B4 Terrace Review — Wednesday, October 10, 1990

Defenceman Sharples still on winding road

NEW JERSEY — For every Ray
Bourque, whose season would
not be a complete success

without winning the Norris

Trophy, there are dozens. of
defensemen who would simply

’ like to win a job in the NHL.
For every Paul Coffey and

‘Scott Stevens, who can com-:

mand huge contracts and head-
lines, there are many defense-
men who would simply like to
grab the attention of their
coaches during training camp.

‘Meet Jeff Sharples, the

23-year-old defenseman ac-.

quired from Edmonton last

March in the trade for Reijo

Ruotsalainen. After watching a

promising career with the

Detroit Red Wings come to an

abrupt halt and never getting a

chance with the Oilers, Sharples

is hoping to draw some attention
in his first training camp with
the Devils.

"It seems funny," said
Sharples as he sat on a bench
outside the rookies’ dressing
room at South-Mountain Arena
in West Orange. ‘I’ve gone
through two organizations, and
I’m on my third. Things don’t
always work out like you hope
they will, but sooner or later if
. you have skill and determination
you'll stay.’

Sharples, Detroit’s second
pick (29th overall) in the 1985
NHL entry draft, has skill.
There are those who believe his
NHL career with the Red Wings
was derailed because success
came too easily.

‘*Up to now, this guy has got-
ten by on his talent alone,”’ said
Utica’s Tom McVie, who coach-
ed Sharples for 13 games last
season in the AHL. “‘I don’t
believe he knows what it takes,
and there’s nothing wrong with
that because nobody has told
him what it takes.

. “T think he got there (the
NHL) too quick, He didn’t get
the training. It got to the point
where he was going too quickly,
and he didn’t learn the trade of
pro hockey. That’s not to say
he’s not talented. I think his
talent hurt him.”

Four years ago, as a 19-year-
old kid from Terrace, B.C.,
Sharples made his NHL debut
and played three regular-season
and two playoff games for the
Red Wings. The following
season (1987-88), he played 56
games for Detroit and scored 10
goals and 35 points for what
should’ve been the start of a
solid career.

_ That career, however, quickly
- began to unravel and Sharples

found himself buried in the Red

Wings’ minor league system at
Adirondack,

“‘When we brought Sharples
up he looked like he was going
to be something special,’’. re-
called former Red Wings’ GM
Jimmy Devailano. ‘I take
responsibility. 1 don’t think we
handled him like we could have.
He needed to play more at
Adirondack.”

‘Everyone had a. different
Opinion of what happened,’’
Sharples said. ‘Hindsight is
20-20. I can look back and say I
should’ve played two years in
the minors, but it’s not a matter
of where I was or where I should
be. It’s where I am right now. If
things go well, maybe | can help
the New Jersey organization.’”

He faces a difficult task.
Coach John Cunniff plans to
keep eight defensemen to start
the season, one of which is likely
to be “swing man’ Jamie
Huscroft, who can play forward
and defense. With. Alexei
Kasatonov, Viacheslav Fetisov,
Bruce Driver, Ken Daneyko,
Eric Weinrich and Tommy
Albelin filling out the depth
chart, that leaves one spot open.

Sharples, Sergei Starikov,
Dave Marcinyshyn and Myles
O’Connor are the leading can-

‘didates for the job created when

Randy Velischek went to Quebec
to complete the Peter Stastny
deal.

“Jeff has as much chance as
anyone,’’ said GM Lou
Lamoriello. ‘‘He has outstan-
ding skills, 1] think he’s been a
victim of circumstances. Ed-
monton wanted him from
Detroit. Detroit didn’t want to
give him up but did and, when
he got to Edonton, it was a
veteran-oriented defense. He
found himself in Cape Breton
(AHL).”

The Red Wings parted with
Sharples because they had a
chance to get Jimmy Carson last
Nov. 2. Carson, Kevin McClel-
land and Edmonton’s fifth-
round pick in the 1991 draft
came to Detroit for Adam
Graves, Petr Klima and Joe
Murphy.

‘‘When I got sent down’ by
Detroit last year things were go-
ing well until I got injured and
was out two months with a
separated right ‘shoulder,’’
Sharples recalled. ‘‘when I came
back from the injury at
Christmas, the trade had been
made, and 1 went to Cape
Breton, Edmonton went on a
winning streak, and they didn’t
get any injuries, Sometimes you
need a break. When a team isn’t
going well they’ll bring someone

Ailment fells Fitz

Kitimat’s Mark Fitzpatrick
didn’t start in New York
Islanders season-opener at Los
Angeles last Thursday. That’s
because the talented netminder
had ‘been. hospitalized at L.A.,
suffering from a strange virus.

Mark had been felled by
something “that attacked the
covering of his muscles. Doctors
said it’s an inflammation. caused
from either excessive training, or
possibly a parasite he picked up

during his stay off Florida in, the.

summer.
In any case, it has curtailed his
NHL action for a while at least.
Doctors told his mother at
Kitimat that Mark was facing a
two-week to two-month

- recovery session, His treatment

is medication, rest and physio-
therapy,

Mark was expected to be
flown back to Kitimat after.

more treatment at New York
this week,

in, but that team was going
well. ”

The Oilers, who acquired
Ruotsalainen for Sharples on
March 6, went on to win the
Stanley Cup. Sharples finished
the season in Utica.

“‘} don’t think anybody comes
here without thinking they have
2 legitimate shot. I wouldn’t be
here if [ didn’t. I’m not going to
make a career out of playing in
the minors if I don’t make it in
the NHL. Hopefully, I’ll get an
opportunity to play, but if I
don’t make it I'll have to go
back to Utica and work
harder.’’

