Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 33

EDMONTON JOURNAL D3 STANLEY CUP 2001 WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2001 Long rehab ahead for Grier after shoulder surgery a while there it was popping out as tUfXSX 11 4 Oilers Mike Grier, who played with Dallas Stars, will have his shoulder long rehabilitation. "I'll be at training camp and skatmg.butldon'tthinkl'llhave any hitting," said Grier. He will have four months off before camp, however, so he might not miss any regular-season time. 'm I if 1 1 Vi ACNt 'i a bum right shoulder during the first surgically repaired today. Moreau had his shoulder fixed last summer but not as early as Grier.

"Doc's done a few of these, Hopefully, itH be a piece of cake for him," said Grier. Dr. David Reid will perform the BLVES 3 STARS 2 (20T) POINT comeback crushes TO THE ST. LOUIS Goals: Hecht, Khavanov, Stillman. Assists: Maclnnis, Mayers (2), Stillman, Mellanby, Eastwood.

DALLAS Goals: Keane, Hull. Assists: Modano (2), Zubov, Sydor. )1M Vi lli SON )ournal Hockey Writer KDMON ION The Oilers left the playoff hockey stage 11 days ago. Now they hit the operating theatre. First up, Mike Grier.

The rest of the lineup: Georges Laraque, Sven Butenschon and Jason Smith. Todd Marchant would be on the list, too, but rather than have surgery on his sprained knee he will rest it back home in Buffalo, N.Y. Grier will have his bothersome right shoulder repaired today. Laraque had a bursa sac in his left elbow that continually had to be drained during the season; he will have it removed. Butenschon also has a shoulder to fix.

Smith, who is playing on Team Canada's blue-line at the world championships in Germany, will have his knee looked at. He had surgery last summer, too. He gutted it out through this season, often playing in pain, and won the Oilers' defenceman-of-the-year award for the second straight season. Grier's shoulder popped out continually after December. He will have a procedure similar to that of Josh Green and Ethan Moreau, which means a fairly Blues' St.

Louis just one win away from conference final The Associated Press ST. l.OUIS One more victory and the St. Louis Blues are in the conference final for the first time in 15 years. One more loss and the Dallas Stars' drive for a third straight Stanley Cup final is history. Cory Stillman scored at 9:26 of the second overtime Tuesday night as the Blues overcame a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 and take a 3-0 series lead in the West-em Conference semifinal series.

"They have the hammer and we're the nail," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "If we could have won this game, psychologically it could have worked wonders for us." After winning the first two games at Dallas, the Blues can advance at home, where they had the NHL's best regular-season record, in Game 4 Thursday night. The last time they made it out of the second round was 1986, when they lost in seven games to Calgary in the conference final. St. Louis outshot the Stars 6-1 in the second overtime.

It was the first of 19 overtime games in this year's NHL playoffs to require a second extra period. Dallas won the Stanley Cup two years ago and lost in the final to New Jersey last year. The Devils closed out the final last year with a double-overtime victory. Stillman, a late-season addition from Calgary, scored his third goal of the post-season. Scott Mellanby left a drop pass for Stillman, who wristed a shot between EdBelfour'spads.

"I couldn't ask for it to be in a better place to shoot it," Stillman said. "There are probably two that you'll remember when you're done, and one's the first goal I ever scored and definitely tonight" Alexander Khavanov's first career playoff goaL with 2: 15 left in regulation, capped the Blues' comeback from a two-goal deficit and forced overtime. Khavanov, a 29-year-old first-year player who had seven goals in die regular season, was alone at the left circle even though Jamal Mayers flubbed his centring pass and beat Belfour with a high drive. "Without that goal, we'd be at home already," Khavanov said. "This goal just gave us a chance to keep going." After Brett Hull's power-play goal at 7:53 of the second period made it 2-0, the Blues outshot the Stars 22-5 the rest of Oilers and A-Channel part ways CURTIS STOCK lourntll Sports Writer EDMONTON Although nothing formally has been announced, the Edmonton Oilers have elected not to renew their broadcast agreement with A-Channel.

In their absence, it is anticipated that CTV Sportsnet will pick up the games. While Oilers management would not comment, it is believed that the Oilers, who own their broadcast rights, feel they can get more mileage and more revenue by having their games televised regionally on something like Sportsnet rather than just locally. At the same time, they could reduce costs with one broadcast team also handling the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks games. A-Channel broadcast 28 Oilers games last season. What this means for viewers is that, without cable, only about half a dozen Oilers games will be available on free TV viaHocfc-eyNightinCanada.

There is another possibility pay-per-view. "We have a pay-per-view licence," said Oilers president Pat LaForge. "We own one with Breakaway, a three-way partnership with the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames. We have to go back to the CRTC with how-to, but we have the licence. "There could be some pay-per-view games as early as next season, butlpersonally am notplan-ning it for that quickly." Team aiming to sell 15,000 season tickets TICKETS Continued from Dl The target group is mid-size businesses in the greater Ed monton area with 25-plus em ployees.

Specifically, working with the recendvformed Edmonton Cop per Jackets a standing orga nization ot volunteers that does business face to face the Oilers' goal is to get 500 businesses to buy four tickets each. "It is imDortant for Edmonton to be bie leaeue said LaForge. "A place that has the attention of government and businesses, and a place where the best labour skills in the continent want to live and raise their families. "Everybody in the community owns the team or nobody owns it" Overall, the Oilers have set a goal of 15,000 season-ticket com mitments by Oct. 1.

