THE BIG PICTURE
The one, true thing Anaheim had going for it in 1998-99 was
stability. They had a new coach, again, but one who knew what he
wanted and pretty much stuck to his systematic guns all season
long. They had a new president and general manager who, by virtue
of holding both titles, didn't have to look over his shoulder or
kowtow to anyone in his decision-making process. That he had a
clear vision for this season and beyond -- emphasize stability;
build through the draft -- was a bonus that should reap dividends
in the future. For this season, the "Gauthier factor" meant that
the players on board had a full season to show what they could do.
Unfortunately, in many cases, that wasn't enough. But before we
continue dissecting the Ducks, let's take a moment to remember the
former GM, and current "Special Assistant," Jack Ferreira. Poor
Jack did a lot of things right with the Ducks, including hiring Ron
Wilson to be their first coach, selecting Guy Hebert to be their
first player and taking Paul Kariya as their first selection in the
amateur draft. He engineered the deal that brought Teemu Selanne to
SoCal, whose presence alone would be impressive enough had he not
also made Kariya an exponentially better player. Which he did, and
continues to do. Jack drafted a lot of other guys who will play for
the Ducks, under Pierre Gauthier's stable reign, and make an
impact.
Ferreira will doubtless move on to another hockey job soon enough,
but he should be remembered not as the guy who was fired so that
Anaheim could move ahead, but rather as the guy who laid much of
the groundwork for their future success. It was just his bad luck
to toil under a hot dog salesman with visions of sports-executive
grandeur -- sing it to the Mickey Mouse Club tempo, kids: T-O-N,
Y-T-A, V-E-R-A-S. Wherever you go, Jack, may the ice rise to meet
you.
Gauthier, who, along with Assistant GM (rumored to be headed to
Minnesota) David McNab, was part of Ferreira's brain trust from the
start, has much to recommend himself, as his record in Ottawa and
his demeanor in Anaheim indicates. Despite complaints from an often
comatose fan base, he resisted calls to sign aged free agents in
his first offseason, preferring to work with what he had in-house.
As mentioned, that was enough only to get the team to the .500
level and a brief playoff appearance, but it's a start.
It was a season of streaks for the Ducks; some good, some not. The
highlight was a franchise-record seven- game winning streak (albeit
primarily over the dregs of the west). The lowlight, five
three-game losing streaks to go with three five-game winless
streaks. A bright spot was the team's 21-14-6 home record, along
with their league-leading 22% power play. Less impressive were
their inconsistent road work (14-20-7) and mediocre (84.5%)
15th-ranked penalty killing.
It was a season of individual achievements for some Ducks. Selanne
led the league in goals for the second consecutive year, capturing
the inaugural Maurice Richard Trophy. He (47-60-107) and Kariya
(39-62-101) finished two-three in the scoring race behind Jaromir
Jagr (44-83-127) as the only players in the league to top 100
points. Freddie Olausson, whose signing by Gauthier was a
homecoming for the former Ducks rearguard, finished fourth in NHL
defenseman scoring (16-40-56), setting an Anaheim record for goals
from the blueline in the process. He was also an impressive +17.
Steve Rucchin, who missed 13 games due to injury, nonetheless set a
personal high with 23 goals.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Which brings us to my choice as team MVP. In truth, it's three-way
tie among Selanne, Kariya and Guy Hebert. The unheralded Selanne's
exploits were entertaining, important and impressive. The
electrifying Kariya's return to ever-feistier form put the league
on notice that the Ducks have a dynamic duo to watch for years to
come (assuming he signs a new deal). But Hebert's play put the
constance in consistency, and since I've got to go with one guy,
it's Guy.
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Guy Hebert
by Meredith Martini
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In 69 games, Guybo posted a 31-29-9 record with a 2.42 GAA and a
.922 save percentage. Anaheim's .920 team save percentage was
second in the league to Buffalo's .928, and we all know who stops
the puck there. Hebert only started three tilts he didn't finish,
and had only a handful of games in which his play could be
described as less that superb. He kept Anaheim in games they didn't
deserve to be in, giving them a chance to win on most nights. That
they didn't was rarely a reflection on their goaltending; and if
they did, it was often due to his stalwart play.
Hebert was rewarded with a much-deserved four-year deal at
mid-season, and now he picks up the coveted LCS MVP. It just
doesn't get any better than this.
SURPRISE
The biggest, most-pleasant surprise of this campaign was not the
play of any one player, it's that the best players were around to
play. Having Selanne (75 GP) and Kariya (82 GP) healthy all year
meant that the Anaheim reactor had a healthy core almost every
night. Selanne continued to play his unique blend of finesse and
stealth power, while Kariya emerged as his high-flying old self,
and a newly-determined if diminutive fireplug. All right, maybe a
firebug...but he had fire, that's for sure, and it was a great
thing to see. That the rest of Anaheim's corps melted down is
something Gauthier needs to work on if the Ducks are to improve
again next year.
DISAPPOINTMENT
Same as it ever was: Lack of second-line scoring. Yes, Sandstrom
started out hot, but then got hurt. Yes, McInnis started out hot,
but then fell off. Yes Travis Green showed flashes of his rookie
game, but was a disappointment again. Yes but, yes but. It's the
same thing every year. Get beyond the big line and the Ducks have
no consistent scoring threats. This is a situation they absolutely
must remedy or, no matter how much they improve in the regular
season (their 18-point gain was third best in the league this
season), they'll never be a playoff threat. And they'll never be
able to win regularly on the road, where opponents can more
efficiently check the big guns.
CHANGES TO COME
One thing that won't change in the offseason is Anaheim's head
coach. Buy into the whole stability thing, and that's a good sign.
Believe that Craig Hartsburg (139-136-53) will be a .500 coach his
whole career, and it's less so.
As for the players, one would hope that the youth movement tepidly
started this year will heat up with the addition of several
prospects. Maxim Balmochnykh, Anaheim's second-round pick in 1997
and Russia's top scorer at this year's World Junior Championships,
is coming to camp and could be a dynamic addition to the squad.
Matt Cullen, Johan Davidsson and Pascal Trepanier earned the right
to play regularly next season. And why, oh, why won't they bring
Frank Banham back to the bigs? He's a proven scorer who showed
tremendous hands at the NHL level two years ago, but has somehow
been buried under the current regime because he's allegedly not
defensively sound.
Coach-types always say "You can teach anyone to play defense, but
scoring is a gift." So let's see Hartsburg put his coaching chops
on the line and teach this kid what he needs to know.
The flip side of the youth movement is the exodus of age, and while
the expansion draft may facilitate a move or two for Gauthier, the
GM's got to decide when to give up on a couple of players.
ADIOS ROOSTER
And speaking of exodus, this is that last crowing you'll hear from
the institution known to us Stateside as The Sporting Rooster. It's
been a pleasure spouting off in this space for the past few
seasons. And why not call it quits now? A sunbelt team has won the
Stanley Cup; the league's moronic rules have tainted the greatest
championship in all of sport; and Kerry Fraser still has a job. All
of which proves that there's no justice in the world, and there's
really no point in going on.
For those interested in contacting your humble correspondent, for
job offers or gratuitous criticism, feel free to email him at
ac@SportsBomb.com.
The rest of you, well, we'll see you around the rink.
