Tampa Targets Bad Seed

Around the NHL

Talented and petulant defenseman Roman Hamrlik wants to escape Tampa Bay, to get away from coach Terry Crisp, and the Lightning are willing to oblige.

The top choice in the 1992 entry draft, Hamrlik was scratched from the lineup against the Los Angeles Kings last week, a signal he may no longer be part of the grand plan. Ottawa is said to be interested in the Czech.

General manager Phil Esposito has been ordered to make changes to revive the struggling Lightning, which could include terminating Crisp’s employment. After Pittsburgh dropped ex-Lightning Petr “I Won’t Go Into the Defensive Zone If You Put an MX-Missle Launcher to My Temple” Klima, Esposito said, “Maybe we should try to get him back.”

Crisp’s response: “Over my dead body.”

The sky is falling, Part II

Not long after the scoreboard at Buffalo’s new Marine Midland Arena fell to the ice and created a $4 million heap of junk, the same thing nearly happened at the Kiel Center in St. Louis.

Apparently, a gear box failed as workers were raising the scoreboard early one morning and the cables unraveled. The scoreboard tilted to a 45-degree angle, but safety features prevented it from crashing to the ice.

The scoreboard wasn’t damaged, although the video screens didn’t function for one game and the arena couldn’t blow its foghorn after goals because of the vibrations.

Gillies honored

The New York Islanders retired the No. 9 jersey of Clark Gillies, a fitting tribute to the left wing, who was an anchor of the Isles’ four consecutive Stanley Cup teams.

Gillies could score (30-plus goals six times), fight (no one was tougher or more feared) and take care of business in the defensive zone. Gillies also played cleanly.

“He played the left side, I played the left side,” said Islanders coach/GM Mike Milbury, a former Boston defenseman. “So we really didn’t cross paths all that often. Nor did I want to cross his path very often.”

On the ice

Guy Hebert stopped 24 shots Monday night before getting hit on the head with a stick and leaving Mikhail Shtalenkov to save Anaheim’s 5-2 victory over the Bruins in Boston… . Niklas Sundstrom scored two goals and Wayne Gretzky had three assists, leading the Rangers to a 5-2 victory over Phoenix in New York. Mike Richter made 31 saves and Pat Flatley added an assist for his 500th career point for New York… . Kirk Muller scored twice Toronto topped Chicago 3-1.