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LCS HOCKEY: June 15, 1994 - June 23, 1999
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GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY  GUIDE TO HOCKEY GUIDE TO HOCKEY  
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Five Star            - ELECTRONIC EDITION -            * * * * * 
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Issue 125               June 23, 1999              390,000 bytes
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After Further Review:  It's Still a Garage League
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by Jim Iovino

After five years of writing about this garage league, we thought we
had seen it all. 

But just when we thought the NHL couldn't get much worse, the league
did what everyone thought it couldn't - it ruined the last game of
the Stanley Cup finals.  

Brett Hull scored the game-winning goal in triple overtime of Game 6
of the Stanley Cup finals.  The goal, a rebound shot past a sprawled
Dominik Hasek, brought the Cup to Dallas for the first time in team
history.  

Or did it?  After further review by ESPN, a replay clearly showed
that Hull's left skate was in the crease before he poked home the
rebound.  But did the league do anything about it?  No.  The NHL
let the biggest goal of the year stand without a second look.  

In other words, after an entire season of goals being disallowed by
a punk-ass goal crease rule, the league decided the last goal of
the season was above the rules.  With the Stanley Cup on the line,
the league looked the other way.  

So much for being unbiased.  So much for sticking to their guns.  So
much for standing up for a "black-and-white" issue. 

Sure, the league will say they reviewed the play.  Here's a token
quote from the league's director of officiating, Bryan Lewis. 

"Every such goal has been reviewed by the NHL since the start of the
season, including this one," Lewis said. "If you notice - and I
can't tell you how long it took - the officials stood at the
penalty bench. They don't leave that area until they have been
given a signal by us.  How long did that take, I apologize.  I
can't answer that."  

And sure, the league will say it sent out a memo to NHL teams on
March 25 stating the new "rule change", despite the fact that it
didn't tell the fans or, apparently, the referees who continued to
call the rule in the same, idiotic way. 

Perhaps this is what really happened.  The game was close to being
the longest in playoff history, and for the sake of national
television rights, people in high places wanted it to end so
SportsCenter could air. For the sake of Czar Bettman's plan for
world domination in terms of southern expansion of the NHL, it
would be perfect for a team from Dallas to win the Cup.  And for
the sake of trying not to look like asses, the league refused to
let the same punk-ass goal crease rule that frustrated fans the
entire season interfere with the outcome of the Stanley Cup winner.
 

But instead of trying not to look like asses, the league did the
opposite.  It made itself look like complete and total asses.
 

By not sticking to the original rules from the beginning of the
season, the league went back on everything it stood for the last
three years. Despite all of the bitching and complaining from fans
and, well, LCS Hockey, the league had stood firm on the goal-crease
rule.  But now, after much agony and torture, the league decided
not to play by the same rules it had the previous three seasons.
 

For the first time ever, Lewis pulled out of his magical hat the
following explanation as to why the rule wasn't enforced: 

"The debate here seems to be did he or did he not have possession
and control. Our words from upstairs and our view was that, yes, he
did.  He played the puck from his foot to his stick, shot and
scored. ...A puck that rebounds off the goalie, the goal post, an
opposing player is not deemed to be a change of possession and
therefore Hull would be in possession ... even though the one foot
would be in the crease in advance of the puck."  

So why, if this is the case, has this part of the rule never been
enforced before?  Perhaps some of you might remember a goal Pierre
Turgeon thought he scored a few years back.  Turgeon had the puck
behind the opponent's net, he circled around one side and used a
wrap-around to score a goal.  But the goal was called back because
Turgeon's own skate was in the crease before the puck was.  Under
the "new" interpretation of the rules, that goal should have
counted.  

And another thing.  Under this interpretation, we'd have to suppose
that if Sergei Zubov takes a shot from the point, he is still in
possession of the puck after the shot is deflected off the goalie and
the rebound goes into the corner.  As the puck enters the corner,
Zubov would technically still have control of the puck.  Does that
sound right?  No, because it isn't.  

The Buffalo Sabres were furious after the call wasn't made.  And
they should have been.  

Sabres' coach Lindy Ruff actually approached Gary Bettman after the
game and demanded an explaination. Bettman turned his back and
walked the other way.  

"He almost looked to me like he knew this might be a tainted goal
and there was no answer for it," Ruff said. "I just wanted an
explanation. Is it a good goal (or) not a good goal?"  

Joey Juneau had some harsh words about the incident. 

"I really think that if we had scored a goal like that, it would
have been called back," Juneau said. "I think because it was a goal
that gave them the Stanley Cup, everybody jumped on the ice and
they were afraid to make the call. It was our team that had scored
the goal, it would have been called back and we would still be in
overtime.  

"They (Dallas) played hard, you don't want to take anything away
from their team, but I believe everybody will remember this as the
Stanley Cup that was never won in '99. It was given away to a good
team, but the goal was not a legal goal."  

Adding insult to injury, just two days after the phantom goal, the
league decided to do away with video replay of goals altogether. 
Bettman said the rule change had nothing to do with Hull's goal. 
He said the league was more concerned that the game would lose some
of its spontaneity when play is stopped for video reviews.  

Spontaneity?  How about losing its credibility as a major
professional sport in North America?  

"We're relying too much on replays," Bettman said and smiled,
knowing he has spiked another dagger through the heart of a once
pure and proud game.  "The rule (on Hull's goal) was absolutely,
correctly applied.  Everyone understands it was the right call."
 

Everyone except the millions of hockey fans around the world who
have be force-fed a black-and-white in the crease rule for the past
three seasons, only to see it not used in the most important game
of all.  That includes Ruff, who is probably still replaying the
goal over and over in his sleep.  

"All I wanted was a review," Ruff said. "All I wanted was a review."
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CREDITS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Dell..................................Editor-in-Chief
Zippy............................................Computer Boy
Jim Iovino.......................................Ace Reporter
Matthew Secosky..............New Voice of the Lost Generation
Nicole Agostino....Don't Know Nothin' Bout Birthin' No Babies
Alex Carswell...........................Anaheim Correspondent
Matt Brown...............................Boston Correspondent
Matt Barr...............................Buffalo Correspondent
John Alsedek............................Calgary Correspondent
Chris Schilling........................Carolina Correspondent
Thomas Crawford.........................Chicago Correspondent
Greg D'Avis............................Colorado Correspondent
Jim Panenka..............................Dallas Correspondent
Dino Cacciola...........................Detroit Correspondent
Aubrey Chau............................Edmonton Correspondent
Matt Moore..........................Los Angeles Correspondent
Jacques Robert.........................Montreal Correspondent
Jeff Middleton........................Nashville Correspondent
Carmen Crincoli......................New Jersey Correspondent
David Strauss.........................Islanders Correspondent
Gregg Jensen............................Rangers Correspondent
The Nosebleeders........................Ottawa Correspondents
Chuck Michio.......................Philadelphia Correspondent
Jerry Fairish........................Pittsburgh Correspondent
Tom Cooper............................St. Louis Correspondent
AJ DaSilva.............................San Jose Correspondent
Seth Lerman...........................Tampa Bay Correspondent
Jonah Sigel.............................Toronto Correspondent
Jeff Dubois...........................Vancouver Correspondent
Jason Sheehan........................Washington Correspondent
Tricia McMillan.............................AHL Correspondent
Meredith Martini................................Correspondent
Joe Pelletier...................................Correspondent
Brad Murray..........................................Stat Guy
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LCS Hockey - Issue 125 - June 23, 1999.  All rights reserved 
because we, like, called ahead and stuff. Email address: 
info@lcshockey.com  Street Address: 632 Hempfield Street, 
Greensburg, PA 15601.  Web Address: www.lcshockey.com
Direct Address: Something from the meat case, Linda?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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The Stories Behind the Story
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Panenka

The Dallas Stars' 1999 Stanley Cup Championship was something
special. There were so many interesting stories related to the
players this season. And the championship meant much more than
winning it all for one year.  

For some, it was closure. For some, it was things coming full
circle. For others, it was personal vindication. 

But all these stories combine to describe something that transcended
even the game itself. It was a big hunkin' slice of real life. 

The Eagle Soars

The most obvious story is that of goaltender Ed Belfour, previously
known as "Edward the Berserker" or more simply "Psycho Eddie." Ed
Belfour has always been a good goalie.  He backstopped the Chicago
Blackhawks for quite awhile, and never got much to take away from
it. Chicago usually  made the playoffs, but they were normally out
early.  

Even when the Hawks were their most dangerous with the likes of
Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios, they were able to take the whole
enchilada -- to win a championship.  

Belfour left the Blackhawks, and bailed on the Sharks. He joined the
Dallas Stars to simply cash in, some thought. His reputation as a
hot-headed guy who was quick to get distracted from the game dogged
him. So did the fact that he never held the hardware.  

Belfour arrived to play with the Stars and immediately got into a
pissing contest with head coach Ken Hitchcock. He kept to himself,
and remained an enigma.  

While it was obvious Eddie had great goaltending chops, the team
didn't know what to make of him at first. He was definitely not
used to players dropping in front of him to block shots, and it
took 20 or more games before the team got it right.  

Eddie would cover anything high, the D-men had first dibs at
everything down low. And for chrissakes, if you can - just stay out
of the way and let him see the shot! Belfour said he could stop it
if he could see it.  

Goals did bounce in off defender's sticks, skates, chests, pads, you
name it. But, they were relatively insignificant in the big picture -
to form a solid shot-blocking defense working in synergy with
Belfour's style.  

There was that streak that Belfour went through at first where he
would either pitch a shutout or totally stink in the nets. There
was not much middle ground there. People were questioning his
heart, his dedication. But, it was just a period of adjustment.
 

It was the beginning of the transformation of Ed Belfour from just
being a goalie to being a member of a team. A real team. A magical
team (OK, that's the last time I'm using that magical thing). 

Eddie slowly kept plugging along and got more solid as time went on.
His back problems had plagued him the last few years, and some
thought they might be too much for him to overcome. In fact,
Belfour sat on the bench regularly to avoid flaring up the back
problems when they were bothering him. (If you've never had back
problems before, lemme tell ya - they are no picnic, Chester!
Imagine having evil little gnomes in your back wrenching your
muscles 24-7. It ain't pretty)  

Anyway, Belfour worked harder than anybody to rehab that back and
make it a non-issue. He went through rehab procedures reportedly
for an hour or more before and after games to keep everything
loose.  

And the team got more dangerous with every passing game. Slowly but
surely Eddie began to let the real Ed Belfour out in the open.  He got
more comfortable with his surroundings, and had more trust in his
team, as they had for them.  

Of course, there was that nasty little business during last year's
playoffs, where Belfour did go postal and started to really give it
to some of the Detroit Red Wings. His self-destruction directly let
to a goal against, and also led to many goals that should have been
saves.  

No question that was a big setback, and only fueled the fire. But
this season things were immediately different. Eddie began the year
strong and stayed that way. He remained quiet and let his play do
more of the talking. And boy, what great play it was.  

Belfour and his backup Roman Turek eventually combined for the best
goals-against average in the league. And on they went into the
playoffs.  

So many were expecting Psycho Eddie to rear his ugly head again.
Instead, Belfour was the picture of calm in net. He played better
when the pressure was stronger. There is no doubt Belfour plays
better when he is challenged.  

It must have been tough, because there were some nights an average
goalie may have fell asleep in net due to a lack of activity. The
Stars were getting great at blocking shots and keeping the puck out
of their end.  

Playoff series would come and go, but there Eddie would be standing
tall in net, unflappable. He gained a tremendous amount of respect
from the team and the fans during the regular season, and that just
took everything to a fever pitch during the playoffs.  

The chants of EDDIE! EDDIE! were getting louder each game, and were
coming from the crowd spontaneously - not on cue. Belfour reserved
a small section of seats especially for special fans, part of the
make-a-wish foundation. He wore symbols of charities on his helmet.
He gave back.  

There was no question Belfour was instrumental in the Stars winning
the Cup this year. Without him, Dallas would have not beaten St.
Louis or Colorado. And we all know what he did against Dominik
Hasek and the Sabres.  

Belfour began showing his true side, and commented that all the
support from the legions of fans during these series really got to
him. He said it was tough to stay focused on the game and not get
emotional. Eddie? Emotional?  

When the final goal was scored, Richard Matvichuk skated to Belfour
and pounced on him in a congratulatory celebration. They both fell
to the ice. Eddie got back up, shook hands with the Sabres, and
looked like he was nearly about to crack. The raw emotion and
exhaustion was evident on his face.  

It was Belfour that held up the Cup and let all the fans that
greeted the team at the airport when they came back from Buffalo
touch the Cup and share in the celebration.  

During the celebration parade and rally held by the city after the
championship, the fans re-acted the loudest when the Eagle went by.
They demanded Belfour make a speech at the end of the rally after
Derian Hatcher thanked the fans. The cheers of EDDIE! EDDIE! were
deafening. You could tell Eddie was really jazzed by the whole
thing.  

All along, the Stars supported Belfour when the media would raise
questions about him. After it was all over, it was Eddie who
reacted with the most passion. He screamed, he yelled, he laughed.
He held the Cup and began kissing and licking it like a lover. Yep,
its true - he went nuts - this time with relief and vindication.
 

All of the doubts, the questions, the insults were washed away with
a little happy craziness and some champagne sipped out of the
Stanley Cup.  

"I'm just a hard working goalie who's proud to be a part of this
team," proclaimed Belfour after winning the Cup. 

Mikey Mo

That's just one of the stories. How about Mike Modano? Did you see
his emotional breakdown on the ice after they finally won? He
couldn't control himself. All of the pressure that was put on him
was released that day. And man, was it a release - kind of like
when the bum in Down and Out in Beverly Hills "serviced" Dave's
wife with a kharmic massage - and some other naughty business.  

The idea was Modano finally came full-circle. He broke into the
league as a brash young offensive talent that was known as a soft
player. He could score a bunch of goals, but only if he didn't have
to hit - didn't have to fight along the boards, in the trenches.
 

Bob Gainey pounded on him over and over to forget his individual
glory and play for the team - to become a defensively sound player.
Let's just say the battle wasn't pretty. Modano balked at the
pressure to change, and often disappeared in games rather than go
work hard and get his hands dirty. It was as if a thoroughbred
horse was being restrained beyond its will.  

It may have actually been Modano's refusal to buy into being a
two-way player that prompted Gainey to step down as head coach of
the team. If Modano, the most visible player on the team wouldn't
listen to him, why should the rest of the team?  

But slowly, surely old Mo began to turn it around. He saw the work
it took to make the team a winner. He matured as a man and a
player. He silently began taking on more and more of the pressure
of producing for the team.  

When Ken Hitchcock replaced Gainey, Modano heard more of the same
message. Hitchcock declared that his system is a defensive system
that every player must follow, or they will not play. 

Not many people know this, but Modano nearly did leave the team when
his old contract was up just before the 1997-1998 season. He didn't
want to buy into the system fully. He considered moving to another
team. But, somewhere along the way he made the decision to go for it,
to see if the system could actually produce a winner.  Too many times
under Gainey's lead the team lost, because not enough players stuck
to the system, and because the team already had that losing stigma.
They didn't believe it could make a difference. 

But Modano finally worked hard, and remained faithful to the team
plan. The results were immediate. Modano still scored, and in
bunches. He was on pace to blow out the scoring race last year
before Marchment got to him and blew out his knee.  

Modano recovered fully. He even scored hat tricks three times this
season. But, he quickly got a reputation for being a solid two-way
player that could kill penalties, score short-handed goals, shut
down the opposition's best center, and score nearly at will to
boot.  

He received a lot of attention from the opponents because of this.  A
lot of attention. He was hacked, whacked, tripped and punched every
game. He was many times double-teamed by the opposition. One player
would knock him off the puck and the other would try to run him when
he was off-balance.  

But Modano stuck to his guns, and stuck to the team mission. He
learned to contribute by baiting the opposition and then making a
play, often resulting in an assist. Modano had over 80 points this
year, most of them were assists. That signals a fundamental change
in a player's style.  

So Modano did whatever he needed to do to keep the team winning,
whether it was scoring or not. 

Going into the playoffs, Modano was kind of quiet at first. He was
too tense, he wasn't making a big enough contribution. Instead of
receiving praise for his 2-way play, he was criticized for not
scoring when he was called upon. Joe Nieuwendyk's second line was
really saving the team's bacon when it came to scoring.  

Modano took it to heart and eventually figured out how to make an
impact. He scored the goal that put the Blues away. 

The last two games he played against Buffalo were some of the best
games Modano's ever played in his career. Modano played through a
broken wrist he suffered during game 4. He wore a soft cast and had
the wrist frozen with an anasthetic. Nobody thought he would even
finish the series, much less play better than ever before. He was a
true force out there, and was very impressive. It was his line that
set up and scored the Cup-winning goal.  

After that goal was scored, Modano hung his head low in an attempt
to disguise all the raw emotion that was pouring out of him. Modano
finally won the championship. He could finally be recognized as a
legitimate superstar. His solid play will never be questioned,
neither will his toughness. The young flashy player finally came
full circle and developed into one of the best superstars the game
knows.  

"We did it and no one can ever take that away from us," said a
choked-up Modano in response to answering his critics of all these
years.  

Mr. Conn Smythe

What about Joe Nieuwendyk's story? He battled through being
second-fiddle to the more flashy Modano when he first joined the
team, and quietly turned his line into one that could mix it up
with Modano's goal-for-goal. Two years previous, Joe was shut out
by Curtis Joseph. Cujo stopped Nieuwy's shot that would have won
the series against Edmonton.  

He was finally about to be rewarded for his efforts last year during
the playoffs, that was until Bryan "The Wrecker" Marchment took
Nieuwendyk out along the boards after Joe scored against the Sharks
and nearly did it again the next shift.  

Nieuwendyk had to have both knees reconstructed. Nieuwy came back
this season stronger than ever. His knees were sore at first, and
Joe was a little gun-shy at first. But once he was hit a few times
and realized he would hold up, Nieuwendyk turned the corner and
never looked back.  

Joe ended up scoring many of the most important goals in franchise
history. The call them game- winners. During the playoffs, they
take on a whole new meaning. Joe was always there, out of nowhere,
scoring goals when the team needed them the most. During one of the
games, Nieuwendyk scored the only two goals the team had, including
the game-winner.  

At the time, out of ten goals he had during the playoffs, something
like six of them were GWGs (game-winners). For his clutch play, and
his reputation as a gentleman and a quiet leader, Nieuwendyk was
rewarded the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. It was
an amazing effort to battle back from the adversity he faced the
previous year.  

His first action upon accepting the MVP trophy was to immediately
skate to Ed Belfour, who was definitely a front-runner for the MVP
along with Nieuwendyk, and congratulate his teammate and tell him
he could have won it just as easily. It's just the kind of guy Joe
is.  

Don't forget the stories of:

Ken Hitchcock and his remarkable turnaround after nearly eating
himself out of a career.  Derian Hatcher's evolution into a mature
player and a true captain.  Bob Gainey's great work as GM to
construct this team.  The Montreal Canadiens connection (Gainey,
Wilson, Ludwig, Keane, and Carbonneau all played for Les Habs).
 

Not to mention the stories of:

Guy Carbonneau's valiant battles and superb defensive play
(GUUUUYYYYY!) Richard Matvichuk's shot blocking, Darryl Sydor's
incredible heart, will, and talent, about Sergei Zubov's
brilliance, silky smooth passes, and heart-stopping defensive plays
(he's nuts I tell ya, just plain nuts!), about Blake Sloan's
incredible speed and great plays, about Jamie Langenbrunner's ten
playoff goals (as many as Jere Lehtinen), about Grant Marshall's
grit and battle, about Craig Ludwig and his shin pads, about
Reunion Arena and its ice ruts, bouncy boards, Plexiglass panels,
long lines to the can, and Plexiglass panels that would fall out,
about the Stars' 6-0 record at home when singer BJ "raindrops keep
falling on my head" Thomas sings the national anthem, about the 8-2
record the DALLAS! STARS! Song that Vinnie Paul and the heavy metal
group Pantera recorded to inspire the team during the playoffs, the
new arena, high school hockey in Dallas, all of the flags on cars
in the city to support the team during the playoffs, just to
mention a few.  

I could go on, but you get the idea. There are many stories behind
the story. The 1999 Dallas Stars are a remarkable family. A family
that stuck together no matter what the challenge. And a family that
shared its triumphs with its fans. And a family that went through
profound sacrifices to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. And that is
another story all by itself... 

----------------------------------------------------------------
The National Hockey Lie
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Matt Barr

Shortly after the Dallas Stars had been ordained Stanley Cup
champions* in the wee hours of Fathers Day morning, Sabres coach
Lindy Ruff confronted NHL Commissioner Basketball Jones and
demanded an explanation.

Bettman, without a word, turned his back on Ruff, the Buffalo
Sabres organization and fans of the team everywhere, and walked
away.

"He just turned his back on me," said Ruff.  "He looked at me
like he knew this might be a tainted goal and there was no answer
for it." 

With 36 hours to think it over, Commissioner-Shmomissioner
Bettman presided over a press conference announcing the
elimination of video replay for crease violations in the
1999-2000 season, and said of the questionable goal (he alluded
to it simply as "Saturday night"): "the rule was absolutely
correctly applied... unfortunately, so many people didn't
understand the rule."

What colossal bullshit.  What an unmitigated bush operation those
people are running.

The goal, said Bryan Lewis, supervisor of officials, was good
because Brett Hull had continuous "possession and control" of the
puck prior to entering the crease.  

Is this something new?  Did I miss a memo?

According to Lewis, yes, I did.

Lewis claims the league circulated a memo to officials March 25
outlining when a goal scored with an attacker in the crease would
be allowed to stand, and that this memo is as clear and on point
in favor of the outcome determined by the league in this
situation as the actual NHL rulebook is not:

Rule 78. (b) Unless the puck is in the goal crease area, a
player of the attacking side may not stand in the goal crease. If
a player has entered the crease prior to the puck, and
subsequently the puck should enter the net while such conditions
prevail, the apparent goal shall not be allowed. If an attacking
player has physically interfered with the goalkeeper, prior to or
during the scoring of the goal, the goal shall be disallowed and
a penalty for goalkeeper interference will be assessed. The
ensuing face-off shall be taken in the neutral zone at the
face-off spot nearest the attacking zone of the offending
Team.

"The debate here seems to be, 'Did he or did he not have
possession and control?'" Lewis said. It does?  How's that?

"Our view was yes, he did. He played the puck from his foot to
his stick, shot and scored."

Your view?  But wait:

Rule 93. (h) The On Ice Officials or Video Goal Judge may be
consulted to establish if an attacking player has entered the
crease prior to the puck, and subsequent goal. The Video Goal
Judge may initiate this information to the Officials by calling
to ice level. The Video Goal Judge is to advise the Referee of
the position of the attacking player when the puck enters the
crease or is in contact with the crease line. Any information as
to the position of the attacking player may be "overruled" if the
Officials have determined that the attacking player was pushed or
held in the crease at the time of a goal being scored.

The NHL rulebook would never be put in one of those satellites we
send to other planets and then let dribble out of the solar
system on the chance that someday another intelligent species
would pick it up and learn the English language, owing mostly I
think to its being written almost entirely in Canadian.  But Rule
93(h) could not possibly be more clear on the division of
responsibility: the Video Goal Judge is to "advise the Referee of
the position of the attacking player"; the determination of how
he got there is to be made by the on-ice official.

So we have a brand new rule with brand new people enforcing it. 
Good thing Lewis circulated that memo, you could really see this
getting all gummed up somehow.

"Having looked at it, the determination by those of us upstairs
in the goal judges' location was in fact that Hull played the
puck. Hull had possession and control of the puck. The rebound
off the goalie does not change anything. It is his puck then to
shoot and score albeit a foot may or may not be in the crease
prior to."

If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.

Lewis claimed that he and his flunkies upstairs reviewed the goal
from six to eight different angles and ruled the goal good. 
Given the time between the goal and the celebration, with media,
league officials and well-wishing civilians flocking the ice at
the Marena, that would be, what, about 0.8 seconds of review per
angle?

A coach, team, fans, and a sport that deserve an explanation
instead gets a riddled motley of justification.

* * *

So, Mr. Lewis, if the goal was being reviewed, where was the
announcement from the P.A. guy to that effect?

No go.  According to Lewis, that's not always necessary, because
sometimes the decision can be made so quickly.

Mr. Lewis, you're a liar.  

First off, it may not always be necessary to let the people in
the building know the goal is under review, but if it ever is, it
damn sure is when a ton of people are flocking onto the ice and
the league is rolling out its blue carpet for Gary Bettman's
annual photo op.  And further, can any thinking person fail to
understand that if indeed there are times when the decision
whether a goal is a goal can be made quickly, the goal that would
decide the Stanley Cup champion* IS NOT ONE OF THEM?

How many times has it taken a couple of loops of Jeopardy theme
music for video replay officials to determine whether someone's
skate was even in the crease?  And that's not a matter of
judgment, only fact (which we know is all they're supposed to be
doing).

The same breed of person who needs a nacho run to figure out if a
toe was in the crease in game 22 of the regular season can decide
the Stanley Cup* in record time?  And, more to the point, is
allowed to?

If Lewis is telling the truth, he and his compatriots are guilty
of egregiously poor judgment procedurally while interpreting a
phantom rule that only an on-ice referee should be interpreting
if it exists at all.

Lewis isn't telling the truth, and he knows it.

* * *

Having said all this, the crease rule is a load of crap, and
always has been. As Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun said, "Five
years ago it would have been a goal. Next year it'll be a goal
again. But at 1:33 a.m. EDT [Sunday] morning it wasn't a goal."

The league, citing concern not over the integrity of the game but
"spontaneity" -- the gratification of being able to cheer a goal
without review -- eliminated video replay on crease violations on
Monday.

Well, gee.  Now this will never happen again. Right?

Right, as far as The League is concerned, because the next triple
overtime Stanley Cup*-winning goal that counts that shouldn't
have will be the on ice official's fault, not Bryan Lewis', and
not Gary Bettman's.

Thank heavens for these stewards of the game's greatness and
integrity, or else the NHL might be a second-rate operation
lagging far behind football, baseball and basketball in terms of
popularity in the United States.

Still, in hockey, if not in the Bettman-Lewis Hockey League, it
was a "good" goal, even if the league can't pull an acceptable
justification for allowing it to stand out of its ass.

The Buffalo Sabres lost the series not because Brett Hull scored
an illegal goal, but because no one took Hull out before he could
get off the shot, and because Dominik Hasek was prone on the ice,
out of position, and didn't keep the puck out of the net.  They
lost because the Dallas Stars won three games before the Sabres
did, putting them in a position to benefit from the league's
buffoonery.  

The Dallas Stars won the series because they were the better
team, by a couple hairs, and to a man, they deserve to have their
names on the Stanley Cup*.  Further, they don't deserve to have
their championship tainted.

But either game six was played under the same rules as had
governed every other NHL contest in the 1998-99 season, or it
wasn't.  Or, a third possibility now, it was played under those
rules, but as interpreted in a memo circulated only to league
operatives, so no one quite knew what they were.

"All the team wanted to see was the same procedure we had gone
through in the regular year," Ruff said. "They wanted to hear the
horn sound. They wanted to hear the announcer say `This goal is
under review.' They wanted somebody to say, two or three minutes
later, after reviewing it that the goal stands." 

What they wanted, they didn't get.  What they got was railroaded. 
Good goal or no.  That decision was never made.  The NHL took an
apparent Stanley Cup*-winning goal by the Dallas Stars and ran
with it.

What had been a classic Stanley Cup* final became with just
seconds of paralysis on the part of the league a travesty.  A
champion was artificially anointed, the runner-up jobbed like no
team in the history of the league had been jobbed before, and the
nonsensical league spin control in the days following only makes
it worse.

* * *

Bettman's comments to the effect that "spontaneity" was his
preliminary concern in trashing video replay for crease
violations is the most poignant indictment of the league's
misplay of the Hull goal there is.  Lindy Ruff called losing game
six in triple overtime on a disputed goal his "worst nightmare";
the league's equivalent would be an apparent Stanley Cup*-winning
goal reviewed for three minutes before players and fans could
celebrate, like Ruff wanted.  Can you imagine how that would have
played on ESPN the next morning?


Did Bettman, Colin Campbell and Lewis discuss with their on- and
off-ice officials prior to the potential Stanley Cup*-deciding
game the need for expediency in video review determinations of
potential winning goals?

And when it was impossible to combine that expediency with the
thoroughness and good judgment necessary to preserve the
integrity of the result due to the circumstances on the ice, did
Lewis and his henchmen simply blow it?

Did months of work, sacrifice and pain on the part of Sabres
players and decades of emotional investment in the team by its
fans fall victim to the league's desire for good press?  Did the
league's emphasis on sizzle over steak cost the Dallas Stars a
"clean" Stanley Cup championship*?

We know Lewis lied about the circumstances of review, or at best
simply demonstrated excruciatingly poor judgment in the process;
we don't have to make a two-line pass of a logical leap to
surmise that Gary Bettman's prime concern was not the integrity
of the result of the game but how it would play on the sports
shows; we know Hull's skate was in the crease; and we know that
the goal was no goal according to the letter of the rules and
hundreds of precedents.

Players on both teams, people in both organizations, and everyone
reading this, as fans of the game, deserved better.  But good
luck getting it from this crew.

Bettman is "credited" with establishing a league footprint in the
southern U.S., with brokering an acceptable labor agreement, with
selling the game to U.S. television networks, and with obtaining
lucrative corporate partnerships with sponsors.  And we couldn't
possibly be happier about this, especially those of us in, say,
Winnipeg.

He is discredited by the result of the 1999 Stanley Cup
championship*.

All of the new markets, television contracts, and marketing
revenue amounts to Bettman's new clothes.  Underneath it all, he
and his game are really just buck naked, and no one is terribly
impressed by the display.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Matt Barr would like to thank Jorge Marques,
of the back-to-back Original Eight League champion* Vancouver
Hosers, for his contributions to this article.)

----------------------------------------------------------------
Top Playoff Performers
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

Hey, while we're here, let's take a quick look at the top
performers from the 1998-99 NHL playoffs.  And remember, this is
only an exhibition, this is not a competition.  So please, as
always, no wagering.

10. Pierre Turgeon, St. Louis Blues (13-4-9-13):  Sneaky
Pete was at his sneakiest this postseason, pacing the St. Louis
attack with four goals and 13 points in 13 games.  That goal
total is a bit light, but two of the four goals were overtime
winners, including the decisive OT tally in Game Seven against
Phoenix.  Turgeon definitely made an impact.

9. Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings (10-9-4-13):  Stevie Y
looked ready for another run at the Conn Smythe after cooking the
Ducks for five goals and seven points in Detroit's first round
sweep of the Water Fowl.  Yzerman continued his dominant play
early in the Colorado series, connecting for four more goals in
the first three games.  But ironically enough, Yzerman might be
one of the main reasons why Colorado was able to come back and
win after falling behind two games to none.  Stevie scored early
in the first period of Game Three to give Detroit a 1-0 lead and
then came damn close to making it 2-0 but rang his shot off the
crossbar.  The Avalanche let out a collective sigh of relief and
never looked back.  Yzerman and the Wings were never really the
same.  But for the first round and a half of the 1998-99
postseason, no one was better than Steve Yzerman.  

8. Ed Belfour, Dallas Stars (16-7, 1.67, .930, 3
shutouts):  The Eagle was excellent, but how hard is it to
play goal for Dallas?  His defense probably blocks more shots a
night then he does.  That having been said, Belfour didn't give
up any soft goals and, maybe more importantly, kept his cool. 
Belfour never allowed his temper to get the better of him the way
it did in '97-98 against Detroit.  He also made a couple sweet
saves.  Two that immediately come to mind are the blocker save
against Theo Fleury in Game Seven of the Colorado series and the
diving stick save along the goal line to rob Miroslav Satan in
Game Four of the Finals.      

7. Adam Foote, Colorado Avalanche (19-2-3-5, +3):  This
guy was incredible.  He was playing 30 minutes a night, and doing
so with bad intentions.  Foote is nasty to play against.  He is
relentless on every shift, except of course when Mike Keane and
Guy Carbonneau have a two-on-one, then Foote backs up into the
crease and does nothing as Keane slides home an easy backhander. 
But really I'm not bitter.  

6. Brett Hull, Dallas Stars (22-8-7-15):  So what if it
shouldn't have counted?  Hull still got credit for the Cup
winning goal.  It's not his fault the league is a hypocritical
piece of trash.  And hey, if you aren't cheatin' you aren't
tryin'.  But the best part is Hull did it all with a strained
groin and a torn MCL.  Playing with pain is what hockey's all
about.  Granted, I thought he looked scared in the second
overtime when he passed up an open shot from the wing in order to
force a backhand return pass to Jere Lehtinen, but what the hell
do I know?  I reckon Hull knew what he was doing all along.  He
was just making it fun.  

5. Alexei Zhitnik, Buffalo Sabres (21-4-11-15):  Sure, he
finished at a -6, but he tied for the team lead in scoring with
15 points and handed out more checks than Gary Cooper in "Mr.
Deeds Goes to Town."  How 'bout that, huh?  Five years and I
finally get to use an obscure Gary Cooper reference.  The point
being, Zhitnik was the best hitter in the playoffs.  He had too
many notable hits to list, but the hip check that sent Jere
Lehtinen spinning like a chimp was pretty cool.        

4. Derian Hatcher, Dallas Stars (18-1-6-7, +4):  Hatcher was
physical, mean, nasty, and always in position.  So it was pretty
much business as usual.  He's the undisputed leader of the Stars. 
Some guys, like Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman, lead through quiet
professionalism.  Hatcher leads through intimidation.  No one
wants to mess with Hatcher the Younger, and with good reason. 
Just ask Jeremy Roenick.  That is if JR Superstar can open his
mouth yet.          

3. Mike Modano, Dallas Stars (23-5-18-23):  Mikey Mo
proved something to the entire hockey world when he played the
last four games of the finals with a broken wrist.  And it wasn't
like the injury was kept a secret, either.  Everyone knew it was
broken.  That meant he was getting slashed and run on every
possible occasion.  But he took all the abuse and kept right on
producing, recording assists on Dallas' final five goals of the
series.  If Modano would have sat out, there's no way in hell
Dallas would have won the Cup.  
  
2. Peter Forsberg, Colorado Avalanche (19-8-16-24):  From
Game Three of the Detroit series through Game Five against
Dallas, Forsberg was just on another planet.  It was almost silly
how much better he was than everyone else.  He was still
extremely solid in Games Six and Seven against Dallas, but he
just couldn't beat the Stars by himself.  Although, it would have
helped if he had two healthy shoulders.  Forsberg, who led the
postseason in scoring with 24 points, will undergo surgery on his
left shoulder and will be out of action for four to six months. 
The injury occurred when Richard Matvichuk ran him from behind
into the boards during Game Four.  But Petey wasn't scared to get
right back up and keep playing.  Then he abused Matvichuk one-on-
one in Game Five to set up a goal.  That's why he is, without
doubt, the best player in the world.        

1. Joe Nieuwendyk, Dallas Stars (23-11-10-21):  Nieuwendyk
was Dallas' go-to guy the entire postseason, lemme tell ya. 
Whenever the Stars needed a big goal, good ol' number 25 provided
the heroics.  Nieuwendyk led the playoffs with 11 goals and tied
Joe Sakic's record with six game-winners in a single playoff
year.  And the Finals may have ended differently if Joey didn't
bag the two goals in Game Two that gave Dallas a 2-1 win and
evened the series at a game apiece.  Going back to Buffalo down
two games to none would have been grief.  Nieuwendyk didn't let
it happen.  He earned every bit of that Conn Smythe Trophy.

       
----------------------------------------------------------------
Top Playoff Moments
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

Ah, the 1998-99 Playoffs have finally come to an end.  Now's the
time to reflect on a job well done.  Here are the top ten most
memorable moments from the postseason.

10. Sneaky Pete Bein' Sneaky:  It was early in overtime of
Game Four of the second-round series between St. Louis and
Dallas.  The Blue Note needed a win to even the series at two
games apiece.  That's when Pierre Turgeon made his move.  Sneaky
Pete hid in the weeds at center ice and lured Sergei Zubov into
attempting a questionable cross-ice pass before leaping into
action.  Turgeon cut the puck, streaked into the Dallas zone,
and, with backcheckers closing hard, wired a beautiful wrist shot
over Ed Belfour's blocker to give the Blues a 3-2 win.  I declare
this goal to be awesome.  

9. Nieuwendyk Knows Best:  As great as Turgeon's goal was,
it still wasn't as cool as the one Nieuwendyk scored in Game Two
of the series.  See, Nieuwendyk didn't have the benefit of a
defenseman handing him the puck on a platter.  Lemme tell ya,
Joey made it happen himself.  At 8:22 of overtime, Nieuwendyk
barged wide on right wing and blistered a wrist shot over Grant
Fuhr's glove into the top left hand corner of the cage.  Fuhr
never stood a chance.  The shot was flawless.  

8. Stumpy and Sundin Save the Day:  Things looked bleak
for the Maple Leafs.  Not only had they been shut out in Game One
of their first-round series against the Flyers, but they found
themselves trailing 1-0 late in the third of Game Two and in
serious jeopardy of going back to Philly down two games to none. 
That's when the man known as Stumpy went to work.  

Steve Thomas swung wide on right wing and pushed a harmless
looking backhander to the net from a painfully sharp angle that
somehow found its way through John Vanbiesbrouck's pads.  The
goal came at 18:01 of the third.  It was all the life the Leafs
needed.  

Just over a minute later, at 19:07, Mats Sundin used his
freakishly long reach to find a puck off the left post and flip
it into the top of the cage behind a bewildered Beezer and give
the Leafs the thrilling 2-1 victory.  Considering the reach,
leverage, and skill needed, Sundin is the only player in the
league that could have scored the goal.  And he made it look
easy.  It was something special.  It also stunned the Flyers and
set the stage for Toronto's run to the conference finals.

7. Turgeon Tames Coyotes:  Jim Schoenfeld put his job on
the line.  Schoeny said he expected to be fired if the Coyotes
lost in the first round to the St. Louis Blues.  Schoeny was
right.  Pierre Turgeon saw to that by scoring the lone goal in a
1-0 Game Seven classic.  Grant Fuhr and Nikolai Khabibulin were
locked in a goaltending duel until Turgeon deflected a Ricard
Persson shot behind Khabby at 17:59 of the extra session to send
the Blues into the second round and Schoeny to the unemployment
line.  

6. Keane Claims Revenge:  Two years ago the Colorado
Avalanche and GM Pierre Lacroix decided they couldn't afford to
keep Mike Keane, one of the emotional leaders of the '96 Cup
winning squad, at a price tag of $2 million a year.  Big mistake. 
Keane was worth at least that much for the Dallas Stars in Game
Seven of the Western Conference finals, scoring a pair of goals
in a four-minute span of the second period to eliminate his
former teammates and lift the Stars to a 4-1 win.  Keane's second
goal was a thing of beauty.  He carried the puck in on left wing
on a two-on-one, lulled Adam Foote to sleep, and then cut to his
backhand before dumping a shot behind his best buddy Patrick Roy. 
The goal gave Dallas a 3-0 lead and broke the spirit of the
Avalanche.  It also sent me to the bottle.  But then again, what
doesn't?

5. JAGR SHOWS HEART:  The Pittsburgh Penguins needed to
win Game Six of the first round against the Devils to stay alive. 
Jaromir Jagr had been in and out of the lineup with a groin
problem, and I think we all know how painful that can be.  People
were starting to question the Czech Wonder Kid's heart.  Question
no more.  Jagr not only showed up for Game Six, he scored the
game-tying goal late in the third period and then won it for the
Birds in overtime.  Aw, that's clutch.       

The first goal came after the great Alexei Kovalev singlehandedly
broke the New Jersey trap and moved the puck to Jagr at the Devil
stripe.  The league's leading scorer barged over the blue line,
backed Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer off, and chipped a
pass through to German Titov driving the right wing.  Stevens,
who had been beaten on the play, was able to reach in and
momentarily poke the puck away from Titov as he bore down on
Martin Brodeur, but the Penguin winger recovered as he was
swinging behind the Devil cage and stuffed a shot into Brodeur's
pads.  Niedermayer had left Jagr to cover up for Stevens, but the
Devil captain was slow to switch.  That was all the time Jagr
needed to swoop in and smack the rebound between Brodeur's pads
to tie the score 2-2 with 2:12 remaining in regulation.

Cut to overtime.  Marty Straka, the li'l Czech Dynamo, blows
right around Niedermayer along the left wing boards, leaving the
fleet-footed Devil defender a tangled mess on the ice.  Straka
then cut his way to the net and drew the attention of both
Stevens and Brodeur, only to fire a bullet of a pass through the
slot to a cutting Jagr who buried the game-winner with a snap
shot over the lunging Diablo goaltender.

It's always cool when superstars come through when their teams
need it most.  Mario Lemieux used to do it.  Wayne Gretzky used
to do it.  Jaromir Jagr does it.  
                    
4. MODERN DAY MARVEL:  If Game Five of the Colorado-Dallas
series wasn't the most entertaining game in the history of
hockey, it's gotta be pretty damn close.  Colorado eventually
prevailed 7-5, but it was 60 minutes of nonstop back-and-forth
action waged by two extremely talented and determined teams.  If
you missed this game, feel free to beat yourself senseless with
the nearest blunt object.

3.  FORSBERG FREAKS WINGS:  Not only is Peter Forsberg the
best player in the world, he turned in the best goal of the
playoffs.  It came during the third period of Colorado's
monumental second-round series against Detroit.  With the Wings
trailing 4-2 and clinging to their playoff lives, Forsberg put
'em out of their misery with one of the great individual efforts
in recent memory.
  
The Wings were pressuring in the Colorado zone when Chris Chelios
pinched along the right wing boards to keep the play alive. 
Igor Larionov supported his blueliner like a pro and circled
behind to man the right point and collect the puck.  Forsberg
applied some token pressure and Larionov panicked; trying to
force a diagonal, cross-ice pass down low.  Forsberg blocked the
pass with his skates and it was off to the races.  

With Chelios now caught along the wall and Mathieu Dandenault
having carried the puck deep to start the whole play, it was up
to Larionov to try and stop Forsberg.  That's grief.  Petey
fought through Larionov, raced in on Chris Osgood, and abused the
Detroit goaltender with a backhand deke before slamming home a
forehand shot and crashing into the cage.  Thanks for playing,
Detroit.  Enjoy the parting gifts.

2. DETROIT GOES HOME:  Watching the Red Wings shake the
hands of the Avalanche and skate off the ice a beaten team really
warmed the heart.  Seeing such a great, proud team give it their
all in defending their championship was truly... aw, who am I
kidding?  (Sunshine) you, Detroit!  Chris Osgood?  (Sunshine)
you!  Kirk Maltby?  (Sunshine) you!  Martin Lapointe?  (Sunshine)
you!  Slava Kozlov?  (Sunshine) you!  (Sunshine) the whole
(sunshinin') lot of you, ya (sunshinin') (sunshiners)!

1. BRETT HULL SCORES CUP WINNER... SORT OF:  I'm really
happy that Brett Hull gets credit for winning the Stars the Cup. 
No one deserves it more.  He's a great guy.  But the goal
shouldn't have counted.  

Just to recap, it was at 14:51 of the third overtime of Game Six
that Hull, left skate planted firmly in the crease, swatted home
a loose rebound to give the Dallas Stars their first Stanley Cup
in franchise history.  The NHL and other prominent jagoffs are
trying to say that it was a good goal because Hull had possession
of the puck.  And if you have possession of the puck you're
allowed in the crease.  Yeah, that's swell, except for one thing, 
Hull didn't have possession.

The play started when Jere Lehtinen threw a shot on net that
Dominik Hasek stopped but didn't control.  Hull, parked at the
edge of the crease, was doing his best to find the rebound when
Brian Holzinger came flying through the crease attempting to bump
number 16 out of the play.  Holzinger missed, barely grazing Hull
at the same time the puck slipped free from Hasek.  Hull, still
outside of the crease, kicked the puck with his left skate, and
I'm not even sold that he did it on purpose.  It looked more
accidental than my baby brother.  Aw, I'm just kiddin', Larry. 
Everybody loves you, buddy!  Wait a second.  I don't have a
little brother.  Then who is that kid and why is he eating my
pretzels?  Anyway, as the biscuit was still loose, Hull's left
skate ventured well into the paint.  A second later the Golden
One reached out and swatted the puck home for the winning goal.  

