Thrashers, Hartigan Agree to Terms

Mark Hartigan, the top goal scorer in college hockey this season, agreed to terms with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Hartigan, a 6-foot, 200-pound center, scored 37 goals in 42 games for St. Cloud State in Minnesota and was player of the year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

“We consider him to be a player who can challenge for a position on our roster immediately,” Thrasher General Manager Don Waddell said.

Atlanta has the worst record in the NHL.

Hartigan was an unrestricted free agent because he was not selected in the NHL entry draft. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

*

The NHL on ABC is gaining viewers.

In ABC’s five NHL telecasts this season, viewership was up 29% from a year ago, from an average of 1.1 million to 1.5 million households per game, the league said Wednesday.

The latest figure marks the NHL’s highest regular-season audience in five seasons. In 1996-97, regular-season games were watched by 1.8 million households.

The NHL said the largest increases came from teens, up 30%, and men 18-34, up 24%.

Nationwide, the biggest increase was in Albuquerque, up 160%, and New York, up 133%.

ABC’s NHL coverage resumes April 20 with the playoffs.

*

New York Islander right wing Steve Webb sustained a mild concussion after taking the worst of a mid-ice collision with Ottawa Senator defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn during the second period of Wednesday’s game. He is listed as day-to-day.