fischler
David Kolb
Editor in Chief:
Kirsten Ambrosio
Jake Becker
Joe Kozlowski
Managing Editor:
David Kolb
Lead Reporters:
Vince Comunale
Rob Del Mundo
Alan Greenberg
Tom Murray
Scott Charles
Staff Photographers:
David Perlmutter
Robert Kolb
E-MAIL
FischlerReport@gmail.com
GARY BETTMAN 1
CAM WARD 2
SYRACUSE CRUNCH 3
SAKU KOIVU 4
RON MACLEAN 5
TOM RENNEY 6
IN THIS ISSUE:
OBSERVATIONS:
* THE NHL RULE
CHANGES, if nothing
else, indicate that Bett-
man, Inc. has been pro-
active in terms of trying
to make the game better. How much better
it will be improved won't be determined
until a full season is completed. As far as
we're concerned, the only rule change that
riles us centers on the expanded trapezoid.
It always seemed as if the trapezoid origi-
nally was introduced to curve the effec-
tiveness of top puck handling goaltenders;
especially Martin Brodeur. Our suggestion
is what it was years ago; throw out the
trapezoid rule altogether.
* REVIVAL OF THE WORLD CUP is
virtually guaranteed. What remains are a
few legal ramifications and an effective
time for the announcement. That should
come by next month. If nothing else, ham-
mering out an agreement shows that -- in
some unique cases -- both the NHL and
the NHL Players' Association can work in
unison. Too bad it can't happen when a
new Collective Bargaining Agreement is
concerned. In that case we wonder
whether Donald is listening.
GOSSIP:
As windows close around Martin
Brodeur's bid for another NHL season, it
appears that injuries could provide open-
ings for the future Hall of Famer. Exhibit
A would be Toronto where the Leafs
have no AHL replacement or any other
competent netminder as back-up. If either
Jonathan Bernier or James Reimer suf-
fer an injury, Brodeur could conceivably
get a call. One goaltending guru believes
that the Sabres remain a long-shot possi-
bility for Marty.... Barry Trotz's first
meaningful strategic move in Washington
will develop in training camp. Alex
Ovechkin will be moved from the right
side -- where Adam Oates preferred hav-
ing him -- back to the port side. (To that
we add, Why not?) ... The Habs couldn't
make up their mind whether P.K. Sub-
ban, Andrei Markov, Max Pacioretti, or
Tomas Plekanec should be named cap-
tain. As result, G.M.Marc Bergevin sim-
ply won't have a captain and each of the
aforementioned quartet will wear the
"A." ... With the new season on the hori-
zon and Ken Holland secure with a new
contract, the focus in Detroit turns to
Mike Babcock and his potential new pact
with the Red Wings. This is no small deal
since a meaningful block of hockey people
regard Babs as the best in the biz. ... After
nearly two decades in the league, Saku
Koivu has announced his retirement. In
addition to playing 1,124 games, the Finn
captained the Canadiens, beat non-
Hodgkins lymphoma, and will be remem-
bered as one of the game’s true gentlemen
and fiercest competitors … After extend-
ing an invitation to Tomas Kaberle and
Scott Gomez, the Devils have requested
another trio of veterans to come to tryout
in training camp: Jordin Tootoo, Mike
Komisarek, and Ruslan Fedotenko will
be fighting for a spot on the club’s final
roster.
TFR
S E P T E M B E R 1 6 — S E P T E M B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4
T F R V O L U M E X X N U M B E R 4 9
T H E F I S C H L E R R E P O R T
H O C K E Y ’ S W E E K L Y T H I N K T A N K

2. CAM WARD OPENS UP ON
FEAR, CONFIDENCE AND
KHUDOBIN PART TWO
Last week, we brought you the first
segment of our Joel Cohen’s exclu-
sive conversation with Carolina net-
minder Cam Ward.
In this edition, Ward not only dis-
cusses his battle for the starting job,
but how he personally deals with
fear and self doubt.
Read on for this rare look into the
mind of an NHL goalie.
* Do you feel you're in a position
where you're battling evenly for the
#1 position or you've got to take it
from Khudobin?
