New Worlds to conquer

MIKE SULLIVAN Roster uncertainties

Mike Sullivan didn't need two years behind the Bruins bench to know that a coach's life carries no guarantees. To join the brotherhood of rubber soles and white socks is to know that the same feet that stand planted behind the bench must be the same feet that adapt quickly to change, be ready to move to the next opportunity.

"Let's face it, if you didn't love to coach, you wouldn't put yourself through the process," said the 39-year-old Sullivan, who this month will be the top man behind the US bench when the Yanks enter play in the World Championships in Russia. "Job security isn't at the forefront of the profession. But if you love to do it -- and I do -- you are willing to endure the downside and the drawbacks that come with the job."

Sullivan lived through the job's No. 1 drawback last spring, in the weeks following Peter Chiarelli being named Bruins general manager. With a year left on his contract, Sullivan was allowed to make his case for staying behind the bench, but ultimately was part of the housecleaning that Chiarelli implemented upon taking over.

Now, less than a year later, the former Boston University standout, along with assistant coaches Barry Smith and David Quinn, will head overseas with a team stocked with NHLers from squads that didn't make the playoffs or were eliminated in Round 1. As of Friday, the coach who found himself without a team last spring was still awaiting the identity of the team he'll coach this spring.

"Who are the guys? I wish I could tell you," said Sullivan. "We're still in the process, and it's been a challenge, in part because so many NHL teams have still been in the playoff hunt these last couple of weeks. We know a few of the guys, a handful, but we really won't have a firm handle on it until [the regular season concludes today]."

For the record, Bruins Phil Kessel, Brandon Bochenski, and Andrew Alberts will wear the red, white, and blue. Mark Mowers wanted to go, but Sullivan said the pivot's shoulder injury, sustained Tuesday in Montreal, will prevent him from making the trip. The Yanks remain hopeful that Tim Thomas will accept an invite, but the Bruins' No. 1 goalie has yet to make up his mind, balancing his need for rest vs. his urge to suit up for his country.

Sullivan was part of the US coaching contingent last February at the Olympics in Turin. He and Keith Allain were Peter Laviolette's top lieutenants, the Yanks unable to make it to the medal stand. The international game, played on a sheet that is 15 feet wider than its NHL cousin, showed itself to be much more of a puck-possession game, said Sullivan.

"Everyone has more space and more time," he said. "There are subtle differences, too, but the most significant one is the size of the ice sheet. Possession and puck control are key."

Soon to cash his final Boston paycheck, Sullivan spent the 2006-07 season watching a lot of hockey, and coaching some, too. He was in Slovakia, aiding in the coaching of the USA squad in an Under-17 Four Nations tournament, and also spoke at a coach's symposium in Stockholm. He did some volunteer coaching with the BU squad, and also joined the Bernie Corbett-Tom Ryan radio broadcast team for Terrier games. Unlike some of his coaching brethren (see: Barry Melrose), he couldn't be coaxed over to the dark side of the media.

"I enjoyed it, but you know, coaching is still what I love," said Sullivan, whose aim remains to be put in charge of an NHL bench, the sooner the better. "I love going to the rink every day, trying to accomplish something. It's commitment. It's work ethic. And like I say, if you didn't love it . . ."

It is not always a job that loves back, as Sullivan found out. During his watch, then-GM Mike O'Connell traded team captain Joe Thornton to San Jose, and other than a decent run leading up to the Olympics, the franchise ostensibly went into fast-forward disintegration. Millions of dollars later, and after wholesale changes to the front office and lineup, it doesn't appear the pieces will come together soon.

"I never for one minute took it for granted," said Sullivan, reflecting on his two-year job as Black-and-Gold coach, his record 70-56-15-15 in the regular season and 3-4 in the postseason. "I loved being a part of it. I wish it could have been more successful, for all of us, but it didn't work out that way.

"I enjoyed the players. I enjoyed the interaction, and overall, I'd just say it was a great learning experience -- and now I am looking forward to this next one."

