But what developed next might have sealed his reputation as just another talent-rich but hot-headed European hockey star. The phenom from Nove Moesto Nad, Czech Republic, got the feed he was looking for, but the play was whistled down for a two-line pass.

Brendl exploded, going after a referee as if to cross-check him and finally pulling up about an inch short. He bumped into the official in the course of the ensuing argument, and got hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a ten-minute misconduct.

Pavel Brendl reminds some folks of Jaromir Jagr.(AP)

BUT HE WASN'T THROUGH YET. ON HIS way to the box, Brendl mocked the jeering crowd in Kamloops, banging his stick on the ice along the way, a gesture that earned him a game misconduct. Then, on his way to the dressing room, he put on another show by dropping his gloves and sarcastically applauding along with the crowd on his way back across the ice.

The Hitmen went on to win the May 5 game, 4-2, and took a 2-1 series lead. Brendl was suspended for Game 4, in which the Hitmen were stretched to triple-overtime by the game-but-inferior Blazers before winning. He was back in the lineup when Calgary won the WHL crown with a 5-2 win in Game 5.

Brendl's skills made him one of the most highly-touted Czech prospects since Jaromir Jagr. He came to Canada with little fanfare, having been selected 34th overall in the 1998 CHL Import Draft. But he set the league afire in his rookie season, producing 73 goals, 61 assists and 134 points in 73 regular-season games. He also led the league in the plus-minus category with an eye-popping plus-68.

His performance rocketed him to No. 2 in NHL Central Scouting Service's list of 1999 draft prospects behind fellow Czech and injury-prone Patrik Stefan of the International Hockey League's Long Beach Ice Dogs. The Hockey News, which had successfully predicted every No. 1 draft pick since 1986, had even more confidence in Brendl, giving him its coveted No. 1 ranking.

New York Rangers fans are already thankful that The Hockey News was wrong in 1999. At the June 26 NHL Entry Draft in Boston, Stefan went first overall to the expansion Atlanta Thrashers, while Brendl dropped to No. 4 behind the Swedish Sedin twins. Rangers general manager Neil Smith, who had traded for the No. 4 pick, was quick to take Brendl.

Despite the high hopes in New York, there is growing concern about Brendl's maturity and perceived lack of defensive skill. Indeed, Brendl was hanging way behind the play when the controversial Kamloops incident occurred.

After that game, Brendl displayed a youthful naivete that bordered on arrogance.

"I don't even remember what I said or did but I was pissed off and they were wrong," said Brendl, who also led the WHL in playoff scoring but lost the playoff MVP award to Buffalo Sabres draftee Brad Moran. "I am sure it wasn't a two-line pass. I've been ejected before in Europe, but this was the first time this has happened over here. I am really frustrated. I don't like it one bit."

BRENDL'S COACH IN CALGARY, former Edmonton Oilers prospect Dean Clark, feel the concerns about the 18-year-old are overblown.

"He's only a kid," said Clark, whose team went all the way to the championship game of the CHL Memorial Cup tournament before falling in overtime to the host Ottawa 67s. "When you watch a guy so much, he does some really good things but you start to pick the guy apart. He's the top plus-minus guy in the league, surely there's times he doesn't do as well defensively but he had a plus-68 regular season and he certainly dealt well with killing penalties and been on the power play.

"Obviously, if he wants to play on the next level, defense is something that he has to work on. He came in from a foreign country and as a rookie led our league in scoring. There's a lot of things he's accomplished in a short time. Everyone makes mistakes. It's an emotional game and he didn't react well. He has to learn from everything."

While he acknowledges Brendl's weaknesses, Clark prefers to focus on his young prodigy's enormous potential. He is particularly impressed with Brendl's ability to leave his homeland at age 17 and adapt to the Canadian juniors in such a short period of time.

"I like the way he thinks, I like the way he reacts to situations, he's not like other Europeans because he's a team player and he doesn't want to go back home yet," said Clark. "As a person, for a 17-year old coming to a different country, its amazing that he can sustain it (his regular-season success) and carry it over to the playoffs."

BUT IS BRENDL READY FOR THE bright lights and big city of New York? He might be able to get away with scenes like the one he created out in the mountains of British Columbia, away from the spotlight, but is he mature in enough to handle the pressure put on players in Madison Square Garden? Or does he need another year in the juniors to grow up?

"It's not my decision," said Clark, "But I'd love to have him back. It all depends on who drafts him. I don't think it would hurt for him to come back for another year but that's not for me to decide."

Judging Brendl's attitude, though, its not too tough to discern whether he thinks he can make it. "Last Christmas I was in Canada with my under-17 team and I saw two OHL games," he said. "I didn't know if I could play in this league or not. But I came, I saw and I played."