NHL

Slapshots

By TOM JONES
Published December 11, 2005

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Recently, Lillian Hosking of Edmonton told one of the nurses at her nursing home how much she liked Oilers young star Ryan Smyth. Someone got word to the Oilers, and Smyth, 29, showed up at the home on Hosking's 101st birthday.

His presents to her? A cake, team jersey with No.101 on it and letting her run her fingers through his mullet haircut.

"This is the best birthday present I've ever had," Hosking told the Edmonton Journal. "I can't believe he came to see an old lady.

"He has the nicest hair. I don't ever want him to cut it."

MORE ABOUT THE HAIR: Ottawa's Brian McGrattan is sporting a new haircut these days: a Mohawk with a blondish tint across the top. He stands out in a pregame skate but is a little nervous about going home to Hamilton, Ontario.

"I don't know what my mom will say," McGrattan told the Ottawa Citizen.

CHANGE OF PLANS: Because he has played so well (17 goals) Detroit's Brendan Shanahan suddenly has put his name on the list of hopefuls for the Canadian Olympic team.

"Of course, any Canadian would go if you were asked," Shanahan told the Detroit News. "I wouldn't say that I would bank on it. I'd be surprised (to be asked).

"My wife would be surprised. She thinks we're going somewhere warm in February."

RIGHT ANSWER: When Wild coach Jacques Lemaire returned to New Jersey, where he used to coach, recently, he was reminded of a story about former Devils player Valeri Zelepukin, a Russian who spoke and understood very little English.

Holding a meeting while the team was struggling, Lemaire was screaming at his players.

"I said, "If it keeps going like this, do you know what happens to a team when things aren't going well?' " Lemaire said. "I'm looking at the guys, and there's silence. Zellie's sitting there, raises his hand and goes, "Coach get fired?' "

The team couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I started to laugh myself," Lemaire told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "My point was that some of the players were going to leave, but I never knew he would say me."

[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]