Hardware Hopefuls
by Michael Dell, editor-in-chief
Now's the time of the season when LCS usually checks to see who the front-runners are for the individual NHL awards. It's tradition. And since pointless traditions and mindless rituals are all that separate us from the animals, we're back at it again this year.
There's only one minor problem. In looking back to see which players performed the best during the 1996-97 season, the same thought kept coming to mind... boy, did this season blow. Without question, this had to be the worst season in recent memory. It was, like, real lamesville, dad. Not since 1993-94, the year the league originally shot itself in the foot by adding Anaheim and Florida to a shrinking talent pool, has a season been this pitiful.
It's tough to even think of a player to win each award, let alone three possible candidates. So we just named as many as we could. If your favorite player is missing, be sure to write a letter on his behalf. And, oh yeah, make sure you mail it to someone who cares.
Now, without further delay, here are this year's contenders.
(Note: all stats thru Sunday, March 30)
Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins (46-66-112): Mario pretty much has the scoring race wrapped up, with a 14-point lead over second place Teemu Selanne (47-51-98). It will be the sixth Art Ross trophy of Lemieux's storied career. The sad thing is that Mario will probably win the award with something in the neighborhood of 120 points. If the winning number is in the 120s, it will be the lowest point total to clinch the honor since Montreal's Guy Lafleur bagged the award in 1975-76 with 125 points. And that's not a slight to Lemieux as much as it is a testimony to how pathetic the league was this season with its ignorance towards "marginal" penalties, allowing interference to run wild and boring hockey to become the norm.
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres (35-17-9, 2.33, .928, 5 shutouts): Even though he's been sidelined with a rib injury recently, the mainstream media all but handed Hasek the Hart Trophy months ago. He is clearly the man to beat, backstopping a rather average Buffalo squad into the top spot in the Northeastern Division while being among the leaders in every goaltending category. It's hard to imagine where the Sabres would be without Hasek between the pipes... or maybe it isn't, that's why he's so valuable.
John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers (49-45-94): Eric Lindros may get all the hype, but LeClair has been the man in Philadelphia this season. After a tremendous performance at the World Cup, LeClair got off to a rather slow start this season before tearing up the scoring charts in carrying the Flyers on his back into the top seed in the Eastern Conference. LeClair leads the league in goals with 49 and is third in points with 94. A perfect combination of power and skill, LeClair is without doubt the most dominating left wing in hockey.
Tony Amonte, Chicago Blackhawks (40-32-72): Without Tony Amonte, the Blackhawks wouldn't even have an offense. In the absence of Jeremy Roenick, Bernie Nicholls, and Joe Murphy, Amonte elevated his game this season and has become a true superstar, already setting a new career high in goals with 40. Amonte's amazing speed always made him a threat throughout his career, but he never buried all the glorious chances that he often created. This year it was a different story. Amonte just put it all together this season and is truly deserving of a Hart nomination.
There's been plenty of talk about Paul Kariya (39-51-90) deserving consideration, but that's almost a slap in the face to Selanne. A lot was made about the fact that the Ducks struggled when Kariya was out of the lineup at the start of the season, but it's hard to believe the club's record would have been any different had Kariya been healthy and Selanne was missing. It's the combination of the two stars that makes the Ducks a threat. Either one by themselves isn't really enough to make Anaheim a serious playoff contender in the West.
Probable Winner: Dominik Hasek. If the Dominator takes the trophy it'll be the first time since 1961-62 (Jacques Plante) that a goaltender won the prestigious award.
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres: Blah blah blah.
Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche (36-14-7, 2.34, .923, 7 shutouts): Roy had perhaps the best regular season of his glorious career. The only thing hurting his chances for the Vezina, and really even the Hart, is that the Avalanche is just so damn good that the overall strength of the whole overshadows the greatness of the pieces. Wow, that was, like, deep or somthin'...
Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils (34-13-12, 1.95, .923, 7 shutouts): Playing behind the New Jersey defense isn't exactly the hardest gig in show business, but Brodeur gets the job done splendidly. It's always been a dream of LCS to use the word "splendidly"... our work here is done.
Guy Hebert, Anaheim Mighty Ducks (27-25-11, 2.66, .920, 4 shutouts): The man who has LCS' backing for the Vezina is Hebert. Outside of Kariya and Selanne up front, the Ducks hardly have any talent whatsoever. Yet they remain a force in the West because of the two superstars on offense and the unheralded brilliance of Hebert in net. A recent convert to the Francois Allaire school of goaltending, Hebert has been a mission man for the Ducks, routinely turning aside 35+ shots a night. In fact, Hebert has faced 33 or more shots in 11 of his last 16 starts; five times making 37 or more saves in a single contest. He was also a fixture in net night after night, to the point that he actually had to leave a game on March 23 because of dehydration and exhaustion. Hebert is a bad man. It's unlikely he'll be recognized as one of the three finalists for the award, but Hebert definitely earned the respect of LCS this season.
Probable Winner: Dominik Hasek. If you're a goaltender, it's kind of tough to win the Hart Trophy and not win the Vezina. Hasek should take 'em both. It'll be his third Vezina win in the past four years.
Brian Leetch, New York Rangers (19-53-72, +32): The only past winner to have a strong year, Leetch was a force this season for the Rangers. He is once again leading all defenseman in scoring with 72 points, while perhaps being the most consistent player for the Blueshirts during their rather up-and-down year.
Sandis Ozolinsh, Colorado Avalanche (21-41-62, +9): It's kind of nutty to hear Ozolinsh's name mentioned in a discussion about the Norris Trophy, but he has clearly established himself as the most dangerous offensive defenseman in the game today. When he's on the ice, something interesting is going to happen. Sure, it could be a two-on-one the wrong way, but that's okay... gotta break some eggs to make an omelette. Ozolinsh's madcap approach to defense has paid off this season, as the Latvian blueliner leads all defensemen with 21 goals and is second to Leetch in points with 62. He's an impact player.
Um, your name here: This was a tough year for defenseman. Outside of Leetch and Ozolinsh, no one else really stood up to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Chris Chelios (9-34-43, +14) had another steady, if unspectacular season, and will probably get the third slot. Perennial finalists Ray Bourque (17-30-47, -8) and Paul Coffey (9-24-33, +14) both had seasons they'd soon rather forget, although Bourque was coming on a bit before being slowed by an ankle injury the last few weeks. Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom (15-41-56, +30) had a real nice season in the absence of Coffey and could receive consideration, as could teammate Vladimir Konstantinov (5-29-34, +35).
Probable Winner: Brian Leetch. He should be a lock to win his second Norris Trophy.
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames (21-29-50): Iginla was the favorite to win the award when the season started and he certainly didn't disappoint. He's given the Flames an honest effort every night out and leads all rookie scorers with 50 points.
Bryan Berard, New York Islanders (8-35-43): The first overall selection of the 1995 Draft, Berard didn't make a big splash at the start of the season but has slowly developed over the course of the campaign into an impressive performer for the Isles.
Janne Niinimaa, Philadelphia Flyers (4-38-42): Unlike Berard, Niinimaa entered the league with very little fanfare. A second-round selection of the Flyers in the 1993 Draft, Niinimaa caught the eye of LCS at the World Cup as much for his abundance of vowels as for his skills along the blue line. This guy is a walking Phonics lesson. His name's got more vowels than a bowel of alphabet soup. He's the only person in history to go on Wheel of Fortune and buy a consonant. Hey, I'm just sayin' he has a lot of vowels in his name that's all...
Jim Campbell, St. Louis Blues (23-19-42): Campbell was a huge surprise for the Blues this year after signing as a free agent over the off-season from Anaheim. The Ducks' loss was definitely the Blues' gain. Campbell was dynamic in scoring 23 goals in 66 games while going through the whole Mike Keenan saga in St. Louis. If not for a shoulder injury that knocked him off his stride and cost him 10 games, Campbell would probably be running away with the Calder race.
