NHL THREATENS LAWSUIT OVER DETAILS MAGAZINE ARTICLE

          The NHL "is considering filing a lawsuit" against
     Details magazine concerning an article that alleges three
     Russian players "have had longstanding ties with Russian
     gangsters," according to Rick Sadowski of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN
     NEWS.  The article, called "Power Play," claims that
     Avalanche C Valeri Kamensky, Red Wings D Slava Fetisov and
     Canucks' RW Pavel Bure "actively befriended the Russian mob,
     helping it to sink its roots deep in North American soil." 
     NHL execs "are upset" because the author, Robert Friedman,
     quotes the lead investigator into Congressional hearings on
     Russian mobsters and NHL players, Michael Bopp, as saying
     the investigation ended in '96 because the league "failed to
     cooperate."  NHL VP/Corporate Communications Bernadette
     Mansur said the league is "stunned at how ludicrous ...
     [and] blatantly inaccurate" the article is.  Mansur: "We're
     considering all of our (legal) avenues."  Mansur said Bopp
     specifically thanked league personnel for their assistance
     in the investigation.  The story appears in the May issue of
     Details Magazine (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 4/11).