Since when is kicking the puck in a mad scramble in front of the
cage possession?  What if Hull kicked the puck and then never
touched it with his stick?  You know the first thing everyone
would say?  "Aw, what a chance for Hull but he just couldn't
control the puck."  Possession didn't occur until he had the puck
on his blade.  If he would have established control, taken the
original shot, kicked the rebound with his skate, entered the
crease, and scored the goal I might be able to let it slide.  But
Hull never touched the puck until he booted it with his skate. 
And that's not possession.  If some really smart journalism guy
out there would go through old video of disallowed goals from the
past three seasons, I guarantee he'd find at least a dozen
exactly like Hull's.

The goal shouldn't have counted.  I know it.  You know it.  The
league knows it.  But the NHL is too yellow to admit it.  They'll
lie and cheat to cover their ass just as long as they don't have
to admit they made a mistake.  It also doesn't hurt that the
southern hockey market gets a boost in popularity does it there,
Gary?  It's a garage league, pure and simple.

Need more proof?  This past Monday, just one day after the Cup
was "won", the NHL announced that video replay will no longer be
used in cases of crease violations.  Let me get this straight. 
The rule stays the same as it is now, meaning no tolerance
whatsoever, but the officials can't use replay to make sure? 
What the hell is wrong with these people?  Don't they understand
this is just going to create more controversy?  

The officials may not be able to use replay, but you damn sure
better believe all the networks will.  How long before Kerry
Fraser waives a goal because he thinks someone is in the crease
and then the home audience gets to see a replay that proves he
was wrong?  And you know there are going to be goals scored where
guys are in the crease and the refs are going to miss it.  It's
only natural with the speed of the game.  So next year we'll have
some goals that count when guys are in the crease, and some goals
that won't.  It'll be a crap shoot.  Come to think of it, I'd
rather shoot craps than watch the NHL next season.  

And I don't even want to get into that garbage about the four-on-
four in overtime.  Why not just play four-on-four the whole damn
game then?  Oh, you know why?  BECAUSE THEN IT WOULDN'T BE
HOCKEY!  Four-on-four is not hockey.  Why not just play three
innings of baseball to decide a tie game?  Or how about we play
one man aside?  There will be plenty of chances then, sort of
like that old "Hat Trick" hockey game for Atari.  Or we could
just take the goalies off the ice, line guys up at center, and
see who can hit an empty net the most times in 30 seconds.  The
NHL's (sunshinin') retarded.  

The league needs leadership and vision.  Someone with character
who will do what's best for the game and not his wallet.  I'd put
Wayne Gretzky in charge, but if he doesn't want to do it, I'll be
glad to step in.  What the hell?  I'll have the free time.  

First thing I'd do is kick Gary Bettman's sorry corporate ass. 
Then I'd return the crease to its old half circle self.  Not only
did it look cooler that way, goaltenders should be entitled to
the ice at the side of the net.  Otherwise it screws up their
angles.  Just ask Olaf Kolzig.  

And the reason I'd make the blue area bigger is that I'd be
getting rid of the punk-ass goal crease rule.  I don't care if
you're in the crease taking a nap, as long as you don't interfere
with the goaltender the goal stands.  And you know how we'd
settle arguments?  We'd put a monitor in the score keeper's box
at ice level and allow the referees themselves to watch the
disputed play in question.  If Stripes says there was
interference, then no goal.  But I want the guys with the orange
arm bands making the call, not some dork in a suit 300 feet away
from the action.  

And tie games?  We play until someone scores.  Oh, you don't like
that?  You think it would screw up travel plans?  Too damn bad. 
I don't see baseball teams having trouble booking flights after
extra inning games.  There were 157 ties this season.  That means
we could have seen 157 more overtime goals.  Just think of all
the excitement that would bring to the sport.  And if a coach
feels the game is running too long, he can feel free to only play
four guys if he wants.  It's his call.  But we're playing until
someone scores.  

That's how I see things.  I'll get off my soapbox now.  But feel
free to trip over it on your way out and break a hip.  

   
----------------------------------------------------------------
What a Guy
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Joe Pelletier

One of the best things about watching the Dallas Stars capture
the Stanley Cup in 1999 was the fact that Guy Carbonneau got a
chance to drink from Lord Stanley's mug for the third time in his
career. Guy is a rare throwback to the old days - he, much like
Wayne Gretzky, plays strictly for the pure love of the game and
never let the money overthrow that love. We need more players
like Guy.

"Players like him love the game for all the right reasons," Stars
coach Ken Hitchcock said. "I don't care if these games were
played in an outdoor rink, it doesn't matter to Guy. He just
loves the game. He absolutely loves it. And he never picks his
spots. He just plays. He's a competitive person. Money and the
amount he gets paid is irrelevant to Guy Carbonneau. That's why
he's an older player who can survive in a young man's game."

After all these years, Guy Carbonneau still plays hockey the same
way he did as a rookie. He became the standard of defensive
excellence in the post Bob Gainey/Doug Jarvis era. The premier
defensive shadow in the age of high scoring stars such as
Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, and Mario Lemieux, Carbonneau was a
masterful faceoff specialist and a superb shot blocker. And he
excelled best while his team was shorthanded. An incredible
penalty killer, Carbonneau was always out against the other
team's power play, especially in the dreaded 5-on-3 penalty
kills.

Born in Sept-Iles, Quebec, Guy played junior hockey with the
Chicoutimi Sagueneens. Players from the "Q" were rarely noted for
their defensive play. High scoring games were the norm in the "Q"
in the 70s and 80s, and Carbonneau sure did his share of scoring.
Guy had a mind-boggling 171 goals and 435 points in 273 career
games with Chicoutimi. While he was definitely an offensive
threat, in his own zone he wasn't exactly the Guy Carbonneau that
he would later become. But then again, what 18-year-old is?
The Montreal Canadiens did Guy and themselves a big favor when
they didn't rush him into the NHL. The 44th overall pick by the
Habs in the 1979 Entry Draft, Guy spent two full seasons
apprenticing in the AHL, where he scored 88 and 94 points
respectively. However, Guy's apprenticeship in the minors wasn't
about offense, but defense.

"You didn't play in Montreal until you learned how to play
offensively and defensively, not even Guy Lafleur," said Ron Low,
a former NHL goalie and coach. "Teams don't teach the right way
to play, the way the Canadiens once did."

Montreal brought Guy, along with so many other fine players prior
to the late 1980s, in slowly. Under the guidance of such Montreal
greats as Bob Gainey, Doug Jarvis, Larry Robinson and Mario
Tremblay, Guy was raised in the mystique of the Montreal
Canadiens, something he would later pass on to the next
generation of Canadiens.

While Guy learned a lot from his coaches and teammates, he also
had the help of some special Habs alumni.

"Just to be able to sit around and talk with Maurice and Henri
Richard, Jean Beliveau, Toe Blake. . . . When you're a young guy,
that means a lot," Carbonneau said. "When they tell you a story,
it's from the heart. Those guys, they played for the love of the
game."

So does he.

Carbonneau had the instinct and ability to be a better scorer in
the National Hockey League. His hockey sense, soft hands and good
wheels should have seen him score more than he did. But Guy was
so team oriented that he sacrificed his own point totals for the
good of the club. Instead of becoming the next Guy Lafleur, he
became the next Bob Gainey.

Guy was a consistent offensive contributor, though not prolific.
He never scored more than 57 points in a season, but scored at
least 50 points five times. He scored at least 18 goals in nine
of his seasons, including a career high 26 in 1988-89.

Carbonneau scored 221 goals in 12 seasons with the Montreal
Canadiens.  Guy was in the prime of his career when the Habs won
the Stanley Cup in 1986. For Carbonneau it was his first taste of
Stanley Cup champagne. He played a huge role in those playoffs
too. In addition to his usual defensive work, Guy contributed
seven goals and 12 points in 20 postseason games.

Carbonneau won the Frank J. Selke Trophy three times in his
career - 1988, 1989, and 1992 - and was the runner-up twice more.
Because of his zestful love of the game it came as no surprise
that Guy was named as captain of the Montreal Canadiens. In
1989-90 he shared that duty with Chris Chelios and by 1990-91 he
assumed the full captaincy role.

After the completion of the regular season in 1992-93, it looked
as though Guy Carbonneau's days were numbered. He finished with
career lows (at that point) in games (61), goals (four), assists
(13) and points (17). It was certainly a season to forget for the
aging veteran and speculation was that the 1993 playoffs would be
Carbo's last hurrah in a Habs jersey.

However, something funny happened that postseason. Led by the
heroics of Patrick Roy and some timely scoring by the Hab
forwards, the Canadiens unexpectedly advanced to the Stanley Cup
Finals where they faced off against Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles
Kings. Guy's youthful play against the Great One rejuvenated his
career. Carbonneau shadowed Gretzky all series long and played an
important role in the Habs' 1993 Stanley Cup championship.

Carbonneau returned the following season and rebounded with 14
goals and 38 points in 79 games. But Guy's advancing age and
salary convinced Montreal management to trade the veteran center
to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospect Jim Montgomery.

Guy played one season in St. Louis, where he assumed an important
role under head coach Mike Keenan, before the Blues moved him to
Dallas in exchange for Paul Broten in 1995.

Going to Dallas was like a Montreal Canadiens reunion for Guy.
The Dallas GM who traded for him was none other than Bob Gainey,
Guy's one time mentor. Behind the bench was Doug Jarvis. On the
ice he would eventually was once again team up with some great
Montreal defensive players from the past - Brian Skrudland, Mike
Keane and Craig Ludwig.

Don't underestimate the importance of the ex-Hab factor in the
Stars' 1999 championship.

"There's a lasting effect on people who learned how to play the
game for the old Montreal Canadiens. There's the tradition, the
winning attitude they had. It carries over wherever they go. It
gets in your blood, and it trickles down to everybody around
them." says Mike Modano. "The experience, the values they've
learned rub off on you. How to be unselfish, to be patient, to
play with passion has rubbed off on me."

While many criticized Dallas for acquiring older veterans, the
Stars knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted winners to
come into their dressing room and teach the team how to win.
Winners who would help the Stars claim a championship of their
own.

Winners like Guy Carbonneau.

    
----------------------------------------------------------------
1998-99 Breakthrough Players
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

At the end of each season, we like to take a look at some of the
individuals that elevated their games and transformed themselves
from average guys that get great discounts on NHLPA merchandise
to legitimate NHL stars.  Here, in alphabetical order by team, is
the 1998-99 crop of breakthrough players:

Miroslav Satan, Buffalo Sabres:  Throughout history he's
been known as the Devil, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, the Prince of
Darkness, Old Scratch, Oprah... but his friends just call him
Miro.  

Yes, Miroslav Satan rose from the fiery pits of hell to impose
his evil will upon the NHL this season, posting career highs in
goals (40), assists (26), points (66), power-play goals (13),
short-handed goals (3), game-winning goals (6), and plus/minus
(+24).  

Satan's just all about stealing souls and scoring goals.  Michal
Grosek called him a "puck hog", and there might be something to
it since 26 assists shouldn't exactly be career high material,
but Satan knows how to light the lamp.  He has amazing hands and
protects the puck well.  And once he dips and dekes his way
through the defense, Satan's wrist shot is both accurate and full
of pep.  He's a tough guy to stop.  And then he also has that
pitchfork and prehensile tail, not to mention the goat hooves. 
Goaltenders better get wise, they better get to church!
          
Aaron Miller, Colorado Avalanche:  The first few weeks of
the season in Colorado were like one long episode of M*A*S*H. 
And not one of the good ones with Trapper and Colonel Blake,
either.  No, sirree, it was like one of the later shows that put
social commentary ahead of the comedy.  That's never fun.  The
Avalanche were in desperate need of some of Hawkeye Pierce's
wacky bedside manner when injuries to Adam Foote, Sylvain
Lefebvre, Alexei Gusarov, and Jon Klemm, combined with the
holdout of Sandis Ozolinsh, left the Colorado blue line thinner
than Frank Burns' skin.  

While the club struggled under the burdensome weight of the
injured, the chance was given to Aaron Miller to prove himself. 
And that's exactly what the second-year man did.  Miller stepped
up and played like a number one defender during the stretch and
would eventually settle into the number three hole behind Foote
and Ozolinsh.  A big, strong defender with good mobility for his
size, Miller saved his best for the playoffs, where he posted a
goal and six points in 19 games while leading the men with feet
on their shoulders in plus/minus at a +8.  With the incomparable
Foote already on board, Miller's emergence should give the
Avalanche a powerful one-two punch for years to come.  

Petr Sykora, New Jersey Devils:  Sykora appeared a sure
shot for superstardom when he bagged 18 goals and 42 points in
his rookie season of 1995-96.  Unfortunately, a shoulder injury
coupled with difficulties fitting in with Jacques Lemaire's
defensive system had the young Czech on the outside looking in
for much of the next two seasons.  He was able to get his foot
back in the door last year with 16 goals and 36 points in 58
games, but it wasn't until Robbie Ftorek took over behind the New
Jersey bench that Sykora hit his true stride.  

The 22-year-old native of that zany town Plzen, known as little
Las Vegas among the European crowd, went buckwild in '98-99,
collecting 29 goals and 72 points in 80 games.  Along with Jason
Arnott and Patrik Elias, Sykora was one third of the hottest line
in hockey down the stretch.  While he's a little fella without
much in the way of physical presence, Sykora has a quick first
step, sees the entire ice, and owns a rocket shot.  He'll pull
the trigger from anywhere.  The guy's crafty.  Put the 666 on his
forehead now, Sykora's the future of El Diablo.      
      
Zdeno Chara, New York Islanders:  The Isles' 6'9", 255-
pound Slovakian blueliner is more than just a sideshow
attraction.  Chara can play some hockey.  Usually rookies don't
get listed as breakthrough guys, but it's impossible to ignore
the progress Chara made from the 25 games he played in 1997-98 to
the 59-game slate he logged for the Islanders in this his
official rookie season.  

The biggest area of improvement is in the skating department. 
While he'll never be confused for Sergei Zubov, Chara gets around
better than most players half his size.  And when he gets where
he's going, look out.  Chara hits like Rod Carew.  Between his
massive wingspan and sheer brute strength, Chara is quickly
gaining the reputation as one of the toughest one-on-one
defenders in the league.

Before we move on, let's consider for a moment all the talented
defensemen that have passed through the Islander organization in
recent years:  Darius Kasparaitis, Vladimir Malakhov, Mathieu
Schneider, Wade Redden, Bryan Berard, Bryan McCabe.  Even after
wasting all that talent, the Isles still have the likes of Chara,
Kenny Jonsson, and Eric Brewer in the system.  If only they had a
General Manager to go with 'em.  Oh wait, I guess there's Mike
Milbury.  So, like I said, if only they had a General Manager to
go with 'em.  It's probably only a matter of time before Milbury
sends Chara, Jonsson, and Brewer packing.  And who says Milbury's
an idiot?  Well, come to think of it, I guess that would be
everybody.
         
Magnus Arvedson, Ottawa Senators:  He's only been in the
league two seasons and Arvedson has already established himself
as one of the game's premier defensive forwards, earning his
place along names like Michael Peca, Jere Lehtinen, and Peter
Forsberg.  Arvedson should be a lock to win the Selke this year
after posting a +33 while also contributing 21 goals and 47
points to the Ottawa cause.  Those numbers are up dramatically
from the 11 goals and 26 points of his rookie campaign. 

Arvedson is a tremendous physical specimen and could very well
be, pound for pound, the strongest player in the NHL.  He's a
bull along the wall and around the cage.  He also has
unbelievable straight-ahead speed.  Arvedson can go zero to 60 in
like, well, the time it takes something really fast to go from
zero to 60.  And once in the open he's got the hands to finish
the play.  This may sound a bit strong, but the more I think
about it, Arvedson is really one of the coolest players in
hockey.  Spread the word.

Dan McGillis, Philadelphia Flyers:  Okay, so even Bobby
Clarke can make a good trade once in a while.  When Clarke
shipped Janne Niinimaa to Edmonton for McGillis, I was quick to
rip on him for trading away the smooth skating, puck sure Finn. 
But McGillis has proven Clarke to be a genius.  Well, a lucky
bastard that nailed one trade in 1,000 would be more like it, but
I guess that could pass as genius considering the current state
of the American public school systems.  

McGillis had a damn fine season for the Flyers, bagging eight
goals and 45 points in 78 games while playing at an impressive
+16, a healthy gain on the -21 he worked in '97-98.  While he
still can't skate or move the puck quite as well as Niinimaa,
McGillis' mobility and puck skills have steadily improved over
his first three years in the league.  However, his true value to
the Fly Guys comes in having his sturdy 6'3" frame in front of
the net and his cannon shot at the point.  McGillis is that rare
breed of defenseman that can mix size and skill.  He still needs
to play a bit nastier, but if he lives in Philly long enough that
will probably just happen naturally over time.               

Martin Straka, Pittsburgh Penguins:  People can talk about
Jaromir Jagr all they want, Marty Straka was Pittsburgh's best
player night in and night out.  The scrappy little Czech
established career highs in goals (35), assists (48), and points
(83) and was by far the most consistent and versatile Bird,
starring at even-strength, during the kill, or at the point on
the power play.  Straka did it all.  And his success carried over
into the postseason, as he led the Penguins in scoring with six
goals and 15 points in 13 games.    

What makes Straka so cool is that despite being smaller than my
bar tab, he doesn't shy away from traffic.  Marty loves to mix it
up in the corners and along the wood.  He'll finish his checks. 
He also has surprising strength.  Combine his deceptive power
with his frightening speed, and Straka can be torture to
defensemen.  Just ask Scott Niedermayer, who Marty humiliated in
overtime of Game Six in the opening round by bowling him over
along the boards before streaking to the net and setting up Jagr
for the winner.  You know you're quick when you can make
Niedermayer look sluggish.  Fast, creative, and possessing a
seemingly bottomless well of energy, Straka makes it fun to watch
hockey.  Too bad the same can't be said for more players in the
NHL.  
   
Steve Shields, San Jose Sharks:  Freed from the role of
being Dominik Hasek's backup, Shields swam to San Jose in order
to become, well, Mike Vernon's backup!  While that may not seem
like a step up in the world, the change did lead to an enormous
increase in playing time.  In '97-98, Shields appeared in 16
games as the Dominator's understudy.  Compare that to this season
with the Fish when Shields saw action in 37 games, and it's easy
to see why he'd much rather carry Vernon's clubs.  

In those 37 games as a Shark, Shields posted career highs in
every category with a 15-11-8 record, a 2.22 goals-against
average, a .921 save percentage, and four shutouts.  A 6'3", 210-
pound netminder, Shields takes up a lot of net and still has the
quickness and agility to make the occasional acrobatic save when
needed.  Shields will be the number one man in San Jose next
season.  
 
Sergei Berezin, Toronto Maple Leafs:  Back in issue 77 of
LCS Hockey, I said that Berezin was a guy to keep an eye on and
that he'd be moving up the ranks of NHL scorers.  So naturally he
went out and tanked it that season, netting a mere 16 goals and
31 points in 68 games.  Way to make me look like a jackass,
Sergei.  I appreciate it.  Berezin made amends this season,
though, busting out with 37 goals and 59 points in 76 games.  But
oddly enough, I'm still a jackass.  Go figure.

Berezin is one of them there exciting players.  He's got
explosive speed, a powerful stride, and a shot heavier than a
Jack Kerouac poem.  The best part of his vast offensive arsenal
is his shot release.  It's quick like a bunny.  A flick of the
wrists and the puck's buried in twine.  Goaltender's just don't
have time to react.  It's on his stick, it's off his stick.  It's
on his stick, it's off his stick.  It's on... you get the idea. 

Berezin's favorite move is to storm up the wing and get the
defender backing up before cutting into the slot and letting fly
with a wrister.  It's his tag.  Defenders know it's coming, but
there's not much they can do about it.  Step up and Berezin will
blow right around you with his speed and stickhandling.  Back up
and it's automatic for the people; cut, wrister, goal.  Pick your
poison.  I usually go with Scotch.  
      
Markus Naslund, Vancouver Canucks:  Oh, that wacky Markus
Naslund.  I remember back in the day when he and Forsberg were
tearing up the Swedish leagues, Naslund was considered a can't
miss prospect and future 40-goal scorer in the NHL.  The
Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him 16th overall in 1991 with such
high hopes.  After his first couple years in the league, it
looked like the Pens were just high when they drafted him.  

To say that Naslund was a disappointment early in his career
would be like saying Marlon Brando can eat some pie.  The
Penguins expected Naslund to step right in and contribute 20 to
30 goals his rookie season of 1993-94, instead Naslund stumbled
to four goals and 11 points in 71 games and was the victim of the
most vicious drubbing since Larry Holmes fought Tex Cobb when
Randy Cunneyworth dropped the gloves and beat out a melody of
pain on the young Swede's skull.  Naslund, with his hands down at
his sides, tried to skate away only to have Cunneyworth follow
him around the ice, delivering punch after punch to the head. 
GreenPeace actually had to intervene to stop the slaughter.  Then
the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season saw Naslund accumulate a
whole two goals and four points in 14 games.  Pittsburgh fans
were beginning to wish Cunneyworth had finished the job.

It wasn't until Naslund was moved to the wing alongside Mario
Lemieux in 1995-96 that he finally started to produce.  But, then
again, a bag of donuts could score 49 goals playing with Lemieux. 
That bag of donuts' name?  Robbie Brown.  Aw, I tease in fun. 
Anyway, the Penguins let Lemieux drive up Naslund's market value
to the tune of 19 goals and 55 points in 66 games and then they
moved him to Vancouver for the always dangerous Alek Stojanov. 
Hey, let's not kid ourselves, Craig Patrick has made his share of
bad trades.  Even Picasso spilled some paint.  

Upon arriving in Vancouver, Naslund continued to tantalize with
his quick hands and laser shot, but never backed up the skill
with the grit and determination needed to excel at the NHL level. 
In his first 164 games as a Canuck, spanning the final 10 games
of '95-96 through to the end of the 1997-98 season, Naslund
scored a grand total of 38 goals.  Yee-haw.  

But never fear, Naslund is listed as a breakthrough player for a
reason.  After years of hollow hype and painful frustration,
Naslund finally began to deliver on his limitless potential this
season, leading the Canucks in scoring with 36 goals and 66
points in 80 games.  And those weren't just 36 average run-of-
the-mill goals, either.  Naslund broke out the funk on a regular
basis, weaving through defenders and abusing goaltenders with
casual ease.  If his goals were any sweeter Diabetics wouldn't be
able to watch him play.           

There's still some that doubt the silky Swede's success,
suggesting that he'll crash to Earth in 1999-2000.  But I think
he's here to stay.  His talent is just too overwhelming.  Watch
this guy one-on-one with a goaltender and it's a one-way ticket
to Freaksville.  It's always been a matter of confidence with
Naslund.  As long as he believes in himself, his natural ability
will take care of the rest.  And it certainly doesn't hurt to
have Todd Bertuzzi, Brad May, and Donald Brashear around to help
provide some of that confidence.  I don't want to say Naslund's a
Mary, but Cameron Diaz was actually the second choice to play
that role.  When Naslund wakes up and sees his shadow it means
six more weeks of cowardice.  Why did the chicken cross the road? 
To help Markus Naslund get to the other side.  Then there's the
classic Dave Letterman college radio bit called All Things
Yellow: "Banana.  School bus.  The Sun.  Markus Naslund. 
Lemons... (prolonged pause) Lemonade."  Aw, that's good stuff.  

 
----------------------------------------------------------------
1998-99 LCS Hockey Awards
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

We like to hand out our own Year-End Awards.  Why?  Because we
can.  Let's get on with it.

BEST FORWARD - Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins:  Jagr
isn't the best overall player in the world, that honor goes to
Peter Forsberg, but the Czech Wonder Kid did have the best season
of any forward.  It's tough to argue with his stats.  He ran away
with the league scoring race, compiling 44 goals and 127 points
in 80 games, finishing a full 20 points ahead of runner-up Teemu
Selanne.  And Jagr got most of those points playing alongside Jan
Hrdina, an untested rookie, and Kip Miller, a previously tested
and failed minor-leaguer.  

Jagr remains the single most dominating offensive force in
hockey.  Even though he usually only plays one zone and won't
throw a check to save his life, Jagr can take a game over at any
second with his speed, power, and stickhandling wizardry.  True,
when ol' Jaromir doesn't score he doesn't do a whole hell of a
lot.  But then again, he always scores.  Jagr figured in on 53%
of Pittsburgh's goals this season, the highest such total in the
league.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Mighty Ducks; Alexei
Yashin, Ottawa Senators.

Teemu once again led the league in goal-scoring, albeit with a
casual 47 red lights, and finished second in league scoring with
107 points.  One constant over the years with LCS Hockey, we've
always said that Selanne is better than Paul Kariya.  This year
should have proved it.

I'll talk about Yashin a little later.
      
BEST DEFENSEMAN - Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues:  The Big
Daddy Mac had an amazing season.  How good was he?  MacInnis
actually overshadowed Chris Pronger.  That deserves a wow. 
MacInnis, now a ripe old 35, nearly played as many minutes a game
as he is old and led all defensemen in scoring with 62 points,
including 20 goals.  Mac was also a staggering +33.  That number
takes on even greater importance when realized that Pronger was
only a pedestrian +3 this season and that Craig Conroy, St.
Louis' next best plus/minus citizen, was 19 clicks back at +14. 
MacInnis deserves the Norris.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Ray
Bourque, Boston Bruins.

Nicky Lidstrom is as good as it gets.  He's just always in
control.  On my personal list of defensemen, he'd probably be
third behind Darius Kasparaitis and Sandis Ozolinsh.  Lidstrom
just isn't as entertaining and flashy as those two guys.

It was expected that Bourque would see his playing time reduced
this year in order to help lengthen his career.  It didn't
happen.  Bourque still played as much as ever, if not more, and
continued to put up decent stats.
  
BEST GOALTENDER - Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres:  While it
would be nice to give Byron Dafoe the nod since he had such an
incredible season, Hasek's numbers simply can't be ignored.  As
astounding as it may seem, statistically, Hasek had the best
season of his career.  Not only did he lead the league for the
sixth consecutive season in save percentage with a career high
mark of .937, the Dominator also established a new personal best
with his gangster slang 1.87 goals-against average.  Considering
he's the best goaltender on the planet, saying that Hasek had a
career year is quite the bold statement.  

I'd still rather have Martin Brodeur in net myself, but Hasek's
Hasek.  Just give him all the awards and save the trouble.  He
even won top honors at dog obedience school.  Yeah, pretend to
hold up a biscuit and Hasek rolls over on command.  It's quite
the trick.  Wait a second, that's not a trick, that's just the
way he plays goal.  Never mind.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS:  Byron Dafoe, Boston Bruins.

This was really just a two-horse race.  Any other year, and Dafoe
would have easily taken top honors with his 32 wins, 1.99 goals-
against, .926 save percentage, and league-leading 10 shutouts. 
Damn Hasek.
  
BEST ROOKIE - Chris Drury, Colorado Avalanche:  Drury
edges teammate Milan Hejduk for top honors simply because of his
versatility.  Drury can play center or wing on any of Colorado's
top three lines.  His speed, talent, and tenacity makes him right
at home on the third line with Stephane Yelle and Shjon Podein or
as a first line compliment to Joe Sakic.  However, it was on the
third line that Drury spent the majority of his time, which makes
his 20 goals and 44 points all the more impressive.  Unlike
Hejduk, who led rookies in scoring with 48 points, Drury didn't
have the benefit of skating a regular shift with Sakic and Peter
Forsberg.  No doubt, Drury's going to be a player.  He's got all
the tools, not to mention the box to go along with 'em.   

HONORABLE MENTIONS:  Milan Hejduk, Colorado Avalanche; Marian
Hossa, Ottawa Senators; Jan Hrdina, Pittsburgh Penguins.  

When all is said and done, Hossa will probably be the best rookie
from the class of '98-99.  He's something special. 

As for Hrdina, he was easily the best defensive forward among
rookies, and could be a Selke candidate in years to come.  He's
also extremely strong on faceoffs and has the talent to put up
some points.  He'll be a solid two-way player in this league for
a long time.
 
BEST COACH - Pat Quinn, Toronto Maple Leafs:  Coming off a
1997-98 campaign that saw them post a lowly record of 30-43-9,
the Leafs weren't expected to do much of anything this season. 
Enter Pat Quinn.  In his first season behind the Toronto bench,
Quinn turned the Leafs loose, allowing them to play a wide-open,
skating brand of hockey that translated into a 28-point
improvement in the standings, the third best record in the
Eastern Conference (45-30-7), and the league's highest scoring
offense (268 goals).  Of course, the change in philosophy was due
in large part to the presence of Curtis Joseph in net, but Quinn
still had the guts to make the switch.  In a world where defense
rules supreme and most teams play to not lose games rather than
win them, the Maple Leafs were a breath of fresh air.  

HONORABLE MENTIONS:  Bob Hartley, Colorado Avalanche; Kevin
Constantine, Pittsburgh Penguins.  

Hartley deserves recognition for his perseverance after the
Avalanche got off to such a horrible start.  A lot of first-year
coaches would have folded.  He remained strong and true to his
plan and the club eventually turned things around.  

Constantine always garners consideration for his hard work. 
There isn't a more prepared coach in the league.  He gains extra
credit for some of the wacky innovations he tried this year, such
as dropping Alexei Kovalev and Marty Straka back to defense and
going with five forwards on the power play or employing the same
group of five at even-strength late in games when the Pens needed
some offense.  Constantine even experimented once with four
defensemen on a penalty kill.  It's nice to see a coach try some
new things.  The revolution starts now.    
     
BEST GM - Pierre Lacroix, Colorado Avalanche:  Lacroix got
off to a real rocky start this season, but turned things around
in a hurry.  First, he showed his commitment to the team by
trading his own son, Eric, to Los Angeles.  Then he went on a
contract signing spree, inking Adam Foote, Sandis Ozolinsh,
Patrick Roy, and Peter Forsberg to new contracts.  He capped the
season off by acquiring Theo Fleury from Calgary.  That's nice
work.  

We almost gave the award to Brian Burke for that tremendous trade
that saw him send Pavel Bure to Florida for a whole bunch of
nothing, but then we thought that might be taking our love of
sarcasm a bit too far.  It's been said before, and I'm sure it
will be said again, but Brian Burke is a crank.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Craig Patrick, Pittsburgh Penguins.  Patrick
kept the cash-strapped Penguins competitive while swiping Kovalev
from the Rangers and using his usual golden touch to bring in
solid contributors like Kip Miller and Dan Kesa from virtual
obscurity.  

MVP - Alexei Yashin, Ottawa Senators:  The man with the
swank turtleneck is the winner of this year's most prestigious
award, joining past winners such as Rob Blake (1997-98), Tony
Amonte (1996-97), and Gary Roberts (1995-96).  

Yashin carried the Senators on his back.  There's no doubt in my
mind he was the most valuable player in the NHL this season.  The
imposing Russian center-ice man recorded career highs in goals
(44), assists (50), points (94), power-play goals (19), and
plus/minus (+16).  Yashin was often a one-man show, finishing 38
points ahead of the next highest scorer on the Ottawa roster.  I
just can't imagine Ottawa winning the Northeast Division and
holding the second seed overall in the East without Yashin.  He
was the man in 1998-99.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:  Curtis Joseph, Toronto Maple Leafs; Luc
Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings.

Joseph was most responsible for Toronto's turnaround.  His
numbers, a 2.56 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage,
weren't all that great, but his clutch saves enabled the Leafs to
play fast and loose like Eddie Felson.    

Lucky Luc called up Mr. Peabody and Sherman and set the dials in
the Way Back Machine to 1992-93.  This was definitely old school
Robitaille.  Luc clipped 39 goals and 74 points while playing in
all 82 games for the Royalty.  And like Yashin, Robitaille
finished 38 points ahead of his next closest teammate.  So there
was Lucky at 74 points, and then a bunch of guys in the 30s. 
That's the worst supporting cast since "The Jeffersons."   
Robitaille did the crown proud.
               
DARCY TUCKER AWARD - Darcy Tucker, Tampa Bay Lightning: 
For the second straight year, Darcy Tucker wins the Darcy Tucker
Award for being the best Darcy Tucker he can be.  Tucker led the
men with lightning bolts on their pants in scoring with 21 goals
and 43 points while also racking up 176 minutes in penalties.  If
that wasn't enough, he was also involved in a blood feud with LCS
Hero Darius Kasparaitis.  It just doesn't get any better than
watching Tucker and Kaspar go at it.  Darcy Tucker is cool. 
Darcy Tucker is great.  All hail Darcy Tucker.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Scott Walker, Nashville Predators; Tyler
Wright, Pittsburgh Penguins.  

Walker is as gritty as it gets.  He comes to play.  He also
scored a nifty spin-o-rama goal just to prove that he can be
fancy.

In a world without Darcy Tucker, Wright would have won this
year's Darcy Tucker Award for fighting Florida's Peter Worrell
twice in the same game.  Wright's listed at around 5'11", 185,
but looks smaller.  Worrell goes about 6'6", 240, but looks
bigger.  True, Wright just buried his head and tried to survive,
but he was the only Penguin willing to stand up to Worrell.  And
for his part, Worrell, being the nice guy that he is, didn't take
advantage of Tyler.  He respected Wright's courage and took it
easy on him.  Wright, perhaps feeling confident, also tried to
fight Tucker this year.  Bad decision.  Darcy laid the smackdown
with the People's Right Hand.  Aw, that's just Tucker being
Tucker.  All hail Darcy Tucker.  Darcy Tucker is great.    

JERRY FAIRISH AWARD - Jerry Fairish, LCS Hockey:  Jerry
Fairish, LCS Hockey Pittsburgh Correspondent and idol of millions
from eight to eighty, claims the first ever Jerry Fairish Award
for being the best damn Jerry Fairish he could be.  Aside from
his duties with LCS, Jerry routinely puts up with my depressed
rantings of a life gone wrong, always acts as my designated
driver, and has displayed great patience in going out week after
week while I worked up the nerve to ask out a certain individual
who will remain nameless  (EDITOR'S NOTE:  Psst, her name's Val). 
For all these reasons and more, Jerry Fairish wins the first ever
Jerry Fairish Award.  Congratulations, Jer!  

HONORABLE MENTIONS: The Pope, Mahatma Gandhi, and Carrot Top.  

LCS HOCKEY ALL-STAR TEAMS 
FIRST TEAM 
C - Alexei Yashin, Ottawa Senators:  Should be league MVP.

RW - Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins:  Best scorer in
hockey.

LW - John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers:  Scored 43 goals
and 90 points in 76 games while leading the league with a +36. 
Besides, he could kick Paul Kariya's ass.

D - Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues:  Should win his first
ever Norris Trophy.

D - Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings:  Had 14 goals and
57 points in 81 games and only took 14 minutes in penalties.  You
can't be the best all-around defenseman in hockey from the
penalty box.  

G - Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres:  Blah blah blah.

SECOND TEAM 
C - Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche:  Rang up 41 goals and
96 points in 73 games, quietly going about having the third
highest points-per-game average in the league at 1.32, behind
only Jagr (1.57) and Selanne (1.43).  Also elevated his game
defensively and played more minutes than any other forward in
hockey. 

RW - Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Mighty Ducks:  First in goals
(47), second in points (107), and just a real swell guy.  

LW - Paul Kariya, Anaheim Mighty Ducks:  One of only three
players to reach the 100-point plateau, bagging 39 goals and 101
points.  He also appeared in all 82 games.  But then again, Gary
Suter did miss the entire season.

D - Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins:  Kept on truckin' with 10
goals and 57 points in 81 games.

D - Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues:  Even though his
plus/minus dropped, his scoring numbers did improve to 13 goals
and 46 points in just 67 games.  The bottom line is that he's
still the best defensive defenseman in hockey, with all apologies
to Derian Hatcher and Adam Foote.  

G - Byron Dafoe, Boston Bruins:  Had a career year and
won't get anything for it.  Damn Hasek.     

FINAL COOLNESS UPDATE
Here are the coolest players from the 1998-99 season.  

 1. Darius Kasparaitis, Pittsburgh Penguins 
 2. Darcy Tucker, Tampa Bay Lightning 
 3. Tony Amonte, Chicago Blackhawks 
 4. Theo Fleury, Colorado Avalanche 
 5. Martin Straka, Pittsburgh Penguins 
 6. Alexei Kovalev, Pittsburgh Penguins 
 7. Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles Kings 
 8. Pavol Demitra, St. Louis Blues 
 9. Gary Roberts, Carolina Hurricanes 
10. John LeClair, Philadelphia Flyers
          
                          
----------------------------------------------------------------
Entry Draft Preview
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Meredith Martini

The last couple of years have found me wandering aimlessly about the streets 
of Pittsburgh and Buffalo babbling something about prospects and scouting 
projections and related junk. I had so much fun doing this, this time I'm gonna 
do it in Boston. Yes, me and my permanent attachment (that would be the camera) 
are hitting Beantown with a vengeance, for my favorite event of the year, the Entry Draft. Ah yes, dozens of photos of prospects and cool people hanging out at the Fleet Center, and whatever wise-ass observations I can make, papered all over LCS...

What? What do you mean, LCS won't be here? Oh, crap. And I was so looking forward
to this.

OK, so now I'm hauling myself to New England for no apparent reason. Great. And
since I can't wrapup the Entry Draft, I'll have to preview it. Which is a really pointless kind of thing. But I'll take a hack at it anyway.

One
The constant variable, the fly in the ointment, the one thing that the draft will really hinge on is Patrik Stefan. Or to be more specific, his bell that has already been rung more often than Big Ben. Stefan is clearly the best talent available in the draft, not to mention the only player clearly capable of reasonably occupying space on the ice of your local NHL arena before the next millennium. 

Except that he found it so much fun to pound his head against a wall early in the season, he went and pounded it again, this time on Kevin Kaminski's knee, and as a result Stefan was only cleared to start skating a matter of days ago. Furthermore, the only doctors who've been permitted to take a look at Stefan are those bought and paid for by his agent, Rich Winter. 

Now, any NHL team with half an ounce of sense (we can immediately eliminate the
Blackhawks, Islanders and Canucks from this list; actually, we could eliminate more than that but we're dealing strictly with teams picking high at the moment) would want Stefan thoroughly evaluated by their own physicians before giving Stefan the top center job, not to mention the contents of the U.S. Treasury. You just don't waste a top ten pick and millions of dollars on a guy who's so dizzy he can't find the bench (OK, the Islanders would - Brett Lindros sound familiar? - but no one else would). 

Ergo, the teams drafting high, especially Tampa, want to get inside Stefan's head. No
dice, says Winter. Way to go. Way to reduce your number one overall client to a third
rounder. Rich, hang around with Scott Boras much? So the big question here is whether
Tampa, or any team, gets to have Stefan evaluated to their satisfaction by doctors who
don't have a financial stake in the answer. The second big question is, who'll take him if he isn't independently evaluated?

So this is quite the problem. If Stefan should be evaluated by someone acceptable to
Tampa and clears said evaluation, he will have Bolts on his pants June 26th. The rest
should fall into place afterwards; barring any deals to give one team two of the first four picks, Atlanta would take Pavel Brendl, Vancouver grabs Daniel Sedin, and the
Blackhawks get Henrik Sedin. Oh yeah, barring any deals.

Two and Three
Both Atlanta and Vancouver would like to pick up both of the amazing Sedin twins, but
would have to swing an equally amazing trade to acquire two picks. If one of them does
it, it would be Atlanta as they can use expansion picks as leverage. The Islanders have three picks in the top ten slots, but their picks are all too low (at least now) to swing an appropriate deal.

Four
The Blackhawks won the lottery to move up from the eight spot to the four. This doesn't really help them in that they still have to wait for Tampa to decide what to do with Stefan, and for Atlanta and Vancouver to try to grab a second high pick so they get the Sedins. The 'hawks will take whichever of the top four players still remaining when the dust settles.

Five
Assuming Brendl and the Sedins go in the first four, things will be a little less dicey. If Stefan remains on the board, the Islanders will take him since they not only don't have a problem with not medically clearing prospects (Lindros again), with three picks in the top ten they can afford to waste a pitch. If Stefan isn't on the board, the Islanders have made open their interest in American Tim Connolly, who just got his own medical clearance after a broken leg. Either Stefan or Connolly will be a Fish Stick. 

Six
Calgary is looking to its own backyard, since they're ever mindful of their bottom line (the locals tend to come cheaper, at least in theory) and the pickings at home are pretty good this year - the WHL's Jamie Lundmark and Kris Beech. Beech has already been on the Flames' payroll with the WHL's Flames-owned Calgary Hitmen and performed well at the Memorial Cup; Lundmark is considered a slightly better player. One or the other will be a Flame.

Seven
The Capitals have plenty to choose from in the second round, with four of the first nine picks there, and will save their defensive shopping for that time. Here, they desperately need a centerman. Lundmark and Beech both fit the bill as the Flames can't take both, and the Caps' need could also be filled by Scott Kelman or Taylor Pyatt. Look for the Capitals to take one of those three players. 

Eight
Randy Newman may love L.A., but the number eight pick won't get the chance because
he's going to Long Island instead.  There will still be a player or two remaining in the center category, probably Kelman or Pyatt, and Oleg Saprykin and Denis Shvidki would also fit in nicely. Let's say Saprykin.

Nine
Next up is Nashville, who have a dilemma before them - they need help in all areas.
Defensive possibilities are Kirill Safronov, Jeff Jillson or Branislav Mezei; goaltending help in Brian Finley; or selecting a forward from the group comprising whomever remains of Shvidki, Saprykin, Kelman and Pyatt. Yikes. A winger would be a nice idea though, to go with David Legwand. Denis Shvidki, meet Garth Brooks. Yee haw.

Ten
This used to be Montreal's pick, but they gave it to the Islanders for Trevor Linden.
Better hope Linden rediscovers his career quick you guys. The Islanders don't really
need goaltending with Roberto Luongo percolating, so expect New York to use this pick
on a skater. Jillson and Pyatt if still available would be safe bets, with Safranov and Saprykin as alternates. Meanwhile, I'm sick of seeing Mike Milbury every ten minutes.

The rest of the draft, well, it all depends on who did what with the previous pick, etc. etc. So there's really no point in continuing on with this team by team business, c'est la vie.

The 1999 edition is blessed with a remarkable degree of the 1997 edition, interestingly enough - three first rounders and six second rounders from 1997 are re-entering the draft. The only one of the bunch likely to go that high again is Nick Boynton, but after turning down over a million dollars from both the Capitals and the Blackhawks most teams will likely be leery of the Memorial Cup MVP who still has felony charges pending against him. Matt Zultek and Kevin Grimes will not reappear in the first round, but likely will in the second. The second rounders will probably go again, fourth round or lower.  

Unlike previous years, I haven't had an opportunity to personally see any of these guys play. Nonetheless, based strictly on what I've read and heard, I'm prepared to declare Barrett Jackman and Sheldon Keefe the official LCS draft underdogs. Why? Well, Keefe attracts the same description over and over again - Theo Fleury. A little banger with skill around the net. How could we not love him? Jackman - same deal, except he's a defenseman. The kid plays like Kasparaitis, and he's barely six feet tall. Let's all get together and root for them!

Lastly - bye bye LCS. Mostly because I lost my excuse to play with the camera and take
photos that could be legally reproduced without the FBI butting in, but hey, it was fun.


----------------------------------------------------------------
NHL News
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Michael Dell

LEMIEUX LOOKS GOOD
It seems as though Mario Lemieux is a lock to become the new owner of the Penguins 
and keep the club in Pittsburgh.  The Greatest One struck a deel with FOX Sports
Pittsburgh within the past day or so that will see the two sides team up in an 
arrangement that should satisfy all the needed requirements to keep the team in town.  
The bankruptcy court judge won't rule for sure until Thursday, June 24, but as of 
now things look good.  Good ol' number 66 just never gets tired of saving the day.

