Goodenow Blamed For Surge In Payrolls

The sky is falling, executives of NHL clubs cry as their payrolls soar and two dozen restricted free agents sit at home.

But instead of blaming the labor agreement or their own wasteful spending, they have designated Bob Goodenow, head of the NHL Players Association, as the boogeyman.

Goodenow, they say, is putting them in a financial bind by urging players to sit home and wait for big bucks, anticipating that new deals will trickle down to benefit everyone.

“Goodenow should be Coach of the Year, not (Colorado’s) Marc Crawford,” Anaheim Mighty Ducks coach Pierre Page said.

“Somehow or another, the players association has convinced agents and players that there is an endless pot of gold,” Philadelphia Flyers chairman Ed Snider said. “It’s sad. Really sad.”

Honors for goalie

Goaltender Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche, who went 2-0-1 with a 0.97 goals-against average, is this season’s first player of the week.

Ottawa wraps up Van Allen

The Ottawa Senators signed center Shaun Van Allen to a multi-year contract on Monday. Terms were not announced.

Turgeon sidelined

Center Pierre Turgeon, the St. Louis Blues’ leading scorer last season, is expected to miss six weeks after fracturing his right forearm.

Turgeon had surgery Sunday after being injured in a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.