For a brief time, it appeared that Alexandre Daigle was worth every cent. In his first 131 games in the NHL, he pocketed 36 goals and 88 points, numbers which clearly suggested he would soon be a star in the league. The pressure never appeared to bother him. He was the darling of the city... for a brief time.

As it turned out, Alexandre Daigle was too much of a boy to handle the sudden wealth and fame. There was much talk about how he spent his time off the ice. As long as he played well, nobody paid attention -- and nobody offered the teenager much guidance. When it all unravelled, it unravelled with stunning haste. A nightmarish year in 1995-96 saw him score a mere five goals in 50 games before he broke his arm. The injury, which ended his season, came on a play in which he went to the net -- something he has rarely since done. The shine of a career that held such promise was beginning to fade. Nothing had prepared him for this. His teammate at the time, Steve Duchesne, reflected: "It has been a hellish year for everyone and (Daigle) in particular. This will make him realize how quickly it can end. It's a chance for him to look at his whole career and his life."

I've seen better days

The change in Alexandre Daigle was illusory, unfortunately. In the fall of 1997, Ottawa watched Alexandre the Great produce another season of poor, lazy hockey. It revived doubts about his commitment to the game. More rumours surfaced about his personal excesses. As far as the Senators were concerned, Daigle had not come a long way at all. The patience of the team and its fans had reached its end. In January, 1998, Ottawa's new GM Pierre Gauthier cut the team's losses by dispatching the former first pick overall -- and his hefty contract -- to Philadelphia for Vaclav Prospal, Pat Falloon and a 2nd round pick. In Ottawa, Daigle became a sad chapter in the young team's brief history.

That Ottawa received so much in return was further proof that "hope springs eternal". Bobby Clarke explained the trade: "What we felt was, we needed more speed in our lineup and Daigle is one of the better skaters in the league and he's young and he's got a tremendous upside," Clarke said. "We gave up some quality young guys but we got a player that we felt we really needed."

Unfortunately, what Clarke received was little different from what Ottawa gave up -- an immature, under-achiever. In the summer of 1998, Daigle scored a date with former Baywatch vixen Pamela Anderson. Daigle, demonstrating an incredible lack of tact and discretion, broadcast his "achievement" widely. He bragged to his teammates, showing them photographs of himself and Ms. Anderson. When the Ottawa Sun poked fun at him, Daigle retorted: "That's the way that paper is. There are a lot of jealous people. They are just jealous, because this is the closest [the Sun] is ever going to be to Pamela Anderson."

Daigle, as it turned out, never got any closer than that to Anderson. She was not amused to be treated like a trophy. Showing the good judgment that many NHL general managers have lacked when it comes to Alex, she unceremoniously dumped him. Soon, the far-less attractive Bobby Clarke tired of him as well. ''He can give you five or six games where he shows you all his greatness. Then he gives you five or six games where you couldn't find him even with a program," he vented. ''If players are inconsistent in their performance, it's really hard for coaches to trust them. They don't know when they're going to get a good game or a bad game. Alex should be better. He's older now.''

Clarke was asked earlier this season if he planned to trade Daigle. The reply: "Who would want him?" When trade talk escalated, Daigle was heard to say that he preferred to go to Los Angeles or Anaheim to further his "acting" career. Clarke eventually found a suitor for Daigle in Edmonton's Glen Sather. Sather was offering another problem-child, Andrei Kovalenko, in return, and Clarke was agreeable. However, Daigle was not so agreeable. His contract provides him an option for another year at his present price of $1.9 million a season. If his team does not exercise that option at the end of this season, Daigle becomes an unrestricted free agent. Edmonton was not prepared to make the deal unless they could override the option by negotiating an extension of the contract for one year at $1 million. Rather than viewing this as a golden opportunity to kick-start his failing career, Daigle flatly refused. Clarke, obviously unhappy, booted Daigle off the team. Ultimately another suitor was found, and Alexandre Daigle now finds himself in Tampa Bay, far away from Pamela and Hollywood.

It is only days now before Daigle turns 24. Almost six years have passed since those euphoric days of the 1993 draft. A lot of people now discuss Alexandre Daigle in the past tense. Given how far his star has fallen, such discourse seems appropriate. But his career is not over -- not yet -- and his new coach promises to give him every opportunity to salvage his career. Sounding very much like Bobby Clarke one year ago, Lightning coach and general manager Jacques Demers told ESPN, "He has tremendous ability and speed, which are things we need. He has some negatives, but there are more positives than negatives." Aside from money, last place Tampa Bay has little to lose in taking a chance on Daigle, and very much to gain. But the future is strictly in Alex's hands. He still can show everyone that he has shed his immaturity and become a responsible adult, committed to playing good hockey. Or else, the present will soon become the past for Alexandre Daigle, and he will take his place among the great busts of hockey history.

NOTES -- Mike Keenan is moving to Switzerland to learn more about European hockey... The Washington Capitals are hiring a doctor to investigate the mass of injuries they have suffered over the past few seasons.