ZIGGY GO?  ZIGGY GONE.  REALLY.
Last issue it appeared that Ziggy Palffy was going to get shipped to the Rangers, 
but the league didn't like the idea of $2.5 million going to Long Island as part 
of the deal.  So that left the door open for the Los Angeles Kings.  The Royalty 
seized the opportunity, sending Olli Jokinen, Josh Green, defenseman Mathieu Biron,
and this year's first-round pick to the Islanders for Palffy, Bryan Smolinski, 
Marcel Coussineau, and a fourth-round pick.     

This is obviously a tremendous trade for the Kings.  It does raise their payroll 
by nearly seven million dollars for next season, but they'll be moving into a new 
arena and can afford to spend some scratch.  Palffy is as entertaining as they come.  
He'll make it fun.  Add the man named Ziggy and Smolinksi to Luc Robitaille, 
Donald Audette, Jozef Stumpel, and Glen Murray, and the Los Angeles offense 
shouldn't be too bad next season.  The defense will be decent as long as Rob Blake 
and Mattias Norstrom are around.  Now the Kings just need to keep their goaltending 
healthy and they should be back in the postseason.

AWARD NOMINEES
The NHL Awards will be given out Thursday night, June 24 in Toronto.  Coverage starts 
at 8PM EST on ESPN2.  Once again, here are the finalists:
<pre>
Hart Memorial Trophy - MVP
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexei Yashin, Ottawa Senators

Frank J. Selke Trophy - Defensive Forward
Magnus Arvedson, Ottawa Senators
Jere Lehtinen, Dallas Stars
Michael Peca, Buffalo Sabres

Calder Trophy - Rookie
Chris Drury, Colorado Avalanche
Milan Hejduk, Colorado Avalanche
Marian Hossa, Ottawa Senators

Norris Trophy - Defenseman
Ray Bourque, Boston Bruins
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues

Vezina Trophy - Goaltender
Byron Dafoe, Boston Bruins
Dominik Hasek, Buffalo Sabres
Curtis Joseph, Toronto Maple Leafs

Lady Byng Trophy - Sportsmanship
Wayne Gretzky, New York Rangers
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
Teemu Selanne, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Jack Adams Trophy - Coach
Ken Hitchcock, Dallas Stars
Jacques Martin, Ottawa Senators
Pat Quinn, Toronto Maple Leafs

Darcy Tucker Award - Best Darcy Tucker
Darcy Tucker, Tampa Bay Lightning
Scott Walker, Nashville Predators
Tyler Wright, Pittsburgh Penguins
</pre>

EXPANSION DRAFT ZANINESS
The 1999 Expansion Draft will be held on Friday, June 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET in Boston.  The Atlanta Thrashers will select 26 players in the Draft, one from each NHL club except the Nashville Predators, who can't spare the help.  The following is how the league explained the rules and whatnot to us:

Each club was allowed to protect either (i) up to five defensemen, nine
forwards and one goaltender, or (ii) up to three defensemen, seven forwards and
two goaltenders.

Each club was required to expose for claim at least the following players
who meet the experience requirements indicated below:

ONE GOALTENDER -- For clubs protecting one goaltender, no experience
requirement. For clubs protecting two goaltenders, either 10 NHL games played
in the 1998-99 season or 25 NHL games played over the last two seasons (1997-98
and 1998-99).  A goaltender must have played in a minimum of 31 minutes in a
game before it would qualify as a game played for these purposes.  Games played
include regular season and playoff games.

ONE EXPERIENCED DEFENSEMAN -- Either 40 NHL games played in the 1998-99 season
or 70 NHL games played over the last two seasons (1997-98 and 1998-99).  Games
played include regular season and playoff games.

TWO EXPERIENCED FORWARDS ? Either 40 NHL games played in the 1998-99 season or
70 NHL games played over the last two seasons (1997-98 and 1998-99).  Games
played include regular season and playoff games.

Exempt from the Expansion Draft are (i) all first and second-year pros and
(ii) unsigned draft choices (except unsigned draft choices drafted from
European clubs in the 1995 Entry Draft or before and who remain unsigned).

The number of players in each category to be selected by Atlanta will be
at least three goaltenders, eight defensemen and 13 forwards.

Each of the clubs (except Nashville) will lose one player.  Clubs that
lost a goaltender in the 1998 Expansion Draft (Anaheim, Los Angeles, Montreal,
New Jersey and New York Rangers) cannot lose a goaltender in the 1999 Expansion
Draft.

Here are all the unprotected players:
<pre>
 * unsigned draft choice (Europe)
 ** restricted free agent
                             
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
 Ted Drury         F
 Stu Grimson       F
 Peter Leboutillier F
 Eric Lecompte     F
 Jim McKenzie      F
 Tommi Miettinen * F
 Jeff Nielsen      F
 Igor Nikulin      F
 Craig Reichert    F
 Tomas Sandstrom   F
 Bob Wren          F
 Byron Briske      D
 Scott Ferguson    D
 Jamie Pushor      D
 Terran Sandwith   D
 Dan Trebil        D
 Pascal Trepanier  D
 Nikolai Tsulygin **     D

Boston Bruins
 Ken Baumgartner   F
 Peter Ferraro     F
 Chris Taylor      F
 Dean Chynoweth    D
 Dave Ellett       D
 Grant Ledyard     D
 Andrei Sapozhnikov *    D
 Yevgeny Shaldybin D
 Dennis Vaske      D
 Terry Virtue      D
 Sergei Zhukov *   D
 Joakim Persson *  G
 Paxton Schafer    G
 Robbie Tallas     G

Buffalo Sabres
 Randy Cunneyworth F
 Craig Fisher      F
 Joe Juneau        F
 Paul Kruse        F
 Scott Nichol      F
 Domenic Pittis    F
 Rob Ray           F
 Geoff Sanderson   F
 Steffon Walby     F
 Jason Holland     D
 Mike Hurlbut      D
 James Patrick     D
 Darryl Shannon    D
 Tom Draper        G
 Dwayne Roloson    G

Calgary Flames
 Bob Bassen        F
 Andrew Cassels    F
 Tom Chorske       F
 Jeff Cowan        F
 Steve Dubinsky    F
 Nisse Ekman *     F
 Jan Hlavac *      F
 Mattias Johansson *     F
 Andreas Karlsson * F
 Esa Keskinen *    F
 Jan Labraaten *   F
 Jesper Mattsson ** F
 Marty Murray **   F
 Dave Roche        F
 Ed Ward           F
 Sergei Zolotov *  F
 Tommy Albelin     D
 Steve Bancroft    D
 Eric Charron      D
 David Cooper      D
 Trevor Doyle      D
 Johan Finnstrom * D
 Pavel Rajnoha *   D
 Dimitri Riabykin * D
 Steve Smith       D
 Lee Sorochan      D
 Tyler Moss        G
 Andrei Trefilov   G
 Ken Wregget       G

Carolina Hurricanes
 Tom Buckley       F
 Kevin Dineen      F
 Dimitri Gorenko * F
 Robert Kron       F
 Scott Levins      F
 Paul Ranheim      F
 Ray Sheppard      F
 Kevin Smyth **    F
 Paul Coffey       D
 Joacim Esbjors *  D
 Al Iafrate        D
 Dave Karpa        D
 Curtis Leschyshyn D
 Mike Rucinski     D
 Mike Fountain     G
 Pat Jablonski     G
 Trevor Kidd       G

Chicago Blackhawks
 Sylvain Cloutier  F
 Chris Herperger   F
 Mark Janssens     F
 David Ling **     F
 Craig Mills       F
 Ed Olczyk         F
 Bob Probert       F
 Ryan Vandenbussche F
 Frank Bialowas    D
 Radim Bicanek     D
 Dave Manson       D
 Doug Zmolek       D
 Kirk Daubenspeck  G
 Mark Fitzpatrick  G
 Marc Lamothe      G

Colorado Avalanche
 Serge Aubin       F
 Chris Dingman     F
 Tomi Hirvonen *   F
 Dale Hunter       F
 Mikael Johansson * F
 Martin Lamarche   F
 Tomi Kallio *     F
 Christian Matte   F
 Jeff Odgers       F
 Warren Rychel     F
 Rob Shearer       F
 Jeff Buchanan     D
 Michael Gaul      D
 Alexei Gusarov    D
 Sami Helenius     D
 Sylvain Lefebvre  D
 Eric Messier      D
 Cam Russell       D
 Craig Billington  G
 Petr Franek       G

Dallas Stars
 Guy Carbonneau    F
 Kelly Fairchild   F
 Marty Flichel     F
 Aaron Gavey       F
 Benoit Hogue      F
 Tony Hrkac        F
 Lee Jinman        F
 Sergei Luchinkin * F
 Jeff Mitchell     F
 Dave Reid         F
 David Roberts     F
 Brent Severyn     F
 Brian Skrudland   F
 Pat Verbeek       F
 Petr Buzek        D
 Shawn Chambers    D
 Alan Letang       D
 Doug Lidster      D
 Craig Ludwig      D
 Matt Martin       D
 Evgeny Petrochinin *    D
 Mike Bales        G
 Manny Fernandez   G

Detroit Red Wings
 Pavel Agarkov *   F
 Doug Brown        F
 Wendel Clark      F
 David Engblom *   F
 Brent Gilchrist   F
 Petr Klima        F
 Joe Kocur         F
 Igor Larionov     F
 Barry Potomski    F
 Andrei Samokvalov *  F
 Anatoly Ustugov * F
 Todd Gill         D
 Sean Gillam       D
 Yan Golubovsky    D
 Doug Houda        D
 Uwe Krupp         D
 Jamie Macoun      D
 Ulf Samuelsson    D
 Norm Maracle      G

Edmonton Oilers
 Kelly Buchberger  F
 Brad Church       F
 Jozef Cierny      F
 Jeff Daw          F
 Jim Dowd          F
 Pat Falloon       F
 Chris Ferraro     F
 Joe Hulbig        F
 Ralph Intranuovo **     F
 Daniel Lacroix    F
 Rem Murray        F
 Martin Reichel *  F
 Keijo Sailynoja * F
 Alexander Selivanov     F
 Jussi Tarvainen * F
 Vladimir Vorobiev F
 Adam Bennett **   D
 Ladislav Benysek **     D
 Jason Bowen       D
 Brett Hauer **    D
 Marty McSorley    D
 Craig Millar      D
 Frantisek Musil   D
 Sami Nuutinen *   D
 Reijo Ruotsalainen **   D
 Alexander Zhurik **     D
 Lukas Zib *       D
 Bob Essensa       G
 Mike Minard       G
 Steve Passmore    G

Florida Panthers
 Chad Cabana       F
 Dino Ciccarelli   F
 Brian Farrell     F
 Craig Ferguson    F
 Johan Garpenlov   F
 Alex Hicks        F
 Kirk Muller       F
 Konstantin Shafranov    F
 Herbert Vasilyev  F
 Terry Carkner     D
 Gord Murphy       D
 Daniel Tjarnqvist *     D
 Jeff Ware         D
 Aaron MacDonald   G
 Todd MacDonald    G
 Kirk McLean       G

Los Angeles Kings
 Dan Bylsma        F
 Brandon Convery   F
 Russ Courtnall    F
 Andrew Dale       F
 Ray Ferraro       F
 Matt Johnson      F
 Nathan Lafayette  F
 Steve McKenna     F
 Igor Melyakov *   F
 Sandy Moger       F
 Jason Morgan      F
 Jason Podollan    F
 Sean Pronger      F
 Chris Schmidt     F
 Jukka Tiilikainen *     F
 Vladimir Tsyplakov F
 Tomas Vlasak *    F
 Juha Vuorivirta * F
 Magnus Wernblom * F
 David Babych      D
 Doug Bodger       D
 Philippe Boucher  D
 Garry Galley      D
 Jan Nemecek       D
 Martin Strebak *  D
 Mark Visheau      D

Montreal Canadiens
 Niklas Anger *    F
 Sylvain Blouin    F
 Jason Dawe        F
 Martin Gendron    F
 Jonas Hoglund     F
 Eric Houde        F
 J-F Jomphe        F
 Arto Kuki *       F
 Trent McCleary    F
 Boyd Olson        F
 Oleg Petrov **    F
 Patrick Poulin    F
 Peter Strom *     F
 Sergei Zholtok    F
 Steve Cheredaryk  D
 Brett Clark       D
 Miloslav Guren    D
 Marc Hussey       D
 Scott Lachance    D
 Alain Nasreddine  D
 Stephane Quintal  D

New Jersey Devils
 Dave Andreychuk   F
 Eric Bertrand     F
 Steve Brule       F
 Sergei Brylin     F
 Bob Carpenter     F
 Scott Daniels     F
 Bobby House       F
 Sasha Lakovic     F
 Sergei Nemchinov  F
 Vadim Sharifijanov F
 Jeff Williams     F
 Dody Wood **      F
 Nikolai Zavarukhin *    F
 Brad Bombardir    D
 Kevin Dean        D
 Geordie Kinnear   D
 Vlastimil Kroupa  D
 Ken Sutton        D
 Sergei Vyshedkevich     D

New York Islanders
 Nic Beaudoin      F
 Vladimir Grachev * F
 Pavel Gross *     F
 Peter Hogardh *   F
 Mike Hough        F
 Ryan Huska        F
 Dane Jackson      F
 Craig Janney      F
 Mike Kennedy      F
 Tomas Klimt *     F
 Gino Odjick       F
 Joe Sacco         F
 Jason Stewart     F
 Steve Webb        F
 Ted Crowley       D
 David Harlock     D
 Daniel Johansson * D
 Mike Mader        D
 Dean Malkoc       D
 John Namestnikov  D
 Dick Tarnstrom *  D
 Wade Flaherty     G
 Mark McArthur     G
 Steve Valiquette  G

New York Rangers
 Derek Armstrong   F
 Kevin Brown       F
 Christian Dube    F
 Bob Errey         F
 Brent Fedyk       F
 Scott Fraser      F
 Ken Gernander     F
 Daniel Goneau     F
 Chris Kenady      F
 Radoslav Kropac * F
 Alexei Lazarenko * F
 Mike Maneluk      F
 Brad Smyth        F
 Esa Tikkanen      F
 Rudolf Vercik *   F
 Jeff Beukeboom    D
 Rich Brennan      D
 Ilja Gorohov *    D
 Chris O'Sullivan  D
 Adam Smith        D
 Chris Tamer       D
 Brent Thompson    D

Ottawa Senators
 Bill Berg         F
 Phil Crowe        F
 Nelson Emerson    F
 David Hruska *    F
 Andreas Johansson F
 David Oliver      F
 Mike Prokopec     F
 Andre Roy         F
 Yves Sarault      F
 Andy Schneider ** F
 Shaun Van Allen   F
 John Gruden       D
 Chris Luongo      D
 Patrick Traverse  D
 Frederic Cassivi  G
 Ron Tugnutt       G

Philadelphia Flyers
 Mikael Andersson  F
 Craig Berube      F
 Dennis Bonvie     F
 Marc Bureau       F
 Mark Greig        F
 Paul Healey       F
 Jody Hull         F
 Patrik Juhlin **  F
 Dan Kordic        F
 Shawn McCosh      F
 Steve McLaren     F
 Jim Montgomery    F
 Richard Park      F
 Ruslan Shafikov * F
 Radovan Somik *   F
 Martin Streit *   F
 Roman Vopat       F
 Peter White       F
 Jason Zent        F
 Artem Anisimov *  D
 Steve Duchesne    D
 Chris Joseph      D
 Jeff Lank         D
 Dave MacIsaac     D
 Luke Richardson   D
 Ron Hextall       G
 Neil Little       G

Phoenix Coyotes
 Mika Alatalo *    F
 Bob Corkum        F
 Jim Cummins       F
 Louie Debrusk     F
 Joe Dziedzic      F
 Stephen Leach     F
 Jocelyn Lemieux   F
 Frederik Loven *  F
 Rob Murray        F
 Barry Nieckar     F
 Brian Noonan      F
 Mike Stapleton    F
 Mike Sullivan     F
 Andrei Vasilyev   F
 J.J. Daigneault   D
 Gerald Diduck     D
 Jamie Huscroft    D
 Sean McCann       D
 Stan Neckar       D
 Michel Petit      D
 Brad Tiley        D
 Scott Langkow     G
 Mikhail Shtalenkov G
 Henrik Smangs *   G
 Jimmy Waite       G

Pittsburgh Penguins
 Jan Alinc *       F
 Brian Bonin       F
 Rob Brown         F
 Todd Hlushko      F
 Mikhail Kazakevich *    F
 Dan Kesa          F
 Jiri Kucera *     F
 Patrick Lebeau    F
 Brent Peterson    F
 Ryan Savoia       F
 Mika Valila *     F
 Tyler Wright      F
 Boris Zelenko *   F
 Jonas Andersson-Junkka *     D
 Greg Andrusak     D
 Stefan Bergqvist **     D
 Bobby Dollas      D
 Maxim Galanov     D
 Tuomas Gronman    D
 Viktor Ignatjev   D
 Jeff Serowik      D
 Neil Wilkinson    D
 Brian Leitza      G

St. Louis Blues
 Blair Atcheynum   F
 Kelly Chase       F
 Geoff Courtnall   F
 Tyson Nash        F
 Michel Picard     F
 Stephane Roy      F
 Kevin Sawyer      F
 Shayne Toporowski **    F
 Tony Twist        F
 Terry Yake        F
 Marc Bergevin     D
 Rory Fitzpatrick  D
 Edvin Frylen *    D
 Yuri Gunko *      D
 Bryan Helmer      D
 Chris McAlpine    D
 Rudy Poeschek     D
 Jamie Rivers      D
 Brad Shaw         D
 Geoff Smith       D
 Jason Widmer      D
 Jim Carey         G
 Grant Fuhr        G
 Jamie McLennan    G

San Jose Sharks
 Eric Bennett      F
 Shawn Burr        F
 Jan Caloun **     F
 Mike Craig        F
 Murray Craven     F
 Jarrett Deuling   F
 Anatoli Filatov * F
 Tony Granato      F
 Timo Hakanen *    F
 Dave Lowry        F
 Mikko Markkanen * F
 Joe Murphy        F
 Greg Pankewicz    F
 Teemu Riihijarvi * F
 Jarrod Skalde     F
 Ron Sutter        F
 Markus Thuresson * F
 Alexei Yegorov ** F
 Peter Allen       D
 Alexandre Boikov  D
 Bill Houlder      D
 Angel Nikolov *   D
 Fredrik Oduya **  D
 Jon Rohloff       D
 Bob Rouse         D
 Jonas Forsberg *  G
 Sean Gauthier     G
 Bruce Racine      G
 Mike Vernon       G

Tampa Bay Lightning
 Jesse Belanger    F
 Jason Bonsignore  F
 Brian Bradley     F
 Colin Cloutier    F
 Alexandre Daigle  F
 Stephane Richer   F
 Paul Ysebaert     F
 Jassen Cullimore  D
 Kjell Samuelsson  D
 Michal Sykora     D
 David Wilkie      D
 Daren Puppa       G
 Corey Schwab      G
 Derek Wilkinson   G

Toronto Maple Leafs
 Niklas Andersson  F
 Lonny Bohonos     F
 Aaron Brand       F
 Nathan Dempsey    F
 Mark Deyell       F
 Tie Domi          F
 Mikael Hakansson * F
 Derek King        F
 Kris King         F
 Ladislav Kohn     F
 Marek Melenovsky * F
 David Nemirovsky  F
 Scott Pearson     F
 Garry Valk        F
 Kevin Dahl        D
 Dallas Eakins     D
 Glen Featherstone D
 Tommi Rajamaki *  D
 Greg Smyth        D
 Yannick Tremblay  D
 Dmitri Yakushin   D
 Doug Bonner       G
 Glenn Healy       G
 Jeff Reese        G

Vancouver Canucks
 Hakan Ahlund *    F
 Jevgeni Babariko * F
 Larry Courville   F
 Dave Gagner       F
 Robb Gordon       F
 Roger Hansson *   F
 Trent Klatt       F
 Steffan Nilsson * F
 Darren Sinclair   F
 Steve Staios      F
 Steve Washburn    F
 Peter Zezel       F
 Roger Akerstrom * D
 Murray Baron      D
 Karri Kivi *      D
 Dana Murzyn       D
 Bert Robertsson   D
 Mark Wotton       D
 Corey Hirsch      G
 Garth Snow        G

Washington Capitals
 Patrik Augusta    F
 Brian Bellows     F
 Mike Eagles       F
 Miika Elomo       F
 Trevor Halverson  F
 Mark Major        F
 Kelly Miller      F
 Barrie Moore      F
 Jeff Nelson       F
 Michal Pivonka    F
 Jeff Toms         F
 Stefan Ustorf **  F
 Nolan Baumgartner D
 Patrick Boileau   D
 Enrico Ciccone    D
 Stewart Malgunas  D
 Dmitri Mironov    D
 Steve Poapst      D
 Mark Tinordi      D
 Stephane Beauregard **  G
 Martin Brochu     G
 Michael Rosati    G
 Rick Tabaracci    G
</pre>

----------------------------------------------------------------
AHL News
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Tricia McMillan

Some final news and notes for the 1998-1999 AHL season...

Ordinarily, the Calder Cup is presented to the winning team's captain by the AHL
President. This year, it was Vice-President Gordon Anziano who gave the Cup to
Brandon Smith, as Anziano is stepping down into retirement after over thirty-one years
with the league. Also leaving the AHL front office is Marketing Director Mike Humes,
who has been hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets...

The Beast of New Haven failed to secure an affiliation before the AHL's deadline. The
franchise will be inactive for at least next season while they attempt to find another
affiliate...

The 1999-2000 season now stands with 19 teams with 20 NHL teams having an official
affiliation with at least one team. The divisions remain more or less the same as last
season. The changes are the addition of Louisville to the Mid-Atlantic Division, the
addition of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the Empire Division (replacing Adirondack), the
subtraction of New Haven and the addition of Portland to the New England Division,
and the subtraction of Portland and Fredericton and addition of Quebec City to the
Atlantic Division...

The NHL teams that didn't land an AHL team continue to negotiate with other teams to
place a few players here and there. Hershey is negotiating with the Islanders and Detroit (the Red Wings and Avalanche speaking to each other?!) to pick up a few players, while Nashville, Ottawa, Tampa and Chicago are also expected to look for a home for a player or two...

One Vancouver assistant coach already took a head coaching spot in the AHL, as Glen
Hanlon took over Portland. Now the other does the same as Stan Smyl takes over in
Syracuse, replacing Jack McIlhargey who moves up to take Smyl's spot with Vancouver...

Vancouver and Syracuse also rectified an earlier mistake and signed Reggie Savage to a
contract. Savage was a fan favorite of the Crunch and letting him leave was an unpopular move...

Finally...

As you know, this is the final issue of LCS. This completes nearly four years of work for LCS for me, which is a mighty long time for a hobby. I find it ironic that I end with the AHL largely where I started it - writing about Steven King.  The very first AHL article to appear in LCS was a profile of Steven King and lo, we've just completed a Calder Cup series wherein King was vitally important to the winning team and earned plenty of ink. 

Steven King stands as one of the better stories I was able to write about, but just about every AHL player I've talked to, whether as an interview or just gabbing, has been well worth my time. A big thank you to all of them. 

I would list my favorites but then we'd be here all day and I would leave someone out,
so we'll settle for mentioning the Portland Pirates, my default favorite team because they were my favorite NHL team's farm club, and the Hershey Bears since I saw considerably more of them than any other team and they never made me sorry for that.

Hersheypark Arena security did make me sorry I spent time there; no thanks to the
sexist morons who refused to acknowledge my press pass. 

Thanks to Kevin Fischer for the photos he let us use and mehopes one day a team will
wise up and hire him. 

Thanks to Meredith Martini for her photos too. 

Thanks to the team PR guys who let me talk to their players, and no thanks whatsoever
to the ones who didn't, especially the ones who refused to allow me or my camera inside the arena. 

Thanks to Syracuse and Philadelphia for two fun All-Star Games. 

Thanks to the NHL teams for calling up many of the players I've gotten to know and
letting them show what they can do.

Thanks to the readers, especially the ones who wrote back.

And...thanks to LCS for letting me write this column.


----------------------------------------------------------------
The State of the Game - Five Years Later
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Jim Iovino

So much has happened during the past five years of LCS Hockey. 
While providing coverage of the game we loved, we wrote the final
chapters of some of the hockey's greatest heroes.  We saw the
emergence of the game's next generation that will be counted on to
take the sport into the next millenium.  And we saw the NHL change
the game of hockey, as well.  

And all of it was for the worse. 

Let me explain. 

First of all, what good could have possibly come out of the
retirement of some of the game's greatest, including Mario Lemieux,
Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls and Johnny Cullen?  They carried the
torch for the league, and their departure surely will be missed.
 

Sure, Lemieux's retirement meant he could help save the Pittsburgh
Penguins franchise from leaving the city, but I'd much rather still
see Le Magnifique grace a frozen sheet of ice rather than a
Pittsburgh courtroom.  

And Gretzky was just Gretzky.  Love him or hate him, the man was
what hockey was all about. He played the game like a kid his whole
career.  He didn't take advantage of the game.  He never abused
it. 

Broadway Bernie and Cully?  Well, they were just cool players who
gave their all to the game.  

Which brings me to the next point - the stars of the future.  While
the players of the past had attitude on the ice, the new generation
of stars has it both on and off.  

They're cocky.  They think they're better than they are.  And they
make a heck of a lot of money - more than they probably should. 
That's not the players' faults, rather the blame for that falls on
the owners.  But the players have big attitudes even though they're
not backing it up with big performances.  Sergei Fedorov, I'm
looking in your direction.  

In this new age of expansion, players who would have never seen the
light of day in the league a few years ago have found jobs on first
and second lines.  Do you think the old-timers who played in the
days of the Original Six don't laugh at some of the teams iced
today?  You bet your bippy they do.  

Just about every player on teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and
New York Islanders should get a "Thanks Expansion" tattoo on their
asses.  

It's quite embarrassing, really, to watch the NHL try and market
this game the way it is.  I mean, who really wants to go to a
Lightning game?  Who is going to care about a big
Thrashers-Predators matchup next season?  

Not us here at LCS Hockey.  That's why we're getting out while we
can.  

When we first started this fine publication, the NHL was still cool.
There was lots of scoring.  There was lots of talent.  And there were
some intriguing players out there that deserved to be praised. 

There weren't a lot of expansion teams.  There wasn't an absence of
superstars.  And there wasn't an aura of idiocy surrounding the
league.  

As the years went along, we at LCS Hockey started seeing the bad
moves the league was making.  We tried to warn.  We tried to
scold.  We tried to embarrass.  For a while we thought we could do
some good.  But the evil grip of cold, hard cash got the best of
Czar Bettman and his merry band of hooligans.  

"Let's make the game more network TV friendly!" Bettman screamed. 
"That way we can get more money and improve our status as a premier
league in the United States!"  

"Let's bring in robots and glowing pucks!" said the executives at
FOX.  "Although they're not complaining, we know the fans can't
follow the action without a glowin' puck!"  

"Let's bring in more expansion teams!" Bettman shouted as the
throngs of fans started beating viciously on his front door.  "More
expansion teams means more money for the league!  We love money!!!"
 

"And while we're at it, let's take the game away from the people who
love it the most!" he added.  "Screw the Canadians and everything
they think hockey stands for!  We need more money!!!" 

And so the league let its eyes focus on the green American paper.
 

And the game has gone to hell. 

Southern expansion has watered down the game.  It has also watered
down the ice - into what is sometimes known as "slush."  Yep,
that's exactly what Lord Stanley hoped the game would be played
on.  Because, you know, when you're playing on slush, you can't
skate, stickhandle or pass.  That will make the game more
marketable for everyone!  

You'd think that while they were at it, the league would want to
tinker with the rules of the game.  Oh, wait.  The league did. 

When better goaltending led to fewer goals, what did the league do?
Make it harder to score, no doubt. Anyone who dares enter the crease
when a goal is scored shall be mocked.  No ifs, ands or buts about
it. It's a black and white issue...well, until the last game of the
1999 Stanley Cup finals.  

And while we're at it, let's bring in a shootout to decide games. 
No one likes to see a tie, right? Thankfully, cooler heads
prevailed on this one.  But don't count out the shootout just yet. 
Next year the league will introduce a 4-on-4 in overtime to help
decide games.  Plus, each team will get a point just for making it
to overtime, making the last couple minutes of regular-season games
meaningless while everyone waits to get their point and try to win
in overtime.  

You know, people complain a lot about the length of Major League
Baseball games, but do you see them cutting the number of innings
down from nine to seven?  No.  Baseball doesn't tinker with rules
like that. That's why the game has stood the test of time.  

The NHL, I'm afraid, is tinkering too much with its rules.  The
integrity of the game is gone.  The NHL also has tinkered too much
with its number of teams.  And its players.  

And, most of all, the league has put too much stress and strain on
its fans.  

When LCS Hockey started, myself, Zippy, Delly and Matthew loved to
watch NHL games.  And we loved to write about them.  But as the
years went along and the game became a mockery of its former self,
the love affair we had with hockey fizzled out.  

Sure, I'll still watch an occasional game.  But to tell you the
truth, I didn't even want to watch the Stanley Cup finals this
year.  Call me crazy, but I would like to see a good tape-to-tape
pass every once in a while. I'd like to see a power play dominate a
game.  And I'd love to see a game that included a good fight.  

But, alas, the days of those fine plays are gone.  And, I'm afraid,
they might never return.  The game has gone in a new direction. 
Business dictates what players and teams do off the ice - that has
always happened.  But now business dictates what happens on the
ice, as well.  

While teams and players get rich, the game has been cheapened. 

Thank you, Gary Bettman.  And thanks to all of your cronies. 

Oh, by the way.  I'm still going to watch hockey games.  But my
vantage point will be from on the ice and on the bench as I play
the game I love the way it is meant to be played.  

I don't need the NHL to tell me what real hockey is.  I've seen real
hockey played in the past, and I try to re-live it every time I lace
up my skates.  

My suggestion to the other fans of real hockey - do the same.  Play
the game yourself and enjoy it.  

Don't let the NHL sell you their watered down version of the game. 
No matter how good they say it is. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
(PLEASE NOTE: At the very end of the issue, even after the stats, 
is a very special message from LCS Hockey editor-in-chief Michael 
Dell.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Rob Ftorek 
   
Roster: C - Bobby Holik, Bob Carpenter, Denis Pederson, Petr
Sykora, Jason Arnott, Sergei Brylin, Brendan Morrison, Sergei
Nemchinov. LW - Dave Andreychuk, Brian Rolston, Scott Daniels,
Jay Pandolfo, Sasha Lakovic. RW - Patrik Elias, Randy McKay,
Vadim Sharifijanov, Krzysztof Oliwa. D - Scott Stevens, Scott
Niedermayer, Ken Daneyko, Lyle Odelein, Kevin Dean, Sheldon
Souray, Brad Bombardir. G - Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri.

TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell

Your regular New Jersey correspondent, Carmen Crincoli, has apparently been abducted by Bil Keane, our echenemy and the evil genius behind the hilariously funny comic strip "Family Circus."  Because really, isn't every family a circus?  Think about it.  

Anyway, Keane, you filthy bastard, I'm going to get you for this!  Even though LCS is ending, rest assured our blood feud will continue until one of us is deeper than Mark Twain.  Oh, I'll get you, Keane, if it's the last thing I ever do!  And I know you can't tell, but right now I'm shaking my fist in a mixture of disgust and anger.

I will now recap the New Jersey Devils' season as only I can.  Yes, that's right, through Haiku.  

First round loss hurt bad, 
It ruined a great season, 
Have you seen my pants?

Thank you very much.  My book of Haikus, "Haikus? I Got Your Haikus Right Here", is still available at better bookstores everywhere.  

TEAM MVP:  This is a tough call, but I'm gonna go with Scott Stevens.  The captain remains the heart and sould of this team.  He had an excellent year defensively, chipping in five goals and 27 points to go along with his team-best +29.  

SURPRISE:  Everyone knew Petr Sykora had talent, but he proved this season that he can be a legitimate NHL star by leading the Devils in scoring with 29 goals and 72 points.  That's a might powerful production for a 22-year-old.  

DISAPPOINTMENT:  Dave Andreychuk had a tough season.  He was limited to just 52 games because of injury, posting a mere 15 goals and 28 points.  His playing time was cut drastically down the stretch and into the playoffs.  

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  The Devils have decided to get a bit younger for next season and have cut loose Andreychuk and checking-line center Bobby Carpenter.  El Diablo has so much organizational depth that neither one will be missed much at all.  What New Jersey will miss, and what they've been missing for the past like ever, is having a true superstar scorer up front to help talented youngsters like Sykora, Jason Arnott, and Patrik Elias.  Joe Sakic's name has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but that improbable trade was made even more unlikely due to Peter Forsberg's shoulder injury.  But it's rather obvious by now, after a string of first-round exits, that the Devils need some new blood if they ever hope to be a serious post-season contender.  
  

-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Bill Stewart
   
1998-99 Roster: C - Trevor Linden, Bryan Smolinski, Claude Lapointe,
Craig Janney, Brad Isbister, Mats Lindgren, Mike Kennedy. LW -
Mike Watt, Mike Hough, Gino Odjick. RW - Zigmund Palffy, Joe
Sacco, Mariusz Czerkawski, Kevin Miller, Mark Lawrence, Steve
Webb, Warren Luhning. D - Kenny Jonsson, Richard Pilon, Eric
Brewer, David Harlock, Barry Richter, Zdeno Chara, Ted Crowley,
Vladimir Chebaturkin. G - Felix Potvin, Wade Flaherty, Stephen
Valiquette. 

TEAM NEWS by David Strauss

The Soviet Union didn't work like this.

Their five year plans, it seemed, actually went somewhere.  But
after five straight seasons of missing the playoffs, the
Islanders are right back where they started.  A questionable
ownership, a questionable arena, a new coach, and, oh yeah, a
team full of youngsters that has to develop and learn how to
win.

Is it any wonder that Islanders fans consider themselves the
most abused fans in sports?

After five years without the playoffs, and a 24-48-10 record
last season, there ain't a lot to be enthusiastic about.

General Recap: Team tried to move out of their arena, plays
preseason games in Timbuktu, threatens captain, season starts off
well, star player refuses to sign, season goes downhill, team
makes some dumb trades, star player signs, dumb owners say dumb
things, some more dumb trades, more bull, new coach, new coach
fired, another new coach, captain traded, star player traded.

Yup, that about sums it up.  Any more detail than that, and I'd
have to down some serious drugs.

MVP:  One of the few bright spots for the Isles this
season was the play of Kenny Jonsson.  Jonsson (8-18-26 in 63
games) developed into one hell of a defenseman this season, and
if he wasn't playing in the NHL Siberia (Uniondale), the rest of
the league would know it.  Small wonder that as dumb as the
current owners have been, and how frugal they're demanding the
team budget be, they're not stupid enough to trade Jonsson.  He
would likely be a Norris Trophy candidate on a better team, and
if injuries don't derail him, may anchor the Isles' blue line for
the next decade.  

SURPRISE:  Before this season, Mark Lawrence was a career
minor leaguer, a 27-year-old right wing with one final shot.  But
after being called up early in the season, Lawrence shocked the
Isles by scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 60 games, and showing
solid, physical play, the kind the team was sorely lacking for
most of the season.

It was expected that as an unrestricted free agent, Lawrence
would probably leave the Isles, but a loophole in the NHLPA
collective bargaining agreement means that Lawrence is a RFA
and may re-sign with the Isles.

DISAPPOINTMENT:  In case you were wondering, it's true
that Felix Potvin had the worst luck of any professional hockey
player with a feline nickname last season.

Potvin played horribly after being obtained for Bryan Berard in
January, going 1-6-1 with the Isles after losing his first five
starts.  His season hit rock bottom on Jan. 30 when he allowed
seven goals in two periods in a 9-2 loss to Ottawa.  After
suffering a groin injury Feb. 12 during a 3-2 loss to Nashville,
he took two weeks to rest, and then seriously reaggravated the
injury midway through his first practice back and missed another
month.

Though he returned to the lineup late in the season and played
better (including a stunning 55-save performance against the
Devils), he finished 5-9-1 with a 3.71 GAA.  He'll have to have
a much better season next year for the Berard deal not to look
even worse than it does now.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  The turnover is almost complete
already.  Gone since the middle of last season, when it was
determined that the team wasn't going to compete, are the likes
of Zigmund Palffy, Bryan Smolinski, Marcel Cousineau, Trevor
Linden, Sergei Nemchinov, Robert Reichel, Ted Donato, Tommy Salo,
Scott Lachance, and Bryan Berard.  Expect to see Mariusz
Czerkawski, Dmitri Nabokov, and Rich Pilon dealt soon as well to
save money.  And it's a question whether the team will be willing
to pay Felix Potvin the $3 million or so a season that he'll
demand.

So, who's going to score goals for this team?  Who knows. 

If the team had ownership committed to winning, paying their
young players and picks NHL-level salaries, and the patience to
let those young players develop, Islander fans might actually
have some hope.  But the last time the team had a group of
young players that were going to lead the team back to the
elite, they were all dealt within a couple season.  Berard,
Todd Bertuzzi, Eric Fichaud, Bryan McCabe, and others weren't
allowed to grow on the Island.  Will it be any different for
Olli Jokinen, Brad Isbister, Roberto Luongo, and Eric Brewer?

The Islanders appear to have solid goaltending in Felix Potvin
and 20-year-old Roberto Luongo, who is considered a premier
prospect, as well as a talented corps of young defensemen that
includes Kenny Jonsson (24), Zdeno Chara (22), Eric Brewer
(20), Vladimir Chebaturkin (24), Ray Giroux (22) and Biron
(20). Milbury suggested this group may actually be better than
the touted "Fab Four" of Jonsson, McCabe, Berard and Lachance.
Of course, some believe Milbury might also not know what
"Rosebud" means even *after* seeing Citizen Kane.

The forwards include Mats Lindgren, Isbister, Jokinen,
1998-99 Hobey Baker Award winner Jason Krog, Mariusz
Czerkawski, Claude Lapointe, Dmitri Nabokov, Mike Watt, Gino
Odjick and Josh Green. 

The Islanders also may sign Jorgen Jonsson, a 26-year-old left
wing who is the older brother of Kenny Jonsson, as well as 30-
year-old Jiri Dopita, a 6-3, 230-pound center who is regarded
as a star in Europe. 

"We have much more depth, much more future [potential] amongst
our forwards, much more talent than we've had," Milbury said.
"I'm hoping that once again we'll lean on what I think have
been the most loyal and abused fans, our Islander fans. It's
been tough for them to understand some of the things that have
gone on here. We freely admit to some mistakes. But if they can
step back and drop their emotion for a little bit and take a
look at what's on paper here and what the potential is, I think
they'll find there's something to come to these games for."

And what of new coach Butch Goring?  The time to hire Goring
was probably two years ago, when the Islanders seemed almost
ready to make a breakthrough into the upper half of the league.
Will Goring be able to make sense of his young, inexperienced
roster?

The biggest question, of course, is ownership. Co-owner Howard
Milstein and his brother, Ed, will probably be encouraged to
sell by the NHL after the Redskins fiasco.  How they can bid
$800 million on a football team and yet claim they can't afford
to have a payroll in the bottom third of the league is some
sort of wacky math.

Ex-MSG president Bob Gutkowski is purportedly interested in
buying the Islanders, but one wonders why he would bother.
Though Gutkowski was affiliated with the Rangers, he would be
accepted by Islander fans since he is not only a Long Islander,
but has shown the willingness to spend what it takes to be a
success, and has already said he would expect to have to
improve the team before the fans would come back. 

The current owners, of course, have indicated they feel the
reverse is true: that the fans should come back or they won't
spend money. After 15 years of the worst ownership in sports,
Isles fans won't tolerate that kind of crap. 

Stay tuned for the LCS 25th Anniversary Issue, when we'll detail 
either the Isles' slow climb back up to the top, culminating
in the Stanley Cup 4-peat of 2005-2008, or their move to Walla 
Walla, Washington in 2002.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK RANGERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: John Muckler

Rosters:  C - Wayne Gretzky, Manny Malhotra, Petr Nedved, Marc
Savard, Christian Dube. LW - Brent Fedyk, Adam Graves,
Darren Langdon, Kevin Stevens, Eric Lacroix.
RW - Todd Harvey, Mike Knuble, John MacLean, Niklas Sundstrom,
Mike Maneluk. D - Jeff Beukeboom, Brian Leetch, Stan Neckar,
Peter Popovic,Ulf Samuelsson, Mathieu Schneider, Ruman Ndur,
Chris Tamer, Rich Brennan. G - Mike Richter, Dan Cloutier.

TEAM NEWS by Gregg Jensen, New York Rangers Correspondent

The Rangers' 98-99 campaign was a huge disappointment.  For they
second year in a row, they failed to make the playoffs.  Injuries
plagued the team all season but the real reason was because they
just weren't that good.  They failed to get a legitimate scorer
to ride Wayne Gretzky's wing and subsequently I believe that
mistake was the final straw for The Great One.  That solidified
his untimely decision to retire.  Gretz dealt with a nagging
injury to his vertebrate all season, even missing a month, but
still managed to lead the team in points again. He tied and
passed Gordie Howe on the all-time list for professional goals
scored with goals 1,071 and 1,072. I feel fortunate to have
watched this man play the game over the last two decades.  Now he
can ride out into the sunset saying, "YEE-HAW! I'M WAYNE GRETZKY! 
YEE-HAW!"

MVP:  Adam Graves...HANDS DOWN!  I know the 15 assists
aren't impressive and neither is the -12, but he scored 
38 goals after recovering from major back surgery and he was a
tenacious pain in the ass on the power play and on the penalty
kill.  He was a horse playing in all 82 games and was clearly the
heart of this club.

SURPRISE:  This distinction has to go to John MacLean.  He
was signed as a free agent back in July and he provided a second
line punch that the Rangers desperately needed.  He also played
in all 82 games while scoring 28 goals and grabbing 27 assists. 
He was gritty all season long and his eye for the net during
short-handed situations helped the Rangers overcome a 14-month
short-handed goal drought.

DISAPPOINTMENT:  The whole damn team.  Yeah, there were
bright spots but overall the Rangers were pathetic.  Watching
them made me think of one thing...vomit.  They just could not put
two passes together or win consistently.  Every time I thought 
"Okay, they've turned the corner," they would go on a losing
streak.  Just a shame that they couldn't make a run this year. 
The young talent is there and they have older troops to lead the
kids, but they lacked cohesiveness and discipline.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  As I write this the Rangers have
already offered a trade to the Fishsticks.  They want Rich Pilon
and Ziggy Palffy in exchange for Niklas Sundstrom, Todd Harvey, 2
minor leaguers and #1 pick this year and 2.5 million in cash. 
This deal is still awaiting league approval.  OH HOCKEY GODS
PLEASE LOOK DOWN ON US!  I hope the Rangers don't get screwed as
they did when they tried to get Lindros from Quebec.  Palffy IS a
bona fide goal scorer the Rangers desperately need.  Pilon with
provide Ulf Samuelsson-like toughness on the blue line.  Rumors
out of N.Y. also have the Rangers going for Valeri Kamensky come
July 1st.  The thought of a first line made up of Nedved, Palffy
and Kamensky makes me so happy.  We'll see. If they fail to make
the playoffs again, I'm through rooting for them.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: As everyone knows by now, Ziggy Palffy was traded
to the Kings and not the Rangers.  Oh well.  Maybe next year.  Or
the one after that.  Or the one after that.)

  
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Roger Neilson

Roster: C - Rod Brind'Amour, Marc Bureau, Daymond Langkow, Eric
Lindros. LW - Mikael Andersson, Craig Berube, John LeClair, Roman
Vopat, Valeri Zelepukin. RW - Jody Hull, Keith Jones, Sandy
McCarthy, Mark Recchi, Mikael Renberg. D - Eric Desjardins, Steve
Duchesne, Karl Dykhuis, Dan McGillis, Luke Richardson, Chris
Therien, Dmitri Tertyshny. G - Ron Hextall, John Vanbiesbrouck.

