_ _ _ _ | | ____ ___ | | ____ ___ | | ____ ___ | | ____ ___ | |/ _ / __| | |/ _ / __| | |/ _ / __| | |/ _ / __| | | (_ \__ \ | | (_ \__ \ | | (_ \__ \ | | (_ \__ \ |_|\____\___/ |_|\____\___/ |_|\____\___/ |_|\____\___/ GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY =================================================================== Five Star - ELECTRONIC EDITION - * * * * * =================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------- VOL. 1 NO. 1 JUNE 1994 * 50 CENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the first edition of LCS guide to hockey. In this issue we review the regular season in the National Hockey League and we hand out our end of the season awards. The following is a schedule for upcoming issues of our great publication: - June 24 - Playoff review, draft preview - July 15 - Draft review - August 15 - Player ratings and evaluations - September 15 - Season preview Starting in October, LCS will be coming out twice a month for the remainder of the season. Each issue will cost 50 cents and a year's subscription will only cost you, our valued customer, just $8.00. What a deal! Or, if you're poor like us, we'll let you pay in four installments of $2.00. Granted, we are just a small publication in comparison to our competition (which begins with "The" and ends with " _ockey News"), but our mission is to bring you an entertaining and informative newsletter that you will read over and over again. Hell, you could even frame it and hang it on your wall, or line the bottom of your bird cage. We just don't care. We'd also like to have a lot of reader involvement. So each issue we'll tease you with questions that we hope will cause controversy and bar fights. So look at the end of this issue and think about the questions offered. Then, write us back and we'll try to publish as many responses as we can. Here's a sample question for you, who's better, John Cullen or a block of cheese. Hmmm....the cheese could at least be useful in a mouse trap or be grated on top of tacos, but John Cullen would not fit in a mouse trap, or a taco. Well, you get the idea. So start writing us anything that's on your mind, Pepe. To prove we're legitimate...we know our dads. Just kidding, we don't know our dads, but our press credentials for the upcoming draft in Hartford HAVE BEEN APPROVED. Scary, isn't it? The staff of LCS will be roaming the floor at the Civic Center, searching for all the in-depth stories that you are hungering for, plus Al Morganti. So the July 15 draft review should be pretty darn spiffy. So sign up now for LCS and you won't be disappointed. LCS, the greatest hockey publication...IN THE WORLD!!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- LCS Guide To Hockey CREDITS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF..................................................Michael Dell ACE REPORTER.......................................................Jim Iovino LCS Drunk.....................................................Matthew Secosky COMPUTER BOY...........................................Zippy The Wonder Chimp PUBLICITY BOY.........................................Dominique A. Giagnocavo SHAFT.......................................................Richard Roundtree INSPIRATION.......................................................Al Morganti FAVORITE FOOD...........................................................Tacos AGENT 86........................................................Maxwell Smart THE BLUES BROTHERS............................................Jake and Elwood ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- LCS: Guide To Hockey Copyright 1994 LCS (C)1994 L.C.S. LCS Guide To Hockey. Volume One, Issue One. June, 1994. LCS is published twice a month if you're lucky. Subscription rate: $8.00 (U.S.) per year or four easy payments of $2.00. Distribution of newsletter by mail and e-mail. For information use e-mail address ao521@freenet.carleton.ca, or write to LCS at 632 Hempfield Street, Greensburg, PA. 15601. Ingredients: One pound mild sausage, one pound hot sausage, two pounds ham loaf, two cups heavy cream (whipped stiff), two dozen little neck clams, three sticks butter, half cup firmly packed brown sugar, one cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, and lots of lovin'. Simmer over medium heat, stir, and serve with side of dry white toast. EASTERN CONFERENCE =================== ATLANTIC DIVISION ----------------- NEW YORK RANGERS 52-24-8 112 PTS. 1ST PLACE ATLANTIC DIVISION (1ST OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 299 (4th) GOALS AGAINST: 231 (3rd) POWER PLAY: 23.0% (1st) PENALTY KILLING: 84.6% (3rd) After not making the playoffs last season, the Rangers felt that they had much to prove in the 93-94 campaign. With new coach Mike Keenan at the helm, they proved that they were the best team in the league. The Rangers, relying on special teams play, accumulated a league high 112 points. The top ranked power play in the league was anchored on the blue line by leading scorer Sergei Zubov (89 pts.) and all star defenseman Brian Leetch (79 pts.). Down low, Adam Graves hit everything that got in his way en route to recording a team high 20 power play goals. The Rangers excellent penalty killing unit was led by Graves and Steve Larmer, scoring four short-handed goals each. Even if there was a breakdown in the Rangers special teams, goaltender Mike Richter could be counted on to make key saves in critical situations. TEAM MVP- He's tough. He's talented. He's tough. He's a leader, and he's tough. He's Adam Graves. Graves had a breakthrough year in 1993-94 by posting career highs in almost every catagory. Among his accomplishments this past season was setting a new record for goals in a season by a New York Ranger with 52. He also led the team with 20 power play goals and tied Steve Larmer for the team lead in short-handed goals with four. Graves is perhaps the most complete power forward in the league, proven by his plus/minus rating of +27. SURPRISES- After spending time in Mike Keenan's doghouse early in the year, Sergei Zubov rebounded to become the Rangers leading scorer during the regular season. He also led the team in assists with 77, which was good enough for fourth overall in the league behind only Wayne Gretzky, Doug Gilmour and Adam Oates. DISAPPOINTMENTS- When Doug Lidster was acquired for John Vanbiesbrouck in a trade with Vancouver, he was expected to provide a steady defensive game to compliment the offensive defensemen on the squad. But, his minus 12 in only 34 games played was not exactly what the Rangers had in mind. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Rangers don't need to change much, yet some youth up front or a fifth defenseman to eventually take over for Kevin Lowe would be nice. NEW JERSEY DEVILS 47-25-12 106 PTS. 2nd PLACE ATLANTIC DIVISION (2nd OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 306 (2nd) GOALS AGAINST: 220 (2nd) POWER PLAY: 18.3% (17th) PENALTY KILLING: 81.1% (16th) The Devils had a terrific season in 1993-94, setting franchise records for wins and points in a season. Although there were few personel changes on the ice from last season, there was an off ice move that made all the difference. Jacques Lemaire seemed to become the latest victim in a long string of coaches that have stood behind the Devils bench. However, from day one, Lemaire and assistant coach Larry Robinson installed a sense of pride and work ethic which turned the fortune of the Devils around. It didn't hurt to have a healthy John MacLean for an entire season. MacLean led New Jersey with 37 goals, and along with Stephane Richer, who notched 36, paced the Devils balanced attack. Defenseman Scott Stevens led the team in assists (60) and points (78). He also led the league with a +53. TEAM MVP- The cornerstone of the Devils over the past few years has been their defense, and the man that leads that defense and the team is captain Scott Stevens. Stevens fired home 18 goals and 78 points on his way to leading the team in scoring. He is one of the most feared defensemen in the game because of his checking, and he is always in control of his defensive zone. SURPRISES- When the season started, everyone thought Chris Terreri would be the undisputed number one goalie on the team. However, Lemaire gave rookie netminder Martin Brodeur equal playing time between the pipes. Brodeur responded by finishing second overall in goals against average (2.40) and fourth in save percentage (.915) while winning a team high 27 games. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Last year Alexander Semak was voted the team MVP. This season Semak struggled to find his scoring touch, netting only 12 goals, and spent much of the season watching from the bench. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Devils must re-sign free agent Scott Stevens if they're to have any success in the future. The search for a superstar center will continue for another season, but it's unlikely that any big names will be acquired unless New Jersey parts with a re-signed Stevens or Scott Niedermayer. WASHINGTON CAPITALS 39-35-10 88 PTS. 3rd PLACE ATLANTIC DIVISION (12th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 277 (15th) GOALS AGAINST: 263 (12th) POWER PLAY: 18.1% (18th) PENALTY KILLING: 81.6% (13th) The Caps were suffering through yet another inconsistent season before Jim Schoenfeld replaced Terry Murray as coach. Schoenfeld sparked the Capitals down the stretch drive as Washington pulled away from Florida and the Islanders for the seventh playoff spot in the East. The other big change the Caps made was sending fan favorite Al Iafrate to Boston in return for Joe Juneau. Washington's hoping Juneau can be the 100 point scorer they've lacked in the past. Without Juneau for most of the year, Mike Ridley (70 pts.), Dimitri Khristich (58), Michal Pivonka (50) and Peter Bondra (43) carried the scoring load. TEAM MVP- Entering the season everyone was talking about the Capitals offensive defensemen Kevin Hatcher, Al Iafrate and Sylvain Cote. Great things were expected from the three 20 goal scorers from last year, and sure enough, one of them delivered. But it wasn't the one people expected. While Hatcher and Iafrate struggled for most of the season, Cote excelled, scoring 16 goals and 51 points. More important was Cote's play on defense. He was a team high plus 30. Finally, the former number one draft pick of the Hartford Whalers has stepped out of the shadow of the high profile defensemen and made a name for himself. SURPRISES- Keith Jones had a solid sophomore season by scoring 16 goals and 35 points in 68 games while playing a tough, physical style of game. