BRETT HEALTHY AGAIN: Small solace for the St. Louis Blues is that right wing Brett Hull is completely recovered from the back spasms that sidelined him before the strike. ... If NHL players don't compete in the World Championships, Indianapolis Ice and U.S. Olympic goaltender Ray LeBlanc would be the choice as the USA's starter. He might be in either event. ... With revenue from hockey cards a major issue in the strike, Pro Set - a leading manufacturer of cards - is besieged with calls on how the strike will affect the value of cards already issued and the status of cards scheduled for release after the playoffs. ... Star Communications of Boston is caught in the middle of the stalemated negotiations. Star purchased radio rights for the Stanley Cup final and has put together a network of about 100 stations. ``We are just hoping for a settlement,'' company president Tom Star said. Compiled by Kevin Allen

LINEUPS UNCERTAIN: The makeup of teams for next month's World Championships, always uncertain because of the Stanley Cup playoffs, is even more up in the air. The USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland and Czechoslovakia regularly add NHL players whose teams have been eliminated from the playoffs, sometimes bringing them in after the championships have begun.