TEAM NEWS by Chuck Michio, Philadelphia Correspondent

Bob Clarke brought in a proven playoff goalie, made more trades
than Phil Esposito on crack, and publicly challenged his captain
to put up or shut up.

And it all added up to another embarrassing first round playoff
ouster.

But hey, there's always a bright side. The Flyers improved their
playoff win total from 0 to 2.

Somehow, I doubt that's what #16 had in mind when he entered last
season hell-bent upon improving the disappointing squad that
exited the 1998 playoffs quicker than Richard Simmons could hug a
fat person.

But that's how it ended. And worst of all, instead of
acknowledging their miserable failure, the Flyers spouted
gibberish about poor officiating, the lack of a right-handed shot
for the power play, and injuries.

Talk about pitiful lies, excuses, and rhetoric. The problem with
this club wasn't any of those factors. Nor was it the hideous
goals that Vanbiesbrouck allowed at the worst possible times
against Toronto.

The Flyers number one problem is still glaringly obvious-they
have less heart than the kid whose lunch money you used to steal.

Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Mark Recchi, and Rod Brind'Amour are
among the best players in the game of hockey, but when the first
round ended, none of them ranked among the league scoring
leaders. And as many teams have learned in the springtime, when
your stars don't score come the second season, you play a lot of
golf in May.

Lindros at least had a legitimate excuse. He was mercifully
spared the embarrassment of another playoff debacle by a
conveniently timed punctured lung. And if I may digress for a
moment, I'd give half a year's salary (a cool 250 bucks or so) to
see the x-rays they took at the hospital. I'll bet 10 to 1 they
revealed an empty chest cavity.

Am I the only Flyers fan troubled by the fact that Lindros and
his pushy father have once again backed the Flyers into a corner
by refusing to sign a long-term deal? Logic would dictate that a
guy who missed the only important part of the season might be a
little flexible when it came to his contract demands, but not
only is Lindros refusing to sign a multi-year deal again, he's
also hemming and hawing about putting his name on the one-year
extension he verbally agreed to weeks ago. And all this from a
guy who stated that his uncertain contract status was distracting
him during the 1997-98 season.

Enough about the "Big Guy." I've now abandoned hope that the
Flyers will ever be free of his so-called leadership and accepted
the fact that he will be around to continue to sabotage their
foreseeable future.

Fortunately, the past season did offer some reasons for Flyers
fans to be encouraged. First and foremost, Dan McGillis became a
force on the blue line. No longer just "the guy the Flyers got
for Janne Niinimaa, McGillis became the second-best defender on
the club. No one in the NHL is laughing at Clarke for that trade
anymore.

Clarke also made some other stupendous moves. Shjon Podein was an
excellent player for the club, but the addition of Keith Jones
gave the Flyers the perfect player to compliment their
dispassionate big men on the first line. Jones' yapping,
slapping, and constant hustling made the Lindros line go all
year. And he came up biggest against Toronto, where he utilized
every bit of his meager talent to make himself the Flyers' best
forward on the ice.

Daymond Langkow also excelled with the orange and black. Most
fans, myself included, considered him the "other guy" in the
Gratton-Renberg trade, but by the end of the season it was clear
that he was a much better player than Renberg or the exiled
"savior." And like Jones, he injected much-needed hustle and
spirit. And his skills should eventually make him a point-a-game
contributor.

Valeri Zelepukin was another excellent find. Incredibly, the
Russian scored only 16 goals all season. Every one must have been
crucial because it seemed that he came up with big goals whenever
the team needed them.

Veteran defender Adam Burt made a strong impression, too,
particularly in the playoffs. Clarke may have envisioned him as a
spare part, but it now appears likely that the club will protect
him in the expansion draft.

TEAM MVP:  As much as he sickens me, I have to give the
devil his due. Eric Lindros was the Flyers' MVP in 1998-99.

Until he went down with a dubious punctured lung (New York sports
radio hosts apparently reported that it occurred under much
different circumstances than the Flyers would have us believe),
Lindros was having what was arguably his finest regular season.
It would certainly have been interesting to see what he might
have done against Toronto, but it wasn't in the cards.


SURPRISE, SURPRISE!:  Many fans recognized Dan McGillis as
a diamond in the rough upon his arrival in Philly at the trade
deadline in 1998, but few could have foreseen how quickly he
would raise his play to the next level.

Not only did he keep up his vicious hitting, he became an
excellent playmaker and a legitimate goal-scoring threat.
McGillis did it all for the Flyers in 1998-99, and he did it
consistently. It's easy to envision him as a 5-10 year fixture on
the club's blue line.

Dan the Man endured a rough stretch toward the end of the regular
season, but for much of the year he did something no other recent
Flyer has done - he challenged Eric Desjardins for the title of
the club's best defenseman. Look for more big things from
McGillis in the future.

AHHH, NUTS!: McGillis may have exceeded the Flyers'
expectations in '99, but that put him in a fairly elite club.
When it comes to disappointments, on the other hand, there were
plenty.

I have to regard any further criticism of either uber-slacker
Chris Gratton or blue line oaf Luke Richardson as the
journalistic equivalent of beating the proverbial dead horse. So
I'll mercifully exclude them from my wrath here.

The same doesn't go for Chris Therien, a talented player who
should be a lot better than he is. Old Jethro has outstanding
size and good speed for a big man, and he matches up beautifully
against Jaromir Jagr. In fact, watching Therien batter the girlie
man from western PA is enough to convince you that he's the most
fearsome hitter in the league.

Unfortunately, when squirrelly 68 isn't out there, Therien
frequently looks dispassionate, disinterested, or just plain
stupid. His inability to skate backwards was responsible for the
hideous Steve Thomas backhander that sabotaged the Flyers series
with Toronto every bit as much as John Vanbiesbrouck's inability
to keep his legs together. You can bet it never would have
happened if he was defending against Jagr on that rush. It really
makes you wonder how much Therien must hate hippies.

The other contender for biggest disappointment on the club is the
guy who was supposed to cover up all the other warts, has-been
goalie John "Geezer" Vanbiesbrouck. The bottom line is that
Geezer's regular season numbers were no better than the ones Ron
Hextall posted in the two previous campaigns. And although
Geezer's playoff numbers look superior on the surface, he
continuously allowed soft goals at the worst possible times
during the playoffs. Hey, wasn't that the knock against poor
Hexy?

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  Everything that Clarke has said since
the end of the season seems to indicate that we shouldn't expect
ANY major changes during the off-season. Maybe that's the best
possible indicator that something big is brewing, because when
Clarkie is talking, he's usually lying.

That said, I believe him this time. Steve Duchesne is gone and
Sandy McCarthy is likely to follow, but neither will be much of a
loss. It's also likely that we've seen the last of Hexy, with one
goaltender spot on next year's club surely reserved for either
Jean-Marc Pelletier or Brian Boucher.

In departing from recent Flyers history, there probably won't be
any changes to the coaching staff. And although a little
restraint can be good, I don't think that's the case here. Roger
Neilson is a good x's and o's guy, but he's not the right person
to motivate a club so devoid of on-ice leadership. I'd love to
see Billy Barber or Mike Keenan, both no-nonsense types who could
light a fire underneath Lindros and LeClair, behind Philly's
bench by the year 2000. Don't count on it. Barber may actually
start the season behind the Atlanta Thrashers' bench. Clarke gave
him permission to interview for the expansion club's top spot
this Monday. Couldn't he have given permission for Neilson to
interview instead?
,P>
Look for center Simon Gagne to make the Flyers out of training
camp next season. Many scouts feel he was the best player in
Canadian junior hockey. His nifty offensive skills might give the
Flyers attack a much-needed shot in the arm.

Perhaps the worst change to come in Philadelphia will be the lack
of a venue for a Flyers reporter to make references to naked
Ethiopians, goalies who spread their legs more than Madonna, and
little Nancy boys like Jaromir Jagr. Goodbye, LCS. You'll be
missed.



-----------------------------------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Kevin Constantine
   
Roster:  C - Martin Straka, Robert Lang, Jan Hrdina, Tyler
Wright. LW - German Titov, Kip Miller, Matthew Barnaby, Dan
Kesa, Brian Bonin.  RW - Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Aleksey
Morozov, Robby Brown, Martin Sonnenberg. D - Darius Kasparaitis,
Kevin Hatcher, Brad Werenka, Jiri Slegr, Ian Moran, Sven
Butenschon, Bobby Dollas, Neil Wilkinson, Jeff Serowik, Victor
Ignatjev, Maxim Galanov, Pavel Skrbek. G - Tom Barrasso, Peter
Skudra, Jean-Sebastien Aubin.   

TEAM NEWS by Jerry Fairish

When I was asked to return for the final issue of LCS I was more
than anxious to give all my fans one final goodbye.  I realized
this was going to be my last opportunity to fill each and every
one of your lives with the God-like wisdom and the razor-sharp
wit that makes me, well...me.  I mean, I am the man who took Mike
Dell and embarrassed him in front of three other people in a
friendly game of Trivial Pursuit, so I must have some sort of
brain in this skull of mine.  And I think you'd agree.  So
between my busy schedule of toting Mike Dell's ass around and
scratching off instant lottery tickets in hopes of becoming a
thousandaire, I have come back for one last time to put the
People's Column to rest forever.  

Well, let's review.  The Penguins finished the 1998-99 season
38-30-14 (90 points) which was good enough to land them third
place in the Atlantic Division.  Not too shabby.  If I recall I
picked them...to suck.  So let's see, no, suck isn't really close
to third place so I was wrong.  

When the Pens ended up with the eight seed in the playoffs and
matched against the New Jersey Devils I told anybody that would
listen that Pittsburgh had a better chance of getting a loan from
Zippy the Wonder Chimp than beating Martin Brodeur and the stingy
Devils' defense.  However, Jaromir Jagr's Game 7 heroics that
sent New Jersey home and the birds to Toronto left me standing
with my Sunshine in the Sunshine.  

I predicted that Jaromir Jagr would fold like a house of cards
trying to fill Ron Francis' skates and the captain position. 
Jagr only managed 83 assists along with 44 goals to win his
second Art Ross Trophy and beat Teemu Selanne for the scoring
title by like 90 points.  It was really 20 points but thanks
again, Jags.  

I also proclaimed that Kevin Hatcher would cower in the corner at
any sign of physical play in front of the net.  Once again, oh
wait a sec, I was right.  I was right, woo-hoo.  Let's hold off
on that until later.  I have a whole section prepared for big
number 4.  

MVP: Being LCS Hockey's favorite number 82 is his game,
Martin Straka is his name.  With all due respect to Jaromir Jagr,
who did have a great season, I just had to go with his fellow
countryman.  Straka managed to finish the season with 35 goals
and 48 assists (83 points) which was 44 points behind Jagr, but
that's not why I picked him.  He's cute too.  Marty went out
every game and played with heart.  I know that sounds so cliché,
but it actually fits here.  I mean Straka wasn't afraid to go out
and finish checks.  He would be able to get a great scoring
chance off and make it back to play defense quicker than a
jackrabbit on a date.  Straka was great on the penalty kill too. 
He found the back of the net four times while the Pens were
shorthanded.  Did I mention that the feisty Czech finished a +12? 
Well, he did.  The Pens had better find a way to sign him in the
off-season.  I mean the Pens have other things to worry about
too, like are they going to be here next season.  More on that
later too.  I have a whole section prepared for big number
Chapter 9.  

SURPRISE:  Had it not been for Colorado's awesome twosome
of Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk, Pittsburgh's Jan Hrdina would
have taken home the Calder Memorial Trophy. The rookie center put
up pretty decent numbers this season, (13 goals, 29 assists, 42
points) and was only six points behind Hejduk for rookie scoring
leader.  I put those same numbers up just last night, (13 shots,
29 chasers, .42 blood alcohol level).  But Hrdina wasn't only on
the ice to score goals, Constantine had him out there to take the
face-offs in vital situations.  Sometime during the year Hrdina
became one of the NHL's premier face-off men.  He was somewhere
in the neighborhood of 99.9% with wins.  Well, not that high, but
damn close.  He may, in a few years, become one of the best
face-off men ever.  Who knows?  Not me.  Like I said I really
haven't been right all season long.  So what will probably happen
is that Hrdina will become bored with hockey, move to Idaho, and
eat plain baked potatoes for the rest of his life.  Oh wait,
that's Mike Dell...never mind.  

DISAPPOINTMENTS:  Kevin Hatcher isn't a bad hockey
player...he just sucks compared to other professional hockey
players.  I would also like to go on record as saying that there
is no way, and I mean no way, that Kevin Hatcher and Derian
Hatcher are brothers.  It is just impossible.  One is just a
shell of the other.  Derian Hatcher may just be the nastiest
player in the NHL.  Kevin may be the nicest.  The 6'3" blueliner
accumulated only 24 penalty minutes in 66 games.  24 minutes. 
That's a minute for every check he handed out this season.  I
mean he didn't mix it up.  He just wasn't nasty like brother
Derian.  But 24 minutes is just inexcusable.  Let's take a quick
look at a couple of Penguins that finished with more PIM's... 
<pre>
Brad Werenka        93 minutes/81 games
Tyler Wright        90 minutes/61 games
Jiri Slegr          86 minutes/81 games
Bobby Dollas        60 minutes/70 games
Jaromir Jagr        66 minutes/81 games
</pre>
That's correct, folks.  Jaromir Jagr nearly tripled Hatcher's
minutes.  He's the man who everyone in the NHL thinks is a
Sunshine.  Apparently he's not the biggest one.  I've been real
hard on Hatch here, but I just want him to go out and play the
way that he can.  That's all I'm saying.

Another disappointment was the loss of Darius Kasparaitis to a
knee injury in early March.  The injury sidelined him for the
remainder of the season and maybe part of next season.  The
Penguins really could have used Darius in the playoffs to deliver
his punishing checks and antagonize opponents into taking
penalties.  There is no doubt that had Kaspar not been injured
the 'Guins would have played the Stars in the finals.  1991
again, yee-haw.

My final letdown this season was Rob Brown's hairplugs.  I'm
sorry, but those have got to go.  If the plugs don't fit, they
look like Sunshine.  Somewhere in this world is a Malibu Barbie
that's smooth as a baby's bottom.  Yank 'em!

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  Thursday, June 24, 1999 will decide
if the Penguins will play here next year or if their players will
be put in Friday's expansion draft.  Mario Lemieux has been
working incredibly hard to keep the team in the 'Burgh, and with
his proposal he may be able to become the Pens' savior one last
time.  The Pens are in debt and have declared bankruptcy to keep
creditors off their back, one of whom is Mario Lemieux.  The team
now needs to find new ownership in order to stay put.  It's like
this... 

In 1991 Howard Baldwin purchased the team.  SMG, the company who
holds the lease to the Civic Arena, put up $24 million dollars
toward the purchase.  The Pens would then pay SMG back in the
area of $6-7 million per year.   In return the Pens would be able
to play in the Civic Arena and the money being paid back would be
their "lease".  This repayment schedule is what a lot of people
believe drove the Pens into bankruptcy.  In walks Lemieux eight
years later.  He has proposed a plan that would pay of all
creditors, including himself.  The Penguins still owe him like
$32 million and he is willing to take $20 million of that and put
it right back into the team.  He has also gathered other
financial backers to help with the purchase.  He and the city of
Pittsburgh will know the fate of their beloved squad later this
week.  

Now if the team stays here Craig Patrick will have his hands full
with all the free agents the Pens have right now.  Some of which
are Martin Straka, Matthew Barnaby, Alexei Kovalev, Jan Hrdina,
Darius Kasparaitis and others.  The Pens have the nucleus to make
a contending team next year and need to work on keeping those
guys together.  

STUFF:  As the curtain draws on LCS' historic run, I would
like to take this moment to ponder on the good times I've had
over the years and share them with you.

There was this one time, well, umm...yeah, and there was this
other time, well, umm...I guess I liked all the e-mail I got.  Oh
yeah, I didn't get any of that either.  Wow, this Sunshining
Sunshines.  I mean I have to put up with Jim Iovino all the time
calling and asking me to help him out with his articles.  Why me? 
Jim, would it bust your ass to get a dictionary?  Would it? Sam
is a pain in the Sunshine. Then I have Mike Dell so far up my
Sunshine, I can Sunshining taste him.  Sunshine you!  I'm glad to
be going now that I think about it.

To my fan(s), thanks for reading?  

=================================================================
================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHEASTERN DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOSTON BRUINS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Pat Burns

Roster: C - Jason Allison, Anson Carter, Joe Thornton, Tim
Taylor, Shawn Bates.  LW - Sergei Samsonov, Ken Baumgartner, Rob
Dimaio, Peter Ferraro, Ken Belanger, Landon Wilson. RW - Dimitri
Khristich, Steve Heinze, Per Johan Axelsson, Cameron Mann, Randy
Robitaille. D - Ray Bourque, Don Sweeney, Dave Ellett, Kyle
McLaren, Hal Gill, Darren Van Impe, Grant Ledyard, Mattias
Timander, Brandon Smith. G - Byron Dafoe, Rob Tallas.

TEAM NEWS by Matt Brown

For the last two years, Pat Burns' Bruins have been consistent.
They finished both seasons with the same won-lost-tied record,
39-30-13 for 91 points. They made the playoffs both years. The
difference in 1998-99 was that they managed to win their first
round playoff series, beating Carolina, instead of losing to
Washington the prior year.

The best part of the season was watching Byron Dafoe turn into a
world class goaltender, and watching Joe Thornton grow into his
body and into an NHL player.  Dafoe was the best between the
pipes for the Bruins since Blaine Lacher. Strike that. Bad joke.
Try Andy Moog.  Or better than that. Byron was the first Bruins
goalie since the 1930s to register ten shutouts, and that was one
more than the Dominator during the regular season.

Joe Thornton seemed to be ambling along, just a little better
than his rookie year, when Pat Burns had him fill in on the
checking line when Tim Taylor was injured. It was like a light
turned on. Whether it was the coach's confidence, or his
teammates', or his own, Joe started playing better than ever
before, and by the time the season was over, he was solidly the
team's number two center, and was often added to the initial
power play for size and scoring.  If Joe can continue to
improve, he will be a force.

His rookie companion from last year, Sergei Samsonov, who won the
rookie of the year, leveled off in the sense that he did not
continue a meteoric ascent to NHL superstardom.  But he still
ended up scoring more goals and points than last year, in spite
of other teams' defenses being better prepared to deal with him.
They seemed to wait out his skating moves instead of lunging at
him. Players bided their time, and when Sergei was done with the
flashy dekes, they shouldered him off, or just knocked the puck
away. This increased the pressure from coaches and fans for
Sergei to shoot the puck instead of maneuvering and passing all
the time, and this added to the pressure.  But the kid settled
down and kept contributing, and actually played better team
hockey - Burns-speak for defense - than he did the previous year.

What Bruins season would be complete without disruptive talk and
no action from management?  This year, Mike O'Connell almost let
the media ignite a feud between himself and Pat Burns with some
off-hand remarks about Samsonov's ice time. The pundits
immediately ran to Burns and tried to get Mike in a pickle, but
Burns only toyed with them, throwing out a quotable that Mike
only had to worry one day a year - on draft day - quite
differently from a coach's situation. But Burns quickly defused
the situation by talking off-line with Mike and then reporting
the rift healed.

Apparently having thus justified their existence, Mike and Harry
Sinden did little more from then on than let the trading deadline
pass with no moves, and then try to pawn a few AHL Bruins off on
Pat Burns as consolation.  Pat kept quiet, but there were
rumblings that he was rather disappointed that the brass didn't
try to pick up Wendel Clark, a Burns player through and through.

MVP:  There is little question that the Team MVP was Byron
Dafoe. Dafoe led the league in shutouts, dropped his GAA below
2.00, and was a Vezina trophy finalist. Of course, he will likely
lose to Hasek, but at least next year he will not be bypassed for
the All-Star game in favor of Arturs Irbe and Olaf Kolzig.  Joe
Thornton and Jason Allison played well, and Ray Bourque was a
stalwart again. Kyle McLaren took another step toward being a
standout defenseman, but Byron was the story.  He had a .926 save
percentage, among the elite goalies in the league, and
accounted for 32 of Boston's 39 wins.

SURPRISE:  As far as the Bruins' surprise of the year, it
is not a question of a single player, but of an entire
organization. The Bruins farm club in Providence Rhode Island,
after finishing dead last in the AHL in the prior season, set an
AHL record for overall wins in a year (season and playoffs) with
71 wins. Say that again slowly. Seventy-one.  Yow!  In the
process, they won the AHL regular season championship, and then
blitzed their way through the playoffs to win the Calder Cup as
AHL champions. An incredible turnaround that started with the
hiring of former Bruin farmhand Peter LaViolette as head coach,
and great play by the young Bruins of the future like Cameron
Mann, Landon Wilson, Shawn Bates, and many others.  One of the
most beautiful moments of the season came when Peter Ferraro, one
of Harry's retreads who wasn't quite healthy and strong enough to
stay with the Boston squad, was called away from a post game
interview ("Who? Me?") to receive the award for playoff MVP for
his incredible leadership performance during the playoffs.
Ferraro's had nine goals and 21 points in 20 games.

DISAPPOINTMENT:  The major disappointment for the season
was the trading deadline.  It couldn't be called a surprise,
because no one sober expected the Bruins management to lift a
finger to improve the club, and so only the deranged and
stupefied among us came away disappointed. Of course, those
who were both deranged and stupefied were too busy trying to line
up Tony Amonte hockey cards and Wendel Clark 5x10s to notice
until it was too late.

Some might say that the playoff non-performance of Dimitri
Khristich was the biggest disappointment, but every year on every
playoff team, some player is unable to perform up to
expectations. Maybe it is an injury, or a pressure thing, or just
a gut check. But it happens every year, without fail. This year,
it happened to Dimitri. Last year, it was somebody else.

That is the whole point of what teams try to do at the trading
deadline - find that extra player who will pick up the slack if a
regular has a bad series. Or play a role to take the pressure off
a superstar or regular. Once again, the Bruins brass willfully
failed to make the effort to find this player, this boost, this
insurance policy. In recent memory, the only late season trade
they made was to dump Adam Oates, Bill Ranford, and Rick Tocchet,
in what was a white flag move, rather than a playoff stretch
maneuver. Time and time again, Harry and Mike, and the
concessionaire they work for, forget that of all the teams that
make deadline moves, only one of them gets the Stanley Cup as a
reward. But them's the rules. Or maybe they think too much about
that fact. But they seem to ignore the flip side - few or none of
the teams that do not beef up at the deadline survive until the
final round.  This year the team that beat them in the playoffs
went out and made three key deals before the playoffs, and son of
a gun, their top scorer, Miroslav Satan, missed every single game
against the Bruins. Guess who won the series because they had
other players to pick up the slack? Nuff said.

Events have proved Harry Sinden to be right that many teams were
fiscally irresponsible regarding player salaries.  It almost
seems that the most destructive thing a team can do is win the
Cup. Look at the Rangers (out of it), the Avs (fire sale), the
Pens (liquidation time), the Red Wings (Scotty Bowman didn't
retire), and now the Stars  - how they gonna keep 'em down on the
farm?

On the other hand, they all got those nice hats and tee shirts
right after the final game, and they all got to shake that big
Cup to see what was inside.  None of the Bruins got to do that.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  In the off-season, it all starts and
ends with re-signing Byron Dafoe, a free agent.  Harry will have
to pay and pay, though he may be able to appeal to Byron's sense
of team and knowing a good thing when he sees one. After all,
Byron can now that a good part of the reason Patrick Roy
and Felix Potvin will end up in the Hockey Hall Of Fame is that
they played with a Pat Burns team in front of them for a goodly
while. It does wonders for your confidence as well as your GAA.

Next the Bruins need to decide what to do with Dimitri Khristich.
Sinden yelled about Allison not performing in the playoffs, but
he was just as disappointed with Khristich.  The Bruins cannot
afford, depth-wise, to just jettison this player, but it will be
hard for him to return after the off-ice abuse he took at the
hands of management.  This is a real shame in that the lack of a
Russian speaking player might end up hurting Sergei Samsonov as
well.  The likelihood is that Harry will hem and haw about free
agents all summer, or have Mike O'Connell do it for him, but
in the end, the burden will fall on the kids from Providence.
Hopefully, this time they will be ready to provide the scoring
spark the Bruins need.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
BUFFALO SABRES
----------------------------------------------------------------- 
Head Coach: Lindy Ruff

Roster: C - Michael Peca, Stu Barnes, Brian Holzinger, Curtis
Brown, Wayne Primeau. LW - Dixon Ward, Joe Juneau, Michal Grosek,
Paul Kruse, Erik Rasmussen. RW - Miroslav Satan, Vaclav Varada,
Geoff Sanderson, Rob Ray, Dean Sylvester. D - Darryl Shannon,
Jason Woolley, Alexei Zhitnik, Jay McKee, Richard Smehlik, Rhett
Warrener, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, James Patrick. G - Dominik
Hasek, Dwayne Roloson.

TEAM NEWS by Matt Barr

Hardest Working Team in Hockey Comes Into Its Own

Hey, some Sabres season, huh?

It began with a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, and ended with a
1-1 tie against Dallas.  In between, a whole bunch of exciting
things happened.

* If you can find a microcosm of the team's season in one game,
it would probably be the October 24 game on the Island. Down 4-0
after 35 minutes of play, the team stormed back with goals by
Curtis Brown, Wayne Primeau, Dixon Ward and Brian Holzinger. 
Still labelled as an average team with a great goaltender which
could only go as far as Dominik Hasek could lug them, this
comeback was a tremendous step forward in the guys' development
as a team.

Claude Lapointe scored on a breakaway with 41 seconds left in
regulation to earn a 5-4 win for New York.  That's the microcosm
part.

* When the Sabres beat the Devils on December 26, they upped
their record to 19-6-5, good for the best winning percentage in
the Eastern Conference.  This earned Lindy Ruff coaching duty at
the All-Star game.

* Starting December 28, in the other end of a home-and-home with
New Jersey, the wheels started to come off a little bit.  The
team went an ungainly 5-12-4 in its next 21, dropping them to
open-playoffs-on-the-road territory.  They treaded water in the
standings after that, but never resurfaced -- until April.

* On February 17, Hasek pulled a groin against the Leafs -- his
own -- and missed the team's next game, against San Jose on the
19th.  He was out until exactly a month later, when he beat the
Rangers in overtime.  The team was 5-4-3 in his absence, and
including the playoffs, was 6-5-3 when Hasek was unavailable
because of injury.

* Given the opportunity to contend for home ice down the stretch,
the team instead knocked off a dreary 4-6-4 record in its last
14.  All six losses were by one goal, and each costly tie was
against fellow Eastern playoff position-seekers: New Jersey,
Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Philadelphia.

* Ward had ten goals before almost anybody, and brought that sexy
goal-scorer's attention to a line which would be the Sabres', and
one of the league's, most effective night in and night out. 
Flanked by Ward and Vaclav Varada, Michael Peca enjoyed another
Selke-calibre season.  Brown emerged as a capable two-way
forward, and Primeau is getting there -- he had a better playoff
than his quite adequate regular season.  Primeau carped about ice
time in the middle of the year, and was challenged by the coaches
to provide more enthusiasm and offense when given the opportunity
to play.  He responded.

* You can't talk about Sabres who developed and emerged without
mentioning Erik Rasmussen.  Ticketed for the Rochester shuttle
most of the year, he instead made the coaching staff keep him in
Buffalo with his thundering, smart play.  

* Miroslav Satan started the year as an enigma and a holdout, not
in that order, necessarily, but signed as camp broke and after a
slow start racked up 40 goals.

* Another camp holdout, Alexei Zhitnik, signed as well and became
less the out-of-control buzz saw he was previously in his career
and more of a defensive force.  Had the Sabres beaten the Stars,
he would have been a legitimate candidate for the Conn Smythe: he
led the team in minutes played and hits in the later rounds, and
tied Jason Woolley for the team lead in playoff scoring.

* Jay McKee's emergence is covered below.

* A couple guys who are a big part of the team's future had a
taste of the NHL this season.  Cory Sarich, the team's top
defense prospect, spent a few games of his first pro year with
the big club.  Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, a King Kong Korab-sized
hulk of a man, was called up late in the year and stuck with the
team through the playoffs, though he saw no playoff ice.  Martin
Biron was very good in the couple games he got into when Hasek
was hurting.

* The team shipped Donald Audette, another holdout, to the Kings
for a second round pick, and Mike Wilson's gangly tenure with the
team ended with a deadline deal that sent him to Florida in
exchange for Rhett Warrener.  Joey Juneau also joined the team at
the deadline, a pit stop for Juneau on his way to a French
Canadian team.  The biggest deal saw Matthew Barnaby wear out his
welcome and become a Flightless Waterfowl in exchange for Stu
Barnes.  It sure looked like a bum move about two rounds into the
playoffs, but seven goals later, the Marena was chanting
"Stuuuuuuu" whenever Barnes touched the puck.

* When all is said and done, regarding the team's playoff run --
and it's been all said and done, in these pages and elsewhere --
the season was a smashing success.  A six-game Stanley Cup final
loss to the two-time President's Trophy team, guys like Guy
Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk, Mike Keane, Ed Belfour, and a team of
legitimate champions?  As stuck as the whole thing is in fans'
craws, we all would have taken that at the beginning of the
season.

Thank you, Sabres.

MVP: Hasek Da Man

Hasek is up for league MVP again, and although he won't win, Jagr
will, there's a good reason.  Once again, Hasek proved himself
pound for pound the league's best goalie and the most valuable
hockey player on the Niagara Frontier.  He may even lose his grip
on the Vezina to Curtis Joseph, but can we all get together on
this for once: Hasek is one of the best of all time.  No one has
dominated the game over a five-year period the way Hasek has
since Gretzky was in his twenties, and no one has dominated a
"specialist" position so thoroughly since Bobby Orr.

Ironically, what may cost Hasek league accolades this year is the
fact the Sabres were able to tread water while he was out for
twelve games early in this calendar year.  The team has grown up
around Hasek to the point where he's not the only flame in town
anymore.

SURPRISE: McKee - One Step Up

A credible argument can be made that the biggest surprise player
on the team this season was Miro Satan, who became the team's
first 40-goal scorer since Pat LaFontaine.  What you get down to
brass tacks, though, 35 goals was probably a reasonable
expectation for a guy with hands like his on a contract drive, so
he really only "overachieved" by about five goals.  And also,
some of you who watched the Dallas series are probably mildly
surprised to learn that Satan is still on the team.

The man who grew up the fastest in a Sabre uniform this year had
to be Jay McKee.  In his first full NHL season, he went from
being paired with veteran Darryl Shannon in the hope of masking
any defensive deficiencies to anchoring the Sabres' best
defensive duo with fellow youngster Warrener.  (Zhitnik and
Richard Smehlik would have been the Sabres' best defensive duo,
if not for the sheer adequacy of Smehlik.)

McKee was among the Sabres' leaders in hits during the regular
and postseasons, and he did it without racking up Rob Ray-like
PIMs.  With punks like Derian Hatcher and Peter Forsberg running
around trying to kill people, the game needs more devastating,
clean hit machines.  McKee took several steps forward, not just
one, in 1998-99.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Grosek - Two Steps Back 

It was a season dabbled with little disappointments here and
there: Audette holding out for a trade, Wilson tripping all over
himself -- literally, Barnes going goal-less in the regular
season, Barnaby talking himself out of the organization, Peca
grinding his gears as the playoffs wore on, losing game six of
the Stanley Cup final in triple overtime on a disputed goal, that
sort of thing.  As such, it seems unfair to single out Michal
Grosek, but we will anyway.

Grosek was second on the team in playoff goals in 1998, and began
the 98-99 season on the same high.  As the season wore on, he
started to carp about being on Satan's line and not getting the
puck enough, and eventually played himself into a healthy scratch
near the end of the season.  A guy who tries to play like Cam
Neely should have a little more oomph in his game on a consistent
basis.  Grosek hasn't demonstrated the magic 'c' word in his
career to this point, and needs to take advantage of his
remaining opportunities -- they're probably going to be fewer and
farther between.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES: Don't Change a Thing

Owing to economics and the age of Dominik Hasek, this team can't
possibly stay together all that much longer.  It should, for as
long as it can.

Joe Juneau, who you only noticed in the final because he was
often seen sitting next to Satan, is gone to Montreal, but the
organization will probably survive.  Satan needs a new contract,
but a 40-goal regular year contrasted to his play against Dallas
is probably going to make for a holdout as he and the team try to
agree which level of performance he should be paid for.  

Other Sabres whose contracts are up are Wayne Primeau, Curtis
Brown, Vaclav Varada, Stu Barnes, Geoff Sanderson, Dixon Ward,
McKee, Warrener and Jason Woolley.

Most of these guys ought to be back, and all effort should be
made to ensure they are.  Ward can't keep it up and Varada may
never truly find himself, but throw them together with Peca for
another year and stand back.  Brown is developing nicely, as is
Primeau, albeit more slowly.  Sanderson's playoff may have
restored some of his former 40-goal-scoring moxie, and he ought
to be counted on as a contributor next season.  Barnes would be
welcome back.

The defense is to drool over.  If Shannon doesn't get Thrashed,
he's been one of the most consistent d-men in the game over the
last three years, and should maintain that level.  Zhitnik and
McKee are in a race to see who gets a Norris Trophy nomination
first.  Warrener is a delight, especially in light of the guy he
replaced.  And if either or both of Sarich and Grand-Pierre can
develop as quickly as McKee and Rasmussen, the rich get richer.

The team could use a true sniper on the wing, and maybe a veteran
two-way centerman, but even without them, the future looks
bright.

And really.  Do you think this team, if it stays together to any
extent, will be appropriately motivated to win next year?


-----------------------------------------------------------------
MONTREAL CANADIENS  
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Alain Vigneault
   
Roster: C - Saku Koivu,  Scott Thornton, Trent McLeary,  Serguei
Zholtok. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet,
Terry Ryan, Brian Savage, Dave Morissette, Patrick Poulin. RW -
Dainius Zubrus, Turner Stevenson, Jonas Hoglund, Jason Dawe. D -
Vladimir Malakhov, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Brett
Clark, Miloslav Guren,  Craig Rivet, Igor Ulanov, Eric Weinrich,
Alain Nasreddine, Scott Lachance. G - Frederic Chabot, Jeff
Hackett.
                         
TEAM NEWS by Michael Dell
                           
Jacques Robert, your usual Montreal Correspondent, was
unavailable to file a final team report.  So that means I will
try and fill in as only I can.  Yes, that's right.  Through
Haiku.

Boy, did the Habs suck 
Suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck, suck 
Have you seen my pants?

TEAM MVP:  It's kind of hard to pick an MVP from a team
that missed the playoffs and whose leading scorer had just 44
points.  But Jeff Hackett did everything in his power to try and
carry the Canadiens into the postseason.  Hackett was extremely
strong in net after arriving from Chicago, finishing the season
with 26 wins, a 2.49 goals-against average, a .907 save
percentage, and five shutouts.  He gave the club the veteran
leadership in net it didn't have with Jocelyn Thibault or Jose
Theodore.    

SURPRISE:  It was surprising that a team from Montreal
could suck this bad.  

DISAPPOINTMENT:  Throw a rock.  Everyone was
disappointing, but Martin Rucinsky (73-17-17-34, -25), Shayne
Corson (63-12-20-32), and Brian Savage (54-16-10-26) led the way.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  The Habs are already shaking things
up.  With Mark Recchi and Vincent Damphousse traded away at the
end of the season, the club needed a veteran scorer to help take
some of the load off li'l Saku Koivu.  They decided to go out and
get Trevor Linden.  Um, that's kind of bold.  Linden is a swell
guy and all, but he had only 18 goals and 47 points in 82 games
for the Islanders last season.  He's not exactly a marquee player
anymore.  He should be able to settle into the number two center
role behind Koivu, though, as long as the fans and media don't
expect too much from him.  Linden might even be offered the
captaincy, but why would he want it?  The last few captains,
including Mike Keane, Pierre Turgeon, and Damphousse, haven't
lasted in town long after getting the C.

The problem with Montreal is that its a team without an identity. 
The Canadiens should be a free-wheeling, French-Canadian squad. 
They should have never traded Turgeon or Damphousse.  As far as
I'm concerned, they should have 20 French guys on their roster. 
If you're going to lose, at least lose being yourself.  As the
kids would say, keep it real.  If I was the GM, you wouldn't be
able to wear the Montreal sweater if you pronounced the s at the
end of words or considered Jerry Lewis anything but a comedic
genius.  

 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
OTTAWA SENATORS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Jacques Martin

Roster: C - Alexei Yashin, Vaclav Prospal, Radek Bonk, Shaun Van
Allen, Bruce Gardiner, Steve Martins. LW - Shawn McEachern,
Magnus Arvedson, Bill Berg, Ted Donato, Andreas Johansson.
RW - Marian Hossa, Daniel Alfredsson, Andreas Dackell, Nelson
Emerson. D - Lance Pitlick, Patrick Traverse, Chris Phillips,
Sami Salo, Wade Redden, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk, Jason
York. G - Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt.

TEAM NEWS by The Nosebleeders

After a second round elimination by the Washington Capitals and
after coming off their best-ever season in 1997-98, the Senators
were preparing themselves for the 1998-99 season with the hope
that they could again battle for a playoff spot and then take
another strong playoff run.

Never could they have imagined a 103-point season and a first
place finish in the Northeast.  After starting off strong with
three quick wins, the team slipped to a 3-3-0 record for 9th
place in the Eastern Conference.  The battle for the playoffs was
on.  

By mid-December the team was playing just over .500 hockey and 
battling for 4th in the Northeast.  An 11-game winning streak
lifted the team into contention for first place overall in the
Eastern Conference and plus .500 hockey kept them there for most
of the rest of the season.  Late season letdowns let New Jersey
pass them for first in the East as the Sens coasted to the
playoffs.

After a 103-point season, playoff expectations were clearly high. 
The Buffalo Sabres, a team the Senators played .500 hockey
against during the season, were the first-round opponents.  The
Senators could not deliver and were swept in four, a bitter end
to such a great season.

Some season high and low lights:

SHINE OFF: Prior to the start of the 1997-98 season, Sens GM
Pierre Gauthier explained that life as an NHL GM became too much
of a strain on him and his family, so he decided to quit while he
was ahead and spend more time with the wife and kids. Noticing a
tinge of sincerity in his voice, we all embraced his 'courage',
and wished him well.

Before we could all say "Time Magazine's Man of the Year",
Gauthier suddenly announced himself as president and GM of the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Apparently, life as a hockey executive
in California isn't quite as hectic, even with double the
workload. That's up for debate. But there is one undeniable truth
in this whole saga: Gauthier treated Ottawa fans like a bunch of
suckers.

SHINE ON: With the Gauthier shenanigans behind us, Sens fans
welcomed the team's fifth GM in Rick Dudley. Dudley, if you
recall, played for many years with the Buffalo Sabres and even
coached them during the early 1990s. His impressive track record
with the IHL's Detroit Vipers was enough to convince Senators
brass that he was the man to lead the Sens into the next
generation.

SHINE OFF: Rick Dudley proceeds to pull a Gauthier and leaves the
team after just one year under his belt. What was more
embarrassing was his decision to skip town for the chance to
manage Alex Daigle and the rest of the has-beens in Tampa Bay.
Is Ottawa really that bad a city?

SHINE OFF/ON: Prior to the season, Ottawa lost a future
head coach in Craig Ramsay, who left to take the assistant's
position in Philadelphia. This was a key loss, as many credit
Ramsay for building the Senators solid defensive gameplan.
However, Ottawa more than made up for Ramsay's departure by
hiring on former Toronto Maple Leaf head coach Mike Murphy.

SHINE OFF: The departure of Randy Cunneyworth. Cunneyworth was
given his walking papers in the early part of the off-season, and
promptly joined the club which originally drafted him way back in
1980, the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo left Cunneyworth unprotected,
and when he wasn't picked up by any clubs, gave him his
unconditional release.  They later picked him up again and
assigned him to the farm.  He was called up for the finals
against Dallas.

If the Nosebleeders were King for a Day, Cunneyworth would be
re-hired in the Senators front office. This guy is a natural
leader, and his presence and experience would do wonders in
whatever capacity he is given.

SHINE OFF: Beer prices went up yet again and Odgen Entertainment
introduced the ooh-so-easy-to-go-overboard-with 28-ounce $11
beer.  Parking prices were  one dollar higher at $9 (to cover the
costs of bailing out inebriated Sens fans?) but were now 125 more
parking spots to choose from (we never found them). Ticket prices
jumped between 4 and 19 percent for the regular season but season
tickets and complicated game packs discounts could bring the
prices right back down again.

SHINE ON: Yummy.  SpartaCat, the Senators mascot, got a new hot
dog throwing device. 

SHINE OFF: According to the Official Senators Media Guide: Alexei
Yashin's Favorite Musical Group - The Spice Girls. Blech...

SHINE ON: The Senators kicked off their 1998-99 season with a
big road game in the Rockies against the Colorado Avalanche. The
Sens' win over Colorado was partly due to goalie Patrick Roy's
obvious unease with his newly downsized goaltending equipment.
Just thought we'd list this here because of our obvious dislike
for Mr. Roy.

SHINE WAY OFF:  The ugliest part of the Sens-Avs match came
courtesy of Colorado defenseman Adam Foote's stick. Sens star
Alexei Yashin was carrying the puck up ice while being harassed
from behind by a Colorado player. As they neared the Avs' blue
line, the puck fell into their skates. Yashin looked down to try
and fish the puck out.  Just as he looked up again, Foote came
crashing into Yashin's face, stick shaft between both hands at
mouth level.  Sens reaction, both on and off the ice, to Foote's
stupidity? They simply turned the other cheek. In fact, Sens GM
Rick Dudley had the opportunity to send video replay of the
incident to Colin Campbell, the league's new VP of After School
Detentions. Instead, they decided to forego registering a
complaint. 

The reason? Suspending Foote would leave Colorado short-handed in
their next game against Buffalo, explained Sens head coach
Jacques Martin.  Let's get this straight, here. The Sens decided
not to pursue disciplinary action against an individual who
could have easily sidelined the Sens' star player indefinitely,
because pursuing such action against the aforementioned
individual would possibly jeopardize Colorado's ability to deny
division rival Buffalo's ability to earn two points? Did we get
that right, Jacques?  The playoff stretch run, we can understand.
The third game of a seven month, 82-game marathon, we can't.

SHINE OFF: Those of you who know the Nosebleeders know how much
we dislike Sports Illustrated and their obvious ignorance of the
game of hockey. Well, step aside SI, you've got company.

In an obviously futile attempt to preview the upcoming NHL
season, ESPN.com predicted that Ottawa would not make the
post-season this year, mainly because of the departure of winger
Pat Falloon, which they described as a "major loss." ESPN even
goes so far as to predict that Sens bench boss Jacques Martin is
on "thin ice."

Exactly who was doing ESPN's hockey research?

SHINE OFF: Lindros' hit on Andreas Dackell. A legal but uncalled
for hit. The more interesting thing was that after Lindros turned
Dackell into a board advertisement, not one Senator rushed to his
defense.  In fact, supposed tough guy Phil Crowe was seen
chatting up a storm with Eric in the hallway during intermission
("So how's the kids? Good, good. Wanna see some photos?"). 

SHINE ON: Ah November, a wonderful month. Up until the 1998-99
season it had almost become a month of hockey in Ottawa that
could completely ignore - as if it never really happened.
A month where strange comments came from die-hards "I spent all
weekend raking leaves and missed it, what was the score <YAWN>
anyway?"... "Hey did I see a great college volleyball game on the
weekend"... "No kidding, Katrina's really in the December issue."
This season changed everything as the Senators actually put
together a November winning streak and finished the month a
respectable 5-4-3.

SHINE OFF : Marshies free peanuts were discontinued.

SHINE ON: The play of Marian Hossa upon returning from injury.
Rookie of the year - no matter what the NHL says or does.

SHINE OFF: The gift that stopped giving.  Last season, Yashin was
honored in Ottawa for giving the National Arts Centre (a facility
that houses local and international plays and theaters as well as
the National Symphony Orchestra) a one million dollar donation.
In mid-season, Yashin announced that he was reneging on the one
million dollar gift to the Ottawa arts community.  It turns out
that the NAC was up to no good and the deal that they had struck
with Yashin was not as he expected it to be.

