Imagine If He Thought Poorly of Him

Defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs to the New York Rangers on Wednesday, has always been something of a mystery man, confounding coaches and teammates.

Jacques Demers, now the coach and general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, coached Schneider in Montreal and once said:

“One day, I would like to open up a small hole in his brain, just to see what’s going on in there.

“Having said that, I like him.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the San Jose Sharks’ record for points in a season?

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Let’s dance: Defensive end Chris Doleman of the San Francisco 49ers told the San Francisco Chronicle that importance is being put on the wrong things these days by players in the NFL.

“You have guys who are more interested in the dance after the play than making the play,” he said. “I’ve heard, and I’m not going to say any names, but I’ve heard players say, ‘I had my dance all ready.’ Well, what about making the play?”

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Hoop harmony: The NCAA and the Kentucky High School Athletic Assn. reached an agreement under which the NCAA will be allowed to share the trademarks “Sweet Sixteen” and “Sweet 16.”

Under the agreement, announced Thursday, the Kentucky association will retain full ownership of the trademarks, which it has used since 1988.

No word on whether the old movie “Sixteen Candles” will have to change its name.

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Yankee fever: Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley attended a New York pep rally for the Yankees at City Hall Plaza on Thursday and was waiting for pitcher David Wells to fire up the crowd in WWF style:

“Wells is beefy and balding and wears sunglasses. He looks so much like a professional wrestler that it would be fitting for him to grab the mike and say, ‘McMahon, you and all these other pencil-neck geeks better stay out of my way!’

“Instead, he thanked Yankee fans for being very supportive, how great it is to be a Yankee, blah, blah, blah.”

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Unlimited: Actor Billy Crudup has been receiving kudos for his portrayal of Steve Prefontaine in the movie “Without Limits.” Despite the ease with which he captured the Prefontaine mystique, Crudup said it wasn’t easy for him to immediately identify with the late track star.

“I always idolize the soft-spoken person who goes out and gets the job done, regardless of the situation, and Prefontaine wasn’t that guy,” he told Elle magazine.

“I was interested in exploring what drove him and made him appealing.”

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Trivia answer: Kelly Kisio, 78 in 1992-93.

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And finally: Luiz Felipe Scolari, who coaches the Palmeiras soccer club in Brazil, was incensed when the team’s game against Vasco da Gama was postponed the other night, an hour before starting time:

“[Vasco] made us look like clowns. It was a cynical, cowardly, fearful measure.”