I think it's a battle from the get-go.
I've been here for ten years and you
don't want to take anything for
granted. This was the first summer
where I wondered how many years I
have left and I feel I've got a lot more
years to give, but also the opportuni-
ties are becoming more limited; that's
why it's important to take advantage
of them.
I think it's going to be a very com-
petitive camp. My focus is on me and
what I have to do. Anton is a great
goaltender, he's going to be a great
goaltender; I've got to do my thing.
* How do you expect things are go-
ing to change with new coach Bill
Peters?
I've spoken to Coach Peters a few
times over the phone and I view him
as straight shooter, a guy that's very
honest and a guy that's going to hold
people accountable, and that's what
you want out of your coach. He's go-
ing to have a strong foundation and
strong structure, but at the end of the
day we all know that it's the players
who put on the skates and it's impor-
tant that the players execute the plan.
A coach can only do so much; he can
set it up for you but it's important
that the players go out and execute,
and if we're not executing, then it's
up to the players to hold each other
accountable.
* Explain your battle with confi-
dence and fear.
Goaltending is a very difficult posi-
tion to play when you don't have con-
fidence and I have battled that for the
last couple of years. A lot of that has
to do with the injuries I've had. Be-
cause of the injuries, I played out of
fear, the fear that I was going to get
injured again. This summer was great
to know that I've done everything I
can to prepare my body and my mind
to play with confidence and I've got
to trust in myself that my body is go-
ing to take care of itself.
This summer, I spent a lot of time
with my family, going to church and
getting involved in my faith, and that
has helped clear my mind.
*As a veteran with a recent history
of injuries, has your game leveled
off or is there still time and room to
grow?
I still have time to grow and get bet-
ter even at 30 years old (I even got
ID'd this summer in Canada and the
drinking age there is just 18). I judge
the way my body feels when I'm
working out and I feel I'm as fresh as
I've ever been and that's got to trans-
late over to the ice. I think I'm going
to get a lot of help from goalie coach
Dave Marcoux, who I'm familiar
with and understands my game so
there's no reason not to believe that I
can still get better at this game.
* Did you expect to be here this
coming season? How did the trade
talks and speculation affect you over
the summer?
Well, you don't take things for
granted. I've been fortunate over the
years to have the stability, and this is
the first off-season where I wasn't
sure. To be honest, at the start of the
summer I didn't think I was coming
back.
I respect Ron for being honest with
me all summer long and telling me
how it is - and it was going in a di-
rection that I wasn't going to be here.
And then I got a phone call from Ron
later in the summer that I was com-
ing back and I got excited. I love Ra-
leigh, love the organization, and I
want to continue my career here. I'm
fortunate that this is my tenth year
here, yet I don't want to take that for
granted. I appreciate it and want to
make sure I'm doing my part to give
them (the organization) the value that
they've invested in me.
Page 2T F R V O L U M E X X N U M B E R 4 9

3. DOLGON, CRUNCH SET THE
BAR HIGH FOR TOYOTA
FROZEN DOME CLASSIC
As the Syracuse Crunch prepare for
their upcoming season owner, Howard
Dolgon has a new goal: to showcase
the city of Syracuse as one of the top
sports destinations in North America.
TFR’s Chris Lewand reports on the
Crunch’s chance to cement Syracuse’s
place on sports top destination map.
After winning the Eastern Conference
in 2013, the Crunch slumped last sea-
son, posting a 31-32-4 record and
missing the playoffs. Now the organi-
zation has turned their attention to the
Toyota Frozen Dome Classic, which
will be the team’s showcase game dur-
ing the 2014-15 season.
When the Crunch face off against the
Utica Comets on November 22nd in-
side the Carrier Dome, the team will
not only be looking for a win, they will
also be trying to set the attendance re-
cord for an indoor professional hockey
game in North America.
The current record is 28,183, which is
held by the Crunch’s NHL parent club,
the Tampa Bay Lightning, who played
at the Thunderdome (now baseball’s
Tropicana Field) in 1996.