Not that he sat idly by, waiting for opportunity to knock. Sullivan, who began to teach himself how to play piano late in his hockey career, used some of his spare time this hockey season to take piano lessons. Daughters Kaitlin, 14, and Kiley, 9, already were taking lessons, and dad tagged along at class time.

"I made some progress -- not a lot, but some," he said. "The girls are pretty good. Much better than their dad, that's for sure."

Cagey maneuvers called for

Bruins goalie prospect Tuukka Rask, acquired in last June's swap that sent Andrew Raycroft to Toronto, could be on the Team Finland roster for the World Championships that begin April 27 in Russia.

"It's looking that way, and it's a bit of a surprise," said his agent, Bill Zito, who expected the Finns to implement more of a seniority approach in stocking the roster. "A surprise, but a pleasant one."

Rask, who turned 20 years old March 10, is not allowed to sign an NHL contract until he has played his last game of the season, and he could be tied up until May 13 if the Finns play in the championship game in Moscow. If not signed by June 1, Rask, selected 21st overall in 2005 by the Leafs, is eligible to go back into this year's amateur draft.

But by Zito's telling, Rask isn't interested in a second look at the draft.

"In fact, he's really excited about coming to Boston," said Zito, who also represents Boston backstops Tim Thomas and Hannu Toivonen. "He'll sign with the Bruins. I don't see a problem."

Meanwhile, there is no telling how general manager Peter Chiarelli will structure Boston's netminding around the Finnish phenom, who most likely would be best served by toiling at least one season in Providence. With Rask tucked away and allowed to develop, it's highly doubtful that Chiarelli, who inherited Thomas and Toivonen from the former regime, will leave the starting job to be sorted out among those two and, if still here, Joey MacDonald.

The problem is, if Chiarelli wants to shop for a higher-end backstop, he will have limited financial resources, given the upcoming big-dollar commitments to Zdeno Chara ($7.5 million), Patrice Bergeron ($5 million), Marc Savard ($5 million), Glen Murray ($4.15 million), Marco Sturm ($3.5 million), and Aaron Ward ($2.75 million). That comes to some $28 million for a half-dozen players, with the cap expected to be pegged around $48 million.

Realistically, if Chiarelli wanted to deal for, say, the Wild's Manny Fernandez ($4.5 million) or the Sharks' Evgeni Nabokov (average $5.5 million over each of the next three seasons), he would have to flip a player from the core salary group. The likeliest target would be Murray, who will turn 35 early next season and has a no-trade clause in his contract. Given his age, and the fact that injury limited him to 59 games this season, he could be a tough sell.

The best hope could be the Sharks, if they were to come up short in the playoffs, and with Murray's good pal, Joe Thornton, about to enter the final season of the three-year, $20 million pact he signed here. It would take more than Murray to land Nabokov, a workhorse down the stretch with Vesa Toskala injured, and that could lead Sharks GM Doug Wilson to turn his attention to Bergeron. Start the angst now.

Etc.

Oilers skid to the finish, too
The Bruins, with 73 points and 12 games remaining in the regular season, pulled into Manhattan on St. Patrick's Day looking as if they would need to collect 18 of the available 24 points to chisel out the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. But they got rag-dolled by the Rangers that night, 7-0, and entered this weekend in the midst of a 1-9-1 free fall. In terms of futility down the stretch, they were in lockstep with the Ryan Smyth-less Oilers (an identical 1-9-1 over the same stretch). Coach Craig MacTavish told the Edmonton Journal that Oiler veterans didn't pull their weight in the wake of Smyth being dished to the Islanders. "That's an indictment of them," said the former Bruins forward, who directed the Oilers to last year's Cup final. "It's clear that guys are not interested in trying to resurrect their game at this point -- and all that stuff has consequences." Look for Oiler GM Kevin Lowe, with loads of cap room, to be very active at the amateur draft June 22-23 and the start of free agency July 1. Lowe labeled this season "a monstrous stain on the organization, considering our past success."

