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(11/28/07 5:34am)
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Marty Turco skates pretty well for a goalie, just not well enough to beat forward Richard Park to a loose puck.\nTurco and the Stars were able to laugh about the goalie’s gaffe that put them behind the New York Islanders early, especially after Mike Modano scored twice to lift Dallas to its sixth straight win.\n“Normally I would just take him out, but I thought I still had a chance,” Turco said after the 3-2 overtime win Monday night. “You win some, you lose some.”\nModano made it a fantastic finish for the Stars when he scored 35 seconds into overtime. Turco lost the race to the speedy Park, but left the ice as a winner anyway.\nWith the game scoreless and the Islanders playing short-handed in the second period, Park raced alone after a loose puck that slid toward the Dallas end. Turco, never shy about leaving his crease, skated out toward the charging Park but didn’t get to the puck in time. Park corralled it above the right circle, moved around Turco and stared at an empty net.\nPark controlled the puck at the goal line, worked away from defenseman Sergei Zubov, who tried to cover for Turco, and tucked in a backhand at 9:07.\n“I don’t know if I ever got walked on like that,” said Turco, who finished with 23 saves. “We had a little chuckle when I got back to the bench.”\nIt was almost the second skating blunder of the night for Turco, who got caught in the first period while playing a puck along the left-wing boards. He had to scramble back to the net after the Islanders provided Dallas with some anxious moments.\n“He’s a much better goalie in the net than out of the net,” Stars coach Dave Tippett said. “That’s why he plays goal and not defense.”
(09/13/06 4:06am)
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Rick DiPietro re-signed with the New York Islanders on Tuesday, agreeing to a record 15-year deal that will pay the No. 1 goalie $67.5 million.\nThe Islanders scheduled an afternoon news conference to officially announce the contract that would keep DiPietro in the fold until 2021, when he would be nearly 40.\n"We've been working at it all summer," DiPietro's agent Paul Krepelka told The Associated Press.\nThe deal, first reported by Newsday, is the longest in NHL history, topping the 10-year, $87.5 million contract the Islanders gave enigmatic center Alexei Yashin in 2001.\nThat was one of the contracts that sent NHL salaries soaring and led to the salary cap in the collective bargaining agreement that ended the lockout last year. It also saddled New York with a player who is nearly impossible to move and who takes up a big chunk of the team's $44 million maximum payroll.\n"With a long-term deal, you're speculating what you'll be worth and what you'll be making," DiPietro said. "I don't think that player salaries are going to go up that much more. I mean, how much higher can they go?"\nDiPietro's deal is believed to be second only in length in North American sports to the 25-year pact Magic Johnson signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1981.\n"Clubs are free to make their own decisions within the confines laid out in the collective bargaining agreement and other applicable league rules," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "Some decisions turn out well, others not so well.\n"Time will tell whether this will be a good decision or a bad one for the Islanders."\nThe contract is guaranteed, and DiPietro will be paid in full should he retire because of injury. If he ends his career otherwise before the deal expires, he would forfeit the remaining dollars, Krepelka said.\n"I take a lot of pride in what I do," DiPietro said. "In order to make this a good deal, I have to perform and we have to win."\nIslanders owner Charles Wang and new general manager Garth Snow, DiPietro's backup last season, were both involved in the negotiations. Deals from one year to five to 12 were discussed.\nOnce the Islanders set forth the type of cap structure they wanted for DiPietro, the staggering 15-year-deal DiPietro's side offered was agreed to.\n"It's the right timing today," Wang said. "He's a year older, I'm a year older."\nDiPietro was a restricted free agent this summer and couldn't be unrestricted for another two years. The deal will pay him $4.5 million per season, placing him eighth among goalies.\nThe top pick in the 2000 draft was 30-24-5 with a 3.02 goals-against average in 63 games last season with the Islanders, who missed the playoffs after three straight appearances. In four NHL seasons, DiPietro is 58-62-13 with a 2.85 GAA in 143 games.\nIt is the second big contract handed out to a goalie in two days as Nashville re-signed Tomas Vokoun to a four-year extension Monday that will pay him $22.8 million.\nChicago's Nikolai Khabibulin will be the league's highest-paid goalie this season at $6.75 million.