To date they have sold 12,600. LaForee said reaching that goal would give general manager Kevin Lowe thekind compete and win at any level." To qualify for the Canadian Assistance Plan which provides $2.9 million US to Qualified Canadian teams to help offset the disparity between the Canadian and American dollar the Oil ers need to sell 13,000 season tickets hv Mav 31 Regarding any possible cash call from owners, LaForge said, "If the Canadian and U.S. dollar continue to be as disparate as they are, there will probably be some need for some financial restructuring by the spring of 2002." However, if the Oilers reach the 15,000 season tickets, LaForge said it wouldn't be an issue. Season tickets are available by calling the Oilers ticket office at 414-GOAL (4625) or by visiting the Oilers ticket office at 11230 110 St Nominees for Pearson The Canadian Press TORONTO Pittsburgh Penguin linemates JaromirJagrand Mario Lemieux and Colorado Avalanche forward Joe Sakic are finalists for the Lester B. Pearson award, which is given to the NHL MVP as voted on by members of the NHL Players' Association.

Lemieux, the owner of the Penguins who came out of retirement in December after a 3 -year absence from the game, led the MIL in points per game (1.767). The 35-year-old native of Montreal has won four Pearson Awards (1936, 1983, 1993 and 1996) and would join Wayne Gretzkyas a five-time winner of the honour. every third game, said Grier, who also had surgery last summer to repair a torn tendon in his elbow, and as a result, missed the 2000 playoffs. Laraque never missed a game during the season, but the bursa sac was a problem. Laraque, meanwhile, is putting on pounds, although you can't nonce it.

"I keep taking the drive-through tomyfhdge, said Laraque, smiling. Butenschon, who became the seventh defenceman after the Oilers acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins in March, had a sore shoulder when he arrived. He played in seven Oiler games and none in the playoffs. ON THE BENCH Defence- man Sean Brown can probably read the writing on the wall: he No. 8 on the depth chart, after starting the year at No.

6. There is talk the coaching staff may try to turn him into a left winger the Oilers have hired a Russian referee to scout the Russian league for them Oilers GM Kevin Lowe plans on flying to Germany for the world championships to scout possible Olympic candidates Eric Brewer, Derek Morris, Brad Stuart, Jeff Friesen and Roberto Luongo. THf SKIItD PRESS for-11. The Blues also are having a hard time on the power play. They were O-for-4 in Game 3, going without a shot after the Stars were whistled for too many men on the ice in overtime and are 0-for-14 in this series.

The Stars soared first for the first time in the series and connected on their second shot of the game, when Keane converted a setup from Modano at 5:29 of the first Keane scored on a high wrist shot from the right circle. ets, then it's easier to get to 17,100 every night and that means extra revenue," said Lowe. Weight has until Jury 15 to decide if he will go to salary arbitration. He will become a group two free agent Lowe won be trading any ofhis draft picks this year. He has ie 13th pick, the 43rd and 49th.

Stars mm FILE PHOTO round of the playoffs against the surgery. Grier had his right arm strapped to his shoulder for the playoffsandcouldn'tmoveitvery far during the first-round series against the Dallas Stars, "But I was able to go the last six weeks without any problems. For in. umu missed Game 2, set up both of the Stars' goals and played more than 35 minutes. "Early on, there was a lot of ke time and that kind of got it going," Modano said.

HuH scored his 90th career playoff goal to end a dominant stretch by Blues penalty killers, whose streak ended at 34 in a row. Mike Keane also scored for the Stars. The Sharks were 0-for-23 against the Blues in the first round and the Stars had been 0- is on the line the new owners have basically told him as tmi. Lowe, meanwhile, still wants to sign Weight and for more than one year. That's part of the reason the Oilers are pushing to get 15,000 season tickets sold, so they can give Lowe soie extra money with which tc work.

If we getro 15,000 season tick Li 1 I Mellanby, right, congratulate Cory Stillman on his game-winning goal during the second overtime period of ct Ths Rlnoc hsat tho tart 1-? tn tkfa 1-0 (prim Ipd. gtiiiic ai mc jii luiuci luuu. go before a faceoff in the Dallas end. 1 don't even have an answer for that," Stillman said with a sheepish grin. "That was different" Jochen Hecht also scored for the Blues, who have won five straight playoff games, and Mayers had two assists.

The Stars lost despite inspired efforts from Modano, whose sprained left ankle got a lot better in a hurry, and Belfour, who made 45 saves. Modano, who Blues Alexei Gusarov, left, and Scott i i meir wesiern Lonierentc eiiiiimdi "It's a game of mistakes and the ones we seem to be making end upmour net," said the Stars'Mike Modano. "You give a talented team that many chances, they are going to score." The Stars and Blues both got off nine shots in the first overtime, and each team had several good scoring opportunities. Richard Matvichuk nearly ended it at the horn for the Stars with a rink-long drive after the Blues pulled goalie RomanTurek with 2.9 seconds to Tm surprised that kind of slipped by. There wtsn't much made of that here," said Lowe.

So is there a chance he could deal Weight to the Isles? "No, it's not going to happen," Lowe said. Isles GM Mike Milbury hasn't called me, and no, I haven't talked to him, either." There is some history between Rumours starting to swirl around Oilers captain Weight Lowe and Milbury. Last June, Lowe traded Roman I lamrlik to the Isles for Eric Brewer, Josh Green and a second-round draft, who turned out to be University of Wisconsin forward Brad Winchester. Milbury has made no secret about being willing to trade the Isles' second oeralJ puck because he needs help now and his neck JIM MU II I SON tTfta llm krr liter IOMOMOV Oilers GM Kevin Lowe heard about that little item in Newsday, the Long Island, N.Y, newspaper that suggested Doug Weight might be going to the Islanders for the No. 2 overall pick in the NHL's June draft.