SHINE ON: Ron Tugnutt and Alexei Yashin make the All-Star team.

SHINE OFF: Tugger's performance at the All-Star Skills
Competition.

SHINE OFF: Canadian market conditions continued to plague the
team this period. Despite sellout or near sellout crowds in every
game, top Sens brass were suggesting the City of Kanata knock
some part of their property tax from the arena.  They further
suggested that other concessions should be thrown their way in
order to ensure that the team can compete for top talent. Rod
Bryden expressed his concern that he may not be able to continue
to subsidize the team and may have to sell them if market
conditions don't improve.

SHINE ON: Ron Tugnutt finishes the season with a league-best 1.71
GAA.

You may recall from last season's summary we wrote....

START QUOTE 

"* SHINE OFF - In one of the strangest moves of the season, Sens
GM Pierre Gauthier refuses to allow players to wear jersey
numbers above #35 (goaltenders excepted). Alex Daigle (R.I.P)
goes from 91 to 9, Bonk trades in his 76 for 14, and Stan Neckar
dropped from 94 to 24. The decision also prevents rookie Chris
Phillips from wearing his beloved 77. Instead, he opts for #5,
then #4. 

Guess that rules out any chances of Wayne Gretzky finishing his
career in Bytown? " 

END QUOTE

How wrong could we be?  On April 15th, Wayne played his last NHL
game in Canada as the New York Rangers played the Sens to a 2-2
tie.  The media was out in force and Gretzky was the focus of
attention.  Gretzky was that he was awarded all three stars. 
Count the Nosebleeders in to the "Forget Bettman, Gretzky should
award the Cup to the champs" cause.

TEAM MVP: Alexei Yashin. Last season's team ups and downs
were generally Alexei Yashin's ups and downs.  Yashin ended with
44 goals and 94 points (6th in the league).  He led the team in
three star selections, winning the Molson Cup.  In addition to
being the 1998-99 MVP, the future of this team is definitely
linked to the future of Mr. Yashin. Unfortunately, Yash was
unable to find the net in the playoffs and was held off the
scorecard completely as the Senators went down in four.

SURPRISE: Radek Bonk. Radek won the DISAPPOINTMENT award
last season but his play this year has made believers of many. 
Bonk has become a defensive specialist, consistently being
matched against the likes of the Jagrs and Hulls of the NHL. 
Bonk notched 48 points on the season (compared with 16 last
season) and was a plus 15. The only downside? We didn't have half
as much fun this year writing our articles without Bonk to bash.

Runner up SURPRISE: 103 team points.  This was unexpected and
perhaps not a good thing as expectations for next season have now
been set.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Chris Phillips.  The pressure to perform
is indeed high, particularly in front of some of the most
knowledgeable hockey fans around.  Phillips was awarded last
season's surprise of the year but this season was injured for
much of the year playing in just 34 games and scoring six points. 
He was last on the team with a -5 +/-. Phillips did start to take
regular shifts at both defense forward but when he did play he
was inconsistent and rarely played to the form of last season.

Runner up: The team's playoff run, or maybe we should say lack of
playoff run.  The Sens lost four straight to the surprising
Buffalo Sabres.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES: Ignoring their inability to beat
Buffalo, with a few key changes and if the Sens continue at this
pace of improvement they should be hoisting Lord Stanley's mug
next June.  Almost to spite this path in the early past of the
off-season already much has happened and there is much more to
come.

For the second year in a row the Senators lost their GM to
another team. After less than 12 months on the job, Sens GM Rick
Dudley has bolted the organization to join the Tampa Bay
Lightning and his previous employers the Davidson Group.  At
least Dudley had the manliness to tell the Senators what he was
thinking of doing. This allowed the team the opportunity to come
to agreement with the Lightning for compensation.  The agreement
which is known to "have a number of elements" will not be in
effect, and will not be released, until the William Davidson
Group has closed the purchase of the team with outgoing owner Art
Williams.  The contents are known to the NHL which has approved
the deal.

One day after the Dudley announcement, came the announcement that
Marshall Johnston would be taking over as GM.  Johnston, who has
been with the organization in key hockey roles for the last three
years, has agreed to a three-year contract and publicly agreed
not to bolt the team before the end of his contract, that is "if
they will have me for that long".  The Nosebleeders think that he
will work out just fine.  Terms of the agreement were not
disclosed.

Marshall has experience on all levels of the game and is known to
have strong loyalties and a respected work ethic.  Johnston was
the Senators' director of player personnel from July 1996 to
March 1999.  Perhaps in anticipation of this move, he was named
the club's assistant general manager in March.

Johnston has more than 30 years of NHL experience including
assistant general manager (Colorado Rockies), director of player
personnel (New Jersey Devils) , scouting combine executive
director (the combine included the Dallas Stars, Hartford
Whalers, Philadelphia Flyers and Winnipeg Jets), head coach,
assistant coach (New Jersey Devils) and player (Minnesota North
Stars 1967-1968 to 1970-71, California Golden Seals 1971-72 to
1973-74). Johnston has played in two Olympic games (Bronze medal
in 1964) and coached in two others.  He was named to the
International Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998.

Unable to protect two goaltenders for the upcoming entry draft,
the Senators decided to get what they could for one of their
goaltending duo as they traded Damian Rhodes to the Atlanta
Thrashers for future considerations.  The move made available
Rhodes' salary which could come in handy for Johnston as he
steers the team towards the 1999-2000 season.  Some close to the
Senators are hopeful that the future considerations include the
Thrashers picking up the $2 million dollar plus salary of Sens
defensemen Igor Kravchuk.

The Senators then acquired goaltender Patrick Lalime from the
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim sending left winger Ted Donato and the
rights to defenseman Antti-Jussi Niemi to Anaheim. Patrick Lalime
is not expected to be the main starter for the upcoming season
but is clearly slated to become the Senators' goaltender of the
future.

In other moves to date:

- A deal was struck for a two-year affiliation agreement with the
International Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins.

- 23-year-old right winger Chris Szysky was signed to a
multi-year deal.  Szysky was the only full-time national team
player on the roster of the 1999 Team Canada team (bronze medal)
playing alongside current Senators Wade Redden and Ron Tugnutt. 
Szysky was not selected in the NHL's Entry Draft and played his
four major junior hockey seasons with Swift Current of the
Western Hockey League.

- The Yashin whining started less than one day after the team was
eliminated from the playoffs.  Yashin has one year remaining on
his latest contract which pays him $3.5 million per year.  It
is expected that Yashin will be looking for $8-10 million a
season and he would easily get it with most other NHL teams. 

In addition to more than likely having to deal with Yashin's
contract, GM Johnston will also have to deal with a number of
free agents and contract extension expectations including Ron
Tugnutt, who posted the lowest GAA in the NHL.  

The Nosebleeders would like to see the team try to keep Nelson
Emerson who was acquired late in the season and also try to pick
up one or two gritty forwards.  The team is in need of protection
for players like Alexei Yashin, Daniel Alfredsson and Marian
Hossa.  As much as the Nosebleeders like Ron Tugnutt, we are not
confident in his abilities to carry the team to the Cup.

This is the Nosebleeders signing off and wishing everyone the
best of summers.  Thanks to LCS for a great run...like the Great
One, you will be missed.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Pat Quinn

Roster: C - Mats Sundin, Steve Sullivan, Alyn McCauley. LW -
Fredrik Modin, Steve Thomas, Todd Warriner, Derek King, Kris
King, Igor Korolev, Garry Valk, Ladislav Kohn, Lonny Bohonos. RW
- Sergei Berezin, Tie Domi, Mike Johnson, David Nemirovsky. D -
Bryan Berard, Sylvain Cote, Dimitri Yushkevich, Alexander
Karpovtsev, Jason Smith, Daniil Markov, Glen Featherstone, Tomas
Kaberle, Yanick Tremblay, Chris McAllister. G - Curtis Joseph,
Glenn Healy. 

TEAM NEWS by Jonah Sigel

WHAT A GREAT RIDE IT WAS!

Well, Leaf fans, we do not have much to complain about.  How
brutal the predictions were has been discussed time and time
again.  Our expectations were low and, wow, were we surprised. 
The Leafs have done good.  The focus on that, however, will not
last long.  With success comes higher expectations.  Next season,
the fans and media will hope to see improvement.  If the team
falters there will be lots of finger pointing and people will
have an answer.

This off-season, like so many in the past, promises to be filled
with turmoil as the powers that be try to decide what to do. 
There is this on-going power struggle with Mr. Dryden and Mr.
Smith.  It is very unlikely that both will remain - it says here
that Smith is gone and, to be frank, good riddance.  I am 
not going to argue that everything, well almost everything, he
touched turned to gold this season - it nearly did.  However, he
certainly is not a team player.  Why during the first round of
the playoffs would he feel so compelled to tell the Philadelphia
Inquirer, that he would only return as the Leaf GM, that he had
not been offered that post and not sure what he would do if he
was offered it.  How hard would it have been to say "no 
comment"?  Or "I will address this after the season is over"?  

I for one am not impressed with his "me before the team"
attitude.  What he should be saying is that "I came here to get
this team to the top and until we are there my job is not done." 
He has yet to say that.  If, and when he does leave - don't
believe all the hoop-lah that all is lost - it is not.  True he
held many of the discussions - but take the Leaf system for what
it is - a group of well educated men who collectively made
decisions.  Dryden, Quinn and Smith along with the scouts and
specifically Anders Hedberg made most of the decisions as a team. 
No decision was made independently, all were made together.  As
such, I would say adieu to Mr. Smith.  For a long time we have
heard what a great mind Hedberg has and what a great GM he will
make.  It says here that Hedberg should be given more control on
paper - associate GM sounds good to me.  Allow Quinn to assume
more say without any change to his title as Head Coach.  Allow
Watters, Dryden and Quinn to aide Hedberg in to becoming what
they have touted for so long the GM of the future.

MVP:  Curtis Joseph provided the team with the superstar
goaltending needed to lift the team to the next level.

SURPRISE: Sergei Berezin broke through with 37 goals.  And
Steve Thomas' 28 goals and 73 points were more than expected from
the aging veteran.  

DISAPPOINTMENT: Fredrik Modin had only 16 goals and 31
points in 67 games despite seeing some time on the top line with
Mats Sundin.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  The Leafs need to get bigger up front
and get a steady defensive defenseman.  Sylvain Lefebvre is
available.  

=================================================================
================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
================================================================
EASTERN CONFERENCE
SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CAROLINA HURRICANES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Paul Maurice

Roster: C - Ron Francis, Keith Primeau, Jeff O'Neill, Kent
Manderville, Craig Macdonald, Byron Ritchie. RW - Ray Sheppard,
Sami Kapanen, Kevin Dineen, Robert Kron, Andrei Kovalenko, Shane
Willis. LW - Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Paul Ranheim, Bates
Battaglia. D - Paul Coffey, Steve Chiasson, Glen Wesley, Curtis
Leschyshyn, Sean Hill, Dave Karpa, Nolan Pratt, Marek Malik,
Steve Halko, Mike Rucinski. G - Trevor Kidd, Arturs Irbe, Mike
Fountain.

TEAM NEWS by Chris Schilling

Well, let me begin by saying that this year has been the best
year in recent memory for the Carolina Hurricanes and the
Hartford Whalers. Why the hell would a team get excited about
going four games over .500, you may ask? This is NOT just a team.
This is a group of men contributing to a losing streak almost as
repugnant as Gary Bettman. Almost.

Some teams may fight for the Cup, but this team fought to qualify
for the Cup. One may look at the talent they had - two 1999
All-Stars in Keith Primeau and Arturs Irbe, Ron Francis, budding
star Sami Kapanen, and stalwart veterans like Steve Chiasson, Ray
Sheppard, and Kevin Dineen, not to mention the 1999 NHL hit
leader and all-around cool guy Gary Roberts. But this team is
cursed by the sporting gods, like the Cubs and the Bengals, to be
god-awful.

Overcoming that was the first of three stages the team went
through the year. This step started before the season began when
they signed the guy whose trading marked the beginning of the
infamous...streak...in Ron Francis. Sure, Pittsburgh loved him,
but he WAS Hartford for a long time - quiet, insubstantial, but
clean. So when he was signed, everyone thought there was no WAY
Carolina could screw this up.

Now, give the guys in red credit - they tried. Helping them screw
up was Trevor "I want to be a fishie!" Kidd, who flops more than
a salmon on crank. Kidder let in seven goals, tying the
always-crappy Lightning and helping the Hurricanes be the first
ever victims of the expansion Predators.

Then I was shown a light, and it was Like Wall. That is to say,
Arturs Irbe, a former starter for the Sharks and a longtime
backup, stepped in. He helped steady Kidd's crap with benign 5'4"
goaltending power.

Thanks to Irbe, the Canes were in contention for the Southeast
lead from game three on. He streaked through October, posting a
0.76 GAA and a .970 save percentage and not allowing more than
two goals in his first eight games. This is a guy we signed as an
afterthought backup, which shows you that only Mike Milbury and a
retarded duck think less than our management.

November was the "cruisin" month for the Canes. Sure, we slacked
off, but we stayed around .500, and that's all you can ask. Plus,
four Hurricanes were on the all-star ballot - Ron Francis, Sami
Kapanen, Keith Primeau, and Arturs Irbe all had their names on
hockey's fan favorite contest. 

And thus, the overcoming the past era ends, and the "Our defense
is more beat up than your defense" time begins.  December and
January were rougher. The Canes' defense took a tumble as Steve
Chiasson suffered a nasty injury and Dave "The Carp" Karpa
continued to suck. It got so bad that we called up Marek...well,
there's no clever nickname needed. He's a freakin' traffic cone
in every sense of the word - tall, skinny, and stationary. He
sucks. Hard.

So at the end of December, we traded Nellie Emerson for Paul
Coffey. As Ottawa fans would suggest, Emerson is good, while
Coffey is not. It was billed as a trade for "a power play
specialist", but Coffey's older than water but younger than dirt.
He's also noted for not exactly giving it his all, but hey, at
least they didn't acquire Craig "Slow as Hell But Not As Bad As
Malik" Janney. Plus, Nelson didn't fit in here, but he sure fit
in great in Chi-town and Ottawa. Good luck to him next year,
wherever he may be.

February marked the end of the "Our defense is more broken than
Brindy's nose" period and the beginning of the Chokechokechoke
time. See, the Whalers and the Hurricanes both love to choke. It
comes from all the tasty plankton and rednecks that both tend to
eat. So when it's late in the season, both teams like to up the
ante and try to outchoke each other. 

February was the team's first month below .500. To instill some
spark in our offense, the Hurricanes management traded Adam Burt
for Andrei "Russian Tank" Kovalenko. Kovalenko is built like a
boxy...Russian...type...well, he's a tank. He proved he can also
score as he netted a goal in his first game against Buffalo with
the Canes. He appears to have left his troubled and party-filled
past behind for a more obedient time with the Canes. More power
to ya, Tankie.

March was the home stretch, and try as they might, the Canes
couldn't choke. Thanks in part to Ronnie Francis they kept
a-truckin the whole time, and even though March was also
sub-.500, the Canes clinched their first playoff birth in
god-knows-how-many years when Buffalo beat Florida in April.

The Hurricanes became the Southeast Division Champions and ended
a skid that covered season upon season. They entered the playoffs
as the 3rd seed thanks to the new divisional seeding policy,
despite having the 8th best record in the East.

The playoffs began with the Canes facing Boston and their
budding, streaking goalie Byron Dafoe. The first game was a
blanking, but the second game...well, it ended years of
frustration with Ray Sheppard's goal in double-OT as many of the
Canes' d-men logged 30+ minutes. The third game in Boston was
taken as well, and word began to slip that the Canes may pull
this one off, that Dafoe was cracking, and that the world had
ended.

Unfortunately, it wasn't gonna happen. The Canes dropped three
straight, including one at home, and the Bruins took the series
4-2, depleted and ripe for the beating Buffalo was to give to
them.

Success is best measured in small steps, and all the Canes need
to do now is to get rid of Malik and sign the #(*$ing offensive
defenseman they need.

TEAM MVP: KEITH PRIMEAU 
Now, I know people are going to wonder, "Why didn't he pick Like
Wall? Primeau was non-existent during the playoffs and late in
the season!" I'll tell you why. Primeau was in the top 10 in the
league for hits. He appealed to his audience. He scored 30 goals
and gained public approval for his team and for himself this
season.  After all, the rednecks that sit near me are going to
scream for big guys to hit people, not for them to push some
black thingie into a net. They watch fishing shows for that
reason.

Don't get me wrong. He couldn't lead a televangelist to a nursing
home. But he'll be able to soon enough. He didn't choke under the
pressure of having to play for a star-crossed franchise like
Shanacrap. He didn't whine about not playing for a contender like
Coffey. And he didn't slack off like Sanderson. He played hard,
he played injured, and he represented the team. That's what a
captain used to do. And what Primeau does now.

TEAM SURPRISE: ARTURS IRBE
There's no contest here. We had this guy come in as a backup,
nothing more, and he's staying an all-star with a three year
contract. And as old as this team is, when it resigns a 32-year-
old netminder, it shows commitment.

Kidd's style of goaltending did not work two seasons in a row. It
may never work again. Irbe gave consistency and someone to make
short jokes on, and for that, I appreciate him. Way to go,
Skipper.


TEAM DISAPPOINTMENT: MARTIN GELINAS
Is this the same guy we traded a 30-goal scorer for? Gelinas
showed he could complain about a nonexistent coach, woo female
fans, and still not score all year. I mean, I'm all for speedster
guys who can set up and score, but Gelinas was one mistake after
another. I won't even talk how he blew Game Six of the series for
us.

Look for him to be traded soon. He fits into a west coast offense
much better than our trap system and he has publicly fought with
the coach over ice time and who has done less for the team.

Honorable mention goes to Marek Malik, but unfortunately, we knew
he sucked, and thus, he never disappointed.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES
Well, the goalie situation must be resolved, and we must have a
solid goalie prospect. Chris Madden is backup material. We need a
starter, and those are hard to come by. Corey Hirsch might be
worth going after.

Apparently, Trevor Kidd will be exposed in the Expansion Draft,
and Atlanta would be idiots for not taking him and trading him
to, say, Edmonton for picks and change. I can't believe he wasn't
traded, but maybe Atlanta will skip over him and take the Carp.
And the crease rule won't suck. 

As the team wants to get younger, look for Steve Halko (2nd
string stay at home defenseman), Shane Willis (top rookie in the
NHL and future sniper), Craig Macdonald (gritty 4th liner who
almost has hands), and Byron Ritchie (prospective 3rd line setup
man/center) to be called up this year at random times to try
their luck in fitting into the Canes' lineup.

Also, don't look for Ray Sheppard. He wants money and to be a
contender, and he's 33. That means the Ranjerks have him in
advance. A first line winger to replace him would be great, but
the team could always rush up Shane Willis to take his spot.
Gelinas will likely be moved as well, and thus, another 1st line
winger will be needed. Kapanen could fill this spot, but then we
need a 2nd line winger. This could be a problem...

Basically, though, the management has said they're cutting costs.
The team is old and expensive, and if you stay like that forever
you become Detroit, and everyone hates Detroit. So those who
underachieve will be shipped out, and draft picks will be
stockpiled. The one move that will be made will be to sign
defensemen to take an offensive stance, as well as sign one to
take Steve Chiasson's place. For those who didn't know, Steve was
killed in a one-car accident driving home drunk from the end of
the year party. Rest in peace, Steve.

Here's to becoming Southeast Division Champs two years in a row.
Go Hurricanes!


-----------------------------------------------------------------
FLORIDA PANTHERS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Terry Murray
   
Roster: C - Viktor Kozlov, Rob Niedermayer, Chris Wells. LW - 
Ray Whitney, Johan Garpenlov, Oleg Kvasha, Kirk Muller, 
Bill Lindsay, Peter Worrell, Dwayne Hay, Alex Hicks. RW - Pavel
Bure, Scott Mellanby, Dino Ciccarelli, Radek Dvorak, Mark
Parrish. D - Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Paul Laus, Bret Hedican,
Terry Carkner, Rhett Warrener, Jaroslav Spacek. G - Kirk McLean,
Sean Burke.  

TEAM NEWS by Matthew Secosky
It's Hot in Florida

Summer is upon us and it's hot as Sunshine in Florida. So hot in fact that senior citizens overcome by the grueling heat have been staggering into swamps where they are devoured by alligators. Sure it's tragic but they're old. It also keeps the condo prices down.

Other than the hungry, hungry alligators though, one would be hard pressed to notice any signs that the hockey season has stopped in the Sunshine State.  The oranges still grow in the orchards, armadillos continue to be squashed under the tires of Econoline Vans, and the illegal immigrants continue to pick cotton in the fields. Hockey, who needs it?

Hockey in Florida might as well join LCS on that long road to nowhere. Sure they have Pavel Bure but he saw less ice than an Islamic Camel trader. Camels spit don't ya know. They is some mean sons-of-sunshiners. Once this camel bit me in the Sunshine...ummm...no, on second thought, I think it was actually a squirrel monkey, but I'll be damned if it wasn't the second biggest squirrel monkey I ever saw. Anyhow, back to topic of discussion. 

Beets are good food. Packed with vitamins and nutrients, they were a favorite treat of the early American settlers that some have dubbed "Pilgrims". Now these "Pilgrims" wore black shoes with big silver buckles and dressed all in brown cause they had no dye back in those days. It was dead dried leaf brown or bust. Legend has it the Pilgrims had the first ever "cookout" and invited the Cleveland Indians, who had just won the World Series, over for grub. For dinner they served turkey, corn and red beets, lots and lots of glorious red beets. Oh yeah, I think they had pickled beets too. So for those of you keeping track at home, thats turkey, corn, and lots and lots of red and pickled beets. They ate and it was good. 

The tour continues. The Russian Rocket, like any overpriced European sportscar, spends most of his time in the shop for repairs. But it's a real nice shop. The guy who owns it is named George and he has a fetish for women's lingerie. You ain't seem nothing till you've seen an obese gentleman perform an oil change in a bra and panties.

For those of you still reading, I'd like to say Sunshine off! What the sunshine in wrong with you dumb sunshiners?

So this is the end. Five years and 125 issues later the gig is up. Looking back, the time went by so quick yet it seems like an eternity has passed. I count myself lucky to have been involved with such a great group of people. I'd say it was a definite step up from the whinos and petty criminals I use to bowl with on Wednesday nights. 

It's been a wild ride and each of us took a different path to get where we are today. Thru the dizzying highs and the crushing lows we each made our way, and thru it all the one constant was LCS. And though the offices of LCS Towers have grown silent, the journey is not over. For the spirit of LCS Hockey will continue to wail in the hearts and souls of those who took the time to read and believe. 

Keep on Makin' it Fun.

Matthew
Co-Founder LCS Hockey

-----------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Jacques Demers
   
Roster:  C - Darcy Tucker, Chris Gratton, Mike Sillinger, Vincent
Lecavalier. RW - Alexandre Daigle, Michael Nylander, Jason
Bonsignore.  LW - Stephane Richer, Rob Zamuner, Robert
Petrovicky, Colin Forbes. D - Sergei Gusev, Cory Cross, Petr
Svoboda, David Wilkie, Jassen Cullimore, Pavel Kubina, Kjell
Samuelsson, Drew Bannister. G - Daren Puppa, Kevin Hodson, Corey
Schwab.

TEAM NEWS by Seth Lerman

It was a season of changes in Tampa Bay. On opening night they
had a new owner (Art Williams), several new players (Craig
Janney, Bill Ranford, Wendel Clark, and Vincent Lecavalier), and
a new attitude. Seven months later, only Lecavalier remained.

What went wrong?

The answer is simple - everything.

Two games into the season, a tie and a loss, Lightning owner Art
Williams fired general manager Phil Esposito and his brother
Tony. Jacques Demers, the Lightning coach, replaced them. That
was the first of many moves designed to make the Lightning
younger, faster, and cheaper. The end result - a last place
finish for the second consecutive year.

The Lightning began the season with high hopes. During the
off-season, they acquired Craig Janney, Bill Ranford, Benoit
Hogue, and Wendel Clark through trades and free agency. By adding
these veterans to the roster, Esposito hoped to get the team on
the right track. However, these additions cost him his job since
he inflated the Lightning payroll. Only Clark, who was traded to
the Detroit Red Wings at the trading deadline, played well during
his stay in Tampa.

On the ice, the Lightning could not win many games, nor should
the have. Too many times, players failed to show up for the drop
of the puck. During one dismal stretch, November 10 through
January 15, the Lightning went 3-24-1. Twice they lost eight
consecutive games.

To examine what went wrong, you must go position by position,
staring with goal.

Daren Puppa, for the third season in the row, could not stay
healthy. He only managed to appear in 13 games, posting five wins
and a 2.87 goals-against average. Ranford, a total bust, won
three games in 24 decisions. Corey Schwab led the team with eight
victories and played quite well, although he did not receive a
lot of support from his defense.

On the blue line, rookie Pavel Kubina was the Bolts best
defenseman. In 68 games, he scored nine goals and 12 assists and
was the player clubs were asking for in trade. Petr Svoboda
helped out on the power play after being acquired from the
Philadelphia Flyers. Jason Cullimore, David Wilkie, and Mike
McBain were inconsistent at best.

Darcy Tucker became the clubs leading scorer after the trade of
Clark. He posted 21 goals and 22 assists, not exactly Hall of
Fame numbers, but it was the best the Lightning could do. A major
disappointment was Stephane Richer. The former 50-goal scorer
only managed to light the lamp 12 times. Mid-season arrivals,
Chris Gratton, Alexander Daigle, and Robert Petrovicky managed to
produce just 16 goals. 

TEAM MVP:  Despite the team's on-ice performance, there
were some bright spots. Darcy Tucker, playing in his second full
NHL season, was the Lightning's most consistent player. His
feistiness and ability to score the odd goal is reminiscent of
Ken "The Rat" Linseman, a former Bruin and Flyer who often reeked
havoc upon his opponents.

Tucker, a fan favorite, gave his all, shift after shift, and
managed to keep a positive attitude in a disastrous season. When
team captain Rob Zamuner suffered a groin injury, Demers named
Tucker acting captain. It came as no surprise to NHL observers,
that Tucker's name was often mentioned as being part of the
compensation package the Lightning must pay to the Ottawa
senators for signing their general manager, Rick Dudley, as
director of hockey operations.

SURPRISE:  During the season, Demers said the fans of
Tampa would have killed him if he sent first round draft pick
Vincent Lecavalier back to juniors. It was a good thing he
didn't. In 82 games, Lecavalier, an 18-year old center, scored 13
goals and 15 assist, and was often the best forward on the ice. 

DISAPPOINTMENT:  Pick a name, any name, out of a hat.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  Don't laugh. The future is bright.

By adding Gratton, Daigle, Svoboda, Colin Forbes, Paul Mara, and
Michael Nylander to the roster, Demers has assembled a talented
cast of young players. This year they have the first pick in the
draft and they should get a high impact player with that pick.

Rick Dudley has assembled winning teams at every level, including
the NHL. Given the right resources, he should be able to do the
same in Tampa.

For the first time in their brief existence, the Lightning has
stable ownership. This should allow the hockey operations to
focus on putting a winning team on the ice. Keep in mind, this
will not be done overnight, but for the first time in years,
there is a plan.



-----------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Ron Wilson

Roster: C - Adam Oates, Andrei Nikolishin, Michal Pivonka, Mike
Eagles. LW - Brian Bellows, Richard Zednik, Matt Herr, Trevor
Halverson. RW - James Black, Kelly Miller, Benoit Gratton, Jeff
Toms. D - Joe Reekie, Ken Klee, Brendan Witt, Enrico Ciccone,
Alexei Tezikov, Steve Poapst, Patrick Boileau. G - Olaf Kolzig,
Rick Tabaracci, Martin Brochu.

TEAM NEWS by Jason Sheehan, Washington Correspondent

A Season to Forget

It was the worst of times. It was the worst of times.

One injury after another. One loss after another. Bruised egos.
Lost confidence. Greatness turned to despair.

Five-hundred and eleven man games lost to injury; 35 more than
the unofficial NHL record set last year by the Capitals.

And a new owner, AOL executive Ted Leonsis.

The 1998-99 season for the Washington Capitals was like a good
song gone bad. For almost every win and loss, the Capitals paid
the heavy price of losing one or more of their marquee players to
injury.

Simply put, it was a season that was never meant to be.

Washington (31-45-6), which missed the playoffs by 22 points
despite advancing to the finals the previous season, never
recovered from its dismal, club-record eight-game road trip in
December. The Capitals only won twice on that trip and
desperately missed playmaking center Adam Oates, who missed two
months with a groin injury.

As the Capitals plummeted in a downward spiral toward the
basement of the Eastern Conference, goaltender Olie Kolzig's play
faltered.  Throughout the season, Kolzig allowed many goals to
squeak by him in the first five minutes of games. He also was
troubled by giving up rebounds from soft shots he once handled
easily.

Unlike Washington's run through the Eastern Conference in 1998,
Kolzig was never able to put the weight of the team on his back
and carry it to glory. Excluding injuries, this was the major
reason why the Capitals failed to make the playoffs.

TEAM MVP: Ken Klee.  While other players made excuses for
their poor play, defenseman Ken Klee (7 goals, 13 assists) was a
quiet leader who rarely made a mistake.  Klee has earned a
reputation for his strong defensive play. For example, he always
takes the man out of a play before going after a loose puck
and rarely turns the puck over in the defensive zone.

Late in the season when the Capitals were decimated by injuries
on the blue line, coach Ron Wilson asked Klee to play 25 to 30
minutes a game.  The 28-year-old grad of Bowling Green State
responded with an intimidating style of play that earned respect
from both teammates and opposing players.

Klee's most impressive attribute last season was his durability.
His 78 games played ranked him first on a team known more for its
sutures than its durability.

SURPRISE: New Sheriff in Town  

No one knew what the organization would pull out of its sleeve
this off-season. Two years ago when the club missed the playoffs
for the first time in 15 years, then general manager David Poile
and coach Jim Schoenfeld were fired. In their places, George
McPhee was hired as general manager and Ron Wilson was named head
coach.

Although Wilson and McPhee will be with the club next season,
this off-season has been more shocking than the events that
occurred in the summer of 1997.

Abe Pollin, who founded the Capitals in 1974, has come to an
agreement to sell the team to a group led by Ted Leonsis, who
carries an estimated net worth of $1 billion and is President of
AOL Studios. National Hockey League owners voted on the sale of
the team on Monday and will likely give their seal of approval by
June 30.

Local entrepreneur Jonathan Ledecky and Capitals President Dick
Patrick round out the Leonsis group. Leonsis will own 60 percent
of the team, with Ledecky owning 30 percent and Patrick 10
percent.

DISAPPOINTMENT: The Trading Deadline

The trading deadline is supposed to be a time when teams gear up
for a playoff run by making acquisitions that will bolster their
lineups.

Unfortunately, the deadline also is a time when teams out of the
playoff chase trade away their talent for draft picks. This is
the category the Capitals found themselves in last season.

Washington traded its heart-and-soul, its playoff hero and its
chief enforcer at the deadline for one young defenseman and three
draft picks.

Captain Dale Hunter, who had been a Capital for 12 years, was
sent to Colorado along with a third round draft pick in 2000 for
a second round pick at this year's entry draft, which will be
held Saturday in Boston.

Center Joe Juneau, whose overtime goal propelled the Capitals to
a berth in the Stanley Cup final in 1998, was sent packing to
Buffalo with a 1999 third round pick for promising defenseman
Alexei Tezikov, who dressed for five games in a Capitals sweater.
Craig Berube was traded to Philadelphia for future
considerations.

The winners of these deals won't be decided for about another
five years. Yet the first steps in deciding if the Capitals took
positive steps into the future will be weighed by the players
McPhee selects on Saturday.

The Capitals, who own the seventh selection in the draft, have
five picks in the first two rounds.

To rebuild successfully, the Capitals must avoid drafting the
Alexandre Volchkovs and Nick Boytons of the hockey world. They
would be best served to acquire talent that will mature in its
farm system.

OFF-SEASON CHANGES:  McPhee has spent the summer trying to
solve the injury problems that have plagued the Capitals for each
of the past three seasons. He began this project late in the
season when he hired John Arnett, a Winnipeg-based sports
medicine contractor, to diagnose the methods in which the
organization is run. Apparently, he was not pleased with the
Capitals' training and medical staff.

The Capitals took a step toward fixing their injury woes by
firing longtime trainer Stan Wong and the team's orthopedic
surgeons. Wong had been the Capitals trainer since the 1986-87
season, while the surgeons had served the team for about 15
years. Conditioning coach Frank Costello is still employed.

Meanwhile, Leonsis will begin the daunting task of trying to
rebuild the team's fan-base once the sale is approved. The
Capitals are ranked last in season ticket sales at approximately
4,000. In comparison, a city seeking an expansion franchise must
sell 12,000 season tickets to meet NHL approval.

In an effort to sell more tickets, Leonsis plans to make himself
accessible to everyone at MCI Center. Leonsis said he will make
his cellular phone number public, so unsatisfied fans can call
him when problems arise. Leonsis would then seek to personally
satisfy his clientele.

Don't be surprised if Leonsis is seen working at concession
stands during games. He plans to do whatever it takes to give
fans their money's worth.

Leonsis also wants "to do the right thing" for Hunter. The
longtime Capital has told close friends he will hang up his
skates this summer. Doing the right thing for Hunter would mean
retiring him as a Capital and hanging his No. 32 in the rafters
alongside former greats Yvon Labre and Rod Langway.

It's Been Fun

Thank you very much, dear readers, for making my five-year stint
at LCS: Guide to Hockey an overwhelming success. In the history
of this fine publication, we've seen the Capitals change their
color scheme from red, white and blue to blue, black and copper.
We've also had the pleasure of experiencing a trip to the Stanley
Cup final and a trip to the basement of hockey's boiler room.

And for those with deep pockets who religiously read each word in
this publication, LCS Towers is for sale. Place your bids.

In the movie "Mommy Dearest," Joan Crawford screams, "This isn't
my first time at the rodeo." (No relation to Marc Crawford.)

Well, this won't be my last time covering the sport we all love
and cherish. Crawford's rodeo won't stampede over my corpse. I
promise to be like an axe-wielding killer in a horror movie. Just
when you thought you killed me, I'm back for yet another sequel.

I'll be seeing everyone down the road. I'm not done yet. World
domination is still within our grasp. Long live LCS founders
Michael Dell, Jim Iovino, Zippy the Wonder Chimp, and Matthew
Secosky. They will always be remembered.

That trip to Hartford for the 1994 NHL Draft will never be
forgotten.

================================================================
================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Lorne Molleken
   
roster:  C - Doug Gilmour, Mark Janssens, Josef Marha, Alexei
Zhamnov. LW - Eric Daze, Jean-Yves Leroux, Dean McAmmond, Bob
Probert, Reid Simpson. RW - Tony Amonte, Jean-Pierre Dumont, Chris
Murray, Ed Olczyk, Ryan Vandenbussche.  D - Jamie Allison, Radim
Bicanek, Brad Brown, Anders Eriksson, Dave Manson, Boris Mironov,
Bryan Muir, Doug Zmolek.  G - Mark Fitzpatrick, Jocelyn Thibault. 

team news by Tom Crawford

A Tale of Two Coaches

The 1998-99 Blackhawks season can be neatly divided into two parts:  The 
Graham Era and the Molleken Era.  During the Graham Era, great lizards roamed 
the Earth, while in the Molleken Era the Hawks actually won some games. 

Just exactly what happened during the dark times of Winter 1998 is unclear.  
The choice of archetypal "Blackhawk hockey" practitioner Dirk Graham as 
Craig Hartsburg's replacement as coach seemed like not such a bad idea once 
you'd resigned yourself to the fact that Bill Wirtz wasn't ever going to 
shell out Marc Crawford-kind of money. 

But it turned out that Dirk didn't have too clear a concept of what the job 
"head coach" entails.  His philosophy of work hard, kick ass, and don't 
worry about strategy suited an assistant to a tactician head coach, but on
its 
own produced disastrous results. 

In January, four full months into the season, the Hawks still looked lost 
out there, long after excuses about personnel turnover had lost any 
credibility.  And though you might expect a team with no strategy to at least 
play a free-wheeling, creative game, the Hawks instead looked tentative and 
restricted. 

This can also be placed at Graham's feet, since about the only tactical
advice Dirk had for the players was "Don't you dare get caught up ice."  This 
restriction eventually led to a blowup between Graham and star forward Tony 
Amonte in practice, an incident Graham claimed later was staged. 

Puzzling personnel decisions marked Graham's tenure as coach as well.  
Longtime good soldiers Jeff Shantz and Steve Dubinsky were shipped out to 
Calgary for Marty McInnis, who scored 19 goals, but not for the Hawks.  
McInnis was traded immediately to Anaheim for defenseman Jamie Allison who 
logged lots of ice time but failed to impress much of anyone. 

Other players such as Ed Olczyk and Jean-Pierre Dumont landed in Graham's 
doghouse once and never got out.  Both are skilled offensive players who 
could have taken some of the scoring load off Amonte if given the chance. 

For these and other reasons the question could be asked whether the
180-degree turn in Blackhawk fortunes that coincided with Graham's replacement by 
assistant Lorne Molleken was more due to Molleken's coaching skill or the 
sheer joy the Hawks felt at their release from bondage. 

I personally haven't seen enough of the Molleken's Hawks to judge his
tactical skills.  Line combinations weren't changed radically, and trades had more 
to do with who was on the ice than coaching decisions (other than reprieves 
granted to the aforementined Olczyk and Dumont). 

But it is immediately evident that the Hawks were a different team under 
Molleken.  They attacked the offensive zone with enthusiasm untempered by 
fears of being benched if a counterattack develops.  They often jumped on 
teams early in the game, a stark contrast to Graham's team which was outshot 
18-0 in the first period of the year and never got much better at 
starting games.  And they played hard nearly every night, not saving up 
effort for the occasional tilt with Colorado or Detroit. 

The test, of course, will be the rigors of a full season.  But if this love 
affair between players and coach can survive the first bad slump or long 
road trip, 1999-2000 might be the first fun Blackhawks season in a number of 
years. 

Team MVP

This is a no-brainer.  Tony Amonte scored 44 goals, tying for second
in the league behind Teemu Selanne.  More importantly, he did so without any help.  
Selanne had Paul Kariya, Jaromir Jagr had Martin Straka scoring 35 goals, and 
John LeClair had the highest-paid player in the NHL taking pressure off of
him. 

Amonte, on the other hand, had Eric Daze and Alexei Zhamnov potting 21 and 20 
goals respectively.  Obviously, teams keyed on him every night, yet he
managed to have the best goal-scoring year of his career. 

Furthermore, Amonte was also the only Hawk who played 100% on a consistent 
basis.  Not to speak ill of the dead (or at least dead to Hawk fans), but 
Chris Chelios -- who has a well-earned reputation as a all-out team guy -- 
appeared to let conflicts with a coach get in the way of his play for the 
second straight year. 

Amonte, who disliked Graham's system as much as anybody, never let it affect 
his play and was the only reason to watch the Hawks for most of the first 
part of the season. 

Surprise

Last year's surprise runner-up was a midseason call-up, a high draft pick who 
despite a lack of obvious hockey skills seemed to have that undefinable 
quality we call "scoring touch".  Well, he got traded for this other team's 
high draft pick, called up midseason, who despite a lack of obvious hockey 
skills...

You get the picture.  Anyway, rookie sensation Dmitri Nabokov has given way 
to rookie sensation Jean-Pierre Dumont.  Dumont is slightly less
risky a pick than Nabokov, given that anybody who shatters Mario Lemieux's junior scoring records has to have some talent.  And Dumont scored on a consistent basis
over 25 games last year, while Nabokov played in less than 10. 

Nevertheless, it's entirely possible that J.P. will tick off the coaching 
staff again next year, ride the pine for awhile, then get demoted and traded 
for a career minor-leaguer.  But the Hawks are scoring-starved enough that 
anyone who looks like he might know how to find the net 20 or 30 times 
a year is going to get a very long look. 

Disappointment

It's not really fair to call the team co-leader in assists a disappointment, 
but Doug Gilmour was brought in to do a number of things for this
team, and very few of them were accomplished. 

Gilmour's presence was going to lead to breakthrough years for a number of 
guys, especially Eric Daze -- who was going to score 40 goals with master 
playmaker Gilmour feeding him -- and Alexei Zhamnov -- who was going to
dominate other team's second-line centers. 

Unfortunately, Gilmour disappeared for long stretches during the season, 
occasionally showing up to dominate a game but mostly staying away from the 
play and leaving fans to wonder if Dougie had been scratched that night. 

Gilmour also ended up with the worst plus/minus on the team.  And even for 
those of us who feel that ESPN's favorite stat means next to nothing, you 
don't expect a veteran with a reputation for responsibility in his own end 
to lead his team in watching opponents score. 

#93 probably suffers worst in the comparison department.  He's making 
$6 million a year, and we got him instead of Brett Hull.  'Nuff said. 

Off-Season Changes

As reported in these pages a few months ago, team GM Bob Murray has already 
told fans not to expect a free agent of Gilmour's status to come to Chicago 
this off-season.  "Thank goodness" you might reply, except that the Hawks 
actually still need such a player. 

Theo Fleury leaps to mind as a guy that would pay immediate dividends, but 
his market value will be off the charts.  Beyond him, scorers are scarce, so 
you can't really blame Murray for hanging back.  But the prospect of another 
year of Amonte and not much else is kind of depressing. 

What Murray has promised to do is go after a couple of "mid-level guys".  
It remains to be seen what salary and/or talent level that refers to. 

As far as Murray's job and that of his head coach, they're safe for at least 
another season.  Both have been given public votes of confidence from owner 
Bill Wirtz.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Barry Trotz
   
roster: C - Darren Turcotte, Greg Johnson, Jeff Nelson, Patric
Kjellberg, Sebastien Bordeleau, Cliff Ronning.  LW - Andrew
Brunette, Scott Walker, Denny Lambert, Ville Peltonen, Jeff Daniels,
Vitali Yachmenev.  RW - Sergei Krivokrasov, Brad Smyth, Tom
Fitzgerald, Patrick Cote, Rob Valicevic.  D - Joel Bouchard, Bob
Boughner, John Slaney, Jamie Heward, Jayson More, J.J.  Daigneault,
Drake Berehowsky, Jan Vopat, Kimmo Timonen. G - Mike Dunham, Eric
Fichaud, Tomas Vokoun, Chris Mason. 

Team News by Jeff Middleton

Well, the Stars are the champs, at least as far as the general NHL
population is concerned.  However, in these parts, the big hockey
story is still the Nashville Predators.  After a phenomenal first
season in which they exceeded all expectations on the ice and off,
people are champing at the bit for the opportunity to "Get Bit" all
over again.  There were so many highlights this season, it's hard
to narrow them down, so here's what we'll do...  

The Top 15 Predators Memories of 1998-99

<pre>
15. Banner raised to the roof of the arena in tribute to the fans 
of the Predators - April 17, 1999
14. Opening Night - 1-0 Loss to Florida Panthers on October 
10, 1998
13. David Legwand taking the ice on closing night for his first 
NHL game -the future skates in
12. First franchise goal - Andrew Brunette's reviewed tally against 
Carolina
11. Wayne Gretzky's one and only visit to Nashville - a stellar 
performance from the Great One, who tallied five assists in the 
Rangers' 7-5 win.
10. First franchise victory - defeated Carolina Hurricanes
9.  Fang-tastic Finale - loss to NJ Devils on last night.  Entire 
Predators squad gave game jerseys off their backs to lucky fans
8.  Scott Walker's "spin-o-rama" goal against the Dallas Stars
7.  Tomas Voukoun's shutout of the Phoenix Coyotes - first-ever 
for the franchise
6.  Halloween victory over the Colorado Avalanche . . . scary stuff
5.  Cliff Ronning's goal in last minute to defeat St. Louis Blues
4.  Mike Dunham's 51 save performance against the Detroit Red Wings
3.  Sergei Krivokrasov's goal with less than half a minute to go 
to defeat (eventual Stanley Cup champs) Dallas Stars
2.  Sebastien Bordeleau's overtime goal for the 3-2 victory over 
the New Jersey Devils on January 30, 1999
1.  December 23, 1998 - Merry Christmas!  A 6-3 victory over 
defending Stanley Cup Champions Detroit Red Wings (Editor's note: 
Dec. 23rd, ironically, is also Ace Reporter Jim Iovino's birthday. 
Another reason to celebrate). </pre>

All of these events were crucial in creating something special in
Nashville.  The questions that were asked about the wisdom of the
NHL's decision to grant a franchise to the town most known for its
status as country music capital of the world were all answered. 
The work of Jack Diller, David Poile and the rest of the Predators
front office made Craig Leipold's vision come to life.  The
Nashville Arena was the loudest in the league and the fans the most
loyal.  Unlike Bud Adams' mishandling of the Houston Oliers move to
Nashville, every move made by the Preds was golden and succeeded in
hooking fan after fan.  Case in point: attendance steadily rose
throughout the season, culminating in a fantastic final month in
which every game was sold out.  