\nDiPietro and Wang talked about a 15-year deal last summer after the NHL lockout when DiPietro expressed that he wanted to spend his entire career on Long Island.\nBut hurdles regarding insurance over the course of the contract killed those plans, and DiPietro agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.\nThose were worked out this time around.\n"Rick's made no secret for a long time that he wanted to be an Islander his whole career," Krepelka said.\nBoth sides were pressed to come to a new agreement quickly as the Islanders open training camp at the end of the week in Nova Scotia. Wang has a policy that players who aren't signed in time for camp won't play during the season.\n"That was a concern," Krepelka said. "The timing did factor into the equation from both sides. Things picked up the last week and a half."\nDiPietro, exactly a week away from his 25th birthday, became the first goalie ever chosen with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft five years ago, after spending just one year at Boston University.\nWang's direct involvement in these negotiations fell into line with the owner's new front office by committee.\nIt was this type of management structure that led to the firing of Neil Smith, who was let go just weeks after he took the job in the offseason and months before the Islanders were to play a game under him.\nSmith balked at the delegation of authority and the system initiated by Wang and was replaced by Snow -- who retired from his playing career with the Islanders -- on July 18.
(04/13/05 5:27am)
NEW YORK -- When NHL labor talks resume, a new plan will be up for discussion that attempts to blend elements from both sides' vision of how players will be paid.\nNegotiations will probably resume next week, during which a new, hybrid concept -- which addresses the relationship between player costs and league revenues -- will be brought to the table, a source close to the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday.\nThe NHL has maintained that it prefers a link tying player costs to league revenues, while the union has mostly rejected that idea. This new, mixed plan would appear to incorporate elements from both concepts.\nPrevious compromise discussions have failed to yield signs of progress toward ending the lockout that began seven months ago.\nIt was thought that talks would resume this week, but as of Tuesday there was still difficulty in scheduling a meeting, the source said. Next week's likely bargaining session would come at a busy time for the NHL, which already has a board of governors meeting planned for Wednesday.\nThe last bargaining session, held April 4 in Toronto, went better than others since the 2004-05 season was canceled in February. NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly said there was now a good understanding across the table of where the sides are and that he was hopeful there would be continued progress.\nLast Thursday, commissioner Gary Bettman and union executive director Bob Goodenow had dinner with some general managers and players in Michigan, where the GMs convened for a meeting. Bettman and Goodenow had a drink together at the hotel bar later that night, and tentatively planned to hold more official talks soon.\nOn March 17, the NHL made two proposals to the players' association -- one containing a link between player costs and league revenues, and another without the relationship.\nBut the "de-linked" offer had a short shelf life, and the deadline for the union to accept that kind of deal expired last Friday.\nIt was the second time that type of offer was made to the players' association, and the second time the NHL pulled it off the table. The league first made the overture two days before the season was canceled, and the union responded by dropping its opposition for a salary cap.\nThe latest unlinked proposal set each team's salary cap at $37.5 million. The linkage offer limited player costs to 54 percent of the league's revenues.\nIn a related matter, the National Labor Relations Board is still investigating two charges the NHL has made against the players' association.\nOne challenged a union policy the NHL says would unfairly penalize members who became replacement players -- forcing them to pay back money they receive during the lockout. The league called that policy coercive and in violation of player rights.\nThe other charge came in response to reports that the union was threatening to decertify agents that represented replacement players.\nAfter investigating the league's claims, the NLRB will decide whether to issue a complaint and whether to seek preliminary injunctive relief.\nThe NHL has already discussed using replacement players next season should an agreement not be reached with the union. The board of governors is expected to discuss the topic further next week.
