Anaheim's Ozolinsh sheepishly plays for Eastern Conference

By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) All-Star defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh returned to Florida's arena Sunday for the first time since the Panthers traded him to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks three days earlier. Ozolinsh had a bandage just above his slightly swollen right eye, covering scratches resulting from a ``household'' injury.

But the seven-time All-Star couldn't hide his bruised ego.

Despite being introduced to a loud and long ovation as a member of the Mighty Ducks, Ozolinsh started the All-Star game for the Eastern Conference and played without a team logo patch on the sleeve of his jersey.

``I was really nervous and worried and questioning the reaction that I would get here,'' Ozolinsh said, speaking with reporters for the first time since the four-player trade Thursday. ``I didn't know what to think, what to do. It's kind of weird to represent the Eastern Conference team when you're playing for the Western Conference.

``But I felt I had an obligation to play today. Now I'm going to the other team and thinking about making the playoffs.''

Ozolinsh, who played more than 14 minutes in Sunday's game, skipped the All-Star skills competition and a mandatory media availability session Saturday.

Like many Panthers fans, Ozolinsh questioned the timing of the trade, which came just as the NHL's All-Star weekend began in South Florida. He was the only Florida player voted to the Eastern Conference team. Olli Jokinen was added as an injury replacement.

``It doesn't really matter. It's history,'' Ozolinsh said. ``It would have made things a lot easier (to wait on the trade). I don't know the reason for the rush.''

Anaheim also got left wing-defenseman Lance Ward from Florida for center Matt Cullen, defenseman Pavel Trnka and a fourth-round pick in the NHL entry draft.

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^WEIGHT INJURED:@ St. Louis Blues center Doug Weight left the arena on crutches after bruising his left foot in the third period on a shot by Western Conference teammate Ed Jovanovski. X-rays were negative, and it was unclear whether Weight would miss any time.

The Blues play Wednesday at Dallas.

Weight leads the team with 55 points, with 11 goals and 44 assists.

``He's been unbelievable this season, one of our top players all year long,'' Blues teammate Al MacInnis said. ``You just have to keep your fingers crossed that it's not serious.''

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^THE BULIN WALL:@ Tampa Bay goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who saved 11 of 14 shots in the first period of the All-Star game Sunday, also stopped two shots from a fan trying to win $250,000.

Khabibulin stopped the first shot in a huge goal that had been altered into a regulation-size net using a wooden frame. But the fan, 62-year-old Dean Swanson from Isle of Palms, S.C., got a second chance without the frame, leaving Khabibulin to defend the much larger goal against the bonus shot, also worth $250,000.

Khabibulin treated the net like a soccer goalie on a penalty kick, guessing a side (left) and then lurching that way.

``I didn't try to stop him too hard,'' Khabibulin said. ``I guessed one way and I was hopeful he would shoot it the other. The shot was too hard; I couldn't get out the way fast enough.''

Swanson, a retired news anchor for WCIV-TV in Charleston, still received $25,000 from Nextel, the sponsor.

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^OH NO CANADA:@ Following Latin singer Jorge Moreno's rendition of the national anthem before the game, ABC cut to a commercial and didn't broadcast the Canadian anthem sung by country music star Paul Brandt.

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^MASCOT ANTICS:@ Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound has become somewhat of a celebrity after repeatedly taunting Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish from behind the bench last month. MacTavish ripped out Harvey's foot-long red tongue.

Harvey's colleagues, other mascots from around the league, paid homage to the 6-foot-6, 200-pound white dog during a timeout at the All-Star game. They lined up behind the bench with long, red tongues hanging from their mouths and mocked players.

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^CONCERTS ON ICE:@ Eight-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow performed three times at the All-Star game. She sang ``Soak Up the Sun'' before the game, ``C'mon, C'mon'' during the second intermission and then entertained fans at an outdoor concert after the contest.

The Goo Goo Dolls performed ``Sympathy'' after the first intermission.

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^GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE:@ Fans were selling tickets just about everywhere outside the Office Depot Center on Sunday, and hundreds of good seats went unused for the All-Star game. Most of the empty seats were in the more expensive, lower sections of the arena.

The upper section was seemingly filled, and the game was announced as a sellout.

The Florida Panthers have seen ticket sales drop in recent years, falling from an average of 18,501 in the 1998-99 season to a little more than 15,000 this season. They have only had seven sellouts in the last four seasons.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)