By CHRISTOPHER SCIRIA
Auburn (N.Y.) Citizen

It sounds like a great come back story. But does anyone care?

The NHL returned this month after becoming the first North American pro sports league to cancel its entire season because of labor issues.

The league finally has a new labor agreement with a salary cap it hopes will return its small-market teams to profitability.

It has new rules to increase scoring.

It has a new cable television contract as Comcast's Outdoor Life Network grabs what Disney's ESPN cast away. On the network side, NBC will air a limited regu-lar-season package and some Stanley Cup games.

It has a new superstar-in-the-making, Sidney Crosby.

After a season away, will newspaper sports departments cover the league the same way as they did in the past?

Like any other sport, it comes down to fan interest. If NHL arenas are half-empty, it may affect how much coverage the local team receives.

"We think interest in the Sabres will be the same and may even rise if the team gets off to a fast start and the new rules foster a more open, exciting game," said Buffalo News sports editor Howard Smith.

If interest in the Sabres doesn't return to pre-lockout levels, Smith says he will reassess his section's coverage.

Downstate, in New York City, coverage plans were less clear. Tom Jolly, sports editor of The New York Times, declined comment on the paper's approach to this season, including coverage on the road. The Times' policy is to not comment on coverage plans.

In the non-traditional hockey market Phoenix, Arizona Republic sports editor Mark Faller says interest in the Coyotes should be high because of moves the team made.

"First, Wayne Gretzky will be the coach," he said. "Second, the team signed several high-profile players before the lockout — Brett Hull, Petr Nedved, Mike Ricci — and recently added goalie Curtis Joseph, so there is an expectation that the team can win this season. Third, the Coyotes still have only played half a season in their new arena, so the novelty factor is still in play."

This means the Arizona Republic will not immediately change its NHL coverage plans.

"We are approaching the season expecting to cover the Coyotes the same way as always: beat writer who travels, sidebar writers at all home games, occasional columnists," Faller said. "We will let the team's play, attendance and fan interest level dictate whether to adjust that plan."

Some sports editors say the money and resources to cover their NHL teams won't change.

"We're going to keep things at the same level," said Boston Globe sports editor Joe Sullivan. "We will have a staff story every day on the Bruins, sometimes two. If they're playing a home game, we would have two to three staffers at the game. If it's a normal away game, one person, two stories; a big away game, two people, three stories."

Space and staffing are always at a premium during the busy fall and winter seasons. In October, with the baseball playoffs and the NFL regular season in full swing, space and resources can be limited, making it tougher for some newspapers to cover the NHL.

With only two major pro sports teams, the Bills are the Buffalo News' top beat. Their play will also become a factor in how the News initially covers the Sabres.

"If the Bills suddenly get hot and look like a playoff team, interest in the Sabres among the fans may move to back burner for the latter part of football season," Smith said.

Faller says the Arizona Republic plans to devote the same amount of space to its Coyotes coverage.

"We are expecting the space we lost during the NHL lockout to return this season," he said. "As of right now, I am not planning any significant changes in how we use that space."

For Smith, his resources won't change, but the way his section covers the Sabres will.

"We don't plan on any restrictions at this time," Smith said. "We may liven up coverage a bit with less blow-by-blow and more 'fun' stories, plus plan some cosmetic/graphic changes, but nothing radical."

In Canada, where the NHL is followed with religious-like intensity, Toronto Star sports editor Graham Parley plans on doing more.

"The Leafs have always dominated the local sports scene and there's no reason to believe it will be any different this season," he said. "At the start, if anything, we will devote even more space because there have been so many changes to the game and on rosters.

Despite frequent claims by fans during the lockout that they would boycott the NHL when it returns, my sense is that our readers are even more excited than usual about the Leafs' return."

Parley added the NHL's many rules changes are also worth increased coverage.

"There is also a curiosity about whether the NHL game will be more open as a consequence of the rule changes," Parley said. "With so many angles to cover, we will devote more space."

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