(01/20/05 5:08am)
The bid to jump-start NHL labor negotiations has done just that, spawning a second round of talks in an effort to save the hockey season.\nUnion president Trevor Linden and NHL board of directors chairman Harley Hotchkiss spoke Wednesday at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, and the sides were planning to meet again Thursday in Toronto.\nThe session lasted about five hours, including several breaks so each three-man negotiating group could huddle. It was just the third time the league and its players have had face-to-face talks in the four months since the lockout was imposed Sept. 15.\n"We engaged in good dialogue today and will continue our discussions in the near future," Linden said. "We will not make any further comment at this time."\nMore than half of the regular season -- 662 of 1,230 games through Wednesday -- has been wiped out so far, plus the All-Star game.\nIf Wednesday's meeting does represent a key step forward, it might be worth noting who was not present: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow. They were also expected to sit out Thursday.\nAt this point, it doesn't appear that either side is prepared to break the ice and put forth a new proposal.\nLinden reached out to the owners and invited Hotchkiss to talk. The Vancouver Canucks center hoped that by holding general discussions without the two leaders, some of the acrimony could be removed from the negotiating process.\n"We credit Trevor Linden's initiative in requesting this session, which was informal, open and professional and which resulted in a constructive exchange of viewpoints," Hotchkiss said.\nNHL chief legal officer Bill Daly joined Hotchkiss, who is a part owner of the Calgary Flames, and outside counsel Bob Batterman in representing the NHL; Linden, NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin, and outside counsel John McCambridge were there for the players.\n"The parties had a good, candid dialogue, and we intend to talk again," Daly said. "Out of respect for the process, we have no further comment at this time."\nThe participants are expected to be the same on Thursday, except for Hotchkiss who will be attending the funeral of J.R. (Bud) McCaig, another member of the Flames' ownership group who died last week. Saskin will take part in the meeting, despite the death of his mother on Wednesday.\nThere were the first talks since Dec. 14. That was when the sides broke three months of silence by sitting down for the second time in six days, but any optimism was lost quickly.\nThe players presented a proposal that offered an immediate 24 percent rollback on all existing contracts, but owners rejected the plan, saying it didn't provide cost certainty.\nThe NHL presented a counterproposal, which was turned down as soon as the players' association saw that the offer included a salary cap.\nSince then, other than rhetoric, there had been silence.\nIf the next round of talks doesn't move the sides to a settlement, the season probably would be lost. That would mean the Stanley Cup wouldn't be awarded for the first time since 1919, when a flu epidemic canceled the final series between Seattle and Montreal.\nNo major North American sports league has missed an entire season because of a labor dispute.
(12/10/04 5:40am)
TORONTO -- The NHL and the players' association returned to negotiations Thursday for the first time in three months, looking to end the lockout that has threatened the season.\nThe sides met for about four hours at the NHL's office at the Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs, before calling it a day shortly after 3 p.m. The NHLPA invited the league back to the table last week and came with a new proposal.\nThe lockout reached its 85th day Thursday, forcing the cancellation of 382 regular-season games and the 2005 All-Star game.\nThere hasn't been a negotiating session since Sept. 9, when talks broke off after the union presented a proposal based on a luxury-tax system with revenue sharing. The lockout was imposed a week later by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.\nDetails of the players' latest offer were kept under wraps, but it doesn't contain a salary-cap proposal that would give Bettman the cost certainty he is seeking for the league's 30 teams.\nThe two sides scheduled another meeting for next Tuesday or Wednesday. The site of the meeting was not immediately announced.\nThe league has given arenas the go-ahead to free dates previously reserved for hockey on a 45-day rolling basis. As of now, that means there won't be any NHL games before the middle of January.\nThe league is committed to getting a deal that provides a link between player costs and team revenues. The players' association contends the league will be satisfied only with a salary cap, something the union says it won't ever accept.\nBettman said teams lost a total of more than $1.8 billion over 10 years and that management will not agree to a deal without a defined relationship between revenue and salaries. Owners say teams lost $273 million in 2002-03 and $224 million last season.\nAn economic study commissioned by the NHL found that players get 75 percent of league revenues. The union has challenged many of the NHL's financial findings.\nThe league has been operating under the same collective bargaining agreement since 1995, when the last lockout went 103 days before a 48-game season was played. That deal was extended twice.
