Leafs Watch

By LANCE HORNBY -- Toronto Sun on the right track: Leafs C Mats Sundin will have his fractured right ankle x-rayed today, amid optimism a good picture will allow him back on skates early this week. He continues a rigorous therapy regime that could get him back in the lineup early in November.
The Leafs will welcome D Bryan Berard back tonight after he served a two-game league suspension for a forearm to the head of Blues' Geoff Courtnall nine days ago. The Leafs yesterday sent D Greg Andrusak back to the Chicago Wolves of the IHL after he picked up an assist in his lone appearance on emergency recall.
Berard lost more than $17,000 US in salary. Courtnall's condition will be re-evaluated in a few days. He may announce his retirement because of his second serious concussion in less than a year.
D Chris McAllister continues to limp with the effects of a sore knee, which he said on Saturday night had been bothering him since he blocked a shot in a pre-season game against Vancouver. He's listed as day to day.

GOOD LESSON: Though RW Tie Domi found it hard to tune in the Dallas-Buffalo final last spring after the Sabres bumped off the Leafs, he insisted his four-year-old son, Max, watch the hoisting of the Stanley Cup.
"I still get the shivers watching that ceremony and I make sure he sees the Cup, the World Series and the Super Bowl," Domi said. "It's important for him to see what it's all about for us."

THOMMIE HAWK: Thommie Bergman is in for another busy season. Promoted to chief European scout for the Leafs after the resignation of the man who hired him last year, former player development director Anders Hedberg, Bergman expects to see about 200 games this season.
"Russia, Estonia, Ukraine, I'll be going almost everywhere," Bergman said. "I've been scouting in Europe for eight years and the whole picture keeps changing. New countries produce hockey players and now we even look at older players who might play (in North America)."
The Stockholm-based former NHLer used to be employed by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and directed them to such players as Oleg Tverdovsky, Pavel Trnka and Antti Aalto.

WHITE HOUSE ON HOLD: For the fourth time since the Stars won the Cup, a scheduled visit to the White House has been scrubbed. A Nov. 1 date for the traditional photo opportunity with U.S. President Bill Clinton and the Stanley Cup was cancelled with Clinton scheduled to be at a conference in Norway that day.

ALL-STAR AMBITIONS: The NHL is looking for volunteers to work during all-star week in Toronto, Feb. 1-6. To send a request for information, phone 1-800-4-NHL-FANS or e-mail volunteer@NHL.com.

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