212 FastLANE ie Win or lose, it’s in The News. Jonathan Green 365-7266 ON THE ICE Several Castlegar competitors will be in the running for spots on the region's B.C. Winter Games when tryouts get underway tomorrow at the Complex. Five skaters will compete for spots in the Juvenile Ladies division, two more in Intermediate Ladies and another in Bronze Artistic Ladies. The action begins at 9:30 a.m. and winds up with the awards ceremony at 4:15 p.m. IN THE __swim__ Congrats to Stanley Humphries’ Justin Phillips, the winner of a gold medal in the 50 metre breaststroke at the B.C. High School Swim Championships last weekend in Vancouver. QUOTE OF THE WEEK “| wish | could see out of his eyes right now” — Castlegar’s Steve Junker on Capital District Islander teammate and fellow Castlegar native Travis Green's promotion to the big club Tuesday. left) they got a work out. Under the watchful eyes of coach John Ritchie, the Stanley Humphries senior boys basketball team hit the court Wednesday. Doing everything from free throws (Ritchie at middle left, Mark Perrier, top right) to a little one on one (Marcel Dusseault and Ryan i i m right) to push ups (Jody Carew, top Vatkin, bottom left) to court drills (Dusseault, bottom rig ) to pu: sate SS rae Need acar loari? We'll make it happen. @ Saturday, November 21, 1992 A wise person once said not to be- lieve everything you read, and that might explain why Claude Vilgrain is biding his time down on the farm in upstate New York. The Haitian-born Vilgrain is a fa- miliar face around Castlegar in the summertime, as the New Jersey Dev- ils product spends the off season here visiting his wife Janet’s folks, the Foubisters. Vilgrain was one of the more pleas- ant surprises in the NHL last season, his first full year in the big league. Playing in 72 games, he scored 19 goals and added 27 assists, not too bad for a guy whose previous NHL expe- rience totalled a dozen games. But for most of this season, any mail sent to Vilgrain in the Garden State will have found its way to the Devils’ American Hockey League af- filiate in Utica, N.Y, because that’s where he is playing hockey these days. The Devils’ plus/minus leader last season, Vilgrain was shipped to Utica in early October in what he was told was a “business decision.” Since then, he has toiled in the American Hockey League, looking to get out and for obvious reasons. The bus rides are fewer, the quality of play is a little better and so is the Ly. But what’s probably festering in Vilgrain’s gut most about his demotion might be explained in a recent maga- zine put out by Hockey Digest. In their 1992-93 Hockey Yearbook, the folks at HD rate the 25 best play- ers at their position in the NHL and Vilgrain joins some elite company on the left side, coming in at 25th. Rating the players on a scale of one to 10 in 11 categories ranging from leadership to speed to work ethic, Vil- ... grain scored 83 points, including a 10 for defence. Not bad for someone who probably spends about as much time on a bus these days as your average Grey- hound driver. But as nice as this will look on Vil- grain’s resume, it’s not the kind of thing he’ll want to stick on the man- tle above the fireplace. Now I’m not saying he’s unworthy ofthe honor. What I am saying is since Vilgrain is the only Devil to be rated for that position, what’s he doing down on the farm? After all, a quick peek at the big club’s depth chart shows some real major league scoring factories in the likes of Tom Chorske, Troy Mallette and Zdeno Ciger. Put the number of games those three have played together with fellow left-wingers Valeri Zelepukin. and Randy McKay and you arrive at 74 as of Wednesday. Add up their total points and, be- tween the five of them, you end up with 14 goals and 22 assists in 74 games, a full 10 points less in two more games than the numbers that Vilgrain put together last year. Armed with stats like that, it was time to track down the judge who had sentenced Vilgrain to cruel and un- usual punishment in the AHL, Dev- ils’ gm. Lou Lamoriello. Getting the short end of the (hockey) stick on the Spot JonathanG REEN Having dealt with Lamoriello be- fore, or at least tried to, I wasn't over- ly confident of actually talking with him, since he’s mastered the ability of being in two different places at the same time. Phoning the team’s offices in East Rutherford, N.J. Wednesday (That’s what all those calls were for in Octo- ber, Warren), the guy who picked up the phone said that Lamoriello was travelling with the team and wasn’t available for comment. Realizing that I could have cared less if Lamoriello was at home darn- ing his socks, he transferred the call to the general manager’s secretary, a friendly sounding lady