(12/03/04 6:00am)
NEW YORK -- The NHL and the players' association will resume talks next week in an effort to end the 78-day lockout and save the season.\nAfter nearly three months of silence on and off the ice, the sides agreed Thursday to meet in Toronto on Dec. 9. Talks might continue into a second day, NHL spokesman Frank Brown said.\nThose plans were made after players' association executive director Bob Goodenow sent a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday, inviting the league back to the negotiating table. The letter also said the union was working on a new proposal.\nNo official talks have occurred since Sept. 9, when the union made its last offer.\n"There's been a lot of rumblings for the last couple of weeks that they were preparing something and that this might be imminent, so I can't say I was shocked," Bill Daly, the NHL's chief legal officer, told The Associated Press. "I hope to be optimistic. We'll see what they have to bring to the table."\nThe most recent offer by the NHLPA was a luxury tax-based deal that was rejected by the league, and the lockout began one week later. As of Thursday, 334 regular-season games, plus the 2005 All-Star game, have been wiped out.\nBettman has said that a luxury tax won't work for the 30 NHL teams, which he claims are losing money at a pace that makes it impossible for the league to survive under the current system. He is seeking "cost certainty" for the clubs, which the union says is tantamount to a salary cap -- a solution it refuses to accept.\nThe players' association said its new proposal should provide the basis for a new collective bargaining agreement.\n"Almost three months have passed since the players made their last proposal and we have yet to receive a counteroffer from the league," Goodenow said in a statement. "We have been working hard at other creative solutions and believe our new proposal will provide a basis to end the owners' lockout and resume NHL hockey."\nThe announcement that talks would resume came just hours before the league's general managers were to get an update from Bettman during a dinner meeting in New York.\n"In a way I'm glad it came today because it gives us something to report on, some new news," Daly said.\nCarolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford was glad to hear the report.\n"There hasn't been communication in a long time, so anytime there is communication there's a chance to move forward, " Rutherford said. "Everyone is working toward the same goal, that we can get a deal that works for both sides. So, hopefully, this is a step in the right direction."\nHall of Famer Phil Esposito, currently a radio broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the team's former GM, still wasn't sure an agreement will be reached any time soon.\n"I think it's a great sign to tell you the truth, but I'm not optimistic," Esposito said. "It's not a matter of giving in. I just don't see these two guys doing the right thing."\nThe league has been operating under the same collective bargaining agreement since 1995, when the last lockout -- lasting 103 days -- ended and a truncated 48-game schedule was held. That deal was extended twice.\nAfter an agreement was reached on Jan. 11, 1995, the season began nine days later. The process might take longer this time, because there are dozens of unsigned free agents and many playing in Europe. Also, players haven't gone through training camp, unlike a decade ago.\nClubs also might have to restructure their rosters to fit any new payroll restrictions produced by a deal.\nNHL arenas have been given the go-ahead by the league to release dates previously reserved for hockey on a 45-day rolling basis, which as of now means there won't be any NHL games until at least the middle of January.\n"We continue to evaluate the situation every day," Daly said. "All we want to do is move the process toward resolution. The problem has always been that the union does not share our sense of urgency in getting this done. We hope this is a sign that they are beginning to share our sense of urgency."\nDaly added that the NHL had not been preparing to make a new offer. The players' association rejected six concepts put forth by the league before the union's previous proposal.\nThe next one will remain a secret until it is formally given to the league.\n"In fairness to the collective bargaining process, we will not be discussing our proposal publicly until after it has been communicated to the NHL," NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin said.\nBettman said teams combined to lose more than $1.8 billion over 10 years, and that management will not agree to a labor deal without a defined relationship between revenue and salaries. Owners claim teams lost $273 million in 2002-03 and $224 million last season.\nAn economic study commissioned by the NHL found that players get 76 percent of all league revenues -- far more than the percentage for the other major team sports. The players' association has challenged many of the league's financial findings.
