Stories on: Crisp, Jokinen, Galchenyuk, Hope, Cammalleri, Stephens, Loktionov, Sandlak, Thomas, L. MacDermid, Goldobin, Iafrate, Roy, Seguin, Lain, Goodrow, Blacker, Pelletier, Larkin, Yakupov and Rupert.

Stories on: Seguin, Irwin, L. MacDermid, Verhaeghe, Goodrow, Goldobin, Ho-Sang, Cammalleri, Courtnall, Kea, Babintsev, DiPietro, Stephens, Galchenyuk, Lynch, Davison, Sandlak, R. Rupert, Golovkovs, Gauthier, D’Agostini, Jokinen, Roy, Beskorowany, Murphy, Foss, Yakupov, Clapperton, Foss, Kodola, Escobedo, Blacker, B. Moore, Lodge, Thomas, Crisp, Stephens, Kontos, Leivo, Agozzino, Savard, Di Perna, Pelletier, Dunn, Leone, Sandlak, Hope, Thiessen, Heffernan, Loktionov Varone and Lain.

SAGINAW, MI — Skill is necessary to have a successful hockey team, but it also takes much more.

It takes preparation, dedication and leadership; and the Saginaw Spirit feel they’ve found all those qualities in forward Kristoff Kontos.

Kontos came to Saginaw in an off-season trade with the Mississauga Steelheads, and he’s immediately moved into key positions as the first-line center and assistant captain.

On November 14th, Tyler Seguin scored four goals and added an assist in Dallas’ 7-4 win over Calgary.

Larionov, who retired in 2004, said he has no doubt that Bure, 42 — who finally followed him into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year — is right up there with the greatest players he’s seen in the NHL.

“When you see a player in and out, in every city in the NHL and at his best,” he said. “All those games at the Pacific Coliseum and then in others cities, in Florida and New York. You have a chance to see the artist. You can see something special coming out every time. It’s a gift to be able to understand the game right and to be in position to get the puck and score the goal. You have to cherish that as a player, a teammate and a friend.