Hartford Red Hot On Home Ice

Think the top teams in the Eastern Conference would like to see Hartford sneak into the playoffs? Don’t bet on it.

The Whalers are only 11-14-4 but have knocked off Pittsburgh, Quebec and Philadelphia at home this season. They snapped the Penguins’ 13-game unbeaten streak to start the season, held high-scoring Quebec to one goal, and on Wednesday ended the Flyers’ eight-game winning streak.

To the box

In one of the NHL’s uglier scenes in some time, Buffalo coach John Muckler slapped a fan as he was exiting the ice following a 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay last Sunday.

The incident, which occurred in Buffalo, took place across the ice from the team’s bench, where players and coaches exit for the locker rooms.

Muckler, who admitted only to pushing the fan, said the man had been heckling his team following the first and second periods, then leaned over the railing and into the coach’s face after the game, telling Mucker he was a disgrace to the city of Buffalo.

Turns out the man, Vincent G. LoTempio, is an assistant district attorney. Neither he, nor his boss, District Attorney Kevin Dillion, commented on the matter, although Dillion indicated no charges would be brought against Muckler. Both parties in the incident received strong reprimands from their employers, but that likely will be the extent of their discipline, as well as a quick and quiet end to a very ugly and unnecessary incident.