Advertising Opportunities

head coach: Pierre Page

roster: C - Matt Cullen, Travis Green, J.F. Jomphe, Josef Marha, Steve Rucchin; LW - Shawn Antoski, Ted Drury, Paul Kariya, Tomas Sandstrom, Brent Severyn, Jeremy Stevenson; RW - Frank Banham, Jeff Nielsen, Teemu Selanne, Scott Young; D - Drew Bannister, Mike Crowley, Doug Houda, David Karpa, Jason Marshall, Jamie Pushor, Ruslan Salei, Pavel Trnka; G - Guy Hebert, Mikhail Shtalenkov, Tom Askey.

standings:

Western Conference - Pacific Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
y-Colorado   82  39  26  17    95  231  205  
x-Los Angeles82  38  33  11    87  227  225  
x-Edmonton   82  35  37  10    80  215  224  
x-San Jose   82  34  38  10    78  210  216  
Calgary      82  26  41  15    67  217  252  
Anaheim      82  26  43  13    65  205  261  
Vancouver    82  25  43  14    64  224  273  

x - Clinched playoff spot
y - Clinched division

team news:

by Alex Carswell, Anaheim Correspondent

THE SEASON

Where to begin?

How about at the end.

What a letdown: failing to qualify for the hardly exclusive NHL playoffs just a year after pushing eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit to OT in three of four thrilling second-round games. And finishing ahead of just equally hapless Vancouver (64 points) in the Western Conference.

But the drop-off hardly came as a surprise to Anaheim Duckwatchers, whose season opened on a sour note that remained -- save for a few sweet moments courtesy of Teemu Selanne -- in their mouths all year long.

So much has already been said about the pointless firing of Ron Wilson that it's equally pointless to rehash the whole mess; we'll let the team's newest ex-coach do that (see below). But it's worth remembering that the season also began with Paul Kariya on the sidelines, and not due to injury, as was the case two years back. Kariya missed critical ice time because of a contract dispute; yet another off-ice distraction for a franchise that has allowed far too many in its brief existence.

Would Kariya's presence from the beginning have made a difference in the team's overall finish? Who knows, but it couldn't have hurt. And while it's impossible to say whether his season-ending concussion, courtesy of Chicago's Gary Suter, would have happened anyway, an early start for Kariya might have allowed the team to jell differently -- and perhaps alter the entire course of events during this sorry campaign.

Nonetheless, between the holdout and the concussion, #9 was pretty much a non-factor this year, which opened the door for Teemu Selanne to "emerge" as a legitimate NHL superstar. The quotes are for the benefit of those who don't pay attention to tundra (Winnipeg) or West Coast hockey, and didn't already recognize the Finnish Flash for what he is: a top-five NHL player. But after leading the league in goals (along with Peter Bondra, who needed three extra games to tie Selanne's total of 52), becoming the first European to be named All-Star MVP, and earning a nomination for the Hart Trophy as league MVP, Selanne's star has officially risen even in the east.

Even more impressive than his totals, however, was the grit and determination Selanne showed to battle through suffocating clutch-and-grab checking and brutal dirty play from the opposition, as well as a resolute lack of help (on the score sheet and in the trenches) from Anaheim's supporting cast. Teemu's 52 goals accounted for over 25 percent of the team's pitiful, record-low goal-scoring output. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? You decide.

Though nobody could have been expected to oust Dominik Hasek as MVP, there's no doubt that Selanne merited consideration as a player "adjudged to be most valuable to his team." For the record, Selanne finished third in the Hart balloting, behind Hasek and Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr. He also was second to Pittsburgh's Ron Francis in the Lady Byng voting -- a testament to his level-headedness, given the amount of retaliation infractions he was duly entitled to take over the course of the year.

Selanne aside, the season was an unmitigated disaster. From the start, Pierre Page demonstrated a debilitating lack of patience with his lineup that destroyed any chance of cohesion the team might have had. He changed his line combinations from shift-to-shift, period-to-period and game-to-game. He praised players after good performances then scratched them from following games. He personably threw other-sport analogies at the media on a nightly basis, but applied little sound hockey philosophy to his constantly foundering team.

Management was equally indecisive on personnel issues, creating a near-daily shuttle from Cincinnati (AHL) while waffling between a commitment to struggling or injured veterans and the development of unpolished youth. In the end -- but only AT the end, when the season was a total loss -- youth won out, which should be a good thing over the seasons ahead. But veterans, with old bones and timing geared toward the season's dog days and playoffs, often start slowly and round into form at a time of year when their experience and leadership is critical. In this forgettable season, many were not permitted to do so.