Overall, the Predators had an exceptional first year both on the ice
and off.  They earned the respect of many other squads for their hard
work and intensity and managed to score victories over all of the top
squads in the league.  They finished up this year as the only
franchise never to lose in hallowed Maple Leaf Gardens (0-0-1) and
were able to beat every team in the Western conference.  The only
thing that remains to be seen is whether or not they can match their
performance next year.  

Team MVP

Cliff Ronning was acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes and
quickly became a leader on the team and a fan favorite.  The team's
leading scorer, with 20 goals and 40 assists, the Rat scored one of
the most memorable goals of the season against the St. Louis Blues.
 

Surprise of the Year

Tomas Vokoun  was the first string goalie for the Milwaukee
Admirals and the beginning of the year and by the end of the year
was competing with Mike Dunham for the top spot with the big team. 
Because of the injuries to the goaltenders up in Nashville (Dunham
and Eric Fichaud), Vokoun wound up playing almost half of the
Preds' games and notched the franchise's first shutout against
Phoenix.  

Disappointment of the Year

The only disappointing thing about the year was that it ended. 

Off-Season Changes

The Predators could do a lot over the summer, but there are a few
problems they need to solve.  The largest of these - pardon the pun
- is the issue of team size.  The Predators do not have anyone up
front who can take up space and disrupt other team's netminders,
especially on the power play.  They also need to shore up with some
bigger defensemen...potentially that one nasty man who makes
everyone glad he's on your team.  Don't look for any big moves from
David Poile leading up to the draft, even though the Preds have at
least eight picks in the first three rounds, they do not have one
of the choice picks (1-4) in the draft.  They also do not have the
budget to go after any big free-agents, so while there should be no
stunning moves made this summer, the addition of David Legwand to
the squad next year should boost the offensive output.  

Well, that's all folks.  Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  


-----------------------------------------------------------------
DETROIT RED WINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Scotty Bowman

Roster C - Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Kris Draper, Sergei
Fedorov. LW - Brendan Shanahan, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Doug Brown, 
Tomas Holmstrom, Wendel Clark, Kirk Maltby, Brent Gilchrist. RW -
Darren  McCarty, Martin Lapointe, Joe Kocur, Stacey Roest D -
Nicklas Lidstrom, Larry  Murphy, Aaron Ward, Uwe Krupp, Ulf
Samuelsson, Mathieu Dandenault Chris Chelios,  Todd Gill . G -
Chris Osgood, Norm Maracle. 

Team News by Dino Cacciola

Three-peat? It was not to be. 

The defending Stanley Cup Champions for two years running had high
hopes to make it three in a row. A feat that was not done  in the
NHL since the mighty Islanders of the early eighties. This
1998-1999  season was sure to be a true test as the entire leagues
main goal was to knock  of the champs. The entire season itself was
disappointing. Anything short of  winning the Cup would be deemed
as a failed season.  

The core of the team from the previous season remained intact. With
that in mind what could stop this team from winning? The answer is
quite simply themselves. If anyone was going to be the Red Wings it
was them beating themselves by not playing well. So after being
outplayed heavily by the dreaded  Colorado Avalanche in the second
round we reflect on what had happened this past  season. 

The acquisition of Uwe Krupp was a trial by fire trade. Krupp did
not play much at all and was plagued with a back injury and what
seemed to be every nagging injury known to exist. So he was
ineffective, but a healthy Krupp may return next season. But that
is still up in the air to the severity of his injury. 

Sergei Fedorov, who in recent seasons only shows up for the
playoffs, didn't even do that this year. Yes he had some productive
numbers, but they fell far short of expectations. He complained of
ice time, and during the season when Scotty Bowman increased his
time, at spells he would score, but then became invisible. The same
can be said for Brendan Shanahan who did improve at times over last
year's numbers. He complained about lack of ice time as well. When
given more time, he responded nicely getting some key goals. Rumors
still surround Shanny about being traded away, because he may be
playing hurt and some  feel his best days are behind him.  

Slava Kozlov was no where to be found in the first half of the
season. Then Igor Larionov took him under his wing and he exploded
to be the hottest Wing of  the second half. The
Kozlov-Larionov-LaPointe line played pretty much all of  the time
together. One of the few lines that Bowman kept together as the
others  shuffled around quite often. Igor played great hockey, and
when he was hurt in  the second round, the Wings were without their
main control player.  

Chris Osgood was his usual self in net. He really played great
sometimes, but very rarely would win games on his own. Which makes
him not in the class of Cujo, Hasek, Belfour, or Roy to name a few.
The very likeable Kevin Hodson was traded and Norm Maracle still
needs some seasoning. Bill Ranford came in and played two great
games in the second round, but then got very little team support
and had some very forgettable games against the Avs. He has since
been cut from the team and is an unrestricted free agent.  

The Wings said so long to the underachieving Anders Ericksson in
the Chris Chelios deal. When the Wings made the deadline deals to
get Chris Chelios and Wendel Clark they were virtually unbeatable.
Chelios is the man. Clark chipped in some timely goals, but didn't
produce against the Avs as expected. His future  is up in the air.
 

A key acquisition was that of defenseman Todd Gill. He played  very
well and chipped in offensively where Murphy and Lidstrom
faltered.  Murphy's age finally showed and Lidstrom had a sub-par
season by his standards. Mathieu Dandenault played very strong  on
defense, but he still may be more suited for the forward position.
Aaron  Ward played a lot, but has not been what the Wings have
hoped for. Macoun played  well, but his time is apparently up. Did
the Red Wings really ever get over the  departure of Fetisov? No
one will ever be sure. His off the ice presence sure meant a lot to
this team. If the Wings can sign Ulf Samuelsson to at least another
year, they will have improved greatly. His wealth of experience and
grit is a total bonus. Expect Jiri Fisher to make the team next
season. Will Lidstrom return or will Murphy hang up the skates
finally? These questions played a lingering role in the season's
attitude of the players.  

Darren McCarty started off very strong scoring quite a bit, but
injuries set in and he was never the same. Marty Lapointe didn't
play that well in the second half. Holmstrom was snake bit all
season and could never get going. Gilchrist missed most of the
season with his groin injury. Rookie Stacey Roest played with great
tenacity but didn't see any playoff time. He may have been
showcased.  

Doug Brown seems to go the way of Sergei Fedorov when it comes to
point production. The Wings gave up a draft pick in order to
re-obtain Brown and he didn't satisfy as in year's past. Kirk
Maltby has become a dirty player picking  up suspensions here and
there. He still has the knack for scoring the timely  goal every
now and then, but the fact is, the Grind Line was non existent in
the  playoffs. Joe Kocur's injury sure didn't help things out in
this matter. Kris  Draper may have seen his last days as a Red
Wing. He is well liked and I'm sure  the Red Wings will do what it
takes to keep him around.  

Team MVP

Without much hesitation and without any argument from anyone I am 
sure, the nod goes to the captain, all-star center, Steve
Yzerman. In the early part of the season his numbers were among
the league leaders.  

He slowed down after more ice time was given to Shanahan and
Fedorov, but by far was the team's most consistent performer.
Stevie Y never takes a night off.  The three-year extension he
received was well worth it. If a handful of others  on this team
had the heart and soul that he has displayed, this team would be a 
dynasty for sure.  

Surprise

The play of Mathieu Dandenault surely deserves some credit. The 
young forward is coveted by Scotty Bowman played most of the season
on defense.  He played very well, but at times was out muscled in
the playoffs by stronger  forwards. But the total surprise was the
trading deadline when the Red Wings  picked up sniper Wendel
Clark, veteran goalie Bill Ranford, gritty Ulf  Samuelsson, and
veteran star Chris Chelios all for draft picks and Anders 
Ericksson. At the time of the deadline it seemed the Red Wings
had what it took  to win the Cup. GM Ken Holland was dubbed a
genius for putting together the so-called final pieces to the
puzzle to win. Hockeytown was very surprised at  the deadline
deals. During the season it had seemed that no one could beat
Colorado or Dallas. But the trades for at least a month brought
some renewed optimism to a seemingly stagnant season.  

Disappointment

At one point is was very disappointing to see Recchi go to  the
Flyers and Fleury to the Avs. All while the Wings had only picked
up Todd  Gill. Then the blockbuster trades came in. The momentum
and the swing was in the  Wings favor. The easy first round sweep
of the Ducks seemed to throttle the  Wings towards another Cup. But
it was not to be, so the biggest disappointment  was the fact
that the Wings lost to the Avs in the second round the way they
did. They lost in four straight games looking very lackluster
and lost. That is  a hard pill to follow when you are at least
expected to go down swinging when  you are the champions.  

The Red Wings will have to wait and see what Nicklas Lidstrom
decides to do. If he goes back to Sweden it will be a huge loss.
They lost Konstantinov already, and this would be equally as
painful. They should sign Ulf Samuelsson,  and if Murphy plays
again, he will get reduced ice time due to his age. They  will save
him for the playoffs if anything and help him groom youngsters
Jiri  Fisher and perhaps Jesse Wallin into decent defensemen. They
may sign Clark, but  that is up in the air as well. He is not a
sure thing with his medical history.  

If they Wings lose Maracle to expansion then they will be in the
market for a veteran back up. Perhaps Mark Fitzpatrick, Ric
Tabarraci, or Ken Wregget. They need someone to give Ozzie a push.
The rumors are that the Wings will do what it  takes to sign free
agent Valeri Kamensky from Colorado. He played very well  against
the Wings in the second round and would fit right in with Igor and 
Kozzie. In order to get back to Cup status again, they will need to
play as a  team and execute the system flawlessly. It may help to
acquire some speed up  front and some size on defense. This team is
not out yet by any means. They are  still an elite team and will be
one of the favorites to go for the Cup.  

This is my last and final report for LCS Hockey. The absolute and
greatest hockey site in the World by far. For those of you that
have emailed me over the  last couple of seasons with your praise,
I thank you. For those of you that have  criticized me, I will not
miss you. But I thank you just the same for keeping me  humble. At
times I thought I was as good as Darcy Tucker or even John Cullen.
At times I just wanted to be Swedish. And yeah I will miss Wayne
Gretzky, he was after all my inspiration for writing. Strawberry
Fields and LCS Forever!  

"Detroit, Detroit, got a heck of a hockey team" Paul Simon.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
ST. LOUIS BLUES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Joel Quenneville
   
Roster: C - Craig Conroy, Mike Eastwood, Michal Handzus, Jochen
Hecht, Pascal Rheaume, Pierre Turgeon. LW - Lubos Bartecko, Geoff
Courtnall, Pavol Demitra, Scott Pellerin, Michel Picard, Tony
Twist. RW - Blair Atcheynum, Kelly Chase, Terry Yake, Scott Young.
D - Jeff Finley, Rory Fitzpatrick, Al MacInnis, Chris McAlpine,
Richard Persson, Rudy Poeschek, Chris Pronger, Jamie Rivers, Brad
Shaw. G - Grant Fuhr, Jamie McLennan, Roman Turek. 

TEAM NEWS by Tom Cooper

The Season Synopsis

Throughout the course of the 1998-1999 season, one single question
was constantly asked to the players and coaches of the St. Louis
Blues.  

Who is going to pick up the scoring now that Brett Hull is gone? 

To be honest, it is hard to replace his 522 career goals with a
musical note sewn on the front of his sweater, but what may be
harder is finding the man willing to place at least a toe nail into
his gigantic shoes.  

In the course of this search, overall goal production did fall off
19 goals, from 256 and first in the league one year ago to 237 and
seventh this year. But the offensive predictions of the puck
prognosticators were far grimmer than the reality.  

The reason: Pavol Demitra. 

Demitra's first full season of action showed the Blues and the
league that he may be able to fill the Golden Brett's void. 37
goals. 52 assists. 89 points. Every vital stat had a 50-percent
increase from a career high. In 82 games, Demitra went from a maybe
to a will be.  

He is now the offensive star of St. Louis. The 14th highest scorer
during the regular season is the star of the power play down low.
He is an All-Star; he is a team leader, and, perhaps most
importantly, he is the future of the St. Louis Blues. At least,
that is what the front office is hoping.  

A discussion of the Blues' blue line can not be started without
mentioning Al MacInnis. His 62 points (20 goals, 42 assists) placed
him atop the league when it came to offensive production from
defensemen. MacInnis's passes from the back helped sparked the
Hull-less offense ablaze, but it was a slap shot that could turn a
Cub Scout's campfire into a four-alarm fire which placed him on
nightly highlight reels.  

What MacInnis' offense meant to the Blues' defensive corps was
matched by what Chris Pronger meant to the blueliners defensively.
Partnering with an increase in offensive statistics (four more
goals and ten more points in 14 fewer games) was a growth in his
reputation as one of the most physical defenseman in hockey. His
plus/minus rating suffered a 43-point loss based in large part to
Joel Quenneville's reliance on him to be on the ice as much as
possible. Both him and MacInnis average over 25 minutes a game,
creating one of the most dominating defensive twosomes in the
leagues. It's too bad they don't play together, but that's a luxury
Quenneville has. He can split the two to bolster his depth,
something that came in handy during the seven playoff games that
went to extra periods.  

The goaltending. Hmm...where to start with the goaltending. Well,
the Blues used five goaltenders during the 82-game regular season
schedule making them one of four teams to use five or more
goaltenders. The friendly skies between Worcester and St. Louis
were visited frequently by Blues' netminders for one reason - the
knees of Grant Fuhr.  

The Nick Kypreos hit of the 1996 playoffs was felt three years later
when the five-time Stanley Cup winner's knees plagued his
performance. He played in only 39 games, his lowest total since he
arrived in St. Louis, earning 16 wins with 11 losses and eight
ties, not bad for a man who felt pain every time he went into a
butterfly. In mid-February, Fuhr went under the knife to fix
meniscus damage in his right knee. A month later he came back like
the Grant of old. His improvement helped lead the Blues out of the
sixth and seventh spots in the Western Conference to earn them a
fifth- seed for the post-season, setting them up for a first-round
match-up with the hexed Phoenix Coyotes. (And we all know how that
series ended.)  

It was a season that nobody expected. With Brett Hull gone, almost
everybody saw the Blues demise as imminent and right around the
corner. What they didn't expect is a young, talented nucleus
melding with veteran leadership to make sure the Blues stayed on
track. They did slip up a little, losing some production and wins,
but their talent and heart carried them into the playoffs and
almost to the Western Conference Finals.  

TEAM MVP: It wasn't a complete and shocking surprise that he
picked up the offensive slack created in the rope by the letting-go
of Brett Hull. But his increase in numbers and offensive
responsibility did carry the Blues throughout the season.  

This man is my MVP - Pavol Demitra. 

With many people doubting whether or not the Blues would compete in
the playoffs, Demitra stepped up and helped lead his teammates to
the postseason with the blade of his stick.  

And in the process of that march to the post-season, he may have
saved both the reputation and possibly the job of General Manager
Larry Pleau. His refusal to give Brett Hull a "no-trade" clause was
met with criticism. But, if Demitra pans out to be everything Larry
Pleau and the front office hopes he'll be, Pleau may be receiving a
few of votes for Executive of the Year plaques.  

Will Demitra be able to improve upon his remarkable season of this
year? If he does, the future should be bright for the Blues. 

SURPRISE: Most of America knows one of St. Louis' "Big Macs."
During the 1998 baseball season, Mark McGwire and his powerful home
runs captured the imaginations of Americans from sea to shinning sea.
 

During the 1998-1999 hockey season, Al MacInnis and his
powerful slap shot captured the nerves of goaltenders around the
league whenever he had two seconds to wind up.  

His leadership was expected. His impact was a surprise. 

Al MacInnis was the best player on the Blues, hands-down. He had to
be - Larry Pleau gave him the contract that Brett Hull wanted. 

MacInnis, who should win the Norris Trophy (check that, better win
the Norris Trophy), carried the team all year long. 

DISAPPOINTMENT: The Blues did struggle early in the season.
Now, I don't like to pin the blame on one person, but the poor play
of Grant Fuhr during the first three months of the schedule
did play a big role.  

Fuhr's shakiness between the pipes helped spark the instability of
the entire St. Louis goaltending situation. Jaime McLennan
struggled. Rich Parent was good until his manhood was violated, so
he has a good excuse. Jim Carey....HA! Scott Roche? Who?  

You get my point. 

The entire situation did a 180 once Fuhr's knee was operated on, but
his poor play to start the 1998-1999 campaign almost cause a
complete and total debacle.  

OUTLOOK: It's guaranteed that this off-season will not be
anywhere near as active nor exciting as the one prior, but the
Blues will have to start planning for the future.  

They took their first step the same day Dallas won the Stanley Cup.
 

Giving up a third-round pick in this year's Entry Draft, the Blues
acquired Stars back-up goalie Roman Turek, his 16-3- 3 record (26
starts) and 2.08 GAA. The Notes may pick up some more picks in
upcoming draft and some young talent, but nothing too drastic will
be completed.  

If nothing goes drastically wrong, the Blues will return to the
playoffs and advance at least one round if not to the conference
final, but the future starts today. By the time next season has
started, Geoff Courtnall will be 36, Al MacInnis will be 36, and
Grant Fuhr, who has already said next year will be his last, will
be 37.  

They made things exciting during this year's playoffs, and they'll
make things exciting next year, but nothing will be exciting in the
future with a team of players who are unfortunately too old. 
================================================================

=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHWEST DIVISION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CALGARY FLAMES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Brian Sutter
   
Roster: C- Andrew Cassels, Clarke Wilm, Cory Stillman, Jeff Shantz,
Steve Dubinsky, Eric Landry; LW- Rene Corbet, Bob Bassen, Ed Ward,
Jason Wiemer, Dave Roche; RW- Valeri Bure, Jarome Iginla, Martin St.
Louis, Rocky Thompson; D- Tommy Albelin, Cale Hulse, Derek Morris,
Todd Simpson, Steve Smith, Phil Housley, Denis Gauthier, Chris
O'Sullivan, Eric Charron; G- Ken Wregget, Fred Brathwaite. 

TEAM NEWS by John Alsedek, Calgary Correspondent

Most hockey pundits, when referring to the Flames' 1998-99 season -
or, more precisely, how it ended - would doubtless succumb to the
urge to use the same tired old cliches: 'Flames Burn Out...',
'Flames Fizzle...', 'Flame-Out...', etc. 

Not me, though. As a matter of fact, the first thing that came to
mind for me was "Aw crap". Why? Because of the way the season ended
for the Flames. Now, the casual NHL fan might wonder why it should
be disappointing. After all, the '99 Flames ended up with a record
similar to the '97 and '98 Flames, i.e. a clutch of games under
.500 and no post-season. But the numbers didn't tell the whole
story this time around. In years past, Calgary would be out of
playoff contention by the All-Star break, then play respectably,
albeit unspectacularly, in March and April. But this year...this
year was different.  

Come the All-Star Weekend, the Flames were still in the hunt, which
put manager Al Coates in a seriously tough position concerning one
Theoren Fleury. Should he hold onto the team's top scorer for the
rest of the season, then lose him for nothing (okay, a second-round
pick) to unrestricted free agency? Should he deal Fleury to a
contender for futures, and thereby write off the rest of the
season? Coates chose the latter course, but with a stipend: not
only did he acquire prospect Robyn Regehr and a conditional draft
pick, but he also picked up versatile forward Rene Corbet, who was
expected to - and did - help fill the goal-scoring void created by
Theo's departure. Still, what Coates and coach Brian Sutter were
counting on was for their young charges to step up and be counted,
figuratively speaking.  

And, for one marvelous month-long stretch, they did.  In particular,
Pavel Bure's kid brother, Valeri, took advantage of the additional
ice time and went on a tear, scoring a dozen goals in the final
quarter of the season (for the mathematically challenged such as
myself, that translates into 40+ over a full season). With two
weeks to go in the season, Calgary moved past Edmonton and into the
eighth spot. Four of their remaining seven games were against their
arch-rivals to the north. And that's where the disappointment comes
in.  

To be fair, the Flames didn't end up losing those crucial games
against Edmonton due to a lack of effort or lack of guts. Anybody
lacking in either doesn't play on a Sutter-coached team. Nope, they
lost because of the obvious reasons: they didn't score enough, and
they gave up too many goals. A slew of injuries - particularly to
the defensive corps, which played one game with just one healthy
veteran blueliner - didn't help matters. But whatever the reasons,
the Flames got hopes up in Calgary, and then, um, snuffed them out.
 

And that, you know, sucks. 

Team MVP

Al Coates. While a number of players - Jarome Iginla, Cory
Stillman, and Phil Housley among them - acquitted themselves well,
no one guy really stood out. That's why I went with the GM, if only
for the fact that he took a no-win situation (the Fleury trade) and
almost made it work. While the Flames didn't make the playoffs,
they played well enough that it would be tough to make a case that
having Fleury would have made the difference. Now the Flames have
Rene Corbet to play on one of their top two lines, plus hardrock
blue-line prospect Robyn Regehr and what might turn out to be a
first round pick in 2000. And that's not bad, considering the
alternative was a compensatory second-rounder. He also managed to
get Calgary's top center prospect, Daniel Tkaczuk, under contract;
by all accounts, it was a tough signing. Those, combined with a
pretty solid 1998 entry draft, equals one MVP award.  

Surprise

Freddy Brathwaite, as if there was any doubt. After two
seasons in the IHL and part of this season with the Canadian
National Team, former Edmonton prospect Brathwaite played his first
NHL game since April of 1996...and then played 27 more for the
goalie-injury-plagued Flames  (they used five others during the
1998-99 season), compiling a 2.45 GAA (19th in the NHL) and 91.5%
SP (12th, and ahead of such vaunted names as Curtis Joseph, Mike
Richter, and Chris Osgood). Now the Flames just have to figure out
what to do with him next year: use him as Ken Wregget's backup? Let
Wregget go and let Freddy tandem with J. S. Giguere?  Expose him in
the Expansion Draft? Whatever happens, let's hope Freddy is still
in the NHL next year- he's earned it.  

Disappointment

No surprises here: the Fleury trade. Sure, it was common
knowledge that Calgary wasn't going to shell out six or eight
million U.S. per year to keep him. Still, deep down, I always hoped
that they'd work something out. Didn't happen, though. 

Off-Season Changes

No big ones, but a bunch of lesser moves. Given their lack of depth
at center, the Flames might try to re-sign UFA Andrew Cassels, but
aren't likely to shell out the kind of money that       
Phoenix/Rangers/othercenter-needy teams are going to pay. A few
other guys, such as gutsy-but-injury-prone Bob Bassen and veteran
Steve Smith, are probably gone if Al Coates is satisfied that he
has younger bodies who can take their respective places. Daniel
Tkaczuk might crack the lineup in the fall, but is more likely
headed to Saint John for the season. The Flames could do well at
the year's Entry Draft; they'll likely target skilled-but-gritty
forwards Kris Beech, Jamie Lundmark, and Jani Rita. They might also
try to trade up for a late first-rounder to get puck-rushing d-man
Nick Boynton (a re-entry from the '97 draft), who would look pretty
spiffy working the power play with Derek Morris.  

In other words, Calgary fans can look forward to more on-ice growing
pains with their young team. Given their status as a small-market
Canadian team in today's money-obsessed NHL, that's about as much
as they can expect. Will the Flames make the playoffs in 1999-2000?
I sure hope so, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. 

Well, that's it for the Flames column, for LCS, and for me as an NHL
writer. Not being privy to their innermost thoughts, I can only
guess at why Michael and Jim are getting the hell out of the game.
I do know why I am, though. It's just not fun anymore. I've written
for a variety of hockey publications, both print and on-line, for
five years now. Some of them are probably available on your local
newsstand, some not.  

Back then, I really
enjoyed it. Salaries hadn't begun skyrocketing.  Players didn't have
their own personal spin doctors. Columbus didn't have a franchise.
Five years later, I'm completely jaded. The NHL keeps adding new
franchises, even though teams like the Islanders and the 'Bolts are
practically begging to be moved. Players have basketball-sized
salaries and attitudes to match. The rules are enforced seemingly at
random- yes, I'm talking about the Cup-winning non-goal. Oh, and I'm
tired of chasing low-life editors to get my money (or, in the case of
an on-line hockey service that shall remain nameless, being promised
money and then being told no one was going to get paid the first
year, despite the fact that they had paying customers and
advertisers). (Editor's note: John is not talking about LCS Hockey.
Rest assured, we here at LCS Hockey have no money whatsoever.) 

Basically, the damn game has just become a big
money-making enterprise, and I've had enough. Anyway, I just want to
say thanks to my loyal reader (thanks, Mom), and also to LCS, just
for being there. You guys made it fun for longer than it otherwise
would have been. Later. 


-----------------------------------------------------------------
COLORADO AVALANCHE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Bob Hartley
   
ROSTER: C - Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Chris Drury,
Dale Hunter. LW - Valeri Kamensky, Milan Hejduk, Shean Donovan,
Warren Rychel, Chris Dingman. RW - Theoren Fleury, Claude Lemieux,
Adam Deadmarsh, Shjon Podein, Jeff Odgers, Scott Parker. D - Sandis
Ozolinsh, Sylvain Lefebvre, Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Jon Klemm,
Aaron Miller, Greg deVries, Cam Russell, Eric Messier. G - Patrick
Roy, Craig Billington.

Team News by Greg D'Avis

What a crazy, crazy season. Of course, stories of crazy seasons end
best with a championship (see every sports movie ever made), so the
Avalanche story is a bit of an anticlimax, saving one of their
worst performances of the year for Game Seven of the Western
Conference Finals.  

It started out with a new coach after the old one left in
controversy; the top offensive defenseman missing in a holdout; an
injury epidemic that left fewer standing than the plague; and,
subsequently, a five-game losing streak and subpar play for much of
the first couple months.  

But then, the injuries stopped, Sandis Ozolinsh got re-signed, Joe
Sakic and Peter Forsberg got hot, Valeri Kamensky and Claude
Lemieux picked it up, Patrick Roy remembered that he's Patrick Roy,
and things got rolling. Two rookies that no one expected to have an
impact, Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk, played well enough and mature
enough for the Avs to nearly corner the market on Calder Trophy
finalists.  

No one's truly appreciated the job Bob Hartley did. In his first
year as a professional coach, he wasn't afraid to shake things up,
challenge the stars (Valeri Kamensky and Patrick Roy), mix up the
lines (the coupling of Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic was inspired),
and work through a defense decimated by holdouts and injuries. 

Pierre Lacroix, who's often taken a beating, was one of the top GMs
in the league this year. He had the guts to trade his own son and
turn it into Cam Russell, a solid defenseman. He got rid of
disgruntled Keith Jones and picked up Shjon Podein, who brought
back memories of Mike Keane. He locked up some stars before they
could become free agents. And his trade for Theo Fleury was
brilliant; particularly if the Avalanche can keep him. Lacroix made
up for past mistakes with an A+ year.  

Often inconsistent, the Avalanche carried that into the playoffs:
scraping by against the vastly overmanned Sharks, catching fire
against the hated Red Wings, and then blowing a perfect opportunity
against the Stars. The Dallas series highlighted all the
Avalanche's flaws: not enough defense, not enough hard work. Seeing
Derian Hatcher carry the Cup around the ice should give Lacroix
some ideas on how to get the Avalanche back to the top. 

TEAM MVP: Peter Forsberg. The best player in the
world, and, this year, he was the team's best player in the
playoffs. When Forsberg's on and can control his temper, the
Avalanche are unstoppable.  

SURPRISE: Aaron Miller. After several years as a
part-timer, he emerged as a solid top-four defenseman, and carried
the team's defense through injuries in the first few months,
leading the team in ice time. He tired out a bit in the playoffs,
but truly came into his own this year as a full-time NHLer, and
also a future team leader.  

Honorable Mention: Milan Hejduk. No one outside of Pardubice
had heard of the young Czech winger before this year, but he (and
fellow rookie Chris Drury) had an immense impact on the Avalanche
lineup. Hejduk is cool, calm and collected, has a knack for coming
through in the clutch, and plays smarter than most players his age.
When he went down in the Dallas series, it was a serious blow to
the Avalanche.  

DISAPPOINTMENT: Theo Fleury. Don't get me wrong, the
Avalanche should go to great lengths to keep him around, but he was
acquired specifically for the playoffs - and subsequently
disappeared against Dallas. Hopefully, next year, he'll have the
chance to make up for it.  

OFFSEASON CHANGES: Pierre Lacroix did a great job in locking
up Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, and Adam Foote, making this summer
much easier. But there's still plenty of changes in the offing: 

Valeri Kamensky - after his superb playoff performance, speculation
started that the Avalanche will keep him (he'll be an unrestricted
free agent) around. Don't count on it. The Avalanche have a lot of
offensive talent, Milan Hejduk rendered ol' Val somewhat
expendable, and Alex Tanguay is close to being ready to play. The
money will probably go to getting another physical defenseman. The
Rangers are reportedly interested in Kamensky. 

Sylvain Lefebvre - a tough call. Another unrestricted free agent
(and another the Rangers want), he showed his age this year, but
had a strong playoff. The Avalanche need defensemen, and Sly is a
smart one. The money is on him getting re-signed, if they can
afford it.  

Theo Fleury - Wants to stay, and the Avalanche will likely decide
he's worth it. They should. Count on him returning. 

Alexei Gusarov - A couple years ago, he was the Avalanche's best
defenseman in the Stanley Cup run. This year, he frequently looked
lost. An unrestricted free agent, say goodbye to Goose. 

Joe Sakic - Stupid rumors have him being traded to the Rangers. This
makes no sense for two reasons: a) he's now entering the cheap year
of his mammoth contract, so it would be dumb to trade him after
paying 95% of the salary, and b) who do the Rangers have that
anyone else wants? Adam Graves and his bad back? Jeff Beukeboom and
his bad back? Another rumor has Sakic going to the Blues for Chris
Pronger. That's considerably better, except it's unlikely anyone in
the Blues organization is smoking enough crack to get rid of
Pronger. Sakic will be in the Avalanche colors next year. 

Dale Hunter - If he doesn't retire, the Avalanche will let his
contract go. 

Expansion - the Thrashers will be drafting, and the Avalanche will
lose someone. Likely subjects: Greg deVries, Eric Messier, Shean
Donovan, Warren Rychel. It's time to let Rychel go anyway, as he
did nothing this year but take dumb penalties and lose fights; let
Scott Parker take his place, as Parker can at least win
occasionally and has an upside. Donovan looked scrappy in
occasional playoff duty, but has never even come close to living up
to his potential. Messier has become a bit tougher but couldn't
even crack the Avalanche's defense-thin lineup. If they can hold on
to him, deVries would be welcome back next year, but boy oh boy
does he have a knack for the ill-timed penalty.  

New faces - Tanguay is quite likely. Parker will see more time.
Defenseman Martin Skoula may get a chance to fill the Uwe Krupp void
- an offensive defenseman who isn't as scary in his own zone as
Sandis Ozolinsh. Christian Matte will likely, as he does every year,
go back-and-forth between Hershey and Denver several thousand times.
Marc Denis, goalie of the future, will get more of a look.  

Needs - Defense, defense, defense. Adam Foote and Aaron Miller
played 600 minutes a game in the playoffs. With injuries up front,
Jon Klemm was used mostly as a forward. Having a full season of Cam
Russell will help, but the Avalanche need more.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
EDMONTON OILERS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Ron Low
   
Roster:  C - Doug Weight Todd Marchant, Rem Murray, Josef Beranek,
Boyd Devereux    LW - Ethan Moreau Alex Selivanov, Chad Kilger,
Ryan Smyth. RW - Bill Guerin, Mike Grier, Pat Falloon, Georges
Laraque. D - Sean Brown, Roman Hamrlik, Christian LaFlamme, Frank
Musil, Janne Niinimaa, Tom Poti, Marty McSorley, Jason Smith.  G -
Tommy Salo, Bob Essensa. 

Team News by Aubrey Chau

A pretty depressing Oiler season with more downs than ups, but hey, they're
not all painful memories. 

The season began without star centre Doug Weight and top left-wing Ryan
Smyth, both held out the first week of the season due to a contract
disputes.  The big man, Weight does end up signing, but plays a couples
games then goes out for a few months with a knee injury thanks to
Washington's Mark Tinordi. 

That leaves the offense in the hands of Joe Beranek and Bill Guerin, who
fill in admirably at first.  Billy the Butcher started off the season on
fire, a streak which would end after a couple months. 

The first month of the season included a bizarre disappearing act  by Boris
Mironov, who took off from the team in New York.  He returns to the team
after a week of sorting out family problems. 

Mikail Shtalenkov and Bob Essensa spent the season up to March dueling it
out for the honor of being a starter.  Both fail to impress. 

Dean McAmmond scores his first goal of the season in December.  The Oilers
continue to struggle up to the end of the season, where the turn on the
power and sneak into the playoffs. 

Amidst all this includes the Edmonton media calling for Coach Ron Low's
head on a plate. 

In efforts to boost the team's performance, Glen Sather makes several
trades, mostly near the trade deadline. 

The biggest deal was with the Chicago Blackhawks, which sent Boris Mironov,
Dean McAmmond and some european prosepct to the 'Hawks in return for
Christian Laflamme, Ethan Moreau, Chad Kilger and Dan Cleary. 

The other big one was Tommy Salo in return for Mats Lindgren.  But the best
deal was seeing Jason Smith leave Hogtown for the Oilers.  All Sather gave
up was a draft pick. 

The Oilers fought their way into the playoffs and put up a good fight
against the eventual champs the Dallas Stars.  The 4-0 sweep was very
deceiving. 

Overall a crappy Oilers season with some ups but more downs…better luck
next year. 

Top Five Pleasant Surprises

1.)  Rem (the Gem) Murray, scored 21 goals, killed penalties, played all
three forward positions.  And he tried hard. 

2.) Tom Poti, the rookie defenceman proved himself this season and made
Boris Mironov expendable.  Will be our top guy soon enough…if we can afford
him. 

3.) Pat Falloon/Joe Beranek, both guys on their ninth life come to Edmonton
and end up contributing offensively. 

4.) Georges Laraque, big young kid who isn't a liability and can kick the
stuffing out of people.  Example: Laraque beats Rob Ray into cat food…not
bad at all. 

5.) Kelly Buchberger, spent a good portion of the season injured and still
managed to score more than his two-goal quota.  Four goals Buchy!  See ya
in Atlanta. 

Top Five Disappointments

1.) Ryan Smyth and Dean McAmmond, both failed to bury the biscuit, which
lead to McAmmond receiving a one-way trip to the Chicago Blackhawks. 

2.) Alex Selivanov, got this loser mid-season for Andrei Kovalenko.
Different names, same game -- lazy and can't or won't score.  Alex looks
his sharpest from the press box. 

3.) Doug Weight, signs a new contract, gets injured comes back and can't
find his game.  To top it off, Ryan Smyth busts his jaw in the playoffs.
Better luck next year Doug. 

4.)  Goaltenders Mikail Shtalenkov and Bob Essensa, couldn't stop beach
balls, Sather had to get Tommy Salo to stop the bleeding. 

5.) Eric Fichaud, young goalie who was picked up during the off-season but
was of no use.  Dished off during the preseason for Shtalenkov. 
	
Team MVP

Tom Poti.  Sure, I picked the rookie.  Why?  Near the end of the
season, after Boris Mironov was gone, Poti picked up the slack and scored
several big goals.  He's one of the biggest reasons the Oilers got into the
playoffs. 

His big goals against Calgary and San Jose were huge.  Mironov's departure
left more freedom for Poti to jump into the play.  This kid's a keeper. 

Off-Season Stuff  

Well, the biggest move so far is the Oilers got rid of Coach Low and hired
Coach Lowe.  Yes, Mr. Oiler Kevin Lowe is now head coach after spending a
year as Ron Low's assistant. 

This was all Glen Sather's doing of course, as he made Ronnie Low an offer
he had to refuse.  A low-ball offer which saw Low receive a contract which
paid him the same as last season. 

As the expansion draft approaches, the top unprotected players include
Kelly Buchberger, Rem Murray and Alex Selivanov.  Since Rem the Gem is a
free agent, look for the Atlanta Thrashers to take Buchy, unless Slats
makes a deal with the Thrashers to keep their mitts of the Captain. 

Free agents that Sather has to sign include Roman Hamrlik, and Bill Guerin.
 Tommy Salo and Rem Murray.  Don't know what to expect…so I guess you
should stay tuned.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER CANUCKS 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Marc Crawford

ROSTER: C - Mark Messier, Dave Gagner, Harry York, Dave Scatchard,
Darby Hendrickson, Josh Holden. LW - Todd Bertuzzi, Brad May,
Donald Brashear, Peter Schaefer, Bert Robertsson. RW - Markus
Naslund, Alexander Mogilny, Bill Muckalt, Trent Klatt, Steve
Staios. D - Adrian Aucoin, Murray Baron, Ed Jovanovski, Bryan
McCabe, Mattias Ohlund, Jason Strudwick, Brent Sopel. G - Garth
Snow, Kevin Weekes, Corey Hirsch. 

Team News by Jeff Dubois

Two Perspectives on the Canucks 1998-99 Season:

1. Vancouver Canucks Media Spokesman, Player, Coach or GM 

This was a really positive season. We've always believed that
Vancouver Canucks' fans are the greatest on the planet, and they
proved it again this year. We may have had  a season of change
within the organization and on the ice, but the fans really stuck
with us.  

When you really think about it, we didn't have a poor season, in
fact, quite the opposite is true! We now have a new head coach  who
has a Stanley Cup win under his belt, a GM who knows what he wants
from his team, and a great amount of youth to complement a core of
experienced veterans. Next season is really looking up, and with
high draft pick, we'll have another star ready to forge a bond with
the Canucks family.  

Just wait till next year, with Marc Crawford behind the bench for a
whole year, Brian Burke having put his stamp on the team, and a
great, young defensive core that is the envy of the league, this is
a team that has nowhere to go but up!  

2. The fan 

Big friggin' surprise! Three years in a row we've missed the
playoffs now! Oh, but we have a high draft pick! Maybe another Alex
Stojanov is in our future, or Libor Polasek, he was a first-round
gem! All this team really needs is two things: Scoring and Defence,
and then we'll be a contender. Just you wait! I thought it couldn't
get worse than last season, but boy did they ever prove me wrong!
Nuff said.  

In the Paradox Department - The Canucks' MVP.

Markus Naslund's third full Canuck season was nothing short
of magical. Naslund's 36 goals led the team and he provided a small
portion of what Canuck fans lost in Pavel Bure. Naslund could
explode at any second, and often did. Wingers Mogilny and Bertuzzi
came into the year with the expectations but Naslund was the only
one that turned out to be a game breaker. He filled in admirably on
the first-line, appeared in his first All-Star game, and by all
indications should have many more to look forward to.  

Where'd He Come From?

Adrian Aucoin was once heralded as the Canucks' point-man of
the future, but a lack of defensive attentiveness and erratic
shooting accuracy, combined with a low self-confidence and few
chances for quality ice time, had many assuming Aucoin would either
take a permanent trip to the minors or be traded elsewhere for
someone who would take a permanent trip to the minors. But without
Jyrki Lumme, who signed in Phoenix, and Bryan McCabe, a contract
hold-out, in training camp, Aucoin made the most of his
opportunity, and ended a spectacular season by dismantling the
Canucks' record for goals by a defenceman in a season.  Now
confident and with some quality experience against opposing first
lines, a repeat performance from Aucoin would be anything but a
surprise.  

I Love Mike Peca Even More Because....

Where was Alexander Mogilny this past year? Anyone? No?
Mogilny is running out of chances, and I feel dumb for thinking
that he'll turn it around this season but a guy with that much
talent... Alex has some motivational problems (extra, extra!) and
didn't shoot that little rubber black thing quite enough. Mogilny
has to play like a top sniper. If Naslund hadn't picked up the
slack....  

Just Wait Till Next Year (retrieved from the 1996 rallying cry
bin) 

Signings since the season's end: 

Steve Kariya - Younger bro of Paul. May compete for a job this year,
certainly next year. Signed as an unrestricted free agent out of
Maine, where he won the NCAA Championship with the Black Bears.
Future potential: Depending on size, should be a second line
scorer.  
                        
Harold Druken - Itty, bitty like Kariya but a pure scorer. Signed
hours before he would have re-entered the draft. Played for Canada
at the 1999 World Juniors. Future potential: If he plays in the
league for any length of time, he will have met my expectations.
Third liner.  

Pat Kavenauh - Acquired in trade with Philly. Signed just before he
would have re-entered draft.  

Bryan Allen - Will play in Vancouver this year. Future potential:
Norris Trophy winner.  

Ryan Ready - A 20-year-old free agent. Has Memorial Cup experience.
Canucks' assistant GM Dave Nonis called this signing a "coup".
Played under Crawford's brother in junior. Future potential: ?  

Personnel Changes:

Both assistant coaches, Stan Smyl and Glen Hanlon, will be leading
their own AHL teams come September. Smyl will head the Canucks'
Syracuse Crunch while former Canucks assistant GM George McPhee
lured Hanlon into the Capitals organization to coach their top farm
club, the Portland Pirates. Replacing these two former Canuck
players will be Jack McIlhargey, the former Crunch boss who will
make another assistant coaching stop with the team, and Mike
Johnson, former coach of the Canadian National Team. They should
certainly provide a different dynamic to the staff, and will
provide Marc Crawford with two enthusiastic participants on the
staff.  

What to expect for next year:

Youth, learning and losses. Some trades over the summer to improve
the team's scoring, but can Burke really deal with so many
weaknesses...he may have to get rid of a young defenceman, a move
many would see as regressive (including me). Some future help will
come when the Canucks draft a European scorer next Saturday, either
a Sedin, Brendl or Stefan... I'll put my money on the younger
Sedin, Daniel, who has the most potential of the bunch. It'll be
another long season, but at least it should be one in the right
direction. 
================================================================
=================================================================
TEAM REPORTS
=================================================================
WESTERN CONFERENCE
PACIFIC DIVISION
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ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS
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Head Coach:  Craig Hartsburg
   
ROSTER: C - Matt Cullen, Travis Green, Steve Rucchin, Marty McInnis,
Johan Davidsson. LW - Ted Drury, Stu Grimson, Paul Kariya, Jim
McKenzie. RW - Antti Aalto, Jeff Nielsen, Tomas Sandstrom, Teemu
Selanne. D - Kevin Haller, Jason Marshall, Frederik Olausson, Jamie
Pushor, Ruslan Salei, Pascal Trepanier, Pavel Trnka, Dan Trebil. G
- Guy Hebert, Dominic Roussel, Tom Askey.

TEAM NEWS by Alex Carswell

THE BIG PICTURE

The one, true thing Anaheim had going for it in 1998-99 was
stability. They had a new coach, again, but one who knew what he
wanted and pretty much stuck to his systematic guns all season
long. They had a new president and general manager who, by virtue
of holding both titles, didn't have to look over his shoulder or
kowtow to anyone in his decision-making process. That he had a
clear vision for this season and beyond -- emphasize stability;
build through the draft -- was a bonus that should reap dividends
in the future. For this season, the "Gauthier factor" meant that
the players on board had a full season to show what they could do.
 