The Carrier Dome, where the Frozen
Dome Classic will be played, is no
stranger to record-breaking crowds.
The arena recently saw an on-campus
college basketball record with 35,446
set by the Syracuse Orange when they
played Duke, on February 1st of this
year.
As of now, Dolgon says the Toyota
Frozen Dome Classic has sold around
20,000 tickets without starting a major
marketing campaign. When the cam-
paign does begin, it will build off the
success of the Syracuse-Duke game
and the Crunch’s aim to set their own
record.
The Crunch intend to advertise with
local newspapers, television, bill-
boards, and a large radio deal which
will showcase the event in Syracuse
and nearby Utica.
“We want to show that Syracuse is
‘Pound-for-Pound the Best Sports City
in North America’,” Dolgon told TFR
last week when discussing the slogan
for the upcoming marketing campaign.
Dolgon cited the city’s ability to draw
record setting crowds, and the fan sup-
port the professional teams and Syra-
cuse University receive.
“It’s not just a game, it’s an event that
will bring the city together,” Dolgon
said when asked about the impact he
hopes the Toyota Frozen Dome Classic
will have in Syracuse.
MORE GOSSIP:
All-time great defenseman Denis Pot-
vin, who is currently a broadcaster for
the Panthers, sees potential in the
club’s first-overall pick Aaron Ek-
blad. “The first thing I saw was great
hands,” he said. “When they were bat-
tling he protected the puck well and
passed the puck well, which is impor-
tant. He got a puck on the boards and
made a saucer pass all the way to the
blue line.” Potvin added that there are
still other facets he has to improve.
“The most important aspect of how
closely he gets to his coach,” Potvin
explained. “That's where you're going
to grow.”... While the Kings suffered a
Stanley Cup hangover after their first
title, G.M. Dean Lombardi is confi-
dent his team will start the season
strong. “They were on a mission when
they left [for the summer],” Lombardi
told Lisa Dillman of The Los Angeles
Times. “We’ve never had so many
players back this early. When I saw
them, they looked really good. There
seems to be a different focus … some-
thing better than even the first time
[they won the Cup].”...After winning
the Calder Trophy last season, Na-
than MacKinnon of the Avalanche,
thinks he can be even better this year.
Not only did he spend the summer
training with Sidney Crosby, but he
told Nicholas Cotsonika of Yahoo
Sports, “I expect more out of me. I feel
like I can really take the next step this
season. I had a year of growth, but now
I need to prove that I can be a domi-
nant player in the league more than last
year.”...After a disappointing end to
last season, Canucks goalie Eddie
Lack is looking on the bright side.
“I’ve been working on so many things
I needed to this summer,” he told Jason
Botchford of the Vancouver Provi-
dence. “It was really bad we didn’t
make the playoffs. But for my own
progression as a goalie, this may have
been the best thing”…After missing
last season with issues stemming from
a blood clot, Tomas Vokoun is ready
to return to the NHL. According to his
agent, Allan Walsh, the 38-year-old
Czech has turned down two contract
offers and two training camp invites,
citing his desire to play “only in the
right situation.”
Page 3T F R V O L U M E X X N U M B E R 4 9

4. KOIVU’S IMPACT IN
MONTREAL WENT BEYOND
HOCKEY
While his NHL career may be over,
Saku Koivu touched many lives, both
on and off the ice. Sportsnet’s Elliot
Friedman explains what the Canadi-
ens’ captain meant to one family in
Montreal.
“I was in a dark place,” says Raphael
Leclaire, and you can’t blame him.
Twice diagnosed with cancer before he
turned 16, Leclaire was tired of che-
motherapy. During his second fight
with the deadly disease, he was sched-
uled for eight cycles of treatment.
“Eight cycles of hell,” his father,
Serge, called it.
So, after seven of them, Raphael told
the doctors he’d had enough.
“I knew the doctors would force me to
do it. It’s not a good idea to stop,” he
laughs now. “Physically, I was okay.
My body really wasn’t reacting to the
chemo. I wasn’t as sick, so I knew that
the cancer might be gone.”
