The NHL trading deadline is usually a boring time around the offices of LCS Hockey.

Each year there's promise that something big will happen. But by the time 3 o'clock rolls around Tuesday afternoon, the staff is so bored that we end up listening to Zippy, pretending to be Philadelphia GM Bobby Clarke, call up Pittsburgh Penguin general manager Craig Patrick and try to convince him the Flyers are interested in trading for Tyler Wright or Dan Kesa.

This year was expected to be just as sleepy. Big named players like Mark Recchi and Theo Fleury had already been moved to the Flyers and Avalanche, respectively.

But just as Zippy reached for the phone to make the annual prank call, the word hit the street - Darcy Tucker had not been traded.

Then we heard the other, almost as important, big news of the day - the Detroit Red Wings went crazy-go-nuts before the deadline.

Chris Chelios by Meredith Martini

Detroit, looking to add a third straight Stanley Cup, acquired Chris Chelios from the Chicago Blackhawks, Ulf Samuelsson from the New York Rangers, and Wendel Clark and Bill Ranford from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Wow. Now that's what I'd call bolstering a lineup for the playoff run.

Chelios was the biggest acquisition. After months of speculation about whether he would be traded from his hometown club, the Blackhawk captain was surprisingly dealt to a long-time rival within Chicago's own division. In return for Chelios, the Blackhawks received young defenseman Anders Eriksson and two first-round draft picks.

Chelios immediately signed a two-year extension with the Wings. On the other hand, Chicago GM Bob Murray signed his death wish.

But the Wings weren't done. Detroit needed to add more depth to the blue line after finding out Uwe Krupp was done for the year with a back problem, so they called up New York Rangers GM Neil Smith. Smith, usually the one inquiring about really old players who are nearly past their prime, sounded confused and groggy when asked about the status of Ulf Samuelsson.

"Wha? Aren't I supposed to be asking you about Jamie Macoun or sumthin'?" Smith was reported to have said during the phone call.

After being assured that every trade he makes doesn't necessarily need to include acquiring a player over age 36, Smith dealt Samuelsson, a free agent to be, to the Wings for second- and third-round draft picks. Samuelsson, an unrestricted free agent after the season, is currently sidelined with a broken foot. But he should be ready for the playoffs.

The Wings still weren't finished making deals. Perhaps in a move to keep a player from going to another playoff- bound team, Detroit acquired Wendel Clark and Bill Ranford from Tampa Bay for goalie Kevin Hodson and a conditional draft choice. Detroit-rival Dallas was also in the hunt for Clark, a left wing who rejuvenated his career this season by scoring 28 goals with the Bolts.

With Clark out of the picture, the Stars picked up center Derek Plante from the Buffalo Sabres for a second-round pick. The Sabres could deal Plante because they had already acquired center Joey Juneau and a third-round pick earlier in the day from the Washington Capitals for defensive prospect Alexei Tezikov. Why would the Sabres get Juneau? I'm not really sure...

Alexei Tezikov by Meredith Martini

Other contending teams make moves

The Philadelphia Flyers continued to shake up the lineup by making two deals before the deadline. The Broad Street Bullies, who had already acquired tough guy Sandy McCarthy earlier in the week, made sure they could beat the piss out of any team 10 times over by picking up Craig Berube from the Capitals for future considerations. The Flyers also picked up Steve Duchesne from Los Angeles for Dave Babych and a fifth-round pick in 2000. Duchesne, who fell out of favor in L.A. and was actually put on waivers, will be looked to to help the Flyer power play.

Dale Hunter by Meredith Martini

The Avalanche, who was hurt by the loss of Valeri Kamensky to a broken arm, tried to replace him by acquiring...ahem...Dale Hunter from the Capitals for a second-round pick. Yep, the Avs got Dale Hunter. Why? Try asking Joey Juneau.

The New York Islanders realized Sergei Nemchinov was still on their roster and traded him to the New Jersey Devils for a fourth-round pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who are in need of a center, scraped the bottom of the barrel and found Yanic Perreault. He was had for semi-prospect Jason Podollan. The Coyotes picked up Stan Neckar from the Rangers for Jason Doig and a sixth-round pick. Ottawa acquired injured winger Nelson Emerson from the Blackhawks for forward Chris Murray.

In other news:

Vincent Damphousse by Meredith Martini

The Sharks picked up Vincent Damphousse from Montreal for future considerations. The Rangers traded defenseman Lee Sorochan to the Flames for defenseman Chris O'Sullivan and then traded Vladimir Vorobiev to the Oilers for Kevin Brown. The Oilers also picked up Jason Smith from the Leafs for second- and fourth-round picks in 1999. The Panthers acquired defenseman Mike Wilson from the Sabres for d-man Rhett Warrener and a fifth- round pick. The Blues reacquired Blair Atcheynum from the Predators for a sixth-round pick in 2000. Atcheynum was selected by Nashville in the expansion draft. The Canucks sent Peter Zezel to the Ducks for future considerations.

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