(02/10/04 5:24am)
HENDERSON, Nev. -- NHL general managers met as a full group for three hours Monday before breaking off into four rooms to discuss potential rule changes.\nNo topic was too taboo to talk about, including awarding three points in the standings to team's winning in regulation to having a shootout to eliminate tie games.\n"I think we have to look at everything," Los Angeles general manager Dave Taylor said. "We owe that to the players and we owe that to the fans."\nThe desert wouldn't seem to be a place to solve hockey's on-ice ills, yet the league's general managers convened at a scenic, expensive resort for a three-day meeting that could result in major adjustments to the sport.\n"I think there'll be some changes," said Colin Campbell, the NHL's director of hockey operations. "You try to do things to make the game better, you better examine everything.\n"My experience in this job is be careful what kind of can of worms you're opening up here because it may invoke something else."\nToronto GM John Ferguson was also slow to endorse a rules overhaul.\n"I don't sense that there is a great need for change," he said.\nEach of the four split groups were given different topics to discuss.\nOne group discussed the issues of the ice surface and the lines, including eliminating the red line, creating passing lanes to open room in the neutral zone, and widening the blue lines.\nAnother batch of GMs was given the charge to debate the role of goaltenders. One issue was whether the width of their pads should be further reduced -- maybe even back to the 10-inch standard that was raised to 12 in the 1989-90 season.\nThe maximum length was cut to 38 inches before this season.\n"We talked about the goaltender's equipment again -- it always seems to come back to that in this day and age, and things as far-reaching as making the nets bigger," Campbell said.\nA third group talked about instituting no-touch icing, which would call for an automatic whistle once a team ices the puck. Now, a player from the opposing team must go back and touch the puck in order for the infraction to be called.\nThe other issue discussed by that group involved reinstating the tag-up offsides rule, which would allow an offsides player to get back onside by just touching-up at the blue line.\nCampbell said that will be put to a vote Tuesday.\nThe final group, led by Campbell, discussed the idea of making regulation wins worth three points, instead of two. In that scenario, an overtime win would garner two points, and an overtime loss would still be worth one point.\nIf a shootout was added to the mix, ties would be eliminated. Those wins would be worth two points and a shootout loss would earn one point.\n"We've asked everything and we'll take it back to the general group (Tuesday) and see what their opinion is," Campbell said.\nWith labor unrest on the horizon, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is taking steps to try to produce a better product. Scoring has dropped by two-and-a-half goals per game in the last 15 years to an average of five per game.\nSo, the commissioner has charged GMs to come to this Las Vegas suburb with ideas on how to create more offense.\n"Their mandate from me is to take a look at the game and begin the discussion," Bettman said in his state of the NHL speech. "There are a whole list of aspects of the game that they are going to discuss."\nBettman is participating in the meetings concluding Wednesday. He wants whatever suggestions the GMs come up with to be presented to a committee of hockey experts this summer.\nAny rule changes must then be approved by the league's board of governors before being implemented next season.\nAny change recommended will likely have to pass an on-ice test in the AHL before it ever becomes NHL law.\nSteve Larmer, Mike Gartner and Al MacInnis of the NHL players association were also in on the meetings. Larmer and Gartner are former players. MacInnis is still active, but the St. Louis defenseman has been off the ice since an eye injury in October.\nHall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman will address the full group Tuesday and is expected to present a comprehensive list of changes he is recommending.\nIn separate discussions, Philadelphia GM, Bob Clarke, pulled off two trades.\nHe acquired a much-needed goaltender when he sent center Mike Comrie to Phoenix for Sean Burke and young forwards Branko Radivojevic and Ben Eager.\nEarlier in the day, the Flyers sent defenseman Eric Weinrich to St. Louis for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft.\nOne GM lessened some of his duties Monday when Florida's Rick Dudley relinquished his coaching job.