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Last year Kevin Hatcher led all defensemen in the NHL with 34 goals. Expectations were high entering this season, some even mentioned Hatcher's name in the same sentence with the Norris Trophy. So how did he respond? Well, how about 16 goals, 40 points and a minus 13. Way to go, Kevin. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- Like most teams, the Caps could use more scoring up front, but that problem could be solved by a healthy Pat Peake. NEW YORK ISLANDERS 36-36-12 84 PTS. 4th PLACE ATLANTIC DIVISION (15th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 282 (11th) GOALS AGAINST: 264 (13th) POWER PLAY: 20.1% (9th) PENALTY KILLING: 81.1% (15th) Big things were expected of the Islanders this season after their tremendous playoff season a year ago. But once again they stuggled all season before turning it on late to earn the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Although Pierre Turgeon put up incredible numbers (38-56-94 in 69 games), his lack of leadership was a glaring weakness. At times, the Islanders appeared directionless and needed Turgeon to take charge, but more often than not, he wasn't up to the task. The one Islander player who gave an honest effort everynight was Steve Thomas. "Stumpy" played his usual tough, fiesty game while leading the team with 42 goals. TEAM MVP- When the leading scorer of the team is gutless, who picks up the slack? Steve Thomas, that's who. Besides leading the team is goals, he also led them in power play goals (17), but his contributions could not be measured in stats alone. Playing on a team that was uninspired for most of the season, Thomas gave it his all everytime he laced up his skates. It didn't matter if it was scoring the big goal, delivering the big hit or dropping the gloves, Steve Thomas did it all. SURPRISES- More playing time for Marty McInnis translated into more scoring. McInnis posted career highs in goals (25), assists (31) and points (56). He also led the team with a plus 31 and added five short-handed tallies. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Several Islanders had inconsistent seasons yet one disappointed more than the others. After a rookie season which saw him torture opposing forwards with bone-crushing checks. Darius Kasparaitis spent most of the season playing an unemotional brand of hockey. He showed signs of snapping out of it late in the season,but he never achieved the same level of play that made him public enemy number one in the locker rooms around the NHL. OFF SEASON CHANGES- Al Arbour has hinted that he won't be back to coach the team next season. Even if he doesn't leave, the Islanders should still consider rebuilding from top to bottom. Look for some big trades to happen before next season including Ron Hextall and maybe even Pierre Turgeon. Several teams were interested in Uwe Krupp at the trading deadline last season, and he still might have a new address before the start of next year. FLORIDA PANTHERS 33-34-17 83 PTS. 5th PLACE ATLANTIC DIVISION (16th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 233 (22nd) GOALS AGAINST: 233 (4th) POWER PLAY: 15.9% (21st) PENALTY KILLING: 82.6% (9th) Florida's surprising first season ended in disappointment by finishing just two points shy of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers held a five point edge on the New York Islanders entering the final nine games of the season. But a season ending slump that saw the Panthers go 0-4-4, along with the Isles finishing strong at 4-0-4, cost Florida the last spot in the playoffs. Despite the disappointing ending the Panthers had a very successful season. Bob Kudelski led the Panthers in scoring with 40 goals and 70 points, but most of his scoring came early in the year when he was with the Ottawa Senators. Scott Mellanby was second in scoring with 30 goals and 60 points. Brian Skrudland provided veteran leadership along with Mike Hough, Dave Lowry and Mike Foligno. In goal, John Vanbiesbrouck and Mark Fitzpatrick gave the Panthers one of the best goalie tandems in the league. TEAM MVP- John Vanbiesbrouck had a great year and single handedly made the Panthers respectable. The "Beezer" was among the league leaders in goals against average (2.53) and save percentage (.924). His hero status in Florida might keep him there despite attempts by management to trade him to several NHL teams for a proven scorer. SURPRISES- Rookie Jesse Belanger provided some much needed scoring up front for the Panthers. The former Montreal Canadiens' prospect finished third in team scoring with 17 goals and 50 points in 70 games. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Bob Kudelski was acquired from Ottawa to provide punch to the Panthers' power play and hopefully swing some close games Florida's way. After getting off to a good start with the Panthers, Kudelski slowed down considerably. Late in the season, he suffered through thirteen straight games without a goal. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Panthers have several players without contracts for next season, including Scott Melllanby, Bob Kudelski, Stu Barnes and Jesse Belanger. They all need to ge re-signed. One trade rumor circulating has John Vanbiesbrouck going to Philadelphia for Mark Recchi. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 35-39-10 80 PTS. 6th PLACE ATLANTIC DIVISION (18th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 294 (6th) GOALS AGAINST: 314 (23rd) POWER PLAY: 20.8% (5th) PENALTY KILLING: 80.7% (18th) The disappointment of missing the playoffs was felt in Philly for the fifth straight season. The Flyers got off to one of the best starts in the league this past season, going 9-3 in their first twelve games. During that stretch, Dominic Roussel won nine games and and Josef Beranek tallied 10 goals. However, over the rest of the season they stuggled through inconsistent stretches, Beranek ended up with only 28 goals and Roussel finished as the league's 31st ranked goaltender. The Flyers had no trouble scoring goals with Mark Recchi (40-67-107), Eric Lindros (44-53-97), Rod Brind`Amour (35-69-97) and rookie phenom Mikael Renberg (38-44-82) leading the attack. Their big problem was keeping the puck out of their own net. Only Ottawa, Winnipeg and Los Angeles allowed more goals. TEAM MVP- When the Flyers failed to make the playoffs for the fifth straight year, the recorded the longest such streak in the league. There is plenty of blame to go around, but none of it should fall on the broad shoulders of Eric Lindros. Lindros had a remarkable season, compiling 44 goals, 53 assists and 97 points. What made those totals even more astounding was the fact that he was limited to just 65 games due to a knee problem early in the year and a late season shoulder injury. His points per game average of 1.49 was fourth best in the league behind only Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Cam Neely. Figure in that he was a plus 16 on a terrible defensive team and that he hits like a truck, and an argument could be made that Eric Lindros just may be the best player in the NHL. SURPRISES- Rookie Mikael Renberg was expected to provide the Flyers' lineup with some added scoring punch in 1993-94. But his 38 goals and 82 points were more than the Flyers could have hoped for. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Last season, Kevin Dineen lit the lamp 35 times and provided leadership to a young team. However, this year, Dineen scored only 19 goals and 42 points. More was expected from him. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Flyers need to improve their defensive corp of they expect to improve next season. Mark Recchi might be shopped around in hopes of acquiring a capable defenseman and an established goaltender. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 30-43-11 71 PTS. 7th PLACE ATLANTIC DIVISION (21st OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 224 (25th) GOALS AGAINST: 251 (8th) POWER PLAY: 14.7% (24th) PENALTY KILLING: 82.7% (6th) Tampa Bay drew the largest crowds in the league and improved by 18 points over last season's point total of 53. The Lightning proved capable of playing solid defensive hockey by finishing eighth overall in goals allowed, but only Ottawa scored fewer goals. Brian Bradley led the team in scoring (24-40-64), but his totals were down drastically from last year. Until the Lightning can find some scorers, they're not going to improve anymore. TEAM MVP- A high powered offense they are not. Half of the guys on the team wouldn't recognize a scoring chance if they tripped over it, which is usually how they react to them anyway. Maybe next year we'll hand out awards for the team clutcher/grabber and the competition will actually be exciting. But for now their MVP is Darren Puppa. Puppa won 22 games while posting a 2.71 goals against average and a .899 save percentage. He is once again being considered a top goalie after a few down years in Buffalo and Toronto. SURPRISES- Chris Joseph came over from Edmonton and provided the Lightning with some much needed offense from the blue line. His 10 goals and 29 points in 60 games with Tampa gives Lightning fans something to look forward to in the future. DISAPPOINTMENTS- When Gerard Gallant was signed in the off-season he was expected to give the Lightning scoring and leadership. His 4 goals and 13 points in 51 games was a big disappointment. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- It's unlikely he'll leave Tampa, but Phil Esposito was rumored to become an analyst for ESPN next season. Regardless if Espo stays or goes, the Lightning need to find more scoring. Also, look for Brian Bradley to be moved, he apparently asked to be traded near the end of the season. NORTHEAST DIVISION ------------------ PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 44-27-13 101 PTS. 1st PLACE NORTHEAST DIVISION (3rd OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 299 (4th) GOALS AGAINST: 285 (19th) POWER PLAY: 18.8% (13th) PENALTY KILLING: 82.0% (10th) The Penguins played much of the season without Mario Lemieux, Tom Barrasso and Rick Tocchet, yet they were still able to record the second most points in franchise history. Much of the credit needs to go to Ron Francis, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy and Ulf Samuelsson. They each logged tons of ice time and carried the Pens for most of the year. When Barrasso was out of the lineup, backup Ken Wregget provided the Pens with solid goaltending and deserves recognition. Leading scorer Jaromir Jagr (32-67-99) set a career high in assists and points and finished ninth overall in scoring. TEAM MVP- There are a lot of players around the league that don't get the respect they deserve. Near the top of the list is Ron Francis. Francis continues to put up big offensive numbers while playing a solid defensive game which includes winning face-offs with regularity. Hopefully he won't retire anytime soon, but one tends to wonder how many more years are left in his career. People around the league should recognize the talents and work ethic he displays on a nightly basis and appreciate it while it lasts. SURPRISES- With Lemieux out most of the season, second year center Martin Straka received much more ice time. Straka responded by scoring 30 goals and 64 points while recording a team high plus 24. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Swedish rookie Marcus Naslund was supposed to be a pure goal scorer and one of the favorites for the Calder trophy. However, he managed just 4 goals and 11 points in 71 games. Although his ice time was limited, Naslund showed few signs of being able to score consistently in the NHL. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- Even though they had a successful season, expect several changes before next year. The Pens will likely make moves to open up space on the blue line for youngsters Ian Moran, Pat Neaton and Chris Tamer. Look for Mike Ramsey, Peter Taglianetti and Grant Jennings to be moved. Up front, Tomas Sandstrom will not return and Kevin Stevens might be shopped around. BOSTON BRUINS 42-29-13 97 PTS. 2nd PLACE NORTHEAST DIVISION (7th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 289 (8th) GOALS AGAINST: 252 (10th) POWER PLAY: 21.7% (3rd) PENALTY KILLING: 84.7% (1st) The Bruins had another excellent year despite few scorers up front. Coach Brian Sutter deserves credit for getting the most out of the little talent he had. The Bruins special teams were excellent all season, another sign of good coaching. Cam Neely and Adam Oates led the power play with 20 and 16 power play goals, respectively. Ray Bourque and Bryan Smolinski paced the penalty killing unit with 3 shorthanded goals each. TEAM MVP- The Bruins had several MVP candidates. Ray Bourque deserves consideration every year, and Cam Neely was the Boston Bruins when he played, scoring 50 goals in just 49 games. However, even though he's about as exciting as a circus without monkeys (which is pretty boring), the Bruins' MVP is Adam Oates. Oates had another superb year scoring 112 points, but it was his performance while Neely and Bourque were out with injuries late in the season that clinched the award. SURPRISES- There were a couple of choices for this catagory in the Bruins lineup during the 93-94 season. Rookie Bryan Smolinski's 31 goals and 51 assists were a pleasant surprise to all Bruin fans. The big surprise, however, was that Cam Neely was healthy enough to play in 49 games, recording 50 goals and 74 points. His goals per game average of 1.02 led the league and his points per game average of 1.51 was third behind only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. DISAPPOINTMENTS- The most disappointing moment of the Bruins' season was when Cam Neely hobbled off the Boston Garden ice after a collision into the boards with the Devils' Ken Daneyko. Neely once again suffered a knee injury, but this time it was his right knee that was hurt, not his already wounded left knee that kept him out of the lineup constantly during the season. The team adjusted well to not having him in the lineup, but it just wasn't as much fun to watch the Bruins take the ice without him. Neely has vowed to return next season and the staff of LCS can't wait. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Bruins desparately need more scoring up front. Perhaps either Glen Wesley or Don Sweeney will be moved to acquire such a player. Hopefully they will also try to acquire a goaltender that can stop a breakaway, unlike Jon Casey. MONTREAL CANADIENS 41-29-14 96 PTS. 3rd PLACE NORTHEAST DIVISION (9th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 283 (10th) GOALS AGAINST: 248 (7th) POWER PLAY: 20.1% (10th) PENALTY KILLING: 82.6% (8th) Once again, the Canadiens relied on the goaltending of Patrick Roy to win the majority of their games. The Canadiens balanced offensive attack was lead by Vincent Damphousse (40-51-91) and Brian Bellows (33-38-71). Kirk Muller played through several nagging injuries which hampered his scoring production. Defenseman Mathieu Schneider chipped in a career high 20 goals and 52 points to lead all Montreal blueliners. TEAM MVP- Not only is he the best goalie in the world, he is also more valuable to his team than any other player in the league is to their respective club. Without Patrick Roy, the Canadiens appear directionless and confused. With Roy in net, the Canadiens always have a chance to win. He is rarely outplayed and deserves all the praise he is given. SURPRISES- Mathieu Schneider was expected to provide offense from the blue line, but Lyle Odelein? That's right, good ol' Lyle Odelein discovered that he could use his hands to punch home goals instead of punching out opponents. He became an offensive threat in 93-94, by scoring 11 goals and 40 points. Congradulations Lyle. DISAPPOINTMENTS- There wasn't too many disappointments aside from the play of their backup goaltenders, but Montreal probably expected more production out of John LeClair. Scoring only 19 goals and 43 points after such a strong performance in last year's Stanley Cup finals was not what the Canadiens, or LeClair, had in mind. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Canadiens need more scoring up front. Maybe Oleg Petrov will fill the void next year, but it's unlikely he'll get the chance under head coach Jacques Demers. The Canadiens 1993 number one draft pick, Saku Koivu, will apparently stay over in Europe for one more season. BUFFALO SABRES 43-32-9 95 PTS. 4th PLACE NORTHEAST DIVISION (10th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 282 (11th) GOALS AGAINST: 218 (1st) POWER PLAY: 22.6% (2nd) PENALTY KILLING: 84.7% (2nd) When Pat LaFontaine was knocked out for the season with a knee injury just 16 games into the 93-94 campaign, the future of the Sabres did not seem bright. Not only were the Sabres missing LaFontaine, but last year's leading goal scorer, Alexander Mogilny, was still recovering from a broken leg suffered during last year's playoffs. With both of his big guns on the shelf, head coach John Muckler proved once again why he's such a good coach. Almost overnight, Muckler turned the Sabres from a run-and-gun offensive team to a dump-and-chase defensive squad. The team responded well to the change by allowing the fewest goals in the league. Flawless defensive coverage became a Buffalo trademark. Even when there were defensive breakdowns, goalie Dominik Hasek smothered scoring chances better than any other netminder in the league. When the Sabres weren't playing great defense, they were scoring goals. The offense was led by Dale Hawerchuk (35-51-86) and Alexander Mogilny (32-47-79). Donald Audette (29-30-59), Yuri Khmylev (27-31-58) and rookie Derek Plante (21-35-56) also added scoring to a very solid team. TEAM MVP- The obvious choice for MVP of the Sabres would be Dominik Hasek, but we here at LCS sometimes look at things differently. It might be the medication, but we think the Sabres MVP was Dale Hawerchuk. Hawerchuk responded admireably to his increased ice time once superstar Pat LaFontaine went down with the knee injury. Just when it looked like Hawerchuk was running out of time in his terrific career, he improved his goal total from a dismal 18 last year to a team high 35 this season. He also let the team in assists (51), points (86) and tied Alexander Mogilny for the team lead in game winning goals with 7. It's nice to see one of the most underrated players of all-time have yet another great season. SURPRISES- Perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire league was the play of goaltender Dominik Hasek. In "the year of the goalie", Hasek played better than all the rest. The "Dominator" posted the league's best save percentage of .930 and the lowest goals against average, 1.95. He became the first goalie to finish the year with a GAA under 2.00 since the Flyers' Bernie Parent in 1973-74. DISAPPOINTMENTS- When Craig Simpson was signed in the off-season by the Sabres, he was penciled in to play left wing on the LaFontaine-Mogilny line. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way. Not only was LaFontaine injured for almost the entire season, but a nagging back injury kept Simpson out of all but 22 games. Hopefully both Simpson and LaFontaine will enjoy better health next season. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- With Dominik Hasek flopping his way to the top of the league's goaltenders, Grant Fuhr has become expendable. Perhaps Bryan Murray will finally work up the courage to trade for a real goaltender, in which case Fuhr could end up in Detroit. But don't count on it. Other possible destinations for Grant could be Philadelphia or Long Island. QUEBEC NORDIQUES 34-42-8 76 PTS. 5th PLACE NORTHEAST DIVISION (19th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 277 (15th) GOALS AGAINST: 292 (21st) POWER PLAY: 15.6% (22nd) PENALTY KILLING: 79.6% (22nd) The Nordiques season got off to a bad start when last year's leading defensive scorer, Steve Duchesne, refused to report for training camp. Duchesne demanded a trade and held out until late January when a deal was finally made with the St. Louis Blues. In return for Duchesne, the Nordiques received defenseman Garth Butcher and forwards Ron Sutter and Bob Bassen. Each provided leadership and helped tighten up Quebec's defensive zone. However, the trade was too little, too late. The turmoil that started with the Duchesne situation snowballed throughout the year with several disputes between players and management erupting. At one point, captain Joe Sakic got into a shouting match with coach/GM Pierre Page during a game. Sakic reportedly demanded a trade, but cooler heads prevailed and Joe is still in Quebec, where he belongs. If all the internal trouble wasn't enough, bruising right winger Owen Nolan missed all but six games of the season with a shoulder injury. When the fact that the Nords were trying to break in two young goaltenders gets added to the mix, it's not hard to figure out why they suffered through such a tough season. TEAM MVP- In a year full of disappointments, one bright spot was the play of Craig Wolanin. After playing with a severe groin injury the past few years, Wolanin was able to get the injury under control enough for him to play 63 games. His presence in the Nordiques' lineup is a tremendous lift for the team. He gives a sense of stability to a youthful and inexperienced core of blueliners. Wolanin led the Nords with a plus 16. Hopefully Wolanin will be healthy next year to help lead the young Nordiques to their first Stanley Cup. That's right, the Nordiques and the Stanley Cup were mentioned in the same sentence. You heard it here first in LCS. SURPRISES- Everyone expected the Nordiques number one draft pick in 1993, Jocelyn Thibault, would remain in juniors to play a few more seasons before becoming the Nords number one goalie of the future. But the 18 year-old impressed the coaching staff so much in training camp that he started the year in Quebec. While there, Thibault earned more and more playing time throughout the season. He proved he had the ability to play in the NHL and will undoubtedly be the Nords' goalie of the future. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Last season Mats Sundin led the Nords with 114 points, this year he struggled to score 85. While Sundin refused to blame ongoing contract negotiations for his poor play, something was obviously wrong. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- Ron Sutter and Garth Butcher have hinted that they do not want to play in Quebec next season. Although losing either would hurt, losing Butcher would be devestating. With Swedish phenom Peter Forsberg due to arrive next season, and young forwards Dwayne Norris, Todd Warriner and Rene Corbet deserving a chance to play, look for the Nords to make some trades. HARTFORD WHALERS 27-48-9 63 PTS. 6th PLACE NORTHEAST DIVISION (24th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 227 (24th) GOALS AGAINST: 288 (20th) POWER PLAY: 15.0% (23rd) PENALTY KILLING: 78.8% (24th) The future of the Hartford Whalers looked bright entering the 1993-94 season. With a core of young, talented forwards including Geoff Sanderson, Patrick Poulin, Andrew Cassels and Michael Nylander, the Whale were a pretty cool team. Even though spirits were up in Hartford, it was obvious they were years away from challenging for the Stanley Cup. So naturally, management would allow the young forwards, and last year's top draft pick defenseman Chris Pronger, time to develop into solid NHL players, right? Wrong. Instead, the Whalers' management panicked when the youngsters failed to produce early and traded them away. Poulin was dealt to Chicago and Nylander ended up in Calgary. The Whalers weren't going to make the playoffs this season with Poulin and Nylander, but without them they won't be playing hockey in late April for a very long time. TEAM MVP- The Whalers had yet another forgettable season on the ice and an off the ice season that won't be forgotten. Amidst the bar fights, drunk driving charges and other legal matters the most disturbing aspects of the Whalers season may be the way they handled this young talent. In the middle of all this turmoil goalie Sean Burke put together an MVP season by posting a goals against average of 2.99 and a save percentage fo .906 despite facing an average of 34.8 shots a game. Maybe if Burke was allowed to be coach and general mangager the Whalers would have more success. What the hell...it couldn't hurt. SURPRISES- The only thing surprising in Hartford was the way they traded away their young talent. However, a bigger surprise would be if Paul Holmgren is still the GM next season. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Was it mentioned earlier how disappointing the trading of Poulin and Nylander was? Well, it was very disappointing. The Whalers actually had a cool team, they might have lost a lot of games, but at least they were cool. Now they are no longer cool, and guess what? They're still losing! OFF-SEASON CHANGES- Paul Holmgren will likely not return next year and coach Pierre Maguire's job may also be in jeopardy. OTTAWA SENATORS 14-61-9 37 PTS. 7th PLACE NORTHEAST DIVISION (26th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 201 (26th) GOALS AGAINST: 397 (26th) POWER PLAY: 14.5% (25th) PENALTY KILLING: 73.3% (26th) It's hard to believe, but the Senators actually improved on last season's point total by 13 points. Ottawa finished with the fewest goals scored and the most goals allowed. But all is not bleak. With young stars Alexei Yashin and Alexandre Daigle leading the offensive charge, the Senators should continue to improve. Goaltenders Craig Billington and Darrin Madeley were solid in goal despite facing a high number of tremendous scoring chances each night. Before the Senators can even dream about making the playoffs, they first have to acquire more scoring forwards, a few capable defensemen, and some veteran leadership. TEAM MVP- The Senators future appears brighter than at the end of the last few seasons, because of the most talented rookie in the league, Alexei Yashin. Yashin overshadowed last year's number one draft pick and teammate Alexandre Daigle with his superior puckhandling and shooting skills. Yashin finished second in rookie scoring to Mikael Renberg, without the benefit of playing with Eric Lindros, Mark Recchi and Rod Brind`Amour. Yashin's 30 goals, 49 assists and 79 points were all Ottawa records for most in a single season. SURPRISES- Although Yashin surprised a few people with how easily he adjusted to the North American style of game, he was expected to provide offense for the Senators. But no one could have expected that Dave McLlwain would also be an offensive force. McLlwain scored 17 goals and 43 points in just 66 games. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Sylvain Turgeon did suffer a broken arm early in the season, but more scoring than just 26 points in 47 games would be nice. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Senators don't have much bargaining power in any trade talks, so don't expect a lot of movement. The only player with any real trade value would be Sylvain Turgeon. WESTERN CONFERENCE ================== CENTRAL DIVISION ---------------- DETROIT RED WINGS 46-30-8 100 PTS. 1st PLACE CENTRAL DIVISION (4th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 356 (1st) GOALS AGAINST: 275 (16th) POWER PLAY: 20.8% (6th) PENALTY KILLING: 80.9% (17th) The Red Wings once again had no problems scoring goals. Their 356 goals led the league and had 50 more goals than the second ranked team, New Jersey (306). Sergei Fedorov lead the team with 56 goals and 120 points. Ray Sheppard had a career year, scoring 52 goals, and young Vyacheslav Kozlov recorded a breakthrough season, firing home 34 of his own. Added scoring came from Keith Primeau and Dino Ciccarelli who scored 31 and 28 goals, respectively. Since Detroit played so well without him early in the year, it's kind of easy to forget about Steve Yzerman. But "Stevie Wonder" rebounded from an early season back injury to score 82 points in just 58 games. Even with all the goal scoring, everything was not perfect in the Motor City. Coach Scotty Bowman's no-nonsense style of coaching rubbed several of the Wings the wrong way. Add to that the continued goaltending problems, and Detroit's team chemistry was not very solid. TEAM MVP- Detroit's best player this past year was Sergei Fedorov. Sergei finished second in league scoring with 120 points and he was third with 56 goals. He also led the Wings with 10 gamers and was the driving force behind the team all year. Sergei is now at least on an equal level with superstar teammate Steve Yzerman, if not superior. No one in the league can skate with Fedorov, and he has one of the most powerful wrist shots around. But don't think that he's just an offensive threat. Fedorov is still one of the league's best defensive forwards. He proved this by posting the second best plus/minus mark in the league (+48). SURPRISES- Everyone knew that Vyacheslav Kozlov had loads of talent, and in 1993-94 he proved it. Playing on a line with Fedorov, Kozlov scored 34 goals and 73 points in 77 games. DISAPPOINTMENTS- The one thing standing between Detroit and a Stanley Cup is their lack of a superstar goaltender. Rookie Chris Osgood had his moments, but he's not ready to carry the team in the playoffs. Tim Cheveldae wasn't the answer and will have a new lease on life in Winnipeg. When General Manager Bryan Murray traded Cheveldae for Bob Essensa, he expected Essensa to step up as Detroit's number one goalie. However, Essensa had his problems and could not even keep his number one status away from Osgood. Detroit only has one, maybe two, more good years ahead of them, so the staff at LCS will never understand why Murray didn't acquire a proven winner in goal such as Bill Ranford or even Grant Fuhr. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- It will be interesting to see if Detroit will be able to sign free agent Bob Probert, or if he'll skip town for big bucks somewhere else. And whether it happens in the off-season or during next season, the Wings must acquire a proven winner in goal. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 43-29-12 98 PTS. 2nd PLACE CENTRAL DIVISION (5th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 280 (13th) GOALS AGAINST: 243 (6th) POWER PLAY: 19.2% (12th) PENALTY KILLING: 81.9% (11th) Toronto clutched and grabbed their way to another terrific season. The Maple Leafs were once again led by Doug Gilmour (27-84-111) and Dave Andreychuk (53-45-98). Wendel Clark (46-30-76) also contributed significantly to the offense, his 46 goals were second on the team despite missing 20 games due to an ankle injury. The defense was led by Dave Ellett's 43 points and Sylvain Lefebvre's plus 33. Between the pipes, sophomore sensation Felix Potvin provided exceptional goaltending. But how much longer can the Leafs continue to win with so many old players? TEAM MVP- He plays 35-40 minutes a game, he's exciting to watch, his nickname is "Killer" and he kissed Don Cherry. What more do you want out of a team MVP? Yes, that's right, Doug Gilmour is once again the MVP of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gilmour posted magnificent numbers with 27 goals, 84 assists, 111 points and a plus 25. He's the heart and soul of the Leafs and with each game he plays, Doug Riseborough goes a little bit more insane. C'mon, Gilmour for Gary Leeman, who wouldn't want that? SURPRISES- What made Wendel Clark's season a surprise was not the fact that he scored 46 goals. The surprise was that he was healthy enough to play in 64 games. His 0.72 goals per game average was fourth best in the league. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Almost all of the Leafs overachieved, so it's hard to find a disappointment. Wait a minute...there's always the ol' standby, John Cullen. Just a few seasons ago he was a 100 point scorer. This season he was put on waivers by Toronto, and nobody claimed him. Tough luck, Johnny. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Leafs definitely need more scoring up front, especially more younger scoring talent. DALLAS STARS 42-29-13 97 PTS. 3rd PLACE CENTRAL DIVISION (8th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 286 (8th) GOALS AGAINST: 265 (14th) POWER PLAY: 18.4% (15th) PENALTY KILLING: 84.1% (4th) After failing to make the playoffs last season, the Stars rebounded brilliantly this year. Their offense was led by two of the fastest players in the league. Mike Modano (50-43-93) and Russ Courtnall (23-57-80) blazed their way through opposing teams on way to racking up big numbers. The Stars defense was one of the biggest in the league. It wasn't easy for opposing forwards to set up in front of the Dallas net with Mark Tinordi, Derian Hatcher, Craig Ludwig and Grant Ledyard banging away on them. TEAM MVP- Dallas' tremendous season can be attributed to the development of Mike Modano. Modano always had the skills but never dominated play like he did this past season. He exploded for a career high 50 goals and he also led the team with 93 points and 18 power play goals. Mike would have easily eclipsed the 100 point plateau if it was not for a knee injury and a devastating hit by Mark Messier that combined to force him out of eight games. Modano is one of the most exciting players in the league with his speed and blistering shot. The staff at LCS can't wait to watch him next season and for many more to come. SURPRISES- When Jon Casey was traded to Boston in return for Andy Moog, it was assumed that Moog would be Dallas' number one goalie. No one told Darcy Wakaluk. Wakaluk played 36 games, compiling a 2.64 goals against average and a save percentage of .910. DISAPPOINTMENTS- If it wasn't for a strong finish, Dave Gagner (32-29-61) would have had an awful year. A more consistent effort is needed for him throughout the entire season. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Stars will likely make few, if any, changes. Having one or two more consistent goal scoring threats up front would be nice, but maybe young Jarkko Varvio could fill the need next season. ST. LOUIS BLUES 40-33-11 91 PTS. 4th PLACE CENTRAL DIVISION (11th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 270 (17th) GOALS AGAINST: 283 (18th) POWER PLAY: 20.5% (8th) PENALTY KILLING: 81.2% (14th) The Blues had an impressive year despite some wacky trades. No one would argue that Steve Duchesne is a tremendous player, and just about every team would like to have him on their blue line. But when the Blues traded Ron Sutter, Bob Bassen and Garth Butcher to Quebec to acquire Duchesne, they gave up three of their hardest working defensive players. Then there was that whole Petr Nedved fiasco. After losing Craig Janney as compensation for signing Nedved, the Blues reacquired Janney in exchange for a package of players including defensemen Jeff Brown and Bret Hedican. The problem with trades is that St. Louis now has a strong core of six or seven players, but absolutely no depth at all. This lack of depth is especially felt on defense where St. Louis once again allowed more shots on goal than any other team, except for Los Angeles, of course. The Blues offense was carried by the same players all year, Brett Hull (57-40-97), Brendan Shanahan (52-50-102) and Craig Janney (16-68-84). Late season arrivals Petr Nedved (19 GP 6-14-20) and Peter Stastny (17 GP 5-11-16) also chipped in, but a more balanced attack is needed. TEAM MVP- Curtis Joseph had yet another amazing season. He appeared in 71 games and faced 2595 shots, most in the league. Despite the heavy workload, "CuJo" still managed a goals against average of 3.10 and an incredible .911 save percentage. He was also third in the league with 36 wins. Just think what Joseph could accomplish if the Blues would actually play defense. With Butcher, Bassen and Sutter gone for the whole year next season, it's doubtful the Blues will be able to reduce the 37.7 shots allowed per game average that Joseph had to deal with. Wait a minute... aren't Al MacInnis and Scott Stevens free agents this summer? Maybe if GM Ron Caron would sign them....... nevermind. SURPRISES- The only surprise for the Blues is that Curtis Joseph is still standing. DISAPPOINTMENTS- In Phil Housley and Steve Duchesne, the Blues have two of the best defensemen in the league. But fans were disappointed when back problems forced Housley out of 58 games this year. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- One never knows what Ron Caron is going to do next. But whatever he does, it better include adding some quality depth up front and on the blue line if St. Louis is to ever challenge for the Stanley Cup. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 39-36-9 87 PTS. 5th PLACE CENTRAL DIVISION (13th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 254 (18th) GOALS AGAINST: 240 (5th) POWER PLAY: 17.5% (19th) PENALTY KILLING: 83.4% (5th) Chicago had a somewhat successful, but inconsistent, season. They once again played excellent defense and received great goaltending from Eddie Belfour to finish fifth overall in goals allowed. But yet for another season, Chicago's big problem was scoring goals. Jeremy Roenick (46-61-107) had another terrific year playing on a line with Chicago's only other proven goal scorer, Joe Murphy (31-39-70). After Roenick and Murphy, the Hawks just don't have much scoring. Tony Amonte and Paul Ysebaert were brought in at the trade deadline and will be counted on for goals next season. TEAM MVP- Chicago's MVP this year could go to either Ed Belfour or Jeremy Roenick. Roenick gets the nod, because if he doesn't score, the Hawks don't have a chance. Roenick tallied 107 points and became the first Blackhawk ever to record 100 points in three consecutive seasons. SURPRISES- Chicago had a few surprises in 1993-94. However, solid play from defensemen Cam Russell and Eric Weinrich were two bright spots. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Patrick Poulin was brought over from Hartford in hopes that one day he would become a premier power forward in the league. But more than just 12 goals in 58 games was expected this season. Another disappointment was that young forward Sergei Krivokrasov could not land a job with the Hawks all season. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- Chicago took some positive steps in the right direction by acquiring Amonte, Ysebaert and Poulin last during the season, but one or two more scorers are still needed. The acquiring of Gary Suter should also not be overlooked. Despite his less than spectacular play with the Hawks down the stretch, he should be able to help their dismal power play in the future. WINNIPEG JETS 24-51-9 57 PTS. 6th PLACE CENTRAL DIVISION (25th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 245 (21st) GOALS AGAINST: 344 (25th) POWER PLAY: 19.4% (11th) PENALTY KILLING: 79.6% (23rd) After a breakthrough season last year, the Jets crashed in 93-94. Even though they weren't exactly tearing up the league before his injury, once Teemu Selanne went down with a torn achilles tendon, Winnipeg was finished. Without Selanne, "Team Teemu" managed only 17 points in their last 32 games. Injuries to Alexei Zhamnov and Teppo Numminen didn't help matters any. The Jets were 25th in overall in goals allowed but received defensive help late in trades. Defenseman Dave Manson was brought in from Edmonton and played well down the stretch. Meanwhile, goalie Tim Chevaldae performed admirably after coming over from Detroit in exchange for Bob Essensa. The Jets offense was led by captain Keith Tkachuk (41-40-81), Nelson Emerson (33-41-74) and Zhamnov (26-45-71). Darrin Shannon (21-37-58) had a tremendous second half of the season and Dallas Drake, who came over from Detroit with Chevaldae, will be counted on for offense next season. TEAM MVP- Eric Lindros, Cam Neely, Rick Tocchet, Adam Graves, Brendan Shanahan and Owen Nolan. They're all premier power forwards in the NHL and they now have company. His name is Keith Tkachuk. 