It's starting to look like any player with decent hands who can stay healthy for 82 games has a shot at this year’s scoring title. From the forwards currently on the NHL injury list, you could probably build the most explosive hockey team in the world.
Consider one all-too-typical day, November 26, which produced discouraging news about the health of several big names.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Alexander Mogilny is gone for up to three months because of hip surgery.
Around the same time, the Los Angeles Kings placed their leading scorer, Zigmund Palffy, on injured reserve with a facial injury (Palffy wasn't even playing when he was hurt. He was hit by a puck while sitting on the bench).
A few hours later, Jaromir Jagr left Washington's game against Buffalo with a groin problem.
Earlier in the week, the Pittsburgh Penguins declared Mario Lemieux "sidelined indefinitely" because of his ongoing hip ailments.
Going into the final weekend of November, at least eight NHL teams are missing players who would potentially be their leading scorers.
There's Mogilny, Jagr and Lemieux. Besides Palffy, the Kings are without number-one center Jason Allison, who might not play this year because of symptoms variously described as whiplash and post-concussion syndrome.
The Chicago Blackhawks' two best forwards, Eric Daze and Alex Zhamnov, have played just three games each because of back troubles.
Paul Kariya (wrist) and Peter Forsberg (stomach muscle) are listed as sidelined indefinitely by the Colorado Avalanche. Forsberg has played in 11 of Colorado's 21 games, Kariya just 7.
Pavel Bure (knee, as usual) pulled himself from the Rangers lineup before the season even started, and might not play again.
Then there is Dany Heatley, who led the Atlanta Thrashers in scoring last season and was poised for even greater things before the tragic accident that no doubt wrecked both body and soul.
An impressive cast of secondary scorers also sits on the sidelines. There's Henrik Zetterberg (broken leg) of the Red Wings, along with Adam Deadmarsh (concussion) and Josef Stumpel (chest), both with the luckless Kings. Washington's Michael Nylander (broken leg) and Toronto's Nik Antropov (separated shoulder) would fit in nicely on many teams.
Looking for defense? Detroit's Derian Hatcher (torn ACL) and Dallas' Teppo Numinnen (broken foot) could make an interesting pair. Then there's Al MacInnis (eye) of the Blues, who may retire rather than risk his vision any further. If your All-Disabled Team needs a goaltender, how about Dominik Hasek? The Red Wings say he'll be nursing a sore groin for at least another week.
It all means poor luck for fans who shelled out a couple of hundred bucks in anticipation of seeing Lemieux or Forsberg or Palffy weave his magic. It also invites plenty of speculation on where these teams might be if they enjoyed the miracle of good health.
Even without Forsberg and Kariya, the Avalanche rank among the NHL’s highest scoring teams. Could they blow away the rest of the league with a full lineup?
Detroit is having a Jekyll-and-Hyde kind of year, in which convincing wins (5-2 over Minnesota) are often followed by equally convincing losses (4-1 to Washington). Thirty minutes per game from Hatcher and regular appearances by Hasek would surely help. But Hasek has looked unsteady, and there is no accounting for the ordinary performance of healthy stars like All-World defenseman Niklas Lidstrom. The Red Wings are a mystery.
The Kings are finding that a first-rate coach and a balanced lineup can take you only so far. They have fared reasonably well without Deadmarsh and Allison. But as the infirmary fills up, it’s a huge challenge just to stay in the playoff hunt.
In the absence of Heatley, Ilya Kovalchuk has broken through in a big way for Atlanta. He is currently the most exciting player in hockey, and looks like a leading candidate for scoring champion and league MVP. It makes you wonder where the 6th place Thrashers might be if their captain was healthy and scoring at his usual point-per-game pace.
At the other end of the scale are the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have yet to report a single significant injury in the 2003-04 season. Will they hold their place at the top of the Southeast Division when their luck runs out?
