Guy Carbonneau

Sidelined for 23 games during the regular season with tendinitis in his knees and another mysterious knee ailment that left him too sore to skate for long stretches, veteran Montreal winger Guy Carbonneau is using the playoffs to prove he isn't washed up just yet. So far, he's doing a good job. Carbonneau, a three-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's best defensive forward, scored the winning goal in overtime in a 4-3 victory over the...

The Dallas Stars are still perfect. Off to the best start in franchise history, the visiting Stars won their fifth straight with a 5-3 whipping of the Chicago Blackhawks last night. This time, Dallas did it the hard way, rallying from an early 1-0 deficit to remain the NHL's only unbeaten and untied team. Five different players scored for the Stars. "I thought we hung around long enough in the first period and then, in the last two or three shifts, gained a little momentum," said Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock.

The Dallas Stars' heads began to clear yesterday, even if Ed Belfour's sinuses didn't. Tuesday night, the defending Stanley Cup champion Stars seemed shellshocked during their 7-3, Game 1 finals drubbing at the hands of the host New Jersey Devils. They said things that made you wonder if the series wasn't over after one game - such as Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock's contention that his team hadn't "played against a group of forwards this quick before. " By the time they regrouped for practice yesterday, the Stars seemed to have recovered their composure, to have identified ways they could make tonight's Game 2 less of a mismatch, beyond the obvious fix of having their All-Star goalie do better than six goals against on 18 shots.

Guy Carbonneau was fired as coach of the struggling Montreal Canadiens, hockey's most historic franchise that is in danger of missing the playoffs in its 100th season. The timing of yesterday's move was a bit surprising because the Canadiens are currently in a playoff position and there are only 16 games left in the regular season. General manager Bob Gainey, who handed over the coaching duties to Carbonneau 3 years ago, will return behind the bench when Montreal hosts Edmonton today.

Guy Carbonneau's timing was perfect last night, and the Dallas Stars' streak lives on. Carbonneau scored his first goal this season with 6 minutes, 49 seconds left, and the Stars rallied from a two-goal, first-period deficit to extend their franchise-record unbeaten streak to 15 games with a 6-4 victory over the visiting Vancouver Canucks. "I know I'm not going to score 20 or 30 goals a game like I used to," the 38-year-old center said after his first goal in 44 games. "But when you go that long without scoring, you rush your shot and squeeze the stick too tight.

Brett Hull's scoring slump appears to be over - and so does the Dallas Stars early-season funk. Hull's second goal of the third period, a power play slap shot with 1:58 remaining, broke a tie and visiting Dallas went on to a 6-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes last night. It ended a three-game losing streak for the Stars, who also got two goals from Guy Carbonneau, including an empty-netter with two seconds remaining. "I knew it was coming back to me," said Hull, who had just four goals in the first 13 games.

Dallas Stars coach Ken Hitchcock played a hunch by putting slumping Greg Adams on a checking line. Like most of Hitchcock's hunches this season, this one paid off as Adams scored twice in the second period last night to help the Stars stop the visiting New Jersey Devils' four-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory in a matchup of conference leaders. "He put me on a line with two good defensive guys [veteran checkers Guy Carbonneau and Mike Keane] and when they're on the ice, I have more freedom to jump in on the offensive side," said Adams, once a 36-goal scorer.

Geriatric by hockey standards, the Dallas Stars aren't built for the long haul, unless the term long haul is intended to mean a leisurely, joyous skate around the ice cradling the Stanley Cup. If the Stars do win the only trophy in professional sports that is truly loved by the athletes who pursue it, they will be the second-oldest team in NHL history to do so, according to the league's bookkeepers. The Dallas lineup that will take the Marine Midland Arena ice tonight against underdog Buffalo for Game 4 of the championship round has an average age of 30.6 years.

His age and his battered right knee strongly suggest that Joe Nieuwendyk won't get many more chances to have his name etched into the Stanley Cup for the second time. His delicate hands and his sturdy heart suggest that this one more chance is all he needs. Nieuwendyk, the 33-year-old Dallas center whose playoffs ended last season less than 16 minutes after they began because of a severe knee injury, beat Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek for two goals last night to lead the Stars to a 2-1 victory at Marine Midland Arena, giving the favored Western Conference champions a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven Cup finals.

It might rank as one of the greatest comebacks in Stanley Cup history. And now the Dallas Stars are faced with the greatest challenge of their season. The Edmonton Oilers scored three goals in the final four minutes of regulation to overcome a three-goal deficit, then won the game, 4-3, at the 9:15 mark of the first overtime on a goal by Kelly Buchberger to stun the visiting Stars physically and emotionally. The victory gives the Oilers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series heading into tomorrow night's game at Edmonton Coliseum.

