He is Kevin Hatcher, arguably the most unfairly criticized defenseman this side of Hall-of-Famer Harry Howell. But he also happens to be an All-Star invitee, the balance wheel of the Pittsburgh Penguins defense and a very good reason why the Pens are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders once more.

�Kevin is a terrific guy to have as a partner,� says his Pittsburgh buddy Darius Kasparaitis. �The first night I worked with him I had the feeling we had played together for years.�

The reason for the unfair buildup to a letdown in Hatcher�s case is rooted in his background. A native of Detroit, the 6�4�, 225 lb. backliner was Washington�s No. 1 pick in the 1984 Entry Draft.

He matured on a Capitals� defense that featured the redoubtable Rod Langway and Scott Stevens. Once they departed the nation�s capital, Kevin was asked to shoulder the defensive burden. He played well both offensively and defensively, totaling 79 points in his best arithmetic year with 35 goals and 45 assists in 1992-93.

It marked the eighth highest season total for a defenseman in NHL history. Only Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey and Doug Wilson had ever scored more in a season. But when you�re Kevin Hatcher and own behemoth proportions, you are expected to play like a monster.

That never was Kevin�s style. Like Colorado�s Uwe Krupp, Hatcher played as much a stylish as a socko game and that displeased a segment of the Washington fans. Caps GM David Poile eventually dealt Hatcher to Dallas where he teamed with kid brother, Derian. The pair actually reached a brotherly peak of performance during Uncle Sam�s World Cup triumph.

Nevertheless, Dallas decided it wanted Sergei Zubov and moved Kevin to Pittsburgh where he has melded magnificently with Mario Lemieux. In interviews with Stan Fischler and Jon Friedman at Nassau Coliseum, Hatcher examined the finer points of his game, its preparation and his equipment.

Your teamed suddenly turned it around after a dismal start of the season. How come?

Our general manager, Craig Patrick, made a number of acquisitions and it took a bit of time for us to get adjusted. Once we got the new players, we began to take off and moved over .500 where we belong.

Yet you seemed to jell immediately with Kasparaitis.

It was amazing. From the moment Darius and I teamed up together, we clicked. There was a chemistry there that enabled us to work as a nice defensive team and it has been that way since his first day as a Penguin.

What has Kasparaitis done for your game?

Everyone in the league knows his style; he�s a terrific bodychecker and he forces the opposition to keep its eyes open. As a result, he creates a lot of room not only for myself but for others who are on the ice. That makes playing the game somewhat easier.

What about playing with

In the Islanders game that you saw, he demonstrated how he could turn a game around. We were down 2-0 in the second period when Mario swung into action. On the go-ahead goal, we had a power play because his stickhandling forced a penalty. On the power play he threaded a pass right through the Islanders defense on my stick and I put it in. The man is amazing.

What about Jaromir Jagr?

His skating and strength are really something. He was the one who put us back in that game when we were down by two. Jags stickhandled through the defense and worked himself free for a backhand and then fired it past Tommy Salo. That got us on the score sheet and started the comeback. He does things like that all the time.

Let�s talk gear. What kind of stick do you prefer, considering your shot and your defensive needs?

I use a fairly whippy stick. I don�t like a stiff one. It�s one player�s preference; having a weapon that he feels comfortable with when he�s in action. My lie is about a six. I try to have the curve on the blade as close as I can to being the same for every game but in some situations it doesn�t work out that way.

What about when you heat the blade?

If I heat the stick with the torch and try to curve the blade myself it takes some of the stiffness out of the blade. That�s not necessarily good in my estimation so I go with whatever I have.

There are heavy, medium and lightweight sticks. Which is your preference?

I like a light stick. To me, that�s the most important criteria in selecting one. That�s what makes it whippy which is important to me because it helps the wrist shot a little as far as getting a snap to it.

What�s wrong with a stiffer stick?

It�s a matter of a player�s preference. With a stiffer stick, your slapshot is probably a bit harder than it would be with a whippy one. But the way we play the game there isn�t enough time to shoot slap shots that much.

You�re a big fellow. Does that mean you automatically use a longer stick?

Actually, I use a normal stick and not a really long one. Mine is average size for my height and weight.

So many players use differing techniques for taping their sticks. What about you?

I use black tape on the base of the stick because the blackness supposedly meshes with the blackness of the puck. The thinking is that the puck becomes camouflaged on the stick blade or hides the rubber from the goalie�s eyes. I put a little tape on the shaft of the stick to make it sticky and easier to grip. At the top, I put a little knob for friction.

What kind of attention do you give your skates in terms of sharpening them? This should be a concern considering that there have been more complaints about ice conditions than ever before in the NHL.

When I�m in any particular arena I try to remember what the ice is like; that is whether it�s soft or hard on my skates. I have a tendency to cut right through it if it�s soft so I try not to have the blades too sharp. If I know the ice is real hard and fast, I tend to have the skates sharpened more. Just about everything depends on the ice conditions in the particular arena in question. If I don�t lose an edge, I don�t sharpen them much but if I get a brand new pair, I sharpen the skates a lot.

Which arenas have soft ice?

Rinks such as Madison Square Garden and US Air Arena in Landover have soft surfaces. Places like The Saddledome in Calgary and Edmonton�s Northlands Coliseum have good, fast ice.

How do you get in condition on the day of a game?

We have a set routine. At home we have a half-hour skate at 10:30 on the morning of a game. On the road the skate takes place after the home team leaves the ice�at 11:30. We have our meal at 12:30. Some guys like to take a nap after that and others don�t. I sleep for an hour and a half in the afternoon, get up, have a little snack and go to the game.

On days we don�t play we skate for about 45 minutes or some guys will just ride the bike. It�s up to the individual player to see how much extra time he needs. If you�re playing up to 25 minutes a game, you might not need to ride the bike a whole lot. If you play only 10 minutes then you might need the bike.

Some players�Chris Chelios and Ray Bourque come to mind�like to ride the bike after the game. Do you ever do that?

No, but I know why they do it. It gets the lactic acid out of your legs. They don�t ride the bike hard and it�s not necessarily for conditioning purposes that they get on the cycle. It takes about 10 minutes and they do it at a very low RPM.

It all depends on what stage a player is in his career. It�s important to get strength in the off-season. Basically, I ride the bike and walk a Stair-master. When I was younger, I would do quite a bit of running but I don�t do much of that any more.

Why not?

At this point in my career that would result in too much wear and tear on my knees. I like to run between three and six miles when I do run. These days mostly everything I do is on the stationary bike or the Stair-master.

What drills do you recommend for your defensemen when it comes to your feet and hand-eye coordination and other techniques?

I�ve always said that the very best thing is to just get on the ice as much as possible and practice.

Is that what you did as a youngster learning the game?

First I worked out on a frozen pond. That�s where I started�in the outdoors after the weather had gotten cold enough to let us have ice. Once I got a little older, I began playing indoors.

What about coaching?

A young player should try to find a good coach and concentrate. It�s important to focus and not simply go out on the ice and horse around. A youngster must try to get something out of it especially since he�s not on the ice every day.

So what is the key?