They're the tops
Barring some Darryl Sittler-like performances this weekend by Joe Thornton or Vincent Lecavalier, Pittsburgh sensation (MVP?) Sidney Crosby will have his first league scoring title. Sid the Kid gets his first taste of Stanley Cup play this week. The last time the NHL scoring leader lifted the Cup in the same season? Martin St. Louis in 2004 with Tampa Bay. By the way, a 1-2-3 finish by Crosby, Thornton, and Lecavalier, no matter what the order, would mark the first time in league history that a trio of No. 1 draft picks topped the scoring chart. Crosby led the amateur selections in '05, Thornton in '97, and Cousin Vinny in '98.

Rumblings 'round the league had Mike Barnett, Wayne Gretzky's agent during the Great One's salad days in Edmonton, getting dismissed as Coyotes GM, possibly as early as tomorrow. Meanwhile, Pat Quinn's name keeps popping up in connection with Desert Dog employment. He and Gretzky, still believed to be returning as Coyotes coach, have worked closely over the years, including Canada's 2002 Olympic gold medal run in Salt Lake, when Gretzky acted as Team Maple Leaf director and Quinn coached. If together again, might they bury a US silver dollar in the desert for good luck?

Ex-Bruins coach Pat Burns, who has been battling cancer since April 2004, is feeling spry enough at age 55 to take on a new gig, commentating on all things NHL (save for anything Habs-related) for CKAC, a French-language radio station in Montreal. He continues to live in Florida, where he scouts and consults for the Devils, but spends his summers in New Hampshire -- his official residence while working the bench in the Hub of Hockey. Burns, who was still under contract as Devils coach upon developing colon cancer, told Canadian Press last week that he would eagerly recommend the Devils coaching job to anyone ("You should go there running"), despite the awkwardness of Claude Julien getting the heave-ho with only three games left in the season. Why such a great place? Because of team president/GM Lou Lamoriello, said Burns. "It's a great organization and Lou's a great boss," said Burns. "There's not 60 bosses. There's one boss."

As GM jobs open up around the league, Bruins longtime assistant GM Jeff Gorton no doubt will get a call or two. Prior to the Panthers bringing in Randy Sexton, ex- of Ottawa, Gorton had a feeler from Sunrise. "Sure, I'd be interested in one day being a GM," Gorton said. "But I like the job I have now, and the people I work with, so that's not my focus, by any means." In the hours after Mike O'Connell was given the heave-ho last March, Charlie Jacobs initially had Gorton high on the list to be the next GM on Causeway Street. Roughly halfway through this year, Gorton signed a one-year extension through 2007-08.

Avalanche icon Joe Sakic posted a goal and three assists in a crucial win over the Flames last week, temporarily keeping alive Colorado's playoff hopes. The 37-year-old pivot entered weekend play with 95 points, making him one of only five NHLers ever to reach the 90-point plateau at 37 or older. The others: Gordie Howe, 40, 130 points, 1968-69; John Bucyk, 37, 93 points, '72-73; Mario Lemieux, 37, 91 points, '02-03; and Gretzky, 37, 90 points, '97-98. Bucyk, by the way, averaged 79.67 points over his next three seasons.

Amid their struggles to land a playoff berth, the Canadiens often had trouble filling the net, but they found it fairly easy to staff their own 24-square-foot job opening. With Cristobal Huet down (torn hamstring, which required surgery), Slovak rookie Jaroslav Halak played admirably (10-6, a pair of shutouts), which left early-season starter David Aebischer -- dubbed "The Swiss Miss" during his Avalanche days -- ostensibly done for the season. Only 27, and with 213 games of NHL experience, Aebischer will hit the open market as of July 1, after making $1.9 million this year. Meanwhile, look for Carey Price, the top goalie prospect in Canadian junior hockey, to battle Huet and Halak in training camp this September. Warms your heart to see the Habs have it so easy at the most difficult position, doesn't it?

Kevin Paul Dupont's e-mail address is dupont@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.