The knock on Sharples has
been that he is good enough as
an offensive player but needs to

- .

improve defensively. On a team
loaded with offensive defense-

men that could be a liability. ~

“I try to work on all parts. of
my game,”’ he said. ‘‘You try to
improve so you’re not con-

sidered a one-dimensional!

player, but all parts of your
game aren’t going to be equal.
When you’re on the ice you have
to concentrate on your strengths.
Don’t play to your weaknesses. ©

‘*When I was young, 19-year--

olds like Cam Neely were break-
ing into the NHL, and all of a
sudden the rush was on,’’ he

said. “You want to make it .

when you're 19, 20 or 21, but the
fact of the matter is that a

defenseman might not be estab-

lished until he’s 24."’

Final
Tun

‘The running season winds
up Oct. 14 when the annual
All Seasons Half-Marathon | -
takes place in Terrace.

The race, which also
includes five- and 10-kilo-
“metre runs, will start and end
at Northwest Commiunity
College. Fees vary from $10 —
to $15. .

Registration is.on now at
Ail Seasons sports store, On
race day registration is at 11
a.m, with the race starting at
noon.

Games coordinator pleased
with results from Telethon

by Nancy Orr

A “Winner for the Winter
Games’’, the telethon at the
R.E.M. Lee Theatre Sept. 30,
was a preat success.

A total of $16,355 in pledges
came in, surpassing the goal of
$15,000 that had been set earlier
in the campaign and ‘‘an indica-
tion of the enthusiasm that has
kept the Games going all
along,’’. said Marg Skead,
Games coordinator.

Under the capable hands of
Doug Smith, Laurie Thain and
Sharon Taylor, the phones kept
ringing and the pace kept mov-
ing from if a.m. to a trium-
phant closing at 9 p.m., when
the Terrace Community Band
played the final number to close
the performance as they had
opened it 10 hours earlier.

Led by Terrace’s own Laurie
Thain, the entertainment in-
cluded the Prince Rupert
Chinese Dancers; the Kitsum-
kalum Dancers; Jim Ryan Jazz
Quartet, Jack Wreggitt and Jim
Larkin on classical guitar and
Don Pettipas and Glen Fossum;
Vicki Parviainen Dancers;
Monique Gartland, Tina Hoven-
kamp, Ellie Higginson, Karin
Ljungh and Jennifer Mills,
vocalists; Norm Desjardin and
his fiddle; the Rube Band; the
Mothballs; the Stage Hogs; the
Davy Hickey Band; the Dia-
mond Back Band; the River-
bottom Nightmare Band; Big

Bark and the Howlers; Gillian .

Campbell with her puppets; the
Shrine Club Clowns; the Terrace
Peaks Gymnasts; the Karate
Club and the Summer Theatre
Group; the Skeena Squares and
the Terrace Pipes and Drums.
“The entertainment was fan-
tastic,” said Marg. ‘‘Everyone
had a great time. |
‘And I wish we had had more
items like the hockey stick
autographed by Stan Smyle,”’
said Marg. ‘‘We auctioned it off
about 7 p.m. and it brought in
$650. Harry Rogers won it final-
ly. _
“Kalum Kabs picked up tlie
pledges for us,’’ she said, ‘and
Gayle Appleton was the
organization chairman.”
Marg would like to remind
everyone that pledges can be

mailed to Box 98, Terrace,

ms

Judy Degerness and Marg Skead show the Northem B.C.
Winter Games look with custom sweatshirts, now on sale as
another fund raising angle for the 1991 Terrace Games.

‘V8G 4A2, or dropped off at the
Winter

**So many people helped us,”?

Games office on said Marg, “‘I can only say a big

Highway 16 (in the former thank-you to everyone.”’

tourist information office).

Champ doing Salmon Belt honours

_ Canadian heavyweight boxing champion Ken Lakusta is coming
to Prince Rupert in November. He'll be acting as referee, judge
and awards presenter at the combined Salmon Belt champton-
ships and B.C. Games zone seven tryouts at the Civic Centre on

Nov. 24,

Lakusta was a recent victim of ancient heavyweight George
Forman during his comeback bid. However, instead of going in .

the first round like many of Forman’s opponents, Lakusta lasted

until the third round, That bout was held in Edmonton,

Lakusta’s home town.

Figure skaters receive
Summer school results

Contributed by
Linda Levesque

Chella Levesque attended in
Victoria: tests passed — fourth
figure, bronze artistic.

Jennifer Kuehne attended in
Lake Cowichan.

Nicole Page attended in
Powell River: tests passed —
fifth figure, variation dance and
completed her gold dances.

The Terrace Figure Skating
Club held our first fall school
from Aug. 27 to Sept. 21 with an

attendance of 25 skaters. Tests.

were held in Kitimat on Sept. 29:
Stephanie Kerr — preliminary
freeskate,

preliminary figure,
canasta; Nicole: Hill — | baby .

blues, swing; Lisa Clark — baby
blues, swing; Shelley Hawryluk
— variation dance; Melanie Kerr

‘= willow; Jennifer Kuehne —_

junior bronze freeskate, bronze
artistic; Nicole Page — bronze
artistic; Shelley Lefebvre —
novice competitive.

Also, some of our skaters at-
tended a coaches’ clinic in
Prince Rupert on Sept, 29 and
30. — Chella Levesque and
Amanda’ Owens, certified Can-
skate instructors; Pam Essensa
and Jennifer Kuchne, certified
Canfigure skate instructors:
Kristen Dediluk and Michael

Talstra, assistant Canfigure ©
‘skate instructors,