Guy Carbonneau was fired as coach of the struggling Montreal Canadiens, hockey's most historic franchise that is in danger of missing the playoffs in its 100th season. The timing of yesterday's move was a bit surprising because the Canadiens are currently in a playoff position and there are only 16 games left in the regular season. General manager Bob Gainey, who handed over the coaching duties to Carbonneau 3 years ago, will return behind the bench when Montreal hosts Edmonton today.

Down by three games to one in the Stanley Cup finals, the new goal for the Dallas Stars is to accomplish something far more impressive than their season-long goal of winning a second consecutive championship. For the Stars to keep the Cup, they must become the second team to emerge from a 3-1 deficit since the finals went to a best-of-seven format in 1939. Of the 25 previous teams in such a predicament, only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs pulled it off. "We've always been strong emotionally, and we play with passion when we're in trouble," center Guy Carbonneau said.

The Dallas Stars' heads began to clear yesterday, even if Ed Belfour's sinuses didn't. Tuesday night, the defending Stanley Cup champion Stars seemed shellshocked during their 7-3, Game 1 finals drubbing at the hands of the host New Jersey Devils. They said things that made you wonder if the series wasn't over after one game - such as Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock's contention that his team hadn't "played against a group of forwards this quick before. " By the time they regrouped for practice yesterday, the Stars seemed to have recovered their composure, to have identified ways they could make tonight's Game 2 less of a mismatch, beyond the obvious fix of having their All-Star goalie do better than six goals against on 18 shots.

Brett Hull's scoring slump appears to be over - and so does the Dallas Stars early-season funk. Hull's second goal of the third period, a power play slap shot with 1:58 remaining, broke a tie and visiting Dallas went on to a 6-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes last night. It ended a three-game losing streak for the Stars, who also got two goals from Guy Carbonneau, including an empty-netter with two seconds remaining. "I knew it was coming back to me," said Hull, who had just four goals in the first 13 games.

Geriatric by hockey standards, the Dallas Stars aren't built for the long haul, unless the term long haul is intended to mean a leisurely, joyous skate around the ice cradling the Stanley Cup. If the Stars do win the only trophy in professional sports that is truly loved by the athletes who pursue it, they will be the second-oldest team in NHL history to do so, according to the league's bookkeepers. The Dallas lineup that will take the Marine Midland Arena ice tonight against underdog Buffalo for Game 4 of the championship round has an average age of 30.6 years.

Sometimes it isn't how fast you skate. Sometimes it's how fast you think. The Buffalo Sabres figured they might have an edge in the Stanley Cup finals against the Dallas Stars because the Sabres have younger, quicker legs. But the older, slower Stars dominated the ice in the third period of Game 2 and throughout Game 3, en route to taking a solid 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series that resumes tomorrow night in Buffalo. Thirty-nine-year-old Guy Carbonneau, 38-year-old Craig Ludwig, almost-36-year-old Brian Skrudland, 35-year-old Dave Reid, 34-year-old Brett Hull, even Joe Nieuwendyk, who won't be 33 until September but has played 12 NHL seasons and won the Stanley Cup with Calgary a decade ago, are among the Stars' corps of older, more experienced players that has had a big impact on this series.

His age and his battered right knee strongly suggest that Joe Nieuwendyk won't get many more chances to have his name etched into the Stanley Cup for the second time. His delicate hands and his sturdy heart suggest that this one more chance is all he needs. Nieuwendyk, the 33-year-old Dallas center whose playoffs ended last season less than 16 minutes after they began because of a severe knee injury, beat Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek for two goals last night to lead the Stars to a 2-1 victory at Marine Midland Arena, giving the favored Western Conference champions a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven Cup finals.

Guy Carbonneau's timing was perfect last night, and the Dallas Stars' streak lives on. Carbonneau scored his first goal this season with 6 minutes, 49 seconds left, and the Stars rallied from a two-goal, first-period deficit to extend their franchise-record unbeaten streak to 15 games with a 6-4 victory over the visiting Vancouver Canucks. "I know I'm not going to score 20 or 30 goals a game like I used to," the 38-year-old center said after his first goal in 44 games. "But when you go that long without scoring, you rush your shot and squeeze the stick too tight.

It took the carefree attitude of a kid and the resilience of a veteran for the Dallas Stars to live another day in the NHL's Western Conference finals. Jamie Langenbrunner, all of 22 years old, scored from center ice to give the Stars a 3-2 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings last night at Reunion Arena and force a Game 6 tomorrow in Detroit. The defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings lead the series, three games to two. The Stars are trying to become the first NHL team to overcome a three-games-to-one deficit in a conference final.

Dallas Stars coach Ken Hitchcock played a hunch by putting slumping Greg Adams on a checking line. Like most of Hitchcock's hunches this season, this one paid off as Adams scored twice in the second period last night to help the Stars stop the visiting New Jersey Devils' four-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory in a matchup of conference leaders. "He put me on a line with two good defensive guys [veteran checkers Guy Carbonneau and Mike Keane] and when they're on the ice, I have more freedom to jump in on the offensive side," said Adams, once a 36-goal scorer.