named Char- lotte. Like so many times last month, she told me that Mr. Lamoriello wasn’t available, but that he was around somewhere and would get back to me when he had the chance. Realizing that my hair would prob- ably start growing back before the phone at the sports desk picked up any calls from Joisey, I thought it wise to pursue other avenues. With the knowledge that Vilgrain is more than happy to chew the fat, it was time to find out what the pawn in the game thought of the latest devel- opment. Calling the farm in Utica, it was ap- parent that the Devils nickname wasn’t the only thing these two teams had in common. This time, the person that an- swered the phone said the junior Dev- ils were on the road and wasn’t at lib- erty to tell me how to get hold of them, regardless of who I was, where I was calling from or who I wanted to talk to. Hearing this, I couldn't help but wonder why it would be such a secret. Maybe they thought I would call a pizzeria in Adirondack and have them send 24 pizzas to the rink and charge it to the team, or maybe I’d wake the players up at the hotel in Baltimore and ask them if their refrigerators are running. Either way, the story was they would pass the message on to Vil- grain, who didn’t get back to town un- til today. Knowing that, I'll just be at my desk for the next few days waiting for all calls to be returned, though previ- ous experience won't have me holding my breath. We'd probably see the return of the Robson Ferry before I could exhale. @ Castlegar trio learning about the world of professional hockey through experiencing the minor leagues Jonathan Green SPORTS REPORTER Life away from home can be tough getting used to, but it has become second nature to three local hockey players. Steve Junker, Dane Jackson and Darcy Martini are all kilometres away from Castlegar, learning the ropes in the world of the American Hockey but it’s a lot different when you’re a step away from the big league. : Playing for the New York Islanders No. 1 af- filiate in Troy, N.Y., Junker said he’s grown to like playing in the AHL. He said life away from the close-quarters feel 1. of the Western Hockey League is good. ; “It’s a lot better,” he said from the team’s hotel in Fredericton, N.B. Wednesday. “You’re more on League. The three rookies had a wealth of hockey experience between. them when they set out for life in the minors, Dane Jackson Life in the American Hockey League agrees with locals mind being in Green’s shoes. “I wish I could see out of his eyes right now,” Junker ; said. “I’m pretty jealous, but ’m happy for him. “He’s earned it.” Up in Hamilton, University of North Dakota star Dane Jackson is becoming used to playing for the Vancouver 4 Canucks’ affiliate in the Steel City. “It’s going not too bad, I’m getting settled in,” he said.* “Things are going OK.” Playing for a club that has nowhere to go but up, Jack- son hasn’t been as succesful as Junker when it comes to scori Steve Junker your own, more freedom. “Tm enjoying that.” Playing primarily a checking role, Junker has done well on the game sheet, scoring twice and adding 10 assists through the team’s first 17 games. He said that as much as the numbers look nice, he’s happier with his overall play and how it’s improving. “] think I’m developing as a player, learning the ropes, learning what it takes to win,” he said. “Everything in general, I’m pretty Pp Apart from being pleased with himself, Junker said he’s equally happy for teammate and fellow Castlegar native Travis Green, who was called up by the big club Tuesday. He said that as much as things are good on the farm, he wouldn’t time. He acknowledged that, but said it’s something that will come around in “It’s not my role, but it’s always nice to score and get points,” he said. “I’m not worried about it. It’s just a matter of working through it.” Jackson said it’s frustrating seeing the team lose more than it wins, especially when he looks around the dressing room and sees all the tal- ent. But, like his own play, he feels it won’t be too = : long before things get turned around. Darcy Martini “We’ve got a good team,” he said. “It’s just a matter if gelling, of getting together. “We'll be OK.” A little ways to the East, Darcy Martini has been manning the blueline for the Cape Breton Oilers, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate. Acult hero at Michigan Tech in the Western Collegiate Hockey As- sociation, Martini had been a force in the Cape Breton backfield when his home base temporarily changed this week. Catching a plane Thursday, Martini was on his way to joining the East Coast Hockey League’s Wheeling Thunderbirds for a game in Raleigh, N.C. Because of that, he couldn’t be reached for comment.