Comebacks are the theme of the NHL's 77th season.
Wayne Gretzky, who considered retiring after the Kings lost to Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals, has come back to continue his chase of Gordie Howe's goal-scoring record, the only significant scoring record he hasn't already shattered. As he begins his 15th NHL season, Gretzky is 36 goals short of Howe's 801. And considering his average of 55 goals a season, that record seems well within his reach.
Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins will embark on comebacks, too. Lemieux, who overcame Hodgkin's disease and won his fourth scoring title last season, is recovering from back surgery and is not expected to play until late October. Can he repeat as scoring champion? Can the Penguins, upset by the New York Islanders in the Patrick Division finals last spring, return to their Cup-winning form of 1991 and '92 under Eddie Johnston, who has returned to coaching after a 10-year absence?
Or will the Montreal Canadiens, surprise Cup winners last season, win consecutive championships?
Not back are the Smythe, Norris, Adams and Patrick Divisions, or the Wales and Campbell Conferences. They have been realigned and renamed, the better to identify a league grown to 26 far-flung teams with the addition of the Mighty Ducks in Anaheim and the Florida Panthers in Miami.
The playoff format is new, too. The division winners will be seeded first and second, based on their point totals, and the remaining teams will be seeded within their conference according to their point totals. No. 1 will play No. 8, No. 2 will face No. 7, etc.
Here's a league preview, in predicted order of finish in each division:
WESTERN CONFERENCE (FORMERLY CAMPBELL)
PACIFIC DIVISION (FORMERLY SMYTHE)
KINGS
* Coach: Barry Melrose (second season).
* 1992-93: 39-35-10, 88 points.
* Outlook: If Gretzky avoids back problems, the Cup is within their grasp. But to win it, they need offensive sparks from newly acquired center Shawn McEachern, left wing Jari Kurri, who scored 27 goals last season, and Tomas Sandstrom, who had 25 in 39 games. Rob Blake, Alex Zhitnik and Darryl Sydor matured during last season's run to the Cup finals and are among the NHL's top young defensemen.
VANCOUVER CANUCKS
* Coach: Pat Quinn (fourth season).
* 1992-93: 46-29-9, 101 points.
* Outlook: They lost a key offensive threat and became thin at center when Petr Nedved (38 goals, 71 points) returned to Europe because of a contract dispute. They have moved Greg Adams and Murray Craven to center, depleting their strength on the wings. Pavel Bure (60 goals, 110 points) and goalie Kirk McLean will carry them, but they will be hard-pressed to repeat last season's first-place finish.
CALGARY FLAMES
* Coach: Dave King (second season)
* 1992-93: 43-30-11, 97 points.
* Outlook: They are solid at center with Joe Nieuwendyk, who has averaged 46 goals over the last five seasons, defensive stalwart Joel Otto and veteran Kelly Kisio. That freed them to move 1989 draft pick Ted Drury to right wing, after persuading the Harvard graduate to forget playing for the U.S. Olympic team. Defensemen Gary Suter and Al MacInnis can score, but the defense in front of Mike Vernon is otherwise so-so. Brad Schlegel replaces Trent Yawney, idled until November after undergoing surgery on a torn pectoral muscle.
EDMONTON OILERS
* Coach: Ted Green (third season).
* 1992-93: 26-50-8, 60 points.
* Outlook: How the mighty have fallen--and will continue to plummet. They say they can't pay high salaries and so have dealt away their best players. Their top scorer last season, Petr Klima, had only 48 points, the lowest for any team leader, and he's gone to Tampa Bay. By notifying the NHL he intends to move the team, owner Peter Pocklington has created enough uncertainty to make a bad situation worse.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
* Coach: Kevin Constantine (first season).
* 1992-93: 11-71-2, 24 points.
* Outlook: They were respectable in their first season with 17 victories and many narrow losses, but after Jack Ferreira's ouster as general manager, they regressed last season to 11 victories, 24 points and a league-high 414 goals against. Pat Fallon will score and they have some promising defensemen, but the retirement of Doug Wilson and Kisio's departure as a free agent will hurt.
MIGHTY DUCKS
* Coach: Ron Wilson (first season).
* 1992-93: This is their first season.
* Outlook: With little scoring potential, a disciplined, tight-checking style seems their only hope of staying in games. Wilson, formerly an assistant at Vancouver, has created a defensive system that's likely to keep them competitive many nights. They need defenseman Alexei Kasatonov to be a leader, perhaps with help from Sean Hill, and they must learn how to be physical without taking foolish penalties that tax their defense and their goalies.
CENTRAL DIVISION (FORMERLY NORRIS)
DETROIT RED WINGS
* Coach: Scotty Bowman (first season)
* 1992-93: 47-28-9, 103 points.
