St.
Louis Post-Dispatch - October 25, 1989
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch - October 25, 1989
he
rookie-of-the-year candidacy of Blues forward Rod Brind'Amour is
getting a boost from general managers opposed to giving veteran
European players the Calder Trophy.
If the guidelines aren't changed this season, Calgary's Sergei Makarov, 31, probably would win the award from the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He had 18 points and a plus-13 rating in his first nine National Hockey League games. But some GMs, led by Montreal's Serge Savard, figure that Europeans who play in elite leagues should be considered veteran pros when they arrive in the NHL. For instance, Czech import Peter Stastny won the Calder in 1981 at age 25. He spent a year with his country's Olympic team and at least two seasons in his country's top league before arriving in North America.
Among ''pure'' rookies - those from the ranks of junior hockey, colleges or the Canadian national team - Brind'Amour is off to the fastest start with 10 points and a plus-10 rating in his first seven games. He also is highly regarded in the hockey community and got some good preseason publicity in various published NHL previews.