“It was more mental exhaustion. I
wanted to get back to my life.”
At the time, the family was invited to a
charity fashion show. So was Saku
Koivu. They were not strangers. Koivu
famously beat non-Hodgkins lym-
phoma in 2002, and knew the Leclaires
well.
Serge saw Saku walk up and corner
Raphael. “I hear you are considering
stopping before the last one,” he said.
Raphael turned and saw his doctors,
raising their glasses and smiling. “I
wonder how you found out?” was the
reply.
So many times over their nine-year
battle, they would see Koivu. The Le-
claires say he never ever disappointed
them. “Every meeting with him was
more impactful than the last,” Raphael
said.
Serge tells a story of how Raphael par-
ticipated in another charity event with
a big star. For awhile, they sat next to
each other at a table. “(The celebrity)
never spoke to Raphael. Hardly even
looked at him. That was never the case
with Saku.”
On this occasion, Koivu put his arm on
the boy’s shoulder and said, “You’ve
got to finish it.”
He told him he understood every ounce
of emotion Raphael was going
through. He told him he’d felt the same
way. And, most importantly, he told
him that if he didn’t, and the cancer
came back, he’d always regret it. He’d
wonder, “If only I’d done the last treat-
ment, maybe this wouldn’t have hap-
pened.”
Raphael was 12 when a lump on his
neck was first diagnosed as cancer. He
was weeks shy of 16 when he couldn’t
shake a sore throat, and doctors found
it in one of his tonsils. By that time,
Koivu led the charge to raise $8M for a
PET scan machine, a critical compo-
nent in the early detection of the dis-
ease.
Before the goal was reached and the
scanner was brought to Montreal Gen-
eral Hospital, Canada’s second-largest
city didn’t have one. It helped Raph-
ael’s care, because doctors could moni-
tor his remaining tonsil for any further
anomalies.
In July 2012, the Leclaires held a mas-
sive pool party in their backyard, as
Raphael was given the “all-clear,” can-
cer-free for five years. You can imag-
ine the happiness, the emotions as they
celebrated.
“The nightmare has passed,” Serge
says. Raphael is now 23, a finance stu-
dent at Bishop’s University. He started
his own fund and plans to have some
involvement in the financial side of
medical care.
It’s easier for the Leclaires to laugh
now. The worst is over, and they are
determined to make up for lost time.
On Wednesday, they thought a lot
about Koivu upon his retirement.
“Let me guess,” Serge said when I
phoned, “You’re calling to ask about
Saku.”
Good call.
“I would just like to say ‘Thank you.’
What he went through in Montreal,
about how the captain had to learn
French, well, he knew French, he was
just shy. He didn’t want to speak it
badly. But now, everyone knows what
he was really about. Everybody knows
what he did for the city.”
“When you are fighting for your life,
you need someone to look up to, so
that you know you’re not alone.
Thanks to Saku, Raphael was never
alone.”
Raphael, asked what he would say to
Koivu, pauses. You can tell he doesn’t
really want to answer the question.
These feelings are intense, and maybe
best kept quiet. I’m about to tell him
not to worry, when he starts go-
ing.“I’m very thankful for everything.
What he did for me was not for show
… it was very real. He’s not just a
mentor, but a friend. I hope he has a
great retirement; he deserves it.” “I
hope we have a drink together some-
time in the future, so we can talk about
everything.”
Page 4T F R V O L U M E X X N U M B E R 4 9

5. RON MACLEAN ON CROSBY,
BURKE, AND CHERRY
While he may be
overshadowed on
Coach’s Corner
by Don Cherry,
Ron MacLean is
one of hockey’s
most insightful
minds. Luke Fox
of Sportsnet
picked the iconic
analysts mind for
some of his
unique stories.
Read on for excerpts.
* How much do you see Don in the
summer?
We had to turn it off because we get
sick of each other after 60 straight
days in the playoffs. We’ve had a
longstanding understanding that
we’re real tight but we could really
easily screw it up if we get laissez-
faire.
Don is a livewire. He’s a super-
charged individual living life on four
hours sleep and thinking hard about
everything. That’s hard on friend-
ships, I’m sure. He’s an intense guy
to be around.
