Red Line

The red line, an NHL staple for 55 years, may be history. Elimination of the red line was among seven rule changes backed by NHL general managers yesterday after three days of meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., to discuss ways to improve the flow of play, encourage forechecking and create more scoring. The GMs cannot implement changes, only recommend them to owners, who meet in June, possibly in Buffalo, N.Y. In addition, the league will examine three areas after the Olympic break: a second referee, obstruction infractions and goaltenders' equipment, including glove, blocking pad, stick and the leg pads that have grown 2 inches in width in recent seasons.

The debate over when (and whether) to set a "red line" for attacking Iran's nuclear program slipped toward farce Thursday when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a marker and drew a thick red line across a cartoon-like drawing of an Iranian bomb. The scene was Netanyahu's speech to the U.N. General Assembly. And the subject was serious: how to prevent the Iranian regime from producing nuclear weapons. But the Israeli leader's constant demand - that Washington set red lines for Iran's nuclear program, which, if ignored, would trigger U.S. bomb strikes - has become counterproductive.

It is ironic that a popular movie this week is a remake of the 1974 film The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, a Denzel Washington vehicle that also features all the modern technology devised to prevent subway-train crashes. Hijackers thwart the safety gizmos in the fictional depiction, but investigators yesterday were still trying to figure out what went terribly wrong and allowed two commuter trains to collide in Washington on Monday, killing nine people and leaving almost 80 injured. Washington's popular Metro system is equipped with a fail-safe signal system that should have prevented the rush-hour accident.

The NHL yesterday ordered its referees to call more obstruction-type penalties when games resume after the Olympic break, while the league's general managers backed seven rule changes - including the elimination of the red line - all aimed at speeding up games and creating more scoring. The GMs cannot implement changes, only recommend them to owners, who will meet in June. The GMs earlier had recommended tighter officiating. If approved, play without a red line will be tested next preseason.

Tyler Myers scored 2 minutes, 1 second into overtime to lift the host Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. Buffalo (33-29-8) improved to 9-2-2 in their past 13 games and jumped ahead of Winnipeg into ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Washington in the race for the final playoff spot.   Hawks extend Carcillo The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to a two-year contract extension with forward Daniel Carcillo. The 26-year-old Carcillo tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a game against Edmonton on Jan. 2 and won't play again this season.

The Flyers' exhibition loss to the Penguins Saturday night featured an experimental rules change, eliminating the red line for two-line passes. Unfortunately, all too often on a steamy night at HersheyPark Arena, the teams found themselves experimenting with no red line, no blue lines and no view of the puck at their own feet. Unseasonably warm conditions inside the venerable, unairconditioned rink led to dense fog. The Pens' 1-0 victory was stopped 19 times so players could skate around in circles, trying to lift the mist.

Seeking to generate more offense and excitement, the NHL will make major changes if the game returns to the ice this fall. League sources said last night that the red line will be discounted, thus allowing passes from blue line to blue line. The red line will remain on the ice only to determine icing. Also given tentative approval is the elimination of ties. Instead, a shoot-out after a period of overtime would be used. If the lockout ends and a new collective-bargaining agreement is announced, the rules changes also are expected to be announced.

"The Clarke Plan" is going to get a tryout. Colin Campbell, the NHL's director of hockey operations, said yesterday at the general managers' meeting in Naples, Fla., that Flyers general manager Bob Clarke's proposal to change the configuration of the ice surface would be tried sometime next season during a college tournament in Michigan. Clarke's bold plan would eliminate the two face-off circles in each end of the ice and replace them with one circle in the middle of each end, directly in front of the goalie.

Saddled with sagging network television ratings and too many dull, low-scoring games, the National Hockey League's general managers yesterday proposed significant rules changes, which are expected to be approved for the 1998-99 season, to make the game more exciting. None of the recommended changes is goaltender-friendly. Rather, they are intended to boost scoring on power plays, allow more creativity behind the net, and quicken the pace of games. In addition to the proposed changes, and perhaps most significant, the league will experiment in some preseason games with erasing the center-ice red line.

Far from the noisy Kiel Center crowd last night, Roger Neilson considered his club's latest misfortune. "Something seems to happen every game," the Flyers coach said. Next season, there will be a new headline in the Flyers' record book: Longest winless streak. It's 12 games now (0-8-4) after a 5-2 loss to the Blues, and could grow Sunday at the First Union Center against the Detroit Red Wings. Neilson said there have been some good moments during the winless skid, but "nothing is going right for us. We have not had a consistent 60 minutes of hockey enough times during the streak.