Unfortunately, in many cases, that wasn't enough. But before we
continue dissecting the Ducks, let's take a moment to remember the
former GM, and current "Special Assistant," Jack Ferreira. Poor
Jack did a lot of things right with the Ducks, including hiring Ron
Wilson to be their first coach, selecting Guy Hebert to be their
first player and taking Paul Kariya as their first selection in the
amateur draft. He engineered the deal that brought Teemu Selanne to
SoCal, whose presence alone would be impressive enough had he not
also made Kariya an exponentially better player. Which he did, and
continues to do. Jack drafted a lot of other guys who will play for
the Ducks, under Pierre Gauthier's stable reign, and make an
impact.  

Ferreira will doubtless move on to another hockey job soon enough,
but he should be remembered not as the guy who was fired so that
Anaheim could move ahead, but rather as the guy who laid much of
the groundwork for their future success. It was just his bad luck
to toil under a hot dog salesman with visions of sports-executive
grandeur -- sing it to the Mickey Mouse Club tempo, kids: T-O-N,
Y-T-A, V-E-R-A-S. Wherever you go, Jack, may the ice rise to meet
you.  

Gauthier, who, along with Assistant GM (rumored to be headed to
Minnesota) David McNab, was part of Ferreira's brain trust from the
start, has much to recommend himself, as his record in Ottawa and
his demeanor in Anaheim indicates. Despite complaints from an often
comatose fan base, he resisted calls to sign aged free agents in
his first offseason, preferring to work with what he had in-house.
As mentioned, that was enough only to get the team to the .500
level and a brief playoff appearance, but it's a start.  

It was a season of streaks for the Ducks; some good, some not. The
highlight was a franchise-record seven- game winning streak (albeit
primarily over the dregs of the west). The lowlight, five
three-game losing streaks to go with three five-game winless
streaks. A bright spot was the team's 21-14-6 home record, along
with their league-leading 22% power play. Less impressive were
their inconsistent road work (14-20-7) and mediocre (84.5%)
15th-ranked penalty killing.  

It was a season of individual achievements for some Ducks. Selanne
led the league in goals for the second consecutive year, capturing
the inaugural Maurice Richard Trophy. He (47-60-107) and Kariya
(39-62-101) finished two-three in the scoring race behind Jaromir
Jagr (44-83-127) as the only players in the league to top 100
points. Freddie Olausson, whose signing by Gauthier was a
homecoming for the former Ducks rearguard, finished fourth in NHL
defenseman scoring (16-40-56), setting an Anaheim record for goals
from the blueline in the process. He was also an impressive +17.
Steve Rucchin, who missed 13 games due to injury, nonetheless set a
personal high with 23 goals.  

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Which brings us to my choice as team MVP. In truth, it's three-way
tie among Selanne, Kariya and Guy Hebert. The unheralded Selanne's
exploits were entertaining, important and impressive. The
electrifying Kariya's return to ever-feistier form put the league
on notice that the Ducks have a dynamic duo to watch for years to
come (assuming he signs a new deal). But Hebert's play put the
constance in consistency, and since I've got to go with one guy,
it's Guy.  

In 69 games, Guybo posted a 31-29-9 record with a 2.42 GAA and a
.922 save percentage. Anaheim's .920 team save percentage was
second in the league to Buffalo's .928, and we all know who stops
the puck there. Hebert only started three tilts he didn't finish,
and had only a handful of games in which his play could be
described as less that superb. He kept Anaheim in games they didn't
deserve to be in, giving them a chance to win on most nights. That
they didn't was rarely a reflection on their goaltending; and if
they did, it was often due to his stalwart play.  

Hebert was rewarded with a much-deserved four-year deal at
mid-season, and now he picks up the coveted LCS MVP. It just
doesn't get any better than this.  

SURPRISE

The biggest, most-pleasant surprise of this campaign was not the
play of any one player, it's that the best players were around to
play. Having Selanne (75 GP) and Kariya (82 GP) healthy all year
meant that the Anaheim reactor had a healthy core almost every
night. Selanne continued to play his unique blend of finesse and
stealth power, while Kariya emerged as his high-flying old self,
and a newly-determined if diminutive fireplug. All right, maybe a
firebug...but he had fire, that's for sure, and it was a great
thing to see. That the rest of Anaheim's corps melted down is
something Gauthier needs to work on if the Ducks are to improve
again next year.  

DISAPPOINTMENT

Same as it ever was: Lack of second-line scoring. Yes, Sandstrom
started out hot, but then got hurt. Yes, McInnis started out hot,
but then fell off. Yes Travis Green showed flashes of his rookie
game, but was a disappointment again. Yes but, yes but. It's the
same thing every year. Get beyond the big line and the Ducks have
no consistent scoring threats. This is a situation they absolutely
must remedy or, no matter how much they improve in the regular
season (their 18-point gain was third best in the league this
season), they'll never be a playoff threat. And they'll never be
able to win regularly on the road, where opponents can more
efficiently check the big guns.  

CHANGES TO COME

One thing that won't change in the offseason is Anaheim's head
coach. Buy into the whole stability thing, and that's a good sign.
Believe that Craig Hartsburg (139-136-53) will be a .500 coach his
whole career, and it's less so.  

As for the players, one would hope that the youth movement tepidly
started this year will heat up with the addition of several
prospects. Maxim Balmochnykh, Anaheim's second-round pick in 1997
and Russia's top scorer at this year's World Junior Championships,
is coming to camp and could be a dynamic addition to the squad.
Matt Cullen, Johan Davidsson and Pascal Trepanier earned the right
to play regularly next season. And why, oh, why won't they bring
Frank Banham back to the bigs? He's a proven scorer who showed
tremendous hands at the NHL level two years ago, but has somehow
been buried under the current regime because he's allegedly not
defensively sound.  

Coach-types always say "You can teach anyone to play defense, but
scoring is a gift." So let's see Hartsburg put his coaching chops
on the line and teach this kid what he needs to know.  

The flip side of the youth movement is the exodus of age, and while
the expansion draft may facilitate a move or two for Gauthier, the
GM's got to decide when to give up on a couple of players.  

ADIOS ROOSTER

And speaking of exodus, this is that last crowing you'll hear from
the institution known to us Stateside as The Sporting Rooster. It's
been a pleasure spouting off in this space for the past few
seasons. And why not call it quits now? A sunbelt team has won the
Stanley Cup; the league's moronic rules have tainted the greatest
championship in all of sport; and Kerry Fraser still has a job. All
of which proves that there's no justice in the world, and there's
really no point in going on.  

For those interested in contacting your humble correspondent, for
job offers or gratuitous criticism, feel free to email him at
ac@SportsBomb.com.  

The rest of you, well, we'll see you around the rink.

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DALLAS STARS
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Head coach: Ken Hitchcock

Roster:  C-Mike Modano, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Nieuwendyk, Tony Hrkac, Brian Skrudland, Derek Plante. LW- Benoit Hogue, Jon Sim, Jamie  Langenbrunner, Dave Reid, Brent Severyn, Jere Lehtinen. RW- Blake Sloan, Brett Hull, Mike Keane, Grant Marshall, Pat Verbeek. D-Derian Hatcher, Craig Ludwig, Darryl Sydor, Shawn Chambers, Richard Matvichuk, Sergei Zubov, Doug Lidster, Brad Lukowich. G-Ed Belfour, Roman 
Turek. 

Injuries: Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. 
(Sorry about that, a little personal exorcism there now that it's safe)

Transactions: Traded Roman Turek, g, to St. Louis for a third-round draft pick.

Game Results:
First Round vs Edmonton: Stars wins 4-0  
4/21 Edmonton     W 2-1
4/23 Edmonton     W 3-2 
4/25 at Edmonton  W 3-2 
4/27 at Edmonton  W 3-2 3 OT

Second Round vs St. Louis: Stars win 4-2
5/07 St. Louis     W 3-0
5/09 St. Louis     W 5-4 OT
5/11 at St. Louis  L 3-2 OT
5/13 at St. Louis  L 3-2 OT
5/15 St. Louis     W 3-1
5/17 at St. Louis  W 4-3 OT

Third Round vs Colorado: Series tied 3-3
5/22 Colorado     L 2-1
5/24 Colorado     W 4-2
5/26 at Colorado  W 3-0
5/28 at Colorado  L 3-2 OT
5/30 Colorado     L 7-5
6/01 at Colorado  W 4-1
6/04 Colorado     W 4-1

Stanley Cup Finals vs Buffalo: Stars won series 4-2
6/08  Buffalo    L 3-2 OT
6/10  Buffalo    W 4-2
6/12  at Buffalo W 2-1
6/15  at Buffalo L 2-1
6/17  Buffalo    W 2-0
6/19  at Buffalo W 2-1 3OT   

Team News by Jim Panenka, Dallas Correspondent

This last and final edition of News from the Stars is now on tap. Hope you enjoy it with a frosty mug. I know I certainly did. 

Stars Win Stanley Cup!

In case you've been holed up in your Y2K survival bunker and have missed all the excitement of the last 3-4 days, the Dallas Stars eliminated the Buffalo Sabres from contention and won the Stanley Cup in what turned out to be the second-longest finals game in history. 

The game went to triple overtime. Brett Hull scored the Cup-winner with less than 10 minutes left in the third OT. It was a fitting end to a season so spectacular that it defies description. 

Both teams absolutely left whatever they had in them on the ice that night. Buffalo played well enough to have won the series, there's no question about that. In fact, for the first two periods of regulation, and the first overtime period, Buffalo played stronger than Dallas. 

The difference was a goaltender named Ed Belfour. The Eagle played what amounted to a flawless series. He seemed to actually get calmer as the playoffs went on. 

Dominik Hasek had really made only one major mistake the entire game, and that was to leave a very small opening between his right arm and the right goalpost when he was hugging that side of the net, slightly off-balance. 

It was the fact that he was a little off-balance that probably caused Hasek to leave that hole open. The gap was only there for about four seconds. But, that is all the time that Jere Lehtinen needed to somehow take possession of the puck and deftly deposit it into that narrow gap as easily as you might deposit a quarter into 
a coke machine. 

And there it was. The only goal Dallas would score until some 4-5 hours later. The Sabres scored also, so the teams played four periods knotted up at one apiece. 

The game was quite possibly some of the best hockey that's ever been played. That's no exaggeration. For these people to play so long at such a high intensity level, and to actually improve the level of play as the game went on, is just unimaginable. 

The entire series was a treat, for that matter. It was hard to imagine the finals being any better than the series against the Colorado Avalanche, but somehow it was. It was more of a defensive series, and wasn't quite as exciting as the run and gun battle with the Avs. But to watch both teams play so tightly with nearly 
no mistakes being made was something spectacular. 

Dallas lost game 4 to two major defensive mistakes. The D-men made up for it by blocking nearly every shot in game 5 before it got to Belfour. Lets just say the defensemen were also very careful when making passes, being doubly sure that there was a Dallas recipient waiting, and in a clear lane, rather than a random chop 
towards the boards as sometimes happens in a rush. And when a shot did make it through, Belfour was there to make the stop. Quietly. Calmly. 

So thorough was the Stars' dominance in this game that Buffalo only got a handful of shots, and none of those were a threat. In fact, the Stars shut out Buffalo and won the game 2-0. 

The Sabres acted as if they expected Dallas to make the same type of mistakes as before. Instead, the Stars actually got better and played tighter, if that was even possible to begin with! 

So both teams carried a heavy bag full of resolve into game 6. Buffalo blew most of their load early, but Ed Belfour hung in there and kept Dallas in the hunt, as his team got stronger late. 

And as will be documented well in this issue, and ad nauseum in all the other trade rags, game six was something special. To see Brett Hull hobbling around in front of Hasek and furiously swatting at that puck before it went in was amazing in itself, considering Hull was in pretty sorry shape because of injury. 

You could sense the pressure to put the game away by somebody- ANYBODY - was building with each successive faceoff. These guys were playing for over five hours, and something had to give. Even the referees had that "geez- lets get this crap over with, already!" look in their eyes. 

But then history was made. Hull pushed the puck past Hasek, who most certainly could not believe his eyes. Hull nearly fell as he raised his arms to celebrate, and then he and Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen found a corner to get together in a huddle, arms around each other, celebrating the fact that their impossible dream 
had just come true. Dallas fulfilled its destiny by becoming the world champs. Finally. 

Later, when the team skated the Cup, you could tell everyone was very happy - but at the same time nearly delirious from fatigue. This moment really drove home the concept of just how hard it is to earn a chance to sip some bubbly from the oldest and most revered prize in all of sports. And it was good. 

Season Review

The Stars list of accomplishments were long this year: 

114 points for the season, 15 straight wins, no more than three consecutive losses, a win/loss record of something like twenty or more games over .500, a second-consecutive President's Trophy, a Jennings Trophy, the Pacific Division championship, the western conference championship, the Stanley Cup. And individually, a Selke award from the previous year along with this year's Conn Smythe. 

How did it all start? 

Dallas started this season with the weight of the world's expectations on them. The team began training camp in Vail with a quiet resolve. From the very beginning it was clear that the Stars meant business this year. 

But, the big story- and what could be considered the final key piece missing to the Stars' puzzle- was when owner Tom Hicks gave management the green light to go pursue free agent Brett Hull with some big bucks. 


Hull at the time was quoted as saying that the money wasn't important- that the only thing on his mind was the chance to play on a winning team. In fact, Hull turned down more money from Chicago to play for the Stars. And as that medieval warrior told Indiana Jones when he picked the Holy Grail out from a slew of 
counterfeits: "you have chosen...wisely." 

How's that for an obscure reference! We're pulling out all the stops for the final show! 

Anyway, an air of controversy immediately surrounded the team after that. Brett was not known to be very quiet or gracious in the past. In fact, this very reporter was worried that instead of being the missing link, Hull would be the disruptive force that tore the team apart. 

Things were all ready in delicate balance with the rantings and ravings of Eddie Belfour taking center stage.  Belfour was an enigma when he first joined the team. He was combatitive, and didn't communicate well with anyone. In fact, while he and the team were learning each other's tendencies- Belfour would send an 
unmistakable message to the team, if he wasn't happy with the way things were going down on the ice. 

Eddie would simply play like crap. A total washout. He would barely try. In fact, the contrasts between the games where he was happy, and those where things weren't going well were totally obvious. It was really simple - either Belfour would get a shutout, or he would give up at least 3-4 goals. There just didn't seem to be much in-between. It was almost comical. 

But, that quickly quieted down the previous year, and Eddie showed none of that this season. 

Metaphorically speaking, Brett Hull turned out to be a big puppy dog. Who'da ever thunk it?! While there was the early controversy over a quote that Hull had said "Brett Hull can't do anything in 11 minutes" or something like that, it turned out that it was really a non-issue. Hull was quoted out of context. 

And coach Hitchcock, who I'm sure had some choice words he kept to himself about the whole thing, only had the following to say in public: 

"We're a family here. If we've got any laundry that needs to be aired out, it will get aired out inside this locker room and nowhere else," said Hitchcock. 

And business went on as usual. Dallas opened the season with a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres, if that wasn't ironic enough. And Brett Hull scored his first goal as a Star against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first week of the season. That's pretty weird, too - considering Hull may have ended up in Chicago where 
father Bobby was a hero. 

But other than that, Dallas quickly built up a winning record and held it for pretty much the rest of the season. During the midseason break, coach Hitchcock put the players through a grueling training camp to get them into shape for the stretch, and to be physically ready to carry momentum on into the playoffs. 

That must have not been a popular call in the locker room. While Modano joked that it was a payback to him from Hitchcock for scoring a hat trick a few days earlier, it eventually leaked out to the press that the players were supposedly beginning to get a little fed up with Hitch cracking the whip on them. They were winning most games with authority, after all. 

A news story leaked out that possibly Hitchcock was losing the buy-in from the players that was oh-so-crucial to a successful playoff run. But, after the story was leaked, players were quoted up and down in support of Hitchcock and his system, claiming that was what brought them here. 

And amazingly enough, Brett Hull was not really heard from in the papers again. He just put his head down and got busy, becoming a potent force on the already-dangerous line of Modano and Lehtinen. 

A lot of the magic began flipping between Modano's line and Nieuwendyk's. If anybody was missing from the first line because of injury, then the second line would step in and provide whatever was necessary to win, and vice-versa. 

In fact, that really was the unofficial theme of the whole season: do whatever it takes to win. Just keep winning. 

And they did. Actually, Dallas really stole the last part of the regular season. No other team really came close to the domination the Stars would show game after game. Well, I mean domination in the context that they kept winning. Some of the wins were pretty damn ugly. And some of them were downright miracles. Just as it would seem the opponent could skate down the clock with a lead, the Stars would find somehow, 
some way, to roar back and steal the two points. 

And really, the only ties Dallas was involved with were with teams that were on a roll and had a death grip on the game. The Stars just refused to lose, and split a point with the team rather than lose both, most often. 


It didn't really matter who contributed the magic. The Dallas Stars, under the careful coaching of Hitchcock and assistants Rick Wilson and Doug Jarvis, were truly a universal team in the sense that any given combination of players could get the job done for the Stars. 

Hitchcock shuffled line combinations to suit his whim of the moment. There was absolutely no continuity, except that you could count on Modano playing with Lehtinen, if both were healthy. You could also usually count on the Hatcher-Matvichuk pairing. 

But even the netminders were shuffled all season long. Although, it later became clear that the more important games Belfour played, the more he was the numero uno goalie of choice. But Hitchcock refused to name a starter, claiming that either was fully capable of winning for the team. And it was true. Turek played a stellar season, posting numbers that many starting goalies were envious of. Which is pretty impressive 
considering he was a "rookie" backup. 

It all became like clockwork, for the most part. As long as you went into a game counting on the fact that the starting lines would not be consistent from game to game, and also counting on the fact that you just might see any given player playing at any given position, you could usually also count on a win from Dallas. 

While it was bizarre to see defenseman Sydor moved to left wing, and Brett Hull and Jere Lehtinen playing on their off-wings, and Brett Hull being moved down to the third line for inspiration, and guys whom we'd never heard of or seen before stepping into the lineup and playing like they'd been there all their lives, it was just business as usual for Hitchcock and Dallas. 

The wins just kept coming. 

The composure of the team was pretty unorthodox, as mentioned above. But there is absolutely no doubt that the team really was a close family unit. There was no way that the players could be shuffled in and out, and even rotated about (hey- there's a song in there somewhere) during the same game and still keep the overall momentum in the Stars' favor. Many other teams simply would have imploded under that type of 
pressure. But not the Stars. They just kept winning. (sense a theme here?) 

Well, as most of you already know- the team finished at the top during the regular season and went into the playoffs as the top seed. Nearly every opposing coach was quoted after having to face Dallas as saying "the work ethic of this team is incredible. They just keep rolling lines and coming after you." 

That was just a very veiled way of them saying "geez, those guys play great! I wish our team could play and work like that!." 

Dallas swept Edmonton (despite the triple-OT game 4 war). Guy Carbonneau and Ed Belfour helped keep Dallas in it as the Stars took St. Louis to six games and won that series. Mike Keane emerged as the hero of the moment and absolutely schooled Patrick Roy and his former Colorado teammates. It was embarrasing, the way this guy just slapped them in the face over and over. 

Can you ever forget game 7 against the Avs? That had to have been a classic all-time playoff war there, buddy. The buzz around this whole series was just incredible. But as predicted, Roy and his buddies folded under the pressure. Belfour stands strong. Dallas wins in seven. 

Then, there's the Buffalo series. Thank God it wasn't a sweep. As a matter of fact, it was the most competitive finals series in some 4-6 years. Dallas wins in six, barely. 

Quite frankly, if the Stars had to take that last series to a game 7, there's no telling how it would have ended up. The Stars were really banged up. And exhausted. 

Things were so intense that coach Hitchcock was quoted as saying that there was no clear leader in the series. Not even game-to-game. The only way things could be counted was from shift-to-shift. Yes, it was THAT close, people. That says a whole lot about Dominik Hasek and that Buffalo Sabres team. Congrats to them on a miraculous effort. 

But, the important thing was that despite incredible odds- Dallas stuck to their guns and battled well enough to win no matter what it took. The Stars will spend the next few months doing unspeakable things with the Stanley Cup. And it will be well-deserved payback for a remarkable effort. Thanks, Dallas. You guys are great! 

Surprises

* Blake Sloan. This guy came from the Houston Aeros of the IHL and stepped right into the Stars' lineup as if he'd been with them through training camp. In fact, the rest of the core team was so stable, that Hitchcock basically tinkered and experimented all year long, looking for the right combinations of players for the right situation. 

But Sloan really impressed. The guy skates very well, and plays with a lot of energy and passion. During some of those boring dog-day games, when most of the team was tired and slow, Sloan was out there jetting around and creating all kinds of havoc with his energy. He really stood out, and was quickly rewarded with a semi-permanent position. 

* Roman Turek. Dallas had to trade Turek before he was exposed to the expansion draft, so they went ahead and unloaded him to St. Louis for a draft pick before he was drafted away anyway. But believe me, everyone is sorry to see this guy go. He's a big, imposing guy- but in the locker room he was a firecracker. It was said he was always capable of staying loose and cracking his team up with humor, whether it was 
during warm-ups, or during a 2-1 game against Detroit with the Red Wings trying to pound down the door with three minutes left. 

In addition to all that, Turek played totally solid in the nets. He and Ed Belfour combined to win the Jennings. That's how well he played for the Stars.  

* There were many more little stories to tell, but those will be told elsewhere this issue. The biggest surprise of all this season was that this team gelled together and rolled through any and every obstacle in its way to become the absolute undisputed best team in the league at this point in time. It's just an incredible story. As 
Hitchcock was quoted as saying: 

"This is a magical team. While we might have more talent here someday, I don't think that I might ever be fortunate enough to coach another team like this one," said Hitchcock. 

Disappointments

* Not getting to take part in all the celebrations. Dallas' season was so damn good that the only really disappointing thing I can mention is that the team snubbed yours truly when he groveled and begged for a chance to take part in all the Cup celebrations. Yeah, that'll REALLY suck. 

You know, you follow the team all year during '95-'96 when they SUCKED. You go to every home game when half the arena is empty. You scream your ass off until your voice is hoarse cheering on the team when everyone else is looking at you like your a freak and asking what the hell an icing is. You evangelize for the team and for the game. You volunteer to write good things about the team. You spend hours you don't really 
have attending games and watching games and listening to every single damn game, just to make sure you have your facts straight when you write good things about the team. You spend thousands of dollars on game tickets. You play the game yourself to understand it better and to have more of an appreciation of just how tough it is what they do out there. You buy Stars merchandise. You throw all the good kharma you have 
towards them. You live, eat, breathe, and die Dallas Stars hockey. For what, I ask you - WHAT!? 

All for one thing: the chance to bask in the glory of their championship. To be near the Cup. To touch it. To revere its glory. To say "woo hoo! Good job, fellers!" 

And what does the team's PR department do? Leave you dangling on a rope in open air for all the buzzards to swoop in and pick at the carcass. Not so much as a return phone call! Thanks, Larry! 

It's not like I'm bitter or anything, really. I just wanted them to throw me a small bone for 3-4 years of solid dedication and some major praise from your trusty old Stars correspondent. 

Oh, well. That is life. Sometimes you just have to swallow hard, grit your teeth, and just keep going. It's not like I'm a Keith Olbermann or something. 

Truth be known, Larry and the Stars treated me very well, but that last part, when it was most important to me, left a bitter taste. But I do thank them for the hospitality. 

I am very proud of all the guys on the team. They really overcame profound challenges to win that damn cup. And they truly deserve it. In a world where corporate whores and self-minded weasels rule the day- it's nice to know that a great group of solid guys can come together under a solid, healthy family atmosphere 
and win everything. 

And don't try that "Tom Hicks bought the Stanley Cup" drivel. Look at what happened to both Colorado and Detroit when they went out and spent megabucks for hired guns to patch together a team with little or no heart and soul. They both imploded. While Dallas may have bent, groaned, and squeaked a little- they never fell apart. Never. Great job, guys! 

Soapbox Time (feel free to go to the fridge)

In fact, it's hard not to sit here and get emotional about all of this. Very emotional. It gives you a definite feeling of closure. 

The Stars used to be my team. I truly feel a connection to these guys. I have talked to them, interviewed them, watched them go through pain, injury, and grief. I have seen their happy families. I have shopped with them at the same grocery store. I have cheered them when they succeed, rallied for them when they don't. 


I have never before been around a group of people like this current Stars team. They are a family. And I am a small part of it, whether or not I'm the red-headed stepchild. 

But, the Stars are no longer my team. The corporate whores and self-minded weasels have stepped in and taken control because the team is now a winner. Of course, this is not an indictment of the Stars organization itself, just the fact that enjoying this team during the playoffs was priced well beyond what most mere mortals could pay. And it's only going to get worse. 

I do believe owner Tom Hicks should make money with this team, because his solid ownership and can-do attitude was as an important part of this team as was Gainey's expert guidance. And Hitchcock's masterful coaching. 

But now it's just a business. 

The team isn't that far-removed from the days before the average starting salaries were under a million dollars. And guys played for the love of the game. This team under Bob Gainey's masterful craftsmanship is a living link to the ghosts of hockey's past. Let's hope nobody ever forgets that past, when the players were 
humble, and were glad to be making a solid living by doing something they loved doing anyway. 

But that's my opinion. I could be wrong. 

Offseason Changes

Dallas will no longer have an LCS correspondent. That is the most important offseason change. (ahem) 

Bob Gainey has already begun the long process of building for the day when the current team has to be dismantled due to free agency and age. He has been signing many different players to restock the bench. 


People criticize the fact that this team was built for the short-haul. But they weren't paying attention. Gainey is.  

Just some of the names you will probably be hearing soon: Alan Letang, Marty Turco, Jason Botteril, Steven Gainey (yes, that Gainey), Jon Sim - ah hell, I forget the rest. Just keep in mind that this team will remain on a solid foundation for years to come. 

I don't really see any significant player moves in the offseason. But you never know. Carbo is going to give it a go for another year, so that should be the cement that helps hold most of the current team together. 

Remembering the Stars of the Recent Past

Remember some of the names of those who helped the Stars get here, but are no longer with the team? Brent Gilchrist, Todd Harvey, Dave Gagner, Neal Broten, Shane Churla, Andy Moog. We remember, guys. We remember. Sorry not to mention more of you. 

This is the End

Well, that's about all I've got to say about that. Thanks to anyone who may have read this article and derived some value or entertainment from it. Thanks to LCS for getting this rink rat on the inside. It was an experience I'll never forget. 

That's the news, and I am outta here. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
LOS ANGELES KINGS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach:  Andy Murray

Roster: C - Jozef Stumpel, Olli Jokinen, Ian Laperriere, Ray
Ferraro, Jason Podollan, Jason Blake.  LW - Vladimir Tsyplakov, Luc
Robitaille, Craig Johnson. RW - Pavel Rosa, Russ Courtnall, Glen
Murray, Daniel Audette. D - Garry Galley, Rob Blake, Sean
O'Donnell, Doug Bodger, Mattias Norstrom, Jan Nemecek, Dave Babych,
Philippe Boucher. G - Stephane Fiset, Jamie Storr, Ryan Bach. 

Team News by Matthew Moore

What can I really say?  I could try and just say that the Kings suck
and that someone should really take them out back and put them down
like Old Yeller.  Except that the Kings players could be lucky and
have Russ Courtnall be the shooter.  Then all they would have to do
is hide near a net as he shoots wide.  

Blah.  Maybe it's the fact I've been writing for LCS Hockey for so
long (four years and change) and that I've seen a total of four 
playoff games in that time.  I'm a little jaded to believe that Dave
Taylor isn't sniffing glue and will pull together the Kings into a
playoff caliber team, let alone a championship team. 

But that isn't the point of this column.  I'm supposed to recap the
season.  OK, here goes:  

The Kings won a total of 32 games, finishing last in the Pacific
Division.  At least they had a better record than the Canucks,
which means something, I guess.  

The Kings couldn't score to save their lives, with no veterans with
the possible exception of Luc Robitaille, showing the hustle needed
to squeak out a few ugly goals.  

Their defense was pitiful.  Rob Blake went from being a
Norris-winning defenseman who could control games with both his
offensive skills and by throwing around opposing forwards like rag
dolls.  This season, well, he was injured several times and when he
wasn't he just wasn't playing that good.  

Team MVP:  Luc Robitaille.  Without his offense the
Kings would have lost 20 more games and shown absolutely no
hustle.  In his second season back with the Kings after several
disappointing seasons with the Rangers and Pens, Robitaille
produced an excellent year, sporting 39 goals and 74 points for the
season.  And he did this while being teamed with some of the most
pitiful linemates possible.  

Surprise:  Pavel Rosa.   The kid is turning into the
second coming of Luc.  He got 16 points in 29 games, which is
pretty darn good considering that Larry Robinson threw him into the
doghouse so he was benched for several long stretches or played a
few seconds in the games he was activated for.  

Disappointments:  Yeehaw.  Let's get the list going. 

Rob Blake.  The defending Norris winner is supposed to be a
pretty good defenseman. He wasn't this year.  It was sad to watch
him try and push the puck up when there weren't any openings while
attempting to jump-start the Kings creaky offense.  It didn't work.
And the defense suffered as a result.  And defense for Blake has
never been his strength. Sure, he can start hitting everything in
sight and make opposing teams fear him, but he has grown to rely
too much on the defensive prowess of Mattias Norstrom, which is OK
once in a while, but when it causes several three-goal deficits, it
kind of grows old quick. Also, one of my pet peeves with Blake has
to be his lack of leadership.  If you have a C on your sweater it
is supposed to mean something.  So why was it a big deal for Blake
to stand up toward the end of the season and say that those people
who don't try shouldn't play?  Of course they shouldn't be playing,
you big wanker!  For God's sake, that shouldn't be something you
just discovered after the team has fallen out of playoff
contention, it should be the way it always is.  Dammit, that still
pisses me off.  

Jozef Stumpel.  He was expected to step up and repeat or
improve upon the previous season's success.  He didn't.  He scored
13 goals and 34 points.  For a first-line center that is pitiful. 
And to make things worse, his lack of offensive production showed
off the fact that he doesn't bring much to the table defensively. 
Jozef, if you are reading this, I have two bits of advice: learn
defensive positioning, since it is bad if the guy you are covering
goes right around you toward the net; and don't make clearing
passes that go right in front of the net, since when you put those
passes right on the stick of the opposing players it makes it easy
for them to score.  Really.  

Ian Laperriere.  I know he's one of the most popular Kings'
players out there, but this past season he just plain sucked.  He
didn't do those things he had done to make himself successful.  I
remember the Laperriere who would take runs at anybody and
everybody. This season?  Well, he would go weeks without a good
hit.  

Matt Johnson.  Ok, I know it is a part of hockey to have a
big guy who can kill the other team in fights.  I can live with
that.  But I do not and will not condone a player who is a cheap
shot artist who makes plays that appear to be deliberate attempts
to injure another player.  It is one thing to drop the gloves with
a guy who is ready and willing to fight.  It is another to sucker
punch a guy in the back of the head, or to two-hand slash someone.
This type of behavior is one of the main problems facing hockey, as
the players have become so jaded in their attempts to be the big,
bad hockey player that they will be willing to end someone else's
career.  

Larry Robinson:  Larry turned out to be a good guy.  But many
times, nice guys should be assistant coaches and not head coaches.
Robinson let players who shouldn't be playing play just because he
got BSed into thinking they would try harder.  I can see it happening
once, but c'mon, an entire season?  I'm sure he could have found some
young punk squandering away in a minor league who would have killed
for the chance to replace those players who coasted through the
season.  And I'd rather watch a loser who tries than a loser who
doesn't.  

Dave Taylor.  The Kings needed a scorer.  What did they do? 
Nothing.  He might be able to redeem himself if he can develop
players like Rosa, but I'm not going to be kind now.  

Off-Season Changes:  The first move has been done.  Larry
Robinson out. Andy Murray in. Which brings up the question of "WHO
THE HELL IS ANDY MURRAY?"  Well, he's been around for a heck of a
long time, and might turn out to be a good choice as a coach. He
has experience mostly with young and European players (even
coaching over in Switzerland and Germany for about eight years.) 
Sure it looks bad to have a Ted Nolan sitting on the sidelines
while hiring a guy who coached a high school team in Minnesota. But
didn't they say similar things about Nolan when Buffalo first hired
him?  And at least Murray doesn't have the history of feuding with
players and management like Nolan does.  

The second move has also been done.  The Kings acquired a marquee
to fill seats at the new arena.  Los Angeles picked up Ziggy Palffy
from the New York Islanders along with Bryan Smolinski, Marcel
Cousineau and a 1999 fourth-round pick for Olli Jokinen, Josh
Green, Mathieu Biron and the Kings' eighth overall pick in this
year's draft.  

The Kings had to give up some young talent to get Palffy, but this
is a good attempt to make the Kings entertaining again. Although, as
evidenced by the Islanders record last season, Palffy alone doesn't
mean a winning record.  

My prediction:  the Kings will disappoint during the off
season, but will build themselves enough to squeak into playoff
contention.  And they've got the new Staples Center opening too,
which means they will have the chance to suck in pure luxury.  What
a shame LCS Hockey won't be around to see it. 


-----------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX COYOTES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Bob Francis 

Roster: C - Jeremy Roenick, Bob Corkum, Mike Stapleton, Juha Ylonen,
Robert Reichel, Mike Sullivan. LW - Keith Tkachuk, Greg Adams, Jim
Cummins, Mike Sullivan, Louie DeBrusk, Joe Dziedzic. RW - Rick
Tocchet, Dallas Drake, Shane Doan, Jim Cummins, Steve Leach, Brian
Noonan. D - Keith Carney, Gerald Diduck, Jyrki Lumme, Teppo
Numminen, Oleg Tverdovsky, Deron Quint, JJ Daigneault, Jamie
Huscroft, Stanislav Neckar, Brad Tiley. G - Nikolai Khabibulin,
Mikhail Shtalenkov. 

TEAM NEWS by Jim Iovino

Well, another season of promise turned into another season of
unfullfilled promises for the Phoenix Coyotes.  The team that
seemed to be going in the right direction at the start of the
season with the acquisition of Jyrki Lumme fell apart by the time
the team traded for Robert Reichel at the end.  

Another season of being consistently inconsistent won't bode well
for the franchise's fans, especially with a new coach who will be
expected to light a fire under the team's power play and bring new
life to a stale Coyote squad.  

Team MVP:  Hey, if it weren't for Khabby, the Dogs
would have been licking their own wounds a lot more often.  Nikolai
Khabibulin returned for the 1998-99 season with a vengeance not
seen since that Steven Segal movie...what was it called?  Oh, never
mind...they were all pretty much the same, anyway.  

Khabby started out the season on fire, helping the team jump out of
the box with the best record in the league.  Known for giving up at
least one weak goal per game last season, Khabby rebounded this
year to post one of his best yet.  He had to in order to keep his
job in Phoenix.  The vultures were lurking, waiting to see the
first sign of a weakness at the beginning of the year.  

Surprise:  How about the terrible leadership qualities of
Keith Tkachuk? I mean, he's usually a pillar of strength and sets
an example for...oh, wait. Keith Tkachuk...weak leadership...that
should be a given.  Like 2+2=4.  

The big surprise was the play of Juha Ylonen.  The scrappy
Finn played his heart out for the Coyotes this season.  He only
scored 23 points (six goals) in 59 games, but he was a plus-17 as
he manned the center spot in a fine checking line. 

Unfortunately, injuries slowed him down throughout the season.  The
Coyotes are expecting more offense from him next year. 

Disappointment:  How about the terrible leadership qualities
of Keith Tkachuck?  I mean, how many times can this guy complain
about one thing or another or throw fire exting...oh, wait.  That's
not a "fact" that he did it... So I guess he can't be a true
"disappointment," either.  

A big disappointment was the offensive numbers of Oleg
Tverdovsky.  Sure, he didn't get as much playing time with the
likes of Teppo Numminen and Jyrki Lumme around, but come on!  Just
26 points in 82 games?  If I had as much talent circulating
throughout my body as Oleg does, I could piss out 26 points with
ease.  

Ok, perhaps that was a bit harsh, but it had to be said. 

Oleg was a plus-11 for the Dogs, but does that help a power play
that ranked 26th in the league? 

Off-season Changes:  Speaking of that power play, new head
coach Bob Francis will be relied upon to improve the team when it
comes to the man- advantage.  Francis, 40, comes to the Dogs from
the Boston Bruins organization, where he spent the past four
seasons.  The last two of those was as a special assistant to head
coach Pat Burns.  Francis' specialty was in running the special
teams.  Now isn't that special?  

Francis, the son of former NHL coach and GM Emile Francis, will also
try to find a way to squeeze some more goals out of the team.  The
Coyotes were 19th in goal scoring this past season.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
SAN JOSE SHARKS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Head Coach: Darryl Sutter 
     
Roster: C - Patrick Marleau, Marco Sturm, Mike Ricci, Steve Guolla,
Ron Sutter, Vincent Damphousse, Jarrod Skalde, Bernie Nicholls, Jamie
Baker. LW - Murray Craven, Stephane Matteau, Dave Lowry, Jeff
Friesen, Shawn Burr, Mike Craig. RW - Ron Stern, Owen Nolan, Joe
Murphy, Brantt Myhres, Alexander Korolyuk, Tony Granato. D - Bryan
Marchment, Bill Houlder, Marcus Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje, Andrei
Zyuzin, Bob Rouse, Jeff Norton, Andy Sutton, Scott Hannan, Gary
Suter, Shawn Heins. G - Mike Vernon, Steve Shields, Sean Gauthier.

TEAM NEWS by A.J. DaSilva

It's the last issue of LCS Hockey, the coolest Internet
hockey site in the world. And, so here's the coolest
things that have happened since you last heard from 
yours truly: 

* I'm unemployed - That's a "severance package" type
of cool.
* I'm going on a long vacation - That's a "spend the
severance package" type of cool.
* I'm going around the world - That's an international
type of cool.
* I'm enjoying my time off - That's just plain cool. 
* I'm proud to have been associated with LCS Hockey - 
That's a most excellent type of cool.

So dude, summarize the Sharks Season... 

The Sharks season can be divided into five parts: 

* The typical start to a Sharks season
* Brantt and K-yuk's call up starts the revival
* That damn road trip
* Peaking at the right time with Vinny
* Playoffs

Great Expectations - Not!!

The Sharks began the season with high hopes. Free agent
Gary Suter was brought in to jump start the traditionally
weak Sharks power play. Steve Shields would provide the 
solid backup goaltending to Mike Vernon. Bob Rouse would
provide the solid experience on defense. And a host of
other gritty players such as Ron Stern would give coach
Darryl Sutter his team from day one. 

Yawn - It's Your Typical Early Season Blahs

And typically, things unraveled before the season started.
Gary Suter was lost for the whole season. Owen Nolan, Jeff
Friesen, Mike Rathje and Mike Ricci held out for most of
training camp. Andrei Zyuzin and some of the other kids
expected to make the team played poorly in preseason. And
the Sharks played their first two games in Japan, which set
the stage for a "ready made" excuse for a bad start. 

The Sharks won only one game in October, and only four games
in November. The Sharks were dead last, and to make things
worse, the team "forced" Bernie Nicholls to retire, which
was a bush-league thing to do, even if Bernie wasn't the same
player he used to be. The team pretty much was sleepwalking
through the games, and the fans were getting restless. 

Instant Energy from Brantt and K-yuk

The "going nowhere" season turned on December 12th, with the
arrivals of Brantt Myhres and Alex Korolyuk from the Kentucky
farm team. Brantt provided the heavyweight fighter the Sharks
had been lacking, and became a firm fan favorite. Alex became
the speedy, skill player the Sharks had not seen in a long
while. Their arrival led to a 5-5-3 record in December, with 
key victories both at home and on the road. 

In January, the good play continued with an extended home
stand. Included were wins against Pittsburgh and New Jersey,
but in typical Sharks fashion, losses against expansion
Nashville and the woefully inept New York Islanders. The Sharks
began to sneak up the standings, and the fans were enjoying
the hard work of the gritty team. The team finished 5-5-4 for
the month. 

Real World, Road Rules, Road Trip????

In February, the NHL schedule sent the Sharks away for 11 out
of 14 games, the killer part being the 10 straight away games
from February 4-20. The Sharks had forced their 
way into playoff contention, and most pundits figured getting eight
points out of a possible 20 would be a major accomplishment. The
Sharks got nine, including a sequence of four consecutive wins in
Phoenix, Chicago, St. Louis and Tampa. It could have been more, but
they lost tough games against Buffalo and Phoenix. 

Vinny Damphousse - Acquisition par excellence

A strong early March home stand yielded eight out of 10 points, with 
very satisfying wins against Phoenix, Detroit, Ottawa and Florida.
Then, while on a five-game road trip which saw the disappearance of
Andrei Zyuzin, the Sharks traded for Vinny Damphousse, who 
instantly provided the experience, skill and leadership for the 
stretch run. Joe Murphy (of all people!) got hot, as did Alex 
Korolyuk and Jeff Friesen. The team played their best hockey all
year, and clinched the seventh playoff spot. 

Playoffs - Another First Round Exit

Against the Colorado Avalanche, the Sharks lost the first two 
games, won the next two and lost the next two. In the four losses,
the Sharks could have won two if their scoring had not deserted
them at the wrong time. Overall, the Sharks played tough, and in 
the end, it was the talent level that made the difference. The 
Sharks could look back at the season with pride, considering 
their  horrendous start, and the way that they hung tough and 
came together as a team. 
     
Cool vs. Not Cool Moments

* Cool - The stellar play of the goalie tandem of Steve Shields
and Mike Vernon. When the defense didn't play well, the two
masked men kept the Sharks in a majority of games. 

* Not Cool - Joe Murphy claiming to be a solid player like
Mark Recchi and wanting a similar contract that Recchi signed
with Philly. And to top it off, complaining about the lack of
respect and willingness to walk out at the end of the season.
As we said in a previous issue, "Na na na na, na na na na, hey
hey hey, goodbye..." 

* Cool - Trading for Vinny Damphousse, and then signing him to
a long-term contract before the free-agent deadline. This was
a clear sign to us long-suffering Sharks fans that the team
was willing to spend money on an impact player. 

* Not Cool - Increased ticket prices after a playoff year. In
fact, it's almost as certain as life, death and taxes!! 

* Cool - Brantt Myhres as enforcer, going after anybody who
went after the Sharks players. Especially entertaining during
the blowout games (when the Sharks were losing REAL BAD). 

* Not Cool - Guys being paid a lot of money who didn't play a lot
(see Murray Craven, Stephane Matteau, Shawn Burr, and especially,
Gary Suter). 

* Cool - Alex "K-yuk" Korolyuk. By far the most exciting player
on the Sharks (apologies to the Jeff Friesen fans), he brought
a rare combination of skill, flair, and guts to an otherwise
predictable defensive team. 

* Not Cool - As much as the fans appreciate the hard work, the
team has way too many people fitting in the grinder category
(Craven, Matteau, Burr, Lowry, Stern, Skalde, Craig ...), and
coach Sutter's love for playing them. 

* Cool - The development of the kids, especially Patrick Marleau,
Marco Sturm, Alex Korolyuk, and Andy Sutton. 

* Not Cool - the AWOL of Andrei Zyuzin. Fortunately, everything
worked out in the end, but Andrei's future with the Sharks is
still very much up in the air. 

* Cool - Owen Nolan leading like a true captain. 

* Not Cool - The botched retirement of Bernie Nicholls. Sharks 
management, hang your heads in shame. 

* Cool - Billy Houlder's numerous game-winning goals. 

* Not Cool - Sharkie getting stuck in mid-air prior to the 
Red Wings game and holding up the start for 20 minutes. 

* Cool - seeing soccer buds Bonnie and Michele at almost 
every game. 

* Not Cool - Those really pitiful fan contests at the Tank. 

* Cool - Jeff Norton, D-man, top playoff point-getter. 
                          
* Not Cool - Not televising all Sharks games. 

* Cool - Alex Korolyuk head-to-head with Paul Kariya. 

* Not Cool - No More LCS Hockey. 

Team MVP: And the winner is...