So we take a break in the summer,
but I had to phone him for the Ice
Bucket Challenge: “Are you OK with
this? Because I’m about to ruin one
of your nice outfits.” Turned out, I
was about to water his flowers.
* When was the last time Don sur-
prised you with a suit selection or an
opinion?
The most recent stunner was his take
on women reporters in the dressing
room. He kept that from me. The un-
derhanded, diabolical guy that he is,
he told everybody—Kathy Broder-
ick, his second in command, who
helps him with Twitter and clip accu-
mulation; he told Leanne, the
makeup artist.
He didn’t tell anyone in charge at the
show, of course, but he told a lot of
my closest friends, who—sworn to
secrecy—kept it from me. Then he
hit me on the air with, “No way
women should be in the dressing
room as reporters.” [I thought,] OK,
Ron, pull it together. How are you
gonna handle that?
* Does the debate go on after you
cut to commercial?
One that did go on was when Brian
Burke accused me of bushwhacking.
He says I bushwhacked him on TV
when he was GM of the Leafs for
asking, “Why don’t you have any
Ontario players?”
Ron Wilson had just been fired [in
March 2012]. I said, “You said you
didn’t want Ron Wilson being ex-
posed to the fans at Air Canada Cen-
tre and the harassment he would re-
ceive one more time at home, so you
let him go. Isn’t that giving the fans
too much power? Isn’t that almost an
excuse the players could use, that this
is a hostile crowd?”
And he said, “No. I’ll give you an
example. We get a lot of players
coming in here from Ontario on the
opposition. Their parents and friends
are here and they get jacked up to
play us.”
Then I had to think. I knew Don
Cherry was waiting for one day to
bring up the lack of Ontario players
on the Leafs. I couldn’t resist. He just
said the opponents had a lot of On-
tario players. To which I said, “Why
don’t you have any, then?”
He felt that was a surprise, but it
wasn’t. He brought it up.
Who was your toughest interview?
Grant Fuhr was exceptionally hum-
ble. You sweat a little if players have
short answers. Grant was the
[Stanley] Cup winner, the Canada
Cup winner; he was right there as the
goaltender. He was like a cowboy.
He refused to take any credit for his
performance or explain his perform-
ance. You loved that about him, but
because he was the No. 1 star, it was
a challenge.
Mostly I remember the good inter-
views. [Wayne] Gretzky was at the
forefront. Scotty Bowman has a fas-
cinating stream of consciousness.
Dino Ciccarelli was stunningly great.
Tony McKegney. Steve Konroyd
was a tremendous interview, a sur-
prise.
* Do hockey players get a bad rap
for being too cliché or too safe in
interviews?
It’s changed. I feel like Sidney
Crosby is just like Gretzky—same
love of the game. He has hockey card
collections and an unbelievable reser-
voir of stories. But I think social me-
dia has scared him off.
The new player is just terrified of
making a misstep, and it’s in perpetu-
ity. It’s there, and it’s distributed. It
has shackled the player of today.
The way we do interviews has
changed. We used to bring Wayne
into the studio, drape a towel over
him, and it was a controlled setting.
You didn’t feel like you were being
overheard. Most of the interviews are
conducted in a public forum now—in
a hallway, on the ice in front of other
players.
Guys are wary of being overheard.
They don’t want to be laughed at. A
sit-down interview is the much-
preferred forum, like what we’re hav-
ing.
Page 5T F R V O L U M E X X N U M B E R 4 9

6. EXCLUSIVE -- TOM RENNEY ON
MANY HOT TOPICS:
After many years of coaching at the
highest level, Tom Renney has moved
up to a higher realm.
As president and CEO of Hockey Can-
ada, Renney has several challenges
ahead. In a detailed two part interview
with our new national columnist Sarah
Holzberg, affable Tom dealt with the
following topics. Below is the first part
of their discussion.