41 goals, 40 assists, 81 points, they're impressive totals by themselves, yet even more impressive when you factor in the fact that he also had 255 minutes in penalties. But there's still one more thing that makes Tkachuk so special. That's the fact that he was the youngest captain in the league last year and he handled the job as well as anyone. With Tkachuk, Selanne, Zhamnov and Shannon up front, Manson on the blueline, and a revitalized Tim Chevaldae in goal, perhaps Winnipeg will be able to turn things around next year. SURPRISES- Tkachuk was expected to play a big part in Winnipeg's season, but no one could have expected him to dominate like he did. DISAPPOINTMENTS- On a young team, it's up to the veterans to provide leadership. But Thomas Steen was hardly a role model finishing at a minus 38. Steen's point total also dropped by 21 points from last season. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- If Selanne and Zhamnov are healthy, the Jets have a respectable offense. Their defense needs help, but if Numminen is healthy and Manson plays as well as he can, things won't be that bad. So don't look for too many changes. PACIFIC DIVISION ---------------- CALGARY FLAMES 42-29-13 97 PTS. 1st PLACE PACIFIC DIVISION (6th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 302 (3rd) GOALS AGAINST: 256 (11th) POWER PLAY: 21.2% (4th) PENALTY KILLING: 80.6% (19th) The Flames high powered offense burned teams with regularity in 93-94. The return of captain Joe Nieuwendyk (36-39-75) from a knee injury last season sparked the Flames' attack. Gary Roberts proved once again that he is one of the league's premier power forwards by banging home 41 goals and 81 points in 73 games. Theo Fleury also scored 40 goals and 85 points while compiling 186 penalty minutes. The leading scorer of the Flames, however, was young Czech Robert Reichel. Maybe the best player that nobody has ever heard of, Reichel scored 40 goals and 93 points. On defense, All-Star Al MacInnis led a solid group of defensive defensemen including Michel Petit, Dan Keczmer, Trent Yawney, Chris Dahlquist and Frank Musil. Zarley Zalapski and James Patrick were brought in late to provide some offense to go along with MacInnis' prowess at the blueline. Calgary also has three quality goaltenders. Mike Vernon was the number one guy with youngsters Trevor Kidd and Andrei Trefilov waiting for their chance. TEAM MVP- The one guy that makes Calgary a force in the league is Al MacInnis. MacInnis led defensemen in goal scoring this season with 28 goals and he was third in points among defensemen with 82. Al was also a plus 35 for the Flames, two behind Gary Roberts plus 37. When Al wasn't on the Flames' blueline this year for nine games due to a nagging shoulder injury, his absence was felt. The Flames future depends on re-signing him on the off-season. SURPRISES- When German Titov was drafted 252 overall in the 1993 entry draft, few thought he'd make the team. Titov played in 76 games and scored 27 goals and 45 points while finishing a plus 20. His three short-handed goals tied Gary Roberts for the team lead. DISAPPOINTMENTS- There were few disappointments in Calgary but Joel Otto's minus 17 would have to be one. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- With Mike Vernon, Trevor Kidd and Andrei Trefilov, Calgary has an awfully crowded crease. If the Flames feel Kidd and Trefilov are ready to handle the load, Vernon could be the odd man out. Or one of the youngsters could go and the Flames would still have Vernon there to guide whoever is left. LCS's opinion is that Vernon won't be back next season, and Trefilov will eventually become the number one guy ahead of Kidd. Possible destinations for Vernon would be Detroit, Long Island or Philadelphia. VANCOUVER CANUCKS 41-40-3 85 PTS. 2nd PLACE PACIFIC DIVISION (14th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 279 (14th) GOALS AGAINST: 276 (17th) POWER PLAY: 18.8% (14th) PENALTY KILLING: 81.7% (12th) Vancouver's season was full of ups and downs. Things got off to a bad start when Petr Nedved refused to come back to Vancouver because of a contract dispute. Then superstar Pavel Bure went down with an early season groin injury. But things began to get better when Bure slowly recovered. He went nuts in the second half of the year on way to recording a league high 60 goals. His 107 points were good enough for fifth in the league and marked the second consecutive year he surpassed the 100 point mark. Another factor in the Canucks improved play was the acquisition of defenseman Jeff Brown at the end of the wild and wacky Nedved situation. Brown solidified Vancouver's power play and gave the Canucks some much needed offense from the blueline. Other Canuck standouts this year were Geoff Courtnall (26-44-70), Cliff Ronning (25-43-68), Trevor Linden (32-29-61), Murray Craven (15-40-55) and Jyrki Lumme (13-42-55). TEAM MVP- Is there anyone faster that "The Russian Rocket"? No. Is there anyone better on breakaways than "The Russian Rocket"? No. Is there anyone more exciting than "The Russian Rocket"? No. Is there anyone cooler than "The Russian Rocket"? No. Do you get the idea? Pavel Bure was slowed early on this season by a groin injury but he returned in style. He was unstoppable down the stretch, scoring 45 goals in his last 45 games. We at LCS would like to salute him on a tremendous season. C'mon everybody, three cheers for Pavel...hip-hip-Bure, hip-hip-Bure, hip-hip-Bure. SURPRISES- Some of Pavel's scoring touch must have rubbed off on his best buddy Gino Odjick. Odjick not only led the Canucks in penalty minutes with 271, he also played on a line with Bure and Craven, scoring a career high 16 goals and 29 points. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Jimmy Carson used to be a 50 goal scorer. Now he's struggling to play a regular shift with the Canucks. His 7 goals, 10 assists and minus 13 in 34 games were anything but impressive. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Canucks need more consistent scoring up front, but may not need to make any changes if Greg Adams could stay healthy and Martin Gelinas and Jimmy Carson play to their potential. SAN JOSE SHARKS 33-35-16 82 PTS. 3rd PLACE PACIFIC DIVISION (17th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 252 (20th) GOALS AGAINST: 265 (14th) POWER PLAY: 16.0% (20th) PENALTY KILLING: 78.6% (25th) San Jose had a remarkable season, improving on last year's point total by an amazing 58 points. Coach Kevin Constantine deserves a tremendous amount of the credit, but an influx of exceptional talent didn't hurt either. The Sharks brought in a number of new faces for the 93-94 season, including Sergei Makarov (30-38-68), Igor Larionov (18-38-56), Todd Elik (25-41-66), Jeff Norton (7-33-40), Bob Errey (12-18-30), Gaetan Duchesne (15-20-35) and Ulf Dahlen (25-44-69). San Jose was the NHL's version of the Russian Red Army, getting big contributions from Russians Makarov, Larionov, Sandis Ozolinsh (26-38-64) and Arturs Irbe. With young forwards Pat Falloon, Johan Garpenlov, Ray Whitney and last year's number one pick, Viktor Kozlov, hopefully coming over next season, the Sharks will have a potent offense for years. The situation on defense also looks bright in the future with youngsters Ozolinsh, Mike Rathje, Michal Sykora and Vlastimil Kroupa all showing signs they can play in the NHL. TEAM MVP- The MVP of the Sharks was Latvian goalie Arturs Irbe. Irbe appeared in an astounding 74 games in which he played 4412 minutes, both league highs. Irbe had an impressive 2.84 goals against average and a save percentage of .899. Irbe set San Jose records for wins (30), ties (16), games, minutes and shutouts (3). Irbe accounted for 76 of the Sharks' 82 points. He was the main reason for the Sharks' remarkable turnaround from last year. SURPRISES- San Jose started the season 0-8-2, then the Sharks acquired Todd Elik on waivers from Edmonton. Elik gave San Jose depth and some much needed scoring touch at center. He scored 25 goals and 66 points in 75 games with the Sharks, including four game winning goals. DISAPPOINTMENTS- When Rob Gaudreau scored 23 goals in 59 games as a rookie for the Sharks last season, big things were expected of him 93-94. However, Gaudreau had a disappointing season which saw him score only 15 goals in 84 games. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Sharks just need time for their young talent to develop further. ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS 33-46-5 71 PTS. 4th PLACE PACIFIC DIVISION (20th OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 229 (23rd) GOALS AGAINST: 251 (8th) POWER PLAY: 14.4% (26th) PENALTY KILLING: 82.7% (7th) Anaheim had a successful first year in the NHL despite missing the playoffs. What made their season so special was that they finished ahead of their arch-rival, the Los Angeles Kings. The Ducks played excellent defensive hockey, but had trouble scoring goals. Leading scorers Terry Yake (21-31-52) and Bob Corkum (23-28-51) carried much of the offensive load. Garry Valk (18-27-45), Tim Sweeney (16-27-43) and Joe Sacco (19-18-37) also made contributions on offense. Guy Hebert was the workhorse in net, appearing in 52 games and compiling impressive stats that include a 2.83 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. Mikhail Shtalenkov also performed well in goal after Ron Tugnutt was traded away to Montreal for Stephan Lebeau. TEAM MVP- Although Anaheim had a successful season for an expansion team, they did it as a team with few standouts. Guy Hebert deserves consideration for the team MVP, but he basically did what was expected of him. The one Duck that performed above and beyond expectations was Bobby Corkum. Corkum led Anaheim with a career high 23 goals and was just one point behind teammate Terry Yake for the team lead in points despite missing the last eight games of the season with a torn tendon in his right foot. Corkum's previous career highs were 6 goals and 10 points while with the Buffalo Sabres. SURPRISES- Bob Corkum was also the surprise of the year for all the above reasons. DISAPPOINTMENTS- The Ducks had a season full of personal bests and almost no disappointments. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Ducks must hope their young players and draft picks develop on schedule because they have no one who would bring a big return on the trade market. Anaheim will also have to try very hard to sign last year's top draft, Paul Kariya, before the start of next season. LOS ANGELES KINGS 27-45-12 66 PTS. 5th PLACE PACIFIC DIVISION (22nd OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 294 (6th) GOALS AGAINST: 322 (24th) POWER PLAY: 20.7% (7th) PENALTY KILLING: 80.5% (21st) The Kings went from the Stanley Cup Finals last year to missing the playoffs this year. Not only did they not make the playoffs, the Kings finished behind the Ducks. The Ducks! Wayne Gretzky led the league in points with 130, but he missed the playoffs for the first time in his storied career. The Kings team defense was abysmal, allowing 3368 shots on goal, most in the NHL. The offense could rack up goals, but lacked the balance and consistency of a winning team. After Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Jari Kurri, the Kings had little else to offer. TEAM MVP- They all sucked. The feeble minded might say that Wayne Gretzky was easily the MVP. After all, he led the league in scoring with 130 points, and in assists with 92. "The Great One" also became "The Greatest One" by scoring his 802nd career goal, surpassing Gordie Howe as the all-time leading goal scorer. But despite all his scoring, Gretzky was a minus 25, and the Kings finished with just 66 points. The problem with Gretzky's 130 points is that most of them were meaningless. Of Wayne's 38 goals, none of them were game winners. Even Warren Rychel had three gamers. Where were you when the game was on the line, Gretz? The only King that didn't really suck was Kelly Hrudey, so he gets the MVP. Hrudey faced 39.5 shots per game, that's tops in the league, yet he managed a very respectable save percentage of .897. Hopefully, next year the Kings will play a little better in front of him. SURPRISES- Rookie Robert Lang scored 9 goals and 10 assists in limited playing time with the Kings. Lang scored some spectacular goals, and gives Kings' fans something to be excited about for next season. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Tony Granato had a terrible year, scoring just 7 goals and 21 points in 50 games. His season hit rock bottom when he two-handed Neil Wilkinson of the Chicago Blackhawks over the head with his stick. Granato was suspended 15 games, but deserved more. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Kings may clean house this summer. Luc Robitaille seems to be a likely candidate to go, since he would bring the most in return. EDMONTON OILERS 25-45-14 64 PTS. 6th PLACE PACIFIC DIVISION (23rd OVERALL) GOALS FOR: 261 (18th) GOALS AGAINST: 305 (22nd) POWER PLAY: 18.4% (16th) PENALTY KILLING: 80.5% (20th) Edmonton's rebuilding process continued in 93-94. However, the days of the Oilers being back in the playoffs may not be that far away. Edmonton continued to stockpile good, young talented players, with last year's first round pick, Jason Arnott, leading the way. Arnott had a great rookie year, scoring 33 goals and 68 points. The Oilers leading scorer was Doug Weight (24-50-74), who was acquired from the Rangers last year in exchange for Esa Tikkanen. Shayne Corson (25-29-54) provided leadership for the young squad an was having a terrific year before a broken leg limited him to only 64 games played. On defense, Igor Kravchuk led a group of blueliners, including Bob Beers, Fredrick Olausson, Boris Mironov and Ilya Byakin. TEAM MVP- The Oilers' MVP was goalie Bill Ranford. Ranford is one of the league's premier goalies and is easily the most exciting to watch. Ranford appeared in 71 games, winning 22 and facing 2561 shots, second behind Curtis Joseph of the St. Louis Blues. Of Edmonton's 64 points this season, Ranford accounted for 55 of them. Without him, the Oilers would have challenged Ottawa for last place in the league. With him, the Detroit Red Wings could have won the Stanley Cup. Oh well, better luck next year, Detroit. SURPRISES- Jason Arnott's excellent play had to surprise some people. But the play of rookie Brent Grieve shocked everyone. Grieve scored 13 goals in 24 games with the Oilers after being acquired from the Islanders. With Grieve, Arnott and Weight up front, the future looks bright for the Oilers' offense. DISAPPOINTMENTS- Tough guy Kelly Buchberger had a miserable season in which he scored just 3 goals in 84 games. OFF-SEASON CHANGES- The Oilers didn't trade Ranford this past year, but the offers from other teams close to winning a cup will continue to roll in. Otherwise, the Oilers will just give their young team the time it needs to develop into a contender. -------LCS: guide to hockey----------------------- 1993-94 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS ------------------------------------------------------------- POINTS NAME TEAM G A PTS Wayne Gretzky.......LA....38..92..13O Sergei Fedorov......DET...56..64..120 Adam Oates..........BOS...32..80..112 Doug Gilmour........TOR...27..84..111 Pavel Bure..........VAN...60..47..107 Jeremy Roenick......CHI...46..61..107 Mark Recchi.........PHI...40..67..107 Brendan Shanahan....StL...52..50..102 Jaromir Jagr........PIT...32..67...99 Dave Andreychuk.....TOR...53..45...98 POINTS PER GAME AVERAGE (minimum 21 games played) NAME TEAM GP PTS AVG Mario Lemieux.......PIT..22...37..1.68 Wayne Gretzky.......LA...81..130..1.60 Cam Neely...........BOS..49...74..1.51 Eric Lindros........PHI..65...97..1.49 Sergei Fedorov......DET..82..120..1.46 Adam Oates..........BOS..77..112..1.45 Pavel Bure..........VAN..76..107..1.41 Steve Yzerman.......DET..58...82..1.41 Pierre Turgeon......NYI..69...94..1.36 Doug Gilmour........TOR..83..111..1.34 GOALS Pavel Bure..........VAN......60 Brett Hull..........StL......57 Sergei Fedorov......DET......56 Dave Andreychuk.....TOR......53 Brendan Shanahan....StL......52 Ray Sheppard........DET......52 Adam Graves.........NYR......52 Cam Neely...........BOS......50 Mike Modano.........DAL......50 GOALS PER GAME AVERAGE (minimum 21 games played) NAME TEAM GP G AVG Cam Neely...........BOS...49..50..1.02 Pavel Bure..........VAN...76..60..0.79 Mario Lemieux.......PIT...22..17..0.77 Wendel Clark........TOR...64..46..0.72 Brett Hull..........StL...81..57..0.70 Sergei Fedorov......DET...82..56..0.68 Eric Lindros........PHI...65..44..0.68 Mike Modano.........DAL...76..50..0.66 Brendan Shanahan....StL...81..52..0.64 Dave Andreychuk.....TOR...83..53..0.64 ASSISTS Wayne Gretzky.......LA.......92 Doug Gilmour........TOR......84 Adam Oates..........BOS......80 Sergei Zubov........NYR......77 Ray Bourque.........BOS......71 Craig Janney........StL......68 Jaromir Jagr........PIT......67 Mark Recchi.........PHI......67 Joe Juneau........BOS/WAS....66 Ron Francis.........PIT......66 ASSISTS PER GAME (minimum 21 games) NAME TEAM GP A AVG Wayne Gretzky.......LA....81..92..1.14 Adam Oates..........BOS...77..80..1.04 Doug Gilmour........TOR...83..84..1.01 Steve Yzerman.......DET...58..58..1.00 Sergei Zubov........NYR...78..77..0.99 Ray Bourque.........BOS...72..71..0.99 Craig Janney........StL...69..68..0.99 Mario Lemieux.......PIT...22..20..0.91 Joe Juneau........BOS/WAS.74..66..0.89 Jaromir Jagr........PIT...80..67..0.84 SHOTS ON GOAL Brendan Shanahan....StL.....397 Brett Hull..........StL.....392 Ray Bourque.........BOS.....386 Pavel Bure..........VAN.....374 Sergei Fedorov......DET.....337 Dave Andreychuk.....TOR.....333 Brian Leetch........NYR.....328 Al MacInnis.........CAL.....324 Rob Blake...........LA......304 SHOOTING % Cam Neely...........BOS....27.0 Martin Straka.......PIT....23.1 Eric Lindros........PHI....22.3 Mike Ricci..........QUE....21.7 Gary Roberts........CAL....20.3 Keith Primeau.......DET....20.0 Ray Sheppard........DET....20.0 Mikael Renberg......PHI....19.5 Sergei Makarov......SJ.....19.4 POWER PLAY GOALS Pavel Bure..........VAN......25 Brett Hull..........StL......25 Luc Robitaille......LA.......24 Jeremy Roenick......CHI......24 Keith Tkachuk.......WIN......22 Wendel Clark........TOR......21 Dave Andreychuk.....TOR......21 Kevin Stevens.......PIT......21 Cam Neely...........BOS......20 Adam Graves.........NYR......20 POWER PLAY POINTS Wayne Gretzky.......LA.......61 Brian Leetch........NYR......53 Ray Bourque.........BOS......52 Sergei Zubov........NYR......49 Al MacInnis.........CAL......46 POWER PLAY ASSISTS Wayne Gretzky.......LA.......47 Ray Bourque.........BOS......42 Sergei Zubov........NYR......40 Brian Leetch........NYR......36 Jeff Brown........StL/VAN....34 Al MacInnis.........CAL......34 SHORTHANDED GOALS Brendan Shanahan....StL.......7 Dave Andreychuk.....TOR.......5 Nelson Emerson......WIN.......5 Mike Gartner......NYR/TOR.....5 Benoit Hogue........NYI.......5 Shawn McEachern....LA/PIT.....5 Marty McInnis.......NYI.......5 Wayne Presley.......BUF.......5 Jeremy Roenick......CHI.......5 PLUS/MINUS Scott Stevens.......NJD.....+53 Sergei Fedorov......DET.....+48 Nicklas Lidstrom....DET.....+43 Frank Musil.........CAL.....+38 Gary Roberts........CAL.....