Team MVP goes to the goalie tandem of Mike Vernon and Steve
Shields. I also considered Alex Korolyuk, Jeff Friesen, Owen
Nolan, Billy Houlder, Mike Ricci, Marco Sturm and Marcus
Ragnarsson, but it really was an easy choice in the end. If
you suffered through watching as many games as I did, you'll
notice that the goalies kept the team in more than 70% of the
games that they either won, tied, or lost by a single goal. 
Without them, there would be no playoff spot. Vernie played
solidly as usual, and Stevie Shields played spectacularly down
the stretch, as well as when Vernie had a day off. Congrats
to the dynamic duo. 

Surprise of the Season:

Alex Korolyuk started the season down in Kentucky. He'd been
up and down the previous year, and nothing in training camp 
suggested that he'd have a solid future in the NHL. Hard work
down in Kentucky, and a couple of injuries later, Alex was
recalled in December and made an impact that was pleasantly
surprising. 

A combination of skill (not seen since Viktor Kozlov left),
grit (not seen since Igor Larionov left), and flair (not seen
since Sergei Makarov left) made him a fan favorite quickly.
And more importantly, it made Coach Sutter (himself not exactly
a big fan of European players) a true believer. Whether it
was setting up goals, passing, taking the hits in the corners,
or getting the opposition to take a penalty, Alex was an
impact player on whatever line he played on. 

For those of you who don't remember, we call him K-yuk here
because my friend Michele said that his more popular nickname,
Korky, sounds wimpy, and that K-yuk sounds grittier. K-yuk
it is, for the surprise of the season. 

Disappointments (Sigh.....):

* Losing Gary Suter. The power play struggled the entire year.
* Not giving more chances to Steve Guolla, Andrei Zyuzin, and 
the other kids, and relying too much on the vets.
* Sixth highest payroll - Finished in 15th spot. 
* The trap, and the lack of scoring in the NHL.
* Dean Lombardi still as Sharks GM. 

Tee time (A.K.A. Off-Season) Changes:

The biggest news so far this off-season was indeed signing 
Vinny Damphousse to a multi-year contract before he had the
option of becoming a free agent. Why would Vinny sign here?
He indicated the team's positive direction, the development
of the kids, the tight-knit group of players, and the good
atmosphere. He also neglected to mention the fact that the
press here isn't as rabid as in hockey meccas such as 
Detroit, Philly, and especially Montreal, so this place is
like a walk in the park compared to Montreal. 

Joe Murphy looks to be gone, and rumors had Ronnie Stern
re-signing with Calgary. Dave Lowry might retire, and chances
are that Steve Guolla and Shawn Burr may be elsewhere. Ron
Sutter may also look to retire. Jeff Norton may be too
expensive to keep, although the team wants him back. 

As for the kids, look for Scott Hannan, Brad Stuart and some
of the Kentucky kids to have a shot at making the team next
year. Andrei Zyuzin's situation is also interesting, and it's
up to the team to figure out if he was getting bad advice from
a suspicious character or he's a head case. Of course, you'll
see more of Andy Sutton, Shawn Heins and possibly goalie
John Nabokov. Add that to the core kids (K-yuk, Marco Sturm
and Patrick Marleau) and you got one hell of a nucleus. 

If Gary Suter recovers completely, Bryan Marchment returns to
play a full season, and Bob Rouse doesn't get overused, then
the Sharks defense will be even better. Sign Jeff Norton, and
the Sharks are in business. 

Awards, awards and more awards: 

The Brendan Ayala Award for the most consistent player all year
goes to Ronnie Stern. Ronnie played each game with the same
hustle and consistency and effort. Yes, he gave up the cheap 
penalty here and there, but the man came to play every night. 
And speaking of grinders... 

Since the Sharks had grinders galore, we felt the need to have
an award just for the grinders. And so we present to you: 

The Emily Ayala Award for the best grinder among the group goes
to Dave Lowry. Ronnie was more consistent, but Dave Lowry made
the most impact in his limited playing opportunities. Also, the
ultimate team player who chipped in with some offense. And
speaking of offense... 

The Natalie Yeh Award for the offensive player of the year goes
to Jeff Friesen, who led the team in scoring despite the
limited offensive talent surrounding him. Plus his improvement
playing two-way hockey made coach Sutter play him in every possible
scenario down the stretch except playing defenseman. And speaking
of defense... 

The Johnny Stuart Award for the defensive player of the year goes
to Billy Houlder. Billy played solid all year, and
surprisingly led the team in game-winning goals and points. Billy
was the best D-man all year, period. And speaking of the best...
 
The Morgan Stuart Award for the best player while I've been an
LCS Hockey correspondent goes to K-yuk. I've already
mentioned why in this article and in previous articles, and I'll
say it again, He da man!!! 

Kudos Time...

Thanks to all of you who provided feedback about my articles.
I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing
about them. Special thanks go to Bonnie and Michele for providing
some wonderful wacky insights. And special thanks too for Todd,
Arlen, and Lou for getting me interested in hockey in the first
place, and becoming a hockey fan. 

In closing....

I'd like to thank Michael Dell, Jim Iovino and the rest of the
LCS Hockey staff for the opportunity to have been a member of
the LCS Hockey family. This was the first, and probably my last
foray into sports writing, and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
It's a pity that LCS won't continue, but as in life, nothing
stays the same, and when it's time to move on, it's time to
move on. Good luck to the LCS Staff in their future endeavors
and thanks again for the opportunity. 

P.S. Go Sharks, Go Clash, Go Dweebs, Go Moovers, Go out and
change the world....
================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Playoff Stats - Players                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TEAM P NO  PLAYER                 GP   G   A PTS +/-  PIM PP SH GW GT   S  PCTG
ANA  R  8  Selanne, Teemu          4   2   2   4  -1    2  1  0  0  0   7  28.6
ANA  L  9  Kariya, Paul            3   1   3   4   0    0  0  0  0  0  11   9.1
ANA  C 20  Rucchin, Steve          4   0   3   3   0    0  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
ANA  C 16  McInnis, Marty          4   2   0   2  -1    2  2  0  0  0  12  16.7
ANA  D  2  Olausson, Fredrik       4   0   2   2  -4    4  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
ANA  D 23  Marshall, Jason         4   1   0   1  -1   10  1  0  0  0   5  20.0
ANA  C 39  Green, Travis           4   0   1   1  -4    4  0  0  0  0  12   0.0
ANA  D  7  Trnka, Pavel            4   0   1   1  -3    2  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
ANA  C 22 *Davidsson, Johan        1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
ANA  L 12 *LeClerc, Mike           1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
ANA  D 34  Trebil, Dan             1   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
ANA  L 32  Grimson, Stu            3   0   0   0   0   30  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
ANA  D 24  Salei, Ruslan           3   0   0   0  -4    4  0  0  0  0   5   0.0
ANA  C 18  Drury, Ted              4   0   0   0  -6    0  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
ANA  R 17  Sandstrom, Tomas        4   0   0   0  -2    4  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
ANA  R 19  Nielsen, Jeff           4   0   0   0  -6    2  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
ANA  D  5  Haller, Kevin           4   0   0   0  -1    2  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
ANA  C 14 *Aalto, Antti            4   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
ANA  L 33  McKenzie, Jim           4   0   0   0  -2    4  0  0  0  0   5   0.0
ANA  C 11  Cullen, Matt            4   0   0   0  -2    0  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
ANA  D  4  Pushor, Jamie           4   0   0   0  -3    6  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
BOS  C 41  Allison, Jason         12   2   9  11   1    6  1  0  0  0  28   7.1
BOS  D 77  Bourque, Ray           12   1   9  10   1   14  0  0  0  0  44   2.3
BOS  C  6  Thornton, Joe          11   3   6   9   1    4  2  0  2  0  15  20.0
BOS  C 33  Carter, Anson          12   4   3   7  -3    0  1  0  1  1  27  14.8
BOS  R 23  Heinze, Steve          12   4   3   7  -1    0  2  0  0  0  23  17.4
BOS  L 12  Khristich, Dmitri      12   3   4   7   1    6  0  0  1  0  19  15.8
BOS  L 14  Samsonov, Sergei       11   3   1   4   3    0  0  0  0  0  21  14.3
BOS  D 32  Sweeney, Don           11   3   0   3   2    6  1  0  0  0  16  18.8
BOS  D 20  Van Impe, Darren       11   1   2   3  -3    4  1  0  0  0  18   5.6
BOS  D 18  McLaren, Kyle          12   0   3   3   4   10  0  0  0  0  21   0.0
BOS  C 26  Taylor, Tim            12   0   3   3   1    8  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
BOS  C 19  DiMaio, Rob            12   2   0   2   2    8  0  0  1  0  21   9.5
BOS  D 37  Timander, Mattias       4   1   1   2   3    2  0  0  0  0   3  33.3
BOS  R 27  Wilson, Landon          8   1   1   2  -2    8  1  0  1  0  14   7.1
BOS  L 11  Axelsson, P.J.         12   1   1   2  -1    4  0  0  0  0  20   5.0
BOS  L 16  Belanger, Ken          12   1   0   1   2   16  0  0  0  0   7  14.3
BOS  R 10 *Mann, Cameron           1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
BOS  C 21 *Robitaille, Randy       1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
BOS  C 72 *Nickulas, Eric          1   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
BOS  D 36  Ledyard, Grant          2   0   0   0  -1    2  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
BOS  L 22  Baumgartner, Ken        3   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
BOS  D 44  Ellett, Dave            8   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
BOS  D 25  Gill, Hal              12   0   0   0  -1   14  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
BOS  C 17 *Bates, Shawn           12   0   0   0  -1    4  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
BUF  D  5  Woolley, Jason         21   4  11  15   0   10  2  0  1  1  43   9.3
BUF  D 44  Zhitnik, Alexei        21   4  11  15  -6   52  4  0  2  0  58   6.9
BUF  C 37  Brown, Curtis          21   7   6  13   3   10  3  0  3  0  34  20.6
BUF  C 27  Peca, Michael          21   5   8  13   1   18  2  1  0  0  37  13.5
BUF  R 15  Ward, Dixon            21   7   5  12   6   32  0  2  3  0  38  18.4
BUF  C 90  Juneau, Joe            20   3   8  11  -2   10  0  1  0  0  29  10.3
BUF  C 41  Barnes, Stu            21   7   3  10  -1    6  4  0  1  0  30  23.3
BUF  L 80  Sanderson, Geoff       19   4   6  10   5   14  0  0  1  0  53   7.5
BUF  R 25  Varada, Vaclav         21   5   4   9   2   14  1  0  0  0  38  13.2
BUF  L 81  Satan, Miroslav        12   3   5   8   3    2  1  0  1  1  25  12.0
BUF  C 19  Holzinger, Brian       21   3   5   8   1   33  1  0  0  0  32   9.4
BUF  C 22  Primeau, Wayne         19   3   4   7   0    6  1  0  0  0  22  13.6
BUF  C  9 *Rasmussen, Erik        21   2   4   6   2   18  0  0  1  0  23   8.7
BUF  D  4  Warrener, Rhett        20   1   3   4  12   32  0  0  0  0  21   4.8
BUF  L 18  Grosek, Michal         13   0   4   4   1   28  0  0  0  0  20   0.0
BUF  D 42  Smehlik, Richard       21   0   3   3  -4   10  0  0  0  0  20   0.0
BUF  D 74  McKee, Jay             21   0   3   3  13   24  0  0  0  0  13   0.0
BUF  R 32  Ray, Rob                5   1   0   1   1    0  0  0  1  0   1 100.0
BUF  D  3  Patrick, James         20   0   1   1   6   12  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
BUF  D  8  Shannon, Darryl         2   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
BUF  L 17  Cunneyworth, Randy      3   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
BUF  R 46 *Sylvester, Dean         4   0   0   0  -1    2  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
BUF  L 24  Kruse, Paul            10   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
CAR  R 26  Sheppard, Ray           6   5   1   6  -2    2  1  0  1  1  23  21.7
CAR  D  3  Chiasson, Steve         6   1   2   3   1    2  1  0  0  0  17   5.9
CAR  L 13  Battaglia, Bates        6   0   3   3   3    8  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
CAR  L 23  Gelinas, Martin         6   0   3   3  -4    2  0  0  0  0  12   0.0
CAR  C 55  Primeau, Keith          6   0   3   3  -3    6  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
CAR  L 18  Kron, Robert            5   2   0   2   2    0  0  0  1  0  10  20.0
CAR  L 24  Kapanen, Sami           5   1   1   2  -2    0  0  0  0  0   8  12.5
CAR  L 10  Roberts, Gary           6   1   1   2  -3    8  0  0  0  0  13   7.7
CAR  R 51  Kovalenko, Andrei       4   0   2   2   1    2  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
CAR  C 21  Francis, Ron            3   0   1   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
CAR  D 77  Coffey, Paul            5   0   1   1   0    2  0  0  0  0   8   0.0
CAR  C 92  O'Neill, Jeff           6   0   1   1  -5    0  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
CAR  C 31 *MacDonald, Craig        1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
CAR  D 33  Karpa, David            2   0   0   0  -2    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
CAR  D  4  Pratt, Nolan            3   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
CAR  D  5  Malik, Marek            4   0   0   0  -2    4  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
CAR  D 14 *Halko, Steve            4   0   0   0  -2    2  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
CAR  L 28  Ranheim, Paul           6   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   5   0.0
CAR  R 11  Dineen, Kevin           6   0   0   0   0    8  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
CAR  D  2  Wesley, Glen            6   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0  15   0.0
CAR  D  7  Leschyshyn, Curtis      6   0   0   0  -3    6  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
CAR  L 44  Manderville, Kent       6   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
COL  C 21  Forsberg, Peter        19   8  16  24   7   31  1  1  0  0  54  14.8
COL  C 19  Sakic, Joe             19   6  13  19  -2    8  1  1  1  0  56  10.7
COL  R 14  Fleury, Theo           18   5  12  17  -2   20  2  0  0  0  56   8.9
COL  R 22  Lemieux, Claude        19   3  11  14   5   26  1  0  0  0  69   4.3
COL  R 18  Deadmarsh, Adam        19   8   4  12   2   20  3  0  0  0  44  18.2
COL  R 23 *Hejduk, Milan          16   6   6  12   3    4  1  0  3  2  38  15.8
COL  D  8  Ozolinsh, Sandis       19   4   8  12  -5   22  3  0  1  0  56   7.1
COL  L 13  Kamensky, Valeri       10   4   5   9   5    4  1  0  1  0  18  22.2
COL  C 37 *Drury, Chris           19   6   2   8   2    4  0  0  4  1  40  15.0
COL  D  3  Miller, Aaron          19   1   5   6   8   10  0  0  0  0  22   4.5
COL  D 52  Foote, Adam            19   2   3   5   3   24  1  0  0  0  28   7.1
COL  C 32  Hunter, Dale           19   1   3   4   0   38  0  0  0  0  10  10.0
COL  L 25  Podein, Shjon          19   1   1   2  -1   12  0  0  0  0  33   3.0
COL  D  7  de Vries, Greg         19   0   2   2   3   22  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
COL  R 36  Odgers, Jeff           15   1   0   1   0   14  0  0  1  0   3  33.3
COL  C 26  Yelle, Stephane        10   0   1   1  -1    6  0  0  0  0  18   0.0
COL  L 16  Rychel, Warren         12   0   1   1  -1   14  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
COL  D  2  Lefebvre, Sylvain      19   0   1   1   6   12  0  0  0  0  16   0.0
COL  D 24  Klemm, Jon             19   0   1   1   1   10  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
COL  D 29  Messier, Eric           3   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
COL  R 12  Donovan, Shean          5   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
COL  D  5  Gusarov, Alexei         5   0   0   0   1    2  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
DAL  C  9  Modano, Mike           23   5  18  23   6   16  1  1  1  1  83   6.0
DAL  C 25  Nieuwendyk, Joe        23  11  10  21   7   19  3  0  6  2  72  15.3
DAL  C 15  Langenbrunner, Jamie   23  10   7  17   7   16  4  0  3  0  46  21.7
DAL  R 22  Hull, Brett            22   8   7  15   3    4  3  0  2  1  86   9.3
DAL  R 26  Lehtinen, Jere         23  10   3  13   8    2  1  1  0  0  55  18.2
DAL  D 56  Zubov, Sergei          23   1  12  13  13    4  0  0  0  0  46   2.2
DAL  D  5  Sydor, Darryl          23   3   9  12   8   16  1  0  1  0  49   6.1
DAL  L 14  Reid, Dave             23   2   8  10   4   14  0  0  0  0  30   6.7
DAL  R 12  Keane, Mike            23   5   2   7  -1    6  0  1  1  0  41  12.2
DAL  R 16  Verbeek, Pat           18   3   4   7   4   14  0  0  1  0  33   9.1
DAL  D  2  Hatcher, Derian        18   1   6   7   4   24  0  0  0  0  28   3.6
DAL  C 21  Carbonneau, Guy        17   2   4   6   0    6  0  0  1  0  29   6.9
DAL  D 24  Matvichuk, Richard     22   1   5   6   4   20  0  0  0  0  26   3.8
DAL  D  3  Ludwig, Craig          23   1   4   5   2   20  0  0  0  0   6  16.7
DAL  R 29  Marshall, Grant        14   0   3   3   1   20  0  0  0  0  23   0.0
DAL  C 41  Hrkac, Tony             5   0   2   2   3    4  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
DAL  C 33  Hogue, Benoit          14   0   2   2  -1   16  0  0  0  0  20   0.0
DAL  D 27  Chambers, Shawn        17   0   2   2  -1   18  0  0  0  0  19   0.0
DAL  R 11 *Sloan, Blake           19   0   2   2  -1    8  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
DAL  C 10  Skrudland, Brian       19   0   2   2   0   16  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
DAL  C 18  Plante, Derek           6   1   0   1   0    4  0  0  0  0   8  12.5
DAL  D 37 *Lukowich, Brad          8   0   1   1   3    4  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
DAL  D  6  Lidster, Doug           4   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
DAL  C 49 *Sim, Jon                4   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
DET  C 19  Yzerman, Steve         10   9   4  13   2    0  4  0  2  0  41  22.0
DET  D  5  Lidstrom, Nicklas      10   2   9  11   0    4  2  0  0  0  29   6.9
DET  L 14  Shanahan, Brendan      10   3   7  10   2    6  1  0  1  0  31   9.7
DET  C 91  Fedorov, Sergei        10   1   8   9   3    8  0  0  0  0  38   2.6
DET  C 13  Kozlov, Vyacheslav     10   6   1   7  -3    4  3  0  0  0  28  21.4
DET  L 96  Holmstrom, Tomas       10   4   3   7   2    4  2  0  1  0  26  15.4
DET  L 71  Clark, Wendel          10   2   3   5  -1   10  1  0  0  0  29   6.9
DET  R 17  Brown, Doug            10   2   2   4   0    4  1  0  1  0  15  13.3
DET  D 24  Chelios, Chris         10   0   4   4  -6   14  0  0  0  0  21   0.0
DET  D  2  Samuelsson, Ulf         9   0   3   3   1   10  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
DET  R 25  McCarty, Darren        10   1   1   2  -1   23  0  0  0  0  15   6.7
DET  C  8  Larionov, Igor          7   0   2   2  -1    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
DET  D 55  Murphy, Larry          10   0   2   2   2    8  0  0  0  0  14   0.0
DET  R 20  Lapointe, Martin       10   0   2   2   0   20  0  0  0  0  14   0.0
DET  R 18  Maltby, Kirk           10   1   0   1  -2    8  0  0  1  1  13   7.7
DET  D 15  Gill, Todd              2   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
DET  D 27  Ward, Aaron             8   0   1   1   2    8  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
DET  D 11  Dandenault, Mathieu    10   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0  15   0.0
DET  C 33  Draper, Kris           10   0   1   1  -1    6  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
DET  D 34  Macoun, Jamie           1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
DET  L 41  Gilchrist, Brent        3   0   0   0  -2    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
EDM  L 94  Smyth, Ryan             3   3   0   3  -1    0  2  0  0  0   7  42.9
EDM  L 18  Moreau, Ethan           4   0   3   3   3    6  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
EDM  R 25  Grier, Mike             4   1   1   2   3    6  0  0  0  0   9  11.1
EDM  C 26  Marchant, Todd          4   1   1   2   2   12  0  0  0  0  10  10.0
EDM  L 17  Murray, Rem             4   1   1   2  -1    2  0  0  0  0   6  16.7
EDM  C 39  Weight, Doug            4   1   1   2  -3   15  0  0  0  0   4  25.0
EDM  R  9  Guerin, Bill            3   0   2   2  -4    2  0  0  0  0   8   0.0
EDM  R 28  Selivanov, Alexander AL 2   0   1   1   0    2  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
EDM  D 21  Smith, Jason            4   0   1   1   0    4  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
EDM  D 24  Laflamme, Christian     4   0   1   1  -4    2  0  0  0  0   5   0.0
EDM  R 10  Falloon, Pat            4   0   1   1   0    4  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
EDM  D  5 *Poti, Tom               4   0   1   1  -3    2  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
EDM  C 19  Devereaux, Boyd         1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
EDM  R 34  Vorobiev, Vladimir      1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
EDM  D  8  Musil, Frank            1   0   0   0  -1    2  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
EDM  D 23 *Brown, Sean             1   0   0   0   0   10  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
EDM  L 20  Beranek, Josef          2   0   0   0  -1    4  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
EDM  D 22  Hamrlik, Roman          3   0   0   0   1    2  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
EDM  D 33  McSorley, Marty         3   0   0   0   1    2  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
EDM  R 16  Buchberger, Kelly       4   0   0   0  -4    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
EDM  D 44  Niinimaa, Janne         4   0   0   0  -2    2  0  0  0  0   5   0.0
EDM  R 27 *Laraque, Georges        4   0   0   0  -2    2  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
EDM  C 15  Kilger, Chad            4   0   0   0  -2    4  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
NJD  L 16  Holik, Bobby            7   0   7   7  -1    6  0  0  0  0  21   0.0
NJD  C 17  Sykora, Petr            7   3   3   6  -3    4  0  0  1  0  12  25.0
NJD  R 21  McKay, Randy            7   3   2   5   1    2  0  0  1  0  16  18.8
NJD  L 26  Elias, Patrik           7   0   5   5   0    6  0  0  0  0  14   0.0
NJD  C 18  Brylin, Sergei          5   3   1   4   2    4  1  0  1  0  12  25.0
NJD  C 25  Arnott, Jason           7   2   2   4  -3    4  1  0  0  0  12  16.7
NJD  D 27  Niedermayer, Scott      7   1   3   4  -5   18  1  0  0  0  13   7.7
NJD  D  4  Stevens, Scott          7   2   1   3  -2   10  2  0  0  0  14  14.3
NJD  D 24  Odelein, Lyle           7   0   3   3  -1   10  0  0  0  0  12   0.0
NJD  L 23  Andreychuk, Dave        4   2   0   2   0    4  0  0  0  0   7  28.6
NJD  C  9 *Morrison, Brendan       7   0   2   2  -1    0  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
NJD  C 14  Rolston, Brian          7   1   0   1  -1    2  0  1  0  0  15   6.7
NJD  L 20  Pandolfo, Jay           7   1   0   1  -5    0  0  0  0  0  10  10.0
NJD  D  2  Souray, Sheldon         2   0   1   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
NJD  C 10  Pederson, Denis         3   0   1   1   0    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
NJD  L 29  Oliwa, Krzysztof        1   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
NJD  C 12  Nemchinov, Sergei       4   0   0   0  -2    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
NJD  R  8 *Sharifijanov, Vadim     4   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
NJD  D  6  Bombardir, Brad         5   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
NJD  C 19  Carpenter, Bob          7   0   0   0  -1    2  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
NJD  D  3  Daneyko, Ken            7   0   0   0   3    8  0  0  0  0   5   0.0
NJD  D 28  Dean, Kevin             7   0   0   0  -4    0  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
OTW  R  7  Emerson, Nelson         4   1   3   4   0    0  0  0  0  0  12   8.3
OTW  R 11  Alfredsson, Daniel      4   1   2   3  -1    4  1  0  0  0  13   7.7
OTW  D  6  Redden, Wade            4   1   2   3  -1    2  1  0  0  0  11   9.1
OTW  L 15  McEachern, Shawn        4   2   0   2   1    6  1  0  0  0  11  18.2
OTW  D 33  York, Jason             4   1   1   2  -1    4  0  0  0  0  12   8.3
OTW  L 18 *Hossa, Marian           4   0   2   2   1    4  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
OTW  L 20  Arvedson, Magnus        3   0   1   1  -1    2  0  0  0  0   8   0.0
OTW  R 10  Dackell, Andreas        4   0   1   1  -3    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
OTW  L 28  Donato, Ted             1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
OTW  C 21  Johansson, Andreas      2   0   0   0  -3    0  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
OTW  L  9  Berg, Bill              2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
OTW  D  2  Pitlick, Lance          2   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
OTW  D  4  Phillips, Chris         3   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
OTW  C 25  Gardiner, Bruce         3   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
OTW  D 29  Kravchuk, Igor          4   0   0   0  -5    0  0  0  0  0  12   0.0
OTW  C 19  Yashin, Alexei          4   0   0   0  -4   10  0  0  0  0  24   0.0
OTW  C 22  Van Allen, Shaun        4   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
OTW  C 14  Bonk, Radek             4   0   0   0  -1    6  0  0  0  0   8   0.0
OTW  D  5 *Salo, Sami              4   0   0   0  -3    0  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
OTW  C 13  Prospal, Vaclav         4   0   0   0  -2    0  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
OTW  D 27  Laukkanen, Janne        4   0   0   0   1    4  0  0  0  0   8   0.0
PHI  D 37  Desjardins, Eric        6   2   2   4   1    4  1  0  1  0  21   9.5
PHI  C 17  Brind'Amour, Rod        6   1   3   4   1    0  0  0  0  0  19   5.3
PHI  L 10  LeClair, John           6   3   0   3   0   12  2  0  0  0  15  20.0
PHI  R 20  Jones, Keith            6   2   1   3   4   14  0  0  0  0  11  18.2
PHI  D 25  Duchesne, Steve         6   0   2   2   2    2  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
PHI  C 28  Bureau, Marc            6   0   2   2   2    2  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
PHI  C 18  Langkow, Daymond        6   0   2   2   3    2  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
PHI  L 26  Zelepukin, Valeri       4   1   0   1   1    4  0  0  1  0   5  20.0
PHI  D 24  Dykhuis, Karl           5   1   0   1   1    4  0  0  0  0  12   8.3
PHI  L 32  Berube, Craig           6   1   0   1   1    4  0  0  0  0   7  14.3
PHI  R  9  Greig, Mark             2   0   1   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
PHI  R 14  Andersson, Mikael       6   0   1   1   1    2  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
PHI  R 21  McCarthy, Sandy         6   0   1   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
PHI  R 19  Renberg, Mikael         6   0   1   1  -1    0  0  0  0  0  18   0.0
PHI  R 11  Recchi, Mark            6   0   1   1  -1    2  0  0  0  0  18   0.0
PHI  D  3  McGillis, Dan           6   0   1   1   2   12  0  0  0  0  15   0.0
PHI  D  5 *Tertyshny, Dimitri      1   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
PHI  D  2  Burt, Adam              6   0   0   0   1    4  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
PHI  R  8  Hull, Jody              6   0   0   0  -1    4  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
PHI  D  6  Therien, Chris          6   0   0   0   1    6  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
PHO  R 11  Drake, Dallas           7   4   3   7   3    4  2  0  1  0  18  22.2
PHO  R 19  Doan, Shane             7   2   2   4   4    6  0  0  2  1  17  11.8
PHO  C 16  Reichel, Robert         7   1   3   4  -2    2  0  0  0  0  16   6.3
PHO  L  7  Tkachuk, Keith          7   1   3   4  -4   13  1  0  0  0  22   4.5
PHO  D 27  Numminen, Teppo         7   2   1   3  -5    4  2  0  0  0  18  11.1
PHO  D  3  Carney, Keith           7   1   2   3   5   10  0  0  0  0   5  20.0
PHO  R 22  Tocchet, Rick           7   0   3   3  -3    8  0  0  0  0  14   0.0
PHO  L 29  DeBrusk, Louie          6   2   0   2  -1    6  0  0  0  0   5  40.0
PHO  R 23  Leach, Steve            7   1   1   2   0    2  0  0  0  0   4  25.0
PHO  C 36  Ylonen, Juha            2   0   2   2   2    2  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
PHO  R 18  Noonan, Brian           5   0   2   2   2    4  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
PHO  D 10  Tverdovsky, Oleg        6   0   2   2   3    6  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
PHO  L 17  Adams, Greg             3   1   0   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   9  11.1
PHO  C 14  Stapleton, Mike         7   1   0   1  -1    0  0  0  0  0   3  33.3
PHO  R 15  Cummins, Jim            3   0   1   1   1    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
PHO  D 24  Neckar, Stan            6   0   1   1   3    4  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
PHO  C 21  Corkum, Bob             7   0   1   1   1    4  0  0  0  0   6   0.0
PHO  D 20  Lumme, Jyrki            7   0   1   1  -2    6  0  0  0  0   8   0.0
PHO  C 97  Roenick, Jeremy         1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
PHO  D 39  Tiley, Brad             1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
PHO  C 47 *Hansen, Tavis           2   0   0   0   1    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
PHO  D  4  Diduck, Gerald          3   0   0   0  -1    2  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
PHO  C 26  Sullivan, Mike          5   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
PHO  D 33  Daigneault, J.J.        6   0   0   0  -1    8  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
PIT  C 82  Straka, Martin         13   6   9  15   0    6  1  0  0  0  27  22.2
PIT  R 68  Jagr, Jaromir           9   5   7  12   1   16  1  0  1  1  32  15.6
PIT  R 27  Kovalev, Alexei        10   5   7  12   0   14  0  0  1  0  24  20.8
PIT  C 37  Miller, Kip            13   2   7   9  -1   19  1  0  0  0  18  11.1
PIT  C  9  Titov, German          11   3   5   8   4    4  0  0  0  0  15  20.0
PIT  R 44  Brown, Rob             13   2   5   7  -2    8  2  0  0  0  14  14.3
PIT  C 38 *Hrdina, Jan            13   4   1   5  -1   12  1  0  1  0  14  28.6
PIT  D  4  Hatcher, Kevin         13   2   3   5   1    4  1  0  0  0  22   9.1
PIT  D 71  Slegr, Jiri            13   1   3   4   1   12  0  0  1  0  17   5.9
PIT  R 95  Morozov, Aleksey       10   1   1   2   1    0  0  0  0  0  13   7.7
PIT  D  5  Werenka, Brad          13   1   1   2   0    6  0  0  0  0  10  10.0
PIT  C 20  Lang, Robert           12   0   2   2  -3    0  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
PIT  R 24  Moran, Ian             13   0   2   2  -3    8  0  0  0  0  12   0.0
PIT  D 49  Andrusak, Greg         12   1   0   1  -1    6  0  0  1  0   9  11.1
PIT  D  8  Dollas, Bobby          13   1   0   1  -4    6  0  0  0  0   6  16.7
PIT  R 25  Kesa, Dan              13   1   0   1  -2    0  1  0  1  0   5  20.0
PIT  D 23  Ignatjev, Victor        1   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
PIT  D 47 *Galanov, Maxim          1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
PIT  C 28  Hlushko, Todd           2   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   1   0.0
PIT  C 17 *Bonin, Brian            3   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
PIT  L 12 *Sonnenberg, Martin      7   0   0   0  -2    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
PIT  R 36  Barnaby, Matthew       13   0   0   0  -2   35  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
PIT  C 29  Wright, Tyler          13   0   0   0  -2   19  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
SJS  D  5  Norton, Jeff            6   0   7   7   5   10  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
SJS  C 25  Damphousse, Vincent     6   3   2   5   1    6  0  2  0  0  22  13.6
SJS  C 18  Ricci, Mike             6   2   3   5   1   10  1  0  0  0   9  22.2
SJS  L 39  Friesen, Jeff           6   2   2   4  -1   14  1  0  0  0  20  10.0
SJS  C 19  Sturm, Marco            6   2   2   4   1    4  0  0  1  0  15  13.3
SJS  R 15 *Korolyuk, Alex          6   1   3   4  -3    2  0  0  1  0   7  14.3
SJS  D  2  Houlder, Bill           6   3   0   3   2    4  3  0  0  0   8  37.5
SJS  C 14  Marleau, Patrick        6   2   1   3  -1    4  2  0  0  0   7  28.6
SJS  R 17  Murphy, Joe             6   0   3   3   0    4  0  0  0  0  21   0.0
SJS  R 11  Nolan, Owen             6   1   1   2   0    6  0  0  0  0  26   3.8
SJS  R 21  Granato, Tony           6   1   1   2  -1    2  0  0  0  0   5  20.0
SJS  D 10  Ragnarsson, Marcus      6   0   1   1  -4    6  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
SJS  L 26  Lowry, Dave             1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
SJS  L 37  Matteau, Stephane       5   0   0   0  -3    6  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
SJS  D 27  Marchment, Bryan        6   0   0   0   0    4  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
SJS  C 12  Sutter, Ron             6   0   0   0  -1    4  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
SJS  D  3  Rouse, Bob              6   0   0   0  -1    6  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
SJS  D 40  Rathje, Mike            6   0   0   0  -6    4  0  0  0  0   4   0.0
SJS  R 22  Stern, Ronnie           6   0   0   0  -1    6  0  0  0  0  10   0.0
STL  C 77  Turgeon, Pierre        13   4   9  13   3    6  0  0  2  2  42   9.5
STL  D  2  MacInnis, Al           13   4   8  12  -2   20  2  0  0  0  66   6.1
STL  R 48  Young, Scott           13   4   7  11   2   10  1  0  1  1  40  10.0
STL  L 38  Demitra, Pavol         13   5   4   9  -5    4  3  0  1  1  31  16.1
STL  L 14  Courtnall, Geoff       13   2   4   6  -4   10  2  0  0  0  18  11.1
STL  D 44  Pronger, Chris         13   1   4   5  -2   28  1  0  0  0  43   2.3
STL  R 23  Atcheynum, Blair       13   1   3   4   2    6  0  0  0  0  19   5.3
STL  C 22  Conroy, Craig          13   2   1   3  -3    6  0  0  0  0  20  10.0
STL  D 37  Finley, Jeff           13   1   2   3  -4    8  0  0  1  0   5  20.0
STL  R 27  Yake, Terry            13   1   2   3  -3   14  1  0  0  0  13   7.7
STL  D  7  Persson, Ricard        13   0   3   3  -1   17  0  0  0  0  12   0.0
STL  C 55 *Hecht, Jochen           5   2   0   2   4    0  0  0  0  0  20  10.0
STL  D  6  Rivers, Jamie           9   1   1   2  -2    2  1  0  1  0   4  25.0
STL  C 32  Eastwood, Mike         13   1   1   2   2    6  0  0  0  0   8  12.5
STL  C 26 *Handzus, Michal        11   0   2   2   0    8  0  0  0  0  16   0.0
STL  C 25  Rheaume, Pascal         5   1   0   1   1    4  0  0  0  0  10  10.0
STL  L 33  Pellerin, Scott         8   1   0   1  -2    4  0  0  0  0  11   9.1
STL  C 21 *Mayers, Jamal          11   0   1   1  -2    8  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
STL  L 18  Twist, Tony             1   0   0   0  -1    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
STL  L  9 *Nash, Tyson             1   0   0   0  -3    2  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
STL  D 28  Shaw, Brad              4   0   0   0   2    0  0  0  0  0   3   0.0
STL  L 34  Picard, Michel          5   0   0   0  -3    2  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
STL  L 56 *Bartecko, Lubos         5   0   0   0  -3    2  0  0  0  0   8   0.0
STL  D 19  McAlpine, Chris        13   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
TOR  C 13  Sundin, Mats           17   8   8  16   2   16  3  0  2  0  44  18.2
TOR  R 94  Berezin, Sergei        17   6   6  12   0    4  2  0  2  1  65   9.2
TOR  L 32  Thomas, Steve          17   6   3   9  -1   12  2  0  1  0  41  14.6
TOR  R 16  Bohonos, Lonny          9   3   6   9   3    2  0  0  0  0  26  11.5
TOR  C 44  Perreault, Yanic       17   3   6   9  -6    6  0  0  2  1  15  20.0
TOR  D 34  Berard, Bryan          17   1   8   9 -10    8  1  0  0  0  29   3.4
TOR  L 10  Valk, Garry            17   3   4   7  -1   22  0  0  1  1  14  21.4
TOR  C 11  Sullivan, Steve        13   3   3   6  -3   14  2  0  0  0  21  14.3
TOR  D 36  Yushkevich, Dimitri    17   1   5   6   7   22  1  0  0  0  17   5.9
TOR  D 55 *Markov, Daniil         17   0   6   6   9   18  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
TOR  R 20  Johnson, Mike          17   3   2   5  -1    4  0  0  1  0  26  11.5
TOR  D 52  Karpovtsev, Alexander A14   1   3   4  -7   12  1  0  0  0  13   7.7
TOR  L  7  King, Derek            16   1   3   4   0    4  0  0  0  0  26   3.8
TOR  D  3  Cote, Sylvain          17   2   1   3  -3   10  0  0  0  0  19  10.5
TOR  D 15 *Kaberle, Tomas         14   0   3   3   0    2  0  0  0  0  14   0.0
TOR  L 12  King, Kris             17   1   1   2  -1   25  0  0  0  0  15   6.7
TOR  C 42 *Adams, Kevyn            7   0   2   2  -2   14  0  0  0  0   9   0.0
TOR  R 28  Domi, Tie              14   0   2   2  -1   24  0  0  0  0   7   0.0
TOR  C 21 *Mair, Adam              5   1   0   1  -1   14  0  0  0  0   3  33.3
TOR  D 33  McAllister, Chris       6   0   1   1  -1    4  0  0  0  0   2   0.0
TOR  R 22  Korolev, Igor           1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
TOR  D  2  Eakins, Dallas          1   0   0   0   0    0  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
TOR  R 39 *Kohn, Ladislav          2   0   0   0   0    5  0  0  0  0   0   0.0
TOR  L 19  Modin, Fredrik          8   0   0   0  -2    6  0  0  0  0  11   0.0
TOR  L  8  Warriner, Todd          9   0   0   0   0    2  0  0  0  0  12   0.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Playoff Stats - Goaltenders
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TM  NO GOALTENDER          GPI  MINS   AVG  W  L  T EN SO  GA   SA  SPCT G  A PIM
ANA 31 Hebert, Guy           4   208  4.33  0  3  0  0  0  15  124  .879 0  0   0
BOS 34 Dafoe, Byron         12   768  2.03  6  6  0  1  2  26  330  .921 0  0   2
BUF 39 Hasek, Dominik       19  1217  1.77 13  6  0  2  2  36  587  .939 0  1   8
BUF 30 Roloson, Dwayne       4   139  4.32  1  1  0  1  0  10   67  .851 0  0   0
CAR  1 Irbe, Arturs          6   408  2.21  2  4  0  1  0  15  181  .917 0  0   0
COL 33 Roy, Patrick         19  1173  2.66 11  8  0  1  1  52  650  .920 0  2   4
COL  1 Billington, Craig     1     9  6.67  0  0  0  0  0   1    6  .833 0  0   0
DAL 20 Belfour, Ed          23  1544  1.67 16  7  0  1  3  43  617  .930 0  0   4
DET 30 Osgood, Chris         6   358  2.35  4  2  0  0  1  14  172  .919 0  0   0
DET 38*Maracle, Norm         2    58  3.10  0  0  0  0  0   3   22  .864 0  0   0
DET 40 Ranford, Bill         4   183  3.28  2  2  0  0  1  10  105  .905 0  0   0
EDM 35 Salo, Tommy           4   296  2.23  0  4  0  0  0  11  149  .926 0  0   0
NJD 30 Brodeur, Martin       7   425  2.82  3  4  0  1  0  20  139  .856 0  2   2
OTW  1 Rhodes, Damian        2   150  2.40  0  2  0  0  0   6   65  .908 0  0   0
OTW 31 Tugnutt, Ron          2   118  3.05  0  2  0  0  0   6   41  .854 0  0   0
PHI 34 Vanbiesbrouck, John   6   369  1.46  2  4  0  0  1   9  146  .938 0  0   2
PHO 35 Khabibulin, Nikolai   7   449  2.41  3  4  0  1  0  18  236  .924 0  0   2
PIT 35 Barrasso, Tom        13   787  2.67  6  7  0  1  1  35  350  .900 0  0   4
SJS 29 Vernon, Mike          5   321  2.43  2  3  0  0  0  13  172  .924 0  1   0
SJS 31 Shields, Steve        1    60  6.00  0  1  0  0  0   6   36  .833 0  0   0
STL 29 McLennan, Jamie       1    37  0.00  0  1  0  1  0   0    7 1.000 0  0   6
STL 31 Fuhr, Grant          13   790  2.35  6  6  0  1  1  31  305  .898 0  1   2
TOR 30 Healy, Glenn          1    20  0.00  0  0  0  0  0   0    5 1.000 0  0   0
TOR 31 Joseph, Curtis       17  1011  2.43  9  8  0  5  1  41  440  .907 0  0   2

----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank You
----------------------------------------------------------------

All mediocre things must come to an end.  After five years and
125 issues, LCS Hockey has run its course.  

When we started back in the day, our goal was to provide an
alternative to the mainstream hockey coverage.  We wanted to be
different.  We wanted to be informative, yet entertaining...
50/50, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  I think we
achieved what we set out to do.  I mean, c'mon, it wasn't like we
were shooting for the moon.  How hard is it to be more
entertaining than The Hockey News?  I've read funnier warning
labels.

The reason for us calling it quits is really quite simple.  We've
lost the love of the game.  This isn't the NHL we fell in love
with as kids.  Back then, the glory of the sport was enough to
inspire us to dedicate our lives to the cause.  I can't imagine
today's NHL inspiring people to do anything, except maybe turn
the channel.  It's a garage league.  The NHL has placed money
ahead of tradition and in the process alienated the true hockey
fan.  It can make all the cash off expansion it wants, it will
never be enough to buy back its lost pride.  

We could have returned next season, but our hearts wouldn't have
been in it.  Frankly, my heart hasn't been in it for the past six
months.  It's just time for a change.  We need to move on.  Now
that LCS Hockey is dead, I can turn my full attention towards
trying to be a real writer of some importance or, in other words,
unemployed.  Ace Reporter Jim Iovino is well on his way to
realizing his dream of being a big time sports journalist,
already owning a gig with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.  Matthew
Secosky is currently working for a technology firm in Pittsburgh
and is biding his time until one of his many fraud/bunko ideas
pays off.  As for Zippy, well, he's a corporate whore.  

Before parting, I'd like to take time out for a few needed thank
yous.

First, I'd like to thank all of the correspondents, writers, and
contributors that volunteered their services over the years to
help make LCS Hockey a success.  We were extremely lucky in
finding quality individuals that stayed loyal despite little
reward.  Nothing would have been possible without their help and
kindness.

I'd like to thank Susan Aglietti of the NHL for shafting us at
the Draft in Hartford back in 1994 and providing even more
incentive to stick it to The Man.  
 
Thank you to Andy McGowan and the other members of the various
NHL media departments for eventually treating us like real
reporters even though we were just a bunch of worthless punks.

Thank you to Johnny Cullen, LCS Hockey hero and the idol of
millions form eight to eighty, for being so generous with us in
the past and for keeping us in mind even during the toughest of
times.  Cullen made us all proud to say he was our hero.  

And finally, on behalf of everyone at LCS Hockey, I'd like to
thank you, our valued readers.  You're twelve of the nicest
people I've ever met.  Your support is what kept us coming back
week after week.  We liked to consider ourselves a publication
for the fans, by the fans.  We never wanted to let you down.  I
just hope you can understand our decision to leave.

While we'll be stopping production, the web site will remain
online in order to act as a permanent reminder of all we've
accomplished and to serve as a warning to future generations on
how not to live their lives.  And who knows?  Maybe one day the
spirit will move us and we'll come back and start writing LCS
again.  

But regardless of what the future brings, we'll never be far
away.  For wherever there's an obscure reference to popular
culture, we'll be there.  Wherever there's blatant sarcasm and
indifference to authority, we'll be there.  And wherever there's
an open bar you damn well better believe we'll be there.

Thank you all very much.

Sincerely,

Michael Dell 
LCS Hockey  

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