On the positive side of the ledger, the late-season acquisitions of Travis Green and Josef Marha seem like sound moves. And the return to health of Steve Rucchin, who suffered a pre-season groin pull that seriously hampered him right up until the Olympic break, and Scott Young, who suffered several nagging injuries, bodes well. Those two were among the team's most consistent offensive performers down the everybody-get-ready-to-go-home stretch. And if -- but it's the proverbial "big if" -- the youngsters (Marha, Matt Cullen, Frank Banham, Jeff Nielsen) can produce when something is actually at stake, there may be a solid nucleus in the making.

And speaking of the nucleus, Kariya recently said that he is showing no post-concussion symptoms and is working out vigorously and regularly.

"Before," he told the Los Angeles Times on June 24, "I couldn't remember the last time I felt good. Now, I can't remember the last time I felt bad."

And that should make Ducks fans -- and hockey lovers everywhere -- feel very good indeed.

TEAM MVP: THE ENVELOPE PLEASE... Our choice for team MVP might have been clouded had Suter not knocked Kariya into next Tuesday. But if you get the nod as a Hart Trophy finalist, odds are you merit your own team's most valuable player award. And so the coveted LCS Hockey MVP award -- along with the attendant respect, glory and valuable prize package that accompanies it -- goes to Teemu Selanne.

In truth, no one else was even close. Teemu did it all, and he did it all alone. Let's hope next year brings a repeat performance from the Finnish Flash, but a lot more internal competition from his mates. In the meantime: Bravissimo, Teemu! You da man!

Ruslan Salei by Meredith Martini

SURPRISES: QUEL SURPRISE; QUEL DOMAGE... Here's where we're supposed to give the nod to omeone who exceeded expectations, and there's a strong temptation to leave this section blank because, frankly, no one did. Instead, I'm going to split the award between defensemen Jason Marshall and Ruslan Salei who, though they had their ups and downs, at least lived up to expectations as up-and-coming blueliners on a team without much commitment to defense. Or any semblance of a defensive system.

Marshall (3-6-9, 189 PIM) was often the team's only physical force, although he occasionally committed untimely infractions. But with experience comes wisdom, and he will likely benefit from a solid season, his second full campaign.

Salei rebounded from a disappointing rookie year (30 GP, 0-1-1, -8) in which he was drafted, ninth overall, from Las Vegas of the IHL in hopes that he could step into a regular role with Anaheim. That didn't happen. But his steady play and decent numbers this year (66 GP, 5-10-15, +7) made amends.

DISAPPOINTMENT: As for the team's biggest disappointment, there's no contest: Tomas Sandstrom. The poor guy couldn't buy a goal with any of his $1 million salary. He finished with 9-8-17 totals, carried a -25 rating, and went from January 10 to March 13 -- a span of 35 games -- without lighting the lamp. Ouch. We love Tomas, whose grit and determination can add a lot to a team, but he's got to do better than that (even under the Page reign of confusion).

SING FOR ME

LCS Hockey doesn't have an official "Unsung Hero" award, but we do, and for the fourth straight year it goes to center Steve Rucchin. Rooch played with a seriously tweaked groin all year and took heat for not putting up numbers. But he never hurt the team, played an important role and -- once healed courtesy of the NHL's three-week folly in Nagano -- was back to his old self down the stretch.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES: BOWIE TIME... Many changes already, many more to come. It may appear that Anaheim has cleaned house, first by (in the words of team President Tony Tavares) "taking out" assistants Don Hay and Walt Kyle, and then by firing Page. The truth, however, is that upper management has merely dusted a little and swept what we view as the real issues under the rug.

The why's and wherefore's aren't really important, but here are everyone's takes: Tavares said Hay and Kyle were let go on the advice of GM Jack Ferreira, who made the decision along with Page, who was still on board at the time and scheduled to remain so. Page was fired after first agreeing on a particular course of action with the GM and then, Ferreira said, pushing for a different agenda. For his part, Page believes he was fired strictly because Ron Wilson's appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals (which coincided with Page's axing) was embarrassing the front office.

As the coaching door was slamming Page in the rear, Page slammed Ducks management: "I don't believe what Jack said (about philosophical differences being the reason he was fired). It's their organization."

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

The good news is that Page is gone. In point of fact, he never should have been hired -- even if you buy that Wilson had to go. Page's methodology and record behind the bench is highly unimpressive (a .463 winning percentage over seven prior seasons as a head coach, including just one winning campaign -- 47-27-10 with Quebec in 92-93 -- followed by a first-round playoff loss). And anyone who knew his propensity for speaking his mind (which is to say anyone who knows hockey), knew he was absolutely the wrong fit for an organization that just fired an actually GOOD coach for being too outspoken.

Will it get better? Possibly, although it seems unlikely.

