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'Bulin Wall' propels World to All-Star win, 8-5
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nikolai
Khabibulin's perfect goaltending in
the third period gave his Russian
Olympic teammates high hopes for
Salt Lake City and left other All-Stars
shaking their heads.
"His size and quickness make him
one of the top in the league," Canadi-
an Olympian Mario Lemieux said.
"He's very sound technically. He's
always in the right position."
With double-digit scoring a tradi-
tion in the NHL All-Star game,
Khabibulin, the 'Tampa Bay goalie,
shut out the North American team
while the World rallied with five
goals in the third period for an 8-5
win Saturday.
"You don't totally expect to have a
shutout when you play games like
this," Khabibulin said. "Just like I
said before, I got lucky today."
Markus Naslund's second goal put
the World ahead 6-5 with 1:43 left,
and Chicago's Alexei Zhamnov and
Carolina's Sami Kapanen added
empty-net goals.
Naslund, a Swedish Olympian,
praised Khabibulin, a possible oppo-
nent two weeks from now.
"He's one of those guys you've got
to watch to see how good of a goal-
tender he really is," Naslund said.
"He's not on the best of teams, but he
still keeps it to a low score. He's truly
one of the best goaltenders in the
league."
Could he be the difference in the
Olympics?
"Let's keep our-fingers crossed,"
said Russian center Alexei Yashin,
who assisted on the fourth of five
World goals in the third period.
"I certainly hope so," added fellow
Russian Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit
Red Wings.
Said Khabibulin: "I can't really say
that this is a preview of Olympics. It's
a totally different game."
Chicago's Eric Daze, making his
first All-Star appearance, won MVP
honors with two goals and an assist
for North America. Lemieux and Ed
Jovanovski also scored.
Khabibulin stopped all 20 shots.
He joined Patrick Roy, Martin
Brodeur and Olaf Kolzig as the only
goaltenders to play a scoreless period
in the last 14 All-Star games.
The 13 goals were exactly half of
last year's total when the North
Americans won 14-12.
Vancouver's Naslund, who had just
AP PHOTO
Nikolla Khablbulin stops another third period shot by the North American team in
the World's 8-5 victory in the NHL All-Star game.
r
tied Calgary's Jarome Iginla for the
NHL scoring lead last week, helped
the World erase a pair of two-goal
deficits.
With a scorer's confidence, he
believed Khabibulin could be out-
smarted in Salt Lake City.
"He's solvable," Naslund said. "No
goaltender can stop everything. If
you play well enough, goals will
come eventually."
San Jose's Teemu Selanne had two
first-period goals for the World team
while Espen Knutsen and Fedorov
also scored.
It took just 35 seconds for Vincent
Damphousse to score the first goal,
giving the North Americans the early
lead. The record for fastest game-
opening goal is Ted Lindsay's score 19
seconds into the 1950 All-Star game.
Payback is
sweet for
Gogel at
Pebble
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -
Redemption for Matt Gogel came in
the right place yesterday at Pebble
Beach, and it was just as stunning as his
setback.
Two years after he was victimized
by Tiger Woods' incredible come-
back, Gogel holed a 25-foot birdie
putt on the 18th hole and won the
Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
when Pat Perez took a triple bogey
on the final hole.
Gogel closed with a 3-under 69 for
his first PGA Tour victory.
This one will be remembered more
for a collapse far more spectacular than
when Gogel squandered a seven-stroke
lead over Woods with seven holes to
play.
After a six-foot birdie putt on the
17th to take a one-stroke lead, Perez hit
his tee shot over the gallery and into a
hedge. Once it was found, PGA Tour
rules officials deemed it was out of
bounds by a few feet.
Perez was walking back to the 18th
tee to hit his third shot when he heard a
roar that made the walk even longer -
Gogel holed his birdie putt, sweeping
his arm in a big uppercut to celebrate
the biggest putt of his career.
Perez reloaded and found the fair-
way, then hooked his fourth shot into
the Pacific Ocean to hand Gogel the
tournament.
"It's a funny game," said Gogel, who
finished at 274. "I feel for Pat because
I've been in that position. I'm just glad
I made that last putt."
It was no laughing matter for Perez,
the 25-year-old winner of Q-school
with a short fuse that was on display
throughout a tumultuous final round.
He finished with a 76, making just
five pars, and finished three strokes
behind.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee
Janzen had a 73 and tied for third at
278 with Andrew Magee, who had a
72.
Woods tied for the low round of the
day, a 68, but was never a factor yester-
day for the second straight year at Peb-
ble Beach, scene of his record-setting
victory in the U.S. Open.
TwinsFest
opposes
contraction
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minneso-
ta Twins fans don't have a say in con-
traction, so they'll do the only thing
they can: Show up.
Friday night, fans poured into the
Metrodome for the annual TwinsFest
promoting the 2002 season - which
still may or may not happen for the
Twins.
Pam Alexander waited in a long
line to buy tickets for Opening Day
and said she plans to go to a lot more
games this season to show her support
for the team targeted for elimination.
Many of the fans said they would
have come out and shown the same
enthusiasm even without the threat of
contraction. After a surprising sec-
ond-place finish in the American
League Central last season, the buzz
among Minnesotans this year is a
push for the postseason.
"I think they have their best shot
this year," Dennis Brown said as lie
stood in line for player autographs.
Brown bought tickets for 18 games
this season.
The fans aren't the only ones who
think the Twins have a shot at the
aannn nt rofla
It used to be the end of a great night.
It could soon be the start of a great day.
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