Patrick Lalime, Pittsburgh Penguins (20-10-2, 3.00, .911, 3 shutouts): Lalime appeared to have the Calder wrapped up when he bolted out to a 14-0-2 record while replacing the injured Ken Wregget in Pittsburgh's nets. Unfortunately, the Penguins just fell apart around the young netminder, pretty much throwing him to the wolves after the All-Star break. Despite the recent struggles, his numbers are still pretty good for a 22-year-old goaltender that never played in the NHL before this season. It's doubtful he can win the award now, but his early success should still be enough to make him a legitimate nominee.
Probable Winner: Jarome Iginla. He was picked at the start of the year by most to win the honor, and the same people will be voting for the award. A deserving winner, it will be somewhat of a surprise if Iginla doesn't walk away with the trophy. However, LCS would probably give support to Janne Niinimaa. Defense is the hardest position for a rookie to break in at and Niinimaa has been a workhorse for the Flyers.
Mike Peca, Buffalo Sabres (19-27-46, +26): Part of the Alexander Mogilny trade a few years ago, Peca exploded onto the scene this year with the overachieving Sabres. Not only has he chipped in 19 goals and 46 points, but he is assigned to the opposition's top scoring line every night out, keeping superstars around the league off balance with his feisty, aggressive style. In a year of surprises in Buffalo, Peca has been the biggest.
Mike Modano, Dallas Stars (32-45-77, +40): It's kind of hard to believe Modano being mentioned in a Selke conversation. Yet the 26-year-old, super-skilled center has put together quite the impressive season in the Lone Star State, vastly improving his overall game. Among the league leaders with a plus-40, Modano is still the Stars' most dangerous offensive weapon with 32 goals and 77 points. Although it is kind of odd that he never displayed his strong two-way abilities under former coach and four-time Selke winner Bob Gainey.
Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche (23-55-78, +30): With all due respect to everyone concerned, Peter Forsberg is without doubt the best all-around player in the game today. Petey can do it all. The only catch to Forsberg winning the honor is that his season was somewhat tarnished by a thigh injury that cost him 17 games.
Probable Winner: This is a tough call. Forsberg is the best in the game, but because of the injury he wasn't around to impress for a whole season. Modano might be out of luck, since too many voters may remember his past defensive ineptness. Considering all the ink the Buffalo Sabres are getting this year, Mike Peca could actually have a shot at winning the award. The big problem Peca has, even with Buffalo's increased attention, is a lot of people still don't know who the hell he is and the Selke usually goes to an established veteran. So with that in mind, Forsberg should take the honor.
Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers (23-68-91, 28 pim): Gretzky had an excellent start to the season, unfortunately he hasn't been overly impressive the last couple months. He's still the NHL's golden boy, tho', and has to get nominated for something. It doesn't hurt that he's won the award four times in the past.
Paul Kariya, Anaheim Mighty Ducks (39-51-90, 6 pim): Kariya is great and it's nice to see someone who knows the game enough to stay out of the box, but six penalty minutes? It might be time to check for a pulse. Rob Ray gets more than that on the drive to the arena. Kariya won it last year, so a repeat could be in the cards.
Ron Francis, Pittsburgh Penguins (25-58-83, 14 pim): Francis put together another strong season, despite fighting through a series of nagging injuries since the All-Star break. As per usual, he didn't get a lot of attention this season playing in the shadows of Mario Lemieux and Ron Francis. So he might be overlooked for the Lady Byng, an award he won back in 1994-95. If Francis doesn't get the nomination, Teemu Selanne could fit the bill.
Probable Winner: Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky has to win an award... it's like a law or somethin'.
Well, those are the most probable hardware hopefuls this season. Now let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope that Alan Thicke hosts the big award show. Remember "Growing Pains"? Aw, that was great, that was fun.
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