* MOTIVATED HIM TO MOVE
FROM COACHING TO THE
FRONT OFFICE WORLD
“It was basically a once in a lifetime
opportunity, I think that as I navigated
through my own career and continue to
aspire and motivated to do special
things in the game, this was a special
moment and a special position, and it
does not present itself in anyone’s life-
time even mine.
That including that I have some history
with Hockey Canada in my career
through various ways and means I was
very familiar with it, the big thing for
me was am I ready to leave coaching.
And as much as I am very passionate
and it is a part of my fabric my fiber if
you will, what created the balance, the
scale was that this was a once in a life-
time opportunity that can leave a
greater legacy.”
* HIS BIGGEST CHALLENGES
“To make sure that I can continue to
embrace all elements of this operation
it’s very big geographically never
mind demographically.
So the challenge for me personally is
that I hope too as I suggested is to
reach out and touch this country and
the participants in it, whether you are
an official, a coach, a manager, or a
player in either gender because both
play the game.
The other thing is everything is on
solid footing and the fundamentals are
in place for managing and operating
hockey in Canada, and to maintain
what has been a real strong program
and infrastructure in the first place. So
on a personal level those are the chal-
lenges I face.
For a positional perspective of being
CEO and President of Hockey Canada
the challenges will be inviting new
participants into hockey at a young age
at the grassroots level or the develop-
ment level if you will. And making
sure that it appeals to new Canadians
that have immigrated to Canada and
you know what in lots of ways we
want to do everything we can to make
them more Canadian as we can and
hockey isn’t a bad start. And also mak-
ing sure we retain those who already
have the passion for the game.
Nowadays there are a lot of options for
kids as they get older and athletes in
general for us we have to make sure
that hockey remains very appealing
and something that they want to be a
part of and that’s a big challenge never
mind the steps through every avenue
whether it be coaching, educating, or
player development, through all of our
teams.”
* LEAVING MIKE BABCOCK AND
THE MOTOR CITY CREW
“It was hard, very hard. In my opinion
if Mike isn’t the number one coach in
the world he is most certainly in the
top two or three and I don’t think many
would dispute that.
First off, the best league in the world is
the NHL so whether you are a head
coach or an associate coach, which
was my experience in Detroit, all it is,
is the opportunity to improve yourself
challenge yourself, be better and apply
yourself in all the ways to learn how to
become a better coach, like Mike. So
leaving really was not easy.
It just goes to show you how once in a
lifetime opportunity this was for me to
give that up. It was a great discussion
with all the fellas in Detroit.
With respect to our team with where it
was headed and what we were going to
do, and all of our planning and of
course talking about Hockey Canada
and the perspective role I could play
there. They were really just great when
we talked all this through and just so
supportive obviously and I appreciate
that.”
* STATE OF HOCKEY IN CANADA
“I think a lot has been reported about
the interest level dropping off and what
it used to be in hockey and I think
that’s for a lot of reasons, but you can
really say this about sport in
Unfortunately, I think there are sports
that are starting to pick up in numbers
and their numbers are starting to flour-
ish but water always finds its level and
there will be a point where these things
will max out if you will and the trick
for any sport is to make our sport as
appealing for all the right reasons.
Those include safety, making sure that
the environment is safe and fun, mak-
ing sure that costs are at least not so
prohibited so that people’s parents can
have their kids involved, the families
in general.
Making sure that there is an education
factor with respect to navigates the
recreation stream of hockey and to be
part of it for a lifetime and go as far as
you can with it.
Whether it be getting the opportunity
to play college hockey here or an
NCAA in the states or in our perspec-
tive to major junior hockey, any ave-
nue that can get you to the NHL.
There are lots of things to consider
here in order to maintain interest in the
sport but we are not alone. I think
every sport is being challenged by
technology and interest in other areas
that don’t even concern sport quite
honestly. I think it’s a function that we
all have to understand that a healthy
lifestyle includes activity and in our
case hockey is at top of the chart.”
[PART II OF SARAH HOLZ-
BERG’S INTERVIEW WITH TOM
RENNEY WILL APPEAR IN
NEXT WEEK’S EDITION OF TFR]
Page 6T F R V O L U M E X X N U M B E R 4 9