Hockey has always been a physical game and remains so even with new rules to eliminate some of the rough stuff and place more emphasis on offense.

But the NHL would be wise to crack down much harder on those who inflict hits to the head than it has been doing lately.

Two of the league's top players, Buffalo's Chris Drury and Toronto's Tomas Kaberle, were recent victims of late, high hits and suffered concussions. Drury, who was hammered by Ottawa's Chris Neil, missed four games before returning Wednesday against the Avalanche. Kaberle has missed a week and still isn't ready to return after being drilled by New Jersey's Cam Janssen.

Neil's hit touched off a brawl, but he wasn't penalized by the league, prompting Sabres owner Tom Golisano to write a letter to commissioner Gary Bettman urging him to review how it handles discipline. Janssen was given a three-game suspension.

Drury was unconscious and sustained a deep cut near his right eye that took 20 stitches to mend. Two weeks later, his eye is still bloodshot, but he no longer wishes to talk about the hit. "It's over with," he said.

Along with his concussion, Kaberle sustained a sore neck and back spasms, and he has been having headaches.

Former Avalanche forward Steve Moore knows all too well the effects of a concussion. Thursday marked the three-year anniversary of the attack by Todd Bertuzzi, and Moore said there still are times when he experien- ces headaches, mental lethargy and difficulty concentrating.

"Hits to the head are especially dangerous," Moore said. "The fact that these type of injuries are occurring . . . I think everybody's in agreement that having players knocked out with serious concussions and for long periods of time doesn't do the game any service."

Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson told The Toronto Star that he wouldn't question how the league handles such incidents, but he suggested suspending a player indefinitely until more information is known about the injured player's health.

"We know this is a dangerous game, a physical game, a speed game," Ferguson said. "But there are lines that shouldn't be crossed."

Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said he expects the topic would be discussed during league meetings this summer.

Mike Murphy, the NHL's senior vice president of hockey operations, expressed concern that late hits have crept into the game, and he said the league is more than willing to address the issue with team officials.

Moore thanks supporters

Moore made a point to say that the support he continues to receive from fans helps to keep him motivated in his workouts.

"It really has been amazing," he said. "I have felt a tremendous amount of support from the Avalanche fans, wherever they are, and obviously from people in Colorado and Denver who have continued to send me fan mail and cards and letters, and encouraging stories."

Moore said he was given "a lot of support initially" from the Avalanche, but that "it's kind of been me on my own" since his contract expired after the 2003-04 season.

"But we've been in touch and they've let me know that they're there to help me in any way they can," he said. "I appreciate that."

Oil bust

The Edmonton Oilers have looked disheartened since the Feb. 27 trade that sent star left wing Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders, and they've pretty much fallen out of the Western Conference playoff race.

The Oilers have lost four consecutive games since the trade by the cumulative score of 15-3, a situation that doesn't sit well with coach Craig MacTavish.

"We've got to play well, we've got to play hard, and we've got to represent our team with the intensity and effort we've established here over the past many years," he said. "If you can't live up to those expectations, then you're going to be on the outside looking in."

Bright future for Avs

In an interview with NHL.com, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland predicted good things in the future for the Avalanche, until recently his team's biggest rival.

Holland said Paul Stastny, Peter Budaj, Wojtek Wolski and Marek Svatos are four of the league's better young players, and that they can learn a lot from captain Joe Sakic.

"These guys are the key to their team's future," Holland said. "I really believe Colorado's young players are ready to take the next step to take that team over and make it one of the elite teams in the West."

Kovalev in hot water

Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Kovalev was embroiled in a mini-controversy in which he denied making critical comments attributed to him by two Russian media outlets.

Following an interview with the radio station Radiomayak, Kovalev's alleged remarks were published in the Moscow-based weekly magazine Football-Hockey.

According to the article, Kovalev was critical of Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau, saying Carbonneau doesn't like Russian players, gives preferential treatment to French-Canadian players and implements a defensive system that hampers creative players.

"I definitely deny saying it," Kovalev told The (Montreal) Gazette. "I don't have words about how bad (the article) was. From nowhere, someone's trying to ruin your life."

The controversy was such that La Presse, a French daily, sent five reporters to practice to work on the story.

After meeting with Kovalev, Carbonneau said he was satisfied that the player had been misquoted. "If he's lying, he's a good liar," Carbonneau said.

Slap shots

• Flyers forward Mike Knuble, who suffered facial fractures in a Feb. 17 collision with the Rangers' Brendan Shanahan, has resumed practicing and might play next week. He will have to wear a full face shield. Shanahan sustained a concussion and is still sidelined.

• The Carolina Hurricanes, in danger of missing the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup last season, got a boost Thursday when forward Erik Cole was activated from the injured list. Cole, who has 25 goals, missed seven games with a torn muscle near his hip.

A long way to go

• Avalanche center Paul Stastny has tied the NHL rookie record with a 17-game point-scoring streak, but he's not close to the overall league record. The longest streaks:

Games Player Season

51 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton 1983-84

46 Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh 1989-90

39 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton 1985-86

30 Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton 1982-83

30 Mats Sundin, Quebec 1992-93

sadowskir@RockyMountainNews.com

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