Despite the presence of several high-profile coaches on the market (Marc Crawford and Ted Nolan come to mind), the Ducks seem intent on yet another low-budget, low-profile alternative. Not that they couldn't do well with someone like Butch Goring (Utah, IHL) or even John VanBoxmeer (Long Beach, IHL). But they ought to quickly discard candidates like Barry Melrose and Craig Hartsburg, whose sole merits are that they preach team toughness. Besides, both men are talkers, which should disqualify them from consideration. And at least in Melrose's case, mercifully, the price tag is likely to be too high.

As for Nolan, one highly publicized battle with upper management along with, again, a significant price tag, should keep him out of the running.

It may be the price tag -- both in dollars and the compensatory draft pick -- that's likely to push the team away from Crawford, but he would seem the ideal candidate for the job. He has experience with star players (Sakic, Forsberg et al) and has managed to get his tough guys to do their jobs. The only knock on him is that he couldn't get along with Patrick Roy, but with the exception of PGA pro Fred Couples, who can?

Besides, Crawford comes out of a very small-minded organization himself. Instead of being up front about wanting him out, Colorado manipulated the situation to force Crawford's hand. Plus, the Avs director of media relations, Jean Martineau, with the approval of GM Pierre Lacroix, has banned his players from speaking with certain reporters and publications which have dared to criticize the team. That should make the Disney requirement of towing the company line seem like a walk in the amusement park.

Our guess is that Goring will get the nod. He was a heady player who has earned his head coaching stripes at the minor-league level. And while he may ultimately pan out, we would love to be proven wrong: Disney would be better served to deliver their fans a proven commodity to go along with Selanne, Kariya & Co. rather than risk another year of uncertainty behind the bench.

ON THE ROSTER

Losing G Mikhail Shtalenkov to Nashville was predictable, but nonetheless significant. That commits the team to using Guy Hebert as a workhorse, which is fine as long as he stays healthy. Patrick Lalime is likely to get the backup job, and we're not completely sold on the youngster. Yes, he had the record-setting rookie start, but he was being torched soon thereafter. He was in a tough spot, looking for a big contract while playing behind Tom Barrasso and Ken Wregget, but we've yet to be convinced he has legitimate NHL talent.

Otherwise, the team has talked big about adding to the blue line after the free agent signing period begins on July 1. Certainly such help would be welcome. With Al MacInnis already in the St. Louis fold, Steve Duchesne -- with SoCal hockey roots -- would seem a logical fit, although Gary Suter's name (ah, the irony) has been bandied about as well.

Anaheim already added a goon, er, toughness, by sending J.F. Jomphe to Phoenix in exchange for Jim McKenzie who, it is said, "knows his role." That means you can say good-bye (no surprise) to Shawn Antoski.

DRAFT WINDS BLOW

Ferreira's draft was something of a surprise to this observer. With a chance to nab Manny Malhotra -- tabbed as a defensively-solid, possibly NHL-ready two-way center with good size -- the Ducks instead took Ukranian native Vitaly Vishnevsky. Vishnevsky, a defenseman, is likely to play at least one more year of junior hockey in Russia, then spend some time in the North American minor league ranks. Three years or so down the road, what will Vishnevsky bring to the table? Either "an edge," says Ferreira, who describes the 6'1", 187-pound teenager as a budding Darius Kasparaitis-type. Or "the ability to get the puck out of our zone," says Assistant GM David McNab, who describes him as offensively gifted.

But in Malhotra, the Ducks passed on (and the NY Rangers grabbed) exactly the type of player every GM claims to want: a big, mature, skilled, responsible center. The question is, why?

Yes, Anaheim is building depth at center in Rucchin, Green, Marha and Cullen. But Rucchin has always had a hinky back; Green has yet to live up to his early promise with the Islanders; and youngsters Marha and Cullen, while talented, haven't proven they can do it every night. And besides, can you ever have too much strength down the middle? And which one of those four are you going to designate as your dependable checking center? That's a role Cullen is ill-suited for, and the others would likely disdain.

Want an outside shot? We've heard rumors -- and now spread them -- that the Ducks might make a play for Jeremy Roenick of the Coyotes. To us, that would be huge. And while GM Bobby Smith has always said JR isn't available, whining bad boy Keith Tkachuk apparently feels the spotlight isn't big enough for the both of them, and wants Roenick run.

Tell you what: When Tkachuk wanted Selanne dusted from the frozen ponds of Winnipeg, Anaheim was more than happy to step in with an offer. If Ferreira could snag Roenick without giving up too much, the fans may just be willing to forget the futility and frustration of last season.

[ issues | web extra | stats | nhl archive | home | chat | mailing list | about us | search | comments ]

1998 © Copyright LCS Hockey All Rights Reserved