FanHouse RayBourque

Before Bobby Orr entered the NHL way back in 1966, the idea of a defenseman scoring 100 points would have been considered lunacy. After all, forwards were rarely coming within spitting distance of the century mark, and defensemen were never really used as offensive weapons. Orr, of course, changed all of that, and not only became the first rearguard to ever lead the NHL in scoring, he eclipsed the 100-point plateau an unthinkable six times.

Only four other defensemen have ever accomplished the feat (Paul Coffey, Al MaCinnis, Brian Leetch and Denis Potvin) while only Coffey did it more than once (five times).

Will we ever see another one?

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Unlike my esteemed colleague, Kevin Schultz, I found the YoungStars game to be the least interesting aspect of yesterday's All-Star festivities. Not that I don't enjoy seeing today's youngest stars display their l33t skills, but, as my girlfriend pointed out, the YoungStars game was basically 'like a weak game of basketball'.

Up and down ... no defense ... no young goalies (?) ...

Now, everyone and their mother has tossed out ideas how to make the All-Star Game more interesting. Here is my idea for the YoungStars game: Bring in the geezers!

Want to make the game more competitive? How about pitting the best young players against some high-powered NHL alumni? I'm not talking about the ancients like Bobby Hull, but recently retired players like Mark Messier, Scott Mellanby, and John Vanbiesbrouck.

I don't know why the NHL is so afraid of showing its past, but wouldn't you enjoy seeing some of your old favorites lace them up? Don't you think the young stars would love to face the likes of Messier and Ray Bourque?

I think the game, itself, would be more competitive under this format. The alumni would love to show the young whippersnappers how its done, and that they aren't completely over the hill, while the youngsters wouldn't want to look bad against a bunch of fossils.

I don't expect the NHL has ever considered such an idea, but I feel that it would give the NHL a boost in marketing the game, and make the pre-All-Star game festivities that much more interesting.

A few things occurred to me after I spoke with New York Islanders defenseman Chris Campoli last night. First, the kid bears an unmistakable resemblance to Shia LaBeouf, which made me wonder if the Islanders' team bus was actually a giant robot. But more importantly, watching Campoli play against the Capitals -- to the tune of 4 assists in 18 minutes, 37 seconds of ice time -- made me reconsider the quality of this Islanders defense.

They've got a nice mix of young players like Campoli (23) and established veterans like Brendan Witt and the recently-added Bryan Berard, a player that Campoli admired and now considers a mentor. "You just pick his brain on situations," he said. "The game's easy when you move the puck, skate and do the things you need to do. I usually talk to him about areas on the ice where I can find some space, where he's had success."

Along with Berard, Campoli also idolized Ray Bourque as a young player growing up near Toronto, saying that he tries to move like Bourque. "Well, he doesn't move like he used to," he said with a laugh. "He plays the game like I like to play it. I told him that the first time I met him, and he said, 'You're making me feel real old.'"

If you look at the Atlantic Division's rosters, I think the Flyers have the best defensive corps and that the Islanders, if anything, have an underrated group. Campoli had a slightly different take. "You know what? I don't think we're underrated because we haven't proven anything. If you want respect, you gotta prove that you deserve it. I'm a young guy, Bruno [Gervais's] a young guy, we're playing together. We're going to have to work hard to get respect from people around the league."

When it comes to respect, Campoli has it for the Islanders, saying it's an "honor" to play for the franchise. I explained to him that as a Devils fan, I have an intense, almost genetic hatred for the Rangers -- and I've never even been in a preseason battle royal with the Blueshirts. So as a proud New York Islander, has he been able to develop a deep hatred for the Rangers yet? "That comes naturally," he said. "It doesn't take very long."

When Chris Chelios steps on the ice to participate in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, it will mark the 22nd time he's made a playoff appearance in his career. That'll be a new record, one that Chelios currently shares with Ray Bourque.

But there's one record that Chelios won't be challenging:

At 45, Chris Chelios is the old man of the NHL, but don't look for the Detroit Red Wings defenceman to match Gordie Howe's record of skating in a playoff series at 52. "I was with Gordie Howe two weeks ago and I promised him I'd quit at 51," Chelios said Wednesday on a conference call. "I don't want that. He's Mr. Hockey."

Which raises a question: Just how long can Chelios keep going? And how much further upward should we adjust our expectations when it comes to the limits of athletic performance?