You know you're in trouble when you can't even get your walk-back story straight. Stung by the worldwide derision that met President Obama's fudging and fumbling of his chemical-weapons red line in Syria, the White House leaked to the New York Times that Obama's initial statement had been unprepared, unscripted, and therefore unserious. The next day Jay Carney said precisely the opposite: "Red line" was intended and deliberate. Which is it? Who knows? Perhaps Obama used the term last August to look tough, sound like a real world leader, never expecting that Syria would do something so crazy.

JERUSALEM - Israel's prime minister on Monday said that Iran is steadily edging closer to nuclear weapons capability but has not yet reached the "red line" he drew in a speech to the United Nations last fall. Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his assessment as Israel took delivery of the fifth of six advanced submarines it has ordered from Germany. The "Dolphin" class vessels are believed to be capable of carrying missiles with nuclear warheads and could play an important role in any future conflict between Israel and Iran.

There is something bizarre about the debate over how the United States should respond to the Syrian regime's likely use of chemical weapons against its own people. The White House said Thursday that Syria may have used deadly sarin gas, after France, Britain, and Israel had made similar assessments. This puts President Obama in a pickle. He has said that use of chemical weapons by the regime would cross a "red line" and be a "game-changer. " There are bipartisan calls in Congress for a response; the Pentagon is preparing options that include commando raids to secure chemical stockpiles and strikes on Syrian airplanes.

WASHINGTON - The White House declared yesterday that U.S. intelligence indicates Syrian President Bashar Assad has twice used deadly chemical weapons in his country's fierce civil war, a provocative action that would cross President Barack Obama's "red line" for a significant military response. But the administration said the revelation won't immediately change its stance on intervening. The information, which has been known to the administration and some members of Congress for weeks, isn't solid enough to warrant quick U.S. involvement in the 2-year-old conflict, the White House said.

The debate over when (and whether) to set a "red line" for attacking Iran's nuclear program slipped toward farce Thursday when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a marker and drew a thick red line across a cartoon-like drawing of an Iranian bomb. The scene was Netanyahu's speech to the U.N. General Assembly. And the subject was serious: how to prevent the Iranian regime from producing nuclear weapons. But the Israeli leader's constant demand - that Washington set red lines for Iran's nuclear program, which, if ignored, would trigger U.S. bomb strikes - has become counterproductive.

PITTSBURGH - When Flyers coach Peter Laviolette called all of his rookies over for a quick chat at the Wednesday morning skate before their first playoff game, the exact words he spoke, of reassurance and confidence, are not known. The only certainty is that Laviolette did not pull out a tape measure and tell Ollie to get on Strap's shoulders and show the rest of them that, yes indeed, the stage might be bigger but the basket is still only 10 feet off the ground. Still, it was kind of interesting when Sean Couturier said Thursday: "The nets are at the same place.

Tyler Myers scored 2 minutes, 1 second into overtime to lift the host Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. Buffalo (33-29-8) improved to 9-2-2 in their past 13 games and jumped ahead of Winnipeg into ninth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Washington in the race for the final playoff spot.   Hawks extend Carcillo The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to a two-year contract extension with forward Daniel Carcillo. The 26-year-old Carcillo tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a game against Edmonton on Jan. 2 and won't play again this season.

Here is how Phillies ace Cliff Lee fared last night: IP           H            R            ER        BB        K        ERA 3.1        10           6            6        1          3        7.24

CALL IT the National Hijinks League. Once the place where old ideas were treasured like artifacts, the National Hockey League has become the league of What-The-Hey. Shootouts. Outdoor hockey. Coatsey and Pierre McGuire offering their insights from the penalty box. And tonight, a fantasy All-Star draft that actually produces two real-life teams! Want to hear one of the league's premier stars call a rival town a naughty name? Tune in to HBO's "Hard Knocks" series featuring the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.

CHICAGO - After listening to "Chelsea Dagger," the Blackhawks' unforgettable goal song, being piped through the United Center exactly 15 times during their three games in Chicago last spring during the Stanley Cup finals, the only time the Flyers wanted to hear that tune was in an Amstel Light commercial after the game. And, for the most part, the Madhouse on Madison - Chicago's hockey cathedral - was quiet yesterday in the Flyers' grudge match with the defending champs. The Flyers threw the biggest dagger yesterday against the re-tooled Blackhawks, picking up a 4-1 win behind a career day from Claude Giroux and a nearly perfect outing from Sergei Bobrovsky.