(03/12/03 4:57am)
In the final 24 hours before the NHL trade deadline, all 30 teams got into the act, making it one of the busiest dealing days in league history.\nAll but three clubs made deals Tuesday, when 46 players and at least 16 draft picks were swapped in a flurry of 24 trades before the 3 p.m. EST deadline.\nThe NHL said it was the most number of deals and players moved since at least 1980.\nOn Monday, eight trades were made, including deals involving New Jersey, Buffalo and Columbus -- the only teams to keep their rosters intact Tuesday.\nThe Toronto Maple Leafs were very busy as they try to build a team capable of winning their first Stanley Cup since 1967. On the heels of deals that brought Owen Nolan and Glen Wesley to Toronto leading up to the deadline, the Maple Leafs added veterans Doug Gilmour and Phil Housley in the final hours trading was allowed.\nGilmour, a forward, was a popular captain of the Maple Leafs from 1992-97. He was reacquired from Montreal for future considerations. Housley was brought in from Chicago for Toronto's fourth- and ninth-round draft picks.\nThe veteran pair has combined for 2,967 games of NHL experience.\nDetroit was also hard at work in an attempt to keep the Cup right where it is. The Red Wings shored up their defense by trading for Los Angeles' Mathieu Schneider, a former champion with Montreal in 1993 who is joining his sixth NHL team.\n"I'm very excited to get the chance to win the Stanley Cup. And if there was one team I wanted to go to, it was the Detroit Red Wings," Schneider said.\nThe Red Wings sent forward Sean Avery, defenseman Maxim Kuznetsov, a first-round pick in this year's draft and a second-round pick in 2004 to the Kings to land Schneider, who will certainly help Detroit's power play.\n"He's a puck-moving defenseman, and he fits into the type of game we play," Detroit assistant general manager Jim Nill said.\nLos Angeles also sent forward Bryan Smolinski to Ottawa for the rights to defenseman Tim Gleason.\nThe New York Rangers, still hoping they can make the playoffs for the first time since 1997, had general manager turned coach Glen Sather go back to his Edmonton roots and acquire Anson Carter, the Oilers' leading scorer.\nCarter joins a club that started Tuesday four points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York also acquired rookie defenseman Ales Pisa for forward Radek Dvorak and defenseman Cory Cross. The Rangers also sent goalie Johan Holmqvist to Minnesota for defenseman Lawrence Nycholat.\nNew York's other team, the Islanders, made two trades in hopes of holding off the Rangers and solidifying their second straight playoff berth.\nThe Islanders acquired defenseman Janne Niinimaa and a second-round pick in this year's draft from Edmonton for forwards Brad Isbister and Raffi Torres.\n"Janne is a guy who can log 25 minutes for us," coach Peter Laviolette said. "Our defense should be in pretty good shape for years to come."\nSt. Louis found an answer for its goaltending woes by prying Chris Osgood away from the Islanders. Osgood missed nearly seven weeks due to an ankle injury, but returned Saturday night before New York embarked on a key six-game road trip that started Tuesday in Vancouver.\nThe Blues sent prospect Justin Papineau and a second-round pick in this year's draft to the Islanders. St. Louis also received a third-round pick in this year's draft from New York in exchange for the 30-year-old Osgood, who is earning $4 million and can be a restricted free agent at season's end.\n"We did get what we believed to be something of value for Chris," Islanders general manager Mike Milbury. "There was not a large market for goalies at this stage of the system. St. Louis came in and we told them what we were looking at and they made a reasonable proposal. We knew we were not going to renew his contract."\nThe Blues also acquired forward Valeri Bure from the Florida Panthers for defense prospect Mike Van Ryn.\nThe Pittsburgh Penguins continued their salary purge that began with the trade of Alexei Kovalev to the Rangers last month. Pittsburgh made five deals Tuesday, sending away Jan Hrdina, Francois Leroux, Shean Donovan, Wayne Primeau, Ian Moran and Marc Bergevin -- eliminating players who combined to earn $3.8 million.\nHrdina and Leroux went to Phoenix for Dan Focht, Ramzi Abid and Guillaume Lefebvre. Lefebvre was acquired by the Coyotes on Monday in the deal that sent Tony Amonte to Philadelphia.\nDonovan went from Pittsburgh to Calgary for Micki Dupont and Mathias Johansson; Moran was traded to Boston for a draft pick; Bergevin went to Tampa Bay for Brian Holzinger; and Primeau was dealt to San Jose for Matt Bradley.\nNobody acquired by Pittsburgh makes more than $475,000.
