In The Crease

A bitter feud ended last week when former Canadiens coach Mario
Tremblay and ex-Montreal goaltender Patrick Roy met at a golf
tournament in Montreal, shook hands and played nine holes
together. In December 1995 Tremblay embarrassed Roy by keeping
him in net for nine Red Wings goals, which led Roy to declare
that he would never play for Tremblay again. Four days later Roy
was traded to the Avalanche....

The main reason that the Hurricanes won the sweepstakes for
free-agent center Ron Francis was that Carolina offered him a
four-year deal, whereas the other interested parties--Blues,
Mighty Ducks, Rangers and Sabres--were talking about three-year
commitments....

Predators general manager David Poile made another good move for
his expansion team by signing free-agent center Tom Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald, who was immediately named captain, is a solid leader
and understands what it takes to survive playing on a first-year
team. He was a key member of the Panthers when they first took
the ice in 1993-94....

There's a good chance Detroit coach Scotty Bowman will not
return next season. If he steps down, he will remain in the
organization as an adviser to general manager Ken Holland. In
that case, look for the Red Wings to stay in-house for a new
coach. They employ two of the most dynamic assistants in the
league, Dave Lewis and Barry Smith. Either choice would be a
good one.