Notebook: Kariya not neutral on neutral zone

Add Paul Kariya's name to the list of those who think the NHL was wrong to go six feet under.

Under the amount of space it used to have in the neutral zone, that is.

Paul Kariya feels moving up the nets has really only increased the scrums behind the net. (Getty Images)

The Anaheim Mighty Ducks captain, who has spent his career avoiding involvement in controversial issues, says he believes the league's decision to reduce the distance between the two blue lines by six feet over the past decade is a prime reason for the lack of offensive excitement that is widely considered one of hockey's biggest drawbacks these days.

"It's just one of the stupidest rules I've seen," Kariya said during a conference call this week

Kariya was responding to a question about a subject first raised this week by Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin in the Hockey News . The former Islanders captain wrote cutting down the space in the neutral zone has hindered players' ability to generate speed and to score off the rush.

"There used to be a time when players such as Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr could forecheck a defenseman, strip the puck and be within one step of the front of the net and a scoring chance," Potvin argued. "They can't do that anymore. With the extra room behind the goal lines, it now takes a pass to get to the front of the net."

Before 1990, the standard 200-by-85-foot NHL arenas had 60 feet between blue lines and 10 feet from the backboards to the goal lines. Since then, there have been two changes which have combined to push the goal lines 13 feet away from the back boards and each blue line three feet closer to the other one.

Kariya says it doesn't make much sense to him.

"When you think about it, if you want to add scoring and excitement to the game, why would you put more room where you can't score?" he said. "Who wants to see scrums behind the net? You want to see attacking plays through the neutral zone and if you have more room there, you are going to have a better opportunity to do that. Whoever decided to move the nets up (had) to be brain dead."

Not Wirtz the price?

The Chicago Blackhawks are not one of the many NHL teams available for purchase these days, but that could change says its owner.

Bill Wirtz, whose family has owned the Blackhawks since 1954, says unless there are major changes made in the next collective bargaining agreement, "our ownership will have no interest in continuing to own the club because of our losses."

The current CBA expires in 2004 and most observers believe owners will impose a lockout in order to get the players association to agree to a salary cap of around $32 million.

Wirtz, whose team has the 12th highest payroll in the league, told the Chicago Tribune the Blackhawks will have losses in the "middle teens in millions of dollars" this season. The current economic system, he said, makes it impossible to remain competitive and fiscally responsible at the same time.

"Our players' salaries are at a level that makes it impossible for the ownership to make sense of this business and to compete as well as we'd like to," Wirtz said. "We set salaries at what we can afford to pay. But I'm only one vote. The collective bargaining agreement could be passed like it was last time without my vote making a difference. If that happened, I would have to recommend to our shareholders that they take a long, hard look at participating in a league that guarantees we lose money."

Snow is rising

Earlier this season, there was a fair amount of speculation the Islanders would deal away goaltender Chris Osgood to make room for highly touted Rick DiPietro.

DiPietro was having an outstanding season in the minors and the thinking was he was ready to claim to move up and show Isles fans why New York GM Mike Milbury drafted him first overall in 2000. But things haven't quite worked out as planned on Long Island, thanks to the play of veteran Garth Snow.

Since Osgood went down with an ankle sprain Jan. 21, Snow has handled the bulk of the netminding duties, going 7-3-1 during that span, while recording a 1.54 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage heading into Sunday's action.

Snow has allowed more than two goals only once during that period.

"Snowie has been unbelievable," says teammate Jason Wiemer.

The Islanders obviously agree. They sent DiPietro back to the American Hockey League on Friday, even though Osgood has yet to return to action.

Look who's talking

The Canucks and the Red Wings began a rivalry in the playoffs last spring, but it seems to be getting personal between two of the mainstays on each team.

Before the Western Conference powerhouses met this week for a highly anticipated game which the Canucks won 4-3, Detroit's Chris Chelios tried to stir the pot by calling Vancouver forward Todd Bertuzzi a "dirty " player.

Chelios, 41, who has never been accused of being a choirboy during his long career, was answered back during the game when Bertuzzi told him it was time to retire.

"I told him he just couldn't do it any more and he can't," Bertuzzi said. "He should pack it in."

Chelios obviously didn't like the remark, Bertuzzi said, because the Detroit defenseman responded by commenting on Bertuzzi's 245-pound frame.

"He called me fat," said Bertuzzi, whose 30 goals is tied for eighth in the league. "I told him if I'm playing 25 minutes a game, how could I be fat. I told him, 'Is that the best you could come up with?'"

They said it

A lot of people expected me to come in and help the team, and I've failed. -- Rangers defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, who signed a six-year, $25.5 million free-agent deal last summer.