(11/14/02 6:11am)
Manute Bol has always been able to block shots with his 7-foot-7 frame. The Indianapolis Ice now want to see if he can do that -- or anything else -- on skates.\nFirst, the Central Hockey League team has to find equipment big enough to fit the former NBA player.\nIn an effort to create a buzz around the minor league club, Ice general manager Larry Linde agreed to contract terms Tuesday with the lanky center -- well, that's what he played in his basketball career.\nLinde hasn't spoken to Bol yet and has no reason to believe the man from the Dinka Tribe has ever skated before. Bol is expected to make his first appearance with the Ice on Saturday when they play the Amarillo Gorillas.\n"Are you kidding me? Where?" asked 6-foot forward Geoff Sanderson of the Columbus Blue Jackets, twice a 40-goal scorer in the NHL. "At least he will have a heck of a poke check. His stick will be about 6 1/2-feet long."\nIt appears more likely that Bol will conduct a meet-and-greet with fans rather than a give-and-go in a game. Don't expect to see the giant on the ice.\n"We're in the business of selling tickets, the business of entertainment," Linde said. "We're not going to do anything to jeopardize the integrity of the game or Manute. We're out there to have fun.\n"We're not going to throw him out there if he's going to kill himself or someone else," he said.\nLinde admitted the deal is designed mainly to generate interest in his team and a cause that Bol has championed.\nThe GM was the driving force behind the signing after he read an article a month or so ago about Bol's difficult life after he left the NBA.\n"We're always looking for a unique angle," Linde said. "We like to expose our fans to people they might like to meet."\nBorn in Turalie, a remote village in southern Sudan, Bol now lives in Hartford, Conn., with his family.\nOver the years he has spent most of his life's savings trying to bring peace to his war-torn homeland, where many of his relatives were leaders in the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army, a rebel movement. At one point he became an important backer of the rebels, contributing an estimated $3.5 million.\nBol also had trouble getting out of Sudan after he went back a few years ago. Those efforts also dried up a lot of his funds as he supported himself and as many as 20 relatives.\nLinde did some online research and contacted Bol's representatives to set up a public appearance at an Ice game. The contract developed from there.\nBol recently took part in Fox TV's "Celebrity Boxing" show and beat former football player William "The Refrigerator" Perry in a bout.\nBol agreed to take part, so long as Fox agreed to air a toll-free number for the Ring True Foundation, a West Hartford-based charity he set up to benefit southern Sudanese children. He donated his $35,000 fight fee to the group.\nLinde also wants to help Bol's cause.\n"According to what I've been told he's open to different kinds of ideas," Linde said. "It seems like everything he's doing these days is trying to bring attention to his foundation."\nLinde said Bol will sign a standard player contract and then try to skate with the team on Friday and Saturday.\n"He's coming in Friday. We'll attempt to get him suited up. We'll see what we can do," Linde said.\nWhat happens with Bol's hockey career after that is unknown.\nCHL contracts last for a minimum of one season, but they are rarely guaranteed. Players are paid on a weekly basis at a minimum of $350.\nLeague spokesman Steve Cherwonak said the league would not stand in the way if Indianapolis filed a contract, and that the league president was in favor of it.\nIt was believed Bol, who weighs 225 pounds, would become the tallest player under contract in the history of professional hockey.\n"We commend the Ice for a unique and interesting manner of promoting ice hockey and a worthwhile cause," Cherwonak said. "Are you going to see him take passes and slap shots? I don't think so."\nBol was a 1985 second-round draft pick of the Washington Bullets, and the first foreign player ever drafted in the NBA.\nHe played 11 seasons with four NBA teams, blocking more shots per minute than anyone in league history. He retired in 1995 after averaging 4.2 rebounds per game and 2.6 points during his career.