+37 GAME WINNING GOALS Cam Neely...........BOS......13 Vincent Damphousse..MTL......10 Sergei Fedorov......DET......10 Pavel Bure..........VAN.......9 Eric Lindros........PHI.......9 Joey Mullen.........PIT.......9 Stephane Richer.....NJD.......9 Joe Sakic...........QUE.......9 Dave Andreychuk.....TOR.......8 Wendel Clark........TOR.......8 Brendan Shanahan....StL.......8 PENALTY MINUTES Tie Domi............WIN.....347 Shane Churla........DAL.....333 Warren Rychel.......LA......322 Craig Berube........WAS.....305 Kelly Chase.........StL.....278 Lyle Odelein........MTL.....276 Bob Probert.........DET.....275 Rob Ray.............BUF.....274 Todd Ewen...........ANA.....272 Marc Potvin.........HAR.....272 PENALTY MINUTES PER GAME (minimum 21 games played) NAME TEAM GP PM AVG Mark Potvin.........HAR..54..272..5.04 Shane Churla........DAL..69..333..4.83 Tie Domi............WIN..81..347..4.28 Bob Probert.........DET..66..275..4.17 Kelly Chase.........StL..68..278..4.09 Warren Rychel.......LA...80..322..4.03 Craig Berube........WAS..84..305..3.63 Todd Ewen...........ANA..76..272..3.58 Chris Simon.........QUE..37..132..3.57 Lyle Odelein........MTL..79..276..3.49 DEFENSEMEN ------------------------------------------------------------- POINTS NAME TEAM GP G A PTS Ray Bourque........BOS..72..20..71..91 Sergei Zubov.......NYR..78..12..77..89 Al MacInnis........CAL..75..28..54..82 Brian Leetch.......NYR..84..23..56..79 Scott Stevens......NJD..83..18..60..78 Paul Coffey........DET..80..14..63..77 Larry Murphy.......PIT..84..17..56..73 Garry Galley.......PHI..81..10..60..70 Rob Blake..........LA...84..20..48..68 Jeff Brown......StL/VAN.74..14..52..66 POINTS PER GAME AVERAGE (minimum 21 games played) NAME TEAM GP PTS AVG Ray Bourque..........BOS..72...91..1.26 Sergei Zubov.........NYR..78...89..1.14 Al MacInnis..........CAL..75...82..1.09 Paul Coffey..........DET..80...77..0.96 Brian Leetch.........NYR..84...79..0.94 Scott Stevens........NJD..83...78..0.93 Jeff Brown........StL/VAN.74...66..0.89 Larry Murphy.........PIT..84...73..0.87 Gary Galley..........PHI..81...70..0.86 Steve Duchesne.......StL..36...31..0.86 GOALS Al MacInnis.........CAL......28 Sandis Ozolinsh.....SJ.......26 Brian Leetch........NYR......23 Ray Bourque.........BOS......20 Rob Blake...........LA.......20 Matt Schneider......MTL......20 Scott Stevens.......NJD......18 Larry Murphy........PIT......17 Chris Chelios.......CHI......16 Sylvain Cote........WAS......16 GOAL PER GAME (minimum 21 games played) NAME TEAM GP G AVG Al MacInnis.........CAL..75...28..0.37 Steve Duchesne......StL..36...12..0.33 Sandis Ozolinsh.....SJ...81...26..0.32 Ray Bourque.........BOS..72...20..0.28 Brian Leetch........NYR..84...23..0.27 ASSISTS Sergei Zubov........NYR......77 Ray Bourque.........BOS......71 Paul Coffey.........DET......63 Gary Galley.........PHI......60 Scott Stevens.......NJD......60 Brian Leetch........NYR......56 Larry Murphy........PIT......56 Al MacInnis.........CAL......54 Jeff Brown........StL/VAN....52 Vladimir Malakhov...NYI......47 ASSISTS PER GAME AVERAGE (minimum 21 games played) NAME TEAM GP A AVG Sergei Zubov........NYR..78..77..0.99 Ray Bourque.........BOS..72..71..0.99 Paul Coffey.........DET..80..63..0.79 Gary Galley.........PHI..81..60..0.74 Scott Stevens.......NJD..83..60..0.72 GOALTENDERS ------------------------------------------------------------- GAMES Arturs Irbe.........SJ.......74 Curtis Joseph.......StL......71 Bill Ranford........EDM......71 Ed Belfour..........CHI......70 Bob Essensa.......WIN/DET....69 MOST MINUTES PLAYED Arturs Irbe.........SJ.....4412 Curtis Joseph.......StL....4127 Bill Ranford........EDM....4070 Ed Belfour..........CHI....3998 Bob Essensa.......WIN/DET..3914 WINS Mike Richter........NYR......42 Ed Belfour..........CHI......37 Curtis Joseph.......StL......36 Patrick Roy.........MTL......35 Felix Potvin........TOR......34 LOSSES Craig Billington....OTT......41 Bob Essensa.......WIN/DET....37 Bill Ranford........EDM......34 Darren Puppa........TAM......33 Kelly Hrudey........LA.......31 TIES Arturs Irbe.........SJ.......16 John Vanbiesbrouck..FLA......11 Patrick Roy.........MTL......11 Curtis Joseph.......StL......11 Bill Ranford........EDM......11 GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE Dominik Hasek.......BUF....1.95 Martin Brodeur......NJD....2.40 Patrick Roy.........MTL....2.50 John Vanbiesbrouck..FLA....2.53 Mike Richter........NYR....2.57 SAVE PERCENTAGE Dominik Hasek.......BUF... .930 John Vanbiesbrouck..FLA... .924 Patrick Roy.........MTL... .918 Martin Brodeur......NJD... .915 Curtis Joseph.......StL... .911 SHUTOUTS Dominik Hasek.......BUF.......7 Ed Belfour..........CHI.......7 Patrick Roy.........MTL.......7 Mike Richter........NYR.......5 Ron Hextall.........NYI.......5 MOST SHOTS AGAINST Curtis Joseph.......StL....2595 Bill Ranford........EDM....2561 Kelly Hrudey........LA.....2447 Arturs Irbe.........SJ.....2273 Bob Essensa.......WIN/DET..2286 MOST SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME Kelly Hrudey........LA.....39.5 Bill Ranford........EDM....37.8 Curtis Joseph.......StL....37.7 Craig Billington....OTT....37.1 John Vanbiesbrouck..FLA....35.9 LEAST SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME Don Beaupre.........WAS....26.4 Jon Casey...........BOS....27.1 Mike Vernon.........CAL....28.7 Darren Puppa........TAM....29.6 Dominik Hasek.......BUF....29.7 MOST SAVES Curtis Joseph.......StL....2382 Bill Ranford........EDM....2325 Kelly Hrudey........LA.....2219 Arturs Irbe.........SJ.....2064 Bob Essensa.......WIN/DET..2051 Felix Potvin........TOR....2010 MOST SAVES PER GAME Kelly Hrudey........LA.....35.9 Curtis Joseph.......StL....34.6 Bill Ranford........EDM....34.3 John Vanbiesbrouck..FLA....33.4 Craig Billington....OTT....32.6 FEWEST SAVES PER GAME Don Beaupre.........WAS....23.6 Jon Casey...........BOS....24.2 Mike Vernon.........CAL....25.9 Darren Puppa........TAM....26.9 Chris Osgood........DET....27.2 PENALTY MINUTE LEADERS Ed Belfour..........CHI......61 Ron Hextall.........NYI......52 Tom Barrasso........PIT......42 John Vanbiesbrouck..FLA......38 Patrick Roy.........MTL......30 ASSIST LEADERS Kirk McLean.........VAN.......4 Felix Potvin........TOR.......4 Ed Belfour..........CHI.......4 Trevor Kidd.........CAL.......4 Grant Fuhr..........BUF.......4 ROOKIE LEADERS ------------------------------------------------------------- SCORING NAME TEAM GP G A PTS Mikael Renberg......PHI..83..38..44...82 Alexei Yashin.......OTT..83..30..49...79 Jason Arnott........EDM..78..33..35...68 Derek Plante........BUF..77..21..35...56 Bryan Smolinski.....BOS..83..31..20...51 Alexandre Daigle....OTT..84..20..31...51 Jesse Belanger......FLA..70..17..33...50 Chris Gratton.......TAM..84..13..29...42 Iain Fraser.........QUE..60..17..20...37 Boris Mironov.......WIN..79...7..24...31 Brent Grieve........EDM..27..13...5...18 POINTS PER GAME Mikael Renberg......PHI....0.99 Alexei Yashin.......OTT....0.95 Jason Arnott........EDM....0.87 Derek Plante........BUF....0.73 Jesse Belanger......FLA....0.71 GOALS PER GAME Brent Grieve........EDM....0.48 Mikael Renberg......PHI....0.46 Jason Arnott........EDM....0.42 Bryan Smolinski.....BOS....0.37 Alexei Yashin.......OTT....0.36 ASSISTS PER GAME Alexei Yashin.......OTT....0.59 Mikael Renberg......PHI....0.53 Jesse Belanger......FLA....0.47 Dean McAmmond.......EDM....0.47 Jason Arnott........EDM....0.45 Derek Plante........BUF....0.45 PENALTY MINUTES Shawn Antoski.......VAN.....190 Darren McCarty......DET.....181 Sandy McCarthy......CAL.....173 Dave Karpa..........QUE.....148 Chris Simon.........QUE.....132 PENALTY MINUTES PER GAME NAME TEAM GP PM AVG Chris Simon.........QUE..37.132..3.57 Shawn Antoski.......VAN..55.190..3.45 Matthew Barnaby.....BUF..35.106..3.03 Paul Laus...........FLA..39.109..2.79 Darren McCarty......DET..67.181..2.70 GOALTENDING WINS Martin Brodeur......NJD......27 Chris Osgood........DET......23 Trevor Kidd.........CAL......13 Damian Rhodes.......TOR.......9 Jocelyn Thibault....QUE.......8 Jamie McLennan......NYI.......8 LOSSES Darren Madeley......OTT......18 Jocelyn Thibault....QUE......13 Martin Brodeur......NJD......11 Fred Brathwaite.....EDM......10 Mike O'Neill........WIN.......9 TIES Martin Brodeur......NJD.......8 Trevor Kidd.........CAL.......6 Jamie McLennan......NYI.......6 Chris Osgood........DET.......5 Darren Madeley......OTT.......5 SAVE PERCENTAGE Martin Brodeur......NJD... .915 Jamie McLennan......NYI... .905 Damian Rhodes.......TOR... .902 Chris Osgood........DET... .895 Jocelyn Thibault....QUE... .892 _____________________________________________________________ Thanks for reading LCS: guide to hockey ------------------------------------------------------------- -THE ALL-LCS TEAM- It takes more than just talent and big numbers to make the All-LCS Team. Players also need that little something extra that makes them cooler than everyone else. And if you don't know what makes these guys so cool, then we're certainly not going to tell you. CENTER- Sergei Fedorov - Detroit Red Wings RIGHT WING- Pavel Bure - Vancouver Canucks LEFT WING- Brendan Shanahan - St. Louis Blues DEFENSE- Scott Stevens - New Jersey Devils DEFENSE- Sandis Ozolinsh - San Jose Sharks GOALIE- Curtis Joseph - St. Louis Blues GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR - NEIL SMITH (RANGERS) COACH OF THE YEAR - JACQUES LEMAIRE (DEVILS) FORWARD OF THE YEAR - SERGEI FEDOROV DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR - SCOTT STEVENS GOALIE OF THE YEAR - DOMINIK HASEK PLAYER OF THE YEAR - DOMINIK HASEK ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - ALEXEI YASHIN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The staff at LCS would love to hear what you think of our guide to hockey. We also would like to know your thoughts on the following question: QUESTION: Who is better Doug Gilmour or Adam Oates? BONUS: What does the "i" in CHiPS stand for? We'll print as many letters as possible, so give us your opinion. Thanks! Send all letters to: LCS - Snail Mail (Prefered) 632 Hempfield Street Greensburg, PA 15601 aq117@freenet.carleton.ca - E-Mail CONTEST: LCS:guide to hockey is looking for a mascot for its Electronic Edition and want you, our valuable readers, to come up with ideas. To enter send us your ascii drawings of chickens, with your name and email address to: aq117@freenet.carleton.ca Prizes may include, but are not limited to, a trip to Seattle(doubtful), a new car(doubtful), or a 1990 ProSet card of your choice(hopefully Bernie Nicholls). Thanks from the staff at LCS. NEXT ISSUE: PLAYOFF REVIEW AND PREVIEW OF DRAFT IN HARTFORD FROM OUR OWN REPORTERS. REMEMBER TO SAVE THE WHALE! SEE YOU IN HARTFORD.