March 6th

BETTMAN LIKES OUTDOOR GAME IN CHICAGO

In a news conference, in Chicago, on Wednesday NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said an outdoor game in Chicago "would make sense" and the site could be the "Frozen Confines of Wrigley Field".

Bettman didn't commit to staging one in the Windy City, but saod the emerging Blackhawks are on the list to host one - possibly next season.

New York, Boston, Detroit, Colorado, Montreal, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have also expressed interest in hosting an outdoor game, and Bettman said his "quess" is there will probably be one next season.

With the success of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh game at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year's Day and an NHL record 71,217 fans in attendance, several other cities have expressed an interest in wanting to host the next one.

"There was a special, almost romantic, emotional, exciting, holistic quality to what took place in returning to our outdoor roots," Bettman said. "If you do it too much, I think you lose some of that quality. Everything we do, we want it to be special in the outdoor-game context."

Blackhawks president John McDonough believes a game in Chicago would be just that: special.

An Original Six franchise, the Blackhawks boast a young team that is contending for a playoff spot and reconnecting with the fan base. The arena is starting to fill up, and McDonough thinks an outdoor game would build on that momentum, which explains why he's lobbying hard. Given his long tenure in the Chicago Cubs' front office, it's not a leap to say Wrigley Field is the front-runner for now over the city's other stadiums. The Blackhawks tried two years ago to get a game at Soldier Field but couldn't come to terms with the Chicago Park District.

A hockey game on the North Side would be like "what the first night game was at Wrigley, only in the winter," he said. "It would be so special. It would be once-in-a-lifetime, unique, never-before-seen. The city would embrace it. I could only imagine how popular this would be."

One potential obstacle is the New York Rangers' desire to play at Yankee Stadium before it gets torn down for a new ballpark. Other cities on the list also boast long traditions and historic venues.

Even so, McDonough thinks it's a matter of when - not if - Chicago gets an outdoor game.

Bettman said staging an outdoor game is a "massive undertaking" that is "hugely expensive," and that the league has not performed "any due diligence" toward determining the site of the next one. A tour of Wrigley Field - or the city's other stadiums - was not on the itinerary for this trip.

Weather is also a big factor in determining the next venue for an outdoor game, along with the sight lines and whether the stadium's surface could support a rink.


CATS SUSPEND KILGER WITHOUT PAY

The Florida Panthers suspended winger Chad Kilger only a few days after abtaining him in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Shortly after the Panthers obtained Kilger for a third-round draft pick late last month, Kilger asked Florida for a leave of absence, which was granted. The Panthers apparently expected him back by now, and the suspension is without pay.


Kilger had 10 goals and seven assists in 53 games with the Maple Leafs.


PLAYOFF STANDINGS

(RANK-TEAM--PTS-GP)

WEST

1-DETROIT*--94--68
2-DALLAS*--87--70
3-MINNESOTA*--79--67
4-SAN JOSE--84--67
5-ANAHEIM--84--69
6-CALGARY--79--67
7-COLORADO--67--76
8-NASHVILLE--67-76
-------------------------------------------
9-VANCOUVER--66--74
10-PHOENIX--73--67
11-CHICAGO--72--67
12-COLUMBUS--70--68
13-ST. LOUIS--68--67
14-EDMONTON--67--67
15-LOS ANGELES--57--68

EAST

1-PITTSBURGH*--83--68
2-MONTREAL*--81--67
3-CAROLINA*--75--69
4-NEW JERSEY--82--67
5-OTTAWA--81--68
6-BOSTON--77--66
7-NY RANGERS--77--67
8-PHILADELPHIA--74--67
------------------------------------------
9-BUFFALO--73--68
10-WASHINGTON--72--68
11-NY ISLANDERS--71--68
12-TORONTO--68--68
13-FLORIDA--68--69
14-ATLANTA--65--68
15-TAMPA BAY--59--66

(* DIVISION LEADER)

If playoffs started today...

West
(1) Detroit vs (8)Nashville
(2) Dallas vs (7) Colorado
(3) Minnesota vs (6) Calgary
(4) San Jose vs (5) Anaheim

East
(1) Pittsburgh vs (8) Philadelphia
(2) Montreal vs (7) NY Rangers
(3) Carolina vs (6) Boston
(4) New Jersey vs (5) Ottawa

DIVISION RACES

(PL-TEAM--PTS--GP)

NORTHWEST

1-MIN--79--67
2-CAL--79--67
3-COL--76--67
4-VAN--74--66

PACIFIC

1-DAL--87--70
2-SJ--84--67
3-ANA--83--69

NORTHEAST

1-MON--81--67
2-OTT--81--68
3-BOS--77--66

ATLANTIC

1-PIT--83--68
2-NJ--82--67
3-NYR--77--67

SOUTHEAST

1-CAR--75--69
2-WASH--72--68


ART ROSS TROPHY (points leader)

1-Alex Ovechkin-Wash--92
2-Evgeni Malkin-Pit--89
3-Vincent Lecavailer-TB--80

MAURICE RICHARD TROPHY (goal-scoring leader)

1-Alex Ovechkin-Wash--54
2-Ilya Kovalchuk-Atl--43
3-Jarome Iginla-Cal--40