NHL NOTES : TV Commentators Get a Taste of Bitter Coffey

Red Wing defenseman Paul Coffey’s assertion that ESPN analysts Mike Milbury and Barry Melrose lack the credibility to criticize the New Jersey Devils’ defensive system because they had undistinguished playing careers has turned into “a tempest in a coffee pot,” Milbury quipped.

Referring to their lack of finesse as players, Coffey said the pair “couldn’t get the puck out of their own end without it breaking into a million pieces,” and so their criticism carried no weight.

Milbury replied, “At least we showed up in the corners, which is someplace he tries desperately to avoid on game days.”

Angered by that comment, Coffey tried to organize a Red Wing boycott of ESPN, but failed.

Milbury said Monday he regretted needling Coffey. “He’s a very good player and a Hall of Famer,” Milbury said.

Melrose, who coached Coffey with the Kings, laughed it off.

“Coff’s probably right,” Melrose said. “But I think I was a better stick handler than Mike. I think I could get to the far blue line before the puck broke.”

Melrose also said he is pursuing only one coaching job--which he wouldn’t identify--and said if he doesn’t get that position, he will remain with ESPN as a studio analyst.

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Four-time NHL scoring champion Mario Lemieux will announce he will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins next season after taking a year off to strengthen his injured back and recover from the effects of treatments for Hodgkin’s disease. He will not play a full schedule but a majority of the games, said his agent, Tom Reich.