McKenzie Has Broken Hand

Left wing Jim McKenzie suffered a broken left hand after crashing into the boards in the second period of the Mighty Ducks’ 2-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

“I went to check a guy, he moved and I wound up punching the glass,” McKenzie said. “I think they call it a boxer’s fracture.”

McKenzie, who wore a cast on his hand Wednesday at practice, isn’t certain how long he will be sidelined. It could be several games.

“I was scared to ask,” McKenzie said.

Jeff Nielsen will move from the fourth line to the third to fill McKenzie’s spot for tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

Stu Grimson will play in Nielsen’s spot. The Ducks don’t expect left wing Mike Leclerc, who underwent elbow surgery Oct. 29, back in the lineup for another 10 days or so.

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The Ducks aren’t about to take the Canadiens, who are winless in nine games, lightly tonight.

“As I’ve said before, we don’t look at the opposition’s record or where they are in the standings,” Coach Craig Hartsburg said. “We’re not in any position to think we’re better than anyone else.”

TONIGHT

at Montreal

4:30 PST

* Site--Molson Centre.

* Radio--XTRA (690).

* Records--Ducks 8-6-2-1, Canadiens 3-12-1-1.

* Record vs. Canadiens (1998-99)--0-1.

* Update--Rejean Houle, Montreal’s beleaguered general manager, is expected to be fired any day now. He’s getting hammered daily in the local newspapers. “You couldn’t find 12 people in this city who think Houle will be back for another season--and 11 of those are probably close relatives of the GM,” wrote Jack Todd in the Gazette.